Sliced Bread

What We Can Do is About What We Care to Know

In talking to a friend and former colleague just today, he was sharing details about his new gig and considering it an opportunity to better shape PR for clients. "Press releases were the default and we all know that isn't the answer." He was excited about the opportunity to really make out-of-the-box ideas happen to get results...outside of the 'here's a new story idea for you to consider.'

Don't we all.

But when we're in the PR house - we're most often forced to play by the house rules - driving coverage. It's a struggle to get out from under it but depending on the end goal, many times, it's so much more effective to go with the alternative (albeit uncomfortable) option.

Sometimes what we need, or need to share, is a swift kick to get us in gear. Like this deck Mashable just (re)released - What the F**k is Social Media: One Year Later.

Especially in light of news today of ESPN limiting the use of social media. -- For which the list of criticisms continues to grow. -- As well as the U.S. Marine Corps' similar, newly adopted restriction. (The information exposure part I get, but for letting loved ones reach out and simply for recruiting policies - maybe they ought to develop a usage policy instead of banning all use.) This ought to be seen by all companies with sense to evolve in changing times* to continue growing business.

What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later

View more documents from Marta Kagan.

Fact that stands out most because it's true to me: Visiting social sites is now the 4th most popular online activity -- ahead of personal e-mail.

*As in, how all business is and always has been an adaptation of a company's environment - 'changing times' can and should not be exclusive to what is proving-to-no-longer-be-contained-by-the-definition-of-phenomenon of social media.

Online Consumption Must Change Measurement

Reading an article from the NYT, I'm fascinated by how much I don't know about Web ad strategies and what works versus what doesn't.

"Although the recession has slowed its growth, nearly $25 billion will be spent on Web advertising this year." Quite a chunk of change.

As media consuming habits continue to shift, so does the impact certain ad models have on those supposedly watching. Recognizing the potential damage of an ineffective strategy, Walt Disney Company now is placing a heavy new emphasis on advertising research. While focus groups allow us to understand consumer preferences based on what subjects tell us, this approach examines the scientific evidence behind receptiveness to various ad models.

Can't say what my heart rate was, or my skin temperature, but will say one example from Sprint struck out in my book, despite the suck-me-in 60 sec. regular spots. (At any given moment, are 2 billion people really texting about diapers during a business meeting?)

Though just last week, while catching a missed fav summer program episode online, I was put off by the Sprint ad that occupied the preroll space during each break - encouraging me to 'click here' to return to my programming. I think we all know better.

Also fascinating, a recent AdAge piece begging the question, 'how do we right the wrongs of measurement and still figure ROI?' Clicks don't necessarily measure effeciveness of an online ad. Of course they don't! Because a click through doesn't directly point to consumer buys. Same goes for PR - number of impressions was long the easiest way to measure to show value.

While most, if not all PR prof's, have realized that changed some time ago, too many are still applying the same theory to the evolving strategies for clients through digital communications. 'If my client is on Twitter, how do I show return on the initiative? How do I link my client's comments to their e-commerce site so blog readers will buy the product.' You're missing it folks. Clients want to drive sales but while it's the ultimate business goal we need to consider while forming our strategies, we can't structure them in a way for sales to be the immediate result and still expect consumer take-up. It's the conversations that matter.

Compare it to the concern of, 'if I don't see what I get out of corporate social responsibility, how is it worth my time.' It's feel-good relationship-building with your target consumer base - those people who care about the company getting behind the greater good.

What's the secret to getting clients to start actually trusting their agencies, (at least those that get it) that these online activities spark conversation that does eventually leads to action.  While not necessarily immediate, or direct, it is effective if it's done right. Sure it's hard to trust without the numbers to show return. So hasn't it got to be about a change in measurement model - showing the big picture over the long-term to demonstrate real results?

Flutter is Faster

I bet Project Underwear is an interesting place to work...

Tweet It Like You Mean It

After recently reading Mullen head creative honcho @edwardboches' post about why CEOs should get on Twitter, this morning I spotted an @link plug in a company's executive announcement and upon checking it out, I started thinking even more than I have been about Twitter as a 'tool.'

Conflict.

My daytime-description requires me to consider how it and other online applications can serve as 'tools' while my non-9-to-5 mind sees it simply as an activity to connect.

Merge. It's both.

True - there are marketing folks out there tweeting for their clients...the must-jump-on-the-bandwagon-regardless-of-how-it's-accomplished method versus the do-it-because-it-fits method. Hint: the second will, (and has proven to) be more valuable in the long run, which seems to be something most of us in the industry have realized by now. For some though, it's not so black and white. There are many, in this case, several of those we counsel, who are still trying to find their online comfort level so we in turn find ourselves on a sliding scale of how to help them be there and feel OK about it.

Getting executives online is smart, but the answer for we whose job it is to encourage is not in how to fake it. If you, Mr. CEO, are thinking about starting a personal Twitter account, use it to be yourself. No one minds a little brand building - it's necessary - but we like it better if it's honest. Reminder, that the first rule in having an online presence is transparency. If it's a clearly corporate account, personalize it, it's more genuine when you do. But so long as your actual face has replaced the o_O standard, and your actual name, (or a version of it) has been @-ified, please, just be real.

It isn't something that should be forced, yet we're starting to see an attempt to do so. The case of the scripted 140 characters. The line here has been blurred for a long time. If ghost writing isn't on the up-and-up, why does PR draft contributed content and simply place an executive's name on the author line? Definitely not a rare occurrence, so technically, isn't 'ghost-tweeting' the same idea? -- Let's recall for a moment, the upset caused by the blogging fiasco involving a well-known PR firm and its giant retail client...

Perhaps here lays the line with companies -- in traditional methods, it didn't much matter who the content was coming from, so long as it appeared credible. Readers only wanted the information. Now, online, they want the information and a touch point, and many cases the relevancy of the information doesn't matter as much as what it means to them. Being able to connect directly to that other person in a real way - be it a friend, colleague or corporate executive.

We've learned it's necessary to understand how best to speak/write in our executive's voice in traditional practices - in theory, one could modify this to blog or microblog using another's voice...except it's so much easier to see through. When an executive has recently appeared on Twitter, does anyone actually believe they immediately understand the jargon, have 100 followers, host Tweetups, etc.? It's a learning experience. Any true #newbie I know is still learning after only 5 updates, despite how much they've heard or read about the Twitter culture - they've got to feel it out for awhile.

Reiterate. Use Twitter because you want to, and then tweet it like you mean it. Don't worry if you look or feel a little silly at first, lost even, it comes with the territory of trying something new.

Digg, Hobos and Jimmy Fallon

Twitter is some kind of wonderful - it surprises me a little every day.

Maybe not through Twitter, more than a few have likely experienced some form of Social Media Wow! (Sort of like ShamWow but a lot less water-friendly.) Good or bad. Be it in the form of a heavy sigh - like when that random person finds you on Facebook and you realize it isn’t a stranger but that kid from back in high school who had the locker next to yours and would listen in on your conversations with friends between classes but would always avoid eye contact, (go figure they now want to see where you live, look at your pictures and watch for your status updates to feel a part of your life without actually being in it…at least beyond the quick click of the +Add as a Friend button.)

Or something more along the lines of, ‘is this really happening!?’ - being when a colleague of mine lost his mobile on the train only to find it online...via the girl who found it at the stop after his and thought to find him on Facebook to return it.

David Prager has a story about it today too. He woke up yesterday morning and absolutely felt the power his @ identity had, like never before. Earlier this week, the Revision3 co-founder and Diggnation contributor was working into the early hours of the morning when he was interrupted by a homeless man entering his San Francisco apartment. @dlprager’s reaction? - Tweet about it. Line by line, he shared the thoroughly odd encounter with his thousands of Twitter followers. Some of those still awake expressed confusion and concern about David using Twitter instead of contacting the police – he responded not by calling for help but instead, by turning on his Webcam to live-stream the action.

Some argue that his encounter was just a viral stunt to plug Diggnation’s Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose (Digg founder)’s appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon that next day. Either way – millions are now talking about it - who before today, probably didn’t know David Prager, or much about Revision3, not to mention @jimmyfallon’s nerdy, beer-spilling sit down with Albrecht and Rose.

A legitimate #hobobreakin or not, it’s a prime example of the digital media phenomenon, and the way it’s redefining the flow of information: 1) the lifecycle of ‘news’ is dramatically shorter - from introduction, to buzz, to saturation and quickly, exhaustion; and 2) the reach is exponentially broader and deeper in the spread of any message, from simple and insignificant to actionable and meaningful.

So we see that while uncomfortable and awkward, not all break-ins are necessarily bad – sometimes a person just needs a toilet and a bed. (Although David is likely the only person who’d condone not calling the cops regardless.) Or perhaps we see a lesson in viral marketing – dos and don’ts and maybe how far is too far?

The Mightiest Citizen Engagement

As the day is nearly upon us, this Inauguration will prove to be unlike any other in history. While we have already begun to hear and see, this change in administration will bring about action that should will hopefully take our nation in the right direction - for awhile.

The day he gave his victory speech, Obama took the next step, from several before it, down a newly paved path for all of us. And that's not the only thing that makes tomorrow something to talk about.

For the first time, we'll be engaging in a Presidential Inauguration with means never before used. While it's exciting to simply get to watch the event, we'll now be participating in every way possible. From live blogging, to streaming video, to instant images of the action, to Twitter's by-the-second stream from those not just there but everywhere around the country, and some, the world.

As the crowds begin to gather and anticipation grows, it will be something - to watch, listen and see every perspective from every medium.

Social Media Instruments

Focusing more intently on thinking about social media strategies that work, I came across an interesting point in a relevant posting.   

Instead of referencing social media as a tool, this new media communications professional/blogger poses that we should instead think of it more as an art. Basically, that any monkey can use a ‘tool’ but only talented artists can play an instrument and make it work beautifully -- a strong metaphor when you consider how much noise there already is in the digital media world.

Others have explored the strategy and success of social media campaigns from conception. Too often we see (and some implement) recommendations that adhere to pedestrian (and overused) steps that simply ensure clients are able to jump onto the social media bandwagon: start a blog, join Twitter, create a Facebook group.

First, not strategic. Second, not necessarily does every company benefit by being in the space. It's crucial to consider if the culture of the company is in a condition to take advantage of social media without becoming stagnant or redundant. Sometimes the best question to start with is if the client will find value in it and if not, will education of social media shift that perception?

A past client situation comes to mind: Our team brought up starting a blog - a few times - knowing the company was full of strong, engaging, creative writers with important things to say. But in our client’s opinion, (who was very aware of what was and wasn’t being talked about in her industry) any blog the company contributed would’ve only been static in the industry conversation. Instead of starting a blog just to have one, the company still won’t go there until they’re confident that they have something meaningful to say that will help them stand out in the medium. And we trusted her.

Before recommending any strategy to the client, shouldn't we evaulate the environment that company is entering specific to their industry and determine the best, if any, approach? Yes, unless we want our client to be the next 'worst example' story.

A Tale in Orange

It's refreshing to see creative agencies that actually take a creative approach from every aspect.

zig, a Toronto-based creative agency, has an online presence that speaks volumes about what the team is about. Zagging each visitor through the site in a mad-libs-type style, zig tells its story and shows off its work making each component of the online experience fun but engaging and meaningful.

With smart ideas for clients like IKEA and Best Buy, the Web site isn't zig's only spark.

Virgins & Suicide

Insensitive or ingenious? PRWeek (and everyone else) reports on two recent ad campaigns sparking controversy among consumers, bloggers and the media but are they proving effective in building the brands? Some agree that extreme ideas do rise above the clutter, despite the risk. Others, like a Ruder Finn EVP, says an apology is the right thing in this case.

PepsiMax may have gone a bit far with it's German-run ads, but then again, the message wasn't intended to offend.

After the 'Whopper Freakout' earlier this year, Burger King's agency has, if nothing else, spurred some serious conversation with the Whopper Virgins campaign. What's fascinating is that people are really, really peeved. Step outside the fact that the promotion of fast food is furthering our society's health problems, and the larger criticiscm of the indecency of featuring the indigent, and look purely at the creativity behind the campaign. And it is likely that the Crispin thinkers anticipated this sort of backlash right there in the brainstorm.

We've seen time and again that when it comes to ethics, ad folks tend to play with a different rule book than their PR-counterparts, but I can definitely recognize this campaign for what it is to a creative mind...and that isn't because I'm an 'ignorant American.'

Blogs, Books & Panels Oh My

While I don't have many followers - not to mention none of them are looking to me for insight - but I certainly dig all that is Twitter.

Sure, it took a little time to expand beyond those that live the S-Valley life 24/7, (and their 'followers' slash wanna-bes) but now, wonderfully, I'm finding new uses - not to mention rad info - everyday.

So I wonder, yes you can choose who to follow, and no, I don't recall seeing the fail whale anytime recently, but do those who microblog for the benefit of the masses happen to become annoyed by those who use it as a form of IM? I mean, it is convenient - especially for me, now living 2,000 miles from everyone I used to be able to talk to through walls - but what say the Rubels of the [online] world to the conversational etiquitte of those who use it as a tool to gain info as opposed to spread it?