1. Changing Channels: The Rise of the Social
Web & What It Means For Business
Christopher Barger
Director, Social Media, General Motors
@cbarger
University of Tampa
September 22, 2009

2. Agenda
 Why the focus on the social web?
 What’s it really all about?
 One company’s efforts in action
 What you should be thinking about/what you
can do
 Who to watch
 Q&A (both ways, by the way)

3. The Social Web: Pop Culture

4. The social web: global politics

5. The social web: Business

6. The social web: $$$ !

7. Social media is not really about technology
“It's a story about community and
collaboration on a scale never
seen before. It's about the
cosmic compendium of knowledge
Wikipedia and the million-channel
people's network YouTube and the
online metropolis MySpace. It's about
the many wresting power from the
few and helping one another for
nothing and how that will not only
change the world, but also change
the way the world changes.”

8. The new communications paradigm
Mass Media Social Media
Audience Mass Niche
Economics High cost Low cost
Engagement Passive Active
Voice Corporate Individual
Publisher Professional Self-publishing
Authority Corporate Peer
Marketing Sales Relationships
Communications Publisher Enabler

9.  Projections are that more than half of
all U.S. households will have DVRs by
2010.
 "I bought XM radio because I wanted
something that wasn't clogged with
commercials," said Alfred Lupercio of
Chesterfield Township. "But now there
seem to be more and more and I figure
it's not worth the money.“
 As of September 9, 2009, more than
220 million iPods had been sold
worldwide.
A growing backlash

10. The backlash extends to PR, too

11. It’s about trust
 58% believe what a “person
like me” says about a
company or organization
 63% of those 25-34 are “likely
to share opinions and
experiences about companies
they trust or distrust online.”
 78% of those 35-64 are “likely
to trust what they have seen,
read or heard about a
company if someone they
know has already mentioned
it to them.
Source: Edelman Trust Barometer, 2008

12. Consumer vs. Traditional Media
“Professional” vs. “Amateur” – Who’s objective?
“Professional” vs.
“Amateur:” Who’s credible?
“Professional” vs. “Amateur:” Who’s
accurate?

13. The environment has changed
“Influence the Influencers”

14. GM Social Media Team: Philosophy
The GM Social Media team is responsible for reaching
new audiences, bloggers and other key influencers that
live in the online world. We continue to educate
communications and marketing colleagues throughout
the globe on the importance of social media, how to
embrace it, and how to engage in conversations that are
taking place online.
GM’s approach to Social Media
Empower all employees to become active in Social
Media
 Brand vs. Individual balanced approach
 Immerse and disperse

15. GM Social Media: History
 “FastLane” blog launched January 2005
 Gmblogs Flickr photostream launched May 2006
 “FYI” blog launched June 2006
 First official YouTube channel (gmblogs) launched September
2006
 Blogger relations function established early 2007
 Facebook presence established (via group interactions, pages,
widgets) July 2007
 Twitter (@gmblogs) established January 2008
 iPhone application: GM Mobile News launched January 2009

16. Social Media Engagement (June 1-5)
 Created extended Social Media team to engage GM Communications team
to support communication efforts
– Represented at least one member from Brands, Regions,
Manufacturing, Marketing, Product Planning, Technology, Finance,
Corporate, Policy and Design
 Live “Tweeting” from GM Communications team during executive broadcast
interviews, sales call, press conferences and congressional hearings
 Rapid Response engagement via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and
influential blogs
 Fastlane posts from Fritz Henderson
 Live chats with Ray Young (Twitter) and Fritz Henderson (Fastlane)
 NPR Planet Money Podcast with Ray Young
 gmreinvention.com was built to include social network sharing tools

17. Results
Making use of the @GMBlogs Twitter account, members of the social media team
responded to more than 1,000 questions, comments and concerns that week.
The team also live-Tweeted press conferences and media calls that would have
been otherwise unheard by the Twitter community.
Ability to clarify rumors and hearsay before on-line “forest fires” spread
Communication employees on twitter collectively have more than 30,000 followers.
Overall, the community was impressed with GM’s use of Twitter to communicate
news during a corporate communications crisis. Several local news outlets
published the GM Twitter badge on their own web sites during the announcements.
Notable comments:
o Live from New York! It's our bankruptcy proceedings twitter feed! GM breaks
new territory into corporate lifecasting with @GMBlogs -@JonnyWon
o @GMblogs is on fire today. Not a plug, but in the olden days, a company
would be hiding in cave on a day like 2day -@APAutoWriter

18. Hands on Engagement
 Product and Technology showcase: Consumer Day
1
– Invited 100 consumers, influencers and bloggers to
experience GM “Hands On”
– Trip included exclusive tour of GM Design showcasing
forthcoming products and concepts, PPO build shop to
witness Chevy Volt production, full product ride and drive
at Milford Proving Grounds and TweetUp
– Guests were encouraged to share their experience
throughout the program
• @GMBlogs RT’ed comments, photos and links to guest’s blogs
• Posted comments to personal and corporate Facebook pages
• Created photostream feed to share photos taken throughout the
tour

19. “After this event it is safe to say, I can say I
feel GM has a real future and great product
in the pipeline” – Joelfeder.com
“Lo and behold, GM has jumped into the
ring with a new project called The Lab and
it seems to be a solid first step in engaging
designer and customer in a productive,
conversational way. This marks a turning
point in the use of social media as a truly
two-way street into and out of automotive
companies outside of the PR department” –
Downsideupdesign.com
@Stephanieclick There are not enough
good things to say about yesterday's event.
So grateful that I was invited. Trying to
process all that I saw!
Hands on Engagement

20. “Michaelbanovsky: Sweet! #GM
actually listened for once! Now I
know I talked to #fritz about the
#G8… http://tr.im/wHpq”
Nsap: is impressed GM is listening
when it comes to product...good for
them! Keep it up!! @gmblogs
@bpgjim @cbarger”
Listening to consumers

21. Portfolio Event Results: Product
 “It's also clear that GM spent a lot of time and care designing the interior of the
Enclave… Fit and finish are light years ahead of past GM vehicles.”
 The new [Cadillac] CTS is probably the best conceived and executed GM
product that I have ever had the privilege of experiencing… The first
generation CTS started to change minds, this second generation model is
going to win hearts.”
 “Search... I mean, search, for another automotive blog where a young import-
loving guy posts twice in one afternoon; consecutively; where the titles both
feature the name Buick… And we ain't joking around. Nor does the joke start
at the next sentence: The Enclave is good.
 “While GM cars are unmistakably American, it turns out that the meaning of
that word is changing. I noticed a maturing and a refinement of design that
(while a little slow in coming), feels like a breath of fresh air. GM certainly
needs some of that these days.”

22. Effect of outreach on brand reputation
 “Kudos to you General Motors, for realizing and respecting the reach of the
Internet and the influence of women in the blogosphere.”
 “This is what really impressed me - here we were with all of these major
executives from this huge automotive company, and yet they were sitting there
talking to us, interested in what we had to say, asking us what we thought of
the cars, what we thought of the whole trip - everyone was friendly and
approachable. It tells me that GM really cares about what people think about
their cars, and I like that.”
 “In the end I was impressed with [Chevy’s general manager]’s willingness to
come meet with us bloggers… the fact that he was there and listening counted
for a lot. I didn't agree with every answer, but I was glad to have the
opportunity to ask the questions.”
 “The best part was the realization GM has come to: the internet matters,
bloggers matter, and they're representative of the marketplace. We were
listened to and taken seriously. We were asked questions, too!”

23. Effects of outreach on GM Brand Reputation
 “First, credit where credit’s due: GM is one of the
few major public corporations (and the first I’ve
seen in the auto industry) to realize that social
media, and the blogosphere in particular, doesn’t
take kindly to being treated like any old marketing
mechanism. On-message spin doesn’t work online
because bloggers are people who take pride in
peering through the fog, and distilling information
for their readers… They managed to hire people
who realize that success in the blogosphere is
about having an honest conversation, good or bad,
and that admitting mistakes builds trust with
consumers.”

24. Manic Mommies Escape Weekend Results
 Before the Escape, would you have considered
purchasing a GM vehicle?
– YES: 34.6%
– NO: 65.4%
 Has your perception of GM changed since the Escape:
– YES: 73.1%
– NO: 26.9%
 3. Would you now consider purchasing a GM vehicle?
– Yes 92.3%
– No 7.7%
24

25. The bottom line
Relevancy in the social web is earned, not bought
We now work in a trust economy
Businesses and organizations no longer
automatically relevant; peers are
To be effective, you must broaden your scope,
your audiences, and your mind

26. The bottom line: Get ready
 If you’re not out there, get out there
 Shift your focus to engagement, not numbers
 Avoid “gurus”
 Recognize that ROI is indirect
 No such thing as “creating viral”
 Don’t overfocus on the tools or technology; remember that
people and trust are the core
 Be strategic; don’t just create media to be “out there”
 Would you read/listen/watch/care if you didn’t work here?

27. Where Can you find us?
http://facebook.com/generalmotors
http://facebook.com/chevrolet
http://facebook.com/chevycamaro
http://facebook.com/chevyvolt
http://facebook.com/cadillac
http://facebook.com/buick
http://facebook.com/GMC
http://facebook.com/OnStar
http://www.fastlane.gmblogs.com
http://thelab.gmblogs.com
http://www.fyi.gmblogs.com
http://www.cadillac.gmblogs.com
www.onstarconnections.com
www.chevroletvoltage.co
m
http://gmreinvention.com
http://www.facesofGM.com
www.youtube.com/gmblogs
www.youtube.com/chevroletvehicles
www.youtube.com/mycadillacstory
www.youtube.com/buickvehicles
www.youtube.com/igotshotgun
www.youtube.com/gmcertifiedused
@gmblogs
@cbarger
@maryhenige
@wendyrclark
@connieburke
@annalisabluhm
@nuriabaldello