Combating Consumer-generated Media

What is CGM?
Blogs. Chat rooms. Opinon Web sites. Forums.

All of these forms of online communication are pathways for consumer-generated media to spread across the Internet. Think about the last time you had bad customer service or bought a faulty product that a company would not let you return. Did you write about it in your online journal?

Consumer-generated media, or CGM, refers to opinions, commentary, and other communication about a product or service written by a consumer on the Internet for widespread viewing. Consumer-generated media is equivalent to word-of-mouth marketing, expect it takes place online. In addition to the examples listed above, consumer-generated media can occur in message boards, personal Web sites, and email. Any form of communication can carry consumer-generated media in it.

Consumer-generated media, also known as “social media”, can take many forms and can be positive or negative.

The power shift
Long before the Internet during the early marketing eras, consumers were at the mercy of businesses. No outlets existed for customer feedback, mass marketing was prevalent, and consumers were not protected against faulty merchandise. Later, consumer hotlines emerged and the government stepped in to protect the consumer’s wellbeing as well as their right to the exact products advertised.

The rise of the Internet has shifted the balance of power from businesses to the consumers. Consumers now have an easy outlet to express their likes, dislikes, opinions, and experiences with a product or service. CGM is the fast-growing and most long-lasting media there is. Other consumers tend to trust media generated by their peers because it is not a paid advertisement, and hence appears more reputable. Consumer-generated media can occur in favor of or against a business. Studies show that peer recommendations are the most trusted forms of advertising. When thinking back to everyday life, doesn’t it seem natural to ask a friend or family member to recommend a new restaurant or local pediatrician?

Consumers are now willing to stand up to businesses, which can create brand image problems if not taken care of. There is a David and Goliath syndrome when it comes to consumer-generated media because one angry customer can post a blog that spreads virally through the Internet, destroying all the positive media already associated with a company. The job of an interactive agency is to search out these detrimental sources of information and offer consumers alternative and informative brand awareness. In the long run, an interactive agency works to slow the shift of power from the mass media to the minimedia.

Countering negative CGM
An interactive agency plays two roles in regulating the effects of consumer-generated media – countering negative consumer-generated media and utilizing positive consumer-generated media. The first action to be taken – countering negative social media – must be viewed realistically. That is, consumer-generated media can never fully be controlled because minimedia itself resists control. With this being understood, an interactive agency must constantly be aware of social media and respond quickly to incidences of negative social media.

An interactive agency must first assess the situation by listening to what the consumer is saying in their complaint. Listening includes understanding where the consumer is coming from, cataloging where the brand of interest is mentioned, and assessing the current situation quantitatively and qualitatively so that a creative strategy can be created. An interactive agency can also monitor social media created by news and competitor sites. By carefully assessing the current situation, an interactive agency can create a detailed plan to counter negative consumer-generated media by means of the interactive agency itself or by employing the use of consumers to positively generated media

By itself, an interactive agency can take such measures as improving search engine optimization by making a company’s Web site appear higher in search engines than sites that deface the company, but much of the action taken to counter negative consumer-generated media lies in creating counter media, or positive consumer-generated media.

Utilizing positive CGM
Just as consumers can voice their negative opinions about products and services over the Web, positive opinions can also be virally spread. The vast power of the Internet lies in its intricate connections and viral nature. Think of this as a domino effect over the Internet. This power can be harnessed to create either type of social media, so an interactive agency can be just as powerful as an irate consumer in spreading their message.

The second part of regulating consumer-generated media is utilizing positive consumer-generated media. An interactive agency can do this through broadcasting a positive message throughout the Internet, blogosphere and social media networks and leveraging viral marketing to create buzz about a product or service. By utilizing the types of social media that consumer most trust, like blogs and forums, an interactive agency can create positive social media that consumers trust and respect.