Why should a company engage in new media?

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Lorri Randle wrote:

I read your blog and listen to your podcast and thought you’d be great in answering this question:

What do you tell a company that is scared to blog or do any new media because of the possibility of bad comments and bad press? I have a friend in an agency who says that the number one response from big companies about new media is: “we can’t control it, what about the bad comments.” He used the example of Apple hating its blog because of all the negative comments and GM and how their commercial backfired.

I wanted to get your opinions as to what you would say if someone asked you this question?

Good question, and a tough one if a company is not already in the new media space. I’d say this – a company that wants to participate in new media has to be a lot like a company that’s ready to go public on the stock market. You have to do your due diligence internally, decide how much information can be made public, and if you have skeletons in the closet, either resolve them or reveal them up front so that it won’t come back to bite you later on.

The reality is that every company has done something to tick off at least one customer, and that customer has the same power voice online as the company itself does. The real question is – if that company encounters negative press online, is it ready, is it prepared to engage and discuss? If you just sit on your hands and do nothing, you’ve effectively surrendered to the negative blog comments and conversation online. Mitch Joel often cites the Kryptonite Lock example as a company that could have joined the conversation but sat it out, and lost millions of dollars in the process.

Think carefully about how a company can turn negatives into positives, or at least provide an alternate perspective. In GM’s case, they could and should have highlighted very publicly some of the great examples customers had turned in, PLUS highlighted some of the best “negative” videos, along with a senior executive explaining what environmental research they’re doing to mitigate the damage their giant SUVs do, be it advances in hybrid technology, fuel cells, batteries, etc.

If a company has NOTHING positive going on inside, then of course, it’s best to stay out of the conversation. If you’re an employee at a company which has no redeeming value to society, you probably should think about a job elsewhere, anyway.

Bottom line: you will get bad press no matter what. You will get good press, too. If you’re not already participating in the conversation, when the bad times come, you’re going to get stomped.

Comments

4 responses to “Why should a company engage in new media?”

  1. Mitch Joel Avatar

    I think the bigger question is, “why is a company afraid of hearing bad comments?”

    That’s like saying, “we know people don’t like us, so instead of engaging them and working on this together, let’s ignore them.”

    Here’s the reality: the longer you take that attitude the more consumers will find their own way (and place online) to talk about you… where you’re really not “in control.”

    Last sad fact: “control” has not shifted to consumers. Consumers simply have the ability to “scream” as loud as corporations.

  2. Mitch Joel Avatar

    I think the bigger question is, “why is a company afraid of hearing bad comments?”

    That’s like saying, “we know people don’t like us, so instead of engaging them and working on this together, let’s ignore them.”

    Here’s the reality: the longer you take that attitude the more consumers will find their own way (and place online) to talk about you… where you’re really not “in control.”

    Last sad fact: “control” has not shifted to consumers. Consumers simply have the ability to “scream” as loud as corporations.

  3. Peter O'Connell Avatar

    Chris:

    I agree with both your comments and Mitch’s but I think the other problem that big companies have with new media is the availability of information that will allow them to dollarize the investment.

    If someone wants to know print readership statistics in the US, they check the Audit Bureau, if they want broadcast ratings, they check with Nielsen or Arbitron. They then know reasonably well who is reading or listening to the media they may want to be in.

    But can most Marketing Directors immediately cite the universal holder on social media statistics? Some maybe, but not most and until that data can be readily accessed and becomes better branded into the general business consciousness, that too will hold back general acceptance of the use of social media in marketing plans, I think.

    Best always,

    – Peter

  4. Peter O'Connell Avatar

    Chris:

    I agree with both your comments and Mitch’s but I think the other problem that big companies have with new media is the availability of information that will allow them to dollarize the investment.

    If someone wants to know print readership statistics in the US, they check the Audit Bureau, if they want broadcast ratings, they check with Nielsen or Arbitron. They then know reasonably well who is reading or listening to the media they may want to be in.

    But can most Marketing Directors immediately cite the universal holder on social media statistics? Some maybe, but not most and until that data can be readily accessed and becomes better branded into the general business consciousness, that too will hold back general acceptance of the use of social media in marketing plans, I think.

    Best always,

    – Peter

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