Twitter is a tactic that needs to be used in combination with corporate blogs, and other web touch points, that result in driving a particular outcome — whether that be increased online user to user support, engagement and excitement around a specific service or to deliver a branding message and meaning across multiple channels.

For many of the F100 fear dominates their attitude towards the use of freeing their brand in the social media space. Blogs are “corporate like”, twitter accounts are “uptight”, and there is no integrated strategy that leverages the power of these networks to enable brands to really listen to what customers are saying about them, engage where appropriate (it isn’t always) and deliver meaningful value.

Many F100 execs believe they own their brand. And it isn’t only older CEOs that feel this way. Many CMOs feel that the message should come from them and the employees of the company should not be liberated. The fact is, employees and other stakeholders are already liberated to speak using the myriad tools that new technologies provide them.

Those companies that don’t open their brand up will not be here for the mid-term. Paradigm shifts occur at the edges. When they occur, everyone goes to zero. You either adapt to the realities or end up with a shoddy brand, lower sales, limping along into the future.