The Big Hit: Fast Company for Digital Globe

By Risa Kleen, Account Executive, Austin

DigitalGlobe is a leading global provider of commercial high-resolution earth imagery products and services. DigitalGlobe’s target audience ranges from government agencies to commercial companies to the global consumer, and some of the most important uses of DigitalGlobe’s satellite imagery are in areas of conflict or civil unrest where governments, military, and first responders need up to date, timely information about situations on the ground. DigitalGlobe is very well-known for providing satellite imagery to Google Maps, Bing and the U.S. government, but the company is less known for providing the analysis that turns images into answers. Therefore, the Edelman team was tasked with showing the value of DigitalGlobe’s expert analysts to potential customers. 

When DigitalGlobe launched a microsite providing a showcase of DigitalGlobe’s efforts monitoring extremism in Africa using predictive analytics, our team saw an opportunity to highlight DigitalGlobe’s analytics capabilities with media unfamiliar with these capabilities. Edelman reached out to  Neal Ungerleider at Fast Company following the Africa microsite launch to gauge their interest in discussing how DigitalGlobe uses predictive analytics to track terrorist groups in Africa, including Boko Haram and the Lord's Resistance Army. Ungerleider was interested in speaking with a DigitalGlobe analyst to learn more about the capabilities, but also requested to supplement the article with several satellite images. 

Our team formerly provided satellite imagery to media free of charge, but DigitalGlobe recently changed its policy to distribute all imagery to media through Getty with a fee of about $300. The change to the image policy was severely impacting our relationship with media that was used to receiving free imagery and had little budget to pay for images, so to help resolve the issue our team requested to add a caveat that would allow media to have free imagery if they interviewed a DigitalGlobe executive for a feature story instead of simply providing small credit to DigitalGlobe below the image. DigitalGlobe agreed to the caveat, enabling our team to provide Ungerleider with several satellite images of DigitalGlobe’s efforts monitoring Africa and move forward with the interview. 

Prior to the interview, our team prepped our spokesperson, Andre Kearns, to ensure he was comfortable with DigitalGlobe’s corporate messaging that demonstrates how the company is setting itself apart by taking the vast amounts of satellite data the company collects and analyzing it with a team of geospatial analysts to predict change and behavior. 

Edelman staffed a successful interview between Ungerleider and Kearns, and the resulting article was a huge success. It explained how DigitalGlobe “is best known as the company which provides much of Google Earth's satellite imagery. It also has a healthy business keeping global militaries and intelligence agencies appraised of what's happening on the ground.” The article also explains how DigitalGlobe plans to “add energy companies, utility providers, insurance agencies, and others to its client mix” by showcasing how it’s putting its predictive technology  to use by “predicting theft from Nigerian oil pipelines and predicting violence from Boko Haram and other organizations.”

Additionally, the article sparked interest in DigitalGlobe’s predictive analytics capabilities from several other reporters and the Edelman team was able to secure additional hits in Venture Beat, Denver Post, Denver Business Journal and Geospatial Intelligence Forum. The full Fast Company article can be found here. 

KISB = Keep It Simple, Brands

By Deven Nongbri, Vice President, Digital, Houston

Even though the game itself was a one-sided romp, the marketing sideshow known as Super Bowl ads continue to be of interest both before, during and after the big game. A well-executed campaign has tactics leading up to the game, real-time marketing elements for the game itself and a little something to amplify the buzz following the game. Advertising in the Super Bowl (whether your brand is on TV or not) is a huge deal these days.

It's critical that your marketing efforts both reach and engage your intended audiences. Given the fact that 111.5 million viewers watched the game on TV (and even more were reached online), your message needs to be accessible to those millions, i.e. simple to understand.

Albert Einstein once told the faculty at Princeton the same thing, "If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself." The same holds true in the agency world, if you don't have a grasp of your client's product/service, how can you create effective marketing communications?

With that in mind, which Super Bowl advertisers have a simple enough message to get through to the proverbial six year old in all of us? We decided to see for ourselves with my own four year-old son and seven year-old daughter providing running commentary on the ads during the game.

So which ads won the day for the kids? 

Wonderful Pistachios 

The overwhelming favorite of both kids was the "Wonderful Pistachios, Part 2" spot. Who'd have thought fifteen seconds of airtime would have the kids rolling on the ground laughing so much? Fake news man Steven Colbert was the just the right amount of pushy to get the point across and surprise everyone in the process. I see green pistachio-head costumes in our Halloween future. 

Heinz

Two year-old, "It tooted." Enough said. And it brought the house down. And now we'll be dealing with kids trying to get that exact sound from every plastic condiment bottle in the fridge. I wonder how this played out with others?

Doritos

Of the two Doritos ads shown on TV, this one clearly had the kids engaged. They liked the idea of the kid pulling one over on the adults, but our scientifically-minded four year-old summed it up with, "Too bad time machines don't work." They both understood the humor and the product; bad news next time we head to the grocery store with them.

I was sure the special effects of the Transformers and Spider-Man trailers would have ranked higher on the kids’ lists, but the three ads above were recalled right away, and with a level of real enthusiasm complete with sounds effects. It could also be that their top three spots were all food items, things they could relate to and have probably tried at one time or another. 

What did they think of the kids they saw in ads? 

Cheerios – Gracie

Seven year-old: "She needs to just eat those Cheerios before her Daddy gets to them." Not saying that happens at home. Nope. Never.

Coke – America the Beautiful

Both kids were stopped in their tracks when the first child started singing. They both listened intently as the ad played and my four year-old made a surprisingly thoughtful comment, "It's nice to hear different people sing the same song." I'm pretty sure that's as simple a message as Coke would want to get across. 

Did the kids pick up on any real-time marketing efforts? 

Thankfully, no. From what I could tell, other than Buffalo Wild Wings informing folks they didn't have a button to liven up the game, no single brand stood out like Oreos did last year. 

Any parting thoughts from dad?

The Radio Shack spot was pretty comical and kicked off a lot of conversation about what 80’s characters everyone saw in the commercial. Said our seven year-old, "You actually remember those guys when they were on TV the first time?!" Yeah, kiddo, I do. 

Get Smart: EDU Kicks Off 2014 SXSW Conference and Festival

By Julia Weede and Christina Felton, Senior Vice President and Education Sector Lead, Dallas and Senior Vice President, Austin

With SXSWedu kicking off the annual SXSW Conference and Festival (March 3-6), this year’s lineup features more than 200 diverse and compelling sessions and workshops designed to inspire and engage the forward-leaning community of education influencers. The fast-growing edu portion of SXSW has doubled in attendance each year with 26 countries represented and more than 400 speakers at the 2013 conference. This year, SXSWedu expects more than 8,000 to attend. Historically, the breakdown is comprised of an even mix of representation from K-12, Higher Ed and industry leaders, with discussions skewing toward education technology and innovation.

The conference is becoming known for the interesting tension between those who are looking to create and sell innovative education solutions, and educators who are famously cynical about those who profit from education. Add those who are passionate about the issues and reforms for America’s education system and you have an interesting mash-up worth experiencing.

One of this year’s themes will be shared and open resources with sessions dedicated to “crowdlearning,” breaking down silos to better deal with governmental compliance and leveraging the latest innovations to pave the way for new education models. With the strong collaboration between entrepreneurs and educators, the LAUNCHedu competition has become the not-to-be-missed preview of what’s on the horizon in the rapidly evolving education technology marketplace. SXSWedu is also a place of big launches for innovative ideas. One of last year’s biggest launches, InBloom, a Gates Foundation and Carnegie Corp funded start-up, made national headlines when its innovative solutions for data sharing and insights met the growing national dialog on data privacy and security.

Also, this year marks the second year for the well-received eduFILM with more than 20 film screenings of high-impact documentaries that represent the pivotal, leading-edge spirit of SXSWedu including the groundbreaking film, Girl Rising, using storytelling to deliver a critical truth: educate girls and you will change the world.

For further details on the SXSWedu programming, please visit www.sxswedu.com. And look for Edelman EDU’s sponsorship of Green Rooms and first-ever reporting and content curation from the event itself.

This article originally appeared on Edelman.com. 

Three Ways U.S. Colleges Are Going to Change

By Karen Lindsey-Lloyd, Vice President, Dallas

Last August, U.S. President Barack Obama and his administration unveiled a plan that created a lot of buzz in the media and among higher education officials. Here are the big changes that will affect colleges and universities this year:

Creating college scorecards

The most talked about part of the Obama proposal is the creation of new rankings for schools based on data in a college scorecard. Among U.S. colleges and universities, the most talked about rankings has always been from U.S. News and World Report. The new angle proposed by Obama on “College Scorecards” and rankings is to include:

• Percentage of students receiving Pell grants;
• Average tuition, scholarships and loan debt; and
• Graduation and transfer rates, graduate earnings and advanced degrees of graduates.

This isn’t groundbreaking. Colleges and universities constantly track this data, but they rarely find ways to act on it. While there are alternative rankings that take criteria like those into account, the data are not commonly used.

Making the data matter to impact affordability

After a quick review of the White House fact sheet, it sounds like they are gearing up to tie federal student aid — including Pell Grants and federal student loans — to institutional quality, as measured by the new rankings system. Students attending high-performing colleges could receive larger Pell Grants and more affordable student loans. Currently, as long as a school is accredited — which is typically easy — its students can get federal aid.

Adopting new ways to use technology

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and hybrid classrooms have already demonstrated that technology can reduce costs, increase access and affordability. The President’s plan challenges higher education leaders to adopt practices that:

• Award credits based on learning, not seat time. This is the idea of competency-based online universities serving large numbers of students with relatively low costs and short duration to obtain a bachelor’s degree.
• Use technology to redesign courses. The notion that redesigned courses that integrate online platforms (like MOOCs) or blend in-person and online experiences can accelerate the pace of student learning.
• Use technology for student success. Online learning communities and e-advising tools enable students from across campuses and across the world to learn collaboratively.

The Obama Administration’s plan will bring about great change to colleges and universities and help reframe the value of higher education in the United States. The changes now create an even greater need for university presidents to both influence and create bold platforms that give them a voice in the debate on the direction of their institutional education.

This article originally appeared on Edelman.com. 

Let the Winter Olympic Games Begin!

By Karen Menez, Director, MATTER, Austin

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) will be sending its largest contingent of Winter Olympic athletes ever to Sochi this week. In fact, the 230-member team marks the biggest delegation for any nation in the history of the Winter Games. These names and faces, which outside of the Olympic window are largely unknown to most of us, will soon become household names as all eyes turn to Sochi for the 17 days of competition.

Long before the Team USA roster was set marketers have been aligning with these athletes and teams, helping tell their story and ultimately connect them to their brands. As commercials debut, social campaigns take shape and custom content rolls out, the competition for brands is intense as each looks to break through the crowded Olympic arena.

The Olympic landscape is like no other and every Games-time environment is unique. In Sochi, there will be three media centers spread out across three regions with media from around the world looking to interview athletes, follow the competitions, quickly file stories, and Tweet and post (all in real time).  

MATTER, Edelman’s sports and entertainment arm, has deep experience in the space. We have been collaborating with Olympic sponsors for decades to help get the most out of their Olympic programs. Based on that expertise, here are some keys to success for navigating your brand through the Olympic Games: 

• Lay the foundation with a strong platform - Everything stems from a strong platform. The most successful programs are those that find the authentic connection with the Olympic Games and the brand. This is where brands WIN and realize the true value of their sponsorship. MATTER works closely with its clients to help develop winning programs understanding what it takes to cut through the clutter.

• Set your team up for success both home and away - With a Winter Games in a hard to reach location and some members of the media not able to make the journey, it is important to have a strong team both on the ground and stateside. This creates a team working cohesively 24/7 to book interviews for athletes and executives and keep on top of the needs of the media.   

• The SMT is key - Satellite media tours (SMT) work wonders when dealing with international time zones and outlets starved for content, particularly in an age when travel has been cut back. Facing a nine-hour time difference from Sochi and the East coast, SMTs will be kicking off in the early evening (Sochi time) just as Americans are getting their morning coffee and looking for their Olympic updates.

• Social chatter - It’s hard to believe that less than two years ago London was billed the first ‘truly digital’ Olympics and it goes without saying in the digital world that we are living in that brands must join the conversation in real time. With digital being at the core of many programs, MATTER helps clients facilitate authentic connections and conversations that resonate with brands’ constituents and consumers.

The months of preparation for brands and years of preparation our athletes will be on full display in the upcoming weeks. We can’t wait to see the winners on and off the field of play!

Cowboy up to Competition

 By Helen Vollmer, President, Edelman Southwest

“February is always a bad month for TV sports.  Football is gone, basketball is plodding along in the annual midseason doldrums, and baseball is not even mentioned.” 

 -- Hunter S. Thompson

Usually, I think Hunter S. Thompson was spot on in his observations but clearly he didn’t write the above during an Olympics year. So, with the Super Bowl thankfully behind us, I greet February with high hopes of drama on the slopes, the ice rink and at the security stations. What in the world will Matt Lauer be wearing each day? And will JR Celski really be able to brilliantly continue the U.S. speed skating legacies of Apolo Ohno and Eric Heiden?

The Olympics serve to remind us that competition is a driver in all aspects of our lives. Competition, essentially a contest for territory, resources, notoriety or social status, allows us to push ourselves and to raise our own standards even if fleetingly. And to remember that sometimes it’s best to surround ourselves with talent greater than our own, so we can keep learning and growing as individuals. 

Research published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (I promise this journal is not on my nightstand) and reported on by Psychology Today suggests that the ability of an athlete to pull through victoriously in head-to-head competition really is an issue of “mind over matter.” For all of us, mental motivation really can manifest itself in winning, whether that’s a new piece of business, an athletic event or getting into the college of your choice.  

So here’s to the champion in each of us. Whether you’re in the middle of a competition and going for the gold, or cheering from the sidelines in the glow of your iPad, sometimes the greatest reward is simply a sense of pride and belonging.

Catch you in March when we’re planning to “show up differently” with a new take on eVolution and as things heat up at SXSW. Trust you’ll be with us to enjoy.

5 Media Trends to Watch in 2014

By Edelman Media Network

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