More And More Brands Are Investing For Social Media Solutions

More and more brands are investing in command centres for social media solutions.

- Devika Singh

A dedicated site with large LCD screens displaying analytics and live streaming of social media platforms, global heat maps and people facing them typing hurriedly on the keyboards of their dual-monitor computers. It might sound like a war room, but we are talking about a social media command centre -- a dedicated state-of-the-art facility used by brands for monitoring conversations, customer service, tracking marketing efficiency, market research and much more.

The concept is not new and brands like Dell and Gatorade had established command centres abroad as early as 2010, but the trend seems to be catching up in India now. Recently, many FMCG, BFSI, telecom and hospitality brands in India have either introduced a command centre in-house or have outsourced one. "Can a brand afford to ignore chatter, whether negative or positive, on social media or digital platforms today?" asks Rajiv Dingra of digital agency WATConsult.