In survey, social media marketing takes a corner office

about half of marketers surveyed in a new study from TNS Media Intelligence/Cymfony believe social media has become an established fixture in the media and selling landscape and should be overseen by senior executives.

In the study of 71 selling professionals in the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K., not even one respondent saw sociable media as a pass fad. About a fifth (21.1 percentage) said it was worth monitoring at the staff level but "should not absorb significant resources," while about half (49.3 percentage) said it should be monitored at the executive director level and receive significant resources. Another 29.6 percentage called it a "revolutionist new chance that must be grasped with a sense of urgency." The U.S. Had a higher concentration of exuberance, with 45 percentage of respondents calling sociable media revolutionist.

When asked what titles should be associated with senior roles overseeing the transmission channel, respondents suggested Head of sociable Media, manager of Consumer Generated Media, Consumer Insights director, and sociable Media military officer, among others.

"The names were all over the place, but it was clear in those names that the companies are truly starting to think, 'How do we do it in an organisation or construction... And how do we turn it into something that can be part of the mainstream [marketing] mix?'" said Jim Nail, chief scheme and selling officer of TNS Media Intelligence and Cymphony.

Monitoring sociable media activity for brand and category-related sentiments ranked highest among marketers' priorities for the transmission channel and scored considerably higher than brand consciousness and client loyalty enterprise. Whereas approximately 20 percent said it offered the greatest potential for either increasing loyalty or edifice awareness, 36.6 percentage described it as ideal for "gaining consumer penetration."

While trade name are surely coming about to the idea of sociable media, agencies should be careful to manage expectations, cautioned Nail.

"Clients, particularly the slower-moving clients, want best practices," he said. "They want proven models."

That's not always realistic. Whether it's video sharing, social networking sites, or micro-blogging, "clients want to get into it, but want guarantees, want the cookie cutter approach," he said. "That's not going to happen."