Archive for Scott Monty
Bye-Bye, BlogPotomac
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Buzz had been stewing for the past week. Stewing that he lost both time and money, billable as well as oop. Stewing that he was an unwilling voyeur to a near day-long “insiders only” social media love fest. Stewing that, for the most part, he felt talked down to or talked around, dismissing or ignoring his own knowledge of and experience with social media.
So, what is the source of this week-long stew, you ask? Try the one-track June 12 BlogPotomac when at times, watching the flickering laptop screens was more interesting than listening to what was coming from the stage, with the exception of Shel Holtz and Ford’s Scott Monty who each offered valuable insights on their views, uses and thoughts on all things social media today as well as in the future. Thank you guys.
Overall the day for Buzz was relatively low energy, low interest and low value – yes, even at $95. An entire segment on personal branding? Come on. Others had a similar reaction, and it even carried over to the official Blog Potomac happy hour event.
As if to confirm this sentiment, event organizer Geoff Livingston announced that a third and final BlogPotomac will take place in October, and then five days later the Senior VP/Social Media at PR firm CRT/tanaka came out with this blog post with the headline: “Why a Final BlogPotomac: Social Media Really Is Dead.” Wow. Who knew?
Which got Buzz to thinking…as we see this shift to a new stage of social media with all the talk about ”rock stars” (yes, some actually say this!) and personal branding and how to handle this new-found ”fame,” why not develop and host a social media event that brings the conversation back to reality? Anyone out there want to join in?
Ford Understands Social Media
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If you don’t follow @ScottMonty (left) on Twitter, you should.
Whether you agree with the bailout plan or not (O.K., in Ford’s case, it’s “assurance we can get a line of credit if the economy worsens,” he will tell you on Twitter), Ford Motor Co.’s global digital and multimedia communications manager demonstrates how social media can work for an organization.
Seemingly at work all hours in recent weeks, Scott Monty answers questions about the plan, directs people to a Web site set up over the Thanksgiving weekend to address the topic, shares a link to the plan submitted to Congress, posts his boss’s testimony – plus he’ll add a bit of personal comment along the way (we learned Scott and his young family flew from Boston to Detroit last week as they completed their move from Greater Boston to Michigan; now they’re living among cardboard boxes).
The corporate press release, the Web site (12/13 update: excluding the video conversations featuring Ford execs), the talking points – even Ford CEO Alan Mulally’s testimony – are all scripted. Scott Monty’s comments are not, and he’s responding to just about anyone on Twitter who makes a comment about Ford or asks a question. Go ahead and try it and you’ll get a genuine response. And you’ll also see the occasional post such as this one: “I told Alan that if things turn nasty in DC, he should take the Mustang and do donuts on the Capital lawn. 
”
That’s the difference between stiff one-way traditional communications and social media. Sure, social media is riskier, but if executed properly it makes even the behemoth corporation feel more real and in touch with its customers.
