Managing for Media Anarchy: A Corporate Marketing Perspective

Abstract

Social media allows users to interact and engage with corporations and brands in ways that would be unthinkable with any other communications platform. In a new environment of "media anarchy," it is difficult to control corporate identities and brands. Assumptions underlying current approaches to corporate communications, which fail to take account of user-generated content, are severely challenged and require new models. We propose a taxonomy of "digital real estate" that acknowledges an expansion in the media options available to managers. Corporate communications specialists can employ this framework to help them to clarify their position as they confront the reality of media anarchy.