Gearheads: The Sterling Communications Blog

We've Moved!

2011-09-26T16:45:47-07:00

Looking for the Sterling Communications Gearheads Blog? We've moved to our new Wordpress location at http://www.sterlingpr.com/blog/.

Visit us there for all the latest musings, discussions and analysis of happenings in the tech and communications industries - and be sure to update your bookmarks!

Sound Off Podcast: Netflix, What the F***?

2011-09-22T10:38:33-07:00

Sound Off Podcast: Episode 002

Netflix' stock price, brand value and customer goodwill all seem to be tanking after the announced split of its video streaming and mail-order DVD businesses. Not only are most vocal customers unhappy with the changes, but Netflix communicated these changes poorly -- twice -- and made customers feel like they weren't the top priority, which is unusual for the brand.

Netflix wants to get ahead of the sea-changes in its industry, but angering customers while launching a new brand with a video apology isn't usually recommended by most communication firms. Separating DVD rentals will no doubt simplify that eventual transition, but many current customers don't seem to care. Instead, they're creating new headaches for Netflix and Quickster Qwickster Qwikster, which seems a name better suited for a chocolate milk enthusiast site than a DVD-by-mail service.

How did it all go wrong? What is the fallout for the company's PR, social media, and branding efforts? And what could have they done differently? Tune in to hear a conversation between Sterling Communications VP Kevin Pedraja and creative director Kawika Holbrook in the latest episode of our podcast, Sound Off.

Sound Off Podcast: Episode 002

(Note: At one point during the podcast, Netflix founder Reed Hastings is referred to as Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn. Sterling regrets the error.)

Kawika Holbrook is creative director at Sterling Communications. Follow him on Twitter @kawika or email him at kholbrook@sterlingpr.com.

This guy totally gets it (or "a guy I would love to have as a client")

2011-09-16T14:22:18-07:00

Sometimes you read a blog post and you think, "Wow, THIS."

Joel Spolsky, a serial entreprenuer who blogs at Joel on Software just wrote an amazing post about whether or not it makes sense for a start-up to launch at a conference. It's a fantastic overview of what every company should do before they even consider launching (at a show or not), what PR can and can't do and how to set realistic expectations. Wow, THIS. I love this post so much, I may have to adopt it.

Why is it so awesome? First, because Spolsky is clearly a level-headed guy who has been to more than one rodeo, so he's realistic about expectations. To wit:

It is possible, nay, common, to launch at one of these conferences and get NO press whatsoever. Zero. Nada.

Yep. And he knows that having a cool product or service isn't enough to get coverage:

When we launched Trello this week, you know how much press we got?

Four stories.

And every one of those stories came because I knew the reporter and emailed them before we launched, and pre-briefed them on our product under embargo.

In other words, it takes work and planning to get coverage, even a little bit of coverage, regardless of how cool you are. And know what success looks like. Too many companies focus on raw numbers when it comes to coverage. But 30 mentions may not be as valuable as 4 stories that dive deep and get your positioning right.

He also knows how the media works:

Also important: the news cycle is 12 hours, tops. If you call journalists the day after you release your product, it’s not news. They won’t care. You have to call them two days before you launch, tell them you’re going to launch in two days, and offer to pre-brief them, so that they can run their story when it’s actually newsworthy.

Which, by the way, means you have to have your story down cold and ready days before that.

And, finally, this:

I couldn’t stop thinking that you never have a second chance to make a first impression. We got 131,000 eyeballs on 9-month-old Trello when we launched, and it was AWESOME, so 22% of them signed up. If we had launched 3-month-old Trello, it would have been NOT SO AWESOME. Maybe even MEH. I don’t want 131,000 eyeballs on MEH.

In other words, launch when you're READY, not when the calendar tells you to.

While Spolsky's post is about launching a start-up, what he says is equally true for established companies launching new products or services. Plan, set the right expectations about coverage, understand the media cycle and make sure you're putting your best foot forward.

Wow, THIS.

Kevin Pedraja is a vice president at Sterling Communications. He can be reached at kpedraja@sterlingpr.com. Follow him on Twitter @kpedraja.

BART Protesters: Know Your Enemy

2011-09-15T13:36:32-07:00

I am writing this blog post under duress. No, nobody is aiming a gun at me; my enemy is time.

You see, it’s the afternoon and, thanks to a sixth consecutive week of BART protests in San Francisco, I am forced to either end my workday a bit early, or end it very, very late.

So, why is this rant appearing on a blog for Sterling Communications? Because I am the market these protesters are trying to garner attention from.

It’s working. They’ve got my attention. Just one problem: it’s negative.

I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage, “there is no such thing as bad publicity.” Unfortunately, in today’s complicated environment, where an army of one can yield significant influence on Twitter, bad publicity not only exists; it has a megaphone.

To be fair, you can’t please everyone – but alienating your target audience certainly won’t yield the results you want. Living in the East Bay and commuting to SF is very common. I know dozens of people who do it, and every single last one of them is angry about the protests. They are so annoyed, in fact, that most don’t even care anymore what the protesters are arguing for or against. This is a perception problem. This is bad publicity.

These BART protests were initiated originally because somebody was killed. However, in the ensuing weeks, the reasons for the protests have become so muddled, it almost isn’t even worth discussing.

We ran sentiment analysis via a social analytics solution from our client Attensity. It showed some interesting statistics.

On August 15, a significant spike in conversation coincided with one of the major protests.

In terms of sentiment, we can see that the protesters have unequivocally failed.

The protesters’ goal is to make BART look bad. More than half of all the analyzed sentiment was scored. neutral. A full 33 percent was positive (with less than 9 percent trending negative). It is clear that their goal of getting those who have any sort of relationship with BART (such as myself) to feel negatively about them has largely failed.

So, what does all of this mean? In a nutshell: choose your weapon wisely. Taking on BART is one thing, but using the commuters, innocent bystanders who just want to get home after a long day at work, as your weapon of choice is a bad idea.

After all, aren’t they the ones these protesters are trying to influence?

Devin Davis can be reached at ddavis@sterlingpr.com. Follow him on Twitter @DevinDavis.

Image courtesy of Getty Images.

Mixing & Mingling in San Francisco

2011-09-14T09:42:05-07:00

Labor Day Weekend has come and gone with the unofficial end of summer. For most of the country that means crisp air and cooler temperatures. As a true San Franciscan I look forward to this time of year because it marks our Indian Summer, the two warmest months out of the year in the city. In September and October, San Francisco is blessed with warm weather and clear blue skies. The warm weather also triggers the social season in the city. As a foodie and cocktail town, techies and businesspeople alike mix and mingle at several fabulous events listed below. For those that live in Seattle, be sure to check out Chris Warfield's post about tech events here.

Electric Ink

When: September 14 from 11:30am – 1:30pm

Where: Chronicle Books (2^nd St. location)

About: Luncheon and panel to discuss the ever-changing terrain of the new media and publishing world.

PRSA Monthly Program

When: September 22 from 7:30 – 9:30

Where: Edelman - 525 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94105

About: How Trust & Transparency Can Win the Day

Champagne Soiree

When: September 30 from 5-10pm

Where: Parc 55 Hotel, Club Room

About: Professional networking event to mix and mingle in Downtown San Francisco while enjoying champagne and sparkling wine with food pairings.

Networking events are a great way to build up your leadership skills and learn about your industry. Check out my post about why networking is important here. Look for my colleagues and me at some of the events listed above.

Lauren Willard can be reached at lwillard@sterlingpr.com. Follow her on Twitter @lkwillard.

Out of Tune on Twitter

2011-09-13T12:29:13-07:00

Effective communication requires the ability to read a situation for social cues. I spent a good chunk of time over the weekend of September 11th watching the 9/11 commemoration ceremonies on TV and reading Twitter and Facebook posts related to the events. I was also witness to some ugly disagreements. When people hide behind the anonymity of a computer, true communication often deteriorates. What is it about social media that encourages people to write insensitive things they’d never say to a person’s face? My rule of thumb is, ONLY tweet or post things you’d say to someone’s face. It’s “social” — public — so don’t make an ass of yourself in public.

Some people were tone-deaf to the general tenor of the posts on September 11th. One reporter/blogger who covers deals and startups apparently uses a service for automatically posting tweets, as she posted every five minutes exactly. The thing was, her tweets about an investment roundtable appeared in my timeline yesterday morning surrounded by heart-felt tweets related to 9/11. It was jarring to see posts so out of tune with the social stream. She’d have done better to disable the auto-posts, at least until the afternoon (when the football game-related tweets started to appear).

Media pundit and professor Jeff Jarvis tweeted his personal reminiscences from that day a decade ago. It’s a novella in Twitter, 142 tweets over the course of 12 hours, by my count. (That number refers only to his 9/11 story, not to his other tweets in response to readers’ questions or comments, or on other topics.) At one point he was shut out of Twitter for a few hours, for exceeding his tweet limit.

I noticed the huge number of tweets early in the day, when many of the people I follow were still silent. At first I thought, good heavens, how many tweets is Jeff Jarvis going to post? And then I realized, it’s only for today. One day. It will pass. And, as it turned out, I found his story quite interesting. You can read his whole report on both Chirpstory and Storify.

However, some of Jarvis’ followers heaped abuse on him for cluttering “their” Twitter streams, some swearing at him directly, others referring to “some folks” but the insinuation was clear. Jarvis defended himself:

Last month I wrote an article for the Sterling Communications blog with my recommendations for managing a Twitter stream to avoid over-posting and alienating followers. Some of these tips could have helped Mr. Jarvis from receiving such negative feedback. However, as he posted the next day:

What people often seem to forget is, just because YOU see these tweets and they are clogging up your timeline, others may not even notice. That’s the point of Twitter; conversations keep floating by and no one’s stream is exactly the same as someone else’s. If you are repeatedly annoyed by someone’s comments, then hit the “Unfollow” button. Even then, there’s no reason to insult the person publicly.

Tech analyst Michael Gartenberg, normally an avid tweeter, posted a note in the morning that he would “not be tweeting much today #introspection”— which I thought was probably a good idea. It let the people who care understand why he was not engaging with them.

Tone-deafness was not confined to Twitter. On Facebook, I was a silent witness to an argument that got very nasty and profane within a few posts. It ended with the person who initiated the conversation —about her plans to watch the Sept. 11^th ceremonies on TV— “unfriending” the person who had questioned the need to watch TV coverage, after another person had also jumped in with insults. It was probably wise to close out the spat before more people joined, although unfriending was an extreme measure. (Hiding the person’s posts from your news feed is an interim step to reduce friction that is invisible to the other person, although it won’t prevent continuing comments on your posts). The whole brouhaha could have been avoided if the second person had simply held his tongue (or his fingers).

One of the few positive results of 9/11/01 was that, for an all-too-brief time, people went out of their way to be kind and courteous to both friends and strangers. I wish we could return to that level of civil discourse and behavior. I dread the verbal jousts I can expect as the 2012 election approaches.

What is your experience? Have you indulged in insult-fests with total strangers? How have you managed them?

Lisa Hawes can be reached at lhawes@sterlingpr.com. Follow Lisa on Twitter @lisakayhawes.

Sept. 11 logo: Courtesy Trinity United Methodist Church

Dear TechCrunch: Here's Why Companies Use PR Agencies

2011-09-08T17:26:21-07:00

Because perception matters.

Managing Social Media Mishaps

2011-09-08T09:00:00-07:00

We all make mistakes every now and then - and with social media, it can be all too evident when a company errs. While many companies may be inclined to quickly hit delete and hope no one noticed, several have come up with more transparent ways (some humorous, some more somber, depending on the circumstance) to correct social media blunders on corporate accounts. Here are a few examples of my favorite social media mistakes, handled as well as possible (given the circumstances).

American Red Cross:

A rogue tweet from an employee meant to come from their personal account got posted to the American Red Cross twitter account stating “Ryan found two more 4 bottle packs of Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch beer….when we drink we do it right #gettngslizzerd.” This tweet sparked a light-hearted follow-up from the Red Cross stating “We’ve deleted the rogue tweet but rest assured the Red Cross is sober and we’ve confiscated the keys.” Dogfish Head brewery was very amused by the incident and used it to show support for the Red Cross and encourage donations. It was a situation dealt with in a very positive way through the use of humor and clever wit. In a statement to their supporters the Red Cross acknowledged the public’s understanding, “In the meantime we found so many of you to be sympathetic and understanding. While we're a 130 year old humanitarian organization, we're also made of up human beings. Thanks for not only getting that but for turning our faux pas into something good.” This is a prime example of a social media blunder gone right.

Kenneth Cole:

During the uprising in Egypt, Kenneth Cole used the media coverage to capitalize on the news and insert promotions for their new line. Tweets read “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo.” This insensitive tweet was the beginning of an onslaught of criticism from a hurt public, angry that such a serious and tragic incident was being used to promote fashion lines. Thankfully, Kenneth Cole took prompt action and quickly apologized, saying that “attempt at humor . . . was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate.” Now Cole’s tweets are monitored closely by his PR team. Sometimes a quick apology goes a long way. The public doesn’t want excuses, we appreciate ownership of mistakes and sometimes, taking responsibility is the best thing you can do.

Smithsonian:

A tweet posted twice to the Smithsonian account in the middle of the day. While this is a rather minor error, it was handled well. Smithsonian responded by posting “Our apologies for the repeated tweets. Our twitter client seems to have the hiccups today!” This clever response was a great way to address a minor faux pas in the social media universe.

Vodafone UK:

When a derogatory comment was posted by an employee to Vodafone’s UK twitter account, initial thoughts were that the account had been hacked. The highly offensive tweet was visible to Vodafone’s 8,800 followers. Vodafone quickly identified what had happened and personally apologized to their followers: "We're really sorry. A severe breach of rules by staff in our building, dealing with that internally. Please keep your faith in us." The ownership of their mistake and transparency from Vodafone is admirable. The company identified the guilty party, took responsibility, addressed the issue (fired the employee) and apologized for their mistake. Sometimes when mistakes happen, ownership of the problem is the best we can do.

Social media accounts can be tricky. There are many different ways to handle blunders when they inevitably come about, and companies like Prosodic (disclaimer: Sterling client) are coming out with new and innovative ways to manage workflows that prevent brands from making these types of public gaffes. While we can’t all use humor to deflect from social media mistakes, sometimes expertly handling a situation by acknowledging mistakes upfront is the best way to address your audience. Getting defensive, deleting posts without explanation, or misleading your followers can have severe backlash. Best to keep a careful eye on your accounts and if you make a mistake, find a way to address the issue honestly (with humor if appropriate) and apologize to your audience.

Lisette Rauwendaal can be reached at lisette@sterlingpr.com. Follow her on Twitter @Lisette.

The “Big Yellow Taxi” of Marketing

2011-09-06T11:42:48-07:00

Don't it always seem to go

That you don't know what you've got

‘Til it's gone

These immortal lyrics from Joni Mitchell’s classic song, “Big Yellow Taxi,” must be on the minds of Twinings Tea Company Ltd executives and customers alike. Following a revamping of its original 1831 Earl Grey tea blend with a new version that was met with hundreds of complaints on the company website, a Facebook protest, and customers rushing to stores that still carry the old brand, Twinings succumbed to this wave of negative sentiment (as highlighted in a blog post by our client, Attensity) and found a solution that aims to make everyone happy and serves as a reminder of the original blend’s immense popularity – particularly once “it’s gone.” Twinings’ move demonstrates the risk attached to tampering with a cherished institution – isn’t that right, Coca-Cola and D.C. Comics?
HP similarly faced great demand for its tablets upon its announcement in early August to shelve its HP TouchPad production. To rid itself of remaining inventory, HP announced $99 bargain-basement pricing which caused the remaining tablets to fly off shelves. At the end of the month, HP decided to produce one last round of the tablet to meet consumer demand. However, as the sudden popularity is presumably due to the cut-rate price and not a well-established customer affinity, it would be ill-advised of HP to reverse course and keep the tablets in the market — particularly since they are apparently losing money with every sale. Meanwhile, HP looks indecisive — if not foolish — for producing a “zombie” tablet at a loss, for which they cannot predict availability and that they do not plan to support (although not as foolish as the people buying it).
There’s some debate over whether these two off-the-wall decisions by Twinings and HP weren’t clever marketing ploys to create buzz and boost customer engagement. If so, that’s a fool’s game. Change can be a positive step, provided companies determine at the outset their expected goal resulting from the change. But, if retaining core customers is still the objective, tinkering with a recipe (or old versions of Star Wars – that means you, George Lucas!) might be too much for hard-core loyalists. And, they are the ones who are the hardest to lure back once they finally abandon a product.

Jordan Hubert can be reached at jhubert@sterlingpr.com. Follow Jordan on Twitter @jahubert.

Editorial credit: Lisa Hawes. Follow Lisa on Twitter @lisakayhawes.

Photo credit: Under the Emmaus Sun via Flickr

Seattle Tech Events for September

2011-09-02T11:33:52-07:00

All the signs that summer is drawing to a close are here: the days are getting shorter, college football is kicking off and the kids are back in school. Another sign is that the tech event and networking schedule is getting back into full swing.

Following are just some of the places at which you’ll find the movers and shakers in the greater Seattle-area tech community this September.

Google Places Tweet Up with Gnomedex
When: September 6th from 6-9 p.m.
Where: Parlor Billiards & Spirits in Bellevue
About: Google Seattle will be hosting their first tweet up in partnership with Gnomedex, and testing your knowledge of our favorite city. Network with people in the technology space and learn about setting up a business page on Google Places and getting feedback from customers.

Hops and Chops
When: Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Auto Battery in Capitol Hill
About: A group of Seattle entrepreneurs and startup junkies who like to get together, drink beer, and talk shop.

TechFoam
When: September 7 and 21 (regularly held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month)
Where: The Spot Off Main in Bellevue
About: TechFoam is twice a month social networking event for local technology startups and those interested in technology startups.

Mobile Future Forward
When: September 12 (all day event)
Where: Bell Harbor International Conference Center in Seattle
About: Mobile Future Forward is a mobile thought-leadership summit produced by Chetan Charma Consulting that attracts some of the most influential minds in the mobile industry who are very instrumental in shaping the industry, in innovation adoption, and in managing the growth of revenues and profits.

Rosstoberfest! BBQ and Networking with NWEN
When: September 14 from 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Where: Williams-Helde Marketing Communications building in Seattle
About: What can be better than a sunny Summer day, smoky award-winning pulled pork and chicken, cold beer and conversation with your hundred closet startup friends? Rosstoberfest is the place to do it and you get a chance to meet the new Executive Director of NWEN Daniel Rossi too.

StartupDay 2011
When: September 17 (all day event)
Where: Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue
About: StartupDay 2011 is the conference for pre-entrepreneurs interested in founding or joining a tech startup. Learn what’s important for creating a tech business from scratch. Meet one-on-one with advisors. Learn how to pick the right idea, build your team, fund the business, build your product, bring it to market and make a profit.

WTIA Mobile Executive Community Event: Strengthening the Seattle Mobile Ecosystem (Full disclosure: the WTIA is a Sterling client)
When: September 27 from 6-8 p.m.
Where: Hotel 1000 in Seattle
About: Join the WTIA for their next Mobile Executive Community Event. Experts will discuss the current state of the mobile economy here in Washington State, specifically on how to create new opportunities that will impact growth beyond our state's borders.

Social Media Club Seattle
When: September 27 (regularly held the fourth Tuesday of every month) from 6-9 p.m.
Where: to be announced
About: The Seattle branch of Social Media Club, a national organization with the purpose of sharing best practices, establishing ethics and standards, and promoting media literacy around the emerging area of Social Media.

Seattle Startup Drinks
When: September 30 (regularly held the last Friday of every month), time TBD
Where: to be announced
About: A simple concept: startup culture in cities around the world gathers around a bar to have a pint and discuss what they are working on, what they need help with and what they can do for each other. In Seattle, usually on the last Friday of the month.

Startup Weekend
When: September 30 – October 2
Where: PACCAR Hall, University of Washington
About: No Talk, All Action. Launch a Startup in 54 hours. Startup Weekend is a global network of passionate leaders and entrepreneurs on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower individuals, teams and communities.

It’s hard to say goodbye to summer – especially since it feels like the summer weather only arrived in Seattle a few weeks ago, but nothing will take our minds off the “summer that never was” like re-engaging with the vibrant and dynamic people in our local tech community. I look forward to seeing you at some of these events!

Chris Warfield can be reached at cwarfield@sterlingpr.com. Follow him on Twitter @cwarfield.

(Photo above from Geekwire launch party, courtesy of Geekwire.com)