Robert Lutz, Vice Chairman at General Motors, views his FastLane blog as a portal for two-way communication. He wants to hear from consumers, even if they are sharing negative comments. Lutz is the author of his blog, and he writes posts about GM’s products.
Lutz is a respected part of auto groups everywhere. He has a genuine passion for cars, and this is why is so well known. He was one of the first to start a corporate blog, and because of the way he used new media, GM is the leader in PR innovation.
GM is working with hundreds of bloggers so they will post about GM vehicles to targeted consumers. It is getting harder to reach an audience through print advertising, so GM has turned to reach people online. GM invites bloggers to auto shows and on press trips, in hopes of getting them to blog about the company. The bloggers test drive new GM cars and trucks, and are put into an experience they can positively blog about.
Kristen Hammond is an ordinary mother who writes about her sons on her blog Mommy Needs a Cocktail. GM invited Hammond to Memphis, Tennessee so she could test drive one of their cars. GM wanted to give her an experience that she would blog about, in hopes of reaching other mothers just like her.
This example shows how companies can reach out to people using a whole new medium. More and more people are online for the majority of the day. I think it would be wise if other companies followed GM’s example, and used blogs as a way to reach their publics. I think it was smart of GM to contact Kristen Hammond, because the majority of her followers are mothers, and if Hammond favors GM, the other mothers will too.
