The F-Factor

Reading the newest report from Trendwatching.com, about social media, the influence and impact on consumption, I came across a very interesting concept: The F-Factor. The title of the report says it all: "The F-Factor - That´s for friends, fan and followers, who influence consumers' purchasing decisions in ever-more sophisticated ways".
What can we say about this? From one side, not much, but from another side, a lot.
Some of the conclusions are nothing that we already knew, the Facebook domination in this area, «the 500 million users of Facebook that spend around 700 billion minutes on the site», says Trendwatching.com. Another one is that people in general clicked on the Like button more often that we realize, making it a powerful tool to work with. For last, 3 quarters of Facebook users have "Like"ed a brand. Beyond the fact that most of them clicks the "Like" button as they click in many other, without a real connection, that click will give the brand an opportunity to pass messages and promotions to Facebook users. It will enhance the audience, but with the chance to real interaction.
You can take a look on the rest of the report, but let me ask first, where do you think sustainability can help to develop, maintain and create competitive advantage in a organization? Social media can be a very powerful "mean to an end". Sustainability strategies can be improved with social media as a partner. Sustainability needs partnerships and collaboration, needs integrated work, and social media can and will get closer stakeholders. That's one of the great advantages of social media. But a well managed social media.
And another great thing that the Trendwatching.com highlights is the way social media can influence consumer behaviours. On sustainability perspective, responsible consumer behaviour. The report shows 5 ways that the F-Factor influences consumer behaviour, from discover, recommendations and reviews, feedback, etc.
Beside you'll have to read the report yourself, the question here is the impact on that relationships, and what they can do towards a more sustainable future. And I'm talking about a more bright future, with progress, better life, better environment, and a broader a simpler society.

The Obvious Revolution