Hiring one person, who's competent in an area, to own a project is much safer and cost-effective than to let any random employee act as the face of the company. I'd bet that in any given company, the majority of employees would not be able to stay on message when dealing with potential clients. Let people do what they're good at: even @comcastcares is one guy. - Mark Trapp

Staying on message is the job of the point people mentioned in the post, as well as establishing ground rules. Awareness and accessibility, bringing in personal touches, that's where your employees can help you. Also, brand presence and company perception is so much more than just a "project" you can discard - you need people already invested in the company thought process much more than hiring a stranger who has to learn the ropes, and at what cost to the company? - Leslie Poston