First off, I want to apologize for the delay since my last posting. Life surely doesn’t stop for anyone, as we’re all given an equal amount of time to work within any given day. The trick is how well can you focus on what’s most important to achieve your highest priorities, as well as balance – all in the same effort. This just happens to be an area I’m working dilligently on, with plenty of refining to do.

Having said that, our discussion during Week 3 focused on the unrelenting superpower of the modern consumer voice—and how blogs are being used as yet another communications vehicle (mind you in a world suffering from information saturation) to reach a given audience. The stealth behind this increasingly popular medium is not only inherent in the fact that 1) It’s virtually free; 2) It’s easy to create and maintain; and 3) It empowers anyone to express themselves freely about anything—however big or small—to a captive audience in the hundreds, thousands, and sometimes millions.

Whether a blogger is championing the never-ending stronghold Apple seems to have on developing the most innovative technological products known to the consumer world, or he/she is roasting Starbucks for the lackluster customer-focused “talent” of its supposed “partners,” (namely, professional baristas), blogs are delivering the value and the sometimes unpleasant realities of brands everywhere. Freedom of speech is alive and well. Our Founding Fathers would be proud…I think.

So, the concept of user-generated content (UGC), was inbred in our challenge this week to dig up a popular “unofficial” corporate blog and describe it in detail—highlighting the particulars of its potential marketing value and/or those elements that worked to its detriment in the eyes and ears of its stakeholders. 

I’ve got to admit – my fellow students are sharp. They researched and raved/ranted of such familiar brands as Google, IKEA, McDonalds, Facebook, Pixar, and Wal-Mart, to name a few. Obviously, if you click on any of the links, you will NOT find your eyes glazing over the corporate sites of these powerful brands. Rather, you’ll stumble on those blogs, sometimes called “flogs” that have been created for the sole purpose of either brand-slamming, or brand-jamming.

Some are more comprehensive than others, but they all seem to share one common thread regardless of their following—invaluable insight into the hearts and minds of the very customers that share in the brand’s experience in some shape or form. It’s the strength of Word of Mouth (WOM) marketing that has inundated an overcluttered Internet, fraught with the thoughts, opinions, and experiences of anyone with an electronic connection to the World Wide Web (WWW). I wonder when the U.S. Constitution was written/signed, if any of the Ben Franklins, Ben Harrisons, and Ben Rushs of the world could fathom the lengths by which the first amendment would someday stretch. It seems that today, that government-given, democratic right has given anyone the opportunity to voice thier influence to any captive audience that will listen. Obviously, in this case, we’re speaking of the infamous blog. 

Being the complex realist, optimist, pessimist, and perfectionist thta I am (the waters get muddied sometimes), I’d argue that the savviest companies out there keep a careful pulse on what is being said about their brands—the good, the bad, and the ugly—not overreacting to potential negative publicity for the sake of safeguarding their brand, or, on the flip side, redirecting traffic from their corporate site to “fan” sites to elevate brand awareness, sustain client retention, and increase profits/market share.

Rather, my hope is that they use these flogs as a means of gathering brand intelligence as evaluative tool to help set benchmarks that may/may not help guide future business practices/customer experiences. Sure, the accuracy/validity of the information included in some of these blogs may very well be put into question. But, people rely on people when it comes to ultimately making purchase decisions. On the upside, this can very well lead to brand choice, brand preference, brand loyalty, and potentially these once-prospects (nobodies) can become a company’s most valuable brand advocates. It’s the essence of third-party validation.

In fact, in the world of new and emerging media—namely, electronic communications—guess which format consumers trust the least: corporate blogs.

How much do you trust the following sources?

Despite the fact that personal blogs do not rank much higher, there will always be an argument for the age-old testimonial/case study, customer reference/advocate and the like, play a critical role in influencing existing and prospective customers. It’s just like if we just met and I told you about the droves of women have referred to me over the years as THE ultimate “Renaissance Man.” I suppose you could believe me, depending on how good of a first impression I made on you. But, if you heard that same sentiment from an ex-girlfriend, a work colleague, and/or an acquaintance of mine, the credibility of this information should, in theory, elevate on your mind. And, as a result, you buy into the label—and you become a believer…

But, reality is perception and perception is reality. So, when it comes to evaluating your connection to the brands you like or dislike, be sure to do your homework—in other words, get the facts. We all know (and hopefully corporations do, too) that there are many ways in which we, like squirrels, can gather acorns of information about anything to aid in our decision-making process. These days, with e-mail from someone you know owning the trust landscape when gathering information, it seems sensible to use a holistic approach to validating that information with additional resources…all of which are at your fingertips. For now, I think blogs are growing, not only in popularity, but also in influence. But, let me throw this one at you, “On a scale of 1-10, where YOU would rate blogs in terms of their journalistic integrity. Think about questions like, “Are they bound by the same journalistic codes of ethics that reporters are?” “To what degree are blogs regulated?” “Are they influential?” “Do you listen to/follow them? If so, who and why? I’d go on, but that should be a good start…

Looking forward to your insight!

-Jamie