Goofus & Gallant: Car Blogs

GM and Mazda offer us some pretty obvious examples of what you should and should NOT do when creating a corporate blog.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its smallblock engine, GM created the Smallblock blog. What better way to leverage 50 years of heritage while positioning GM as a forward-thinking company? GM gets the Gallant.

Since the Mazda site is down and the topic has been covered thoroughly, I won’t review this Goofus. The bogus blog creators know who they are and what they did (he notes with crossed arms, shaking his head in parent-like disapproval).

Comments

[Joe]

Do you think their sole reason for creating the blog was for advertising only?

[Kevin Dugan]

Joe: Not at all, which is why it is getting great reviews.

In a PR Week article, the GM team noted they were looking to get into a dialogue around the product specifics - more steak than sizzle.

I think that is key to any well-read blog.

[jennifer]

People that think they know the full potential of blogs probably don't... the people that do, read this and smile.

[anita]

my consumer research firm is seeking auto/car bloggers to attend a focus group sponsered by an auto manufacturer.. in the nj/ny area(8/9/05 9am) & la area(8/10/05 6pm)attendees will recieve $125-$175 for 2-3 hrs. of their time giving opinions insight.for details call anita 800-695-4794.referrals accepted & appreciated!!!many thanks.

[Dave]

The reason I created my blog was to help people have more fun with my site, instead of all business, it give the people visiting my site a reason to come back, both of my main sites feature their blogs.


You have to give people a reason to return to your site, other then just business advertising, if you alow people to interact with your site, it makes the whole experience more fun for the visitor.


If a person feels like their a part of your site, or they have a say so, no matter how limited it gives them a reason to return, and a blog let's readers comment on your articles and let their opinion be heard.