...make marketing people very very dull.

Someone I respect very much told me lately that marketing people aren't supposed to be humorous, silly, outlandish, big personalities or any of that. Sure, that has been the conventional wisdom for quite sometime, but that is why I never align myself with anything conventional.

There are a couple of schools of marketing out there. I think certain schools work well with certain products. Traditional marketing and PR will work wonderfully for b2b and some of the standard b2c products (toothpaste, for instance). But c2c? No way. And, in today's brand hijacked economy, personality is as important as product.

In another interview (coming out on the 24th), I told Khalil, my h2g2 interviewer, that who I am and the connections that I make with individuals is a very powerful strategic tool. This is why I'm at every event, taking photos, meeting new people, building and strengthening relationships. Sure, I'm enjoying myself like nuts, but I'm also giving an utterly human (sometimes too human) face to an emerging company.

Think about what Robert Scoble does for Microsoft. I doubt if Robert consults with PR. He is a real person who stumbles and make mistakes, who plasters his life in front of his readers, warts and all, who has become a personality for Microsoft that creates that cushion between the public and the busy CEOs. And even more than that, he airs his criticism of the company to the world.

Tradtionally, you would think that Robert's criticisms would damage the Microsoft brand, however, the exact opposite happens. His voice from inside the organization demonstrates that there are real people working at Microsoft and that they are listening to criticism and working on turning the company around.

I was chatting last night with a brilliant Mac developer from Apple who has a well-read blog. He told me that PR recently shut him down from participating in a podcast about Apple. What was the harm? He is obviously passionate about his work and very customer focused. Would it kill them to let someone speak who isn't part of the official corporate spin?

Of course PR is important. Messaging is vital, especially when a company gets so large. A unified voice works very well in top-level communications and it keeps growing organizations focused. It shows that a company has their shit together.

However, rogue voices are equally important when we are talking to the public. As a company adds more and more levels to their hierachies and more and more complexity to the way decisions are made, it will be these rogue voices that reassure the public that the company cares...or at least people within the companies.

So, let your employees hijack the company message and image, it will (most often) do more good than damage to your 'brand'.

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[photo credit: Uncleweed]