PR on the Web: Transparency, Security and, Well, Savvy
PR on the Web: Transparency, Security and, well, Savvy
Employees of public relations firm Edelman were revealed as the authors of two supposed Wal-Mart grassroots blogs in October of 2006. Some savvy internet users critical of the hollow promoting of Wal-Mart tracked down the employees e-mail addresses. Edelman later confirmed in a post on each of the blogs that they were in fact written by the firm‟s employees under the direction of Wal-Mart marketing executives. Shares rose 1.5 percent on the New York Stock Exchange following the news. Episodes like these have appeared in relation to corporations such as Wal-Mart and Sony, indicating that large companies on the web should be aware of its openness. When promoting on the web, public relation departments and firms must seek to be transparent, secure and savvy to have mutually beneficial relationships with their respective publics. For some, such as Fortune senior writer Marc Gunther, corporate blogging that is personal, social, lively and irreverent is the answer. Corporate blogs can provide a straightforward human voice into the inner-workings of many Fortune 500 companies. Daily and consistent relations with interested consumers can be fostered with the addition that many blogs allow user to directly interact with CEO bloggers in a safe and friendly environment. Gunther cites Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz‟s blog that balances tech-speak with personal updates. Similar to the Wal-Mart mess-up, Sony commissioned a fake blog, termed a „flog‟ by savvy internet users, for the promotion of its PSP video game platform in the run up to
Christmas. According to Jim Nail, chief strategy and marketing officer for buzzmeasurement firm Cymfony, “I don't understand why marketers, after all the different examples of this, don't get the message that you can't get away with faking these kinds of blogs.” Another facet of digital marketing public relations practitioners should be wary of is security. With transparency comes the added risk that valuable consumer data, from email addresses to Social Security numbers and credit card information could accidentally find its way on the web. Many large companies have made the mistake of placing individual consumer data on the internet without knowing it, and the consequence is that hackers and other lowly internet predators could uncover the data and deceptively use it. Similar savvy should be used in offering user-generated media content. Those looking to market products or services towards segments with large amounts of should keep up on current trends of internet video and user-generated content before launching a campaign relying solely on content created outside of the company‟s direction. While some brands such as Converse and MasterCard have succeeded in drawing users to build promotional content for them, others like GM and Malibu have failed. The variability of responses should make any marketer thinking of enter the digital space weary of alienating consumers. As Rob Neisser of Renegade Marketing asked in response to a question about the Chevrolet campaigned that failed. “Were they really expecting the consumer to make nice and create very pleasant movies?” Before adding, “If they were, they haven't looked at anything on YouTube.”