Entries Tagged 'General' ↓

“A good name, like good will, is got by many actions and lost by one.” – Lord Jeffrey

Lord Jeffrey’s adage from the 19th century rings true today, particularly in the timely case of Tiger Woods, the golfing hero turned shamed adulterer. Since news broke of Tiger’s multiple extramarital affairs in the end of 2009, conversation about him has been almost universally disapproving and gossipy. With new content constantly churning out on Twitter, blogs and top newspapers and magazines, Tiger’s misdeeds continue to overshadow his successful golfing career – specifically his ‘Google juice,’ or search engine results. Even after his televised public apology, Tiger’s online reputation has been seriously damaged – leading to a potentially unalterable reputation crisis for the best golfer in the world.

Now more than ever, celebrities, public figures – and even brands – need to keep tabs on their online reputation, ensuring search engines have the most accurate information, whether it’s a fire drill or a regular Friday. Search is one of the most important ways to learn and discover online, and putting one’s best foot forward is a crucial part of online reputation.

To help brands, celebrities and high-profile individuals manage their online reputations, Visible Technologies today released truREPUTATION 2.0, an end-to-end solution that facilitates the proactive management of a brand or individual’s online reputation through search engine results tracking and analysis capabilities that deliver immediate insights within a single dashboard.

A full-service suite, truREPUTATION 2.0 enables marketers to get ahead of crisis situations and proactively manage search results that influence public perceptions of their brand. The key components of the truREPUTATION 2.0 suite include:

• truREPUTATION Manager: A comprehensive, proactive search result management service for domestic and international search engines that promotes positive content and provides access to truREPUTATION 2.0, dedicated customer support and advanced business intelligence.
• truREPUTATION Monitor: A hands-on service that includes access to truREPUTATION 2.0, weekly monitoring, tracking and reporting and advanced business intelligence.
• truREPUTATION Viewpoint: A deep-dive report of current search engine content collected and scored for sentiment using truREPUTATION 2.0, paired with specific recommendations on how to improve rankings.
• truREPUTATION Snapshot: A short summary and analysis of current search engine content, collected and scored for sentiment with truREPUTATION 2.0.

To learn more about truREPUTATION 2.0, please see today’s press release on the news here.

Blake Cahill

Visible Technologies

I have been part of the social media generation – professionally and personally – for a number of years, but last week was the first time I found myself social networking in the midst of a potential crisis situation – the Hawaiian Islands Tsunami Warning while vacationing in Maui.

Being jarred out of bed at 6 a.m. on a Saturday during vacation by the sound of emergency sirens blaring across the island is not something I will soon forget. The Tsunami Warning announcement slipped under our door from the Maui Westin Resort staff didn’t offer much comfort and advice either, especially given the hotel wasn’t even built the last time a major tsunami hit this island in 1960. To make matters even more concerning, our oceanfront room was roughly 1,000 feet from the pristine West Maui beach.

This was not the way I envisioned spending our last day of vacation.

The warning estimated the tsunami would strike Maui at 11:40 a.m., three hours before our scheduled flight back to Boston, a city where people would have trouble pronouncing the word tsunami let alone survive one. I wasn’t sure what to do at first, but I immediately flipped open my laptop and started searching for Hawaiian emergency sites before I even turned on the TV to see what local newscasters and CNN were reporting.

Working for a social media listening company over the years has taught me that the fastest way to find out the latest is from the wisdom and information-sharing of the online crowd. As Google loaded sites onto my laptop, I grabbed my Blackberry and headed for the hotel lobby to see what the in-person crowd had to say.

Maybe it was my previous background as a reporter for United Press International that kicked in, where you always put out snippets of breaking news as they occurred, but by the time the elevator reached the ground floor I posted my first update on Twitter.

The lobby was filling up fast with other information-seeking tourists and it was easy to see the hotel staff was ill-prepared for an event of this magnitude. Nervous-looking staff at the registration desk were telling people that the coastal highway leading inland and to the airport was closed by emergency officials at 7 a.m., something I found out later from people online was untrue. I thought it was pretty ironic that Maui was shutting down what they had designated to be one of the island’s main evacuation routes. Any thought about fleeing to higher ground or getting to the airport was now a moot point.

When the hotel broadcast an emergency announcement that all guests would be moved above the 4^th story of each tower in preparation for the first wave, I really got to thinking this could be the real deal. We’ve all seen the video of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

So while some people started heading to a nearby convenience store to stock up on supplies, I returned to my hotel room with the idea of riding out whatever the storm might bring and getting as much information as possible from others on Maui and across the other Hawaiian Islands. The first waves were scheduled to hit the Big Island 20 minutes prior to Maui, so finding live Web cams of that area seemed like the place to start, particularly ones on the west side near Keauhou Bay that matched up to our west side location in Lahaina, Maui.

As I sped through finding new sites to track – the Hawaiian Civil Defense, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and The NY Times Live Twitter feed – local TV newscasters were having trouble reporting anything of substance. In the meantime, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle looked like she was auditioning for ‘Amateur Hour’, apparently with technical broadcast issues before finally opting for a blurry-image address via Skype.

Over the next two hours leading up to the estimated arrival time of the first wave, I shared everything that seemed relevant from what I heard on-site or from other people in the same situation as us, including updates on road closures, businesses shutting down, planned emergency power outages, and unusual water conditions in other areas of the island. Like any emergency situation, there is always a ton of bad information put out by people, but I found the good far outweighed the bad. I was also surprised that Starwood Hotels, owners of the Maui Weston, did not leverage their Twitter presence at all to broadcast emergency information to guests at their multiple Hawaiian resorts.

When the deadline finally passed, people started to finally lighten up, but it wasn’t until an NOAA official announced that “Hawaii had dodged a bullet” that everyone really started to relax, an announcement shared online roughly 20 minutes before it was carried by CNN.

Within minutes of my first online update, I began to receive dozens of reactions from friends, family and many strangers too, wishing us the best of luck, offering safety tips, and thanks for the updates from the island. It was really comforting to know so many people were listening and cared enough to send a message. I’m hoping that was the first and last time I’ll be part of such an event.

As member of the WOMMA Membership Ethics Committee for the past year I have had the privilege of working with and shaping some of recommendations and best practices for marketers, brands, and agencies who are active in Word-of-Mouth Marketing.

Recently, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued some guidelines concerning “The Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” and WOMMA responded to member demand for additional meaningful disclosures recommendation and best practice guidelines for social marketing. This has always been a critical platform for WOMMA and its members that was started in 2008. This platform has included:

• Launching the inaugural Living Ethics process in November 2008 at the WOMMA Summit, leading to meaningful changes to the WOMMA Code in 2009;
• Convening an expert panel in September 2009 to address transparency and disclosure in social media;
• Creating the Living Ethics Blog to allow comments/questions concerning transparency and disclosure in social media;
• Incorporating feedback from the Living Ethics Blog to create the first draft of this WOMMA Guide to Disclosure;
• Presenting the preliminary Disclosure Guide at the 2009 WOMMA Summit (myself, Paul Rand and David Bindowski) and re-opening the Living Ethics Blog from November 18 thru January 4, 2010 to obtain public comments and:
• And then formalizing the final recommendations for industry use which are included below.

Here are the recommendations that we propose to marketers/brands:

Social Media and the Responsibilities of Advertisers, Marketers and Bloggers
With the rising popularity of social media websites from blogs to Twitter to Facebook, the issue of ethical word of mouth marketing has taken on new prominence. Many brands and agencies are designing word of mouth marketing programs to foster relationships with social media participants. (Those participants or speakers are referred to in this document as “bloggers.”) Consumers have a right to know the sponsor behind advertising messages that could influence their purchasing decisions, but key information is not always adequately disclosed in a social media context. Thus, for testimonials and endorsements delivered to consumers through social media - - whether by consumers, experts, celebrities, or organizations - - the FTC requires advertisers and bloggers to disclose all “material connections.” Such “material connections” may be defined as any connection between a blogger and an advertiser that could affect the credibility consumers give to that blogger’s statements. Important examples of “material connections” include (a) consideration (benefits or incentives such as monetary compensation, loaner products, free services, in-kind gifts, special access privileges) provided by an advertiser to a blogger, or (b) a relationship between an advertiser and a blogger (such as an employment relationship).

Scope and Purpose of the WOMMA Guide to Disclosure in Social Media Marketing
This document provides best practices in light of the FTC Guide that was released last year. It is not WOMMA’s intent for this document to replace your company’s legal advice or practices but rather to enhance it. As social media is ever-changing, the WOMMA Disclosure Guide will be a living document – continuing to be refined to reflect evolving industry best practices.

Key online platforms covered in this Guide include, but are not limited to blogs, microblogs (e.g., Twitter), online comments, social networks, video sharing websites, photo sharing websites, and podcasts.

Clear and Prominent Disclosure
No matter which platform is used, adequate disclosures must be clear and prominent. Language should be easily understood and unambiguous. Placement of the disclosure must be easily viewed and not hidden deep in the text or deep on the page. All disclosures should appear in a reasonable font size and color that is both readable and noticeable to consumers.

Disclosure Best Practices
As stated above, bloggers are required to disclose “material connections” to advertisers. Listed below is sample disclosure language, organized by the platform used. Alternative, but substantively comparable, language may also be used where appropriate.

Personal and Editorial Blogs
• I received _____________________ from _____________________
___________________ sent me ___________________

Product Review Blogs
• I received _____________________ from _____________________ to review
• I was paid by _____________________ to review
Additionally for product review blogs, WOMMA strongly recommends creating and prominently posting a “Disclosure and Relationships Statement” section on the blog fully disclosing how a review blogger works with companies in accepting and reviewing products, and listing any conflicts of interest that may affect the credibility of their reviews.

Providing Comments in Online Discussions
• I received _____________________ from _____________________
• I was paid by _____________________
• I am an employee [or representative]of _____________________

Microblogs
Include a hash tag notation, either:
• #spon (sponsored)
• #paid (paid)
• #samp (sample)
Additionally, WOMMA strongly recommends posting a link on your profile page directing people to a full “Disclosure and Relationships Statement.” This statement, much like the one WOMMA recommends for review blogs, should state how you work with companies in accepting and reviewing products, and listing any conflicts of interest that may affect the credibility of your sponsored or paid reviews.

Status Updates on Social Networks
• I received _____________________ from _____________________
• I was paid by _____________________
If status updates are limited by character restrictions, the best practice disclosure requirement is to include a hash tag notation of either #spon, #paid or #samp. Additionally, WOMMA strongly recommends posting a full description or a link on your social network profile page directing people to a “Disclosure and Relationships Statement.” Note that if an employee blogs about his or her company’s products, citing the identity of the employer in the profile may not be a sufficient disclosure. Bloggers’ disclosures should appear close to the endorsement or testimonial statement they are posting.

Video and Photo Sharing Websites
Include as part of the video/photo content and part of the written description:
• I received _____________________ from _____________________
• I was paid by _____________________
Additionally, WOMMA strongly recommends posting a full description or a link on your video and/or photo sharing profile page directing people to a “Disclosure and Relationships Statement.”

Podcasts
Include, as part of the audio content and part of the written description:
• I received _____________________ from _____________________
• I was paid by _____________________
Additionally, WOMMA strongly recommends posting a full description or a link directing people to a “Disclosure and Relationships Statement.”

I am privileged to be a part of this process and to have worked with the amazing team of WOMMA folks, brands and agencies that make up the Ethics sub-committee. I look forward to further feedback and collaboration with both WOMMA members and the industry at large.

To hear more details there will be an interactive webinar on this topic on Monday March 1st at 9AM Pacific/12PM Eastern. Register here.

Blake Cahill

Visible Technologies

I’m excited to announce that Visible Technologies is helping this year’s 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards (airing live on CBS January 31from 8 – 11:30PM ET/PT) go social in a big way through our amazing partnership with TBWA\Chiat\Day.

At the heart of the GRAMMY’s advertising campaign is the Web site www.wereallfans.com launched today by TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles to highlight music fans’ unprecedented impact in the current digital age. The site pulls fan tweets, YouTube, and Flickr posts to create images of GRAMMY nominated artists. The Web site also houses the “FanBuzz Visualizer” powered by Visible Technologies. The ‘Visualizer’ is a real-time, data visualization that will act as a barometer of fan passion from social sites around the web.

We are also specifically tracking fan passion for GRAMMY nominated artists on Twitter such as:

• Britney Spears
• Coldplay
• Common
• Dave Matthews Band
• Eminem
• Jay-Z
• Lady Gaga
• LL Cool J
• Maxwell
• Pink
• Silversun Pickups
• Taylor Swift
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The FanBuzzVisualizer is also shareable as a widget, allowing fans the ability to showcase the current standings on their personal social media pages.

It’s been an amazing opportunity to be a part of such an innovative and groundbreaking campaign - one that enables direct interaction between fans and celebrities as an integral part of the GRAMMY Awards and showcases that social media is now a mainstay of the entertainment business. Connecting with your fan base, whether you’re marketing a music performer or a consumer brand, is no longer just about concerts, press tours or even listening on Twitter. More than ever before, it’s about engaging directly with your audience to raise visibility and create opportunities for meaningful, direct interaction.

The entire GRAMMY ad campaign has social media at its heart and Visible Technologies is proud to be a part of it.

Blake Cahill

Visible Technologies

Today, Visible Technologies is pleased to announce that we have secured $22 Million in funding led Investor Growth Capital. IGC is the growth-stage venture capital arm of Investor AB, a Nordic-based publicly traded investment holding company with investment activities in North America, Europe and Asia. Existing investors Centurion Holdings, Ignition Partners, In-Q-Tel and WPP also participated in the round. The new funding will be used to accelerate our technology development and establish international operations.

Our new funding builds upon our previous achievements and this strategic investment demonstrates the strong confidence in the company’s market leadership and overall trend of social media integration into the lifeblood of Global 2000 firms. Our plan is to continue expanding the unique and comprehensive solutions we offer for online reputation management and social media engagement via SaaS products and service to serve companies as they determine best practices and discover new ways of using social media.

Our new investor commented that “Global brands continue to increase their social media budgets as they realize the need to tap into valuable customer feedback as well as holistically manage their online brand reputation,” said Matt Krna, vice president at Investor Growth Capital. “Many solution sets give the ability to listen but fail to provide what’s really needed—the power to transform social data into strategic programs and tactical plans. Visible Technologies has defined itself as a clear category leader through its strong technology solution set, best-in-class customer service and proven success delivering actionable social media intelligence.”

As validated by today’s funding announcement, the market for social media monitoring and engagement platforms is growing exponentially. Savvy brands are listening and engaging with their customers online. To learn more, watch Visible Technologies’ video, “Starting the Social Media Conversation” here: http://bit.ly/6AW0n0

Exciting news toady for @visible_tech and please check out the video above.

Blake Cahill

Visible Technologies