digital thinking winter 2010
TRANSCRIPT
Digital ThinkingInsights into an evolving online world
Spring 2010
Introduction: The best digital thinking takes an array of insight and experience John Crean
Today, sharing opinions publicly is no longer limited to recognized experts, packaged and broadcast through mainstream media sources to mass audiences. As we are all witnessing, media is increasingly social and communications is evolving into conversations led by the audiences themselves.
While it’s clear that digital solutions can help support an organization’s communications and marketing activities, it’s also clear that avoiding the online conversation altogether means lost opportunities to protect and build reputation, foster strong relations with key people and groups, or build better communications within organizations themselves.
But finding the right solutions can be a challenge. The digital space is vast and constantly changing, and every organization’s needs are unique and evolving. Solutions can range from building audiences to locating those key audiences who are talking about you or the issues that impact you.
Whatever digital program an organization settles on, the key is to create one that drives business goals. This takes an array of insights and 360 degree thinking – a combination of strategic, creative, technological and subject matter expertise to truly seize on your organization’s potential in the digital landscape. The expert views in this report represent that kind of diverse insight and thinking.
Whether it’s the latest trends in mobile and social marketing; the state of the “old media” and digital expectations of the next generation; best practices for monitoring and engaging in social media; creating digitally enabled workplaces and knowing the distinct difference of social media in Quebec; or understanding digital’s impact on investor relations and the pharmaceutical sector, our firm has important digital thinking that we would like to share.
The global conversation is changing. And helping business and organizations navigate this change with trusted, bold thinking is what we are about.
John Crean is national managing partner of NATIONAL Public Relations
Going wiki at work: social media and employee engagement Carolyn Ray
Several weeks ago, I hosted a lunch-and-learn session on employee engagement and social media at our office. In it, we asked people to do ”day in the life” exercises to show how generational differences influence communications preferences. It was a great way to demonstrate how we need to shift our perspective. We must move beyond the ”comfort zone” of traditional, top-down communications and engage in continuous, open dialogue with employees.
In less than two years, Gen Ys (those born between 1981 and 2000) will outnumber baby boomers in the workplace. In our office, almost half our employees are Gen Y. Is the printed company newsletter still the best tool for multi-generational workforces in a sea of online forums, blogs and wikis and mashups? We need to find more personalized ways to connect across the generation gap—and we need to do it now.
Our own research, “Start the Dialogue: Engaging Employees in Tough Times”, found that social media is the top trend impacting internal communications. In addition, 45 per cent of respondents said changing workplace demographics is a major challenge. With social media, organizations can enhance trust with leaders, understand employee concerns and overcome internal silos.
As social media in the workplace gains momentum, organizations should be more concerned about being left behind than of losing control. There is some risk in allowing employees to freely express their opinions, but the rewards clearly outweigh the risks. Imagine how all-way dialogue could improve the customer experience, stimulate innovation or create new products and services?
Today’s organizations are being asked to do and communicate more than ever before. Social media is changing the game for how we engage all of our employees as partners in business success. Fortunately, the right tools are already available. All that is needed is for business to embrace them—and start the dialogue!
Carolyn Ray is a vice president in NATIONAL’s Toronto office
Who should own social media in your company?Megan Halkett
When websites became a corporate necessity, it seemed practical to give ownership and management of the site to the IT department—websites being computer-related and all.
Slowly, it has become clear that although the technical management of a corporate website is critical, the content on the website is now more important than flashy photos have ever been. This is why many communications and marketing departments have taken over the reins of corporate websites and the long-term goals they hope to achieve with them.
In large companies with entrenched departmental roles and associated budgets, it is often difficult for one department to oversee assets that other departments are in charge of. In the case of social media and who should own it, the answer, at first glance, may seem clear. But it is important to evaluate how social media can interact with various end users—the customer, the employee and the media.
With the uptake in social media use by companies large and small, never before has there been a better time for senior management to evaluate the roles played by various “outward facing” departments to ensure that their social media program is meeting the needs of the entire organization.
Small companies have been able to take advantage of the latest social media tools, not only because smaller companies are more nimble, but because small companies and their employees often better understand what is going on across cubicle borders.
Now is the time for larger companies to assess their social media strategy across traditionally distinct departments. For example, how is social media integrated to your customer service programs? Have you measured its effectiveness? How is social media being used to recruit new employees?
Keep in mind that students are evaluating your social media profile just as you have the opportunity to evaluate theirs. How is social media going to be used if the company faces a crisis? Do you know who to contact to update your followers or will you need to track down someone in IT? Remember, a timely response is key, even if all you can say to your public is, “We’re working on it!”
It is critical when creating and managing a social media presence that you build an internal team from multiple departments and that you understand your social media presence should not just be used as a copy of your website or a one-off marketing campaign tool. An integrated social media strategy can yield considerable benefits, including a strong corporate reputation for your company over the long term.
Megan Halkett is a senior consultant in NATIONAL’s Vancouver office
Ethics and social mediaJeff Scott
The challenges presented by social media are not entirely new—by now we have all experienced disruptive technologies in the workplace. But social media presents business with challenges of a scope and pace the likes of which have never been seen before.
Some of these challenges are technological, such as where to host a corporate blog or how to design a Facebook page, and these can be solved with the right technological resources. But the human aspect of social media makes its challenges so much more inscrutable.
Princeton’s WordNet defines ethics as “the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group”. So what are the ethics inherent to the groups we find on social media? In general, these groups expect businesses to treat them on social media just as they do in the real world.
The ethical challenges raised by the rapid expansion of social media are many: Should customers be able to speak directly with your CEO rather than by contacting your established customer service team? Should every tweet published on your Twitter feed come from within or is it acceptable to engage an agency to help? Do you have to disclose the specifics of your communications tactics to your customers or is it enough to treat them with respect?
The rules for communicating on social media are not set in stone, but they are shared and well understood by the people who use them. No business has been hurt by adhering to the four main principles held dear by social media: honesty, transparency, authenticity and respect. Adding technology to the mix simply means it is easier than ever for your customers to check up on you.
Jeff Scott is a consultant in NATIONAL’s Montreal office
Online media and investor relations: opportunity awaitsLaurie Stretch
The world of online media, social media, blogs and discussion forums has added new complexity to the discipline of investor relations. Finding the right balance between adhering to disclosure rules and engaging shareholders where they are communicating in the online world can be challenging.
Due to legal concerns about the risks of including selective disclosure, many companies take a completely hands-off approach to digital media, limiting their communications to the established tactics of news releases, websites, presentations and conference calls. Such an approach overlooks a key opportunity for engagement with investor audiences in their own space. Provided that a company continues to disclose all material news through news releases, online and social media can be a very useful way to broaden the reach of the official disclosure.
Social media monitoring is an essential addition to conventional media monitoring to ensure that companies have a true picture of investor sentiment. Retail investors in particular are avid users of social media. Ongoing and comprehensive monitoring can track attitudinal shifts or emerging issues in real time.
Most of the chatter on investor discussion forums does not warrant any company participation. The forums can, however, reveal issues in how disclosure events are being perceived in the marketplace. Rather than engaging in time-consuming individual conversations on investor discussion forums, company spokespeople, clearly identified, can point investors back to relevant disclosed information on the company’s website for clarification. A regularly updated online FAQ document can also be an effective vehicle for addressing issues that come up in discussion forums, and companies can post links to the FAQ across social media channels.
CEO blogs are popular in certain industries, although like any new communications channel, analysis is required before a blog is launched to ensure that the tone and approach are suited to the medium, that there is a purpose to the blog other than merely restating news releases, and that processes are in place to ensure the blog can be maintained over time.
Laurie Stretch is a vice president in NATIONAL’s Calgary office
Responsible digital engagement for pharmaceutical companies Miranda Dini
Despite ever-increasing pressure—and desire—for pharmaceutical companies to enter the digital space and engage in an interactive dialogue with their target audiences, this industry has been a “late adopter”. Clearly this is a highly regulated environment—with a vacuum of clear-cut guidelines on digital engagement. Additionally, the pharmaceutical industry (or pharma as it’s often called) is conservative, often hesitant to leap into uncharted territories, particularly without well-proven ROI.
As a result, pharma has generally remained a silent spectator in the digital space. But are these companies missing opportunities to communicate with their target audiences? Definitely. Does silence equal responsibility? Not necessarily. Will we continue to see more intrepid pharma clients leading to creative digital projects? Hopefully!
When audiences want to learn more about a disease, treatment or company, can pharma communicate proactively? Opportunities vary. For example, corporate reputation activities are similar to other industries, while treatment-specific discussions are highly regulated. Education about diseases provides the greatest opportunities to communicate digitally with audiences.
Conversely, if misinformation is being posted—on Wikipedia, Facebook, a blog or YouTube—who has the responsibility to correct it? And how can this be done without appearing self-serving? Should—and possibly will—companies be held responsible if they don’t correct erroneous information disseminated by others?
Some companies have devised clever ways to address these communications challenges and opportunities. When faced with SideWiki posts ”graffiti-ing” its corporate website, AstraZeneca posted legal statements running the length of the page, ”owning” their space and ensuring no inaccuracies are posted there. Roche, Novo Nordisk and others use the immediacy of Twitter to issue news releases live from medical conferences. Novartis sponsors an educational Facebook page (Marcia Strassman—Patient Advocate) about the realities of breast cancer and provides information about its drug’s efficacy and safety. And numerous companies have created interactive educational websites on diseases and treatments.
So the industry can proactively, strategically and responsibly educate audiences using the digital space, but there are limited examples to date. What’s needed is both regulatory guidance on the rules of engagement (the FDA is likely to be first, estimated Q4 2010), as well as a groundswell of digital industry advocates to push their colleagues to become digital players instead of spectators.
Miranda Dini is director of operations of AxON’s office in London
Numbers that matter: a common sense approach to social media monitoringChanning Rodman
Increasingly, companies demand that their social media campaigns show clear ROI, so it’s crucial to have a good social media monitoring strategy. Understanding which numbers matter in your monitoring is the key to seeing real value from a digital initiative.
Think of social media monitoring as the heartbeat of any campaign—it drives everything you do. During your planning stages, monitoring is how you find out where the conversation is happening. Prior to launch, it lets you identify champions for outreach and helps you prepare for crises. After launch, it lets you gauge success and points toward adjustments you can make to grow your campaign.
It can, however, be difficult to identify just which numbers matter most. Companies selling monitoring platforms further cloud the issue by claiming to measure metrics that can’t really be counted, like “engagement” or “sentiment.” Beware of claims to measure emotion since computers aren’t currently accurate at understanding natural language, so a platform can’t truly gauge how users feel about a topic. More importantly, metrics shouldn’t be about emotions—they’re about what works and what doesn’t.
So which numbers matter? First, it is vital to identify specific metrics that tie directly in to your key goals. Calibrating a campaign might involve 30 different metrics ranging from basics like the number of unique visitors, to tracking passing of campaign collateral on Twitter, or tweaking Facebook Ads for better audience targeting. Start specific, and narrow focus as the campaign moves forward.
Secondly, recognize that time is also a number that matters. To properly evaluate a campaign, companies must budget for real time spent strategizing, setting up and, above all, checking metrics. Metrics is a science, so regular checks are necessary in order to spot patterns of use that spell success or trouble for a campaign.
Finally, diversify. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all platform yet, so companies can only ensure smart monitoring through cross-checking tools. For example, in a Facebook campaign you will use insights to track users—but because social media does not happen in isolation, this must be combined with other monitoring tools to track where users spread the campaign off Facebook. Designing social media monitoring from the start to count the numbers that matter is what leads to real value for companies online.
Channing Rodman is a consultant in NATIONAL’s Vancouver office
Customers generating customers Alex Pejcic
As a digital marketer, I used to live in a world where brand marketing, direct-response marketing and advertising were all that mattered for the success of our clients.
“Big Ideas” were translated into multi-directional creative executions, eventually pushed in front of target audiences courtesy of a mass media buy. However, with the proliferation of peer-based social networking, this modus operandi has been revolutionized—forever.
In less than three years, social networking has become mainstream. It’s transformed the way we communicate online. We are no longer simply motivated by a single brand voice, but have become further persuaded by the multifaceted viewpoints of our online peers.
Inside the social web, we can see that peer influence will play a deeper role in brand affinity and purchasing decisions. As well, if brands or products are strong and ultimately worth talking about, customers will be eager to do the online marketing for us.
And yet, this notion generates even more questions. What would motivate a person to share a piece of media with a group of friends? Why would a person participate in an online community?
One way to answer these questions is with value exchange.
Value exchange is the “what’s in it for me?” factor. For a moment, let’s admit that we are self-interested. As social creatures, we seek personal gain and act when we are given an incentive to do so. The interesting thing about value exchange in today’s social web is that the pay-off can come in various forms.
In traditional direct-response marketing, we would “reward” consumers with contests, coupons, or access to exclusive content. Nowadays, consumers might share a brand’s piece of media to help increase their own popularity or reputation among their online social graph.
A good digital partner will look for ways to develop opportunities that capitalize on these types of value exchange. They will be able to employ new strategies, rules and tactics that leverage the best of traditional communications, interactive marketing and the social web for success.
For businesses and organizations, it’s critical to take advantage of this important cultural shift and allow consumers to drive brand affinity and purchase intent through peer influence.
Alex Pejcic is vice president, managing director of Sonic Boom Creative Media.
Social media in QuebecDoris Juergens
When it comes to traditional media, Quebec is definitely distinct. We have just 13 daily newspapers and it’s not unusual for over half the province to be glued to the TVA and Société Radio-Canada TV networks on Sunday evenings for local programming. But what about social media? Does the French language factor into that as well? The answer is yes and no.
Yes, because Quebeckers in general—and francophones in particular—have been slower to adopt social media. By way of example, in late 2009, less than half of Quebeckers (42%) had even heard of Twitter, let alone used it. Just 2% held a Twitter account, according to a SOM survey, and usage among francophones is significantly lower than among non-francophones (1% vs. 5%)
For communicators, the low(er) numbers can be a challenge. Many Quebec-based blogs won’t show up on the radar of standard social media monitoring tools because the number of visitors is below their threshold, making it difficult to identify online key opinion leaders and track conversations.
On the other hand, language can be even less of a factor in the digital world. While organizations that want to reach out to Quebeckers generally have French-English mirror websites, blogs reflect their author’s preference and can be unilingual or bilingual.
Many Twitter accounts move back and forth from one language to the other quite seamlessly, depending on the conversation. On my Twitter account (@juergens), I post in either English or French, depending on the topic. The reality is what tends to slow down communicators’ use of social media in Quebec is the availability of French interfaces for tools. For example, in some instances, we have not recommended the new foursquare application because there isn’t a French interface (yet).
But like most things with social media, it comes down to the main questions: What are we trying to accomplish? Is a social media strategy a good fit? And if so, where is our audience? These questions must be answered before we reach out to them and join the conversation. And in that sense, Quebec is no different from anywhere else.
Doris Juergens is a partner in NATIONAL’s Montreal office
Je tweete, tu tweetes
Not dead yet Alan Fryer and Zdenka Buric
Hard to believe looking back now, but when we first got into the business—one in TV journalism, the other in public relations—we were unarmed and didn’t know it. No email, no Internet and no one had ever heard of Google, let alone LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.
Fast forward to the present day. We’ve gone from what seemed like a trickle of information back then—brought to you exclusively by what we now refer to as the mainstream media—to a virtual deluge. And the waters just keep rising.
Amid all this, we keep hearing predictions (there’s even a Twitter feed that’s counting it down) about the death of traditional media. If you buy that line, you do so at your peril.
While it’s true that the glory days of the mainstream media are long gone, there remains one undeniable fact confirmed recently by a major study by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism: most of what the public learns—in other words, most of the news that’s reported and consumed—is still generated by traditional media, particularly newspapers and local television news.
By contrast, the world of new media—blogs and social media sites—serve more as online “echo chambers” that pick up that original content and pass it around with added commentary. You can’t ignore it: you have to deal with it, but it’s unlikely you’ll learn much new from it.
It’s also true that traditional media outlets are facing unprecedented financial challenges. Many have already folded; others are teetering on the brink. In order to survive, those that remain are struggling to redefine themselves and what constitutes hard news. What used to be “just the facts, Ma’am” now comes injected with increasingly large doses of opinion and analysis. (Just look at the growing popularity of Fox News in the US).
And that presents huge challenges for your company’s media relations strategy. Now, when things go wrong and your company finds itself in the news, it’s just as likely the media will be writing about how you handled the issue—your strategy—as it will the five W’s.
Consider this recent headline from Reuters:
“Toyota grapples with PR bungles, tarnished brand”
In other words, your strategy itself is now considered newsworthy. The good (Maple Leaf Foods), the bad (Toyota) and the ugly (Tiger Woods).
Alan Fryer, a former Washington bureau chief for CTV News, is senior counsel to NATIONAL
Zdenka Buric is managing partner of NATIONAL’s Vancouver office
Mobile and emerging technologiesBrent Marshall
The emergence of the mobile marketplace is one of the most significant events to hit the digital environment in recent memory. Two years ago, we witnessed the launch of the first mobile marketplace. Competitors recently started to appear and vie for a piece of the mobile application pie. Now marketers are jumping into the fray, leading the development charge to get their brand in front of the consumer.
There’s no shortage of compelling arguments in favour of mobile application development. The development can be monetized and handled through third-party marketplaces; there’s no need to manage an e-commerce platform. Development cycles are short since the applications are concise executions on a specific idea. Screen time for your brand can be maximized with an application design that encourages re-use. Meanwhile, the penetration of smart phones continues to grow.
The mobile marketplace represents a paradigm shift in software distribution. Refereed marketplaces guarantee that only well-executed applications make it on to your phone. Daily reports are provided to track your application’s standing in the marketplace. Multiple-language support enables worldwide distribution. Touch screens, motion tracking and geo-location can alter your approach to interface design.
As with any industry moving this quickly, there are caveats. Each of the mobile platforms relies on an individual framework. The more devices we target, the longer the development will take. The mobile device we choose changes the way we interact with the application. Understanding your target market and the device they use is key to achieving a solid foundation for your application.
We are fortunate to have been given a solid foundation on which to construct and distribute our applications. Consumers can now conduct any number of tasks through their mobile devices—from anywhere. Doesn’t it make sense to put your brand into the consumer’s hand?
Brent Marshall is the lead technologist at Sonic Boom Creative Media
Growing up digitalJohn Paul Fraser and Sam Merritt
Sam: I am 16 years old.
John: I am not 16 years old. But I have two daughters who are under sixteen.
Sam: Together John’s kids and I have something in common: we know nothing about a world without online social networks.
John: Some call them Digital Natives or Generation Z. Whatever brand we impose, they bring attitudes and perspective that will, like generations before, define how the world produces and shares information.
Sam: Sound crazy? It was a 20-year-old who helped friends, and then the world, share music online. Teens were the ones who made texting technology a dominant platform for communication.
John: So it’s critical to know more about tomorrow’s generation, today. Soon they will be a driving force of global opinion—if they aren’t already.
Sam: Recently, I surveyed my friends about their online habits. The first big conclusion: free. If it’s not free, then it’s not worth checking out.
John: Young people expect to be able to receive content without paying for it. And as companies continue to develop technology to safeguard it, youth will just continue to find ways to get content for free.
Sam: Another conclusion: Facebook rules. Most of my friends spend over two hours a day on it. And it’s more than a place to get information, check up on friends or receive fan updates—it’s the best way for us to have direct one-to-one contact. Goodbye email.
John: Social networks fulfill a human and very teenage yearning for belonging and reinforcement. No wonder these networks are so popular and the place to be if you want content to spread.
Sam: And just about every young teen surveyed has a cellphone and texts—a lot. “Facebooking” and texting are about equal in popularity. We crave communication—spoken, written, visual—in our hands.
John: Young people don’t fear technology and, shockingly, can live without TV and its constraints. They’ve never lived without choice over what they watch and when. YouTube beats TV.
Behind these conclusions lies a core finding. The days of raising awareness through traditional one-to-many broadcast channels are ending. More and more people will receive information from their friends—the people they trust. What’s more, they’ll expect to receive it on the move, in creative ways, without financial barriers.
For businesses and organizations, this means becoming a “friend” too—giving the audience more ways to participate with you. It means your story becomes your audience’s story.
Sam: How do we know this? Because the people you share your house with say so.
John Paul Fraser is a vice president in NATIONAL’s Vancouver office
Sam Merritt is an intern in NATIONAL’s Vancouver office
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