Seismic

Future of Music/Art: Trust, not risk

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 16:04:00 +0000

Having just watched alt rock icon Amanda Palmer's TED Talk (courtesy of NPR's TED Radio Hour 's series on "Giving"), I am taking what she says as an article of faith.

She talks a lot about faith as she describes her street performance, and couch surfing around the world, and passing the hat at her shows. She calls it "trust, not risk."

Her presentation is simply stunning to me, as I produce newscasts, advocate for the arts and constantly negotiate for my clients. Is it a "commodity exchange" (trading products and services for cash)? Is it a "philanthropic exchange" (trading cash for an altruistic purpose)?

Art is, of course, both. I derive real value from the music and art I enjoy. It has tangible benefits for my creative work and quality of life. And there is a high spiritual reward as well.

I can't urge you enough to spread this message around. It's well worth 14 minutes of your time, especially if you're in the music or art business.

"For most of human history, musicians, artists - they've been part of the community, connectors and openers, not untouchable stars. Celebrity is about a lot of people loving you at a distance. But the internet and the content that we're freely able to share on it are taking us back. It's about a few people loving you up close, and about those people being enough. It's about trust, not risk."

Her message is stunning in its simplicity, and beautiful in its implications. Pass it on.

Storytellers: Baz Luhrmann, George Stroumboulopoulos

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:51:00 +0000

Known: Baz Luhrmann's vibrant cinematic storytelling borders on the sensory overload, but remains visually irresistible. I've loved his work since his 1992 Strictly Ballroom ("new steps!"). I'm looking forward to his latest work interpreting F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

Found: a Canadian TV host George Stroumboulopoulos, who can't sit still, physically or mentally. Last week's interview appeared on CBC's book channel: http://www.cbc.ca/books/2013/05/baz-luhrmann-on-adapting-the-great-gatsby.html.

OK Go does it again (and again...)

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:45:00 +0000

They’ve done it again! The clever, kinetic, musical minds of OK Go have merged their art with commerce in the latest Chevy Sonic campaign. Other communicators have noticed the appeal of the band’s visual style. The folks at mediabistro.com and I share a love for OK Go. Find links to the 30-second spot and four-minute video at their post.

From mediabistro.com’s Tonya Garcia: “… content is the most important part of PR. When there’s something worth watching, people will take note of all of the cool things associated with that clip…”

My previous post on OK Go from 2010 is here.

The Power of Words

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 23:15:00 +0000

This great, short (under 2 min.) video demonstrates the power of using the right words to effectively tell a story. (Thanks Pastor Jimmy!)

The Greatest Storytellers? Oscar quickviews

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 01:21:00 +0000

Film holds its place as the most lucrative form of storytelling, so I’ll give the Oscars a few lines here.

3 things I missed at the 83rd Oscars:

Un-nominated actors as hosts? Working material and scripts for humor. Delivering lines. Some are calling for a return to comedy. The show needs LIVE spark. Read more here.
Oscar tradition casts previous year’s winners as this year’s presenters. But where were Monique and Christoph Waltz. (from Roger Ebert)
The show ended early (for us in the Mountain time zone). Not enough to show?

3 things I liked about the 83rd Oscars:

Best Picture montage with audio of emotional WW2 speech from “The King’s Speech.” Look for the “Best Picture Compilation” (3:12) here.
Randy Newman speech - playful jabs at Academy, with genuine appreciation. Remember that his pop songs carry the water for his social commentary.
10 films up for “Best Picture” a little large, a bit unwieldy, but good intentions for high-profiling more films.

See you at the movies.

Piano stairs change behavior

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:32:00 +0000

Here’s an outstanding example of imagination at work! Creativity is the ingredient that can change behavior! Thanks Volkswagen!

No TV football this New Year's Day?

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 19:20:00 +0000

(Univ. of Mich. drum major David Hines Jr. by David Guralnick, The Detroit News)

College football is my game. It’s erratic. The moods and moves of young football players never fail to surprise, and there are plenty of upsets. But with a total of three – count ‘em, three – games on broadcast TV, the college bowl system is no longer what it was.

To paraphrase Churchill, this is not the beginning of the end of bowl games as we once knew them. It is the end of the beginning of an all-new college bowl system.

Follow the money. TV execs decided to not bid against ESPN for broadcast rights to the remaining 32 bowl games. I didn’t really notice or care until it interrupted my annual New Year’s Day ritual. For me, New Year’s Day is “pro scouting day.” It’s relaxing. It’s the culmination of the season’s drama, NCAA sanctions, player mishaps and coaching scandals.

But as a committed member of the “Rabbit Ears Coalition” (we who do not have cable/satellite), there is only one bowl game at my house this New Years Day, the totally inconsequential Outback Bowl between 7 and 5’s Penn State (coached by 84-year old Joe Paterno) and Florida (coached by 46 year-old Urban Meyer). Good players, good coaches, should be a decent game. But there’s no Sugar Bowl, no Fiesta Bowl, no Orange Bowl for we broadcast patrons.

NBC opted for the outdoor NHL game. ABC wants to get us hyped up for the sci-fi drama “V,” so they’re showing last season’s closing episodes. CBS chose “48 Hours.” Fox is sticking with “Cops” and “America’s Most Wanted.” The networks have no enthusiasm at all for the college football audience (compared to the cost of buying the TV rights). Are they right? Does the college football fan only want games that “matter” in the form of a college football playoff system?

A word on ESPN3.com. I had a glimmer of hope that I could go on line to watch a game. I’ve figured out how to cross the “living room divide” and get the internet on my TV (S-video cable from an older laptop or Wii Internet). Alas, my provider (Qwest) does not have access to ESPN3.com. The good folks in Bristol did provide me a comment page to “ask my provider” to offer access to ESPN3.com. Does that mean Qwest has to pay ESPN the same way cable/satellite providers pay for content? I’m certain of it.

So that’s the game, and those are the players. I am finally convinced that to get my bowl games back on “Free TV,” a playoff system is required. “Games that matter” will bring back the audiences, and the major networks will pay up. Dang. I understand progress, but I kind of liked things the way they were.

Wizbangblog.com stayed up late and wrote the first blog on the dearth of TV bowl games found on my Google search.

Learning style points for social media

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 04:20:00 +0000

Many thanks to Sam Fiorella, of http://www.denmarktheagency.com/ and sponsors http://www.cbeyond.com/ for last week’s "Social Media Squared" seminar in Denver. The long day was chock full o’ tips and techniques. But mostly, I appreciated the changes in mindset being forced upon American business by the wide open social media culture.

I liken the current transition from “old PR” to “new PR” to the difference between learning styles. Consider the difference between room dynamics in a lecture (“I’m the expert. Shut up and listen.”) and a more interactive symposium (a learning environment in which the attendees are expected to share their expertise). In fact, sharing (give and receive) is a cardinal ethic in the social media universe.

At the University Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning, 26 world renown “Nationality Classrooms” depict the different learning styles employed around the world. We are generally familiar with the ornate, forward-facing, “professor knows everything” layout of the Norway classroom.

The beautiful Indian classroom, also ornate, orients the students’ desks facing each other. In this design, a “shared” learning experience is encouraged.

The clock is ticking on hierarchical business structures in the 21st century global economy. Here is a short list of a few of Fiorella’s “new” paradigms of communications in the social media age:

• Note the transition from “one to many” (broadcast) to “one to few” (database, e-blasts) to “one to one” (super niched, highly targeted, almost personal communications).

• Case study: Boston restaurant blogs recipes and videos for foodies, sees 30% rise in sales a year later.

• “You are serving the COMMUNITY – not yourself.”

• “Social media is used to create conversations, not make announcements.” (Even celebrity and PR announcements made on Twitter want to be part of the conversation.)

• In the “Social Media Ecosystem,” healthy organisms feed each other.

• In the era of Web 2.0, work is not a space, it’s an activity. (no more “going in to work.”)

Growing your blog, basically

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:48:00 +0000

A client recently asked me “how do I get more people to read my blog?” A great, bottom line question. In fact, an entire industry has been build up around getting one's blog or website noticed. Without going too deeply into the soil, let me keep it simple. Focus on “the 3 C’s.”

CONTENT
Your blog needs a snappy title, and a sub-title that describes your target topic/genre/niche.

Your lead paragraph has to meet the requirements of a good lead, including the key words by which you want to be found.

Facebook raises the value of its posts that contain media (image or video link), or that have comments.

One of many ways to engage your audience is to ask a question at the end of your post. Comments on your blog post are golden.

A Google search of the term SEO (“search engine optimization”) turned up 1.32 BILLION hits just now (the industry I was referring to above). The purpose of SEO is to get as high on the page of search results as possible. As you study those “best practices” (use of keywords, lots of people linking to your site, called “back links”), you will – in theory - develop a higher search result.

A couple of articles I like on the basics of SEO:

Stoney deGeyter’s SEO 101.
MediaCollege.com offers a few pages to help you sort through the concepts of SEO, and don’t miss the discussion on ethics of Content SEO and Non-Content SEO.

CONNECTIONS
This is the social part of social media. Your blog entries should include LOL (“lots of links”). There will sometimes be a reciprocal linking to your blog posts, but only if your work truly adds to the conversation.

Good blog pages also have a “blog roll,” a handy list of related blogs that the host likes. In the process of building any social media site (Facebook or Twitter) or blog, if you want friends, be friendly! Check out my previous post on “Blog rollin’.”

CONSISTENCY
If you are a writer, you must write. Not just colorfully, but regularly. It doesn’t have to be long, in fact, keeping your topics focused will keep your blogs short. Try to keep your blog short enough to read between stops on the Metro.

Want to bring in another aspect of the issue? Write another blog. Ongoing, regular content keeps your readers (and search engines) well-fed and happy. There is no other route to growing an audience.

Content. Connections. Consistency. The basics, but there is so much more to say…

Blog rollin'

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 16:23:00 +0000

It took a while for the blog roll to take share on my marketing and communications idea spot, Seismic. But it’s finally here. Thanks to social media maven Sarah Evans and media database Cision’s Heidi Sullivan on a recent social media webcast. Their webcasts are free!

I was convinced by Seth Godin’s post on “Demonstrating strength.” The line “Risking the appearance of weakness takes strength. And the market knows it” was the last straw. I was concerned that with all the truly excellent content on other blogs, my offerings would look pale in comparison. That’s an old-fashioned, defensive view of the open nature of the internet.

A little “self-talk” reminded me of the unique experiences and skill set I offer to my clients, friends and contacts. The last 30 years in radio and international non-profit PR weren’t for nothing’!

My process for building the blog roll began with deciding how many and which blogs to post. I begin with 20 blogs and websites in my “best of.” Probably my years of radio and “Top 20” in my brain somewhere. Sarah Evans only has 15. Cision has 33.

Some of the blogs I settled on I’ve followed for years. I even included a link to the static site for The Cluetrain Manifesto. It’s concepts are essential for late adaptors and reluctant communicators. The rest I investigated from Advertising Age’s “Power 150," solely based on the name of the blog. Yup, the name. The name is the primary and pre-eminent identifier you’ll ever have. Reflecting my Star Trek geekdom, “what is your designation?

I’ll be checking out your blog roll too!

10 steps to better TV soccer

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 22:09:00 +0000

Have you got World Cup fever yet? Neither do I, but I have watched a couple of matches. It makes me wonder why FIFA and the TV producers don’t do a few basic things to make the game LOTS more interesting for the American viewer. Besides “destroying the integrity of the game,” these 10 steps will certainly grow the game for the American TV market.

Soccer leagues have all the little kids in the nation locked up, but they won’t break through to the rest of us until they change something. Maybe FIFA is perfectly fine having the world’s most popular sporting event without the US market. OK, but while I’m trying to “do my part” and be relevant to a global event, it would be more enjoyable if they had a clue about the American TV viewer.

So with apologies to the futbol purists, here are 10 steps to better TV soccer:

1. More and better use of cameras – What are they using – 2? 3? Why not the overhead view? The end of the field long view? How about the camera on a track (used in NFL games and at track meets) to show the speed of the game when players are in a footrace to catch the ball? How about a “goal cam” to show what the goalie sees during the single most exciting moment of any game – the penalty kick? A close look shows only the occasional use of these angles. What a waste! For the American audience, they will need to use those angles more.

2. More instant replay – I don’t want to overturn the official’s call. It’s enough to embarrass them when they blow a call. They currently use the replay on penalties, during scuffles, and for shots on goal. Headers are amazing physical feats that deserve more coverage. And dare I say it… the tele-strator?

3. Border ads – I actually like the Rock ‘em-Sock ‘em football players on the lower edge of the screen during Fox’s NFL coverage. It’s fun. Let the ad creators develop the borders of the screen. I’m easily bored, OK? All that long running across that big field. Producers seem to struggle to find ad space on events that don’t have natural stops in play, but they’ve done OK with NASCAR ad availability.

4. More player profiles – this is critical when we don’t know the players. It’s a big field, but I want to see his face! If he’s a great player, you’ll have to show me why. Winning goals? Games started? Shots on goal? The goalies should be big time stars, but I want to see the stats that count. Educate us. Oh, they don’t want to embarrass the American viewer that has to be walked through fine points of the game? Maybe it’s better that we don’t watch at all. Idiocy!

5. Sponsored plays – since we’re going all commercial, how about “that header brought you by Brylcream – for winners!” “That goalie’s big hands play sponsored by Isotoner.” Hmm... guess there aren't that many opportunities for sponsored plays...

6. More ads with soccer metaphors - The ads during the World Cup rarely reinforce soccer imagery. I like the stadium placards for Budweiser, and I like the GEICO soccer announcer. The Allstate protection goalie, good. The Adidas YouTube ad with Beckham, Snoop and Daft Punk, outstanding! I want to see highway safety ads where the driver waves a yellow card as a substitute for road rage. How about “90 minutes to win” as a call to office productivity?

7. Profile local soccer kids – Those nerdy kids who play soccer are going to need a real make over to start winning the popularity contests. Get these kids on a soccer version of punt, pass and kick. And once TV learns how to cover soccer, state championship soccer matches should find themselves on TV, sponsored by FIFA.

8. Convert kids to soccer from other sports – Are soccer players fast? Fastest on the field? Can you recruit the kid with the fastest 40 from football to soccer? Can the defensive end be converted to soccer goalie with all the celebration that his quarterback sacks used to get? Think Lawrence Taylor or Alfred Willams or Karl Malone as goalie.

9. The next star after Beckham? – who is it? Make sure he has a movie star or rock star wife.

10. And lastly, US success in the World Cup - "our" team will have to get to the semi-finals in the World Cup. Relax, you‘ve got four more years to harvest the next round of great players.

BP – beyond publicrelations

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:23:00 +0000

The PR hero of this Gulf Oil disaster is the person behind the faux public relations Twitter feed @BPGlobalPR. Advertising Age interviewed the still-anonymous voice behind the joke/satire/spoof/lament feed at AdAge.com.

”I'd love it if more journalists delved into why companies say what they say rather than simply presenting what they say,” writes @BPGlobalPR. That’s a profound declaration in line with the practice of Public Relations in the 21st century.

I’m reminded about the already decade-old Cluetrain Manifesto. (http://cluetrain.com): Thesis #16: Already, companies that speak in the language of the pitch, the dog-and-pony show, are no longer speaking to anyone.

In the wake of BP’s official PR double-speak, obfuscation and half-truth, the public is not listening, but crying... and laughing to deal with the pain.

Graphic artists have been invited into the fray with a “new logo” contest for BP. (Logo above is by "mconner74.")

The underground is right. Just fix the pipe, and clean up the mess. It will take years and cost BP billions.

Then consider: should we all buy BP gas to finance the cleanup?

Toyota’s culture mashup

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:11:00 +0000

Toyota, in recovery from the brand’s most serious safety challenge, is promoting its Sienna minivan across a few cultures. With middle American families in their crosshairs, they’d like us to think well of the minivan lifestyle using a blend of humor, hip-hop and suburban archetype to do it.

The music video below is my favorite (and others, with nearly 3 million views so far). The campaign's YouTube video page also features other 30-second ads that poke gentle fun at the idyllic family. The question will be do we identify with that minivan family? (And ultimately, will the ad help drive traffic to the showroom?) The “Diaper Bag” commercial in heavy prime-time rotation is the weakest of the 22 videos, in my view.

Ad watcher Craig Brimm of the blog “Kiss My Black Ads” takes on the culture debate and also finds the urban angle funny.

Lynne d Johnson at the Advertising Research Foundation told AgencySpy/mediabistro.com that the hip-hop approach was a “total misappropriation.”

America as melting pot is showcased by its TV/web advertising. It’s a commerce and culture mashup, reflecting our collective aspirations and fantasies. Yes, middle America wants to be hip-hop cool.

Executives who have a clear sense of their brand’s core identity and audience are willing to push the image-making envelope for the sake of buzz and memorable (not negative) impression. And safety is hardly mentioned at all in the campaign.

“Lying is contagious.”

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:59:00 +0000

From BNET’s Corner Office column: “Confronted with leaders at all levels who don’t tell the truth, we have become acclimated to lying or at least inured to its ability to provoke surprise or anger.”

http://bit.ly/cr3Bx9

(image from http://www.designofsignage.com/)

Movie reviews & media: lessons from Roger Ebert

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:01:00 +0000

Indulge my cinephile strain, but "this just in" from the nexus of film (as a storytelling venue) and new media, Roger Ebert’s next TV/web show. “At the Movies,” the syndicated TV show he pioneered decades ago with critic Gene Siskel was cancelled this week by its distributor Disney. See Roger Ebert’s Journal at the Chicago Sun-Times website.

“Blame the fact that five-day-a-week syndicated shows like "Wheel of Fortune" went to six days. Blame the fact that cable TV and the internet have fragmented the audience so much that stations are losing market share no matter what they do. Blame the economy, because many stations would rather sell a crappy half-hour infomercial than program a show they respect.”

Keep those factors in mind as you consider the opportunities for your own quality infomercial: cable and internet audience fragmentation (which means you can more effectively target your message to its best audience), broadcast TV consolidation (fewer corporations owning more stations). There may be some deals out there as TV becomes more affordable.

Next for Ebert’s inimitable brand, a new TV show and a few new media branch-offs. More from Ebert’s blog:

“We will go full-tilt New Media: Television, net streaming, cell phone apps, Facebook, Twitter, iPad, the whole enchilada. The disintegration of the old model creates an opening for us. I'm more excited than I would be if we were trying to do the same old same old. I've grown up with the internet. I came aboard back when MCI Mail was the e-mail of choice. I had a forum on CompuServe when it ruled the web. My web site and blog at the Sun-Times site have changed the way I work, and even the way I think. When I lost my speech, I speeded up instead of slowing down.”

How true. I follow Ebert tweets at my Twitter site, and the writer is especially prolific. It is perfectly understandable. He lost his speech, but he makes up for it with as profound a voice as ever.

Question: how has new media changed the way you work? The way you think?

-----------------

Roger Ebert appears in Boulder this April 5-8 at the Conference on World Affairs at the CU campus in Boulder. Here’s the news release. His annual week-long film focus is the 1972 Werner Herzog film Aguirre, the Wrath of God. The “interruptus” format shows the film over four two-hour sessions, stopping the film for anyone in the audience who wants to ask a question or make a point. Kind of geeky. I love it.

OK Go strikes gold again - visionary follow up

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:51:00 +0000

Media Bistro does a great analysis of how the innovative band OK Go pulled off their second fantastic music video, set upon perhaps the world's biggest Rube Goldberg machine. Most of us were amazed by their first video “Here It Goes Again,” now famous as the “treadmill” video.

People invest in success, so it probably wasn’t too hard to attract support for the next project. Even a corporate giant like State Farm insurance would happily write a big check and let the musician/performers have their way.

The lesson for the rest of us: plan for success. Have a vision of your next step. That calls for a bigger vision, maybe bigger than you first imagined. But it’s amazing how lucky the well prepared are.

I once worked for a college football coach when he engineered a winning “Hail Mary” last-play-of-the-game pass. Little did I know, good football teams actually practice the long bomb hail mary play. I though it was “luck.”

Turns out that during practice they send the receivers deep, the defenders take their position in the end zone, and the quarterback rears back and lets it fly. At the landing point of the football, the athletic training is more akin to drills for basketball rebounding: positioning, footwork, visual acuity, hand-to-eye coordination, and most of all, timing. What looks like a free-for-all is actually a well choreographed competitive event. And when it works, The spectators say, “what luck!”

Make some luck. Anticipate success and have your next play ready. OK? Go. (Sorry.)

State of the Union vs. "Lost"

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 02:42:00 +0000

Media-savvy President Obama has decided not to give his “State of the Union” address on Feb. 2 after all. Fans of the TV show “Lost” mounted an unprecedented outcry via social media. The White House knows, you don’t mess with the Twitter-verse. See the Christian Science Monitor article.

POWER OF TWITTER
We're looking at a most democratic institution, Twitter, to begin setting the agenda for a media driven nation (and it's President?). I wonder how many other movements can ramp up response like this on other more serious issues.

POWER OF TV
"Lost" has unified the nation. Right and left, Dem and GOP, anarchist and fascist, Buddhist and Baptist, Jew and Muslim... "Lost" has won fans of every stripe. I wonder what it says about a nation that values its TV fables (story!!!!!) more than the real-life issues laying around in the "State of the Union" speech. Should we get J.J. Abrams (producer of TV's “Lost” and “Alias,” and director of the latest “Star Trek” movie, whose work I love) to "produce" a more media savvy State of the Union experience?

THE FUTURE OF "THE SPEECH"
From the time Ronald Reagan pulled out a dollar bill and a few coins to dramatize his point ("the great communicator"), the medium of the speech has been on a downward slide. Preachers are one of the precious few who command a voluntary audience of dozens, hundreds or thousands for a weekly 40-minute monologue. (Rush is interrupted by commercials, CSPAN's ratings are nothing special.) America is out of the habit of listening to great speeches any more often than the political presidential 4-year cycle. The Chautauqua movement of 100 years ago is dead and gone. If you want to sway the nation, dissipated, diverse and distracted as it is, a speech won't do it. Should we give up?

Probably not. It's constitutional. It's the only time the President actually is required to speak to the entire Congress. We all know it's important. Just not more important than "Lost.

DARPA balloon challenge - how social networks perform under pressure

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:43:00 +0000

MIT won last Saturday’s DARPA balloon challenge. The Defense Department’s research agency paid a $40,000 prize to the first party to correctly identify the exact location (longitude, latitude) of ten red 8-foot weather balloons anchored in public places around the U.S. It was an experiment to test the response and behavior of social networks toward a large-scale, time-specific task.

I learned about it Friday night from my college daughter back east. I quickly attempted to mobilize the geekiest members of my personal network. (yes, if you got a message from me on Saturday, I consider you a geek.) Taxing my RAM, my computer screen flickered e-mail, Facebook, Twitter accounts and other websites all day. I called a friend who’s an over-the-road trucker, thinking his chances of seeing a balloon were greater. What I needed was LEGIONS of truckers. I wasn’t surprised to learn that the brains at MIT won before sundown. But how?

CNN reported Sunday that MIT incentivized their extensive network and helped it grow by passing on the prize in tiers: $2000 went to anyone who found a balloon and reported its location (let’s call her Alice), $1000 went to the person that referred the finder (B for “Bob”). $500 went to the person that referred that person (“Charlie”), and $250 to the person who referred “Charlie.” MIT’s invitation page: http://balloon.mit.edu/.

TIP: grow your network by aggressively rewarding the people who promote your operation. Referrals are golden!

The day before the challenge (Friday 12/4/09) MIT also reported the story to CNN’s citizen reporter page, called “iReport.” These citizen networks are how news media outlets aim to keep up with social networks in getting the scoop on the news.

QUESTION: how are you regularly surveying your clients and/or involving them in your product/service development?

Yes, this is a glorified story of “word-of-mouth,” still and always the world’s most effective form of advertising. DARPA (and presumably MIT) will report more details on their findings later. See a map of the locations at the DARPA balloon challenge home page.

The Big Money Twitter 12

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:28:00 +0000

Slate’s financial page The Big Money rated the top 12 corporate Twitter accounts. They all have more than 1 million followers. They all post several times a day. They are useful to their customers by getting right to the deal, or by connecting with a very human, personal tone. Twitter is becoming essential in a cyber-fast marketing environment.

Small shops, non-profits and celebrities will find that building a following requires a facility with one’s smart phone. Ideas come at all hours of the day, and you will sometimes want to pull the car over and compose and send a good message.

There are hundreds, thousands of great ways to use Twitter. But please, edit thyself. Be interesting. No more dinner plans or bedtime announcements, unless you are inviting the rest of us to join you.

Tiger Woods - what damage control looks like

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:32:00 +0000

(This just in: Tiger Woods has handled the tabloids and his critics with today’s written apology posted to his website. By acknowledging his “personal sins,” most people believe that Tiger is confessing to adultery, which is still considered a serious breach of integrity. Integrity is a sibling of credibility, and credibility means everything in the product endorsement world.)

Tiger Woods’ domestic issues aside, what are the marketing implications of his weekend “incident?” It depends.

First, remember that most endorsement contracts have a “morals” clause. If you get caught chasing children with lollipops, or torturing animals, don’t expect you will still be able to endorse anything. (Denver area radio talk show host Peter Boyles asked his audience if Tiger should rise above such tawdry business because “golf is a gentlemen’s game.” Have you ever heard the language on a PGA golf course? Never mind that professional athletes on the road are assaulted with all manner of temptation.)

Second, Americans are extremely forgiving of its sports heroes. For goodness sake, it took years for people to finally tire of Bobby Bonds’ steroid use and turn a disapproving eye, and that was after he eclipsed Hank Aaron’s home run record. There persists a campaign to get admitted gambler Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame. We’ll even put up with colossally bad judgment from Kobe Bryant or Alex Rodriguez, if they play for our team.

All that to say, in a few months, no matter what happens to his marriage, or for what reason, people will watch Tiger whenever and wherever he plays. If he keeps winning, his fan base will endure. (Winning is everything.)

If he patches things up at home, and if he goes on Oprah or 60 Minutes with a sufficient amount of mea culpa, he will be entirely forgiven, and he can hold on to most of his commercial largesse. (CNBC’s Darren Rovel grades Tiger’s major endorsement deals with Accenture, American Express, AT & T, Buick, Electronic Arts, Gillette, Nike, and Tag Heuer.) Besides, the target audience for Tiger’s products are mostly adults and mostly men, and every guy in the room TOTALLY understands the issues in play.

Crisis communications is about speed (getting out in front of the story) and accountability. Here is what a full apology includes (not the “I’m sorry if anyone was offended”). The offender must:

• acknowledge that he has not met the public’s reasonable expectations (don’t run in to fire hydrants in the middle of the night),
• explain why he crossed the line (anger issues, substance abuse, temporary insanity, etc.), and
• what he will do to not repeat the offense (rehab, restitution, accountable relationships, good friends and strong family).

This public display requires looking into at the interviewer, eye-to-eye, and expressing both regret (which looks like sorrow) and responsibility (manning up, owning the issue, not flinching or deflecting or excusing). Don’t blame the tabloids. Don't go on TV to plea for privacy. Your job in this interivew is humility and contrition, and maybe some talk about golf. The lawsuit is for later. The privacy debate is for later.

The speed factor: I would retreat with the family to get through the holidays and try to book an appearance early in 2010, far enough ahead of his first tournament so that the two events to not look connected.

A word on Mrs. Woods: yes, inquiring minds want to know (about everything), but really, she is legitimately off limits. I hope our society gets over its attitude that it is entitled to all the details of anyone’s life. Someone must say no to TMZ, no to the National Enquirer, no to the Daily Tattler and the Weekly World News. The Woods family might be the ones to do it. Mrs. Woods should NOT appear on any interview show anywhere, at any time. Do NOT open that door. (I’m counting on the Woods family for one huge lawsuit against the tabloids. The Enquirer’s story now appears faulty, but it flushed out another woman’s story in US Weekly. More women will get paid by the tabloids to tell their story.)

Yes, Chavis Crew Communications handles crisis communications. I hope you never need my services, but if you ever do…

By the way, do you ever wonder why celebrity endorsements sway our buying patterns in the first place?

10 suggestions for 10 banned PR words

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:43:00 +0000

Thanks, Mary Lou, for prompting a constructive reply to Robin Wauters' critique of hackneyed PR phrases. Humbly, I submit…

Instead of LEADING / LEADER, how about a provable, specific, quantitative term or unique identifier (“New York Times best selling,” “#1 synthetic motor oil,” etc.)?

Regarding the use of BEST / MOST / FASTEST / LARGEST / BIGGEST / etc., take Robin’s hint. Be able to prove it (source it!), and don’t super-niche it.

Instead of INNOVATIVE / INNOVATION, a simple “new design” might work, and you will spend at least a paragraph to describe exactly how it is new (as in never been done before).

Instead of REVOLUTIONARY, you might want to dial it down a notch and go with “ground-breaking,” which suggests you’re building something new, right?

Most of my “AWARD-WINNING” releases are posted to the respective organization’s website, for the record. Industry-specific outlets usually pick up such announcements, which are less than news, but more than information.

Unless you actually cause an outage (usually not a good thing), the use of DISRUPTIVE / DISRUPTION should be avoided. Robin’s right. If your product/service really shakes things up, you’ll be too busy answering the phone and e-mails to take time for press releases.

OK, I will try to avoid using CUTTING / BLEEDING EDGE in any of my writing or seminars. I will try.

Instead of NEXT-GENERATION, Robin prefers “updated version.” That works for me. Also, be careful of the term “2.0.” It’s swiftly reaching “overuse” status.

Is there another kind of PARTNERSHIP that is not STRATEGIC? Save nine letters and drop the word. (Hmmm… I’m going to have to look at my slogan for Chavis Crew Communications, “strategic content for websites and media relations.”

Seriously, SYNERGY is one of the great business-speak terms of the Information Age. It sounds scientific, organic, like some previously mysterious force is at work forming a great new discovery. Mergers are usually just that. And you’ll need a paragraph to explain why the deal makes sense. If it takes more than a few sentences, it might be too complicated to succeed, and reporters have a nose for that sort of thing.

As always, the above rules can be broken if necessary. If you’ve the goods, tell the story, and tell it well. Contact Chavis Crew Communications for truly innovative, synergistic copy.

Ban these words from your PR...

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:23:00 +0000

I found this blog post from Robin Wauters irresistible: “10 words I would love to see banned from press releases.”

You can probably guess what they are. A change in the public relations industry is upon us. Over-saturated writers and editors are busting every hyperbole they spot, so anyone seriously interested in coverage had better deliver the goods.

Journalists, editors, producers and bloggers insist, so publicists must show them.

As a committed subscriber to The Cluetrain Manifesto , I continually remind myself that the world is crying out for authentic conversation, human-to-human interaction, truth (or in the absence of truth, at the very least, honest discussion).

There is no substitute.

10 things I just learned about social media

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:02:00 +0000

Here’s how social media moves from on line to "real world": a techie friend told me about www.MeetUp.com, a monthly gathering around new technologies. A new Denver company put on a free panel on “Social Media,” and promoted it through a MeetUp post. I RSVPed, and spent the morning in downtown Denver getting schooled on several aspects of social media. Every client asks me about it, and the phenomenon has changed radically in the last year. Innovations are coming down the pike at a breathless pace. Thanks www.RedDoor.biz!

It behooves us all to keep up and stay sharp, so here are “10 things I just learned about social media.”

1. Effective social media is trusted communications between people who know each other. (Ari Newman, http://filtrbox.com)
2. “Twintern” – a new trend of hiring college students to manage Twitter posts, which makes one wonder, who’s speaking for your organization? (Jamie Dicken, http://brickfish.com)
3. Match your unique social approaches to your unique audience. (Crosby Noricks, www.reddoor.biz)
4. The same way e-mail changed the interoffice memo of the 80s, social media is changing e-mail. (Newman)
5. Keeping score is more than just tracking numbers of fans. You have to capture the value of individual conversations. (Noricks)
6. Two days is too long to wait to get back to someone with a question on your social media space. (Noricks)
7. Re-Tweeting is the new e-mail forward. (Newman)
8. You can’t afford not to do social media. (Adrian Glasenapp, http://newbelgium.com)
9. The link-shortening services are popular, not just to save you characters (in the Twitter 140-character space), but because they offer metrics to measure clicks. (Newman)
10. There is a cultural shift around social media. Companies are spreading knowledge, insights, responsibility and ownership of social media across departments. (Dirk Shaw, http://vignette.com)

There was so much more, but by the time we talk, things will have changed again. Which of the above “strikes” you?

U2, Prince camp on late night TV

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 22:10:00 +0000

Prince just finished a three-night engagement on NBC’s Tonight Show. U2 just did five straight nights on the CBS Late Show a couple of weeks ago. Record companies are pulling out all the stops to get eyes and ears on their product. It’s a battle for dollars in an age of file sharing and online music sales-one-track-at-a-time.

It’s a smart move for the TV networks too. They’re offering a unique platform for top music acts, and it lends to their credibility as well. Think the networks are all washed up? Not so fast.

Here’s what the rest of us can get out of these high profile engagements.
1) Partnerships work. Fighting over domain is the most fruitless kind of fearful, desperate act – the dying grasp of someone who has run out of ideas. Find partners. Create partnerships. (I’m trying really hard here to avoid the word “synergy.”) The fact is that collaborations with people that bring different but complimentary assets to the table are essential in this tough economy.

Plus, your customers win by gaining product from two great creators, not just one.

2) New technologies are not always the answer. What’s more simple than a four-piece combo (albeit the “greatest rock band in the world”)? What’s new about an 80-90s disco icon recycling old funk beats in strange make-up? Everything, because artists like Prince constant hit the “refresh” button on their styles.

Do what you do best, keep it fresh, and find new outlets that get your best work in front of customers in a fresh way.

3) New technologies are also part of the solution. I missed the third night of the Prince/JayLeno event live, but I found it on YouTube (of course). And Prince’s new album, while available in Target stores on Sunday, was available on line days earlier. Just because the top musicians are on TV, it doesn’t mean they’ve abandoned the brave new world of the Internet. That’s were most of their customers hang out. Apple passed Wal-Mart in music sales a year ago (April 2008) according to online tech mag arstechnica.com. In the not-too-distant future, music sales will “tip” to on line.

How can you engage your customers where they hang out? I want to help you figure it out. Give me a ring.

TV preview bait and switch

noreply@blogger.com (old school editor) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 03:54:00 +0000

I have just experienced Television Preview first hand. It is as bad, or worse than the bloggers suggest. Their classic bait and switch event should go down in the annals of corporate malfeasance.

From their invitation letter: “You have been selected to participate in a survey whose findings will directly influence what you see on television in the future.” Who could resist the chance to “evaluate not-yet released television material that is being considered for nationwide broadcast.” Guess what? The only “material” being considered that night was product satisfaction. Hundreds and hundreds of products.

Television Preview is not about TV shows. It is entirely, 100% about PRODUCTS. Twice we scanned 20 pages of consumer products and picked our favorites. They say they will give away six crates of stuff (worth $250.00!), to be delivered later.

Page after page of survey questions probed our favorite breakfast cereal, adhesive bandage, deodorant, toilet tissue, paper towel, ink pen, pickle, oatmeal, … and a curious new personal hygiene product called the “wet wipe.” It went on forever.

The TV pilot episodes we thought we were reviewing included commercials, and they showed a spot for Hyundai’s new “Assurance” program (recession-timed, Hyundai will buy your car back if you get laid off). We commented on our impressions of the commercial and the product. The two best commercials of the night were the got milk?/Pillsbury Russian family commercial, and the Holiday Inn Express “rapper.” LOL! (But they didn’t even ask about those commercials.)

About the previews we came to see, they were both produced in 1997, and were doomed to failure. “Soul Mates” starring Kim Raver (the awesome Audrey Raines of “24-Day 6”) was a reincarnation love/crime story that played like a bad mini-series too bad even for the Lifetime channel. There’s no evidence it ever aired.

Also on the double bill, a sitcom called “Dads” starring Rue McClanahan and C. Thomas Howell (also in “24-Day 5”). Wisecracking child actors, goofy, inept dads, a lust interest, plus the ever-present laugh track. I wrote on my survey “Thumbs up, I guess” in hopes of more dad-positive TV. This show never aired.

On one hand, I wish I had done more research before blowing the evening for my wife and 20-something son. On the other hand, I’m glad I didn’t know any better and walked in like a naïve member of the consuming public. Yup, that’s me!

I wanted to make it a family event and take my 15-year old, but the cutoff age was 16 so we left him at home with a new Spongebob video. Lucky fellow! As my grousing over three wasted hours got worse, he said, “It’s not that bad. At least you didn’t lose any money. It’s like watching two hours of bad YouTube videos and the button doesn’t work.”

Kansas City’s entertainment weekly Pitch caught on five years ago, summing up the experience: “Most attendees have figured out by now that there's a catch, and if this is it, they can live with it.”

A few other endorsements:
“Misleading, stupid” – OneEyedMan, June 25, 2007

“Awful! … so sad.” – swaite, Nov. 22, 2008

“I hope they go out of business.” – Jeffrey, Dec. 5, 2008

Here are our choices: shut down this operation by exposing their lies (what are the chances?), or persuade them to convert into becoming a legitimate research firm.

Invest two hours of your own to attend Television Preview and skew the stats. Rave over the pilots and let’s resurrect them from the obscurity of focus group hell. There is a movement to get clips of these pilots on to YouTube.

I have little hope in the latter option. A short open later to the “director” follows.

Dear G.B. Edwards (director of Television Preview):

Thank you for the invitation to your TV show screening. I was so honored, and so foolish. From the invitation letter: “… if the material you evaluate is later telecast, you can rightly conclude that your opinion was considered before that decision was made.” That was an outright lie and the worst kind of bait and switch!

I urge you to stop the deception. Instead, go whole hog toward commercials. Show the latest, the best, the worst, the funniest. Preview upcoming campaigns. Hire a local comedian to host the show. A Vaudeville act or Catskillian type comic would surely entertain the mostly senior crowd. Give away goodie bags to the entire audience on the way out. Promote American products!

You can convert your endless, dreadful night of opinion-mining into something that approaches fun. Such an event would still interest people willing to share their opinions.

A sucker is born every minute, so it’s doubtful you will convert at my suggestion. I pray you repent for your sins.