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| March 2006
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« February 2006 | Main | April 2006 » Dance like nobody's watching?Posted by Sarah Voigt on March 28, 2006 at 3:21 PMWe learned in news reports today that a NFL committee is considering new restrictions on the end zone celebration known as the “touchdown dance.” Things have gotten out of hand, it seems, in this expression of victory. Few would dispute that some of today’s touchdown dances look like dropped numbers from the latest Michael Flatley extravaganza. Dance itself has been used to communicate across the years and across the species. Think of a bee’s “pollen dance,” or a toddler’s “potty dance.” Both communicate critical information without using words. A touchdown dance, though? Little more than “nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah.” Perhaps it’s the understanding of how the nonverbal communication reinforces the verbal. Think of Elvis, and the consternation he caused for the cameramen who were limited in filming this singer from the waist up. Remember Steve Ballmer, putting his all into pepping up his Microsoft posse. Think of that guy across the table, and the little shiver that coursed through you as he leaned over the table, hooked on whatever it was you were saying at the time. Nonverbals, whether manifested in raised eyebrows, hunched shoulders, or tapping fingers, are powerful weapons -- ones that we maybe even under-utilize in the business world. It’s a shame that we’re damned to spend time and money reminding those professionals on the field to use them discriminately. How could you harness the power of the nonverbal for a boardroom victory? "This instrument..."Posted by Matt Kucharski on March 28, 2006 at 12:54 PM“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate and it can even inspire, but it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights and a box…” This is a quote from Edward R. Murrow back in 1953, talking about the future of television, but he could be talking about the Internet today. As we download our music and our movies, as we share our personal Weblogs and find our favorite new products, this incredible instrument, as Murrow would call it, can still illuminate and inspire, should we choose to use it for that purpose. If you haven't had a chance to pick up "Good Night and Good Luck," it's now out on DVD, and is worth a 90-minute investment of your time. You can even use your favorite Internet connection to get it from Blockbuster.com or Netflix if you choose. Mr. Murrow would certainly approve... Pitching bloggersPosted by Bob Brin on March 26, 2006 at 9:03 AMJust read this entry about pitching bloggers. "If you expect bloggers to take the time to read/review/blog about your product you should also spend time to learn about them." It's good stuff to keep in mind and then I thought . . . what if you swapped out the words "blogger" with "reporter?" Sounds like what we've heard from reporters for decades. The blogger community may well drive us to do what we know is best. And considering many reporters are now also bloggers, we better! Français Faux PauxPosted by Rich Sharp on March 24, 2006 at 1:16 PMDoes business have an official language? According to Ernest-Antoine Seilliere, head of the UNICE employers federation, it does: English. Seilliere gave a speech today at the European Union’s two-day summit in Brussels. As he began his speech, in English, French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac asked him why he was speaking in English. That’s when Seilliere made his declaration. Chirac had had enough, got up, and walked out on the session. “I was deeply shocked that a Frenchman would speak at the council table in English,” he said. It’s all about knowing your audience. Whether it’s before the EU, the chamber of commerce or your shareholders, you must understand them before you talk at them. Seilliere had the right choice in mind. However, EU tradition suggests giving speeches before the EU in your native tongue with simultaneous translation. He knew his audience, but in this case, he ignored tradition…an erreur. What the *&*((+#^% Were They Thinking?Posted by Matt Kucharski on March 15, 2006 at 6:37 AMThere's a great article in the March 8 edition of the Wall Street Journal on Australia's new advertising campaign, complete with the slogan "So Where The Bloody Hell Are You?" I'd link you to the piece, but those bastions of capitalism at Dow Jones would charge you to view it anyway. If you do want to shed a few shekels, the article talks a lot about the appropriateness of different taglines, and even gives a list of other popular vacation destinations. My personal favorite -- "Krakow -- It Doesn't Suck Anymore." (that's a joke, so please, if you're from there, relax...!). Seriously, if you want to hear a little more about our philosophy on taglines, you can avoid sending your money to Dow Jones and instead listen to PSB's Quick Question podcast on the topic. Enjoy your day... Share and share alikePosted by Rich Sharp on March 14, 2006 at 4:20 PMThe overarching (and overwhelming) theme of this year's SXSW interactive sessions has been content creation and sharing -- something that Corporate America needs to embrace now. Panel after panel have underscored the idea that the mass of humanity online want to create, recreate and share content. Companies may not even realize the amount and kinds of content they have to share with their customers or consumers. Sharing this content, and letting the end users play with this content, can create a tremendous upside for business. Think Nike and their campaign to let you design and order your own shoes. Last post from SXSW...I'm off to the airport! Rethinking the podcastPosted by Rich Sharp on March 12, 2006 at 2:20 PMI must admit that I was one of those guys who thought that podcasting was essentially a fancy way to blah-blah, record that blah-blah in an MP3 format and either put it on your Web site for access or deliver it via RSS. After sitting through a session on podcasting at South by Southwest (SXSW) today, I've changed my view. The session this morning focused on the whys or why-nots of podcasting an event. Much of what we do as public relations professionals is recommend, create and execute events on behalf of our clients. It's simplistic to think of recording an event -- whether it's a presentation, performance, etc. -- as merely an MP3 file sitting there waiting to be downloaded. That's where my viewpoint was wrong. Duh. PR pros can take advantage of podcasting in a way that isn't necessarily a banal, two-minute interview or even a self-centered talk show. For example, what if you were a not-for-profit organization and you hosted an event/Webcast designed to persuade a legislature and other key influencers to support a particular issue. And during that Webcast, you found the live Web audience to be small. Instead of simply hoping that people navigate to the site to view the Webcast, what if the session was recorded, converted into an MP3 format and then was pushed to those key influencers by email, or mailed on CD or other media? There are many technical and content considerations when determining what to record and deliver as a podcast. We need to be aware of issues such as sound engineering, audio redundancy and fair use as we develop our programs. But most importantly, we need to make a solid business case for creating a podcast. Our approach is to be strategic -- how will this help us meet our communications and business objectives? If we can answer that question and provide a solid, strategic foundation for the podcast, the possibiliites will be great and plentiful. More from SXSW later... Consumer-Degenerated Media 2Posted by Bob Brin on March 12, 2006 at 7:27 AMI received comments to my post Consumer-Degenerated Media from Deeceevoice, the individual who was taking part in the tug of war over content on Wikipedia. Wal-Mart, Edelman and transparencyPosted by Rich Sharp on March 8, 2006 at 3:38 PMCan we have it both ways in our relationship with bloggers? Can we, on one hand, reach out to bloggers with our messages and encourage them to spread the word? On the other hand, can we chide bloggers for sometimes being wanton communicators with no ethical boundaries who can cause irreparable damage to client reputations? Disclosure: I don’t like Wal-Mart for many reasons. But I find it hard to argue with its approach to reaching out to bloggers via its public relations agency (Edelman). The issue, as reported in The New York Times yesterday, is whether the bloggers who received the pitch and wrote favorably about Wal-Mart were obligated to be transparent – that is, report that they were pitched and/or used content provided to them by Wal-Mart/Edelman. What Wal-Mart and Edelman did was neither wrong nor unethical. What the bloggers did is questionable – if they desire to be considered news gatherers and reporters on the same level as professional journalists. Whether you think pitching bloggers is good or bad, bloggers bring this issue on themselves. The unwritten rule among bloggers is that you are to be transparent. In a sense, it’s their code of ethics. Professional journalists abide by a more formal code of ethics as set forth by the Society of Professional Journalists. But bloggers are not professional journalists (though some bloggers, this one included, are or have been professional journalists). Bloggers have a responsibility to let their readers know that, while they may take sides on an issue, they were approached by a public relations firm or a corporation if they use information from those sources. In this case, mentioning that they received information from Wal-Mart would have been appropriate. Bloggers are highly influential and should not be ignored. But as Edelman and Wal-Mart are discovering, you can’t count on your message getting through clearly each time or escaping without scrutiny. It’s the nature of the beast. In the spirit of revealing source material, following are links to information I used for this entry: The New York Times: Wal-Mart Blog PR Backfires Greatness Beyond NumbersPosted by Sean McDonnell on March 7, 2006 at 2:19 PMBoth were considered undersized overachievers, yet through strength of body and character reached the pinnacle of greatness in their respective sports and became Hall of Fame inductees. Both were respected by fans, teammates and opponents alike and became the most beloved sports icons ever within their adopted hometowns. Both wore jersey number 34 and died too young at age 45. Beyond their common traits and dazzling stats, what made Kirby Puckett and Walter Payton so memorable was their effervescent personalities, their lifelong allegiance to their teams and their desire to perform best under pressure-packed circumstances. Puckett – "Puck" to Minnesota Twins fans – and Payton – "Sweetness" to Chicago Bears followers – made those around them better not just because of their personal accomplishments, but rather by the power of their personalities. And it's the latter that people will remember and appreciate far longer than their individual statistics. Listen closely to those who mourn Puckett’s loss, and you’ll hear comments similar to those that followed Payton’s death in 1999 – phrases such as "team leader," "ever-present smile" and "infectious exuberance." Not coincidentally, all of these words are inscribed on Puckett's National Baseball Hall of Fame plaque. You'll also be reminded of Puckett's top team accomplishments – World Series titles for the Twins in 1987 and 1991 – just as Bears fans were reminded of how Payton helped the Bears gain their lone Super Bowl win in 1985. Occasionally but much less frequently you’ll hear about Puckett's individual statistics – line items like his .318 lifetime batting average and six Gold Gloves. It's not that these aren't important, it's just that in the end, our true value resides not so much in the numbers we’ve achieved, but rather in how we've earned them and how we’ve benefited others. Given the strong numerical orientation of business and sports and our societal eagerness to crown glory upon those who achieve the best numbers, remember that numbers are still only a solitary means of measure. In business as in sports, those who gain true greatness have also earned the unflinching admiration of their teammates, fans and opponents. For a reminder, just remember the number 34. Who dimmed the lights at NBC?Posted by Rich Sharp on March 6, 2006 at 4:17 PMThe whole point of viral media is to garner the source a TON of good will and publicity. So why, then, does NBC continue to kill the vigilante viral “SNL Digital Short”? Perhaps this is an insidiously viral strategy that NBC is employing and we’re just too dumb to realize it. Yeah, that’s it…I’m NBC, and I’ll leak the cool gangsta rap video featuring Natalie Portman, then make Youtube take it down and anger people. Hey, any pub is good pub, right? This also happened with the first of these great shorts, “Lazy Sunday (The Chronic-les of Narnia)”, and the “Young Chuck Norris Tribute”. All videos are available exclusively at NBC. I’d understand it if NBC really wanted to drive traffic to its site – these videos are very nearly the only reason to lure 20-somethings to the tube – and to NBC – on a Saturday evening. But wouldn’t it make more sense to let these videos catch fire on the Web, across blogs and – most importantly – among the Facebook and My Space crowds? Chinese proverb: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. NBC: don’t just give your site visitors the video…send it everywhere you can and lure folks back to your site and your No. 4 network so they can experience the new blood on “Saturday Night Live” and other shows. BTW & IMHO, Andy Samberg RULES! |
