The PR Warrior

What's YOUR Gut Feel on Social Media?

As we edge towards the six-week mark of the new year, one thing I am certain about and that is the Australian marketing and PR industry - as well as business generally - is finally starting to sit up and take social media seriously.

Now, there's no 'hard stats' to back this up, merely gut feel from talking to many people in positions of influence within major organisations, chatting to others (consultants and the like) who are also dealing with the 'big end of town', as well as reading a large number of press articles that, well, seem downright positive and pragmatic about the subject.

This time last year, mainstream media was quite derisive about the social web. You could almost hear the journalists snorting as they filed their stories on Facebook, Twitter and the like (invariably the articles never strayed too far away from the major platforms).

It appears to be a different situation now. 

Serious Stories

For a few weeks there, the Australian Financial Review contained numerous 'serious' stories on social media.

So too a number of other newspapers.

And this, in The Economist last week - a 16-page special report on social networking (I know it's not Australian-produced, but it is read quite extensively in this country, I understand).

Maybe it's because Australians are now recognised as the heaviest users of social media?

So the general feeling I'm getting - and I'd be interested in others' views on this - is that business in Australia is truly starting to wake up to the fact the world has indeed changed thanks to technology and the emergence of the social web. That it's not just about dipping your toe in the water and opening up a Facebook account, but thinking strategically about how the social web can have an impact on your brand.

For marketers and PR people, there seems to be a resigned inevitability to it all. A bit like - "Oh well, this isn 't going to go away...I suppose I'll have to do something about it". But this is balanced by pockets of enthusiasm from those in the industry that are picking up on the incredible opportunities social media presents companies and brands.

Will this polarising view continue, I wonder?

Cold Hard Reality

For business people, they're realising social media isn't so much a fad as cold, hard reality. And you know what, I'm not seeing any where as much of the fear as I did last year. These past few weeks, the vibe I've been getting from senior business executives has been surprisingly upbeat, indeed curious, about the potential opportunities provided by new media technologies. Maybe it's resignation to the fact it isn't going to go away? Or, they've done their homework over the Christmas break and now have a better grip on the situation.

I'm not saying there aren't any in marketing and PR (or business or media or government) who haven't got their heads in the sand. There are still tons of them, no doubt!

As I said at the outset, gut feel only. 

There are plenty of stats that point towards greater acceptance of social media in the form of marketers indicating they will be spending more in the space this coming year. 

I guess I'm thinking more about public acceptance levels of - and excitement for - the social web generally. Has it finally gone 'mainstream' within the business community?

Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

What does your gut tell you? 

SOURCE: Photobucket 

Bank's Inertia Fuels Nude Pic 'Storm'

You have to appreciate the irony!

Some poor dude who works at Sydney's Macquarie Bank - financial adviser David Kiely - was this week caught on television checking out several racy photos of supermodel Miranda Kerr (from her recent shoot for GQ magazine).

For those who don't know the story, Kiely's workstation was in the background of a live TV interview between one of his colleagues and Chris Bath of Channel Seven news.

If you squint, you might - just might - see Kiely in the background opening up an email and checking out pics of Kerr. At the last second, he spins around and looks into the barrel of the camera - sprung! 

NOTE: we're not talking hardcore porn here but stuff you generally see on TV's Video Hits on a Sunday morning..or...the Daily Telegraph! See below...

 

Just wondering, if anyone at Macquarie Bank read the above issue of the Daily Telegraph while at work, would they be in trouble too? But I digress - this is not about HR but PR (I wonder if there's a HR Warrior out there?). 

Okay, at time of writing, according to various sources, David Kiely is in hiding awaiting some measure of internal discipline. At the very worse, if the reports are correct, he faces the sack.

Meanwhile, the YouTube clip has gone bananas and the world's media has gotten in on the act.

Pleasingly, the public have come to the broker's defence, with efforts to "save David Kiely's job" now in full swing. Kerr herself has said she would support the effort by signing a petition if required. 

Meanwhile, Macquarie Bank has reportedly stuck to the corporate line that it "takes matters such as the unacceptable use of technology extremely seriously"...yeah, yeah.

Boring and Stiff

Looking at this from a purely PR perspective, it would seem that by putting out the regulated (i.e. boring, stiff, jargon-filled) corporate response - and then going into hiding and refusing to comment - Mac Bank has fuelled the issue.

Had the bank acted swiftly - and you'd hope that sanity would prevail and Kiely only gets a rap across the knuckles at the very worst - then the negative ripple effect ("Save David Kiely's job" etc) would have been severely blunted. As it is, all eyes - the media's and the social web - remain trained on Macquarie Bank.

The bank has stuffed up the classic PR tenet - be first to fill the page. If you don't, others will...as they have in this case.

In terms of brand and reputation, if this issue is about Mac Bank upholding "moral standards", don't forget we're talking about a company that is hardly representative of community attitudes. Remember, this is the bank that has a history of paying outlandish bonuses to its senior executives, to the outcry of the media and general public.

So what I take from this is that Miranda Kerr's bottom is not acceptable at Macquarie Bank, but paying the boss a $100 million nest-egg is. 

Interesting...

Oh, as an aside, GQ Australia editor Nicholas Smith says the magazine is pitched at Macquarie Bank staff.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Smith said:

"We actively think of the Macquarie Bank worker when we put our magazine together each month."

P.S. if you didn't get my suggestion re irony at the outset, it's that traditional media (TV) instigated the social media (YouTube) frenzy - albeit inadvertently. Normally these days, it's the other way around. 

UPDATE: Macquarie Bank has finally come out and stated that Kiely would be keeping his job, according to The Australian newspaper.

Social Media and How it is Impacting on Public Relations (Part One)

This is PART ONE of a guest post by strategic public relations professional and blogger, Craig Pearce (left). His views and news on PR can be found at Public relations and managing reputation: better business and society.

The world’s leading authority on public relations, Professor James Grunig recently said that social media has, “the potential to truly revolutionalise public relations – but only if a paradigm shift in the thinking of many practitioners and scholars takes place.” (Praxis, a digital PR resource centre.)

In the Praxis article, entitled Paradigms of global public relations in an age of digitalisation, he provides a lucid analysis of, and adds considerable value to, discussions on public relations and its dialectic with social media. This post – the first of a three-part series – discusses certain elements of the article that are of interest and relevance to me and, I think, the public relations profession at large.

Social media, Grunig says, has “the potential to make the profession more global, strategic, two-way and interactive, symmetrical or dialogical, and socially responsible.” This will not occur, he warns, if PR pros use it as a means of “dumping messages”, however. Rather, he counsels professionals to interact with stakeholders and bring information, “from the environment into organisational decision-making.”

Implications of social media on the practice of public relations

The prevalence of social media has accelerated (or crystallised, it’s hard to know which sometimes) the emergence of disparate cultures and sub-cultures. This has, in turn, led to a fracturing of target audiences for organisations. Segmenting target audiences has become increasingly more challenging (a new meaning of the ‘digital divide’?).

Issues of concern to these audiences, the language they use and their needs and wants make the public relations (and marketing) professional’s job more difficult than ever, certainly, but so do they make it more important. Based on the assumption that public relations professionals are the organisation-stakeholder relationship experts, it has given the profession an opportunity to progress its ongoing battle to secure a more strategic, influential and high-level role within organisations.

Further, this emphasises the need for public relations professionals to be appropriately educated, at both a tactical and strategic level.

The plethora of social media being utilised by target audiences, or stakeholders, has placed a huge burden on PR practitioners. The technical nuances and appropriate social behaviour for each social media ‘species’ demand prodigious (and daunting) amounts of knowledge, as well as multi-skilling and multi-tasking attributes.

And do not forget that both the technical elements and capabilities, as well as the sort of behaviour that is suited to these mechanisms, is in a constant state of evolution – the world has no place for a complacent PR operative.

The conversation = public relations and social media

Another dimension of social media is that its very existence is predicated on the notion of ‘giving’, of an approach that benefits a community or society. Thought leadership plays an important part in this dialectic. Corporate social responsibility is deeply analogous to it.

 All of these elements go back to the core theory of Grunig and his colleagues, that of two-way symmetrical communication. This is an approach which sees public relations as an activity that enables organisations and their stakeholders to come to a negotiated, mutually agreed set of behaviours. These are the PR programs which reap results, according to Grunig (pictured left).

Controlling target audiences?

As Trevor Young recently pointed out, since when did organisations have control over what their stakeholders thought or how they behaved? He’s on the same page as Grunig here, who says, “the assumed control of messages and influence has always been an illusion rather than a reality of public relations practice.”

Some organisations and practitioners might find this reality a little too tough to stomach. If that’s the case, then the social media waters are way too choppy for you, baby.

The only way to influence is to engage. This means conversational communication, two-way symmetrical communication. And not just communication. We are talking behavioural change here, as well, from an organisation and its stakeholders. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Research has discredited the media release, one-way notion of public relations and the assertion that control of stakeholders ever occurred. Stakeholders, “have always controlled the messages to which they are exposed.’ Best practice public relations, Grunig says, is “a participant in organisational decision-making rather than a conveyor of messages about decisions after they are made by other managers.”

PART TWO of this guest post by Craig will be posted next week.

Crowdsourcing the True Meaning of Social Media

 

UK-based PR consultant Adam Vincenzini called upon the Twitterverse to crowdsource the meaning of social media.

Adam's idea was to get 140 'communications characters' to submit their definitions of social media in 140 characters. Great concept!

Within no time Adam received the full complement of responses which he duly posted on his blog The Comms Corner.

Here is a snapshot of some of the definitions submissions:

@DannyBrown Social media is the human engine oil. It doesn't matter if you're a Mini or Mercedes, you get an equal shot to compete in the race.

@dreamteamroman Sharing thoughts, ideas and experiences with others around the globe in a fast and efficient way. consumer=producer of info.

@ThatGirl_Chloe social media is a way to connect with people around the world & use these thoughts, experiences & conversations within real-life situations.

@hermioneway ''Media that's social ...it's about everyone taking part and having a voice.''

@geetarchurchy Social media is the consumer's realisation that they have the power to induce institutional change through online behaviour.

@NikHewitt Where friends, fans, & evangelists are your PR team. Where everything is immediate. Where personal opinion is valued over direct marketing.

@litmanlive Social media is one of the biggest opportunities to brands online in recent history. It's the real time web in motion.

@dbreakenridge Social media means listening carefully and learning to share valuable information that bonds people and builds strong relationships.

For the record, here is the PR Warrior's contribution:

@trevoryoung Social media is a catalyst for change - change in the way we connect with each other, change in the way businesses communicate with the world.

@EmilyCagle - who submitted this response: "Adapt, answer, broadcast, collaborate, communicate, connect, create, engage, follow, lead, learn, listen, question, share" - subsequently produced a tagcloud of the words used (via Wordle). Here is the result!

Deidre Breakenridge provides her own take on Adam's experiment here.

While on the subject of Deidre, I've read a couple of her books and highly recommend them - 'PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences' and 'Putting the Public Back in Public Relations' (with Brian Solis).

Check out Adam's full post on the Comms Corner.

Two Lessons I Learnt From a Phone Call 'Out of the Blue'

I gave a talk on social media at a big industry function last night (Packaging Council of Australia).

It seemed to go pretty well. Phewww! I love it when a plan comes together!

Today I got a call out of the blue.

A "mature gent" - his words - had kindly taken the time to phone and tell me how much he enjoyed the presentation.

Thank you Simon for your kind words. They were much appreciated.

Two lessons I learnt from that phone call.

ONE: In today's hyper-connected market, a simple thing like a phone call - especially one that is unexpected - can be a particularly powerful tool. I think we tend to forget that sometimes. We shouldn't. Ever.

TWO: Even though some of us have been immersed in the social media space for some time, there are many, many others who haven't. This perspective should never be ridiculed but rather, encouraged and nurtured. I hope I do that. Apologies if sometimes, in my enthusiasm, I forget to :)

Back to basics.

Empathy.

Both very important lessons. Both very much part  of the 'social media ethos'.

Thank you. It's been a good week.

Could the Press Release Please Hurry Up and Die!

 It was a pleasure this week being interviewed by blogger and all-round clever PR gal, Karalee Evans aka @karalee_ (pictured).

The interview - Ten Questions with a PR Warrior: Trevor Young - can be found in full on Karalee's must-read Just Another PR Blog.

Apart from obligatory background questions (How did I become the PR Warrior, best moments in PR etc), Karalee's probing covered what I thought would be the biggest theme for public relations in 2010, and what I felt were the biggest threats to the profession.

Karalee's question - "Punk or Pop"? - was a cracker!

Here are a couple of snapshot questions to whet your appetite:

Karalee also asked me what five favourite blogs did I read regularly:

• “Start-Up Blog” by Steve Sammartino  

• “Conversation Agent” by Valeria Maltoni 

• “Web Ink Now” by David Meerman Scott 

• “Servant of Chaos” by Gavin Heaton 

• Social Media Today 

Check out the full interview here.

Why is Lack of Control Suddenly a Big Deal?

A large part of what the public relations profession has done in the past - and continues to do today - is the generation of media publicity - editorial coverage in newspapers and magazines and on radio, television and the internet. 

Good old column inches and airtime! Probably not as important or as effective as, say, five to 10 years ago, but certainly a critical part of the PR mix for many companies and organisations.

Despite what so-called 'spin doctors' like to think, PR people (and by extension, the brands they represent) generally have little control over what the media says. Not now, not ever.

(Personally I don't think spin doctors are part of the PR profession - for more of my thoughts on the subject: 'Government Spin Story Leaves PR Warrior With a Heavy Heart').

Sure, you might write a press release that's been tightly written and fully approved by the powers-that-be, but there is absolutely no guarantee it will be covered verbatim (in fact, chances are it will be sliced and diced, rehashed and re-edited to look nothing like the original document - unless of course you're dealing with under-resourced trade publications, regional newspapers or niche magazines).

In other words, you have no control over the outcome of what is actually published.

Yes, yes, yes - I understand measures can be taken to ensure a better chance of getting your story across in print or on-air i.e. have a relevant, interesting and newsworthy story in the first place, have it researched and well-developed, ensure the quotes have media (and therefore reader/listener) appeal, make sure liaison is with the right (read: relevant) journalist. Existing relationships can also be a factor (hold that thought for later in this post).

Catchcry of Social Media

Anyway, along comes social media and all it represents - openness, transparency, conversational tone, two-way interaction, oh, and errr...lack of control!

The catchcry of social media is that companies have no 'control'. And to a large degree that's right. The power lies firmly in hands of the public thanks to blogs, podcasts, online video, Facebook, Twitter etc. Companies now no longer have control of their brands thanks to the explosion of social media channels blah, blah, blah.

However, by saying this, it's implied brands had control before.

Well, they didn't. Not when it came to PR and the media anyway (which is what this post is about).

Lack of control? Ha! Try dealing with headline-hungry journalists, 'creative' sub-editors and ratings-obsessed TV producers who, with some judicious editing, can make someone like Nelson Mandela come across looking like an axe murderer! 

So, my argument is - if you want to have a professional handling your social web communications - one who is used to earning coverage and word-of-mouth (as opposed to simply buying it)...someone who is comfortable with the concept of 'no control', then you could do worse than engaging someone with a solid PR background.

PR professionals are used to creating stories and concepts and ideas to get people talking about brands, companies and organisations (even if a lot of this has traditionally been directed at journalists, editors and producers).

PR professionals are used to having little or no control once the media kit is distributed, the press conference has been held, the photo shoot staged or TV interview conducted. Sure, you might have a good relationship with a particular journalist which (may) help somewhat, but there are also armies of editors and sub-editors involved, in the case of the print media for example where the end result might be far from what was originally anticipated.

Lack of control? Get used to it. It's always been the case.

SIDEBAR: The Journo, the PR Guy & the Dumbo CEO

I was chatting to an experienced PR practitioner the other day who told the (war) story of the CEO who dropped a major clanger in an exclusive interview with a newspaper journalist. The CEO's outburst made for a juicy (negative) headline and would have been a disaster had it made the newspaper.

Luckily for the dumbo CEO, the PR guy - ever the cool head - was on hand to sort out the situation. He had a chat with the journalist who, in turn, decided not to use the quote.

Now, the media and others would like to believe that somehow the PR guy threatened, or had something on the journalist, in order to have the quote omitted from the story. In other words, he had some sort of 'control' of the situation. WRONG! 

PR Guy had an existing relationship with the journalist. They had a bond of respect and trust built up over time. He didn't use 'control' to spin the situation, the relationship just proved to be more important than a one-off bullshit headline.

Fans and Advocates

Mmmm. Sounds quite a parallel to the notion of building your online community through social media channels (as well as offline mediums) - building relationships - turning the people who matter into fans and advocates for your brand. 

Then, if the crap does hit the fan, maybe - just maybe - they'll like you enough not to tweet about your stupid CEO or your dumb-ass promotion or whatever. And hey, if they really love you, they might - just might - stick up for you. Now, that's a key measure of success in the online world (and offline too)!

So the message is - stop worrying about control - or more pertinently the 'lack' of it - and focus on proactively building mutually beneficial relationships with the people who matter most to your business.

Communicating the Essence of Your Brand

Blogging guru Denise Wakeman loves the 'how to' part of author Gary Vaynerchuk's book CRUSH IT!

In her post 'Are You Crushing It With a Blog?', Denise focuses on Vaynerchuk's reasoning for "why a blog".

But why do you need a blog? Why not a website?

As Vaynerchuk says:

"Think of it this way: your website is for communicating logistics and facilitating sales; your blog is for communicating the essence of your brand".

Like Denise, I dig the notion that a blog is for "communicating the essence of your brand".

You need a home base for your content and your blog is it, she says. I like to refer to it as the heart of your online activities. Semantics really - home base, hub, heart - they're all essentially the same thing. 

I believe that if you start seeing your blog in this light, it will potentially change the way you broadly view your social media 'eco-system'.

Here's a little Vaynerchuk in action to get your blood pumping!

Building Personal Brand Within the Social Media Landscape. Note: This presentation contains adult language.

Apple's Bold Play With 'Secrecy' Strategy

Speculation continues to build around the hotly anticipated announcement of the new Apple tablet. 

Imagine if Steve Jobs & Co. are NOT intending to announce the new product - man, there would be many furrowed brows around Apple HQ right now, that's for sure! 

If there is no announcement, the fall-out will reverberate around the world. Talk about a massive let-down for Apple fans who have talked themselves into a frenzy over the so-called "iPhone on steroids".

According to MacDailyNews.com:

"Later this month, we all might get a glimpse of that future. According to The Financial Times, Apple has rented a stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and is expected to make a major product announcement on Tuesday, Jan. 26, where many have speculated that some version of the Apple tablet will be unveiled..."

Fever Pitch

Apple's strategy of 'keeping mum' about new product releases has a tendency to fuel buzz beyond fever pitch levels. 

When the strategy works, it works incredibly well! If the product lives up to expectations like the iPhone did, the brand's reputation soars. 

Steve Jobs also likes to surprise the market with out-of-the-blue new products and features. That too - borne out of Apple's preferred 'secrecy' strategy - is an effective tactic.

If the pundits are wrong, however, and the new product fails to live up to the hype, the brand has to wear more flak than most because market expectations have been so high. 

It's a risky strategy and one that only a company like Apple, which consistently exceeds expectations with its products, can get away with. 

For most other companies operating in 'high interest' consumer categories, however, perhaps the strategy of drip-feeding details to the media and other influencers such as bloggers, in the run-up to new product launches, is a better way to go. Cars, books, films, fashion - these are just some of the categories where the drip-feed strategy can be very effective.

Examples of Social Media ROI

Here's a companion piece to the 'Social Media Revolution' video that did the rounds some months back. Both are produced by Erik Qualman, author of 'Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way we Live and Do Business'.

Whereas the first video focused heavily on mind-boggling social media statistics, this one pushes the 'return of investment' argument.

Once again, lots of stats but worth a look.

According to Qualman:

Co-Chairman Alex Bogusky of Crispin Porter & Bogusky puts it best when he states:

“You can’t buy attention anymore. Having a huge budget doesn’t mean anything in social media…The old media paradigm was PAY to play. Now you get back what you authentically put in. You’ve got to be willing to PLAY to play.” – Alex Bogusky, Co-Chairman of Crispin Porter + Bogusky

SOURCE: Socialnomics.net