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.
Twitter is growing at breakneck speed, and major brands can no longer afford to ignore it. According to social media guide Mashable.com, Twitter grew an astounding 752 percent in 2008. And according to market tracker Hitwise, traffic to Twitter went up 43 percent after Oprah joined Twitter on her show. For comparison, Facebook grew about 85.7 percent in 2008.
Two major companies – Dominos and Amazon – recently learned the hard way that they can’t afford to sit on the sidelines and ignore Twitter while customers drive conversations about their brands.
Chances are you’ve heard about the Domino’s Pizza YouTube fiasco, where two (now ex) employees posted a video of themselves preparing food in a very unsanitary way. The blogosphere erupted with angry comments from concerned customers. But rather than proactively addressing the situation, Domino’s kept quiet. Until the discussion moved to Twitter, at which point Domino’s joined the conversation and responded to comments via a Twitter account it established for that purpose. @dpzinfo now has 1,433 followers on Twitter. It also created a YouTube video, which according to AdAge.com has received more than 330,000 views. Richard Levick, president of PR firm Levick Strategic Communications, said he’d give Domino’s “an F for its reaction during the first 24 hours and an A for everything thereafter.”
Another interesting example of how customer conversations are driving company action is Amazon’s reaction to customer complaints. When Amazon recently removed books with gay and lesbian themes from its search results, Twitter users were angry – and very vocal. Amazon quickly broke its silence with statements over Easter weekend to address concerns and offer an explanation via Twitter. @amazondeals has 8,547 Twitter followers.
Jeremiah Owyang, a senior analyst at Forrester Research, recommends that brands secure their own domain names in social media networks and build a community. When a crisis happens, brands can use that community to their advantage.
Some companies have taken heed and embraced Twitter effectively. Instead of waiting for a crisis to begin using Twitter, JetBlue, the discount airline, regularly engages with customers. There have been numerous accounts of @JetBlue responding to passenger inquiries on Twitter by offering advice, directions or assistance in real time.
Actively engaging with customers via Twitter is no small feat, and it is up to each company to decide how much it wants to invest in the network. But for the sake of their brands and reputation, industry giants are realizing one by one that the benefits of embracing Twitter outweigh the costs.
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We recently placed a byline article on behalf of our client, OnRequest Images, in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The article, written by OnRequest CEO Carla Stratfold, details why photos play a key role in branding.
Carla notes that companies are gaining market share by using custom photography and digital assets to showcase their most affordable products and services to help define their brand and refresh their image. She includes an analysis of the important role photography played in campaigns for large companies such as Target, Starbucks and Coca-Cola.
Carla also presents the perspectives of Organics to Go, W.L. Gore and HartmanBaldwin Design/Build. Says Wendy Tenenberg, vice president of communications at Organic to Go, “We treasure our ability to create custom photos because we are able to truly control and manifest what we imagine our brand to be.”
Carla concludes the article with some wise advice for marketers:
“While the economy will continue to bedevil us all, savvy marketers will seize the opportunity to improve their position in the market by investing in their brand. And by leveraging the expertise of companies that can help streamline the process, they can make a big splash without draining their budget.”
To read the article, titled “Good Images Create a Great Image: Photos Gain Key Role in Branding,” click here.
It’s a sign of the times: As younger consumers lose discretionary income, advertisers are shifting their attention to an older generation. This shift has implications for print and broadcast as those media outlets which cater to an older generation are faring better in this economy.
Older generations were previously ignored by advertisers because they were considered less wealthy and resistant to change. But according to a New York Times article on the subject, older consumers today are more willing to try new products, comfortable with digital media and not strapped for cash. Says media investment director Andy Donchin, older consumers have “assets, not allowances.” And in this economy, that’s an attractive thing to advertisers.
So what does this mean for the media industry? In short, those outlets catering to older consumers are doing well. The New York Times reports that CBS, home to shows popular with older audiences, is first in the network rankings. And magazines aimed at this demographic, including AARP Magazine and Family Circle, have experienced smaller declines in ad revenue than their counterparts courting younger readers.
Major brands have taken note. Chrysler, Kraft and Target are all aiming to reach an older demographic. A Target billboard in Times Square, New York City, features a grey haired model.
As the baby boomer generation ages – they now range from 45 to 63 years old – this new advertising trend is likely to continue. Have you noticed a change in the kinds of ads in magazines or on TV? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
This month, Seattle Business Monthly readers will see the face of Jeremy Lewis, Big Fish Games’ president and CEO on the cover of the magazine. The magazine chose Jeremy for the cover to compliment the publication’s feature story “Breaking the Rules” about local companies thriving in a down economy.
Big Fish Games is profiled in the article, “Game Changers,” and Jeremy shares his perspective on why the company is growing despite the recession. The article also provides data points to demonstrate the company’s continued growth.
Communiqué worked closely with the editorial team to not only facilitate the interview, but also to understand the selection process for the cover of the magazine. Gathering information about the decision making process ultimately helped us guide the direction for the actual photo shoot.
A few things to remember if you or an executive in your organization is being considered for a magazine cover include:
1. Ask questions. Understanding the magazine’s selection process is critical. This will ensure you are prepared for the photo shoot and set up for success. The art director or photographer will often share information about the right colors and attire to wear as well as the specific look or scene they want to set with the photo.
2. Schedule a scouting appointment. For the May cover, we coordinated a scouting appointment with the Seattle Business Monthly photographer. This gave the photographer the opportunity to visit the Big Fish Games office in advance and formulate ideas for the photo shoot. The scouting appointment was also helpful because it gave us a sense of what types of angles, props and setup we should anticipate or prepare for the actual shoot.
3. Decide your wardrobe in advance. In general, it is important to determine proper attire in advance of any photo shoot. Executives should avoid wearing busy patterns and should select an outfit that is comfortable. Typically, slacks with a shirt/jacket combo work well. In addition, executives should bring two to three back-up outfits to the office in case the photographer needs to change direction.
To read the full Seattle Business Monthly article and see more pictures of the photo shoot with Jeremy, click here.
Last week, TechFlash.com published a list of the top 100 Seattle companies that are drawing the most Web traffic and attention on Twitter, blogs and with other media. Working closely with YouNoodle, a start-up which monitors a company’s media buzz, TechFlash ranked companies on a scale of zero to 100. The higher the number, the more traffic the company receives. This list is known as the TechFlash 100.
Companies such as Big Fish Games, a Communiqué PR client, Zillow and Picnik take top rank on the list; earning rankings in the high 70’s and low 80’s.
So what are these companies doing to earn top rank on this list? How are companies garnering increased Web traffic on social mediums such as Twitter?
To answer these questions, we took a closer look at social media activities behind Big Fish Games, Zillow and Picnik. Here’s what we found:
Big Fish Games takes an active role engaging customers in various social mediums. The company manages a blog on its main Web site as well as a Big Fish Games Facebook page. Big Fish Games tweets almost daily and has more than 1,235 followers on Twitter. The company also maintains Facebook pages for its most popular games including the Mystery Case Files franchise.
Zillow also maintains a blog as well as a Facebook and Twitter account. Like Big Fish Games, Zillow uses these social mediums to highlight news about the company and provide updates on events. Zillow also uses its blog as a place to highlight compelling customer stories and offer readers tips about selling their house.
Picnik, a leading online photo editing application, is actively involved in Facebook, Twitter and publishes blogs to its main site. What stands out about Picnik are the 81,108 fans it has on Facebook. The company uses Facebook as a means to publish pictures, demonstrate its application’s capabilities and share upcoming news with its fans.
Based on this information, organizations that want to increase Web traffic among social media outlets should 1) manage and actively update a company blog, 2) create a Facebook page and provide frequent updates to fans and 3) actively use Twitter. In addition, an organization should work closely with its internal or external PR team to ensure online coverage includes Web links back to the company Web site. This is a great way to increase Web traffic to an organization’s site.
To read more about the TechFlash 100 click here.
Taxes can be a contentious issue in America, especially in this economy. On tax day last week, hundreds of thousands of people across the country protested at gatherings called “tea parties” to voice their opposition against what they view as wasteful government spending. The parties got their name from the infamous Boston Tea Party when colonists protested the British government by tossing taxed tea into the Boston Harbor.
It’s no secret that the news media love a controversial issue, so their coverage of the tax day tea parties is not surprising. But many are asking if cable news shows took things too far in their coverage of the 2009 tea parties by inserting their opinion in the story. Was coverage of the tea parties fair and balanced? And should news anchors ever share their opinion on the air?
In a New York Times article on the subject, David Carr describes a CNN anchor covering a tax protest in Chicago shaking her finger at protesters and shouting at them. Carr also shares these quotes from a Fox News reporter inviting viewers to a protest: “Bring your kids and experience history,” and “our kids are being sold into slavery.”
These examples of opinions being inserted into the story by news anchors are far from objective journalism. And while this can add color to the story and engage some viewers, it detracts from the standard of objective news that many stations try hard to uphold.
There is a place for partisan journalism when it is labeled as such, but general news broadcasts should remain objective. Viewers trust their news sources to be objective and their confidence is shaken when reporters take sides.
Did coverage of the tea parties ruin public trust in the objectivity of some news stations? Probably not, because these reports were one-time occurrences rather than examples of a larger trend. But the public outcry over how some stations covered the tea parties should serve as a warning of the damage done when news broadcasts are not objective.