GM Loves Criticism

So GM have set up a user-powered campaign to publicise their latest Chevy SUV and - guess what - a few people have used the platform to point out the (shock news) that SUV's aren't very environmentally friendly.  The reaction to this situation really gets to the heart of participation.  Some people say it's not really user-powered, others say GM has shot itself in the foot, some feel that the company should just take down the offending ads, others think that the company looks better for being open, maybe it's those subversives again, while others believe that heads must roll.  Mmmm, that sounds like a range of opinion being expressed openly with some agreeing and others not.  A debate that creates its own momentum and begins a lively chat about a not very interesting product.  A discussion which will leave some people in the Chevy camp and others outside.  GM's reaction?  "There are many different opinions and many different people, and we recognize that".  In the workshops we run, fear of criticism is one of the biggies...

...and is always provocative.  It normally presents itself as the perfectly reasonable concern that if a company creates an open channel it will leave itself open to criticism - which might make it look bad in the eyes of its customers.

But these days criticism comes in shades of grey.  Is it all bad?  Is it valid?  Is it surprising?  Is it *whisper it* true?  Is it untrue?  Is it actually not really criticism at all - but suggestions about the way to improve products.  Hasn't there always been criticism?  Is it something that loyal customers already know - and possibly like?  Is it people talking about your product?  Isn't that good?  Or did you want them to just talk about the good stuff?  After all don't all SUV owners already know that their cars aren't very environmentally-friendly every time they visit a garage?

GM know that in today's world media is distributed and information is free to roam the globe.  And you know what they say, if you can't command-and-control 'em....