Getting started

I’ve started by taking a step back and looking at two ingredients I’ve known for a long time: brands and new/social media. If I’m going to spend the evenings and weekends of the next 6 months behind my Apple, better be thinking and typing about two passions. Forgetting for a moment the enormous blur of great tweets, posts, articles, podcasts, presentations and other formats in which thought leadership around these two topics comes to us every day: what are the key questions here? Looking behind the names and platforms, beyond Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn: what are the important changes brands are dealing with?

Short list

I came up with an interesting short list, leaving the academics out of it in this stage. The quick ‘n dirty ideas:
a) What are the organizational-effects of new (communication) technologies on the processes of brand management within Fortune 500 organizations? > a new organization model for brand management, to replace the ‘command and control’ model we so often see within large corporates

b) Social media policy: Some companies have strict policies in place restricting their employees from mentioning anything related to their employer (Apple), some companies are the opposite and applaud their employees getting online and sharing their opinions (IBM). A third category is the company in the middle; one that does not have a strict policy in place nor a set of motivators. Objective: Build knowledge on types of social media control currently active in Interbrand 100 companies and the effects of these on the sentiments of employee messages.

c) The brand value of social media interactivity: Create insight in the relation between interactivity of brands through social media and their economic value (trust?)? Build a value metric model to capture the brand value of social media interactivity?

The direction

With valuable advise from people like Ellen Leanse (Google, @chep2m), Mike Brown (Facebook), Accenture’s Teresa Poggenpohl and Brian Harvey, TU Delft’s Harry Bouwman and of course Lemniscaat’s Steef Peeters, I decided to go with topic C. The valuable input from my girlfriend (reality check!) made me state the following research question:

Is there a relation between interactivity of brands through social media and their brand value (trust)?

1. How do we measure social media interactivity?

2. What components have an effect on brand value (positive/negative) (trust?) ?

Your help

Next steps: I want to finish this before my wedding on August 13. Yes, of this year. In doing this, I want to involve as many people as I can, share insights and ideas co-create thought leadership. I will regularly post my latest progress and questions on this blog (category: MBA). Also, I’ve created a Wikimap of my thesis, for all to add upon or sharpen. Check it out if you’re interested: http://www.mindmeister.com/47314478/thesis-executive-mba-cross-media

Thanks, Jort

Photos on Flickr

Innovation Awards op Amsterdam Inc TV

Thanks team!

A lot can change in these 24 months. Seth Godin is still a big inspiration, so is Guy and so is Steve. Blogger, Segway and Ebay don’t have the same sparkle they used to have. And hey, no twitter?

I just realized though even more has changed in my brain than in the new media/marketing industry. My view is so much wider and deeper than it was 2 years ago. There are some different things now that inspire me. Not because they’re hot now, but because I see more the deeper movements behind them than I used to. Progress, right?

**This is a repost of Accenture BlogPodium. Full disclosure: I work for Accenture, driving force behind the Zuidas Run**

We had a few beautiful weeks in Amsterdam. Clear blue sky, sun and, consequently, full terraces across town. So you’re organizing the Zuidas Run and dotting the ‘i’s these warm days and naturally think, if only…….

So of course it rained on this important Sunday morning, the first bad weather in weeks.Throughout the Zuidas area, on the Gustav Mahlerplein and around the WTC area, the 2,000 runners took cover and for the most part did their warm ups inside the office buildings, usually crowded with suits, skirts and ties.

For running, this weather was great though. Not too hot, with lots of oxygen in the air there were some fast course records set:

• Koen van Asselt, boys 1KM: 3.13 minutes
• Maartje van Asselt, girls 1KM: 3.31 minutes
• Paul Bierman, Men 6KM: 20.55 minutes
• Patricia Schreurs, Women 6KM: 21.32 minutes
• Edgard Creemers, Men 16.1KM: 51.39 minutes
• Anja van ‘t Schip, Women 16.1KM: 1.04.42 minutes

I’m sure you’re missing my name on there . I did the 6KM in a respectable 25.58 minutes, finishing 39th on the 6KM Men. With the closing ceremony, the sun started peeking through the clouds. Coverband Trees made sure the people who were still around had a great Sunday afternoon.

Visit my picture overview on Flickr.