Unilever CMO thinks this "internet thing" is big

From Ad Age:

Brands aren't simply brands anymore. They are the center of a maelstrom of social and political dialogue made possible by digital media, said Unilever Chief Marketing Officer Simon Clift, who warned that marketers who do not recognize that -- and adapt their marketing -- are in grave peril.

"No matter how big your advertising spending, small groups of consumers on a tiny budget might hijack the conversation," he said. "So this internet thing is much bigger and more interesting than just finding successors to TV advertising."

Conversations happen. The world where brands can shape their identity merely through one-to-many advertising alone is over. Opinions and ideas on virtually everything (politics, sports, technology) are being shaped, formed, and solidified through social media, and brands are no exception to this.

Clift's 5 new rules for marketing (details at Ad Age):

1. Listening to consumers is more important than talking at them.
2. You can't hide the corporation behind the brand anymore -- or even fully separate the two.
3. PR is a primary concern for every CMO and brand manager.
4. Cause marketing isn't about philanthropy, it's about "enlightened self-interest."
5. Social media is not a strategy. You need to understand it, and you'll need to deploy it as a tactic. But remember that the social graph just makes it even more important that you have a good product.