When terms get used and abused to the extent they lose some meaning, it forces me to reevaluate how I define the word. For example, SUSTAINABLE. Over the last couple months I’ve seen marketers throw around this word in ways I don’t feel are appropriate.

To think sustainable, I think you have to start with a point of view, a goal that is not related to the transaction, but to conversation. Rage Against the Haze was successful during unfunded times due to empowered, educated teens who really believed in their voice. We knew that RAGE funding was not guaranteed; we would be lucky to have funds for two years in a row. We used to say our goal was that if Brains on Fire got hit by a bus, RAGE would continue on tomorrow.

IMO many marketers shout sustainability but they really are still talking tactics. The beauty about true, deep insight is it begins relationships internally and externally. These conversations lead to conversations out of the original circle, which is a nice side effect. Compare this to the problems we see happening out there right now. People are using influencer models¹ that continue no conversation online or offline. It’s just people clicking buttons on a survey.

Continue reading " Thinking About Sustainable WOM — Revisited! "

Spike Jones and I have had a running joke about circles after I posted the cycle of the fan diagram. This became a company-wide joke when I tried unsuccessfully to turn a financial graph into a circle on a recent project. Several good things came out of my sharing of a cycle of how a brand can interact with and move people along the steps of fandom. I have to admit I had many reservations about putting a visual thought process out in the blogosphere. But as David Armano told me, “Geno, posting your thoughts to the world in the form of a visual is daunting, but feedback you get in return that helps shape thinking is worth it all.”

So I’ve decided to open the kimono and post about sustainability and the cycle model we use for our not-for-profit client Rage Against The Haze (South Carolina’s teen-led anti-tobacco use movement). When BOF was awarded the contract for RAGE five years ago we made a decision to build a sustainable movement, not another anti-tobacco industry campaign. I don’t know if this was a case of brilliant thinking more than the fact that funding was limited and also limited in terms of commitment of funding. Believe it or not, our mantra for RAGE was “if BOF got hit by a bus tomorrow, RAGE will need to continue to live. ”

As we traveled around the state talking to adults and teens, one thing became obvious — the teenagers needed to lead the movement. What I mean by lead is with their words and actions, so they have true ownership. The major problem we faced with RAGE is similar to a college or high school coach. You only have your current players for a limited amount of time; they grow older, and leave high school for college or the next step in their lives. The RAGE demo is 13–18; this rather wide demo was really a blessing. It forced us to think in terms of a continuous evolution.

Continue reading " Sustainability Cycles Create Sustainable Word-of-Mouth Movements "

The emergence of social media in public relations strikes me as being like a lot of crises. First, it has the capacity to change our world profoundly — for good or ill. Second, it looked like it snuck up on us, bursting onto the scene with an urgency and impact that could be considered explosive. But the truth is, like most crises, it was there smoldering for a long time before it erupted into the single most compelling issue in public relations today. Third, while we’re in the thick of this “social media crisis,” it looks like it will never end. But like all crises, it too shall pass. The only question is, what will the future look like when it is superceded with some new form of normalcy?

At the recent Ragan Communications/PRSA Conference on Social Media in Las Vegas, I had the opportunity to speak on social media and crisis communication. It was one of the most engaging discussions I’ve ever had with a large group. Essentially what we discussed was the fact that social media is changing our world forever, and that social media changes nothing of importance.

Social media, as exemplified by three of the hot topics of the day — Facebook, YouTube and Twitter — is accelerating and emphasizing trends that have been in play ever since the Internet became part of our lives. These trends are the ever-increasing speed of news, the ability and expectation of audiences to get information directly from sources rather than from the media, the exponential phenomenon of word of mouth and the high levels of interactivity. These changes are profound for those involved in daily public affairs, issues management and crisis management. In this sense, it changes everything. Our work is faster, more direct, more interactive — let alone how styles and modes have changed.

Continue reading " Social Media and What Is Really Important "

Media Relations 101 teaches you the basics of interacting with journalists. You provide media outlets with timely, honest, interesting information that’s relevant to their audience. You respond promptly when they ask questions and you follow up when needed to make sure they have everything they need for a story. In short, PR people are taught to help build a symbiotic relationship with journalists and provide them information they can use. You know the drill.

But in this new era of “citizen journalism,” where anyone with a computer can spread information about your brand, is client relations quickly becoming the new media relations?  Should PR practitioners counsel organizations to treat customers in the same way PR folk treat media: providing open, honest, authentic information in a timely manner?

A lot of companies still aren’t sure how to handle the onslaught of attention (both positive and negative) social media has allowed customers to give to a brand, let alone give up the illusion of control that they’ve always had.  This is where public relations is poised to take the lead. Imagine if companies started listening and responding to customers in the same way PR people follow up with their top editors?

Continue reading " Is Client Relations the New Media Relations? "