HC+T Update: April 26, 2013

From: "HC+T Update" <shel@holtz.com>

Subject: HC+T Update: April 26, 2013

Date: April 26th 2013

April 26, 2013
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I produced a newsletter last week. It just didn't go out. I thought it had. I only found out days later that it just sat there. The tale of the lost bulletin is long and sordid. I'll spare you the details and just say it was a host server migration gone horribly wrong. The good news is that you can still read that issue; it's archived online here. With that out of the way, let's get on with this week's news...

Items from the Holtz.com blog published during the last week:

Hyundai crisis is what happens when brands forget there's no such thing as regional advertising

Hyundai Europe released a 60-second commercial on the Web designed for a European audience. The ad, depicting a suicide attempt that fails because the vehicle doesn't emit any poisonous exhaust, provoked some angry responses in North America, where local Hyundai marketers didn't even know the ad had been developed. That didn't keep them from having to release a statement, however -- one that pointed fingers at their European colleagues. Read the details here.

One-way real time ads: The future of marketing or not long for this world?

Foodie site Epicurious came in for an unusually strident ration of criticism when it tried to newsjack the Boston Marathon bombing by driving traffic to recipes. Some considered this the height of insensitivity and an example of a company that doesn't have its social strategy figured out. I think there's more to it. As companies feel compelled to inject themselves into trending topics and breaking news, it was the pressure to perform that led to the ill-advised tweets. Expect more of this until companies realize that even the genuinely clever or funny attempts aren't the best way to approach real-time marketing. Read the post here.

Milestone 700th episode of For Immediate Release

My podcast partner Neville Hobson and I began our podcast in the earliest days of January 2005. Back then, we didn't know if we'd make it through five episodes -- or even want to. This past Monday, we posted our 700th episode. If you've never listened, I'd be honored if you'd join our very vibrant community. I cross-post episodes to my blog. The 700th is available here.

A summary of the items appearing in this week's Friday Wrap. (You can peruse the entire collection of articles from which I selected these items on my link blog at LinksFromShel.tumblr.com.)

Yahoo's Mayer finally dishes on telecommuting policy

Marissa Mayer, Yahoo's CEO, made waves when the company issued an edict ending telework practices and requiring employees to do their jobs on-site -- even those who took the job in the first place because they could telecommute. Mayer defended the decision, reiterating the language in the HR memo that kicked off the controversy: "It's not what's right for Yahoo right now," she said, adding that the idea that she opposed work-from-home policies industry-wide was mistaken. Mayer acknowledged that people are more productive when they work alone, but emphasized that "they're more collaborative and innovative when they're together," writes Christopher Tkaczyk, senior editor at CNN Money. "As an example of that collaboration, Mayer touted the newly-launched Yahoo Weather app for iOS, which uses built-in geolocation technology in Flickr photo albums to help users get a more accurate image of local weat her -- an idea, she explained, originated by two software engineers who work in the same office." Mayer made her remarks in the closing keynote at the Great Place to Work conference in Los Angeles on April 18.

Facebook launches customized Pages for brands

On Facebook, a brand page is a brand page is a brand page, right? Not any more. On Tuesday, the social network launched customized Pages for different business categories. The feature will appear initially on mobile web views and the iPhone/iPad app. Writing for FastCompany, Sarah Kessler reports, "Redesigned mobile Facebook Pages will look slightly different depending upon whether a Page owner categorizes itself as a brand, local business, city, or in any of several other categories. Pages for brands with local branches, for instance, show a map with locations nearby." Additional features for different types of companies may also be introduced.

New Altimeter report focuses on organizing for content

The Altimeter Group is out with another free research report, Organizing for Content: Models to Incorporate Content Strategy and Content Marketing in the Enterprise. Written by Rebecca Lieb (with Chris Silva and Christine Tan), the report argues that, while content marketing is top-of-mind in most organizations, these same organizations "have not yet addressed content on either a strategic or tactical level," according to Jeremiah Owyang, an Altimeter analyst. The report identifies six models organizations can employ in organizing for content, including a Center of Excellence, an executive steering committee, and editorial board or content council, a content lead, a cross-functional content chief, or a content department/division.

Is Twitter initiating a trend with the hire of a data editor?

Simon Rogers is Twitter's first Data editor, a position created "with the sole job of uncovering stories from tweets," according to Leah Gonzalez, writing for PSFK. "(Twitter) has proven to be a significant tool for journalists in telling the news in real time or even sniffing out potential stories," Gonzalez writes. "Rogers's skill in data journalism, in breaking down data and making it understandable to readers, will certainly be put into good use when he officially joins twitter in May." The idea of a staffer dedicated to sifting through data in search of stories to tell seems a natural fit in content marketing efforts. Perhaps Altimeter Group can find a place for such a position in its proposed structures for content.

PR pros chide media for trying to hard to keep up with Twitter

PR experts are advising media to focus more on accuracy than speed in the wake of a rash of bad reporting emerging from the Boston Marathon bombing. Competing with social media just doesn't work for the mainstream press, according a PRWeek report by Sarah Shearman. "PR professionals agree Twitter was by no means the bastion of accuracy, with misinformation spreading quickly over the platform. But in their attempts to break real-time news, traditional media outlets also fell afoul of factual errors."

More evidence that QR codes continue to thrive

Of all the "X is dead" memes, none is more persistent than that imposed on the QR code. Hated by many since they first appeared on the digital media scene, detractors now have scads of reasons to dismiss them, ranging from the imminent rise of Near-Field Communication to the lack of integration into smartphones. But there's plenty of evidence to contradict the naysayers. One of those naysayers, 312 Digital's Sean McGinnis, recounts an experience with a QR code that he liked (finally, he adds). Red Robin restaurants was behind the campaign, sending the code along with the bill. The code leads customers to a satisfaction survey designed for mobile. On another front, while it's not exactly a marketing opportunity, but QR codes are poised to appear on luggage tags, according to Julie Campbell, writing for Mobile Comme rce Press. "By adding these barcodes to luggage tags, someone who finds misplaced baggage can contact its owner," she writes. "In theory, an airport employee or good Samaritan will scan the QR codes so that the owner can be contacted. From that point, arrangements can be made to ensure that the baggage with the QR codes will be returned to its owner. Through the GoCodes service, there are a number of different features available in terms of various forms of barcodes and contact options."

Coke produces its first all-digital campaign

After conducting panels with teens, Coca-Cola has introduced its first digital-only campaign called "The AHH Effect." Adweek's Christopher Heine reports that the campaign is made up of 17 digital experiences, including games with names like Ice Toss and Guide the Bubble, all designed for consumption over smartphones. "This is meant to be a constantly iterating campaign," according to Pio Schunker, Coca-Cola North America's senior VP of integrating marketing communications. "We fully expect to end up in a completely different place compared to where we started." Heine writes, "A digital media push involving 19 teen-friendly media partners like Alloy, Vevo, Buzzfeed, Facebook and Twitter will be in the offing, while a 15-second video teaser went live (the morning of April 23)." Additionally, the company will employ channels including Facebook and Twitter "to e ncourage teens to create their own software-based experiences for the brand. Out of the submissions, 25 will be selected to be included in 'The AHH Effect' run." Ultimately, the effort will produce 61 experiences with dedicated AHH.com destinations, each adding a new "H" to the URL.

UK social networking growth strongest among middle-age and senior users

Financial services and healthcare brands were last to the social media game, holding back because of compliance fears. Similarly, middle-age and senior consumers are late to the game because social media first attracted younger demographics often identified as digital natives. Was there ever any real doubt they'd show up? The UK's telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, has released research depicting strong growth of social networking by older Internet users. "More than a third (35%) of 55 to 64 year-old Internet users created a social networking profile in the last year -- up by half in just one year (24% in 2011)," writes TechCrunch's Natasha Lomas.

What makes infographics work?

Most infographics, well, aren't. They're actually infoposters, grahics that marry text and images to convey information in a non-narrative fashion. They're generally towers that require considerable scrolling. An infographic, on the other hand, is (as Edward Tufte says) the visual display of quantitative information. These days, "data visualization" is the term of choice, and Jim Stikeleather offers some insight into how to make them work in a post on the Harvard Business Review blog. First, he says, it understands its audience. Second, it sets up a clear framework: "The designer needs to ensure that everyone viewing the visualization is on common ground about what it is representing." And third, the visualization "is really a dynamic form off persuasion," Stikeleather writes. "The visualization needs to tell a story to the audience."

I'm the keynote speaker at Salt Lake City PRSA's conference on May 23.
I'm joining two outstanding healthcare marketers for a pre-conference workshop at the Healthcare Strategy Institute's meeting on May 5 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
On May 8, I'm presenting to IABC's Portland, Oregon chapter.
I head to Amsterdam in The Netherlands on May 15 to speak at Ragan's International Social Media and PR conference. Details are here.
I head to Wisconsin on May 21 to conduct a social media planning workshop for the World Council of Credit Unions.

Is your communications staff up to speed on social media?

I just signed the papers for a new consulting gig, developing and delivering social media training to the communications staff at the International Monetary Fund. Too many communications departments engage in social media by adding new channels to their portfolio, then throwing ideas against the wall to see what sticks. It's better to be trained. We can talk about the best approach to training your team, setting them up to deliver the best, most measurable results. Give me a call at +1.415.881.7435.

Since 1996, HC+T has helped organizations communicate effectively in the emerging online space using intranets to reach employees and various dimensions of the Internet to communicate with other stakeholder audiences.

HC+T provides a full range of services for large organizations, from speaking and training to communication audits and strategic plan development.

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