Brass Tacks

The Sights and Sounds of Internet Week NY

A host of us at Horn are attending Internet Week NY this week. Here's a quick snapshot of what we've experienced on-site at the main area.

Need oxygen? Demand Media (client) has the set-up for that. It's great for hangovers, I hear.

Want some time in the spotlight? Yahoo is making that happen, as Horn's own Brynn (in the pic) takes her turn.

Yahoo and Big Data... interesting.

Another photo booth. Seems like a popular idea for conferences.

Makeup station to prep for the nightly Internet Week parties? Genius!!!

Brian Stelter and David Carr of the NY Times take the stage. My favorite quote -- David Carr (referencing someone else): "'I'm blowing up on Twitter.' So what? You and your friends like what you did." Second favorite quote -- David Carr (on his relationship with Brian Stelter: "It's like a buddy movie where the young stud kills the master." I'm probably butchering the last one. But you get the idea.

I hungry. This counts as breakfast.

My car is here. It runs on Rocket Fuel.

More recaps from Internet Week to come from me and the Horn team.

Four Best Practices for Smarter Global Digital Communications

Like it or not, you’re now a technology company.

Probably not the lead you were expecting for an article on global communications, right? But the omnipresence of all things digital and social means that every business, regardless of product or service offering, is a technology company. That means customers expect to be able to connect to your brand – any time, any place. As a result, the traditional lines of geography and culture are often blurred.

What does that mean for communications pros? Well, for those looking to expand worldwide, it means the need for coordinated global strategies is higher than ever. One size does NOT fit all when it comes to multinational campaigns, and with customers already engaging your brand on the digital front, it’s important that your local efforts supplement – not combat – this always-on presence.

With that said, here are four tips to help ensure your communications resonate across all markets:

•  Don’t Start Before You’re Ready. Companies often start multi-national communications before they’re fully prepared. It might sound obvious, but you can’t cut-and-paste campaigns from one country to another. No matter how smart your global strategy is, you need to meet three requirements before starting any regional campaign: local customers, local, native spokespeople and native-language content. 

If you meet these criteria, start by researching the key factors specific to each market, including: consumer behavior; linguistics; cultural differences; technology trends; and market maturity. Don’t overlook the small stuff, either, and pay special attention to language: for example, in the US, a mobile device is often referred to as a “cell phone.” But try that same term in Asia and your marketing might fall flat – the preferred term there is “mobile phone” or “hand phone.” A small detail, yes, but one that could ultimately make or break your campaign.

•  Coordinate Your Strategy on a Global Level. This point can’t be overstated. Domestically, you’re probably already focused on integrating your online and offline efforts, but by expanding internationally, you’ve introduced a whole new set of campaigns and channels that need to be woven into your existing marketing mix.

To be consistent, consider creating a task force of sorts: a small, dedicated team of trusted, experienced global communications practitioners who can take the lead in developing singular, cohesive strategies. This team can also serve as execution champions for your global communications goals and provide needed support and advice to local teams, without being hindered by day-to-day minutiae.

•  Choose the Right Insiders. When it comes to international communications, companies often run into one of two scenarios: too much red tape (most common when working with a big multinational agency), or poor accountability (often found when your domestic firm’s global capabilities turn out to be no more than a referral network).

That’s why it’s important to take your time in selecting overseas partners. Local insight is an irreplaceable asset in global communications, whether it’s instinctively knowing which media and influencers to target, what channels to devote extra time/resources to, or what creative idea is most likely to resonate with local audiences. This type of on-the-ground expertise is what causes marketing to break through, so look for partners with proven relationships, experience and execution.

•  Centralize Your Reporting. Successful campaigns require the ability to analyze, refine and adjust campaigns in as close to real time as possible – a problem often magnified when operating on a global scale.

Most importantly, configure your reporting solution to quickly deliver only the key metrics needed to make optimization decisions, rather than trying to wade through every piece of data available. Also, be sure your reporting tool can integrate all the languages, currencies and country-specific data relevant to your campaigns – it’ll save you time and ensure you’re making accurate comparisons.

Global communications doesn’t have to be a guessing game. The challenges – campaign coordination, multiple partners, variations in languages, cultures and customer behavior – are great, but combining coordinated global strategies with local expertise provides a roadmap for each new market. And in a digital economy that brings your customers closer than ever before, a consistent brand presence is a necessity that can’t be overlooked.

Sabrina Horn is president and CEO of HORN, an award-winning digital communications firm and co-founder of the Oriella PR Network, an alliance of 16 top communications agencies in 23 countries. Sabrina is also a charter member of Oriella’s Global Strategy Council, and has been recognized by PR Week, The Holmes Report and Inside PR as one of the industry’s most successful entrepreneurs and innovators.

Note: This post was originally published in PRNews.

Communications Strategies: For the NY Jets, Less is More

While sweating out the weekend fun Monday morning, I saw on the news that the Jets were “introducing” its new backup quarterback, Tim Tebow, with a full-on press conference. This move made me chuckle and reminded me of the movie Christmas Vacation, where Uncle Eddie says to Clark Griswold after Clark’s Christmas bonus is to the tune of the "Jelly of the Month" Club, “Clark, that’s the gift that keeps on givin’ the whole year.” 

In a lot of ways, Uncle Eddie is talking about the Jets and their communications strategy. After crawling into the end of the season and not making the playoffs, you'd think the turmoil in the locker room that plagued last year’s team would be stomped and a reinforcement of team values and the way a team communicates would be driven home from top down (executives to management to coaches to players).

Instead, the Jets want to make a grand splash about the signing of the most polarizing sports figure since Dennis Rodman. What’s funny is this has NOTHING to do with Tim Tebow. Instead, it has to do with how communications is driven through various channels.

In this case, the Jets should have taken the "less is more" approach, which we all know is different from their past behavior. Sometimes organizations need to re-evaluate the way they communicate and look at the impact from a macro perspective. What did the press conference about Tim Tebow really achieve? From an external PR perspective, it just fueled the fire with the press about how it’s being really handled internally. Internally, team executives now have to worry about how this press conference is perceived by the other players, which can quickly cause fractures in the locker room – something they're already desperately trying to avoid this year.

The lesson? When you think you have something really big to say, take a step back, talk to people you trust - important: people with varying views of how to communicate – and don’t instinctively jump into something that's geared to get jarring, short–term PR. In most cases, it’s the longer communications strategy that will win. Look at how well it’s worked for Rex Ryan these days…

Todd Cadley is a Senior Vice President at Horn Group. Got something to say about the Jets or Tim Tebow? Let him know on Twitter at @toddcadley.

Cyborgs and Crossroads: Lessons from SXSW

Having spent 4 days at SXSW in soggy Austin earlier this month, I wanted to share some overall takeaways.

We Are All Cyborgs
Dictionary.com defines a cyborg as "a person whose physiological functioning is aided by or dependent upon a mechanical or electronic device." A common theme to Amber Case and Ray Kurzweil's keynotes was that we're already functioning cyborgs. That, even though the technology is not implanted in our bodies, the smartphones we carry around are actually extensions of our brains. Hard to argue with this, except for the fact that I'm not sure it's actually helping us. I guess that's the flipside of dependency.

Agile vs. Waterfall
This to me was the primary takeaway, and it's something I've been discussing a lot for the better part of two years. We live in a real-time world, but our processes and people aren't built for this. Traditional ad agencies/agency people and traditional marketing clients weren't schooled in real-time development. And those who were (like interactive and CRM folks) were generally not schooled in the development of a brand.

We are at an intruiging crossroads. How can we balance the need to be more nimble and reactionary with the desire to create and nurture a brand that makes an emotional impact? How can agencies and clients structure their fees and budgets to allow for real-time flexibility and not drive their CFOs crazy?

Shiv Singh brought up a point that illustrated this issue clearly. The week before the event, the KONY video basically took over the Internet. And yet, there wasn't a single panel about it, and frankly, barely a single panelist even mentioned it. Here we were at the cutting edge of tech and marketing, and even it didn't have the ability to react in real-time to transformative events.

Promise vs. Peril
The flip side of this is that we've become a very reactionary culture. There is very little research or reading done before people make a personal decision on what side they want to take on an issue, and then broadcast that stance to the world. Things go viral before people even know the whole backstory.

The Homeless Hotspots effort by BBH and KONY are both good examples. Could there have been a better way to execute the Hotspot idea, or some tweaks to have it work better? Sure. But the backlash against the idea, all the way to The Daily Show, seems very outsized given that they were simply trying to do something altruistic. The backstory behind Invisible Children and the large quantity of their donations that do not go towards helping solve the problem is another example. Everyone taking a deep breath and doing a little research seems like good advice in these times.

Make Your Own Adventure
Overall, this was a great event. Credit to the organizers of SXSW for what is truly a mammoth undertaking and pulling it off with very few hitches. I walked away from this year truly feeling that if you're in any form of marketing, be it advertising/client side/interactive/etc., you're crazy if you don't find a way to attend. There is truly such a wide range of panels and topics that no two individuals' journeys are the same. I spoke with people who purposefully avoided all panels and just focused on the networking opportunities. And those who tried to hit as much as they could logistically to soak up as much learning as possible. Both ended up winners.

In 2012, There Will be an Ad Tech-pocalypse... Maybe

Many ad technology companies will fail in 2012, or shortly after that. Ok, that may be too harsh, and may be too specific. The reality is many businesses, in general, will fail in 2012. However, the reason I point to ad tech companies is because of what happened in 2007.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, at least 80% of new businesses will fail within five years of their start date. There is no exception when it comes to tech and digital media start-ups. This statistic shows the wild ride we’re expecting in the coming months.

To explain my logic, let’s take a trip back to memory lane, before 2007. Let’s look at 2005. Back then, a small start up named Right Media came into that market. It had ambitions to be big. It had ambitions to create a new form of ad buying and selling in digital media. It achieved both, which led to it being sold to Yahoo for $850 million in 2007 (full disclosure: Right Media was a Horn Group client until its acquisition).

I don’t know if founders of ad tech companies were inspired by Right Media specifically. Surely there were other major acquisitions at roughly the same time (DoubleClick) that were equally inspiring. However, what Horn Group soon noticed was a digital media and online advertising start-up boom in that same year. Many of these companies were also created in 2006, but were operating in stealth. They decided that 2007 was the year to come out in full force.

Back we are to 2012, the five-year mark for these companies is coming (if it didn’t eclipse it already). Judgment day may be coming and it will be interesting to see who emerges beyond this year, and in what state.

What does this mean for five-year old digital media businesses? If they have been well-funded, then they’ve got time. Of course, “well-funded” is a relative term. Furthermore, these companies are not out of the woods, as a majority of startups don’t make it past ten years as well.

For other companies who haven’t raised boatloads of VC money, the focus is finding a way to make a profit (or even just decent revenues) or finding an exit. If they haven’t figured out how to make money by now, then they’re in trouble. This year could be their last shot.

Small business growth is the driving force behind economic expansion. They create jobs, increase lending and spur innovation. What will happen to these if many ad tech companies fail this year? Could there be a flood of talent in the market that surviving companies can harness? Or could it create new resources for new companies being created this year?

The answers are coming soon.  Increased competition, the five-year countdown, and the pressure to stay competitive have set the stage for a very interesting show.

What do you think? Will companies fail this year because they’ve hit their five-year mark without making any business impact? Will they fail for other reason? Will they not fail at all?

 

Video Interview with Jon Swartz of USA Today

To kick off 2012, I'm happy to post this recent interview with colleague and friend Jon Swartz of USA Today.

It's interesting to hear about his use of Twitter for story ideas and information, and it's also an insightful look at how he works, his approach and his predictions for the new year.  See it now to see what has already come true! 

 

An Interview with Jon Swartz, Technology Reporter, USA Today from Horn Group on Vimeo.

Video Interview with Giles Fraser, Co-Founder, Brands2Life and Oriella Network

On a recent trip to visit our long-time partner Brands2Life in London, I had a few minutes to catch up with Co-Founder Giles Fraser. Brands2Life and Horn Group are also co-founders of the Oriella Network of agencies around the world, a network we jointly created to serve our clients' needs for PR on a global basis, and we talked about our shared clients, business, technology and PR trends in the US and the UK.

In general, it has been wonderful to see how many more of our clients are seeking global communications support, as well as the notable increase in need for integrated digital communications across agencies. This means PR programs that include web and social media components. In this regard, we are both building brands and supporting sales. And like the US, our partners in the UK continue to see the cloud and the consumerization of IT as big tech trend. A great visit with some really good people on a shared mission.

Horn Group Innovator Series - Giles Fraser, Co-Founder of Brands2Life and Oriella PR Network from Horn Group on Vimeo.

SOS! Shiny Object Syndrome & the Future of PR

I'm fresh off the plane from PRSA International in Orlando and, while I have tons of insights and anecdotes to share, I came back with one big question: what is public relations today?

The exhibit hall at PRSA was lined with vendors who do everything from traditional broadcast and radio monitoring, like our client Critical Mention, to the companies like Meltwater who do social media measurement. The presentations and panel discussions echoed that same feeling—that public relations today teeters on the edge of multiple industries: broadcast, print, radio, social media, SEO, SEM, and probably many more.

I spoke with Priya Ramesh, director of social media at CRT/tanaka, about what she likes to call Shiny Object Syndrome or our tendency as public relations pros to jump on every new trend that comes our way. Can we sell our clients strategies about using Google+ or maybe we can build out a new social measurement platform? Priya recommended implementing a SWAT team to test new platforms before sharing insights and recommendations with clients or implementing the platform internally. For a company like Horn Group that works with startups and public companies, B2B and B2C companies, doing our own internal research on new platforms definitely makes the most sense. Our clients run the gamut in the technology sector and as such we are always focused on making individualized recommendations about engaging new platforms—what's right for one client is almost never right for another.

So what is public relations? I'm not quite sure that we know and that's what makes Horn Group's focus on digital communications so important. It's about experimenting with new platforms and constantly doing the research so our clients can use us as an expert resource. A few years from now, I would expect to see folks from nearly every profession at an event like PRSA Internal as marketing, advertising, SEM, SEO and public relations professionals continue to lean on each other.

Are you looking to take your communications plan to the next level? Check out Horn Group's Breakthrough Communications Blueprint, a step-by-step action plan that guides you through the process of creating a communications campaign that will resonate across multiple platforms.

Also--see my interview with Priya Ramesh here:  http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/playlist/26299/2938766

Breaking Through: A Blueprint for Powerful Communications

You’re ready for a big year. You’re convinced your company is poised for big-time growth. Your product is one of a kind, your technology is cutting edge and your sales team is raring to go. Sound familiar?

Only one problem: is anyone hearing you? In a crowded marketplace, it’s easy to go unnoticed.

What are you supposed to do? The Type A personality in you is probably screaming “FIX IT!!!” So maybe you take out a huge ad in a key publication. Maybe you make a big splash with a premium sponsorship. Or maybe you flood the social atmosphere with a deluge of updates and posts.

My advice? Wait. Breathe. Take a moment.

Successful marketing isn’t the result of perfect execution. It’s the culmination of extensive preparation and planning. Just like a basketball player perfects his skills in the practice gym, or a performer spends countless hours rehearsing, the best campaigns “break through” because marketers have done their homework.

That’s why we’ve created the Breakthrough Communications Blueprint. It’s a step-by-step action plan that guides you through the process of creating a powerful communications program that resonates across multiple channels. Better yet, it identifies the key questions you need to ask yourself before launching any campaign, ensuring your focus shifts away from company-centered thinking to customer-first initiatives.

Download the interactive PDF here.

Of course, no blueprint or template can transform your marketing on its own. But it can put you on the right track, keeping your messaging, offers and campaigns consistent, clear and compelling to customers. So, go ahead: save it, share it, fill it out right on your screen – whatever helps you better tell your story!

"The Way"

What is it about "The Way"? In the last few weeks I have heard a lot of people talking about "The HP Way". There's the "Horn Group Way". And then there's “your way or the highway.” But seriously, what is "The Way"?  

It’s a series of processes. A culture. An approach to how customers and employees are treated. I think people today like to reminisce about the "old" way things used to be because things are moving so fast. The old way conjures up memories of when answering a call or an email within a day or so was acceptable. Now, people wonder if something bad has happened to you.  

But we also know that the old way may not be the way of the future. Things change and require us to adapt. It's life. The problem is a lot of companies and their executives think they have to come up with a "new" way that ends up having no regard for their original core values. So how does one evolve a business while still preserving the core? A lot of companies that are 20+ years old struggle with this as divisions of their business are going online, people are moved around, some business processes become obsolete and new ones are created. Imagine modernizing the way a 100-year-old company operates, what it sells, how it is sold and whom they hire, while preserving what made them great in the first place.

At the end of the day, things like integrity and respect should never go away. It's the processes around which integrity and respect are manifested that can be modernized. But be careful not to change for the sake of changing. When you deviate from your DNA, you risk losing the magic that makes your company what it is. As Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks said recently at the World Business Forum 2011, "Our competitive differentiator is our culture and the way we treat our people and our customers. We may find new ways to sell different kinds of coffee, but ultimately our core values prevail through everything we do."

Facebook Ad Unit Kicks Off Advertising Week

It's 10 am, I've had two cups of coffee and two pieces of pandesal. I am ready for Advertising Week.

Inevitably, this is a big news week for advertising technology, and kicking it off is Facebook  with its new premium ad unit that will be sold direct. ClickZ points out, from an FB product manager David Baser that marketers and consumers, over time, will decide what the appropriate metrics should be behind this ad unit. 

I liken this to how Google started paid search ads. No one knew what to make of it, but over time, the industry established metrics, with and without Google's help, to decide what is the right way or measuring the results, and what is the right price for bids. I imagine that FB will take a hands off approach initially to see the uptick and let the industry dictate what is success. An auto manufacturer would be measuring different results from a TV show, or a celebrity.

Of course, what I really want to see, and what is inevitable coming, are social media experts from media, analyst firms, agencies and tech vendors take a stab at what these metrics should be. A year from now, during Advertising Week 2012, we should take a look back and see who got it right. I wonder what Buddy Media's Mike Lazerow thinks about this.

Other News and Events Today

Here's a shout to Horn Group clients IAB and Casale Media. IAB is hosting the sold out MIXX conference today, and Casale Media is presenting a case study there this afternoon.

And stay tuned for a major announcement from other HG clients later today. 

Relationship Advice for Bloggers: 7 Ways to Engage Your Audience

Ever noticed the best pick-up lines are about the person you’re trying to pursue and not about yourself?

The same is true in the blogosphere; just talking about yourself or your company can be a turnoff. Remember: Blogging is a two-way conversation between you and your readers. The end result of your blog post should be for your audience to do something, whether it’s thinking deeper about a topic, buying a product or initiating a conversation.

Blogging also allows you the freedom to let go, within reason, and really show off your personality and passion. You want to build trust and loyalty through interaction, and you can do this by encouraging intimacy and influence – essential factors of marketing’s key metric “engagement,” according to Forrester analyst Sean Corcoran’s research on the meaning of “engagement.” 

Here are a few more tips for winning your readers over into a long-term relationship:

1. Pay attention to site design. Some say beauty is only skin-deep. However, your site’s appearance is crucial - you want it to be as visually appealing as possible. Your blog’s aesthetics should also showcase your personality, as it helps set mood and tone.
2. Incorporate pictures and multimedia. Infographics, for example, are a great way to engage readers, especially interactive ones that allow users to experiment with data. Here’s a great example from CNN depicting employment statistics based on location.
3. Write frequently. Just like one phone call isn’t enough to get somebody to notice you, you’ll need to maintain a schedule of regular posts. To keep ideas flowing, consider brainstorming an editorial calendar on topics and trends that can be covered once a week or month, depending on how active you want to be.
4. Open the blog up for comments. Start a conversation in order to develop a relationship with your audience. And make sure to respond to comments to keep interaction alive.
5. Make it about your community. Deliver value to your readers by giving advice, connecting your point to relatable experiences, presenting opportunities and more. Point out research or industry trends, and add your own opinion to start the discussion.
6. Include call to actions. Even experienced bloggers forget to do this sometimes. Encourage a response by asking questions and discussing hot-button topics to bring your readers into the conversation. Other ideas include holding contests, polls or voting.
7. Establish a consistent tonality and voice. The Gunning Fog Index helps measure the readability and level of your writing to ensure your audience can understand you. Leading publications, such as Time and The Wall Street Journal, average around 11 on the index.

For more ways to engage your audience, read PR Daily’s article listing 41 ideas for posts here.

What are your favorite blogging tips and ways to interact with your readers?

7 Must-Know Marketing Takeaways from SES San Francisco

SES San Francisco is now in the books. A week later, we’ve been able to think through everything we heard – the show featured over 70 sessions and 150 speakers – and now it’s time to turn theory into action. So where do we start? 

More than anything, SES confirmed the integrated nature of marketing and digital communications. SEO, paid search, PR, design, video, social media, mobile apps – they’re all undeniably linked, and as you’ll read, the latest stats and research back that up. 

So, without further ado, let us present the 7 Must-Know Marketing Takeaways from SES San Francisco: 

1. There’ll be 50 billion connected devices worldwide by 2020. SES Producer Mike Grehan dropped this stat in the show’s welcome session, and it perfectly captures the challenge marketers are up against. Always-on and always-connected means customers can engage your brand at any time in any channel, and that makes it more important than ever to have a unified and consistent message across your entire marketing mix. You can’t choose which channel customers will come in contact with first, but you can deliver powerful, cohesive brand experiences across all mediums (digital communications anybody?).
2. “Persuasion is a sequence of emotions that take a prospect from interest to action.” A simple truth shared by keynote speaker Susan Bratton, but a good reminder for us marketers. Too often we get caught up in singular items – a catchy headline, an attention-grabbing design, a perfectly worded Tweet – forgetting that effective engagement is an ongoing process, not a one-time push.
3. The power of blogs. Technorati’s Chief Strategy Officer Charles Black shared some eye-opening stats: Consumers trust blogs more than twice as much as any other type of social media. 65% of readers say they access blogs specifically to get an opinion, while another 52% say blogs influence their purchase decisions. That’s a huge number – how does your blog (and reputation in the blogosphere) stack up?
4. Mobile is booming…but don’t be scared. A few more stats to think about: Mobile search has grown 84% in the last year. It should approach 3 billion queries PER MONTH by 2012. And it should outpace desktop search as soon as 2014. Intimidating numbers, for sure. But as Yahoo’s Senior Director of Mobile Sales Strategy Paul Cushman says: “Here’s a secret. Mobile isn’t a mystery; it’s the Internet, just smaller.” The takeaway? Use your gut – it’s still marketing.
5. Mythbusters. In terms of total queries, YouTube would rank as the world’s second largest search engine – if it actually were one. And yet, most marketers place YouTube way down on the marketing totem pole. Why? Two common excuses: 1) YouTube is only for kids and 2) YouTube doesn’t work for B2B companies. In actuality, though, the opposite is true – demographics show strong viewership across all ages (scroll to bottom of linked page), and a quick glance shows thousands of brands – from every sector – making their presence known.
6. A call to action is only a QR code away. As Sabrina Horn noted in her interview on Twitter metrics, people are naturally curious – marketers would be smart to play to that. Think about QR codes. They can be placed anywhere, branded however you want and drive any type of offer you can think of. But best of all, they play to a consumer’s inherent desire to know more: “What’s behind that barcode?”
7. Convergence is everywhere. The most popular site to visit on mobile devices? Search engines. Consumers who see a display ad and then later click a search link for the same product? 56% more likely to buy. Customer response after being exposed to an ad in the paper or on the radio? 37% turn to mobile for more info. Always-on media isn’t just a challenge – it’s an opportunity. Customers are actively looking for information, and responding to their needs in the channels most convenient to them can dramatically improve return and response.

Heading into the conference, our goal was simple: dive deeper into how discrete marketing channels overlap, interact and influence each other. We definitely came back with tactics and tips, but more surprising was the overwhelming amount of data supporting the integrated digital communications model. But then again, maybe it shouldn’t have been so surprising; after all, it’s what brand marketers are telling us too.

So then, what does it all mean? It means we have work to do. Integration – and the ability to deliver impactful, cohesive messages across all channels – isn’t just a theory or something that’d be “nice to have.” It’s the reality of the marketplace we operate in. It’s a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity, a chance to be creative, adventurous and innovative in the ways we reach customers. That’s exciting, and with the lessons from SES behind us, we’re ready to go.   

But You're Not A Search Agency: Why We're Going to SES San Francisco

“Why is a communications firm going to a search conference?”

Fair question. After all, we’re better known for our work in PR, design and social media. Search Engine Strategies (SES), on the other hand, has a reputation for all things SEO, PPC and analytics. Different areas of the marketing spectrum for sure, but in reality, areas that are more closely aligned than you might think.

At their core, search, PR, social and design are all pieces of the same digital communications puzzle (see image). They’re not siloed specialties; they’re channels that overlap, interact and influence each other in tangible ways. The world’s most fantastically designed website will fall flat if the right messaging isn’t in place (or a lack of optimization prevents users from ever finding it). And the right PPC ad won’t mean much if conversion-ready traffic comes to your site, only to bounce because of a poor user experience or convoluted story.

That’s why we’re going to SES San Francisco next week – because the integrated nature of digital communications demands that we continually build our understanding of the nuances of each channel and how they interact with one other. We’re constantly striving to learn more because, regardless of how often and how drastically our industry changes, the fundamental objective of digital communications remains the same: to bring together discrete marketing channels – search included – to deliver cohesive, impactful brand messages.

Most importantly, we’re pushing ourselves to be on top of all of these channels because of what brand marketers are saying: According to our latest study with Kelton Research, nearly 70% of CMOs say they feel behind the curve when it comes to digital/interactive media integration. Let that sink in for a second. Seventy percent. That’s huge. That’s a ton of companies missing out on prime opportunities to engage with their customers.

It’s our role, therefore, to know how each channel can work together to maximize influence and effectiveness. Whether it’s site optimization tips, the latest in paid search tactics or cool developments in social/mobile technology, it’s all knowledge that fits into our digital communications wheelhouse, and that’s why we’ll be doing all we can to unearth and share relevant insights with you throughout the conference.

Hope to see you there!

Infographic: CMOs Want Push Back and Results from Smaller and Fewer Agencies

A new study by Horn Group and Kelton Research - called The CMO Challenge - finds marketing executives relying on agencies more than ever as strategic partners who push for innovation and provide streamlined communications services. 

CMOs are being more discriminating about the quality and execution of the firms they hire, and while most prefer to work with smaller specialty agencies, a lack of firms that have succeeded in integration has many execs yearning for partners that can meet as many marketing objectives as possible without sacrificing quality and value.

 

 

 

Product Launches 3.0 – What Works (or Doesn't) in 2011

Unless your company is part of what I like to call the “Tech Select” (Apple, Google, Facebook…you get the picture), people aren’t reading news about your product launch. At least that’s what a conversation with a journalist revealed to me last week. According to his website analytics, few people read product announcement stories. Now, this might just be the case for this particular publication; however my hunch is that product news generally doesn’t get eyeballs unless it’s truly novel or it’s about the iPhone 5.

Likewise, this journalist pointed out the communication rules of engagement are changing for companies and the media, ensuring there’s no proven way to interact with outside audiences. With all the new “speakers” for information, it’s hard to create the “surround sound” effect both companies and the media want and need. Marketers face a daunting task since it’s their job to create that effect among all the channels.

This is especially true for product launches because those songs have been sung and the media are a bit tired of all those .0 press releases. So what should companies do? They need their target audience to know about the new product and eventually buy it. As digital communication professionals it’s time we rethink product launches and counsel our clients to go beyond just talking about features and functionality:

Show the Problem, Then the Solution
Figure out how to show the media the problem. It’s easy to tell them about it, but use video, infographics or unique research to illustrate the point and make them feel the problem. Only then are you ready to tell them about the solution. We did this with BitDefender by creating some amazing videos to introduce their 2011 product line.

Do the Opposite
Look at how most companies announce products and then do the opposite. Most companies aren’t going to get rid of their press releases (nor should they, since journalists do use them) but think about the press release as the last step. Instead, think about other launch models; for example, invite select customers to use the new product and let them announce it. Take Spotify, a popular European online music service. Instead of just offering the service in the US, the company is building buzz by offering select invites in the US market. This “in crowd” will generate amazing word-of-mouth, helping the company gain momentum in the States.

Be Timely, Really
Tie the product to industry trends by using what’s going on in the world to reinforce why this product matters. Sounds simple, but it’s not done enough.

What other product launch ideas have worked for you or have you wanted to try? What should companies be doing to re-launch the launch?

What CMOs (Don't) Want From Their Agencies

Last week at our annual company offsite in SF, we hosted a CMO panel to get right to the crux of what it’s like to be a chief marketer – what they really want from us, and what drives them nuts.  The panelists were Joelle Kaufman from Clarizen, Natalie McCullough from ServiceSource, and Carl Tsukahara from ClairMail.  Joelle and Natalie are current clients, Carl is a long time partner and past client.  

Here is what stood out the most to me, a mix of great reminders and new insights for all agencies and communicators.  With heightened engagement and the ability to measure just about anything, the opportunities to have a relationship with your prospect and your customer today are endless – and exciting.  But being a CMO today is hard.  The pressure on marketing is enormous.  Joelle from Clarizen said, “We’re all in the growth business, so if you can do something to contribute meaningfully to that growth that’s all that matters.  That’s all I spend my time doing everyday, figuring out how we’re going to grow the company today.”  

In addition to visible contributions to growth, the suggestion was made that agencies need to self-audit more and to use the language and metrics of the CMO (not the agency).  Hits, coverage and leads are almost meaningless – what would be most meaningful is a metric of awareness and reputation.  Ah…the great measurement challenge that all agencies are trying to tackle!

Our panelists’ other big challenges are time, talent and focus.  

 

• Time constraints are common to all of us, especially in the frenetic tech industry.  But what can slow a chief marketer down is deciphering the signal from the noise and staying focused on the signal within their time constraints.  
• Regarding talent, the challenge is to find the great leaders underneath the CMO so they don’t have to make all of the decisions.  
• Focus is all about prioritization.  And often once you get internal or community alignment around what you choose to prioritize, the market changes!  

And what drives CMOS bananas?  Here are our panelists’ agency pet peeves:

• The bait and switch – we’ve heard this one hundreds of times, but it bites when senior people do the pitch but don’t participate long term.  
• Mediocre release drafts – if you need more time to make it a great piece of writing, just ask for it. 
• Lack of follow through on ideas – speak up when you’re getting disconnected from the client and the players who can help you make things happen.
• Playing it safe – CMOs need their agency to be edgy and out in front of the business.  Joelle said it better: “Do not kiss my ass, ever.  I don’t pay you to be nice.  Fight with me, push me, keep me accountable.”

As part of the discussion, we also previewed the initial findings from a study we just conducted with our partner Kelton Research.  The CMO Challenge – to be released in July – surveyed almost 300 senior marketers and interviewed several CMOs across industries to uncover the myths, barriers and opportunities around integrated digital communications.  Stay tuned for that study in a few weeks!

 

20 Thoughts for 20 Years

...I've actually had more than 20 thoughts in 2 decades but here are the ones that have come back the most often as friendly reminders and occasionally, to haunt me.   Enjoy.

1. If you don't have a plan, you don't know where you are going.  Have, and share a vision, make sure people can repeat it, understand it and believe it.   Have goals that resonate with your employees or clients.   And communicate your progress against them, often and through multiple means.  Remember, plans can change.  Just communicate the new plan and why a different one was necessary. 

2.  Hope is not a strategy.  Plan for the worst, hope for the best.  Have a back-up plan. Hoping for good times won’t make the bad times go away.  Be prepared to get through them.

 3.  Most business problems are like a jigsaw puzzle, you have to find the right pieces and put them in the right sequence. I used to be very emotional about things that happened in the business: an employee leaving, an unhappy client, etc.  Take the emotion out and visualize each situation as part of one big puzzle. Lastly, watch out for those puzzle pieces that look like they fit but don’t.  If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

4.  There are always 3 sides to every story.  Yours,  theirs and some where in between.  Learn to operate in between. There are infinitely more shades of gray than just black and white.  Most things in life and business are not black and white.  Learn to live with gray.

5. Know what you don’t know. Whether you are 30 or 80, there is always something that you don’t know.  Humility is an endearing quality: if you don’t know something go research it. If you cant find the answer, ask someone, or just make it up.   

6.  It’s not about you.  It’s about everyone else. Leave your ego at the door.  When making tough decisions, you can’t think about what you want. It’s what’s the best for your team or client.  Making the right decision may be very unpopular in the short run, but may be what is right for the company in the long run.

7.  If you don’t ask, you don’t get. If you want a raise, justify it, and ask for it.  If you want to win a piece of new business, tell the client you want it.  Why not?  Most people spend their lives not saying what they really want or believe in and they end up unfulfilled.  Ask.  The worst is you get a “no” and some new-found respect for your courage.

8.  Your integrity is all you have. Life is too short to compromise your values or that of your colleagues.  Life is also too short to work with jerks.  Get rid of them.  There are plenty of fish in the sea.

9. Leadership is a lot about listening and talking about the things that people want to say but don’t. If people would just stop talking so much, they might hear what is really going on.  It’s really hard to listen to things you don’t want to hear, but if you want to be a leader, you have to learn to listen.  Then, gently, address those things others are afraid to say.

10.  It’s not over till the check clears the bank. I don’t care if it’s in the mail.  I don’t care if Joe is giving me “his word”. It’s just not over till the check clears the bank.

11.  “No.” There are some things that are just not feasible, or realistic.  Don’t feel like you have to say yes to everything to please someone.  Be honest.  Say, “No, I can’t do that now, but I can do it later…” Or give some parameters around what might be possible.

12.  Don’t look at what’s there, look for what’s missing. When devising a strategy for a client, or writing a document, assess it after you feel you have finished.  What is missing that would really make a difference?  Also called exception management, look for those things that are not present, not just the checkmarks in each box.  

13.  Take the high road, even when it REALLY hurts. You don’t need to have the last word.  You don’t need to make the other person feel bad.  Deep inside they know anyway.  Some day, you’ll meet them again. Why make it awkward?  Who knows, you might need them at some point.

14.  Positive. Energy. There are two kinds of people in this world: people with positive energy and everybody else.  Nothing will get done with a negative attitude.  If you think life sucks it will.  So join the team, and dream along.  If you don’t believe, leave.

 15. If something feels wrong, it is. Trust your gut, always, always.  There is something to that intuition. Learn to trust it, and listen to it.   

16.  Life is not about achieving balance. It is about the choices you make. You can schedule your day full of meetings, be late to all of them and come home exhausted with nothing left for your family or friends.  Remember, it’ll all be there for you tomorrow.  You’re not in a race.  And also, decide between what is important and what is urgent.  Not everything is urgent.  Take care of what is important first.

17.  Admit mistakes. Learn from them. Try hard not to make them again. Almost 50% of the time we learn by adding new information to our brains.  The other 50% we learn from making mistakes and understanding how to not make them again.  Be honest about them. 

18.  Be smart. Be kind. Be generous. Be curious.  And never, EVER, let anyone or anything get in your way. Especially for women in business– there will be obstacles in your lives and careers.  But nothing is insurmountable.  You can always find a way to work around something, or get around someone.  There is nothing that can stop you unless you let it.

19.  If you are not happy with the way things are, go out and change them. Whining is the worst.  Complaining even worse. Make your time doing any task worthwhile… and make a positive impact.

20.  Know when to put the toe tag on it. When you’ve explored all options and tried all avenues, cut your losses and move on.  You’ll never win if you try and fit a square peg in a round hole.  And you’ll lose precious time fixating on something that will never work.  

"Duck Hunting" with Tom Foremski, Silicon Valley Watcher

This week I'm pleased to share a recent video interview from our Innovator Series with Tom Foremski, Editor of Silicon Valley Watcher. http://vimeo.com/24227420

Horn Group Innovator Series - Tom Foremski, Editor of Silicon Valley Watcher from Horn Group on Vimeo.

In this clip, Tom talks about how being a CMO is the toughest job in a company because everything is so fragmented. He also talks about how Silicon Valley has evolved into a media business and his thoughts on the social distribution of mass media. Tom, like other thought leaders, feels we haven't yet fully realized the potential impact of the Internet, culturally, socially, economically and globally and that we are just scratching the surface.  Thanks Tom, for your insights and consistently excellent reflections on the heartbeat of Silicon Valley.

I Got a Glimpse Into Our Industry's Future ...

...And I liked it! 

 So last night, Horn Group’s Jennifer Dew, Bina Motiram and I attended The LAGRANT Foundation’s 13^th Anniversary Scholarship Recognition Reception and Awards Program and simply put - it was beyond inspiring. For those that don’t know, The LAGRANT Foundation is a non-profit organization that is committed to increasing the number of ethnic minorities in the fields of advertising, marketing and public relations. They work towards this mission by providing scholarships, career development workshops, professional development, mentors and internships to undergraduate and graduate students of color.

In my PR career to date, never have I been surrounded by so many inspiring people until last night. Jason Carroll, national correspondent for CNN, was the charismatic master of ceremonies while PR legend, Harold Burson, founding chairman of one of the most respected global PR agencies out there, Burson-Marsteller, blessed the audience and scholarship recipients with words of encouragement and hope for a more diverse industry as the keynote speaker. But what moved me even more were the proud and smiling faces of this year’s scholarship recipients. These rising stars represent a bright future for our industry and I’m so thankful to learn that organizations like the LAGRANT Foundation are there to provide the guidance, opportunity and support needed to make this future a reality.

While some sectors of the marketing communications industry are seeing exceptional growth in diversity, there is still a lot more work that needs to be done within the technology PR space. As technologists, what steps will you take to help make sure the digital media, communications, advertising and technology spaces are colorful ones?

 

Social Media Infiltrates the Newsroom and Optimism Returns to Journalism According to Fourth Annual Oriella Study

This morning, we launched our annual Oriella Digital Journalism Study. This is the fourth time we have
carried out the project since launching in 2008 and this year’s study yielded the most interesting results to date. A key trend was the extent to which social media has infiltrated the newsroom.

For the first time this year, we asked about the tools journalists use to source and verify their stories. Unsurprisingly, the reliance on established sources remains strong, with 61% using the PR agency and 58% using corporate spokespeople. However, what was notable was the new use of social media. 47% used Twitter and 35% used Facebook to source their stories. The blogosphere was also highly valued with 30% using blogs they know to source new story leads. However, a surprisingly high 42% of journalists also looked to blogs they didn’t know.

For the verification stage, the results were slightly lower, but a significant amount still turned to social media, despite its tendency to spread false rumours – a third used Twitter and a quarter used Facebook.The internal use of social media has also helped to shape media outlets' output. For the first time, the number of outlets that offered a Twitter feed and journalist-authored blogs exceeded 50% (55% and 54% respectively). The use of video has also increased significantly with 48% of media outlets now offering this channel. The impact of social was just one of the topics covered in our study – aspects such as audience, revenues, quality and job satisfaction have all been covered.

All the results can be found on our sister site dedicated to the study – do check it out and let us know what you think of the findings.