The Chief Marketer site is hosting an article predicting 2007’s seven big marketing trends.

Not surprisingly, increasing use of engagement marketing tops the list. Welcome to the party, guys.

1) An ongoing emphasis on “engagement.” Continuing to insert itself between traditional marketing activities and an increasing demand for return-on-investment assessments, engagement will occupy a good deal of marketers’ and advertisers’ attentions.

As we predicted last year, a joint task force from the Association of National Advertisers, the Advertising Research Foundation, and the American Association of Advertising Agencies offered up the following definition this year: “turning on a prospect to a brand idea enhanced by the surrounding context.” While that’s a passable (and all-inclusive) first-step definition, watch closely for more-precise, category- and brand-based definitions and metrics.

Also making the list were increased reliance on user-generated content, branded entertainment, and expanding the role of Web sites, blogs and digital media.

This little ditty from the user-generated content prediction caught my eye:

just because content is “consumer generated” doesn’t mean that strategy, creativity, or engagement will be represented, let alone attained, which will add further import in creating authentic (and predictive) engagement metrics.

Exactly.

First, another metrics discussion. I’m tired of metrics. Given the cost, how about firing up the company blog and looking for metrics while it’s running?

Biz blogging is so new that useful metrics might be a few years down the road. In the meantime, an opportunity to dominate the online marketplace is being missed.

Second, a brand that wants representation online cannot rely on users to create and carry the message. I recently spoke with a colleague about a small company’s message board, where many of the unguided, user-hatched posts were actually hostile to the company.

A larger company could weather that, but a smaller organization simply can’t wholly lose control of its brand online. You can’t force users to do anything, but through intelligent, entertaining communication, you can lead them.

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