The buzz about David & Goliath
High DaG risk index
I am sure you have all been following the Conroy Telstra twitter controversy as it unfolded last week. It occurred to me that this story would have been a non-starter if Telstra (or some other large company) was not involved.
Nothing like a large company and a hint of controversy to create buzz – not just on the interactive web but in the real world. I wonder why?
Mark Hughes in Buzzmarketing lists the 5 most written stories in any media;
- The David-and-Goliath story
- the unusual or outrageous story
- the controversy story
- the celebrity story
- what’s already hot in the media
Australia loves the underdog, the media love to write about the underdog (i.e. David) and do so time and time again.
The hint that Leslie Nassar was taking on Telstra Goliath was enough for blogs, headlines and twitter storm. Same thing happened when bloggers took on UBank a few months back.
As our clients are generally (but not always) large companies, we are particularly sensitive to this David-and-Goliath syndrome.
Extending the metaphor just a little – it was David who shed Saul’s armour, sword and shield and confronted Goliath in his civvies with just a superior targeting weapon.
This is still the best way to engage with customers when the DaG risk index is high.
- Drop any pretence of armour and shields (aka corporate PR), be genuine and personal
- Let go of the control and let the community / customers talk about what they want to talk about in your community
- The major advantage you have as a large organisation, that will not make you a baddie Goliath if applied, is information and (perhaps) knowledge. Flex your information muscles to extend the conversations, not to beat anybody into submission.
- Ensure all participants from your company follow the WOMMA ROI – always declare who you Represent, always state whose Opinion you are presenting, always declare your Identity.
If you are a Goliath and want to create positive buzz? I quote Hughes; “Can’t find a Goliath aiming to crush you? You do have other options. Creating an unusual or outrageous story is also a tried and true winner…Stir up a controversy…”, pick one of the other 4 frequently published stories.
