How Communication Has Evolved

"[Society has] entered the era of mass personalization. People expect far greater participation in their favorite brands and companies. They also want news and information when they want it and how they want it," says Founder and Chairman of Edelman, Daniel Edelman. People are increasingly doubtful of those in positions of authority; Consumers pick who and what they believe, and with access to almost any information will create their own network of trust. The traditional model of top-down communication is simply no longer effective.

From past major government issues to corporate scandals such as Enron, WorldCom and the termination of AIG CEO Maurice Greenberg, people are becoming skeptical about what they hear and who they hear it from. beyond the deficient assurance in traditional sources of information lies the wisdom of ordinary people like ourselves. Being in London during the July 7, 2005 bombings, I saw first hand how the BBC has taken this on, bringing stories from journalists who were at the "front lines". The employee is the new credible source for information about a company, giving insight from the scene. In Edelman’s 2006 Trust Barometer, six of the 11 countries surveyed, the “person like yourself or your peer” as the most credible spokesperson of a company and among the top three spokespeople in every country surveyed.

Pam Talbot, Edelman’s US president and CEO, states “People are saying, ‘I can no longer rely on a single source of information.’ The omniscient, all-powerful source – whether a news anchor, doctor, CEO, or government official – is gone.”

People want to hear messages delivered by real people, or “people like me” as Edelman likes to say. Embracing new technologies is absolutely essential. From employee blogs to podcasts, audiences are becoming ever more segmented. Blogs allow anyone to share their thoughts, their experiences and their knowledge. Through this simple word of mouth process, brands are being marketed and capturing readers so much more than in the past. What’s happening with information is like what is occurring with products: Everything has become more personalized to the individual. From Ipods and cell phones to ordering your own personalized Starbucks coffee, you can have exactly what you want. "Going to 'people like me' for recommendations gives you the highly specialized information you can use to make your choices," says Talbot. "There’s high relevance and high specificity. [Blogging allows you to build] your own information sources and networks, not buying or accepting the one-size-fits-all model."

PR companies use blogging to track trends, hear dislikes and likes about companies and their products and ultimately follow what ordinary people are saying about their clients. Employees want to hear the insights and experiences people have about anything associated with their company. Blogging enables personalization, which consequently allows learner-specific strategies to address individual needs and expectations while increasing customer satisfaction and company success.

http://www.edelman.com/trust/2007/prior/2006/FullSupplement_final.pdf