Facebook reached a milestone 500 million users this week. Both YouTube and Mashable turned 5 this year and FourSquare announced they’ve had 100 million checkins. It’s clear that social media is growing rapidly, and it is even more impressive how this new phenomenon has changed the way we communicate with our friends, family, and colleagues. To honor their five-year anniversary, Mashable posted a very interesting reflection on the past five years in social media. Check out “A Look Back at the Last 5 Years in Social Media” as well as my insights into social media trends below.
Facebook is still relatively young, and it’s hard to determine whether or not it will have this level of success and popularity years from now. I believe there are a variety of reasons why Facebook has a emerged as a leader in the social media world. Mashable attributes much of the success of Facebook with the introduction of the Newsfeed. While the introduction of the Newsfeed may have increased Facebook’s popularity, I think establishing themselves first with a college audience helped to start a word-of-mouth campaign about Facebook’s capabilities. It would not have been able to do this successfully without the exclusivity Facebook had in the beginning, as a network only college students could join. Another factor that helped was simply good timing. MySpace was the only similar forum at the time, which introduced the public to the idea of social media. Facebook was positioned as a different medium exposed to a controlled audience and had easier tools to navigate others’ pages. Additionally, the timing of the emergence of other social media outlets was perfect for establishing Facebook as a leader.
In July 2006, YouTube was at 100 million video views a day. Today, 100 million YouTube videos are viewed on smartphones. Mashable’s article notes the social media trend that YouTube really exemplifies, how anyone with an internet connection can claim their “15 minutes” of fame. With the growth of reality TV and the rise of the celebrity, this was just the next way to make sure everyone has an opportunity in the spotlight. Facebook and Twitter serve some of the same function, and it is undeniable that this is part of what makes social media work.
Who would have predicted that social media tools that were used for recreational use would now be key tools for business professionals? What do you think are the most likely next steps in the social media world? Why do you think Facebook, YouTube and the rest of the social media universe have become such a large part of our everyday lives?
By Sara Hiller (Tech Intern) - Collective Conversation Feed
Showing posts with label Collective Conversation Feed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Collective Conversation Feed. Show all posts
Friday, July 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Collective Conversation Feed: How do you measure PR?
While most of the worlds attention has been turned toward Cannes and the festival of advertising there♣, the faceless men and women of the PR industry have been busy trying to work out standard measurements to track and value what it is we do.
5 measurement companies, two hundred delegates from PR and the aforementioned measurement companies flew into Barcelona to nut out the specifics. It was the second time the global group had come together and while i’m not aware of what they came up with last time, the outcome of this meeting wasn’t a standardised measure. They did however come up with seven nifty principles that they could all agree with.
1. Measurement and goal setting are fundamental for any PR programmes
2. Media measurement requires quantity and quality – clip cuts are generally meaningless
3. AVEs do not measure the value of PR and do not inform future activity; they measure the cost of media space
4. Social media can and should be measured
5. Measuring outcomes is preferred to measuring media results
6. Business results can and should be measured where possible
7. Transparency and replicability are paramount to sound measurement
The over all shift that these principles describe are an increasing desire to dissociate the world of PR from the world of advertising. The value of media has fallen sharply this year, right around the world, so I’d agree that AVE’s (Advertising Value Equivalents) doesn’t make much sense. Also, allowing for some measure of quality of coverage, and quality of effect seems like a great direction to be headed in.
I’m a little disappointed that the group felt that social media was unique enough to single out for a principle. Any interaction online has almost infinite measurability when compared to some of the traditional media platforms. The continuing exclusion of digital at the highest levels of the industry seems unbelievably out of place to me. We could learn a lot from the media planners and their language of channel neutrality. There is a tendency to chuckle it up at ad agencies who leap into the production process of a 30 second spot, while we think nothing at all of reusing the coverage target slide from the latest presentation on the server. All agencies need to play a part of moving PR thinking towards true online/offline integration. Its worth it for our clients and the job enjoyment of our staff.
Digital rant over, measurement means being able to crow our success and learn from our failures. It’s about delivering a considered and comprehensive ROI to the client, one that hopefully starts by communicating effort, perhaps through quality and reach. Quality and reach probably don’t represent return in many business, and when we make the jump from Comms Manager to CEO, that bottom line looms large. Demonstrating effect on sales, and the development of an engaged and re-contactable audience are key.
Interestingly, the winners at Cannes in the PR Lions section exhibited this type of breadth. Many of them fell back on AVE’s to communicate quality and reach, but since most were ad agencies that is hardly surprising. Secondly, they subscribed a group of advocates who drove their campaigns transmedia. Finally, they all could document (or at least suppose) a significant change in consumer behaviour, the most successful in increases of sales.
Media buyers have been weighting channels on their influence and value for years. By developing a channel neutral weighting system we could potentailly have one system across both new and old forms. It might be as simple as reach (potential reach/actual reach) x quality (the value of the channel itself) x influence (the likelihood of a channel generating news, content or action). Then again, it might not.
This wasn’t meant to be an attempt to define the measures for the industry. I believe that the PR industry has a tremendous advantage in our existing skill sets in building campaigns that earn media. We have, for some time now, told stories that capture the minds of influencer’s and get retold in their voices. I believe that the changes in terms of social media have massively increased the number of people who can act as an influencer, and I’ll accept that just because everyone can, doesn’t mean everyone does.
In developing a system of measurement for the industry, let’s not lose sight of the things we do extremely well, and try to find a way to measure those.
♣ Well, ok. It was probably only me watching Cannes...Collective Conversation Feed by Ben Shipley
5 measurement companies, two hundred delegates from PR and the aforementioned measurement companies flew into Barcelona to nut out the specifics. It was the second time the global group had come together and while i’m not aware of what they came up with last time, the outcome of this meeting wasn’t a standardised measure. They did however come up with seven nifty principles that they could all agree with.
1. Measurement and goal setting are fundamental for any PR programmes
2. Media measurement requires quantity and quality – clip cuts are generally meaningless
3. AVEs do not measure the value of PR and do not inform future activity; they measure the cost of media space
4. Social media can and should be measured
5. Measuring outcomes is preferred to measuring media results
6. Business results can and should be measured where possible
7. Transparency and replicability are paramount to sound measurement
The over all shift that these principles describe are an increasing desire to dissociate the world of PR from the world of advertising. The value of media has fallen sharply this year, right around the world, so I’d agree that AVE’s (Advertising Value Equivalents) doesn’t make much sense. Also, allowing for some measure of quality of coverage, and quality of effect seems like a great direction to be headed in.
I’m a little disappointed that the group felt that social media was unique enough to single out for a principle. Any interaction online has almost infinite measurability when compared to some of the traditional media platforms. The continuing exclusion of digital at the highest levels of the industry seems unbelievably out of place to me. We could learn a lot from the media planners and their language of channel neutrality. There is a tendency to chuckle it up at ad agencies who leap into the production process of a 30 second spot, while we think nothing at all of reusing the coverage target slide from the latest presentation on the server. All agencies need to play a part of moving PR thinking towards true online/offline integration. Its worth it for our clients and the job enjoyment of our staff.
Digital rant over, measurement means being able to crow our success and learn from our failures. It’s about delivering a considered and comprehensive ROI to the client, one that hopefully starts by communicating effort, perhaps through quality and reach. Quality and reach probably don’t represent return in many business, and when we make the jump from Comms Manager to CEO, that bottom line looms large. Demonstrating effect on sales, and the development of an engaged and re-contactable audience are key.
Interestingly, the winners at Cannes in the PR Lions section exhibited this type of breadth. Many of them fell back on AVE’s to communicate quality and reach, but since most were ad agencies that is hardly surprising. Secondly, they subscribed a group of advocates who drove their campaigns transmedia. Finally, they all could document (or at least suppose) a significant change in consumer behaviour, the most successful in increases of sales.
Media buyers have been weighting channels on their influence and value for years. By developing a channel neutral weighting system we could potentailly have one system across both new and old forms. It might be as simple as reach (potential reach/actual reach) x quality (the value of the channel itself) x influence (the likelihood of a channel generating news, content or action). Then again, it might not.
This wasn’t meant to be an attempt to define the measures for the industry. I believe that the PR industry has a tremendous advantage in our existing skill sets in building campaigns that earn media. We have, for some time now, told stories that capture the minds of influencer’s and get retold in their voices. I believe that the changes in terms of social media have massively increased the number of people who can act as an influencer, and I’ll accept that just because everyone can, doesn’t mean everyone does.
In developing a system of measurement for the industry, let’s not lose sight of the things we do extremely well, and try to find a way to measure those.
♣ Well, ok. It was probably only me watching Cannes...Collective Conversation Feed by Ben Shipley
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Thursday, June 24, 2010
Collective Conversation Feed: Cannes Eye TV interviews P&G's Marc Pritchard
As one of the largest marketers in the world, we were delighted to be able to catch up with Procter & Gamble global marketing and brand building officer Marc Pritchard during his hectic Cannes Lions schedule to find out why he thinks the festival is the place for his marketers to be.
Improv Everywhere's Charlie Todd also tells us why the kind of improvisation missions that took place at Cannes are relevant to brand owners..please view video here: Collective Conversation Feed
Improv Everywhere's Charlie Todd also tells us why the kind of improvisation missions that took place at Cannes are relevant to brand owners..please view video here: Collective Conversation Feed
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Collective Conversation Feed - Cannes Eye: Kraft Food & Yahoo! talk Cannes
Cannes Eye TV coverage is coming in thick and fast today. This latest edition reports on the winner of the PR Lions category at last night's awards ceremony, as well as featuring interviews with senior marketers at two of the biggest global brands attending the Cannes Lions, Kraft Food and Yahoo!
Paul Taaffe tells us the story behind Replay by Gatorade which won the big PR prize of the night, then Kraft's SVP of marketing strategy and communications talks about their attendance at Cannes. Finally, Elisa Steele of Yahoo! explains what they are up to, how they're helping brands and also offers her insight into the challenges facing today's marketers.Please watch video interviews here Collective Conversation Feed
Paul Taaffe tells us the story behind Replay by Gatorade which won the big PR prize of the night, then Kraft's SVP of marketing strategy and communications talks about their attendance at Cannes. Finally, Elisa Steele of Yahoo! explains what they are up to, how they're helping brands and also offers her insight into the challenges facing today's marketers.Please watch video interviews here Collective Conversation Feed
Monday, June 21, 2010
Collective Conversation Feed: Who won the PR Lions at Cannes?
Mid-way through a frantic day of filming what promise to be some cracking interviews with leading marketers from Kraft and Yahoo! (which you can watch tomorrow), we posed this question to Hill & Knowlton CEO and president of the Cannes Lions PR jury. Before that, we grabbed some of WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell's time to ask him what he was looking forward to this year.
You can watch this edition below (please click here Collective Conversation Feed) and can always catch the latest edition (and previous episodes) at http://blogs.hillandknowlton.com/cannes/tv.
You can watch this edition below (please click here Collective Conversation Feed) and can always catch the latest edition (and previous episodes) at http://blogs.hillandknowlton.com/cannes/tv.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Collective Conversation Feed: Shopping for antidotes
The Hill & Knowlton offices were turned into a makeshift surgery this morning as leading figures from the retail industry gathered to discuss the implications of the new coalition government on retailers and their customers.
There was much talk of the imminent pain that will be felt across the country both by business and consumers as the new government seeks to make some quick dents in the nation’s substantial deficit. What was less clear is exactly what medicine will need to be prescribed to maintain consumer confidence and ensure the economy remains in a stable condition. Beth Rigby, Retail Correspondent from the FT, The Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, Michael White, Assistant Editor of The Guardian and Richard Millar, CEO, Hill & Knowlton UK formed a lively panel debating the key issues facing retailers and consumers post election.
Beth Rigby outlined that whilst most retailers are braced for a hike in VAT, in the main they didn’t accept that this was a necessary step. She outlined that whilst the VAT cut had worked in encouraging consumer spending there is a very real fear amongst retailers that the subsequent rise will have the opposite effect.
She continued that there is currently a mixture of relief and anxiety amongst retailers – relief that there is a government in place ready to act but anxiety over the implications of those actions in the longer term.
Richard Millar agreed that maintaining consumer spending will be critical and advised retailers to come together and unite on this message.
Speaking in his newly appointed post Phillip Dunne pointed out that the new government has set two very clear actions which will affect retailers; establishment of an ombudsman and a reintroduction of a needs test into the planning regime to help communities preserve their existing high street.
A farmer himself, Mr Dunne said that he understood the muscle power of the supermarkets and insisted that an ombudsman would help to protect suppliers and farmers from abuses by large retailers. What Mr Dunne did not address was the impact an ombudsman could have on the wallets of the end consumer.
On a more optimistic note Richard Millar pointed out there are still sections of the retail industry who are doing particularly well and cited online fashion retailer ASOS as one such success story.
However, discussion of inflation and a possible rise in interest rates only added to the doom and gloom with Beth Rigby citing a recent report from Verdict who outlined a likely increase in clothing prices as a consequence.
Mr Dunne admitted that a devaluation of the Euro would lead to inflation in the immediate term – great news for exports but not so good for the cheap imports that retailers and consumers have benefitted from.
It was a sombre mood from the retailers in the room who were all generally ready for a tough time ahead. The general consensus was that whilst consumers know that they need to take the medicine it won’t be easy to swallow.
The typically outspoken Michael White summed up by pointing out that it will be consumers themselves rather than government who will feel the pressure and that once again it will be up to the retail industry to adapt. The feeling was that they will have to, or face some very tough consequences...Collective Conversation Feed
There was much talk of the imminent pain that will be felt across the country both by business and consumers as the new government seeks to make some quick dents in the nation’s substantial deficit. What was less clear is exactly what medicine will need to be prescribed to maintain consumer confidence and ensure the economy remains in a stable condition. Beth Rigby, Retail Correspondent from the FT, The Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, Michael White, Assistant Editor of The Guardian and Richard Millar, CEO, Hill & Knowlton UK formed a lively panel debating the key issues facing retailers and consumers post election.
Beth Rigby outlined that whilst most retailers are braced for a hike in VAT, in the main they didn’t accept that this was a necessary step. She outlined that whilst the VAT cut had worked in encouraging consumer spending there is a very real fear amongst retailers that the subsequent rise will have the opposite effect.
She continued that there is currently a mixture of relief and anxiety amongst retailers – relief that there is a government in place ready to act but anxiety over the implications of those actions in the longer term.
Richard Millar agreed that maintaining consumer spending will be critical and advised retailers to come together and unite on this message.
Speaking in his newly appointed post Phillip Dunne pointed out that the new government has set two very clear actions which will affect retailers; establishment of an ombudsman and a reintroduction of a needs test into the planning regime to help communities preserve their existing high street.
A farmer himself, Mr Dunne said that he understood the muscle power of the supermarkets and insisted that an ombudsman would help to protect suppliers and farmers from abuses by large retailers. What Mr Dunne did not address was the impact an ombudsman could have on the wallets of the end consumer.
On a more optimistic note Richard Millar pointed out there are still sections of the retail industry who are doing particularly well and cited online fashion retailer ASOS as one such success story.
However, discussion of inflation and a possible rise in interest rates only added to the doom and gloom with Beth Rigby citing a recent report from Verdict who outlined a likely increase in clothing prices as a consequence.
Mr Dunne admitted that a devaluation of the Euro would lead to inflation in the immediate term – great news for exports but not so good for the cheap imports that retailers and consumers have benefitted from.
It was a sombre mood from the retailers in the room who were all generally ready for a tough time ahead. The general consensus was that whilst consumers know that they need to take the medicine it won’t be easy to swallow.
The typically outspoken Michael White summed up by pointing out that it will be consumers themselves rather than government who will feel the pressure and that once again it will be up to the retail industry to adapt. The feeling was that they will have to, or face some very tough consequences...Collective Conversation Feed
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Collective Conversation Feed: PR Lions entries up 32% as Taaffe becomes Jury President
Hurrah, year 2 and PR entries to Cannes Lions 2010 are up by a third on 2009. H&K CEO Paul Taaffe, this year's PR Lions Jury President, and his panel will have more than 570 pieces of work to look at from around 50 countries. I'm told that in house PR dept entries are up... I wonder how many will be from ad agencies seeking to boost their Cannes Lions tally?
Full listing by discipline and country : Cannes Lions Entries 2010Collective Conversation Feed by Tony Burgess-Webb
Full listing by discipline and country : Cannes Lions Entries 2010Collective Conversation Feed by Tony Burgess-Webb
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Collective Conversation Feed: Moving away from the pack
The recent UK coalition agreement is just another reason why this June’s G8/ G20 meeting is shaping up to be a marvelous opportunity for Canada. As part of the coalition agreement, the government will be introducing a bank tax levy, and will be following the US lead to investigate the possibility of separating retail and investment banking. Other members of the G8 have publicly advocated similar action, with Canada being the lone hold-out. While here in Canada the main stream media are focused on the PM’s signature initiative on women and children, the real political opportunity is to shine the light on Canada as a safe haven for business and, in particular, financial services.
Politically, there is one part of the country that offers the conservative government a real opportunity to finally get its majority. The G8 for Canada is really all about Toronto. With so much of the mining sector ‘hollowed out’, the only industry that Toronto really owns in Canada is financial services. Both the Ontario and Federal Government have invested a lot of political capital in corporate tax reductions and, in the case of the Federal Government, a continued commitment to personal tax reductions once the deficit has been slayed. Without further tax reductions, Toronto is an attractive place to do business. In addition to having the lowest corporate taxes amongst developed countries, the cost of living is very affordable, the economic forecast is strong, skilled labour is plentiful, and business can be transacted on the same time zone as New York. Much has already been made of the few businesses like Tim Horton’s who shifted their headquarters (HQ) operations to Canada. Less well-known is consulting giant KPMG’s recent relocation of its head office from London to Toronto. Now no one really believes that global HQ’s will flock to Toronto. But, there is a real opportunity for the city to become a strong regional centre for financial services.
As countries of the G8 continue to turn the screws on the financial service industry, the Harper government has campaigned against bank taxes by pointing out that the most straightforward approach to ensuring that the world does not go through another financial service meltdown - is to simply limit the amount that banks can leverage. The simplicity of the Canadian approach has shown the G8 ‘reforms’ as punishment for ‘causing’ the recession and a tax grab. The truth of it is that the banks performed to the regulatory standards of their local markets.
Expect Canada to break the consensus on the bank tax that emerges at the G8 and G20. Instead the government will attempt to capitalize further on Canada’s reputation as a low cost and stable financial service sector of excellence. The economic objectives are investment, jobs and growth. But the real objective is to demonstrate to voters that the Federal Government has a plan for Toronto in its economic vision.Collective Conversation Feed by mike.coates@hillandknowlton.com (Mike Coates)
Politically, there is one part of the country that offers the conservative government a real opportunity to finally get its majority. The G8 for Canada is really all about Toronto. With so much of the mining sector ‘hollowed out’, the only industry that Toronto really owns in Canada is financial services. Both the Ontario and Federal Government have invested a lot of political capital in corporate tax reductions and, in the case of the Federal Government, a continued commitment to personal tax reductions once the deficit has been slayed. Without further tax reductions, Toronto is an attractive place to do business. In addition to having the lowest corporate taxes amongst developed countries, the cost of living is very affordable, the economic forecast is strong, skilled labour is plentiful, and business can be transacted on the same time zone as New York. Much has already been made of the few businesses like Tim Horton’s who shifted their headquarters (HQ) operations to Canada. Less well-known is consulting giant KPMG’s recent relocation of its head office from London to Toronto. Now no one really believes that global HQ’s will flock to Toronto. But, there is a real opportunity for the city to become a strong regional centre for financial services.
As countries of the G8 continue to turn the screws on the financial service industry, the Harper government has campaigned against bank taxes by pointing out that the most straightforward approach to ensuring that the world does not go through another financial service meltdown - is to simply limit the amount that banks can leverage. The simplicity of the Canadian approach has shown the G8 ‘reforms’ as punishment for ‘causing’ the recession and a tax grab. The truth of it is that the banks performed to the regulatory standards of their local markets.
Expect Canada to break the consensus on the bank tax that emerges at the G8 and G20. Instead the government will attempt to capitalize further on Canada’s reputation as a low cost and stable financial service sector of excellence. The economic objectives are investment, jobs and growth. But the real objective is to demonstrate to voters that the Federal Government has a plan for Toronto in its economic vision.Collective Conversation Feed by mike.coates@hillandknowlton.com (Mike Coates)
Friday, May 14, 2010
Collective Conversation Feed : Agency Frustration

Let’s be honest, most consultants have felt it at one time or another . . . the frustration of having your counsel questioned in a way that evidences a lack of respect for your experience and expertise.
It seldom happens with lawyers, accountants, physicians and probably management consultants with McKinsey and Company; but often with communications consultants, web designers, advertising copywriters and creative directors.
So, thanks to Dave Fleet for pointing to a little lighthearted push back (especially the penultimate sentence) at Agency Smackdown.
Collective Conversation Feed by boyd.neil@hillandknowlton.com (Boyd Neil)
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Collective Conversation Feed
Last week Simon Houpt, of the Globe and Mail wrote an interesting piece called “In praise of older relationships”. He quoted Shelly Brown, president of the Toronto-based ad agency Zig, as saying “I think we live in a culture where the grass always appears greener on the other side, where change is always good, and where [people often say] ‘Let’s move on’.”
I reflected on his article as I was travelling back from Montreal to end another busy week. I had participated in three major client meetings where there were significant customer/relationship issues to address. One involved a disagreement about a strategic direction for a campaign, another was to gain a better understanding of the client’s service requirements, and the final one was a contract re-negotiation. All these meetings ended successfully, though at any point it could have gone off in another direction. Although I did not plan it this way each meeting took on a similar pattern that resulted in a successful resolution of the issues at hand
First, in each case I spent a great deal of time listening to the point of view of the client. This took some restraint on my part, because what I really wanted to do was to come at the problem with “both guns a blazing”. Instead I tried to focus on the client’s perspective, and damn if I did not start feeling some empathy for their point of view! So I just started asking questions about why the clients felt the way they did.
Once I had established with the client that I knew how to listen, I found that the client was more open-minded about my perspective and prepared to take on a mutual responsibility for solving the problem. The perspective I gave was direct but respectful, and most importantly I had listened and took account of the information the client had just imparted to me. We were then able to drive to a satisfactory outcome. Just to make sure there were no second thoughts, the next day our team followed up to reconfirm our go forward plan. (In one case the reconfirmation was critical because our meeting ended up being a very late night out and memories were a little foggy).
Anyway the pattern was effective because I was on “receive” instead of “transmit.” As Houpt discussed in his article, a client relationship is no different than a good marriage; you really have to work at it. If things really fall off the rails you can bring in a third party to help, but hopefully by spending more time listening to your client you won’t have to reach this point.
Collective Conversation Feed by mike.coates@hillandknowlton.com (Mike Coates)
I reflected on his article as I was travelling back from Montreal to end another busy week. I had participated in three major client meetings where there were significant customer/relationship issues to address. One involved a disagreement about a strategic direction for a campaign, another was to gain a better understanding of the client’s service requirements, and the final one was a contract re-negotiation. All these meetings ended successfully, though at any point it could have gone off in another direction. Although I did not plan it this way each meeting took on a similar pattern that resulted in a successful resolution of the issues at hand
First, in each case I spent a great deal of time listening to the point of view of the client. This took some restraint on my part, because what I really wanted to do was to come at the problem with “both guns a blazing”. Instead I tried to focus on the client’s perspective, and damn if I did not start feeling some empathy for their point of view! So I just started asking questions about why the clients felt the way they did.
Once I had established with the client that I knew how to listen, I found that the client was more open-minded about my perspective and prepared to take on a mutual responsibility for solving the problem. The perspective I gave was direct but respectful, and most importantly I had listened and took account of the information the client had just imparted to me. We were then able to drive to a satisfactory outcome. Just to make sure there were no second thoughts, the next day our team followed up to reconfirm our go forward plan. (In one case the reconfirmation was critical because our meeting ended up being a very late night out and memories were a little foggy).
Anyway the pattern was effective because I was on “receive” instead of “transmit.” As Houpt discussed in his article, a client relationship is no different than a good marriage; you really have to work at it. If things really fall off the rails you can bring in a third party to help, but hopefully by spending more time listening to your client you won’t have to reach this point.
Collective Conversation Feed by mike.coates@hillandknowlton.com (Mike Coates)
Friday, April 23, 2010
Collective Conversation Feed: Web Curios
Webmongs, I won’t lie to you - I am having what fat, sweaty policemen from 1970s detective shows would legitimately refer to as ‘a rough one’ (quite possibly whilst mopping their sweaty forehead with a gingham handkerchief - repeated attempts to find an image to accompany this phrase have proved fruitless, but I can now safely say that I do not recommend Googling “fat sweaty police chief” with Safe Search turned off).
Despite this, my dedication to bringing you the very best some stuff I found online this week continues unwavering. Not least because this post marks the 10th anniversary of this (in)glorious experiment in exactly how much rubbish one can get away with churning out in the name of ‘work’. That’s right - you’ve now had 10 weeks of this crap. It probably feels like longer.
To celebrate this momentous milestone, I would like to run a competition. That’s right, YOU CAN WIN A PRIZE. Just leave a comment at the bottom of this post, telling me something interesting. The person who posts the thing which I like best will win…a book. One of my books, to be precise (I’ll try and make an appropriate choice depending on who it is). I might even throw in some other stuff too, depending on what I’ve got knocking around at home.
I’ve just reread that - effectively what I’m offering you is a random choice of second-hand novel and possibly some other miscellaneous, used tat. This is a rubbish competition. Sorry.To make up for this, here’s some links and words:
Electionwatch:
* There was another Leader’s debate last night. Opinion’s divided over who won, but there were one or two questions raised about YouGov’s impartiality or otherwise following their immediate post-debate polling for Sky and The Sun which suggested that Cameron had walked it. Online commentators were quick to point out that the YouGov CEO is in fact a Conservative PPC for Stratford-upon-Avon, who stepped down from the job when the election was called. You would of course be a fool and a communist to infer any links between Mr Zahawi’s candidacy and YouGov’s polling.
* The best writeup of last night’s debate comes from Marina Hyde. Read it and realise that she is simply better at writing than you (and me, obviously).
* You can still, if you so desire, submit questions to the party leaders through the UK Election Youtube / Facebook collaboration. Video answers to the top questions, as voted by YOU, will be posted next week. Democracy in action, people, democracy in action.
* What’s worth noting this week is that, despite the fact that this is the DIGITAL ELECTION, the real game-changer in terms of public interest and buzz has been that old media staple of television. Yes, there’s lots of chatter on Twitter around the Leaders’ debates, but that wouldn’t be happening unless they were on TV in the first place (if you see what I mean). Whisper it, but perhaps traditional media still actually matters. Which is basically what this rather good post on Media Week says.
* Oh, and this is my favourite election-related blog of the week.
This is a not inaccurate representation of how I am feeling today:
HEAR MY SILENT SCREAMS OF TORMENT
HEAR MY SILENT SCREAMS OF TORMENT
Facebook Basically Owns The Internet - This week was Facebook’s F8 conference in San Francisco. Lots of people had speculated that they were going to use this platform to announce location-based services. They didn’t. Instead, their big announcement was basically a statement of intent to run the internet (slight hyperbole, I concede) - this Guardian piece tells you pretty much everything you need to know. For those of you too pathetically lazy to click on that link and read the article, Facebook can now effectively allow other websites to embed Facebook functionality (ie the ability to ‘Like’, and therefore promote it through your newsfeed stream to all your friends). This has lots of interesting potential applications, including the ability to make your Facebook page a lot more like a Tumblr, but more than that is significant in terms of vocabulary and semantics - Facebook are fast moving towards a postion whereby they set the terms of reference for the manner in which we interact with content online. They effectively own ‘like’, for example. Which is pretty huge when you come to think of it. As ever, though, with Facebook, there are privacy concerns…
LinkedIn and YouTube have also boosted their social functionality this week. But noone got so excited about that. Poor the LinkedIn and YouTube :-(
Truth:
Advertising, marketing and PR are sometimes bad, you know.
Nothing more to say
A couple of useful presentations:
* A huge amount of recent web-usage trend data from Morgan Stanley
* A really nice set of slides about interpreting a brief in the ‘post-Digital’ age, by @Garethk
Oh, and following on from that last set, a great post which, both despite and because of my job, I fully endorse: Why ‘Digital’ is a fundamentally silly word.
A great YouTube channel, showcasing best practice examples of using it for brand / marketing purposes
The Man’s Guide to Love - Men giving advice to other men on love. This feels like it ought to be owned by a brand, but doesn’t appear to be. Who says that we’re all testosterone-fuelled, emotionally stunted meatheads? Apart from me, obviously. I’m metro as they come.
But then I go and post something a bit sexist, so maybe not:
Who says Germans don't have a sense of humour? (NB - Note to German readers; NOT ME)
Who says Germans don't have a sense of humour? (NB - note to German readers; NOT ME)
All the sound effects your workplace could ever need, in one place
This week’s obligatory ‘intellectual’ link - How historians of the future will use Twitter to learn about past societies. More interesting if you replace ‘Twitter’ with ’social media’ or indeed ‘the internet’, this is basically an overview of why millions of people sharing what they had for breakfast can still have some validity of relevance.
And now, withour further ado, videogeddon!:
Please click here for videos: Collective Conversation Feed
Despite this, my dedication to bringing you the very best some stuff I found online this week continues unwavering. Not least because this post marks the 10th anniversary of this (in)glorious experiment in exactly how much rubbish one can get away with churning out in the name of ‘work’. That’s right - you’ve now had 10 weeks of this crap. It probably feels like longer.
To celebrate this momentous milestone, I would like to run a competition. That’s right, YOU CAN WIN A PRIZE. Just leave a comment at the bottom of this post, telling me something interesting. The person who posts the thing which I like best will win…a book. One of my books, to be precise (I’ll try and make an appropriate choice depending on who it is). I might even throw in some other stuff too, depending on what I’ve got knocking around at home.
I’ve just reread that - effectively what I’m offering you is a random choice of second-hand novel and possibly some other miscellaneous, used tat. This is a rubbish competition. Sorry.To make up for this, here’s some links and words:
Electionwatch:
* There was another Leader’s debate last night. Opinion’s divided over who won, but there were one or two questions raised about YouGov’s impartiality or otherwise following their immediate post-debate polling for Sky and The Sun which suggested that Cameron had walked it. Online commentators were quick to point out that the YouGov CEO is in fact a Conservative PPC for Stratford-upon-Avon, who stepped down from the job when the election was called. You would of course be a fool and a communist to infer any links between Mr Zahawi’s candidacy and YouGov’s polling.
* The best writeup of last night’s debate comes from Marina Hyde. Read it and realise that she is simply better at writing than you (and me, obviously).
* You can still, if you so desire, submit questions to the party leaders through the UK Election Youtube / Facebook collaboration. Video answers to the top questions, as voted by YOU, will be posted next week. Democracy in action, people, democracy in action.
* What’s worth noting this week is that, despite the fact that this is the DIGITAL ELECTION, the real game-changer in terms of public interest and buzz has been that old media staple of television. Yes, there’s lots of chatter on Twitter around the Leaders’ debates, but that wouldn’t be happening unless they were on TV in the first place (if you see what I mean). Whisper it, but perhaps traditional media still actually matters. Which is basically what this rather good post on Media Week says.
* Oh, and this is my favourite election-related blog of the week.
This is a not inaccurate representation of how I am feeling today:
HEAR MY SILENT SCREAMS OF TORMENT
HEAR MY SILENT SCREAMS OF TORMENT
Facebook Basically Owns The Internet - This week was Facebook’s F8 conference in San Francisco. Lots of people had speculated that they were going to use this platform to announce location-based services. They didn’t. Instead, their big announcement was basically a statement of intent to run the internet (slight hyperbole, I concede) - this Guardian piece tells you pretty much everything you need to know. For those of you too pathetically lazy to click on that link and read the article, Facebook can now effectively allow other websites to embed Facebook functionality (ie the ability to ‘Like’, and therefore promote it through your newsfeed stream to all your friends). This has lots of interesting potential applications, including the ability to make your Facebook page a lot more like a Tumblr, but more than that is significant in terms of vocabulary and semantics - Facebook are fast moving towards a postion whereby they set the terms of reference for the manner in which we interact with content online. They effectively own ‘like’, for example. Which is pretty huge when you come to think of it. As ever, though, with Facebook, there are privacy concerns…
LinkedIn and YouTube have also boosted their social functionality this week. But noone got so excited about that. Poor the LinkedIn and YouTube :-(
Truth:
Advertising, marketing and PR are sometimes bad, you know.
Nothing more to say
A couple of useful presentations:
* A huge amount of recent web-usage trend data from Morgan Stanley
* A really nice set of slides about interpreting a brief in the ‘post-Digital’ age, by @Garethk
Oh, and following on from that last set, a great post which, both despite and because of my job, I fully endorse: Why ‘Digital’ is a fundamentally silly word.
A great YouTube channel, showcasing best practice examples of using it for brand / marketing purposes
The Man’s Guide to Love - Men giving advice to other men on love. This feels like it ought to be owned by a brand, but doesn’t appear to be. Who says that we’re all testosterone-fuelled, emotionally stunted meatheads? Apart from me, obviously. I’m metro as they come.
But then I go and post something a bit sexist, so maybe not:
Who says Germans don't have a sense of humour? (NB - Note to German readers; NOT ME)
Who says Germans don't have a sense of humour? (NB - note to German readers; NOT ME)
All the sound effects your workplace could ever need, in one place
This week’s obligatory ‘intellectual’ link - How historians of the future will use Twitter to learn about past societies. More interesting if you replace ‘Twitter’ with ’social media’ or indeed ‘the internet’, this is basically an overview of why millions of people sharing what they had for breakfast can still have some validity of relevance.
And now, withour further ado, videogeddon!:
Please click here for videos: Collective Conversation Feed
Labels:
Collective Conversation Feed,
Matt Muir
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Collective Conversation Feed: Heartbeat #2 - Clegg’s impact online
As we blogged last week, the Public Affairs team here at H&K is using a new tool developed by Sysomos called Heartbeat to track the online fortunes of the political parties during the General Election campaign.
Today, we ask what the impact of Nick Clegg winning the first Election debate and enjoying the subsequent surge in media interest has been from an online perspective.
In a nutshell, Clegg’s performance had a dramatic impact online. As can be seen from the graph below, the Liberal Democrats leapt into first place in terms of mentions following the debate. And even more importantly for them, they’ve stayed there ever since. By contrast, the Conservatives trajectory has continued steadily downward from the day before the debate onwards. Continue reading:
Collective Conversation Feed by ben.petter@hillandknowlton.com (Ben Petter)
Today, we ask what the impact of Nick Clegg winning the first Election debate and enjoying the subsequent surge in media interest has been from an online perspective.
In a nutshell, Clegg’s performance had a dramatic impact online. As can be seen from the graph below, the Liberal Democrats leapt into first place in terms of mentions following the debate. And even more importantly for them, they’ve stayed there ever since. By contrast, the Conservatives trajectory has continued steadily downward from the day before the debate onwards. Continue reading:
Collective Conversation Feed by ben.petter@hillandknowlton.com (Ben Petter)
Labels:
Adcrowd,
Ben Petter,
Collective Conversation Feed
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Collective Conversation Feed: William McDonough at Fortune Green: “Zero Emissions not Enough”
LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA – “Being less bad doesn’t mean you’re being good. It means you’re being bad, just less so.” - William McDonough
On the final day of the Fortune Brainstorm Green conference, author and world-renowned architect Bill McDonough had many in the audience pondering whether what their respective companies were doing in the sustainability space was good, or just less bad. Speaking to a packed room at the Ritz-Carlton, McDonough pointed out the importance of being good – doing things that proactively benefit the environment, instead of simply slowing down the polluting.
“If our goal is to wipe out the lower end of the food chain…we’re doing a great job.”
McDonough helps many companies, including Ford Motor Company, discover ways to improve their surrounding environment. A black & white photograph of Ford’s River Rouge factory in Dearborn, MI, which McDonough playfully labeled as already being in color, showed elements Ford already put into play. With the help of McDonough’s team, Ford built a “green roof” by planting grass. In doing so, Ford created an ecosystem on its own and made not just less of a negative impact, but a very positive one.
His message was received by all in the audience. For me, I use the golf analogy. Some courses ask you to replace your divot by walking up the fairway, picking up the dead grass and popping it back into its original spot. Using this analogy, McDonough is suggesting replacing the divot with new grass seed.
From a technology standpoint, it’s about creating laptops, TVs, mobile devices that have less of an impact when recycled. By removing the toxic lead material from each appliance and reusing those materials, coupled with creating technology that can actually benefit the environment when recycled, we not only replace our divot, but we do so with grass seed.
McDonough captured this in one final quote: “We don’t want zero emissions, we want positive emissions.”
Sounds like the right strategy to me.
Collective Conversation Feed by andrew.cuneo@hillandknowlton.com (Andrew Cuneo)
On the final day of the Fortune Brainstorm Green conference, author and world-renowned architect Bill McDonough had many in the audience pondering whether what their respective companies were doing in the sustainability space was good, or just less bad. Speaking to a packed room at the Ritz-Carlton, McDonough pointed out the importance of being good – doing things that proactively benefit the environment, instead of simply slowing down the polluting.
“If our goal is to wipe out the lower end of the food chain…we’re doing a great job.”
McDonough helps many companies, including Ford Motor Company, discover ways to improve their surrounding environment. A black & white photograph of Ford’s River Rouge factory in Dearborn, MI, which McDonough playfully labeled as already being in color, showed elements Ford already put into play. With the help of McDonough’s team, Ford built a “green roof” by planting grass. In doing so, Ford created an ecosystem on its own and made not just less of a negative impact, but a very positive one.
His message was received by all in the audience. For me, I use the golf analogy. Some courses ask you to replace your divot by walking up the fairway, picking up the dead grass and popping it back into its original spot. Using this analogy, McDonough is suggesting replacing the divot with new grass seed.
From a technology standpoint, it’s about creating laptops, TVs, mobile devices that have less of an impact when recycled. By removing the toxic lead material from each appliance and reusing those materials, coupled with creating technology that can actually benefit the environment when recycled, we not only replace our divot, but we do so with grass seed.
McDonough captured this in one final quote: “We don’t want zero emissions, we want positive emissions.”
Sounds like the right strategy to me.
Collective Conversation Feed by andrew.cuneo@hillandknowlton.com (Andrew Cuneo)
Labels:
Adcrowd,
Collective Conversation Feed
Friday, April 16, 2010
Collective Conversation Feed: “Death of print media” will demand an uptake in broadcast media training
On Wednesday night I attended the launch of IFW-Net.com, the new iteration of one of the world’s most-respected trade publications.
As anyone who’s ever looked at a newspaper website, the versatility of publishing online means no-one is restricted to a single medium. The team at IFW is in a great position to capitalise on this opportunity, and as a result so are the companies that IFW reports on.
Historically, TV has been the domain of the sexy - whether that’s the beautiful people, the popular brands or the big numbers. But with more and more trade media going the same way as IFW, there will be a growing demand for quality talent to provide on-camera interview content.
Obviously, I have a vested interest in this because Hill & Knowlton provides media training as a service. See, I’ve even linked to it, to make it easy for you to check out. The thing is…doing an interview for a web-based video is still doing an interview. It is more important to get your interview / delivery technique right than it is to care that you’re going to be on the internet rather than the BBC.
Doubtless we’ll see a massive flood of specialist digital agencies start offering some kind of on-camera performance training for web interviews in the coming months as they seek to tap a new revenue stream. The question for communicators and your company spokespeople is: is that really what you need?
(Once you’ve answered the question, put in a call to our Head of Media Training, Catherine Cross)
Collective Conversation Feed by grant.smith@hillandknowlton.com (Grant Smith)
As anyone who’s ever looked at a newspaper website, the versatility of publishing online means no-one is restricted to a single medium. The team at IFW is in a great position to capitalise on this opportunity, and as a result so are the companies that IFW reports on.
Historically, TV has been the domain of the sexy - whether that’s the beautiful people, the popular brands or the big numbers. But with more and more trade media going the same way as IFW, there will be a growing demand for quality talent to provide on-camera interview content.
Obviously, I have a vested interest in this because Hill & Knowlton provides media training as a service. See, I’ve even linked to it, to make it easy for you to check out. The thing is…doing an interview for a web-based video is still doing an interview. It is more important to get your interview / delivery technique right than it is to care that you’re going to be on the internet rather than the BBC.
Doubtless we’ll see a massive flood of specialist digital agencies start offering some kind of on-camera performance training for web interviews in the coming months as they seek to tap a new revenue stream. The question for communicators and your company spokespeople is: is that really what you need?
(Once you’ve answered the question, put in a call to our Head of Media Training, Catherine Cross)
Collective Conversation Feed by grant.smith@hillandknowlton.com (Grant Smith)
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Collective Conversation Feed: H&K Once Again One of Canada’s Best Workplaces
It was great reading in the Globe & Mail today that H&K once again been named as one of Canada’s best workplaces for 2010. While the positive reactions from clients and staff are very gratifying I don’t think people fully understand the significance of being a great workplace.
Our business is about people not brands. When H&K melted down in the early 90s it was because we lost many of our best and brightest colleagues. We continued to be the best known agency in the world but that didn’t stop our business from declining or for public relations and public affairs practitioners from looking elsewhere for employment opportunities.
Without going through the H&K Canada history – that would be a book not a post – our comeback has been about putting our people first. I have been known to say in very large new business pitches that “Clients are not my most important priority. My people are”. That statement usually generates a surprised look around the table until I ask what the client’s biggest problem is with their current PR agency. Invariably, the client says, “staff turnover”. That’s when I say, “it’s my job, is to make sure that the same people involved in the pitch will be with us a year from now”.
The relationship between client satisfaction and the stability of our account teams has been demonstrated by over 10 years of our customer satisfaction measurement. So working hard to make H&K a better workplace only makes good business sense. It is amazing how many of my peers in the service industry just don’t get this and love to make ‘hairy chested’ claims about putting their customers first.
So I am pleased to accept congratulations on behalf of the great people who really do the heavy lifting here at H&K day after day. Being named as one of Canada’s best workplaces is a critical proof point that we have got our business right.
from Collective Conversation Feed by mike.coates@hillandknowlton.com (Mike Coates)
Our business is about people not brands. When H&K melted down in the early 90s it was because we lost many of our best and brightest colleagues. We continued to be the best known agency in the world but that didn’t stop our business from declining or for public relations and public affairs practitioners from looking elsewhere for employment opportunities.
Without going through the H&K Canada history – that would be a book not a post – our comeback has been about putting our people first. I have been known to say in very large new business pitches that “Clients are not my most important priority. My people are”. That statement usually generates a surprised look around the table until I ask what the client’s biggest problem is with their current PR agency. Invariably, the client says, “staff turnover”. That’s when I say, “it’s my job, is to make sure that the same people involved in the pitch will be with us a year from now”.
The relationship between client satisfaction and the stability of our account teams has been demonstrated by over 10 years of our customer satisfaction measurement. So working hard to make H&K a better workplace only makes good business sense. It is amazing how many of my peers in the service industry just don’t get this and love to make ‘hairy chested’ claims about putting their customers first.
So I am pleased to accept congratulations on behalf of the great people who really do the heavy lifting here at H&K day after day. Being named as one of Canada’s best workplaces is a critical proof point that we have got our business right.
from Collective Conversation Feed by mike.coates@hillandknowlton.com (Mike Coates)
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Collective Conversation Feed,
Mike Coates
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