How Do You Say “Social Media Marketing” in Spanish?

I was in Barcelona last month to speak at the “Brand Challenges 2008” conference, presented by our partner Center on Global Brand Leadership at ESADE business school. 

The haute cuisine in Barcelona was as creative as I remembered (sea foam, flavored smoke, ice ravioli, and the like), as were Gaudi’s timeless architectural wonders in Le Eixample.

But for all their innovativeness, the Spaniards I met at the conference are grappling with the same Web 2.0 whirlwind as everyone else.  Their marketers and brand managers all keenly aware of (and actively using) social networks, wikis, blogs, and the other growing new media.  They just don’t know how brands should respond to this environment.  “How do you control the dialogue with your consumers?” I was asked.  You don’t, of course.  And for many organizations, giving up the mindset of brand “control” will be the biggest challenge. 

I was interviewed after my speech by the paper La Gaceta de los Negocios – who were kind enough to send me a PDF of the article.  We discussed the changing models for brand building, what dialogue means for brands, how to energize brand ambassadors, and the importance of innovation.  You can find the article (in Spanish) here.

(One clarification: “Si lanzas una nueva marca, es probable que sean mejores los medios tradicionales” should read “…sean mejores los medios nuevos.”)