By Joe Skorupa
When Apple unveiled its wildly anticipated iPad recently the Twittersphere buzzed to the tune of 129,000 Tweets in the first half hour. Web posts, blogs and digital communities were all over the story, literally.
One called the iPad the savior of publishing, one said it will put Kindle out of business, one said it will be the savior of TV, one said it will put PCs out of business, one said it signals the death of print, one said it is nothing more than a big, expensive iPhone.
The opinions were all over the map, but one thing is certain: The digital din completely overwhelmed what Steve Jobs was trying to say. On the one hand it showed how Apple is the beneficiary of millions of dollars of free publicity.
But more importantly, it demonstrated that Apple no longer controls its message, no matter how much money it spends on advertising.
This has powerful implications for retailers.
In Apple's case it may not matter, since it is one of the most revered companies on the planet. But for mortal companies, like most retailers, it means they need to recognize the power of democratized media and make adjustments to the newly empowered consumer.
Here's a specific retail example courtesy of Dave Boyce from Oracle. Think about the customer that goes to Borders, selects a stack of books, orders a coffee, sits down in a chair, and opens a laptop. After flipping through the stack of books he goes online and purchases the ones he likes for a cheaper price, finishes the coffee and goes home.
You not only don't own your message, you also don't own your active customers, even those in your own stores.
Retailers need to shift from trying to control media messaging to enabling customers through digital tools (recommendations, ratings, sharing with friends) to create a shopping experience in their own unique way. It also means shifting from a push mentality to a listening mentality. Hear what shoppers have to say and then join the conversation.
RIS has been heavily involved in social media programs for the past 18 months, and is now in the process of taking it to the next level by creating a social media team and delivering next-generation programs for the retail industry.
I can't reveal too much about this program until it launches in a few weeks, but it is designed to demystify social media methodology and technology for retail businesses as well as shorten the time it takes to go from zero to 100 mph.
The time is now to capitalize on what is shaping up to be the most disruptive development in retailing since the Web. As my friend Jeff Roster of Gartner has said, "When it comes to social media today is a good time to start, but yesterday would have been better and tomorrow is too late."