Capstrat.com | Blog

Facebook: the promotion predictor?

mcbrawley@capstrat.com (Melissa Brawley) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:51:39 -0500

Facebook, Facebook…
I’ve read your wall.
Who’s the most adept employee of them all?

Can Facebook predict your next promotion or whether you’ll earn an A+ in that Media Law class?

Not exactly, but according to a recent story by the Los Angeles Times, your Facebook profile is extremely accurate – even better than IQ tests – in predicting your job performance. Or academic success, if you’re a college student.

The LA Times reported on a new study that revealed just how much our Facebook profiles say about us. Researchers from two universities enlisted the help of a handful of Human Resource professionals to review photos, wall posts, comments, education and hobbies listed on 500 Facebook profiles. The HR professionals then rated the subjects on several perceived personality traits – like dependability or emotional stability. The 500 subjects also took IQ tests.

A few months later, researchers followed up with employers of the subjects asking about job performance. Incredibly, the study found that the Facebook ratings were more accurate at predicting job success than IQ tests!

I think this just serves as a reminder to job applicants – and even those of us that are employed– that our use of social media says a lot about us. And we should always put our best foot forward, particularly since so many hiring managers do use social media to screen applicants.

Now I’m just trying to figure out what I can delete from my profile that will magically increase my paycheck.

The Only Constant is Change in North Carolina Politics

ameehan@capstrat.com (Andrew Meehan) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:11:37 -0500

When North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue announced she would not seek re-election, she further shook up the 2012 elections. But big changes were already in the works at the North Carolina General Assembly, where redistricting and a spate of retirement announcements continue to change the political landscape. This state has rarely seen such a large influx of new faces in Raleigh, and anyone with interests at the legislature should start preparing.

On the eve of the November 2010 election, Democrats held large majorities in both the North Carolina House and Senate, and the Governor’s office was in Democratic hands. In November of this year, there will likely be between 80 and 100 legislators who were not in office just two short years earlier. The General Assembly is already firmly controlled by Republicans, and the same could be true of the Governor’s mansion after November 2012.

Such seismic shifts are rare in North Carolina, which has only 170 legislators total. This is a General Assembly that was ruled by Democrats, almost without break, for more than 100 years. And regardless of party control, low turnover has been the norm.

The consistency once allowed companies, organizations and interest groups to partner with powerful legislators who protected their appropriations and pushed through favored laws. But over a two year period, many of those legislators in both parties are going to be out of office – either through already-announced retirements or by defeats on Election Day. It’s time to start thinking about how to make new friends.

As if that weren’t a big enough shift, redistricting will completely change how some sitting legislators view issues. Next year, some are going to represent entire counties that were not in their districts previously. Key support from a new area will affect a legislator’s votes, even in 2012. It’s a good time to identify those “new influencers” who are in your own organization.

The 2012 legislative session starts in May, and there might be very little time to pass legislation or fend off bad bills. Leaders in the North Carolina House have indicated they want to have an incredibly short session – possibly a few weeks. They are already working on their budget legislation with a goal of voting on the state budget almost immediately upon return in May. Now is the time to line up supporters around the state to protect budget items.

If you represent an organization with interests at the General Assembly, now’s a good time to ask a few questions:

Do I have high profile supporters in the districts of new legislative leaders?
Have the legislators I’ve relied on for support announced their retirement?
What am I doing to grow my list of supporters around the state to prepare for the new legislative reality in 2013?
What do I want to accomplish in 2012 and 2013, and where am I vulnerable?

An organization can’t just turn on public support for their legislative goals when their backs are against the wall. It’s vital to start preparing now to influence the General Assembly in 2012, 2013 and beyond.

Lack of Standards Gives Advertisers HD Headache

aburtch@capstrat.com (Anson Burtch) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:36:25 -0500

Adweek has it wrong. Its recent post, entitled “Falling on Def Ears: Marketers Slow to Embrace HD Ads,” takes advertisers to task for not producing high-definition (HD) spots. The magazine cites a DG Systems estimate that only 16% of all TV ads are in HD, although HD ads have a higher retention rate. Therefore, Adweek concludes, advertisers are missing out.

However, the problem is not with advertisers; it’s with the distribution system. There is no standard for delivering HD spots to stations, because each network has different specs. Moreover, there is no way of knowing how people watching standard-definition (SD) will see an HD feed.

If you are an advertiser with an HD spot, you have only two options for presenting your spot to SD viewers:

1. Provide an HD spot that is center-cut safe. Center-cut means the sides of the HD 16:9 frame are cut off so it will fit into an SD 4:3 frame. This means you must keep all action and titles within a 4:3 safe area. Obviously this is less than ideal creatively, as you have a huge canvas to work with, yet are confined to its center.

2. Provide an SD letterbox version with the black bars on the top and bottom. This will allow the whole 16:9 frame to appear on a 4:3 SD TV. However, for those watching in HD, it will be much smaller, it will appear to have a box all the way around it, and will not actually be in HD.

As an agency producer, I run into this problem on every single job. Advertisers want their spots to be seen in the best possible format. Even the smallest client produces content in HD. There’s no reason not to -- it looks better on the web and any added HD production costs are negligible.

Unfortunately, the biggest problem for local and regional advertisers is that often local stations cannot even accept HD spots. As far as I know, there are only three TV stations in all of North Carolina that can accept HD spots for local or regional airing. So it's only national ads that stations can run in HD. Thus, an advertiser that is only running its spot in one market or one state, doesn't even have the option to supply HD.

Advertisers are justly concerned about how the SD viewer will see their spots. There are simply too many people still watching SD for advertisers to ignore them. Yet until there are entirely separate HD and SD feeds or until there is some consistency in standards, advertisers must still plan for the lowest common denominator. It would be ideal if advertisers could provide two versions to a TV station -- one in SD and one in HD -- but often this is too expensive. And frequently not even possible because their SD feed is actually the same as their HD feed, simply center-cut.

The problem rests with the lack of standards, and it’s giving today’s advertisers an HD headache. Fix distribution and you will see the number of HD spots suddenly skyrocket.

Closed for Good

Capstrat — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:51:02 -0500

Every fall, Capstrat brainstorms concepts for the holiday greeting the agency will send out to clients and friends. As part of our greeting, we usually try to raise awareness about a cause or make a donation to a charitable organization. But this year, we wanted to take it further.

So on Dec. 14, Capstrat “Closed for Good.” The office was empty and we were out at four volunteer sites — a community farm, a food bank, an assisted living home and a Habitat for Humanity site. Here’s a snapshot of the day:

65 employees
260 hours of service
1 roof built
83 senior citizens visited
500 emergency food kits bagged
1,500 pounds of vegetables harvested

The Search for Authenticity

Capstrat — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:47:09 -0500

Lana Del Ray may be the best marketing lesson out there for those trying to reach the Millennial generation. Over the past few months, the blogosphere has witnessed a raging debate about the trout-pouted songstress. She has faced an incredible backlash from underground blogs as well as the mainstream media who have called her “manufactured,” “insincere” and “talentless.”

The issue here doesn’t seem to be her music, nor the fact that she seems remarkably blasé about the whole experience. Critics and hipsters alike seem to think that Del Rey is perpretrating what is, essentially, fraud. Is that how she has always dressed? Does she really write her songs? Most people who dislike her seem to view her as a Barbie that has been dressed up and put on stage to perform and generate record sales. Take Lady Gaga – her sartorial insanity is acceptable because people believe that she herself is at the center of these choices.

What does this have to do with marketing?

This debate makes it easy to see a key trait that many Millennials are searching for in their brand of choice: authenticity.

As a Millennial, I feel that my generation is much more aware of marketing and advertising than previous generations. In some ways, this awareness has made us more accepting of the invasion of advertising into our lives — we understand why it’s there and we love to be entertained by it (see: Old Spice’s Isaiah Mustafa). In other ways, it has made us a cynical and skeptical lot. We are very wary of being pandered to and become suspicious of anything that seems a little too precious. With Millennials campaigns run the risk of either being ignored or, worse, being subverted – a danger both McDonald’s and RIM have recently discovered. While we understand that advertising will always portray a product in a particularly rosy light, Millennials don’t accept anything that seems too good to be true. Maybe this can be said of almost any cohort, but we’re a proactive bunch and the risk of angering the hivemind far outweighs the reward.

How does a brand create or maintain the appearance of authenticity?

As a Millennial, I have experienced a lifetime of growing up in a constantly changing world. I’ve lived through three wars, the rise of technologies like the cell phone and the internet and what at times feels like the end of the print industry. Brands that stay constant earn my respect. When Gap attempted to change their logo in October 2010, a familiar icon that I grew up with, I admit that I was one of the consumers angrily taking to Twitter to express my displeasure. Constancy doesn’t just mean image either – I know women who have bought 10+ tubes of lipstick knowing that in a few years, it will have been discontinued in favor of some newfangled trend. A brand can find success with Millennials by creating a few core products and relegating the innovation to trendier, evolving pieces.

Along with constancy, brands should strive to understand the premature nostalgia of my generation. Many older, more established companies seem to think that constantly reinventing or updating will give them an edge with us, but they’re wrong. It seems like everything has changed since I grew up – where are the floppy disks of yesteryear? – so it’s nice to be reminded of a simpler time. I still love purchasing the same scent of Tide detergent my parents used when I was growing up and every now and then I end up grabbing a train car of Barnum’s Animal Crackers on a road trip pit stop. Nostalgia is powerful for us, even nostalgia for a time we didn’t know. How else can you explain the popularity of shows like VH1’s “I Love the 70’s” with my set?

So, is your brand a Lana Del Rey?

In the end, marketing towards Millennials can’t serve as the be-all, end-all of a brand’s strategy – even if we will be out-earning the Baby Boomers by 2018. Even as I write this post, I have Lana Del Rey’s hit “Video Games” playing. It’s a great song and the more than 24 million views on YouTube say that I’m not the only one who thinks so. Brands that want to make an impact with me and my generation have to walk a fine line between the risk of becoming stale and the reward of being deemed a classic. We Millennials are a loyal bunch and we are more ready to commit to a brand than many marketers think – just lay off the lip injections.

Record Grammy Awards Ratings

milardi@capstrat.com (Melissa Ilardi) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:26:45 -0500

I've been anticipating getting my Monday morning Marc Berman TV Media Insights email, since the news of Whitney Houston's death on Saturday evening. The news is tragic, and many knew this year's Grammy's would be affected by it. The numbers are such a fun part of this work, and I love to see when news and tv ratings mix. I knew the timing of her death and the Grammy's was sure to draw more viewers. But how many more?

Just received the overnights in my inbox. Drum roll please..... The 54th Grammy Awards were up 44% over last year's awards! A massive 25.8 rating/38 share vs the year-ago evening (17.9/27 on 2/13/11). Last nights telecast could hover in the 37-38 million viewer range. Big numbers for an already high-profile program. Lots of happy advertisers out there this morning!

Youth Media Habits are Shifting

gives@capstrat.com (Greg Ives) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:28:16 -0500

As I watched the Super Bowl this past Sunday, the media planner in me couldn't help but notice something interesting. It wasn't the dynamic creativity on display or the well thought out placement of the ads. It was actually something happening in the next room, completely out of ear shot of the big game. My nine year old niece and five year old nephew were being completely captivated by their dad's new iPad. More specifically, they were navigating through old episodes of Scooby Doo via Netflix Online...and doing so with ease. So, when I saw Thursday's New York Times article on the recent Nielsen study that states younger audiences (12-34) are watching less TV on actual sets and more online, I just smiled. Not only are my niece and nephew ahead of the curve (no surprise to their proud uncle), but they represent how this next generation is consuming media....with more diversity than ever before.

We've been preaching to our clients for years that while TV is still king, it's the means in which the TV is being viewed that is changing. Today, the strength of most media plans lies in in the "complimentary" mediums. Whether it's pre-roll video, digital cinema or in-classroom TV, we are challenged to find new and effective ways of breaking through to today's youth. The bottom line is that younger audiences are being exposed to more screens than any other age group. But here's the catch... they're not paying attention to all of them. So it's more important than ever to find that perfect balance of media mix and frequency to make sure you're being seen.

Even then, the greatest challenge still lies ahead. Once you've implemented a well balanced plan, how do you successfully measure the results of the campaign? Providing metrics across multiple platforms isn't exactly comparing apples to apples. The answer to this is yet to be clearly defined. At a minimum, it will become more important than ever to clearly define what success looks like during the planning phase. And one of the best ways to define success is to clearly identify your audience. The New York Times article defines "young people" as 12-34 year-olds. Obviously, the consumption habits across this age range varies dramatically. For that matter, the differences in behavior of 12 and 16 year-olds are night and day. You have to dig deeper and completely understand who you're trying to reach. What motivates them? What are they exposed to on a daily basis? What sort of messaging do they respond to? And maybe most importantly, can my niece and nephew finally show me how to set up my online Netflix account?

Searching for social significance

kjones@capstrat.com (Kendall Jones) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:57:45 -0500

I have two basic ways of finding answers to questions: asking friends or asking Google. That system has worked pretty well for about a decade, but it’s all about to change. Google recently announced it is going to make search results more personalized by including results from your social network. In 2009, Bing announced it would start including results from Twitter and later it added Facebook to the arsenal. More and more search engines are beginning to incorporate social properties into general search results, effectively making me ask friends and ask Google.
I am a pretty active person on social networks. Like most, I have been known to use my social network to answer questions that the larger internet could answer. And when my fiancé makes me watch ABC’s #TheBachelor, I can’t tell you how much I love seeing the Twitter streams. It’s like watching TV with 20,000 of my closest friends that I’ll never meet.
However, I find myself turning to search engines for answers my social networks don’t know or for questions I don’t want to ask everyone. In other words, the entire reason I am using a search engine in the first place is because I can’t find what I need within my own social network. When I search, the most annoying results are typically Facebook profiles. Often, the social results actually get in the way of me finding what I’m looking for. I’m all for being able to find out what my friends are doing, but I’m not sure I need a search engine to do that for me.
There is another challenge for social search. I really think the size of people’s social networks will decrease over the next five to ten years. There are new apps starting to pop up that limit the number of people you can have in your social network. For example, Path effectively limits your social network to 50 people and it is getting a lot of buzz right now. Personally, I know I’m starting to get tired of all the clutter from people I a.) don’t really care about and/or b.) may never actually physically interact with ever again. I’m sure you’ve all seen the studies of how the average American has only two close friends. Maybe 50 friends is too small for Path to actually take off, but Dunbar’s number is only 150. When you only have 150 friends on a social network, do you really need a search engine to make sure you are getting their feedback on every search?
Once social search is fully implemented, Google, Bing and other companies might get some unexpected reactions from users. After all, we are not just echoing our friends’ ideas about the world. We still look for ideas, articles and posts outside of the people we know best. Put simply, we need the World Wide Web, not just the social wide web.

The new 52: What did it do?

cmataxis@capstrat.com (Carson Mataxis) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:47:38 -0500

As a kid I loved comics. I still have about 4,000 of them to show for it.

Six months ago, when DC announced the relaunch of their entire universe (a first in ~80 years), I decided it was a good time to rediscover an old love of mine.

Unfortunately, six months into the relaunch and with about 300 DC comics waiting in my “aren’t you gonna read me?” queue... I’ve only read seven. It turns out I just don’t have the down time for comics that I used to.

I’m stoked to hear that it’s been a good business move for them (see here: http://adage.com/article/special-report-americas-hottest-brands/america-s-hottest-brands-dc-comics/231168/?utm_source=mediaworks&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=adage).

I hope it brings in flocks of new readers. Kids reading and using their imagination is always better for society than kids playing first person shooter games in shockingly realistic 3D detail.

Despite DC's efforts to reinvigorate the readership, comics publication numbers are still dwindling (http://ifanboy.com/articles/ron’s-list-of-the-worst-things-in-comics-in-2011/). It appears that multimedia entertainment (including iPods, iPads, computers and video game systems) combined with a rise in pirated comics (shared online) has really put a dampener on things.

Well, at least I'm back to shelling out my hard earned greenbacks for the art, even if I don't get to read them all.

Fighting for lighting

emassey@capstrat.com (Emily Massey) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:08:20 -0500

In a recent article written by my colleague, Andrew discusses how public perception on energy infrastructure updates will affect policy and ultimately America’s energy future. Like many others interested in this industry, I’m anxious to see how governments, utilities, providers and consumers will work together to update our country’s energy grid to ensure we sustain our lifestyles and growing population. A recent example of how public perception has affected policy is the efficient lighting law that just came into effect in January 2012.

Background

The Energy Safety and Security Act of 2007 established that, starting in 2012, light bulb manufacturers must discontinue standard light bulbs. This means the Thomas Edison model we’ve been using since 1880 will phase out – starting with 100-watt incandescent bulbs in 2012, followed by 75-watt in 2013 and 60-watt and 40-watt in 2014. For those of you who are attached to your old-fashioned bulbs, consider that Thomas Edison’s great grandson even supports the transition away from the original incandescent in the name of developing more efficient lighting.

If this is news to you, you may feel urged to go out and buy all the 100-watt bulbs you can, or start selling them on the black market. However, these upgrades in lighting technology will ultimately help everyone save money on their energy bills and reduce the need for more power plants, and there are lots of online resources to answer your burning questions.

Four years later

While the bill was a bi-partisan effort in 2007, when it came closer to implementation the cries from dissenters (notably right-wing media) made an impact. A mere two weeks before 100-watt incandescent bulbs were to stop being made, the Senate and House passed a bill that cut spending for the Department of Energy to enforce these light bulb rules.

According to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, millions of dollars were spent over four years to make this transition so many companies intend to continue with the phase-out. Without government oversight, however, the companies won’t be penalized if they continue to make the energy-wasting bulbs. This action shows how legislation can come at the ninth hour to prolong the status quo.

A survey showed that 34% of Americans opposed not being able to purchase the light bulbs they’ve always used. Yet only 31% of Americans actually knew specifics about the lighting law.

No matter which side of the issue you’re on, it’s important to know what decisions your legislators are making about energy – because it’s something we all use and pay for. And energy providers continue to face the challenge of educating consumers about steps we need to take to secure America’s energy future. Because without change, we’ll be standing still – in the dark.

It's Community Manager Appreciation Day

aconnor@capstrat.com (Angela Connor) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:51:24 -0500

In case you haven't heard, today is Community Manager Appreciation Day, affectionately known as #CMAD on Twitter.

This holiday may not yet be recognized by Hallmark, but to those in the social media world, it's a big deal. Community Managers are the face of a company, brand or organization online. It is their job to deal with all the mayhem that comes with the internet and keep a smile on their face while doing it.

They serve two masters: The community and their employer, and believe me it isn't nearly as easy as it looks. As someone who bore the title for three years, growing a community from zero to 13,000 members, I can tell you first-hand that you can go from laughing to crying in a very short period of time. It is frustrating, but rewarding work, and you often feel like you are the only one who cares about the work you're doing.

So how did this amazing group of warriors get a day of recognition? It all started with Jeremiah Owyang who launched the idea with a simple tweet that read "I think I want to start Community Manager Appreciation Day on the last Monday in January. Does one exist?"

It does now, and the rest is history.

So take a few minutes today and say or do something nice for the community managers in your life. They deserve it more than you could possibly know.

The use of tablets in the clinical sales enivironment

cmartin@capstrat.com (Christina Martin) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:45:35 -0500

A few months ago I wrote a blog article about iPads being used for business instead of play. We, at Capstrat, conducted some research with healthcare sales reps last year, who are on the front lines selling to clinicians, administrators and physicians. We wanted to gain insight on effective selling strategies and tactics.

What seemed to be a recurring theme was that reps wanted iPads. They fully believed tablets could help them sell more effectively in front of physicians. Just this week, I ran across an article by CMR Institute that discusses the “iPad revolution” taking place in pharma land. To better understand tablet use among today’s sales representatives, CMR Institute polled nearly 16,000 of its current and former students about their interactions with clinicians, focusing on the use of tablets. Here are some of the key takeaways:
•   Nearly 47% reported using an iPad, while 37% said they don’t use any type of tablet during sales calls
•   47% of those surveyed report that the use of tablets has made interactions with clinicians more meaningful
•   58% of respondents said that the use of tablets has not improved sales numbers
•   36% of respondents use tablets to present product information; furthermore 29% said that presenting promotional materials on tablets is more effective

In my opinion, iPads and other electronic tablets do have a solid future in healthcare sales. Tablets are a great way to start and backup conversations with physicians. Tablets shouldn’t replace traditional sales aids and other sales tactics and shouldn’t be relied on to tell the full story. In fact, I see iPads being most helpful in showing clinical data, when you want to isolate one point of the study, or use them to show product demonstrations and mechanism of action animations. While no single sales tool is going to be the sole driver of increased sales, it is important for pharmaceutical marketing teams to consider the value of tablets and use them as complementary sales tools in the field.

Social Media Trends to Watch in 2012

jdolan@capstrat.com (Jay Dolan) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:21:10 -0500

It's inevitable. Social media will change in 2012. Rather than trying to figure out what exactly will happen with each network, it's better to pay attention to the broader trends happening across multiple networks.

So let’s get to it. Here is what I’ll be paying attention to over the next twelve months:

Who’s monetizing and how?

Investors won’t foot the bill for a social network forever. It takes a sustainable business model to keep a social network with hundreds of millions of users afloat. Facebook has already announced that sponsored stories will play a role in newsfeeds this year, and Twitters latest changes also benefit advertisers. Watch how users react to increased ads as well as how brands and companies integrate these changes into their social strategies.

How can third-party developers use social networks?

As long as social networks have allowed access, third-party developers have been building new and insightful ways to use those networks. Outside of Spotify and a handful of social reader apps, we haven’t even begun to see the full effect of Facebook’s latest platform updates from September. Many of Twitter’s power users are looking to third-party tools after its latest updates removed functionality for power users. Pay close attention to new apps and developments to existing social networks, and how social networks then respond in turn.

Who’s new?

Pinterest is exploding. After a rocky start, Path is making a big break into the mobile scene. Instagram has become so popular that even the President has an account. New networks challenge and expand existing ones. How will these new services integrate into existing social networks, and how will they evolve in separate ways?

There’s certainly a lot more to watch for. We can’t begin to fully anticipate what the existing networks will do, and what new networks and apps will come from someone with their own great idea. But by watching the broader trends and business models, we can see which networks are going to last into 2013 and beyond.

What social media changes are you watching for in 2012?

Online shopping continues to grow, and so does holiday stress

milardi@capstrat.com (Melissa Ilardi) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:42:56 -0500

This is the first year that my daughter is old enough to really understand and experience Christmas in it's entirety. She's crazed by the neighborhood Christmas light displays, she can sing the majority of lyrics to A Very Special Christmas Volume 1, 2 and 3, and she understands that in 4 days Santa is going to come to our house.

I've been thinking a lot over the last week about the excitement and anticipation of Christmas, and all the 'To-Do' lists in the bottom of my purse, in various Notes apps, and the constant reminders I've been throwing at Siri. How can we possibly fit in one more trip to Target or to the grocery store? But we do.

Talking to my Mom the other day, she told me a story of one Christmas when I was little. I had one thing on my list, a doll that could roller skate. I believe it was called Baby Skates. Everywhere was sold out, and she spent hours on the phone calling stores in surrounding towns. As it turned out, my dad who was a pilot and had a plane at the time, flew to a store in another city to pick it up. There was no Amazon Prime in those days.

That got me thinking about how different Christmas shopping is now. We don't call around town, or even take the time to physically search stores. We can simply go online and see who has what in stock, either go to the store or order it online. When a last minute gift idea pops in our heads, we can just go online and get it 2 days later. I can't help to think, is this way of shopping making it too easy, and sucking the fun out of finding that special gift?

Mobile friendly e-commerce stores are making it even easier for us to cram in shopping from anywhere. For the week ending Dec. 9, comScore says online sales increased almost 16% compared to the same period last year. That is a huge increase, and will only continue to grow year after year.

Was shopping more enjoyable when price comparing didn't exist like it does now? We have so many shopping options in front of us. Brick and mortar retail and specialty stores continue to pop up everywhere, and online sites like Amazon and Etsy, give you an endless possibility of gifts. Is this what is bringing on all the stress? Too many options?

I'm overjoyed in taking on this role of 'Santa', and all of the shopping, searching and stress that accompanies it. I'm sure my parents will always remember the Christmas where my dad got to make his little's girl's Christmas complete with the perfect toy. I don't know that i'll ever have the opportunity to create a memory like that, but I'm certain my little girl won't care how Santa got those presents under the tree on Christmas morning.

Finding your niche on Twitter

aconnor@capstrat.com (Angela Connor) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:43:45 -0500

Twitter isn't rocket science, yet so many people are using it poorly. There is nothing to be gained by following random Twitter users with the hopes of amassing huge numbers of followers who really have no interest in your company, brand, product or service.

Twitter is all about defining your niche. Once you do that, it is much easier to focus and suddenly you stop feeling like you're wasting your time.

Consider this: If you're not a big consumer brand, particularly those that are constantly used as case studies by social media experts, that model of pushing product and blasting deep discounts and sales is not for you. It will not work if your product isn't in high demand and you don't have scores of loyal customers already.

But here's what will work: Taking the time to find the right people and tailoring your communications to provide value and build relationships. Here are six ways you can get started today:

Search by position and title. If you want to connect with Directors of Oncology at hospitals, make that a goal and seek them out. Putting in the time to find your target audience is worth the effort.
Identify relevant hashtags. Looking for journalists? Search the hashtag #journchat and see who's participating. Interested in nurses? Try #RNchat. Read the bios of active participants and follow those you deem relevant. Better yet, join the chat yourself and start communicating with your niche if you have something worth sharing.
Capitalize on existing Twitter lists. Before you start from scratch, look around to see if someone has already culled lists of your target audience. Chances are there is already a pretty good list of math teachers, CEO's, engineers or whomever else you may be trying to reach.
Use the right keywords. Conduct some preliminary research to determine how your audience communicates and shares information on Twitter so you can speak their language. There is nothing worse than wasting your 140 characters with made-up hashtags that don't resonate with your target audience or that no one ever uses.
Nix the narcissism and offer value. This may seem like a no-brainer and I really wish it was. But I can tell you with certainty that it isn't. Go back and review your last 50-100 tweets. Were they all about you or were they of value to others? If you are the number one topic, vow to make a change in 2012.
Refocus and clean out the clutter. It is never too late to unfollow. In fact, it's an action I encourage. Refine the list of accounts you follow so that it really makes sense and is aligned with your main goal. If you have not yet established a goal, that's the problem, and it's exactly where where you need to start.

Remember, you will get out of Twitter what you put in, Twitter is a powerful tool for business. But until you define your target audience, seek them out with gusto and forsake all others, you will never reap the full benefits or realize an acceptable return on your investment.

Author's note: Want to connect with me on Twitter? Follow @communitygirl.

Undermining the credibility of women?

mcbrawley@capstrat.com (Melissa Brawley) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:48:56 -0500

Marian Wright Edelman, the founder and president of Children’s Defense Fund and first African-American woman admitted to the Mississippi state bar, once said, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” Does this hold true for women seeking leadership positions? And what does that have to do with the PR and advertising industry?

A lot, actually.

Recently, I attended the first North Carolina screening of a new documentary called Miss Representation, a film that explores how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America.

The film walks audiences through numerous examples of disparaging or overly sexual portrayals of women in politics, news and the entertainment industry. Given that American teenagers consume 10 hours and 45 minutes of media a day (TV, music, movies, magazines, internet), the overwhelming message young women and men receive is that a woman’s value and power lie in her youth, beauty and sexuality, and not in her capacity as a leader. While women have made great strides in leadership over the past few decades, some of the statistics highlighted in the documentary show we still have miles to go:

America’s women continue to earn just 77 cents for every dollar men earn.
Women make up 51 percent of the population and only 17 percent of Congress.
Between 1937 and 2005 (68 years), there were only 13 female protagonists in animated movies. All of them, except one, had the aspiration of finding romance.
Women hold only 3 percent of clout positions in mainstream media.
65 percent of women and girls have distorted eating behaviors.

Between the physically-impossible airbrushed cover models and badly behaved reality TV stars in the Real Housewives series, it’s hard to know what a real female role model would look like.

I left the screening wondering about the role PR and advertising professionals play in the representation of women in media. Agencies are not effective unless they can help a company drive sales, customer engagement or a business reputation. And if scantily-clad women sell products, do we have a responsibility to find an alternative approach? I would argue that our industry carries most of the responsibility for changing the portrayal of women in the media. And perhaps, clients who make a pledge to reject sexism in advertising could capture the 86 percent of purchasing power held by women in America.

Lowe Blow

keudy@capstrat.com (Ken Eudy) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:09:14 -0500

Lowe's home improvement advertised on a reality TV show "All-American Muslim" until this past weekend. Then came the Florida Family Association.

The FFA, as it calls itself, took out after Lowe's because it advertised on "All-American Muslim," which features "propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda's clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values."

The organization has attacked Disney, Target, Macy's, GE, Pepsi and a long list of other companies because they don't measure up to FFA's pristine standards. Which seem to be: white, heterosexual, pious, Christian and politically conservative. FFA traffics in racism, bigotry and fear-mongering.

Okay. Some things can't be helped. But what about Lowe's, the No. 2 home improvement company in America?

Lowe's folded like a cheap suit in the face of FFA's criticism.

The company issued a statement saying that "All-American Muslim" "became a lightning rod for many of those views."

How sad. Companies have a responsibility to shareholders, customers and employees. But do they also have a responsibility to stand up to fear-mongering haters? Which way is Lowe's moral compass pointing?

Why you should root for the 49ers

kjones@capstrat.com (Kendall Jones) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:17:56 -0500

I’m a person who analyzes trends. I’m also a person who loves football. And this year’s 49ers are blowing my mind. Looking at the numbers, the San Francisco 49ers should not have the second-best record in the NFL. Their opponents have more offensive yards, more sacks and more third and fourth down conversions than they do. Season totals can be misleading, but when you see those same trends show up in individual games, it gets even more confusing. When the 49ers beat the New York Giants in week 8, Giants players had more passing yards, rushing yards and receiving yards than any San Francisco player. And yet, the 49ers have nine wins and two losses and could clinch a playoff spot this Sunday. Before I get into why the 49ers are so amazing this year, and why you should root for them, let’s have a little history.

This time last year the 49ers had just three wins and seven losses. Last year, everyone (including me) was wondering why the talent on the team wasn’t generating wins. This year, that same group of players is being described as the best team in football. (Don’t take my word for it. Listen to Super Bowl champion and two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Theismann around the 5:26 mark). So what changed?

One thing: Leadership. Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach. It’s not so much that Harbaugh is a football genius. But as the new head coach, Harbaugh stressed the importance of a team rather than the importance of a player. So many sports teams these days are built on the importance of one player or a small group of players. Remember when everyone was calling the Philadelphia Eagles a “dream team?” That dream team just lost their playoff hopes to the Seattle Seahawks last night. It’s easy to forget NFL teams are actually companies and there is so much “regular” companies can learn from Harbaugh’s leadership style.

San Francisco has good players, but the team as a whole is better than the sum of its parts. The 49ers rarely leave the game in the hands of their defense, or offense, or special teams. Each player takes responsibility—whether the team wins or loses—for their role on the team. (See the recent loss to the Baltimore Ravens). The coaches and leaders help the players develop instead of just telling them what to do. (See Alex Smith). That’s the kind of company I work for and that’s the kind of team you should root for. The 49ers win because they are more than just talented players. They are talented players that work together

A team like that should go to the Super Bowl, if only so you can profile them at your next staff meeting and talk about the importance of team work. Even if the 49ers lose in the first round of the playoffs, the things I’ve learned from watching them for hours this season will not go to waste. And whether you root for them, or just watch them beat your favorite team, I’m sure you’ll learn a little something about team work too.

Will cable and satellite TV follow the landline’s decline?

kalbritton@capstrat.com (Karen Albritton) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:34:30 -0500

The Capstrat employee phone list has three columns of phone numbers – office, home and mobile. We’re a communications agency and we have to be reachable outside of the office. A decade ago most employees listed office and home numbers and a few senior people also had mobile numbers. Then, seemingly overnight, the columns flipped. Most employees listed office and mobile numbers and only a few senior (code word for older) people also had home numbers.

The Capstrat phone list reflected a fundamental shift in the telecom industry – the move away from landlines to mobile phones. The young, mobile millennial generation does not see the need for a landline.

Now there’s another fundamental shift on the horizon for pay TV. According to a recent AdAge article Credit Suisse analysts are projecting 200,000 fewer paying TV customers in 2012 than in 2011. Reports say this is in part attributable to the sluggish economy and slow growth in new households.

But, I had a hunch if you poll those young, mobile millennials in our office who opted for a mobile phone instead of a landline, you’d find trendsetters who today are abandoning traditional cable or satellite television services in favor of online service like Hulu, Netflix or GoogleTV. I asked around and sure enough, there are a small, but growing number who are cutting the cord. It’s even easier with the latest HDTV’s and streaming video set-top boxes like Roku.

You might ask, what about local channels? News? Not a problem. This generation gets plenty of local information and news from social media. Why watch a 30-minute broadcast when you can follow the local affiliates or even celebrity anchors on Twitter and get the important news when it happens? Or catch up on headlines and features via free news apps on a smartphone?

Will this shift happen as quickly as the adoption of mobile phones over landlines? Who knows? But the implications for marketers will be even more significant because this shift will further complicate how you reach this young mobile audience as well as tech-savvy consumers of all ages. Marketers will not only have to track what’s being watched. We’ll also have to track how it’s being watch.

And, we’ll have to track where it’s being watched. This newfound freedom from the cable cord or the satellite dish will enable more viewing in more places. It’s tricky, but we’ve been there before. Remember radio?

Confidence in institutions continues to plummet

sjohnston@capstrat.com (Shane Johnston) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:46:21 -0500

Capstrat conducted a nationwide poll this year measuring the confidence of Americans in government, media, banks, small businesses, corporations, public schools, labor unions and churches. To no one’s surprise, confidence plummeted over the past two years across the board.

However, there were some interesting findings when looking at results across age groups and ethnicities.

Millennials have more confidence than any other age group in government, media, banks, corporations, small business, and churches – although overall confidence is tepid at best. This is surprising; given that this age group has experienced the dot com bust, 9/11, two wars, the housing bust, banking turmoil and the collapse of huge corporations during their formative years. Maybe not since the Great Generation has an age group seen this much uncertainty.

On the other hand, people 66+ have the lowest amount of confidence in government, media and banks and have very low confidence in corporations as compared to other age groups. Is this due to the instability of retirement plans and the budget politics that may impact social security as they start to become dependent on these sources of income?

Government is taking shots at social security in deficit reduction talks, corporate pensions are drying up, banks are foreclosing on houses that were once nest eggs and have lost their value. Or maybe the baby boomers are revisiting their “anti-establishment” bias circa 1960’s.

Millennials also have more confidence in politicians – Democrats and Republicans – than all other age groups, too. But politicians shouldn’t hang their hats on confidence ratings in the 20th percentile.

Trust in communications companies and social media is abysmal across the board – single digits for ages 30+ and even very low for millennials, who grew up in the converged digital communications age.

Obviously convergence (e.g., “triple play” packages by cable companies offering voice, TV, and internet) are not improving trust from customers. And part of this may have to do with the fight the providers are putting up against Federal Net Neutrality laws, as basic internet freedom is religiously revered. As markets open up to competition and households finally have real choice – TimeWarner vs Verizon Fios vs AT&T Uverse vs regional player – trust may be a viable marketing approach if it can be backed up via installation, customer service and up-time.

Only about half of all millennials have some trust in social media providers like Facebook or Twitter. But yet they are still the most prolific users – maybe because it’s free and all their peers are doing it?

There were also some interesting results along ethnic lines. Take a look at this infographic we created and let us know what you think about the findings.

Three Easy Facebook Engagement Tactics

jdolan@capstrat.com (Jay Dolan) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:51:34 -0500

I hate to say it, but without a compelling reason, Facebook users don’t log onto Facebook to come to your brand page. comScore reports that Facebook users spend less than 25% of their time on Facebook on brand pages. With that in mind, it’s more important than ever to have fans comment, like and share your content in their newsfeeds so your brand shows up in their friend’s news feeds and news tickers.

Here are three quick ideas you can use to boost your fans’ engagement with your content. While it’s up to you to know what specific content will connect with your audience, these ideas will increase impressions and help drive new fans to like your page:

Like this post: This kind of post is easy. Possibly too easy. Write “Like this post if you love _____” and fill in the blank with something about your brand. Hit post, and watch the likes roll in. Don’t post this too often though. Fans will catch on quickly and start ignoring you.
Ask Questions: Get your feedback from the people who are most engaged with you and your products. Ask simple, targeted questions. “What’s your favorite service?” “What do you like best about Product A?” Questions invite comments, which increases engagement and gives you insights into your work.
Post a photo: A picture is worth a thousand likes on Facebook. Facebook’s latest updates prioritize photos. Photos are the colorful bursts that break up the black and white of the newsfeed. Give your fans exclusive pictures, and watch their comments and likes roll in.

It’s easy to over think how to engage your Facebook community as part of a larger strategy. These tactics make it easy for fans to connect to you quickly and easily from the newsfeed. The easier it is to participate there, the more likely they are to engage.

What’s your simple tactic to reach out and engage your Facebook fans on the newsfeed?

It's Internet Summit time!

sjohnston@capstrat.com (Shane Johnston) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:51:45 -0500

It’s Internet Summit time!

Over 1500 Internet executives, senior marketers, digital professionals, entrepreneurs and investors will gather for the largest digital event in the southeast. The Summit will, once again, break a record for attendees. Dozens of industry leaders and innovators will speak at multiple sessions covering topics like Social Media, Mobile, Search, Analytics, Video, Usability, Cloud, Ecommerce, Online Advertising, Big Data and more.

Tons of speakers. Lots of booths and companies. Great breakouts. Two-plus days of activities going well into the night. Downtown Raleigh will be buzzing.

But why?

Seems appropriate, for this digitally-enlightened crowd, to ask why an event like this is even needed. We have virtual trade shows available, right? What about LinkedIn groups or Facebook pages or Quora? Maybe we could start an Internet Summit Circle on Google+. How about going old-school and sending emails to group lists?

Social media, of course, will remain a hot topic again at the summit. Can’t we just create online communities? Maybe push some tactics to drive engagement (engagement is good, right?) which will result in . . . likes? Or retweets? Or maybe the holiest of all grails: A huge Klout score!

The truth is all of these activities simply cannot replace the in-person experience. There is no substitute for shaking hands, seeing faces, getting reactions and generally interacting with each other. In fact, isn’t that the true Holy Grail of most of the online tactics above? Aren’t you using LinkedIn to get that face-to-face with potential employers or clients? Isn’t the best outcome of Twitter a Tweet-Up? Have you ever arranged to meet a Facebook friend or a Google+, um, Circle Person (?) in real life?

And that’s why Capstrat will be at Internet Summit 2011 in full force. If you’re going, be sure to stop by our booth. Also be sure to read the insights from the pre-conference survey of attendees included in your conference welcome package.

And check out at least one of our speakers at the event. Karen Albritton will be speaking on marketing to millennials, Angela Connor will be talking about how to build communities, and Phil Buckley is providing knowledge on integrating social media into your search and mobile marketing plans.

Finally, if you have a hard time finding us, just look for the funny hats. You’ll know what I mean.

Investing in the Future

lcoman@capstrat.com (Leslie Coman) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:40:15 -0500

Amid the negative public discourse on lower taxes, less regulation and economic woes, I was encouraged by the voters in several communities across North Carolina who said “yes” on Tuesday to raising taxes for investments in education, economic development and transit.

Citizens in Durham, Orange, Buncombe and Montgomery counties are to be commended for approving tax measures that will make significant improvements in their communities. These votes followed on the heels of Cabarrus and Halifax approving similar measures earlier in the year and the City of Raleigh’s approval in October of bonds for affordable housing and transit.

What all of these voters have in common is their recognition that financial investments have to be made to keep communities strong and vibrant. I see these votes as a hopeful sign - a sign that people are not mired down in the doom and gloom rhetoric that seems to be so prevalent. Instead, they’re looking to a brighter future and willing to support initiatives that will make a positive difference. Let’s hope this is the beginning of a trend.

Actions Sometimes Speak Louder Than Words

jpeterson@capstrat.com (John Peterson) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:55:59 -0500

Yesterday voters in Ohio sent a message at the polls. They didn’t elect a new Governor or member of Congress. They voted to keep labor unions in charge of economic development and job creation in Ohio.

Ohio sent a clear message to any company doing business in the Buckeye State, as well as companies considering Ohio for business relocation or expansion of regional operations. That message? Stay away!

Businesses, and even cities and states, spend significant amounts of money to differentiate themselves or their products from competitors.

In the fierce competitive fight for new jobs, cities and states across the country tout their location as the best place to do business – North Carolina included.

Unfortunately Ohio let another organization tell their story, which will significantly impact the state’s reputation for business. Ohio had Big Labor stepping up to the plate with a $25 million public awareness campaign to keep the labor union’s stranglehold in place. A $25 million pro-union campaign, which will no doubt keep businesses away, is absurd when nearly every state in the country is faced with double digit unemployment and record setting deficits.

I hope this all works out well for the labor unions and the people of Ohio. President Obama has already sent his congratulations. Maybe he should have sent his condolences.

When Communities Fail

aconnor@capstrat.com (Angela Connor) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:46:32 -0500

I hate to see communities fail. I especially hate seeing it when I know it could have been avoided.

Communities are still, on many levels, something everyone wants but no one wants to work for. It takes time to cultivate and grow online communities, and you can only get out, what you put in. It's really that simple.

But the expectations are often rooted in fantasy and the major stakeholders have no idea what it takes to find success. I receive numerous emails every week from someone asking me to help them create a job description for a community manager role or to talk to them about how they can turn things around and make their fledgling communities a destination for their target audiences.

Some of these people, charged with turning things around, are allotted less than an hour each day to make it happen. Others don't fully grasp that they have to actually invest time and energy to move the needle. And still, there are some who believe that building it is enough. They think their brand is strong enough to get people there and keep them coming back.

Can some actually do that? Absolutely. But most times there are incentives involved such as coupons and discounts or actual cash for posting content. But once the payola dries up, so does the traffic. And since when did a true community pay its members for participating?

I think the definition of community has changed, and I don't necessarily like it. Does managing a Facebook page or Twitter account make you a community manager? I don't think so, and this is an argument I am happy to have with anyone.

But I digress. The point here is communities are failing because companies aren't committed. They expect them to grow themselves and they don't invest in quality content or proper management. They don't evolve, and fail to connect with the members.

When you put members first and strive to give them the content they want - something they can't readily find elsewhere, good things start to happen.

There are some really great niche communities across the web. But there could be so many more. If you're thinking about creating a new online community, here is my advice: Go big or go home.

Do it right, and yours won't fail.

Really Mikey Mouse?

tcoats@capstrat.com (Todd Coats) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:39:07 -0500

Don't judge me. I was skipping around TV and came across a Disney Channel show. Not one of the channel’s gems like Phineas and Ferb mind you. It was a throwaway live-action-canned-laughter-schlockfest called A.N.T. Farm. Something kept me intrigued.

No one expects these shows to be high theatre but what struck me was the laziness of writing. And most blatantly, a cheesy copyright avoidance trick.

In one of the deposable scenes, a character is playing a video game. Another character joins him and starts rattling off his favorite video games, “…Froggy, Space Infestation…”

An obvious rip-off of classic games Frogger and Space Invaders.

Why would Disney stoop to the sorta-change-the-name game given how diligently they protect copyrights and how many properties they already have? They aren’t Wacky Packages after all (those under 30 might want to look that up). Disney’s legal pursuits are legendary. In the past few years they’ve had dust ups with Jack Kirby’s heirs over Marvel characters like the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Thor and the Incredible Hulk as well as the heirs of Winnie the Pooh’s creator and even a UK children’s hospital.

My favorite Disney copyright battle is from 1989. The giant threatened legal action against three ne'er-do-well daycare centers in Florida for having Disney characters painted on their walls. The characters were removed but what’s funny is rival Universal Studios happily replaced them with their cartoon characters. PR win.

These folk clearly protect what they believe is theirs.

Even the Copyright Extension Act that extends protection of copyrighted works much longer, maybe indefinitely, is known as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act.

I’m a huge Disney fan and believe they have every right to protect their creativity and innovation. So why would they not show that same respect to others? I can’t imagine they’d be thrilled with the appearance of Ronald Duck.

Is Traditional PR Dead?

lhamner@capstrat.com (Liz Hamner) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:29:23 -0500

I remember conversations a few years back when I sat around a table with a group of colleagues and asked “is traditional PR dying?” With the declining newspaper industry, and increasing digital world, it seemed that traditional PR may go by the wayside. I’m happy to report that it is not dead. But it definitely is evolving.

Reading an article in the UNC-Chapel Hill’s Journalism School newsletter, Carolina Communicator, did bring up a new question – and one I’ve heard around my office – is social media public relations? This was echoed when I attended last Thursday’s Council of PR Firms’ Critical Issues Forum, which focused on the “Social Revolution.”

In many respects, the answer is ‘yes.’ The goal of Public Relations is to share key messages with key audiences, as well as support perception and reputation management. The way that a company communicates through social media – how they do it and what they say – is just another way to communicate the messages they want stakeholders to hear.

Is it the only way to communicate? No, of course not. For reaching certain audiences, newspaper, trade publications and broadcast media - among other outlets - still play an important role.

But, as Robert Gibbs stated last Thursday at the Council of PR Firms’ Critical Issues Forum, social media is the connective tissue in communications. He said that so many people are living life through technology now, that how could we ignore the hyper communications medium? He also underlined how it’s critical to be where your audience is… not expect them to seek you out elsewhere, which is the heart of good communications.

Here are some simple keys to successful social media communications that Mr. Gibbs shared:
- Transparency
- Share unique information – offer real value
- Be responsive
- Listen

Mr. Gibbs warned that social media cannot be the “add on” that you turn to when everything else is covered. Instead, social media needs to be at the center of your communications strategy. Most importantly, he urged that if you fail to listen, you will cease to exist. This has always been true of good public relations, but in today’s hyper-responsive, social network world, more true than ever before. Is your company listening?

4As Strategy Festival

ecarroll@capstrat.com (Evan Carroll) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:03:40 -0500

“If you’re not investing in social media, analytics and technology, you don’t exist.”

That's what Miles Nadal, CEO of MDC Partners, had to say to 4As Strategy Festival attendees. His interview kicked off the festival, telling the room full of account planners that we're no longer in the advertising business, but rather the investment business. Simply put, advertising is an investment and we have to optimize the return on that investment and prove its value.

Speaking of proving value, how about 650,000 downloads of Adobe Creative Suite 5 beta, creating the potential for 140 million in revenue and giving Adobe its best quarter ever. That return is exactly what Goodby, Silverstein and Partners gave Adobe. Dong Kim gave us an overview of their research, which revealed that creatives were perfectly happy with old versions of Creative Suite. See, change is a risk when you depend upon your software for your livelihood. They used a CS5 beta design competition to get the software in the hands of creatives, showcasing it's new features and, more importantly, its reliability.

Following a set of five-minute, lighting-fast presentations with highlights such as comparing planners to drag queens and standup comedy, we moved on to a panel and workshop on "Intrapreneurism," which led us through activities to help us think like entrepreneurs when developing strategy.

Two projects were awarded the prestigious Grand Prix award in the Jay Chiat Awards for Strategic Excellence, Droga5’s Campaign on Behalf of Puma Social: “For the Joy of Sport" and Lowe & Partners’ Campaign on Behalf of the Colombian Ministry of Defense Program of Humanitarian Attention to the Demobilised (PAHD): “FARC | Operation Christmas.” The case studies for these projects followed the workshop.

In short, Droga5 helped Puma create a new category of athletic apparel, aimed at social athletes, like bowlers and billiards aficionados. The campaign boosted Puma's sales significantly, using headlines like "Give 75%," which was in stark contrast to the intensity and competitiveness conveyed by competitors.

Perhaps the most moving strategy work came from Lowe & Partners, who worked with the Colombian government to encourage the demobilization of guerrillas. They set up a Christmas tree deep in the jungle, activated by motion sensors to surprise insurgents with a positive message. 331 insurgents credited this campaign as a influential to their demobilization.

The day continued with sundry five-minute presentations, including one that encouraged attendees to stop trying to sound smart when delivering strategy, and focus on simplicity and clarity.

The day concluded with a discussion of market research from John Kearon, Chief Juicer of Brainjuicer. Kearon encouraged us to focus on advertising that conveyed emotion, providing an overview of behavioral economics and a lesson in the seven universal emotions. His analysis demonstrated that humans are primarily emotional buyers and tend to post-rationalize decisions. Therefore advertising should be primary emotional, with little to no emphasis placed on the message behind the advertising.

In the end, attendees left with great information, but more importantly, with great inspiration.

The Connection Between Social Media and TV Ratings

aconnor@capstrat.com (Angela Connor) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:21:35 -0500

Could there really be a relationship between the amount of online buzz a TV show generates and and its TV ratings? When you think of it on a small scale, it's easy to believe there isn't. After all, how can a few thousand tweets, Facebook status updates and shares have a real impact in the world of the almighty Nielsen ratings and shares, right?

Well, according to a new study by NM Incite, (which happens to be a Nielsen company) that isn't the case.

According to Lost Remote, the study found a “statistically significant” connection between social buzz and TV ratings among all age groups, with the strongest correlation among younger demos (12-17 and 18-34), and a slightly stronger overall correlation for women compared to men.

And when exactly is this buzz happening? NM Incite also looked at when people tended to talk about TV the most. It turns out to be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - a very close resemblance to the the biggest nights on television. The conversations also tend to spike during September and January, which is premiere season, and April and May during finales.

This is powerful stuff. Social Media is having an impact on so many industries and I love when I can share the proof.

You can learn more about the study on NielsenWire.

6 Ways to Improve the Quality of Your Comments

aconnor@capstrat.com (Angela Connor) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:22:57 -0500

It is so easy to read through your favorite blog posts and chime in with a cursory comment such as: “Spot on,” “great post,” “I agree with you 100%” and “Me too.”

The same goes for online communities and forums. While I enjoy reading the actual posts, sometimes the best content is in the comments. It’s the different perspectives and points-of-view that add value while also introducing you to people you may not have otherwise come in contact with.I can recall a time when I was a very active commenter on my favorite blogs.

It comes in waves now based on my workload but I always strive to post something of value. So whenever you see one of my comments, you better believe that I thought about my words before posting them and felt like I had something worth adding.

As a community manager, you come to value comments in a way that is indescribable. I’m sure that bloggers feel that way too. But when you are charged with growing a community, you truly associate the comment with the person’s time. You see the direct correlation because you are painfully aware of the fact that there are so many choices online and you’re grateful that for that moment, you were one of their choices.

Comments yield opportunities

Another reason to be smart about your comments is that you never know who is reading. I’ve gotten great opportunities from comments. It’s nice to get an email from someone indicating that they read your comment on a post and they’d like to interview you for a story or connect with you in some other way. It happens all the time, so you’re actually helping yourself when you do this.
Posting thoughtful comments isn’t hard to do, but it’s much easier when you care about the topic or feel some sort of emotion as a result of what you just read. But even if that emotion is lacking, you can still add quality to the conversation beyond “Spot on” and the others mentioned above.

If you want to get started on improving the quality of your comments, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Share a different perspective with no intention of starting a fight
Explain why you agree with the author
Always post more than one sentence
Quote exactly what you liked and add a bit about why it struck you
Encourage the author to write more and tell them what you’d like to see discussed next
Offer new ideas and make connections based on your own experiences

I recognize that some of these tips may be painfully obvious, but if they really were, I think we’d see many more thoughtful comments. And if you’re on the receiving end of those comments, be sure to express some gratitude and thank people for their time.Remember, they could be anywhere else on the web, and the fact that they are with you is something you have to learn to appreciate.

Author's Note: Originally posted on Angela Connor's blog.

How Steve Jobs Impacted My Job

kjones@capstrat.com (Kendall Jones) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:26:14 -0500

I have never been a fan of Apple products. I’ve used them in school and, though I’ve never owned one, I never thought they were user friendly. Heresy, I know. And still, like most, I was sad when I heard about the death of Steve Jobs. Maybe it was the fact that I lost my grandmother to cancer. Maybe it was the thought that my dad is one year older than Jobs. Or maybe it was my love of all things Disney, which includes Pixar. Something about Steve’s death hit me hard and once I got on Facebook, I saw that it hit others hard too.

Amidst all of the condolences and heartfelt sentiments, I saw another attitude springing up on social networks. One of my friends posted this: “While this loss truly is sad, the man made an incredible impact on the world, I can't help but think that our priorities are somewhat misplaced.” In the same sentence, people I knew acknowledged Jobs’ impact and questioned why he was so important. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But I think the people who have a problem with the remembrance of Jobs are only viewing him as a tech innovator.

Jobs always struck me as a remarkable person because he was not simply motivated by money. Think about it. He could have made millions by just leaving the iPhone to stew on the market for a few years. The original is still comparable to many phones on the market today. But that wasn’t good enough for Jobs. Customers have their pick of five iPhone versions— more than one for every year it’s been on the market—because he was always working to make his products better. Jobs didn’t just set the agenda for the tech world. He was an ethical businessman in a world where ethics are rare. It wasn’t just about making money. I’m sure we all know about his official $1 salary. Jobs was about building the best into every product and never settling for “acceptable work.”

At Capstrat, we strive to do good work. That statement goes beyond the physical quality of our work. It’s also about the soul of the projects we decide to do—whether it is a campaign to stop teen smoking or helping college students on the path to their careers. We strive to do good, meaningful work and we do it very well. A company like Capstrat is rare and I believe we strive to be what Jobs’ life was all about.

We may never produce a gadget that revolutionizes the marketplace or surpass Exxon as the world’s most valuable company. But there is something we all can admire and learn from a man and a company that always strives to do good work. I am proud to say I work for a company that puts its best into products, values people over profit and is always striving to make a positive impact on the world. People will always remember Jobs for his impact on the tech world, but I hope I never forget the model he provided to demonstrate integrity in business and live each day as if it were your last.

Why People Are Talking About "People Talking About"

hharrill@capstrat.com (Hannah Harrill) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:55:52 -0500

Facebook is launching new metrics to better assess engagement on Pages. We won’t just be looking at “Likes” any more. New metrics will appear right under the number of “Likes” on the left of the Page. This makes judging a Page easier for visitors, brand advocates, competitors, practitioners and agencies.

The most talked-about metric seems to be People Talking About. A Page with a high People Talking About rating should be one that has compelling content. This new metric measures user-initiated activity such as posting to a Page’s Wall, “liking,” commenting, sharing something from the page or posting content, answering Questions, mentioning the Page, “liking” or sharing a deal or checking in at a Place. Sound like a lot? It is, and it’s great. Important to note: the new Insights don’t measure sentiment, so “Southwest ruined my vacation” counts just as much as “I only every fly Southwest,” but all of the Insights are clear indicators of brand engagement. Users just don’t interact with a brand they aren’t invested in.

The importance of real strategy and interesting content will rise. Thank goodness! Tricky tactics such as "like" gates won't be as necessary. “Likes” will still be the most prominent metric because they will be the only clear sentiment gauge. The number of “likes” is really the number of users who openly endorse the brand. However, People Talking About is going to tell us whether people actually give a hoot about what we’re saying.

People Talking About is a great measure of how well the overall page is doing, but the metric I’m most excited about is “virality” of posts. Virality will measure the percentage of people exposed to an update who commented, “Liked” or interacted with the post in any way. This is particularly great for practitioners developing strategies and best practices. It will be easier to see which kinds of post get the most attention – aka, what content is most likely to go viral, a goal we all hope to reach.

It’s going to be more important than ever to develop content that catches on. Deciding ROI won’t be just about how many “likes” we get for a client. Instead, we will be measuring the quality of the content we produce, the engagement strategies we use, and the number and activity of the people who give a hoot.

A Big Boost for Companies Using LinkedIn

aconnor@capstrat.com (Angela Connor) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 07:08:03 -0500

LinkedIn has released a powerful new feature for businesses with company pages. And I have to admit that I am very excited about it.
In addition to its suite of recruiting tools, and the power it provides companies by letting them harness the breadth and depth of their workforce by showcasing employees, LinkedIn has added a simple feature that will now allow businesses to share anything they want, to everyone who follows their company.

It’s a very familiar concept taken straight from Facebook- one we all know well: The status update.
This is a big deal.

If you have a LinkedIn company page you can now post status updates directly from the page. Up until yesterday, status updates were for individual users only.
But now you can share news and information directly with your audience, sending it straight to their update stream.

Here is an excerpt from the announcement posted on the LinkedIn blog:

“With this new release, companies (with an assigned administrator and whose company page is set to “designated admins only”) will have the flexibility to share the latest on the company directly to all of their followers on their company page’s “Overview” tab.”

According to LinkedIn, millions of companies have requested the ability to customize and share more valuable insights with their followers. I can certainly understand why. Some companies have thousands of followers, and this gives them a new way to reach them, directly.

If you’d like to see an example of how these updates will appear on your page, visit Capstrat’s Company Page. I posted a link to our Facebook capabilities video, as a status update.

Think of the possibilities. We are already working on sharing new tactics with our clients. Please understand that it’s time to add LinkedIn to your communications toolkit.

This is huge. Trust me. I don't say that everyday.

Fred Shuttlesworth, RIP

keudy@capstrat.com (Ken Eudy) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:16:06 -0500

Steve Jobs died Wednesday, and so did Fred Shuttlesworth. Everybody knows the profound impact Jobs had on modern culture, but what about Fred Shuttlesworth?

Rev. Shuttlesworth, who died in Birmingham at 89, was one of the last living icons of the civil rights movement. Along with Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph David Abernathy, Rev. Shuttlesworth founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957.

More important, he was the indomitable leader of the civil rights movement in Bull Connor's Birmingham.While Dr. King was educated and articulate, Shuttlesworth was gritty and jut-jawed. He estimated he had been beaten and jailed more than 40 times. He suffered severe bruises on his chest from being sprayed with water hoses during the Birmingham demonstrations. According to one obituary, when he was attacked by the Klan wielding brass knuckles and an bicycle chains, doctors marveled that he didn't suffer a concussion. "Doctor, the Lord knew I lived in a hard town, so he gave me a hard head," Rev. Shuttlesworth said.

If you grew up white in the South during the 1960s as I did, and you watched on TV as little black children assaulted with driving water needles from those Birmingham fire hoses, you knew -- even I finally knew -- that segregation was evil. Fred Shuttlesworth sent those children out there. It was a hard-nosed decision. But it was the turning point of the Civil Rights movement.

I met Rev. Shuttlesworth several times in the last 10 years, mostly at observances of the Civil Rights movement. Well into his 80s, he was spry, stood as straight as a flag pole and had a vice-like handshake that almost buckled my knees. He seemed such a sweet man. But Fred Shuttlesworth was the definition of courage.

Are You Ready for a Facebook Flare-Up?

aconnor@capstrat.com (Angela Connor) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:44:48 -0500

How long does it take to anger a slew of fans on your own Facebook page? Let's ask Nikon.

A status update posted on their Facebook wall yesterday has garnered 1,677 likes; 1,233 shares and 3,008 comments. Numbers to die for in most cases, but not this one. The backlash has also resulted in a new status update posted two hours ago, apologizing for the tone of the first one.

That post is up to 920 likes; 65 shares and 362 comments.

It all started with this update, posted by Nikon or whomever manages their page:

"A photographer is only as good as the equipment he uses, and a good lens is essential to taking good pictures! Do any of our facebook fans use any of the NIKKOR lenses? Which is your favorite and what types of situations do you use it for?"

I must say that this status update has all of the elements of engagement. A statement, and two decent follow up questions to get people chatting it up on the page. But the first sentence didn't go over very well at all. In fact, it offended many, and that was quite clear in the comments.

Some of the complaints included:

"Camera equipment can make a difference but it does not make the photographer."
"When you speak on behalf of a company you should be very sensitive regarding how your customers feel about your product."
"The photographer is only as good as his or her brain."
"The equipment doesn't matter. People have been getting great photos out of horribly outdated cameras and lenses for a century.
Obviously Nikon's Marcom team have not seen great pictures taken with a improvised pinhole camera made out of an old shoebox or old beated up SLR camera."

There were also a lot of people defending the post, so it wasn't all bad. Many people seemed to understand that the intention was not to offend.

But if you take another look at those comments, you will also see that people expect better. These are your customers and people with an affinity for your brand. And that is serious business.

You have to make sure that the right person is representing you on Facebook and that they understand the rules of engagement. This isn't the kind of work that you can just assign to anyone.

I am not indicating that this is or was the case with Nikon. My point here is that you have to be smart and think these things through. This can happen to anyone, but it is completely avoidable.

Remember, this is brand communications and it requires attention and strategy. It may be on Facebook, but so are your fans. And what happens on Facebook, clearly doesn't stay - on Facebook.

Authors note: If you'd like to see the post and the comments, you can find them here.

Why I asked legislators to vote against the same-sex marriage amendment

keudy@capstrat.com (Ken Eudy) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:16:11 -0500

Along with dozens of other N.C. CEOs, I signed a letter yesterday asking legislative leaders to oppose a state constitutional amendment on same-sex marriage. I signed the letter for a bunch of reasons. Here are a few:

As with other CEOs, I believe that amending our state constitution would hurt our business climate. I believe that knowledge-economy companies and entrepreneurs who are dreaming up the next Google or Microsoft would look at North Carolina through a different lens if all they knew about us is that we're afraid of same-sex marriage.

I'm concerned that incredibly talented people -- designers, copywriters, strategists, account executives, web developers -- will decide they don't want to move to a state that takes the drastic step of writing discrimination against same-sex couples into its constitution. It will hurt our ability as an agency to recruit the most talented people.

I signed the letter because I believe a constitutional amendment is a triumph of fear over tolerance. I'm so tempted to say a triumph of hate over tolerance. But so often hate is driven by fear -- fear of what may be different. So let's simply say that the advocates of the constitutional amendment didn't have the courage to look at the issue of who marries whom with tolerance and realism.

I signed the letter because this entire exercise is a profound waste of time, money and energy. First of all, because state law already prohibits same-sex marriage. Bringing the legislature back to Raleigh does not protect a single citizen of our state from whatever the proponents fear from same-sex marriage. It would be illegal after a constitutional amendment passes. But it's just as illegal today.

Our state legislature just cut 4,000 jobs from public school classrooms. It cut 18% from the primary economic engine of our state -- our public university system. What message does it send to our fellow North Carolinians who've been out of work for more than a year that our legislature is wasting time on an amendment that is pointless, instead of making our business climate more robust?

Many of the legislative leaders in Raleigh are prone to break into orations of freedom at the drop of a hat. Freedom to do what you want to with your property. Freedom to do what you want to do with your money. Freedom to tote a firearm nearly anywhere. Freedom this and freedom that. Those paeans to freedom fall suddenly silent when the topic turns to the freedom to associate, to marry the person of one's choosing. How odd.

Finally, I signed that CEO letter because of Capstrat's 100 or so employees. They are the heart and soul of our business. Nothing happens without them. When they're here and, frankly, after they're home and things have quietened down for the evening, many are still hard at work sitting with laptops at the kitchen table or on the sofa. I want them to be free to love, to share their lives and to marry whomever they wish. And to have the opportunity -- the freedom -- to be as happy as any other North Carolinian.

It was so sad to see the N.C. House vote to authorize a referendum on this issue. If the state Senate passes the bill, we will have a statewide voter referendum next May. We will see a nasty, negative campaign that will do nothing to build up our state, or to attract companies to come to North Carolina. It will not create a single job. What a waste. What a sad commentary on our state's legislative leaders.

A Chief Marketing Officer's Guide to Social Media Integration

aconnor@capstrat.com (Angela Connor) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 09:59:38 -0500

Attention CMO's!

It's time to rethink social media. Particularly how you approach and implement strategies and tactics. If 2010 was the year of fighting over where social media falls within your organization, and 2011 has mostly consisted of making the decision, determining ownership and adjusting internal structure accordingly, then 2012 needs to be the year to define it's purpose and start measuring results, so that it makes good business sense.

This is going to take a serious mind-shift, and the operative word here is integration. One-off campaigns that have no connection to company goals are a big mistake. They may be cool and interesting and even fun, but how much cooler would they be if they were aligned with your overall company goals and objectives and allowed you to move the needle in a big way?

That's where you need to be going with all this and it will require a shift in the way you think. Your mantra should be this: Everything you do in the social media space will be tied directly to company goals and objectives. Period!

Once social media is totally integrated into your communications and marketing efforts, it will be in alignment with your goals. Perhaps this is easier said than done, so I am going to give you four jumping off points to get you started, or at least thinking differently.

Incorporate social media into all of your communications plans. Remember, social media is communications. And your target audiences are out there seeking information. You need a plan for how you will communicate with them where they congregate online.
Adjust your existing media lists to include Facebook and Twitter accounts of your target reporters and bloggers. It is sometimes easier to connect with journalists through social media. A quick DM on Twitter or post on their Facebook page can get you a faster response than sending an e-mail. And in case you didn't know, 92% of B2B journalists have a LinkedIn account and 84% use Twitter. They are using these tools to find sources and story ideas.
Remember that YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. People are searching heavily on YouTube. What will they find when they type in the name of your company? What about the keywords you're competing on in Google?Figure this out and make it part of your communications plan, Hint: Invest in a Flipcam.
Do not jump on the bandwagon of each shiny new tool until you have used it and figured out how it can help you meet your goals. (Think Google Plus.) It's better to spend the time upfront or wait until someone you trust (like an agency partner) makes recommendations on how the tool can help you meet your goals. Maybe it can, maybe it can't. But don't waste time getting involved without a clear plan of action.
Realize that blogger outreach isn't always earned media. Jason Falls of Social Media explorer wrote an interesting piece about this and I agree with much of his assessment. My thoughts are you need to reevaluate how you approach bloggers and if the return on investment is worth it. If you want to do this, you may need a budget for it. This will vary by industry and to do this you have to do more than extract a list from your PR or social media tools. Just because Brand X has a great return on blogger outreach does not guarantee that you will see the same results.

These are just a few key points to consider. As a CMO, Director of Marketing or Marketing Manager, you have to consider your plan of attack and think smart. After all, if you're going to increase your spend, you want it to be money well-spent. There is real strategy behind all of this and that is what we provide our clients.

Author's note: You can read more on the CMO survey conducted by the Duke Fuqua School Business, here. Detailed results can be found at cmosurvey.org/results.

Strategies for a Recession-Ready Launch

Capstrat — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:42:26 -0500

The lagging U.S. economy and tepid consumer spending have some businesses dialing back product launches and stuffing money under the mattress. But what happens when you’ve built a better mousetrap and see a market opening for a critical launch? Many recession-era innovators would say grab the antacid and go full throttle.

In fact, that’s what tech giants Apple and Google did during the dot-com crash. These companies faced a critical moment and launched new products that shook up markets that were undergoing rapid changes.

In 2001, Apple launched the iPod in the uncertain economic climate. In the ensuing decade, the product has revolutionized the way we consume music and has built a brand dynasty. That same year, Google seized an opportunity to advance search engine marketing. With floundering businesses struggling to save marketing dollars, Google recognized that advertising on search engines was both economical and effective. As a result, the company had a breakthrough year and search engine advertising today is a mainstay.

Build share or retreat?

Former Procter & Gamble CEO A.G. Lafley once described his company’s philosophy and strategy during an economic downturn this way: “When times are tough, you build share.” That same philosophy has helped multiple blue chip companies outflank competitors and reap big dividends. IBM, Walt Disney, General Electric, Burger King and FedEx, among others, have used downturns as an opportunity to launch new products and gain market share. While their competitors were running a marathon, these players sprinted to an opportunity, building a large lead through aggressive marketing.

There are clear advantages when you’re competing during a recession. Your competition is often asleep at the wheel or slow to counter with “me too” offerings. In this environment, your product stands out. Some cost-conscious customers also have a keener interest in new products that are either more effective or efficient.

So what’s your strategy for seizing share at critical moments? Here are some considerations when mapping a path forward.

Put a firm – and fast – stake in the ground

During a downturn, you need just-in-time research to help position your product for what the market needs now. It’s also important to evaluate the competition and general market landscape. You can learn a lot from your competitors’ strengths and where they fall short. Good research lays the groundwork that will enable you to launch PR and marketing efforts with a persuasive and timely narrative. It will provide clarity and direction from which all strategies and tactics are built.

Tip: After the research is complete, meet with company stakeholders to review findings and gain consensus and buy-in for a launch plan. The goal should be to reach swift agreement on key questions: What immediate and long-term opportunities can we capitalize on? How will we define success? This gut check is critical for projects with rapid ramp-up and multiple stakeholders.

Plan across channels to get in lockstep

You must have a sense of urgency and purpose around the launch to capitalize on timing. Defining communications strategies and tactics across function areas (marketing, PR, social media, sales enablement) will help you organize the workload into an actionable plan. The plan will maximize all communication channels and keep everyone on the same page. All members on your launch team – sales, marketing, product delivery and customer service – need to be working in concert. Giving each team member ownership of key tasks will ensure they are accountable and stay on the right course.

The plan should include the following essential ingredients:

Specific launch objectives and a clear definition of success
Target audiences with key messages tailored to each group
Strategies and tactics for reaching target audiences:
- Public relations
  - News releases, story pitches, speaking engagements
- Traditional marketing
  - Collateral, lead generation, direct response
- Online marketing
  - Online advertising, email campaigns, online lead generation
- Social media
  - Blogger outreach, audience engagement via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube

Tip: During this stage, determine the best tools and metrics to be used once the launch “goes live.” They will help evaluate the impact of your messaging, track your communication efforts and measure success, online and offline. Having the right measurement approach in place will enable you to nimbly shift or realign tactics based on performance.

Align marketing and sales to close communication gaps

When planning a new product launch, it’s easy to get caught up in external tactics, such as press releases and advertising. But educating your sales force and any channel relationships about your new product so they are equipped with the right sales tools can’t be stressed enough. The sales team requires qualified leads and the marketing department must provide exactly what’s needed in order to convert those leads. Closing the loop between marketing and sales is critical in determining the long-term success of your product after the launch. Even with marketing automation tools, there’s no substitute for sales and marketing teams talking to each other.

Tip: Update PowerPoint decks, create sales tip cards or FAQ documents and draft whitepapers on best practices in your field so teams are ready for those critical sales calls. Poll the sales force on the performance of their toolkit along the way and adjust as needed.

Conquer the crisis

Smart companies don’t view economic downturns as a time to pull back and wait for the climate to improve. They study their competition and weigh their options. They craft their strategies and tactics. They equip their employees with needed knowledge and necessary tools. In short, they plan aggressively when they see a market opportunity to race ahead of their competitors. It takes timing, ingenuity and a lot of hard work. And there’s always risk involved. But making a move during a downturn could be the difference between racing to catch up with your competitors or looking back at them.

Capstrat Healthcare Sales Enablement Research, Coming Soon!

cmartin@capstrat.com (Christina Martin) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:07:47 -0500

Capstrat recently completed research on selling in the healthcare space. Our objective was to isolate what makes selling in healthcare uniquely challenging and gain insight on effective strategies and tactics, to be successful in sales.

Before we began our research we knew that the state of the healthcare market was in flux. New regulations and restrictions are creating waves of unpredictably within the industry and cost restraints are hitting customers from all angles, as healthcare reform becomes a reality.

We spoke with 24 sales reps across the country, representing 18 companies, who shed light on some of the challenges within the hospital selling environment. Our most important finding is that physicians are no longer the sole decision-makers when it comes to determining what product they are going to use. Today they are, in essence, brand champions for medical device and biotech companies. Once they buy into the benefits of the product, they send a purchasing recommendation up the chain where the decision is made by someone else.

With this dramatic shift in decision-making power, companies can no longer continue to market products the way they used to in hospital settings.

At the beginning of October, Capstrat will publish a whitepaper that explains key findings and insights gleaned from our research. We’ll provide our thoughts on how to market to this changing audience, and what these decision-makers care most about when it comes to selecting a product to put under contract within the hospital. We’ll also provide recommendations on effective marketing strategies and tactics and give you a sales rep’s perspective on what they think is most important for marketing teams to pay attention to.

If you think this information could be of interest to your company, we invite you back to our site to check out the paper and join the conversation.

Extreme Couponing Gone Awry?

Capstrat — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:36:02 -0500

I get the local newspaper delivered to my home. Yes, you read correctly…I read a newspaper – several papers, actually – in its original form. I am a subscriber of The News & Observer for several reasons:

it is a great way to stay connected to your community
as a public relations professional, it can be helpful to see how editors of newspapers and magazines lay out their content and prioritize space – you can also get a pulse on priorities
there’s something enjoyable about getting the paper in the morning and reading the printed pages
last but certainly not least, I am frugal, so I really appreciate the coupons

Paper delivery is a very dependable service. The occasional weather occurrence can cause delays from time-to-time. But, in my book, paper deliverers are up there with Santa and the tooth fairy when it comes to dependability. So, you can imagine my surprise when, on a recent Sunday morning, I took my usual stroll outside to pick up the paper and found nothing but leaves on the ground. Where was my paper? There was no trace of inclement weather, so that couldn’t be the reason. Maybe the deliverer was sick. I called the newspaper to see if there were any delays, but they assured me all the papers were delivered. Through process of elimination, I could only come up with two other possibilities: squirrels that have been caught taking people’s flowers and vegetables moved on to newspapers out of spite, or an unscrupulous person decided to grab my paper.

After doing some research, I came across a report that may have solved the mystery. The popularity of a new reality TV show, “Extreme Couponing” on TLC, is being blamed for an increase in stolen Sunday newspapers across the country. The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer each have reported a spike in thefts. There have been reports of people taking papers off idling delivery trucks, and a few people have been caught and charged in Idaho and Arkansas.

If there is any bright side to this, it proves local newspapers still bring lots of value to subscribers. A word of caution to fellow subscribers, the second season of “Extreme Couponing” will begin in September. You can’t say I didn’t warn you.

How do Facebook's New Privacy Settings Affect Brands?

jdolan@capstrat.com (Jay Dolan) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:51:40 -0500

On Tuesday, Facebook announced some big changes to sharing. After years of complaints from users and privacy advocate groups, Facebook will be streamlining privacy controls for updates, clarifying what audience a user's updates are going to.

This is a big change for users, but what does this mean for brands and companies?

One of the biggest changes is a shift in one word. Previously, when a Facebook user shared something to the entire internet, the setting was called "Everyone." While some users assumed that updates marked "Everyone" were going out publicly, many users were and remain unclear about what everyone meant.

Soon, "Everyone" will change to "Public." It's a one word change, but it's a huge difference that tells people what you're sharing is going out beyond Facebook.

This will impact social media monitoring for Facebook. We can only search and monitor what Facebook users post publicly, so this data set could probably become more limited as users realize the difference and change their sharing settings. This would be detrimental towards finding individual users' thoughts and comments for feedback and outreach.

On the other hand, it could have the opposite effect and users could share more, feeling comfortable in what they are sharing publicly versus what they share privately. Also, updates to brand and company pages will remain public, so we can still gain insight about what companies are posting about themselves and how they are engaging their fans.

Another difference is that the Places feature, which allowed Facebook users to check in where they are, will be eliminated. User's will be able to add a location to their posts, but the elimination of Places means the elimination of location based deals for retailers. Watch for location-based social networks like Foursquare and Gowalla to take advantage of this new opening in this space as the 700 million member gorilla bows out.

Overall though, I think these changes are good steps for Facebook to take. While the changes have some immediate implications for monitoring and the elimination of the Places feature, the increased privacy will provide security that users are sharing with the audiences they select. That increased control brings increased incentive to share.

And the real power of going viral on Facebook is getting users to share.

An Afro is Never Just a Hairstyle

kjones@capstrat.com (Kendall Jones) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 09:37:27 -0500

Nivea is back peddling so hard it might just pull a muscle. The way PR Week describes Nivea’s new ad doesn’t begin to capture the way it makes me feel. ‘It shows a well-groomed African-American man getting ready to heave a decapitated head with an Afro and a scruffy beard. The text emblazoned over the model reads: “Re-Civilize Yourself.”’ That didn’t sound horrible to me. I couldn’t figure out what all the fuss was about until I saw the picture.

It’s a classic case of not knowing your audience. Nivea has since pulled the ad. Perhaps there aren’t many black males at Nivea or the agency that created the ad. There are essentially two big issues this ad tries to poorly tackle: black hair and beauty. Natural black hair styles in America have almost never been deemed beautiful. India Arie and Akon beautifully tackled that subject in the 2006 song “I am not my hair.” Justin Bieber wears a longer hairstyle, but could get a job without a problem in almost any area of the country. But if I, as a black man, grew my hair to the same length and kept it well groomed, I probably wouldn’t be offered a job until I cut my hair.

American society says that if a black man has an Afro, it’s not a hairstyle. It’s a statement. A gimmick of some kind. He must be a thug or some sort of black radical. An Afro is never just a hairstyle. I grew my hair out in high school and college, going back and forth between cornrows, an Afro and (gasp!) a perm, which makes natural hair appear straight. But I always knew I would have to cut it before I got into the “real world.” And even after cutting my hair, I’ve had more than a few bosses comment when my hair is getting “too long.” I’ve figured out my critical mass is about three to four weeks. That means I typically have to get my hair cut 12 to 17 times a year just to keep my hair maintained to a basic, “professionally acceptable” standard. I know some black guys who are at the barber every week. It’s always been remarkable to me that despite my hair’s incredible flexibility, an entire race of people is limited to one “professional” hairstyle.

A lot of people are very upset with Nivea over this ad. It certainly is frustrating to see a company insinuate that black men with natural hair are, at best, uncivilized and ugly. If the “civilized” man in the ad had a tapered Afro and well-groomed beard, I’m convinced Nivea would not be getting half the criticism that they are receiving. That ad would be about unkept hair, rather than about Afros. Still, Nivea is in the cosmetic industry. They make billions every year by essentially telling people there is something wrong with the way they look. Nivea has a similar ad targeting white men, though it ditches the line “Re-Civilize Yourself.” If anything, we (Americans) should be mad at ourselves. Nivea didn’t make a professional society that does not accept Afros, we did. None of my previous bosses or former co-workers consulted Nivea to find out when my hair was getting “too long.” Nivea simply brought an idea to the forefront that has been “hiding” in American businesses for years: black men with natural hair are uncivilized. Maybe it’s time for all Americans to re-civilize ourselves.

Overwhelmed By Twitter? How To Manage Your Account

Capstrat — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:57:06 -0500

One of the best descriptions of Twitter that I've ever heard came from Capstrat Creative Director Scott Ballew. He said something along the lines of 'Twitter is like an ever-moving stream. Sometimes, you go visit the stream, dip your toes in, perhaps wade in and have some fun, but then you step out of the stream completely, dry off, and go back home.' Scott was right; Twitter is an ever-moving stream of information and conversations. It can be incredibly overwhelming, particularly if you try to keep up with every single Tweet in your feed. I'm here with a suggestion for how to keep up with your Twitter feed.

I'm not suggesting that you read every single tweet in your feed, though hats off to you if you are able to do that. If you're anything like me, though, and follow hundreds of accounts, it would be close to impossible to read every tweet, get your work done, and have a couple minutes of time away from the computer or mobile device in one day. For this reason, I highly suggest making use of the "Lists" feature on Twitter.

In my personal account, I have created ten lists that help me keep up with different areas of interest regularly. Among these lists are News, Advertising/Creative, Local, and a couple more, including a personal favorite, "Numero Uno." To lessen the insanity that can be Twitter feeds, these lists allow me to organize information into buckets and filter out other noise if I only want to focus on one particular thing, such as news stories.

You can make your lists private or public. My Numero Uno list, for example, is private, because I don't think it's appropriate to let people know whose tweets I care the most about. Frankly, though, this list consists mostly of close friends and my very favorite Twitter accounts. (So I guess it's not that private anymore. Oops.) If I'm about to leave work and want to find out what's happening in Durham for the evening, I pull up my Local list and can find out about the whereabouts of various food trucks, any concerts are happening that night, local news stories, and so on.

One other great thing about lists is that you can add accounts to your lists without needing to follow them directly. This is a great feature if you want to see what an account is saying, but you don't necessarily want to see their tweets in your regular feed.

So how exactly do you create a list? It's simple. Go to your Twitter profile, and in the "Lists" tab, click on the down arrow and then click on "Create a list." I suggest choosing an appropriate name for the list, so it's easy to pick out if you ever find yourself with a bundle of lists. The description is optional, and you can choose to make it private or public. After you click through to the next page, you can either add accounts by searching for users' names, or you can click the "Following" button in the last line of text and scroll through accounts you already follow and pick people to drop into the list. Simple as that! When you're ready to see that list, you can return to your profile, click the down arrow on the "Lists" tab, and select the list of choice. Voila!

I challenge you to try to organize the accounts you follow into appropriate lists, if you haven't already. Let me know if it makes the "ever-moving stream" a bit less intimidating. For those of you who already have lists, do you have any additional suggestions? Do you have any favorite list categories?

5 Tips For Successful Blogger Outreach

jdolan@capstrat.com (Jay Dolan) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:19:54 -0500

As a blogger and social media professional, I see both sides of blogger outreach. Here at Capstrat, I help clients reach out to bloggers who can help them attain their business goals. At home, I frequently get emails, tweets and messages from professionals who want to do business with my personal blog.

What amazes me is the difference in the messages I get daily. Some messages range from the very personalized and professional, while others are shady and disingenuous at best.

Outreach can be a great experience for bloggers and companies. It's flattering for a blogger to be approached by a company because it legitimizes the blogger's work, and a company can generate publicity, views and conversations beyond traditional media.

But for every good experience bloggers have, they have many more that are terrible. Here are a few tips to keep your blogger outreach from going viral with how bad it is:

Use the blogger's name - Bloggers are people. Respect them and use their name. If that's not available, use the screen name they blog as. This seems obvious, but you'd be amazed how many emails bloggers receive that don't include the courtesy of their name.
Build a relationship before hand - Why should a blogger talk to someone they've never heard of? Connecting before your outreach via their comments, Twitter, or Facebook. Begin to build a relationship with the blogger before you ask them for something.
Be helpful - No one wants to deal with a jerk, especially if you're doing something for someone else. Offer to help the blogger you've targeted and answer their questions. Be honest and upfront with this information.
Be succinct - We're living in the age of tweets and short Facebook updates. Think about how you can grab a blogger's attention without having to send them an entire press release where the content relevant to them is buried in the fourth paragraph.
Be timely - Let me reiterate that bloggers are people. They have lives away from their screens. They likely don't have the time to drop everything this instant to help you. Giving them ample time to post on their blog is key to getting the results you want.

There's certainly more to blogger outreach than these tips, and every outreach effort and blogger, are different. If nothing else, remember this: Bloggers are people, and you're asking them to do something for you.

What have you found that works in blogger outreach? Bloggers, do you have any horror stories worth sharing?

Why Your LinkedIn Updates Matter More Than You Know

aconnor@capstrat.com (Angela Connor) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:14:46 -0500

It's one thing to gripe on Twitter. People expect it. If it's a customer service issue and you're lucky - the right person from Company X will see it, work to resolve your issue, and you can move on. It's a common occurrence these days as some companies are offering better customer service on Twitter than they are over the phone and in person. But that's a post for a different day.

Back to the griping.

Because Twitter is so fast-paced chances are, the majority of your followers won't even see the gripes if they are few and far between. You are in no way classified as a common complainer and can easily go back to your normal way of tweeting. No harm, no foul.

But when you post the same kind of content as an update on LinkedIn, it attaches to your profile page and is visible to anyone who happens to view your profile. Now remember, this is a professional network. What you want to appear in that space is something that reflects positively on you or your business. (I recently posted link to a video highlighting some of the work Capstrat's social media team has done on Facebook.)

What you don't want is something that casts you in a bad light or leaves a bad impression on someone who may be interested in working with or for you, hiring you, or gleaning a bit of information from your profile to make some other decision about you.

I came across a LinkedIn profile today that had an update filled with Time-Warner bashing. And you know what? I wasn't phased by the bashing at all even though there's a great chance that all of his claims are true. I was more concerned about the person who was willing to sacrifice their own image on a professional social network, just to blast Time Warner. In my opinion, that is a major mistake. This person may be the best of the best in their field, but after reading that rant about Time Warner, which shows just below his name and current position, I wanted to get as far away from him as possible.

Now what if I wanted to hire him or contact him about an opportunity? I am now questioning his professionalism and quite honestly have lost interest.

You've heard it before, but with social media, you have to be smart. You can't post everything that crosses your mind. Be selective about what and where you post. And when it comes to LinkedIn, keep it professional.

Save your gripes for Twitter, where they belong.

Pitching The Media: Don’t Strike Out!

Capstrat — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:15:12 -0500

By Stephanie Gillam, Capstrat Intern, Summer 2011

At this year’s meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists, I learned more in four days than I ever thought was possible. I caught up on the latest industry trends, met notable leaders in the field and attended a discussion on media coverage of Obama's presidency. But it was the panel on media relations that I found most memorable.

In the session, PR pros from around the country were given 45 seconds to pitch their stories to a panel of editors and producers of some of the top magazines, television shows and news sites in the nation. One by one, pitchers stepped up to the plate, doing their best - in less than a minute - to convince the panelists to cover their stories.

While the panelists could choose only one winner, they shared feedback that we can all use to come out ahead. Keep these tips in mind when you pitch, and you’ll be certain you’re hitting them with your best shot.

Never say “my client.” Editors don’t want to hear about your client. They want to hear about the great story you’ve got for them. So make sure the story is great, and then make it the focus of your pitch.

Read the publication (or watch the show) you’re pitching. We’ve all heard this one before. But are we doing it? It would appear not, if the panelists’ repeated emphasis on the directive is any indication. Knowing the content and style of your targeted outlet is an absolute must. Don’t waste editors’ time on stories they’ve already run or items that wouldn’t fit their publication.

Consider the most appropriate outlet for your story. Everyone wants their story on TV. But is that always the best platform to send your message? Does your story lend itself more strongly to being read or to being watched? And while you may be tempted to target the outlet that reaches the most people, instead ask yourself if that outlet targets the people you’re truly trying to reach.

Stress the ‘people’ angle. People like to read about people - not events, products or services. Avoid centering your story on the thing, and instead frame it around the person(s) involved. And if your story already focuses on an individual, be sure to highlight what makes that person extraordinary.

Look for audience value. Imagine you’ve successfully placed your story, and you’re reading the published article or watching the televised coverage that results. From a viewer’s perspective, why would you care about this story? What would make it appealing or valuable to you as the reader? Shape your pitch with this audience value in mind.

Forget About It

Capstrat — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:12:33 -0500

By Stephanie Gillam, Capstrat Intern, Summer 2011

Of all the birthday wishes I received on my Facebook wall this year, one stands out: “I didn’t even need Facebook to remind me of your birthday this year! Pretty good, huh?”

Pretty good indeed, according to a new study published in Science magazine that demonstrates how the Internet is affecting our memories (access the full study here; subscription required). In a phenomenon researchers call the “Google Effect,” findings suggest that we’re more likely to forget a fact if we know we can find it online.

In short, we’ve come to rely on the Internet to fill in our memory gaps.

Participants in the study were less likely to recall a fact if they thought it would be stored on a computer, and more likely to remember it if they were told it would be erased. And, interestingly, subjects recalled the location on a computer where facts were stored more easily than they recalled the facts themselves.

The conclusion? We’re increasingly outsourcing our memories to the World Wide Web. We know that a quick Internet search can cure almost any lapse in memory. And we feel safe forgetting an old friend’s birthday, because we know Facebook won’t.

To see if I’d succumbed to the “Google Effect” in recent weeks, I checked my web history – because, obviously, I couldn’t remember. And sure enough, the evidence was there: I’d gone online when I couldn’t remember the recipe for a favorite seafood dish, turned to Google to recall the name of a book on the French Revolution I’d been wanting to read and checked the playlist of a local radio station’s website when I forgot the name of a song I heard on the station.

Apparently, my brain’s fine with forgetting facts that it knows a Google search can easily retrieve. And I’m fine with that, too - as long as it doesn’t forget my Facebook password.

The Delicate Balance of Facebook Shares

jdolan@capstrat.com (Jay Dolan) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:20:54 -0500

Facebook apps are one of the best ways to engage with fans and create a unique experience on Facebook. With an app, you aren't limited to text, photos, and videos that normally show up in a users news feed. Your app can put your fans face into a funny photo. You can puzzle your fans' brains with a quiz. You can even give fans a new world to play in. The only limit is your imagination.

Still, apps get a bad rap because of Facebook's sharing system. Why is that?

One reason is "The Farmville Effect." When Farmville gained mass popularity, the app posted on users' news feeds nearly every time something happened in the game. Gain a level? Famville posted. Buy a cow? Farmville posted again. This created excess noise in the newsfeed that provided little value to Facebook users. While it's fun for users to post achievements once or twice, excessive notifications can overwhelm a user's newsfeed quickly and give the app a bad reputation.

Another reason apps get a bad rap is the permission screen. Most Facebook apps need to ask a user's permission to access their data for login purposes and to post to their wall. Often, the permission screen is not clear for users of what their actually allowing the app to do. For privacy-minded users, this can end their experience with an app immediately.

One thing I've found here at Capstrat is that simpler apps are very appealing. Internet users are familiar with personality and trivia quizzes and many simple apps because they've used them for years. While they may have previously posted them on a blog or sent them through email, the idea is the same. The only thing that has changed is the platform.

Another benefit of simple apps is that users don't need to use them daily. While complex games like Farmville ask a user to come back every day, users are open to using an app once and then not having to return to it. You can also refresh and reuse simple apps with new photos and content to keep users coming back.

It also helps to be clear when the app is posting on a user's wall. Giving people a clear pop up and obvious menus allows users to be in control of what they are sharing and when. We all like to play games, but sometimes we don't want everyone to know we spent the past two weeks building our city in CityVille.

Apps are what makes Facebook such a powerful and addictive platform. Not only can we stay connected with our friends, but developers can user those existing social connections to create limitless new experiences. The trick is find ways to get user's to promote your brand and app without making them feel used.

Food Truck Frenzy

hharrill@capstrat.com (Hannah Harrill) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:58:51 -0500

I had my first Durham food truck and Fullsteam experience last week. I can sum it up in three words: hot, delicious and enlightening. Hot because Fullsteam really should consider having air conditioning, or at least a few more fans. Delicious because of the basil beer my friend hated that I found so intriguing and the @KoKyuBBQ sliders I ate. Enlightening because of the great conversation and the passionate explanation I got of the food truck industry.

There is something about food trucks that draws particularly enthusiastic followers. People fight for the right of these food trucks to exist, hunt down new vendors and continually endorse their favorites. Thursday night as I was checking my Twitter feed, I was overwhelmed by the popularity of the #durhamtweetup. Everyone was talking about their @KoKyuBBQ sliders and their @parlourdurham ice cream. My mouth watered as I begged my roommate to come with me. Talk about social media ROI.

When I got to work in the morning, I did a little research and found that 252 tweets were posted using the #durhamtweetup hashtag in the past three days. And that's just the unprotected tweets. So, what is it that gets people so excited and why are they all over social media about it? Durhamites are so proud of their local food trucks. This is one area Durham clearly has Raleigh beat. For me, there are a couple of reasons why... and it all boils down to the social nature of the food truck.

1. The food truck atmosphere feels natural and organic. Of course there should be delicious, often greasy food outside of a bar. Who doesn’t crave a slider with their beer?

2. There is always a reason to check in, whether literally on Foursquare or not. The food truck moves around (duh), so fans need to be in the know if they want to find them.

3. Following number two, there is a strong feeling of community among the food trucks and their fans. People want to share their insider knowledge of the location and menu.

This Sunday Aug. 14 from 5:30-8 p.m. at Durham Central Park, Durham will host one of the largest food truck rodeos yet. So far, vendors include:

Only Burger, Pie Pushers, The Parlour, KoKyu BBQ, The Grilled Cheese Bus, Parlez-Vous Crepe, Farmhand Foods, Slippin’ Sliders, Klausie’s Pizza, Don’s Classic Ices, Sweet n Savory, Kona Ice and Locopops.

I’m going to keep checking Twitter for any new developments. From my stalking so far, I can see that @onlyburger is heading up the endeavor asking vendors to send them their paperwork. Usually I'm not a fan of "tweet-what-you-eat" practices, but I'll definitely be sharing on Sunday. Follow me @hannahharrill.

Mobilizing and Feeding Your Supporters - Opportunities Gained and Lost

jpeterson@capstrat.com (John Peterson) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:32:57 -0500

From the halls of Congress in our nation’s Capital to the NC General Assembly in Raleigh, special interests work to connect their supporters, allies and members with decision makers who will ultimately have a direct impact on how their organizations and causes are able to effectively operate and further their agendas.

Pay a visit to Jones Street in Raleigh any day of the week when the General Assembly is in session and you will see the array of interest groups in action – from small business and education advocates, to senior citizens and environmental protection allies. Regardless of the sophistication of the organization, there is some level of involvement in the process, with each group working to influence the outcome in their favor. To meet and exceed legislative goals, time and resources are devoted to generating interaction with the elected officials across any and all mediums – from using old-school tactics like phone calls and letters, to planning and populating crowded rallies on the mall, all while keeping conversation about their issue alive over social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

In Raleigh, our City Council is determining how best to manage and regulate food trucks, the latest trend in the culinary world. A new movement in social media marketing, food trucks connect with their fans and followers by sending live internet updates on the location of their next “stop” in real time. There is no listing in a phone book, a mall directory or a physical address for their consumers to visit – and as a result, the customer’s hunt to track down their next opportunity for a food truck meal is very much a part of its draw. It’s taking grassroots marketing to the streets, quite literally.

These food trucks are connecting to their customer base via Twitter, Facebook, blogs and in many cases, by word of mouth. When a tweet or post alerts customers that the Korean BBQ truck is parked at a certain corner of downtown Raleigh, loyal followers will adjust their schedules and head to that corner for lunch. For food trucks, no rent, no advertising, no Yellow Page listing can match the value of word-of-mouth and social media chatter. How convenient is that?

As for the current food truck debate happening at the Raleigh City Council, are the food truck operators being vocal enough about this with their core base of loyal customers? I attended a recent City Council meeting and sat near a few food truck operators. I also saw a few restaurant owners who aren’t exactly on the same page as the food truck operators. I can guarantee you those restaurant owners are sharing their opinion on the matter – but what about those in favor of food trucks?

The supporters, followers and customers of these food trucks were not particularly vocal in promoting their stance at the meeting I attended, nor do they seem to be sparking discussion on social media platforms where they’re already engaged with legions of loyal customers. This would be an easy way to activate and build upon a support base of customers who want to encourage and grow a local food truck market. I believe this is an untapped opportunity that could potentially make or break the continuation of a food truck movement in Raleigh.

Perhaps they are keeping their supporters more connected to the debate than it seems, but they should never assume their supporters are up to date on the potential fate for food truck operators. Let’s see some more engagement with their customers, and watch the way that fan base translates into a powerful ally for establishing regulatory goals that help their business.

Maybe the next location for Raleigh’s best Korean BBQ truck should be at the corner of West Hargett Street – say, the first and third Tuesday of each month? …Just some food for thought.