Disqus - Latest Comments for pblackshaw

Re: Forrester Research Gets It Wrong By Saying Corporate Blogs Aren’t Trusted

pblackshaw — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:54:19 -0000

The report made its way on my desk as well, and I had a similar gut reaction (although the note does frame some important issues for brands looking into this area). I do worry that the way the issue is framed/asked sets the stage for a low trust score (although I doubt that's the intent). I'm also not sure I agree that consumers don't want "product" blogs; I think there's a world of potential on that front, although there's no shortage of failed experiments that may tainted our soured perceptions about their potential.

But back to the "trust in corporate blogs" issue. The term "blog" may be the wrong term from the get go, and I daresay most consumers are having a hard time making a clear distinction between a "corporate blog" and the foundational website. Here I recall a similar study I ran for Nielsen (many times in fact...in fact it found its roots in a joint study I co-led with Jim Nail while he was at Forrester) that found that "Brand Websites" ranked right after "recommendations from other consumers" on the trust scale. Those results generally held consistent year after year, and across multiple geographies. Corporate blogs are basically subset of the brand website (albeit with greater syndication potential) albeit more informal, real-time, and "first person" in form and delivery (all improvements on the base model). It's hard to argue that they "downgrade" the brand website, unless they push the extremes of overselling (which clearly happens). All of this will get more complicated as "blog publishing" formats become more central to how basic online content is managed from the get go.

The bigger story, in my view, and this may well explain the low numbers, is that the word "blog" ranks below 18% in the Forrester study in BOTH the "personal" and "corporate" categories. For all we know, consumers are telegraphing distrust over blogs in general into the corporate space. If I were re-running the survey, I would add the "brand website" as well as "political blogs" (just to gauge whether political blogs have played a role in eroding trust).

More thoughts forthcoming. Good post.

- Pete Blackshaw

Re: Forrester Research Gets It Wrong By Saying Corporate Blogs Aren’t Trusted

maxkalehoff — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:08:21 -0000

Thanks, Pete. Your past work on consumer trust in brand Web sites is
precisely the area I should have expanded on, so thanks for that build.
Expanding on your addition of "brand Web site" and "political blogs" to a
next iteration of this survey, I would like to see added corporate Twitter
accounts, Facebook profiles and product-sponsored communities. As a marketer
myself, the core question I want answered is: "To what extend does medium
and content type influence the trust of creator and source? (A twist on Pete
Kim's variables.) And the second question should be what other variables
should marketers consider in putting their most trusting foot forward (other
than the obvious -- acting honest, trustworty and authentic)?

Re: Most Agencies & Publishers Fail To Offer Real Ways To Embrace Social Media

pblackshaw — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:17:52 -0000

So spot on Max. This is precisely the way we should be thinking about the social media space. We also need to be more diligent on the consistency front. Too many brands don't know what the other hand is doing, and it's creating a major credibility gap. Major fast food brands, for instance, are talking up a storm about social media -- even blogging -- but shunning consumers when they try to provide feedback or suggestions on the brand website. We need to drive more consistency.

Re: My Vision For Social Media

gregory — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 22:03:46 -0000

they don't fit together ... didn't for landline phones either ... people are going to make less money, which is not a bad thing, just different than expectation

Re: My Vision For Social Media

pblackshaw — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 21:35:31 -0000

Quite a provocative post (and vision), and many of the comments are equally provocative. It's hard not to feel a kinship with the vision, but I still have a skeptical toe on the sidelines wondering how some of this will really play out. In particular, the exchange below w/Seth G and others re: ad models hits a largely unresolved question, and one with sharp edges on both sides of the equation. (It's just not clear how well social media and ad models fit together.) But overall, the discussion here is spot-on, and it has armed me with a host of new questions leading into the IAB panel I'm moderating tomorrow. Thanks. - Pete