By Beth J. Bates, New Media Special Correspondent
Let’s face it. The auto industry is a mess and the public is being less than forgiving when it comes to bailouts. For Ford, Chrysler and GM to make nice with the public, they need to reach out to their consumers in a hurry. Detroit has found itself paying for about thirty years of stagnant thinking
Ford leads the way
Personal Disclaimer: I own a Ford and love my truck. It’s well made and suits my needs. It is NOT fuel efficient, green or otherwise environmentally friendly. But, hey, I love my truck. However, I won’t let my love skew my thoughts on Ford’s predicament.
Of the three automakers, I feel like Ford is doing the most effective job overall. Scott Monty, Ford’s “Head of Social Media,” is single-handedly changing the face of Ford. Scott is readily available through Twitter and recently headed off a Ford PR fiasco involving websites selling Ford-branded products. Scott’s goal is to “humanize the the company to the outside world” and so far he’s been quite successful. Alan Mulally, Ford’s CEO, even participated in a Twitter Q&A session at a recent Ford event at Scott’s request.
I would like to see Ford’s newsroom transformed into a “social newsroom” with more user engagement. Currently, its very static and geared toward the press, when it could more effectively create a gateway for two-way conversation with the press and customers.
All-in-all, I believe that Ford is a digital pioneer in the U.S. auto industry, but it will need to do more to increase consumer trust in their brand.
General Motors a close second
GM has a great social media website at GMnext.com. It’s a nice blend of multimedia with user-generated content. They have a WIKI and a blog that gives readers the ability to comment — and they do. GM is also on Twitter with GMBlogs. It would be nice if this conversation were a little more personal, but it’s a step in the right direction. GM needs more user-to-GM personal interaction as that would give GM the humanity that it so desperately needs.
Ford trumps GM when it comes to connecting with a human. People want to talk to other people — not corporations. GM needs an ambassador for their cause who is willing to take the heat within the social media space.
Chrysler trying to catchup, but lagging behind
Chrysler got everyone excited back in March with the concept of Chrysler Listens, a way for customers to connect with Chrysler on an individual level. Unfortunately, the website is little more than a glorified “Contact Us” page, and I wonder whether the ideas, questions and complaints voiced through the website are actually answered. In my opinion, Chrylser fails in the social media space.
I think that Ford’s Scott Monty has it right. For consumers to feel good about supporting any of the Big 3 automakers, they have to feel like they are being heard by people empowered to do something about their problems. Ford is there. GM is on its way. Chrysler needs some significant improvement. We’ll see how these three giants fair over the next few months. Let’s hope that they stop spending and start listening.
Beth J. Bates is a freelance social media strategist. Beth consults with Hinge on social media tool selection and strategy and helps its clients find effective ways to leverage these new mediums to meet business goals.
Filed under: Social Media | 3 Comments
Tags: auto bailout, Social Media, Twitter
Beth, thanks for the compliments here. Personally, I’m honored that you would rank Ford at the top, seeing that I’ve only been on the job for 5 months.
I certainly understand your desire to see our newsroom become more social. Currently our Ford Digital Snippets provide more bite-sized versions of our releases with links to our Flickr and YouTube accounts (where comments can be made). One of the reasons that it’s not more two-way on the Snippets pages is that we don’t have the manpower to handle responding in a way that would show that we’re dedicated to two-way conversation. That’s one of the reasons I gravitate toward Twitter – it’s quick and simple.
Rest assured, 2009 is going to be a year of transition for Ford (as well as all automakers). We hope to continue to improve what we do, and we’ll always look for input to see that what we plan is in line with what people would like.
Scott Monty
Global Digital Communications
Ford Motor Company
Thanks for your feedback, Scott. I’m pretty amazed at what you have been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. I truly believe that Ford is leading the pack regarding putting a human “face” on the brand. I totally understand the resource suck of constant, monitored two-way conversation and think that the route of utilizing Twitter is a great alternative; particularly considering how active you are on Twitter. Kudos to you (and Ford) for all that you do!