MAY 28, 2010

Dan was a guest speaker on CNBC’s Street Signs discussing the oil spill’s impact on BP’s reputation. Click here to view segment.

Airtime: Thurs. May 27 2010 | 2:14 PM EST

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MAY 27, 2009

Today, our VP Gayle Weiswasser spoke on a panel at the Washington Women in PR lunch with Dallas Lawrence of Levick Strategic Communications about social media and crisis communications. Gayle and Dallas agree that integrating online and offline strategies for coordinated messaging and crisis response is vital. They gave tips for best practices for working with clients to develop crisis plans before a crisis hits and how to effectively advise reluctant or skeptical clients on the importance of wading into the social media space in times of crisis. They also discussed the do’s and don’ts for blogger engagement citing these case studies as examples:

United Airlines Shares Slammed by False Bankruptcy Report

Domino’s Crisis is a Warning for Food Industry 2.0

Motrin Moms: Social Media Fail Whale

KFC Coupon Customers Ask: Where’s the Chicken?

CDC: Social Media Tools for Consumers and Partners

Thanks to Washington Women in Public Relations for having us and Venable LLP for hosting the event!

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FEBRUARY 24, 2009

Most companies think they know what they are doing when they have to deal with a crisis. But if they step back and take the outsider’s perspective, they might see blind spots that may be preventing them from communicating as effectively as they could.

As an example, companies trying to get a message out should consider taking a page from the White House playbook.  President Obama’s challenge after his election was in meeting his promise of transparency (I loved Corey’s recent post on this topic, by the way) and accessibility, while at the same time trying to “manage” the message.    What the Obama team has done right is to consider thoroughly the various tools at their disposal to strike the right balance.

One is LOCATION.  Obama went outside of Washington to talk about the stimulus package and his housing rescue plan.  Changing locations is a great way to innovate when it comes to your strategic communications plan.  In fact, the news outlets themselves are pushing the envelope to demonstrate that broadcasting has no boundaries.  For instance, next month an entire segment of the CBS Early Show will be transmitted from an airplane 33,000 feet in the air.  Essentially, the sky’s the limit.

The other is FORMAT.  Rahm Emanuel, the President’s Chief of Staff, hosted reporters in his office one recent Thursday evening for about 45 minutes, and this casual avenue of exchange may continue in the future.  This reminds me of another example - the recent debacle over the clogged “Purple Tunnel of Doom” during the Inauguration that caused ticket holders to miss the event, and the positive way those responsible interacted with the spontaneous website of disgruntled visitors that developed as a result.   (See Patrick’s blog post on this from earlier this month).   Inauguration officials made sure that they did not overlook this understandable outlet for outrage, and used that platform as a way to respond and make amends.

Lastly, the White House considers its MEDIA AUDIENCE.  As political operatives know, print and the Washington media count more when you are trying to build support for your Presidential policies.  But when the stimulus package was signed and Obama needed to reach the American public, he took to the road for a better backdrop and went national with his message on TV.

This is not to say that the Obama Administration didn’t have its stumbles coming out of the gate.  The President’s mixed messaging towards the Republicans he was trying to court during the stimulus debate vacillated between seduction and rejection (perhaps on purpose or simply due to frustration), and his media accessibility was vastly limited in his first two weeks in office.  Timing worked against him, as well: the day President Obama was due to be interviewed by 5 major networks was when Senator Daschle announced he was withdrawing his nomination to be HHS Secretary.

The success of Obama’s messaging campaign suggests that businesses with innovative communication plans in terms of location, format, and audience will fare better. Do you know of a company that is particularly good at this already? 

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FEBRUARY 11, 2009

After writing a lot about the Inauguration over the past few months I’d be happy to move on, some unhappy ticket holders for this historic event are not quite ready…

While my adventure to the Inauguration  went off without a hitch, the thousands of others with the purple tickets weren’t so lucky. After the delay at a purple section gate led to a mysterious closure, this particular group of people was forced to wait in line in the closed-off, 3rd street tunnel that leads to the U.S. Capitol, and, unfortunately, were not allowed to attend the ceremony. 

In the not so distant past, these thousands of ticketholders would have had nowhere to vent their frustrations apart from friends and families, their congressperson, a letter to the editor in their local paper, or local radio host. However, all that has changed – these victims of the “Purple Tunnel of Doom” took their frustrations to the Internet.

A Facebook group called “Survivors of the Purple Tunnel of Doom“ was created to allow members to share their Inauguration horror stories, organize protests, and demand apologies.  This is yet another clear example of the consumerism movement that we at TMG find so fascinating.  

What’s also striking about this story is the way in which the government chose to handle it. Senator Dianne Feinstein has issued an apology and promises an investigation, while Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Terry Gainer has reached out to the Facebook group by creating his own account for the sole purpose of addressing individual concerns. Gainer has also agreed to meet with Marisa McNee and David Meyer, two of the three creators of the group.

I, for one, am very impressed by Gainer’s initiative to reach out to those victims of the debacle and practice his Deep Listening skills and validate their concerns. Whether Gainer truly cares about the group or is just being a good politician, one thing is for sure: he gets it.  Clearly, he realizes that there has been a tremendous power shift; that consumers are more in control than they have ever been before, and that social media has changed the game and forced leaders to pay more attention. 

We think companies can learn a lesson from Sergeant-at-Arms Gainer: listen to your consumers, validate their suggestions, and communicate with them as often as possible.  If you do, you’ll be well on your way to gaining their loyalty and stepping into the role of leadership.  

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DECEMBER 12, 2008

I think it’s safe to say that innovation doesn’t come from doing more of the same. Google and Procter & Gamble must have had a similar thought in mind this past year as the two companies paired up to exchange employees. For weeks at a time, employees from each company had the chance to get an insider’s view of how the other operates. The purpose of the swap: to learn more about each other and about targeting consumers.

Since the story surfaced last month, I’ve been thinking about this question: If I could spend a few weeks inside any company, which company would I choose? Tough decision - there are lots of great ones out there. And, while Trader Joe’s, JetBlue, Patagonia, and Threadless all made my honorable mention list, my top pick would be Toms Shoes.

• I’m fascinated by Toms Shoes because the company is centered around a simple product — and a much bigger purpose. Founder Blake Mycoskie’s one-for-one business model is very different than any approach I’ve ever seen - he built a business by selling shoes and, at the same time, giving them away. The company seeks to fulfill its philanthropic mission, while at the same time improving its products, mobilizing supporters, and building its brand into a cultural phenomenon. Oh, and did I mention it has all happened in a matter of two years? Impressive from a business and communications standpoint - but also inspiring to employees and customers alike. I think it would be amazing to stand square in the middle of what is, as Ben Mcconnell points out, a case study in consumer evangelism.

I asked a few of my colleagues for their thoughts as well - as you’ll see below, we all approached the opportunity from different angles.

• Corey: I’d pick government consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. Here at TMG Strategies we know that communications challenges are also substantive challenges – that it’s hard to execute successful public relations strategies without fundamentally altering the way that organizations operate. No amount of eloquent language or slick marketing tricks will get people to buy products or services that they do not fundamentally agree with.  As PR folks like us take increasingly-large roles in management, the kind of empirical, statistics-driven analysis done at firms like Booz Allen could teach us a lot about communications versus reality and how to marry the two. Plus, its Arlington office is less than 5 minutes from my house.

• Kristen: I’d like to swap with San Francisco based Sugar Inc. The Sugar Network is comprised of 16 distinct lifestyle and entertainment sites covering topics that include celebrity, fashion, food, politics and health (my favorite: Yum Sugar). I keep coming back to these blogs for the diverse content, conversational editorial style, and user-friendly design. Others must agree because the network gets over 8 million unique visitors a month. My current work involves looking at the changes going on all around us and determining how they might affect all aspects of communications, business strategy, and innovation. The editors at Sugar also have their fingers on the pulse of emerging trends and they serve up fresh content the way their readers like to get it. It would be a great swap because it is apparent that both of our companies have a healthy obsession with culture!

Every experience would, no doubt, be full of unique takeaways. What company would be at the top of your swap list? I encourage you to add your choice and continue our list via the comment field.

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JULY 22, 2008

Nike’s Just Do It turns 20 this month. 

And I bought Nikes before they had the slogan? What was I thinking? Now the slogan has become part of everyday parlance. Why does that matter?

Nike practiced something many companies forget: message simplicity and message consistency.

For twenty years, we’ve heard mostly one thing from Nike: Just Do It. You may love it or you may hate it. Like vanilla or chocolate… everyone has an opinion, but at least they have one. In the case of Nike, it’s mostly favorable.

To me, the phrase embodies a can-do attitude. It is about the art of the possible. It is about making things happen, rather than waiting for life to happen to you. I want to believe in a product, a company, that espouses those values.  And it is, in part, because of Nike’s investment in this brand image that the negative issues the company encountered along the way could be addressed – the Nike way.

An example of Just Do It’s opposite, or “message complexity,” was Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention four years before he ran for President. In reflection he said, “It wasn’t my finest hour. It wasn’t even my finest hour and a half.” His was the classic case of an intelligent person who didn’t want to say the same thing in the same way twice, much less in a succinct way. It was supposed to be Clinton’s national coming out, but the only thing people remembered was that he spoke too long. There was no message, no story.  He learned this lesson before starting his campaign for the Presidency.  During his Presidency, proof of his message consistency could be heard when the traveling press corps would groan and even recite some of his repeated stump speech lines. For Clinton, who was seeking to persuade new audiences, message consistency and simplicity was the goal. Repetition of simple messages gave Clinton a chance to have his message, his story, heard. 

Paul Begala, in making the point for message simplicity, asked Clinton “Do you know what John 3:16 says?” Begala’s logic is if the Bible can explain the reason to believe in God in less than 30 words, then their White House team should be able to explain to the American public why its economic plan made sense without giving long speeches or showing mind numbing charts. It’s hard to argue against.

Whether it’s political campaigns or athletic apparel, the landscape is always changing and the competition always trying to win - a marketplace, a consumer or a vote.  Today, Under Armour is the Chihuahua (or maybe it’s a Terrapin) sneaking into Kruger Reserve and eating next to the lions, Adidas and Nike. The latter both know they must continue to fulfill and enhance their brand images. Nike is launching a new campaign called Courage. Smartly, consumers are asked to engage. Nike understand that a conversation can enhance its brand. Adidas is investing millions in global advertising that is meant to sweep the Beijing Olympics. And the Chihuahua, Under Armour, is plotting its next moves. It’s even hired a new CEO who is familiar with the lions.

As we talk about at TMG, the message is part of the mix, but innovation and leadership are also essential. Under Armour has had a surprisingly strong start. But can it keep it up and build a global brand? Can it harness the power of message simplicity and message consistency? This Chihuahua (Terrapin) fan hopes so.

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NOVEMBER 8, 2007

If communicators want to learn some lessons on reaching new audiences, they could study what modern day missionaries are up to.  Not to say I completely agree with their mission - to me, it seems disrespectful of local religions to come in and say that you’ve got the best one yet.  But I do admire their persistence and their wide use of communication tools, both old and new.

From the Washington Post article:

Using technological devices ranging from simple cassette tapes to solar-powered audio players and an iPod-like gadget called the Bible Stick, Christian groups are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year to make one of the world’s oldest books accessible in remote corners of the planet…Complete versions of the Bible can now be downloaded onto cellphones in parts of Africa. To reach those who can’t read — nearly one-fifth of the world’s population, according to the United Nations — Christian groups are rapidly increasing production of audio and video versions.

Jill Fallon, over at Business of Life, writes about the movie that’s been seen by 5 billion people.  Star Wars?  E.T.?  Titanic?  Nope.  The Jesus Film - no, it’s not Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ - it’s the 1979 version, filmed on location in the Holy Land, starring a no-name cast.  It’s also, according to The Washington Post, been translated into more than 1,000 languages.  Where did this movie come from?  The BBC says:

"[It’s] the work of an American evangelical organisation, Campus Crusade. Funded by its supporters and well-wishers, it sends teams around the world, even where they are not particularly welcome. There they record new translations of the film, organise screenings to inquisitive crowds in improvised cinemas, and distribute copies to whoever they can."

Because of their zeal, missionaries leave no stone unturned in their effort to bring their message to everyone in the world - communicators should pay attention.

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AUGUST 21, 2007

It is very rare that a company encourages a customer to support a competitor.  However, upon reading this recent email in my inbox, I found Yahoo Photos to be doing just that.

"Dear Yahoo! Photos user,

I am a Snapfish user and had actually forgotten I had old photos in my Yahoo Photos account.   My first reaction was dread.  I assumed Yahoo would make transferring to Flickr easier since they also own them but transferring anywhere else would be a hassle, time-consuming and difficult.  I put the transfer off for a few days and then transferred them to Snapfish.  And, guess what? It was easy and really did only take a few clicks of the mouse to transfer everything.  What a novel idea- a company putting a consumer’s time and interests above their own product and bottom line.

Yahoo got it.  When they decided to shut down their Photos section, they probably knew they would lose customers but to them it was better to concentrate on one product (Flickr) and do it right, rather than be spread too thin and lessen the quality of the products.  So even though I don’t use Flickr, I still support Yahoo and their efforts.  And who knows, I may even give Flickr a try sometime.

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JUNE 29, 2007

Everyone knows that kids are easily persuaded.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out, and people that may or may not be parents already know this.  It seems like the last people to realize this are companies which market to kids.  Actually, it makes more sense to say that companies know everything there is to know about the young consumer market.  They just use what they know in a different way than many nutritionists and parents would probably agree with. 

I think that in America we are always skeptical.  We always think that there is a catch and that we are going to be taken advantage of.  We question what we read and what we hear and what we see.  We are always wanting to do our own research and ask people we know for advice instead of trusting a salesperson with their own agenda.  Basically, we have huge trust issues.  I think this is semi-depressing– but in the end, I’m okay with this because the only person that will always be around to look out for me is…me. 

The New York Times did a great piece on companies marketing food ads to children.  The article focuses specifically on Kellogg’s because of the organization’s announcement that "it would phase out advertising to children under age 12 unless the foods meet specific nutrition guidelines for calories, sugar, fat and sodium."  Apparently, "Kellogg also announced that it would stop using licensed characters or branded toys to promote foods unless the products meet the nutrition guidelines."  These changes are going to take place over the next year and a half and will apply to approximately half of the products Kellogg markets to kids around the globe (this includes some of my personal favorites: Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, and the ever-tasty Pop-Tarts).

What are these standards? 

Well, for Kellogg’s they are food products with:

• No more than 200 calories
• No trans fat
• No more than 2 grams of saturated fat
• No more than 230 milligrams of sodium
• No more than 12 grams of sugar

This is a great thing, but lets keep in mind this was all decided AFTER "threats of a lawsuit by two advocacy groups for children."  Funny how suddenly everyone scrambles to do the right thing when the bottom line is put in jeopardy. 

One thing I’m glad to hear about is that Kellogg isn’t the only food company trying to changes its ways.  The New York Times article makes mention of Disney only allowing its characters to be used in food advertising if the products "complied with nutritional standards," as well as Kraft Foods halting advertising to products "to children under 12 that don’t meet nutrition guidelines." 

I think that this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the future of food advertising to children.  I feel that America as a nation is starting to understand the reasons behind our unhealthiness and we are beginning to realize the steps we need to take to start healthier habits.  One thing that we are really finding out is that good habits are established early– and we need to teach our children about the proper ways to take care of themselves while they are very young.  This move by food companies shows that our expectations are changing.  We want the products we buy to work with us– not against us. 

The typical consumer-company relationship that once existed is now morphing into something that many of us are more comfortable with.  I can’t wait to see what is defined as "healthy" 20 years from now, and I feel that we will look back on these small decisions and see them as big turning points for the consumer.

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MARCH 27, 2007

Note:  This column by Dan McGinn first appeared in the March 2007 issue of the DC Communicator:

American Idol is an entertainment juggernaut. In the first season the Fox show had a weekly audience of 12.7 million and a total of 111 million votes were cast.  By season five, the audience had grown to 30.6 million a week and 578 million total votes.  Taylor Hicks, last season’s winner, got more votes (63.4 million) than George Bush did in the 2004 presidential election (just over 62 million).  American Idol has generated more than six million radio plays in the U.S. and Canada.  And last week, 12 former American Idol contestants are on the charts or close to making it on.  So why should we, as communicators, care?  Because the phenomenal success of this show can teach us important lessons of effective communication:

1.  Inclusion
On American Idol, inclusion is the heart of the show.  Anyone can audition and possibly become the new idol. Once contestants are selected, anyone with a phone can vote and play a part in determining the outcome.   From start to finish, the audience is included and needed.  I am an essential ingredient in the success of this show. 

For communicators and their clients, it is important to think of their audience, their target market, their consumers – not as a separate entity, but as part of the team.  What can you do to make them feel more included in your efforts?  You can always start by asking them just that.  But often, that’s where our efforts end.  We get feedback, ponder it, and carry on as before.  What American Idol does is let its audience know your feedback is what determines what this show becomes. 

2.  Personal Stories
American Idol is only partially about talent.  It’s also about the personal stories of the contestants.  Each singer’s individual story gives me something to think about and possibly identify with.  These contestants are on a tough journey, with tough judges, and I can relate to the ups and downs they are going through.  The personal connections I make as I watch the show also lead me to follow my favorites even after they’ve been cut.  Viewed this way, it’s easy to see why so many were thrilled when American Idol loser Jennifer Hudson became an Oscar winner this year.  American Idol is really about the heartbreaks of those cut along the way. 

As much as possible, communicators need to tell the personal stories of their clients or even their customers.  It’s not about ‘messaging’ – it’s about storytelling.  We need to make personal, emotional connections with people if we’re to succeed in communicating effectively.

3.  That’s Entertainment:  Let’s be honest - it’s fun to watch.  It’s fun to love or hate the contestants and the judges.  It’s fun to fight with your friends and family members over your favorites.  It’s never boring. 

We communicators have to remember to eliminate the boring and remember the fun.  And if we can’t do fun, maybe we should at least try for interesting.

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