I see a backlash brewing. I can’t tell you how many marketers I know are pissed off these days at A) the big social networks; and B) the community software providers. With the prior, it’s frustration over the big 3′s increasingly stringent terms of service and a general ambivalence toward brands unwilling to commit to big-budget deals and exorbitant media buys. And with the later, it’s frustration over the high costs and technical limitations of this software which I can only best describe as the “I-don’t-want-to-use-your-f*cking-’kudos’-system-for-feedback!” feeling. Yeah, everyone wants some sort of community strategy these days, but as marketing folks hit hard brick walls with the social networking cos and the big box software providers, the temptation to roll-your-own community creeps back into the mix. This is why projects like that which my colleague Nick shared today, may in fact be indicative of an early shift in thinking and spending. We’ll see….
