KSVC Blog

Sweet Energy

2012-02-22T16:17:12Z

Cold nights. Warmer days. The maple sap in Vermont has started to flow.

A decidedly low-tech industry, “sugaring” takes advantage of gravity as the primary force used to collect the sweet sap that gets boiled down to make maple syrup. Any Vermont schoolchild can tell you that it takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of syrup, which means a lot of fuel is needed.

Last year, U.S. maple production hit an all-time high of 2.79 million gallons, led by Vermont with 1.14 million gallons. What’s another area where the tiny Green Mountain State leads the nation? Energy efficiency, of course.

Maple sugaring and energy efficiency come together in a process called reverse osmosis. By removing water from the sap before it’s boiled down to syrup, much less energy is needed. In December, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) announced grants to six maple syrup producers – five in Vermont, one in Michigan – to make their operations more energy efficient using reverse-osmosis equipment.

Although the season has just begun, the grant recipients are enthusiastic about the 2012 sugaring season.

Eric Remick of the Sweet Stone Maple Farm in Hardwick, Vermont hopes for a 75 percent reduction in his fuel costs.

In 2011, Remick used 20 cords of wood to boil his sap into syrup. This year, taking advantage of reverse osmosis, he hopes to use just five cords. That roughly translates into a $3,000 fuel savings – a pretty significant sum for a farmer in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.

Most Vermonters insist on eating only Pure Vermont Maple Syrup, and many are pretty particular about the color or grade of syrup they consume. What’s your favorite grade? Grade A Light Amber (”Fancy”), Grade A Medium Amber, Grade A Dark Amber, or Grade B?

12 Social Media Truths for 2012

2012-02-21T18:15:09Z

This past week, I attended the PR News Digital PR conference — and I’ll be blogging about what I learned. To start are statements from @StacyGreen, Vice President for Marketing & Communications at Mashable, who presented the keynote lecture, along with some context and advice from my own experience guiding clients on social media. Feel free to use these when talking to your team about the power and possibility of social media.

1. “Keeping up isn’t good enough anymore.” It’s time for brands to take the lead and put a stake in the ground when it comes to social media. Test, learn, iterate, fail harder, then succeed. And keep a watch on new platforms. Brands like GE and Southwest have succeeded by being early adapters.

2. “2012 is the year that social media becomes the dominant engaging content on the Internet.” All the statistics point to the fact that social media is not a fad. Stop listening to people who say it is.

3. “2012 is year that online advertising eclipses print.” That opens possibilities for greater connections beween your online media (paid) and your social media channels (owned and earned). Think about how to connect the dots.

4. “There are more than 24 screen-hours in a day.” We don’t watch one screen anymore. It’s the new reality — and brands can leverage it. NBC’s “The Voice” is a great example of this. They engage viewers through the TV screen, the computer screen and the mobile screen.

5. “Think like PR people, measure like Mad Men.” And, I would argue, dress like a Mad Man or Woman, too

6. “Everyone is passionate about something. Find your people. They are out there.” 2011 marked the rise of the niche social media network. Think Pinterest, Google+ and Tumblr. You don’t have to be everywhere, but you should be in your audience’s space, sharing the way they are sharing.

7. “Do more with less and leverage the free tools that are out there.” You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but you can listen, learn and participate in the conversation that is already happening on social channels.

8. “2012 marks the rise of the Fan Girl. Nearly 90% of Pinterest users are female.” Is this the next wave of mommy bloggers? I think so.

9. “For PR professionals, think about a new way of placing a trend piece: You can use social media tools to, for example, schedule tweets to go out via an algorithm that aligns your messaging with current conversation trends.” Wow, that’s powerful — and firmly puts the “public” in public relations.

10. “Take the media you have and give it as many legs as possible.” Give every brand placement a life beyond its initial placement. Post wisely and appropriately to your social channels to make the most of a good thing.

11. “Social is the new search. That’s why we need to watch Google+, especially how +1 affects search.” If you’re not a believer in Google+, you will be when you see its affect on search.

12. “If it’s not on the Internet, it didn’t happen.” Enough said.

To App, or not to App? That is the question.

2012-02-15T18:08:05Z

So what do we know so far?

Apps are sexy. Mobile is the way to go. As a business tool it’s hard to disregard smartphones and tablets and their forward momentum. So should businesses jump on the bandwagon and create custom apps for their internal and external users?

Art Wittmann in his Information Week commentary, “There’s No App for that—And That’s Good” suggests that you think before you leap.

Looking at the Android and Apple platforms and the frequent updates to their operating systems…you can’t just create an app and walk away. Wittmann warns there is not a lot of support behind the creation of “write once, run anywhere” development tools, and for those that are out there, not a lot of positive press on them. More often than not he says they are referred to as “write once, debug everywhere” tools.

Your initial investment to create an app is just the beginning; make sure you have a budget for the long term as well. As Wittmann suggests: “Web when you can; custom apps when you must.”

Read the article.

The Global Classroom

2012-02-09T16:41:15Z

Chances are your memories from fourth grade do not include video chatting with students from Morocco to discuss culture and food trends. However, for some New Hampshire elementary students, and an increasing number of classrooms across the country, global video conferencing is becoming a common classroom occurrence.

Skype, an application that allows users to make voice and video calls over the internet, released its “Skype in the Classroom” program late last year. The free online program brings teachers together to set up global classroom chats. Focusing on culture, language and discovery, Skype in the Classroom is providing a global networking platform for classroom collaboration. Teachers set up online profiles listing their classroom interests, specialties, and locations to find partner classrooms across the globe.

For example, after being frustrated with a lack of counter viewpoints in Australian textbooks on WWI, a history teacher from Australia partnered with a class in Turkey to discuss different points of view on the conflict.

Skype is not the only brand providing the infrastructure for this type of education based exchange. A site called Glovico for instance, sets up a marketplace for online language tutors and video chat based lessons. A startup called Verbling takes a different approach and organizes free language exchanges, allowing users to speak in one language for a designated time and then switch to the other users language for the remainder of the session.

Skype in the Classroom also encourages national classroom conferencing, promoting partnerships with experts such as Olympians, scientists, and authors. This year a third grade classroom in Maine hosted former first lady Barbara Bush, via Skype, to discuss the importance of reading and grammar. Some teachers on the site even invite busy parents to call in from their offices, creating “virtual career days.”

According to Skype CEO Tony Bates, Skype in the Classroom reached 20,000 educators in December with the ultimate goal of connecting one million classrooms. Currently 170 different countries are represented in the global classroom program.

Video chatting is not the only way digital and social media are being used to connect with the youth education market.

Wikispaces, a website free for educators, allows teachers to build interactive sites where students can contribute content, and collaborate on discussion boards. Another media sharing site, Schooltube.com, provides a place for educators and students to share videos ranging from raps about math to detailed calculus lessons. Here at KSV, our team is partnering with VSAC to launch a Facebook App to assist students with planning for life after high school.

How else do you see brands using digital and social tools to connect with students in the education space?

I’m Melting: Death Star – or Energy-Efficient Windows – Attack Prius

2012-01-27T20:50:40Z

Here’s a true energy-efficiency advocate’s quandary: Are energy-efficient home windows melting hybrid vehicles?

According to Heather Patron of Studio City, California, the answer is yes.

When the plastic side-view mirrors on her Prius began to melt, she took it to the Toyota dealer. The car checked out.

Then, according to sources including CNET blogger Chris Matyszczyk and others, she cast her eye on the energy-efficient windows in the neighboring building. Bingo.

Patron told CBS Los Angeles: “I’m positive that this window is what is causing the damage to my car.”

As a Prius driver, Ms. Patron likely knows that energy efficiency is the least-cost fuel source, and a powerful defense against building expensive and potentially climate-changing infrastructure like new power plants. But, she likely never imagined that driving a hybrid would put her in danger from the powerful forces of energy-efficient windows. That’s one issue that definitely was not addressed in the owner’s manual.

We advise Ms. Patron to park somewhere with a little shade. And, she could install her own death-star – and energy-efficient – reflecting windows on her Prius so she can fight back!

Social Media’s New Pin-Up: Pinterest

2012-01-18T21:13:08Z

Call it shiny object syndrome, but it seems we’re always eager to put our highest hopes in the latest social media trend. Lots of overhyped platforms have died on that vine. But, one is blossoming – it’s called Pinterest, and we think you should check it out. We’re excited about it around the office and see a number of brand applications in this rising star of the social media sphere.

What is it? It’s an online social bookmarking tool that’s based on sharing visual imagery. You can set up your own “pin boards” and pin your favorite images from around the Internet. Like Twitter, you can follow the people or boards you like and have them served up in a constant stream. With great ease, viral spread is possible through re-pinning, likes, comments and the ability to share your pins on Facebook, Twitter and email. Only two years old, it now boasts 421 million visits and 3.3 million users.

How to Get Started.

Sign up for an invite at Pinterest.com.
Wait for your email invitation to arrive.
Fill out your profile.
Add the “Pin It” button to your web browser.
Start creating boards, start pinning…start sharing.
Follow and be followed.
Search for categories and pinners who interest you.
Share through your social networks.
Watch your website for traffic coming from Pinterest.
Add the “Pin It” button to relevant content on your brand website.

Why It Matters for Brands. Pinterest drives web traffic because it requires source web pages. That means that whenever you pin something, the image links back to the web page that hosts the image. Think about a photo of a pair of shoes linking to the page where you can buy those shoes?

Who’s Doing it Well. Check out Whole Foods, Nordstrom, Lands’ End, and The Today Show on NBC. You will see they have all found a way to make Pinterest relevant to their brand and to their customers.

What do you find “pinteresting”? Pin it today and see what your customers think.

You Gotta Love a Good Headline

2012-01-19T17:58:22Z

Although not quite as sensational as the New York Post’s infamous “Headless Man in Topless Bar,” a recent headline in VTDigger — a news website and nonprofit project of The Vermont Journalism Trust – caught our attention.

With that journalistic pedigree, we were surprised to see the headline: “When Any PR is Bad PR.”

To summarize, author Jon Margolis feels that the decision of the Green Mountain Care Board (a group of five appointed to oversee the design of a comprehensive health care system to serve every Vermonter) to seek outside public relations help communicating its vision was a bad idea.

We disagree.

At KSV, we believe that public relations is a key tool for open and transparent communications between brands, organizations and customers. That’s why we took issue when this Vermont media outlet lashed out at PR professionals.

Here’s our response to the article (also available in the Comments section – just scroll down):

I find it interesting — and very helpful for visitors to your site — that VTDigger has a section for press releases about various topics, ranging from the governor’s current programs to announcements from nonprofits like the Mad River Food Hub to Attorney General Bill Sorrell’s latest filings on behalf of the citizens of Vermont.

Just last week, I sent an email to your editor announcing a client’s scholarship program. And yes, it was published on VTDigger.

Is Mr. Margolis suggesting that all of these news items should be banished because public relations professionals likely were involved?

If so, VTDigger soon would find itself very light on content. Not only that, voices and perspectives would be missing from the conversations that happen every day in the Vermont media scene.

VTDigger, like any other media outlet, has a responsibility to vet the information it receives before sharing it with the public. In turn, organizations and companies (including their PR firms) have an obligation to present truthful and accurate information. If that means that a small group of health care professionals relies on a public relations firm to inform the public of its activities, seek input on its progress, and share how and why the board plans to solve the tangled issues in question, then hiring a public relations professional or firm is an investment in realizing the goals of the organization.

On the media side, I would be curious to see how many outlets would claim never to have collaborated with a public relations representative or firm on a story. We share news, information and insights from our clients about the world around us. It’s the media’s obligation to determine if it’s newsworthy.

When marketing home energy efficiency, does small equal success?

2012-01-18T16:11:03Z

“Small is the new success story.”

KSV attended the Behavior, Energy and Climate Change conference in Washington D.C. a few weeks ago, and it got us thinking about energy efficiency programs, and how to market them effectively.

One of the threads we heard again and again was that people were having success, all over the country (and beyond!), using small-scale pilot programs to invigorate their home performance energy programs. Here in Vermont, we’ve seen our partner Efficiency Vermont have successes with this approach as well, through their Open Homes series.

Here are a few of the insights we heard at BECC about how to go about making a pilot home performance program a success:

1. Have a “local champion”. Whether it is your local weather person, the president of the town energy committee, or a local elected official, having a local champion who can do the process themselves and share their experience (good and bad), removes some of the fear for people, breaks down barriers, and reinforces the idea that a project like this is not financially out of reach.

2. Leverage your advocates. People feel a great deal of pride when they’ve gone through a home performance project, so giving them the opportunity to talk about that (whether that is in person, at an event, or in your marketing) is leveraging one of your best assets.

3. Get your feet on the street. One impressive stat we heard from a speaker at BECC was that door-to-door response and retention rates were about two times as effective as mailed information.

So, is small the way to create success for your program? We think that bringing energy efficiency down to the community, or even to the neighborhood level may be the way to get higher participation rates and more savings for everyone. And if you want to talk energy efficiency, BECC insights, or home performance, just give us a call.

Cartography + Marketing = Transparent & Helpful Conversation Between Brands and Customers

2012-01-16T14:15:25Z

“Imagine a way for people all over the world to tell the story of what was happening to them — or around them — during a disaster or emergency.” –Ushahidi-

It’s not often that the paths of a cartographer and a marketer cross, but here at KSV, we celebrate unlikely partnerships and cultivate ideas with outside inspiration.

So that’s what happened this week, when we learned about crowdmapping from William Morris, a PhD student at the University of Vermont who is also a founder of GeoSprocket.

Cartography has come a long way. We saw this in action when crisis hit during Tropical Storm Irene in Vermont and a central location for information was key.

Within hours of the crisis, the VTIrene Crowdmap was born, allowing those in need to post their location and the damage sustained. First responders were then able to access that information and deploy teams to assist those in need. As Tropical Storm Irene went into restoration mode, the crowdmap continued to be a place where people could share information about shelters, volunteering, fundraisers and more. Teams were also able to gather flood data and monitor Twitter activity during the storm.

It’s important to note that crowdsourced maps are not to be used as THE source for all data, but can be moderated as a dispatch center to accelerate action and disseminate essential information. Brands can own such information sources to provide an invaluable service to their customers: sharing important, in some cases life-saving, content in crisis and the every day.

Crowdmap allows users to share and upload information in multiple ways: via web, social media, mobile (smartphone and SMS) and even text-enabled voicemail. All touch points are key to give everyone access. You can test drive your own crowdmap by clicking here.

Crowdmapping owes its existence to the innovative Ushahidi Platform (“ushahidi” means “witness” in Swahili), which was developed to provide communications about post-election violence in Kenya in 2008. The platform kept Kenyans current on vital information and provided invaluable assistance to those providing relief. Since then it has grown into a large open-source project impacting a number of communities around the world. Check out one example of how Ushahidi can be deployed.

Imagine seeing the sentiment about your brand in conversations on Twitter during a crisis? You could mine the data and use it to propel your communications and analyze customer response to your crisis response. Knowledge = proactive power.

The best part of all of this technology – it’s free and open-source. We see obvious applications for our utility clients. What do you think and how do you see crowdmapping being used by brands? And who doesn’t love a map?

5 Little Things You Can Do to Optimize Your Social Media Effort

2012-01-12T19:33:50Z

1. Twitter. Don’t hit the retweet button and share mindlessly. Share thoughtfully by grabbing the content, pasting it into your message window and adding your two cents. Curated tweets are best-served with your point-of-view.

2. Pinterest. Add the “Pin it” button to your website and watch what happens.

3. Facebook. Instead of just asking a question, use a poll to gather data from your friends. It also makes it fun for them to see what’s trending.

4. Twitter. Pick a trending topic and tweet about it…again, thoughtfully. Don’t make the mistake Kenneth Cole did when they used the #Cairo hashtag.

5. Blogging. Snap a cool picture and share it as a blog post. Sometimes a picture truly is worth a thousand words.

What’s your quick tip? Share it with us here.