Participant Marketing: Interview With Johnnie Moore & James Cherkoff

You work in different ways – how and why?

James: We share lots of views but I am more focused on PR & Marketing. John does a lot of work in the area of voodoo and ritual stuff. I’m not so interested in that area but I do enjoy browsing his ‘sacrificial’ tag at Flickr…

Johnnie: As James shows, we really appreciate each other’s distinctive styles. He’s great at the spin while I like to work in depth. No, seriously, I guess I tend to wax a little philosophical while James is a get-things-done guy.

Won’t an open style of approach give too much away? At what point does consumer participation stop in order to retain competitivity?

James: It’s different with every project but mostly common sense – companies have a natural feel for what is on and off limits. It’s as important to realise that most people don’t want an intimate relationship with a company…they might just want to play. That changes if a company can offer an incentive to participate….which most can at some level. I don’t go for the ‘purist’ approach of complete openness.

Johnnie: I think we persuade clients that the slippery slope is not slippery. You can try little experiments with openness and see how they work. You don’t have to open the floodgates. A lot of these sort of fears are more theoretical than real.

OK, it’s easier to see a big company like Coca Cola with an established customer base do something like this – but how can a small company with limited time and resources really take participant marketing seriously?

James: The same principles apply whatever the size of the organisation.

Johnnie: Actually, I’d think smaller companies can be more flexible and willing to try new things out. And participant marketing can be miles cheaper than more conventional methods – ideal for smaller businesses running on tight budgets.

Thank you

James Cherkoff is a London based PR & Marketing consultant. When he’s not helping companies get to grips with social media and the benefits of playing in the blogopshere, he’s likely to be watching Arsenal FC enjoying a large glass of Rioja. Site / Blog

Johnnie Moore is another London based advertising and branding consultant. When not at work, he’ll probably be buying James that glass of Rioja. Site / Blog