Wiki Brands: Reinventing Your Company in a Customer-Driven Marketplace

Moffitt, president of a communications company, and Dover, founding principal partner of New Paradigm, an IT strategy think tank, point to wiki brands—organizations, products, and services that maximize social collaboration to drive business value—as a catalyst for a major shift in brand management. Highlighting such companies as Dell; Threadless, a community-based apparel design company; and MOO, a London-based online stationary company, Moffitt and Dover show how active customer participation can get brands noticed and endorsed through the customer grapevine. They provide an excellent exploration of brand communities, what they are, and how to develop them from conception to the management stage. Of particular value to organizations are key metrics and measurement tools that will help determine if efforts are working. A handy reference guide provides succinct summations of key ideas and important questions to consider before developing wiki communities. While capitalizing on social media and customer involvement is not a new idea, there is much specific advice that companies making new forays into this arena will find useful. (Dec.)