Personally, I prefer to not be seen places where I’m invisible, nor heard in places where I’m silent.
Silliness aside, I think you’re right. There are better ways to communicate such crucial topics. Video conferencing would help with body language.
Oh please – this was a great experiment, it put the executive out there, and the fact that it didn’t make you do cartwheels doesn’t mean it was a bad idea. I applaud any and all execs who take the plunge, even if they do it badly, at first.
It’s crucial these days for customers to ‘hear’ those executives, even if they are keeping the conversation simple. They’re learning, like we all are, and it’s for sure that when they speak to people in the halls of their company building, or at conferences, or in networking groups, they mind their manners the same way.
I say kudos to Scott Monty for putting this out there. More, more…
The net generation may not appreciate a “nuanced and rich conversation”, so why not try to reach them in the media they are comfortable in? Frankly, I have high hopes that this type of social interaction helps the upcoming generation recognize that there are humans at every level of an organization, and that US companies are not some abstract, deep pocketed monster that should be sued for no better reason than to take a shot at a pot of gold.
I work for Ford and I’m glad they are trying new things. More importantly, I have three 20-something offspring and they are less likely to trust an arms-length corporation, and they’re unlikely to trust interviews where the press is either throwing softballs or being unreasonably ornery. They might just come to trust a company that’s making a visible attempt to be human, to be honest.
They don’t look at these conversations as needing to be articulate, and they’ve been tweeting long enough to recognize you can’t get a whole marketing campaign in 140 characters or less. For them, its as much about connecting as it is anything else, and (selfishly) I’m hopeful it doesn’t catch on with other companies too fast – i’m rather enjoying the increase in market share that Ford seems to be gaining!
Ed, et al, thanks for your perspective.
I’m not condemning all of Ford’s social media efforts, nor even all of them involving senior execs. In fact, I admire Scott Monty and his efforts very much.
I just thought this one was unsuccessful and, based on the narrow social-media focus of interviewers (not to mention the trade-show madhouse surrounding the live chat) perhaps predictably so.
I do disagree with the notion, esp. where it concerns execs at a company in the perilous U.S. automotive industry, that we ought to applaud any and every executive experiment.
What Jim Farley and his fellow C-suite executives do, what they say and how they spend their time matters a great deal, to their shareholders, their employees and to the whole of the American economy.
While I appreciate the need for some experimentation, this is no time for amateur hour.
‘sall I’m saying.
I work for Ford as well. I’d like to say that we’ve come a far way from the days when executives chose to stay in their ivory towers and have their publicists and speech writers fill in words for them. As Ed mentioned, the effort should be lauded for what it’s worth. This one instance may not have “succeeded” in terms of sheer value of the conversation, but I’m sure it allowed those interviewers to go home thinking of Jim Farley as a person, and not just a Ford executive. I think Social Media interactions such as this one allow consumers to identify with and personify the these very executives running large firms such as Ford. I say, kudos to Jim Farley and Scott Monty for their efforts…
Social media is all about experimentation. While this interview may not have blown everybody out of the water, it will provide ideas and pros and cons for both Ford and others looking to get their C-Suite engaged in social media.
Yes, Sue Anne, and experiments being EXPERIMENTS, when they fail, at least we have to acknowledge they failed, so we won’t make precisely the same mistake next time.
I for one am glad to see an exec out of the ivory tower, er, “C suite,” and showing that they don’t put their pants on any differently than the rest of us smart folks. More, Scott, more.
Personally, I prefer to not be seen places where I’m invisible, nor heard in places where I’m silent.
Silliness aside, I think you’re right. There are better ways to communicate such crucial topics. Video conferencing would help with body language.
if they can’t listen to their consumers and respond appropriately, they probably should avoid it; and then their boards should fire them
Oh please – this was a great experiment, it put the executive out there, and the fact that it didn’t make you do cartwheels doesn’t mean it was a bad idea. I applaud any and all execs who take the plunge, even if they do it badly, at first.
It’s crucial these days for customers to ‘hear’ those executives, even if they are keeping the conversation simple. They’re learning, like we all are, and it’s for sure that when they speak to people in the halls of their company building, or at conferences, or in networking groups, they mind their manners the same way.
I say kudos to Scott Monty for putting this out there. More, more…
The net generation may not appreciate a “nuanced and rich conversation”, so why not try to reach them in the media they are comfortable in? Frankly, I have high hopes that this type of social interaction helps the upcoming generation recognize that there are humans at every level of an organization, and that US companies are not some abstract, deep pocketed monster that should be sued for no better reason than to take a shot at a pot of gold.
I work for Ford and I’m glad they are trying new things. More importantly, I have three 20-something offspring and they are less likely to trust an arms-length corporation, and they’re unlikely to trust interviews where the press is either throwing softballs or being unreasonably ornery. They might just come to trust a company that’s making a visible attempt to be human, to be honest.
They don’t look at these conversations as needing to be articulate, and they’ve been tweeting long enough to recognize you can’t get a whole marketing campaign in 140 characters or less. For them, its as much about connecting as it is anything else, and (selfishly) I’m hopeful it doesn’t catch on with other companies too fast – i’m rather enjoying the increase in market share that Ford seems to be gaining!
Ed, et al, thanks for your perspective.
I’m not condemning all of Ford’s social media efforts, nor even all of them involving senior execs. In fact, I admire Scott Monty and his efforts very much.
I just thought this one was unsuccessful and, based on the narrow social-media focus of interviewers (not to mention the trade-show madhouse surrounding the live chat) perhaps predictably so.
I do disagree with the notion, esp. where it concerns execs at a company in the perilous U.S. automotive industry, that we ought to applaud any and every executive experiment.
What Jim Farley and his fellow C-suite executives do, what they say and how they spend their time matters a great deal, to their shareholders, their employees and to the whole of the American economy.
While I appreciate the need for some experimentation, this is no time for amateur hour.
‘sall I’m saying.
I work for Ford as well. I’d like to say that we’ve come a far way from the days when executives chose to stay in their ivory towers and have their publicists and speech writers fill in words for them. As Ed mentioned, the effort should be lauded for what it’s worth. This one instance may not have “succeeded” in terms of sheer value of the conversation, but I’m sure it allowed those interviewers to go home thinking of Jim Farley as a person, and not just a Ford executive. I think Social Media interactions such as this one allow consumers to identify with and personify the these very executives running large firms such as Ford. I say, kudos to Jim Farley and Scott Monty for their efforts…
Social media is all about experimentation. While this interview may not have blown everybody out of the water, it will provide ideas and pros and cons for both Ford and others looking to get their C-Suite engaged in social media.
Yes, Sue Anne, and experiments being EXPERIMENTS, when they fail, at least we have to acknowledge they failed, so we won’t make precisely the same mistake next time.
I for one am glad to see an exec out of the ivory tower, er, “C suite,” and showing that they don’t put their pants on any differently than the rest of us smart folks. More, Scott, more.