The discovery of weblogs as business opportunity

"If you’re not thinking about how to use blogs in your business, you’re missing a big opportunity", writes MarektingProfs.com. Forward-thinking companies are looking at blogs as simple, self-sustaining Web sites and Intranets. For exemple: DaimlerChrysler is using blog intranets at a few of its US plants. Managers employ them to discuss problems and keep a record of their solutions. American Airlines uses blogs as a way to give employees more channels to management. Only 20% of the company’s highly mobile workforce has corporate email, but all can access the blogs. At IBM, more than 500 employees in 30 countries use a blog Intranet to discuss software development projects and business strategies. Exemples of some great commercial blogs:
- Beta-7 is a marketing blog from ESPN and Sega that is supposed to appear to be the blog of a beta tester for ESPN NFL videogame. It has an active following of gamers and includes lots of video clips, some of which are supposedly commercial out-takes and rejects.
- Scene Embassies brands its hip European fashion label by having 18-28-year-old bloggers around the globe spot trends in their cities and blog about them.
- Fast Company Magazine, once considered extremely hip, is trying to regain its image with its blog where writers give their short takes on news and offer personal opinions that are likely to be edited out of the magazine’s articles.
- Art of Speed is a joint venture of Nike and Gawker Media. It showcases 15 filmmaker's interpretations of speed. While it does not have any direct advertising, Nike's signature swoosh symbols appear in various places. The filmmakers are not amateurs - Speed's roster includes a Sundance Film Festival winner, music video directors, animation experts and filmmakers with museum installations. Gawker's other publications, Wonkette, Gizmodo and Defamer, also link to the Art of Speed site. Gawker Media's publisher Nick Denton says: "Weblogs are now significant for those companies and agencies trying to target influencers and the 18-34 demographic. Where else are you going to find this demographic? They're tuning out of network television, they don’t read print, and it's hard to advertise on videogames."