Scott Monty, head of social media at Ford Motor Company is usually the exception to the rule. Today is no different as he's the first person to run past the "45" initial goal I set for the Experts in the Industry series. But Scott should be okay with that because he rarely plays by the rules (right Scott?).I've known Scott for close to two years now and I can honestly say, he's not only a great friend but a true inspiration for the rest of the business world, showing us how a Fortune10 company is slowly but surely turning the battle ship around by embracing its customers (and prospects). Scott's intitiatives at Ford are too many to count but a few impressive forays have included inviting a number of well-known bloggers to Detroit to test drive some of Ford's latest and greatest, a live Twitter interview with Ford's CEO at CEO and of course, providing the wheels (Ford Escape) for the #iroadtrip with pirates, Colin Browning, Jim Storer, John Johansen and Jeff Cutler.
But before I give Scott too big a head, here are his answer to THE five questions:
How did you get into the world of online community, social media or social marketing?
I've been writing a blog since 2003. So when I was working at a boutiqueB2B advertising & marketing agency, I was reading a lot of marketing blogs. I began hearing about B2C uses of social media and I made it my focus to start investigating how social media could be used for the B2B marketer. I started my blog in 2006 after attending an Ad Club symposium where Dave Balter (BzzAgent), Diane Hessan (Communispace) and Joseph Jaffe spoke. I was hooked.
If you had $10 million to invest in one company and one company only based on their use of “social,” which company would it be and why?
Ford, of course! Because who wouldn't like to have $10 million added to their social mediabudget? Seriously, though - there are already a number of great social media initiatives under way, yet we have a limited budget to work with as a company. While there's a natural tendency to throw stones at large companies for their marketing and communications spending, I've seen a lot of smart initiatives at Ford that I only wish we had more to work with.
Which business leader, politician or public figure do you most respect?
Sorry to be so narrowly focused, but Alan Mulally, the president & CEO of Ford, is one of my heroes. He's an outsider who came to Ford from Boeing; he's pushing the limits of the company to turn it around (without government assistance, I might add); he's a fan of sustainability in transportation; and he has the tenets of social media / community in his blood.
Would you join a toothpaste community? Why?
Smile when you say that. I suppose it depends on why the community was set up. Do I want to be part of a group just to talk about toothpaste with other people? No. But if it were focused on stories that we had to tell or recommendations we could make, perhaps as it related to oral hygeine, then I'd consider it. It would have to add value to my already busy life to really compel me to join.
Freeform – here’s where you can riff on anyone or anything – good or bad. Or just share a pearl of wisdom.
I'm looking forward to connecting with old friends at SXSW - many of whom I met at my first SXSW last year - and meeting new people. I'll be giving rides to people around town in the Ford Flex with TheFordStory.com plastered on the side. Feel free to hop in or send me an @ reply (@FordDriveOne) during the festival. And if anyone wants to pitch me, it'll have to be in the Flex. :-)
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