It’s getting difficult to stay on top of all the new social networking and digital communications platforms available today: Google Buzz, Foursquare, Posterous and Google Wave are seeking to match the more established communities like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. It wasn’t always like this; new media channels didn’t just sprout up every week. To say it’s changed the daily activities of PR professionals over the past ten years is a drastic understatement.
From H1N1 to Healthcare Reform, PR experts from other niche categories found it challenging to land placements. With digital news becoming more valuable, those in the industry needed to redefine and redesign campaigns to reach digital influencers. Understanding this landscape, here are a few trends PR professionals should be aware of, and a brief explanation of how they can be part of these trends in 2010.
This past Wednesday, myself along with my Cohn & Wolfe Digital peers Jim Wells and Katie Greene, had the chance to attend The Consumerist’s first meetup at Botanica Bar. For those not familiar with The Consumerist, it’s a highly influential blog with more than half a million unique monthly visitors known for its witty and brutally honest commentary on consumer issues and activism.
I just wrapped up a trip to Greece for Stream 09. If you haven’t heard of Stream, it is WPP’s annual unconference focused on technology, innovation, and the future of digital marketing. The level of digital knowledge among attendees was one of the most impressive aspects of the event. Stream gathered 300 marketers, agency reps, technologists and venture capitalists from across the globe, all of whom contributed fascinating perspectives on the opportunities and challenges of marketing in the digital age.
While brainstorms are certainly a fun part of the PR profession, (oh the games, we play!) we can all relate to feeling a little creatively stumped from time to time. But don’t fret! Good ideas do exist outside the walls of a PR agency (gasp!) and there are a lot of ways to get them, including crowdsourcing.
Speaking at last week’s Social Communications & Healthcare Conference (#BDI), Pfizer VP/Worldwide Comunications Ray Kerins said that Pfizer wants to have online conversations with its consumers. However, he thinks it is unfair to ask company employees to risk their job implementing a social media program that the FDA might later deem a violation, despite its refusal to issue guidance in this area. Nevertheless, the company just two weeks ago launched its corporate Twitter page (@Pfizer_News) and is starting to proactively communicate with its audience in real-time.
I sat at my desk this past Friday and marveled as Stephon “Starbury” Marbury approached the double-digit mark. I’m not talking about points, rebounds or assists. I’m talking about hours. As in hours of all-access, unedited, filter-free Starbury coming to hundreds of thousands via live streaming video. Welcome to the “new world,” non-digital believers exit stage right. A soon-to-be-retired NBA point guard was giving a lesson in modern-day publicity, and everyone I know was tuning in to bear witness.
Nothing has had a greater impact on my view of social media more than the book Groundswell, specifically its Social Technographic Profile, a research tool helping brands to identify how its customers use social media technologies. So I became intrigued when I heard that imc² adapted Forrester’s technographic profile tool for healthcare.
After reading a New York Post article on the emerging rivalry between Google and Bing, I’m glad to say my interest in Bing has certainly grown. The two have been fiercely pitted against one another to determine which engine is the most sophisticated, the most user-friendly, and most viable in today’s ever-changing sea of online content. In addition, bloggers have taken to comparing Google, Bing, and Yahoo search results using Blind Search, a nifty tool that allows you to gauge the effectiveness of each search engine’s results, asking you to choose the results you prefer, then revealing the search engine used.
On Wednesday, June 24th, my colleague Rachelle Spero will be presenting a “Digital Exploratorium” in Geneva. The focus is on conversational marketing and how brands can: effectively build a listening infrastructure; identify market influencers and join the conversation; create engaging content and experiences, and much more.
A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending Technology for the Turnaround at my alma mater which brought together more than 170 digital media professionals and enthusiasts from around the country to discuss the future of the industry in education and beyond. The day-long event was put together by The University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and the New Media Institute. The goal of the event was to generate new ideas and insights for students, educators and professionals about this evolving industry we call Digital Media.
Because of recent FDA and FTC rulings, now more than ever, understanding of the legal landscape is the overriding paradigm in digital communications. It’s where every program in every discipline must begin. Innovation will remain within reach, but simply (and perhaps bluntly) put, advertisers and marketers may have to start earning media the way public relations has earned it for years.
In a digital world where blogs are proliferating with a speed matched only by the growth of social networks, it should come as no surprise that the two entities are breeding a hybrid beast of interpersonal communication.
Over the past few months, we’ve spent a lot of time talking to companies about Twitter. Even our most skeptical clients find it tough to ignore given its phenomenal growth – a 1,382% year-over-year increase in unique visitors from February 2008 to February 2009, according to Nielsen Online and a significant spike after Oprah’s first tweet last Friday. How do we manage it all? Who is the right person to twitter? Enter CoTweet.
There is a concern among content creators that the Internet does not have a safety net to protect their assets. By content creators, I’m talking about artists of all flavors - from Metallica protecting their extensive library of head-banging genius, to Bill Gates protecting his latest version of Windows, to a college kid’s first keg stand photos.
There are many point-of-views (POV) on how pharmaceutical companies are engaging in digital and social media activities. One topic that is not discussed as frequently is how and where pharmaceutical companies should start when it comes to implementing a company-wide digital strategy that includes standard operating procedures and policies.
It was a breakout year for digital PR in 2008. Marketers, politicians, publishers and agencies delivered strong integrated communications programs with a heavy social media focus. The digital transformation of PR continues to accelerate as more audiences use the web as their primary news source. Here’s a quick look at the developments, trends, and the types of programs we are discussing with our clients this year.
Technologies change and social media evolves as a primary enabler – from microphone recordings to Twitter banter – but the message stays the same: don’t say things you can’t stand by at every moment. Just look at these examples as our not-so-gentle reminders.
It's pretty incredible how social media has the power to inspire social change by uniting and mobilizing people all over the world. Without tools like Facebook and Twitter, events just simply aren't as successful, and frequently these tools help generate enough buzz to make the evening news. Case in point – Twestival.
Coming off the heels of the most successful digital campaign in political history, President Barack Obama and his team are continuing their online communications with the launch of the official White House Blog. Macon Phillips, Director of New Media for the Obama administration, wrote the inaugural post on January 20 that emphasized communication, transparency and participation as the three guiding principles and priorities for all online media efforts from the team moving forward.
Have you noticed that the web is looking a lot like TV lately? Networks, portals, and the major content sites are all serving up high-quality, full screen video of news, episodic content, and sporting events. CNN.com's broadcast of the inauguration was the best example I've seen of where web video is heading – live, interactive (featured Facebook integration), and flawless.
Being social media friendly is not simply about creating content that will interest a user, but rather using the content as a catalyst for user interaction. Sites like WebMD and MayoClinic will continue to draw users because of their credibility. However, will they continue to evolve as top health destinations that are social media friendly?
For as long as many PR professionals can remember, ProfNet was their sole source of journalist requests for interviews and other information for their stories. No PR workday was complete without scanning several ProfNet emails each day, searching for requests relevant to their client. Things have changed.
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