There is no disputing the fact that Web 2.0 provides a huge opportunity for marketers. Sharing content has never been easier than it is right now. As clients are recognizing the potential opportunities, it’s becoming increasingly common for them to want to jump on the viral video bandwagon. In a B2C viral video world, one could argue that the more exposure, the better. In a B2B world however, the old adage of quality versus quantity still applies.

Take for example MTV’s “Jersey Shore” — one of the highest-rated shows to ever air on the network. It was introduced with mediocre ratings until a video of one of the female cast members — Snooki, of course — got leaked to the Internet. Garnering millions of views, the video showed her being punched in the face by a large man in a bar. Suddenly, the show became a smash hit (wink, wink).

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With unprecedented economic and complex challenges facing companies today, the common link, or hidden secret of successful companies, is a strong and well-managed corporate culture. In other words, when it comes to long-range success, it’s all about your culture!

A strong and well-managed corporate culture — the social architecture of a successful company — blends and balances the talents, needs, and expectations of valued employees and associates; a shared organizational vision; a safe, ethical, respectful, and family-friendly working environment; and long-term shared results and rewards as the cultural fiber of long-term success. In addition, and very important, is a strong commitment to corporate citizenship, community and industry involvement, and the sense of giving back, that provides a valuable moral compass for the social architecture and supports the organization’s mission and vision.

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Crystal-clear return on investment (ROI) could also be called “Nirvana.”  The place where spending, value and sales all intersect harmoniously in a way that give agencies and clients complete understanding and validation in their marketing efforts. The mistake companies make when interpreting ROI is to tie marketing spending exclusively to sales transactions. There can be so many other variables that come into play when assessing the effectiveness of your marketing investment. Measuring ROI is complex, but achievable, as long as everyone approaches the assessment with a sense of reality.

The truth is that ROI measurement will need to be different for every brand, product, and category. Is it a new product? Is it a mature brand? Is it a product with a long consideration process or an impulse item? Are you trying to create awareness or maintain market share against a slew of new competitors? Is the goal to increase customer satisfaction or loyalty? These are all the types of questions that need to be answered in order to come to an understanding on primary business objectives.

Once the business objective(s) are clear, there can be discussion that leads into measurements for success. All stakeholders need to agree on what is being measured and establish the goals together. If the stakeholders don’t buy into the baseline criteria for measurement, it is difficult (if not impossible) to establish reporting in which everyone will be confident.

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