Citigroup (NYSE: C) Chief Executive Vikram Pandit has begun writing blog posts for a new website that the troubled-bank has launched in an attempt to acquire better media coverage.
The blog, called “New.Citi.Com” hopes to share with the public how Citigroup is internally reforming itself. So far, the blog has commented on a wide variety of subjects including new regulations such as those in the Credit CARD Act, how the company plans to help troubled homeowners and disaster relief operations in Haiti,
Pandit is not the only author on the blog, but an article from him entitled “How Citi is Changing” is currently the top article on the website. In his blog post, Pandit says that the blog is a “a new way for us to share ideas and create dialogue on all sorts of topics ranging from the global economy to personal finance, from microfinance to mobile technology.” Pandit commented that Citigroup’s expertise from its global operations gives the company a wide variety of perspectives and will hope to “encourage lots of discussion, ideas and debate.”
Although the message appears sincere on the website, Citi’s new blog will be seen by many as just another marketing tool for the company. Messages are typically published on blogs for large corporations are generally heavily reviewed and more often than not reflect the white-washed opinions of a company’s public relations team than the true unvarnished thoughts of the company’s CEO.
“We welcome your feedback and comments. We promise we’re listening,” wrote Pandit.
