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Between checking Marketwatch.com and commiserating with colleagues, it’s safe to say there wasn’t a lot of work getting done this week. Nervous investors flocked to the Web for some sign that the turmoil in the financial markets would soon die down.<\/p>\n
With so much attention riveted on the future of the economy, this seems an ideal time for corporations to use their blogs to provide guidance and reassurance, or at least perspective, on the Wall Street meltdown. However, a quick tour of 15 prominent sites demonstrated that they were doing anything but that. Here’s a sampling:<\/p>\n
Kodak<\/strong>‘s Thousand Words<\/a> blog posted photos of Northern California scenery and humpback whales off the coast of New England.<\/p>\n Accenture <\/strong>has a perfectly aligned blog about Accelerating High-Performance Business<\/a>.\u00a0 It hasn’t been updated since early July.\u00a0 There’s also an Accenture blog devoted to advice from experienced consultants.\u00a0 That one hasn’t been updated in two months.<\/p>\n BenettonTalk<\/a><\/strong> took on the topic with its characteristic directness and left-wing advocacy.\u00a0 It pointed to several articles from people who want to revamp the US financial, transportation and participative government systems.<\/p>\n Boeing<\/strong> is tied up with a strike, so it can perhaps be excused for not addressing bigger economic issues.\u00a0 Randy’s Journal<\/a> hasn’t.<\/p>\n Wal-Mart<\/strong>, which is one of the most important companies in America, posted two entries<\/a> since the crisis began.\u00a0 One was about its campaign to reduce plastic bag waste and the other clarified its strategy on digital rights management. I suppose that’s more important that the economy in some parallel universe.<\/p>\n Factory activity hit its lowest level in seven years last month. With that as a backdrop, Chrysler<\/strong> chose to devote space to test-driving the Dodge Challenger<\/a> and a new model of its gas-guzzling RAM 1500 truck. It also posted a video of Chairman Bob Nardelli talking about electrical prototypes.\u00a0 We can assume everything is just great at Chrysler.<\/p>\n As the Dow fell 777 points on Monday, Delta Airlines<\/strong> posted an item about its sponsorship of the World Business Forum<\/a> in New York City.\u00a0 Describing an event that covered “leadership, innovation, the intersection of politics and business, and the challenge of change,” the blog doesn’t say one word about a mounting financial crisis that touches on all those areas.<\/p>\n Give General Motors<\/strong> credit for trying to be topical.\u00a0 Its September 29 entry presented Chairman Rick Wagoner making a case for government loans to automakers<\/a> to meet more stringent fuel economy standards.\u00a0 At least that’s newsworthy.<\/p>\n Johnson & Johnson<\/strong> talked about a visit to BlogWorld<\/a> and a dinner honoring two esteemed scientists.<\/p>\n Bill Marriott<\/strong>, who is one of the few CEOs who blogs, commented proudly on Marriott’s selection to a list of best places to launch a career<\/a> and more soberly on a hotel bombing in Pakistan.\u00a0 Not a word about the outlook for the travel sector.<\/p>\n PriceWaterhouseCoopers<\/strong> has an article by David Phillips about the shortcomings of regulatory reports<\/a>.\u00a0 Of all the corporate blogs I checked, this was the only one that addressed the market turmoil directly.<\/p>\n Sony<\/strong> wrote about a charity it supports<\/a> and the long-term viability of the Blu-Ray disc format.<\/p>\n Southwest Airlines<\/strong> talked about a new approach to speeding up lines<\/a> at airport security and also a pilot’s experience during a particularly rough landing in Austin.\u00a0 In 13 entries since September 17, there is only one passing reference to “the current mess on Wall Street.”<\/p>\n Toyota<\/strong> was happy to report that 48% of Lexus owners are repeat customers<\/a>.\u00a0 It also boasted about two new crossover vehicles as well as its ongoing work on hybrids.\u00a0 I guess the US economic crisis is a domestic matter.<\/p>\n Wells Fargo<\/strong> says its Guided by History<\/a> blog “allows our archivists and historians to provide a rich online experience that bridges events in the past and with an outlook on the future.” You’d think this would be a great time to look at past economic meltdowns for context the current turmoil. You would be wrong. Instead, the entry posted the day after the Dow’s record drop is a travel video.<\/p>\n My point isn’t to ridicule these companies as much as it is to demonstrate how far we still have to go in achieving the culture of openness that new media enables.\u00a0 Here was an opportunity for some of America’s most respected corporations to offer guidance and thought leadership to frightened consumers.\u00a0 Instead, most have chosen to serve up the same old happy-talk mush they’ve delivered for years.\u00a0 That’s their right, but that isn’t leadership.<\/p>\n These are historic times that offer businesses the chance to break through the noise and do something daring and different. So far, corporate America has fumbled the opportunity. Perhaps, as the economic picture becomes clearer, some will start talking with their customers instead of marketing at them. That would be a welcome development. I’ll keep an eye out for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Between checking Marketwatch.com and commiserating with colleagues, it’s safe to say there wasn’t a lot of work getting done this week. Nervous investors flocked to the Web for some sign that the turmoil in the financial markets would soon die … Continue reading