Marketing Promotion: Set the stage for social media success.

Brands getting to grips with social media need to clearly define their aims and develop a sharper understanding of customer engagement, writes Stuart Derrick.

'There is not a boardroom in the land that doesn't have a whiteboard with the words 'Social media?' penned on it,' says Gareth Jones, editor of Marketing and Revolution.

That's why Marketing teamed up with social brand agency Headstream to bring together top marketers to find out what should be foremost in brands' approach to social media.

What does social media mean for brand management and the structuring of organisations? What is its effect on staff and what technology issues does it raise?

Chris Buckley, head of consulting at Headstream, says 'an obsession' is a good description of brands' approach to social media right now, but logic and common sense are absent in certain sectors.

'For companies like games publishers, why wouldn't you do it? You have well-established communities with natural passion and it fits your sales cycle. But few brands are like that. Others see it …