Seriously - this was a fantastic use of Twitter. Great questions from the "real" people, and great straight forward answers by your CEO. Great job, Scott! I watched the exchange, and it was great to see *real time*
mrhames
· 1 year ago
I watched it real time as well. Excellent use. Forwarded this post to some people I work with.
@TraciKnoppe
· 1 year ago
Impressive. Hoping good things for Ford, and all the Big 3.
Austin
· 1 year ago
Very interesting and rather cool. Wish i was paying attention to twitter during this time.
stevegarfield
· 1 year ago
Nice job.
doughaslam
· 1 year ago
Nice, Scott-- maybe Mullaly generates a non-Monty presence-- either through his own Twitter account, or just as good, through one of the "Ford" ones, through which he- or other executives- could speak directly. But that's just a matter of logistics-- the concept would work the way you did it, i think
Vedo
· 1 year ago
Excellent post Scott.
Real. Solid. Answers. from CEO definitely worth the time and energy spent to piece this together.
Ari Herzog
· 1 year ago
I like Bill Marriott's blogging style, but he hasn't taken to Twitter as Alan. Excellent guidance and thumbing, Scott!
On a side note, how did you insert the Twitter stream? I typically take a screen shot, but you have too many links for a shot.
scottmonty
· 1 year ago
Believe it or not, this was a simple case of marking favorites and doing a cut & paste of all. Then I rearranged chronologically.
Kyle
· 1 year ago
Yet another fine example Mr. Monty. Your making a huge difference in proving that communication, no matter the platform, always works best when you are honest and transparent. I get that everyone will be excited about the "Twitter" aspect of all of this, but to me it speaks more to Mr. Mulally's communication style and leadership style. When you have that type of person running the ship it makes the ride much more smooth.
Keep it up!
Blog Expert
· 1 year ago
that was an interesting little conversation. I really want to know what he says he drives.
scottmonty
· 1 year ago
Alan drives a different car every day, including cars from competitors, so he really knows what customers are experiencing.
Leah McChesney
· 1 year ago
Awesome Scott! Thanks!
Roxanne Darling
· 1 year ago
"Twitter by Proxy" is a great technique; I love using it with Twitter skeptics as invariably someone will respond with relevant or insider information, and voila! A mind is expanded. Nice hand-coding too. :-)
Peter O'Connell
· 1 year ago
Scott:
At the risk of being a nabob of negativity here...reading Alan's twitter posts - there was nothing but talking points. It read like the sort “blah, blah” that I’ve come to expect from corporate America who seem ever more bound to “safe language”. That could just be my perspective.
Having thought about that, I wonder now if Twitter can properly work as a media tool for posting insights from people in executive positions. Leaders should be able to offer such depth in their answers because their insights are so key to understanding a business and its direction that Twitter's limited character count almost forces them to offer trite answers, much like sound bites on TV. Those never mean much either.
Since much of the comments here are positive, other folks think this is all cool and exciting, maybe I'm missing the point (I look at CEOs and celebrities as just people...there's no wow factor for me...a certain appreciation maybe but that's it).
But when I hear from a CEO I expect there to be some meat on the bone of an answer. If there isn't I become suspect, which in my head reflects on the level of credibility I have for that leader. Twitter doesn't lend itself to quality content due to character count and my opinion is that whatever the forum (but especially in the auto industries current situation) quality content is job 1.
Best always, - Peter
scottmonty
· 1 year ago
That's okay, Peter. Natter away. I appreciate the pushback.
The thing that interests me is this: Alan regularly makes himself available to the media scrums at such events. But when's the last time the general public had access to Alan in he form of a Q&A?
His answers had to be brief because of Twitter's format, and since he's not a regular user, it was a little stilted. If Alan used Twitter as part of his daily routine (like i do), you'd probably get a little more insightful commentary/observation from him.
I hear you on the quality issue of tweets - hard to have credibility and quality in 140 characters. But I'd counter with this: it's the aggregation of all of those tweets and interactions that add up to give a more holistic view of the individual and his/her content. If done well, that's quality. It just requires a little more attention.
Peter O'Connell
· 1 year ago
Hi Scott:
Conceptually, I completely understand where you are coming from. Realistically, I'd be pleased to see you or someone pull it off but I am not hopeful for a while anyway.
Reason being as important as all marketing is to every company, and most urgently Ford at this particular point in its history, I don't see the CEO making that kind of commitment to a tool like Twitter that would allow such aggregation.
Somehow I can't get out of my head the imagined board conversation from a director to Alan along the lines of "how many cars did you sell for us on Twitter today because you had like 20 posts; btw the way our stock is in the toilet and we're in the middle of union negotiations -- don't you think you could find a more productive way to spend your time?!"
I could also pen a viable response from Alan to the director's query but the point I can't get past in my head that I guess I will have to bear witness to to understand is - how someone with that magnitude of responsibility can find the time to make a worthwhile commitment to Twitter?
If it works, I will claim you as its instigator and hail you in the history books. If it misses, I'll blame Alan cause he's the CEO and he gets paid to shoulder the blame ;)
Great post. Thanks
Best always - Peter
scottmonty
· 1 year ago
Very fair point, Peter. But what if Ford's IT development team came up with an application that allowed someone to Twitter hands-free while driving (via the Ford/Microsoft SYNC system)? Then would you say Alan's time was used appropriately?
Why does it have to be a sales-based ROI? There are better ways to measure the effectiveness of such interaction. I don't think the board asks the CEO how many cars were sold based on media interviews or appearances on morning talk shows...
Peter O'Connell
· 1 year ago
I'm smiling thinking that you either just dropped a hint from a new product from Ford's IT or you just dropped a suggestion in their suggestion box. Either way, well played.
My point regarding ROI is that Twitter's popularity and use are still minor in the grand scheme of marketing channels. Is it growing? Yes but it does not have what would be considered a wide acceptance. That could change and you could be on the ground floor which is why its good that you are testing and introducing it at Ford now.
But the maginifying glass the company and thereby the board and Alan will be under simple make me think the focus of non ROI related marketing will make twitter a third string player for a while. TV they get, Twitter, not so much...yet.
Best always, - Peter
Dawn
· 1 year ago
Nice job, I am impressed.
Stefan Holt
· 1 year ago
scott, just read your post via a joseph jaffe link... two questions, one comment
question 1: going forward how do twitter users ensure the credibility of such accounts to those that follow and to new users who may be skeptical of the content when seeing these type of interview-style tweets? (your case is somewhat different, as you are involved intimately with the company, however, what if you're not?)
question 2: Is this type of tweet a paraprase of the conversation or verbatim and if not verbatim, is proper disclosure needed?
comment: I really think these immediate type responses/interviews and use of distribution tools via twitter and the like are growing and becoming more accepted(credible) forms of communication. Just a couple of thoughts...Keep up the good work!
Scott, Thanks for making the connection with the CEO and Twitter. I think the brevity of the q&a is great, especially if you can catch his ear for a few questions on a regular basis. Most importantly, you are changing the way I view Ford as a company. -- Heather Strout (@hjstrout)
Tim
· 1 year ago
I'm fairly new to your blog Scott, and that was rad! I downloaded twitterberry last night and love it, and have been simply abusing the convenience twitterberry all day. This interview tactic will come in very handy with me. Thanks!
John Cass
· 1 year ago
Nice job Scott. Always good to be able to talk directly with customers and the wider social media community.
I think the interview approach is fine, rather than Alan setting up twitter, unless he is really going to make it work.
I was curious about the follow up on the question about personal responsibility on sustainability. Not a fair question in some ways, because that's personal, but I would think people are interested.
Mike
· 1 year ago
That was a clever idea. Leaders are often very interesting people to hear from through social media but they are also people that have the least time to invest in blogging or tweeting.
Scott, Excellent job. I attended one of your speach@iTek. It may not be big deal for Alan but when consumer get to talk to a CEO directly, its big deal for them.
justinlevy
· 12 months ago
I was watching this in real-time and really liked that Alan took part in the Q&A session. It shows that he is willing to get down and talk with potential/current customers. I also like what you mentioned earlier in the comments that he drives a different vehicle each day.
It would be great if someone was able to do Q&A sessions like this with Fortune 100 CEOs.
Nice job Scott!
Chris Herbert
· 10 months ago
Scott, it is great to see leaders embracing social media and not being afraid of it. As a matter of interest I've added your post to the Groundswell Blook report friendfeed room: http://friendfeed.com/rooms/blook-report-ground...
ma
· 10 months ago
We are having a manufacture defect problem. Our FORD focus steering column has locked up and key won't turn. We do not agree that just because we have run out of warranty to cover this we have to pay for the repairs and with a warranty we have we have to pay a deductible, rotten! We should not have to pay anything at all. We did nothing to the car it just locked up and this has happened to other focuses (see in the internet) but yet your company will not accept the responsibility for this defect so we have to pay for the repairs. Is this the way that FORD treats there good customers. We have another vehicle that is FORD but depending on how we get treated by FORD on this issue we may no longer be a customer of yours again and than again if we are treated fairly we just may stay. It stinks that we have to pay for a defect from the FORD and they won't stand behind there cars. No wonder everyone is going to foreign cars. FORD what are you going to do about this. Mr CEO are you a man of ethics and is your company an honest and reputable company that will help us out in this economy? We will wait and see what they do for a such a loyal customer. signed discouraged and disappointed!!! and hopeful.
All Comments
Real. Solid. Answers. from CEO definitely worth the time and energy spent to piece this together.
On a side note, how did you insert the Twitter stream? I typically take a screen shot, but you have too many links for a shot.
Keep it up!
At the risk of being a nabob of negativity here...reading Alan's twitter posts - there was nothing but talking points. It read like the sort “blah, blah” that I’ve come to expect from corporate America who seem ever more bound to “safe language”. That could just be my perspective.
Having thought about that, I wonder now if Twitter can properly work as a media tool for posting insights from people in executive positions. Leaders should be able to offer such depth in their answers because their insights are so key to understanding a business and its direction that Twitter's limited character count almost forces them to offer trite answers, much like sound bites on TV. Those never mean much either.
Since much of the comments here are positive, other folks think this is all cool and exciting, maybe I'm missing the point (I look at CEOs and celebrities as just people...there's no wow factor for me...a certain appreciation maybe but that's it).
But when I hear from a CEO I expect there to be some meat on the bone of an answer. If there isn't I become suspect, which in my head reflects on the level of credibility I have for that leader. Twitter doesn't lend itself to quality content due to character count and my opinion is that whatever the forum (but especially in the auto industries current situation) quality content is job 1.
Best always,
- Peter
The thing that interests me is this: Alan regularly makes himself available to the media scrums at such events. But when's the last time the general public had access to Alan in he form of a Q&A?
His answers had to be brief because of Twitter's format, and since he's not a regular user, it was a little stilted. If Alan used Twitter as part of his daily routine (like i do), you'd probably get a little more insightful commentary/observation from him.
I hear you on the quality issue of tweets - hard to have credibility and quality in 140 characters. But I'd counter with this: it's the aggregation of all of those tweets and interactions that add up to give a more holistic view of the individual and his/her content. If done well, that's quality. It just requires a little more attention.
Conceptually, I completely understand where you are coming from. Realistically, I'd be pleased to see you or someone pull it off but I am not hopeful for a while anyway.
Reason being as important as all marketing is to every company, and most urgently Ford at this particular point in its history, I don't see the CEO making that kind of commitment to a tool like Twitter that would allow such aggregation.
Somehow I can't get out of my head the imagined board conversation from a director to Alan along the lines of "how many cars did you sell for us on Twitter today because you had like 20 posts; btw the way our stock is in the toilet and we're in the middle of union negotiations -- don't you think you could find a more productive way to spend your time?!"
I could also pen a viable response from Alan to the director's query but the point I can't get past in my head that I guess I will have to bear witness to to understand is - how someone with that magnitude of responsibility can find the time to make a worthwhile commitment to Twitter?
If it works, I will claim you as its instigator and hail you in the history books. If it misses, I'll blame Alan cause he's the CEO and he gets paid to shoulder the blame ;)
Great post. Thanks
Best always
- Peter
Why does it have to be a sales-based ROI? There are better ways to measure the effectiveness of such interaction. I don't think the board asks the CEO how many cars were sold based on media interviews or appearances on morning talk shows...
My point regarding ROI is that Twitter's popularity and use are still minor in the grand scheme of marketing channels. Is it growing? Yes but it does not have what would be considered a wide acceptance. That could change and you could be on the ground floor which is why its good that you are testing and introducing it at Ford now.
But the maginifying glass the company and thereby the board and Alan will be under simple make me think the focus of non ROI related marketing will make twitter a third string player for a while. TV they get, Twitter, not so much...yet.
Best always,
- Peter
question 1: going forward how do twitter users ensure the credibility of such accounts to those that follow and to new users who may be skeptical of the content when seeing these type of interview-style tweets?
(your case is somewhat different, as you are involved intimately with the company, however, what if you're not?)
question 2: Is this type of tweet a paraprase of the conversation or verbatim and if not verbatim, is proper disclosure needed?
comment: I really think these immediate type responses/interviews and use of distribution tools via twitter and the like are growing and becoming more accepted(credible) forms of communication. Just a couple of thoughts...Keep up the good work!
Stefan Holt
Nissan Driver who may be looking for a new car soon
http://www.acktiveblog.com
I think the interview approach is fine, rather than Alan setting up twitter, unless he is really going to make it work.
I was curious about the follow up on the question about personal responsibility on sustainability. Not a fair question in some ways, because that's personal, but I would think people are interested.
BTW - nattering nabob of negativity. Can't forget nattering.
Thanks Hal.
Best always,
- Peter
Excellent job. I attended one of your speach@iTek. It may not be big deal for Alan but when consumer get to talk to a CEO directly, its big deal for them.
It would be great if someone was able to do Q&A sessions like this with Fortune 100 CEOs.
Nice job Scott!