360DigitalInfluence

So I was just having a bit of a muse. Working in an agency that has its roots in advertising, and what every advertiser holds in very high regard, creativity. And the product of that creativity is the very excellent ads that sometimes come our way. They’re funny, emotional, engaging, they evoke a sort of response from us to sit up and take notice.

There’s also creative content, like art, mixed media, professional content and it looks a certain way, in fact, it kind of ‘looks creative’.

But here’s where I start thinking about creativity. It’s the ability to offer a solution to a problem when resources are meager.

It’s a different kind of creativity that’s needed. With increasing technology, and lower barriers to entry in mastering the tools (like Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Blogging, Social Media.. etc) Many more people are producing something of the same. It might have a different set of clothes, but essentially some ideas are pretty much alike.

You’ve gone for a hundred and one events, read thousands of reviews, pieces of news.. they talk about different things, but the form almost remains the same.

So when i say meager resources, it’s not just because we don’t have access to certain tools, but the professionalism of wielding those tools has become diluted.

Because of that, the sandbox of coming up with something really creative has become smaller. Think of it as having a sandbox, but you now have more people playing in that same sandbox as you.

So I challenge you, try to stand out, do something different. You have ‘less’ sand to play with now, how are you going to communicate your messages clearly and creatively, so that it sticks?

Ideas that bind

I’m really writing this for posterity. In my observation, this ‘thing’ called Social Media has been something that has been on everyone’s lips for at least the past two years, and I don’t think it’s going to let up.

You know it’s making waves, when titles such as ’social media guru’, ’social media strategist’ or ’social media practitioner’ start popping up. Although I think it’s a bit of an echo chamber, especially when it’s only used interchangeably amongst its pundits.

And what I want to see more of, is not a separation of social media from so-called ‘traditional media’, but a closer convergence of social media and media in general.

I say this because, media is increasingly digitised. most publications and broadcasts are produced digitally. Shot on digital video, typed on computers, art directed in photo-editing programs. The social media we know today is derived from digitisation of content.

I say “social media we know today”, because in Pat and my books, social media existed in the coffeeshops. I remember reading independent zines, printed, photocopied and “mass produced”. but digitisation has broken the barriers to entry in terms of publishing and transmission.

I harp on “The Shift” like it’s doctrine, because if you don’t understand that, you will never understand the power you wield as a practitioner of social media. The ability to share your opinions, and perhaps start and contribute to a tribe of mind. The ‘Shift’ has transferred some of that ability to regular folks. We have better access to technology that aids us in how we produce ’social content’. There is still a realm of the professional media producer, but for those of us who aren’t professional content producers, we are pro-sumers. consuming and producing information, on maybe an amateur level. (arguably some bloggers are considered professional.)

So what do you think social media is? If you think it’s just about bloggers, I challenge you that you might be sorely mistaken. Social Media is everywhere, consuming and producing at the same time. Sustaining itself, and spreading information to all the nodes on this planet.

The real question is, how do you plan your communications to best impact the number of people you want to reach out to?

An excellent video released by TED.com, of Sir Ken Robinson making an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity. What say you?

A useful way to understand social networks is to see them as coffeehouses without geographic boundaries, where like-minded people gather to interact with each other when they feel like it.

Earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg, founder, CEO and president of Facebook announced, “If Facebook were a country, it would be the most populated in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia and Nigeria.” eMarketer estimates that online social network ad spending has grown by 81 percent, to $2.2 billion worldwide for 2008. In light of statements and figures like this, the eagerness to participate in the social media realm amongst marketers appears inevitable.

Figure 1: Worldwide online social network advertising spending, 2006-2011 (Source: eMarketer)

At the core of this explosion is a simple fundamental truth: humans have a biological need to interact, to converse. Conversations are the social exchange of stories fueled by emotions, knowledge, experiences, and thought. This innate human need began from the day humans first learned to talk. We gathered in groups to tell stories around fires with established oral traditions of storytelling long before we developed the skills and tools for writing.

Four centuries ago, that same need found an outlet in coffeehouses. In the 17^th century, when coffee first arrived in Europe courtesy of the Ottoman Empire, coffeehouses were established and rapidly grew into a popular social space patronized by men (women were banned mostly, save for Germany) from all walks of life, regardless of social status. Quite naturally, and in the same way online communities have been created to cater to specific needs within the social media realm, different coffeehouses began to attract clientele according to occupation and attitude as the years progressed.

Figure 2: Social media in the 18th Century. At Cafe Procope: at rear, from left to right: Condorcet, La Harpe, Voltaire (with his arm raised) and Diderot.

Cafe Procope in Paris, established in 1685 by Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli, was a perfect example. The meeting place of the intellectual establishment, it was in this particular cafe great men like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot consumed, created, and co-created conversations resulting in the cultural reputation which France enjoys even today. Coffeehouses were the seedbed for modern philosophy and great intellectual movements – and breeding grounds for dissension and ultimately revolution.

As centres of power and influence, coffeehouses instilled fear in the ignorant, the inexperienced, the ill-informed and the establishment — none of whom patronized coffeehouses. King Charles II, who described the London coffeehouses “places where the disaffected met, and spread scandalous reports concerning the conduct of His Majesty and his Ministers”, was afraid of the freedom these social levellers had. He attempted to suppress the coffeehouses, to little success.

There are many useful parallels between the coffeehouse and today’s social media sites, especially for marketers who are struggling to understand a medium they are being pressured to exploit.

Ted McConnell, general manager of interactive marketing and innovation for Procter & Gamble, summed the misconceptions up best when he shared his views at Cincinnati’s Digital Hub Initiative presented by the Ad Club of Cincinnati:

I think when we call it ‘consumer-generated media,’ we’re being predatory,” he said. “Who said this is media? Media is something you can buy and sell. Media contains inventory. Media contains blank spaces. Consumers weren’t trying to generate media. They were trying to talk to somebody. So it just seems a bit arrogant. … We hijack their own conversations, their own thoughts and feelings, and try to monetize it.

Shiny Object Syndrome sufferers amongst clients perceive social media as the magic mushroom that will somehow bring back the days of long pre-order lists, sold-out products, 200 percent revenue growth, and marketing budgets greater than some countries’ GDP. A silver bullet that solves all problems, perhaps. Others believe social media is a new media channel created by consumers, for consumers, to be, ironically, paid for by consumers, hopefully at the rate of 17.65 percent.

While none of them are wrong, this is a case of not seeing the forest for the trees. A more useful way of understanding social media is to see sites like global coffeehouses without geographic boundaries, operating hours or seating capacities, where like-minded tribes gather to interact with each other when they feel like it.

Approach social media the way you would a coffeehouse and you will find opportunities to develop solutions for your problems and answers to the most frequently asked questions such as: How do we engage bloggers? What are they saying about our brand? How do we make them like us?

Be picky about the channels you choose
Just like you’d select the coffeehouse with the clienteles you most relate to, and would like to be with, target social media that matches your customer profiles. It’s more cost effective hanging out with like-minded creatures from the start, than to attempt to change the mindsets and lifestyles of others completely irrelevant – or fundamentally opposed – to you. High wastage will affect your ROI.

Don’t be a smooth operator
Pick-up lines don’t work. Do not pitch your brand right after “Hello”. Remember, you’re there to have a conversation, not to make a speech. Just like a coffeehouse patron, the point to your visit is to listen and converse, not to advertise. Don’t be ”that self-absorbed guy who won’t stop talking about himself”. No one really likes that guy much.

Become a regular
Pay regular visits and after a while, people will begin to remember you. A savvy marketer will join bloggers both online on social networks, and offline at social media events. To stay in your consumers’ minds, you need to be a regular.

Like good coffee, relationships take time to brew
Be patient. Social media marketing is a long-term investment for it stems from the development of relationships. The customers from the coffeehouse may not remember you after your first visit, but that doesn’t mean you should stop patronizing. Do understand that this isn’t a three-month-long campaign but a relationship you’re building with the customers based on respect, trust, and mutual interest.

This article was first published on iMediaConnection.com for iMedia Asia.

Here’s an interesting report done up by ZDNet, a news site / blog that covers the beat in the Technology industry. It’s called “Is Social PR For Real? Which Agencies Get It?”

A timely article, with some great research insights from internal PR directors / managers followed by chief marketing officers / vice presidents of marketing and small business owners as some of the world’s major economies start slowing down and anybody in a decision making position is held even more accountable on the budgets that they spend.

More than ever, Return On Investment (ROI) will be a deal breaker and a key tenet to effect real change to any business or organisation.

Do good communications practices ultimately affect your bottom line? You bet it does! In today’s increasingly mass commodified and audience fragmented world, reaching your audience and having a relationship that transcends transactions builds customer loyalty, advocacy for them to tell others about you. You want to be that ‘go-to’ resource when a customer has a need, and you want to sell them the best possible product that you have to better their lives.

But this isn’t really about that.. we’re going to talk more about some of the insights found in the ZDNet article.

These were some of the key points i picked out from the report:

1. Agencies do not fully follow through with what was promised during a new business pitch.
Only 20% strongly agreed and 18% agreed that their agencies achieved this. A vast majority 30% somewhat agreed and a good 26% agreed with the claim.

Credit: www.zdnet.com

I suspect this also comes from the ‘fluid’ nature of social media, or perhaps a lot of it comes from over-promising and making unrealistic strategies and tactics. While everyone is hungry for new business in these times, more should be done to keep both clients and agencies accountable on deliverables with accountable measurement.

2. Agencies do not necessarily understand how their communications work past getting news coverage and actually affecting a client’s business
Yes, something we can all be guilty about. Good public relations is more than just generating news coverage (quantitative), but it is about projecting a positive image of the clients you represent (qualitative)

Credit: www.zdnet.com

In our line of work, both qualitative and quantitative share equal importance. But as audiences become extremely fragmented, it’s harder to see media as mass communications anymore. I think a smart move any of us can do, is to think very strategically and produce quality content to the publics that matter first and foremost, before trying to reach the world. Pool your resources together to communicate the things that matter, to the people that matter.

3. Clients really expect agencies to know social media

This is great! 78.8% of clients understand the importance of having a social media campaign and expect their agencies to know it as well! While I hesitate to say that agencies should know more about social media than their clients, I’d like to think that it’s not the knowledge gap in a new medium that allows an agency to work with its clients, but MORE about how the agency is a valued partner and comes up with workable social media campaigns that understands the industry their client is in, what drives their clients business and then HOW social media can work for them and their customers.

Credit: www.zdnet.com

4. Clients know enough about social media to get by
This is another good sign. About two years ago, clients and agencies were starting to experiment with social media. Today, a good 39.8% know enough to get by, and 37% have a good grasp about how social media will contribute to their business. Nothing gets me more excited when I speak to clients who do not just name drop social media buzzwords, but are actually talking about strategy, credibility, transparency and forming relationships with their people that matter.

Credit: www.zdnet.com

5. Clients would like free social media training
A good 46.5% said they would attend if they didn’t have to pay for it, and a good 35.4% said they would attend regardless.

Credit: www.zdnet.com

While ZDNet recommends it would be in our best interest to not charge for training sessions, from an agency point of view, media training for clients usually comes at a cost. I believe social media training is equally important. Public image isn’t nurtured overnight, same thing as a social presence. Your avatar can be considered your public image on the social net, and such training is a worthwhile investment and accelerator if you don’t have time to pore through all the myriad of “How-To” posts from blogs.

But, i’m willing to see the flipside to this. It’s just one more thing to pay for isn’t it? Perhaps possible ways forward is to package this as part of a programme, keeping costs lower. In business, I guess most things are negotiable.

(And who says we don’t give away anything for free? Check out Ogilvy On Recession, a free resource of insights and thought igniters on how to work smart in the downtime.)

6. Most agencies recommend the tools to drive social media
Worrying. 29% of clients agree somewhat that agencies make the tools the centerstage when it comes to social media / PR campaigns. Add 14% that agree and 8% that strongly agree, that’s almost a total of 51% of agencies who are trying to pull a fast one with shiny, free applications created by other people to get new business.

Credit: www.zdnet.com

Once again, it’s not the tools that drive social media, they are the means to an end. What ultimately makes a campaign successful is the strategy and content that netizens get, and perhaps a close second, the relationships that at least get you into the door to pitch a story or idea.

Summary
In closing, it’s great to see more clients stepping up and understanding social media. Having that knowledge allows you to see through an agency’s smokescreen of buzzwords, fancy charts and overwhelming statistics.

Then it’s the agency’s turn to show clients just why we’re so great to work with. Whether it’s through strategic acumen, industry knowledge, media relations, creative ideas, professionalism and accountability. A working relationship doesn’t have to be purely transactional, but a valued relationship that sees both parties growing as our audiences continue to grow as well. Y’see PR2.0 isn’t about the social media, it’s about the culture adopted by both clients and agencies responding to a changing audience.

We started talking about this study in September last year and it’s now ready for download.

We’ve covered 12 countries in Asia and we hope you’ll find the insights useful in helping to gain a better understanding of how to benefit from interacting with customers through social media.

Thanks to everyone who’s helped with this, as well as everyone who’s expressed interest in getting a copy. Let us know what you think!

This Newsweek story about Barack Obama’s 26-year-old speech writer is a fantastic reminder to all of us professional communicators of how compelling an honest human voice can be when it comes to telling a story.

I keep banging on about the importance and value of communicating openly and honestly, and this holds true especially for people in prominent positions…whether you’re the head of a company or the head of a country.

It’s easy to get lost in marketing messages and I cringe every time I see a press release or hear a speech that seems like a robot created it. Cold, meaningless, inanimate.

That’s why we like holding Open Room sessions…to let the human voices of our clients come through and tell the stories that people actually listen to. The kind of stories they in turn go on to tell others.

Here’s a repost of an article I wrote for iMediaConnection, which aims to get more brands thinking about how they can re-energize their PR efforts going into 2009.
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The most successful brands this year will be those that engage openly and invite deeper participation. Here are some ways to kick-start “Open Room” communication for your brand.

The economic downturn is forcing many marketers to tighten their belts and rethink their marketing mix.

A big upside, however, is the opportunity for companies to really hunker down and focus on bringing out the core value of their product offerings, raising their service levels and improving the way in which they communicate with their customers to build preference and grow loyalty when consumer sentiment is down.

The evolution of communication
In January 2008, the Asia Pacific region had more than 300 million internet users at least 15 years of age accessing the internet from work and home computers. This represents an increase of 14 percent versus a year ago and makes Asia Pacific the largest of the five worldwide regions, according to comScore.

The internet has dramatically changed the way in which people communicate and leveled the playing field in which marketers operate today. Not only is it significantly easier for people to consume, create and share content in real time with other like-minded individuals, it is also easier for brand owners to track these conversations, reach out to influencers and measure the effectiveness of their efforts.

This is the groundswell that Forrester Analyst, Charlene Li, talks about in her blog.

If consumers are not actively generating content, the majority are at the very least searching for the experiences and opinions of others who share the same interests on a regular basis and are being influenced well beyond the marketing messages that are put out on corporate websites.

It is therefore imperative that brand owners have their ear to the ground across all channels where this communication is taking place.

2008 was also a year in which we increasingly saw the intersection of traditional and new media in public relations, where more journalists were regularly looking at blogs and forums for story ideas and commentary.

As even more people turn to the internet as a credible source of information in 2009 and beyond, the brands that will emerge stronger are those that effectively blend solid PR basics with more direct and open communication across all platforms — a concept the 360-degee digital influence team at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide in Singapore have dubbed “The Open Room”.

How “Open Room” communication works
As its name suggests, “Open Room” communication goes beyond the traditional press conference or media interview to create opportunities for closer face-to-face interaction and conversation between brands and a wider sphere of influential advocates.

This is achieved via a phased program that begins with the setting up of active online listening posts to discover and map relevant conversations about a brand or product and come up with key insights.

We then identify influential voices within those conversations before creating strategic opportunities focused around compelling experiences and participation to engage directly with those people to help tell the story.

The most successful brands will be those that engage openly in the dialog and invite deeper participation. Communication, after all, is a two-way conversation that is most lively when both sides are actively contributing.

Here are three simple ways to kick-start “Open Room-style” communication in the new year:

Listen more, listen everywhere
Here is a common client scenario: Your media monitoring systems are all in place and you track press coverage like a bloodhound. But do you know what is being said about your company, its people and products in thousands of casual conversations that are taking place in the wider online sphere?

If you have never searched for your own brand in Google, Twitter or Facebook, you should. Then do the same for a competitor and compare the results. Chances are you will find out something that you never knew — both good and bad. It takes less than a minute to set up a free daily Google Alert on your own, and it pays dividends in providing useful insights.

One of our clients, Dell, does a great job of listening via its Direct2Dell and Ideastorm sites. Not only do these sites provide an open channel of communication, but they also serve to build a strong community of people on the ground who actively advocate Dell’s products and regularly participate in the conversation.

Start the year by setting up an online listening post as mentioned above. It is an excellent way of discovering what people are really saying about you and identifying individuals or groups who are fans or detractors. It helps to keep your friends close but your enemies closer.

Refresh your newsroom
Static, one-way newsrooms deserve a makeover in 2009, so look beyond text-only documents and paper press kits.

Creating and embedding short video snippets of your spokesperson(s) into your announcement, along with links to images hosted online are simple embellishments that serve to make your news more compelling for journalists and ripe for sharing on the web.

Get a social life
The digital groundswell is a natural result of the evolution of technology. Social media is not a magic bullet in a lackluster communications plan but rather one of the many new communication channels that must be considered when listening and speaking to your target audience.

The myriad digital media platforms and tools can no doubt be overwhelming but rather than fear these new technologies, we should resolve to familiarize ourselves with what’s out there in order to better understand how it all works. Remember, we regard email as nothing scarier than a handwritten letter or fax message was 10 years ago.

One essential to-do item for 2009 is to get your team started with a Digital 101 workshop to introduce some of the more popular online technologies beyond email and instant messaging.

You might be surprised at how simple practices such as reading social media thought leadership blogs, learning to use an RSS reader, understanding how Google search works and collaborating on wikis can help make your team work much smarter and faster… and even spawn fresh ideas about other “Open Room” ways to communicate.

So simply put. Thanks to Pat Law for sharing this:

Social Media in Plain English from leelefever on Vimeo.