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.
This month WGU Washington, one of our stellar clients, celebrated 10 years of expanding access to higher education in our state!
Over the last decade, WGU Washington has helped strengthen the state’s workforce while awarding nearly 25,000 degrees to hardworking Washingtonians.
The university’s enrollment has grown to more than 14,000 full-time students pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in high-demand fields. Today, more WGU students and grads call Washington home than any other state in the nation.
To mark this exciting milestone, WGU celebrated a local hero with a mural of WGU Washington graduate Crystal Allenton, on the Capitol Theater in downtown Olympia, Wash. Crystal overcame homelessness with three young children while she pursued a college degree, and the painting will recognize her resilience and achievements during her life’s journey.
With its Role Model Murals project, WGU hopes to encourage others to follow their ambitions and help make a difference in the world. Our team had the privilege of sharing Crystal’s story with the media.
Her compelling story caught the eye of CBS The Uplift, featuring good news and positive stories that inspire.
“I wanted my kids to see that you can be ambitious and you can also struggle,” Crystal shared during an interview with CBS news. “Whether it was staying up later while they were in bed to do assignments, or working while they were napping, it was all about quality time with them and showing them that I could be a mom and I could also be a person who valued education.”
Crystal’s perseverance has led her to a fulfilling career in education where she has taught music and English language learning as well as working with special education students.
This is just one example of the caliber of WGU Washington graduates – who never cease to amaze me, and truly inspire me to be my best self. As a first-generation college student, the valuable work WGU Washington does to expand access to higher education is near and dear to my heart. Trust me, if you watch the video above, you’ll see.
As the saying goes, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” But when it comes to your brand, imitation (or rather, impersonation) can cause serious damage.
What is Social Media Impersonation?
Impersonation in social networks is when accounts use the name, image or other identifying elements of an individual, company or organization for fraudulent purposes. They are not to be confused with legitimate pages like those for fan accounts, parodies or criticism.
There are many different types of impersonation, ranging from phishing scams that ask for personal information to be sent to a third-party account, to online fraud that tricks consumers into buying illegitimate products.
Impersonators create fake accounts that look like their target brand – complete with copied logos and fake account-validation symbols. It is also common for them to impersonate support or customer service pages or run raffles and promotions. When Apple released the iPhone X, for example, criminals created more than 500 Apple-imposter social media accounts to promote fake iPhone giveaways. Hopeful victims followed a link to a website that secretly stole their credentials, took their payment data, or installed malware on their devices.
Social media impersonators can also embarrass a brand. For example, a bad actor can create a fake account and share misinformation about the company. One such scenario might be if the fraudulent account shares a tweet during a real company crisis and the tweet goes viral. It could confuse customers and damage the brand’s reputation.
How to Mitigate Impersonation on Social Media
Most social media platforms have reporting tools for affected accounts, but the onus is on the user to identify and report any impersonation of them. In this regard, the first step to mitigating impersonation is to be proactive.
Outlined below are three best practices to help protect against social media impersonation:
- Monitoring: Use social monitoring tools to keep tabs on brand mentions and conversations. Report scam accounts when they appear and delete comments on your pages and posts by accounts impersonating your brand.
- Communication: A best practice is to outline a safety policy in customer-facing emails, on your social media accounts, and/or on your website. The policy can state that the company will never contact customers and request login info, payment card info, etc. And if they receive a message along those lines to report it immediately. Lastly, if scammers target your brand, let customers know what to look out for and respond quickly to customer reports of scammers.
- Security: Utilize strong passwords for your brand’s social media accounts. In addition, keep a running list of who has login access and update passwords at a regular cadence.
Fake social media accounts can cause organizations embarrassment, lost customers, damage to reputation and eat away at customer trust. Protecting your brand from impostors requires attention to what’s happening in your communication channels, as well as regular security updates. These efforts are a good way to drive scammers away from your brand in search of easier targets.
The majority of my Communique PR teammates, along with their friends and families, have begun receiving their COVID-19 vaccines, including a significant number who just received shots from Johnson & Johnson (J&J).
So, when federal health authorities recommended pausing the use of the J&J vaccine to investigate potential rare, but dangerous, side effects of blood clots, there was significant discussion about it in our daily meeting on April 13.
That morning, several colleagues had woken up to text messages and phone calls from concerned family members, wanting to alert them of the news and encourage them to keep an eye out for symptoms.
To alleviate concerns, most of our colleagues reminded loved ones that only a tiny number of people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine experienced these rare but serious clots. They pointed out the Food and Drug Administration FDA and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) decided on the pause after just six people out of approximately 7 million experienced these side effects.
While this should be of tremendous comfort to people, it’s often hard to get our heads around numbers. As Dr. Ellen Peters, the Philip H. Knight chair and director of the Center for Science Communication Research (SCR) at the University of Oregon, points out in her book “Innumeracy in the Wild: Misunderstanding and Misusing Numbers,” a substantial percentage of the U.S. population struggles to understand or process data.
“The news doesn’t always present numbers in ways that people find as easy to grasp as stories about individuals,” said Dr. Peters. “When presenting numbers like the rare but serious clots possibly associated with the J&J vaccine, communicators should tell the public about the 6 people who experienced clots and also about the approximately 6,999,994 people who did not. Advising the public about the likelihood of other more common side effects, such as the appropriately 50% of people (about 3.5 million so far) who are likely to experience pain at the injection site, may also help by putting the rare side effect into perspective.”
Consider the language that acting chair of the FDA, Dr. Janet Woodcock, used in her introductory remarks at the April 14 press conference.
Dr. Woodcock said that “out of an abundance of caution, [the FDA and CDC are] recommending a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine due to reports of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot following vaccine administration.”
Then she spoke about wanting to understand events so they can provide information to healthcare providers and vaccine recipients. She stressed “these events appear to be extremely rare,” before bridging to the message that “COVID- 19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government.” [1]
As we know, this had an immediate impact across our nation as pharmacies and healthcare providers canceled J&J vaccine appointments, or when possible, switched people to first doses of Pfizer or Moderna.
The longer-term implications of the pause remain to be seen. The J&J vaccine was a critical part of the Biden administration’s plans to get the country fully vaccinated.
On March 10, President Biden announced plans to buy an additional 100 million doses of the J&J vaccine.[2] The J&J vaccine is particularly important for reaching people in areas where there is limited refrigeration, which is required for both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, or where it may be difficult for people to get two doses. If the pause is not lifted, it is unclear what will happen in these instances.
Then there are those who were already wary of the vaccine. According to a poll released on March 31 by KFF, “13% of respondents overall said they will ‘definitely not’ be vaccinated, signaling that significant hurdles remain in the nation’s vaccination campaign.”[3] The day before the halt of the J&J vaccine, two young women working at my local grocery store said they weren’t going to get vaccinated because of concerns.
Given all this, it’s essential that public health officials assure people that they’re being diligent with administering vaccines. They must also help people understand the much higher risk of contracting COVID-19, becoming seriously ill and dying from it, and how this compares to the risk of experiencing a rare side effect from the vaccine.
This is no small communication task. Public health officials will need to be deliberate in their messaging. They’ll need to carefully consider the examples and data they share.
While people’s abilities to process and use numbers vary, communicators should not shy away from sharing quantitative information. According to Peters, studies show that people prefer actual numbers as opposed to more qualitative verbal descriptions.
In her book, Peters shares the results from a study on breast cancer and mammography risk information. When people use qualitative labels such as “low chance” or “common” as substitutes for numbers, there are varying interpretations of what those labels mean. In these instances, actual numbers are better.
In the coming days and weeks, many of us will carefully monitor and assess the news closely for honest, transparent, clear and timely information from public health officials. Leveraging numerical data can help effectively convey the important messages they wish to send.
[1] “FDA and CDC announce a pause in administering the Johnson ….” 13 Apr. 2021, https://news.yahoo.com/fda-cdc-announce-pause-administering-145001962.html.
[2] “Biden announces plan to purchase additional 100 million ….” 10 Mar. 2021, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-announce-deal-additional-100-million-johnson-johnson-covid-vaccine-n1260408.
[3] “Covid Vaccine Hesitancy Drops Among All Americans, New ….” 30 Mar. 2021, https://khn.org/news/article/covid-vaccine-hesitancy-drops-among-americans-new-kff-survey-shows/.
Image credit: Carbon Robotics
On April 13, our client Carbon Robotics, introduced its Autonomous Weeder, a 10,000-pound autonomous robot that leverages computer vision, artificial intelligence (AI), and laser technology to safely and effectively drive through crop fields to identify, target and eliminate weeds.
Carbon Robotics’ groundbreaking application of this technology is revolutionizing agriculture. The company’s robots are designed to self-drive up and down furrows on specialty crop farms (farms that grow vegetables we eat, including broccoli, onions, peppers, asparagus, etc.), eliminating weeds as they go. Utilizing the thermal power of the robot’s eight lasers, the machine can eliminate 100,000 weeds per hour without herbicides, tilling or manual labor, reducing costs, enabling consistency and predictability, and creating an economical path to organic and regenerative farming.
This news was incredibly unique in that its technological innovations and agricultural application make it relevant to a broad range of audiences. Additionally, because it is designed for farms that grow the vegetables consumers eat and it presents a number of environmental benefits, it’s also appealing to national publications.
To effectively announce this amazing innovation, we offered the news to select technology, agriculture, local and national reporters under embargo. We hosted several interviews with reporters both before and after the announcement published so they could speak to Paul Mikesell, the CEO and founder, about how the company started, what the farmers are saying about the technology, and how the Autonomous Weeder is poised to impact the industry.
The announcement led to coverage from a range of outlets that reach farmers, consumers and technology enthusiasts. Below is a list of the coverage that has published so far, with more to come in the next few weeks.
Congratulations to the Carbon Robotics team!
Carbon Robotics Coverage
- Ken Goldberg on robotic grasping; Carbon Robotics’ new weeding robot—The Robot Report, 4/16/21
- Pizza, picking and swimming snakes—TechCrunch, 4/15/2021
- “Like science fiction,” Seattle startup sends laser-equipped robots to zap weeds on farmland—The Seattle Times, 4/16/2021
- Autonomous Weeding Tech Picking Up Steam—Precision Farming Dealer, 4/16/21
- Farming Startup Unveils Self-Driving Robot That Uses AI To Zap Weeds—Slashdot, 4/14/2021
- Isilon founder lifts the hood on farming startup Carbon Robotics and its weed zapping machine—GeekWire, 4/13/2021
- Video: Autonomous weeding robot improves crop yield, costs—Engineering360, 4/14/2021
- Laser-armed robotic weeder hits the market—The Irish Farmers Journal, 4/15/2021
- This startup says its new laser-powered weeding robot is already sold out for 2021—AgFunder News, 4/13/2021
- Carbon Robotics releases new autonomous weeding robot into farming industry—Robotics & Automation News 4/13/2021
- Carbon Robotics Autonomous Weeding Robot—Robotic Gizmos, 4/14/2021
- New weed-zapping robot unveiled by US firm—Industrial Vehicle Technology International, 4/14/2021
- Carbon Robotics unveils a new generation of weed killing robots—Mobile Robot Guide, 4/13/2021
- Seattle company launches third generation laser zapping weed robots—Food and Farming Technology, 4/14/2021
- Agricultural start-up unveils autonomous robot that uses AI to eliminate weeds—Eminetra 4/14/2021
We’ve all heard the old saying, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” But what comes first, the passion or the passionate effort?
For instance, professor Scott Galloway with the NYU Stern School of Business has often heard guest speakers at his business school tell young people to “follow their passion.” And he has a very pointed take on this advice.
“What utter bulls***,” Galloway said during an author lecture in 2019. “If someone tells you to follow your passion, it means they’re already rich.” Instead, Galloway encourages young people to find what they’re good at, apply the time and effort, and strive to become great at it.
It’s true that we’re often told to follow our passion when it comes to work and professional careers. Yet we are finding that passion not only can come later, but also be developed. Often, finding what you’re good at and passionate about takes time.
This recent article from Inc.com details that while passion can spark effort, effort can also spark passion, which often happens with entrepreneurs and other successful people. Two notable examples of this are Steve Jobs and Mark Cuban.
As the article notes, Jobs had other passions prior to starting Apple with his business partner Steve Wozniak, such as calligraphy and Eastern mysticism. It was only after a computer retailer purchased 50 fully assembled Apple I computers for $500 each that Jobs ultimately found his career path and created one of the world’s largest tech companies.
Similarly, Cuban advises against following your passion and has spoken about the importance of focusing on where you put your effort. He has given examples of other passions he’s had that didn’t pan out, such as pursuing athletic careers in baseball and basketball. His advice is to invest your time in things at which you excel.
“If you put in enough time, and you get really good, I will give you a little secret: Nobody quits anything they are good at, because it is fun to be good,” Cuban said. “It is fun to be one of the best. But in order to be one of the best, you have to put in effort. So don’t follow your passions. Follow your effort.”
Business experts like Cuban and professor Galloway are not alone in their assessments. In fact, scientific research backs them up. A 2014 study in the Academy of Management Journal, which investigated changes in passion as an outcome of effort, hypothesized that while many believe entrepreneurial passion drives entrepreneurial effort, the reverse can also be true. The study found that entrepreneurial passion does increase with effort.
For instance, when creating a startup business, the more time and effort that entrepreneurs invest, the more passionate and engaged they become in that business. Each success and business gain further drives that passion.
But this isn’t limited to entrepreneurs. Many folks become passionate about their work, even though they may be doing work that they didn’t initially set out to do. That is the essence of cultivating their passion with time and effort.
As success can breed success, effort can breed passion and vice versa. And experts like Galloway are quick to point this out.
“Once you’re great at something, the economic accouterments at being great at something, the prestige, the relevance, the camaraderie, the self-worth of being great will make you passionate about whatever ‘it’ is,” he said.
So put in the time to spark your passion – it can only pay off.
With an increasing number of Americans getting vaccinated and many cities easing their social distancing guidelines, more businesses are announcing plans for employees to return to the office.
Some companies are even accelerating their plans. Uber, as reported by NPR, has moved up its back-to-the-office plan from Sept. 13, 2021 to last Monday (4/3/21), on a voluntary basis. According to the article, “the ride-share company said only up to 20% of employees can opt to work from the office.”
But are we ready? When I read the NPR article on Uber’s plans, my anxiety started building. What will returning to the office be like? How do we return to the office in a safe manner? It seems I am not alone in these worries. The New York Times recently reported on this emotional impact in the article “Returning to the Office Sparks Anxiety and Dread for Some.”
Employees want and need to understand what returning to the office will look like, what the expectations are, and how they can stay safe. For example, many employees may have such questions as – has my company updated its cleaning procedures/frequencies? Will I be expected to be masked and will my employer be providing masks? How will my employer modify workspaces to minimize contact? Will my employer be conducting health screenings?
Companies can help address these questions and alleviate employee anxieties by creating some preparation beforehand and implementing effective internal communication practices. Clear, direct and consistent communication will be critical in making the return to the office a success for both employers and employees. Outlined below are a few recommendations on how employers can successfully navigate the transition of having employees returning to the office while also instilling confidence and clarity throughout the process.
- First, gather Information – Some organizations are conducting internal surveys to understand employees’ perspectives and concerns on coming back into the office environment. After a year or more of working remotely, employees may have moved farther away from the office. Others are continuing to care for school-age children and conduct school remotely from home. So, an employee’s decision to start coming into the office is a personal one and can create added stress.
According to Glassdoor’s survey of U.S. employees who are working from home due to COVID-19, “nearly 9 in 10 (86%) say they would prefer to continue working from home at least part of the time.” Another interesting aspect reflected in PwC’s workforce survey of 1,515 US employees illustrated that “employee priorities are shifting on location, benefits and skills.”
For employers, understanding your employees’ needs and priorities can help inform not only future policies and procedures around returning to the office but also in how employers communicate such plans with their teams.
- Establish Updated Policies and Procedures – Employers should work with HR, legal and operations teams to ensure internal alignment on policies on how to minimize risks and potential for exposure within the office environment. Managers should receive training or guidance on these established policies and procedures. For example, will staff who are on site be required to participate in health screenings? Will vaccines be required of returning employees? How will the company manage and mitigate possible exposure at the office.
As detailed in the WSJ article “Companies Wrestle With Hybrid Work Plans—Awkward Meetings and Midweek Crowding,” businesses “are grappling with what new schedules employees should follow, where people should sit in redesigned offices, and how best to prevent employees at home from feeling left out of impromptu office discussions or being passed over for opportunities…”
- Communicate Regularly and Often – Most organizations have increased their internal communication outreach practices since the pandemic began. This has been important as teams are more dispersed and office norms have been disrupted. To help prepare for, adjust to and hopefully thrive with future changes, employers will benefit from upholding these increased internal communication practices. Ideally, outreach can take a variety of forms (e.g., Slack, email, intranet, etc.). Employees need to know where to get information, who to talk to regarding their specific needs/situation and know that their needs regarding safety are being addressed.
MIT Sloan Management Review offers helpful guidance on steps leaders can take “now to make employees feel supported and safe before they resume in-person work.”
At Communiqué, we are working with our employees to gauge their interest and concerns around returning to the office.
Are you preparing for your team to come back into the office? What steps are you taking to ensure it is a success? We’ve love to hear your input and feedback on your company’s experience so far.