Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
In a recent NPR podcast, David Greene and Shankar Vedantam discussed the pros and cons of having a work-based friendship. They challenged the common belief that having friends at work is solely beneficial to a working environment. In reality, they argued, there are mixed blessings. The study confirmed that those who have more friends at work tend to be more productive and happier. However, having friends in the workplace can lead to more interruptions, be emotionally draining, and be extremely stressful and uncomfortable when friends there are competing for the same position. The Rutgers study found that when friends are involved in the same kinds of activities, the success of one person may be painful for the other person.
After learning about some of the concerns of having work-based friendships, people might be thinking that they need to de-friend everyone. However, before taking an oath of silence at work, do keep in mind the benefits of being more productive and having more fun typically outweigh the challenges. This is likely a situation where simply being aware of the pros and cons and taking the time to be thoughtful of your situation and putting up the necessary boundaries can be beneficial.
Workplace friendships can also lead to cohesive work teams that can be extremely valuable in industries that require creativity, collaboration and productivity like PR. Here at Communiqué PR we find that collaborating as a team is a huge part of our success and helps turn good ideas into great ones! It is fun to work in an environment where we have each others’ back and we feel comfortable taking creative risks knowing that we have good support and feedback from our colleagues.
Also, in PR no project is done by a single person. The entire team assists with researching, writing, editing and pitching. It is important for everyone to work well together as a cohesive unit. Another benefit of having friends at work is that we tend to be happier, which makes us more productive, which ultimately leads to stronger work and better results for our clients. Friendships definitely help the overall attitude of a company culture and make it a place where people are excited to be part of the environment. The friendships at Communiqué PR have led to creating a great workplace that was named no. 16 on 100 Best Places to Work For in Seattle 2015 by Seattle Business Magazine.
Some industries may require solitary focus and are not conducive to and don’t necessarily benefit from socialization. However, PR is an industry where creativity is critical to success, where feeling comfortable at work enables and encourages you to think outside of the box. Communiqué PR is a work environment that endorses friendships, which is probably the reason why we stand out as an extremely hard-working and innovative firm.
After surpassing the number of daily Twitter users, seeing more engagement than Facebook and becoming the biggest US mobile game in history, Pokémon Go undoubtedly has the world talking.
For those who have not read or heard about the game, Pokémon Go is a free mobile app that uses your phone’s GPS to enable the digital you to move around and find a virtual Pokémon. The augmented-reality aspect of the game displays the Pokémon on your screen on top of what is actually in front of you in real life. The interactive feature of the app allows individuals to engage like never before, all while operating wirelessly and integrating into players’ daily lives. Snapchat is another recent successful example of augmented reality. The mobile app’s new filters use augmented reality by locating an object in the real world, typically an individual’s face, and displaying a character on top of that object – as it appears in real time. If you open your mouth or lift your eyebrows the filter triggers a new display or special effect to appear on your face.
The success of Pokémon Go and Snapchat is no mystery, and we should anticipate more applications of augmented reality (AR) to surface in company marketing strategies and advertising campaigns. Oculus, with its virtual reality (VR) goggles, found early success and opened the magical door to the world of VR for many executives and gamers alike. Although VR and AR are not new concepts, today’s technology has increased the frequency of use as well as the potential of these realities to evolve outside of the gaming realm. This is spurring executives to take a hard look at the future of VR/AR in their companies and establish whether or not incorporating AR or VR will help them stay ahead of the competition.
In order to integrate virtual reality or augmented reality into your marketing portfolio, it is important to understand what they are and whether or not this strategy will help achieve your company’s communication and businesses objectives. Tech Times describes VR as the creation of a simulated world that users can interact with by wearing a special helmet or goggles; AR is the blending of virtual reality with real life, creating a hybrid world that anyone with a smartphone can access.
A more important difference between the two is that AR is a more social experience where users are able to interact with virtual contents in the real world. As illustrated with Pokémon Go and Snapchat’s filters, what you see on the screen appears according to where you are located and how you are moving. This ability to explore, experience and engage is where AR has an advantage over VR.
For many companies, increasing engagement with key audiences is a chief communication objective. Early adopters that integrate AR will not only innovate numerous opportunities for customers to interact with the company brand and product, they will also generate news opportunities to showcase the creative ways they are able to harness AR into their marketing mix.
Once companies catch on, the number and variety of AR apps will only continue to increase. In 2012, there were 118 million AR apps downloaded. By 2017, that number is predicted to jump to 3.5 billion. The potential is clearly there, but what remains to be seen are the ways these companies will choose to implement this booming technology. Aside from the Pokémon Go and Snapchat examples, additional usages of augmented reality are appearing in:
- Training courses and education
- Map services
- Digital museum tours
- Online shopping
Going forward, it will be interesting to see how companies implement augmented and virtual realities to create buzz around their products and engage with their customers.
Is your company brainstorming how to integrate AR and VR into marketing or advertising campaigns? What results do you anticipate from these efforts? We would love to hear about it in the comments section!
Whether you love them or hate them, there’s no denying that the Kardashians have become a ubiquitous force in American pop culture. Twitter, despite having a notoriously short attention span, has become the most recent site of an enduring Kardashian occupation otherwise known as the #KimExposedTaylorParty.
For background, this frenzy of a hashtag is the result of the latest installment in a feud between musicians Kanye West and Taylor Swift. In a nutshell, West recently released lyrics declaring he “made Taylor famous,” and Swift responded via her Grammy acceptance speech in which she warned fans about those who “try to… take credit for your accomplishments or your fame.”
Enter Kim Kardashian West, social media maven and West’s wife. Over the weekend, she countered Swift’s defamation of her husband with a ruthless campaign across both Twitter and Snapchat, releasing video footage that seriously damaged Swift’s credibility and good girl reputation.
The high drama between celebrities is almost always shallow and frivolous. That aside, there are valuable lessons that any brand can glean from Kardashian’s expert command of social media.
Understand each platform and audience
Frankly, most brands will never be able to match the sheer mass of Kardashian’s social media following. Having a lot of followers doesn’t hurt, but it’s actually her precision and understanding of each social media platform that keeps Kardashian ahead of the curve.
For example, Instagram users are drawn to visual content, so she posts photos of her life and projects. Meanwhile, Twitter users are all about dialogue, so she shares personal news and engages in direct conversation with her followers.
She has effectively identified how she uses each platform and why. Consequently, each of Kardashian’s social media accounts is a discrete channel of content tailored to her specific audiences. Companies and brands should also determine which platforms your audience is using and establish the purpose and content of each of your social media channels.
(Swift, on the other hand, made the amateur mistake of copying and pasting the same response on all her forms of social media. Don’t pull a Swift.)
Build a narrative using multiple platforms
Kardashian first hinted at the now infamous video in a GQ interview weeks ago. In the following episode of “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” she mentioned the issue again. While live-tweeting the show, she asked her fans to follow her on Snapchat. Finally, she delivered the coup de grâce by posting the whole video to her Snapchat account.
By using multiple channels to tell her story, Kardashian killed two birds with one stone, creating hype for her narrative while driving more followers to her Snapchat, which she had created only a few months ago. And because she posts distinct content to her social media accounts, she has made it so that her fans will meet her at multiple points.
Tell a cohesive story
Employing various forms of communication is powerful, but it’s equally important to stay on topic. While Kardashian used several platforms to disseminate her story, all messages on all channels aligned with a singular goal. Combined with smart timing, this narrative created excitement bordering on hysteria for her content and her brand. All the while, her methods are in keeping with her overarching brand theme of hypertransparency.
Companies should also tell their stories consistently so as to cultivate a sense of authenticity and integrity. A cohesive narrative distributed across multiple channels builds a comprehensive brand experience and inspires consumer loyalty.
At the end of the day, PR is about powerful storytelling. Despite her many critics, Kardashian has managed to stay persistently relevant by providing a compelling narrative via, of course, social media.
We recently had the pleasure of hosting Vineeta Manglani, a senior consultant and unit director at Sympra GmbH, our German Public Relations Network (PRN) partner. As part of Sympra’s create5 program, Vineeta traveled to Seattle from Stuttgart and spent the last two weeks as an honorary CPR team member.
I thought it would be fun to sit down with Vineeta and learn more about international agency life, her PR journey and her thoughts on where the industry is headed. (Spoiler alert: Pokémon Go is a sign of what’s to come.)
How did you get started in public relations?
After I graduated from university in England, I moved to Germany where I worked in advertising for eight years. At the time, I was doing a lot of copywriting and copyediting and I wanted to do more journalistic writing, as I’ve always enjoyed this style. What attracted me to PR is that it’s content driven and there are more opportunities to develop quality pieces for press.
What’s your role at Sympra?
I’m the unit director for our science and research division so I work with clients like the Siemens foundation and Delta Q to develop strategic communications plans. I also manage and coordinate international business for the agency.
What industry trends are you tracking in your market?
The transition from print to online has been huge and it’s happened a lot faster in the U.S. than in Germany. Everyone is still adjusting to the shift and we at Sympra are developing new and creative ways to devise online publications. We don’t want to just mirror what is done in print in an online medium, we want to make it different.
Our team is also monitoring trends such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for opportunities to adapt it to our business. For example, we specialize in corporate publishing and frequently develop electronic newsletters for clients. We want to see how we can use these technologies to make online experiences for our customers’ publications.
We have also noticed that an increasing number of our global clients have also become more interested in international PR. Companies realize that a uniform approach across the globe doesn’t work. They want a bespoke, individual PR approach in each market and they trust the agency at the frontline in that market to effectively adapt their messaging.
What are the “hottest” markets your clients have expressed interest in reaching?
China and India are the top two currently, but Japan is also on the rise.
What are three PR lessons you’ve learned in your career?
Listen. It sounds obvious, but listening is really important. When you attend the first kickoff meeting with a client, you need to fully understand their business and communication objectives. I tend to listen in the first few meetings rather than anything else because it is only once I understand the whole scenario can I start thinking about target groups and messaging.
Never be afraid to ask. When you sit in the boardroom, you don’t want to look inept, but you have to ask. If you don’t truly understand something, just ask again because how else can you communicate the right messages to media or stakeholders?
Be creative. Don’t automatically assume what works for one client will work for the next. Explore other options and this is what we work very hard on at the agency – finding new ways to drive PR for individual clients. It is only when we have a creative approach will a customers’ message be heard out there.
What will PR look like in the next 5-10 years?
When I look at this Pokémon Go craze, I think it will be incredibly interactive. Companies are going to start asking for PR experiences where people really interact and engage with brands. I predict even more one-to-one engagement, which may not translate into media hits but instead bypasses the press and goes directly to the consumers. There’s so much going on out there that we have to adapt this to PR and communication!
Are you concerned that the distinction between PR and marketing is becoming blurrier?
There’s a fine line between marketing and PR but we’re storytellers and the storytelling component will transfer to other services. For example, one of our clients asked us to brainstorm new ways to educate consumers on his complex healthcare product. As the product needs a significant amount of explanation, we decided that a short, fun explanatory film would make it easy for the average consumer to understand. With films, vlogs and other new tools, there will still be a need to develop a storyline to ensure your client’s message is being heard.
Bonus Round
What activities do you enjoy outside of work?
Going out with friends, watching my son’s football games, swimming and hiking.
If you weren’t in PR, what would you be doing instead?
Writing in another capacity. I love writing fictional crime stories.
Who are your favorite authors?
Stieg Larsson and Philippa Gregory.
What’s your favorite thing about Seattle?
The positivism. I find the people here so open. I’ve been to San Francisco and New York City, and the people here are so friendly, in comparison. I certainly think being so close to nature encourages a positive mindset – you have such an amazing setting here – very enviable!
Thank you for joining us, Vineeta! We’ve loved having you in the office and hope you’ll come back and visit soon!
As blogging and social media continue to grow while the traditional media landscape shrinks, the buzz about influencer relations has been getting progressively louder in the PR world.
So what is influencer relations? Also referred to as influencer marketing, it is an approach that focuses on building relationships with opinion leaders who could become natural brand advocates. For example, Oprah is an influencer advocate for Ezell’s Fried Chicken – she eats it and endorses it as the best fried chicken because she loves it, but it does not appear that she is paid to do so.
Engaging with influencers is becoming an important, widely used strategy for earning brand awareness. If you do not have an influencer-relations program in place, following are five steps to get started.
- Identify the right influencer targets. If you aren’t targeting the right people, your program is doomed to fail. Finding the right targets is a two-step process. First, determine if their interests align with your client’s brand and viewpoint. Do this by reviewing their social media accounts, blogs, and any other online presence they have. If the answer is yes, then look at their audience engagement. Do they have a substantial following on social media? Are people engaging positively with their posts? If so, they are a good target.
- Conduct personalized outreach. Similar to media outreach, when conducting influencer outreach be sure to do some research about your target first. Study what they have been blogging or tweeting about recently and, if relevant, mention it in your email to them. Keep your correspondence succinct and include a call-to-action that clearly states what you’d like them to do. This could include sharing company news with their social media followers, writing a product review, or attending a company event.
- Add value. Forming a mutually beneficial relationship is critical to successfully engaging influencers. If you’re constantly asking influencers for favors but giving nothing in return, there’s no motivation for them to continue advocating for your brand. Support their work by posting about it on social media, sharing their posts with your followers, or mentioning them in content you’re creating. If you’re hosting an event with a mutual audience, invite them.
- Build a long-term relationship. Once you’ve made contact with an influencer, continue to foster the relationship by looking for thoughtful ways to engage with them. Don’t wait until the next time you need something from them to reach out. Take the time to get to know them and reach out with interesting articles, ideas, or to congratulate them on an accomplishment. When possible, set up an in-person meeting to get to know them better.
Building a successful influencer-relations program takes a great deal of time and persistence, but if you’re willing to make the investment it can be an incredibly effective strategy for raising positive brand awareness.
In what’s been deemed the “most expensive divorce in history,” British voters made the historic decision in June to leave the European Union. And like most political campaigns these days, it wouldn’t have been complete without the two sides duking it out on social media. Even the decision’s nickname, largely dubbed “Brexit” by the media, was a pithy neologism perfectly suited to social media.
Given the importance of social media in any political campaign today, it’s no surprise that both the Remain and the Leave camps leveraged social media to win hearts and minds. Younger voters, typically more active on social media, tended to vote Remain by significant margins. According to British Pollster YouGov, 75 percent of voters between ages 18 and 24 voted Remain. Yet despite younger voters’ overwhelming tendency to vote Remain, the Leave campaign was – ironically – far more successful at harnessing social media to galvanize its supporters.
On Instagram, Brexit Dominated
According to an analysis of the Brexit debate on Instagram, E.U. sceptics and Leave supporters dominated the discussion. Across the most popular hashtags, 32 percent of users shared clear anti-E.U. views, compared to just 12 percent sharing pro-E.U. or Remain sentiments. Moreover, Leave supporters tended to be “more passionate, active and outspoken” in their behavior, generating almost five times as many posts as the Remain voters. Interestingly, Leave sympathizers were far more active on Instagram, despite generally being older and seemingly less social media savvy than the Remain camp.
Though political and corporate campaigns often rely on user-generated content on Instagram to spread awareness, the Brexit vote offers a cautionary tale. Even though young people tend to side with more progressive values, politicians and companies can no longer assume this demographic will passionately share their views on Instagram, one of the most popular social media tools among younger demographics. Corporate and political campaigns still need to court younger supporters through hashtag campaigns and compelling visual content to drum up support and drive awareness.
Slick Videos Missed the Mark
Neither campaign left messaging up to chance, turning to activists and some of Britain’s best-known advertising agencies to produce videos for social media. The Leave campaign successfully leveraged videos from grassroots operatives, including a 70-minute documentary about the E.U.’s flaws by Martin Durkin, an anti-E.U. filmmaker. The video was viewed 1.2 million times on YouTube and according to The Financial Times, “sliced into bite-sized clips by activists and distributed via Twitter and Facebook.”
The Remain campaign, by contrast, relied more heavily on agency-produced videos featuring celebrities. In a heavily panned ad attempting to mimic how young people speak, the “g” was dropped at the end of words (“workin’,” “earnin’,” “makin’,” “votin’”). This led to a meme featuring young people with the headline “We love to be patronised” spreading across social media. Adam & Eve DDB, one of Britain’s most well-known communication and branding agencies, produced a pro-Remain ad starring Keira Knightly, Big Narstie and Lily Cole with the line “It takes five seconds to mark an X in a ballot box. It takes five seconds to stop others f****** with your future.” The use of “f******” was clearly intended to appeal to younger voters, but it reeks of pandering when the source is a political campaign.
The Remain campaign, unfortunately, missed the mark yet again with its video strategy. While the celebrity-filled videos were slick and shareable, they lacked the authenticity of voter-generated content. Millennials are inherently cynical of ads they perceive as condescending or pandering to them. By relying more heavily on grassroots operatives than polished agency-produced videos, the Leave campaign more effectively galvanized its base.
Brexit – A Cautionary Tale for Presidential Candidates
As America’s presidential election is in full swing, both sides should pay heed to the pitfalls and successes of the Brexit social media wars. The takeaway for political and corporate campaigns moving forward? Don’t pander to young people. Encourage them to create their own shareable content, and don’t assume that young progressives will actively support your campaign on social media. Millennials need to be courted with authentic content, arguably more so than any other demographic.