It's in the Googles

gary:

How many brands can you follow?

Like the thoughts GaryV shares here about how the philosophy behind Path is relevant for businesses.

"Digital provides companies with an opportunity to go direct to the public rather than wait to be mediated by journalism” says Sambrook. “Every company not only has the opportunity but the responsibility now to tell their own stories, their own narrative."

BBC’s Sambrook now says Brands Must Tell Their Own Story | Fast Company

It’s really telling when a seasoned journalist like Sambrook makes the transition from journalist to Chief Content Officer for Edelman Public Relations. He truly believes (as I do) that companies/brands have to tell their own story directly to the public with or without journalism covering their story as well.

"Social media wasn’t just cheap advertising. It provided a channel for brands to become more transparent to their buying audience. With social media came a two-way communication between brands and consumers. We weren’t forced to listen to brands feed us their BS on how awesome they were anymore. Social networks gave us the ability to respond to their messages and hold brands accountable. We were able to reach out to brands with our concerns and even customer service issues. Those brands who didn’t reach back in turn didn’t earn the trust of their consumers, falling even further behind in the process."

How the Recession Sparked Social Media (and not in the way you may think!) - Brain Wads - Drew Hawkins

Exactly. Social media wasn’t just a quick fix for marketing and advertising. It’s a shift towards a more transparent world.