Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
After thwarting a plot by a Nigerian man to blow up an American passenger jet on Christmas Day, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was widely criticized for sending mixed messages to the American public surrounding the effectiveness of the U.S.’s airport security strategy.
A recent CNN.com article by writer Drew Weston suggests, “Napolitano’s gaffe (which, to be fair, she later sought to correct) was not an isolated incident. It is emblematic of a seat-of-the-pants approach to speaking with the American people about issues that really matter to them that is increasingly undermining the administration’s credibility.” Weston goes on to say, “It is difficult to find an issue on which the White House has offered a coherent, compelling message.”
This example underscores the importance of creating and communicating effective messages consistently. Effective messages are the key points you want your target audiences to hear and remember about your organization, an issue or a trend. These messages can be used to:
- Clearly articulate an organization’s position on a trend or newsworthy topic
- Establish a company as a thought leader in a particular category or industry
- Successfully position a company against a competitor
Consider the following tips when devising key messages.
- Develop a message framework with supporting data points – this can be done in a grid format with your pillar messages on top and the supporting data or anecdotal points below. For example, if one of your pillar messages is “Company ABC is the largest supplier of gourmet cupcakes in Seattle,” you would list the points that speak to the benefits and support that message underneath (i.e. our cupcakes are in more than 200 Seattle-metro Starbucks, etc. making us one of the easiest cupcake companies to partner with).
- Create a narrative – once you have your messaging framework completed, it helps to take that information and develop narrative messages in a bullet point format. These narratives and anecdotes can be weaved into FAQs, developed into media pitches or be used as sound bites for key spokespeople. Going back to the cupcake example, one of your narrative messages could be:
- “Everybody loves a cupcake. The recent surge of independent cupcakeries and cupcake accoutrements has created a healthy marketplace for the independent cupcake retailer; however, there are few gourmet cupcake companies which serve larger retail stores such as coffee shops chains and restaurants. Company ABC has built a solid reputation for being one of the premier suppliers of gourmet cupcakes to these outlets, and our longstanding relationships with household names such as Starbucks is proof of our success in this market.
- Ensure all key spokespeople are well versed in the key messages – it’s critical that all spokespeople are familiar with and comfortable communicating the key messages. Once you’ve developed your key messages, make sure that each of your spokespeople receives a copy. You may also want to set up mock interviews to ensure your spokesperson is clearly articulating the key messages during an interview.
In today’s complex communication environment, developing and consistently communicating effective messages is more critical than ever to cut through the noise. Compelling messages allow organizations to better position themselves to get their message across to key audiences, and help achieve their communication and business objectives.
If Janet Napolitano had consistent messaging surrounding the Northwest Airlines terrorist plot, she may have been better able to assure the American people about the effectiveness of the country’s current airport security system and communicate what measures the U.S. was going to take to make the system even better.
Today’s communicators are called on to write for an increasing number of mediums including print and broadcast media, social networks, and online media such as blogs and Web sites. Some of us are also writing scripts for podcasts or YouTube videos.
So how do you – as a communicator – effectively write for these different mediums and ensure your communication rises above the noise? Yesterday, I outlined some tips with the South Sound chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). Here is a recap of the tips I shared.
- Possess clarity of thought – If, as a writer, you are not clear on what you want to communicate, then chances are your writing will not be clear, concise or compelling.
- Know your audience – This will enable you to tailor your style, message and story to the audience and its needs.
For example, consider Motrin’s 2008 campaign targeting moms, which backfired by upsetting its intended target audience. Moms found the company’s message – that “baby-wearing” is a fashionable accessory – offensive. This caused Motrin to pull the ad and led disgruntled moms to create the Facebook group, “Babywearing isn’t painful. Boycott Motrin for saying it is.”
- Craft a compelling story – Effective storytelling arouses the emotions of the listener/reader. It draws readers into the drama and has the power to shift perceptions. Some guidelines to follow when crafting a story:
- Show don’t tell
- Make it interesting
- Use analogies
- Provide the point
- Stay true to your brand – Communicators have increasing opportunities to share information and engage with others. However, it is important not to stray from the core values of your brand, what your brand represents and your business objectives. Make sure you are consistent across all forms of communication.
Nora Doyle, community relations specialist with Tacoma Public Utilities, provided wonderful examples of how her team has integrated the Tacoma Public Utilities brand and messages into a variety of mediums, including transit ads, billboards, brochures, and on its Web site and Facebook fan page in a consistent and thoughtful manner.
- Understand the medium –What works for a blog will not necessarily work for a press release, a pitch or a YouTube video. Do your research; investigate successes and flops with the specific medium. Also, think about how you can leverage communication across multiple mediums and include these in your overarching communication plan.
- Keep communication concise – Consider the attention span of your audience. Researchers in Britain carried out a study and found an average person’s attention span today is just five minutes and seven seconds compared to 12 minutes ten years ago. As communicators we get limited opportunities to grab our readers attention. Headlines matter. Make sure each word counts.
- Broadcast less and listen, engage more – This may not seem to be a writing tip; however, to be an effective writer in today’s media climate it is important to build respect and trust. If you are not listening and responding to your audience(s) you will not be able to communicate in a way that builds a relationship.
So the next time you have a case of writer’s block or are preparing to write for a new medium, I hope you’ll review this list of suggestions. I find when I am stuck, taking a few minutes to identify my issue helps me solve it and complete my writing assignment in no time.
This February, Communiqué PR is celebrating its sixth anniversary. In conjunction with this milestone, we have decided to launch a Twitter contest. You can follow @CommuniquePR to participate in the Communiqué PR Trivia Contest.
Here’s how it will work. Beginning at 6 a.m. PT on Feb. 12, we’ll post the first of eight trivia questions. The first two correct responses to each question we receive via @CommuniquePR will receive a copy of our book, Strategic Public Relations. Please see below for the official rules.
We hope you’ll help us spread the word by sharing this post via Twitter and good luck to all!
Official Rules
1. Eligibility: This contest is open to U.S. residents 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Employees of Communiqué PR are not eligible.
2. To Enter: The contest begins at 6 a.m. PT, Feb., 12, 2010 and will continue until 11:59 p.m. PT, Feb. 12, 2010. To enter, visit www.twitter.com/CommuniquePR and follow @CommuniquePR to receive trivia questions. Entrants will be required to respond to @CommuniquePR.
Questions will be posted as follows: eight questions will be posted between 6 a.m. PT and 8 p.m. PT, Feb., 12, 2010. Winners will be determined on a first come, first serve basis: the first two respondents to reply to @CommuniquePR with the correct answer will win a copy of Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principles to Harness the Power of PR.
Winner will be contacted via reply from @CommuniquePR.
3. Judging: Each question will be posted on www.twitter.com/CommuniquePR and participants must reply to @CommuniquePR with the answer. The first two correct answers received by Communiqué PR will win. Judges’ determinations are final. Communiqué PR will select two winners for each of the eight questions. Winning responses will be posted on CommuniquePR.com and twitter.com/CommuniquePR.
4. Prizes: The 16 winners will each receive one (1) copy of Strategic Public Relations, a $28.99 value. Communiqué PR will not be responsible for any loss, liability or damage arising out of the winner’s acceptance or use of the prize. All prizes are guaranteed to be awarded.
5. Redemption: To redeem your prize, you’ll need to provide Communiqué PR with your full name, phone number and mailing address.
6. Conditions: Communiqué PR is not responsible for lost, late or unintelligible entries, lost connections, miscommunications, failed transmissions, other technical difficulties or failures. Communiqué PR reserves the right to terminate or modify this contest at any time in the event of any intervention with the promotion beyond the control of Communiqué PR. In such a circumstance, winners will be selected based on the entries received to date of termination. Entrants agree to indemnify Communiqué PR from and against any and all claims and liabilities arising out of or in connection with this contest. Only one prize per person.
Winners will be notified on Twitter.com. By entering this sweepstakes you agree to the use of your name and likeness and entry for promotional purposes (except where prohibited by law.)
7. Consumer Information: If you wish to receive a list of prize winners, or have any questions about the contest, specify your request and write to: Twitter Trivia Contest, Communiqué PR, 314 W. Galer Street, Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98119.
Recently, I had an opportunity to re-connect with Hanson Hosein, director of the Master of Communication in Digital Media at the University of Washington. Hanson, a former NBC News war correspondent and investigative producer, is passionate about storytelling, new models of communication and social media. I enjoyed chatting with Hanson about the impact of social media on communication. He shared his perspective on how digital media is awakening citizens and changing the world.
The intersection of storytelling and social media is fascinating for professional communicators, because as Hanson and others have articulated, social media enables anyone and everyone to be a broadcaster.
As consumers become broadcasters, they have a heightened ability to broadly influence others, and essentially everyone becomes an advertiser. In addition, more and more consumers are leveraging their social networks for buying decisions. I know this is true for me. When I upgraded my mobile phone, I solicited input from my network on Twitter and Facebook to determine whether I should purchase an iPhone or Android. (The iPhone won out.)
I am not the only one turning to my social network, consider the recent survey results from the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association illustrating that 93.6 percent of mothers with kids at home seek the advice of others before buying a service or product.
Clearly, with more people sharing information there is an increasing issue of trust. How do you know the information shared is accurate, valid, and authentic? False user reviews, erroneous tweets, and paid blog posts should make readers take pause. I believe we still rely on trusted journalists and credible news outlets to validate the points of view of our friends, which means its still important for companies to implement strategic public relations campaigns.
As we outline in our book, this changing landscape has swelled media fragmentation, led to a saturation of information and increased susceptibility of a brand’s reputation to scrutiny. These trends are driving business communicators away from traditional advertising to public relations.
Communication professionals need to evaluate and incorporate these trends and social mediums into their strategies in order to be successful. A critical component to successful public relations is the ability to craft a compelling story. Effective storytelling can engage, build trust and influence perceptions.
Given this, I was excited to learn that Hanson is writing a book about storytelling in this new landscape. The working title, “The Storytelling Uprising: How to Connect in the Disruption of the Digital Age” is tentatively scheduled to be published later this year.
It is an exciting time for public relations. As the industry continues to experience significant change, it is wonderful to connect with thought leaders such as Hanson. If you’re interested in hearing more about his perspective on digital media you can hear Hanson speak at Tedx Seattle, April 16, 2010.
Last week, our client Digonex Technologies announced its partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a price analysis consultation pilot. This pilot officially marks the Cavaliers as the first national sports franchise to leverage Digonex’s Sports & Entertainment Analytical Ticketing System (SEATS), a dynamic commerce engine that analyzes sales data and provides price suggestions based upon econometric and behavioral principles.
While sports teams and franchises have traditionally used a tiered-pricing structure, which is typically set at the beginning of a season, unexpected factors throughout the season are causing teams to evaluate alternative ticket pricing structures and technologies that enable them to demonstrate their commitment to the fans.
Digonex will perform analysis on fan-based pricing structures for single games and will make instant price recommendations to the Cavaliers for selected games and other arena events. Digonex plans to begin working with the Cavaliers following the All-Star break.
We helped Digonex promote this exciting news through an integrated approach, which included reaching out to a select number of media who cover the ticketing industry and sports business via buddy e-mail. We also distributed the announcement during INTIX, a leading international ticketing conference, as the news was extremely relevant to the attendees given the content of the show. Lastly, we recommended Digonex tweet the news on its handle (@Digonex) to drive viral conversations around the news.
As a result of our outreach, we secured three pieces of coverage in target trade publications, including Sports Business Journal, Venues Today and TicketNews.com. Additionally, the news was widely tweeted about on Twitter by a number of INTIX attendees, ticket professionals and journalists including Eric Fisher of Sports Business Journal.
This integrated approach for distributing the news helped Digonex raise visibility of this key partnership and extend its thought leadership in the dynamic pricing market.
I recently returned from Amsterdam where I attended and presented at Enterprise Social 2.0. What a fabulous experience. The speakers and presentations were first rate. Here are some of the highlights from the gathering.
Ramon DeLeon, Domino’s Pizza (@Ramon_DeLeon). This guy is an amazing presenter with outstanding energy; but beyond his exceptional presentation skills, he shared some wonderful examples of how he has used social media to drive business to his six Chicago stores.
For instance, he told us about a simple, but effective promotion he used to gain exposure for his stores on Facebook. He simply updated his status to say “However many minutes it takes you to respond to this message is the amount you’ll pay for two pizzas.” A woman posted a response on his wall in two minutes and received two pizzas for $2. The benefit for Ramon was that he gained significant awareness / exposure with this promotion by engaging many others in responding and telling their friends about the campaign.
Ramon’s primary goal with social media is to motivate people to tell their friends about his pizza. He wants them to do this via word-of-mouth, Facebook and Twitter, and is a master at creating compelling content and promotions to make this happen. He also understands that “people do business with people they like and trust. Without customers you have no business.” This is a guiding principle for him.
Adam Wallace, Roger Smith Hotel New York (@adwal). In his presentation, Adam focused on showing how they have used social media to generate excitement and enthusiasm for the boutique hotel. One of the key takeaways from his presentation was to make sure the folks on the front line know about their impact on perceptions. For instance, the Roger Smith Hotel became extremely well known with its online followers for its crispy, mouth-watering bacon, but the guy cooking it had no idea. It is important for the people creating the real-world customer experience to understand they will have an impact (good or bad) on what people say on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. Click here to link to an interview with Adam.
Ellen Petry Leanse, Google (@chep2m). Ellen is such an inspiration. She shared interesting information about social media. She also delivered her presentation using Google Wave – Google’s personal communication and collaboration tool – which I had not seen in action. She was able to use the Wave technology to integrate links to articles, videos and more. To learn more about her thoughts on Google Wave, you can click here to link to an interview she conducted wih Remco Janssen (@remcojanssen).
Kees Mulder, Kodak (@keesmulder). Another fantastic presenter was Kees Mulder with Kodak. It was interesting to hear how Kodak has reinvented itself in the digital era and how they’re engaging customers. Kees spoke about a campaign they launched to name a new camera where they asked people to send suggestions via Twitter or by posting a comment on the company blog. The winners of the contest were invited to participate in a special launch event in Las Vegas at 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) (this was an all expense paid trip), received cameras and recognition as the contest winners. Kodak also randomly chose 100 other participants to receive the camera. Needless to say, the campaign was a big success. Kodak gained a lot of free publicity via social networks and mainstream media and also got a winning name (The Kodak Playsport) for its innovative camera.
Participants in the panel discussion I led on damage control in social media included Ramon DeLeon, Ellen Petry Leanse and author Mike Moran. We discussed how companies such as Facebook, Google, Johnson & Johnson, Toyota and Dominos have responded to recent crisis situations and shared best practices before, during and after a disaster.
Other noteworthy presentations and discussions were led by LEGO, L’Oreal, Siemens Swift, Vodafone, Nokia, SAP, Philips and Airbus. The conference organizers KGS put together a winning two days and I feel honored to have had the opportunity to connect with so many world-class leaders.