a truth gap

An excellent post by James Cherkoff discusses the gap that often occurs between the company message and the reality discussed in the blogosphere, and how this gap can spin off into spontaneous consumer campaigns.

Feed aggregators and improved search tools amplify and accelerate the power of word of mouth. The trend is becoming all too predictable. One consumer’s complaint becomes a stream of complaints which then becomes a full-fledged campaign which then hits the traditional media channels, and within days an expensive marketing campaign is completely undermined.

Best way to prevent the gap is not to have one. Tell the truth and tell it well.