Education & Training | by Danny Meadows-Klue

From the moment email went mainstream it was clear the internet would accelerate social networks and create a new type of weak, permanent connection between people. The explosion of social media has released completely new forms of community and enabled a new era of participatory marketing. But that doesn't entitle every brand to create its own. Unless there is passion and cohesion among participants, nurturing your own community can be a false promise and dead end. We've been teaching brands across Europe about social media and in spite of our enthusiasm for community, sometimes it's more effective to simply fish where the fish are rather than trying to build the pond. Bandwagons are seductive, but no substitute for strategy.

This short comment first appeared in The Marketing Society forum