Flagged For Follow Up

If The US Navy Can Do It (Social Media), So Can You

Ian Sohn — 2010-03-09T18:36:25-05:00

I came across a video presentation from Scott McIlnay, the US Navy’s director of emerging media integration, about the Navy’s social media operations. It runs about 35 minutes, but is worth the time.

U.S. Navy: Social Media Integration & Strategy, presented by Scott McIlnay from GasPedal on Vimeo.

Bottom line ... if the US Navy - with all its layers of hierarchy and security concerns - can be moving forward on social media, so can your organization.

In addition to Andy Sernovitz' takeaways, I've highlighted a few things that stood out to me (in no particular order).

Strategic Framework: Scott calls out the Navy’s strategic framework of Listen, Plan, Engage –the same basic framework Ogilvy's Digital Influence team has used for some time [we've added a few key steps since it was first developed, like Amplify, Optimize].

You're Not Alone: The Navy’s social media challenges sound remarkably similar to many clients':

IT security
Policy development and implementation
Training
Measurement
Leadership approval. As Scott says, his team builds support with Navy leadership one best case at a time. [I love this approach!]

Engage The Troops: It’s interesting to hear how a large and decentralized enterprise manages social media. Clearly it’s a work in progress – Scott admits as much. But he also points to things like:

Weekly emails to leaders within the organization to update them on latest news, successes, challenges. Interesting - using email as a compliment to social.
They’ve created a central online destination to house all policies, guidelines, best practices, FAQs, case studies, etc. In other words, they are removing barriers for their stakeholders to find relevant information.
They’ve simplified their entire social media policy down to one pithy phrase that immediately makes sense … Loose Tweets Sink Fleets. Brilliantly telegraphic and simple.

Groupon's $2 Bill (New Series)

Ian Sohn — 2010-03-06T18:46:42-05:00

A couple of years ago I wrote a post which read in its entirety:

If I owned a cash business I would always have a register full of $2 bills. $2 bills bring a smile to customers' faces and almost always warrant a mention to someone later on in the day. So what's your business' $2 bill?

I had all but forgotten about it until a week ago when a colleague told me a story about an otherwise unremarkable taxi ride, where the driver gave her a $2 bill for change. When was the last time you proactively told someone about a taxi ride where nothing happened?

That's when it hit me ... I should start a blog series about $2 bills. Those unexpected and delightful things businesses do that make you remember and share your experience.

I've got a few examples in the hopper, but please email me at iansohn2 [at] yahoo [dot] com with suggestions and I'll be happy to review/write them up.

The first one is from Groupon - the collective buying site. Check out what happens when you unsubscribe from Groupon's newsletter [click on the image]:

Wonderfully simple, yet full of personality. It gets talked about all the time. Like the taxi ride, how often do you talk about an email unsubscribe page? Never. Well check out how people are glowing about it on Twitter. A great example of a $2 bill.

If You Know Seth Godin Please Send This To Him ASAP

Ian Sohn — 2010-03-04T22:06:57-05:00

Seth:

Did you really think you'd get away with it?

Get away with what? Oh Seth, don't play dumb. You're a best-selling writer of marketingy stuff; a widely recognized expert on things; and a very popular blogger on topics ranging from this to that.

I think we know the facts, but let's recap ..

On February 28 I wrote a post titled Sprezzatura. Not the best thing I've ever written, but not the worst.

Then on March 2 you wrote a post titled ... wait for it ... Sprezzatura!

Cue diabolical music.

What are the odds, Seth? Not very good. Perhaps we were both unwittingly inspired by the same thing; but regardless I wrote my post first.

I smell foul play and I need to be made whole. Here are your options:

You can write my blog URL - www.FlaggedForFollowUp.com - on your head for a week. When asked by friends and strangers what gives, you respond He's the man!
You make me the only person you follow on Twitter for an exclusive period of 3 weeks. In case you don't know, I'm @iansohn. Also would appreciate you mobilizing your minions to follow me.
You can send me 2 cases of beer.

Please remit proof of #1 via a photo to iansohn2 [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Alternatively I will be on the lookout for the notification that @thisissethsblog is now following me.

Finally, if you go with #3 I prefer Sierra Nevada. Happy to send my mailing address via the email above.

Seth, I look forward to putting this episode behind us.

Regards,

Ian

The Forgotten Consumer Touchpoint

Ian Sohn — 2010-03-02T19:32:52-05:00

When people talk about consumer touchpoints they are generally referring to every point of contact before-during-after a purchase [many of which are depicted on the spider chart].

One bubble I never see on these charts is recruiting.

It's the forgotten touchpoint yet how a company deals with a job candidate undoubtedly impacts the candidate's relationship with the brand.

I'm not in HR and I have nothing terribly insightful to offer. But what I do know is that every time you interview a candidate you should consider her in five ways:

As a potential employee
As someone who could one day be your boss [I have seen it happen more than once]
As a current customer
As a potential future customer
As a word-of-mouth advocate/detractor

My advice is common sense, but I've been around long enough to hear my share of horror stories. Think about how your behavior before-during-after the recruiting process impacts ALL candidates, and remember you're dealing with much more than just a potential employee.

What do you think - am I making too much of this?

Sprezzatura

Ian Sohn — 2010-02-28T08:55:59-05:00

If you've been around me long enough you'll know I maintain a healthy suspicion for things like the perfect tie knot, overly shined leather goods or consistently flawless grammar. That's not to say I don't appreciate the effort it takes to achieve all three but frankly I think they can be boring and affected.

I've struggled to articulate this but recently came across a word that helps. Baldassare Castiglione, in The Book of the Courtier, discusses Sprezzatura ...

I have found quite a universal rule which in this matter seems to me valid above all other, and in all human affairs whether in word or deed: and that is to avoid affectation in every way possible as though it were some rough and dangerous reef; and (to pronounce a new word perhaps) to practice in all thing a certain sprezzatura [nonchalance], so as to conceal all art and make whatever is done or said appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.

It's not that I don't appreciate effort. In fact my interpretation of sprezzatura is that it requires quite a bit of effort [more so than normal]. What I don't like is when someone reeks of effort.

This photo from The Sartorialist visually sums it up:

The immediate example that comes to mind is Jon Kerry vs. Bill Clinton. Clearly Bubba's got it, and Kerry never did.

Any good examples you can think of?

Things I Believe

Ian Sohn — 2010-02-24T19:45:16-05:00

I've had the notion of a plan to do something with these little quotes [mostly stuff I've tweeted]. Generally things I believe. Nothing terribly interesting, by any means. My hope is to find a theme and turn it into a presentation [for an imaginary audience].

Anyhow, I wanted to capture them somewhere, and since I've often described my blog as a place I collect things, here goes. Guess I'll keep adding to the post as more come to me.

Steal. Comment. Ridicule. Ignore. All good. Follow me on Twitter if you care.

The more “high priority” emails you send, the less most people pay attention.
There are actually dumb questions - the ones you haven't Googled before you ask them.
It’s difficult to make an assessment of social media [or anything] if you don’t actually use it.
Treat your small customers as well as your big ones … they all grow up eventually.
You're either someone I would write a LinkedIn recommendation for, or not. Better to be the former.
You can lead your life like an a-hole or a human being. I don't judge your choice, but know there are consequences for both.
Treat everyone you interview as if you'll work for them some day. It's a matter of respect & humility.
Put more effort into your follow up note than you do your cover letter/sales pitch. Coffee is for closers.
You can choose when you do and don't listen, but unless you're my 3 year old I'm probably not repeating myself.
The best offense is not a good defense. It's a hall-of-fame QB, stud running back and receivers with hands like stick 'em.
No one cares about your travel schedule (besides you of course).

Who "Owns" Strategy [Hint: No One] | Yogi Berra

Ian Sohn — 2010-02-16T17:13:47-05:00

Didn’t really have a plan when I wrote this post, which is evident upon review. It meanders quite a bit, but I’m going with it in the interest of getting it out there. Thoughts appreciated ...

I have a sign hanging on my bulletin board. It’s a quote from the great Yogi Berra: If you don’t know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.

To me it beautifully represents a fundamental idea behind the word strategy. Yogi was a simple man of short stature and a workman mentality. Sadly if he worked in the marketing communications world today he would be defined as a great doer who should stay out of the heady world of strategy. [before you get all nuts about Yogi’s sub-par record as a big-league manager, recognize that he’s one of the greatest catchers of all time, and that catcher is the most strategic position on the field]

From where I sit, strategy should not be proprietary to a specific group. I know plenty of strategists in title [disclosure: including me], and we're no different from the rest of the world in terms of where we fall on spectrums like lame --> awesome; selfish --> selfless; dumb --> smart; blind --> aware. This is not empty self-deprecation – some of us are kind, gracious, smart and culturally aware beings; others, not so much.

And what the heck does strategy even mean any more? It’s been so convoluted and misappropriated by big picture thinkers [who Amber absurdly and hysterically points out tend to type with two fingers]. It’s debated endlessly. It causes eyes to roll [you just don’t get it]. It’s the subject of intensive training courses. It’s silly.

I’m not going to try explaining how this happened – I don’t claim to have enough historical knowledge to make that analysis [though if I ventured to guess, these things tend to be driven by fear].

So because of all this I’m proposing we kill strategy. Not the concept, but the word. And not because of how badly it’s misused. But because as long as we keep calling it strategy a certain subset will feel exclusive ownership of it, and I’m not real long on that.

So what do we do? There are plenty of acceptable options ...

Just call it a plan to achieve a goal (per Ben Kunz). Works for me.

You could also go the Jim Mitchem route and call it a box. Liberally [very, but I believe this is what he was tweeting about the other day] paraphrasing Jim, the box we continually try to think outside of is actually the strategy upon which solid creative is built.

I suppose we could make up a word. I quite like the sound of Bokywoo [seems to be available]. The meaning of this new word will really be no different than how Yogi, Ben or Jim define strategy, but gets us over the semantical arguments [at least until we all have time to change our business cards].

Whatever we land on, let’s get over the discussion about who owns strategy. Lofty concepts, fancy charts, clever turns of phrases be damned. The person who owns strategy will be the one who can best articulate the finish line and a solid way of getting there.

So, do you think there should continue to be an assigned group of people who own strategy?

Do you agree that the argument over the definition of the word has eclipsed the importance of actually developing a good plan? If so, why? What can we do to fix it?

The Beancast - Episode 90: Flyover Country

Ian Sohn — 2010-02-08T09:23:21-05:00

Had the pleasure of making my debut on The Beancast - a great marketing podcast hosted by Bob Knorpp. Fellow guests included Bill Green from MTLB, Jim Mitchem from Smash Communications and Dirk Singer from the Rabbit Agency.

A fun conversation on topics like the Super Bowl, Toyota, Glee, Second Life (yes, Second Life) and Foursquare.

Have a listen or subscribe here.

Social Media Is Not A Moment In Time

Ian Sohn — 2010-01-27T20:03:13-05:00

I was thinking today how hit and miss social media can be if you base your approach on reaching people at a specific moment of time.

It simply doesn't work to say, let's Tweet this on Thursday to coincide with our widget launch.

What if President Obama stubs his toe on Thursday ... no one will care about your widget launch. Less dramatically, what if your most influential brand fans happen to miss your Tweet [which in the fast-paced world of Twitter streams and Facebook updates is likely to happen]?

If your approach doesn't account for these scenarios, you'll almost certainly miss chances to engage the people most likely to champion your message.

It comes back to the mantra we're all familiar with by this point ... social media is a conversation not a campaign.

Marketers interested in capturing a moment in time should buy the Super Bowl or Oscars. And to be clear, I do think in some cases this is a smart approach. But barring that kind of budget, you better think about a calendar of conversations over a period of time.

Though I suppose a few marketers in Cupertino would tell you that all it takes is a few years of speculation and a bunch of Apple loyalists to make a single press conference a massive social media happening.

I just wouldn't count on it for your widget launch.

5 Keys to Being a Successful Intrepreneur

Ian Sohn — 2010-01-17T15:54:50-05:00

Both my father and step-father were successful small business owners. One of my MBA co-majors was Entrepreneurial Studies. Which leads some people to ask why I haven't pursued an entrepreneurial career.

Actually, despite spending most of my years at large companies, I have.

To be more precise, I've pursued an intrepreneurial career. One spent making new opportunities for myself within large enterprises, at times where they didn't previously exist.

Here are my five keys to a successful intrepreneurial career:

Build your network: As in every other aspect of business, new opportunities come to those who make time to meet new people, explore new areas, and [quite frankly] are likable and easy to work with. I almost never turn down the chance to meet someone in my organization - I never know what it could eventually lead to.
Speak up: Unless people know you've got the intrepreneurial bug, they might not consider you for new opportunities. Advocate for yourself!
Dabble: Try new things. Go to new trainings. Play around with new technologies. In short, explore.
Understand how to translate your skills from A->B: Often times the greatest opportunities are in areas that you don't have direct experience. Well then, you just have to learn how to draw the parallel between what you are good at, and what the position calls for. Sell it!
Have an open mind: People who wear blinders miss great opportunities - I've seen it a million times.

If you are a successful intrepreneur, what am I missing?

My the3six5 Post

Ian Sohn — 2010-01-08T15:52:37-05:00

Please see my post for the excellent the3six5 project here.

Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing

Ian Sohn — 2009-12-31T09:17:33-05:00

Last night I was at Kuma's Corner with a teacher friend who imparted a simple but valuable lesson on me.

But first, for those who don't know Kuma's ... it's a small bar in the Avondale section of Chicago that serves, by many accounts, the best burgers in Chicago. It's easily in my top 5 of all-time. You're not human if the picture below [via Gadling] doesn't make your mouth water. No reservations. Maybe 25 total tops, with first-come seating at the bar. Wait can be up to 3 hours.

Back to my lesson ... the teacher and I waited 2 hours for a table. Of course we knocked back a few beers during the wait, but still, 2 hours for a burger.

At one point I said to the teacher: "This place is a goldmine. I'll never understand why they don't open another location to accommodate the overflow."

To which the teacher very matter-of-factly answered: "Because if there was another location, Kuma's wouldn't be Kuma's any more."

That's it.

Paid Media = Scale for Domino's Pizza Turnaround

Ian Sohn — 2009-12-28T18:39:09-05:00

A lot of talk over the last few days about Domino's Pizza's "Pizza Turnaround" - equal parts blog | website | Twitter aggregator. The effort is centered around Domino's transparent re-engineering of its signature pizza offering.

I like the spirit of this ... good talk-value; makes me want to keep following along; most importantly, makes me want to give Domino's another shot.

One of the most talked about features of the campaign is a short documentary [produced with help of Crispin Porter + Bogusky]. At the time I write this [Dec 28 @ 5:30pm CST] the video has logged nearly 328,000 views [in just a few days, over the holidays].

I noticed today that Domino's is running paid media units on YouTube's homepage.

While I have no knowledge of this brand's spend, I have looked into YouTube packages and can tell you this is no small financial commitment. What I suspect Domino's has figured out - that many brands have not yet - is that paid media, as a compliment to 'social' media, can give your brand's blog | video | Facebook page | etc. the push it needs to scale to a larger audience.

Interested to watch this unfold. The one thing I really hope is that Domino's doesn't cave to the inevitable snarkiness that many marketing and social media 'gurus' will heap upon it. Stay the course, Domino's!

No 7s Allowed

Ian Sohn — 2009-12-17T15:23:34-05:00

I was in a meeting this week where the meeting leader asked everyone in the room to rank our capability in a particular area [not important what] and every person in the room gave the same answer ... 7.

I was immediately reminded of a rule my little brother [who at the time he told me this was a senior in college] and his friends have about banning the number 7 from rankings. You can guess what their context was.

But think about it ... he's totally on to something. 7 is a cop-out. It's lazy. It's a C. It's mediocre. It's nothing to be proud of, yet we [me included] have no reservations about publicly rating ourselves a 7.

So from here on out I am banning 7 from my rankings. Either I go with 6 - which should be alarming enough to take the right actions to jump the 7 transom and at least get to 8. Or I go with an 8 and look for ways to kick it to a 9 or 10.

Who's with me?

Trendwatching.com: 10 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2010

Ian Sohn — 2009-12-13T08:26:07-05:00

Always a good read, even if clearly skewed towards a hipster subset of society. Table of contents below. Read the full report here.

Forget the recession: the societal changes that will dominate 2010 were set in motion way before we temporarily stared into the abyss. More »

Urban culture is the culture. Extreme urbanization, in 2010, 2011, 2012 and far beyond will lead to more sophisticated and demanding consumers around the world. More »

Whatever it is you're selling or launching in 2010, it will be reviewed 'en masse', live, 24/7. More »

Closely tied to what constitutes status (which is becoming more fragmented), luxury will be whatever consumers want it to be over the next 12 months. More »

Online lifestyles are fueling and encouraging 'real world' meet-ups like there's no tomorrow, shattering all cliches and predictions about a desk-bound, virtual, isolated future. More »

To really reach some meaningful sustainability goals in 2010, corporations and governments will have to forcefully make it 'easy' for consumers to be more green, by restricting the alternatives. More »

Tracking and alerting are the new search, and 2010 will see countless new INFOLUST services that will help consumers expand their web of control. More »

Next year, generosity as a trend will adapt to the zeitgeist, leading to more pragmatic and collaborative donation services for consumers. More »

With hundreds of millions of consumers now nurturing some sort of online profile, 2010 will be a good year to introduce some services to help them make the most of it (financially), from intention-based models to digital afterlife services. More »

2010 will be even more opinionated, risqué, outspoken, if not 'raw' than 2009; you can thank the anything-goes online world for that. Will your brand be as daring? More »

Counterpoint: Tiger's Played This Perfectly

Ian Sohn — 2009-12-01T19:43:52-05:00

Update: Since I originally wrote this post on December 1 the story has only gotten more sordid and bizarre. Not sure the post is still relevant, but I'm not pulling it as I still think it's worthy of discussion.

There are a few things bothering me about the Tiger Woods coverage thus far, including:

The instant presumption of guilt;
The high-and-mighty tone of the media coverage;
The rush-to-criticism of how he's handled the situation.

Perhaps it really is the worst PR hatchet job ever, BUT I don't see anyone bothering to argue that perhaps Tiger's handled it perfectly. A few thoughts ...

Have any of your friends and family expressed real disdain for Tiger's alleged dalliances? I haven't. Why? Because we all do stupid things and unless you're a grandstanding politician or member of the 4th estate struggling for eyeballs, we know better than to judge.
How many people do you REALLY believe will stop buying Cadillacs, Wheaties and every other piece of merch featuring his name or likeness? Here's my guess ... 1% drop-off. And over time he'll gain that back.
What explanation does he owe anyone? Where in the celebrity-fan social contract does it say he's on the hook to come clean?
None of us are privy to the legal ramifications of going public. Someone in his position might have more to gain by letting the rumor mill stir rather than telling his story to us.
Why do we care so much about what he does in his private time? Why is it even worth his time to indulge our gossip-loving fanaticism?
I keep hearing people say that if he just went public right away, this would all have blown over. Nonsense. This story has legs regardless of his participation. Nothing he could do would dampen the volume or tone of coverage.

To be honest, I'm not sure I'm buying my own argument. But I guess the point of this post is that we should always force ourselves to look at situations like this from every angle - not just the most obvious or convenient.

Brand Partnerships

Ian Sohn — 2009-11-24T11:35:33-05:00

(CC by ooh.ooh)

A few years ago I was thrilled to be nominated to lead the global brand partnership strategy for the then-fledgling Nokia NSeries brand. I was the first person at big blue to ever have a job dedicated to this pursuit.

My remit was essentially to identify lifestyle brands whose customers were attractive to NSeries, define a mutually beneficial value-exchange, and "pitch" (for lack of a better term) my partnership ideas. It was a dream job ... it took me to far off places to meet and work with some of the world's most admired brands and interact with a ton of smart marketers.

For a number of non-important reasons I was recently thinking about that time in my life, and the valuable things I learned on the fly. I've never really memorialized those lessons, and my memory isn't getting any better.

A bit of a laundry list, but perhaps a nugget or two you can use to get off the blocks a bit faster ...

Before you do anything, you must articulate the objective your partnerships will support. Sales? Brand awareness? Competence in a specific area?
Think about the benefits of a brand partnership, including (but not limited to) marketing efficiencies; access to the passion people feel towards your partner's brand; access to new audiences; amplifies your own brand's values. Be sure to clearly articulate these to internal decision makers.
Take an honest assessment of everything your brand has to offer ... audience, reputation, distribution, physical assets, media, etc. Remember, partnerships must be mutually beneficial.
This depends on your specific case, but make a list of desired partners, segmenting them in a way that allows you evaluate and prioritize.
Remember that partnerships come with risks, including (but not limited to) less control over the message; slower decision making processes; you take on the reputation of your partner - good and bad. Proactively develop a risk-and-response plan.
While partnerships are often thought of as consumer or industry facing, don't forget what they mean to your internal stakeholders. Build in some kind of benefit to your rank-and-file ... a discount, exclusive access to some content, etc.
Long-term partnerships tend to fare better than one-offs, but require dedicated resources to manage and optimize.
Related to the above, partnerships based on a single product or service can be fickle, and don't give the relationship time to blossom.
If done right (and with the right brand) partnerships can not only amplify the good things about your company, but also help mitigate negative perceptions.

Any lessons you care to share from your experiences?

The Most Important Men in Marketing?

Ian Sohn — 2009-11-22T20:07:29-05:00

Do you know these men?

I am a huge believer in Alan Wolk's theory of NASCAR blindness. Both because I've seen it in practice, and I've recognized it in myself from time-to-time. With that ...

I don't think it's going out on a limb to say that Dana White and Brian France could walk down Madison Avenue without causing much of a stir. Which is too bad because one could easily argue that White and France - along with Vince McMahon - know the American consumer landscape better than anyone in the "industry."

If you don't know [it's OK, we don't judge here at Flagged For Follow Up] White is the President of UFC; France the CEO and Chairman of NASCAR. If you don't know who McMahon is ... well I just can't imagine any marketer doesn't know the name.

By various accounts, collectively these men preside over empires that generate more than $2 Billion (with a B) in revenues per year. We're talking live events, TV deals, licensing, pay-per-view and merchandise galore. Sure, business has suffered a bit in the recession, along with just about everyone else.

There are 290 million people who live somewhere between Los Angeles and New York City. These guys have it dialed in when it comes to speaking to/entertaining/selling to this group.

So if we (by "we" I mean marketers in major cities) want to create "stuff" (campaigns, creative, trinkets, retail experiences ... whatever) that drive business results, we need to start thinking about what will appeal to 300,000 fans at Daytona, not the cast of Friends. More like a rabid crowd at a UFC match, less like a star-studded crowd at a Lakers game.

There are a ton of smart, talented and grounded marketers in this country. The smartest of them recognize a world west of the Hudson River.

Social Media in '10 (Most Definitely NOT Predictions)

Ian Sohn — 2009-11-18T06:30:21-05:00

I'm not big on predictions (namely because there are rarely consequences for being wrong). These are just five things I personally look forward to in 2010 ...

A kinder, gentler, more thoughtful tone. Less finger wagging at brands who just don't get it; more willingness to help brands understand and implement best practices. I've met some of the people I think are at the forefront of this new benevolence ... have you?
An end to the shoot first - ask questions later approach so many top-tier bloggers take to reporting news. Reputations, livelihoods and [drama alert] lives are at stake. Getting the story right, even if it means getting it 2nd. Fact checking. Protecting sources. Basics of solid journalism. All to often ignored. But I expect that to change as more readers migrate from print to online and demand a baseline of integrity.
Watching luxury brands get deeper into social media (e.g. Generation Benz, Art of the Trench). I know I'm not alone in thinking there is tremendous upside here. My colleague, Rohit Bhargava, wrote about it recently.
A shift from "we need a [fill in popular social network here] strategy" to "what are our business objectives, and how can social media help achieve them?" approach. A no-brainer, but I still see the former employed much more than the latter.
Social media penetrating the C-suite in a meaningful way. I'm not expecting CEOs at every Fortune 100 company to go wild on Tweetdeck or start a Posterous blog, but I do hope at the very least they become familiar with the basics and understand how their stakeholders (employees, customers, etc.) are using the medium.

Any comments on my list? What are you looking forward to next year?

Follow me on Twitter.

Improving Internet Users' Opinions About Your Brand

Ian Sohn — 2009-11-17T06:56:36-05:00

Notice the top three are all about listening? Such a crucial first step that's too often glossed over.

And take notice of the least important - somewhere Alan Wolk is smiling.

20 Things I Don't Get (Please Enlighten Me)

Ian Sohn — 2009-11-11T19:53:05-05:00

I make lots of lists. Going through a few recently and decided to gather random notes, thoughts, questions related to things I don’t get. Some I literally can’t comprehend. Others I just can’t fathom.

None of these are meant to be provocative - I pose these with total (or close to total) sincerity. I would love hear anything you have to say on the following ...

What either “the message is the medium” or “the medium is the message” actually mean, and why someone decided both made sense.
Why Keith Richards is not more widely recognized as a brilliant guitarist. Have you heard "Jumping Jack Flash?"
The semantic web. Can someone explain sans jargon?
“The Phantom Menace” (acting, story, special effects).
Why people are so shocked I like NASCAR.
Why anyone would expect Michael Jordan to be as good a man or basketball executive as he was a player.
Perez Hiton. Or for that matter, why people find cruelty so funny.
FriendFeed.
The intense debate over Twitter auto DMs.
Why any team still runs the “Cover 2” defensive scheme.
Crocs.
Why people blindly bow at the alter of Seth Godin.
Mafia Wars.
Banana Republic since 2002.
Isaiah Thomas (the man, the coach, the executive).
Scrubs (the TV show).
The incessant Tom Cruise bashing. Was the Oprah couch dance that bad?
Why more people don’t gush over Flickr.
“Dances with Wolves."
Why the last three years have flown by in the blink of an eye.

We Must Do Away With "Social Media"

Ian Sohn — 2009-11-06T07:22:19-05:00

We've got to kill the term social media as a way of describing what we do.

You suffer from serious lack of situational awareness if you haven't noticed the eye-rolling at the mere mention of the phrase.

How dare you Ian??

Really? Watch the videos and visit the websites. I'm not making this up. This is happening. It's funny, right? Hopefully it makes you a bit uncomfortable [it did for me].

I know I'm not the first to raise this concern. And I sense the drumbeat getting stronger.

I realize it's been widely socialized, and thus won't go away overnight. But I'm encouraged that some other really annoying terms that were once popular are rarely used these days [e.g. "dandy" and "slacks"].

Rather than crowd-sourcing a new catch-all and beating it into the ground, I propose we develop our own lexicons ... our own way of describing the discipline. And that might involve a more nuanced approach than a convenient phrase like social media.

Hi, I'm Ian Sohn. I'm a communications specialist, counseling brands on how digital conversations in online communities drive business results.

Not quite there, but better.

ROI is a #, not an Essay

Ian Sohn — 2009-10-24T07:08:00-04:00

This will be quick. Was on a solid panel the other day with Amber Naslund discussing measurement in social media.

Amber said something so obvious, yet so important for every social media marketer to hear. Paraphrasing ...

Anyone who's read a business book or gone to college should know ROI is a number derived from a simple mathematical formula.

Nailed it. Her point [or my take on her point] is very simple: If you want to be taken seriously by your management, your clients or your colleagues, understand what ROI actually is and figure out how to calculate it.

No one wants the round-about, long-form, chock-full-of-caveats explanation of ROI. They just want the #. And if you can't measure return for something in particular, then just say so.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/iansohn

How I (Don't) Manage My Online Brand

Ian Sohn — 2009-10-16T21:23:55-04:00

I was recently asked my how I manage my personal brand in social media.

I don't.

Well, not entirely true. I don't behave any differently online than I do in the real world. It's common sense, right? Some of the rules I live by ...

Look presentable: Yes, I take pride in how I put myself together in the morning. Just like I take pride in how my blog looks and what my profile pics say about me.
Be nice to strangers: I appreciate every blog comment and re-tweet, and am happy to return the favor any time - regardless of whether you're my college roommate or someone I've never met.
Be multidimensional: I'm a proud dad, professional, Cubs fan. Why would I be anything different on Twitter? My blog, Facebook and Twitter feeds are each a mix of all those facets of my life.
Take responsibility for your actions: I own up to what I say and do - online or otherwise.

What are some other rules that fit into this list?

PRSA and SUPERCOMM Speaking Engagements

Ian Sohn — 2009-10-14T19:35:10-04:00

I'll be sitting on two panels next week. In both cases the panels will be 3 people [including me], which will hopefully make for a good and intimate conversation. Please say hello if you happen to be around.

Tuesday, October 20
PRSA: Social Media: Measurement and Analytics
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Maggiano's Little Italy (516 North Clark Street, Chicago)
Fellow panelists include Amber Naslund from Radian6; Brandon Noel, Communications Consultant Allstate Insurance Company. The panel will be moderated by Gini Dietrich, Chief Executive Officer, Arment Dietrich, Inc.

Friday, October 23
Supercomm: Communications Integration: Technology's impact on marketing, advertising and PR
1pm-2:15pm
McCormick Place (Room W178A)
Fellow panelists include Erin Byrne, CEO, proof digital media and Chief Digital Strategist, Burson-Marsteller; Amielle Lake, CEO, Tagga Media Inc. The panel is moderated by John Salak, Founder & President, The Salak Group.