I was spending some time catching up on my Fortune Small Business magazines last night, when I came across the following ad for American Express:
The really interesting thing? When was the last time you saw a print ad that actually dedicated a significant amount of space to a NEGATIVE comment from a consumer?
We spend a lot of time talking about how the world of Web 2.0 requires for brands to give up some control over the conversation and develop the necessary thick skin that allows for open and honest dialogue - not all of which will be positive. It's one thing, however, to be ok with folks making negative comments about your brand on Twitter or Facebook - an entirely different thing to actually highlight those comments and present them for the world as an acceptable opposing point of view.
Not only does Amex present the opposing point of view in this ad, it actually gives it equal space to the positive comment AND gives credit to the person and company responsible for the comment. At no point does the ad disparage the negative comment or try to actively rebut it (of course, it is implied that they agree with the other POV).
Then they ask for the reader to check out all the points at goldforbusiness.com and make up his/her own mind. A great example of leveraging the learnings from social media into a more traditional media format. I like the approach. How about you?