JUNE 9, 2009

When I worked on Capitol Hill many years ago, if you wanted to share your opinion with your member of Congress you needed to sit down and write them an old-fashioned letter or look up their office number in the phone book and call them.   Times have changed, as Roll Call magazine pointed out earlier this week - now, you can contact your Senator directly through Facebook.

Today, lobbying organizations are using Facebook to mobilize supporters, open up discussion about political topics, and facilitate communication directly to Congress.  What used to be a small opening in access to politicians is now a flooded gateway.

I can’t help but think, does this ability to generate mass form letters to Congress or the White House really make a difference?  Personally, I have often supported the ONE campaign by submitting automated emails that are forwarded to President Obama asking him to end world poverty.  I know it makes me feel good to take 30 seconds and weigh in on an issue of great importance, and I hope that I am making a difference.  But am I?  At what point does saturation negate the impact?

I do know that when the first congressional office I worked in was inundated with thousands of form letters about a satellite TV issue, we listened (and griped about having to open all of those envelopes).  Building a collective voice, and the ability to do so quickly and easily, is necessary in today’s swiftly moving news cycle.  As referenced in Roll Call, the Democracy in America Facebook campaign to garner support for Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court seems to be working based on numbers.  What are some of the possibilities and pitfalls in this approach, I wonder, especially as it relates to companies and how they use Facebook?

In searching the blogs for an answer, I was intrigued by this example of a successful charitable campaign by Target identified by Su Yuen on her Bitbot blog:

Target wanted to donate US$3 million to charity this year but didn’t want to do it in the traditional way where charities receive the money and a picture of them holding a gigantic mock cheque appears in the papers. They wanted something that would capture the attention of youths on Facebook as well, and hence created a Facebook application on their page. In the application, fans could vote for their favorite charities and at the end of the 2 week campaign, the US $3 million will be split amongst the 10 charities based on the percentage of votes they received. Almost immediately, this campaign has given the charities MORE than enough reason for them to lobby all their supporters to get onto the Target page and vote for them. The campaign is now over but according to Inside Facebook, the campaign garnered 75,000 fans after just 4 days. 

In her conclusion, Su Yuen states:

I know coming up with a good reason for getting people to lobby their friends and organization members for your initiative may be hard as you don’t want it to sound too gimmicky either (and potentially end up ruining your company’s reputation) but if you get it right, you should have a pretty good chance of generating a lot of buzz around your Facebook page.

I would state it even more strongly.  There are some constants in effective communication, no matter the method used, and they include sincerity and transparency.  No matter the volume, the heart of it has to ring true.

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MAY 29, 2009

This week’s 5 Forces Summary touches on topics ranging from one of the deadliest diseases in the world - diabetes, a new office for the White House, unemployment issues in Spain, a new study that links liver disease to pollution, and a new technology that improves electronic publishing by adding computer-readable labels to content.

Enjoy your weekends!

• Globalization
  Diabetes and Asia via FitSugar
  A study in the Journal of American Medicine Association highlights how in Asia the age range of people affected by diabetes is significantly younger than the West. In western countries the disease affects people between the ages of 60 to 79 years, but in Asia the age range is 20 to 59 years.
• Innovation
  White House Creates Office Of Innovation via NPR
  The Obama administration has created the new post of White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation.
• Im(migration)
  Immigration Policy a Casualty of Unemployment in Spain via World Politics Review
  The majority of those affected by layoffs in Spain are temporary and self-employed workers, 800,000 of whom lost their jobs in the first quarter of 2009. Many of these jobs losses involve immigrants and the construction sector. A contributing factor is Spain’s famously lenient immigration policy.
• Saturation
  Pollution may contribute to rise in liver disease via Reuters
  Pollutants may be contributing to a sharp increase in the number of cases of liver disease. As many as a third of U.S. adults showed signs of having liver disease not caused by normal triggers such as alcohol abuse and viral hepatitis.
• Personalization
  Semantic technology gains publishing foothold via CNET
  OpenCalais, a Thomson Reuters project to improve electronic publishing by adding computer-readable labels to content, has attracted the attention of several media publishing organizations, including CNET.

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MAY 15, 2009

Hope you enjoy this week’s edition of the 5 Forces Summary. Have a great weekend!

• Globalization
  Swine flu: the affected nations via The Guardian
  The Guardian maps the outbreak country by country
• Innovation
  Post Original Shredded Wheat Cereal Puts the ‘No’ in Innovation via Reuters
  In a time when many food products are being enhanced with “super ingredients” and altered to match the latest diet trends, one food brand is bucking marketing trends and embracing its “lack of innovation.”
• Im(migration)
  Hard times forcing many young adults back to the roost via Dallas News
  The recession has caused more children to “migrate” back home. According to 2008 census figures, 20 million people ages 18 to 34 live at home with their parents – 30 percent of that age group. Researchers for the Network on Transitions to Adulthood found that since the 1970s, the number of 20-somethings living with their parents has increased by 50 percent. Of those who moved out of the house by age 22, 16 percent returned home before they hit 35, the researchers found.
• Saturation
  Report: Electronic Gadgets Killing the Planet via Fox News
  Paris-based International Energy Agency estimates new electronic gadgets will triple their energy consumption by 2030 to 1,700 terawatt hours, the equivalent of today’s home electricity consumption of the United States and Japan combined.
• Personalization
  TV Revisited: Hulu Soars In Streams, YouTube Commands Marketplace via MediaPost
  Hulu has grown nearly 500% this April versus a year ago to some 373 million streams per month, according to Nielsen Online. Still, Hulu has a long way to go, only pulling in 4% share of the online video marketplace — a distant second place. The biggest site continues to be YouTube with 5.5 billion streams, owning 58.1% of the marketplace. YouTube itself continues to grow — up 36% versus a year ago.

  Posted by Kristen Variola on May 15, 2009 at 6:12 PM
  in 5 Forces Summary, Globalization, Im(migration), Innovation, Personalization, Saturation

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APRIL 27, 2009

It came as a surprise to me the other day when I was talking to my neighbor, a stay-at-home mom seeking to reenter the job market, to find out that some online resumes never make it through the first phase of review because of filtering.  With the advent of online job applications comes a new complexity to getting your resume noticed.  It used to be nice graphics or even pink paper (remember Elle Woods from Legally Blonde?), but now the secret is “keywords.” 

Large companies, in particular, now use filtering software to cull down the number of resumes they will review.   They may look for specific job titles (Editor, Human Resources Manager), technical jargon (web design, Java, Microsoft Word, Photoshop), or industry-specific skills (marketing, pharmaceutical sales, quality management).   This could prove difficult for career-switchers who may be counting on experience rather than a specific background to get them in the door. 

In addition to keywords, you have to consider formatting when you send your resume over the internet.  The fancy bolding, italics - even the type of font you use - can impact how your resume is screened by the employer’s computer.   Even bullets can be viewed incorrectly and make your document unreadable. 

Fortunately, there are free websites that can offer guidance on how to proceed in the online application world.  It may be more difficult and time-consuming to tailor your resume to individual job listings to help ensure it is reviewed, but in the saturated world we live in, it has become an absolute necessity. 

And it doesn’t stop there.  After mastering the online resume, it’s time to learn how to leverage social media in your job search.  Using Twitter and Facebook as a way to enhance your profile can give you an effective edge over others if managed properly.   Baby Boomers especially need to reflect their tech savviness in their applications to reassure employers that they are keeping up with the times. 

Getting noticed in the job market with scented pink paper may have worked for Elle, but a filter-proof resume and a Facebook link might work better for today’s job applicants.

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APRIL 22, 2009

I love a good bargain. There are few things in life that make me as happy as getting a great deal on something I know is worth more than I’m paying for it. Websites like Craigslist and eBay make this challenge a lot easier, and I try to find deals on everything I buy. If you told me I could get a better deal on anything, I’d investigate it.

One place I never considered looking for a deal: college. According to The New York Times, because of the crazy economy, the anxiety people have about paying for school is at an “unprecedented high.” Because of the worrying, more students are sending in applications to less-expensive public colleges instead of private colleges.  As a result, public schools are saturated with record numbers of applications. But Americans have always had financial troubles– what suddenly makes the situation so different that enrollment numbers are changing?

I think the real culprit is uncertainty. People worry about what they can’t control, and before, money was the only obstacle standing between them and an education from a private college. Now it’s not just money– it’s mass job loss and the continuous emphasis on basic needs and reduced spending from the media, family, and friends. Panic has set in and we are now thinking differently: why pay thousands of extra dollars when it may not make a difference in the long-run? People are scared to set themselves up for years of drowning in student loan debt after they wear their cap and gown.

Some may disagree with the idea of abandoning your dream school and settling for something that is less stressful on your bank account. Frankly, I think it makes complete sense. It’s better than postponing school or choosing not to go to school at all. I also think that people get too wrapped up the excitement of choosing the colleges that their friends are going to or getting into the top “party school” in their state. After all, college is about learning, and many public schools have programs that are as competitive — if not more so — than the private school a couple of hours away.

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APRIL 10, 2009

Hope everyone is having a great Friday! Here are some recent articles that represent the 5 Forces – Globalization, Innovation, Im(migration), Saturation, and Personalization. See you back at Undercurrents on Monday!

• Globalization

Obama glides into old Europe with new U.S. image from The Christian Science Monitor

Globalization is often described in amoral terms, as if an interconnected world of trade and media is value-neutral. But Obama has been seeking to give moral content to the idea of globalization, saying that what is good for people in one nation is good for everyone.

• Innovation

Skype iPhone App Downloaded One Million Times In First Two Days from Boston.com

Since March 31, the Skype iPhone application reached a record of one million downloads and counting! (That translates to approximately 6 downloads per second, in case you were wondering.) The software allows consumers to hook up to alternative phone services, bypassing their cell carriers.

• Im(migration)

Ineligible Bachelors: Indian Men Living in U.S. Strike Out from The Wall Street Journal

Indian parents used to think it a plus to marry off their daughters to Indian men living in wealthier countries, including the U.S. and Britain. But as India has grown more affluent in recent years, the demand for overseas Indian grooms has been fading. While India’s economy is also slowing down, it is still growing, and layoffs aren’t as widespread as in the West.

• Saturation

Are You a Twit if You Don’t Want to Twitter? from MSNBC

Sociability fatigue is not just being felt by older folks who have lived most of their lives without the Web. As social networking grows, from stream-of-consciousness Twitter to buttoned-up LinkedIn, even some of the younger generation who’ve helped drive the growth of these sites could use a break.

• Personalization

Boomers Make Social Networks a Place of Their Own from USA Today

Social networking is fast becoming a staple for a growing number of adults as Web use surges. One-third of adult internet users have a profile on a social networking site, up from 8% in 2005, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

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APRIL 9, 2009

I’m a big fan of plastic surgery television shows. If Dr. 90210 is on, you can be sure I’m watching it. I’m fascinated by the “before” and “after” shots; I watch Extreme Makeover just to see the transformations. I guess there’s just something about people opting for unnecessary surgery - willingly going “under the knife” - that interests me more than anything.  Why are so many people willing to take the risk of something going completely wrong?  Is the desire really just driven by mere vanity?  Is it a need to attain the perfect physical traits of  the air-brushed celebrities on the covers of Us Weekly?  Perhaps, but I came across a Reuters article released yesterday that suggested a different reasoning.

I don’t know if ”shocked” is the right word to describe my reaction; ”disturbed” is probably better.  Apparently, the reason why many these days are flocking to the Dr. Rey’s of the plastic surgery industry is to “stand out” in the job-search world.  No, I’m not kidding. According to the article, “surgeons and patients are now citing increased interest in surgery among people wanting to look younger and ‘fresher’ for the ever-competitive job market.” A St. Petersburg Times article covers the same topic and points out that seniors who planned on retiring but face dwindling retirement savings are looking for a way to stay competitive, and they’re turning to plastic surgery for help.

It’s not that think there’s anything wrong with people wanting to look their best - a little makeup, moisturizer, and hair spray never hurt anyone - but it’s unfortunate that there is increasing social pressure to look younger and be “perfect” no matter the cost. There just seems to be more and more emphasis on the outward appearance; our unenhanced selves no longer seem to be good enough.  Once upon a time, a person was revered for his or her age, or at least for the wisdom and confidence that (hopefully) accompanied it.  And it used to be that confidence, determination, and experience were the determining factors for getting ahead in the workplace - a ”fresh” face was not part of the equation.  

At TMG, we spend a lot of time researching how consumers spend their time and money - and on what - because we know that it says a whole lot about what they value.  While cosmetic surgery procedures as a whole decreased 9% to $11.8 billion in 2008,  it’s clear that vanity and superficiality remain at the top of the list of motivating factors  

Some might argue that the risks associated with altering one’s self to gain a competitive advantage in the workplace is just another example of  desperate times calling for desperate measures, but what do you think?  Understandable, or have we taken this plastic surgery thing too far?

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APRIL 2, 2009

Have you ever felt overexposed?  By that, I mean have you ever sensed you might have put yourself too much out there?  Tried too hard?  Reached your saturation point?

This comes to mind in part because I have seen so much of President Obama lately, and I have started to wonder, has he made himself too accessible?  Clearly, President Obama is a savvy communicator, and the fact that he is innovative in his outreach is to his credit.  Lately, however, it seems like he is everywhere, and I am curious to see what impact that might have on his popularity.

Recently, he held a traditional evening White House press conference, which evoked enough interest to generate prime time TV coverage.  He followed that up with a “web” town hall, taking questions directly from the American people.  Before that, he appeared on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, becoming the first sitting President ever to do so.  He has held White House announcement events about stem cell research, small business assistance, and further restructuring of the automotive industry.  Add to that the expected coverage he received yesterday around his visit to the Queen and today’s G-20 summit.

Is this too much of a good thing?  President Obama promised an accessible and transparent government, and he is working hard to fulfill that commitment.   But is it possible that so much accessibility reaches a saturation point, where we stop paying attention to the messenger and his messages?

Companies have to consider maintaining the same kind of balance.  When they are in crisis, it is important to use every avenue to address public concerns and provide reassurance that steps are being taken to correct the problem.  Personally, I think the financial industry clearly forgot this lesson.  When a firm’s reputation needs to be managed, finding a strategic balance between advertising, grassroots events, social media outreach, and media interviews can be difficult. While the temptation might be to flood the airwaves and internet and push out numerous grassroots events with messages, I’d suggest that the smarter approach is to consider the collective impact of each opportunity to determine if the cumulative effect is one of oversaturation rather than persuasion.

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MARCH 27, 2009

This installment of the 5 Forces Summary covers recent news from discussions on a new global reserve currency to a non-traditional way adoption seekers are finding potential birth moms. Let us know your thoughts on these articles in the comment section and as always check out past summaries here.

• Globalization
  UN Panel Welcomes Debate Over New Global Reserve Currency from The Wall Street Journal
  The head of a United Nations expert panel discussing solutions to the financial crisis on Thursday welcomed the debate over a new global reserve currency and said it would be best managed by a brand new institution.
• Innovation
  Adoption seekers using YouTube, Facebook to find birth moms from CNN
  In the past, adoption advertising, which is allowed in at least 34 states, traditionally relied on costly newspaper and radio advertising as well as brochures, fliers and business cards. In the digital era, these media no longer have the reach they once did.
• Im(migration)
  Hispanics one-fifth of K-12 students from USA Today
  States such as Arizona, California and Nevada are seeing an influx of Hispanics due to immigration and higher birth rates. In 2007, more than 40% of all students in K-12 were minorities — Hispanics, blacks, Asian-Americans and others. That’s double the percentage three decades ago.
• Saturation
  At SXSW, attendees confront Twitter saturation from CNET
  Many people experienced an over-saturation of tweets during South by Southwest, a conference and festival event for entertainment and media industry professionals. The massive number of tweets tagged #sxsw eroded the value that Twitter offered at SXSW 2007 and SXSW 2008 for finding friends and great parties.
• Personalization
  The Daily Me from The New York Times
  Trends show newspapers folding and people getting their news online. Nicholas D. Kristof worries that people are only getting the news they want, not the news they need. He hypothesises that we don’t truly want good information — but rather information that confirms our prejudices.

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MARCH 13, 2009

Read on for your bi-weekly dose of New Persuasion. Lots of interesting news this month, from new technology for targeted cable commercials to the announcement of Supermercado de Walmarts coming this summer.  Have a great weekend!

• Globalization
  Wal-Mart looks to Hispanic market  from The Financial Times
  The largest US retailer, Wal-Mart plans to open its first Hispanic-focused supermarkets this summer in Arizona and Texas. The pilot stores will be named Supermercado de Walmart. The retailer said that the stores were in “strongly Hispanic neighborhoods” and would feature a “new lay-out, signing and product assortment designed to make them even more relevant to local Hispanic customers”. The staff will also be bilingual.
• Innovation 
  What Made the Cellphone Revolution Possible from The Christian Science Monitor
  According to the GSM Association, the world now has 4 billion mobile phone connections. That number is up from just 100 million a decade ago, and most of that growth is in developing countries. The 4 billion number was reached with the help of governments opening up their markets to innovation and competition.
• Immigration
  Why Skilled Immigrants Are Leaving the U.S. from Businessweek.
  The United States is losing some of its most valuable workers in greater numbers due to “immigration limbo.”  Immigrants make up only 12% of the U.S. population, but have started 52% of Silicon Valley’s technology companies and contributed to more than 25% of our global patents. They make up 24% of the U.S. science and engineering workforce holding bachelor’s degrees and 47% of science and engineering workers who have PhDs.
• Saturation 
  Where the Neon Lights Are Bright—And Drivers Are No Longer Welcome from Newsweek
  Traffic is a constant problem in Manhattan. Mayor Bloomberg recently addressed the issue, saying,”The midtown traffic mess is one of those problems everyone always talks about. Well, we’re not just going to sit back—we’re going to try to do something about it.” His plan is to permanently bar traffic from large sections of Broadway. 
• Personalization
  Cable Companies Target Commercials to Audience from The New York Times
  Beginning with 500,000 homes in Brooklyn, the Bronx and some New Jersey areas, Cablevision will use its targeting technology to route ads to specific households based on data about income, ethnicity, gender and whether the homeowner has children or pets.

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