Question: What would the social media world be like if I stopped doing what I do?
Answer: It would be exactly the same.
Judging by what I see happening in “the industry,” I am failing. What’s worse is I have been failing for the last 2 years. ROI is still a question-mark for most social media “experts” in spite of the fact that a) it has remained the same since the dawn of commerce, b) every first-year business major can tell you what it is, and c) most social media consultants cost a lot more per day than their expertise in basic business concepts seems to warrant. Social Media measurement as a whole is still a farce. “Social business” and “earned media” are increasingly anything but. The term “content” is becoming a euphemism for mindless link bait. I can count the number of Fortune 500 social media directors who actually know what they are doing on the fingers of one hand. (And yes, since Ford’s Scott Monty is one of them, that only leaves only four lucky question marks.)
This isn’t me being negative. This is me reporting on the state of social media and social business today, and it makes me sad. Genuinely sad. And disappointed that nothing I have done in that time has made a difference. Not one thing.
If I cannot somehow find a way to make a dent in the monuments to bullshit, stupidity and utter ineptitude currently dominating the social media “thought leadership” space in the next year, if I cannot convince digital agencies, big brands and their recruiting firms to favor competence over incompetence and actual results over spin, I will go find something else to do, and watch – from afar – this whole inbred guru-driven experiment burn into the glorious pile of rubble it was destined to be from the start.
That is all.
Brand Building and Online Marketing Blog 
Forgive me Sancho, but I need to gain some clarity here.
By “…doing what I do”…are you referring to the actual tilting at windmills via your writing, or the work you do for clients?
Not that I have in my possession ample sunshine to blow at you, but I suspect that the 1 in 100 who sit to hear you speak and “hears” you…the one client a year that “gets it”, and the ones who return here over and over have been impacted in some positive way.
Not that I’m calling your assessment wrong or anything.
All of it.
I am not saying I don’t have an impact on people who read this blog, but doesn’t that just amount to preaching to the choir? You guys get it whether I am here or not. You don’t need me. You are smart all on your own.
As for the 1 in a 100 who hears me, I need the other 99 to hear as well, and then do something about it.
Thanks for the comment though. I appreciate the thought.
In all fairness to yourself, you are looking for a statistical anomaly. Typical adoption/implementation rate for anything new is 3%. Even if 80% get what you are saying, and agree that it is valuable only 3% are going to actually take action. Give your heart and soul to that group.
My least favorite example statistically is our FREE public library system. The last stat I heard was the a mere 3% of Americans have a library card. And how many of those only have one because they have children? If people don’t adopt free, imagine how they do with “work”/”change”.
Colin, that is a sobering thought.
S’pose you can call it job security?
Yes…
Keep cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef
I know you’re frustrated. But in March, your voice on issues of socializing business and measuring real SM ROI and dealing with issues regarding policies and employees and brand evangelists and brand detractors while maintaining both a sense of appropriateness AND a sense of humor, will hit the bookshelves. And I think you won’t feel as frustrated about making a difference in the months that follow the release of your book.
I can’t wait to buy a copy, even though I believe the publisher is going to send me a free one. I want to buy it. 🙂
Have a Merry Christmas, Olivier.
Thanks Kristi.
But we are talking about one little book floating around in a sea of books about social media. Who isn’t writing a book about social media these days?
Being published is nice, don’t get me wrong. But let’s face it: The book isn’t going to change anything, is it.
If I am wrong, whatever change happens needs to happen sooner rather than later. I’m kind of done beating my head against the wall. I didn’t come here to be a soap-box preacher.
As someone who formerly played Sancho Panzo in a stage production of Man of La Mancha, I feel like I have to prop you up a bit here boss.
You asked: What would the social media world be like if I stopped doing what I do?
The answer: the same, but with one less self-deluded knight who clings to the idea that maybe it CAN change. Maybe there IS a better way. Maybe other people feel the same way.
It is crazy to keep fighting. It is crazy to care. It is crazy to get back on the horse after the windmill knocks you down (or Lucy pulls the football away).
So what?
Dennis, up until now, I made sport of the “so what” question. Now, I am looking for an answer to it.
However endearing, chivalrous and courageous, Don Quixote was still a nutbag. The next level of absurdity in fighting battles you can’t win is Sisyphus, though his situation was a curse rather than a combination of mental illness and a whopper of a mother complex.
I fight to win, brother. Not to carry the flame of tragic efforts doomed to failure.
Hence the crisis.
Olivier,
Merry Christmas! Why should you give in to those who are doing the wrong thing and succeeding. Just like you said you are preaching to the choir but don’t underestimate the fact of the influence of many in those choir’s it is a war that need to be won now or later.
I feel your same frustration the other day I lost a proposal to someone who offered the client 10th of the effort I was proposing, 4 times the price, and a whole bunch of B.S. ( he is charging the client monthly a ridiculous amount to send 5 tweets a day).
I will take time to get people on the right track or at least the people that get on the right track will be the one’s that will get the best out of it.
On my side count on me buying multiple copies and convincing people to go the right way with your book.
Enjoy your weekend and don’t give up there are many of us counting on you!
Wow, wow, wow: what a post!
I totally agree with you but… please keep on working the way you do, I still want to read you posts 😉
What I want to say is that the problem is a cultural problem.
Do you know italian adv? And italian communication? Just to name you a few – I’m a communication designer based in Italy. They are a mess…
The problem? Cultural, of course. Both for clients – they know everything (…), so why should they listen to you when you talk about how communication should be designed – and for agencies – they want to sell and sell and sell, so the client is always right, of course.
I think this is the same for social media: no culture – but bla bla bla – about the media, no way of improving anything…
But I also think that the situation – communication, social media etc. – is worth a try.
And I will keep on working the way I work at least for me 🙂
Thanks, man. Italy’s a whole other world. You’re right. 🙂
YOU hang in there. And keep doing good work.
I have visions of you slumped in a chair with an empty bottle of (insert strong booze of choice here), railing against the world and all the injustice that surrounds you.
If it makes you feel any better, the next stage involves inviting anyone you see outside for a fight. Shortly afterwards you will get all maudlin and start to cry. Then you’ll profess undying love for people you barely know, before finally passing out.
Happy Christmas Olivier, here’s to heavy drinking.
Yeah. Or as we call it over here: most Tuesdays.
I think it’s partly a phase that new marketing tools go through. Building a website, doing SEO, all had to go through a phase where there’s more snake oil salesmen than not. For the most part, SEO is still barely emerging from it. CMO’s will get burned a couple times when they get into social. Smart leaders will learn from it and figure out how to separate good from bad, crap ones will think that social media sucks and give up on it. End users will have to get educated if they don’t want to burn their money on “guru’s”.
My favorite quote: “watch – from afar – this whole inbred guru-driven experiment burn into the glorious pile of rubble it was destined to be from the start.”
Adriel, you may be right, but by the time companies figure it out, it will be too late. “Social” will have become nothing more than a commoditized digital marketing discipline.
That’s sad. It just means I have been wasting my time trying to show people how it actually works. Everyone is too busy selling to listen. Or care to.
O irony of ironies from a group that claims that “conversations” and “listening” are the currency of their trade.
One year. That’s all I am willing to give from this point on. After that, I’m out.
Hey man. I love your blog. But I’m in the “choir.”
I do have to ask about your approach to companies. I enjoy your tone and voice here – the scathing sarcasm isn’t unfair to the vapid “gurus” out there. But it is also severe, negative and, if I’m being honest, a little depressing. Not just this post, but others here.
When you meet with companies, is your approach similar, or do you couple your smarts with a smattering of grace? It seems the tone here could be a little off-putting to the very ones you’re trying to educate.
Again, I don’t really want you to change what you’re doing here. I’m just curious, more than anything.
When I meet with companies, we approach the issue of social business by focusing on their objectives. I don’t talk about gurus with them.
My man,
Not going to paint any rosy pictures for you here and tell you that the rainbows coming off your unicorn horn really ARE making a difference on “the industry as a whole”.
Will say that you should stop putting that on your shoulders though. I can only guess, because we have never worked together, but I’m guessing you do good work for clients and implement in a way that has a positive impact. That should be your number one goal. It’s what you preach, you practice it, and you should be completely 100% enthusiastic that you are able to practice it in the way you preach it.
What you write on this blog, tweet, say at seminars, etc., is out there for the taking or leaving. More to the point your book won’t be a NYT bestseller, and it won’t shatter the foundation of the industry. But a lot of folks, even if they are the ones already susceptible to logic and realism, will benefit greatly from it. That should additionally have you sleeping better at night. I can tell you with absolute sincerity that a couple of things you have said on this site, and ways you have put conceptualized things I already know, have allowed me to work better, explain better, and get our clients better adjusted to the right way to move forward in SM. That means something even if there are 9 other people who don’t listen to you screwing up for every me. That’s not a SM ratio. That’s a life ratio. 9 out of 10 people are bad at everything.
JF
Thanks John. I appreciate what you’re saying.
I’m feeling your pain brother. The “warm fuzzy, social media because we can and we don’t have to measure success in real terms” is frustrating and is crippling serious adoption within corporations. Social media activities are measurable. In fact, it’s easy to define and measure. We’re achieving measurable results in my organization which is healthcare; known to be notoriously slow to adopt anything.
I agree with Ilpiac, the culture barrier is one of the greatest things to overcome. Both internally and externally. The internal folks do want to move in this “new direction” so they claim it isn’t measurable from a biz standpoint and therefore not a credible channel. Externally, you have the consultants selling platform buzz not strategic, measurable initiatives.
Keep up the good work. You’re converting folks every step of the way.
I’d like to believe that, Jamey. I really would.
Frenchie, I know EXACTLY where you are with this, as I am there, too. Not same exact industry, but same issues- trying to raise the bar, call out the hacks, and make a damn diff. And guess what? Every time I throw up my hands (and sometimes throw up in my mouth, just a little) I get just enough of a breath of fresh air. The smell of impending victory. Look, you cannot save the entire beach fulla starfish, but you can (and are!) improve the odds of the few you can pick up and toss back in the water. Back into the water of reason, understanding, and intentionality.
I’ll say it, publicly, that you have affected my practice with your rants and manifestos.
Kinda doubt you can say the same for me. But you are making a dif- ride on, and go change the world.
itykwim
#149
I can say the same for you, actually, and you are one of the few I can say that about.
I am not talking about giving up on making a difference. What I am talking about is picking a different fight.
A thought, just for you: A general without a king is a lot like a like a space monkey without a rocket.
Think about it – in the 100 years (made up number there) since direct mail /print advertising came about – we are all still getting schmuck mail. There will always be schmucks out there who just don’t get it.
But it makes it easier to recognize the companies who are doing it right.
Be proud you have the stuff that will rise to the top! And don’t leave us hanging – we need your sanity.
Thanks, Bobbie. I don’t know. I’m running out of things to say and of ways to say it when it comes to this aspect of business.
You’re taking this way too personally and focusing on the wrong side of the coin — the people who won’t change. The truth of the matter is you’ve got a book coming out, your hourly has more than tripled, your follower-ship is passionate as hell about your thinking/writing, and then there’s Likeminds and Red Chair. Oh, and let’s not forget earned respect from the heavies — a tall order in the big scheme of things. Seriously, I think I nice long bumpy bike ride will take care of your current state of mind. Go. Now. No seriously, I’m not kidding.
Peace is hell.
I consider myself in business, though we’ve not made a dime in the 15 months we’ve been operating. Profit would be nice, but we’re not in business to make a profit. We’re in business to help people build high performance machines & lives. If we can make money doing that, sweet. If not, we’ll have fun.
Why do I mention this? Consider it a feeble attempt at suggesting I’m not in the business. We’re not pushing affiliate/AdSense/consulting bullshit. We’re not part of some corporate shill initiative. We’re just taking the next step with something we already do for free; seeing ourselves as part of something bigger.
I consider you a mentor, sir, and I would hate to see you walk away, as much as I could understand and respect your reasons for doing so.
My humble plea: Do not go quietly into that night. Let the clueless consumerists commoditize social business. They build their own coffins. Genuinely social businesses are focused on quality, value, and sincerity. These will never grow old. Quite the contrary, they will always be in demand.
I charge you: Do not seek to move the mountain, for it will crumble under its own weight. Consider shifting your focus to helping those who get it accelerate their efforts and build bigger mountains.
You said Scott Monty + 4 “question marks.” Make them exclamation points. Shock and awe, sir. You have not yet begun to fight.
(Excuse typos. I typed this out with 2 fingers on a tiny Blackberry keypad. It was important to me.)
Good comment. You almost have me convinced. Now we’re getting somewhere.
we’ll i’ll be josh harris . . .
Olivier, I tenatively write this comment. I’m not in marketing, PR, or even work for a big brand. And as I read what you wrote, I wonder if I am missing something that triggered it. ? You left us hanging about the other 4 companies too. I do read your tweets often. What I do know is that I had to google the phrase “thought leadership” to if I was understanding the connotations of the phrase. I know that consumers can be very sophisticated and understand when they’re hearing canned brand messages, whether in a traditional form, twitter, or brand websites, and should you ever want to talk about Starbucks, we could talk until we are blue in the face. Oh, and I don’t think you should ever give up on your message. From what I can tell, you are about being real, genuine, and understood without the need for pretentious sound bites. ~Melody
Thanks, Melody. Trying to figure out how to keep this thing rolling. As much as I like being the authentic common sense guy, it is who I am outside of this business as well. What I am giving myself another year to figure out is how to make that work here as well as in my personal life. 😉
Here’s what I want to accomplish in 2011: become one of the Fortune 500 social media directors that Olivier can count on one hand who actually know what they are doing.
After all, they say you should make your goals aspirational. 🙂
Keep fighting the good fight, and know that your thoughts and lessons are being heard inside the walls of at least one Fortune 500 company (mine).
At your service,
Michael
Nothing would make me happier. Though by my math, that would make you #6. 😉
Olivier, you know I really like you, dig your writing and completely appreciate that you calling out the BS that is rampant in the SM industry… So keep that all of that in mind as I respectfully say: “Who give a F?”
A person is smart. People collectively are stupid. The whole ‘thought leader’ idea is asinine. We don’t need thought leaders. The only thing thought leaders lead us to is acting like sheep.
I strategize, design and execute marketing campaigns some of which include social. All of our campaigns are intended to start with the “Fastest Path to Cash” for our clients (since they are small to medium business, I don’t have the budgets for wasted money on big broad awareness campaigns). If there is no ROI, we iterate and execute something new or pull the plug. That’s my philosophy and it works for me and my clients.
On the other hand there are agencies everyday wasting clients’ money on tactics and they have never even considered ROI. Regardless of what it is (social, web, advertising, direct marketing, PR, etc), a lot of people ignore ROI every day. Some campaigns & tactics achieve ROI without ever attempting to find it or considering it. Others spend their time obsessing over and still don’t get it.
Basically my point is:
– Is it my job to fix the stupidity of those who don’t get it?
– Is it yours?
– Why take on the weight of the world trying to teach an industry that doesn’t want to be taught?
My advice: focus on things you can control; keep calling out the BS, but quit worrying about whether it affects the industry as a whole.
You and I consider ROI for our clients, because we care about it. Other’s don’t care. Some of them make more money than us, get more speaking gigs and sell best-selling books. Do I begrudge them, no. Do I agree with them. No. But I’m not going to waste my time fretting over something I can’t control.
Cheers.
Who gives a F is precisely the point of this post. Specifically in the following context:
1. I do give a F.
2. I consider it my job, not to fix the stupidity (I can’t fix stupid) but to un-ass as many heads as possible.
3. The weight thing… there, you have a point. That’s my dilemma. I can’t do what I set out to do without changing the industry.
Dear Olivier,
just two words: March on!!!!!!!!!
Hi Olivier,
I agree with you that the “guru” phenomenon is going to continue whether or not you’re pointing out the good and the bad on this blog, I’m screaming about communications as a core business function, Geoff Livingston is calling out stupidity, or Scott Monty’s is a walking case study on how to do this work the right way.
But (you knew there was a “but” coming, right?)–
why, why, why does it seem to bother everyone so much more when we’re talking about the social media realm?
Sure, the reach of social media means snake oil hucksters can sell more snake oil–but people have been selling snake oil for centuries. Because some people will always buy it.
So let’s resolve in 2011 that’s those folks are not our marketplace or our client base. And educate everyone else on how to maintain or grow their businesses (and, yes, put in place smart communications strategies and tactics).
And I’m fine if you want to rant occasionally. (I think I just did.) Just don’t let it get to you. 🙂
We should talk. I’ll e-mail you.
“I fight to win, brother. Not to carry the flame of tragic efforts doomed to failure.”
Maybe instead of “carrying the flame”, you could use that torch to light their bullshit on fire? Just a thought. I’d really hate to see one of the good guys turn in his badge out of frustration with the idiots…
Jerry
Word. I’m giving it a year. We’ll see what happens. I am seeing some progress already.