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

Enlarge

The Big Hit: Bloomberg for Texas Tourism

By Reid Schwartz, Senior Account Executive, Austin

Texas Tourism, the Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism, has been an Edelman client for 10 years. Through its relationship with the Four Season’s Hotel properties in Austin, Dallas and Houston, Texas Tourism partnered with the hotel chain for a summer press trip opportunity to bring quality media to Texas to experience the best of the Lone Star State. One of the journalists secured was John Mariani, prolific food and wine freelancer for Esquire Magazine and Bloomberg, among others.

The Edelman team promotes travel to Texas year-round, and while it may currently seem a bit chilly for a Texas wine tour, now is the perfect time to start planning your own trip for the coming spring or summer.

The Edelman team worked closely with the Four Seasons properties in Austin, Houston and Dallas as well as partner Convention and Visitors Bureaus in each city to arrange accommodations and activities for Mariani’s Texas trip, particularly focusing his itinerary surrounding the Texas wine industry: notable restaurants serving Texas wines, interviews with hotel sommeliers, etc.

Resulting from Mariani’s Texas trip was a Bloomberg News feature on the Texas wine industry: “Texas Wines Take the Heat in $1.8 Billion Business,” highlighting Texas’ ranking as fifth largest wine producing state in the U.S. The article took a comprehensive look at the wine market in Texas, and included quotes from several local wine experts such as Austin-based wine writer for Texas Monthly Magazine Jessica Dupuy, Houston Chronicle wine columnist Dale Robertson and Four Season’s sommelier James Tidwell.

The coverage detailed Texas’s 275 bonded wineries which produce three billion gallons of wine annually, and included some of Mariani’s favorite vineyards such as Llano Estacado, the Duchman Family Vineyards, Becker Vineyards and Inwood Estates Vineyards.

Mariani gave a glowing recommendation of a 2010 Duchman Family Vineyards Vermentino, and “tasted as many [wines] as [he] could, as recommended by the restaurant sommeliers and found many to be very fine wines indeed.”

Mariani threw in a bit of Texas history to boot, noting “I very much enjoyed a 2008 Llano Estacado 1836 Blend. (“1836” refers to The Battle of San Jacinto when Sam Houston beat the Mexican Army in a 30-minute battle.)”

Seven New Year’s Resolutions for Internal Communicators

By Edelman Employee Engagement

The start of a new year is a great time to make (and hopefully keep) resolutions for improvement, whether personal or professional. While we can’t necessarily help you with a diet or other personal goals, we can offer some professional resolutions to help you make sure your company’s internal communications program is the best it can be in 2014.

Resolution 1:  When considering a social media program, first ask, “To what end?”
We often see communicators who immediately jump to picking a social media platform before they’ve really asked the harder questions about what they want to achieve and what audiences they want to engage. There are seemingly countless platform options available to you and to pick the best one, you first need to know what your objective is in adopting a social media platform. Are you looking to connect virtual employees in an engaging, interactive way? Is it for a discrete purpose, such as providing a resource to collect and build on best practices to support an upcoming product launch, or a more broad-based need? This resolution sounds simple, but is often overlooked. Asking yourself “to what end” will help ensure you go down the right social media path on your first try.

Resolution 2: Measure impact, not activity
All high-performing communications program (internal or external) should be grounded in research and have measurement incorporated throughout. When building your measurement baseline or assessment activities, make sure you’re not looking only at activity, but also the desired impact that activity’s having. For example, while it’s helpful to know how many people attended a webinar or opened an email, it’s better to know if a webinar or email helped people understand something and take action. And make sure you develop and embed meaningful measurement strategies early in the planning stages so they aren’t overlooked come crunch time.

Resolution 3: Make a concerted effort to reach remote, manufacturing and sales employees
For far too long, many internal communicators have neglected harder-to-reach segments of employees, including those in manufacturing, on the road in sales roles, or remote/virtual workers. Make 2014 the year you change that. Start by understanding more about these audiences and the existing communications mechanisms and rhythms that already work for them; then take advantage of those existing methods. Also, work at understanding what messages these unique audiences want and need to hear – particularly manufacturing and sales employees who tend to desire a much more straightforward, “what’s in it for me?” approach.

Resolution 4: Pay attention to your company’s new promoter score
We’re always surprised when we talk to internal communicators who have never looked at their company’s net promoter scores on jobs sites like glassdoor.com. These sites are a great way to get a snapshot of what employees think of senior leadership performance and if they’d recommend their company as a great place to work. Potential employees also reference these sites for unfiltered information about your company, so it’s important they are encouraged by what they read rather than put off. The effectiveness of internal communications can play an out-sized role in influencing both of these data points, and communicators should understand what’s being said, why and what they can possibly do to influence it.


Resolution 5: Foster closer collaboration with media relations and investor relations colleagues
We have no doubt that 2014 will bring with it the increasing elimination of barriers between internal and external communications, meaning that the need to get information to employees as fast as they can get it from external sources will likely be greater than ever. To ensure that employees hear company news from you first, it’s critical that you know what external releases and activities are planned by media relations and, for publically traded companies, investor relations. Resolve to develop regular coordinating mechanisms with these colleagues, and continue educating them about the importance of employees hearing things first (or, when that’s not feasible, at least at the same time as external audiences).

Resolution 6: Look for ways to make internal content go external
We know from the Edelman Trust Barometer that employees are highly credible sources of information about a company and highly trusted. Especially when trying to change external perceptions of your company, look at ways to encourage internal-facing content to go public. Are you creating a video about a team of employees who worked behind the scenes to launch a new product? Put it on YouTube and encourage employees to share it with family and friends. Are you organizing a “family day” or similar employee volunteer activity? Find ways to make it easy for employees to tweet and share fun pictures and results from the day to their own social networks. While companies are sometimes reluctant to share internal content externally for confidentiality reasons, be realistic in your assessment of the damage such content could do if released externally. In many cases, releasing it will actually help burnish external reputation and employer brand.

Resolution 7: No videos longer than two minutes

We’ll end with an easy one: Create a rule that videos to employees may not be longer than two minutes. Our experience has shown that employee viewership of even well-made and engaging videos stops after two minutes, so embrace this reality and focus on how you make those two minutes count. If your video topic is too complex for two minutes of well-structured content, this may be a warning sign that you’re not using the right medium to communicate – written or something interactive may instead be the better way to go.  

Digital Insight: Top Trends + Social Campaigns from 2013

By Spike Jones and Mary Beth King, Senior Vice President, Managing Director – Southwest Digital, Account Supervisor, Digital West

The biggest constant in the agency world is change. There’s what’s next and there’s what’s now. By the time the mainstream picks up on the trends, those trends have become table stakes. 

Content. Storytelling. Injecting emotion into your brand. The interesting thing about these subjects is they’re the exact things that have been laying the foundation of great communications for decades. In other words, what is old is new again. For example, Vine, IDEO’s Spark app, makes anyone with an iPhone into a cinematographer able to tell mini stories, set them to music, etc. 

While this surge, er, return, to compelling content is exciting, it’s important to keep in mind that with it will also come a surge in intrusive advertising. Mobile advertising is projected to increase 64 percent this year alone (via LinkedIn Marketing Solutions), so as we craft those emotionally rich pieces of content it’s important to keep in mind two things: 

First, people share content for three reasons: a) it feeds their ego and makes them look good to their social networks, b) it’s a piece of new or complicated information or c) it either infuriates or delights them. Make sure your content fits in at least one of these content buckets and remember, it’s not about you, it’s about how you make your customer’s life better. Second, make content bite-sized and easily shareable. People are busy and multitask more than ever these days. The easier you make a piece of content to consume, the more likely that someone will share it. 

In 2013, the digital landscape saw an incredible amount of creative branded content on social media. 2014 promises to be an even more exciting time for branded social content with more money than ever being spent on social advertising and content creation. The following trends emerged in 2013 and the brand examples that follow exemplify each trend as some of the strongest cases of digital marketing in their respective industries and verticals.

1. Branded Storytelling - Storytelling isn’t a new phenomenon, but the interesting thing about storytelling in 2013 is the way marketers branded and sold it in the digital space. AdWeek's Jon Hamm wrote, “We are in a world where a brand’s values and the emotions they evoke are narrative material.” To stay relevant, brands have to figure out how to connect on an emotional level with their fans, and humanize themselves in compelling ways. Microsoft has doubled down on its storytelling efforts this year with its Stories platform. Its first installment on the site was 88 Acres: How Microsoft Quietly Built the City of the Future, a story about the man behind Microsoft’s intricate and unique facilities-management system. Sharing this tale of uniqueness, personality and innovation by such a large brand built emotional connectivity among its audience. Finding and sharing great stories is a great way to inject personality into your brand and engage audiences.
2. Real-time Content - What you say is just as important as when you say it, particularly when it comes to relevance and reach. Brands injected themselves into trending topics at an unprecedented rate in 2013, so marketers have taken to what Edelman calls the Creative Newsroom approach: “planned real-time” content, anticipate trending events and creating appropriate, brand-relevant content. A great example of this approach is PayPal’s content strategy, including posts referring to events like #SFbatkid or Royal Baby. This is a great workaround for brands that want to hop on trending content, but don’t want to take the risk or costs of a war room approach. 
3. Micro-videos - Instagram Video and Vine presented micro-videos as the new frontier on social media in 2013, forcing marketers to create relevant, meaningful, branded videos in 15 or six seconds, respectively. Lowe’s Fix in Six Vine campaign offered stop-motion how-to fixes around the house, giving the brand a useful, concise, and playful way to engage their audience. Lululemon has made a splash on Instagram Video by using the platform to showcase the brand’s personality and passion. The notable thing about both examples is that they ideated and created content based on the platforms, rather than creating content and trying to force it to fit within the platform. Distinct content strategies are important for every channel, but perhaps none is as important as these micro-video platforms. 
4. Converged Media + Breaking Through - With 1 billion Facebook posts and 400 million tweets being published every day, breaking through the noise on social is a major challenge for marketers. And now with things like Facebook's changes to the News Feed algorithm, marketers are also faced with the challenge of breaking through social platforms’ limitations to get their content seen. Integrated strategies that include paid, earned and owned media are crucial to amplifying messages effectively. Strand Books in New York City engages strong partners like celebrities and other social brands to amplify messaging and drive awareness, compels loyal consumers and media alike to promote their events and promotions organically, and utilizes various custom content strategies for their social channels in smart ways based on their unique audiences. As marketers, it’s critical to approach content from all angles to ensure it’s seen by the right audiences.
5. The Rise of Mobile - In Q3 of this year, Facebook reported that 48 percent of its daily users are accessing the site via mobile only. This means that we, as marketers, have to be smarter with our content and ads for mobile. In Mashable’s How to Improve Your Mobile Marketing Strategy, Michael Blumenfeld said, “The big lesson here is to not try to stuff 10 pounds of information into a two-pound bag.” Many brands, like Poshmark, have found a sweet spot using mobile by keeping content tight and targeted, maximizing efforts and ad dollars. Knowing that mobile will continue dominating as a platform on which people consume content, all content in 2014 should be created with mobile in mind.

2014 is going to be another great year in the communications industry. Here’s to the road ahead.  

TRENDSPOTTING

By Helen Vollmer, President, Edelman Southwest

The beginning of the New Year, with soothsayers and data analysts predicting what’s about to rock our world, is a great time for savvy marketers whose lifeblood is to leverage perception and to create innovative scenarios where we can bond with others who have like interests. If you’re like me, you take pride in deciphering a trend early on, adapting it and elevating it to new levels. Here are a few 2014 tidbits that I’m watching in two of my favorite categories, food and travel:

Food:

• Carbs are back. Living in rice country (and in full disclosure, working for technology based RiceTec), nothing makes me happier to look at the grocery store shelves and see the exploding choices. Jasmine, basmati or arborio? Why not buy all three and add in a bag of brown to go with it? Technomic, a food industry consulting firm, swears starches, including noodles, are making a comeback.
• Grow your own. Locavore is going to the next level. The National Gardening Association says the number of households that grow at least some of their own food are up 24 percent since 2007. Will bees and chickens be the next urban pets? 
• Eating dangerously. According to Epicurious.com the exotic is becoming main stream. From rattlesnake to fried insects, tongue to feet, exotic foods are making their way onto restaurant menus. Menudo anyone?

Travel:

• Lighter, faster . . . Sir Richard Branson, president of Virgin Atlantic Airways, was quoted by AP saying, “I have no doubt that during my lifetime we will be able to fly from London to Sydney in under two hours, with minimal environmental impact.” 
• DIY Flying. The next five years will be all about increasing automation and decreasing labor cost. The industry is already implementing mobile boarding passes, bag drops, even self-boarding.  Have you been asked to close your window and pick up after yourself before de-planeing?
• Conspicuous leisure. Travelmarket Report states the consumption of experiences rather than consumer goods now signals social status like never before. Unique experiences are, in short, social currency. 

If you’re looking to spot your own new trends in 2014, a few tips:

• Carpool. There’s nothing like chauffeuring a pack of 7 to 13 year olds around to let you know what’s happening in the real world. Rent some kids if you need to listen in on what the next big thing is going to be.
• Take field trips. Go ahead and buy a ticket to that spring home and garden show. Chances are you will be amazed that a certain kind of new flower species will be everywhere at your local nursery within a few months. 
• Watch movie trailers. If you get to the movies early, you’ll see my favorite part of the experience—the previews of what’s coming. Last year, we were treated to some great films about the African American experience, everything from Django Unchained to Lee Daniels’ The Butler to 12 Years a Slave.  If you pay attention, you’ll see a couple of new trends developing for 2014.

Happy trend spotting!

The Big Hit: The Houston Chronicle for Samsung

By Robyn Kratzer, Vice President, Houston

Edelman client Samsung had been embroiled in U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) litigation with Apple in two cases. In the first case ITC issued Samsung an exclusion order, noting that Apple had infringed on one of Samsung’s FRAND-encumbered SEPs that enables devices to operate on 3G mobile networks. In the second case, which was set to be determined Thursday, August 1, Apple was arguing that Samsung was infringing on patents covering unique functional aspects of its mobile devices or their physical designs (essentially rounded rectangular devices). Additionally, the Obama administration had the option to veto either ruling on Friday, August 2.

Confronted by the imminent decision from the ITC on August 1, Samsung lobbyists asked Edelman to provide strategic political “air cover” in Texas and New Jersey where several members of Congress supported Samsung. The Edelman D.C. team decided it would reach out to the Network for assistance in placing third party op-eds in key regional papers in these states, one of which was Houston. An op-ed highlighting the potential negative impact the case might have on the Texas economy was drafted and bylined by signatory, Carroll G. Robinson, a Houston area attorney and trustee of the Houston Community College System. 

Key messages for client included that: 

• Samsung had announced plans to invest $4 billion in the expansion of the company’s manufacturing plants in Austin, marking the largest foreign investment ever made in the State of Texas. Additionally, the prospect of court-ordered injunctions on high-tech products could potentially disrupt the free flow of commerce and negatively impact the Texas economy and job creation.
• Injunctions, if allowed, could have a chilling effect on companies’ decisions to invest in the U.S. and local state economies.
• An import ban could remove products that are essential to market competition.

Challenges

Due to the imminent ruling on August 1 and the potential Obama administration veto on either ruling on Friday, August 2, the placement of a third-party op-ed became critical and time sensitive. Edelman D.C. contacted the Houston office on July 26. The bylined op-ed was pitched to Houston Chronicle editorial page editor, Jeff Cohen, and the pitch, coordination and placement of the op-ed occurred within three business days. Coverage was posted online at Chron.com on July 30 and in the hard copy of the paper the next morning, July 31. Coverage can be found here. 

Digital Insight: Embracing the Change in User Behavior

By Amanda Nguyen, Account Executive, Digital West

Last week, the Seattle Interactive Conference brought in an array of technology experts, brands and creative types to share their thoughts on the evolving digital landscape. “Change” was the resounding theme that echoed throughout the conference, emphasizing the shift in user behavior, as well as the importance of brand flexibility and transparency. Below are five key trends from the sessions:

1. Evolving Platforms

As technology evolves, brands must be flexible and willing to adapt. Tim Keck, cofounder of The Onion, spoke about platform shifts and how it relates to traditional print newspapers. The Onion, widely known for its satirical and confrontational content, may need to consider adjusting its approach since becoming digital. The new generation of online readers is less familiar with The Onion’s play on AP-style writing, and as a result, jokes are losing their relevance. Digital opens up a very public dialogue with readers who expect a two-way conversation.   

2. The Cluttered Landscape

We are constantly bombarded with information from multiple touch points. This is impacting how news is gathered and delivered. In the “Technology, Journalism and Business” panel, journalists asked PR professionals to consider the clutter they deal with when pitching stories. Kelly Clay, who blogs at Forbes, mentioned she preferred pitches via Twitter over email. Through social, she feels the story is more directed and tailored for her, due to the character limit and timeliness of the platform. 

3. Revenue Models

Both publications and artists spoke to the challenges of traditional ad revenue models. Jack Conte of the band Pamplemoose brought up crowd-funding platforms like Patreon as a fresh way for musicians to approach monetizing their craft. It is not just artists who are thinking outside of the box—GeekWire journalist John Cook spoke about sponsorships as an additional means of bringing in revenue. We will need to continue to put forward creative and diverse solutions for our clients. 

4. Transparency

In a “share all” era, transparency is becoming more of a hot topic for brands. In the “Shopping Inside a Mashup” panel, Susan Livingston, executive coordinator of Whole Foods emphasized the importance of clear messaging in customer loyalty programs. It is imperative that brands communicate how they are using and storing the consumer data they collect. Consumers are become savvier and want more control over privacy. 

5. First Impressions

In a morning keynote, Sanaz Ahari of Google explained the shift in user viewability complicates advertising penetration. For example, 77 percent of TV viewers use another device while they watch their television program. Ahari suggests using data-driven insights to find where the audience is spending most of its time, what interests are pushing the attention there, and how the brand can connect with its audience on that level. Then, create a two-way dialogue within the advertising so that the audience feels a part of the conversation and not simply bombarded with information.

New Formats, New Stories, But Journalism Remains Crucial in Digital Era

By, Marcus Kabel, Vice President, Atlanta

This article originally appeared on Edelman.com.

It’s natural to look across the media industry and wonder if the digital upheaval of legacy formats will leave anything standing. The core mission of storytelling itself is morphing, whether by requiring new elements like video and interactives, integrating the audience through social media or using analytics to get a better understanding on impact. As a former journalist who spent 20+ years in newsrooms at Reuters and the AP, I wonder sometimes if journalism itself is headed for retirement in a new era of something more direct, crowd-sourced and visceral.

But then I look at the people and skillsets that are populating this digital and mobile landscape and realize that journalism remains highly relevant. Many of the high-profile leaders of purely digital enterprises come from old-school newsrooms. Even before Katie Couric swapped broadcast TV for Yahoo!, Buzzfeed recently hired Pulitzer Prize winner Mark Schoofs, who had been at The Wall Street Journal and then ProPublica, to head a new investigative unit. Others who came up through the new media world took on legacy titles and positions at long-established media institutions in order to better transmit their messages to the world. I’m thinking here of Glenn Greenwald, and I’ll come back to him in a moment. So while the shape and feel of digital stories may be different, the ability to draft and present a compelling tale based on reportable facts is more necessary – and gets more attention – than ever. In other words, the jobs are changing, but the journalism remains.

Last month alone saw Jim Roberts, who spent 26 years at the New York Times before a stint at Reuters Digital, move to Mashable as executive editor and chief content officer with a brief to help it expand coverage. Twitter also got the urge for a stronger journalism side and hired NBC News chief digital officer Vivian Schiller as its head of news. More recently came word that the new, as-yet unnamed digital media venture of billionaire Pierre Omidyar has hired Eric Bates, the former executive editor of Rolling Stone, to bolster ranks that already include political journalist Dan Froomkin, who spent 12 years at The Washington Post before leading The Huffington Posts’s D.C. coverage.

Omidyar’s venture, of course, first made headlines last month by hiring NSA reporter Glenn Greenwald away from The Guardian. Greenwald’s saga is an interesting illustration of the relevance of journalism from another angle. He started as a blogger with no formal journalism training, back when “citizen-journalist” was the nicest thing that professional media would say about this new breed of digital correspondent. His national security coverage won him a spot at Salon.com as a contributing writer and then an appointment The Guardian as columnist – an old-world title if there ever was one. The Guardian’s global reach and credibility as a news source helped Greenwald spread the word of the NSA material provided by contractor Edward Snowden. Greenwald’s story harkens back to the days before graduate degrees became the norm in journalism, when people came to the craft from all backgrounds (Greenwald was previously a lawyer) and learned it by doing.

In the digital era, Greewald’s professional success across platforms from paper to smart phones underscores my contention: The journalist’s core storytelling toolkit is still in demand. The growing movement of experienced journalists from traditional newsrooms to digital ventures just adds more proof that even if the media are changing, the journalism remains.

Building Reputation on the Racetrack and Beyond

By Janna Hughes, Account Supervisor, Edelman Houston

World class open-wheel racing made a pit stop in the state of Texas in Q4 of this year with the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston and the second annual Formula One United States Grand Prix in Austin. With the help of Edelman, client Shell Oil Co. leveraged both Grand Prix events to achieve widespread business, brand and reputation benefit.

As part of Shell’s corporate sponsorship of the events and close technical alliances with partners like Formula One and IndyCar, the organization was able to create a centerpiece initiative – a scalable, branded experiential area – called the ‘Shell Mobility Experience’ to educate invited stakeholders, racing fans and general consumers about innovation and technology for road transport. The Shell

Mobility Experience was also created with the goal to increase brand awareness and positive reputation of the organization by showcasing Shell products in use in the motorsports environment.
Below are a couple of key, successful tactics that Shell and partners executed as part of the Grand Prix events, which can be adapted for future client initiatives involving sponsorships:

Corporate Storytelling: In its infancy, racing pioneered ways for cars to move faster, longer and more safely, which new automakers inexpensively adapted for street vehicles. Today, motorists use decades of race-inspired technology such as engine-cleaning fuel additives and advanced lubricants for better performance on the road.

Shell understood that Grand Prix events offered outstanding visual examples of Shell’s innovation and competitive edge on the track and on the road through the lens of motorsports. The Shell Mobility Experience at the track served as an essential platform for storytelling starting with interactive displays, live demonstrations and a simulated lab with real tools (e.g., engine valves) and Shell scientists who could speak to performance and future of fuels, further helping consumers see the connection between the racetrack to the road. Storytelling was also accomplished through the creation of historical timelines that were displayed through the event and used in online channels to highlight examples like Shell’s long-standing technical alliance with partners such as Scuderia Ferrari - dating back 60 years - and background on Shell’s successful US Eco-Marathon events.

Partnerships at Work: This goes without saying, but worth reinforcing that partnerships require close collaboration throughout every step of the relationship in order to achieve a successful outcome for all parties involved. 

Grand Prix race organizers and Shell worked as one cohesive unit; holding multiple weekly meetings and closely collaborating to develop joint communications materials. Motorsports events also provided an advantage for Shell to build credibility and forge relationships with customers, such as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Tours of the Shell Mobility Experience were scheduled around the events to help customers get an in-depth look at Shell’s positioning in the motorsports space.

Digital is Key: It was a no brainer for Shell to execute a social media strategy around Grand Prix events. With the help of Edelman Digital, pre-event, during and post-event strategy was deployed to educate consumers not only about the events, but Shell’s role in motorsports. An eight-week content calendar was formed by Edelman Digital to frequently communicate event updates and Shell motorsports content to the Twitter, Facebook and Instagram communities. Real-time content was also posted to these channels during the events to drive education and help remote fans feel like they were part of the events. In addition, geo-targeted posts were developed, along with customized hashtags, to entice fans to talk about the Shell experience for a chance to win special consumer experiences at the track.  

Hometown Always Wins: The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston event was found to be a more effective platform for stakeholder engagement and partners largely due to the close proximity of the event to Shell US headquarters. The location offered Shell the opportunity to create activities beyond the racetrack to engage key stakeholders and partners, including a Proclamation ceremony with the Mayor of Houston to kick off race weekend. Shell held multiple pre-event business engagements, such as an Alternative Energy forum for stakeholders and a Lubricants luncheon with global Shell leaders to communicate key business messages to media and customers (OEMs) using the Grand Prix event as a backdrop for these activities. 

For an inside look at the event, check out the below footage of the Shell Mobility Experience in Austin:

The Holidays are a Time for Sharing. Content.

By Spike Jones, Senior Vice President, Managing Director – Southwest Digital

Alas, the holidays are upon us once again. Quicker than you can say, “How did that happen?” we are bombarded with brands promising huge sales, deep discounts and unlimited supplies of the latest and greatest. Just like every year, they’re blowing up all types of media – from traditional to social – trying to spread their message and hoping, praying, that consumers will listen.

But what’s even better than someone responding to your content? Someone responding and then sharing it. It’s not an easy chestnut to crack, but if you stick to three buckets when creating content, the probability it will be shared will increase exponentially.

What are the top three reasons people share content online? In descending order:

1. It feeds their ego. Think about it. Social media is fueled by people pointing out how awesome they are. Look at the hotel where I’m staying. Look where I’m traveling. Look at this nice meal I’m eating or this glass of wine in this fancy bar. Foursquare. Instagram. Facebook. Twitter. Stop and take a look at your feed and you’ll see post after post of people trying to convince the rest of us how incredible their life is. Instead of trying to fight that fact, embrace it. Why not create pieces of content that make your customers look awesome? Something as simple as calling them out in a tweet or Facebook post (or retweeting them) makes them feel important… and they will naturally want to share the attention they received. Want to supersize it? Make a video about them and their passions with your brand being the sponsor.
2. It’s information. And not just any information. People tend to share information that is either brand spankin’ new or very freakin’ complicated (and explain it). We’re talking about new products. Upgrades. Game changers. Life hacks. Why not create content around this idea and give it to your biggest fans first? Not only will they feel special that you shared it with them first (read: feeds their egos), but they won’t be able to wait to share it in their social circles. 
3. It gets an emotional response. And yes, humor is great. But it’s hit-or-miss. In particular, people share content that enrages them (as a general rule, let’s stay away from that one) or delights them. I’m a huge fan of surprise and delights. What better time of year to activate a random act of kindness campaign for your customers on social. Or even better – enlist some of your fans to pay it forward and allow them to become the ones doing the surprising and delighting. 

To make it easy to remember, I think of ego, info and emo. Anytime our team is creating content for a client, we make sure at least one of these buckets is filled. If we can fill two or three of the buckets with one piece of content, that’s even better. Brands have to fight the instinct to talk about themselves and flip the spotlight to shine on their customers. When they do this, amazing things will happen.

More on word-of-mouth marketing and consumers’ instinct to share content can be found here. 

 

Huh? What’s that you said?

By Helen Vollmer, President, Edelman Southwest

In our world of icons, infographics and emoticons, man is still looking for better, smarter ways of effectively communicating universally. While I acknowledge (and embrace) that visual communications is now a bellwether in quickly getting an audience’s attention, a recent study from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherlands got my attention.

It turns out, according to researchers, that ‘huh’ is one of the world’s most universally understood words.  That’s right—this monosyllable that I spent years getting my children not to say in response to a question, works as well in Mandarin as it does in Dutch.  It’s as easily understood on the aboriginal plains in Australia as it is the geothermal pools in Iceland. 

These linguists looked at other words as well, but only ‘huh’ is found in languages that have little to nothing else in common.  Contrary to what my ninth grade English teacher Ms. Seaholm taught me, it appears that language is not a matter of inborn structure (and sentence diagrams), but is instead rooted primarily in social interaction.

Managing common understanding as we talk, confirm and check with others is really the job of words.  So while a picture may well be worth a thousand words these days in getting a conversation started, it is stringing simple syllables together that allows us to engage the world around us and get things done.  

The Big Hit: USA Today for Entrust, Inc.

By: Allison Burum, Edelman Dallas

Edelman client Entrust’s President and CEO Bill Conner was featured in the USA Today article, “ID Security CEO: ‘NYT’ hackers did their homework,” written by leading Technology Reporter Byron Acohido. In the article, Conner provided detailed commentary on how the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) orchestrated a spear-phishing attack that compromised the username and password of an ISP administrator, disrupting the media giant’s site for several hours. The article was published online on August 28 and received prominent placement on the USA Today homepage. It also ran in the August 29 print edition and was syndicated to more than 50 Gannett outlets.

How it Happened: 

Edelman recognized from previous Twitter hacks that similar hacks would likely occur again, and worked with Entrust to develop pre-approved quotes on various scenarios and had a pitch ready to go. Preparing quotes ahead of time proved helpful in the past after the team realized that reporters in the space were writing quickly and pre-approved quotes and quick commentary generated leads and coverage. 

This time, the team landed a big fish. When Edelman saw news that The New York Times website had been hacked on the afternoon of August 27, the team reached out to top-tier media contacts offering Bill Conner, a leading security expert, to lend commentary and insight on how the hack occured. The next morning, Byron Acohido of USA Today responded requesting fresh information as the Times’ website was still down. The team quickly set up a phone interview between Acohido and Conner, after which Acohido reached out throughout the day and evening to fact-check and ensure he had the highly technical details correct around the hack and the providers in question.

This was the first time Entrust had spoken to USA Today for an in-depth interview in more than five years, and the client was thrilled with the piece. The resulting article can be read here. 

Media Trends: How Mobile Media Reaches Multicultural Audiences

By: Stephanie Florence, Edelman New York 

After more than a decade of immersion in the global digital revolution, the resulting changes, impact and opportunities continue to loom larger each day. Fast-growing digital information platforms proliferate at blazing speed, and the accessibility of mobile devices together with the power of social media is capturing and empowering a new mainstream: The multicultural digital consumer.

DREAM Digital recently brought together current Hampton University students, recent graduates and New York area Hampton University prospective students with industry executives, entrepreneurs and journalists from leading media companies for its inaugural symposium. Below are some key quotes and insights from the event:

·      o   “One of the challenges faced today is finding ways for content to seamlessly transfer across platforms…from desktop to tablet to phone.” – Norman Pearlstine, former Chief Content Office, Bloomberg, current Chief Content Officer, TIME

o   Takeaway: When pitching, offer insights into how a journalist can distribute the content through multiple channels

·      o   “With sports content, fans either cheer or boo – they never send a ‘thank you for this information’ email. 60 percent of ESPN’s traffic on Sunday’s results from mobile – people are actively reading, sharing, etc. football-related content.” – Rob King, SVP, Editorial, Digital & Print Media, ESPN

o   Takeaway: Consider incorporating mobile into initial plans and not as an afterthought

·   o      “One of the challenges Ebony faces is how to translate meaningful relationships that exist with readers who view Ebony as a curator of the African American experience past, present and future. Integrating archived content is a nod to the past to what Ebony was like at the beginning.” – Desiree Rogers, CEO, Johnson Publishing Company

o   Takeaway: Research related, archived content that plays into pitch and strengthens story

·      o   “When hiring, often look for journalists off the beaten path. Search Twitter/blogs for people with a new perspective and an already cultivated following that can transfer to the website.” – Kierna Mayo, Editorial Director, Digital, Ebony

o   Takeaway: Digital media is a new way for new voices to be heard

·      o   “Young people don’t identify themselves as their race. Instead, they identify around a passion point.” – Alvin Bowles, CEO, Grab Media

o   Takeaway: Readers will search for the content that most interests them, regardless of its origin/author

·      o   Re: maintaining the voice of the brand: “Must start with authenticity. That will lead to how you monetize audience insights and how you spread the content to audience and outside typical audience. The traditional media companies are now more willing to take more risks than in the past.” – Alix Baudin, SVP and GM, Digital Operations, Scripps Networks Interactive

o   Takeaway: Lifestyle content from the Scripps properties [HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, etc.] transcends any sort of audience differences. A recipe or home design tip will be relatable to most consumers.