Seattle became the opening city for my book tour a couple years ago.

When I spoke to one of Microsoft’s small but numerous ad agencies, I sensed a mood amongst the Microsoft people in attendance…slight melancholy.

One mantra I put forth is the concept of being less corporate and being more personal.

Microsoft has a reputation of being ultra-corporate, male-centric, and arrogant.

In 2005, not much stood in the way of eroding that perception.

But today I read and article about Channel 9 in Wired and the tide may be shifting.

Channel 9 is a Microsoft-owned video blog site interviewing Msoft employees, and letting it all hang out. Good, bad, sometimes ugly.

Not so surprising say you? Oh no…in the world of corporate PR, nobody gets to speak to the media (in this case BE the media) without having a leash on you and multiple approvals to very high levels.

Very surprising.

On Channel 9, what’s going on is exactly what I tell many clients and many audiences: be more personal and be less corporate. Why, because Americans don’t rust corporations anymore.

We can thank Tyco, Enron, MCI, Adelphia, Vioxx, etc for lying to America, the FDA, and the SEC.

Today, we trust people more than we trust corporations. Today we trust Bob, the consultant from IBM who works in your office, far more than we trust IBM itself.

Today we trust people, not corporations.

Now here is the quiz for you:

If you understand this…you as a marketer, PR person, and leader does what?

Answer: you do exactly what Channel 9 is doing for Microsoft…humanizing the brand. Showing that it can be rough around the edges. Showing it has faults just like we all do. Because when we claim a company is perfect–consumers know better.

Be less corporate, be more personal. Showcase your people (real people) without slick video editing–and you will begin to gain the trust of your consumer base.

What else indicates that Msoft might be going through some effective therapy?

Reed Hastings just joined the Board of Directors. Young, fresh, rogue, not full of himself. One who understands how to grow organically. One who understands that word-of-mouth and word on the street about your company can have real impact.

There’s still a long way to go. Keep going Microsoft…but it’s good to see you making the first steps.

Mark Hughes is a marketing speaker, consultant, and author of the book Buzzmarketing: Get People to Talk About Your Stuff.

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