Simon Mainwaring

We First provides consulting and training to help companies tell the story of their good work in ways that build their business

Posts

 
February 28, 2011

The We First community: Where social technology meets social change

by

The We First concept refers to the intimately connected global community that we now live in. But it also refers to a community of  brands, cause-marketers, social entrepreneurs and regular people all around the world who have individually committed to driving social change. Every individual effort deserves to be celebrated because each serves as a permission […]

The We First concept refers to the intimately connected global community that we now live in. But it also refers to a community of  brands, cause-marketers, social entrepreneurs and regular people all around the world who have individually committed to driving social change. Every individual effort deserves to be celebrated because each serves as a permission …

Read More
 
February 23, 2011

MC Hammer on how brands use social media to build communities

by

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Srkgk90fo Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking at the Gravity Summit at UCLA where MC Hammer received the award for Social Marketer of the Year. As a celebrity brand on twitter (@MCHammer) that has amassed over 2 million active and engaged followers, and he now speaks all around the world about how brands use …

Read More
 
February 20, 2011

What brands must do now to engage their customer communities

by

There’s an adage that is an apt description of the new dynamic at work between brands and consumers connected through social media: People support what they help to build. But now that many brands are launching community-driven cause marketing campaigns, the challenge becomes what to do next? Put another way, how do brands stay connected …

Read More
 
February 16, 2011

Social Photos: When a picture is worth 140 characters

by

Over the last weeks we have witnessed the peaceful demonstration in Egypt that overthrew President Mubarak’s regime. In the last few days we watched the protests it has inspired in Yemen, Iran, Bahrain and Algeria. While I have written about the contributory role of social media in these revolutions, it is also worth noting how we have …

Read More
 
February 13, 2011

Exactly what role did social media play in the Egyptian revolution?

by

The January 25th revolution in Egypt was an incredible achievement by its people and a truly inspiring example of the power of peaceful protest. Yet the work towards an effective transition to democratic government within Egypt has just begun. Meanwhile a debate continues to rage in the blogosphere as to the exact role played by …

Read More
 
February 10, 2011

Groupon’s Superbowl: Social media (C)PR

by

Much has been written about Groupon’s PR missteps at the Superbowl over the last two days. Their three ads (representing a $3 million ad buy) poked fun at celebrity-endorsed PSAs for endangered whales, the Brazilian rainforest, and Tibet. The ads were variously described as in bad taste or simply poor communications because they failed to mention that Groupon …

Read More