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.
MySpace, the one-time leading social networking site owned by News Corporation, announced earlier this week it will lay off approximately 400 employees, or nearly 30 percent of its staff, in an effort to return to a “start-up culture.”
Owen Van Natta, CEO of MySpace and former Facebook executive, said in a statement that MySpace would cut its “bloated” staff levels and return to an “environment of innovation that is centered on our user and our product.”
This move comes at an interesting time when Facebook, once the second most popular social networking platform, is now leading MySpace with more than 200 million users worldwide. In May, we wrote a blog post entitled, “Facebook vs. MySpace” and discussed the changing media landscape and the competition between social networks including Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.
Results from a March 2009 comScore survey revealed MySpace had more than 70 million total unique users in the U.S. However, statistics now show Facebook has surpassed MySpace in terms of active memberships worldwide and matches MySpace’s U.S. numbers with approximately 70 million users.
While MySpace is still a top social network for celebrities and music, Facebook has become the social networking destination for those who want to connect with old friends, network with people in similar industries and share photos and status updates with family and friends. Analyst Josh Bernoff with Forrester Research comments, “If MySpace is about your entertainment life, Facebook is about your whole life.”
As social networking continues to gain traction, we anticipate the competition will continue to increase. However, the success of each of these platforms will depend on each company’s ability to innovate and provide users with tools to connect them to what matters most in their lives.
Perhaps MySpace’s layoffs will help the company re-focus and reinvigorate its site to take social networking to the next level. It will be interesting to see what’s next for the company and you can bet we’ll be following this closely.
While many magazines are feeling the pinch of the recession, Hearst Magazines is growing. The Hearst family of magazines – Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Food Network Magazine and Oprah Magazine, to name a few – have almost all held steady in circulation, according to a New York Times article by Richard Pérez-PeÒa. And their combined advertising pages dropped by only 6.7 percent last year, compared with the 11.7 industry average.
To what does Hearst owe this success? According to Samir Husni, chairman of the University of Mississippi journalism department, it’s Hearst’s contrarian strategy. While other magazines are shrinking and cutting newsstand prices, Hearst is doing just the opposite. Hearst is increasing the physical size of many of its magazines – by up to an inch in most cases – and upping the price by more than 25 percent in the past two years. Despite these increases, sales have remained steady. Evidently, customers are loyal to their favorite magazines and willing to pay the price.
From a PR perspective, one of Hearst’s most interesting strategies is keeping its articles offline. The company’s magazines have Web sites, but they offer only a few select articles and features. Says Pérez-PeÒa, “Their sites try to tantalize readers with what they can see only in print – and drive them to buy subscriptions.”
In an age when consumers expect all print news to be available for free online, this tactic seems counterintuitive. But according to Hearst Magazines President Cathy Black, it’s working. Says Black, “I want 1.6 million women to go to the newsstand every month to buy Cosmo, and they do.” She continues, “I don’t have any interest in challenging that economic model.”
Black and other Hearst executives may be on to something, and they certainly have the industry clout to start a trend. But if this “print-only” movement takes off, what will it mean for PR? Here are a few of my initial thoughts:
Circulation – When an article appears both in print and online, it reaches a vastly larger audience. And online articles are often reposted on other news sites and blogs, resulting in higher circulation. Should articles shift from online to print? The key to client satisfaction will be setting expectations. If you know an article will only reach print subscribers, make sure to mention this to the client at the outset.
Pitching – Pitching a story to a print-only outlet is different because pitches do not include multimedia, such as videos, and the audience is much more specific. Pitches should be more narrowly focused for the publication’s target audience instead of for a broader online audience.
Web sites – We often advise our clients to hyperlink articles in which they are mentioned. Should an article appear in print only, it will be important to scan and provide the client with a PDF so they can link it from their site. Our client OnRequest Images does an excellent job of this in their newsroom.
As Hearst moves forward to change the size of its magazines, increase prices and keep materials offline, we will continue to monitor the industry to see whether other magazines follow suit.
Many of our clients are in the technology industry, so we often work with tech bloggers. These bloggers have become increasingly influential as customers look online for advice before making big purchases. And while there are many important tech bloggers, a few stand out as the most influential. So without further ado, here is our list of the top 10 most influential tech bloggers (in no particular order):
1. Duncan Riley, The Inquisitr – Duncan launched several of his own blogs before joining TechCrunch and eventually started his own site called The Inquisitr. This site offers a daily mix of tech, pop and fun stories from around the world.
2. Erick Schonfeld, TechCrunch.com – Erick is co-editor of the popular TechCrunch blog and appears regularly on CNN and CNBC.
3. Henry Blodget, BusinessInsider.com – Henry is CEO and editor and chief of the Silicon Alley Business Insider, a blog that covers – you guessed it – business in tech mecca Silicon Valley.
4. Marshall Kirkpatrick, ReadWriteWeb – Marshall is the vice president of content development and lead writer at ReadWriteWeb, a popular tech blog.
5. Michael Arrington, TechCrunch.com – Michael is the founder of TechCrunch.com and has written over 200 blogs for the site. He writes about breaking technology news and Silicon Valley startups. He is one of the most well respected and followed tech bloggers.
6. Mike Masnick, Techdirt.com – Mike is the editor of Techdirt, and blogs daily on his opinions about trends and technology.
7. Om Malik, Gigaom.com – Om founded Gigaom, which reaches 1.75 million people per month. He has received numerous awards for his blog and often writes about emerging technology.
8. Robert Scoble, Scobelizer.com – Robert founded top technology blog Scobelizer and posts opinion pieces about the industry. He has worked for Microsoft and Fast Company in the past.
9. Thomas Ricker, Engadget.com – Thomas blogs frequently about opinion, news and new products on this top tech blog.
10. Walt Mossberg, All Things Digital, WSJ – Walt is both an influential blogger and journalist for the Wall Street Journal. He created and has been writing the Weekly Personal Technology column in WSJ for more than 20 years.
Seattle blogger John Cook also deserves an honorable mention. A former writer for the Seattle Post Intelligencer, John is co-founder and editor of TechFlash.com. His site covers technology, startups, venture capital and other Seattle tech news.
The Web changes at a rapid pace, so this list will probably change over time. Do you follow any of these bloggers? Are there any you would add? Please let us know.
Dedicated journalists across the nation are refusing to quit – even when they’ve been laid off. In a New York Times article, David Carr reports on a new journalism trend spurred by this economy: newsrooms owned and operated by journalists.
These newsrooms have a few marked differences from those run by top daily newspapers. There are no editors or administrative staff, no printed editions or deep pockets. And no money. These journalists are so dedicated to their work that they’re writing for free.
NewJerseyNewsroom is one such outlet started by journalists who had been laid off from The Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey. A group of 40 journalists came together at a public library in January 2009 and created the site without any financial support. Says the site’s “About Us” section,
“We have won every award and distinction from the Pulitzer Prize to the New Jersey Press Association Journalist of the Year. Our contributing writers, driven by passion and purpose, contribute as volunteers who believe in the cause.”
The site went live in mid-April and has since received more than 51,000 page views – a number that surely increased after the New York Times piece ran. It boasts a few ads, but journalists are not paid for their work. The site is incorporated, and should it someday become profitable the founding members will receive a share of the company.
I found the site to be professional, clear, relevant and insightful. At first glance, there doesn’t appear to be much difference between NewJerseyNewsroom and the sites operated by major daily newspapers.
Carr reports that there are several similar sites in San Diego, Minneapolis, Denver and Chicago – perhaps evidence of a growing trend, especially as the newspaper industry continues to suffer.
But without editors and resources like photographers and fact-checkers, will quality suffer? Perhaps, but these journalists are devoted to their craft and are invested in creating a reputable news source. It is in their interest to maintain credibility by continuing a tradition of honest reporting.
Public relations is closely tied to journalism and seismic shifts in the media landscape directly impact our work. On a high level, new sites such as the NewJerseyNewsroom aren’t likely to make a big difference in PR. We will still pitch the same reporters and topics – only the publication name will change.
But it will be important to remember that journalist-run newsrooms have limited resources, so expecting a journalist to fly across the country for an interview or send a photographer to your offices may be out of the question. For the same reason, they will likely focus on local news. Pitches should therefore have a strong local angle.
There may also be increased opportunities for byline articles. As we wrote in a previous post, byline articles can be an excellent way for companies to establish thought leadership and retain ownership of their messages. Thoughtful, relevant and non-self-promotional byline articles written by knowledgeable executives could make a great addition to journalist-operated newsrooms.
We commend the devoted journalists who start their own newsrooms, and will keep close tabs on this trend and its impact on PR.
The Wall Street Journal Editor Robert Thomson recently told the Financial Times that the publication plans to introduce a micro-payment system for individual articles and premium subscriptions to the Web site this fall.
The WSJ‘s premium plan will target readers interested in niche industries including energy, commodities, wealth management, and more. It will place more focus on urban areas and take advantage of weakness among outlets in metropolitan areas like San Francisco and Detroit, where local publications are struggling.
As the fee structure is implemented, many anticipate that the Web site’s audience will also change. Bill Zucker with Burson-Marsteller tells PRWeek, “Readers who pay on the spot for specific articles will be more invested in the topic and not just casual readers.”
So what does this mean for public relations professionals and companies who want to pitch a story to the WSJ?
Pitches will need to be more focused and creative to fit into a niche story.
Pitches will need to be tailored to include not only national angels but also local angles, depending on the focus of the story.
PR professionals will need to take a strategic and creative approach to demonstrate why their story would inspire readers to pay.
This will provide a unique opportunity for companies to track and analyze what kinds of information and stories are resonating well with their target audience.
As the media landscape continues to change, many online publications will look to implement a fee structure in order to stay afloat. According to the Financial Times, several newspapers are following the footsteps of business newspapers by looking for ways to charge for Web content.
As this trend continues, make sure to stay updated on which publications charge for content and what kinds of stories reporters are interested in.
In order to ensure your pitches are reaching the right editors or journalists and sparking their interest, consider these tips from our past blog entry about How to Pitch a Reporter.
With the onslaught of new social media technologies, many marketers are trying to look ahead and prepare for what’s next. But given its rapid growth, how can we predict the future of social media?
According to Forrester’s Jeremiah Owyang, the first step is to look at the problems inherent in today’s social mediums. By noting what’s wrong today, we can imagine tomorrow’s solutions and anticipate what’s next.
What is wrong with social media today?
Says Owyang, “Today’s social experience is disjointed because consumers have separate identities in each social network they visit.” He goes on to suggest that the future holds simple technologies that enable people to carry the same identity with them across all social mediums – whether its Twitter, Facebook or Digg.
People also will turn to others online and rely on their advice when making purchasing decisions. This trend is already evident in online product review forums such as those on Amazon and CNET, but Owyang suggests it will continue, “whether or not brands choose to participate.” By making their voices heard online, consumers will continue to influence the direction of future products and services.
In the future, content will be even more personalized than it is now. And while this could be a marketer’s dream, brands must tread carefully. After all, consumers will have the power to make or break online campaigns, and they will likely voice their frustrations en masse in real time. It will be important for both marketers and PR professionals to have a crisis strategy in place, or to update their existing crisis strategy to integrate social media tools, in order to quickly and effectively respond should this happen.
The recent anti-Starbucks Twitter campaign is an excellent example of how customers can turn against a company’s online campaign. A documentary about Starbucks union-busting practices debuted the same day as the new Starbucks-sponsored Twitter campaign. The Starbucks-sponsored campaign involved placement of advertising posters in major cities, and sought to use social networking by challenging people to hunt for the posters and be the first to post a photo of one on Twitter.
Filmmaker Robert Greenwald hijacked the campaign to spread information about Starbucks’ labor practices. Greenwald encouraged customers to upload photos of themselves protesting in front of the Starbucks advertisements onto Twitpic and tweet them using the hashtags #top3percent and #starbucks – the official hashtags designated by Starbucks for its contest. Within hours, dozens of Twitpics had been uploaded essentially upstaging Starbuck’s efforts.
The campaign may have contributed to a phase-out of the Starbucks promotion. Says Greenwald, “I don’t know if it’s connected or not, but a few hours later after we sent in pictures of people with suggestions for [Starbucks CEO] Howard Schultz to be more fair to his workers, I think the rules were changed and at least that phase of the contest was ended.”
So how can you prepare?
Don’t hold back. As we wrote in a post about Twitter, companies cannot afford to sit back and watch social media mature before participating. Social media is ever changing, but the connections you forge now with consumers and peers are likely to hold no matter what new tools and platforms materialize down the road.
Consider current perceptions of your company before launching a campaign. Perhaps if Starbucks had taken the time to determine public sentiment around their brand on Twitter, they would not have been in this situation.
It is also important to understand where your company is in its lifecycle because this impacts perceptions. People tend to view startup companies very differently than global Fortune 500s such as Starbucks and Microsoft. Corporate giants must tread carefully to establish credibility with customers.
We also advocate transparency online, especially when blogging or commenting on other blogs. As the Web becomes more personal and transparent, honesty becomes one of the most important traits a brand can possess when interacting in social mediums. By connecting with consumers in a transparent way to forge relationships and create evangelists for your brand, you’ll be set up for success not matter what the future of social media brings.
What are your thoughts on the direction social media will take in the coming years?