The many dimensions of influence
Part 1 of Brand Building and Social Media included the notion that the marketing campaign is losing it’s relevance as a front line tactic. At the core of a marketing campaign is a temporary and finite relationship between a brand and a prospect or customer – that being a transaction (a registration, download or checkout, a rebate, to name a few).

Similar to the concept of Relationship Marketing, the Passion Pyramid is a continuum without an end point. It is not bound by time or defined by “completion”. A customer can move fluidly up or down the pyramid, and in a non-linear fashion.

Here again is the pyramid as introduced in Part 1.

The Passion Pyramid is based upon a simple theory. A brand has a direct or indirect relationship with a person, and if a marketer is successful in creating relevant and motivating interactions, “brand love” improves. But is there another dimension to the Passion Pyramid? Consider the reach and impact of each Passion Pyramid customer or prospect. For most who visit social sites, they do little but read and observe from the sidelines. They are less involved in the brand, and therefore less likely to jump into the conversation. If that behavior is extrapolated, one can assume that these lesser involved reach a relatively small universe. .

The Power of Peer-to-Peer Influence
But what about those who are in the Discuss, Join or Lead circles (as depicted in the graphic above)? Like popular bloggers, they have a following. As a Leader shapes and influences online conversations, she creates a following. A group of folks follow a Leader that makes sound decisions or taps into the emotional motivation of a purchase in ways that no one else can match. Whatever the case, the Leader now has leverage over the brand. People follow, absorbing advice or information, and their perception of a brand changes based upon the impressions gleaned from the Leader. And quite possibly the follower’s change in perception results in a different action. Understanding the Leader’s impact on his or her following, the Leader’s value to the brand has increased by orders of magnitude. If a brand can activate the Leader, imagine how that can change the economics of media buys, research and new product launches.

It’s Not A Numbers Game
The game today in social media is about density and leverage. As a first step, marketers need to find the dense pockets or hubs of brand influencers - perhaps focusing a majority of resources on the top 5% of total target, populating . And while size still matters, understanding the impact a Leader has on the purchase habits of his or her following places immense value on that Leader. The greater the influence a Leader has over his or her followers, the more valuable that person becomes to a brand. Would I pay 2x the prevailing CPM to reach this Leader? 4x? Keep going, because if I can reach 30 Leaders with true leverage to help shape my brand, I will gladly pay a handsome sum. Buying access to my top 5% influencers beats any other media buy – hands down. When one moves many the way a Leader can, the economic model gets turned on its head.

When many marketers today make an online media purchase decision, they start by reviewing a Media Kit. Right age? Check. Appropriate income level? Check. Traffic trending up? Check. CPM in line with other purchases? Check. I for one don't believe demographics are a powerful or even trustworthy marker of purchase intent. Particularly when there is rich, interaction-level information available. Soon - I hope - the notion of target density and leverage will change the way we buy media.