Posts tagged sociology


Truth, Trust and Transparency … not Tiger.

Dec 4th

8 comments

 Tiger-Woods-18th-001

Note: I noticed that today, the little green “tweet” button on this article is not working.  Here is a shortened URL you can use to “tweet” this story and share the love: http://bit.ly/4CumNw

Jayme Soulati is a regular contributor to the {grow} community and she recently challenged me to comment on the whole Tiger Thang.  I challenged her back to go write her own darn blog and to my delight she did!  Here’s Jayme:

Public relations crisis managers are having a field day as the Tiger Woods debacle goes uncontrollably viral.

The gory details of such an event monopolize gossip moments and no one rests until truth is revealed; everyone is a skeptic today.  The intimate moments with how many, duration of romances and number of bong hits are now tantamount to corporate fraud, backlash over corporate scandal, or poorly manufactured products.

We owe thanks to so many for spicing up the ether and forever tarnishing their celebrity brand: Phelps, Bryant, Vick, Bonds, Letterman, Sanford, Spitzer, Clinton, Edwards, and… (am trying to be gender neutral here, but the pendulum is swaying – oh, yes, Charlie Sheen’s wife could be a husband stealer).

Living life under the public eye has never been more scrutinous (I frequently coin words) or pressurized. A simple transgression like driving a vehicle into a fire hydrant may have blown over with a public statement within 24 hours, but fear and shame about truth over-rode the immediate fess-up. Digging a deeper hole with half the truth is akin to a brand blemish gone to acne.

How is this unfolding saga relevant to our daily social media business lives?

As Tiger attempts to fix his still-fraying public image of gambler and lady’s man, he’ll grapple with questions about his private life forever.  He’ll be the butt of jokes. He’ll be scorned with “I told you he was too clean” remarks.  The damage control will now last a lifetime and be constantly echoed and amplified by a million Tweeters.

In this day of social media scrutiny, our companies, clients, and our professional selves may be vulnerable to the same intense under-glass existence within the social mediasphere. The rules of engagement are clear: truth, trust, transparency — not Tiger. You do not want to become an adjective.

The call to action here is a heightened awareness of personal vulnerability, risk and exposure.  And when “Tiger happens,” making your tee time is critical. Public relations must gauge the proper balance and momentum, and do it quickly.

It’ll be interesting to see how the ruins are restored.  Watch the handlers for the next 12 months; you might learn a few things to repair a brand of your own some day.  And, perhaps, you have some immediate counsel of exactly what that plan ought to be?

Jayme Soulati is a 25-year public relations veteran and can be found at www.soulati.com and on Twitter, @Soulati.

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Is this the end of the social media purists?

Nov 24th

13 comments

Jason Falls

I have never used this community to comment on another person’s blog but today I’m just so happy, so enthralled, so downright giddy that I could kiss my keyboard.  One of the social media purists has finally discovered the bright, clear light of capitalism.

And it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy — Jason Falls.  Jason is one of my favorite bloggers but has historically been one of the stalwart “keepers of the conversation.”  You know the type — the social media country clubbers who set the industry’s tone with a relentless mantra of “it’s all about connection” and “conversation” and “relationships.”  In fact, a few months ago, Jason went so far as to write that any company expecting to make money off of social media will fail.

But a new day is dawning.  Yesterday, in a post entitled “Why Social Media Purists  Won’t Last,” he wrote:

Each time I discuss the business goals or reasons why a client wants to use social media, the answers come down to one thing: selling more stuff. It’s a harsh business reality. If you don’t make money, the business goes under. If you don’t make more money, people lose their jobs.”

The social media purists have laid down the law and, so, to participate in social media as a business, you must do things like, “participate in the conversation,” “engage your customers,” and “talk with us not to us.”

I’ve got news for you. In the world of business, all that talk will get you exactly nowhere. Conversations do not ring the cash register. Engagement does not sell more product. Talking with people just means you have to take time to listen which prevents you from spending valuable time selling more product.

Halleluia.  Maybe I’ll finally have some company out here in the social media netherworld of business rationality.

And if this isn’t enough reason to celebrate, read what the Ultimate Blogging Machine Chris Brogan wrote just a month ago:

Think Like a Business – if you’re in this for business, always ask yourself how this work ties to more sales (and if you’re not trying to make money, think of “sale” as whatever you hope to convert. Hint: it’s not “more audience.”). If you’re just writing to write, shooting video to get it up there, tweeting because people said you should, rethink all that. Decide what’s going to ring your register and work on that.

What???  Ring the register?  Not seeking “more audience?”  Could this be an era of enlightenment for the guy who recently yelled at his audience:  “This is NOT about you and your STUPID COMPANY” ?

What’s happening around here?  My guess is that both have recently had a big dose of the real world.  Falls went out on his own and had to come out from behind the P&L  protectionism of agency life.  Brogan’s sudden emergence on a bigger stage probably got him in front of experienced business people instead of the sycophants who dutifully re-tweet his every blog, bluster and burp.

So this begs a new question.  Are my days as a contrarian coming to an end?  I mean if Brogan’s in, the burp tweeters will fall right in line. If the social media elite are finally figuring it out, what do I write about now?  Hmmm.  How about, “It’s all about the conversation?”  : )

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Social Web Ushers in “The Era of Alone”

Oct 15th

21 comments

To a large extent, civilization has been defined by the way it communicates and the tectonic plates of of our culture have shifted. Permanently.  The social web has ushered in the ”Era of Alone.”

You can witness this transformational power of communication in almost any history book.

Look at a map of Europe. Ever wonder why all the countries are approximately the same size? It was largely determined by how much territory a messenger could cover on horseback in two days. Even the vast empires of the past were divided into states that approximated this size. You could not possibly control a territory larger than a two-day ride from the center point. Communication determined kingdoms.

Communication also defined our social structures. Even the smallest Medieval village had a town square where people could meet, trade and socialize. Gathering each evening to meet was the only communication channel we had for centuries. The entire city was built around that center of communication.

With radio, for the first time, we could get immediate news and entertainment without stepping outside.   The TV became the centerpiece of the home, a place where families gathered each evening to watch a flickering screen. That innovation, combined with the automobile, ended the need for city squares, but it was still a “social” communication channel – you could do it with your family and friends.  In fact, it was better that way.

Today, seemingly every person under 40 is wired to a portable electronic communicator to provide news and entertainment how we want it, where we want it, when we want it.  It’s called the Internet and social media, but there isn’t much truly “social” about it. We don’t gather in a city center to share Facebook. We don’t sit around a fireplace and read tweets to one another.

For the first time in history, daily communication and entertainment can be a solitary event. I’ve observed hordes of teenagers hunched over cell phones, frantically texting one another … even when they are surrounded by friends! Isn’t it ironic these new tools actively, incessantly pull us away from live human interaction, and yet we call it “social” media?

The basic premise of the popular “World is Flat” book is that people and place don’t matter any more. We can be employed, connected, global citizens and never step outside.  If we do, it’s to the coffee shop for WiFi rather than camaraderie.

How strange and sad. You and I never have to meet or speak or touch one another.  We can be completely informed, entertained and connected individuals, while sitting alone in a small dark room.  Civilization is still defined by how we communicate. Welcome to the Era of Alone.

I’ve learned that when I spew deep thoughts like this nobody reads it, so congratulations, and thank you, if you’ve made it this far.  : )   I appreciate your indulgence and would value your comments!
This is the Fourth and final segment of a series on “Self and Social Media.”
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The invisible rules of social media

Aug 18th

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This is the second part of my interview with Robin Frank, who leads social media efforts for Gap Outlet, Banana Republic Factory Store and other well-known brands. The first part is here.
After being in the social media trenches for some time, what organizational or cultural changes need to be made at a company to succeed with the new channel?

In the world of improv comedy, there is a concept called invisible rules – the rules you play by, but have never really questioned and aren’t explicitly stated. Traditional brands have a few invisible rules that social media pushes them to articulate, explore, and eventually move past, and each company has their own set.

One such rule is that large brands historically use any opportunity for customer interaction to push their product and promotions. Engaging their brand advocates in conversations, rewarding their customers with special deals and promotions, and encouraging word-of mouth on a daily basis is new territory. The real fun begins when they branch out and offer relevant and useful content for their social media audiences. Sometimes this is an easy leap and just a matter of giving them a few creative ideas that are aligned with their brand.

For Gap Outlet and Banana Republic Factory Store, we created a series of tweets (and soon Facebook posts) that run several times a week called “Fab without a Fortune” – these are tips that speak to their social media audiences and show them the brand “gets” what they want and is there to help them shop smarter, stretch their dollars, and still be fashionable. We’ve had a great response with these.

The other invisible rule I sometimes come up against is the “email is king” mentality – brands want to use social media to drive people to their email lists because then they’ve GOT them. I see many companies with big budgets for email marketing, and they need some help understanding that social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook can be less intrusive, more direct, and offer better results.

Customers are more likely to follow you or fan you than give you an email address. And, it is mega opt-in – customers want to hear from you more than say, once a week – they want to hear from you several times a day. I have seen double digit click through rates on Twitter and Facebook that put email marketing to shame. These companies need some guidance to transfer resources and rethink their approach so they can ask their loyal customers to join them on Twitter and Facebook.

As every brand competes for the consumer’s attentions, the emerging social media channel is becoming noisy and crowded. Is consumer overloading a real risk for you?Sure, there are a lot of brands and noise out there, but there will always be loyal followers who want to HEAR from your brand and want to be HEARD. Going forward, consumers will actually demand higher engagement from brands – more useful content, more useful promotions, more entertaining links, more conversations.
Smart brands will give consumers the ability to CHOOSE how they want to interact – email, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or any other channel. Just remember that social media followers are finicky – the will unfollow you in a click, or simply not participate if you do something they don’t like. My advice is to stay focused, stay engaged, and make it as easy as possible for consumers to do business with you.

Tomorrow: Robin’s six social media strategies for YOU!

Robin consults with a wide range of companies – retail, banking, clean/greentech, and B2B – helping them establish cost-effective Social Media programs that increase marketing ROI and foster broader and deeper customer engagement and education. You can reach her at @robeen, robeenf@gmail.com, or linkedin.com/in/robinfrank.
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