Hill+Knowlton Strategies

Lesson learned #17: Don’t sit on a panel with smart people, as they will either make you look bad, or make your brain hurt because you will actually have to think.

Yesterday, I was a panelist alongside Mitch Joel, blogger, podcaster, speaker and Twist Imager (a title I want as well) and Leigh Himel of super-secret Oponia (and no amount of arm-twisting would wrench the secret from her) at the apt but wordy New Media in Communications Conference.

The discussion, from this biased writer’s perspective, offered some flavourful discourse – given the fact we were all opinionated scabbards - that, at a minimum, seemed sufficient to keep the audience in a state of REM sleep… In addition to the usual discussions around “what It is, and who is doing It?” (It being social media), perhaps the most interesting question was around what new skillsets will be required by comms departments, PR agencies and others in order to effectively adapt to this new communications landscape.

In my view, the answer was less around the hard skills - meaning those which are hardwired into you in the halls of academia, or any kind of ‘technical’ expertise  - and more around the appropriate soft skills, meaning the ability to challenge conventional wisdom, to connect the dots, to be flexible and embrace change, and to think – dare I say it – outside of the ‘box’.

I absolutely believe that people still require a clear understanding of the principles of effective communications and marketing – as I don’t think these core principles will ever fundamentally change. What has changed, however, are the expectations of consumers and stakeholders based on this new landscape, the tools that we (and they) use to communicate, the very nature of the messages that we communicate, the relationships that we hope to foster between organization and stakeholder, the frequency of our dialog, and the way we measure and define “success”.

And this requires strategic thinking of a whole new order. It requires immersion and active participation in these media and in the conversations themselves. It requires panoramic awareness of what is going on around you – in the media, on the web, and in the minds of our audiences. It means looking at social media from the point of view of, not only, a marketer and communicator but also as a sociologist… because, sappy music aside, and in the immortal words of Buffalo Springfield… something’s happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear.

(thanks to Craphammer for the YouTube link)

…is when you are trying to fly into TO from Atlanta following two days of strenuous client meetings, late at night, and because the fog is thicker than butter, you get re-routed to the tarmac in London, Ontario… truly a place where the wild things are… only to be told that there aren’t any customs agents, so it’s highly unlikely you’ll be able to de-plane there, and you want to have some sleep because you’re participating in a conference the next day.

We did eventually re-fuel and then attempt a second landing in Toronto, which was somewhat nerve-wracking since visibility was virtually nil until about 10 metres of touching down. I think I arrived at the hotel at around 2:00-2:30 AM, so I’m sure today’s performance levels will be a tad fuzzy.

But back to me…

During all this time, and in an attempt to cool my seething rage (being one who appreciates sleep), I am reading the latest issue of Rolling Stone - a magazine that I had largely stopped reading back in my j-school days for a variety of reasons - but picked up mainly because the cover article is an interview with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

And spotted this… Fantasy Congress which ‘lets you draft and manage your own team of senators and congressmen’. As a big fan of NFL Fantasy Football - given that I’m leading our little league of PR friends and family, this appears a highly entertaining and engaging way of tracking and evaluating the performance of legislators in an engaging (albeit unscientific) way. To me, it is variations of these types of applications – some more serious than others – that will ultimately change the way we learn about and participate in the political process. 

I want one for Canada.

A few tidbits, miscellany and lessons learned from 10 years of working in the PR trenches – some (if not most) have happened to me, others to colleagues (you know who you are):

1. Never (ever) forget a name – particularly if that person is paying the bills
2. Never pick a fight with your boss… even at the Christmas party
3. In Norway, doors open differently than they do in Canada. ’nuff said.
4. Always turn off your Crackberry/cell phone in a meeting… and certainly don’t get caught clandestinely trying to check your email 
5. Never leave a meeting before the client does… or unless they have clearly indicated that they are through with you
6. If you are in a bar, keep your laptop attached to you at all times
7. Never tell a client he looks like a bug (even if he did)
8. Make friends with the limo driver – they’re smarter than us
9. If you question an individual’s moral or professional ethics, make sure there’s no dotted lines
10. Don’t discover until after take-off (en-route to London) that you left your passport in the lounge in Ottawa
11. Don’t reply in a derogatory way to someone’s email, particularly if you actually meant to forward it to someone else
12. If you think it, it doesn’t mean you should say it
13. Let the president interrupt you, it’s their perogative
14. Never go anywhere with colleagues where swim suits are involved
15. If you’re going to toss a senior executive in the pool, make sure their wallets and BB’s are not still in their pockets
16. Don’t get between Brendan and Jo-Anne when they’re fighting

(and to my colleagues I ask, are there others?)

It’s a sad reality that many of us got into PR because we didn’t get along well with numbers …unless of course we could fix them …and although I passed this test, it wasn’t easy…

Can you pass 8th Grade Math?

Yesterday, I was a participant in a half-day messaging session led by Jo-Anne Polak, a colleague and arguably one of Canada’s more experienced communicators (although I’ll admit to being biased since we’ve worked together for nearly 10 years).

In the presentation used to set the stage for what it is we hope to accomplish, we include a quote by Ed Sabol, founder of NFL films. For those of you who, like me, had no idea, the “only other human endeavor more thoroughly captured on 16-mm film than the National Football League is World War II“. And that’s largely as a result of the efforts of Ed and his son Steve, who coined the quote you just read.

But that’s not the quote I’m talking about.

A lot of us at H&K (including many of the bloggers that you read here) speak often and passionately about the importance and value of telling stories versus spouting soundbites.

But what I think the quote below captures better than any other I have read, is the importance of a number of key elements that, when combined, reflect the essence of successful communications – with any audience (whether it was intended as such or not). It’s about sharing information that we might not have had before and positioning it in a way that could alter or shape the perspective of our audiences. It’s about supporting our communications with substance, versus spin. And it’s about packaging that information in a way that will resonate long after our conversation has concluded.

“Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever”
Ed Sabol, NFL Films

It’s what we should all aspire to in this business, even if we can’t capture it in slow motion. 

According to Quoi9, France-based DailyMotion (an up-and-coming Youtube competitor), has been inundated with requests (500,000+ and counting) for a video of an alleged private political meeting involving Socialist Party leadership candidate and future presidential hopeful, Ségolène Royal. In the video, Ms Royal offers some potentially controversial remarks about France’s teachers and enforcement of the 35-hour work week.

(Confession: although I live with a francophone and am father of twin daughters who speak better french than me, I must confess I was not able to follow the full conversation, which means that I must rely heavily on Quoi9’s summary. My bad.)

Interestingly, the release of the video, which was shot in January, appears timed to coincide with the party’s leadership vote. And as with John Kerry’s unfortunate remarks in the closing days of the US midterm elections, and George Allen’s famous “macaca” clip, could impact the outcome, though to what extent remains to be seen and may ultimately be impossible to verify.

That said, the bigger questions in my mind are: 1) how might these “gaffes” impact what politicians say and do in the future? For example, will it result in even greater message sterilization that could further distance politicians from voters who are demanding greater transparency and openness? and, 2) to what extent will citizen-generated video be usurped by political parties in the future as guerilla-style campaign weaponry to be unleashed at the most appropriate occasions?  Is this simply an evolution in campaigning and grassroots politics, or is it something more nefarious? 

From the House of Lords via Tom Hamilton comes this masterful example of Seinfeld-ian elegance related to nothing… unless of course you’re as fascinated with “gum turds” as these unelected octogenarians appear to be:

Lord Selsdon: Is the Minister aware of the results of my research, undertaken in preparation for this Question, into the lifecycle of the chewing gum? As he knows, it starts life in a wrapper, with a nice notice on the outside: “Please use this wrapper prior to disposal”. It then enters the mouth, where it is mixed with saliva, often with respiratory pathogens and occasionally with blood, if you have recently been to a dentist for teeth cleaning. It is masticated and then given its exit in the form of excrement. This excrement is either spat on to the pavement or disposed of in other ways and carries with it certain dangers. As it hits the pavement, it is commonly or colloquially known as a “gum turd”. This gum turd may retain viruses and bacteria for as long as it is wet. Then it becomes a “flat”, and then it is cleaned up at a cost of maybe 50p per piece or less if there is a major discount for 30 pieces per square metre.

Will the Minister confirm that there is no possibility of people catching a contagious disease from a gum turd, a flat or a stain? Is he aware that underneath us now, in the House of Lords entrance chamber, there are three pieces of gum? Would he inspect them tonight, to make sure that the evidence is not withdrawn?

Let this then be a lesson to all who find themselves challenged to create a discourse around the irrelevant and the mundane, that it is, in fact, as much about how you deliver your message as it is about the content and context behind it (or lack thereof).

How wonderful would it be if all spokespeople could combine eloquence, long-windedness and wit in equal parts?  Perhaps hansard should become required reading in the C-Suite.

Update: I should note that this post was not, of course, intended to minimize the increasing environmental impact of discarded ‘gum turds’ which is the focus of this exchange - rather the manner in which this topic was discussed.

From the Amateur Gourmet comes what is perhaps the most original and extravagant blog post I have seen to-date, and a remarkable demonstration of what can be achieved when we think beyond the tried and traditional in order to tell a story.

The level of effort to construct this highly entertaining, yet off-the-wall post must have been prodigious, but I think the outcome speaks for itself in terms of those who have not only given his post high praises for originality, but have also been inspired by his efforts and the potential of tools such as plasq to craft similar stories.

I am definitely going to have to give this a try…

A buddy of mine, rob mclennan, recently launched Chaudiere Books, a small press focused on promoting writers in and around Eastern Ontario. rob is arguably one of Ottawa – and Canada’s – more prolific authors and a vocal champion for Canadian poetry. And while I was unable to attend the launch party, I wish him and his biz partner Jennifer well in their venture (and I will buy you both celebratory drinks one day soon).

From a social media perspective, however, rob and Jennifer’s approach to their business is, in my view, worthy of any I’ve seen out there who have embraced the web 2.0 ethos. As authors and long-time bloggers, rob and Jenn clearly get it. More importantly, it was probably not even an option. From their blogs (both business and personal) to their newly-launched MySpace page,  the use of social media to engage audiences, expand their potential readership base and gain customers is clearly a vital, if not primary, element of their business strategy. Does this mean we’ll see Chaudiere Bookstore in Second Life anytime soon (shiver) or a podcast of readings or interviews with authors? Who knows…

But it begs the question:  why is it that many larger corporations have yet to recognize the opportunities inherent in social media, that smaller organizations consider second nature? Perhaps it’s because marketers and corporate communicators are simply not challenged to think this way. Perhaps they need to envision how different the world would be if their marketing budgets were a mere tenth of what they are today. 

I remember a training exercise from about 15 years ago when I was exploring a career as an officer in the British Army (a long and sordid tale, indeed). Our team of about 10 recruits was given a pole, two buckets, a mop, and a two-foot length of rope, and then told that we had to get from A to C without our hands or feet touching any of the space (B) in between, and using only the equipment we had available. I remember the Seargent asking me how long it would take to get the whole team across. I replied 15 minutes. He said: “Great, you have eight.”

My point? We need to challenge ourselves and our clients to explore options beyond the safe zones - because it’s ultimately the comfort factor of the tried and true that is stifling innovation. 

As an aside, and if he makes it to your town during his current tour, I recommend you do your part for the arts and buy rob a beer – he’ll sound even better. Better yet, buy a book and support Canadian writing.

And, no, my team didn’t make it…

Well, according to some… and then, of course, there’s always the risk that marketers and PR professionals will bludgeon the cause by doing what many of us do best… lotsa hype but too little substance and context.

So with that… let’s do what we do next best… talk lots and agree to disagree:

On Monday, November 20th, Ottawa’s next Third Monday Meetup will feature social media experts Darren Barefoot from Vancouver and Marc Snyder from Montreal in a debate about the state of social media in Canada: What’s hype? What’s reality? Are social media changing our world? Or, is this just another bubble that will soon pass? Are social media really social, or is there merit to Guardian writer John Lanchester’s “profoundly grim thought” that social media are “all about separation.”

Bring your questions. Bring your opinions. This event is all about debate, disagreement, and discussion.

32 words about Darren and Marc:

Darren is a writer, technologist, and “Head Geek” at Vancouver-based Capulet Communications. Marc is a Montreal-based communications consultant and social media expert, who specializes in corporate communications, media relations, and crisis communications.