Archive for November, 2008

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Media lessons in times of terror

Saturday, November 29th, 2008

Manoj ‘Night’ Shyamlan when asked how does he heightens the frightful experience in his films, replied that it was about evoking the basic human emotion – fear of unknown. It’s this fear of unknown which creates panic in terror situations like the one witnessed in Mumbai. And knowledge (information in this case) is the antidote to it. It is important that while on one hand we have National Security Guards planning a detailed and thorough rescue operation, the communications wing (don’t know if anything like this exists currently) of the government provides correct and timely information to common man.

While watching the brutal and cowardly acts of the terrorists on TV and Internet, I strongly felt that social media could have been put to better use by the official agencies. It is as much important to give out news to people as it is to evict those terrorists especially when people from all over the world have been held hostage. Mind you, by giving out news, I am not even for a second hinting at giving out NSG’s operational details!!

Social media has been blamed for spreading rumours and incorrect information. Also for sensationalizing event coverage. That’s rather unfair. Firstly there are couple of things that everyone must appreciate as a given of changing times.

Firstly, social media is here to stay. Condemning it is not the solution. Using it to your advantage is. Secondly, Internet is as important a medium as others for capturing information. The younger audience especially in Mumbai attacks was glued on to the Internet as much as their TV sets.

So what are some of the things that we could have done differently for news dissemination in times of terror?

1. Appoint a Media Manager:

The person appointed as Media Manager will be sole spokesperson for the entire crisis. For the traditional and social media he should be the one point contact for all information, queries, clarifications, requests etc. This will reduce the chaos considerably as all reporters will not run around interviewing every officer on site.

Create a separate enclosure for TV crews and if possible a section for the media manager to address the press. This will ensure that the TV cameramen don’t have to lift their tripods every time there is an update to be given. This would of course be dependent on the area and kind of terror attack. While viewing telecast of events yesterday I saw the chaos that happened when DG of NSG wanted to give a statement. All the press crew ran towards him and there was so much commotion that his address to the nation got cancelled.

2. Use social media:

I don’t want to devote too much space in this blog post on how much of social media has been used. Reports indicate that there were 80 tweets happening every five seconds on this topic in the last 3 days!! Bloggers played a key role in providing missing links to information got from TV.

The Media manager in this case would have his team who will use social mediums effectively to give out information.

Official Blog:

The official government blog could have had continuous updates on the developments on each of the 3 terrorists sites where commando operations were on.

Being an official blog, even the traditional media will check on it before voicing unconfirmed reports thereby reducing rumours.

There would be sanctity to number of casualties being quoted. Because there was no official source, bloggers updated information that they presumed was correct which in its own way added to more panic.

Several international media agencies will take information from there. By subscribing to blog feeds, whenever that blog is updated, the subscribers get an automatic update informing them on the same.

Photo and Video Sharing Sites:

The blog analogy applies over here too. Distinctly there was a need for footage to be screened out to people. During the entire coverage, each news channel claimed some sort of exclusivity of sorts. That really baffled me coz all of them were lined up together outside all the 3 terror locations. Guess it’s an attempt to gain those extra TRPs. By uploading video snippets and pictures on the official site and community, you satiate that need of the people to see what is happening. The journalist at the site can do quality reporting if the pressure on that person is reduced to show exclusive shots only.

Microblogging:

Or rather plainly put tweets as it’s become insanely famous in the last 3 days. Twitter is just one of the companies providing it. There The official tweets could have been good announcement boards to keep people abreast with the developments. For example, when the rumour of CST firing started again spread, instead of banning cable everywhere these official social media tools could have helped in informing people and press that it is a false story.

Social Networking Sites:

Along with blog, the communities created on the social networking sites could be used to give out valuable information like hospitals which require blood donation, emergency helpline numbers, donation drives, information about important institutions being closed for that period etc

Some might say that there is no time to set up all these platforms. I don’t agree. For one you just have to register only once in all these platforms. And second people who are using these will agree with me that updating information is not a more time consuming process than filming, editing and screening it on channels is!!

Also this is not about social media against traditional media. The role that the reporters performed in coverage of the terror incident is exemplary. They stood there day and night without fearing for their lives and in a lot of ways built pressure on the government for quick act. My post is more about leveraging social media along with traditional media to gain maximum advantage.

Giving out information on social media will create some sort of order and hopefully stop rumours as official version will be available for people to read. Of course one is assuming that the updates will be timely and accurate from the government side. I am sure we all agree that the family members of the hostages are way too worried to be psyched out further with misleading information.

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Posted in Blogs, Social Media, Traditional Media | 12 Comments »

Corporate Website 1.0 is dead. Long Live Corporate Website 2.0

Saturday, November 22nd, 2008

The title is borrowed from the traditional proclamation – ‘The King is dead. Long Live the King’. What is basically meant (and I am taking this from Wikipedia) is that in certain monarchies of France and England, the transfer of sovereignty occurred instantaneously upon the moment of death of the previous monarch. In this blog post, I am using it to highlight that how a stand alone non interactive website (basically 1.0) is dead and without fail, its time for websites powered by social media (Websites 2.0) to take over!!

It is very common to see companies scrambling to get their website up. In few cases, some basic essentials of website are missing, but in most the marketers have no clear agenda on why they are building one. It’s not too surprising to see websites being made because it is a standard launch activity to do. It is more like a job in the task list at the time of product launch. The brand manager gets it executed because it was expected out of him or her.

Few service sectors like airlines or banking are using sites to either generate more business or cut the customer servicing costs. So if nothing else, they are at least generating some value. But by using social media tools, they could heighten the positive customer experience on their site. Because there is absence of social media tools, the hits quickly dry out and then money get pumped into traditional media to boost website hits. Not only is this model financially viable in the long run but also it kills the basic principles on having a website.

The point here really is ‘Whether a website is creating value for the company more than just providing a digital presence.’

Let’s dwell a little deeper and attempt answering this question below.

Q) Why does anyone come to a corporate website?

1.    To know more about the company – People would rather go to Wikipedia more often to either know more or check credibility of the company

2.    To watch its advertisements – Wouldn’t they go to You Tube for that

3.    How about buying its products – Really? How many Indian websites have secured e-commerce transaction facilities. At most, I have heard of few companies tying up with common third party e-commerce portals to sell their products online

4.    To read product reviews – It’s independent sites like mouthshut or reviewstream where one will heads to if one wants product reviews

5.    To learn how to use a product – Then one would visit sites like WikiHow, Wiki Answers and Yahoo Answers that get visited. And anyway, not many company websites have provided ‘How To Use’ section.

6.    To know the price – There are price comparison sites that provide you a feature to compare similar products or services and offer you cheaper options

7.    To get recent news about the company – A reader would rather head to a company’s blog as it would be more up to date and also personal in nature

8.    Because you just love their brands – Then you would rather become a fan – a feature so widely available on social networks like Facebook.

So again, really why would anyone visit a company’s website?

People aren’t visiting corporate websites because:

1.    Companies make their websites as if they were brochures online. Standard stale information with pretty images or faces. Or more like hoardings or billboards which is completely one way and non interactive medium. Websites are Just meant as an announcement board.

2.    Most corporate websites have stock images of nicely dressed young men and women either shaking hands or walking out of conference room. Honestly, hasn’t a picture of this already flashed in your mind by now. Yeah, they all appear the same – no unique identity

3.    The websites are screaming with brand messages staring in your face about just how good the brand is in delivering its promise. As a potential customer, why would I believe any reviews about that brand on its own site

4.    There is no place for people to create community or forum to interact and share their experiences about the product or service. There must be a platform where positive and negative views both are allowed and a potential customer is free to make that choice.

5.    Every corporate wants to build a rosy picture rather than a correct picture. So the websites end up with images of men and women, people of different skin colours etc basically anything that connotes that you are an equal opportunity complier and believe in fair trade. This would be an ideal thing to do if actions of that company collaborated with the images.

So what can be done about it?

1.    Host a blog: Gives user more recent news about the company and its products. Allows the user to comment and interact with the company

2.    Build Communities: This will create value. Companies can build brand specific ocmmunities so that people who have bought that product can come and discuss more about it. Also companies can share tips and suggestions on its features or maintenance or anything of value to the consumer

3.    Share positive and negative reviews: This will build up the credibility immensely for that brand. It won’t be surprising to find people calling it a honest brand buying it as they appreciate that brand value.

4.    No authoritative tone: The voice and manner of communication needs to be informative, thought provoking, appealing and inviting to consumers.

5.    Hire Windchimes Communications as consultant on social media strategy. You could start by reading more about social media and their services on their website

There are several social media platforms that can be integrated with the website. It’s important to be clear with the objective before build a website. Till then save those precious advertising rupees – coz an economic slowdown could be right down the corner!!

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Posted in Blogs, Social Media, Website 1.0 & 2.0 | 19 Comments »

There is no Audience in Social Media Marketing

Monday, November 17th, 2008

This blog post has stemmed from the interesting discussion that my earlier post generated ‘Is advertising on Facebook called Social Media Marketing?” Mostly all agreed that while advertising on Facebook helped the marketer focus to the right target audience, it was still advertising.

Social Media Marketing on the other hand implicitly calls for user participation and building dialogue. Both of which remain absent with Facebook advertising form of communication. To me if there is one thing that segregates social media from others is the use of word ‘Audience’.

There is no audience in Social Media Marketing. Period.

Audience is to whom you announce any activity

Audience is to whom you talk to

Audience is to whom you have a monologue with

Audience is to whom you deliver your message to

Audience is to whom you drive your point across

It is not about semantics. It is about psychology of a marketer. Most traditional media have allowed marketer to control the message that is going out on his brand. The brand manager decides on the communication creative, the medium it will be transmitted it and in a lot of many ways anticipate how it’s audience will react to it.

In social media, he or she will only be able to manage their communication. They will have to evolve it with the consumers of that group. There will be two way communication right from the beginning allowing a sense of co-creation which will ultimately lead to higher sales and profits. There will be no messages to deliver or announce but points to discuss with users.

Social Media Marketing in a lot of ways will redefine some of the conventional marketing wisdom. The consumer insighting process will play a far more critical role in developing brand communication. Just as you need content in your blog, to generate hits to it, there will be lot of substance required to hold conversation with people and attract them towards the brand.

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Posted in Social Media, Target Audience, Traditional Media | 5 Comments »

Traditional Media is adopting Social Media principles

Saturday, November 15th, 2008

It”s important to understand how social media marketing is gaining ground in today”s times. By following four basic principles, social media marketing positively impacts the consumers on behalf of the brand. Let me start by listing down the basic principles of social media:

1.    Seeking User Participation,

2.    Building Value for the community

3.    Allowing User Generated Content (UGC) and

4.    Listening to people’s point of view

Traditional media is re-inventing itself by adopting these principles for itself. Let’s take each principle and explain it in context to our emerging social scenario:

1. Seeking User Participation:

Most General Entertainment Channels (GECs) of India and elsewhere have begun to involve their viewers with their shows. They are realizing that unless you don’t make people actively engage with the content, they will switch to another channel. Hence, most reality shows insist on viewer voting. It’s frequent to see them asking viewers to SMS XYZ to 1234 to vote for their favourite participant. By making people participate by voting, the show producers are hoping that the viewer will stay with them to see the results – thereby not losing their TRPs (Television Rating Points)

Polls are another example. Most news stations ask viewers to sms their point of view on a particular event or story as it unfolds. They then tabulate the results and air them with their comments. These quick polls are then used to gauge public opinion on social matters

2. Building value for the community:

By participating with people, traditional media is also creating a lot of value for them. There have been several instances in India where in a criminal has about to go scot free. The news channels invited people to share their views through emails, dedicated phone lines and SMS-es. That put pressure on the government to act i.e. reopen the case and hold the guilty accountable for their crime.

Jessica Lall murder case is a classic example and so is that of Nitin Katara’s. It is interesting to note that in both cases, social media platforms (wiki and blogs) have been leveraged to create public awareness and protest towards injustice done.

I am sure that each of us can recount several instances where the media has played a proactive role that benefited the citizens and the community at large towards a positive change.

3. Allowing User Generated Content:

Most news channels have started involving citizens to cover a story for them. CNN IBN, a leading Indian news channel has in fact dedicated an entire show called Citizen Journalism. Just recently, I saw an event where citizens were being awarded for the journalistic work that they had carried out. This arrangement works wonderfully for the news channel. Today, the only way to retain eye balls is to either break the story first or have exclusivity rights over it.

Let’s take a scenario. Assume a newsworthy event occurs suddenly in Lonavala, a small town 100 kms from Mumbai – where the news stations and reporters are based. It will take some time for a reporter to get there, cover it and send back edited legalized version of it for airing. However, the people residing there can capture the event as it is unfolding on their cell phone or handy cam and send it to the news channels for airing. So that channel receiving that footage is the first one to break that story!!

For the viewer, he or she will definitely watch the news channel to see their coverage getting aired. Chances are that they would have told their family and friends also to switch on that channel at that particular hour to watch their story. Further, having seen their story aired, there would be an unconscious loyalty that would get built towards that channel.

There are also other examples of how citizens are using this opportunity to create social awakening of sorts and get attention and justice towards their cause. By allowing users to generate content, media companies have empowered citizens to make a difference to the place they are living in!

4. Listening to people’s point of view:

Here again, all TV channels seek feedback regularly for each episode or section aired. Internet and Mobile are mostly the mediums used to seeking feedback. This definitely allows them to edit their content accordingly. The feedback acts as a dipstick to record what people love to watch and what scores low on ratings.

One leading GEC carried out an interesting marketing tactic to interact with its viewers. For one of their most watched daily soap opera they invited viewers to submit entries on how according to them should the story unfold further. The prize: The person whose story would be selected will get a mention and basically earn his or her 15 minutes of fame. Needless to say, the channel was flooded with snail mails and emails.

It’s heartening to see that traditional media is willing to adopt and change as per the newer social fabric that is getting developed. However, the two way interaction will get restricted to these activities as that is the limitation of the medium. At this point several social media platforms like blogs, wikis, discussion forums, social networking sites will take over and start providing value. So, it’s important for marketers who wish to interact with their audience incorporate social media marketing as part of their annual marketing spends.

Read more about Social Media and Social Media Marketing

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Posted in Social Media, Traditional Media | 17 Comments »

Mr. President 2.0: Barack (Social Media) Obama – Part 2

Sunday, November 9th, 2008

This is the second part of the article on how Mr. Barack Obama used social media to win the presidential elections. Do read the first part of the series

4.    Use of Audio Visual Media:

The campaign managers created a page on Flickr where people could see pictures of his campaigns, his personal moments with his family and as a presidential candidate reaching out to people. All these visuals created a sense of him being there everywhere. It gave the opportunity for people to follow his campaign virtually and see the success he was getting in each state.

On his separate channel on You Tube, there are more than 1800+ video snippets uploaded with close to 20 million views. These numbers may still look small when compared to TV but remember all this publicity is FREE. In fact, so famous were Obama’s videos, that it induced Will.i.am to come out with a music video “Yes We Can”

5.  Voter Participation:

Barack Obama paid special attention in targeting the 18-25 year old segment to vote this elections. And this strategy paid off. People from that age group got interested in the election process and came out in large numbers to vote for the first time in America. He created a big voter base for himself that otherwise didn’t exist for all this time. He made them participate in this election. He made them realize that their individual vote can ‘make a change’. Because he made the effort of reaching out to them in their way, young voters started running campaigns for him in their universities to gather and unfluence undecided voters.

6.  Customized Content:

Care was taken to customize the content on each of his profile towards the target audience of that particular site.  So on Eons, he mentions about his parents and how he was raised. Also mentions the different places he has grown up in and the community work he was involved with in Chicago. It is impossible for someone who is part of that community not being moved or connected with the writing that was put up on his profile. He created a widget that would help the boomers track where they had to go to vote. On his site for Latinos, all mentions are in Spanish so that he can reach out to more people

7.  Use of widgets:

Not to be done with just social networking sites, Obama’s profile was created on twitter which got used more for announcements. The Obama campaign’s social network, MyBarackObama.com, includes a page that specifically invites users to copy codes that install campaign logos, photos, and icons on their personal Web sites, which then link back to a campaign donation page. Created widgets on myth and rumour bustors about elections. People could stay up to date on the latest events unfolding in the country.

Was it only Social Media that did the trick?

Well, while social media has definitely helped Barack Obama become the President, it is not to undermine his own charishma, his views and stand point on several issues and his ability to connect with the people. Without these basic human qualities, all the above remains nothing but tools.

So what happens to all this now:

Well, I hope that the president elect doesn’t just leave all social media platforms high and dry. He can use it to communicate his policy decisions to people and reach out to them during his entire term. He can use the tools as listening post. Know what people really want and get feedback on his actions from there.

It also won’t be surprising to note that several politicians across the world would start using social media tools as part of their campaign. I for one will be keenly observing what happens during elections in India. Will any politician of our country rise up and reach out genuinely to Indians at large.

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Posted in Case Study, Social Media | 5 Comments »

Mr. President 2.0: Barack (Social Media) Obama – Part 1

Sunday, November 9th, 2008

(This is two part series article)

I just had to use social media as his middle name. It is important to analyze how Barack Obama could leverage his views and personality to reach out to voters using social media tools. American elections created history of sorts – one and the most obvious one being elected as the first African American as President. Second and not so obvious one being use of social media for his presidential campaign by his campaign managers.

Let’s break it down into steps.

1. Voter Generated Content:

First thing that stood out of the campaign was his website. It allowed the voters and fans to not just learn more about him but also organize meetings and fan clubs on his behalf. Voters could download tools and use them in a manner they felt best to help them organize meetings. There was a ‘download’ section where voters could use donation widget, get campaign materials and Obama badges.

People customized content from his website

People customized content from his website

The campaign managers had hosted the blog on the website which was more personal in nature and allowed the president elect to share his views and thoughts at frequent intervals. Users could upload their photos and videos, of the meeting they had organized, on his blog for others to see.

Allowing people to create their own content is the golden rule of social media. Barack Obama got more people to participate in his campaign because of this.

2. Generate more funding:

It was clearly evident at the primaries stage itself that Barack Obama was generating a high level of funding. There were times when Hillary Clinton was reported appealing to her supporters “I hope you’ll go to my Web site. Share your thoughts with me, and help in any way you can.” Obama on the other hand had used his immense fan following to generate online donations. He created donation widgets and placed them on all of his profiles in various social media platforms. I am sure people wouldn’t have felt an easier way to contribute towards their leader’s campaign. As a matter of fact, majority of his donations were in lots of ‘sub $200‘

Donation Widgets on across all social media platforms

Donation Widgetson across all social media platforms

This worked right through even while contesting with Senator John Mc Cain. The ‘Obama-everywhere’ strategy raised more than $105 million in the first six months of the year, compared with Senator John McCain’s $76 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Obama’s campaign said that as much as 88% of donations stemmed from online sources.

3. Voter Segmentation:

By Age: It was hard to believe that presidential candidate actually had a profile on Facebook and then on MySpace. His profile on Facebook and MySpace was interactive giving his fans of 18-25 age group an opportunity to interact with him – much different from just placing banners ads that are barely effective and not personal.

On the other hand, he created his profile on eons – a social networking site targeted to the ‘boomers’ where he talks about his growing up days as that was more relatable to them.

By communities: Besides having his presence on Facebook and MySpace, Obama also created his profiles on Black Planet, on MiGente and on GLEE (Gays, Lesbians and Everyone Else)  targeting the African Americans, Latinos and Gays and Lesbians. The campaign managers also created a separate section for AAPIS (Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders) on his website My.Barackobama.com

Reached out to professionals: It was even more surprising to find his profile on Linked In where I am sure he would have discussed his view points on business, income tax and finance. There are separate group created on linked too where his followers could download badges and give their suggestion to him.

Hope you are with us till this stage. We continue the analysis of Barack Obama social media campaign in the second segment

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Posted in Case Study, Social Media | 17 Comments »

Beware before becoming a Fan on Facebook

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

Mark Zuckerberg, opened up advertising on Facebook last year taking the approach of ‘social actions’ of its users. He explains it in his press release that “The core of every user’s experience on Facebook is their page and that’s where (all) businesses are going to start as well. Social actions are powerful because they act as trusted referrals and reinforce the fact that people influence people. Social Ads can appear either within a user’s News Feed as sponsored content or in the ad space along the left side of the site.” (Read: Are Facebook ads conversational marketing?)

If you become the ‘Fan’ of a product that has Facebook profile, then that product can insert your name and profile directly into their pitches. According to Facebook, a user has to take a “social action” in order to trigger the appearance of their name and picture in an advertisement. This is not restricted to only becoming a fan of any product. According to Facebook spokesperson Brandee Barker, that could be almost any activity that the user does on Facebook, “such as the download of an application and the acceptance of a friend request.” It could also include becoming a “fan” of a business by clicking a link on that company’s Facebook page.

How many of us are aware of the results of Facebook’s so called social actions? Currently, nothing tells the user that this is the underlying criteria while you perform any action on Facebook. So if you decide to become a fan of a particular drink, don’t be surprised to see your face and name appearing next time on someone’s else profile page. There is no choice given to the user whether he or she would like their details to appear for any ad.

There should be a change made in this system whether it clearly spells out what you are getting into or have an ‘opt out’ option. As of now the only way to avoid this is by avoiding associating yourself with any corporate brands on Facebook.

William McGeveran, University of Minnesota law professor, who wrote extensively about Social Ads’ possible legal ramifications when the platform was announced, the problem is that users may be unwittingly lending their likenesses to advertising campaigns. “I would expect it to make many users uncomfortable to see their images appropriated this way for commercial purposes if they didn’t have warning and didn’t give true consent in advance.”

I personally adore Facebook and the fact that it has helped me in connecting with friends I never thought I would ever meet. But beware before becoming a complete fan!!!

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Posted in Facebook | 9 Comments »

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