Being the lone line of defence when pretty much everyone’s after your blood is a thankless task that no-one should have to face, but Scott Monty of auto manufacturer Ford proves it can be done. As the lone social media face of the US car giant, Scott probably has one of the toughest jobs around at the minute:
- He has to face negativity surrounding his employers and their part in the auto-bailout
- He has to show social media’s worth in an industry not always associated with open minds
- He has to deal with some pretty vociferous opinions thrown his way as the face of a frequently unpopular company
I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve been one of the people that have thrown some of these tough question’s Scott’s way. I’m not a big fan of under-achieving companies being “rewarded” for their failures with a Get Out Of Jail card. Maybe it’s my Scottish upbringing, or my grandad’s socialist side showing a little. But to me, you live or die by your own sword and the auto and bank industries didn’t do that.
Yet that’s an argument for another time.
Anyone inside the social media bubble knows how difficult it can be to not only make your voice heard at times, but to make it respected. So many variants and opinions of what’s right and wrong – although is there actually a right and wrong in social media to begin with? So to use the medium and make it work for you is a skill.
What Scott Monty does goes beyond that.
While his parent company Ford were being publicly flogged for the company’s CEO flying into Washington in a private jet to state his case, news broke of Ford going after an enthusiast site for trademark infringement. With the climate already hostile toward Ford, word soon spread throughout social media sites and networks about Ford bullying “one of their own”.
Instead of ignoring the situation and letting the legal team resolve it, Scott engaged the hostility head on and promised to keep everyone up-to-date with proceedings. This he did from his Twitter account – from latest news from Ford, to conversations with the site in question, to bringing the full story into public view.
The fact that he did this and kept the owners of the website on his side (not to mention gained new fans into the bargain) says a lot about Scott’s value in the social media world. The guy epitomizes all that’s good about this field we play in – transparency, honesty, openness, interaction and trust. And he does this every day of the week.
Of course, people might say that this is what he’s being paid to do, so he should be responding to the public – and that’s true. But how many people can honestly say they’d keep putting themselves in the firing line of such an eager execution squad and remain positive about it? That’s the difference.
Being genuine isn’t always a visible trait in the PR industry – being genuine in an industry where you’re only as good as your last sale is particularly less obvious. Like anyone, I can be a pretty tough taskmaster when it comes to the everyman versus the corporate giant.
People like Scott Monty mean I have one less giant to worry about.
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Och, yon bonnie Brown! If I dinna have a wee bit 'o Scottish blood coursing through my own veins, I dinna ken ya.
Thanks for your kind writeup, Danny. It can be hard work at times, but I'm lucky I work for a company that not only embraces this approach, but that has the products to back up what I'm saying. I don't think I could be a corporate mouthpiece if I didn't really believe it what I was saying.
Oh, and for the record: Ford's part in the so-called "bailout" was to take no money. We've consistently stated that we'd like access to an emergency line of credit, should one of our competitors file for bankruptcy or the economy worsen.
Was that your Rob Roy impersonation, Scott?
You're welcome – as I mentioned, although I've been critical of Ford, Chrysler and GM (and will continue to be if and when needed), I can appreciate the job you're doing. And as you say yourself, it's good to see Ford both offering the tools and support you need, and using your experience effectively.
I hear what you're saying about Ford's involvement (or lack of) – and while I don't think there's too much of a difference between asking for money now or having it in reserve, as I say that's a topic for another time.
Thanks for stopping by.
Twitter: ericdbrown
Great write up Danny.
Every organization & person can learn from this blog post…authenticity is key. Regardless of what your role is, if you aren't authentic and interested in listening to your client base, they will see through it quickly.
Thanks for the post Danny. I posted some similar postive feedback for Scott on my company's blog a couple days ago. To sum up what I wrote- despite receiving what I'm sure is a huge volume of e-mail, Scott took the time to provide a thoughtful response to a question I posed about an app concept my company is working on. In fact, I thought of him when I read Chris Brogan's recent post:
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/be-wary-of-creating-pe...
Scott comes across as a normal guy who treats everyone with respect, so it's no wonder he's having such a positive impact for Ford.
I think that's a key part of his success, Chad. People can see that he's not your typical "corporate mouthpiece" just out to blind readers with the latest PR BS. There are too many companies that ignore what's being said about them and the people that are saying it – Scott's willingness to face the crowd and engage even the most hostile voices earns him kudos in my book.
I'll be sure to check out your own take on it.
Interesting post Danny. Informative and supportive.
For an interesting story on Ford's efforts to get involved in the blogosphere check out this story, it's about me by the way : )
http://www.filmschoolstudent.com/2007/08/03/my-su...
Hey Danny,
I actually first became aware of Mr. Monty several months back following a discussion on one the podcasts which I download. I got the impression at the time that he was very much on the ball. I find it encouraging that an organisation so often defined by the founder’s ‘you can have any colour you want, so long as it’s black’ mantra is reaching out to engage customers. If only they had adopted these principles several years back, instead of pushing their products onto the customer. Imagine how different the situation might be now.
Additionally, I think it’s great that Scott has addressed the comments made herein. It really hammers home the point that these social media enthusiasts are listening and are determined to make their presence known. Whilst we are all likely to have our own opinions of such organisation’s, the actions of those such as Monty can only improve our perceptions thereof.
TLR
Lastly, be yourself. Be confident and friendly. Strike a good conversation and listen to what your date has to say also. Never fail to blind date uncensored thank a date even if it didn't turn out to how you wanted it to be.
What a lot of people don’t realize about Scott is the background he had prior to joining Ford. He had a very active Twitter presence and following, his social media marketing/PR blog enjoyed a large reader base and his knowledge tank was (and still is) pretty sharp.
Ford may have made some financial mistakes but Scott’s appointment is one thing they got right.