filter by author: Mike Hollywood

May 13, 2011 at 3:52 PM by Mike Hollywood

By now, you've no doubt heard about the questionable practices PR firm Burson-Marsteller engaged in on behalf of Facebook to "raise awareness of" and "focus attention" on Google's Social Search functionality. Certainly, the actions of B-M do not conform to any reasonable definition of public relations ethics and only serve to perpetuate negative perceptions of our industry as a whole.

The real losers in the battle: everyone.

For those not aware of the background, Google now shows searchers information on how people within their online social graph have interacted with pages that are returned as a part of search results, including tweets, Facebook interactions and various other socially enabled actions. All of this information is being pulled from publicly available data that Google crawls by following links in a user's Google Profile. This is all perfectly legal and in the name of providing a better and more relevant web experience.

 

If that all sounds pretty familiar, it should. Through Facebook's Open Graph, you are probably used to seeing how your friends are interacting with the websites they visit – including stories they "liked" or "recommended" and commented on. You may even know they like a brand in general, despite never even having visited that brand's website. This is Facebook's way of showing you – wait for it – a better and more relevant web experience.

Both companies have taken some lumps for the liberal use of consumer information without proactively informing users that they are doing so. This is despite the fact that most would argue, in the end, both techniques actually do provide a better web experience, facilitating better information exchange and deepening both interpersonal connections and brand-to-consumer connections.

What's sad about this entire kerfuffle is that it's not really about shoddy data privacy or better web experiences. In the end, it's all about advertising revenue and gaining a competitive edge to attract more eyeballs and ad dollars. Both products are great and have improved the world we live in considerably. But, by slinging mud and focusing on the supposed weaknesses of their competitors instead of their own strengths, they have effectively weakened consumer confidence in the industry and given consumers another reason to doubt that online communications even serve their interests.

For those keeping score: doubt - 1; progress - 0.

--Mike Hollywood, Director of New Media, @mikehollywood

Tags: Facebook socialmedia credibility mediarelations crisis PR

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December 3, 2010 at 11:10 AM by Mike Hollywood

Much like the month of March, Black Friday came in like a lion and went out like a lamb. Yes, lines stretched for miles in the wee hours of the morning, but once storefronts were locked and totals were tallied, retailers were likely nonplussed by the modest sales and traffic increases.

 

Where did all the shoppers go? Online.

 

 

Black Friday online sales were up 16 percent, and come Cyber Monday, sales broke $1 billion. This dramatic shift away from brick-and-mortar shopping is not so surprising, considering access to the Internet is near universal among all demographics. What does cause me to raise an eyebrow and shake my head are all the missed opportunities for companies to integrate online holiday shopping promotions across new media channels.

 

A non-scientific Facebook poll found that only a minority of members were using Facebook to search for and share holiday shopping incentives. To really take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday hysteria, retailers would have been smart to provide consumers with Facebook- and Twitter-exclusive discounts designed to increase their followers and sales, yet it seems few companies were able to capitalize. Our own 2010 Cone Consumer New Media Study showed 77 percent of new media users look for companies to offer incentives, such as coupons and discounts, before deciding whether to engage with a company via social media. As companies start to recognize that they should focus online as much as in-store for holiday shopping, they need realize the potential of untapped social media resources to increase sales both during the holidays and throughout the year.

Tags: socialmedia promotion strategy

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November 4, 2010 at 10:35 AM by Mike Hollywood

Yesterday’s big Facebook announcement integrating Deals into Facebook Places was certainly a slap in the face to other location-based apps, but it overshadowed the rolling out of some new features that could significantly change the way users interact with your brand. Now, anyone who had previously “liked” your brand can “unlike” it directly from their news feeds.

 

 

This action used to require a user to click through the news feed item to actually visit the brand page, then click on the “unlike” link located well below the fold in the often-ignored left-hand column. Now, a user can click on the “X” in the upper right corner of a news feed item and choose to “unlike” a page – or even go so far as to report the item as spam.

 

Data from the recently released 2010 Cone Consumer New Media Study indicate 58 percent of consumers will stop following a brand online if they feel the brand is over-communicating – the same percentage of consumers that will stop following if the company “acts irresponsibly toward its consumers.”

 

By making this process easier for users, Facebook just shifted the balance of control a bit more in the direction of the consumer. Brands – beware! Compelling content that resonates with your target audience is the only solution to ensure you continue to develop deeper relationships with your consumers.

Tags: research cone

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March 13, 2010 at 6:18 PM by Mike Hollywood

Day 2 of South by Southwest brought (among other sessions) a discussion on "Measuring Blogger Credibility: FTC Regulation v. Crowdsourced Solutions." I attended this session because I knew it would be a great opportunity to hear unbiased opinions from bloggers about the new FTC guidelines. The session certainly did not disappoint on that front, but sadly (thought not unexpectedly) I don't think it helped lots of folks to better understand the guidelines.

 

 

It was, however, a diverse group that represented many different viewpoints; present were many bloggers, Brian Hall from Transverse Legal, a lawyer specializing in FTC guidelines, John Moore from WOMMA, one of the founders of cmp.ly, agency representatives and even an FTC lawyer that was participating via the twitter stream. Here's the quick rundown of what came from the discussion:

• No one felt the new FTC guidelines added additional credibility to a blogger who reviews products as part of his or her regular activities.
• The FTC guidelines have succeeded in "putting the fear of God" in bloggers, despite the fact that the supposed $11,000 penalties are actually a myth being spread by the media
• Most bloggers understand they need to disclose, and for their own sake, they want to in order to maintain credibility with their audience.
• However, there is no standard for bloggers to follow, and there are many questions around how to disclose across multiple technology platforms - particularly when dealing with micro-media such as Twitter and syndication of content through RSS to multiple platforms.

An interesting parallel was drawn between the frustrations of bloggers and marketers with regard to this issue and the frustrations felt when COPPA was first released. It took time, one participant noted, for the marketing community to figure out what the regulations meant. In time, marketers and agencies did what they felt was right, and set the standard for others to follow.

 

We at Cone have established our own interpretation of the FTC guidelines, and will be putting our recommendations into action across our client programs as they roll out in 2010. Over time, all of us in the communications world will certainly learn and evolve accordingly, as the question of disclosure works itself out.

Tags: event blogging credibility

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March 12, 2010 at 2:37 PM by Mike Hollywood

It's day one for the South by Southwest Interactive festival in Austin, Texas, and I'm lucky enough to be on the ground here at the Austin Convention Center. The entire city is buzzing with geekery - you can't swing a 3-foot USB cable without smacking someone who's busy blogging, tweeting or generally acting engrossed in their laptop or iPhone. (author included)

 

 

So far, the big buzz has been around location-based applications and services like Foursquare and Gowalla - and the announcement that Twitter turned on its version of location-based status for all users. Add to that other services like SitBy.Us and Plancast, and it seems that everyone wants to know where you are and where you are going.

 

One's thing for sure - EVERYONE is using these tools here. The question will be if they can make the crossover to mainstream culture the way Twitter did in 2007. If there is a front runner right now, it's Foursquare, with all of the exposure it is getting lately. Gowalla is putting on the full court press here in Austin, though Will it be enough to command the attention of the digerati?

Tags: Twitter socialmedia event

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January 26, 2010 at 4:20 PM by Mike Hollywood

If your clients aren’t talking about social media, get them started now! A new study from Cision and George Washington University finds nine out of 10 journalists turn to at least one type of new media channel for story research and source information. That’s especially true for newspaper and online journalists, three-quarters of who use social networking sites for research, compared to just under two-thirds for magazine writers.

 

The big takeaway here is that while journalists used to go directly to the source for information, they are increasingly looking to social media to act as conduits. This means that we need to make sure our clients are participating in and taking ownership of the online dialogue and their presence across social media, blogs and traditional online media. This requires an entirely new level of rigor and in many cases, new skill sets to maintain their brand.

This could be a good opportunity to start a dialogue with your clients about the importance of online brand maintenance and reputation – beginning with a basic audit of their online presence. From there you can start to home in on the key places where consumers are talking about your brand.

Tags: research newmedia media blogs socialmedia

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October 29, 2009 at 10:20 AM by Mike Hollywood

With the new FTC guidelines for online disclosure just around the corner, brands, agencies and bloggers are all doing their best to understand what this means for online reviews and product information. Jason Kottke successfully (and humorously) turned a 57-word blog post into 375 with the disclosures he included. At the same time, a new site launched which is trying to standardize the disclosure copy that bloggers, tweeters and other online content creators can use to disclose their association with a product or brand.

 

 

You’ll notice there are several “flavors” of disclosure – this is probably not the be-all-end-all solution, but if you are looking for ways to ensure your online contacts are being transparent, you may want to use this copy as a suggested starting point for the disclosure statement.

 

Certainly this is going to be an interesting aspect of the communications world to follow in the coming weeks and months. With the FTC more likely to slap a fine on the associated brand than the offending blogger, we can likely look forward to at least a few large brands serving as the unfortunate examples for the larger community of what might happen if the new guidelines are not followed. For many, disclosure has always been a part of how we as communications professionals do business – but these new guidelines certainly underscore the importance.

Tags: newmedia blogs socialmedia mediarelations

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September 4, 2009 at 12:57 PM by Mike Hollywood

Who falls for these things?

 

USocial is a service that has promised in the past to bring its customers scads of Twitter followers and is now jumping into the business of bringing the masses to Facebook fan pages, according to a recent AdAge article.

 

Is it just me, or is paying for fans and followers in social media the equivalent of a band paying to pack the club it's playing tonight?

 

Think about it... OK, so the club is packed to the gills. The band comes on stage and starts to play. It's actually really good! But...no one in the club cares. Not a single toe tapping or head bopping in the crowd. At best, they politely sip their drinks, keep the chatter to a minimum and don't throw stuff at the band members. With every song, the band tries harder and harder to get the crowd groovin', but it receives no feedback, just blank stares and chirping crickets. When the concert is over, the people leave and go about their business.

 

The next day, not a single concert-goer tells a friend what they did the night before. No one goes onto iTunes and buys the band's songs, and the band can forget about getting any of those folks to come see it in another venue in the future.

 

In the end,  the band feels defeated and the members wonder if they can go on chasing the rock-star dream.

What should they have done instead? And how does this apply to building a social media following for your brand? Here's a better option:

 

1. Find the fans you have. Tell them where you're playing. Sincerely acknowledge their presence, and maybe even give them something special for attending your show.

Social Media Application: Use your existing marketing channels to promote your efforts in social media. Engage deeply with the early adopters as they are the key to your future growth. Make them feel special (because they are!) with exclusive offers or products.

2. Even if there are only a few people in the audience, put on the best show that you can -- something people will talk about the next day. Encourage them to spread the word.

Social Media Application: Create (or aggregate) content that wows your fans. Make it shareable. On Facebook, use the publisher to update your status and share photos, videos and stories. Don't underestimate the power of users "likes" or comments - their friends are listening.

 

3. Listen to your fans. If they don't like the song you just played, try something new.

Social Media Application: Engage. Solicit feedback. Silence is a good indicator that you are not hitting the mark. Establish metrics and keep an eye on the types of content and engagement that produce the most feedback from your fans. (Facebook Fan Pages have all of these measures built in.)

4. Understand that you'll be playing smaller venues for a while, but if you follow the above steps, you'll soon be packing them in.

Social Media Application: Be patient. Sustained organic growth of your follower and fan base will ensure you are reaching the most targeted consumers with the most appropriate messages. Don't fall for the easy way out of paying for your fans.

 

 

 

Tags: newmedia bestpractices socialmedia

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August 6, 2009 at 4:25 PM by Mike Hollywood

The following originally appeared in Cone’s inConetext quarterly newsletter. To read current or past issues, visit our Web site.

 

 

New media have provided countless innovative ways for consumers to connect with like-minded individuals and engage in dialogue around topics of interest. Increasingly, consumers are connecting to research and discussing their relationships with brands and corporations, scrutinizing not only the benefits they derive from these relationships, but the ways that organizations impact the world as a whole.

 

According to our 2008 Business in Social Media Study, 85 percent of social media users want to engage with brands through social media channels. That’s five out of every six people that are looking for some form of interaction with your organization. New media present a tremendous opportunity to engage with consumers around your CSR efforts, as both new media and CSR are rooted in transparency, open dialogue and collective efforts to improve upon the status quo.

Tags: research sustainability newmedia socialmedia

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June 16, 2009 at 6:02 PM by Mike Hollywood

When the US Department of State asks Twitter to delay an upgrade because of how Iranians may be affected by site downtime, you know that Twitter has officially crossed over from being “something on your to-do list” to an “absolute must-understand.”

 

Of course, the best way to learn is to experience it first-hand, but if you are uneasy about taking the plunge, here are some tips:

1. Listen first: You would not barge into a cocktail party and start spouting off about stuff no one wants to hear. By that same rationale, after creating an account, find some interesting people to follow. Listen. Learn. If you are representing your brand or organization, use Twitter’s search tool to see who is saying what about you.
2. Add value: Only people *very* far out in The Long Tail really care about your coffee habits. Once you’ve mastered listening, add to existing conversations with valuable insights, commentary, and questions.
3. Keep the conversation going: no one likes a know-it-all. Twitter is about increasing the collective wisdom through shared knowledge, challenging opinions, and forging relationships that otherwise would not have been created. Respect others’ rights to speak, disagree and share their own unique perspective. Respond when people reach out to you.
4. Share it: blogs, photos, videos, websites, news stories, other tweets… if you found it interesting, maybe someone else will too. Don’t go crazy sharing only your own material either. Vanity has no place on Twitter.
5. Use the tools: make Twitter more accessible with TweetDeck (you won’t have to go to Twitter.com), set up an account with TwitPic, enable SMS updates on your phone, or even better, install an iPhone Twitter App or Blackberry Twitter App.

And always remember - Don’t ever Tweet anything that could be harmful to you, your brand, your organization, its customers, your colleagues, etc. If you ever have to question whether you’re sharing too much information…you probably are.

Photo Credit: http://twitpic.com/7gtbu

Tags: socialmedia Twitter

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