Hope is not a strategy - join the conversation
- 1. HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY Are you ready for the conversation? by Shelby Barnes August 23, 2011
- 2. Overview ✤ Shelby’s background/Observations so far ✤ PR basics ✤ The elements of story ✤ PR and the marketing mix ✤ What role should digital media and social media engagement play? ✤ Do your clients need a PR/SM plan? ✤ Case study examples: Modernist Cuisine and Intellectual Ventures.
- 3. Who’s Shelby and what has she learned so far?
- 4. Oh man. House spiders are BIG here. Dang!
- 5. Observations about Namibians ✤ Y’all love your cellphones ✤ Opportunity for revolutions - business, education, social ✤ Mobile technology is changing issues the way you live, work and share information ✤ It brings voices to issues that have previously gone unheard ✤ More smart phones, more bandwidth, more access will bring more change, more demand for content
- 6. Now the other side.. ✤ Why so pessimistic? ✤ Your public is engaging online but business is resistant/conservative -- Clients, government, public all scapegoated ✤ There’s more to mobile than SMS ✤ Your public will force your hand and dictate how much businesses engage ✤ Are you ready to respond? Do you want to be left behind? ✤ Can your brand afford to be left out of the revolution? Out of the conversation?
- 7. Fearful?
- 9. Hope? Not a strategy.
- 10. Discussion ✤ What did I get right? ✤ What did I get wrong? ✤ What predictions do you have about the convergence between public/private usage? ✤ Is ecommerce really an impossibility in Namibia? ✤ Why is there so much pessimism in the culture when it comes to technology habits and will that/should that change?
- 11. What is public relations (PR)? ✤ You go first: What are your 20-word definitions?
- 12. The “What” (per Shelby) ✤ Develop and sustain (strategic) relationships between a client and its public with the goal of influencing opinions and getting desired results* *I know. Not very sexy.
- 13. Break it down: The why & the how ✤ Ask: What’s the business problem you’re trying to solve? ✤ How does influencing the audience help us address the issue? ✤ Who do we need to reach and by what means and to what end? ✤ What risks would engaging in the public discussion pose? ✤ How do we get their attention? ✤ What’s the story we’re trying to tell about our business/issue?
- 14. The story? Has to pack a punch!
- 15. What makes a good story? Message Credible Proof Example, Anecdote, Story
- 16. Architecting the story ✤ What is the story you’re trying to ✤ What credibility do you need (what tell? What’s the core? bias do you face)? ✤ What does the headline say? ✤ Who are your third-party advocates? Who validates your point of view? ✤ What are the primary messages? ✤ “Why should I care?” ✤ Who is going to be the spokesperson? ✤ What will the competitive response be? ✤ What credibility do you have to tell this story on your own? ✤ Where holes need to be filled?
- 17. Identify the target audience(s)? ✤ Go back to the business goals ✤ Who influences them (people and information channels)? ✤ Who are you trying to influence and to what end? ✤ How are you going to reach them? ✤ What would get them to listen to your story? ✤ How are you going to MOVE them? ✤ What data, messages, anecdotes would engage them in your ✤ What action are you seeking? conversation? ✤ Are they likely to be persuaded?
- 18. How do they get their information? ✤ Word of mouth ✤ Industry analysts/reports ✤ Community leaders/events ✤ Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. ✤ Newspaper, radio, tv, magazines ✤ Your company website or intranet ✤ Advertisements ✤ Blogs, Twitter ✤ Industry events ✤ OTHER WAYS? ✤ Newsletters
- 19. Construct the PR plan ✤ Similar to creative brief process ✤ Elements include situation analysis, objectives, messages, strategy, tactics, messages, influential targets and measurements ✤ How will the plan address the business issues? ✤ What tools are most important? ✤ Integration with other marketing plans important ✤ Remember: Heart of most PR plans is capturing the story and starting, continuing or redirecting the conversation
- 20. Identify the vehicles to carry the story ✤ Press release (boring but can be ✤ Event effective) ✤ Controversial blog post ✤ Case study ✤ Plant it with a vocal crowd ✤ Digital or “old school” ✤ Advertisement ✤ Major media or local media ✤ Documentary ✤ Podcast ✤ What else? ✤ Webcast
- 21. Where does PR fit into the marketing mix? The race is on!
- 22. My view ✤ PR should be involved when there is: ✤ Change in business direction or behavior ✤ Activity that involves the public or could lead to public discussion ✤ News ✤ Reputation or brand risk ✤ Opportunity to influence public opinion ✤ Integrated teams and campaigns are most powerful
- 23. Discussion ✤ Where do you get your news and information? ✤ Who influences your opinions? ✤ Talk about online behaviors and information gathering. ✤ How has that changed over the past few years? ✤ Do you imagine PR as part of your activities? ✤ Predictions?
- 24. Social media and your brand
- 25. How do your clients engage in the conversation about their brand?
- 26. New York Times Shanghai Evening News The Straits Times Washington Post CNN The Standard WSJ BBC Bloggers Social Networking Twitter User Groups Wikis Consumer-Generated Content Slide from Waggener Edstrom Analysis of 2008 Presidential campaign, http://waggeneredstrom.com/about/ip/narrative-network 9
- 27. New ways of sharing stories, starting conversations
- 30. Bottom line: There is no such thing as a secret anymore
- 31. Social media considerations ✤ Do your research ✤ Be prepared to take risks and make mistakes ✤ What’s your intended goal? ✤ Be prepared to apologize ✤ Be prepared ✤ Don’t expect your clients to ✤ Be diligent “get it” -- Show and tell ✤ Be human, but... ✤ It’s about the conversation ✤ Check your emotions at the ✤ Stop and ask why door
- 32. Social media case study: Modernist Cuisine
- 33. Social media case study: Intellectual Ventures
- 34. Discussion ✤ How would social media translate to adforce clients? ✤ Who is most willing/likely? ✤ What barriers do you imagine? ✤ Can you afford not to have a strategy ready?
- 35. Summary ✤ Hope: Is not a strategy ✤ Pay attention to trends beyond Namibia and translate ✤ Humans are humans: Observe your community ✤ Start thinking about how to extend the conversation ✤ Questions?