SaabsUnited.com

An article appeared in a Swedish computer magazine in the last few days, talking about Saab’s increased efforts in cyberspace, particularly with regard to social media.
The publication is called IDG.se and the article appears here.
The following are some Googletrans snippets:
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When the recent crisis was at its worst, Saab responded to the negative press with openness instead of silence. In just six months, Saab has established itself through Facebook, Twitter and Youtube and they have reached people they have never had contact with before.
A turbulent year for Saab Automobile has put enormous demands on management. There were national headlines in the media and negative rumors that the company suddenly faced a crossroads.
- We had two choices: to refuse to say anything and ignore all the negative press and to dare to take the step to become more transparent. We made a conscious choice to become more open and focus on brand building” says Johan Grundin, director of interactive marketing at Saab.
It was the start of Saab’s commitment to social media…….

They go on to speak about the presence that’s been built up, particularly with the Saab Newsroom.
Then there’s a little bit about the future:

The next big step will be to get to grips with what is said on the Web and do their own material on it.
- When the magazine Auto Motor Sport, for example, do an in-depth story on the new Saab 9-5, we can follow up the story on our website by, for example, video interviews with the developers behind the product. We will work much more quickly to pick up current issues and make our own materials based on it,” he says.
He stresses the importance of the business running quickly and not missing any chances when it comes to social media…..
….The only risk he sees is not having enough resources to be involved enough in the channels.

This is really good news and whilst I haven’t written about it for a while, those of you who go back to the Trollhattan Saab days of this website might recall that I’ve encouraged this for a long time.
There is so much of the Saab story that hasn’t been told and one of the things that’s a great hook for people is an interesting history. I know it hooked me in.
I’m very encouraged to hear that Saab are taking this medium, and the possibility of interacting more with their customers, so seriously. It really does have massive possibilities for building interest and loyalty.
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I guess the big question now is…..
How do you find contact with Saab is working out? Do you frequent the various outlets they use, such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, the Newsroom? Is there anything happening with the Widget?
What do you use most and how do you find it works for you?
I’m sure there are several sets of eyes in Trollhattan who’d like to know.
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Thanks to Hampus the young bloke!