PRSA Counselors Academy: Robert French, Josh Hallett, Giovanni Rodriguez

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Counselors Academy topped off the first day with top level panel discussion of the future of newspapers and the implications for PR. Robert French and Giovanni Rodriguez originally were to be joined by Tom Foremski. However, Foremski came down with a “bad knee”. So, Josh Hallett was recruited to pinch hit fresh off his all star turn in the Bloggety, Blog Blog session immediately prior to this panel. (After almost three hours on stage in two successive sessions, Josh gets the Energizer Bunny award from Counsellors Academy.)

Giovanni RodriguezGiovanni Rodriguez

Rodriguez asked the audience to think of Blogs as Do It Yourself (DIY) publishing; Podcasts as DIY broadcasting; and Wikis as DIY communities, markets and social movements.

These three developments, with their consumer generated character constitute challenges for both journalism and PR.

Giovanni indicated that he is involved in a work thatthe Society for New Communications Research has initiated to understand these challenges and to become an information resource regarding them. Rodriguez laid out a list of 10 things to watch:

10 Historic decline: “We can’t kid ourselves, newspapers have been in decline for a long time.”

9 Consolidation: “There are now three major newspaper chains in the U.S.A. … There are fewer stories being told. There is a troubling uniformity in reporting.”

8. Metros in trouble: “Some major city newspapers are in trouble. … They are in highly populated centres, but they are not getting the circulation and advertising necessary to support them.”

7. Stocks: “Family controlled papers are disappearing. Publicly held companies will tend toward a similarity of voice” as they seek to maximize returns.

6. The Internet – Advertising: Google’s advertising growth is being drawn from media like newspapers and magazines.

5. The Internet – Debundling content: Craigslist and Yahoo Finance are focused content internet channels that break down the newspapers’ model of bundling content.

4. The Internet – DIY Content: podcasts; wikis; blogs

3. Content across platforms: “The future may be about focusing on the content distributed across all channels. Telling a good story is still the core of journalism. Now, the channels are broader.”

2. Talking about “my” generation: myspace.com; Ohmynews; backfence; Greensboro101.

1. Investing in “my” generation: “Rupert Murdoch has not done anything with myspace.com – yet. However, there is no doubt that he and other large organizations are studying social media closely.”

Rodriguez concluded with the observation that, “There are always opportunities for innovation at times of change. … The future of journalism is innovation. Look for the new leaders who understand these ten rules and others.”

Josh HallettJosh Hallett

Josh Hallett’s consulting to both public relations agencies and newspapers gives him a unique perspective on the impact of social media.

Most notably, he is working with the Orlando Sentinel on new media channels. The Sentinel is transferring their columnists and B reporters over to the web.

Looking at the early results, he noted that blogging is having an impact on news gathering and writing. A couple of the Sentinel’s columnists use blogs as opportunities for citizen input on developing stories. Lawyers, interested parties and others comment on their blogs regarding stories. And the coverage can evolve as a result of this input.

In response to a question, Josh added that “In only two cases in the past year have stories been held for the print edition. They post on the blogs that they are working on stories and start to see tips start to come in.”

Josh noted that this development has implications for PR pros as well. As we see the stories develop this way during the day, we may be able to participate in the process of shaping them.

One potential negative impact on the public: “We are getting more and more into the daily need. We can construct our news feeds as content silos in which we do not encounter any news that disturbs you.”

Robert French

The driving force behind Auburn University’s progressive approach to blogging and journalism, Robert French is also a practicing PR pro and a “reformed journalist.”

Auburn is using social media in its classes. And French indicated that this is having a positive impact on the career prospects of his students. In fact, he reported, one student has just been recruited by Edelman in New York to work on the Wal-Mart national campaign. Edelman in New York. A dream job for a new graduate.

So, how are social media integrated into the student’s curriculum?

“All of my students are required to blog,” said French. “They must interact with other PR bloggers. … They must write in their blogs two times a week and they must comment in their blogs two times a week.

“We teach our students to write the new kinds of press releases using wikis,” he added. “Our students have taken to livejournal and myspace.com. They have incorporated SMS into campaigns.

“We practise Experiential learning. We run campaigns for clients in our classes. You cannot graduate unless you have run one of these campaigns.”

French believes that, “More of these programs will pop up in universities and colleges around the world” And he counsels PR executives to look for students who have this kind of interaction.

Robert also reported some recent research findings by both New York University and Auburn on the use of blogs by newspapers:

  • New York University has looked at the major market websites for the top 100 newspapers; 84 were incorporating blogs; some were incorporating podcasts and video.
  • 83% of the newspapers surveyed by Auburn are being updated as events happen on a 24/7 basis.
  • 60% never place anything behind a paywall.
  • 68% do not provide extra services to print subscribers in their online offerings.
  • 35% of their online efforts account for less than 15% of the newspaper’s overall budget — it’s inexpensive to do and many are still wary
  • 69% indicated that their online effort generates less than 15% of revenue — they can’t figure out a way to make money from it

Finally, he observed that the content in print newspapers is beginning to suffer because investigative journalism is being cut and younger, less experienced people are being used as reporters.

PRSA Counselors Academy: Josh Hallett

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Josh HallettJosh Hallett‘s session, titled Bloggety, Blog, Blog, provided his audience with an overview of the social media and the tools used to create, view and search content.

Josh began by defining social media as “everything that is said, spoken, written photographed about your organization that is on the internet and that you have no control over.”

He pointed out that the February 2006 Forrester Big Idea report on Social Computing indicated that we have entered an era in which “individuals increasingly take cues from brand loyalists.”

From this, says Hallett, we should understand that, “It doesn’t matter how much advertising I’ve seen. If I hear something from somebody I trust, that’s what I’ll listen to.”

Hallett then provide an outstanding primer on blogs for the audience. His one digression from the orthodox was on the issue of transparency. He objects to the notion of transparency in blogs, suggesting that we can’t have true transparency until you have the ability to search completely into the files, correspondence and circumstances of the blogger – an opportunity we are not about to have.

(On this issue, I can’t agree with Josh. I think that there are enough people out there who know each of us to ensure that any misinformation or omissions would be found out. But, hey, time and experience will prove which view is correct!)

He followed the discussion of blogs with a review of bog search sites (Technorati,etc.) and other social media, including photo and video sharing sites like flickr and youtube.

He challenged the audience to consider why they should care about the people using these services. “Who are these people? And why should I care? Your mother, your sister, your son. More and more somebody you know knows somebody who is blogging.”

Josh went on to demonstrate the relevance to PR of social media by discussing the Sony RootKit debacle and Mark Cuban’s posting of interviews with reporters in order to wrest back control of his statements from the Fourth Estate.

He covered Creative Commons licensing, noting that many bloggers are motivated to share information, not by profit.

Again, addressing the concerns of his PR practitioner audience, Josh indicated that, “Blogs should never be written by the PR department. They should be written by the people who are doing the work.” He offered several examples to illustrate the difference between blogs written with an eye to corporate speak and those written with a genuineness of voice.

He stressed that bloggers can be honest and blunt in their assessments; so be ready for a candid conversation. You must be prepared to take the good and the bad.

In the remaining time, he covered RSS syndication technology (“more and more traditional media are providig RSS feeds”), podcasts, Wikis and Vlogging.

He suggested that, with all of these social media channels and the power of the search engines, paid media monitoring services are becoming redundant. Junior staff can be charged with monitoring the information flows without need of premium services. And the role of the practitioner becomes one of knowing what to do with the information and the social media

He also addressed blogger relations. He advised the audience to be careful to only “send something of interest to somebody you know.” He noted that he uses IM to send information to bloggers. This satisfies their appetite for timely information relevant to their interests. But to use this effectively, you must get to know the blogger you are dealing with.

He suggested that effective use of blogging requires PR practitioners to step outside of their traditional mass audience focus. “Do not think of blogs as a vehicle to get to 5,000 to 10,000 people. Think of blogs as a way to get to 100 to 150 very interested people.”

He also provided some examples of Media bypass – product launches directly to bloggers rather than through mainstream media.

As he wrapped up, Josh suggested that the audience should look at social media not as a technology tool, but as “a communications and search tool — it gives me the ability to find the 10 people in the world who share my passions.”

Finally, he suggested that people should look at Richard Edelman’s remarks about the press release at the Syndicate Conference as a preview of where PR may be going next in its use of new media.

Josh Hallett pitched his session at the perfect level for an audience that included less than five bloggers. About half the approximately 50 people in the room indicated that they use a feedreader. This level of use by senior practitioners suggests that blogging has a distance to travel before it will have penetrated into the mainstream of the public relations industry.

All in all, Josh’s presentation was a tour de force. In 75 minutes, he provided the complete introduction to social media. And even though the presentation ran overtime, no one left the room early. And people kept asking questions. The sign of a great presentation.

Blogging shines light on PR

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Zoey's got her eye on youFree-lance writer Zoey Castelino has been following my blog and those of David Jones and Chris Clarke and she offers some observations on the growing number of PR blogs:

I think this idea of public relations practitioners blogging is a great idea and a smart step in the direction of new and social media. It not only gives their clients a fresh outlook and an idea of what they can do, but also it gives anyone not familiar with the industry a better insight into what goes on behind closed doors.

From my experience, Zoe is absolutely dead-on in her assessment.

Since I started blogging, I have been delighted by the range of people commenting on my blog – not only other pr practitioners, but journalists, clients of our firm and students and teachers of public relations. I have learned a great deal from this conversation and sharpened my own thinking on several issues.

And while there is a certain feeling of vulnerability associated with posting my views on my blog (i.e. Do I reveal my naivete? Are my views unsophisticated or uninformed?), there is real satisfaction in having others respond sincerely and seriously to a post and to realize that I have indeed benefitted from the thinking and experience of people whom I might never have known otherwise .

I can only hope that my blog postings continue to throw light on the business of PR, best practices and life in a consulting firm.

Counselors Academy: Monday afternoon sessions I'm hoping to cover

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The afternoon sessions promise a good look at the present and near future:

Julia Hood: Town Hall luncheon interactive conversation with the editor-in-chief of PR Week

Not sure what to expect of this session.

Josh Hallett: Bloggety, Blog, Blog

The conference program says: “From Newsweek’s cover to CNN broadcasts, blogs are the most hyped tool for today’s communicatiors. Find out if the hype’s justified. And discover how our new communications world can evolve into a practitioner’s dream – or nightmare.”

I’m looking forward to this session. Given the profile of its membership, Counselors Academy is a good indicator of the extent to which social media tools have been adopted by small and mid-size firms across North America. At last year’s session in Phoenix, the people who attended Giovanni Rodriguez’s blogging workshop showed only very early awareness of RSS feeds and newsreaders. It will be interesting to see how much farther these media have proliferated in the past yer.

Tom Foremski and Robert French, moderated by Giovanni Rodriguez: The Future of Newspapers/The Future of PR

Another forward looking session. It’s advance billing: “This panel … will look at the financial stress that many newspapers are under and examine a number of possible causes. What does this mean for the future of newspapers? What does this mean for the future of public relations? The panel will debate and discuss a number of recent trends including the impact of Craigslist; competing sources for news; citizen journalism; and new media (blogs, wikis, RSS, podcasts, etc.)” Hmmm. Wonder what the “etc.” could be…

Counselors Academy: Monday morning sessions I'm hoping to cover

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So many great sessions at Counselors Academy. I’m forced to make decisions. Here are the sessions I’m hoping to cover on Monday

Tom Hoog: The Key Drivers of Reputation: Management for Agency Executives

The former President and CEO of Hill and Knowlton USA leads a breakout session described as “Agency growth is closely connected to the reputation of your leaders. One of the profession’s most accomplished executives will discuss authentic ways for managing reputation and brand persona for you and your firm.”

Steve Cody: A Future-Driven Vision

The Managing Partner of Peppercom asks the question: “What is your firm doing to develop a shared vision and commitment to the future? [Steve] will discuss the vital role that visioning played in the success of his firm.”

Dick Martin: Keynote presentation

The former Executive Vice-President of Public Relations for AT&T (1997-2003) “will mine his experience for lessons on how organizations should navigate their way through crisis and change.”

Bob Reed: From Mother to Mentor: Professional Development and Training for Today’s Workforce

Oh yeah. I’m up for this one. “Managing and training younger employees can be a challenge. They have perceptions, expectations and habits that can negatively impact how they act and perform on the job. So how do agencies manage younger associates to instill professionalism? And how must agency execs adapt to the needs of today’s workforce? [Bob Reed] will explore the issues and provide answers and information … to help upper management mold less-seasoned employees into productive professionals.”

I’m not sure about the molding. But I sure am keen to help young people succeed.

Mesh Day One: Can Blogs Influence Politics?

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This session featured a panel of well-known Canadian political columnists Paul Wells and Andrew Coyne along with Brad Davis, the Director of Internet Communications for the Michael Ignatieff Liberal leadership campaign. Warren Kinsella moderated the discussion.

Paul Wells got off a couple of great zingers (doesn’t he always?)

  • “We are being flooded by commentary by people who “don’ know jack, can’t write the english language and give it away for free.”
  • “99.9% of Sun columnists don’t add anything to anyone’s day.” (You have to be Canadian to understand this reference. The Sun Newspaper chain fashioned itself after British tabloids in order to build an audience. They now are having the greatest problems adjusting to sweeping changes in the media market.)

Mesh Day Two: How to Engage the Blogosphere

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Michael O’Connor Clarke moderated this panel of Nathan Rudyk, Sarah Spence and David Carter.

Highlights:

Nathan Rudyk

  • “For a small business, you can blog and blog effectively. Use targeted keywords.”

Sarah Spence

  • “First, you need to know what’s happening in your space. Who’s in your space? Who are your competitors? Who’s offering similar services? … Talk not just about you. Talk about your industry. Get engaged in the conversation that’s already going on. Then, develop your own voice.”
    David Carter
  • “The power of blogs is that a blog equals a person.” Have multiple blogs for multiple groups of employees and multiple interests.

Nathan Rudyk

  • “Small to mid-size company: Who’s going to blog? … In a small company, it’s hard to convince senior executives to blog. … In one company, we identified ten people with customer contact. … You can harness those people. … Team blogs. It’s absolutely a way to go. Harness people with passion and put them in a team context.”

Sarah Spence

  • “We’re still figuring out how to enage bloggers. … When I was at Orange, we launched a Microsoft SmartPhone. When we launched what we found were that there were a lot of people out there who were writing about the phone. … One of the PR people realized that there were all kinds of people writing about the phone. … We just started to talk to people. We were transparent about it. … We brought them into our product launches. We gave them products ahead of time so that they could review them.”

David Carter

  • “The conversation is going on without you. And if you don’t get into the conversation, people will talk about you and you won’t have a voice. … To engage these people, first of all you acknowledge them. Thank them and respond to their comments.”

Nathan Rudyk

  • “Om Malik talked about the death of trade press to blogging. … For our clients, we are engaging the bloggers who are becoming, in fact, the new trade press.”

David Carter

  • “To make the case for blogging, I ask clients how much time they spend on emails. And I suggest that they put in an equal amount of time on engaging bloggers.”

Sarah Spence

  • “You can measure conversations, hit rates and comment trackbacks. … A lot of it is about moving organizations to appreciate the accessibility of blogs.”

David Carter

  • The one thing to convince executives to blog: “The conversation is happening without you anyway.”

Nathan Rudyk

  • “Start internally with an internal blog or Wiki.”

Sarah Spence

  • “At Orange, we found our employees were doing it anyway. And you can either harness that or try to ignore it. But you can’t shut it down.”

Sarah Spence

  • “We are just at the point of getting our clients there. And a lot of our clients aren’t ready.”
  • “In pitching bloggers, there’s a difference between the enthusiasts who are already out there discussing a topic and those people you are trying to start a conversation with.”

Mesh Day Two: Post-mass Media Marketing

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Tony Chapman of Capital C led this workshop.

Highlights of Tony’s presentation:

  • The common element between mass and digital is attention – the oxygen of brand building.
  • The first 50 years of marketing relied on one thing: He who shouts loudest wins.
  • We shouted and we shouted – 3.3 million brands; 27,000 new brands launched in 2005
  • We shouted at retail: saturation; consolidation; intimidation; exploitation
  • We shouted on media
  • Advertisers are demanding more and getting less
  • And consumers stopped listening
  • Consumers went from mass media to their media: watching; searching; gravitating; loitering; forging; coaching; scavenging; playing; hunting; chatting; dating; gambling; voting; listening; joining; shopping; gaming; learning; consuming
  • But there is a new passtime that is sucking even more time online: CREATING – blogging; mashing; designing; performing; confessing; publishing; creative directing; do it yourself advertising; filming; animating; living on line; expressing
  • Creating and expressing are the new pop culture trends
  • Digital is their media
  • The more time they spend with the mouse, the less time they leave the house -social isolation is increasing
  • The consumer has too many choices. They give us only two seconds of their attention
  • We are in a marketing revolution – moving from mass attention, where we never knew our consumers names, to a consumer-centric platform where we know our consumers names and so much more: how they feel; how they spend their time; where they shop and what they buy; what media they consume
  • With that type of knowledge, mass marketing becomes Precision Marketing – as targeted as one to one
  • Three simple steps to get there:
  1. Connect: Push – frame the brand in the way the consumer gets it (head; heart and hands); understand the junction between the physical and emotional appeal; take advantage of the retail theatre to anticipate and respond to the mood of shoppers; take advantage of promotional media; grassroots and sampling; word of mouth; customize mass media campaigns
  2. Engage: Push and pull – provide them with an online experience
  3. Interact: Pull – respond to your consumer wants – value added; influence; content; access; status
  • Use Advertising and PR to bring people into this process
  • Tell a story that connects with your known consumer wants – e.g. iPod; Dove; Axe; the Land of Cadbury; PepBoys Auto
  • Five predictions:
    1. Conventional mass tactics will be rendered obsolete;
    2. Consumers will hijack the creative process;
    3. Consumers will have complete power over the buying process;
    4. Wall street will pay a multiple on the size of your online community; and
    5. More advertising dollars will be spent at retail than with the conventional TV networks.

Mesh Day Two: Paul Kedrosky

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Paul Kedrosky led off the business and finance discussion.

Highlights

  • “In a sense, superficially, it sure feels like a bubble. But, so what? … It takes a lot of dead bodies to fill a swamp. We’ve gotta do this stuff. Screw it up and waste a ton of money. We’ll get there by piling up a lot of bodies. … There’s way too much enthusiasm.”
  • “There’s as much money out there as there was at the bubble time. It’s more concentrated among the top tier of venture capital firms. … The trouble is that there’s this idea that the best firms are always the best. … The best venture investors fish from a very well stocked pond. … The problem for everyone else in the venture industry is that they’re fighting for scraps. These people have been given massive capital and they’re all searching around for a place to put it. … There’s a lot of people with a lot of capital trying to find homes for it. And web 2.0 happens to be a beneficiary of it.”
  • “The nice thing about web 2.0 companies is that you can do them very cheaply. … There’s a kind of democratization of entrepreneurship. … However, this comes with a downside. As soon as an opportunity comes along, 30 people rush in to fill it.”
  • In the last six months, the pendulum is swinging from the consumer side to the business side of web 2.0.
  • An example of web 2.0 companies that are making money? Plentyoffish.com
  • “It’s easy to start thinking of features as products. Because if it’s so cool to me, why aren’t people paying for it? People should not kid themselves.”
  • “AdSense is absurdly risky. In essence, I have one customer. If Google decided to change their business tomorrow…”
  • “The challenge in Canada is to get the deal flow that venture capitalists require. … Canadians see relatively fewer examples of people who have been successful in soliciting venture capital. … We need to have more prominent exits so that others in the community can do this as well.”
  • “Polaris and Kodiak both have a track record of investing in Canada.”

People can always dream…