What Role Does Social Media Play in Marketing Strategy?

CHRISTI HILL: You absolutely need to be a part of the conversation. You have to get comfortable with the ambiguity of not being able to control what the conversation is. It is two way, not one way, and then looking at it as multiple ways. So being able to understand that, and respect that, within the consumer experience, and what you test, what you pilot is not necessarily what gets replicated when you go to mass. And individual's perspectives becomes the perspective of the brand very quickly. If you're not a part of that, to help shape that, and understand that, then you really missing an opportunity to market your product. There is a decreased control in the information, and how your brand is branded. So as social media continues to increase, as access to information continues to increase, consumers are the marketers. And as we understand that more and more, it changes that from a transactional relationship, to a true partnership with consumers and marketing.