Ever since I read Wikinomics and since I have been to the Web2.0 Expo in San Francisco earlier this year, I believe in two things:

1. There is an incredible hype around the concept of Web 2.0; it will get quieter and many start-ups will not make it into 2009.

2. Web 2.0 has just started. We cannot imagine now, what and impact the winners of the Web 2.0 revolution will have on our lives and our work. Web 2.0 has already changed the way many people interact, particularly in the generation that will make the next managers, and I expect that lots of its principles will be mainstreamed. In about two to four years, companies but also non-profit campaigners will utilize online communities on a routine base to promote their case.

So, if you have a cute idea on how to apply Web 2.0 principles, it is about time to realize them.

I found a very nice example on how consumers already are using Web 2.0 mechanisms to convince multinational companies. It is about the return of a candy bar. The story was told by the International Herald Tribune two days ago (in fact, I found a hint to the story on JP Rangaswami's wonderful blog Confused of Calcutta).

The story is easy to be told. Cadbury had a candy bar called Wispa (which I had never eaten), which they withdraw some years ago because their product managers told them that people would have a different taste and preference, and their controllers told them that Wispa wasn't making enough money any more.

A while ago, a Facebook user demanded "I want my Wispa back," and started an avalanche.

Video Spot: Original Wispa Ad, published by
michaelsouthwest on YouTube

So, when will Greenpeace discover the potential of using web community mechanisms to launch their campaigns?