Mike’s Points

Whenever you “try to pull a fast one” over someone, you run a huge risk of ruining that relationship. That is, if you get caught. And, sooner or later, you’ll get caught. You’ll pay a huge price by losing that person’s trust. Word of your deceitful deed will also likely spread so that you lose the trust of the previous fools you’ve fooled and have no credibility going forward.

Monday morning, MediaPost had research from a great study that showed which products benefit the most from product placement, and which demographics are most influenced.

It’s a short article, with informative charts and such focused on product placement. But, the kicker that we all should pay attention to came at the end:

Gary Drenik, President & CEO of BIGresearch, said “Advertisers… are attempting to get their brand message out in non-traditional ways. However, today’s consumer knows when they are being manipulated and product placements must be carefully planned… or… risk being ignored…”

So, here’s a friendly warning:

For those bloggers who are paid for product posts and don’t disclose;

For those anonymous commenters who are really promoting a product, company or cause;

For those marketers who treat bloggers, social community members, etc., like traditional media;

For those companies that set up fake blogs (without disclosing);

And a host of other social media sins and scam . . .

You’re not fooling anyone.

– Mike

This social media stuff is all about getting personal. Becoming familiar with and sincerely, honestly engaging people on a grass-roots level who are customers, potential customers or key influencers of one of the first two groups of people mentioned. And, hoping, through how you treat and involve them, that they’ll spread the word to others about you, your product, service or cause.

On the corporate blogging side, it’s also the personalization of corporations and asssociations. Putting a personality and a name (or names) to a corporation. Think of Bob Lutz with GM. Think of the Randy Baessler of Boeing. (Yes, I know GM has expanded the FastLane blog to include others more than Mr. Lutz, but no one else seems to get the response he does. And, I know there’s a new Randy at Boeing.)

But, what happens when the person behind the personalization moves on (fired, resigns or retires)?

And, what about the individual blogs? In the PR world, it’s well known that Steve Rubel/Micro Persuasion is with Edelman, and, though not a lot, there is a visual connection on his blog. Seeminly, at the other extreme, many?/most? know that Jeremy Pepper/POP PR! is with Webber Shandwick, but you’d never know it by his blog.

But, when Rubel goofs, Edelman also gets the bad publicity. IF Pepper ever would goof, would WS share in it?

In social media marketing, rash mistakes and people coming and going can be very public.

So, blogging and other social media and the personalization that comes from it gives audience/users/consumers more of a connection. A relationship. And, (hopefully) positive feelings or thoughts tied to a product or company.

But, at what cost? If that personalization is tied to a person — Randy Baessler at Boeing or Bob Lutz at GM — what impact will them leaving have (or what did it have in Randy B.’s case) have on its audiences’ perception of the corporation?

Ultimately, being able to connect on some level and developing relationships — even if only on a cyber level — benefits us. However, like everything else in life, there are downsides that need to be dealth with.

And, that’s where great planning, the right communication and the proper medium can make those downsides not so down.

– Mike

One of the early corporate bloggers — and one that doesn’t seem to get as much press as GM and others — is retiring as of the end of April.

Boeing Commercial Airlines Vice President of Marketing Randy Baseler announced his pending retirement on March 9. He is leaving Boeing as of the end of April:

So I’m coming down for a landing, and looking forward to enjoying more time together with my wife, Linda, and our family and friends. Those of you who’ve met me might have guessed that I’m a “country boy”at heart. My plan is to settle into my cowboy boots, blue jeans, and flannel shirts, and stay closer to the ground ….

Of course, I’ll still be sticking around Boeing for the next couple of months, and continuing with the blog until then.

Mr. Baseler started blogging in January 2005 — the same month that GM’s Fastlane blog debuted.

I’ve read Mr. Baseler’s blog periodically, but mostly early on in my own blogging efforts. I’m ashamed to say that I had forgotten about it, until something sparked a memory this evening. Maybe fate, but I’m glad I did check in, and will most definitely do so through April.

And, to see who or if Boeing will have a new corporate blogger.

Doing corporate blogging the right way.

– Mike