Perspectives on the Digital Marketplace
4.9.09 by Blake Cahill {Blake Cahill, Consumer Generated Media, Interactive Marketing, Reputation Management, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Social Networks}
I recently had a chance to sit down and spend sometime with Todd Friesen and hear his latest thoughts on Social Media. Naturally, the conversation turned to Twitter fairly quickly. Todd is very active on Twitter and offers us some perspective on micro-blogging and its impacts on brands, search and SEO. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts Todd. It’s always great to catch up. Looking forward to seeing you at the next SMC Seattle event.
Cheers,
2.22.09 by Mike Spataro {Mike Spataro, Reputation Management}
It’s amazing to me that as we approach the third decade of the commercial Web that many companies still don’t fully understand the business value and risks of online reputation management. In fact, I would go as far to suggest that most still don’t understand the concept of managing reputation in an increasingly digital world
I recently attended another panel discussion on this topic, entitled “E-Defense” sponsored by Weber Shandwick, a global agency that I worked at for nine years. This was one of the better events on this topic, but even so it didn’t take long for the discussion to slip off topic and dissolve into a larger discussion around the pitfalls of social media.
One of the big challenges it seems for many companies is figuring out how corporate behavior impacts brand perceptions across the increasingly growing Conversation Prism (credit Brian Solis). Time and again, I have seen very smart executives and marketers baffled by the concept of extending successful business practices and principles to new Web communication channels. For whatever reason, some companies feel the need to start from scratch rather than applying previous lessons learned to these new environments.
At the seminar Weber Shandwick and The Economist released a study based on interviews with more than 700 executives called “Risky Business - 15 Realities and 15 Rules for Managing Reputation Online” - designed to address the key challenges companies face today and specific actions that need to be taken. The highlights included:
As any good CEO knows, reputation is the direct result of how a company behaves over many years, but there is a real lack of education and understanding in executive suites around the world about how that methodology has been impacted by the Web.
10.2.08 by Mike Spataro {Reputation Management}
A civil lawsuit accusing an entertainer with a negative reputation of financially benefiting by promoting his bad boy reputation on the Web was the crux of an interesting trial I was asked to testify at. It was a real Web 2.0 case with viral marketing labeled as the “smoking gun.”
The plaintiffs are four young adults who allege they suffered injuries and emotional distress during a brawl that erupted in the audience at a 2004 concert in Springfield, MA., where the non-jury trial recently took place in District Court. The defendant is well known rapper Curtis Jackson, a.k.a 50 Cent, who leaped into the audience along with his entourage of band mates after being doused with a bottle of water by someone in the audience. The ensuing brawl was ugly and disturbing.
Arguing the famous rapper has a long history of similar bad behavior, the plaintiffs claim Jackson is reaping economic rewards as a brand and a business thanks in part to a professionally produced YouTube video of the brawl that has been viewed by nearly 200,000 people over the past year. The video also has been linked to by dozens of other popular gangster rap music sites, which further promote his bad boy selling image. The defense, of course, strongly disagreed.
The intersection of that argument is why I was asked to testify as a paid “subject expert” about online reputation management and quantifying the value of viral video marketing, namely the five-minute YouTube video.
I think there is little doubt in the world of marketing that people can make as much money from being a bad character just as much as Miley Cyrus does from her wholesome image. The main issue came down to whether or not Jackson’s complacency in allowing the video to remain online is contributing to sales of his music and merchandise. It was a hot topic that resulted in me being under oath a surprisingly long two hours. Even the judge got into the act, asking poignant questions about digital marketing and the comparative value of paid advertising on television vs. a free on-demand video on the Web.
It was difficult for the defense team to justify why Jackson’s camp didn’t have the video removed from the site if he really thought it was having a negative impact on his image. I’ve worked on campaigns with celebrities before and none of them were ever unaware of what was in the public domain and whether or not it should be stopped or enhanced. Jackson’s attorney was also surprised when I pointed out that in addition to the dozens of free 50 Cent videos on YouTube, his client also has his own paid branded community channel on the very same site.
At the moment the case rests in the hands of the judge so I’ll be sure to update on here the verdict when he rules sometime in the future. On a personal level, it was the first time I had ever had to testify in court and you quickly learn on a witness stand that your opinion means very little if it isn’t based on fact and first-hand personal experience. I hope I don’t have to “face the music” again anytime soon.
6.11.08 by Blake Cahill {Blake Cahill, Brand Management, Consumer Generated Media, Customer Experience, Gartner, Reputation Management, Social Media}
Toby Bell, a leading analyst at Gartner Research, has just published a great new paper entitled “Policies and Procedures to Manage Enterprise Internet Reputation“. The Gartner team refers to the space EIRM or Enterprise Internet Reputation Management, which entails both search as well as social sites that can have an impact on corporations and brands. Although, that term is unique to Gartner others in the space like Forrester, Aberdeen, and IDC have dedicated analyst’s leading practices in this area as well. Toby lays out some ground rules and steps that organizations should be actively putting in place to understand and interact with search and social media conversations that consumers are having. I strong encourage brands to take a look at his findings, recommendations, and steps to enlightenment.
Some of the key findings:
- “Social media is an unfamiliar territory for enterprises, with very different rules for engagement”
- “…Social media blurs the demarcations between public and private information, increasing the likelihood that consumers will unintentionally or negligently say publicly what they meant to say privately”
- “Time scales on the internet are more compressed and the implications of a negative event can be far-reaching”
Net-net is that organizations need to understand this medium and have a plan for understanding, interacting, and engaging with consumers that are already talking about them.
5.14.08 by Mike Spataro {Reputation Management}
It’s not often you see full front page apologies like the one that appeared in the Boston Herald over the New England Patriots spygate scandal.
Despite the false allegations that came the day before this year’s Super Bowl, the Patriots have a ton of work to do to get back their brand mojo following a year of tremendous highs and lows. The Pats were certainly owed an apology after the Herald could not substantiate accusations that the team had taped the walkthrough of the St. Louis Rams the day before Super Bowl XXXVI.
Even so, the Pats had been caught illegally taping other teams and were rightly slapped with a major penalty by the NFL. People within the organization dealt the brand a major setback, but there is optimism that spygate may be finally coming to a conclusion.
The Kraft family, which owns the Pats and the Revolution, have been a great asset to the New England region for years and if there is one thing owner Robert Kraft knows is that having a respected brand is priceless. “I must compliment the Boston Herald for doing what is unprecedented in terms of recognizing their error in a major way … (we) had our brand damaged,” Kraft said.
The Kraft family should look start to look at ways to rebuild its brand by connecting with the media and its fans in new ways and reaching beyond traditional marketing and communications to communicate how and why the organization has changed for the better.
