The World Wide Web – from Data Exchange to Shareconomy
No technical innovation has changed the world in its recent history as much as the Internet. It was just over 20 years ago that scientist Tim Berners-Lee developed the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and the corresponding transfer protocol HTTP (web server) for a new PC user interface (web browser) at the CERN nuclear research center in Geneva, giving the initial data exchange on the Internet its most powerful application: the World Wide Web.
“What's not on the Web doesn't exist.”
Tim Berners-Lee
A few years after the publication of the Cluetrain Manifesto by Levine et al., a term was coined that still stands today as a synonym for the change brought about by the Internet and progress in general: “Web 2.0” or the addition “2.0”. Numerous publications on this phenomenon and its impact on people, brands, and media have since been released. In academia, the term “Social Web” has prevailed over “Web 2.0”.
The new design possibilities on the web, such as independent creation, sharing, and rating, were recognized early on by the WE-BRANDS Amazon, Apple, and Google mentioned in this book, and they have taken advantage of them in their further expansion strategy.
Shareconomy – “rent instead of buy”
“My house, my car, my boat” – many will still remember the commercial by the Sparkasse bank. Aired in the spring of 2008, it marked a peak that, with the emerging global economic crisis in the fall of 2008 and from today's perspective, lacks a certain comical touch. The status symbols of the past seem to have lost their allure. How did this happen? Was it people's doubts about the global banking and financial system, or even the question of how social the social market economy is? The latter cannot and should not be further discussed here. Undoubtedly, the triumph of the Social Web has brought about a new understanding of transparency and a culture of sharing that have contributed to the current shift in values.
Topics and discussions that were once reserved for one-on-one conversations are now often negotiated in the public sphere of social media. A crucial change can be seen in the fact that today it is less about owning and more about using. Moving away from ownership towards temporary availability. Also towards more small pleasures that I can afford here and now. The accelerated digitization is also reflected in the trend of accelerated consumption: We increasingly need a new thrill, a new consumer experience – and that is now just a click away. Shareconomy certainly has great potential for innovative business and offering models. Brands and brand managers should not only adapt to the culture of sharing but also shape it in the sense of a long-term successful WE-BRAND.
Conclusion: Social Web
The Social Web is not a passing fad – it poses new challenges and opportunities for companies, especially regarding brand building and strategic brand management. It can be more strongly integrated into corporate processes and used as a plus in terms of transparency, trust, emotionalization, and customer loyalty. As harsh as it sounds: If a company is not (easily) found on the web, it doesn’t exist. WE-BRANDS are aware of this exclusion criterion. The presence and the associated strategic brand management in the Social Web are increasingly becoming the responsibility of top management. Nothing has been and is more credible than a recommendation from friends and a good customer opinion. The lasting connection and networking of people, brand, and medium will be the ultimate discipline in corporate and marketing communication in the future. People don't go online, they are online – and the joystick of life is the smartphone. WE-BRANDS are aware of this fact and are already working on creative solutions to leverage this need of their customers for themselves.
For more information on the topic of the Social Web and Hermann H. Wala, visit:http://www.excellente-unternehmer.de/redner/hermann-wala.html
