Love it when a chart beats a logo

October 28, 2009October 28, 2009 / Angelo Fernando / Leave a comment

Gates Watching last evening’s live webcast by Bill and Melinda Gates, I liked how Bill zipped past Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, and the Windows logo, to note that these ‘pictures’ don’t compare to something completely different –a chart showing decreasing infant mortality rates.

I love it when presentations don’t use graphics as a crutch. (Love it when the first slide is not the darn company logo, as if to remind the brain dead in the audience as to who is presenting! Full disclosure: I have committed this crime myself, and know it sucks!)

Love it when someone stops a canned PowerPoint preso and uses the flip chart instead to draw some crude Venn diagram or stick figure to explain the point. (If you’ve not read The Back of a Napkin, I highly recommend it, as I have done before like a broken record.)

In somewhat ironic news, this month, Gates (who owns Corbis) supposedly ‘expanded his stock photo empire’ with a small stake in Eastman Kodak.

Never too late to start blogging

October 20, 2009December 16, 2009 / Angelo Fernando / Leave a comment

Let me start with a rhetorical question: Is blogging past its prime?

I get asked this question a lot since I have been doing it for, what now, 5+ years. So I have to go back and often conduct the 15-point check-up much like the way my car dealership does when I take the old (5-year old vehicle) in for service.

I thought about this again when reading Steve Rubel’s interview, as he was asked by Tech Crunch why he’s stopped blogging and begun ‘lifestreaming.’

Steve, as always makes a great point about where content, and content creators are headed. To him blogging has got long in the tooth, and fallen out of grace now that Twitter and Facebook have become more interesting ways to communicate.

So back to my question, is blogging past its prime, and should someone who has never done it even consider it now. I have two ways to look at this:

1. Telling stories. No matter what format you use, telling your story, has never gone out of style. Think about what some consider one of the most passe formats today, the printed newsletter. I see it doing very well in places as different as Trader Joe’s, churches, and the offices of financial advisers. They sure look long in the tooth to me, especially if I am not the target reader. But they do have plenty of cool content.

2. Providing context. Blogs have an uncanny way of connecting the dots, and putting things in context. Faced with the breathless pace of tweets that appear and vanish (unless you’re monitoring your Tweetdeck or Twitterrific all the time), a blog post is always there, and gives you an opportunity to frames things better, and analyze it from multiple perspectives. The best part, it lets others add their insight as well.

I’ve heard many say that Facebook is becoming the defacto hub of all other social media properties and actions. Hard to contest with that.

But…

Facebook only lets you do so much when it comes to writing good content. But blog posts can be used to connect the dots, and build on a body of work that is easy to find, link to, and create conversations around.

If you want to see what some other have said on this topic, here are two excellent posts:

Matthew DePietro – Is blogging passe?

Brian Clark – Blogging is dead (again)

What’s the definition of a PR stunt?

October 19, 2009November 16, 2017 / Angelo Fernando / Leave a comment

Just as the aphorism goes that “there are lies, damn lies and advertising,” I wonder if it’s time for someone to come up with one about stunts –especially the PR variety.

Let me be clear. I don’t condemn stunts. In fact it might be construed as another word for ‘tactic’ or creative attempt to make a point.
So I was about to classify this latest ‘underwater cabinet meeting‘ by the President of Maldives as a stunt, but I thought I’d put the question to my readers to check the pulse first. I won’t go into the details here, suffice to say that it takes a bit of effort to get your cabinet to strip down to scuba diving suits –and anchor desks to the coral– to pull off something like this.

But back to the definition of a PR stunt. Here are some past examples that might fall into this category.

Pole dancing in the streets of Manhattan
Admitting to a PR stunt –charging for use of bathrooms on planes
Boy lost in runaway balloon —a stunt that looks like an accident

I know, there are more. But for our purposes, let’s ask if promoting a cause or a brand validates the approach. Governments are quick to blame each other when an international or bilateral crisis arises, calling it a stunt, even though there had been no specific public facing activity. Headline writers find it a useful 5-letter word to spice up a story. (As in this one, that was clearly a misplaced use of money, rather than a stunt).

I would think a PR stunt is anything that

Involves an event or a sustained activity that is staged, primarily for gaining media attention
Is unusual or controversial
Is connected with an extended campaign that does not involve PR or advertising. Behavior modification, for example

The first –-gaming the media –can be dangerous, if done to fool the media. If the balloon incident being debated this week proves to be an act of self-promotion by wasting time and money of a sheriff’s department, that’s a dumb stunt, indeed.

The second —is often creative and harmless. The guy who dons a pizza delivery attire and ‘delivers’ his resume (attached to the box) to a marketing director, is clearly breaking out of the old method (email or mail) to get his application to the top of the pile.

The third –wins my approval, hands down. This is what all good (insert the word ‘marketing,’ ’cause promotion,’ ‘advertising’ as a prefix here) campaigns ought to be.

President Nasheed’s course of action seems more like the third category. He has a point to make, and what better way than for a leader of a country surrounded by –and threatened by– water to do this?

Quotes for the week ending 10 Oct 2009

October 10, 2009October 24, 2009 / Angelo Fernando / Leave a comment

“In the surround-sound media environment of today, there is no shortage of places you can go to see an expert’s view of business and where it is headed. What I took from the first day of the World Business Forum, however, was just how important passion is as a common thread in the people (and their organizations) who are accomplishing something.”

Rohit Bhargava, on the World Business Forum

“While 60% of employees use word processing daily, only 42% actually create documents.”

Forrester Research report on technology adoption in the workplace.

“In a real-time, social media world, marketing has to react immediately to the successes and shortcomings of operations, product development, legal, finance, customer support, and the idiosyncrasies of company personnel.”

Jason Baer, on how social media gives everything a marketing focus.

“A turtle travels only when it sticks its neck out.”

Tweet by @lspearmanii

“Hi! This is your aspirin bottle calling. I haven’t seen you in a while…”

Peter Svensson, of the Associated Press, on the technology that connects the pill bottle cap to an AT&T network.

“Does our Cicero even glance at his speeches before reading them in public?”

George Will, conservative columnist for the washington Post, on Obama’s overuse of words and concepts in his speech at Copenhagen.

“Nice headlamps”

Headline of a billboard ad for a Northern Ireland used-car web site, that got the advertisement banned in the UK. The accompanying visual was not about cars…

Twinterview with Steve England

October 9, 2009October 9, 2009 / Angelo Fernando / 1 Comment

SteveEngland Starting at 10 am today, I wil be interviewing Steve England, of NewMediaMarketing.

Steve’s got an interesing background in marketing, and I like to think of him as one of the smartest cross-over marketers in the Valley. What’s a ‘cross-over’ marketer?

I’ll let him explain when we get started.

I’ll let you into something else. I plan to get Steve to demo how easy it is to implement a Quick Response tag in your marketing. Be prepared to use your smart-phone!

Note: I will live-blog the interview here.

————- TWITTER INTERVIEW —————

AF: Welcome Steve England @englandsc Glad you were able to make it. Let’s try to keep this moving fast since we’ve got a lot to discuss.

SE: Thanks for the opportunity @heyangelo

AF: @englandsc Tell us about how you got into digital marketing, having started out as a Print guy — in the ‘dead tree communications’ business

SE: englandsc I was always about technology and how I could impact consumers more effectively through communications. Print was just a pathway at the time.

SE: My degree is in Visual Communications…social and mobile fall into that channel.

SE: @englandsc Visual Communications? Most people think of it as putting ink on paper. You’ve moved past that. Is paper obsolete? Or…

SE: @heyangelo We can make better use of paper by integrating with newer technologies at the same time.

AF: @englandsc Tell us about NewMediaMarketing and the awesome product – Quick Response Tags. People’s eyes glaze when I mention this.

SE: @heyangelo New Media Marketing is an Integrated Marketing agency specializing in channel optimization and focused on growing Mobile opps

SE: @heyangelo Quick Response Tags “QR Codes” are the answer bringing print to life simply by taking a snapshot of them with your Mobile Camera

AF: @englandsc I will have to ask you to explain ‘Channel optimization’ with a for instance –but I have a quick question before that

AF: @englandsc Steve, is this a good example of how a tag could be used? Sans paper most of the time… http://bit.ly/4Cmuvh

SE: @heyangelo Great example, any form of visual communications can benefit from the QR Codes with unlimited possibilities as the result.

SE: @heyangelo QR Codes allow a Marketer to deliver unlimited amounts of information to anyone through the simple SNAP-A-TAG interface

AF: @englandsc And where could someone find out more about a Snap-a-tag interface ?

SE: @heyangelo New groups form online daily in support of the tech. Feel free to follow me here for all breaking news. Also follow MicrosoftTAG

SE: @heyangelo QR Codes, TAGS will play an important role in Green Initiatives going forward through print, online and Mobile communications

AF: @englandsc Did you see today’s story about the NFL going paperless with tickets? Have the Coyotes heard about QR tags? http://bit.ly/obTKI

NMM: RT @heyangelo @englandsc Steve, is this a good example of how a tag could be used? Sans paper most of the time… http://bit.ly/4Cmuvh

SE: @heyangelo Most important factor when using QR Codes is the consumer experience and the message or call-to-action in the marketing piece

SE: @heyangelo successful marketing is also dependent on unified message within multiple communication channels and convenience to the consumer

AF: @englandsc Let me ask you to demo a tag. Could you point to one, and explain –stepwise –how it works?

SE: @heyangelo on your mobile device go to Http://snapatag.mobi this will walk you thru quick one-time install so you can snap Microsoft TAGs

AF: @englandsc So it’s a download for Blackberry, iPhone or Windows Mobile. And then?

SE: @heyangelo Once you have the app installed you can scan and activate the content behind any TAG. Also see http://www.beetagg.com as another version

SE: @heyangelo You can find TAG on my Twitter home, my email signature, any of my communication collateral, each results in a unique experience

AF: @englandsc I can see these QR tags on business cards, train stations and cereal boxes. Simplified, mobile pull marketing, finally!

SE: We have examples of video content, Phone numbers, Vcards, microsites, game pieces, surveys, location based maps…it’s endless.

SE: @heyangelo 80% of web-enabled phones can use some version of the QR Codes. More phones are shipped direct from the factory pre-installed.

SE: @heyangelo once you have the app, launch, activates your camera, position over any TAG, SNAP and you’re taken to unlimited possibilities.

AF: So a customer snaps a tag, using a camera, will it directly connect him/her to digital content?

SE: anywhere a user has web connectivity they’ll have access to content linked to that TAG. That content can be changed anytime.

AF: Is Beetag a competitor to Microsoft’s tag?

SE: BeeTagg has a less distinct appearence in their QR Codes than MicrosoftTAG but they result in the same type of experience.

SE: @heyangelo visit our website and discover how the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB will all be influenced by this technology, SNAP our TAG and see how.

AF: @englandsc Apart from sports, is anyone in the sustainability space aware of the this new form of marketing?

SE: Thanks for the opportunity to share our thoughts on how we’ll all be communicating much sooner than expected. Watch for TAGS!

AF: Great chatting, Steve! I always learn so much from you. Where can someone find one of your demos?

SE: Checkout www.Greennurture.com they have implementation launching. Using QR Codes is a Global inititive with our full support.

SE: Demos are updated frequently on our website. you can also follow @Newmediamarket or find us on LinkedIn for SlideShare content.

AF: I still like to have a T-shirt with a customized tag! http://bit.ly/4Cmuvh Maybe we should wear some to @podcampaz

Two years of ‘broad public access’ at State Dept blog

September 29, 2009 / Angelo Fernando / 1 Comment

Last week Dipnote, the blog by the State Department, turned two.

So much has happened in two years. It was the year that the iPhone debuted, and Microsoft bought a stake in Facebook. A few months before that TIME named all those people creating content and connecting through social media as the ‘Person of the Year’ – the famous “YOU” issue.

Luke Forgerson, Managing Editor of Dipnote

Dipnote took to this new way of communicating with amazing flair. If there is one example of I’ve been using repeatedly to illustrate how any organization could stop firing press releases and start a conversation, it’s been them.

Think about it. Foreign policy to many is as sexy as watching paint dry. But given the right angles –heck, the right to loosen up– and the interest in listening as much as speaking, it turns out to be a different animal.

I have talked to many organizations who are terrified at the thought of saying something that could come back to bite them. Blogs, and videos, and photos pulled from a diverse group of individuals seem like total anarchy to them. It might damage the brand, they fear. The question I get asked a lot is ‘What if someone says something nasty?” –followed by “should we publish that too?”

I won’t go into the responses I give, but you’d think a group of people who represent the brand image of a country must have thought about this a lot. There must be bookshelves of white papers and journals on this subject in their offices. There must be legal advisers shaking their heads in disbelief.

And yet…

If you look at the social media initiatives the State Dept has rolled out over the past few years, these ‘government employees’ seem to take to new media in a way you’d expect of a marketing organization. Maybe they understand that good marketing is all about good communication. It’s more than the ingredients of ‘technology and talent‘ that Sec. Clinton spoke about.

It’s about using social media as an antenna not a bullhorn.

Get-rich-tweets and why we fall for them

September 28, 2009September 28, 2009 / Angelo Fernando / Leave a comment

I want to apologize to any of you who follow me on Twitter if you received a direct message from me saying “hey, I made $384 yesterday. this website showed me how.” Apparently my account was hacked because I may have clicked a link in a similar message from others in my network.

I had contacted two senders from whom I received the suspicious DMs with the shortened URL, and thought I was immune. A reader to my post at ValleyPRBlog confirmed that I too had taken the bait.)

So why are we so vulnerable to the garbage that gets passed around the Twittersphere faster than you could say Phish? One word: Trust.

We screen less: We are so inherently trusting of those in our network, we don’t always take time to check if the email jokes, the ‘Must Read This’ links, or the PPT attachments are safe.
We click more. I tend to click more on a shortened URL because I see so much of them. The link economy teaches us to prefer clicking on links rather than typing a URL out.

I have made the point elsewhere that there will soon arise Trusted Friends, or Network Curators, and these may not even be major brands; they could be individuals with great credentials. People we value, and… trust like crazy!

Speaking of which, I am about to purchase a book on the subject called Trust Agents –co-authored by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. It comes highly recommended. Brogan’s original thesis for the book was that it was about: “people who use the web in a very human way to build influence, reputation, awareness, and who can translate that into some kind of business value.”

Hoipolloireport

Angelo Fernando's blog since 2004

Communications

Love it when a chart beats a logo

What’s the definition of a PR stunt?

Twinterview with Steve England

Get-rich-tweets and why we fall for them

Rohit Bhargava, on the World Business Forum

Forrester Research report on technology adoption in the workplace.

Jason Baer, on how social media gives everything a marketing focus.

Tweet by @lspearmanii

Peter Svensson, of the Associated Press, on the technology that connects the pill bottle cap to an AT&T network.

George Will, conservative columnist for the washington Post, on Obama’s overuse of words and concepts in his speech at Copenhagen.

Headline of a billboard ad for a Northern Ireland used-car web site, that got the advertisement banned in the UK. The accompanying visual was not about cars…

Title card in YouTube video aimed at the leaders attending the UN General Assembly in New York this week. The video-as-open letter was by RelaxZen, a mood-altering drink –that was shipped to every world leader.

Barack Obama, in his address to the United Nations General Assembly, on the commitment of the US to change.

Nathan Wagner, Relevant Chews,on selling

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, responding to claim that Number 10 was snubbed by the White House, with regard to a personal meeting between the two heads of state.

Microsoft statement about its new image management tool that lets companies monitor, analyze and engage in social media, via its Silverlight technology

Ike Pigott, at Media Bullseye, on Seth Godin’s rebranding Squidoo as a social engine that aggregates online chatter about a brand or company. Pigott also calls this a sinister act of piracy! Squidoo already has “900,000 hand built lenses.”

Soundtrack from the Bollywood movie, Blue, featuring Kylie Minogue and Oscar-winning composer, A.R. Rahman –he of of Slumdog Millionaire.