The PR Warrior

COMMUNICATIONS REVOLUTION: The Corporation, Social Media & Change

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The public relations consulting model, for instance, steadfastly remains similar to 20 years ago yet the media and marketing landscape has altered dramatically in recent years.

The company in which I'm a partner - parkyoung - while far from being a 'maverick' business is certainly keen to push the boundaries of what a communications consultancy should be all about in today's networked market.

For starters, when we established the business mid last year we were adamant that social media (the 'ethos' as much as the 'tools') should be at the heart of our business. That's not to say we've neglected other traditional elements of our profession - far from it! 

Just recently we established a dedicated media relations arm (The Ledbetter Agency) to focus on newspapers, radio and TV publicity while parkyoung continued to specialise in communications strategy, social media planning and content creation.

We also believe in helping to educate clients (indeed, the broader marketplace) to improve their knowledge about communicating in today's complex and cluttered hyper-connected environment. We do this by holding workshops and events, writing blogs (individually and as a company), producing podcasts as well as being available for speaking engagements etc.

So it's with much pleasure that we announce a special event organised by parkyoung in conjunction with Jennifer Frahm Collaborations - called THE CORPORATION, SOCIAL MEDIA & CHANGE.

Here's the spiel:

Has there ever been anything more confusing, daunting and downright confronting for companies, organisations, individuals and brands - than the hyper-connected marketplace?

The social web is fundamentally transforming the way we communicate, connect and collaborate.

• What does this COMMUNICATIONS REVOLUTION mean for companies and other organisations?
• How can your brand/reputation effectively build trust in your communities, extend influence and protect its reputation?
• How do you create a culture that champions connection and accommodate the changes involved?
• How do you build trust (internally & externally) in the new networked market?

If you're interested in attending (or know someone who might be), more information can be found here, or book via our Eventbrite page.

(click on image to enlarge).

 

Meet Melbourne's Power Bloggers!

On Tuesday, June 8 Social Media Club Melbourne will be staging its third event, and what ripper it will be!

Featuring will be not one but three of Melbourne's power bloggers - two (Darren Rowse aka @problogger, and The Inquistr's Duncan Riley) are big players on the world stage; rounding out the bill is Pip Lincolne, aka @meetmeatmikes, Australia's number one female blogger.

Book here! Entry is free, but tickets are limited (and going fast)!

DISCLOSURE: I'm on the @SMCmelb organising committee (along with Nikki Bannatyne, Lucio de Ribeiro, Simon Small and Tim Beveridge).

MORE INFO ON PANEL OF SPEAKERS:

DARREN ROWSE (@problogger) - a legitimate 'rock star' of the world of blogging, Darren has been making a full-time living from blogging since 2004/05 and is sought after as a speaker at major international events such as SXSW (Austin, Texas) and BlogWorld Expo in Las Vegas. His Problogger and Digital Photography School blogs attract numbers most of us can only dream of! This is a story you won't want to miss!

DUNCAN RILEY (@duncanriley) - an original part of the team that put together the b5media company, in 2007 Duncan joined TechCrunch, one of the world's most popular tech blogs. In recent times he has devoted his energies to a start-up website called The Inquisitr, which was founded in May 2008 and has grown from humble beginnings to become one of the world's most popular blogs (Top 100 according to Technorati.)

PIP LINCOLNE (@meetmeatmikes) Pip's blog Meet Me At Mike's  is a cornerstone of a mini-empire that includes a Meet Me At Mike's book and retail shop in Brunswick. Other accolades include Cleo Magazine's 'Next Top Blogger' winner ("...winner of the most unique and addictive blog in the country...") and listed by The Age/Melbourne Magazine as one of Melbourne's 'Top 100 Influential People'. 

MC for the evening will be Yvonne Adele (aka @IdeasCulture), a popular blogger and prolific Twitterer who also happens to be one of Australia's most sought-after speakers on the subject of ideas generation.

SMC Melbourne is part of the global Social Media Club organisation. 

The club's mission is to "connect media makers from around the world to advance media literacy, promote industry standards, encourage ethical behaviour and share lessons they have learned".

Hope to see you on June 8!

Social Media Revolution Revisited

When Erik Qualman released his Social Media Revolution video in the middle of last year, it did the rounds in quick smart (nearly two million views at time of writing).

Qualman, author of the book Socialnomics, has refreshed the original video and re-released it with updated social media and mobile statistics.

Here's the result!

Building a Solid Base for Brand Communications

As a society we’re obsessed with quick fixes, instant celebrity and immediate gratification.

The marketing industry, being reflective of broader society, is no different; too often it approaches everything from a short-term perspective.

• Give me extra sales. NOW!
• Make my brand famous. NOW!
• I want a media profile. NOW!

Even social media – a still-emerging but already powerful communications (r)evolution – is bizarrely often treated in the same way as a TV commercial or direct mailer i.e. another channel to broadcast a one-way sales message. Weird, but that’s the way it is in a world where senior executives at large organisations don’t take the time to better understand the seismic societal shift that’s happening around them (topic for another post methinks).

All of which, of course, is counter to the process of building a brand.

All of which goes against the grain of building a company’s name and reputation in the marketplace.

FULL STORY: Click here

Content exclusive to Marketing Magazine. 

 

BCNA's 'Field of Women Live' a Hero PR Event for a Fantastic Cause!

One of the more marketing-savvy not-for-profit organisations in Australia is Breast Cancer Network Australia, or BCNA.

A hero event for BCNA is its Field of Women Live initiative.

Tonight at the Melbourne Cricket Ground - at the match between AFL football clubs Melbourne and Western Bulldogs - close to 14,000 women clad in pink plastic ponchos will take to the field and create a gigantic 'pink lady' formation.

This powerful mass participatory stunt is in recognition of the number of women and men diagnosed with breast cancer this year.

Rather than overkill the event by holding it every year, BCNA cleverly adopts the 'less is more' approach which guarantees maximum impact (it was first held in Melbourne in 2005, in Sydney in 2007 and returning to Melbourne today).

Field of Women Live caps off a flurry of PR activity for BCNA. Over the past few weeks, BCNA has generated extensive media coverage across all mediums:

Radio (interviews on SEN, MTR 1377, 3AW to name a few); newspapers (including this piece in The Age this morning); and television (Channel Nine's The Footy Show gave the cause amazing promotion last night). 

Even the boss of the AFL Andrew Demetriou has thrown his support behind the cause, as has Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Another initiative designed to coincide with Mother's Day this weekend is the Pink Footy & Netball Day.

 * PIC: Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard - by Craig Borrow (Source: Herald-Sun)

What's the lesson here folks? 

For starters, brands (especially not-for-profits) should take note - it's important to give people something interesting to talk about! Create a 'big idea' - a communications platform from which you can leverage multiple talking points.

However, it's critical you don't focus merely on stunt-like activity without first building a solid foundation of interesting and relevant communications.

Once again, BCNA is a shining example in this regard. Far from being a 'one-trick pony', the organisation, which has over 42,000 members, produces a regular magazine as well as extensive and informative resources. It truly does "inform, empower, represent and link together people affected by breast cancer".

As an aside, this week BCNA also launched its new website.

While many Australian companies and organisations are struggling to come to grips with the new media landscape, BCNA has embraced the social web with open arms. 

I urge you check out their website - it includes blogs, links to Twitter and Facebook, plus an online network where people affected by breast cancer can connect with one another - and is further evidence of a brand that strives to improve itself by remaining contemporary and relevant.

DISCLOSURE: Through my company parkyoung I was privileged to be in a position to assist BCNA with its digital and social media strategy.

Marketers Vs Communicators: Who Uses Social Media the Best?

Observers of the ever-evolving media communications landscape by now should have formed a pretty solid perspective about what the social web means and how to get the most out of it.

These points of view no doubt will have been forged as a result of exposure to a mix of things: 

• research,
• media coverage,
• personal observation and involvement, 
• blogs and podcasts (peers and thought-leaders), 
• a person's particular area of specialisation, 
• influence of friends and peers etc. 

It's not so much a case of 'right or wrong', they're just schools of thought thrown out there for discussion and debate.

For example, I come from the school of 'slow and steady' - to me social media (like all strategic PR efforts) is an ongoing commitment and can help form the basis and set the tone of a company's total marketing and corporate communications output.

I believe communications is all about adding value over time, getting involved and participating with genuine purpose (whether on or offline).

In terms of the social web, I'm big on brands creating interesting and relevant content, building relationships by helping others (offering advice, providing links to informative blog posts, media stories, podcasts and videos) as well as helping to facilitate the connection of others.

Generally speaking, in terms of marketing I'm not a massive rap for in-your-face advertising, too-cool-for-school stunts or flashy try-hard promotions (although if the idea is really cool, I'm happy to be 'sucker-punched'). This is especially so in the online world.

 The Burger King 'Whopper Sacrifice' was an interesting idea although unlikely to have had a lasting effect

My preference is content-driven brand communications that add value and interest to my life and to those around me i.e.:

• interesting facts and details, 
• educative background where necessary, 
• compelling and informative stories, 
• news, views and opinions,
• trends and statistics, 
• thought-leadership, 
• behind-the-scenes sneak peeks...

...plus the odd human or two who can convey said information - if it's written, I like it passionate, expressive, conversational in style - no jargon, spin or condescending tone. I especially like audio and video when it's informal and a little raw, not slick and over-produced.

That's just me. It's a view formed probably because my background is public relations.

Someone from marketing and advertising, however, may well be more interested in using social media for a quick hit. A 'cool' promotion. A 'creative campaign' that hits you in the face or draws you in via a series of stunts or 'viral teasers'.

Communicators (who may or may not be marketers) are often all about content and ongoing two-way dialogue - they see social media as a means of building brand presence as well as nurturing a sustainable community of fans and advocates for a particular brand, cause or issue over a period of time.

Advertising and marketing people, on the other hand, will often use the web to broadcast their sales message or raise awareness of a new promotion with all the bells and whistles. 

There's a pretty strong contrast of opinion here. 

No 'right' or 'wrong' obviously, just a fundamental difference in the way communicators and marketers use the social web. Obviously I'm speaking quite generally here but you get the idea.

Whole Foods Market understands that relevant and interesting content resonates with and adds value to the lives of its customers (screen grab of the brand's website above).

Personally I believe in building the community first; then (and only then) you can approach your online market with some short-burst campaign-type activity. This way, you've already earned trust and respect of the people and they will be more open and receptive to your sales-oriented message.

(By the way, this works offline too - PR first followed by advertising activity down the track if necessary - think Apple, Starbucks, Whole Foods Market, Southwest Airlines, Ben & Jerry's and most major car and technology brands).

Do it the other way around, however, when you have no community or following to speak of and there's every chance you'll be (a) ignored, or (b) ridiculed if the campaign doesn't hit the mark. 

These are two specific camps folks. Two totally different philosophies about dealing in the one space - the social web.

Where does your brand fit in?