December 5th, 2009
Beware of Social Media Snake Oil And Those Selling It
Toyota’s Social Media “Terror” Campaign Backfires, Ends Badly
Here we have a very timely article from Business Week, that jumps right in and says what many of us surely know – that those so called “social media experts” offer up “advice” that is too rigid and provides little flexibility for differing situations—or outcomes. The mantra is – Be transparent, engage with your customers, break down silos. Yet these strictures don’t always make business sense, nor do they necessarily align with a businesses overall brand strategy. For example the article points to the disastrous Saatchi & Saatchi promotion for the Toyota (TM) Matrix.
Fight’s Rob Shields wrote here recently, Do You Need a Ferrari Or a Freight Train? As he says “Knowing what you are actually trying to do, and how it furthers your business, will help you choose what tactics to engage in.”
Read the Business Week article and then think twice before you buy a ticket to another panel discussion or seminar, where “experts” announce that they will teach you how to use Twitter, build a Facebook Fan page, set up a blog and give you answers to Social Media.
Excerpt from the Business Week article:
“For business, the rising popularity of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media Web sites presents a tantalizing opportunity. As millions of people flock to these online services to chat, flirt, swap photos, and network, companies have the chance to tune in to billions of digital conversations. They can pitch a product, listen to customer feedback, or ask for ideas. If they work it right, customers might even produce companies’ advertising for them and trade the ads with friends for free. Starbucks (SBUX), Dell (DELL), and Ford Motor (F) have all testified to the magic social media can create.
But the same tools carry risks. Employees encouraged to tap social networking sites can fritter away hours, or worse. They can spill company secrets or harm corporate relationships by denigrating partners. What’s more, with one misstep, one clumsy entrée, companies can quickly find themselves victims of the forces they were trying to master. Thousands of bloggers attacked Motrin last year because of an advertisement from the Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) brand they found demeaning to mothers.”