Daryl Wilcox has launched video on his site DWpub.com in series called ‘Experts in Communication’ . The whole thing kicks off with a two part video interview with Antony Mayfield explaining why he took his PR skills to a search company. Very insightful and I am full of admiration for how Antony shares his knowledge amongst his peers.

Our latest research looking at brand conversation in social media shows that techie companies, Google, Apple, Yahoo! and Microsoft, take the lead in terms of brand mentions in blogs, social networks and photo and video sharing sites.The study, launched at the Online Marketing Show examines the Interbrand Top 100 global brands and their voice in social media.

Here are the results for the top 25 most discussed brands.

 Technology leads the way, with Disney and Ford just squeezing in  the top 10. But split across the top 100 reveals that the industry sectors are quite evenly spread, with all of Intebrand’s top 100 brands getting a mention in social media.

Of course, this is just a snapshot and, before my friends at Onalytica and Market Sentinel rightly jump in, this research doesn’t take into account influence. Which we agree is essential. But the study does show that brands are being talked about and that is what we set out to confirm.

The full study will be available on the immediate future website on tomorrow or you can pop along to the OMS show at the Business Design Centre in London to get a free copy.

Technorati Tags: Google, Apple, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Interbrand Top 100 global brands, social media, Disney, Ford, Onalytica, Market Sentinel

A roundtable from e-consultancy (declare: they are a partner) reveals that future thinking of some of the digital industry’s forward thinking players. What strikes me is that throughout the summary, there is constant referral to social media relations.

The obvious one,  is the statement that, ‘There is a blurring of the lines between SEO, social marketing and PR’

There has always been a close relationship between online PR and SEO (search engine optimisation), but what interests me is that this relationship is now extending across mobile, online advertising and behavioural marketing. It is not so much that this is explicit in the web 2.0 world, but that it is now being taken seriously. And not just as another ad/marketing channel; as a new level of engagement, a new discipline. Key points in the reports suggest

• There needs to be an understanding levels of influence in a certain thematic space and interaction with the online community
• There is lack of case studies around social media optimisation
• Behavioural marketing is becoming more tribal than demographic targeting
• Companies still think of their websites as a destination but the reality is that content and brands are being consumed in other places
• Companies have to accept that if they allow people to play with their brands, ‘some people will play rough’.

My question is: does that mean digital marketing companies are likely to team up with PRs in the know on social media, or are they going to start competing in this space. I would love the former, but my gut feel says it will be the latter.