LEWIS 360°

You can lead a horse to water...

I recently blogged about how social media will make this election like no other in history, and the role the media needs to play in facilitating this. 

Since then, articles have been written suggesting that TV will have the most impact on the outcome of the General Election. Channel 4’s Ask the Chancellors debate, broadcast last night, was this theory’s first real test. It’s success was not down to TV alone – Channel 4’s social media strategy played an essential role.

Channel 4 made every effort to ensure people could join the debate; an #askthechancellors hashtag linked with a Twitter stream on the Channel 4 website was set up, people could engage directly with the Channel 4 Facebook page, and the individual Twitter profiles of Faisal Aslam, Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Cathy Newman all drove activity online.
 
As a result, two equally passionate debates ran at the same time – the televised debate between the Chancellors and the digital debate between viewers. TV acted as a primary source for the debate running online. Matthew Wells (@MatthewWells), head of audio at the Guardian, summed it up perfectly: “This is what a social media election looks like. Led by TV, picked apart on digital back channel.”
 
This election won’t be won on any single media platform or channel because most people don’t listen to one channel alone. Social media gives people opportunities to engage with politicians and each other as never before, and in that way it will make this election different. But it should not be the sole information source one uses to decide how to vote.
 
The beauty of modern communication is that you can absorb information from whatever sources best suit your lifestyle, but the primary concern for everyone should be whether the electorate is absorbing any information at all.

A quick look at last night’s viewing figures makes for disappointing reading. Ask the Chancellors received an average audience of 1.8 million while Eastenders racked up around 9 million. A discussion about why can wait for another day, but regardless these figures show a worrying degree of apathy and disaffection.

It seems that even when the media does make it easy for people to engage with political debate, like Channel 4 did last night, a disturbingly large proportion still aren’t concerned. With some horses, you can lead them to water but under no circumstances will they drink the stuff.

Threaten to take it away, and it’s often these horses that make the most noise.

Cutting through the hype of social media

Last week the inaugural Boston Digital Dinner was held on an unseasonably balmy evening! The event brought together a selection of thought leaders and local companies to debate the power of social media and its relevance to them, individually, and their business in 2010. The discussion focused on cutting through the hype to understand if social media really matters to “business, bosses & buyers” (yes – we love catchy titles!).  The free flowing wine and great food got everyone fired up and in the mood for a spirited discussion!

Brian Bergstein, national technology editor of the Associated Press, moderated the discussion with active participation from marketing leaders at Monster.com, Netezza and Google to name a few. Michael Krigsman, contributing editor at ZDNet and CEO of Asuret, provided practical examples of how social media is already changing the way business leaders communicate and manage large-scale projects. Insight into the policy issues raised and a global perspective were provided by John Clippinger, Co-Director, Harvard University, The Berkman Center for Internet & Society - Law Lab.

Everyone shared a unique view on the role of social media and its development within their organization. Social media is clearly a contentious issue!

Lessons learned

By the end of the session, even the most skeptical attendees all agreed on one thing, that no company whatever its shape or size can afford to ignore the social media revolution that is currently underway. The risk of being left behind is too great. A great analogy was made regarding companies back in the 90s who didn’t think they needed a website, as they were not in the retail business.

However, despite everyone agreeing that social media matters, the evidence to support the value it can bring was felt to be too anecdotal. A clearer roadmap is needed with milestones that can be tracked and evaluated. Large corporations with expensive products can't run their business on whims. Despite a vast array of evaluation tools both free and fee-based, no clear best practices have been established to help companies navigate the crowded marketplace.

There is confusion about how to engage across the different channels rather than simply broadcasting news. How do you build a personality that will help drive your business forward? What do you need to do as opposed to what is nice to do? These are questions that many marketing professionals are still struggling with. Simply jumping in and taking a sink or swim approach is not an acceptable strategy for many organizations. It was at this point in the discussion that the question of cost came up – specifically, “how much will it cost me to ‘do social media?’”

There is a real need for measurable social media programs. Without this type of evidence it will be increasingly difficult for companies to invest in and harness the power of social media. Many of the attendees felt overwhelmed and needed help with digestible programs that cut through the hype.

So, as an agency, our role needs to focus on not only helping companies understand the social media landscape but to integrate programs that can be measured and the cost benefit analysis identified.  Fortunately, this approach and philosophy is ingrained at LEWIS.

By the end of the session one of the more skeptical participants (at the beginning!) told me it was the most useful event he has attended and that it really helped collectively move his thinking forward.

So, all in all, a great evening with a lively discussion and some great food! Thanks to all our attendees and moderators. I’m looking forward to our next Digital Dinner.

Social Media World Forum: the review

We spent last week exhibiting at Social Media World Forum, a two-day event featuring the great and good of the online realm.

In between meeting lots of people with interesting and exciting ideas on social media, we managed to join the audiences and listen to quite a few of the speakers preaching to the massed blogosphere. There were many speakers on stage, including LEWIS PR’s own Paul Charles who explained why the boardroom needs to “tweet up and listen”. There are some good round-ups of the presentations, including Paul’s, here.

However, perhaps the most interesting advent of all was not one single speech or speaker. Rather it was the collective message coming out of the event: whether companies want to address it or not, social media is now a fundamental part of any communications campaign. Despite concerns over the return on investment, and an overriding fear of its lawless nature, social media is out there and cannot be dismissed as a passing fad. This might seem obvious to the numerous social media 'gurus' out there but it's important to remember there are varying levels of knowledge, understanding and comfort when it comes to embedding social media into the day-to-day marketing programmes.

Over the last few years, using social media for marketing and PR has become more measureable, more strategic, more scientific, and more fundamental to communication with every passing minute, let alone every day. The vast array of companies who’s sole offering is a niche form of social media monitoring or measurement (and who were exhibiting at SMWF) was and is testament to that.

As an event, Social Media World Forum was invaluable in proving that whether or not you choose to engage, or interact with the social web, it’s going to have an impact on your business. To borrow a quote that Paul used: “control is so 20th century.”

The global series of shows now moves on to North America and Asia. As a main sponsor at both it will be fascinating to see if similar conclusions can be applied on a global scale, and how adoption and perceptions differ geographically.

2010 CTIA Wireless - Day One

Not surprising, but lots of prototype devices are being previewed (launched?) on day one of the 2010 CTIA Wireless show here in Las Vegas. Check out the preview from TWICE. Beyond the traditional hype surrounding new devices, applications and accessories, a simple message was delivered during the day one keynotes. As wireless demand continues to grow, consumers expect the industry to keep up and provide a good experience.

In his keynote presentation, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega noted that by 2014, the U.S. alone is expected to have 86 million devices. The demand is there, but will the industry be able to keep up.

The FCC’s National Broadband Plan calls for up to 500 megahertz of additional wireless spectrum to be freed up for mobile services over the next decade. While this is good news for the industry, the timing might not be fast enough, considering the number of devices on the current networks.

It seems that carriers understand the demand, but from a consumer perspective we simply want it now and we want it to work. We expect the carriers to sort out how to make that happen.

With that in mind, I’m off to check out the Samsung Galaxy S. Of course, it will be available later this year…

Google or cheese? What makes good business news in the West of England

We had that Dave Harvey off the telly in our basement this morning. The BBC’s business correspondent in the West was the speaker at a ‘basement briefing’ event, organised for local businesses by the Bristol team at LEWIS, with The Office, Lahloo Tea and ElementOne IP.

It was a lively morning with a great range of attendees. We carried out a brainstorming exercise with Dave, involving teams, Post-It notes and some weird and wonderful headlines, and in the end we pitched them as local business news stories.

It resulted in a good selection of ideas, and some interesting debates as to what makes a good regional headline. Despite the majority of the room being social media-savvy business people, when asked if we’d rather click on a story with Google in the headline or cheese (both equally likely to be business stories in this part of the world), the response was overwhelmingly in favour of the latter.

Dave also reminded us of some of the staples of broadcast news, some pearls of wisdom I think all PR people would do well to remember. These were two of my favourites:

·      Stories need to be interesting and true. The interesting bit has to be true, and the true bit has to be interesting

·      Think of a story about a business as like looking at the wedding photos of a couple you don’t know. Unless you know the beginnings – how they got together, what the first date was like, how they got engaged – the end result is very boring indeed

Dave’s chairing a Bristol Media panel debate on social media and journalism at the Watershed in Bristol next week. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to some more chat about Stinking Bishop.

The true importance of this "e-election"

The imminent General Election will be like no other we have ever seen. I am not, obviously, the first to say this. As we approach the big day, discussion about how new technology and communication tools will influence the outcome is everywhere.

We hosted a Social Media Summit in Westminster last week with Tom Watson MP and Jeremy Hunt MP looking at this very issue, and I’m sure we’ll see plenty more as we get closer to May.

I would like to highlight in particular an article by John Harris in this morning’s Guardian entitled “Welcome to the first e-election”. Despite being overtly politicised, Harris makes some very interesting points. However, given the title of the article, he has overlooked the most important issue and focused too much on the spoof tactics saga of the MyDavidCameron  and MyLabourPosters websites.

Granted, the speed and effectiveness with which the two respective campaigns went viral does demonstrate the power of social networking in spreading positive and negative political messages. It also asks the question, as Alastair Campbell so rightly puts it, whether “the political poster has had its day?” Like many core tools of the traditional election campaign strategy, it clearly has.

But why place such an emphasis on the activity of political parties, their subsidiaries and supporter groups, or bloggers such as Guido Fawkes and the people behind the MyDavidCameron website? Harris should also be looking at the power of social networking in engaging with the general public, particularly amongst the younger part of the electorate.

Being an avid user and advocate of social media, it is sometimes easy to forget that millions of British people will still pay most of their attention to manifesto leaflets put through their letterbox and party political broadcasts on TV. But these people will not be given the chance to instantly engage with a political figure about a particular policy or idea, or watch any change take place at a result.

Waiting for a knock at your door from your MP is not as engaging and exciting as knowing you can openly support and influence something, and attempt to generate support in others, by simply joining the online discussion.

Apathy is rife amongst the younger generation. They feel unenthused, disconnected and disaffected. The fact that social media will have a direct impact on this General Election has made people from all generations realise that their opinion can be influential. It is not just their vote, but also their online activity that can make a difference. That is how social media will truly change this election, and at a level that matters.

During the LEWIS Social Media Summit last week, one of the attendees ( @brokenbottleboy) tweeted that there was “too much about talking and not enough about listening. MPs still see Twitter as a new megaphone”. With the media forming a large percentage of those following and reporting on social media, it is the media’s responsibility to demonstrate how this can empower the general public, not the politicians.
 
Focusing on the activity of the elected detracts from the potential of the electorate. This emphasis needs to shift if the potential is to be realised and social media is to have the impact it needs to. 

Five ways to fail a job interview

I've interviewed hundreds of job candidates. Going into an interview, I want the interviewee to get the job, to be 'the one'. But the law of averages says that's unlikely. Most candidates make the same mistakes:

They just want A job not, THIS job - Particularly in the current economic climate, candidates just want a position, any position. If you can't answer why you want to work for this company in this particular role, and are the best person to do that, save yourself the bother of applying. Contrary to what you may think, it's not a numbers game. You don't marry just anyone with a pulse, so don't apply to just any company with a payroll. As an employer, I want to know why you are the only person who can do the job.

They don't know what we do - You have to do your research into the company, its positioning, competitors, challenges, financials, recent news. For instance, in my sector, you have to know the difference between PR and advertising. I'm sure there are similar fundamentals in other areas which scream lack of research. It's hard to take a candidate seriously who hasn't put in a few hours getting the fundamentals down.

They mess up the basics - Turn up on time, wear a clean suit, bring an up-to-date resume which is free of typos, don't smell (e.g. of smoke or attack perfume), brush your hair, have clean shoes, don't wear too much make-up (especially guys!) or show too much cleavage (guys!!), don't sweat profusely, or in any way give a first impression which is not the one you intend. Your apparel and punctuality should not be noticeable. You should be what we notice.

They're dull - Companies want to hire fascinating, engaged and exciting people. The ones who ooze potential. So don't bore your interviewer with trivial accomplishments, bland perspectives, wrote answers or lengthy diatribes. Be different. I often ask myself - would I want to get trapped in an elevator with this person? If I can't imagine inviting them home for dinner or going to a bar with them, they're probably not the right fit. Keep your answers short, laugh your way through the interview, be yourself. This is supposed to be you at your sparkling best.

They exaggerate - During an interview the BS radar is on full alert and pointed directly at you. So just be honest. By all means, highlight your accomplishments but don't claim abilities which you don't possess. Honesty and humility are far more important than supposed superpowers. And don't forget, if you get the job, and your track record is a fabrication, we'll find out. Start the relationship on a solid foundation - in many ways it's better to underplay your role and then over deliver when you get the job.

In related topics here are the ten questions which interviewees never ask and a few pointers on how to get a job in PR. Companies are always looking to hire great people, so good luck!

Augmented Reality demo

2010 has been dubbed the year of Augmented Reality. Here at LEWIS PR we have started experimenting with this exciting new technology and you can see our first proof of concept below. Give it a go and let us know what you think. We have some more useful AR apps in the pipeline and we look forward to developing this technology further.

LEWIS PR Augmented Reality demo

Conan the Barbarian?

Conan O'Brien, the US talk show host, has used his media power to transform the life of a 19 year old student from Michigan.

O'Brien had hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter but was not following anyone himself. He decided to change this, however, by choosing one person from random to follow, knowing full well the effect that it could have on them. He even Tweeted "Sarah Killen, your life is about to change".

It sounds like Sarah is currently enjoying the attention and her fiance even wants O'Brien to be the best man at their wedding, but does O'Brien have the right to change someone's life in this way? What if the attention was not well received? If it truly was random then he could have chosen someone who did not need such pressure in their life. Maybe it's all a big marketing stunt?

One thing's for sure, it certainly got him plenty of coverage during his exile from NBC. The simple power of Twitter demonstrated yet again.

Social media election? Nah, it's the TV wot won it

The use of social media at the next UK general election was the topic of the latest in our series of social media summits held last night at Millbank Media Centre. Firstly, a special thanks to all the panelists and to everyone who attended and added to the debate.

As you'd expect the breadth of comments and opinions were varied concerning how big a part Facebook, Twitter and blogs will really play. You can see all the tweets from the night here. (Apologies for the congestion to those following the event via Cover It Live).

Being able to share our inner most thoughts and feeling to as wide an audience as possible is what has made social networks like Facebook and Twitter so popular. But as with any social gathering, there are rules of engagement that must be adhered to. As Paul Waugh alluded to, with social media comes more transparency and this is where the potential for politicians to get it spectacularly wrong increases. 

Embracing social media is all about engaging with people on their level as well as on their terms. More importantly though, it's about really listening to what the electorate want.

As to whether social media will make or break the next election, the jury is still out. But as Tom Watson right pointed out, this will be the first time TV debates will be used in the run up to the election. Ultimately, that is what will decide who will get the keys to Number 10 come June 3.

(Tom Watson MP)