according to New Study by TWI Surveys, Inc. on Behalf of Society for New

Communications Research; Findings Featured in Jaffe's New Book, Join the

Conversation

    PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- New research indicates that
 spending on social media and conversational marketing will outpace that of
 traditional marketing by 2012, according to a study conducted by TWI
 Surveys, Inc. on behalf of the Society for New Communications Research and
 thought leader, Joseph Jaffe. This and many other significant findings are
 featured in Joseph Jaffe's new book, Join the Conversation, which became
 available today, published by John Wiley & Sons.
     In Join the Conversation, Jaffe, a Senior Fellow of the SNCR, discusses
 the changing role of the consumer and how marketers must adapt by joining
 the rich, deep and meaningful conversations already in progress. This book
 reveals what marketers must do to become a part of the dialogue and how to
 leverage conversations in ways that benefit businesses, brands and lives.
     In order to research his topic, Jaffe engaged the Society for New
 Communications Research think tank to conduct a study to assess senior
 public relations and marketing communications professionals' awareness and
 knowledge of social media and conversational marketing and their priorities
 for including it in their strategies and initiatives. The study was
 conducted via an online survey, designed by Joseph Jaffe and TWI Surveys,
 Inc. in conjunction with the Research Fellows of the SNCR.
     The findings indicate that while social media adoption is still very
 much in its infancy, communications professionals foresee significant
 growth in adoption and spending over the next five years, and predict that
 conversational marketing will outpace traditional marketing by 2012. Of the
 260 respondents:
     -- 70% are currently spending 2.5% or less of their communications budgets
        on conversational marketing
 
     -- Two-thirds plan to increase their investment in conversation within the
        next twelve months
 
     -- 57% project that in five years they will be spending more on
        conversational marketing than traditional marketing
 
     -- 23.8% believe that spending on conversational marketing will be the
        same as traditional marketing in five years
 
     -- In total, 81% of all respondents project that by 2012 they will spend
        at least as much on conversational marketing as traditional marketing
     "The rise of digital media continues to make significant inroads into
 the mainstream media pie," said Joseph Jaffe. "Conversational marketing
 investment will make up the third pillar of the new marketing model."
     The journey ahead will not be without challenges, most notably in the
 areas of talent and capabilities, change management, research and metrics
 and organizational dynamics. Respondents noted that the primary obstacles
 currently preventing them from investing more in conversational marketing
 include:
     -- "Manpower restraints"  -- 51.1%
 
     -- "Fear of loss of control"  -- 46.9%
 
     -- "Inadequate metrics"  -- 45.4%
 
     -- "Culture of their organizations"  -- 43.5%
 
     -- "Difficulty with internal sell-through"  -- 35.8%
     "The results of this research indicate that the industry is currently
 in a state of cautious experimentation with regard to social media and
 conversational marketing," commented Jen McClure, executive director of the
 Society for New Communications Research. "But most organizations seem to be
 preparing themselves for a significant shift in strategies and resource
 allocation."
     "This all suggests that over the next few years we will see not only
 massive budget reallocations, but also tremendous strategic and cultural
 realignments and organizational shifts," added Jaffe. "To keep brands
 fresh, relevant and plugged into the conversation, marketers will need to
 be proactive in terms of embracing and investing in ongoing,
 well-structured experimentation."
     Additional Resources:
     View the social media press release on this announcement and watch a
 video of Joseph Jaffe discussing this research. (Due to length of URL,
 please cut and paste into browser.)
 (http://www.prxbuilder.com/link.aspx?id=4eedf120-56ae-44dd-95af-
 9568a3321645&name=JTCRelease.xml&xform=xslt%2fnewm.xslt&perm=true)
     About Joseph Jaffe and Join the Conversation
     One of the most sought-after consultants, speakers and thought leaders
 on new marketing, Joseph Jaffe is president and chief interrupter of
 crayon. In May 2005, Jaffe's first book, Life After the 30-Second Spot, was
 published by Wiley. His second book is titled Join the Conversation: How to
 Engage Marketing-Weary Consumers with the Power of Community, Dialogue and
 Partnership.
     Pricing and Availability:
     Join the Conversation is now available via Amazon and will be available
 in stores beginning October 24, 2007. List price: 27.90 USD; 320 Pages;
 ISBN-10: 0-470-13732-0; ISBN-13: 978-0-470-13732-1; published by John Wiley
 & Sons. Those wishing to receive a review copy of Join the Conversation
 should contact Meryl Moss at meryl@mediamuscle.com
     About TWI Surveys, Inc.
     TWI Surveys, Inc. is a full-service organizational research and
 strategy development company that specializes in employee, association
 member, community and customer research. Since its founding in 1998, TWI
 Surveys, Inc. has conducted research and developed strategies for
 organizations and corporations in a variety of industries including
 technology, energy, finance, transportation, health and not-for-profit. For
 more information, visit http://www.twisurveys.com/
     About the Society for New Communications Research
     The Society for New Communications Research is a global, nonprofit
 501(c)(3) think tank dedicated to the advanced study of new communications
 tools, technologies and emerging modes of communication, and their effect
 on traditional media, professional communications, business, culture and
 society. For more information about the Society for New Communications
 Research, visit http://www.sncr.org or call +1 (650) 331-0083.
 
 

SOURCE Society for New Communications Research