Comments on: But He’s Really Nice In Person: Social Media and the Embarrassing CEO

By: oddpodz

oddpodz — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:31:07 +0000

I don’t think we can expect to pull someone out of our current organization (the CEO, CMO, etc) and force them into the social media environment. For most organizations, a new role has to be created, and a social media savvy person who becomes well acquainted with the company becomes the liaison to online communities. I’ve seen some disastrous cases of offline personalities not translating well online. Just because someone is a talented executive, doesn’t mean that they’ll be an online wunderkind. Thanks for this refreshing and honest POV!

By: Alan Wolk (The Toad Stool)

Alan Wolk (The Toad Stool) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:58:26 +0000

Thanks Ruth- that would be great to have some real world examples.

By: Ruth Seeley

Ruth Seeley — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:14:03 +0000

This can be a tricky situation if you have a CEO whose ego demands that he also be the spokesperson at all times as part of his (ok it could be a her but it never has been in my experience) personal profile building.
With a media release you can quote the CEO and have someone else do the interviews. In the social media setting there may be some trial and error involved, particularly if you get someone who thinks it’s all about debating rather than engaging. I think some real life examples of what not to do would be helpful in persuading people that the rules of social media and the lack of tone in online communications poses some very real challenges with which they could probably use some help.
If I can come up with any, I’ll post them in another comment.

By: Alan Wolk (The Toad Stool)

Alan Wolk (The Toad Stool) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:49:30 +0000

@Brad & Tim: Thanks for the compliments.
It’ll definitely be a watershed moment when that sort of training becomes part of MBA programs and I’ll bet that someone with experience as a talent agent can make a nice living selling their services as a “social media coach” for Fortune 500 companies.
@Ann- that’s an important nuance that I neglected to mention- that social media is not all the same and that there is a huge difference between say Twitter and a podcast.
@Scott – thanks- great to hear real life examples of how this is all playing out.

By: Stephen Denny

Stephen Denny — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:32:53 +0000

Agree that not all exec’s — and not all companies — are cut out for social media. We (in this conversation) all like it and see a role for it, but we’re not the CEO’s we’re talking about. One client reluctantly posts, another refuses because they like “staying under the radar” even though they’re a multi-million dollar player in a small industry.
Social media is a great strategy for those whose culture, industry, customer base and management embrace it. Otherwise, like every other suggestion that just doesn’t fit, it’s very uncomfortable!

By: Ann Handley

Ann Handley — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:16:36 +0000

Alan – I think you bring up some excellent points here. Social media can be a bit of minefield, and some personalities navigate it better than others, and some navigate certain kinds of social media better than others. In other words, the personality that plays well on Twitter doesn’t necessarily play as a podcast, or on video, or on a blog.
This post is a great reminder than media training for executives has greatly expanded.

By: Tim Brunelle

Tim Brunelle — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:40:13 +0000

Alan: Great post. I love the metaphor of casting. So true in all communications. (How many of us trusted or cared what Lee Iacocca or August Busch IV had to say on TV?) I’ve started to see education and training efforts around helping executives understand how they come across in social media. Wonder if it’s part of any MBA programs? At the very least, as Harry and Lewis point out, there’s a real benefit to helping executives “see” themselves reflected in the unrelenting mirror of social media and for the rest of us to see more of the true nature of those executives.

By: Bradley Kay

Bradley Kay — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:02:55 +0000

Alan…
Once again, you’ve done a wonderful job pointing out important nuances marketers need to be aware of as they dip their toes in social media waters.
Unfortunately, too many people take this craft for granted and will learn the hard way that mistakes that could be easily avoided aren’t because of hubris and ignorance.

By: Alan Wolk (The Toad Stool)

Alan Wolk (The Toad Stool) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:20:33 +0000

Thanks for the great feedback all.
@Harry- really appreciate the compliment. I am not suggesting censoring CEOs as much as having the guts to tell them “you know, you might want to tone it down a bit, we’re getting a lot of pushback.” Not stifling as much as guiding them.
@phosphorous – in my mind, it’s not so much about conveying the “right” persona as much as not offending people. (But you’re right in that others will see it differently.)

By: phosphorous frog

phosphorous frog — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:44:18 +0000

The toad has exposed the warts of social media marketing. Transparency and authenticity are paramount, so long as they convey the “right” brand persona.

By: Sherbrooke Balser

Sherbrooke Balser — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:03:11 +0000

Casting is key, but I find that usually you don’t find out until after the personality has been launched into the social media world whether they are fit for the job.
I think as marketers it is critical for us to act as social media coaches and not be afraid to give our senior management constructive feedback on their online persona. With social media we have lost last editing rights — so to make sure our message and brand are represented appropriately we must stay engaged and actively manage our talent.

By: Levon

Levon — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:01:00 +0000

It is an issue of being able to write and perform (to communicate well) in the public domain. A good CEO is often a PR machine – a figurehead if you will who is able to articulate a message with accuracy and see that that message is positively received.

By: Sara Rasco

Sara Rasco — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:43:53 +0000

You bring up such an excellent point here. We’re all supposed to be active in SM, but some people are just not cut out for it. The question is, how do you silence someone who has taken a prominent voice and is doing damage?
It’s funny how the people who are the most charming in person can be so off-putting online. I’m one of the shy ones who shines online but hides in a corner at mixers.

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:04:08 +0000

Toad,
Excellent post and POV. Harry, however, offers a caveat to which we must pay attention. Although I’m confident your post is not based on censorship but on using the correct voice, your words might be misinterpreted by some and lead the business to a place where everything written or spoken is reviewed and approved by HR, Communications and Legal. A disaster for social media.
That said, I agree that we must carefully choose our spokespersons, because doing otherwise is foolish.

By: Harry Hallman

Harry Hallman — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:52:50 +0000

Toad, the thing I like about you is you take on interesting subjects and offer an unusual point of view. One might say you are quirky, especially given your blog name “Tangerine Toad”.
I would hate for some “marketing profs suit” (if there are any) to edit you or block your point of view and take that away from us. I think it is important to be very careful about telling a CEO, CMO or whoever that the way they are blogging is embarrassing. Of course, if they are giving out confidential information, making threats and that ilk is a problem. However, exposing a bit of their personality seems to me to be a positive.
I believe we already have too many spin masters working with our politicians and CEOs. It is slippery sloop. So, while I agree we need to monitor what people say we have to be careful not to sanitize it to a point that our company bloogers have no personality.

By: Alanna

Alanna — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:32:03 +0000

I think this is an important idea that no one talks about – not everyone has the personality for social media. Some people are brilliant, but don’t express themselves in writing, or need to take time to gather their thoughts. None of this works well in a rapid-fire environment like twitter or IM.
We’re filtering people to get only the ones who use our new tools well. I suppose this has always been the case, but it’s getting starker.