Are you kicking your story to the curb?

[Bob Cramblitt]

Companies are letting others tell their stories for them. In the process, one of the most precious commodities of the company - its identity - is lost, misrepresented or compromised. How basic of a sin is that? Yet, companies let it happen all the time.

See blogpost and let's discuss.

[Scott Devereux]

Good post Bob.


With the rise of social media as a marketing process and word of mouth marketing, keeping your story and thus your corporate identity in order is a daunting task.

Do you have any suggestions as to how companies might be able to maintain more control over their stories as it passes through multiple hands?

[Jason Glover]

How poignant. I am presently drafting my way through my first ever PR piece for Team Effect.

Honesty and integrity are precious to us and as I read through the article I couldn't help but note the common thread underneath all your points of criticism.

- Be honest
- Avoid hyperbole
- Don't treat your customer's like idiots, they know when you're BSing much better than you think.

My interpretation of Bob's advice was to be yourself and not copy other people's marketing/communication agendas for the sake of being the same. Sameness is bad, you have to differentiate. And when everyone else is committing heinous crimes of hyperbole you want to make sure you're not on that band wagon.

In my opinion the best way to avoid the mistake of being dishonest in your communications is to actually BE honest. I don't mean, act honest, or do things that are honest; I mean "be by nature" honest as a core principle.

Just think ... would Yoda write this? Would the Fonz approve?

:p