2010- The Year Brands will Seduce Consumers via the Social Web

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As 2009 draws to a close, it is a good time to reflect the speed and vigour with which many consumer brands adopted the social web as part of their customer engagement strategy throughout the year. Some really understood it and did a fantastic job; some got it so badly wrong they may take years to repair the damage caused; however, the majority were somewhere in the middle. Expectations were high - "We're on Twitter, we'll get thousands of followers!" - in most cases this just didn't happen. Those brands that did dip their toe in the water will have learned many things and be better positioned to see some real success in 2010.
2010, will see a change from the usual "discount tweets" and "become a fan" (Why?!) and we'll start to see the emergence of an "art of seduction" across the social web. How many of you have already received a comment on a blog or a retweet or an @mention which was phrased something like "Great post" or "Totally agree"? Most probably they come from friends and colleagues, but expect to see more of these from brand representatives. If it is done well and genuinely meant, then this is great, but it is a thin line to tread if it isn't.

There is a tried and tested "chat-up" formula used by many successful seducers (allegedly) which is an acronym of CIQ. This stands for Compliment, Introduction and Question. Here's an example: A man walks up to an attractive lady in a bar and says "Wow! You look fantastic." Lady responds by being very flattered and says something positive in return. "My names, Paul, by the way." "Hello Paul, I'm Tracy." (Don't ask me where those names came from, I have no idea!) Paul then asks "May I buy you a drink?". Apparently, the answer is usually a positive one, as long as you've brushed your teeth.

Now apply this same formula to the social web and brand consumer dialogue, Clearly define profiles and id's will negate the introduction if the brand is well known. Here's what might happen:
  • Consumer Tweet: "Just been for a great run around the park. Had The Who blasting out of my iPod"
  • Brand Tweet: "@consumer It's good to run, great choice of music. The Who are always on my playlist."
  • Consumer Tweet: "@brand Thanks. They seem to make me run a little faster."
  • Brand Tweet: "@consumer Definitely, I (that's me from Brand X) also like a little bit of Motorhead, not everyone's cup of tea."
  • Consumer Tweet: "@brand You're right. Ace of Spades is the only one I know."
  • Brand Tweet: "@consumer There are many more. By the way, what's the park like to run on?"
  • Consumer Tweet: "@brand A bit bumpy and slippy in places. Why?"
  • Brand Tweet: "@consumer Sounds like the park I run round. But I tried a pair of these bit.ly*** and they knocked 3 mins of my time."
  • Consumer Tweet: "@brand Thanks I'll take a look"
Sound elaborate? Don't believe it. Brand X is a running shoe reseller and had set up searches looking at terms such as "run" "running" "terrain" "personal best" etc. and could see the associated tweets.

This is how it is going to be. Your tweets, updates, comments will be heard across the globe by those who want to. Such brands, with the right tools, can then make a judgement whether to engage you; if you're "attractive" be prepared to be seduced. It'll get personal and could be a real benefit to you if brands get it right. It could also be a real pain. There will be many a time in 2010 when you'll be engaged via the social web by a brand. "Get your coat, you've pulled."