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« 100,000 Eyes Opened | Main | Hot Off The Press » February 10, 2007Listening is Job 1AdAge says Ford Motor Co. - which recently reported some eye-popping losses - "is joining the ranks of marketers realizing listening is as big a part of their jobs as talking." The automaker is the latest to join the search for unvarnished consumer comment online as it finalizes a contract with BrandIntel to track internet chatter about its Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands in the U.S. and the Ford brand in Europe. The results of that intelligence may eventually influence Ford's product, its product-launch strategy, its PR strategy and its ad messages.Well, it couldn't hurt. Businesses big and small ought to be listening to their consumers and potential consumers and, increasingly, that conversation is taking place online in the social media - blogs, podcasts, YouTube, etc. Ad Age: It's not the first work Ford's done in this arena. When it launched the Ford Edge, the automaker hired an unnamed outside agency to monitor consumers' initial impressions of the small crossover vehicle as a test of the vendor vying for a global contract in that arena, said Steve Crosby, manager-global media services and internet communications at Ford. It learned, among other things, how fast stories from print populated blogs and became the subject of online discussion. More than that, however, Ford was so taken by the public's positive reaction that it is discussing whether to launch consumer-generated media at the same time as ads in traditional media for coming models.Interesting. Ford looked at how stories moved from print to the blogs - but that is only one direction while the social media is multi-directional. Looking at how things move from print, i.e., the mainstream media, to the blogosphere is a curiousity still rooted in the old way of view media, as a top-down, broadcast-to-the-people way of thinking. Ford used an outside agency to find out how people were reacting to what Ford announced. That is a critical thing to monitor, of course, but in era of social media it is only a part of the conversation that businesses need to pay attention to and be engaged in. Ford needs to know know just how people are reacting to what Ford announces, but what people are saying about Ford and its products and services on an organic level not driven by the latest news release or product announcement. The latest AdAge story makes it sound as if Ford gets it. Posted in Blogging
Comments
In today's Internet age, if a company builds a good product the world will know about it within days, if not hours. Build a lemon and the same result will occur. It is amazing how slowly American business has responded to using the Internet beyond setting up a web site. Does Ford get it? Can an American automaker build a vehicle that will stand the scrutiny of the Internet? Doubtful, sadly. Posted by: RWBlack at February 11, 2007 6:58 AMCome on Ford, your European cars, S-Max, Mondeo,Euro Focus--BRING 'EM HERE! Posted by: Allan at February 20, 2007 2:14 PMPost a comment
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