Tunheimmilan's Posterous: has Vatican turned on your company for social ...-MinnPost.com (blog)

This morning I opened my computer to find a story that got me to throw my hands and declare "game over." The Vatican's Office of social media has launched a Facebook page for Pope John Paul II. The Vatican has an Office of social media? WHO knew?

Friday announced Monsignor Paul Tighe Associated Press "what we found is that Facebook not only share information, it creates community. People begin to talk to each other and share ideas. " This is the Vatican talks about humans share ideas. The story must be shaking a few corporate and marketing trees this week throughout the world.

Plenty of corporate and brand managers have no interest in their customers to share ideas. These "leaders" are under the false impression that the consumer is "their". These leaders think brand conversations as a one-way street. Brand, who send messages through radio, television and print. Mark talks, consumers listen and act.

Unfortunately for these dinosaurs is the truth, the consumer, the owner of the mark and days one-way fire communications are dead.

Last year I was stunned, as I heard the VP of marketing authorisation for a Fortune 500 communications company tell me she doesn't even need to bother including social media as a part of the mixture for a massive B2B sales efforts. She is afraid, and she is not alone. Most marketing executives want stability.

They want a clear and stable path — neither such really exist in the social space. Social platforms and campaigns that live within them evolving. The path is never really clear or secure because users (stakeholders) is control.

The bottom line is this: If a dead Pope has a Facebook page set up by the slowest movement institution in the world, be sure that social media is no longer a trend. If the Vatican has a Social Media Office what it says about companies, not? I can say it in two words: Game Over.

Patrick Milan monitor consumer behaviour and trends and apply them fire strategy and marketing programs for clients of Tunheim, a Minneapolis strategic communications agency. He can be reached at pmilan@tunheim.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/pmilan or subscribe to his blog at http://tunheimmilan.posterous.com/

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