Written by Dick CarlsonI’m having an interesting conversation with my new friend Selma. (She’s a duck, and quite young, so I send email to her mom Havi — who then quacks and flaps my comments to the lovely Miss S.) We’re talking about what you need to be worried about for your “brand” in the big ol’ scary world of the internet.
This began when Havi was asking on Twitter if there was anything more lame than having a “Hotmail” email address, nowadays. We all had some fun with that, and then I played a bit of a joke on her. (You’ll have to wait a few days to hear about what I did. It was evil, and mean, and lots of fun.)
But it raised the question of what sorts of things do people who live and work online really need to be worried about? Could someone pretend to be you, and embarrass your tiny business horribly online? Could someone hijack your domain, or your email address? Could they register a similar domain?
Here’s what I wrote:
The most useful thing to share? Probably that you need to begin to think of your brand as something that your customers own, rather than as something that you own. (I still love the Judo analogy, of not being able to do anything until your opponent exerts their power.)
Old Model:
Companies decide what our brand looks like, what it represents, what it stands for (Maytag, Keebler, Coke, Sony). Then we pay savvy ad guys and girls to put together print and video stuff in great quantity to communicate that message, over and over, into the skulls full of mush. “Maytag is very dependable.” “Keebler cookies are magically delicious.” “Coke is cool.” “Sony is cutting edge.”
None of these messages are actually verifiably true (and in many cases, demonstrably false) but if you throw enough money and airtime at the crowds you can convince them. This works with politics as well. It worked for Stalin, Hitler, FDR, Kennedy, Nixon, Clinton, and Bush2
New Model:
Customers evaluate your company, and share out their opinions. On blogs, review sites, Twitter, epinions, etc. Motrin gets savaged in the space of 24 hours. Sarah Palin goes from Angel to Devil in one news cycle. Putin is voted as having better abs than Obama by 2:1.
What you need to do, like the Judo masters, is realize that all you can do is attempt to guide the energy. Build a framework for your users/customers to talk about your product. Provide transparent information about both good and bad things. Provide access to experts. Don’t be evil. Build a strong and reliable communications framework, ready for the day that the bomb drops.
Examples? Google “Fiskateers” for a good starter.
Stay tuned. Selma the duck, Havi and I are thinking a bit about this and will be doing some more writing on the topic.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Dick, I just discovered your blog and look forward to learning more from it. I’m also a fan of Selma and her mom, Havi. In fact, I found your blog through Havi’s blog.
I love, love, love this:
“… you need to begin to think of your brand as something that your customers own, rather than as something that you own. (I still love the Judo analogy, of not being able to do anything until your opponent exerts their power.) “
@molly
Funny — I was reading your book when you wrote this comment, and really enjoying it. I appreciate the kind words.
I’m really not any kind of a branding expert, but my work in social media has shown me clearly that the days of a company being able to “manage” what people think about them have pretty much come to a close. Sort of like me being able to “manage” that people think I’m 6’4″ with washboard abs. No matter how many spots I buy on the Super Bowl, eventually the truth is going to leak out.
Better to show the truth on my blog and be loved for who I am.