Recently, a debate has been brewing within Corporate America regarding social media. How active should a corporation with franchise locations be with helping in local social media initiatives?
Using automotive social media as the example, many would say that the manufacturers should avoid working with their dealers in their social media activities as it would taint the local “flare” of a dealership and potentially hamper their efforts. Others would argue that franchise dealers are extensions of the brand and therefore should be not only monitored but controlled to make certain they are putting the best message out in the potentially volatile world of social media.
The best answer (in our opinion) lies somewhere in the middle. It’s not a cop-out answer, either. There’s no diplomacy involved here. It’s just a simple statement (of our perception) of facts.
