Execs Mull Pitfalls Of Corporate Blogs
Consider the blog by golf equipment company TaylorMade-Adidas golf, which launched about 18 months ago. When bloggers want to mention a particular golf club, the legal department wants a symbol--an 'R' in a circle--to appear next to the product name, to indicate that it's a registered trade name, said Jason Woodmansee, manager, global e-marketing, TaylorMade-Adidas golf.
The problem, said Woodmansee, is that no one writes that way in casual conversation--especially bloggers. Including the symbol would violate one of Woodmansee's principal rules for corporate bloggers: "Be authentic."
Resistance by counsel and other higher-ups is just one challenge confronting companies that want to create blogs, said Woodmansee and other panelists--Pete Blackshaw, chief marketing officer at Nielsen BuzzMetrics, and David Carter, vice president of strategy at iUpload.
Corporations also need to consider the intensive time investment that blogging requires. "You have to have constant content for it to work," Woodmansee cautioned.
In addition, blogs that allow comments must figure out what to do when posters ask questions. At TaylorMade-Adidas golf, people asked very specific questions about the fit of particular golf clubs, but the company didn't have the resources to respond individually to all of those questions.
Woodmansee said the company eventually posted more detailed information about how to fit a golf club on the main Web site.
In a departure from the notion that blogs are supposed to be freewheeling, Carter said he advises corporations that they need to exert control over their bloggers' posts. Blogs, he said, are a vehicle to get a company's message to the public. "In the corporate world, they're about 'The Man,'" Carter said.
Recent Online Media Daily Articles
-
FTC's Ohlhausen Questions Privacy Recommendations May 21, 6:05 p.m.
The Federal Trade Commission's 2012 privacy recommendations could unintentionally disadvantage smaller online ad companies, Commissioner Maureen ... -
Subway's Comedy Promotes Brand, Content Strategy May 21, 2:43 p.m.
Setting a new bar for brands and their programming aspirations, Subway’s scripted comedy series, "The 4 ... -
Study: Future of Social, Digital Shops In Doubt May 21, 1:48 p.m.
Companies talk a lot about fully integrated marketing strategies. One result may be the demise of ... -
Google+ Needs Android To Climb Out Of Experimental Phase May 20, 9:24 p.m.
Marketers continue to view Google+ as a fledgling network requiring experimentation, although the company released a ... -
AOL, Support.Com Settle Scareware Lawsuit For $8.5 Million May 20, 5:20 p.m.
Web company AOL and software vendor Support.com will pay $8.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought ... -
Gmail Hangouts Disable Google Voice May 20, 3:23 p.m.
Google's new version of Hangouts for Gmail eliminates Google Voice features. The move is frustrating heavy ... -
Digital Boost: Ziff Davis Acquires NetShelter May 20, 3:19 p.m.
Ziff Davis on Monday announced the acquisition of content network NetShelter from ad platform inPowered. Financial ... -
LikeableAds.com Launches, With Focus On Social Media Ads May 20, 3:04 p.m.
To keep up with growing demand from Madison Avenue, the social marketing consultants at Likeable Media ... -
Yahoo To Ramp 'Native' Ads On Tumblr May 20, 1:37 p.m.
With its $1.1 billion acquisition of Tumblr, Yahoo on Monday made clear that it plans to ... -
Gigya Improves Marketing, Adds 21 Social, Tech Partners May 20, 9:15 a.m.
Social services startup Gigya on Monday is expected to announce the addition of 21 social and ...
Be the first to comment on "Execs Mull Pitfalls Of Corporate Blogs"
Leave a Comment