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.
I recently returned from a two-week hiking adventure in Patagonia – a bucket-list trip to celebrate a milestone birthday. While truly a vacation adventure, the amazing experience reinforced the importance of some business best practices.
Establish Shared Expectations
When planning a project or activity, establishing clear, shared expectations reduces confusion and ensures everyone is aligned on the approach and the objective. Prior to departure, the adventure travel company provided detailed packing and gear lists, and screened guests to ensure they were up for the strenuous hikes that were planned. During the multi-day hiking adventure our guides took time each evening to lay out the next day’s activities, including what time we’d leave, the distance we would cover, aspects of the terrain and elevation gain, as well as predicted weather and what layers to pack. They set our expectations clearly about what we would be facing the coming day so we would be prepared, and the only surprises were the extraordinary peaks and vistas.
And while there can be, and were, unexpected events (e.g., severe winds), we were all aligned and then could appreciate and understand the resulting decision, which in our case meant deciding not to hike to the higher, more exposed viewpoint where a hiker in a different group had been blown off the trail and suffered a broken leg.
Similarly, at Communiqué PR we work to establish shared expectations with our clients so collectively we can make the best decisions, drive the results they are looking for, and eliminate surprises. When something unforeseen arises, we can adjust and adapt in order to achieve the expected results.
Shift Your Perspective
We can get locked into believing our personal perspective is accurate and the only way to see something. However, it is rarely as black and white as we think. While hiking in Patagonia, we looked up to see what appeared to be one, solid, remarkable peak. Only after hiking a few miles and changing our viewpoint did we see it was three separate peaks – all equally impressive.
Our guide had explained this but from the original viewpoint, our group could not distinguish the three peaks from each other. In business we can get locked into believing our viewpoint is correct and we aren’t able to see the perspectives shared by others. Being open to the other realities can ensure you are making good decisions. It is a good reminder to try to “see” things from other points of view.
In business this can mean soliciting input from others, considering how a message might be received by disparate audiences and/or evaluating the position of a decision maker (e.g., economic buyer, user buyer or coach) and how that position influences their perspective. By considering these alternative perspectives we will be better able to drive the right results.
Celebrate Accomplishments Together
At the end of each day, our group would gather to share photos and stories from the day’s journey. We reflected on the distance covered, the challenges we overcame, including crazy wind and nagging blisters, and shared our gratitude for such an amazing adventure. Celebrating together made each day’s success all the sweeter.
It is easy to forget to celebrate accomplishments. We get busy doing the work and forget to take time to reflect and celebrate the results achieved. We move on to the next project. At Communiqué PR, we aim to take time to gather to celebrate the small wins and the big accomplishments, as well as just have time together outside of doing the work. It can be challenging to make the time and, admittedly, there are times we have let it slide. But each time we get together to celebrate with our team, it makes the successes more meaningful.
I am incredibly grateful for my remarkable team. Their expertise, dedication, and support made it possible for me to experience this bucket-list trip. The trip provided me with an opportunity to get some distance from work, shift my perspective a bit, and celebrate life!
Also, I want to give a shout out to MT Sobek and its Patagonia team, who made this trip so unbelievably fabulous.
Video has become an increasingly popular tool for organizations looking to improve their marketing and sales campaigns. In the past three years, the number of organizations leveraging video tools has increased by 24 percent, demonstrating a steady growth of adoption.
According to an infographic from Depositphotos, 80 percent of marketers say leveraging video has helped increase website traffic and generate leads. Further, according to the same infographic, 95 percent of key messages are retained when the content is in video form, which can drastically improve efficiency of campaigns and justify the investment into video.
PR Daily recently published Depositphotos’ infographic data in its article, “Infographic: The state of video marketing for 2020.” In this post they highlighted some of the infographic’s most compelling statistics, one of which uncovered how Facebook still ranks as the No. 1 social media platform for consumers to watch brand videos, beating Twitter.
With this data in mind, decision makers are well positioned to increase ROI on their marketing campaigns through the integration of video. Further, with video proven to increase web traffic and generate sales leads, video’s benefits can cross into other departments and ultimately have a positive impact on organizations’ bottom lines.
In addition to creating video advertisements and investing in webinar content, below are three ways companies can creatively integrate videos into existing campaigns:
- Improving training and support. Explainer videos have emerged as a way for organizations to better clarify their products and solutions to key audiences. Videos are a great alternative for visual learners and can help employees and customers internalize data before reaching out for help. In fact, according to data, 41 percent of marketers say that investing in video has helped them reduce support calls. Organizations can save time and resources to support more complex problems and invest in other areas of the company.
- Giving presentations a second life. Attending or hosting industry trade shows can be a huge time investment for executives and the entire company. Depending on the location of these shows, marketing teams can spend hours investing in show collateral, including presentations, with only a small number of their target audience ever seeing the content. Marketers can expand the reach of this content and get the most out of their investments by recording presentations or transferring decks into video formats that can then be shared with a wider audience.
- Amplifying announcements or company updates. Video is also a great way to tease out announcements or demonstrate company milestones that have a visual component. This could be a series of videos sharing features of a new product or solution, or executives could share their new office space in a video, which can illustrate the update better than a written document. Further, marketing executives can share details about software updated with a guided video of the screen or by interviewing an engineer or member of the product team and sharing the video on social media and on other channels.
In addition to the use cases outlined above, marketers can leverage video in vlogging (video blogs), video product demos and video case studies. These are just a few of the ways marketing teams can begin to integrate video into their existing strategies and see the impressive results video can deliver (e.g., increase web traffic, improve engagement and increase sales).
Investing in professional video tools or partnering with digital production firms can be a big investment; however, there are smaller steps companies can take to integrate video in ways that align with their budget and current equipment. To learn more about breaking into the video medium, check out the blog post, “How to Integrate Video into Your Upcoming PR and Marketing Campaigns.”
Acumatica, the world’s fastest-growing cloud ERP company, opened its 2020 Summit to record-breaking attendance in Las Vegas last week with more than 2,500 customer, partner, media and analyst participants. Following multi-platinum icon Lizzo’s New Year’s Eve show at The Chelsea concert venue at The Cosmopolitan, Acumatica CEO Jon Roskill packed the same venue for the Summit keynote – don’t underestimate a tech event, people! This is more than a conference, it’s an experience.
The company celebrated its customer-centric culture highlighting customer of the year awards, product announcements and live demonstrations, an acquisition that is already shaking up the industry, and noteworthy partnerships and integrations, including but not limited to:
- The improvement of Acumatica Manufacturing Edition, enabled by the acquisition of JAAS Systems, a complete end-to-end manufacturing solution for make-to-stock, make-to-order, engineer-to-order, project-centric, job shop, batch and repetitive manufacturing companies.
- The release of a new Payroll module as part of Acumatica 2020R1, followed by an exclusive CFMA offer for prospective customers of Acumatica Construction Edition.
- A strategic alliance with BDO, the international network of public accounting, tax, consulting and business advisory firms, to serve midmarket customers with exceptionally complex needs, large national or international requirements, and companies that value independence in their ERP selection or implementation process.
- New integrations with Smartsheet and Adobe Document Cloud.
- Customer of the Year Power Storage Solutions, an innovative power solution provider. Formed when Interstate Batteries spun off some divisions, the newly born company needed to extract data and processes from six solutions. It was able to combine them within a single Acumatica instance in a very short timescale. The company has now been live on their new system a little over a year.
- Impact Customer of the Year Food Maven, selected for its socially conscious approach to bringing agility and flexibility to the U.S. food system.
A clear through line in Acumatica’s unique approach and reflected throughout the resulting coverage below is the company’s commitment to customer-friendly business practices.
“Acumatica is dedicated to helping our customers achieve digital transformation, said Acumatica CEO Jon Roskill. “The ways in which Cloud ERP technology can streamline operations and improve business efficiency are nothing short of exceptional, and Acumatica’s product is second to none.”
Customer-friendly business practices are not new for Acumatica. In fact, Roskill sees such a void in a customer-centric approach in the industry that he issued a challenge to other cloud ERP software vendors to fix their unscrupulous business practices. He believes customers should not have to lose sleep over additional costs limiting their growth.
Communiqué PR had the opportunity to drive the media strategy and offer some of the top-tier industry publications a sneak peek at the announcements slated for Summit in advance. Below, we’ve included highlights of the coverage that resulted from Summit, with additional articles pending publication.
- Cleo becomes Acumatica certified – KMWorld, Jan. 27
- Acumatica Buys JAAS Software – ERP Global Insights, Jan. 27
- Acumatica 2020 R1: First Take from the Day 1 Keynote – Crestwood.com, Jan. 27
- Acumatica talks at Summit – Enterprise Times, Jan. 28
- Cleo adds Acumatica ERP to integration cloud – Enterprise Times, Jan. 28
- Acumatica Summit 2020 first take – Hartzell Construction on how modern construction ERP changed their business – diginomica, Jan. 28
- Acumatica Summit 2020 – with great growth comes great responsibility – diginomica, Jan. 29
- Acumatica introduces new payroll module and more at annual summit – Accounting Today, Jan. 29
- Acumatica cloud ERP tightens focus on SMB market – TechTarget, Jan. 30
- This is what happens when an ERP vendor listens to customers – ITWeb, Feb. 3
- Enterprise hits and misses – Data Privacy Day gets breached, and IBM places its leadership bet – diginomica, Feb. 3
- Sponsoring Acumatica Summit 2020 – DCKAP, Feb. 3
- Enterprise Software Podcast Episode 110 – Acumatica Summit 2020 (Part 1) – Enterprise Software Podcast, Feb. 3
- Acumatica Summit 2020 highlight – how customer award winner Power Storage Solutions sparked a best-of-breed debate – diginomica, Feb. 3
The recent Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China has left many people on edge about public health and glued to their TVs, tablets and smartphones for constant updates on the management of the new respiratory virus.
There is always fear and intrigue around illnesses that the public hasn’t seen before. As the number of reported cases of infection rises around the world, many are actively trying to stay informed to adopt best practices for avoiding the spread of the disease.
Several prominent news organizations have taken to live blogging – an effective approach that can be useful for keeping any audience informed – to provide real-time updates on coronavirus developments and inform the public. Here are a few takeaways on how the live blogs of three national outlets compare.
CNN
For those without a news subscription and looking for free updates, CNN.com is the place to go. CNN’s real-time blog coverage of coronavirus dates back to the evening of Jan. 29, with nearly three updates offered per hour. The blog provides a running tally of total cases – more than 8,000 to date – as well as the total number of coronavirus-related deaths and a list of countries where the coronavirus cases and deaths have been reported. This is a very simple yet essential snapshot for readers looking for a quick overview.
CNN also provides a map tracking coronavirus in real time and a graphic listing common symptoms and potential complications. Readers can see how long it’s been since each post has published, though the timestamps don’t include the publication date. Still, for the comprehensive overviews and visual elements alone, this live blog is reliable and incredibly useful for readers looking to quickly bring themselves up to speed on coronavirus news. It serves well as a one-stop shop.
The New York Times
The New York Times also provides a live blog on coronavirus news, though with a lower quantity of updates than some of its competitors, with some 13 posts on Jan. 30. Registration is required to access this blog, but after doing so, users can access it as one of their five free articles per month. Right at the top, the blog features a “Here’s what you need to know” overview that outlines the primary points of interest around this news. The New York Times blog is unique in the fact that readers are given the option to read the updates in Chinese, which given the origin of the virus and where the most people are affected, couldn’t be more appropriate.
Like CNN, The New York Times offers a map tracking the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. However, while this blog offers many photos accompanying each update, it lacks visual elements like infographics to distill some of the critical details around this news and help readers quickly absorb important information. Also, the blog updates aren’t timestamped, so readers are unable to tell when specifically each update was published, though related news articles at the bottom of the page date back to Jan. 29.
The Washington Post
The Washington Post does an admirable job providing real-time updates on coronavirus developments, offering readers approximately two updates per hour. As with The New York Times, registration is required to access WaPo’s live blog, so readers must use one of their three free articles per month to reach it. The live blog offers an overview with bulleted highlights at the top of the page and a “What you need to know about coronavirus” breakout box at the bottom of the page, which includes a map of the spread of coronavirus and an FAQ of the disease. Though if you’re not a paying subscriber, one must be mindful of where you click to not lose access to your limited free articles.
Like CNN’s blog, each blog post is timestamped, and even though they don’t include the publication date, readers can see that the blog updates date back to the afternoon of Jan. 29. When it comes to visual elements, WaPo’s blog offers compelling photos and news videos for several posts but is lacking when it comes to infographics. It is a solid blog overall but infinitely more useful for paying subscribers.
These aren’t the only three news outlets providing real-time coverage of coronavirus, but they are among the most prominent. While there were similarities between each outlet’s live blog, no two were identical. Each had their own approach to coverage and unique blend of aggregated stories.
For the reader, identifying the most ideal live blog ultimately comes down to 1) whether you are a paying customer and 2) what you hope to get from your news blog. All three of the listed outlets do an exceptional job of providing real-time news updates about a serious public health issue that’s captivating a global audience. There’s no shortage of breaking news – just remember to refresh!
Last year, I had the opportunity to fly to New York City and meet with industry professionals on the cutting edge of PR. One of our stops was to Weber Shandwick. During my visit at the firm, I heard from Chris Kooluris, who shared several campaigns he’d worked on over the years spanning from VitaminWater’s $100,000 challenge to give up your smartphone to Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse cruise with Royal Caribbean. It was like sitting at the feet of marketing royalty. And for a senior in college, hungry for experience in the field, I was on the edge of my seat.
He then pulled up a photo of a blue and orange fridge wrapped in a chain and padlocked. Dozens of images of the fridge flashed across my memory – I had seen this fridge everywhere on social media mere months before. We’d even discussed it in one of my public relations classes at school. For someone who doesn’t watch football or drink beer, my fascination with Bud Light’s Victory Fridge campaign is baffling even for me. Perhaps it’s the simplicity at the heart of it all that has secured its place as my favorite campaign to date.
If you’re unsure of what a Victory Fridge is, look no further as I revisit below Bud Light’s simple yet innovative marketing campaign and highlight key takeaways that can be applied to any PR push.
In January 2017, Bud Light sales were stuck in a rut. Despite the smash success of its “Dilly Dilly” campaign, the nation’s biggest beer brand suffered its largest annual volume decline ever in 2017, dropping 5.7 percent. With one of Bud Light’s highest-profile marketing assets (the NFL) approaching its annual climax (the Super Bowl), Bud Light was hopeful its sales would turn around. However, not even being dubbed the official beer of the NFL was saving them. Bud Light knew it needed to try something different.
Enter the Cleveland Browns.
In 2018, Bud Light (in partnership with its PR, marketing and advertising firms) decided that it would give away free beer in Cleveland, but only if the Browns won. It’s important to note that the Cleveland Browns had been the worst team in the NFL for years, at the time only winning one game in the previous two years. Any victory would’ve been monumental to long-suffering Browns fans.
To make the potential win a little sweeter, Bud Light installed “Victory Fridges” in 10 Cleveland-area bars and FirstEnergy Stadium. The fridges were to unlock simultaneously when the Browns won, allowing fans to celebrate with 200 free beers per venue.
News of the fridges spread like wildfire.
Everyone from Forbes to USA Today to Sports Illustrated covered the fridges. #VictoryFridge trended on Twitter. Fans posted the fridges on social media, garnering mass amounts of free, earned media coverage.
Then, after a 635-day losing streak, the Browns beat the Jets. Sweet victory.
Victory Fridges across Cleveland opened, and Browns fans celebrated together by drinking the free Bud Light their team had earned. While there are multiple ways to measure the value of Bud Light’s press coverage, speculation on Twitter from ESPN’s Darren Rovell said the night of the Browns’ victory alone was worth nearly $7 million in publicity, according to one third-party source. Weber Shandwick estimates over 2 billion impressions resulted from the campaign.
Key takeaways:
- Join cultural moments
- Create and magnify relationships
- Let your audience do the talking
- Place your product, client or message at the center
- Keep it simple
Of the campaign, Miles Ritenour, communications manager at Bud Light said, “We felt really good about the idea because of its simplicity and authenticity. The Browns’ record was already a major topic of conversation going into the season, and no brand had really seized the opportunity. The Victory Fridge did just that with a simple execution—fridges that unlocked when the Browns got their first win. It was easy to understand, built on a cultural insight, gave the people a role, and our product was at the center of it all.”
I recently came across an article in Harvard Business Review titled, “The Loyalty Economy,” in which the author describes the importance of customer value and explains why customer loyalty is in the best interest of shareholders and management. It’s well known that maintaining a healthy, loyal customer base is significantly less costly and time-intensive than finding and securing new customers. However, as we fixate on growth and obtaining new customers, it can be easy to lose sight of existing business and its value.
This article reminded me of a statistic our team was shown in a recent review of our performance in 2019. When reviewing our list of clients, we also looked at the span of our relationships with each business. The numbers impressed me. Most of our clients have been with the firm for four or five years and one that has even been with Communiqué PR since its founding 15 years ago.
Clients with compelling and impactful stories are what lead to our success. Positive relationships are a key element to our ability to deliver excellent work. When you’ve worked with a client for years you tend to find a rhythm that makes the relationship easy, but it’s important to continue to find ways to invest in these partnerships and demonstrate a client’s value.
Constantly Win the Business
While getting in a rhythm with your clients can lead to efficiency, it can also lead to complacency. It’s important to remember to think creatively and suggest ideas that evolve with their business. As businesses grow and objectives mature, adapt the PR plan and make new recommendations. Clients are not obligated to stay, so it is important to continue to impress them with new ideas that excite them and demonstrate value.
Ask for Feedback
Feedback isn’t always easy to hear. But it isn’t always bad. The fact is, you’ll never know where you stand if you don’t ask. This doesn’t have to be a formal review of all the work ever done on their behalf but make it a point to ask how the client feels about the results of a specific project. However, you can make it a point to request feedback on your performance and their satisfaction with the firm. Not only will this highlight areas the account team can improve, it’ll also demonstrate commitment to providing the best service possible.
Find Time to Invest
This can mean a lot of things. And it will likely be different depending on the client. Taking time to invest in relationships, outside of email updates and talking shop, can demonstrate the client’s value to you and the firm. Investing in the relationship can mean taking the client out for drinks, sending over a congratulatory gift when a big milestone is achieved, or simply taking the time to get to know them and showing genuine interest in them as an individual. Small acts can go a long way in fostering a relationship.
Getting caught up in deadlines and day-to-day activity can make it easy to forget to dedicate the right attention to clients and our relationships with them. Not every day needs to be filled with grand gestures or over-the-top ideas, but make sure to set time aside to consider how to continuously add value to the client as well as demonstrate their value to the firm. Investing in this will be the key to long-lasting relationships.