Jun 3

Written by: Myra Norton
6/3/2008 7:40 AM

A colleague referred me to an article entitled, “Gin, Television, and Social Surplus,” by Clay Shirky the other day. Shirky talks about our cognitive surplus and the need for media to understand that it’s a triathlon. By that he means, we are not running a single race focused on consumption; rather, we need to be aware that people also like to produce and share.

 

I specifically liked how Shirky honed in on the idea that consumers like to share. We have entered into a time in our society where there is much less focus on the individual, but more on the group collectively. For example, in the workplace we see much more effort to decentralize hierarchies and capitalize on the dynamics of teamwork. Even the cliché of “two heads are better than one” has taken a much more literal turn in recent years.

 

It seems as though people want to be heard, but not always seen, as they often use the guise of group to mask true accountability. This is extremely important from a business standpoint. We see company after company targeting the consumer who fits the prototype of the ideal consumer. Unfortunately, more often than not, the most influential people are no where in your databases and may not even be an actual consumer. Rather, it is the silent influencers (or unsung advocates, perhaps?) that are heard but not always acknowledged.

 

Our research alone shows that, on average, 80% of a company’s most influential people are unknown to the company.  Eighty percent. That’s huge. Can you afford not to connect with your most influential advocates?

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