Nikon wins the prize - careful Flickr

Hats off to Nikon for being the first major brand to partner with Flickr --aka my favorite subliminal marketing channel.

Many of you know how much I LOVE Flickr. I love its simplicity, its sense of fun and discovery and its inherent social nature (not "social networking", but real socialability). I have long thought of it as a subliminal marketing channel for your own personal brand (my flickr tag is "debschultz").

I only hope that other brands don't simply jump on the bandwagon, but think smartly about how to integrate branded, social campaigns that add value to the flickr community and not just view us as "consumers". I also hope that Flickr chooses their future partners wisely.

Doc and Jerry often reference the "consumer/customer split". I would argue that in communities such as Flickr it goes one step further - I am not simply a customer of flickr I am a partner in its creation. I create for my own personal gain and to share with those who both also create or may never create but simply want to enjoy the results.

Therefore, tread wisely all those who have awaken to the marketing opportunity of Flickr. If you think you can simply jump on the bandwagon, think again. Respect, value, and participation are central to this community. Adhere to these principals (aka Dave McClure ) and you may be rewarded. Ignore them and you are wasting your time and money.

Thanks to Steve (as usual) for the pointer.

Technorati Tags: Nikon, Flickr , newmarketing