How will brand marketers leverage platforms like blogs and social media to build their brands and reach out to Chinese consumers in 2008?
2008年，品牌经理们如何使用类似Blog或者社区媒体等平台来经营品牌同消费者进行沟通？
I have been watching the Chinese internet word-of-mouth space since 2004, and I strongly believe that 2008 will be the most interesting year yet. Here are my 10 predictions for the IWOM Industry this year.
从2004年，我就致力于研究中国的口碑营销模式，今年，我觉得对于口碑营销会是非常有意思的一年，以下内容就是我对WOM的预测：
Brands （really） join the conversation
After sitting on the sidelines listening to the millions of conversations happening around them on bulletin board systems （BBS） and blogs, a number of high profile brands in China will join the conversation and become corporate netizens just as Dell, Intel, KFC and IPOD-wannabe Meizu did. They will use one of several platforms including blogs, BBS or a concept like Dell Idea Storm. "Joining the conversation" does not mean pure promotional blogs or BBS, which are set up for a quick campaign with frivolous posts or unsubstantial content that are later abandoned. Instead, these are rather long-lasting platforms that will succeed because they are the voice of the brand. This is a "non-corporate" voice that reflects the brand and resonates with the consumer conversations at the same time.
品牌参与对话（与消费者）
基 于成百上千的BBS和博客平台，中国的很多品牌已经成为了这些媒介的合作伙伴并参与其中，比如：Dell,KFC和iPOD。他们使用了很多的方法，比如 blog，论坛或者建立mini-site。建立对话沟通并非只是单纯的发一些能够迅速带来人气的促销帖子或者文章，而是，建立一个长期沟通品牌的平台， 这是非官方的手段，不仅仅能传递品牌声音，同一时间能和消费者进行对话
Online communities and brands forge more explicit relationships
Brands will begin to recognise the power of the communities that already exist on vertical BBS, such as sites like PConline, Xcar, Redbaby and Baidu Tieba. These owners and fans in communities like the one for Ford Focus on Xcar provide customer service. It has volunteer experts answering questions as well as marketing via IWOM recommendations. Companies like Get Satisfaction in the U.S. have figured out such a business model to take this service to brands, and it won't be long before the commercial portals behind these communities begin to offer involvement, sponsorship or even outright purchase.
在线社区能够建立品牌和消费群之间进一步的联系
各 个品牌已经开始意识到了社区的巨大作用，比如在太平洋电脑网，爱卡，红宝宝和百度贴吧中的论坛区域。Ford Focus曾经就在爱卡上建立社区并为消费者提供服务。社区中有资深人士能够回答问题并进行推荐，美国的企业如：Get Satifaction已经建立了这样的商业模式，不久以后，这些承载论坛的商业网站就能作更多的参与性活动，赞助甚至是（直接）购买。
BBS sites add SNS-like features and rebrand themselves as SNS
Facebook is worth US$15 billion? In addition to sites like Xiaonei and 51.com making claims to be the Chinese Facebook, expect to see BBS communities add some social networking site （SNS） features and rebrand themselves as SNS in an attempt to ride the Facebook wave. The truth is, the Chinese BBS platform represents a 'legacy' SNS platform. BBS sites already have massive communities and have SNS features such as private messaging and profiles, and in many ways, have stronger social networks than any of the existing SNS sites in China.
BBS增加社区服务类功能或者转型为社区服务类网站
Facebook 竟然价值150亿美金？在中国，类似“校内网”或者“51.com”都声称自己是中国的facebook，基于BBS平台添加更多社区网服功能，或者直接 转型为社区服务类网站，以便赶上Facebook追捧的一波。事实上，中国的BBS只是古老的社区服务网站，BBS现已拥有广大的人群也具备一些基本的社 区服务网站功能，例如短信或者个人资料等，但是这些还是远远不够的。
"Real names" becomes a buzzword that netizens don't buy into
Sites like Hainei tried to copy Facebook by employing "real name" systems. Expect more SNS and BBS sites to try this. While real names can reduce seeding from "gunners" （people hired by brands or agencies to pose as consumers to write 'fake' messages to promote the brand）, it is unlikely netizens will adopt such systems. This is because self expression on the internet in China is driven by self exploration of different identities that netizens may feel inhibited to explore offline. Self exploration is better done anonymously.
“实名”并不一定是中国网民所追捧的
在 中国，类似Facebook的“海内网”一度采用实民制系统，我们也会看到更多的网站会使用这种方式。实名的好处在于能降低枪手的存在（品牌雇人冒充消费 者去写假的内容以便能传递品牌的讯息），但是网民不一定会接受这种做法，这是因为在中国，网络是一个能够让人以不同身份实现自我价值的地方，而自我价值实 现往往都是匿名的。
Brands recognise IWOM as a separate skill set and headcount in China
Do a search on American job aggregator, Indeed ,and see the increasing number of job descriptions including the term "social media". Many of these jobs are related to digital marketing and PR. Toyota USA has an IWOM manager. We see this same trend happening in China, with some of our clients beginning to have budget line items and headcount dedicated to IWOM.
