I spoke today with the Director of Marketing of a web content management organization. We had a really good chat about the two distinctly different ways companies can approach this web 2.0 thing, and wanted to share them with you.

1.     1. Operationally: how does this change my IT department’s functionality? Our network? Our licensing?

2.     2. The CMO’s Perspective: ultimately how do I promote my brand value? There’s a couple of things to consider under this angle:

A) Brand experience / emotional connection

B) Unique differentiator within the market

C) How do I ensure I am what my buyers want? How do I remain niche?

D) Supply chain

E) Here’s the doozy: Digital Interaction

The digital interaction portion of the perspective is the tricky part, especially as the market becomes more web 2.0 savvy.

He shared a story with me about one of his colleagues who was driving with his 12 year old daughter on the way to soccer practice. He asked her what she thought he should get her Mother for her birthday. The daughter replied that Dad should buy Mom an iPod, as Mom was forever borrowing hers.

Dad asked her if she thought it might be better to get a Microsoft Zune, which he’d seen heavily advertised. His daughter rolled her eyes and told her Father that he obviously didn’t know anything about marketing. Dad laughed and asked her what she meant. His daughter replied that if you have to advertise a product, it’s obviously not very good.

From a 12 year old’s perspective, conventional marketing methods are trite and forced – they no longer engage but rather make pathetic attempts to grab attention. Media has changed so much, and it seems the youth almost have a better grasp on what works and what doesn’t.