New Media: Importance of blogs for marketers and communicators

published 2005

Blogs represent one of the biggest challenges and opportunities for those responsible for marketing or communications within companies.

Whilst blogs are not yet on the radar to a great extent here in Australia, they soon will be.

As is often the case, a lot can be learned from the US experience given that trends there usually hit Australia some 12-18 months later.  Forewarned is forearmed.  Smart companies should spend the next few months developing strategies and tactics to cope with and exploit this new phenomenon. 

So, what should marketers and communicators be noting about recent blogging trends?

1. Not all blogs and bloggers are equal. 

Marketers and communicators need to appreciate there is a hierarchy among blogs and bloggers.

These range from the influential ‘commentators’ to individuals who indulge their passion or obsession.

However, each has their own importance and place in the communication channel. And, as with any marketing or communications campaign, each has to be addressed separately.

2. Blogging follows the classic marketing life cycle.

At this point most bloggers would be classified as ‘early adopters’.

They are comfortable with technology and normally better educated than most. They also tend to be articulate and (not surprisingly) opinionated.

As such they are important as advocates, opinion formers and influencers, making them difficult for marketers and communicators to ignore.

3. Blogs are often seen as more credible sources of information.

A recent Reuters story on blogs quotes a blogger who says that blogs “restore power to individuals with something to say”.

Bloggers publish individual opinions with none of the constraints and need for balance that one expects from traditional media - in fact the raison detre for many bloggers is that they are neither fair nor balanced.

Public values have changed over the past decade or more.  There is more distrust of traditional media which are often perceived as peddling their own agenda - often without being ‘upfront’ about it. 

Ironically users of blogs actually trust blogs and bloggers more because mostly they don’t hide their bias and the site visitor feels that it is up to them to make the choice as to accept what is said or not.

Given consumer skepticism with traditional communication - especially advertising - any channel that offers credibility has to be viewed as the way of the future.

4. The media see blogs as a threat - so they are embracing them!

For the reasons above, media are scared that a sceptical and distrustful public will begin to desert them. So they are getting into the blogging business.

Traditional media want to control the relationship with their audiences. They figure that if, as many US media are now doing, they also include access to blogs on their website, they will gain credibility.  One newspaper executive is quoted as saying “anything that serves the reader with more information is good for us”.

They are also allowing (and encouraging) some of their own senior journalists and commentators to create blogs - thus deliberately blurring the line between traditional and non-traditional media.  This also offers the opportunity to make their senior ‘talent’ seem more attractive and contemporary to those attracted to blogs.

For PR, this further extends the challenge of relating with media which may increasingly write for two audiences - traditional readers and blog advocates.

Finally here are three examples of how marketing companies are using blogs or working with bloggers, thus showing how blogs are gaining legitimacy as an emerging and credible communications channel.

Dr Pepper, the US soft drink maker, was recently reported by ‘Newsweek’ as having created their own Weblog as part of a viral marketing campaign.  How successful it was is not known, but their strategy has been questioned, with some saying they confused the tool (weblog) with the people who run these (bloggers).  The better PR approach would have been to have targeted the bloggers of the most appropriate blogs for their target audience.

General Motors, the US car maker, is reported to have used PR techniques in establishing relationship with bloggers when it got into a dispute with the LA Times over what GM considered was unfair editorial content.  As a result, GM actually pulled its advertising from the LA Times. Obviously facing what it considered a block in getting a fair hearing in traditional media, GM felt that blogs were an important secondary media to use.

Suburu, the Japanese car maker, is recognising bloggers as a key audience worthy of dialogue by offering bloggers the opportunity to win a trip to France to cover the Tour de France as well as other prizes.  A condition of entry is that because the trips require bicycle riding along with the Tour de France participants the winner of the competition will have to be ‘in exceptional physical condition’.