"People Do Business with People They Like"

In response to this week's readings, "Unveiling New Influences," discusses how engagement is the way for big brands to control their messages. Before with traditional methods, companies specifically handpicked their messages with regards to certain targets. However the personal side of these messages were not fully developed until the socialization of the web emerged, creating new dissemination to all web-users, not just direct demographics.

Creating a community based network is now more important than ever. It is important to build relationships with people, because now it is enforced. We have reached a point where telephone and newspaper is not the only desirable means of communication, we have emerged into Web 2.0, where you are able to email, blog, IM, Wave..all methods that mimic more and more real life communication (but still with limitations.) In order to build your community, you must engage with the people around you (both within your industry and your customers as well). Instead of just forming one way messages to inform your consumers, you now must LISTEN.

Listening is the key to building relationships. Without listening, you would not be able to hear your consumers and respond to their needs. This may mean completely reinventing your product or making minor adjustments, but either way, you will be eventually coming out ahead. This concept of engagements redefines the way consumers are able to instruct and critique the products we want to buy, which is extremely helpful to brand marketers. Their role is now not only to put out the messages, but be receptive to their own messages and to the others around them.