This article I wrote appeared in a SDForum newsletter late last year....
Studies are emerging that show young adults spend more than four hours online each day. They spend a lot of that time consuming new media, including watching video, reading news and listening to podcasts.
The hoopla surrounding new media is justified. It is seductively interactive, always-on and – for better or worse – guaranteed to be unpredictable. Not so long ago it could be written off as a fad, but it has proven its skeptics very wrong.
Will it replace television and print media? Not any time soon. However, if a company’s success depends on influencing the first-job-to-first-baby crowd, then ignoring new media is not an option.
Traditional media was slow to undergo a digital makeover. Publishers’ fears were (and are) justified that the online versions of their products would cannibalize real world media consumption. This makes for bad business since online advertising garners pennies on the dollar compared with the print and broadcast counterparts.
Times have changed. Now a majority of traditional media embrace their online brethren and create content specific to online audiences. For instance, instead of simply running the print article online they spice it up with audio clips, video segments, reader polls and longer versions of the article. The Web’s inherent multimedia capabilities provide greater “stickiness” that advertisers desire.
The good news is your public relations team can continue to leverage their contacts in traditional media per usual. The bad news is this is one of the few old school public relations tactics that translates into online awareness.
Is your company hosting a press conference in Linden Lab’s Second Life, sending out regular podcasts from the CEO or offering journalists and bloggers links to short product demonstration videos? If not, there should be plans to do so.
Perhaps the most interesting and challenging issues facing marketing teams are in the areas of video (think YouTube), blogging and mobile. Many of these issues were discussed at SDForum’s New Media event in October, keynoted by Dr. Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia and head of a new open source initiative called Citizendium.
Lights, Camera…
I hate to be the last one to say it, but the 30-second spot does not qualify as authentic, relevant video content. What’s worse is creating unique video clips meant to be adopted virally is very, very difficult and impossible to get right every time. Successful efforts such as Burger King’s subservientchicken.com are frustratingly few and far between.
Instead, technology companies should create straightforward two or three minute video clips that show off the product, a satisfied customer and the CEO interviewed in a classic television news style. These kinds of videos are the least expensive to produce (around $10-15K) and have multiple uses. The sales team can use the videos to give cold prospects a quick introduction to the company and let them hear about the company’s value straight from the CEO. Secondly, placing the video on the company’s homepage allows visitors to get a compelling company introduction. Also, the PR team can use this powerful tool to get editors interested in writing about the company and its products. Bloggers can also link directly to the video for further exposure.
Beware the Blogger
Bloggers are the most feared and respected of the new media primarily thanks to the absence of any checks and balances imposed on traditional media. Bloggers also enjoy instantaneous publishing capabilities that gets both good and bad news out in near real time. The most famous example is Dan Rathers being ousted after bloggers lit up the blogosphere with evidence of his shoddy reporting. This lack of oversight naturally leads to inaccuracies as Stephen Colbert humorously points out in “Wikialities,” saying it is now fact that the number of elephants in Africa has tripled in the last six months because he said so.
Communication with bloggers is essential, but it is important to understand their biases and act accordingly. For example, if you email a blogger a vanilla press release and she hasn’t yet had her morning coffee don’t be surprised if you get a good thrashing however unwarranted. And heaven forbid that the public scolding is permalinked.
Bloggers are an invaluable media channel for your company and technology if you communicate with them informally and present the news in a way so that they readily understand why it is relevant to their audience.
One caveat: If you create a blog touting the virtues of your company make sure to disclose the source. The PR firm Edelman is now taking arrows for setting up “flogs” (fake blogs) for its clients.
The Small Screen
If you believe the analyst reports, we are going to become increasingly reliant on our mobile devices. This may be true, but content is not likely to be viewed on a WAP browser. The technology is far too clunky for mainstream users. However, some companies, such as Mobio Networks, are coming out with mobile phone applications that allow users to easily access content in just a few clicks.
From a PR perspective, companies should constantly be on the lookout for applications that deliver news to the 200 million Internet-enabled US mobile phones. Fortunately, new media is delivering a significant amount of content via RSS feeds and early adopters have already downloaded RSS readers to their phones. There is still much work to be done from a technology perspective, but it is not far off.
The Big (and little) Picture
Television and print media may still have new media in a headlock, but a reversal is coming and it’s not as far off as you think. Video, blogging and mobile devices are becoming more effective ways to reach your audiences. A 13” laptop and a mobile phone screen barely bigger than a thumb are quickly becoming more powerful than any high-definition big screen television.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
New Rules in Public Relations
I've been writing some articles for SDForum's newsletter and I thought I'd share them on this blog as well. This one is a high level piece on best practices. Enjoy...
The old adage “you pay for good advertising and pray for good PR” seems to be becoming increasingly true over time.
The public relations landscape is evolving at such a blistering pace that traditional public relations practices must be under constant scrutiny to maximize cost effectiveness. This is particularly true for technology startups that have short windows to be successful and limited marketing resources.
Public relations is commonly regarded as one of the most effective ways to raise awareness and its “cost per leads” ratio is among the highest of all the marketing disciplines. Also, research shows that a reader of an article is six times more likely to believe its veracity than an adjacent ad of equal size.
Though public relations is a good bet for many companies, questions on how much emphasis should be placed on bloggers, analysts and press remain. The kind of product or service you have may greatly influence the amount of effort on each media type, but today companies should typically divide their resources as follows:
o 30% Tech press
o 30% Mainstream press
o 20% Business press
o 10% Bloggers
o 10% Analysts
The goal of reaching the broadest number of influencers has remained consistent over time, but the means to this end has changed considerably in the last few years.
For instance, a short time ago my team was asked to transform an MP3 player company with zero brand awareness in the U.S. and practically no retail presence into a category leader. This was a tall order considering the competition: Apple’s iPod. Of course, there were many moving parts to the strategy, but the top three were:
o Get technology press/analyst validation
o Approach mainstream/business media
o Hit events where media congregate
Validation
Technology press and analysts have a great deal of influence on early adopters, but they also provide enormous credibility. For instance, a CNET award or a glowing report from IDC can be used as tools to approach mainstream and business press who typically aren’t as technical and don’t have the leisure of investigating every new product. Once the “experts” stamp the product with their approval, it is far easier to coerce mainstream/business press to pay attention. In the case of the MP3 player, we received a handful of awards initially and several analysts said they were enamored with the product.
Getting the Message Out
Mainstream/business press are perhaps the most important categories because they elevate the message from the tech circles. Also, bloggers, analysts and online communities often get content from the mainstream/business press, which ensures even greater coverage.
In the MP3 player example, we approached the highest circulation publications, showed off our tech awards and analyst accolades, and sent them products. The results were phenomenal and all the major national press covered the company’s product.
Build It – They Will Come
Some PR agencies will attempt to persuade you to go on a press tour. For the most part, that is “old school” thinking. (Disclaimer: If your product serves a very small niche and you can count the target journalists on both hands a press tour may be right for you.)
We convinced the MP3 player company to scrap the idea of a press tour, which consists of about 20 back-to-back meetings over five days in New York, Washington D.C., the Bay Area and Los Angeles. We chose to attend a press event instead.
A cottage industry has emerged to aggregate media in a semi-intimate environment accomplishing far more than a press tour for the fraction of the cost. They typically have 200 or more media attending. It can be likened to media speed dating. At the end of the three-hour event, companies take home fistfuls of cards from media wanting to write articles on their products/services. Pepcom and Showstoppers are two such companies that put on good events.
At the end of the two-year campaign, the MP3 player company was receiving over 200 press hits per month, its products were in most major retailers and it had become the number two selling MP3 player company in the country, according to the New York Times.
By tailoring your strategy to reach the largest number of receptive journalists, you can rest assured that your prayers for PR have a greater probability of being answered.
The old adage “you pay for good advertising and pray for good PR” seems to be becoming increasingly true over time.
The public relations landscape is evolving at such a blistering pace that traditional public relations practices must be under constant scrutiny to maximize cost effectiveness. This is particularly true for technology startups that have short windows to be successful and limited marketing resources.
Public relations is commonly regarded as one of the most effective ways to raise awareness and its “cost per leads” ratio is among the highest of all the marketing disciplines. Also, research shows that a reader of an article is six times more likely to believe its veracity than an adjacent ad of equal size.
Though public relations is a good bet for many companies, questions on how much emphasis should be placed on bloggers, analysts and press remain. The kind of product or service you have may greatly influence the amount of effort on each media type, but today companies should typically divide their resources as follows:
o 30% Tech press
o 30% Mainstream press
o 20% Business press
o 10% Bloggers
o 10% Analysts
The goal of reaching the broadest number of influencers has remained consistent over time, but the means to this end has changed considerably in the last few years.
For instance, a short time ago my team was asked to transform an MP3 player company with zero brand awareness in the U.S. and practically no retail presence into a category leader. This was a tall order considering the competition: Apple’s iPod. Of course, there were many moving parts to the strategy, but the top three were:
o Get technology press/analyst validation
o Approach mainstream/business media
o Hit events where media congregate
Validation
Technology press and analysts have a great deal of influence on early adopters, but they also provide enormous credibility. For instance, a CNET award or a glowing report from IDC can be used as tools to approach mainstream and business press who typically aren’t as technical and don’t have the leisure of investigating every new product. Once the “experts” stamp the product with their approval, it is far easier to coerce mainstream/business press to pay attention. In the case of the MP3 player, we received a handful of awards initially and several analysts said they were enamored with the product.
Getting the Message Out
Mainstream/business press are perhaps the most important categories because they elevate the message from the tech circles. Also, bloggers, analysts and online communities often get content from the mainstream/business press, which ensures even greater coverage.
In the MP3 player example, we approached the highest circulation publications, showed off our tech awards and analyst accolades, and sent them products. The results were phenomenal and all the major national press covered the company’s product.
Build It – They Will Come
Some PR agencies will attempt to persuade you to go on a press tour. For the most part, that is “old school” thinking. (Disclaimer: If your product serves a very small niche and you can count the target journalists on both hands a press tour may be right for you.)
We convinced the MP3 player company to scrap the idea of a press tour, which consists of about 20 back-to-back meetings over five days in New York, Washington D.C., the Bay Area and Los Angeles. We chose to attend a press event instead.
A cottage industry has emerged to aggregate media in a semi-intimate environment accomplishing far more than a press tour for the fraction of the cost. They typically have 200 or more media attending. It can be likened to media speed dating. At the end of the three-hour event, companies take home fistfuls of cards from media wanting to write articles on their products/services. Pepcom and Showstoppers are two such companies that put on good events.
At the end of the two-year campaign, the MP3 player company was receiving over 200 press hits per month, its products were in most major retailers and it had become the number two selling MP3 player company in the country, according to the New York Times.
By tailoring your strategy to reach the largest number of receptive journalists, you can rest assured that your prayers for PR have a greater probability of being answered.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
VCs: Who needs 'em?
I've never been particularly enthusiastic about VCs. However, I saw
William Draper speak the other day and I have a new appreciation for
them - or at least I think Draper is an interesting character. By his
own admission he's a relic, having been a VC in the Valley since the
60s. He has endless stories (I wish I could have a beer with him one
day just to hear some more), including being head of the US Export-
Import Bank, leading the UN Development Program, meeting with Deng
Xiaoping at a crucial time, investing in Skype after chasing
Zennstrom around Europe, just to name a few.
The thing he said that stuck me most was a story he told about a beer-
bellied, chain-smoking colleague. His fondness for smoking and
apparent disregard for tidiness led to ash burns polka dotting most
of his work shirts.
In any case, one day this guy told William to stop looking at the
pendulating gold watch and take into account all the important things
around it. In other words, if you focus only on the money, you'll
fail. A wise lesson from a man who has seen a lot.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Social Networking on Mobile Devices
On Oct. 13th I went to a panel discussion co-hosted by SDForum,
AnzaTECH, SiliconFrench and SiliconVikings covering the topic Social
Networking 2.0: Going Mobile.
The main takeaways for me were:
- The panel impressed on 50 people there that everyone in the room
including themselves was too old to really get.
- It can happen on the web with Friendster, MySpace, Facebook, but
the US isn't ready for it to happen on mobile phones. Verizon,
Cingular, etc just aren't in a place to let it happen.
The panelists should know what they're talking about:
Jonathan Abrams, Founder, Friendster
Craig Callé, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, COMMON.net
Kevin Efrusy, Partner, Accel Partners
Anu Nigam, Founder, Party Sync
Mike Rowehl, Founder Bitsplitter (Moderator)
I would disagree that everyone in the room is too old to get it,
since it hasn't happened yet. I think there are a lot of people who
would use social networking apps on their phones. It's a great way to
say instantly connected with family, colleagues, friends. The over 25
set picked up IM pretty quickly.
There is no question that the mobile service providers are strangling
innovation. Nothing new there. I went to buy a phone the other day at
phone. The limited choices reminded me of being in communist Eastern
Europe some time ago. One need, one choice. The dialogue goes
something like: "You want those features, here's your phone."
"There's only one phone that does it?" "Right now there is one, but
in the coming months, blah, blah, blah."
One interesting point they reiterated was the idea that apps have
traditionally been developed for the enterprise and then pushed down
to consumers. Think Word, PPT, email, etc. That is changing. Now apps
are being created for consumers, by consumers and really taking off.
And the word's (at least my world) is a better place for it.
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