Not All Social Media Fun & Games
Today I was honored to address the Chief Marketing Officer of a FORTUNE 500 corporation.
In the course of the presentation, I pulled up some videos from YouTube in which the creators attacked the company by remixing the company’s slickly-produced television advertisements.
A spirited debate ensued. “Why would we dignify this with a response?” was the CMO’s troubled question.
The core points of my response (as long-time readers will expect):
“Control of your brand is an illusion. You might know that you’ll never, ever convince the video’s creators that you are not an evil empire. You might know that the majority of the people who find this YouTube video are likely predisposed to agree with that negative opinion. But that doesn’t mean that it won’t be worthwhile to engage: by humanizing the corporation with a candid response, you ensure that ‘your side of the story’ is appended to this hateful video for as long as it’s findable online. It’s easier to abhor a faceless corporation than a helpful human.” Etc.
(Along with many other smart folks, I discussed this topic of so-called “brand ownership” with Chris Brogan during the 2nd Radian6 twebinar, if you care to see me bloviate in-person.)
For all of that “typical” talk about branding, I felt it was also important to note the humanity in the room. Along with the CMO, there were about 15 additional Marketing staff in the room. These were human beings who have largely dedicated their careers to protecting and improving the reputation of this American institution. Quite simply, it SUCKED to watch that video with them. They were crestfallen. Not shocked. Just sad.
It’s okay to acknowledge that pain, if you ask me – even online. While I hope to make a strong case for engagement-for-engagement’s-sake, part of that “humanization” means being actually and truly human. If I were the person tasked with responding to that video, I’d want to acknowledge, “Wow. That video was really well done. I know that because it actually hurt to watch. Now, I hope you don’t mind if I share some information about some of the not-even-close-to-evil stuff that we’re doing?”
I don’t think that most corporate community relations types would feel comfortable acknowledging the sting caused by flaming comments or content. Folks like @comcastcares and @RichardatDELL seem preternaturally patient in the face of withering criticism. That’s good for their brands, but having had good experiences with these (very real) people, I sometimes feel a desire to stick up for them. I secretly wait for the moment when they crack (just a little; these guys are pros) and acknowledge the “ouch.”
What do you think? Must corporate community relations pros remain unflappable, or does showing their humanity make them – and their brands – that much stronger?
Continue reading here: The Social Media Hustle
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