Kudos to Microsoft for showing how to flip customer concern into positive conversation. Similar to Jeff Jarvis’ public plea to Dell, Hugh Macleod put word out to Microsoft on gapingvoid and got quick resolution to his Tablet PC issue. What followed was a glowing post from Macleod and interesting commentary from those weighing in on the effort, especially from Robert Scoble. Microsoft’s proactive efforts represent the big leap progressive communicators are making. They’re not only tuned in and listening to independent voices, but more importantly, they’re empowering employees to act on information as a way to connect with and serve customers.

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, blogs, PR 2.0, crisis management

The question triggering conversation on the Morph forum this week is around Cheney media storm and the appropriate measures (or lessons) media followers and communicators should take from it. There’s some good thinking being shared, especially David Vinjamuri’s piece on the shooting issue as a metaphor for the bigger story in play. I weighed in on the code-of-conduct broken that triggered the fallout and how that code translates to communicating in online communities. Here’s how it appears on the blog:

Cheney’s PR misfire is a reminder that in times of trouble today, one’s response is often a bigger event than the crisis itself. The Cheney story escalated not only for the absurdity for the situation, but more for the leak to the media and delayed acknowledgment with media that “needs to know.” It was a potentially a couple-day story that’s now becoming a defining moment of Bush’s second term.

Whether you’re in politics, business or being personally scrutinized, the Cheney incident represents a case study in-the-making on the perils of poor crisis management. The reason – his lack of immediate action to brief the media broke the code with the Washington press corps. Now the administration is paying for it.

It’s a timely lesson because the idea of press corps and related codes-of-conduct are no longer relegated to big government, big business and big media. They apply to everyone. Members of blogosphere share similarities with captive press corps, starting with clear expectations on how to operate especially in times of crisis. The code starts with listening and acting fast, then talking candidly, openly and honestly. It ends with outdated thinking around ducking, dragging, spinning, or even worse, lying about the situation at hand.

The margin for error in times of crisis is razor thin, as Dell, Sony DMG and Kryptonite exemplify as defacto, latter-day corporate cases. Learning from these lessons can not only protect your reputation but foster greater respect from the online community following your business. In the world of a nearly omniscient press corps, you’d wise to understand the code, live the code…or die by the code.

Technorati Tags: Blogs, Morph, PR 2.0, social media, crisis management

Used to be when you did a speech and bombed the fallout was largely contained with the audience in front of you. Thanks to blogs the reach of a failed effort can be extended and intensified before you can say get out of town. Ask the PR folks at Yahoo who look to be containing damage from a failed speaking effort at EG2006. Valleywag, Gawker’s new Silicon Valley gossip blog, weighed in yesterday, reveling in Lloyd Braun’s performance and presumed run-in with Richard Saul Wurman. What’s more telling comes from USA Today’s tech lead, Kevin Maney. On his blog he called Braun out as being “exhausted, unprepared and seemingly clueless about the audience’s sophistication level.” Not the kind of stuff you’re used to seeing in print.

While this looks to be an extreme case in being under-prepared, execs should be forewarned that the coverage game tied to major conferences has changed big time. Beyond back channel conversations shared between participants, proceedings are covered as a matter of course through mainstream media blogs reaching audiences far beyond the confines of the conference sites. For better or worse, these days when you hit the stage the world could literally be watching.

Technorati Tags: Blogs, EG2006, PR, crisis management, social media

Issues tied to transparency, authenticity and reputation management are becoming more significant for marketers, brought to life through recent commentary, marketing programs, blogs and attempts at measurement.

If you haven’t read, Gawker launched The Consumerist, a blog that promises to help shoppers bite back against “shoddy products, inhumane customer support, and half-assed service.” Given Gawker’s prominence in the blogging community as well as the biting commentary that drives its appeal it should be a scary place for products and brands that don’t deliver the goods.

Modern Marketing posted today on Mozilla’s call for consumer testimonials on Firefox 1.5 – referring to the effort as “Open Mike” branding.” The blog raises the question all corporate executives and marketers should now ask themselves – what would people really say if you gave them a video camera and asked them to say exactly what they thought, without any censorship or direction, about your product or service? Time will come soon when consumers force that question to be answered, especially as more Consumerist-like sites and Dell-Hell bloggers enter the fray.

Speaking of Dell-Hell, a group out of the UK developed a whitepaper showing how Jeff Jarvis’s relentless ranting on Buzzmachine was influential in shaping impressions of Dell’s customer support. While determining the impact of blogging on brands and reputations is an admirable call, Jarvis and others are questioning the validity of this group’s work, including The Consumerist in a post tonight.

Technorati Tags: Blogs, Social Media, Open Source Marketing, Reputation Management, PR

A new WSJ poll that says 62% of voters (read general public) do not read blogs and only 17% read more than five. This comes on the heels of another blog flare-up (read vocal public) that forced the hand of Sony to reverse course on copy-protected CD after weeks of scorn voiced online. While the WSJ data may lead execs to dismiss the need to take blogs seriously, there are serious repercussions if you choose to ignore them as Sony, Dell, Kryptonite can attest. Links from Brand Autopsy and What’s Next.