US and Europe

I recently had breakfast with an amateur-turned-professional blogger here in Germany. He is now part of the Mercedes editorial team, tasked with following Mercedes-Benz’ SLS AMG from launch to road and beyond. First of all, it is a great blog and I think you need to check it out – SLS AMG Reporter. As I spoke with him, he said something that was a great reminder about one of the keys to successful blogging – authenticity. We who blog pick topics that truly interest us. We write because we are passionate and that is in part what we write compelling and even credible. My goal is to keep it real. Blog about things that truly interest me and I hope it will interest you.

My conversation also made me think about social media adoption here in Germany. Of course social media is hot here like it is everywhere else. Many companies are looking for people to manage their social media strategies. Digital PR agencies are popping up and traditional PR agencies are creating social media practices to compliment the usual PR practices. However, I still feel adoption lagging far behind what one sees in English-speaking countries.  Corporate social media strategies lack the sophistication that many companies have developed in North America and the UK to address customer service, increase brand loyalty and promote thought leadership. However, there is a growing number of companies tapping into the power of social media in Germany. For example, in recent months I have seen the o2 Crew campaigns on Facebook. This was sponsored by mega-telco o2, starting with a campaign for the MTV music awards in Berlin. o2 invited people to follow them on Facebook and to recruit “crews” composed of as many friends and acquaintances as they could find to join. The biggest crews won tickets to the concert. It appears to have been a success for o2 because they are carrying on with additional campaigns. The car manufacturers are catching on to this too, as evidenced by the example I gave previously. I also know that Forrester has praised BMW for its social media savvy. Even with all of these examples, I am still left with a hollow social media vibe in Germany. I am waiting for the day where I will see invitations in German enticing me to follow a company on Facebook or Twitter. I am still waiting for the day when I do not almost immediately become the Foursquare mayor of various places I visit – except for HH Hbf – I cannot seem to oust the mayor there !  I guess until social media becomes more ubiquitous in Germany,  I can enjoy Foursquare political domination.