Social Media Hype Cycle: an opportunity?

"Since 1995, Gartner has used hype cycles to characterize the over-enthusiasm or "hype" and subsequent disappointment that typically happens with the introduction of new technologies"



In 2009 is quite easy (not that much, ufortunately) to meet marketing and communication directors that definitely stand out from the rest for their excitement about social media (sometimes a little bit too much).
That made me think about the Gartner Graph and I started to wonder how to avoid them the "Trough of disillusionment phase".

Probably, soldiering on about the measuring and tracking necessity (that is too often considered a possible addon for campaigns), and keeping a clear view on what is to measure and its means (see Eyeblaster and their study about Dwell rate) will help reduce the hollow.

However, here a description of the 5 phases

1. "Technology Trigger" — Product launch or other event that generates significant interest.
2. "Peak of Inflated Expectations" — a frenzy of publicity typically generates over-enthusiasm and unrealistic expectations.
   
3. "Trough of Disillusionment" — Technologies enter the "trough of disillusionment" because they fail to meet expectations and quickly become unfashionable.
   
4. "Slope of Enlightenment" — Some businesses continue and experiment to understand the benefits and practical application of the technology.
5. "Plateau of Productivity" — A technology reaches the "plateau of productivity" as the benefits of it become widely demonstrated and accepted. The technology becomes increasingly stable and evolves in second and third generations.
   

and here the Wikipedia page