Seat at the Table

I was recently asked if social media really has cost companies control of their messaging.  My answer was yes…and no. 

Companies have long had the habit of pushing wishful messages.  Any old company would say they are a leader.  Now, that message will simply be ignored or even made fun of (literally, in some cases) unless the facts back it up.  If you are a design leader than will the bulk of the market agree?  If you are a market leader do you have the market share to back it up?  If the answers no then you lose control as the market ignores the message and makes up its own.

Companies have control of how they present the truth, though others may disagree.  In other words, facts are always presented in a context, companies can present facts in the context of their choosing.  The context is the message.  How well the message is received is now almost always a direct function of how well the facts back it up.