"Each user determines who will get into his own garden, whether friends or vendors. Look at Dopplr (where I plan to become an investor), a site for travelers. I list my trips, and see how they intersect with my friends' itineraries. "Oh, we'll both be in London April 4? Let's get together!" Or, "Juan and Alice will be in town next Tuesday. Let's hold a dinner!" You can imagine or visit equivalent approaches for books (a hypothetical Amazon 2.0, new and more personalized), clothes (Glam.com and Stardoll.com), and even money management.
So what's the business model? I'll "friend" British Airways, which will say, "We see you're going to Moscow next month. Why not fly through London and we'll give you 10,000 extra miles?" I'm no longer in a bucket of frequent travelers, my privacy protected. I'm an individual with specific travel plans, which I intentionally make visible to preferred vendors. British Airways, of course, will pay Dopplr a handsome sponsorship fee to be eligible to be my "friend" (just as a Nike rep might pay to sponsor a basketball game and be part of the community). Someday NetJets may show up, offering to ferry me and my friends to a conference we'll be attending together."
It's interesting when you look at the changed dynamic here.
The user is in complete control, they are only inviting the friends they want, to be inside their walled garden and the brand friends have to behave in a very specific way.
Note: This is not Facebook with unsolicited ads coming at you from all sides.
This new world requires a lot from brands.1. Are they trustworthy and good enough to be considered "friends" in the first place?
Do they have a powerful enough brand reputation?
Are they interesting enough?
2. Once they become a friend-Are they a smart friend or a dumb friend?- do they just spam offers without intelligence or do they know user behavior and needs in rich enough detail, so offers can be tailored?
This requires using data correctly and perhaps the means and ability to create billions of tailored offers (ads?) in real time.
3. Are they prepared to be flexible?- change their voice to be more personal, sound friendly and on the consumers side, perhaps even negotiate to win over a customer
Overall, Esther's scenario represents a radically changed relationship one that could be truly one to one and one where brand respect has to be continuously earned and maintained.
Posted by Ed Cotton
