360DigitalInfluence

This week, Atlanta is celebrating social and digital media with five days filled with workshops, panel discussions and networking events known as Digital Atlanta. Ogilvy’s 360⁰ Digital Influence team in Atlanta is happy to be part of the celebration.

I had the privilege of hearing Ted Wright, Atlanta-native and founder/CEO of Fizz Word of Mouth Marketing, at Digital Atlanta’s Opening Night. He spoke about the true power of word-of-mouth, both online and off and the “conversation revolution” that we’re seeing happen each day.

We learned that 8 out of 10 people don’t believe advertising, 68% of people trust others like themselves, 19% of products are sold solely through recommendations and a whopping 76% of Americans talk about at least one brand a day. Ted also discussed his recipe for word-of-mouth success: finding the “talkers,” giving them something to talk about, setting up the tools to get a movement started, allowing people to join and measuring the results.

Ted’s insights were thought provoking. But, for me, as a digital strategist, what struck me was the inspiring tone of one recurring message – the power of Atlanta.

Atlanta is one of the few cities that has actually moved beyond Social Media Week, February’s popular digital frenzy, in favor of its own November event. Digital Atlanta has become a playground for people like me who have hunger for the new avenues of communication and thrive off the science behind our practice.

But why Atlanta? Shortly after Ted’s address, I asked a group of my digital peers that very question. To which I heard the response, “Why not Atlanta?” With dozens of global corporations calling Atlanta home (Home Depot, Coke and UPS, just to name a few), a plethora of full-service, thought-leading digital marketing agencies, and the nurturing presence surrounding the local startup community, it’s no wonder this city of nearly six million was named the country’s second most socially networked city.

Wednesday morning, Atlanta’s Ogilvy 360⁰ DI team and the fabulous Virginia Miracle will be hosting our own Digital Atlanta session on social business, “From the Boardroom to the Blogger: The Real Revenue of Social Business.” We couldn’t be more proud to be part of what Ted called the “conversation revolution.”

Follow our Atlanta team this week (Matt Minton, Brian Smith, Robyn Cobb, Jacques Oury, Jessica Will and Devin Zimmerman) to see Digital Atlanta through our eyes. Then, we invite you to visit us here in Atlanta. If this event is any indication, we’ll have tons to talk about.