A Scary Thought (Post-Halloween) for Many Marketers

A few weeks ago, the New York Times printed a short article on consumer fan blogs (linked here in the International Herald). The article notes that most of these blogs are created without the approval (and in many cases, without the knowlege) of the companies featured. Clearly these blogs are a new touch point for some consumers that can dramatically influence the brand experience. Here's the scary part:

"These bloggers say they believe that intertwining their personal stories and commentaries gives them a role in defining the brand's image while linking them with fans of similar mind across the United States.

'They feel like they own the brand, that it's theirs,' Jackie Huba, author of the book Creating Customer Evangelists, said of the bloggers. 'They feel they're doing the world a service.'"

Now it may be true that marketers have never completely "controlled" or "owned" a brand in the past. But the fact that such unplanned, uncontrollable, and in some cases, unwanted commentaries can now have a major influence on the perception of a brand is frightening. Fans may think they are doing the world a service. Brand managers may think otherwise. And there is very little they can do to put this genie back in the bottle.

How will your customer's experiences with your products and blogs about them affect your brand?