I saw this quote on LinkedIn.

“A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is — it is what consumers tell each other it is.” — Scott Cook

As with most things related to social media, that strikes me as a bit of an exaggeration.

Consumers certainly have a much larger role in defining a brand’s image, but is it fair to say the brand is “no longer” what the company says it is?

Some brands are the frequent topic of social media conversations. The NFL, for example. But others … not so much. When was the last time you heard somebody tweet or blog or post on Facebook about Dial soap?

So right off the bat I think we need to make a distinction between brands that are in the public eye and brands that aren’t. Although … that doesn’t mean those brands are safe from the influence of social media.

Social media has introduced another factor, which is the random freak-out. Even those brands that aren’t likely to be discussed can quickly become the focus of social media outrage — if somebody in the company shoots the wrong lion or says something that causes a stir. That is a new liability that social media brings to the table and every brand has to worry about it.

Also, “social media” isn’t just Twitter and Facebook and such. Brands are also affected by what’s said in online reviews and on recommendation sites. Many people look up a product before they buy to see what other folk say about it.
I have a feeling that’s more product- than brand-specific, but reviews do affect a brand’s reputation.

Still, even in an age where people live in their smart phones and walk into traffic with their faces glued to their screens, not everybody checks a brand’s reputation online before they buy. They see the commercials, they hear the jingles, and they want to be like the beautiful people who use that brand. Companies still spend an enormous amount of money telling people how to think about their brand. And there’s a reason for that.

The truth is that we buy so many things it’s almost impossible for us to look up everything before we purchase. In those cases — and I would say, in the majority of cases — we’re relying on what the company told us, through packaging or advertising.

Also, I hope that most people would trust their mechanic’s view of a car more than the opinions of the hoi polloi.

We need to recognize the power and influence of social media, but let’s not get carried away. For many brands, public perception really is what the company tells them about the brand.