There are a number of organisations who have successfully created and executed social tools and online community supported initiatives. Central to successful project has been a clearly defined objective:

- Create a new brand experience for customers
- Create a “collectable” status for a range of toys
- Reduce customer service costs
- Support a product launch
- Support a chairty event
- Obtain customer feedback on a new product or service
- Engage and obtain customer opinions and ideas for product innovation
- Engage and obtain customer feedback to improve products and services
- Educate customers about new products
- Get customer “permission” to launch new product range or enter new market

There are many benefits a company can gain from adopting a community or social based business strategy. However, before a company embarks on a social initiative, it is imperative that there is a business goal or purpose which the initative will support.  This is not to say that it has to have a defined return on investment from the outset, but a key objective is required.

Social projects are new to many organisations, especially social projects which involve customers as one of the stakeholder groups or if there are two or more stakeholder groups who may be involved in the intitiatve itself.