Archive for the ‘Horizon Management’ Category

Nine Tricks for Managing the Daily Crush in a Busy PR Shop (or anywhere else)

Friday, November 19th, 2010

Getting It Done

Posted by Tom Gable

The follow hints for managing the daily crush of work and demands are best practices we’ve lifted over the years from four score time management books read and seminars attended. The challenge at Gable PR, or any other PR firm or busy professional service organization, is to take care of a zillion things on the to-do list, sort out the important from the merely urgent and still be able to deal with the unexpected. For your planning pleasures, here nine tricks we’ve found useful for managing the daily maelstrom:

  1. Create a daily to-do list first thing in the morning (or at the end of the previous day) and prioritize (No. 1, No. 2, etc.). Assign a rough amount of time to each and rough deadlines for completion.
  2. Address the toughest action item first. Then second toughest. It’s all down hill from there. Psychologically, it’s a huge confidence builder and personal pat on the back to wrap up the difficult client call, pitch a cranky journalist and make the awkward collection calls on overdue accounts. You can get a real sense of power and achievement and gain momentum during the day while growing your ability to bring open items to closure.
  3. Block out times to eliminate distractions and focus on the most important items. Turn off email. Don’t jump back and forth to the Internet. Don’t take or make phone calls.
  4. There is also power in knocking off the small things. Set small blocks of time in the morning, at midday and in the afternoon for getting rid of the items that don’t require lots of creative or strategic energy or time (e.g. making follow up phone calls, providing data someone else is waiting for, checking news trackers and on-line alerts, reading notes, returning emails when people are asking for input, etc.). Grouping these type of action items and attacking en masse is more efficient that going back and forth throughout the day.
  5. Don’t look at something and set it aside without giving it a priority if it needs action. Almost every time management guru recommends handling something just once. Make a decision on what needs to be done and advance the cause – immediately!
  6. If someone has asked for help, they obviously need it. Analyze the need and move them to the top of the queue after taking care of the toughest things and the details. Your fast response will help them get on with their job rather than just waiting for an answer, improving their efficiency and effectiveness as well.
  7. Take an occasional break and reward yourself with work on a favorite long-term client project, creative need, writing assignment, light reading, browsing The Onion and other humor sites on the Web, checking Facebook or Linked In – whatever can help clear the mental pipes.
  8. After checking off those things from your to-do list, have a good glass of wine, designer coffee or whatever you prefer to toast your success (even though it’s only noon!).
  9. Update your to-do list and notice how many important steps you’ve taken – and in record time! Great job!

(Other hot tips? Please comment. I’m working on the Fifth Edition of  The PR Client Service Manual and looking for new ideas!  And if you would like a copy of the  sample daily checklist shown above in Excel, please email me at: tom@gablepr.com)

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Problem-Solving and Creative PR from the Leopard Hunter

Friday, October 29th, 2010

Finding Rarities

Posted by Tom Gable

We just returned from an African adventure, including a week in three different isolated camps in Botswana where we armed ourselves with cameras and bounced and careened through rugged terrain in search of game. The morning drives would start at dawn and the afternoon drives hit the road when the weather started cooling around 4:30 (it got to 115 degrees one day). We extended the searching into cooler night drives where we tracked leopards and other carnivores using infrared lights.

What amazed us were the abilities of the guides to find rare animals after seemingly random searching on dirt and sand roads, trails through the bush and even off-roading through scrub brush or twisting back and forth among islands of green amidst barren plains to look for leopards and lions resting in the shade. We got as close as five yards to cheetahs, leopards and lions, including one lazy, impala-filled male who rolled into the shade of our stationary Range Rover to take a nap, unperturbed by the steady clicking of cameras.

During one excursion, we noted more distinctive trees on the horizon than in most drive areas and our guide seemed to be following a pattern. At the end of the day, when relaxing at camp over dinner, I probed into the secrets of this king of the leopard-hunters and found lessons we can all use in problem-solving and generating creative ideas for our clients.

Start with the big picture: thousands of acres of brush, jungle, open plains, swamps, watering holes and islands of green (the client industry). Then, define the goal: finding the one male leopard known to frequent the area (differentiating a disruptive new product).

The guide started with looking for environmental indicators: fresh tracks in the sand along the roads (competitive and trend data). Animals used the roads because it was easier and safer than venturing into the bush, where predators lay in wait. The guide used his own version of a Gable PR exercise we call “The Flip Side”: what’s there, turn it over and what’s not there.

He saw baboon and hyena tracks, which indicated that the leopard wouldn’t be in this area (tough competition). He noted the direction and took an alternate route, going perpendicular to the road, noting new tracks and then took a parallel road to the original (pursuing more data). He found more hyena tracks, so he narrowed the quest further and took a new angle (new market niche; new positioning). As he eliminated bad options, he soon found the breakthrough: fresh leopard tracks and no hyena or baboon tracks (the ah-hah moment in brainstorming).

With the search area narrowed further, he started looking for certain habitats known to be favored by leopards (favorites of the target). He eased the vehicle along the edges of the possible locations and looked for something that might stand out – differentiators such as different shapes and colors, or a leopard tail curving down from a tree branch. Leopards are well camouflaged but their shapes are different than brush and bush. He spotted a lump in the shade next to a green bush with ears sticking up then saw a sudden flash of red color as the leopard yawned. Success!

I liked the process: analysis, logic, narrowing the focus, creative thought, constant refining and patience. Our guides kept circling and trying new routes. The roads and trails – however primitive and rugged – provided some structure so they could proceed within a pattern. The approach offered freedom to explore but not randomly so it could be pursued strategically and repeated.

The same process works for PR professionals. Start with the big picture. Set a goal. Narrow down the search strategically. Eliminate the things that won’t work, for a variety of reasons. And bring in colleagues and strategic partners if needed for new ideas. Think like the leopard-hunter and you might just be rewarded with a rare and magnificent discovery in creative development and problem solving.

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Strategic PR Plan in 30 Minutes or Less?

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

Influential Channels

Posted by Tom Gable

Well not quite. But to at least get everyone pointed in the same direction, we often use a little mind-mapping exercise with clients who are unfamiliar with the strategic requirements of a good program. It involves walking through a dozen questions with the client (or internal team) and posting the initial answers on a white board. Once the big ideas are covered, the teams can follow up with creative and strategic sessions to add depth to the program, then fine-tune the tactical details.

In the crude white board example shown here, the CEO of an enterprise software company wanted to use social media to reach its key targets: CFOs of large companies. There are probably a million or two CFOs on Twitter and Facebook, right?

To help this CEO (with an engineering Ph.D.) understand the essential elements of strategic PR planning, we went thorough a quick mind-mapping exercise. If you look at the map, social media is among the missing.

The same approach has worked for a consumer client with a product aimed at 18 to 24 year olds who thought the front page of The Wall Street Journal was his perfect target and for other clients who were a little off on their targeting (Oprah for a biotech compound; USA Today for a foreign engineering firm; etc.). We use this approach internally as well to get the creative juices flowing. You can try this at home.

  • Who are the ideal targets? Make a list.
  • What do you want them to do?
  • What are their motivations?
  • Where does each get his or her information — the most trusted sources?
  • How to influence the flow of information into those channels?
  • Get creative. Key messages – how to differentiate from the competition?
  • Unusual approaches?
  • Identify the tools and tactics to get it done (new product launches, trade show programs, media relations, seminars, direct mail, email, literature, speeches, a Guru Program, YouTube, guerrilla marketing, whatever).
  • How to integrate and leverage the tactics for maximum impact (e.g. how Apple and others leak hints about new products in the weeks leading up to the official introduction, provide reviewers with prototypes, etc.)?
  • Can you measure and monitor the results from each component of the program?
  • How often to review and adjust as needed?
  • What will success look like?

Good job! High-fives around the room. Now, get on with the real work of bringing this to life.

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The Elevator Pitch: Connecting with Investors, Media in 60 Seconds or Less

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

Make it Quick!

Posted by Tom Gable

Elevator pitches are finely crafted and rehearsed monologues that in 30 to 60 seconds create a positive picture of you, your organization, the market or need it serves, points of differentiation and vision for the future, with a goal of capturing the interest of your audience and leading to positive next steps. The concept had its roots among entrepreneurs in the Silicon Valley who struggled to set meetings with venture capital and angel investors who were besieged with proposals. Since time was at a premium and real meetings hard to secure, how to connect during brief encounters in public spaces?

Rumor had it that some oft-rejected entrepreneurs spent most of their days riding elevators in the office buildings where the VCs nested along Sand Hill Road. They also hung out at favorite local breakfast and watering holes in hopes of making the quick pitch. Even the most hard-hearted and rude VCs might pay attention for 60 seconds.

The goal: engage, entice and quickly get to the next level, whatever that may be (meet, interview, call, present, date). The challenges: keep it short, focused, passionate, incisive and compelling. The biggest mistakes include taking a great concept and making it boring with too much detail and little pictures (like a bad slide show of your vacation to every national park in the eleven western states), not doing homework on the audience and using jargon it doesn’t understand, dropping below 30,000 feet, not establishing the big vision of future value and failing to ask for the order. So in crafting your pitch, assume short buildings.

Elevator pitches also can be a handy tool for making a short introduction to a speech or program, preparing for a job interview, making a public relations pitch for media coverage or other situations where you need to communicate big ideas quickly (e.g. speed dating, fast-pitch contests at venture and angel group meetings, cocktail party chatter, etc.).

The following outline can serve as a starting point and creative trigger for crafting your own elevator pitch. It evolved from working with different start-ups, venture capitalists, analysts and the media over the year to hone down to these essential elements:

TAG LINE/SOUND BITE – The opener – an instant picture or quick summation of your positioning. What you do, what you stand for, to what effect and why it’s important. One sentence is best. Practice with people who don’t know what you do and keep honing this one sentence (two at the most) until it rings like Shakespeare.

PROBLEM, SITUATION ANALYSIS – What exists – the pain or problem you solve?

DYNAMICS AND OPPORTUNITY – Quick historical overview of how it got to this point, how the challenge has been addressed, what is the sweet spot for your company or organization (keep it to three important points, no more!).

WHAT (solving the problem) – Your company (or organization) has been working X years to plan for and develop D, E and F to solve the problem, take advantage of the market opportunity and grow and succeed over the next Y years.

OVERVIEW FROM 30,000 FEET – The macro view, the big picture of how your great concept (science, disruptive technology, new category, etc.) comes together and will grow market share, sales, traffic, profits, benefits to the community, whatever – the BIG PICTURE vision of future success rather than technical details and features.

SO WHAT (Benefits) – You will succeed because of the creative planning, results and ultimate value you deliver. Create a mental picture of the benefits to science, patients, customers, the world. If there is a good case history, even early stage clinical trials or beta testing results, cite the proof of principle in a sentence or two.

THE TEAM – The team includes executives with national credentials in A, B and C. It has a combined ZZ years in the industry, has built MM, helped YY other companies or institutions grow and knows the market and how to provide an expanding array of products and services to help it succeed (make it relevant to the big picture). Investors in particular need to have faith in the team.

THE CLOSE (call to action as the elevator door opens) – “We have the people, the plan and the commitment to succeed. I can provide incredible detail that I believe will convince you to invest, interview, buy, etc. How about a follow up meeting? This week or next (try to nail something specific)? Where would you like to meet? What else can I provide?” Ask direct questions that take it to the next step.

And even if the answers are “no” or “no way,” you’ve taken a step in the right direction – eliminating one option and perhaps getting valuable input for the next iteration of your elevator pitch so you are better prepared for the next pitch on your road to glory.

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Print Media Rising in 2011 or Gone in 2022?

Friday, August 27th, 2010

Maybe Not

Posted by Tom Gable

Will print media make a comeback starting in 2011 or will newspapers be gone by 2022?

Two recent postings questioned the future of newspapers and print media. Joe Pulizzi, writing in Folio, noted that print can and should play a vital role in an overall content marketing mix. He offered seven reasons why he envisioned good news for print in the coming year (summarized here; see his post for more detail):

1. Getting Attention: There are fewer publications in most niches, so each gets more attention.

2. Print Media Help with Customer Retention

3. No Audience Development Costs; marketers can distribute a magazine to their customers using existing lists.

4. What’s Old Is New Again; marketers are leveraging print in their marketing mix.

5. Customers Still Need to Ask Questions. He noted that you can ask yourself tough questions based on what you read.

6. Print Still Excites People: He talked to a journalist who said it’s harder to get people to agree to an interview for an online story than print; people will reschedule for that.

7. Unplug: Joe opined that people are disconnecting themselves from digital media in increasing numbers. (Recent studies show that digital overload actually hurts cognition).

I agree wholeheartedly on No. 6 on the excitement of print, plus its credibility. Coverage in a real, non-electronic publication with a history of competence and integrity has significantly more value than coverage in most online media and blogs (the latter being, of course, fairly low on the credibility scale). Seeing your story in the print edition of the NYT, WSJ, Economist or even your home town daily paper generates a great sense of accomplishment. PR professionals almost expect coverage to land in on-line media, so the so-called earned media isn’t as dear online as in print. Of course the print media have a website, RSS feed, Twitter feed, etc., so you can have the best of both worlds. And it’s a world I surely want to continue in perpetuity.

On the other side of the debate, Ross Dawson, a futurist, was speaking to Newspaper Publishers’ Association in Australia and predicted that within 10 years, mobile reading devices would allow people to consume news on the run and be the “primary news interface”.

He predicted the costs would fall from the $600 iPad level to under $10. “More sophisticated news readers will be foldable, or rollable, gesture-controlled and fully interactive,” he said.

He predicted journalism would be “increasingly crowdsourced” to “hordes of amateurs overseen by professionals.” (We now have that on the web, mostly with no adult supervision)

He did predict expert journalists would still be employed in Australia. Audiences would be guided to trusted journalists by some form of public reputation measures (probably recorded from electronics sensors implanted in our skins and transmitted wirelessly to the Media Measurement Algorithm Monitor in the sky).

Bottom line: this former printer journalist and long-time PR practitioner believes the printed word will continue to be valued by many, most notably those with a sense of the weight of non-electronic media. I read four papers every morning with breakfast and love to see how the news is played, the relationships of stories, news judgment in context and find new discoveries on every page. Sure, you can get a little serendipity online, but I don’t think the medium works that way. I find the printed variety better for scanning and quickly absorbing the flow of news and trends. I can turn a page and scan it faster for information than I can scrolling through a website screen or agonizing as I view 14 lines of news at a time on my Blackberry.

Joe, thanks for the post. I second the motion: print is rebounding — in 2011 and beyond.

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Three Questions to Determine if You are Taking the Right Road in Crisis PR

Monday, August 9th, 2010

The Right Turn?

Posted by Tom Gable

When unexpected events or outside forces suddenly impact your operation, rapid, reasoned response is essential to protecting the brand and organizational image for the long term. You gather facts, analyze the impacts on all constituents and then determine your strategic management and crisis communications plans going forward. But options exist. You have reached a critical fork in the road to the path toward continued trust and credibility or possibly something less. How do you decide which road to take?

At Gable PR, we’ve used a quick litmus test over the years in handling a variety of crises (hostile take overs, threats to public safety, food-borne illnesses, religious scandals, etc.) – three questions to focus on the essentials:

1. Is the strategic plan true to the brand or organizational values and what you stand for?

2. Will it solidify your reputation for the long term, despite short-term issues?

If the answer is no, maybe not, or hedged in any way, ask:

3. How will this be played in the media and by your competitors?

The recent Apple “antennagate” and BP oil spill crisis provide good case histories where the organizations may have let ego, arrogance and perceived invincibility get in the way of critical thinking about strategy. An NBC San Diego reporter got to the point when he asked me in an interview about crisis as a metaphor for company values.

“How you operate in a crisis is probably a better indicator of the quality of a corporation than (how you operate) during good times,” I replied.

A wide range of business, technical and PR media noted that Steve Jobs puts a crack in the rarely sullied brand image of Apple when he admitted that in the smart phone world, “phones aren’t perfect.” And that consumers were guilty of the lost signals because, well, we held the phone to make a call.

Jobs said the issue was all so “blown so out of proportion,” then proceeded to add his own momentum to the blow out.

He dragged Motorola, Samsung and Droid into the fray by showing they too could have problems. Using the famous Kindergarten Defense, Jobs basically said that since everyone else is doing it, what’s the big deal?

Motorola had a great time with it, running ads that promoted a phone with “no jacket required.” As quoted from a recent Fortune brainstorming panel, Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha was asked how he felt about Apple posting video showing its own “death grip” testing of Motorola’s new Droid X Smartphone, and if he thought it was a fair business practice. Jha answered: “You know, I heard (probably apocryphal) that the most popular voice message on iPhone4 was, ‘Sorry I can’t answer your call, because I am holding my phone!’ I don’t think this is an issue with Droid X,” reported Fortune writer Seth Weintraub.

The Motorola ad noted: “At Motorola, we believe a customer shouldn’t have to dress up their phone for it to work properly.”

The press conference videos disappeared from Apple’s site shortly after the Hitler meme and other parodies blanketed the Internet. A College Humor video (NSFW) offered one of the cruder send ups of the Apple iPhone press conference and Steve Jobs attitude.

The Register (UK) nailed it:

“…Apple thrives by saying that its products are simply better than everyone else’s, and anyone who can’t see that is clearly not cool enough. Running down the competition is very uncool, and it’s not the Apple way of doing things.”

Lesson learned: which fork did he take? Did ego override sound crisis PR strategy? A review of comments by assorted experts found general agreement that Apple should have simply owned up to the problem and offered the bumper fix immediately via a press release rather than an odd video press conference, with follow up interviews. The approach would have protected the integrity of the brand and reduced risk to the CEO, with no follow up parodies and “antennagate ads.”

In contract, the concept of owning up and moving on was demonstrated clearly by Google when it announced it was discontinuing Wave. It offered a straightforward assessment and showed the integrity of a company and a culture dedicated to taking changes and not being afraid to fail. For an attitude toward failure, my favorite quote is from Thomas Edison, who said: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Next: similar and obvious lessons from BP.

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Nine Easy Ways to Fail in Building Brands, Reputations

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Non-Digital Branding

Posted by Tom Gable

You and your internal teams and outside consultants have worked for months to develop a plan to incorporate image as a part of corporate strategy for the long-term benefit of reputation and organizational success (something BP is probably working on as we speak so they are ready to launch the “new BP” once the old BP solves the oil crisis).

As covered before, you start with basic questions as the creative foundation for building your PR and reputation management plan:

  • How do you want to be known in two to three years?
  • What do you stand for – the core values?
  • Does the organization have a culture, a personality?
  • Can you establish a solid foundation from your values and then demonstrate proof of principle over time (walk the talk)?
  • Can you be disciplined enough to carry out a strategic program of reputation management for reaching multiple constituencies?
  • Is your strategic plan, financing, mindset, commitment and other resources up to the task?
  • Can you clearly differentiate against the competition for the company, the people, the technology, the culture and the vision for the future?

Once you’ve brainstormed, strategized, debated, drafted and then fine-tuned the plan, you are ready to start the evolution of the image to rise above the competition, to the benefit of faster growth, better margins, improved morale, overall community reputation and goodwill on the downside should something negative occur (we also kid during seminars and talks that this also leads to whiter teeth, better posture and improved digestion).

The digestive processes, however, can suffer if the organization doesn’t deal well with nine gnawing issues that can derail the best plan. These elements of failure are compiled from case histories we’ve experienced at Gable PR, research into bad branding experiences by others and references from the classic literature in the field: Reputation and Fame and Fortune by Charles Fombrun; Competitive Advantage and other books by Michael Porter; CEO Capital, by Leslie Gaines-Ross; Good to Great, by Jim Collins; and Leading Change, by John Kotter; among others. The list can undoubtedly be expanded, but these transgressions can serve as a good starting point:

  1. Lack of total CEO commitment, vision
  2. Lack of an organization-wide commitment; turf wars; individual agendas
  3. Ambiguous or unclear core values and theories
  4. Weak positioning, lack of differentiation
  5. Insufficient or contradictory proof of principle over time; unsubstantiated hype
  6. Talking to yourself instead of the market (jargon, argot; your features inside of benefits to the outside audiences)
  7. Making reactionary changes to short-term market or other conditions and sending confusing signals
  8. Being research averse; failure to measure progress or lack of same against your goals, make course corrections, adjust tactics and strategies
  9. In total, not delivering on the promise of the brand, positioning

Each of the branding questions up front and the nine ways to fail are big ideas and what we call thought-starters – leaping off points for spirited debate, more research, creativity, strategic adjustments and challenges to ever idea, assumption and result. Can you overcome hurdles, change the flow of the game and move toward brand-building victory?

The ongoing process can not only be intellectually stimulating to all involved but cause for future and continuing celebration in a team sport where everyone wins.

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The New PR: Building Images and Reputations in 3D

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Your Move!

Posted by Tom Gable

In researching new approaches to reputation management and brand building for the upcoming fifth edition of The PR Client Service Manual, it has become more clear that PR is taking on an increasingly important leadership role in strategic planning and intelligent execution of the most complex communications programs. We are evolving to what I’ll call the three-dimensional chess model, or image-building in 3D.

The PR profession continues to master new tactics and tools that go beyond the flat two-dimensional approaches used in most programs. The concept is to go high, wide and deep in creating images with the substance to break out of the competitive clutter for maximum impact.

Only PR has the capability to strategically and intelligently integrate the many disparate channels of communication and move image in the right direction over the long term. The 3D approach can create extraordinary image momentum and ROI as the game pieces move in an intricate orchestration toward ultimate victory: building reputation as desired.

The importance of adopting a 3D approach has been reinforced by experts at many recent conferences, including the recent Counselors Academy spring meeting. A key message: don’t fall in love with your tools; figure out how to work them strategically for maximum impact.

Envision all your target audiences and their sources of information. What channels do you need to use to ensure they get the right information in timely, strategic fashion to support your program goals? Where do you build your positions of strength and support? As the plans unfold, can you envision five moves ahead, ten and twenty or more?

Analyze the key milestones in your program – the known deliverables, activities, encounters, events, presentations, financial news releases, analyst meetings, government conferences, etc. What exists? Then, look for the holes, the gaps. What exists? More importantly, what doesn’t?

The approach is essential in building new brands, launching new products or technology or positioning and repositioning organizations.

Why does PR lead and not other marketing, management or communications disciplines? Given a fact-based, no-hype approach, it’s where strategy, core values and communications intersect to build a depth of awareness and credibility that paid media can’t deliver.

For a brief case history, Gable PR used the old 2D model several years ago to introduce disruptive technology into a crowded field where all competitors sounded alike: issuing a launch release and holding a press conference at the major trade show of the year. The results weren’t spectacular.

Using the 3D model for a more recent similar challenge, Gable PR established an 18-month plan to manage the flow of information, build relationships and connect to multiple audiences and through different channels. The client had a brilliant scientific advisory board. To begin laying the foundation and also getting critical feedback, SAB members began vetting the technology with some of their respected peers in business, technology and academia.

With the initial relationships built understanding in place, the agency began educating the media – without asking for coverage – six months before launch, preparing for when the client would blast out of the stealth mode with power and momentum for long-term branding. Select media were pointed to academics for background. Analysts were pointed to academics and media for validation. The agency pitched exclusives to media in different categories (dailies, financial media, trades, blogs, etc.). The bottom line: the client exploded onto the scene with major coverage online and in dailies, trades and financial media the first day of the biggest industry conference of the year. The instant buzz at multiple levels and through highly credible channels drove interest from potential investors and strategic partners.

The momentum built from there with a series of academic papers, presentations, speeches and presentations at financial conferences. The client was acquired within two years – ahead of its exit strategy.

NEXT – Nine ways to botch positioning and branding with PR

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The Future of PR and Social Media – Strategic, Integrated, Coordinated, Human

Monday, May 24th, 2010

No Magic Beans

Posted by Tom Gable

In listening to several gurus of social media at the Counselors Academy Spring Conference May 21 through 23 in Ashville, NC, a key theme emerged: there are no magic beans from social media to plant and instantly grow attention, engagement and business success for any organization. New technologies and applications will continue to emerge almost daily. The challenge still becomes to be smart in setting standards, goals and objectives, then integrating all the tools for precise execution over the long term.

The stage was set with the May 21 keynote by Brian Solis, principal of FutureWorks. A few key points lifted from his talk included:

  • Adopt the new KISS – keep it simple and share.
  • The is new measurement on the way: resonance. How long a message stays alive – the long tail.
  • Social media is the slot machine for attention. Become like a journalist. Be relevant.
  • What you share is important. There are no official audiences anymore.
  • Be creative. It increases your influence.
  • Social media is all about sociology and psychology. Social media is an emotional experience.
  • Measure. Work backward from what you are trying to make happen.
  • Integrate the tools into your strategic plan. There is no single tool or tactic.
  • Bottom line: engage.

A breakfast panel the next day delved into “Listening and Brand Monitoring in the Social Space.” Moderator was Carrie Kandes, vice president Marcus Thomas. The panelists: Eric Israel, Attensity; Ken Miner, Spiral 16; and Amber Naslund, director of community, Radian6 Technologies

Each stressed the importance of listening before doing. This included monitoring the depth and breadth of the conversations. Amber proposed that social media is the new phone. She said technology will continue to change so told counselors to avoid having obsessions with the “tool thing.” How do the tools fit?

Business is becoming more like politics. Every consumer has a voice to be considered. Companies need to position themselves to be able to react internally and externally to conflicting voices and outside complaints.

Ken said that like any other business tool, social media monitoring needs to be part of a process. Set standards. Define goals and objectives before you begin, he urged.

Once you start monitoring, how to use the data? Being strategic is not just an automated process with algorithms. Smart analysis and interpretation requires human brain power. Look at things in context and connect the dots in your process of brand monitoring, tracking trends and looking for blue water opportunities.

But attention not enough. What is needed to compel people to do something?

The panelists warned that brand monitoring can be a time sink. Decide what you want to achieve and how much time to invest before you launch a full scale listening program. Be strategic – consistent advice from the days Edward Bernays first launched integrated plans to change reputations and drive new behaviors.

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Posted in Brilliant Counsel, Client Service Results, Clutter Busting, Horizon Management, In the Beginning, Leverage, Social Media | 4 Comments »

New Research Shows Positive Reputations Enhance Corporate Results

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Head of the Class

Posted by Tom Gable

The Reputation Institute just released its annual Reputation Pulse, which measures the corporate reputations of the largest U.S. companies based on consumers’ trust, esteem, admiration, and good feeling about a company while also gauging perceptions across seven rational dimensions of reputation.

The survey named Johnson & Johnson as the most reputable U.S. company first for the second consecutive year, followed by Kraft Foods, Kellogg, The Walt Disney Company, PepsiCo, Sara Lee, Google, Microsoft, UPS and Dean Foods. AIG finished 150th out of the 150 companies included in the survey. (more…)

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