John S. Wolfe

That was the eye-catching title of Steven Groves’ presentation at the May 20 Online Marketing Summit in Phoenix.

Groves, the founder and CEO of Social Marketing Conversations, explained that social media can’t – and shouldn’t – stand on its own in organizations.

It needs to be integrated into the entire marketing/pr strategy and, because it involves interaction with customers, deserves a more prominent spot at the table – media that is social.

He cited Dell’s and Pitney Bowes’ efforts, along with Tom Dickson’s Will It Blend? website for Blendtec.

Steven Groves

The first part of his talk looked at one aspect of customer behavior: the screen.

One screen is the movie screen. Movies were seen by 14 billion customers worldwide in 2009.

The second screen is the TV. Ninety-nine percent of U.S. homes have one. Gaming consoles and BluRay devices now allow you to access the Internet on the TV.

“You can have NetFlix now on your Wii,” he said. “It’s really the way to watch TV. I’m about ready to give up my Cox cable.”

The third screen is the computer.

The last screen is the mobile phone.

“Mobile will grow faster than the desktop,” Groves said. “There are some impressive devices, like the iPhone and the Droid.”

He mentioned a Morgan Stanley Mobile Internet Report from December that suggests that 20 percent of Internet traffic is coming from mobile devices and that that figure will continue to grow.

“We need to figure out how to connect to them,” he said.

The new iPad – or “sofa computer,” to Groves – has the potential to change the mix.

He added that marketers also need to look to the BRIC – Brazil, Russia, India and China – for growth.

“There is only 23 percent penetration of social media but they are huge markets,” he said.

The Bravo case study

Integrating brand content across the screens is one challenge.

The Bravo cable television network, a division of NBC Universal, gets it, Groves said. He credits Ellen Stone, Bravo’s senior vice-president for marketing, for exploring ways to bring everything together.

“They want to use social media around (the network’s) ‘forward-leaning’ approach,” he said. He explained that ‘forward-leaning’ means they want active viewers, not ones who lean back.

They put out content like “Real Housewives,” “Top Chef” and “America’s Next Top Model” on the second screen, the TV.

On the third screen, Bravo invites fans of its shows to learn more through its website, Facebook, and Twitter. Use of a show’s hashtag on a Tweet may win you a prize. Bravo “Talk Bubbles” allow viewers to share questions with hosts immediately after shows are aired. Shows are also available “on demand” through NetFlix.

Bravo also has gone mobile – with games, Bravo Guides (showing where its reality-show stars eat and shop), Foursquare check-ins, and ringtones.

But it doesn’t stop there. Groves noted that offline Bravo is selling cookbooks, wine and clothes, offering tours of the stars’ local haunts, and creating board games and magazines for the brand.

“They can have the actors wear certain clothes and then have 500 shirts for sale in the Bravo store,” he said. “They are extending the reach to expand the brand and message.”

What Bravo is doing is the “perfect” case study, he said.

“Give customers what they want, when they want and as much as they want,” Groves said.

New paradigm

Companies need to understand that the characteristics of commerce have changed.

“In the future you will own less of your brand,” Groves said. “It will be co-owned by your customers.”

Your brand will be determined by what others are saying, plus your own messaging. That puts the onus on the company to connect with customers in as transparent a way as possible.

“And it will be 7x24x365 and global,” he said. “And you will need to listen.”

Companies are hiring individuals who simply “listen” for complaints. They are using Twitter to provide quick responses.

Some are also engaging companies like Sentiment360 to monitor the tone of comments about a company and generate a monthly report on trends, Groves said.

A lot of companies fear losing control of their brand, getting a bad reputation or acknowledging product flaws, he said.

“But the real risk is not listening to your customers,” he said.

Once you launch a social media effort, you need to manage it, audit results and make adjustments.