Hill+Knowlton Strategies

Yesterday, during a digital in crisis training session with a client, a colleague of mine raised a thought that (I believe) is too often ignored amid all the marketing and PR hype around social media: that being the importance of looking beyond the numbers in order to understand the societal implications of this ‘new’ media. It begged the questions: Has social media changed how we interact with the people we know (and those we don’t know)? And has it altered our expecations and perceptions of others? 

This thought struck me even more acutely today for two reasons: one, it coincides with the upcoming launch of a new Facebook app developed on behalf of one of our clients. And two, it coincides with my reading of this.

The essay is entitled: ‘Viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace’, and it is a compelling read. I enjoy Danah’s blog immensely, and this self-proclaimed ‘blog essay’ is no exception.

In it she says: “The division around MySpace and Facebook is just another way in which technology is mirroring societal values… As a society, we have strong class divisions and we project these values onto our kids. MySpace and Facebook seem to be showcasing this division quite well. My hope in writing this out is to point out that many of our assumptions are problematic and the internet often reinforces our views instead of challenging them.”    

As I read this, I pondered how easy it was, in seeking out solutions to our clients problems, to lose sight of the broader societal implications that arise from the widespread adoption of new technology. Many times we simply validate our ideas based on statistical graphs that show broad-based adoption of specific tools. And then go no further. The question is whether, by not considering such implications, will these unknowns come back to haunt us, and our clients?

Who knows? Although I would argue with Danah’s point that: “Marketers have already figured this out – they know who to market to where. Policy creators have figured this out – they know how to control different populations based on where they are networking.” 

Do we really know this? Perhaps we like to think we do. But in 2007, I’m not sure that stands true.

But at least, like Danah, I feel that there is something good underlying the online evolution taking place today: “Teens are using social network sites to build community and connect with their peers. They are creating publics for socialization. And through it, they are showcasing all of the good, bad, and ugly of today’s teen life. Much of it isn’t pretty, but it ain’t pretty offline either. Still, it makes my heart warm when I see something creative or engaged or reflective. There is good out there too.”

Meaning, do you get PR… and I don’t just mean marketing-focused PR, but corporate PR, reputation and issues management, and public affairs…? And do you get why it’s different from advertising?

Meaning also, do you get the web… traditional digital as well as social media, and not just from an advertising and SEO perspective?

And do you get how each of these elements interact, with each other and with traditional PR?

And do you get this, because you’ve spent a few years figuring this out (in a senior consultant or account director-level role)?

Cuz if you do, and if you’re in Toronto or Ottawa…. let me know, and tell me about it.

brendan(dot)hodgson(at)hillandknowlton(dot)ca

No need to adjust your RSS… The silence emanating from Collective Conversations in recent days was simply the result of a mild heart attack suffered at some point on Sunday. The subsequent and inevitable lost memory… namely the last week’s worth… has now been replaced (unfortunately) sans comments and backtracks… apologies to all and any.

But we’re back… bigger, stronger, faster than ever… with gizmos and whizbangs that makes the space shuttle seem as innovative as a Polaroid camera (or so I’m led to believe)… and so with that, I thought I’d initiate this glorious resurrection with the following: The “secret” rules of journalism, according to Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press.

Flacks take note… as it is our responsibility to understand this ever-changing, and increasingly incomprehensible medium. My favourites (although they’re all pretty damn appropos)…

Afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted; then, after the afflicted become comfortable, afflict them again. This should provide an endless supply of news stories.

Be balanced. No matter what anybody says, find somebody to say the opposite. If a scientist claims to have a cure for cancer, find somebody who says cancer does not exist. If a man says “My name is Fred,” make sure you find somebody who says “No, your name is Diane.” Etc.

When working at the New York Post, make sure your story includes all six W’s: Who, What, When, Where, Why and With What Kind of Lubricant.

(Reprint of original post) 

PR measurement… Oxymoron? … perhaps.

To others, and to quote Rowan Atkinson, the act (or, dare I say, art) of measuring PR might be akin to being  “…a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat… that isn’t there.”

Outputs. Outtakes. Outcomes. AVEs. MRPs. ROI. ROE. Traditional media. Social media. Qualitative. Quantitative. Reputation capital. Mud. What’s a flack to do?

In the case of H&K Canada, you hire the best and brightest. You put a stake in the ground that (shamelessly) hammers home the message to all who believe the status quo is good enough, and cry out to each and all (in the immortal words of Motley Crue): “Don’t go away mad. Just go away.”

Which is why, given my personal interest in this space (and the fact that I’ve also tended to blather on a fair bit about measurement in past posts), I’m stoked about Alan Chumley, formerly of Cormex, joining the H&K Canada family as director responsible for measurement. Who is Alan? You can read his blog here. And you can soon listen to an upcoming podcast featuring Alan on Connected Conversations here.

Alan’s mandate is not only to challenge us at H&K, but to challenge our clients, and to challenge the industry to continue to push the bar on effectively demonstrating the real value and impact of PR in a rapidly changing media environment.

Welcome aboard. It’s been a long journey from our first meeting so many years ago.

(Re-print of original) 

Scanning a recent article in Editor and Publisher, I was caught up by how increasingly relevant recent re-designs at major media websites were becoming to many of our non-media clients (say that five times fast).

At the same time, the thinking born from these re-designs will only apply to those organizations with both the willingness and capacity – or at least the willingness to create that capacity – to not only leverage existing content (of which there tends to be more than we often think), but also to seek out innovative ways to create new content, and ultimately re-define the role of their digital footprint to more effectively engage target audiences.

Quite simply, as new possibilities emerge for corporations to re-think what they want to communicate and how – be it through video, blogs, podcasts (all channels they themselves “control”) – the static nature of the corporate website is poised to be turned on its head. Instead of simply providing a snapshot of the organization at a given period in time, these sites will also capture a more realistic “pulse” of what lies behind the brochureware – the people, the interactions with audiences, and the thinking behind what they do and the choices they’ve made.

So as traditional media seek to keep up with the changing expectations of its audiences, so too it seems should corporations be exploring similar best practices… Some key excerpts:

On social media:

 (USA Today) “Among other things, it was becoming clear that the web was moving to a more open, more distributed architecture — blogs and RSS being the initial drivers,” he says, “and that our continued relevance and continued growth would depend on how we responded to those changes.”

On video and content aggregation:

“It’s a medium — as we saw with the Hillary 1984 video — in which anyone can author, publish, distribute and in some cases even amass audience around their content,” Wilson says. “And while original reporting remains at the core of a successful news operation, it is just as important to aggregate content from other sources, engage directly with readers, and steer readers to the most useful sources on the web.” 

On innovation, storytelling and engagement:

“We must continue to innovate. It’s essential that we experiment with these tools and move closer to a place where we are not only experts at reporting and telling the story; but experts at identifying other useful resources on the web and engaging in a direct dialog with readers.”