sam ford project manager mit convergence culture consortium program in comparative media studies

Sam Ford

Project ManagerMIT Convergence Culture ConsortiumProgram in Comparative Media Studies

Advisor of Customer InsightsPeppercom

E-Mail: [email protected]: (617) 324-9118Fax: (617) 258-5133

Blog URL: http://www.convergenceculture.org/weblog/

According to a February 2008 study from Peppercom client TNS media intelligence/Cymfony:

-Nearly 50 percent of senior marketing executives believe social media“is a vital component of corporate communications.”

-Companies leading in using social media primarily see these outlets primarilyas a venue for listening to consumer viewpoints, while companies taking amore cautious approach to social media see it primarily as a tool forviral marketing and online video.

The Future of Digital Media Lies In:

1.) Access to Unfiltered Customer Insight

2.) The Ability to Encourage and Facilitate “Word-of-Mouth” Proselytizing

Harnessing Influence

When Asked the Main Goal(s) of Their Companies’ Digital Programs, Respondentsto the Peppercom/PR News Survey Said:

Build/Enhance Reputation

32%

Drive Sales19%

Keep Up with Competition

14%

Testing/Experimenting14%

Internal Communication

12%

Recruiting/Retaining Employees

6%

Other3%

Survey respondents indicated that the need for improving digitalcommunications is currently a low priority in the overall marketing budget:

None18%

1%-10%47%

11%-25%25%

26%-50%5%

51%+5%

Among the 65 percent of respondents who felt confident in making predictions forthe 2008 marketing strategy, the vast majority felt that digital will play a more strategic marketing role in 2008.

Yes87%

No13%

Increase Slightly35%

Increase Somewhat25%

Don't Know17%

Stay the Same13%

Increase Significantly8%

Decrease2%

Among the 83%of respondents who felt they could forecast their company’s digital marketing budget, only 8% of respondents expected a significant increasein that budget, despite the overwhelming belief that digital will play a more strategicrole in 2008.

The Biggest Barriers to Implementing a Social Media Plan:

1.) Lack of Commitment Among Senior Management

2.) A Lack of Best Practices

3.) A Lack of Leadership from Marketing and PR Firms in the Digital Space

Harnessing Influence

Learning from Others’ Mistakes

Astroturfing: The attempt to make a marketing campaign seem grassroots through a lack of transparency in admitting corporate ties.

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Wal-Marting Across America

Gee Whiz Factor: The momentary attraction of participating in a new trend or technologybecause it’s currently considered as innovative, without giving thought as to the motivationbehind the offering.

Learning from Others’ Mistakes



Facebook Widgets



Second Life

The Importance of Best Practices

Transparency: Anyone marketing in the digital space must take great care tobe completely open about their marketing initiatives and any other underlyingcircumstances which, if discovered by users without being made explicit by marketers, might appear dishonest.


are needed to see this picture.For instance, WOMMA members pledge to be wholly transparent in all attempts to promotecontent online.



As a blogger myself, I always strive to make explicit the connectionwith partner companies at any point I write about any of their properties.

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Steve Cody

Managing Partnerand Co-FounderPeppercom Strategic Communications

470 Park Avenue SouthNew York, NY 10016

E-Mail: [email protected]: (212) 931-6114Fax: (212( 931-6159

Blog: http://www.RepManblog.com

The recent survey conducted by Peppercom and PRNews in relation to thisWebinar emphasized:

• Frustration: Bosses, companies, and the C-Suite either aren’t investing in digital or do not see digital digital as an important enough competitive advantage, despite growing awareness of the importance of digital for customer relations.

• Pain: With continued recession discussion alongside proliferation in competition for the digital space, companies are often forging ahead with a concern for digital without setting aside the necessary resources.

More than 60% of those surveyed feel they are at best parallel or even behind their competitors on digital initiatives.

Frustration and Pain in Managing a Digital Presence

• More than 1/3 of companies believe it is “too soon to tell” if their digital marketing programs are successful.

• More than 1/3 of companies rate their programs as only “somewhat” or moderately successful.

Lacking Confidence in a Digital Strategy

Companies say they’ll continue to expand their Web efforts, but they are not yet confident in their digital strategy.

How Do We Value the Web’s Part in Moving Digital Sales?

• Almost 1/3 of those surveyed see the Web as a vehicle for building/enhancing reputations.

• However, only 19% say the Web can drive sales.

• Further, survey results found a lack of confidence industrywide in the C-Suite’s knowledge and strategy in the digital space.

Responses to our question regarding the C-Suite’s view of digital tools demonstrated a lackof industry consensus about the state of digital. Of the 59% who answered the question,only approximately 17% indicated that the C-Suite was guiding with a proactive vision for their company’s digital presence, while 25% of those responding saw their chief officersas very skeptical, unknowledgeable, or uninterested in digital.

How can we move forward in envisioning and valuing the ways a company’s digital presenceImpacts the bottom line?

Reactionary Approach Vs. Strategic Approach

• The survey results, taken as a whole, indicate that respondents feel prepared for a digital crisis but less confident in their overall digital approach.

• This means that the majority of those surveyed are reacting to digital tactically but lack the necessary planning that is essential in creating a strong digital presence.

• Essential to this is learning from established best practices and the pitfalls of prior mistakes.

Reputation Crisis Management: Kentucky Fried Chicken



Reputation Crisis Management: Astroturfing



Reputation Crisis Management: Astroturfing



“All I want for xmas is a PSP” was a Sony campaign meant to look like a fan site, which was quickly picked apart the site’s lack of transparency.

Maintaining a Corporate Blog

Online Video and “Viral”



• Viral spread is not something you can engineer for success. Users decide what to pass around.

• The spread of online video cannot be tightly controlled by the company if you want it to be successful.

• Pay close attention to how your product is being used by others, but don’t let a prohibitionist stance kill a good branding opportunity that is user-generated.

Online Community/Blogger Relations

Blogger Relations 101

• Read Blogger’s Material Before Contacting Them

• Make Sure What YouSend Is Relevant

• Understand the Differences in Conversing with a Blogger and a Big Media Pitch

• Don’t Send a Thinly Veiled Press Release in the Form of Personal Communication

Sentiment Monitoring

ValSpar Pick up on what consumers were doing on their own, Creating blogs, highlighting own home innovations, rather thanSaying they can’t put picture of can on site embraced it andViral program to leverage that.

Five Guiding Principles Businesses Need to Live By In a Digital World

1.) Local Is Now Global.

2.) Understand the Population.

3.) Adjust for Users.

4.) Create an Open Forum for Conversation.

5.) If You Put Yourself Out There, You Have to Live with the Good and the Bad.

Local Is Now Global

Understand the Population

Moron Publicist of the Month: KFC’s Flack

READ MORE: Publicists, food, press releases, public relations

This is why people hate publicists.

Now, as people who have at least a glancing familiarity with this website, you probably realize that giveaway offers by national fast-food chains do not, typically, fall within our coverage area. One would expect even the soulless flacks responsible for publicizing giveaway offers by national fast-food chains to be aware of this. (True, we once wrote about an earlier stupid KFC gimmick, but that was only to lambaste the chain for appropriating Office Space for its nefarious purposes.)

But they’re not. While we understand that junior-level PR people have to send out releases to whole big lists of media, and so we try to simply ignore them — rather than get mad at them, or taunt them — when they send us silly, irrelevant things like news about giveaway offers by national fast-food chains, sometimes that becomes impossible. Especially with the imbeciles who do press for our old pals KFC. Who have recently taken to hounding us. Like with this email, which arrived yesterday:

From: Smulyan, Brandon To: [email protected]

Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 2:54 PM Subject: Tis the KFC-eason for giving

Gawker, I realize the Ultimate KFC Fan Contest ended yesterday. However, I just wanted to drop a friendly reminder to let you know the other item, the On Top of the World of KFC eBay ｨ Auction, ends on December 15. Have you had a chance to look over the details yet? Again, please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Best, Brandon Smulyan for KFC 972.830.XXXX [email protected]

Brandon Smulyan for KFC then pastes below his previous emails to us about KFC ﾕs marketing effort, as though he will somehow guilt us into writing about his campaign, which we thought we were being generous to not write about.

Well, congratulations, Brandon Smulyan for KFC. We’re writing about you now.Because you’re our Moron Publicist of the Month.

Adjust for Users

Create an Open Forum for Conversation



Wal-Mart’s Check Out Blog provides buyers the chanceto critically review content sold by the retail chain witha significant degree of candor.

Live with the Good and the Bad

sam ford project manager mit convergence culture consortium program in comparative media studies

Documents

marketing strategy

marketing campaign

future of digital media

recruitingretaining

internal communication12

overall marketing budget

drive sales19

social media plan