A marketing person's perspective on blogging


In September 2003, apparently, a blogger published news that you could pick Kryptonite brand locks with a ball point pen. The story was picked up by the mainstream media and it reportedly cost Kryptonite US$10 million to deal with the fall out at a time when it had annual revenues of US$25 million. Brenna Tinkel from Euro RSCQ uses this and other examples to argue that corporate public relations strategies need to address the blogosphere.

Mr (or Ms) Tinkel goes on to explore ways that brand owners can respond better to such developments and the positive ways that they can use blogging.

The key point seems to be that "bloggers' candid style means that they are able to connect with readers on a more personal level. It is their transparency that makes them seem so credible to readers." (my emphasis) Therefore, Tinkel notes that corporations running blogs have to ensure that what is going on is transparent. Some interesting examples of how big brands have tried to achieve this. Some, apparently, even succeed!

The article can be found here.

Legal bloggers in the US have been focusing on the issue from a rather different perspective with cases emerging of companies firing employees who have blogs and the like. Seems like yet another replay of all those battles over company policies about use of the the internet and the like. At least one significant twist: the employees getting fired are often blogging in their own time at home using their own equipment and connections. Have you got your policy in place?

Posted: Thursday - 16 June, 2005 at 07:09 PM         |


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