World Economic Forum Announces Young Global Leaders

The World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders for 2009 were just announced and I had the pleasure of meeting one, Priya Haji, just last week at the We Media conference. The BOP Learning Lab in India was also honored, as was Premal Shah of Kiva.org and several other BOPreneurs. I am thrilled to see young leaders working in the BOP space receiving such recognitions. Congrats to the new batch!

Reinventing Advertising: Tools, Youth, and Social Change. A report back from the We Media 2009 Conference

Originally published on WeMedia.com

Reinventing Advertising: Tools, Youth, and Social Change

By Jenara Nerenberg • February 27, 2009

The first full day of WeMedia presented interesting challenges and opportunities regarding the state of new media, social change, and journalism. Conversations revolved around the future of traditional media, expanding the scope of social media companies to facilitate social change, how to more effectively run a business, how to reach target audiences, and more. As a social entrepreneur working at the intersection of social media, business, and international development, I was thrilled to see the range and depth of issues addressed. Representatives from the BBC, Ashoka, NPR, CNN, Fast Company, Global Voices, and Ushahidi were all present. As the founder of BOP Source and a writer for NextBillion.net, I was excited to be part of the conversation and for this post I will share some key points and take-aways from one session in particular, “Reinventing Advertising.”

“Reinventing Advertising” looked at what the changing landscape of social media means for businesses, their reliance on advertising, and what they can do to better engage consumers. The workshop was facilitated beautifully by Marck Walsh of GeniusRocket and the panelists were Joe Marchese of SocialVibe, Melissa Godis of Crispin+Porter, and Sheryl Catell of LGD Communications.

The panel echoed many themes we are all familiar with: How do we make money from ads? Do ads belong on social networks? How do we get consumers excited about our brands so that they will welcome and endorse the presence of our ads on their sites?

Melissa represented the “agency” perspective and shared what I thought was the most important take-away: we must create tools for customers to engage with. Tools invite the customer into a conversation and educate them about products. Sheryl echoed the point by emphasizing that the days of banner ads will soon be over. I did not hear a framework emerge for what tools work best or how to create such tools, as we focused mostly on the questions and less so on answers. (Afterall, if we had the answers, we probably would not have needed a session on “Reinventing Advertising”).

Joe made the excellent point that everyone wants their ads to be viral sensations–the homemade video that is cheap to produce, rakes in millions, and becomes a “cultural phenomenon.” I often wonder about what features or qualities make a video viral; Joe thinks it at least has to be be funny, edgy, or scary, and does not necessarily have to carry the brand message. Check out the role of memes, if you’re not already familiar with the concept.

When we got on the topic of whether or not political campaigns will ever mimic consumer marketing campaigns, there were heated responses. Many asserted that Obama’s campaign was brilliantly executed and a shining example for companies. Others thought that political campaigns are not quite there yet, but that both have a lot to learn from each other.

We covered a variety of topics, as you can tell, and the conversations were interesting and engaging. I was particularly impressed by SocialVibe’s ability to connect with youth through branding and at the same time empower them to be social change agents. SocialVibe seems to have their fingers on the pulse of youth culture and are using that knowledge and that userbase to positively impact the world, through young, MySpace-addicted, pop-culture-loving teenagers.

We Media Conference in Miami

I've been invited to blog the We Media Conference in Miami as a We Media Fellow and am excited about what it entails. The conference brings together leaders in the new media and social change space and organizations represented include World of Good, the Knight Foundation, FastCompany, Global Voices, and more. Stay tuned for posts from the conference! If you're in the area, you can still register here.

ICT access, climate change, and farmers in Ethiopia

Take a look at this article examining the effects of climate change on farmers in Ethiopia; access to information and technology are critical in determining how farmers adapt to climate change. This is yet further evidence of the importance of access to ICT and shows it is an essential need, in this case as it relates to food and income.

Aravind a Fast 50

The Aravind Eye Care System in India was named a "Fast 50" by FastCompany.com.

Grameen Opportunity - Bankers Without Borders

Adrienne Peirce shared an exciting new opportunity with the Grameen Foundation, Bankers Without Borders. I love the whole concept of "...Without Borders." In fact, my friend Haviva Kohl started Teachers Without Borders...

Job Opening: Environmental Journalist, China

Check out this exciting job opportunity posted to the Communications Initiative

Inspiration - 2 Entrepreneurs Who Inspire and Innovate

Van Jones and Melanie Edwards are two heroes of mine; they are both Echoing Green Fellows and doing amazing work in their respective fields. Check out the two articles below to find out what they're up to...

"Greening the Ghetto" by The New Yorker's Elizabeth Kolbert

"How to Count the Invisibles" by the Christian Science Monitor's Gregory M. Lamb