{"id":5214,"date":"2013-12-09T13:50:57","date_gmt":"2013-12-09T13:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/?p=5214"},"modified":"2014-12-20T19:22:58","modified_gmt":"2014-12-20T19:22:58","slug":"from-demographics-to-social-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/from-demographics-to-social-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Evolving stories FROM Demographics TO Social Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"

THEME #3 FROM\u00a07 PART POST SERIES<\/a>\u00a0EXPLORING THE EVOLUTION OF BRAND STORIES & THEMES<\/h3>\n

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\"Understand_by_highersights\"<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

Great brand stories, not unlike human stories, can inspire vibrant conversation, sustained interest and engagement – especially within social communities.\u00a0 But only\u00a0to the degree to which there is meaningful and mutual interest.\u00a0 Think about the ways we come to understand a person?\u00a0 Our innate social instincts strive to find common points of connection, understand context, and interpret their behavior. \u00a0In other words, we synthesize what we learn and observe in order to better understand and connect.\u00a0 Contrast this approach to what happens in business when a brand attempts\u00a0to connect with people.\u00a0 Ironically, the default response is to break down through analysis.\u00a0\u00a0 Strip down into simplistic demographic terms, and segment in order to shape what is known.\u00a0 This process of re-interpretation is meant to simplify information \u2013 but in the long run it produces a distant and simplistic understanding of the customer.\u00a0 The difference of generalizing insight\/information vs. pursuing meaningful customer \u201cintelligence,\u201d is not only a difference in philosophy and methodology.\u00a0 More importantly it is proving to be a significant business disadvantage.<\/p>\n

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“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” – Einstein<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Limited Learning<\/span><\/h3>\n

We analyze and segment both in daily life as well as business. \u00a0Doing so helps us feel in control, or at least establish some level of comfort in thinking so.\u00a0 In business, the use of evaluation filters such as demographics is typically used to guide the corporate understanding of the customer.\u00a0 Filters such as gender, income, size of house hold, etc., is typically used to help simplify data and objectify the way the customer is defined and understood internally. \u00a0But how does this practice help brands to become more relevant in peoples\u2019 lives?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sadly, it does not since it tends to oversimplify that which is meant to be complex in nature \u2013 people!<\/p>\n

As social networks grow and measurement becomes more sophisticated, categorization filters such as demographics or simplistic approaches to groupings will become less useful for two reasons:<\/p>\n

1)\u00a0 The reference point is based on past, out dated mass media success metrics (see my prior post regarding \u201cMass Media Push<\/a>\u201d) versus the reality of how digital\/social integrates and influences daily life and behavior<\/p>\n

2) \u00a0The same information once deemed a strategic advantage is now\u00a0 available to all through online tools.\u00a0 There is no competitive edge to be gained if everyone is working through the same lens and defining customers in the same way<\/p>\n

Defying Human Nature<\/span><\/h3>\n

It is in our human nature to analyze and segment.\u00a0 This process allows us to define and \u201cmanage\u201d what might otherwise seem to be too massive, complex, or abstract to understand or communicate to others.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Analysis offers a constructive \u201chow to\u201d process for studying the unknown.\u00a0 The theory being that if you do not understand \u2013 just study it long enough and dissect it down to a level that is useful or manageable.\u00a0\u00a0 This approach is ideal when trying to deconstruct in order to re-build i.e. engineering or technology.\u00a0 But when it relates to people and the psychology of relationships, we need to re-define what is truly important to understand \u2013 not only that which is familiar, quantifiable or controllable.\u00a0 It is unfortunate that instead of investing the time and budget into better understanding the real-time context of relationships, behavior, influence and sentiment \u2013 business places greater value on understanding statistical probability and future likelihood.<\/p>\n

Douglas Rushkoff, Media Theorist and the bestselling author of Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now, gave a brilliant talk at last month\u2019s Pivot Conference in NYC and at PSFK (see below video) earlier this year.\u00a0\u00a0 In his latest book he points out the major disconnect in business whereby Chronos (time) and Kairos (timing) produce a distorted reality of value.\u00a0 I strongly encourage you to watch his video talk below as he presents a compelling case for why business must invent new models of time and more accurate and meaningful ways to define value.<\/p>\n

\"Rushkoff\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Insight vs. Intelligence<\/span><\/h3>\n

Having insight does not mean that you are informed.\u00a0\u00a0 Furthermore, having more information does not mean that the ultimate application will be meaningful or relevant.<\/p>\n

According to Wikipedia, the term \u201cIntelligence\u201d (derives from the Latin verb intelligere.<\/i>) and since medieval times has meant \u201cunderstanding.\u201d Gathering insight information\/data for the purposes of simplifying undermines our ability to truly understand.\u00a0\u00a0 Market intelligence can only be achieved through a deeper understanding of the customer, the community drivers, behaviors and shared interests.<\/p>\n

Social Science Lens<\/span><\/h3>\n

Instead of defining what we observe according to filters that relate to what is familiar in business, we should explore more ways to apply human-centered evaluation models and principles into business.<\/p>\n

Take for example the Social Sciences.\u00a0 These are the academic disciplines that study the human aspects of society.\u00a0 Unlike arts and humanities, the social science utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methods of research and study.<\/p>\n

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The main social sciences include:<\/strong><\/p>\n