Rohit Bhargava, who leads the marketing team at Ogilvy 360 Digital Influence, is the author of the new marketing book Personality Not Included, a unique guide for organizations on becoming more authentic. He is frequently featured in media worldwide and speaks internationally on the importance of personality in business. And on June 26, executives throughout the area will have a chance to hear Rohit speak about the latest trends in marketing communications and social media at Digital Media Conference, to be held Thursday, June 26, 2008 at the Ritz-Carlton in Tyson’s Corner, VA.

Tell us a little about your background.

Rohit Bhargava: My background is mostly agency based. I’ve worked for a number of different marketing agencies and I spent five years working in Australia. I have worked across a lot of different industries doing marketing strategy. The focus has usually been on interactive work, and I have experience working at an ad agency as well as a PR agency. Before that I worked in a small business and did the start-up thing as well.

What are some social media or other tools your clients, both in the government space and beyond, are starting to embrace?

Rohit Bhargava: Blogs are certainly the most visible. I think that when it comes to social media what a lot of people don’t think about is that it can take many forms of people sharing opinions online, whether it’s a blog or something as obvious and ubiquitous as an Amazon review. All of that is social media to a sense because people are sharing their thoughts and opinions and ideas with one another and being influenced by that. I think that no matter where you go online, whether you are in government or whether you are just online surfing, you’re exposed to all of these opinions and that is what we’re seeing out there.

Tell us about your book. How long did it take you to envision and write it?

Rohit Bhargava: End to end the book process was about a year. What I ended up focusing on was not so much about social media or blogs or anything as specific as that, but something which I saw as a broader trend in business of all sorts, which is this idea that personality matters. Personality is the way that brands interact with their customers and it’s the way that ideas come to life for people. Whether it is a brand in the traditional sense or whether it’s any sort of organization or entity that people need to have some sort of belief or interaction with.

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No where is the changing online landscape more apparent than in the newsrooms of the major daily newspapers across the country. With more competition for attention than ever before, reporters and editors are struggling to create a product that both adds value to the collective conversation and is financially sustainable.

The 2008 Annual Report on the State of Journalism, conducted by the Project for Journalism Excellence highlighted that last year, despite efforts to partner with web 2.0 companies, many news organizations struggled to grow in this online space.

Unlike some other popular Web sites, online news providers are not financially capitalizing on the growing digital audiences. Despite the increase in digital readership, the news sites seem to be stuck in the old delivery model common with traditional print outlets.

AOL Executive Ted Leonsis recently published a 10 Point Plan to Reinvent The Newspaper Business. His first point is for newspapers executives to “get out of the newspaper business,” rather those execs “should turn over the reigns to young execs, women and people with diverse backgrounds, who are web based and new consumer savvy and will NOT be wed and enamored with the print-based delivery system of the past.”

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There was an interesting article in this morning’s Internet Travel News about the power of social networking as a marketing tool. It caught my eye, not so much because of what it had to say to travel industry professionals in particular, but because it portended a marketing “tidal wave” for all industries. This was a timely confirmation that the subjects being covered in our November 1 Web 2.0 for Business conference are right on target. It also echoed Brian Lustig’s excellent August 14 post on consumers driving Web 2.0 applications.

This morning’s piece in the Travel News examines research conducted by Cindy Estis Green, managing partner of The Estis Group in Potomac, Maryland. Green just completed a comprehensive report on how social media and social networking represent the future of marketing for the travel industry. She spoke on the topic yesterday at an industry conference at the Washington Convention Center.

Her views extend to every business sector. Green stated, “There is a tsunami coming that few fully anticipate and it will dramatically change the marketing landscape in all industries, not just travel.”

Green continued, “It’s not just about a new set of media, it’s a sea change in consumer behavior. Social media opens the door for this new marketing model and as far as the consumers are concerned, the train has already left the station.”

Here’s an interview with Green, in which she explains how companies are moving toward this online, community-based form of networking:

Social media and networking tools are Web 2.0 applications that allow companies to engage with their customers. As I mentioned, my fellow bloggers have already done a superb job pointing out what some of these tools are and how they’re being applied. However, you might be surprised at just how many options exist:

• Blogs
• Profiles on social networking sites like MySpace, TripAdvisor, A-Space, other industry-specific sites, etc.
• Wikis
• Bookmarks, including Digg, del.icio.us, etc.
• Search-engine optimized press releases and articles
• Widgets
• Podcasts, videos, and photos
• Tweets (like blogs, with instant messaging)
• Voting on content
• RSS feeds
• Mashups
• Brand education tools
• Contests, games, and special events

These cost-effective tools should make marketing departments salivate. They make a high impact on a low budget and are easily accessible to even small businesses. Green points out that their real power comes through when they’re combined as part of a comprehensive plan.

One of the many things this MBA researcher did for her report was to poll travel executives about the expected impact of social media. The results are revealing:

• 65% – Deepen brand relationship with customers
• 55% – More targeted communications to niche markets
• 46% – Better understanding by staff of customer needs
• 42% – More recognizable brand image
• 41% – Improved revenues 

The numbers remind us that marketing using social media can be targeted to meet specific company goals. At the same time, Green says that this new form of customer engagement isn’t about the same old “pushing and pulling” of the old days. Marketers and executives will be challenged to use social media in a way that furthers their agenda, but leaves room for flexible customer involvement.

Green’s full report is called “The Travel Marketer’s Guide to Social Media and Social Networking,” and can be purchased in late September or early October. To buy a copy, contact either the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) or the Travel Industry Association (TIA).