How deeply should your brand try to connect with me?

Assuming I'm interested, that's a lot like asking how deeply you should try to connect in a personal relationship. Connected marketing is about nothing more than forming and deepening relationships with your customers and prospective customers. So the answer's easy. As deeply as possible. (Which may be more or less deep, depending on the product you're selling).

It's interesting to see how Nivea is trying to create a little bit of blue water between the Nivea brand and the blog that DBM have set up to solicit feedback from people in the UK trying out the Goodbye Cellulite product for the first time.

In one respect, this distance seems well-intentioned. Nivea is trying to make it clear that they're not moderating or controlling any of the content or feedback on the DBM blog. Quite right, too. If you give people the tools to talk back to you, you have to let them bite.

In another respect, though, this distance represents a  lost opportunity. Nivea staff should be contributing to the blog and they should certainly be responding to comments. If you want me to talk to you, you have to make it clear that you're listening and you have to make it clear that you'll respond.

To be clear, I don't mean Nivea should have someone from the marketing department writing copy and trying to be warm and fuzzy with me. Ick! I mean they should find someone who's worked on the product, ideally a scientist who's spent a couple of years in the lab perfecting  it, and have them talk to me honestly and openly about the joys and -  this bit is important - the agonies of bringing this product to market. 

If you're going to persuade me that your product is worth trying, this is the person who's going to do it. It's also the person I'm going to be most motivated to give feedback to - because they'll care about it and be likely to do something about it. Not because they're paid to. But because they've invested two years of their life in the product and their honor, reputation and self-esteem are all on the line.