Jul 30 2010

Multicultural marketing ain’t what it used to be

July 30, 2010 – 8:45 am

Photo courtesy of chewonthat blogby Emily Valentine

How would you describe the typical American?

It is becoming harder and harder to do – and this has implications for marketers.

According to research from communications firm GlobalHue, the mixture in the American melting pot is becoming gradually richer and more complex. As cultural lines continue to blur, marketers will find that understanding consumers requires more than a single cultural lens.

Case in point: A recent Bendixen & Amandi poll shows that young Hispanics define being American in their own terms. For many, that means proudly speaking “Spanglish” and straddling two cultures – honoring their Hispanic roots while defending American values and pursuing the American dream.

Trends like these are proof that the old rules of multicultural marketing no longer apply. Today’s marketers need to understand the new cultural landscape and communicate to their target audiences in a way that acknowledges cross-cultural similarities over differences.

So how can marketers acquire a taste for what’s cooking in the new melting pot? Here are a few suggestions:

1)      Expand your familiarity with other cultures

  • When you travel, go out on a limb and try a homestay with a foreign family. Or, if that’s not your cup of tea, take advantage of local tour guides to ask questions about cultural attitudes and norms.
  • Volunteer as a conversation partner for someone new to the U.S. Most universities have language partner programs, and organizations like the International Rescue Committee can pair you with a family or individual acclimating to a new way of life in the states. You’ll be amazed at what you learn as you work to communicate and find common interests with people from varying cultures and ethnicities.
  • Look to your peers for insight. If you have friends from backgrounds different from your own, talk to them about the similarities and differences they perceive among cultural groups.
  • At the very least, make a point to explore other cultures through books, movies and news media. New America Now is a great place to start. Check out its Ethnoblog and poll series.

2)      Leverage social networks for research and experimentation

  • Peruse blogs, Twitter hashtags and Facebook groups targeting specific cultural audiences. Below are just a few examples:
    • Sandip Roy – a blogger and radio show host who frequently covers issues pertaining to Indian-Americans
    • #LATISM – the Twitter hashtag for Latinos in Social Media
    • Cuentame – a Facebook group geared toward Latinos
    • CitySaheli – an online community for the “savvy South Asian woman”
    • The Grio –a video-centric news community covering perspectives that affect the African-American community
  • Social media channels are well-suited for today’s multicultural marketers because they make it easier to adjust or revise strategies and appropriately micro-target within diverse communities.

3)      Embrace culture in your campaigns

  • State Farm took this approach with its BollyStar Competition celebrating India’s Bollywood culture, and Pepsi has had great success with its YoSumo campaign aimed at second- and third-generation youth and young-adult Latinos. See Jessica Faye Carter’s recent post on Mashable for more examples.

4)      Make an effort to connect emotionally with your target audience

  • The NBA is doing this with Énebéa, a website geared toward Hispanic and Latino fans that have a strong emotional connection with Latino NBA players. The site has a special focus on Latino players and included more interviews, online chats, statistics and photo galleries than the general NBA site.
  • If your company is committed and/or involved with the community it’s trying to reach, be sure to highlight related activities so your audience knows you’re genuinely invested in it. Wells Fargo is an example of a company that does this well. See Bill Imada’s recent Ad Age article on the topic.

5)      Always test assumptions in focus groups before incorporating them into your marketing campaign. You won’t know if your messages strike a valid chord with consumers – regardless of their cultural identity – unless you solicit honest, objective feedback.

Studying, observing and interacting with a culture outside your own will enable you to identify and leverage similarities and differences among various consumer segments. And being culturally aware won’t just help you develop a better multicultural marketing campaign, it will also enhance your ability to engage with (and have fun with!) people across the globe.

So grab a spoon and start sipping while the soup is still hot.

Photo courtesy: chewonthat blog

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Emily Valentine | Posted in PR Industry Trends | Tagged | Comments (1)
Jul 29 2010

Twitter Parties and Tweet Chats: What’s All the Talk About?

July 29, 2010 – 7:00 am

Photo courtesy of Leeni!

By Jenn Riggle

Twitter may be all about conversation, but sometimes it seems like companies are just talking to themselves. That’s why more and more, companies are looking to Twitter parties and tweet chats to change this dynamic.

But what’s the difference? At first glance, they look a lot alike. But we all know appearances can be deceiving.

Let’s start with a couple of brief definitions Twitter parties are virtual parties where people get together to discuss a topic of choice. Tweet chats are pre-arranged online conversations on Twitter about a specific topic or issue.

Both events have similarities, besides the fact they both use Twitter because they:

  • Help promote your brand: Both Twitter parties and tweet chats provide forums for people to talk about your brand or a specific issue. In addition, they help organizations increase their number of followers and develop relationships with people who are passionate about a specific topic.
  • Focus on a specific topic: These online conversations focus on a topic or issue that is relevant to your organization and to the community you’re trying to reach.
  • Need the right hashtag: The hashtag ties your tweet chat or Twitter party together. It should reflect the topic and/or organization, be intuitive and ultimately be short. The hashtag can also have a longer life if people use it to mark their tweets about a certain subject. For example, the #HCSM stands for the Healthcare Communications and Social Media tweet chat, which is held on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. Eastern. However, the hashtag is also used to identify tweets about this topic.
  • Require a moderator/host: Both events need a moderator or host to introduce guests “tweeters.” They also play an important role with Twitter parties by keeping the Twitter conversations – and giveaways – flowing.
  • Feature subject matter experts: Both Twitter parties and tweet chats often have a featured expert who talks about a specific issue.
  • Limit product promotion: The focus of these events isn’t just to promote a product, it’s to encourage discussion around a topic. Organizers need to remember they can’t be overly promotional. Instead, they should save product pitches for the last 5 minutes of the conversation.
  • Use the same tools: People who participate in these events can use  TweetChat, TweetGrid or TweetDeck to track the conversation.

 Yet they have differences in the way they:

  • Launch products: Twitter parties provide a better forum to introduce new products or services simply because they are more consumer-focused. However, companies can’t just push their products. Instead, they should create conversations around a related topic.
  • Handle giveaways: While Twitter parties don’t always have coupons, giveaways or prizes, most do. This helps create excitement and a party atmosphere. A good rule of thumb is to have a product or coupon giveaways every 10 minutes of the event.
  • Reach audiences: Marketing is all about positioning and the same is true for Twitter events. Twitter parties are more consumer focused and appeal to the “mommy” crowd, while tweet chats are more business or issue focused. By using the “wrong” name, you may not attract the audience you’re trying to reach.
  • Secure sponsors: Twitter parties typically have sponsors who donate product or coupons for the giveaways. Tweet chats typically don’t.

Which event is right for you?  If you’re trying to reach consumer audiences like moms or college students, host a Twitter party. However, if your goal is to reach business owners or issues-related audiences, hold a tweet chat.

You may also want to check out Lee Odden and Sarah Mae’s tips about how to host a successful tweet chat and Twitter party. And remember: archive the chat so people who missed the event can read it later.

Now you know the rules, let the games begin.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jenn Riggle | Posted in Healthcare | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)
Jul 27 2010

Tips for BP’s New CEO

July 27, 2010 – 9:25 am

By Mike Mulvihill

After a week of speculation, by the time this post is viewed BP will have likely announced that Tony Hayward is headed to Siberia. Fitting that Hayward would be sent to Russia, where he will help manage BP’s joint venture there.  Perhaps the most deviled person in America, Hayward is the guy who after 11 men lost their lives on the Deepwater Horizon rig said, “I’d like my life back.” Who referred to the worst oil spill in history as only a “relatively tiny” amount of oil.  The top exec of BP’s who in the midst of this giant crisis whisked back to England to race his multi-million yacht while Louisiana’s working class fisherman watched their livelihoods wash away.

In his place is the first American to ever run BP – Robert Dudley, a steady-spoken Southerner who’s quietly become the BP face in the Gulf since he took over that role from Hayward in June. Ironically, Dudley, who grew up in Mississippi, is best-known for being CEO of the Russian business TNK-BP, the very same unit where Hayward is being exiled. There, Dudley performed well until he fled the country in a visa dispute that is said to have been a Kremlin-inspired campaign to destabilize BP there and put it under more Russian control.

So what does Dudley need to do to salvage BP’s position in the U.S., which happens to be home to 40 percent of both BP’s assets and its shareholders?  His prospects aren’t promising. As Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said the Gulf will spend years recovering from Hayward’s failed leadership. “The new leaders of BP will have an uphill climb to correct the legacy left by Hayward, indelibly inked by the disaster in the Gulf.” John Hofmeister, former president of Shell Oil, said Dudley’s job is so onerous “I’m not sure if one person can do it all,”

Regardless, here are the things he must try to accomplish:

  • Rally the Troops – The new chief must persuade thousands of employees to embrace a culture of safety that Hayward apparently failed to instill.  BP has one of the worst safety records in the off shore oil industry. The U.S. business has suffered three calamities in the space of five years—a fatal blast at a Texas refinery in 2005, an oil spill in Alaska in 2006 and now the Deepwater Horizon incident. The UK’s Times Online ran a November 2009 story, that “Ruthless cuts by (Hayward) have produced results in higher than expected profits… More than 6,500 jobs have been eliminated and overheads have fallen by a third….Having already cut $3 billion from costs, he predicted that another $1 billion will be eliminated by the year end.” Perhaps it is time to invest in people, in safety and in rebuilding employee confidence in BP.
  • Show Up, Be Human, Be Credible – The first item Dudley has already done by running the Gulf operation since June of this year. Dudley, an engineer by trade but a businessman by profession, recently served in a position some at BP refer to as the Foreign Ambassador. “Bob Dudley is the only senior executive who is totally untainted by any of the problems that have hit BP for the past five years,” says Fadel Gheit, an energy analyst with Oppenheimer & Co.  Untainted though he may be, he’ll need all that diplomatic training and some on-the-ground, face-to-face visibility from the Louisiana up to Capitol Hill to mend fences among BP’s partners in the Gulf and convince the U.S. government and public they can trust it to safely do business here.
  • Assurance and Stability – It is critical that a change in leadership does not signal anny wavering in BP’s commitment to take care of its own mess. If anything, it should signal a more fervent commitment to see this thing through for years to come. People in the Gulf, business partners and local, state and U.S. government need to know BP will stand by its commitments no matter how large they may be.
  • Housecleaning – Several top U.S. executives have been tainted or have soured their relationships with the public and government. Dudley will need to clean house and replace his team with leaders and managers who can cultivate trust with critical stakeholder groups inside and outside of BP.
  • Be Forthright, Compassionate and Honest – Dudley needs to be the anti-Hayward. When he makes a comment or a commitment, he better under promise and over deliver. He needs to connect with the public like they’re his neighbors. He needs to be humble and homespun, not smug, flip and hubristic.
  • Businesslike and Pragmatic – The Gulf wants to get back to work. The oil industry wants to get back to work. And BP shareholders want the company to get back to work.  BP shares have dropped $77 billion in value since the April 20 rig explosion that set off the spill, even with a recent rally. And the stock market will be watching carefully for any sign of financial trouble — or to see if BP won’t resume its dividend — and sudden flight from the stock could erode Dudley’s internal support.

A tall task for one man to take on – but as PR and change management practitioners, it could be one of the most challenging and rewarding gigs of the decade. Hell, if it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger.  Oh, and, buh-bye Tony.

Photo of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester from Aidan McRae Thomson

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Mike Mulvihill | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)
Jul 22 2010

Does Your Company Know Who Its Friends Are?

July 22, 2010 – 7:00 am

By Jenn Riggle

Photo courtesy of Juliana Coutinho

Everyone needs friends – even hospitals.

Joanna Pineda writes in her blog that people need five people they can turn to for advice, support, problem-solving, coaching and networking. In the corporate world, these people are your company’s Board of Directors.

But Boards typically are a bunch of white guys in suits, who have impressive resumes and busy schedules. But do they have the time to get their hands dirty and advance your organization’s goals?

Don’t get me wrong, Boards serve important functions, especially during times of crisis. But they shouldn’t be your only “friends.”

The good news is that there are more people in your corner than you realize. These could be your doctors, nurses, employees and even your patients. And while they may not have the time (or the credentials) to serve on your Board, they can help you perform important functions, such as:

  • Celebrate your success: When something good happens, you want someone to share your happiness. Having the right people as friends can help ensure that people attend your community events. They can also serve as your brand ambassadors and share the good news with the people they know. 
  • Find a few extra dollars: And while no one wants to ask their friends for money, a good friend is always willing to help you out if you need it. The same is true for hospitals. They especially need community support when planning to build a new facility, whether it’s with fundraising or Certificate of Need applications.   
  • Get the lay of the land: Because your staff is in the trenches every day, they can give you insight into things you may not be aware of. This intel can be invaluable and can give you the tools to address issues before they blow out of proportion.
  • Defend you when you’re attacked: When there’s a communications crisis, everyone looks to the marketing and public relations personnel to be the voice of the hospital. But we all know the job of PR people is to put a positive spin on a situation. That’s why there are times when it’s important to have other voices join the conversation. For example, when a negative article appears on the local newspaper’s website and unnamed people are spreading innuendos in the paper’s comments section, one person can make all the difference. Having just one person identify themselves, their relationship to the organization and help put the news in perspective, it shows the other comments for what they are – gossip and rumors.
  • Provide content for social networking sites: The biggest problem facing hospitals with regards to social media is publishing original content. That’s why so many are tweeting the same health articles. Physicians and nurses can change this by providing hospitals with original content to publish on social networks.

But keep in mind, friendship doesn’t just happen. It needs to be nurtured and tended. Who will you reach out to today?

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jenn Riggle | Posted in Healthcare | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (3)
Jul 21 2010

Are U.S. brands and businesses ready to embrace QR Codes in a big way?

July 21, 2010 – 7:36 am

By Jeff Wilson, APR (@wilson0507)

For a while now, I’ve been reading about Quick Response or QR codes and have been intrigued by the technology. What exactly are QR codes and what do they do?

The technology isn’t new. QR codes were first developed in 1994 by Japanese company Denso Wave and are stylized barcodes that can be encrypted with information accessible by iPhones, Droids and other smart phones with the properly installed QR code readers, many of which can be downloaded for free. Like a lot of technological advances, QR codes are widely used in Japan and other parts of Asia, but have yet to gain widespread usage in the United States.

On his blog, Mark Sprague describes QR codes as paper-based hyperlinks. A smartphone user simply takes a picture of a QR code and gets directed automatically to a mobile site. For example, some business cards are being enhanced with QR codes.  When someone hands you a card with a QR code, all you need to do is scan it with your smart phone and the person’s contact information is transferred to your phone automatically. On a much broader scale, Sprague points out an example of how McDonald’s uses QR codes on its packaging in Japan so consumers can access nutritional information and review the amount of calories, fat and carbohydrates in their meals.

QR codes also can be used electronically. You can attach a QR code to a Tweet or displayed on a web page to transfer information directly to the cell phone. The image above is a QR code, which links to Wikipedia’s website. Just last week, I received an online invitation for a networking event, which included a QR code. When I scanned the code with my iPhone, the code sent me to a link with pertinent information about the event, along with directions of how to get there.

While I’ve dabbled around with QR codes online, I hadn’t really experienced them in the “real world” until last week, and it happened at my mechanic’s garage of all places. While I was sitting there waiting for my car, I noticed a point-of-purchase display for a new tire by Michelin. I noticed that down in the bottom, right corner was a QR code. I scanned it and was directed to a microsite with information about the tire, photos of it and videos of it in use. While I didn’t get the tires, I did get excited thinking about ways brands and businesses could use QR codes.

With the widespread use of iPhones and other smart phones, are U.S. brands and businesses finally ready to embrace QR codes in a big way?

Consider the possibilities. I like to cook. Each week, I scour through a number of cookbooks, looking for recipes to try. This week was a tasty spinach casserole.  Image if I went to the grocery store where there was a sale on spinach along with a display featuring a QR code that took me to a mobile site with dozens of spinach recipes, videos of how to prepare them and coupons for 10 percent off spinach.

Here are a few other examples of how companies can use QR codes, including some tips from Mashable:

  • Use QR codes for promotions and on collateral material. QR codes are made for billboards, posters, brochures, direct mailers and point-of-purchase displays. They can direct customers to your brand’s Twitter and Facebook pages, mobile sites about your products or YouTube videos demonstrating your brand in action. Check out how Calvin Klein used three QR Code billboards this month in New York and Los Angeles to launch a new jeans campaign. The code takes you to an “uncensored” video of extremely skinny young people wearing extremely skinny new jeans. In the fall of 2009, Dick’s Sporting Goods kicked off its new mobile site using a QR code on the world’s largest HDTV Jumbotron at the Cowboys Stadium during the Dick’s Sporting Goods Cowboys Classic (University of Oklahoma vs. Brigham Young University). The code directed fans to the company’s mobile site http://dsports.mobi for an exclusive offer of $10 off a purchase of $50 or more.
  • Small businesses can use QR codes to drive traffic. Small retailers have long put quality stickers in their windows touting their membership to the local chamber of commerce or BBB accreditation, and restaurants love to display Zagat and AAA ratings, along with positive reviews from local newspapers and blogs. A QR code can be placed on window decals and other merchandise and used to encourage Foursquare check-ins or prompt customers to share photos and videos about your business on Flickr or YouTube. Google is even supporting the use of QR codes by designating some businesses with Favorite Places Destinations. For example, just last week in Richmond, Va., I saw that the Richmond Smile Center dental practice was recognized by Google with such a distinction. The Richmond Smile Center’s QR code takes the customer directly to the dentists’ Google Local page where they can learn more about the practice, get to its website, see its hours of operation and get directions to the office with Google Maps. There is even an opportunity to read reviews written by patients.
  • QR codes can be used as part of a customer rewards or loyalty program. As Mashable suggests, businesses that place decals with QR codes in their windows can reward patrons who scan it with discounts off their purchase or some free merchandise to thank them for their patronage. The more the customer uses the QR code, the more opportunity for savings.  
  • Get your customers to promote your brand or business with QR codes. I can image a bar or night club giving away T-shirts with their logo and QR code on them to customers and employees, in essence turning them into walking billboards. The same could hold true for cool brands with logoed merchandise.
  • Track ROI via QR codes. Businesses could use QR codes to assess print-based media effectiveness, tracking which ad or direct mailer drove customers to their website or even to their front door.

The possibilities are endless. What other ways can brands and businesses use QR codes?

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jeff Wilson | Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends | Comments (19)
Jul 20 2010

SmartGrid’s Summer of Love?

July 20, 2010 – 8:33 am

by Mike Mulvihill

The 100 degree flirtations of the past several weeks along the Eastern Seaboard remind me of a line from Good Morning Vietnam delivered by one of Adrian Cronauer’s (Robin Williams) voice characters, Roosevelt E. Roosevelt. “It’s Hot. Damn Hot. Real Hot.”

There have been isolated brownouts and blackouts (most vocally noted in the New York City area).  But, otherwise, I’ve not seen or heard much about severe service interruptions (blackouts) or widespread voltage reductions (brownouts) that usually accompany prolonged heat waves.  Mind you, it is only July.

 Nonetheless, could it be that after years of deregulation induced under-spending on power grid infrastructure, America has actually improved its power transmission and distribution systems?

The short answer is yes, a little, but bigger improvements are in the offing.  These improvements have been spurred by energy conservation (demand response) mandates from state public utility commissions and the burgeoning need to convert a transmission grid built for a few big on-off ramps for large power generation plants into one that can accommodate many, smaller on-off ramps for renewable energy sources (solar, wind, etc.).

According to the blog good.is, it wasn’t easy for New York City’s utility (Con Edison) to prevent brownouts and blackouts as the heat wave mounted. The utility went so far as to call individual customers, pleading with them to turn off nonessential appliances.

But, as the NY times featured, Con Ed put in play a demand reduction initiative that lets the utility reprogram thermostats in 20,000 homes and businesses outfitted with central air-conditioning systems. When the heat wave began, Con Ed sent radio signals to the thermostats, triggering them to cycle on and off every half hour. The initiative saved 25 megawatts of energy during peak demand last week—enough to at least partially prevent the grid from collapsing.

ConEd is not alone in this effort – PG&E can shave 63 MW off its peak load, Texas utility Oncor just started a partnership with energy management startup EcoFactor, and many other major electric utilities have some form of commercial (if not residential) voluntary demand reduction system in place. Consumers can even initiate their own demand reduction efforts. Smart meter-equipped customers of select utilities in the United States and Europe have automatic access to Google’s PowerMeter software, which helps users track energy use over time and predict annual energy bills. And select Duke Energy customers in North Carolina and Ohio will have access later this summer to Cisco’s Home Energy Controller for home energy management that allows users to automate energy consumption based on the time of day, participate in utility pricing incentive programs and monitor energy use of all networked devices in the home.

But this is only scratching the surface.  Smart meters and smart grids have been called “…the biggest investment of the next 50 years,” by the CEO of GE (NYSE: GE). Cisco says it will be “100 to 1,000 times bigger than the Internet.” (How’s that for a bold statement!) And a Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) analyst recently told SmartGrid, “They expect 80 to 140 million meters to be installed in the next 10 years. And they expect total smart grid investment of $215 billion in the next four to five years. Needless to say, this is going to be huge.”

So huge, GE is willing to let all of us in of the opportunity. GE and four prominent venture capital firms are offering up $200 million for winners of its Ecomagination Challenge in an effort to quicken development of a national smart grid. Until September 30, smart-grid entrepreneurs can submit proposals in one of three areas:

• Maximizing penetration of clean energy into the grid.

• Improving the efficiency of the grid.

• Helping electricity customers use energy more wisely.

Representatives of GE and the investment partners (RockPort Capital, K.P.C.B., Foundation Capital and Emerald Technology) will decide which ideas to finance. Winners may even get a partnership deal with GE to develop and distribute the technology.

Keep your excitement in check – when it comes to technology and research intensive new energy start-ups, $200 million is barely enough to fund a single company.  (Take large scale solar energy generator BrightSource as an example. They have raised more than $300 million in financing and have $1.4 billion in loan guarantees from the U.S. Department of Energy.)

 SmartGrid and large scale battery storage are the 800 pound gorillas in the room when it comes to moving large hunks of our population to wind and solar power for base load electric power needs.  In other words, power that is always there regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining. There are serious infrastructure issues that will require huge amounts of investment (including public monies) and years of development. Let’s hope we can trace dramatic movement on both technologies to this Summer of Love for the SmartGrid.

Photo courtesy of mrwaterslide

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Mike Mulvihill | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Jul 19 2010

Three Telling Signs Your Agency is a Social Media Quack

July 19, 2010 – 11:30 am

By Priya Ramesh

 

This blog post is inspired by a conversation I had with a Senior VP of Communications at a national non-profit who is testing the social media waters and asked me, “So what are some red flags I should be looking out for while I scout around for a social media consultant or agency?”  Here’s a great list of questions you should ask your prospective agency as you get started. The basic rules of client lists, references and proven track record apply in your search process but here are some telling signs you should be fully aware of:

1.       We are social media experts but we have never marketed a brand on social networks:  It’s one thing to have a personal blog, a decent number of followers on Twitter and Facebook and regularly use these networks but it’s a whole different game plan to promote a brand on these networks and actually build a community of brand evangelists. If your agency has no concrete examples to demonstrate how they went about building a community from scratch, explain their engagement strategy and point you to hard metrics then you have probably hired a personal success in social media but not a social media marketer who understands the science and art of making an unknown brand become a familiar name on Facebook and Twitter.  

2.       We are so good at social media that you won’t need any other marketing channels: This applies mostly to large corporations that communicate to diverse stakeholders including consumers, shareholders, investors, internal employees and more. When you are dealing with corporate communications across different levels with different objectives, social media is not necessarily the ONLY medium to relay your messages. When a PR agency tells you social media is the best approach and doesn’t counsel you on taking a more integrated approach, run far, far away from this agency. While Facebook and Twitter might be great for business to consumer (B2C) conversations, your traditional media relations, webinars and email marketing are still effective for lead generation purposes. An experienced social marketer will tell you how to extend your traditional marketing to social networks depending on the campaign goals versus asking you to invest 100% on social media.  

 3.       We build Facebook apps but we have had no success in building a community: As one of my favorite social media mavens, Beth Kanter says in her recent book, The Networked Nonprofit, “Social media is not spectator sport, its contact sport.” If the agency has great interactive graphic design and web building capabilities but lacks the most critical component of social media, which is “the knack of connecting” with key influencers, trust agents and your end customers, then you have my heartiest condolences. I have had several CRT/tanaka clients come to me three months after hiring an agency that’s great at building apps and launching ad campaigns but failed miserably in starting conversations with key stakeholders and converting them into brand loyalists. Social media marketing fails when your agency makes it all about shiny objects and apps versus “starting the right conversations” by providing your target audience a reason to stay connected with you. Your target audience has 1000 other brands to entice them, ask your agency how YOU will stand apart in front of 500 million Facebook users?

As marketing and PR pros, we have that natural personality to constantly look for ways to better our efforts and stay ahead of the curve but we also happen to be the department that’s looked upon as a cost center by the CFO. So make your social media investment reap the returns that makes your CFO proud. Be very careful who you hire as there are tons of self proclaimed social media gurus and pundits available without a track record that demonstrates they know how to market a brand online. Oh and particularly stay away from personal brands that make great speeches and presentations but may not have necessarily helped a business or a cause achieve its goals through social media marketing.

If you have any advice on how to hire the right social media agency, do share.

Image courtesy: http://www.briancuban.com/so-you-think-youre-a-social-media-expertlive-web-cast/

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Priya Ramesh | Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (9)
Jul 16 2010

Facebook Tips – Quick Start Guide for Business

July 16, 2010 – 12:11 am

Your business is not one of those that was an early adopter on the Facebook page front, but since last year you haven’t run into a single customer without a Facebook account. How do you enter the game?

Lawton Chiles Creative Commons

First, you must remember that a business page does not allow all of the functions that you and your online network may be able to use on personal profiles. For instance, you won’t have access to the profiles of folks visiting the page.

Since business pages cannot be found in search, you’ll have to work hard at obtaining interest. Recently, a friend sent me information about a busines page, but failed to include a link. Hard to find = not so useful.

Second (or maybe first, on second thought), be sure you want to use Facebook as compared to, say, your own website. Shel Holtz, the always dependable blogger at the intersection of communications and technology, has recently posted on this basic question. He outlines seven issues you might want to explore before making the leap.

Facebook page walls allow visitors to comment and create additional activities.  This improves the interactive aspect of what initially was a fairly static place to be, giving you much more community building opportunity. John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing posted a great take on how to use the Facebook Static FBML application which allows you to add a box to your Page to add HTML or FBML that actually helps dramatically on customizing pages for your business.

Top 10 Facebook Apps for Fan Pages by Kristen  Nicole and other sources deliver best practices on other ways to enhance the experience for your fans. And, I’m also hoping for an update on Jim Tobin’s Top Ten Branded Facebook Pages of 2009 later this year in ignitesocialmedia.com, where he is prez.

While we are great fans of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) at CRT/tanaka, I’ll have to admit some attraction to a Facebook app that allows for direct referrals on your favorite local businesses. The app is called FavRav, which claims the ability to give referrals “a place to live online.” You could do worse than attracting attention for your business in such a way.  Publicize your page, building fans by encouraging visits first and referrals second.

Finally, remember that attracting fans on Facebook requires lots of work on your part. If you are not posting new videos, customer cases, contests and other ways to get visitors involved and to return, then you won’t achieve your business objectives related to increased awareness, changing attitudes and attracting full engagement. Don’t start unless you are able to make sure you keep it fresh.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Michael Whitlow | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , | Comments (3)
Jul 15 2010

Will Libraries Go the Way of the Card Catalog?

July 15, 2010 – 7:00 am

Photo courtesy of emdot

By Jenn Riggle

I loved going to the library as a child. But I can’t remember the last time I went to the library and checked out a book.

And I’m not alone. So many of us work past 6 p.m. during the week and then try to pack a week’s worth of living on the weekends. And somehow, making it to the library just isn’t on the schedule.

Why? Because the Internet has helped make public libraries obsolete.

Years ago, when I worked at a public relations firm in Boston, I used to call the Boston Public Library when I needed some obscure statistic to develop a media pitch. The people on the other end of the phone were always polite and helpful, but they would have to search the stacks and call me back with the information.

Now, most of this information is at my fingertips with a simple Google search.

And in many ways, bookstores have replaced libraries as where people go to pick up the latest bestseller. The reason – convenience. People can purchase books from their desktop, while bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Borders have become destinations spots where you can meet friends for a cup of coffee or a bite to eat and pick up something to read. And better yet, there are no late fees.

And the latest development is the advent of the eBook. And while they may be perfect for people who travel or like to read more than one book at a time, it’s still not clear which eReader, Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nook or Apple’s iPad, will become the industry standard. I’m holding off on making the switch until I see who wins. Of course, I’m still not sure I want to bring a Kindle to the beach, but there are those who aren’t afraid to live dangerously.

Some libraries, like the one at Cushing Academy, a boarding school in Ashburnham, Mass., are actually going bookless. Now, it looks more like an upscale bookstore. There’s a cafe where the circulation desk used to be and easy chairs where bookshelves once stood.

But whatever the library of the future looks like, they have an important role in the digital age.

Libraries are a place where young moms can take their kids for story time and learn to love books. They provide a safe place where kids can study after school. But more importantly, they provide books for people who can’t afford to purchase them and help bridge the digital divide by allowing people who don’t own a computer to access the Internet.

According to a recent report from the University of Washington Information School, nearly one-third of Americans age 14 or older (approximately 77 million people), used public library computers and networks to access the Internet in the past year.

Unfortunately, we’re seeing our country’s library system becoming a system of haves and have nots. All libraries are not created equal, or to paraphrase George Ornwell’s Animal Farm, some libraries are more equal than others.

Just this week, library systems in different parts of the country made news for dramatically different reasons.

In Rapid City, South Dakota, the public library just completed a major technology renovation, unveiling its online catalog and a cell phone-centric “Text a Librarian” program. Meanwhile, libraries in California have evolved into “information clearing houses” and added new services, from offering eBooks and museum passes to sponsoring belly-dancing classes and a “Battle of the Bands.”

Things are dramatically different in Illinois, where Chicago’s Metropolitan Library System is waiting for $1.1 million in funds and other library systems in the state haven’t had a budget increase in 20 years. By the same token, 76 branches of the Chicago Public Library system have had to reduce their hours, opening an hour later and closing an hour earlier, Monday through Thursday. Needless to say, they’re not making any major tech investments.

Are libraries obsolete? Not yet. But they need to evolve in order to meet the needs of working families – or risk becoming marginalized and serving as an educational safety net for those with limited resources.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jenn Riggle | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (6)
Jul 14 2010

Today’s Afterschool Special: This is Your Brain. This is Your Brain on Time.

July 14, 2010 – 9:30 am

Today’s Social Communities Offer Much to Engage but What Inspires True Change? 

By Marcy Walsh (mwalsh@crt-tanaka.com and @marcywalsh)

NRJUSTSAYNORALLY

Nancy Reagan told me to “Just Say No” when I was 11 years old, and I wanted nothing more than to jump into step in my crisp white button down, red bow tie, plaid skirt, knee highs and brown loafers. I was sold on her message and didn’t even laugh at the public service announcements with the kids saying “NO” to the drug dealers. I was mesmerized by “This is Your Brain on Drugs” and the weekly after-school specials that addressed the many topics facing my generation: drugs, alcohol, teenage pregnancy, runaways, eating disorders, smoking and sexually transmitted diseases. If there wasn’t an afterschool special, you can bet that Little House on the Prairie, The Facts of Life, One Day at a Time, or some other popular television series was talking to my teen need to avoid the perils of life. Needless to say, I just said no to it all. Until college. And then I only said yes to what was legal. Moving on.

All these memories flooded recently after watching one of the most interesting YouTube videos shared with me in a long time by a Facebook friend. The video illustrates – literally – Professor Philip Zimbardo’s take on the concept of Time orientation and the implications how we perceive time on societies, families, successes, failures… and, yes, even the afterschool special consumer education campaign.

In this 10-minute video (worth every second), Zimbardo walks us through three ways people perceive time: 1. Past (both people who live based on the past, both those who bring a positive spin on the past and those who bring a negative implication of the past into life); 2. Present (both people who believe in living in the present because they can’t control the future and those who are driven by more hedonistic present life desires); and Future – those who live to make life better in the future. He cites Robert Levine’s Geography of Time, in which Levine outlines his experiments on the pace of life in cities and countries around the world and the implications on health, education and even family values.

The afterschool special “a-ha!” moment for me comes at the end of the video. Zimbardo states that in America a child drops out of school every nine seconds. He says this is particularly a “disaster for boys in America” because by the time they are 21, individually boys have spent 10,000 hours playing video games. They live in a world that they create, and their brains are being digitally rewired, he says. Because of this, traditional schooling in which a teacher lectures and students take notes does not work for these kids. They can only truly learn by being in a situation in which they are controlling something and they have instant gratification.

Most consumer education campaigns targeting teens (people in general really) are designed for the future-oriented – such as the Nancy Reagan kids of the 80s. I was afraid of future consequences and so took action. However, for those who are more present-oriented, there is this challenge: they know the consequences, but the knowledge doesn’t change the behavior. Our consumer education campaigns designed to speak to them must move beyond the public service announcement and into something they can control. And today’s social communities, with crowdsourcing, user-generated content, sharing and personalization, provide the perfect way to engage them.

And while the tools to manipulate and participate in their own educations are there – the video leaves me wondering what the role is of time orientation in changing consumer behavior. The knowledge is there… a mere Google trip away. But what is the secret sauce that can move present-oriented people to change their behavior? From obesity to debilitating debt, how can the consumer education campaigns today inspire individuals to take action so these societal issues don’t perpetuate?

I personally miss the afterschool special. What are the most successful consumer education campaigns in the past few years?

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Marcy Walsh | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (4)