Influx

AOL UK is moving away from giving away free discs and limited time monthly offers, to create a dialog with people on the pros and cons of the web. It features TV spots showing the good and bad sides of the web and an Internet site that encourages people to get engaged in the debate and commentary from well-known authors and politicians.

It’s an intelligent move by AOL to move its brand to a though leadership position, but it needs critical mass as some of the discussion boards have only a handful of postings.

It’s a great idea, but needs really action to catch fire and engage people, if AOL was to partner with other respected media sources, perhaps this would help. In addition, it needs to reach out to the British blogging community, which seems to be stangely absent from AOL’s debate.

The idea that brands to take on bigger issues that transcend mere products is smart, we’ve seen it with Dove in the US, but brands have to be prepared to marshal the resources necessary to ignite a debate that makes it onto the cultural map. This takes lots of planning and needs alliances and partnerships. Without this, the effort can come across as hollow and half-hearted.