The days when customers had no choice but to believe what companies claimed about their products are well and truly gone.
Consumers now have access to more information and are more educated and aware than ever before. Opinions are not just shaped by the media and institutions anymore as we increasingly turn to each other for news and information.
Individuals are fully exploiting their new found power and their ability to influence company behaviour – so much so that companies are now actively seeking consumer input in the early development stages of their products and services. The power to influence individually or in groups is called Advocacy, and it has emerged as the most trusted source of information and communication today.
Taking consumers in the UAE who have traditionally voiced their opinions through letters to print media as an example, it has become clear that this trend has now shifted online. Facebook, the most popular international social networking platform in the Middle East with close to 1.2 million users in the GCC, is not only being used to connect with friends but as a tool for users to drive awareness for causes and push for change. This was recently witnessed with both Atlantis and Emirates Airline, where Facebook groups were formed to apply pressure in an effort to alter company behavior.
As internet use continues to grow at a phenomenal rate in Egypt and the region, there is no denying that the popularity of online communication is on the rise, with digital tools such as Twitter and blogging taking the centre stage. The internet will play an increasingly important role in the future success of brands because over 50% of the population in the Middle East is under the age of 24 and they are spending most of their time online.
There was no better case study about how to capitalize on new media technologies then watching Barack Obama use the new media environment on his road to the White House. Obama harnessed the power of the Internet to give millions of Americans a sense of involvement in his campaign. His online strategy revolutionized the use of the Web as a political tool and as of November 2008, Obama had 1.5 million friends on Facebook and MySpace (vs. 203,343 for John McCain). Guess who became President?
Consumers now have access to more information and are more educated and aware than ever before. Opinions are not just shaped by the media and institutions anymore as we increasingly turn to each other for news and information.
Individuals are fully exploiting their new found power and their ability to influence company behaviour – so much so that companies are now actively seeking consumer input in the early development stages of their products and services. The power to influence individually or in groups is called Advocacy, and it has emerged as the most trusted source of information and communication today.
Taking consumers in the UAE who have traditionally voiced their opinions through letters to print media as an example, it has become clear that this trend has now shifted online. Facebook, the most popular international social networking platform in the Middle East with close to 1.2 million users in the GCC, is not only being used to connect with friends but as a tool for users to drive awareness for causes and push for change. This was recently witnessed with both Atlantis and Emirates Airline, where Facebook groups were formed to apply pressure in an effort to alter company behavior.
As internet use continues to grow at a phenomenal rate in Egypt and the region, there is no denying that the popularity of online communication is on the rise, with digital tools such as Twitter and blogging taking the centre stage. The internet will play an increasingly important role in the future success of brands because over 50% of the population in the Middle East is under the age of 24 and they are spending most of their time online.
There was no better case study about how to capitalize on new media technologies then watching Barack Obama use the new media environment on his road to the White House. Obama harnessed the power of the Internet to give millions of Americans a sense of involvement in his campaign. His online strategy revolutionized the use of the Web as a political tool and as of November 2008, Obama had 1.5 million friends on Facebook and MySpace (vs. 203,343 for John McCain). Guess who became President?
As corporate regulations tighten, companies in the Middle East will need to learn to relinquish control and become more transparent by opening their doors and learning to have a dialogue with their target audience.
These companies have often relied too heavily on press releases, events (and even just advertising) to get their messages out, but as the market becomes more competitive and Advocacy catches on in the Arab world, it will become clear that businesses need to listen to their customers and embrace the online world to build a legion of believers, supporters, allies and fans to take their brand, products and services to the next level.
To learn how to harness the power of Advocacy for the benefit of your business contact us.
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