Media expert Jeff Jarvis believes that companies are facing a fundamental structural change that is independent of the economic crisis. The author of What Would Google Do? was the opening speaker at Next09, the Internet industry conference attended by 1,300 people. The Next09 conference, which took place in Hamburg on May 5 and 6, is an indicator of the atmosphere in the online sector.
In his presentation, Jeff Jarvis called for companies to architect data adopt a new way of dealing with their customers. In the future, greater interconnection and interrelation will be required. The media should be more involved in existing communities. The new economic order brought about by Google means the end of the mass market and the media and advertising will have to learn to target small niches.
Companies need to get used to listening to and working with customers more, and transparency will become increasingly important. Jarvis cites Google's motto Don't be evil as an example. Jeff Jarvis's claim: that customers should be more influential. They shouldn't run everything, but they should be more integrated into the evolution of products and companies.
The motto of Next09 was Share Economy , a phrase coined by economic theorist Martin Weitzman. The idea behind it is: the more we share our success with others, the more we ourselves benefit. “Many companies have yet to come to terms with the fact that, thanks to the Internet, the balance of power has shifted in favour of the interactive consumer,” says Matthias Schrader, chairman of the board of SinnerSchrader, the agency that organised the event.