PR

Channel Surfing for Influencers: Social Media

In my third of four posts about which channels work best to reach and engage influencers, I take a look at the new kid on the block: social media.

Marketers are sometimes torn between doing what has worked most effectively in the past and testing out new technologies and channels that have the potential to be real game-changers in the future.

The bright shiny object of the last few years is, of course, social media, a channel that’s still not completely understood but that has, in theory, the potential to radically change the way we market.

Why? Well, to start with, based on our research, influencers are spending 7 hours per week in the US and 9 in Canada on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and blogs. That’s already impressive but when you add to that the finding that influencers are connected, on average, to 108 (US) and 137 (Canada) people in their own social media network, that’s something that gets the attention of marketers – as it should.

While social media shares ease of use with the email channel, it’s this community or network that may hold the key to the channel’s true potential. These individuals have chosen to be connected based on an affinity for a particular community, and are actively engaged with others in it and outside that community too.

Bill McCloskey at ClickZ offers some fascinating examples about the potential power of social media, including this one:

“…look at Marvel Comics, which is one of the top performing ‘advertisers’ in the Twitter space. As of right now, Marvel has around 44,000 followers [63,000+ as I write this post]. But over the last few weeks, it sent out 151 Twitter offers. But more than that: 246 ‘influencers’ have directly rebroadcast that message to their followers. Add it all up and Marvel has exposed its offer to over 66 million eyeballs over the past few weeks!”

Those are some impressive numbers and just a hint of the potential opportunities social media offers marketers. However we do need to distinguish the difference between influencers: some will talk; others will pass along information (as per above) and of utmost value are those that truly influence others – by eliciting action. So whether on social media sites or via email or on the phone, you must understand what you are trying to achieve and ensure that you have designed appropriately.

One more thing bares repeating from my last two posts: even if some channels are better than others to reach particular consumers in particular ways, the fact is these channels work best for marketers when they work together.

For instance, email messages that offer a social-sharing option (like Twitter and Facebook) generate a 30% higher click-through rate than emails without it, according to a new study by email marketing company Get Response. And if the email includes three or more social-sharing options, that click-through rate jumps to 55%.

The bottom line? Social media offers a unique and advantageous opportunity to find, reach, engage and have a continuous dialogue with individuals – both within their social media communities and in their network at large. Just needs to be done right!

In the fourth and final part of this series, I’ll blog about the true answer to the question – which channel is most effective at finding, reaching, engaging and motivating influencers?

Gillian MacPherson

Enough! Please stop! No more! I can't stand it!

There are times when there is no possibility of being constructive when writing about the absurdities inflicted on an innocent world by others in our field. There are even times when, as honest proponents of our business, we have no choice but to call it like it is. And this, Ladies and Gentlemen, is one of those times. (By the way, stop me if you've heard this one!)

I am referring to the Province of Alberta rebranding project -- the one (I am not sure whether it is for tourism or just for the sake of doing it) which has as its tag line: "Alberta. Freedom to Create. Spirit to Achieve". Normally, as those who know me would expect, I would let a slogan as completely mysterious and meaningless and nonsensical as this pass with barely a snide comment. But this isn't normally.

Seems the marketers in Alberta (or whoever is responsible for this) took the "Freedom to Create" part literally, and "created" a beach and coastline for the province in order to make a point in an ad. Yes, I kid you not. They used a scene from a beach in Northumberland as the image in an advertisement. More than just the beach, they also used the image of two English girls romping on the beach.

Not surprisingly, they were caught out in the blogosphere, and this is where the fun really starts. It turns out that the image, over which the Alberta logo and the tag line appear written large, is not meant to depict Alberta -- it is meant to be a visual depiction of Albertans' concern for the future of the world (this according to Olga Guthrie of Alberta's public affairs bureau). It is likely that the intent of the campaign may be to counter the idea that Alberta's oil sands extraction process is an economic depiction of Albertans' lack of concern for the future of the world. If that is the case, then wouldn't the fact that they could not find a pristine example of concern-for-the-world in their own backyard, rather prove the critics right?

Apparently not. The Prime Minister's head of media relations (sorry, but what the hell is the Prime Minister involved in this for?), helpfully points out that, "There's no attempt to mislead here. The picture used just fitted the mood and tone of what we (we? we?) were trying to do." Obviously, whatever Alberta is trying to do, is something they can't do, if they can't find a picture to fit the mood and tone of whatever it is, in Alberta. Whatever happened to authenticity?

The little English girls, too, were not meant to deceive -- they are meant to be British girls because (implicitly) only English girls are suitable "symbols of the future." (Olga again).

If you don't believe me, here is a link to a PDF of the article in The Guardian Weekly.

Need I say more? Have we achieved absolutely nothing in the marketing world? Has everything we've been trying to do and say really been so tediously boring that it is totally ignored? I am desolate, disappointed and going to Mexico!

Increasing Health-Care Workers To Cope with Ageing Boomers

I read with interest that my friend David Foot, author of best-selling book Boom, Bust & Echo, has been urging New Brunswick to move swiftly in training new health-care workers in light of the upcoming retirement of baby boomers. According to Foot, the province's relatively old population means News Brunswick will feel the 'serious pinch' before Central and Western provinces in Canada.

The current shortage of health-care professionals is already a challenge much discussed by the media, thought leaders and think-tank organizations. It is incumbent upon the Government that they must work quickly to bolster the declining ranks of doctors, nurses and other health-care workers. We are not producing enough health-care professionals for what we will need five, 10, or 15 years from now. I agree with Foot that we need to think long-term and be creative in solving this problem.

Health authorities have called for larger classes at Canadian medical schools. According to the National Post, Canadian schools now graduate between 1,800 and 2,000 doctors a year - similar to 20 years ago. An ageing population means more graduates are needed. According to Foot, governments must define the roles of different health-care professionals in addition to hiring more workers. Everyone from nurses to pharmacists to occupational therapists must be utilized more, to ease the burden on doctors.

I agree that new ideas are needed to keep older health-care workers in the system. Perhaps they could work reduced hours at a reduced rate. Some minor responsibilities can be shifted over to nurse practitioners, who are able to diagnose some ailments, prescribe medications such as antibiotics and order X-rays and blood work. As well, pharmacists should be allowed to prescribe medications for minor ailments. A creative way to share responsibilities and work load without compromising on the quality of our health-care system is urgently required to cope with the ageing population in the country.

How do you get Apple style media coverage? It's a secret.

If you're only slightly interested in technology, no doubt you've seen or read about Apple Computer's new MacBook Air this past week, announced at MacWorld 2008 Conference and Expo in San Francisco. Already there are more than 5 million Google hits for a product that was announced less than a week ago.

Weighing in at 3 pounds, measuring just 0.16 inches at its thinnest and costing $1,799US, if MacBook Air catches on, it will no doubt force other PC manufacturers to roll out slimmer, lighter laptop designs in a hurry. Similar to last year’s iPhone announcement, Apple generated incredible global media coverage with their latest product announcement.

So how are they so successful?
I’m sure all over North America executives at Sony, Dell and HP are left scratching their heads, wondering how they can generate this level of product buzz. Paradoxically, Apple’s media success can attributed to their obsession with secrecy. They carefully guard product information announcements and plans until MacWorld. Then the products are demonstrated by Mr. Jobs himself.

It you host it, they will come.
According to the show site, the annual Macworld Conference & Expo is “the world's most comprehensive event for the Mac operating system. Only Macworld brings together the loyal yet diverse base of Mac users in creative services, education, entertainment, application development, enterprise and small office/home office environments.” For Apple fans, it’s one of the few opportunities to hear firsthand about the company’s focus and product priorities for the year ahead.

When Steve talks, people listen...
The keynote address by Steve Jobs (some people wait up to ten hours in line to get a coveted seat to see him), began with a recap of Apple successes from the past year, which focused on the iPhone launch. According to Gartner research, it sold 4 million units in its first 200 days in the US, garnering 20% market share of the smart phone market. Mr. Jobs says this is equal to the smart phone shares of Palm, Nokia and Motorola combined.

The next order of business was a sneak peak of the new TV spots planned for the fall. Then he shared the stage with Intel’s CEO. It was Intel who collaborated with Apple to redesign the core 2 duo processor chipset to fit into the Air’s all aluminum case. After watching the show, what’s undeniable is Steve’s passion for Apple products – he directs their design and knows them intimately. Anyone watching him talk about the iPhone can attest to this.

So, it’s no small feat that in our media saturated world, Apple was successful keeping the MacBook Air out of headlines until they were ready to announce it. These other factors likely played a role too in the product’s coverage:

1. By hosting a ‘one size fits all’ show format, organizers maximized the number of ears and eyes attending.
2. Steve communicated meaningful corporate information to customers so they felt ‘privileged and on the inside track’ with the company, perhaps predisposing them to writing favourably.
3. Apple effectively leveraged blogging and chat room communities to fuel product speculation and buzz leading up to the event.

But the only sure fire way to getting folks to pay attention is to announce something truly new and innovative that we simply didn’t see coming. Apple proved there is power in the element of surprise. Judging by the smiling faces of attendees ogling over the MacBook Air, the surprise was worth waiting for.

Boomers Motivated By Mind-Stretching Games

Age-defying boomers are proactively seeking to increase their mental activities so that they can slow the ageing process. A number of things happen normally such as memory loss or forgetting things once in a while.

According to Dr. Roland Auer, neuropathologist and professor at the University of Calgary, there are four elements that are required to keeping your brain healthy even into old age. "Watch your calories, do mental exercises, get active physically and get some sleep," he says. "Eating less and eating the right foods feeds your brain. Sleep boosts immune system activity and the physical interacts with mental fitness."

As boomers are becoming more comfortable with technology, manufacturers and web site producers are also introducing quick and effective brain games at low or no cost. From Nintendo's Brain Age game to rock-paper-scissors, there is a variety of activities that stimulate the brain. According to Future Shop, brain health games are by far the best-selling items among ageing boomers. People can play and have fun, and they can work on vocabulary, memory and life skills. More and more boomers who travel a lot also want something for the road, the hotel room or the plane.

Baby boomers are well-educated and adventurous. The demand for different cerebral activities will grow and expand.

Capitalizing On Boomer Opportunities

According to a recent McKinsey report, companies are gearing up to capitalize on the opportunities to market to the huge percentage of the boomer population. Lincoln National, a financial-services company in the U.S., has created a task force to design flexible work arrangements for older employees. The drugstore chain CVS offers 'snowbird programs' which permit boomers to transfer during the winter to sunny locations such as Arizona and Florida. IBM and P&G also look for retirees to work on projects that let them share expertise with younger workers.

In Canada, financial institutions such as HSBC are also doing the same thing to tap boomers as a source of reasonably-priced talent. This year, the bank started a program to actively recruit retirees back to work on a part-time or contract basis. So far, half a dozen retirees have taken the bank up on its offer, and are working part-time on projects and acting as mentors to younger employees.

As competition for ageing knowledge workers heat up, recruiting them will require a better integrated set of initiatives that satisfy more of their needs. McKinsey is predicting that five years from now, a company might have work centres with seating, lighting, computers and telecom equipment geared to the physical needs of older workers. Other workplace trends might include flexibility about working hours, including the option to work from home; company-sponsored affinity groups such as cooking, reading, photography or home improvement, to connect boomers with similar interests; and customized employment agreements.

Helping baby boomers overcome the enormous financial, physical and social challenges and achieve their aspirations for ageing will be a significant business opportunity in the years ahead.

When Customer Service sells. And when it doesn't.

I'm going to forget that I'm a marketer for a moment and pretend that I'm only a consumer. I think it's important to do that every now and then (or whenever I'm not at work) because consumers don't think like marketers. They think like my Dad who doesn't understand what I do for a living.

My internet service provider used to be a company well known for its pitchbeavers. One day, that internet service crashed and said company could not seem to figure out why or how to get me back up to high speed. So I switched to Rogers for my home internet connection. Then, about a year later, I needed a new cell phone, so I naturally switched to Rogers Wireless. Then my wife and children needed cell phones. Rogers was the first place I thought of. Then I got telemarketed one day and was asked to switch my home phone to Rogers. So I did. Now, when Rogers goes into the dog walking business, I'll be there with my two labs and a leash.

The reason I've become one of Rogers' best customers isn't necessarily because they have better phones, or faster high speed access. It's not even that they put everything on one bill. Even beavers can do all of that.

It's simply that I have had excellent customer service experiences with them each and every time I've needed to deal with someone at Rogers. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I hate their Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) system. (Please get rid of that thing!!!) But once I get a real person, they're always helpful, patient, kind and results-oriented.

Then I happened to walk in to a Rogers retail outlet about a month ago for a superficial issue with my Treo 650. The store's sales representative, Alex, told me I was eligible for an upgrade to the new 680. I bit. (Love a new gadget.)

Over the following week, I realized that the 680's battery didn't seem to hold a charge. By 9:30 pm, I'd be out of battery. I contacted the store and spoke to Alex. He emailed me back with an online solution which I tried right away. Didn't work. He suggested I come in to the store (not convenient since it's located at Queen's Quay and I live in North Toronto) for a new battery. So I did. He wasn't there but the other rep had the battery for me. The new battery didn't fit the new Treo. Not impressed.

Later that day, I got an email from Alex saying he would replace the whole Treo, that he was sorry for any inconvenience, and that his goal was to be sure I was happy with my purchase.

I couldn't believe that the customer service I experience whenever I call Rogers extended right down to store level.

All of this to say, why doesn't Rogers differentiate itself from everyone else by advertising something that is NOT a commodity in their very commoditized business? Customer Service. Their advertising is all about fewer dropped calls, the Fave Five, and everyone in the family wanting an internet connection. I don't get it. Any number of telco's can make the exact same claims, and are.

Rogers, you have an opportunity to differentiate yourself in your advertising. I'm doing my part as a consumer with this posting. Now it's your turn.

While I'm on the topic of customer service, I have to ask, is WestJet for real? Seriously. Their advertising shows flight attendants chasing people down in the street to return cell phones and giving the sweaters off their backs to passengers returning to a cold climate from a sunny vacation. Maybe they really can fulfill on those promises. But as a viewer of those commercials, I'm not buying or believing it.

If an advertiser has a valid point of difference (like stellar customer service), and they go so far over the top with their advertising campaign that it stretches credibility in the consumer's mind, they're wasting their money.

Got any amazing customer service stories? Share them with those of us who would be more than happy to put our faith (and hard earned money) into companies who think like marketers -- and consumers.

Close call Tim Hortons.....

Last week you may have heard about a Tim Hortons location in Etobicoke which was quick to ban local students from drinking coffee inside the restaurant between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays. Tim Hortons would happily sell them their coffee, but the coffee was to be consumed off the restaurant premises.

It seems the local patrons complained about the language and rowdiness of the students and just wanted to drink their coffee in peace. Many of the patrons interviewed were clearly around the retirement age and were fed up with the actions of the students day in and day out.

In a few hours the story had changed. Apparently the principal of the school met with the management at this Tim Hortons location and came to an agreement on how the issue would be managed. The ban was over as quickly as it came about.

This was clearly the actions of the management of this Time Hortons location and not that of the head office.

The students had a taste of what discrimination feels like when action was taken against them as a result of the behaviour of a few. This is a very slippery slope and an all-out ban is not the way to treat the situation.

Tim Hortons is fortunate that this situation resolved itself quickly. There are hundreds of thousands of student Customers in the city and across the Country. I can only assume that there are millions of dollars spent by these students at Tim Hortons each year. Students will remember a national coffee shop that banned people (just like them) from using their establishment. Lost future sales (in the years to come) could have a very big impact on the organization. These students will grow up one day, and will be the Customers that Tim Hortons desperately wants to attract.

The bad press is not worth it. Tim Hortons may want to buy the principal of the school a coffee two for saving them from potential lost future sales.

The right approach is to ban the few that cause the problems. Let the rest enjoy the offerings of your business. Any blanket rules you put in front of your Customers will hurt your business in the long run.

Corporate Blogs - the new breakfast meeting?

Organizations are seeing the value of creating and maintain blogs for their senior management team as an alternative to traditional PR channels. Arguably the most widely used and understood of user generated content types, blogs can be an effective way for execs to carve out a unique voice for their organization and connect with stakeholders – employees, customers and the investor community in a personal, more authentic way.

Blogs have also been used as a way for companies to locate highly engaged company evangelists and loyal product users. Once identified, it`s not uncommon to invite them into the organization for product previews, marketing program feedback and other planning initiatives. These evangelists are then more predisposed to deliver positive key messages to a wider online audience for you.

Business blogs can interact with a target market on a more personal level and build credibility that ultimately can be tied back to the corporate website. Nevertheless, they remain public relations tools that should be carefully, regularly monitored by your PR team. If you`re interested in setting up your own company blog, consider these starting points.

1. Identify important blogs in your industry including influential writers and opinion leaders.

2. Monitor target blogs regularly to understand what people are saying about your company (if anything at all), the market you sell to and leaders in your product category.

3. Ask senior executives to comment on other people's blogs, which can be an effective first step in delivering key messages, stimulate discussion, or reframe a competitive statement.

It`s estimated that 5% of Fortune 500 companies maintain external blogs and the number is growing by approximately 30% every quarter. The ones I've listed here are pretty good – they’re current, regularly updated and well written:

1. Mike Critelli, Executive Chairman, Pitney Bowes, Inc., "Open Mike"

2. Colin Byrne, CEO, Weber Shandwick UK - Byrne Baby Byrne

3. J. Willard Marriott Jr., CEO, Marriott International

4. Rudi Fischer, CEO, Telekom Austria - Rudi Fischer

5. David Armano, Creative VP, Digitas

6. Sab Kanaujia, VP, NBC Digital Media group - Sabk

Consider blogging as a fresh approach to delivering company points of view to key stakeholders with the added bonus of meeting super engaged customers. Could the days of the 7:30am corporate breakfast meeting be numbered?

A PR campaign eh Smithers...? Excellent....

Watching a PR entertainment story gather momentum in major news outlets and become a huge news item across North America in a matter of weeks is pure bliss to the average, hardworking PR person. Take for example the recent success of the Simpson’s movie launch.

The first element that generated media attention was turning average run of the mill 7-eleven stores into Kwik-E-Marts across the US and Canada - the local variety store in the fictional town called Springfield. A select group of stores had their yellow outdoor facade changed, already graffiti -ed by a character calling himself "El Barto" and store racks overstuffed with "Simpson’s" brand items — Buzz Cola, KrustyO's, Sprinklicious donuts, etc. There was even clerks decked out in Kwik-E-Mart uniforms and Apu name tags. 7-Eleven left no stone unturned for the ultimate in cross-promotion.

A brilliant example of merchandising movie content and giving consumers the opportunity to be “in Springfield” – to buy a Squishy and say ‘good morning Apu.’ This blog is typical of the media coverage generated by converting the stores. http://simpsonskwikemart.blogspot.com/

The second was choosing a town named Springfield to host the movie premier. The attention this program generated was higher than average likely because the show had always been careful to never divulge the fictional Springfield town’s location – until now. USA Today got into the act, posting all 14 video entries on a web page devoted to the contest. You can see all the entries at http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/simpsons-contest.htm

Getting a movie's key messages picked up by media outlets is no easy feat. It takes long lead planning, creativity and the ability to keep launch momentum building so as to peak at just the right time - opening night. Here's what I think the PR team did well.

1. Set clear goals for what they wanted to achieve - awareness, coverage, web hits, etc.
2. Spent time developing key messages - what they said was fun, believeable and relevant.
3. They targeted specific media considered influential - not every movie launch gets a web page on USA Today.
4. The campaign and promotion aligned perfectly to the brand's positioning - the product merchandising wouldn't have had the same fun factor if that rack of Sprinklicious donuts was placed in a Mac's Milk Store.
5. They had fun - it's the campaign that any marketing person wishes they had on their CV - three months working in Springfield.

These two major components of the program generated incredible momentum, media coverage and more than 6.7 million hits on Google. Not bad all before Homer walks down the red carpen on opening night.

Observations on Snakes

Snakes on a Plane is quite a phenomenon. That is, it was quite a phenomenon before the movie was released last weekend. Seems to have peaked a little too early.

Here is a shortened version of five observations I made on my blog, The Client Side, after SOAP's opening weekend.

First, it was not a number one with a bullet. It was more like number one with a rascal. The reason it squeaked into number one is because it was released on Thursday evening putting it slightly ahead of Will Ferrel's masterpiece “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” .

Second, ultimately it is just another B movie. It will not deliver another $15 million weekend. At the end of the day, the product itself failed to deliver - end of story.

Third, ask yourselves if you believed the film could have measured up to the buzz and word-of-mouth hype that was generated? Ok, good, I thought so.

Fourth, I predict a Halloween / Thanksgiving DVD and pay-per-view release that will do very well. This time, without all the pre-release sensationalism.

And my fifth and final observation is that it was still a big huge success. This movie would never have opened at #1 without the without the attention from the blogosphere, consumer generated content and the conversations via social media.

But now that all the bloggers and citizen media folks have seen it, who's left?

Check out the SOAP site, and have Samuel L. Jackson reach out and touch someone you know.

Red Paper Clip - Marketing Success Story

If you are the mayor of a small town in Saskatchewan, how do you market your municipality, and get your province some positive PR? You swap a house in your town for a movie role for one of your citizens with a blogger from Montreal.

In an example of blogging at its finest, Montrealer Kyle MacDonald traded his way from up from one red paperclip to his new home in Kipling, Saskatchewan. And the town of Kipling is reaping some great PR benefits.

"We're going to do our best to use the publicity that we get from this to let people know what a great place Saskatchewan is to live," said Mayor Pat Jackson.

The story has received cross-continent coverage including on countless radio stations, CBC and CTV news, Good Morning America, CNN, and ET Canada.

So creative! There is a red paperclip here on my desk… I wonder what grand PR campaign – or real-estate! - it could lead to…

Sponsor and Branding Protection at the World Cup

Has FIFA, the governing body that oversees professional football (soccer) around the world completely lost its mind? Some would think so despite their claims about protecting sponsors and eliminating 'ambush marketing' at the 2006 World Cup.

Recently it was reported during the game between Holland and Cote Ivoire, FIFA officials insisted that 400 Dutch fans had to remove their patriotic orange lederhosen branded by Bavaria, a Dutch beer company. Why? The official beer sponsor of the World Cup is Budweiser.

I appreciate FIFA's attempts to protect sponsor investment. Especially when tens of millions of dollars are at stake. However, such extreme enforcement could have an adverse effect on the very same sponsors FIFA is trying to protect.

The old adage comes into play. Any publicity is good publicity and I can't help but think the folks at Bavaria are chuckling over all the press they have received because of this PR snafu.

More importantly, where does it stop? The Nike 'Swoosh' logo on Brazillian jerseys is now unacceptable (as Adidas is an official sponsor) so fans entering stadiums must remove their shirts? If Calvin Klein is an official sponsor, must you remove your jeans if they are from the GAP? What happens if you are not wearing CK branded underwear as well? Oh dear...

Whenever I attend games in Europe, I always wear neutral colours to avoid confrontation with drunk fans or hooligans. Now must I worry about branding on my clothes as well?