Over the last six months, we’ve been focusing on influence - blogging about it, talking to client and colleagues, researching the impact of online influence.  What started as a basic premise - the idea that amidst all the new dynamics in the market, influence still matters - has grown into a full-blown methodology that is shaping the way Eastwick does business.

We call it the Architecture of Influence.

We’ve all experienced how much marketing and communications has changed over the last several years with the advent of social media.  That’s old news.  Eastwick’s new framework is based on a data-driven approach that uncovers the real influencers in a market, not based on gut feel or old assumptions but what the data tells us about who really matters.  On top of that, we layer our smarts about the market and how those influencers work in order to drive awareness and influence sales.

We’re talking evolution not revolution, but the change is an important one and makes it possible for us to measure the results of communications in terms that matter most to our clients - market awareness, influencer engagement and customer preference, to name a few.

Architecture of Influence

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We’ve never been on the bandwagon that has declared brands are dead but we do understand why the claims are being made.  There is now a lot more that goes into buying decisions by consumers and business buyers than just brand awareness.  But to claim that brands don’t matter is naïve.  I guess Yahoo agrees based on its latest search offering.

And yet the Yahoo search filter seems to suggest that, just possibly, the idea of the brand isn’t dead after all. With branded search filtering, Yahoo is acknowledging that many searchers don’t want results from just anywhere, regardless of how algorithmically relevant those results may be. Searchers want results (from trusted Web sites) — which is to say, from trusted online brands.

Source: c__

We’ll be talking a lot more about the need for looking at communications and marketing in an entirely new light–one where search, branding and word of mouth need to coexist for companies to really take advantage of all channels to create awareness and preference for their offerings.  I get a chuckle…and some times totally annoyed…when I see dramatic claims about PR being dead, social media being free and branding irrelevant.  Glad to see that others agree.

The hoopla surrounding Kanye West’s latest “foot-in-mouth” moment (or should I say “mic-in-mouth”?) was yet another reminder of the speed and power of the social media machine. While I hate to perpetuate these discussions that give the man more air time than he deserves, the breadth of awareness on this singular incident makes for an interesting example of social media engagement.

Source: MTV

Companies, still reticent on putting integrated social media strategies in place, will soon realize that people are online and, whether you decide to engage or not, are talking about you. Case in point…as soon as Kanye self-righteously stepped on the glittering MTV stage and grabbed the mic out of young Taylor Swift’s hands the response was swift (pun intended)…and the bloggers, twitterati, video deejays, talk show hosts, etc. were weighing in.

While some leveraged morning talk shows or evening entertainment news programs, most took the fight online. And fight they did, with Kanye receiving a smackdown unseen since Perez Hilton’s faceoff with former Miss California Carrie Prejean. According to Trendrr, which tracks buzz on Twitter, there were a total of 293,024 tweets in the hour immediately following West’s outburst.

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Congratulations to client Seagate on its successful launches of the FreeAgent Theater+ and the FreeAgent DockStar this week!

Seagate’s storage solutions have gotten such a positive reception from “Today Show” and other consumer press, in addition to the hardcore gadget and IT outlets, that it got me to thinking about the evolution of consumer tech coverage over the years.

Before the days of the Internet, anything related to technology was more in the realm of enthusiast and how-to publications like Popular Mechanics or – to go all cyberpunk on you for a second – alt-culture mags like Mondo 2000.

It’s true that some of those same authors have evolved and reemerged in new roles as bloggers, like Mark Frauenfelder, who founded Boing Boing after writing for Mondo 2000 and Wired, among others. Even Mondo founder R.U. Sirius has a webzine: 10 Zen Monkeys. Nowadays, however, they are joined in their techno-coverage by blogs like HiTechMommy and Dad-o-matic.

Mommy and daddy bloggers have joined geeks and early adopters in covering consumer technology and influencing gadget purchases, just as Gizmodo and CNET do. The audiences may be slightly different, but each outlet exerts influence nonetheless.

Think about the number of electronic devices you use in any given day. Then think about where you yourself go to get insight into product performance, or who you trust to help you make wise purchases.

Technology has moved beyond the labs and the family garages of future computer legends to encroach on many aspects of our everyday lives. We consumers have turned to technology to solve problems, but we’ve adapted those inventions and technologies to match our lives and applications. It’s only fitting that our technology pundits and influencers have changed as well.

Jennifer Pahlka

This week’s podcast brings us ‘double the pleasure, double the fun’ (sorry, guys, I keep thinking Wrigley’s Doublemint gum commercials from back in the day…).

Brady Forrest

But, seriously, I could not be more pleased to welcome these two, distinguished professionals onto the program: Jennifer Pahlka and Brady Forrest, Co-Chairs of Web 2.0 Expo.

I have so many questions for them: From the genesis of Web 2.0 Expo, it’s influence in the social media and business communities around the world… along with the inevitable question, when does Web 2.0 become something else in the wake of Web 3.0 and the semantic Web.

They have experience and insights to spare and are a great pair. It’s an awesome show! Listen to the archive below.

[Listen]

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Guy Kawasaki

With a guy like Guy, where do you start?

Throughout the highs and lows (has he had ‘lows’?) of his career, his winning personality has endured. Positive, yet candid and - dare I say - ballsy, Guy Kawasaki is a survivor and a true Silicon Valley original

We are thrilled for him to join us on our Break through the Noise podcast. As an influencer himself, his perspective is truly unique and we can’t wait to see what he has to say next.

[Listen]

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As you know, with our initatives on influence and weekly podcast on the topic, we at Eastwick were thrilled to host Social Media Club’s June event, The Power of Influence. You can read a recap of the event on the SMC blog here.

Thanks again to our sponsors, Social Media Club and - above all - our employees who banned together to make the event a success!

Brian Halligan

It always amazing to me how companies can have a ‘persona,’ seemly without even trying.

That’s one of the many things that fascinates me about HubSpot.

Right from the home page you get the sense you’re in the company of friendly individuals and - with the free tools they offer - in the company of people who know their respective, ’stuff.’

On today’s edition of our Break through the Noise podcast, we’re going to ask Brian about if their persona has been a factor in their rise to becoming a clear influnder in the makerting space - seemingly overnight.

[Listen]

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Chris Heuer, Source: chrisheuer.com

It’s an unfortunate aspect of live as a grown up that sometimes you have to associate with people you don’t especially like.

That couldn’t be further from the truth with today’s Break through the Noise guest, Chris Heuer (and for that matter, this wife Kristie Wells, too).

He’s a genuine person who happens to be whip-smart when t comes to social media. And as a founder of Social Media Club, he really practices what he preaches.

[Listen]

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Mario Sundar, Source: Marketing Nirvana

Back in September 2008, I attended BlogWorld Expo and on the panel of my first session was Mario Sundar. He spoke about the value of corporate blogging and, during the Q&A, I challenged him with a few real-world examples that were challenging me.

Mario not only did his best to answer my questions, he invted me to come talk with him further after the session had concluded. Unfortunately, I got caught up speaking with another panelist and never got the chance to speak with Mario. We’re remedying that today as he is our featured guest on our Break through the Noise podcast.

[Listen]

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