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Ben Elowitz
CEO , Wetpaint (Owner)
Seattle, Washington, United States
Business owner
Member since: February 14, 2009
CEO , Wetpaint (Owner)
Seattle, Washington, United States
Business owner
Member since: February 14, 2009
About Ben
No details submitted yet.
Ben's connections (7)
| Bambi Francisco Roizen | CEO and Founder, Vator, Inc. |
| Cyril Brignone | Co-founder, Vator, Inc. |
| Kedric Van de Carr | VP Marketing and Business Development, Vator, Inc. |
| Meliza Solan | Producer, VatorNews |
| Cosme Sevestre | Head of Engineering, Vator, Inc. |
| Chris Caceres | Reporter & Video Producer, VatorNews |
| Devin Hughes | Associate Marketing Manager, Wetpaint |
View all »
Ben's comments (1)
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Thanks Emil and Ronny. Many others have echoed your sentiments on MediaPost and I'll pass along what I replied back to them with.
The general theme seems to be an argument for the value of being on the existing (and massive) social networks; the Facebooks, MySpaces, Twitters, and touches on the importance of leveraging the rapid outreach potential inherent in these networks, and rightfully so. The power of reaching hundreds to thousands to millions of customers at once cannot and should not be abandoned, that said, I consider them to be more of a distribution outlet than a community. Try this example on for size:
The business model of creating a destination for brand enthusiasts to revel and immerse themselves is certainly not a new one. By owning and developing this community space, the brand has control over the end experience and can test out new messaging and products; essentially treating their superfans as guinea pigs (they love to be a part of this process by the way) for insight into where they should direct their efforts (and dollars). A great example is retail brands like Nike and The North Face. Both are fashion leaders and both have adhered to this strategy with great success. Like many other brands, these two leveraged the existing (and massive) department stores as distribution methods for spreading awareness, and even selling products, while maintaining their own B&M stores, albeit smaller, but that attracted their most dedicated aficionados. The Macy’s and Nordstroms of the world are great platforms for introducing style and products to new audiences, while the personal, more boutique stores are perfect for converting a tire-kicker, maybe one-time buyer, into a loyal fan who will go back to their own social networks and evangelize.
Coming back to your comments, I agree wholeheartedly that brands need to leverage the platforms that have the masses already, but also give those ever so valuable evangelists, and potential evangelists, a place to connect with one another and the brand on a more intimate level.
on Brands need fans, not friends (July 09, 2009)
