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By Jennifer Faull, Deputy Editor

May 13, 2014 | 3 min read

Andrew Grill, IBM global partner for social business, believes that a disservice has been done to the social world with some company heads still believing that social starts and ends with a Facebook or Twitter interaction.

Speaking to The Drum during Advertising Week Europe as he caught a life home in the #Hailthedrum taxi cab, Grill said that his role entails talking businesses through how they can be more effective by embracing what social media can do across all aspects of the organisation - not just marketing or comms. But, language is the first barrier to getting board level execs to understand what being a social business means.

“If I’m in a meeting with an organisation, I don’t use the word social. I use the terms market research and customer satisfaction. I use the language that clients understand because my peers and I have done the world a disservice. They’ve talked about social media so much they think that’s all social is,” he said.

Grill said that marketing departments have embraced social well to create discussion and dialogue, “but [companies] are missing out if they just keep social in the marketing department.”

“Let’s imagine you’re a mobile phone operator and people are tweeting good and bad things about your organisation,” suggested Grill. “The marketing department can manage that message but if someone’s had a bad experience with your brand then you want that information to get to the right people. Social media is the best piece of market research that can be commissioned so why not use that amazing intelligence and get it into all parts of the organisation.”

In the back of The Drum’s cab, Grill also offered his thoughts on IBM's Watson project and why WeChat is the future of messaging.

This is the latest in The Drum’s #Hailthedrum Texi Cab interviews. Previous videos featuring the likes of broadcaster Krishnan Guru Murthy, ESI commercial director Jon O’Donnell, and CP+B founder Chuck Porter.

The 'Hail The Drum' series was produced in partnership with Hailo and Media Agency Group. The wrap for the taxi was courtesy of Media Agency Group.

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