Always Coca-Cola – Social Media Innovators March 27, 2009

Coca-Cola is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. For the last seven years it has taken the number one spot on Business Week’s Best Global Brands chart and this is because Coca-Cola has always been in touch with its market and the changes that have taken place throughout each market.

One such change is the jump to using social media and a lot of companies have started to use this new source of connection to convey key messages to all anticipated target audiences. In this age, the Internet has become a full-blown source of information for the public and companies must learn to utilize such tactics if they are going to remain on the tip of the tongue.

Before we go into what Coca-Cola is doing to remain ahead of the competition, lets see what the options our there are.

When it comes to social media usage by companies, a link from Being Peter Kim’s blog entitled “A List of Social Media Marketing Example” takes us to a neat little pie chart of social media usage.

As you can see, blogging is the predominate force in social media pursuits but social networks, such as Facebook came in a very close second.

Both of these are used predominately by Coca-Cola with the Coca-Cola blog, Coca-Cola Conversations up and running and the second most popular page on Facebook being Coca-Cola’s.

Their blog is written by Coca-Cola historian and archivist, Phil Mooney and talks about the company’s “role in pop culture to brand history to Coke collectibles” and the site heavily encourages two-way conversations just like any blog and some of the posts have gotten a little bit of response from consumers.

The Facebook group that the company can call the second most popular page, was not even started by the company but by two fans. When Facebook changed its rules so that users couldn’t create branded Facebook pages, the company decided to work alongside the creators of the page and kept the page running. This was a smart move for the company because the site was so popular and would have had to been shut down. Coca-Cola realized the necessity of such a page for its fans and have welcomed it into their communication’s tactics.

While Coca-Cola has also entered the wave of online videos, one of the most interesting social media tactics it has taken on is creating a widget for Facebook that is called CokeTag. This widget allows users to create customizable Flash bookmark widgets that allow the user to make link connections on any topic that they are passionate about.

As you can see, Coca-Cola has really embraced the new world of social media in their pursuits of targeting to audiences and keeping the old favourites put. I can’t really think of any new took that the company should look into developing for their company and I think that their record as the best global brand speaks levels as to just how successful their tactics are.

 

 

 

The Social Media Groundswell March 25, 2009

When I first began this blog I wrote about my fascination with Google Reader (if you haven’t read it yet please do: https://aprilwinchester.wordpress.com/2009/01/21/my-google-reader-obsession.) Google Reader has become an informative and comprehensive tool I have used in the past few months allowing me to save time in browsing my favourite websites – I get everything I need from one site.

My Google Reader has continued to grow as I have experimented more and more with different Internet sites and articles. I can thank Delicious for my growing list of articles and great finds. Delicious is another one of those great social media finds that has allowed me to connect to various articles, people, and websites that I may have never found before.

For those of you that may not know (those people under that rock I’ve mentioned before), Delicious is a social bookmarking site that allows users to bookmark articles, blogs, and websites that they find interesting and that they go to frequently. Like the bookmarking widget (find out more about widgets here) on your Internet browser, this forum allows the user to save all websites that they enjoy making them more accessible each time you log on to the computer.

By creating an account with Delicious, you can add your most viewed sites, tag them so that they are put into nice, neat, organized, folders and see what other great articles and websites other people are bookmarking on their accounts. This puts you into contact with a much broader network of articles, blogs, and sites you may have never found on your own.  Like my love of Google Reader, Delicious allows me to get everything I need from one source.

Shouldn’t there be a word to describe the encompassing phenomena of sites like Google Reader and Delicious?

There is.

Get ready for your new word of the day (Sorry TJ if I steal your thunder)

Groundswell.

As Lindy Dreyer writes, groundswell is “a social trend in which people use technology to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations” and it is becoming a growing trend even spawning a book of the same name.

The book deals with the fact that many corporations see groundswells as a threatening entity, encroaching on the tactics that businesses already have in place but authors Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff dispute this claim and even argue that it is actually an opportunity for businesses to grow and flourish.

 “Right now, your [businesses]customers are writing about your products on blogs and recutting your commercials on YouTube. They’re defining you on Wikipedia and ganging up on you in social networking sites like Facebook,” Li and Bernoff write.

The groundswell of technology has allowed businesses to increase their viewership, reach a larger demographic and have their brand be more easily accessible? How is this bad for business?

I know that I am a big fan of this groundswelling of social media and that right now it makes my web browsing a heck of a lot more focused and efficient.  I’m coming across people, companies, brands, and ideas that I may never have come in contact with before and it is helping me learn more each day about the world.

How is this a bad thing? 

Social Media and PR – Professional Wedded Bliss? March 18, 2009

In this fast paced, globalized world what are the best ways for a communicator to be effective?

This is something that as a PR student at Centennial College I have been asked frequently because I will be spending the remainder of my professional career getting into the minds of stakeholders and producing messages that are applicable to my target audience.  My teachers want to make sure I know the correct avenues to reach my targeted audiences.

Through class discussions and actual courses focused on the up and coming trends in communications, I have pondered the most efficient, practical, and cheapest ways to effectively communicate with stakeholders and social media is an entity that keeps coming up as one of the best ways to reach stakeholders because it combines all three of these characteristics.

In an industrial country like Canada where everyone has access to the Internet and in a world where the word Google has become synonymous with research, social media is a highly efficient way to reach many demographics with the simple stroke of a keyboard. This is why many communicators have flocked to social media tactics to reach their intended audiences. Just recently while I was home for reading week, an article in the Journal Pioneer, my local newspaper, talked about the recent switch to social media my soon-to-be employer Tourism PEI has taken in regards to advertising and communication.

In an industry where writing and getting key message across is extremely imparitive, social media seems like the easiest, quickest, and cheapest way to successfully fulfill these commitments.

As Jason Falls, the director of social media for Doe-Anderson, states on his blog, “social media is a method of communications.” This means that communicators and PR professionals should be comfortable using social media tactics such as blogs, podcasts, Facebook and Twitter in their everyday communications agenda.

This is something that many agencies and governments have quickly adapted to and rightly so because it is in their best interest to keep up with all the venues that their stakeholders can reach. Falls continues his article by agreeing that most communicators have realized the importance of social media. He writes: “Communications professionals are learning quickly that … technology has become a requirement of the skill set.”

I agree completely with Falls on this. If you are going to be a current, reliable and strong communicator you need to know which avenues to approach and the most effective ways to do so. In the past few years, social media has become the way.

As Tom Smith discusses in “Why Big Brands Stuggle with Social Media” social media is the wave of the present and more importantly the future.

“It’s undeniably changing the way that content and information work particularly in terms of the publishing of consumer opinion” Smith says. “This [social media] has transformed the way that consumers relate to brands and the way that brands should operate, driving direct interaction, transparency and a more consultative approach.”

As both Smith and Falls state, it is up to PR professionals to use social media accordingly for the sake of the corporations they work for. Therefore, it is imperative that PR communicators use the tool professionally in their day to day communication efforts.

Branding and not the cattle kind February 27, 2009

So this entire year as a CC&PR student, we have been bombarded by the word brand and asked to consider and develop our own brand. For the past several months I have laughed at this idea.

We are not cattle why is branding so important?

Then today, while on my favourite trivia based website, Sporcle, there was a new game on the most valuable brands. In no surprise the top five were: Google, GE, Microsoft, Coke and China Mobile. Other famous brands making the list included Apple, Pepsi, Starbucks, Bank of Canada and General Motors.

What made these brands so successful and how did they decide what their brand would be?

How do I make my brand successful and how do I decide what it should be?

These are personal questions I had to ask myself and although I have put it off for quite sometime maybe its time to figure out my brand and what it is that I want people to take away from meeting me or looking at my portfolio.

I guess the best title for MY brand would be “UNDER CONSTRUCTION” because I am still developing the tactics, experience, and knowledge I feel  is necesary to know who I want to be and how I want to portray myself in the communications world.

 I don’t feel that I have enough experience to define myself as a brand at this moment but I’m continually learning and growing and with each new task I take on not only do I add something valuable to my portfolio but I add it to my skill set.

Since my brand is developing, I think this shows employers that I have a willingness to learn and have an interest in doing so. It also shows that I am adaptable and open to a variety of different sectors.

I think that my developing brand serves as an opportunity for both myself and employers. For me, it allows me to delve into new and different experiences and learn what it is that I am good at and what it is that I want to convey to the world. The only way I can do this is by trying different things out and seeing where my success lies. Employers should see it as an opportunity to molded someone who is new and interesting in learning.

 

 

 

A Question of Ethics February 11, 2009

Ethics is something that we have discussed a lot this year. Things like is it ethical to work for a tobacco company or is it ethical to lie for your employer are things we discussed last semester in courses like Introduction to Corporate Communications, Project Management, and Canadian Business Practices.

This semester, with our focus on social media approaches, we have started to talk about the ethical dilemmas that can be involved with social media.

Things like ghost blogging, “stunt” blogging, creating fake user accounts for companies, or even snooping facebook to spy on potential employees are discussions that all of my peers had comments about. Some thought it was okay and others were repulsed by the ideas.

After all of this talk about ethics, I was concerned that I was an unethical person because in all of these scenarios, I decided that I would do what the majority of people considered unethical.

I would work for a tobacco company, ghost blog, or cover the ass of my employer.

I’m not ashamed to admit this because someone out there has to do it and while you can say you wouldn’t do it now, if the scenario was staring you in the face, you couldn’t guarantee that you wouldn’t do it too.

While I do think it’s important to have an ethical code, I believe that each person’s ethical code differs and as long as you are comfortable with your decisions and can sleep at night that’s all the matters.

An Unexpected Networking Experience January 27, 2009

Today in our Career Management course we began to talk about an upcoming networking assignment. For the assignment, we have to partake in a one-on-one converstation, open house, IABC or CPRS event that could be considered networking. After this experience, we are supposed to write about it.

While I can see the benefits of such practices as networking (mentorship, finding a job, getting your name out there,) I find the idea a little contrived and frankly, uncomfortable. Being forced to network isn’t my idea of a great time. It’s just not natural when your sole purpose is to sell yourself, no I’m sorry, to sell your “brand.” These events are more like working overtime then anything else and I think all parties involved put on fake personas so that they can get what they want.

I found a much better way to network. Although it was unintentional.

On my way home for Christmas break I had the aisle seat (I knew I should have paid the extra $10 to choose my seat in advance but if I had, who knows if everything would have worked out.) My seat neighbour was a very well dressed man who I couldn’t help notice had an incredible tan and a presence about him that just screamed “SUCCESSFUL.”  Because I was in the aisle seat, this man had to walk past me to get to the bathroom and I was the go between for him and the drink/food trays. This got us to talking and what started out as a question concerning P.E.I.’s weather, turned into a two hour converstation about Public Relations. 

It turns out I was sitting with Laurence Heartz from Heartz Event Creation in Toronto and he spent the  rest of our plane ride telling me about the business that I would soon be calling myself apart of.  Unlike what I expect a networking experience would be, Heartz got real with me. For the first time, I met someone in the industry who would give me a frank discussion on both the pros and cons of the industry.

Although I have not been to an actual networking event, I have had many friends who have and none of them have ever gotten the real answers that I did. This is because those people they are meeting at networking events are trying to find employees, they aren’t going to tell you the bad when they want you to come work for them.

Heartz reiterated the pros of the business (the fast-pace environment, the money, the constantly changing demands, etc) but he also gave me a look at the not so good side (the cutthroat nature of the business, the long hours and unappreciated work and the huge importance on looks/persona in the industry to name a few.) After meeting some PR people, I could see that they had (or lacked) many of these qualities and that their success (or lack there of) hinged on this qualities.

It was a breath of fresh air to hear these things and at the end of our conversation, Heartz jokingly asked me if I still wanted to be in the industry.

I didn’t have to think at all. I said absolutely.

In fact, everything Heartz told me (the good and the bad) excited me more than any other talk I have had with PR professionals. It was good to hear about the darker side of the business and to prepare myself for it. I think I’m defiently more prepared for this business now.

As the plane landed in Charlottetown airport, I thanked Heartz for such an enjoyable plane ride and he reiterated my statement. He also handed me his business card and told me to send him my resume because his friend is a partner in a PR firm (Richards and Chan) out in Vancouver that he thinks I would be perfect for.

I got off the plane inspired and buzzing about this unexpected networking experience.

As I said, I think this is the best form of networking because neither person has an agenda and that way, both sides can be honest and open.

Heartz made an impression on me that I will never forget and I hope that he feels the same way.

If only seven-year-olds read the Wall Street Journal January 23, 2009

Since my obsession with Google Reader began, I have vigilantly stuck by my computer screen looking to catch up on the latest news story. One story I read of particular interest was the obvious PR stunt pulled by the Bush family. Now that their eight years in office are up, the Bush family is looking to get a little more attention.

First, it was their lovely holiday message from Barney the dog that had the worst acting in the history of acting but their latest stunt is even more impressive.

The Bush twins – Barbara and Jenna Bush – have recently written a letter to Malia and Sasha Obama giving the two little girls tips on how to handle living in the White House at such a young age.

From the best places to play hide-and-seek to the Presidential parties they won’t want to miss, the Bush twins candidly speak to the Obama girls and give them very endearing advice: “Have fun and enjoy your childhood in such a magical place to live and play… Four years goes by so fast so absorb it all, enjoy it all!”

While this seems like it could be genuine and sweet, it actually is a blatant PR stunt.

Instead of leaving the letter at the White House for the two little girls (after having both their grandfather and father live at the White House for a combined total of twelve years, they must know someone who would have agreed to hand the letter over), the Bush family had the letter printed in the Wall Street Journal.

We all know every seven -year-old subscribes and loyally reads the Wall Street Journal.

Yeah, right.

The Bush family was just trying to get a little more attention now that everyone’s focus is on the next Presidential family.

You had your time in the spotlight albeit, most of the time it was negative. It’s time to go back to Crawford, Texas . . . quietly.

A Rubric for Obama January 22, 2009

So apparently the United States has a new President. Who knew?

Yesterday, the United States and the world witnessed history. For the first time in the United States’ illustrious legacy, a black man is head of state and all eyes are watching. All ears are listening too – and critiquing.

This semester our Presentation Skills course is teaching us how to write effective speeches and how to deliver them so that they are impactful. This is something that will be extremly important in our industy as we are speaking to stakeholders or producing work to be given to stakeholders. Today, we were handed a rubric for our first assignment and since Obama’s speech is still on my mind, I thought I would grade President Obama’s speech following the rubric.

1. Appearance – well Obama always looks put together and dignified so this is an easy 10/10

2. Voice/diction/tone – although he was nervous and excited (rightly so), I belive Pres. Obama souned extremly put together and used his voice extremly well like always. The only negative I saw was in his tone. President Obama kept an even tone throughout his speech but I think there was defiently the opportunity for him to emphasize and change his approach at certain points. This would have made his words more impactful, memorable, and quoteable. We will give him a 7/10

3. Enthusiasm/pace/energy – For someone who had just received a post they had been dreaming about, Pres. Obama was not overly enthusiastic or energetic. I will give him the benefit of the doubt since his speech was geared more towards the situation in which he is stepping into (the war, the economy, and the health care system) rather than the magnitude of his appointment. His rise to the presidency has been talked about for years and his campaign speeches were full of energy and enthusiasm and I was expecting the same sort of magic and charisma from him this time. It didn’t happen. Granted, his speech was about much more. He scores a 4/10 on this aspect.

4. Body language – he was behind a podium, not really seen but for someone as nervous as he was, he pulled it together and was a presence up on that stage without even saying a word. Good job a 9/10.

5. Eye contact – President Obama made it look like he had memorized the speech although prompters were visible. He was good at scanning the crowd while still focussing on the cameras in front of him. Yeah, we’ll give him another 10/10.

6. Audience interaction – President Obama could have sang the alphabet and the crowd would still have been inspired. They were witnessing history and they were in awe of President Obama from the beginning. President Obama captures an audience easily. Another 10/10

7. Composure/Recovery – Excellent. After the slip up with his Oath of Presidency, President Obama was still extremely composed. Well done under such pressure. 10/10

8. Retention Factor– Nothing really stands out. I was unimpressed really besides the fact that I was watching history however, there are a few lines that I clearly remember (but only because they reminded me of Martin Luther King). I guess this means I did retain something so I have to atleast say he was fair in this area as I may not have seen the parallel if it was not for watching King’s speech just last week. A 5/10

9. Overall Effect – I was more moved by the experience and significance of the speech than the components of the speech. I guess that has does count for something. A 4/10.

10. Time – Not necessary. He is the first black President of the United States. He is making history. He could have spoken for hours and everyone would have stayed glued to his words. So I guess we’ll give it a 10/10 for keeping it to 20 mins. However, President Kennedy’s inauguration speech was only 14 minutes and a lot more memorable and impactful.

Total: 79/100

We were given a copy of the speech during our Presentation Skills course this morning and reading through it on our own helped us see what our instructor, Keith McDonald, calls craft. This means the use of language devices to make the speech memorable (such as metaphors, repetition, allusions, cadence, etc.)

I don’t know if President Obama wrote his own speech. I would like to think he was a large part of it however. President Obama’s words were not as magical as I thought they would be and there were not great “sound bites” or many memorable lines.

 There was no JFK-esque “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for the country,” or a King “I have a dream,” or a Churchill “we shall fight.” There were attempts but nothing really substantial.

There were descriptors such as “rising tides,””still waters,” “gathering clouds,” and “raging storms” that were good analogies and reminded me of King’s “mountains” and “mole hills.”

There was a bit of reptition such as the “For us…” lines that were somewhat impactful.

I’m not saying that President Obama’s inauguration speech was horrific but it will not go down in the books as one of the greatest speeches ever – he has at least four years to attempt inclusion in that book.

My Google Reader Obsession January 21, 2009

I always thought that I was good with computers until I entered the classrooms of Centennial College’s Corporate Communication and Public Relations program. Through chats with my peers and through my various courses, I have come to realize that just because I know how to turn on a computer, search news and gossip sites, send e-mails, and download music does not mean that I know anything about computers.  

One of the newest things I’m trying to wrap my head around is Web 2.0. Terms like social bookmarking, tweeting, RSS, blogs, vlogs, wikis, and podcasts are becoming everyday chatter but it does not mean I know any more about them.  Although I am learning.

Through courses such as Media Relations, Design and Layout and Online PR, I am beginning to see the importance of these forums and I must say some of them are changing my life. My new favourite find – thanks to Jessica McLaughlin, our Online PR instructor – is Google Reader (although other choices include NewsGator Online, Bloglines, and Rojo.com.)

Now, I know some people are gasping over the fact that I hadn’t already subscribed to such an invention but what can I say – my name is April Winchester and I am technology illiterate.

For those of you left under that dark rock, I will explain Google Reader as best as I can.

We all have our favourite sites that we check daily. For me it’s Perez Hilton, my friends’ blogs (like incubare) and news websites. I constantly check these sites to see if they’ve been updated. If they haven’t , not only am I disappointed but I’ve wasted my time checking out each and every site. What Google Reader does is brings all of my favourite websites to one easy destination. All I have to do is “subscribe” to my favourite sites (or copy and paste the URL) and add them to my Google Reader. This wonderful tool then notifies me when one of my fav sites has been updated and how many new things it has been updated with. I don’t know how I could go so long without knowing about this amazing find but it truly has become a new love.

Alright, have to go check out my latest updates!

An Introduction of Sorts January 20, 2009

So the name of this blog may throw people off if I don’t take the time to introduce myself a little. I am April  and I am originally from Prince Edward Island – the home of Anne (and as you now know, the island’s second favourite red head . . . ME), lobster, red clay and ofcourse the good ol’ potato!

Currently, I’m living in Toronto and taking the Corporate Communications and Public Relations program at Centennial College. It is because of this dramatic life change that I am forced to produce a blog. Never one to share my opinion too vocally (although as most people know I’m vocal about pretty much anything else), this blogging thing is going to be hard for me so please bare with me.

I have always heard that you retain most of what you learn from doing and from teaching  so this will be the purpose of my blog – taking new things that I learn, both professionally and personally, and sharing it with the rest of the world.

I hope you enjoy!