Part II of the Top 10 Sustainability / CSR and Online / Social Media Marketing Trends for 2011 - By Lynn Anne Miller

(Read Part I, Top Sustainability & CSR Trends).

At the intersection of marketing and sustainability, the most exciting trends continue in the online space. Businesses are realizing that the online “green” community is growing, active and influential. And  2011 marketing trends surveys forecast increases in online investment.   What can we hope to see as a result?

II. Top Online / Social Media Marketing Trends for 2011:

1. Pharma in Social

Some may wonder why speculation that pharmaceutical companies will fully embrace social media this year should have any bearing on “green” brands.  Quite simply, it’s because of the analytical marketing heft that differentiates pharmaceutical marketing from most other consumer brand marketers. With years of R&D spending on the line, intense regulatory scrutiny, and just one shot at launching The Next Big Drug, pharmaceutical marketing is arguably the most sophisticated consumer marketing practice area. When Big Pharma dips its toes into social media this year, the pharmaceutical industry will bring its disciplined analyses and multi-million dollar launch budgets to bear – causing huge ripple effects for all social media practitioners, particularly in the area of measurement.  Any doubts that pharmaceutical marketers will embrace social? Take a look at the FDA’s seven twitter accounts.  And watch the rush to market when the FDA finally issues its long awaited social media guidance (expected later this quarter).

2. Rise of Customer Integration Into Social Media

For a set of tools that are supposed to be all about a “customer conversation,”  it’s amazing how much of social media is really just a roll of the dice…(or a click of the mouse).  The fact is, Big Brands have no idea if they’re inviting actual customers to their blogger events — or simply the loudest voices in the Blogosphere. 

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