Digital key to fighting recession, says Friedlein

Speaking ahead of the Bigmouthmedia finance summit in April 2009, Ashley Friedlein, chief executive officer at Econsultancy, has said that digital is key to battling the downturn.

Friedlein believes that the finance industry faces a fight on two fronts over the coming year.

In addition to coping with an uncertain market, he says the beleaguered sector will also be forced to come to terms with the explosive growth of social media.

He said: 'While the financial sector faces an unprecedented crisis of consumer confidence, it is also operating in an era where the way that businesses interact with the public is changing at a breakneck speed.

'The remarkable popularity of social networking applications such as Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook has taken many businesses by surprise, but the medium has already become a key commercial communications channel.

'Coming to terms with these new channels and keeping pace with the rapid developments within them will be one of the critical challenges facing businesses in the months ahead.

Friedlein plans to use the event to demonstrate how businesses can effectively engage social media.

Joining a line-up of some of the UK's best-known online finance specialists, his presentation will contribute to an agenda designed to take participants through the key marketing strategies recommended to help businesses prosper in the current economic climate.

He will be joined by Ian Morgan, senior head of financial services at Google UK, and Tom Pearman, finance manager at Microsoft Advertising.

Paolo Barbesino from Comscore, Jeremy Fawcett, category director at Yahoo Finance, and Will Cooper from New Media Age will also be presenting.

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