Photo: Celso Junior/Bloomberg News
Blogging The Brand
Until recently blogs seemed to represent the strident, angry, self-obsessed partisan--and, occasionally, the unhinged. But corporations have figured out that tapping into the blogosphere is a great way to build relationships with customers and suppliers. Some are even encouraging employees to post their musings on the Web to showcase their expertise and reach new audiences.
Properly done, such blogs can lead to more democratic, transparent operations. Have there been some boneheaded moves, such as ads disguised as blogs? Sure. But as the blog world has doubled in size every five months, companies are finding they can use its power to manage crises and build communities around their brands. Some notable ones:
1. GM’s Fastlane
Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz’s insider look at the auto giant (fastlane.
gmblogs.com)
2. Scobleizer
An employee blog at Microsoft, by Robert Scoble (scobleizer.wordpress.com)
3. Public Eye
CBS News’s attempt to raise its profile on the Web, where it’s under constant attack (cbsnews.com/sections/publiceye)
4. Vespaway
Piaggio Group has built a marketing blog around its Vespa scooters (vespaway.com)
5. Wal-Mart Facts
The chain used blogs to coordinate Hurricane Katrina relief (walmartfacts.com)