The PR Warrior

Four of the Best From Sweat Equity.biz

Things are cranking over at my other 'sideline' blog SWEAT EQUITY.

I started the blog recently to serve as the 'online backbone' for a book I'm (a) currently researching and (b) attempting valiantly to write!

Some (most?) weeks I write more for the blog than book. Better for you lot - the blog is free! 

While PR Warrior is more skewed towards PR, communications and social media, SWEAT EQUITY is a lot broader and focuses on smarter ways in which to market your brand in today's hyper-connected world.

Key tenet of the book (and blog) is ''what small companies can teach the big boys about marketing'.

Here are a selection of four 'highlight' posts from the past couple of months. I hope you enjoy them :)

Six marketing lessons from three rock bands

If you’re seeking inspiration to improve the marketing of your brand, you could do worse than check out some of the more progressive-thinking rock bands out there.

Three of my favorite marketing-savvy b(r)ands are Paramore, Radiohead and Sister Hazel.

Here are six ways lessons from said bands – ROCK ON! 

MORE

Creating talking points around your brand (here are 15 examples)

Developing conversation around your brand has long been an effective marketing communications strategy.

However, in today’s super-connected environment where ‘white noise’ is at a peak, as is the public’s ability to screen out advertising messages, it’s incredibly important for brands to spark discussion by giving people interesting and relevant things to talk about.

Here are 15 examples of brands large and small that know how to start a conversation. Story includes:

• Johnny Cupcakes
• John Butler Trio
• ThoughtLead
• 37 Signals
• Hubspot
• Moleskine  MORE 

How LOVE146 uses stories to rally a movement behind its cause

LOVE146 is a non-profit organisation dedicated to bringing about the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation. 

The brand is highly skilled at bringing to life the issue of child exploitation particularly through the use of stories, as well as through the creation of events and talking points that cut through the ‘white noise’ and help propel the brand (and the issue) into the public consciousness MORE

Why getting amongst it can pay dividends for your brand

It’s really easy for brands – whether solopreneurs, emerging companies or bigger organisations – to get bogged down in the daily grind of ‘the business’.

Marketing becomes a ‘tick the box’ exercise, an activity undertaken because it’s something you need to do. And generally, it shows.

This post is all about getting involved as a brand.  Become part of the broader community in which your brand operates (this could be your industry or profession, a certain cultural or lifestyle activity, or a geographic region – your town, city or local suburb, for example) MORE

(In this post we shine the spotlight on Sydney Writers' Centre, a company that's doing some interesting things to get word out about its brand).

Why Radio 3AW is a Social Media Stand-Out

I've been pretty impressed of late with how Melbourne talk-back radio station 3AW has been approaching social media.

As a rule, broadcast and print media outlets have struggled to get their heads around the nuances and dynamics of the social web. Understandably, I suppose...it's the antithesis of what they've been about for decades.

If you look at commercial radio, it has been such a successful and well-entrenched business model, I mean, why change?

Well, of course you do need to change if you want to adapt to, thrive, indeed remain relevant, in today's hyper-connected marketplace.

Which is why 3AW - the conservative and well-entrenched entity that it is - is starting to stand out like the proverbial.

Several things have caught the PR Warrior's eye of late:

The station's main Twitter account (@3AW963) is a joy to follow.

Where virtually every other media-based Twitter account I've come across is all one-way traffic with zero interaction with fellow tweeps, @3AW963 is not only timely and informative but also funny, incisive and inclusive. Interaction blended with headlines, a really good mix.

The station's main Twitter account - driven by Ben Wise (@benwisemelb) - also manages to bring its on-air talent into the equation but not in a way that's overtly promotional.

Another indicator of getting amongst it on Twitter? The station - which is followed by 4327 people (at time of writing), follows back 3422. By contrast, Radio 744 Melbourne (@744melbourne) has 18,500+ followers (I believe it's been going a lot longer though) but only follows 935.

The station's heavy-hitting talent has also embraced social media, specifically Twitter - check out:

• Ross & John Breakfast Show (@RossAndJohn) - initially dismissive of Twitter, the high-rating pair are starting to find their feet, albeit in one-way fashion; some more interaction from the fellas would be great.
• Neil Mitchell (@3AWNeilMitchell) - still very one-way broadcast mode, but his tweets are generally interesting sharp bursts of opinion.
• Derryn Hinch (@HumanHeadline) - Hinch is really getting into it after (if I recall rightly) being somewhat anti-Twitter in the early days. His tweets are hard-hitting, questioning, often amusing...and he's pretty good at interacting with 'the great unwashed'. Also, loved the Derryn Hinch Caption Competition (below).

The competition had its own hashtag (#hinchpic) - check out the responses here.

But wait, there's more...

Other 'social media elements' 3AW is incorporating into its mix include:

• blogs (reflecting content from specific programs, albeit they're a bit hard to find on the website);
• podcasts (of each show so people can catch up if they've missed their favourite program)

I also like the video below - a behind-the-scenes look at the 'work' that goes into making a 3AW Breakfast Show on-air promotion.

Social media is not just about the tools and the technology. It's not just about having a Twitter account or a Facebook page.

It's about the spirit in which you use such platforms. It's about the content you create and share, the connections you make, the relationships you build, the interactions you have with your network, the broader community in which you operate, and broader still, the online world generally.

Importantly, it's this social media spirit that appears to be permeating the walls of 3AW. I shall continue to watch with interest but suffice to say, there are huge opportunities for the radio station should it go further down the 'social path'!

NOTE: I believe the ABC generally has led the way in terms of social media adoption; they're very good at packaging and distributing content but not as good - as far as I can see - with loosening up and interacting with the public. Unless I have missed something?

What are your thoughts about the media in Australia and their attitudes towards the social web?

Would love to hear from you :)

Clarity of Sound Versus Ear-Splitting Volume

Successful PR and marketing communications today is less about volume and more about clarity - lots of noise versus laser-like connection with the people who matter most to your business (or cause or issue).

What about your brand?

Do you constantly 'carpet bomb' consumers with overt chest-beating commercial messages (and risk alienating potential customers)?

OR do you find more interesting and respectful ways of work your way into their hearts and minds?

Put another way: are your marketing efforts akin to a young punk cruising the streets in hotted-up wheels, windows down, ear-splitting 'doof-doof' music blaring from the car's dodgy stereo system?

OR is it a blissful aural experience - think Miles Davis' trumpet solo in My Funny Valentine (probably the purest sound you'll ever hear!)...being played through a set of Bang & Olufsen speakers, every moment heard and savioured?

IMAGE SOURCE

TV's 'The Spin Crowd' Puts PR Back 20 Years

It's quite a feat to put a profession back 20 years but that's exactly what E!'s The Spin Crowd does for the public relations industry. Thanks guys :)

The Spin Crowd is a new 'fly on the wall' TV series based around the overly dramatic day-to-day operations of Hollywood publicity outfit, Command PR.

It's car-crash TV in the purest sense. At once strangely addictive but also seriously off-putting.

But then, Kim Kardashian is executive producer. 'Nuff said.

Enjoy the show, but please, two caveats...

If you're a business owner or marketer of a large brand, please don't think all 'PR firms' operate like this one. This is Hollywood after all!

If you're a young practitioner thinking this is what PR is all about, sorry, but the reality is waaay less glamorous! Yes, the media relations side of the PR business can include celebrities and events and 'pic opps' ...but it ain't all champagne and roses kid! (* puffs Cuban cigar *).

The Spin Crowd is about as far away from true public relations as you can get (the name of the show kinda gives that away) - these guys are entertainment publicists based in a city where image is king and substance runs a poor second. Accordingly, there is no shortage of cringeworthy moments!

That said, the show is still a lot of fun!

Foxtel has just started screening Series 1 of The Spin Crowd on E! Entertainment, Tuesdays at 10 pm.

How Social Media Stacks Up in the Australian Small Business Sector

Social media continues to grow in Australia, with close to 30% of small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) using the likes of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter in their day-to-day operations.

According to the Optus Social Media Index for SMBs:

• 1.88m SMBs are operating in Australia, of which 536,400 are using social media in their businesses, with another 300,800 planning to do so in the next 12 months. 
• Service-oriented businesses are the heaviest users of social media (31%) compared to the goods industry at 21%. 
• Social media decision-makers tend to be over 40 years old and in senior roles.
• Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn are the tools most used by SMBs, while Facebook is the most popular (used by over half of those Australian SMBs involved in social media).
• 80% of SMBs allocate - or plan to allocate - less than 20% of their marketing budget to social media.
• On average, 6.6 hours per week are invested in social media by Australian SMBs.

SMBs believe the benefits of social media include networking (78%) and increasing sales through customer engagement (82%).

Interestingly, 14% of those not planning to use social media believe it's a fad, while 53% think it's not appropriate to their industry.

SMB Versus Corporate Sector

These figures would suggest SMBs have embraced social media pretty quickly, which is understandable given Australians are the heaviest users of social networking sites in the world.

No doubt many entrepreneurs who actively participate personally in social media are also using it in their businesses.

I've tried to find recent statistics on social media uptake by Australia's corporate sector but to no avail (although this article might provide some indication of how our big brands are using it).

Intuitively though, having given many presentations on the subject to organisations and big companies these past 12-18 months, I'd say there is still strong reluctance at the big end of town to embrace social media in any significant way.

Click here for more on the Optus Social Media Index (note: you'll need to register first).

Hat-tip to Sam Mutimer for alerting me to this report.

How the Collingwood Magpies Won Over Victoria's Football Public

It's been a massive week in Melbourne, Australia, with not one but two Australian Football League grand final matches being played over consecutive weekends.

For overseas readers (or locals who have been living in a cave), click here for more background.

Upshot is, the AFL grand final is one of the biggest events on the Australian sporting calendar. The first 2010 grand final was played yesterday week ago between the AFL's biggest and most popular (and equally, most loathed) club Collingwood and St Kilda, an unsuccessful club in terms of only ever having won one premiership title in its long history (and that was back in 1966).

In last week's grand final match, the teams played to a draw. A replay was scheduled for yesterday, and Collingwood won easily.

What is the PR Warrior doing banging on about the AFL grand final?

(IMAGE: Herald Sun)

It's an observation about how both clubs went about their business over the past two weeks in the build-up to yesterday's conclusion.

As alluded to above, Collingwood is a successful and powerful club, led by a dominant media personality Eddie McGuire and a coach (Mick Malthouse) considered to be rather dour and tactiturn.

The Magpies have a fanatical following and are the footy club everyone loves to hate.

St Kilda, on the other hand, has public sympathy on its side given its lack of success in 'the big one' - the AFL grand final.

Interestingly though, you never hear from the club's CEO or its president (I have no idea who it is, he has no media profile whatsoever). The Saints pretty much have one spokesperson: their coach Ross Lyon (himself a pretty dour character although he appears to have a sense of humour).

Collingwood has publicly embraced the run-up to both grand final matches.

McGuire has been generous in his praise of the opposition and the AFL, and Malthouse too has been pretty relaxed, especially with the media (unusual for him). The club as a whole (including players) has been accessible to the public and open and embracing of the football public, not just Magpie supporters.

A tearful Eddie McGuire (IMAGE: AFL.com)

The Saints, on the other hand, have been inward-looking (in fact, it has been pretty much all year). They call it the 'St Kilda Bubble' and it was designed to keep the players focused on "controlling on what we can control". 

As a casual observer (but ardent footy fan), it seems to me that over the past two weeks Collingwood has gained more fans and grudging respect from the football public (no mean feat given everyone 'hates' them), while St Kilda hasn't done themselves any favours with their 'closed' attitude.

From a PR perspective, Collingwood bolstered its brand beyond just its immediate community of fans (which has enormous 'corporate' spin-offs for the club).

St Kilda, on the other hand (and in my opinion only), had the opportunity to attract new supporters and sponsors to its cause but probably blew the chance because they insisted on being enveloped by their so-called 'bubble' (aka 'veil of secrecy'). In other words, it was all about them (or so it seemed).

Without putting too fine a point on it, the Magpies won both on and off the ground, the Saints came second on both occasions.

What do you think? Opinions welcomed on this piece :)

Interestingly, Mick Malthouse has recently embraced social media - he recently set up a blog and is exploring the joys of Twitter (he has at time of writing over 5600 followers, although he's not following too many people - just the 15).

Also of interest: check out Collingwood's list of sponsors compared to St Kilda's - the Saints have nowhere near the number of big brand names that Collingwood has.

Telling? I think so.

(Oh, I also get the fact there are still THOUSANDS of people who hate the Pies, so much so I'm not sure Eddie & Co will ever change their minds!).

DISCLOSURE: I barrack for Geelong - the Cats have their own fair share of troubles this week at a club level! BRING ON SEASON 2011!