Chief Blogging Officer?

Interesting article in Advertising Age recently about the mainstreaming of corporate blogging [60 of the Fortune 500 have corporate blog(s)] and the rise of the chief blogging officer title. Apparently corporate blogging is so prevalent, its practitioners even have their own association http://www.blogcouncil.org/.

While it’s admirable that companies are starting conversations with their customers, I’m not so sure about having one CBO whose responsibility is the corporate blog. It almost seems too much focus on the tool (blog) itself and too much risk to take on aligning the company’s voice with one person. This might work for certain companies such as GM and Mark Cuban of the Mavericks but it is by no means suitable for every brand.

Instead, perhaps companies should focus on how its overall social media strategy fits in with its brand strategy and how various social media touchpoints can enhance customer engagement with the brand.