I’ve spent some time over the last couple of days at a large social media conference/exhibition (no not that one…this was Social Media World Forum in London) and it’s hard not to conclude that there are some sharp dividing lines emerging in the way social media is being sold to executives.

I’d characterise it as a debate between what I’ll call the philosophers – those who believe social media should be a way of doing business and so affects the entire DNA of an organization – and what I’ll call the channelers – those advertisers, marketers and PR pros who view social media simply as a set of channels to deliver brand  awareness/engagement to customers.

Okay, so maybe this philosopher vs channelers is a little simplistic (there obviously are some practitioners out there who straddle the two camps) but nonetheless it’s is noticeable from listening to a parade of agencies, brand managers and ubiquitous social media experts (they seem to be breeding like rabbits) that for every philosopher there’s two or three channelers ready to claim social media as a boon for direct marketers, message placement and positioning the brand within various social platforms.

Certainly the channel vision (or tunnel if you wanted to be unkind) might seem the most manageable option for many brands – it’s definitely an easier sell for agencies who have spent decades showing their adeptness at pushing marketing messages on behalf of their clients. In some cases this limited view of social media engagement is proving quite successful for both brands and customers. Witness ABInBev’s work with Becks to build awareness and create content that resonates with the beer-loving young male demographic.

Some of these approaches can be very creative and generate support and fandom from social audiences as another beer brand Heineken proved recently with its Italian soccer swindle stunt. But in the end aren’t these awareness exercises just plain old marketing dressed up as conversation? The brand and the agencies they employ slap themselves on the back for the number of fans or followers they accrue while missing a crucial component – the value of customer feedback for the company in improving and fine-tuning its business performance and the relationship with its customer base.

There are brand awareness building exceptions. British retailer Next recently launched a new online campaign through Facebook. Not only did it prove a hit with Facebook fans but, according to Jam, the agency that ran the campaign, the dedicated Facebook brand page quickly became a conduit for meaningful customer service advice and feedback for Next.

One particular theme that emerged was the many moms were keen to see what Next was up to with kids fashion. And that prompted the retailer to launch a new Facebook campaign devoted to finding Brit kids as models and in turn prompted over 1000 parents to volunteer their little darlings to take part.

Hardly changing the dynamic of the company admittedly but a useful exercise in realising brand loyalty from a customer group whose potential Next perhaps wouldn’t have appreciated without the Facebook presence.

Next’s initiative may appear just, ahem, baby steps into fully integrating social media within the organization but judged against many major brands it’s a leap into the corporate unknown. At the moment the channelers – content to silo social media away from real corporate change – are still in the ascendancy but my bet is that by this time next year there will be a mainstream acceptance by companies of the value social media offers throughout the business.

That will pose big problems for the channelers and old-school marketing in general. And it will prove the next stage in the evolution of The Social Company. Bring it on.