Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) officially announces the release
of the book Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social
Technologies (Harvard Business Press). Written by veteran Forrester
analysts Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, Groundswell features 25
case studies, a complete road map for social strategy, and global data
that shows businesses how to leverage the power of their customers´ Social Computing behaviors.
"Right now, your customers are writing about
your products on blogs and recutting your commercials on YouTube. They´re
defining you on Wikipedia and ganging up on you in social networking
sites like Facebook. These are all elements of a social phenomenon "†the groundswell "†that has created a
permanent, long-lasting shift in the way the world works," said Li and Bernoff. "Most companies see it as
a threat. You can see it as an opportunity."
Groundswell illustrates how leading firms such as Best Buy, Dell
and Procter & Gamble are gaining insights, generating revenues, saving
money, and energizing their own customers. The book includes
practical advice backed up by real-world ROI for the professional roles
Forrester services, not only for Marketing & Strategy professionals but
across the IT organization, too.
"Forrester has extensive experience helping
Marketing & Strategy professionals from some of the world´s
best-known companies build Social Computing strategies. Many of the
executives I meet are struggling to understand how they can take
advantage of the power of social technologies," said Forrester Chairman and Chief Executive Officer George F. Colony. "The
book is a natural first stop for them and illustrates how
Forrester can help the many roles within their companies take part in "†and benefit from "†the social trend that is
the groundswell. Understanding the strategic and practical applications
of social technologies is something that we are doing every day to make
our clients more successful."
Groundswell aligns with Forrester´s
ongoing Social Computing research. Clients working with Forrester are
using the POST (people, objectives, strategy, technology) method
described in Groundswell to develop strategies for blogs
communities, social networks, and other social technologies. Forrester
continues to publish research that extends the book´s
concepts and now delivers consulting offerings based on Groundswell
including corporate workshops and long-term social technology strategy
projects. Many of these offerings have the wealth of Forrester´s
worldwide Technographics® data "†which collects consumers´ social technology
behaviors "†at their base.
Groundswell has garnered significant praise from prepublication
reviewers:
"Social technologies and their groundswell
impact every business and organization worldwide," said Steve Rubel, senior vice president, Edelman Digital. "Li
and Bernoff have written an insightful book that takes a refreshing
research-driven approach to helping businesses transform themselves and
successfully navigate this new dynamic landscape."
Charlene Li is a vice president and principal analyst at Forrester
Research and is one of the leading voices in the area of Social
Computing and Web 2.0. Josh Bernoff is a vice president and principal
analyst at Forrester Research and has become one of America´s
most prominent and widely quoted technology analysts.
More information about Groundswell, including an excerpt from the
book and an online tool that allows organizations to profile their
customers´ Social Computing behaviors by age
country, and gender, is available at http://groundswell.forrester.com.
Groundswell is available for purchase at Amazon.com, Barnes &
Noble, 800-CEO-READ (bulk orders only), and other major book retailers.
About Forrester Research
Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) is an independent technology and
market research company that provides pragmatic and forward-thinking
advice to global leaders in business and technology. For more than 24
years, Forrester has been making leaders successful every day through
its proprietary research, consulting, events, and peer-to-peer executive
programs. For more information, visit www.forrester.com.
© 2008, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights
reserved. Forrester is a trademark of Forrester Research, Inc.
