Earning a License to Lead

Mark Hass, President and CEO of Edelman U.S.

Edelman turned 60 years old this summer, and the firm’s leadership and employees marked the anniversary by dedicating themselves to a summer of service in the 66 communities around the world where we live and operate.

We got a lot done, from Shanghai to Chicago, and our employees were energized with the idea that businesses in 2012 and beyond can play a key role in addressing many of the issues troubling our world. But to truly make a difference, this idea must extend beyond a summer of service into an ongoing commitment to make a business’s value to society every bit as much a priority as a return on equity. What’s more, with trust in government and media declining in most places in the world (source: Edelman Trust Barometer 2012), the time is right for business to play a larger role. 

A company’s customers, employees and other stakeholders expect that approach. Data that Edelman gathers as part of its Trust Barometer, GoodPurpose and 8095 studies show that:

• Societal attributes are more important to building future trust than operational attributes; 86 percent of people believe business needs to place at least equal weight on society’s interests as on business interests
• Young people especially demand that business act with their communities in mind; nearly 50 percent say it’s important for a company to be an active member of its local community, and 41 percent say it’s important for a company to be involved in a global cause.

There are many great examples of companies that advance their values in the communities in which they operate.  Southwest Airlines has adapted its legendary corporate culture to the more than 90 communities it serves through a network of 40,000 employees who volunteer on a regular basis, embodying the company’s “live by golden rule” ethos.  And Starbucks’ Shared Planet conveys the commitment the company has to progressive social and environmental initiatives. (Disclosure: Southwest Airlines and Starbucks are Edelman clients.)

At Edelman, citizenship is an operating philosophy – in fact it’s one of the firm’s key values. Overall priorities and objectives are shared across the firm, like in supporting hunger and poverty alleviation during our Summer of Service, but local offices are empowered to determine how best to engage with their communities. 

We’ve also joined “A Billion + Change,” committing 15,000 hours of pro bono consulting with a $2.25M value to our communities. This national coalition of business, government and non-governmental organizations hopes to transform how businesses leverage their employees to make a lasting impact on society.

Every action business takes will matter.  Whether limiting greenhouse gases (Edelman is committed to reducing its greenhouse emissions by 5 percent by 2015) or expecting ethical behavior from business partners, no single undertaking exists on its own. And success ultimately relies on the actions of individuals who are motivated and supported by their employer. 

I’m grateful to be a part of a firm that walks the talk when it comes to making community service a vital part of our culture and our business operations.

A couple of weeks ago, I joined colleagues for an afternoon of service at the Off the Street Club, Chicago's oldest boys and girls club, which gives 4- to 18-year-olds a safe and friendly place to be in a neighborhood where gangs and drugs are can seem ever-present.  We gave the club a cash donation, but more importantly we talked with the kids, joked around and helped them carve Halloween pumpkins.

I’m not naïve enough to believe that one afternoon like that changes everything for those children, but I do believe that the more days like that they have, the better the world will be.  And surely, those few hours at the club were the most important work I did that day.

How is your company making citizenship a business imperative? I’m interested in your experience. Email me at mark.hass@edelman.com.

Innovation Looks Pretty Wonky to Me

By Helen Vollmer, President, Southwest

In a recent meeting of Edelman’s leadership we pondered what does our company (or any agency) look like in 2022?  We all had great individual as well as collective visions for the future.  Not surprisingly, we agreed that having strong data and analytic talent would be critical to future growth and stellar client service.  

At first blush, it sounds a bit wonky for a public relations firm to be filled with wonks, right?  But it’s clear that having access to, analyzing and strategically using real time data in a 24-7 world is what will drive employee and public engagement in the coming years.   Simply, it is data and content that will power our world.

That’s not to say that the need for strategists, relationship builders and creative types will go away.  On the contrary, their importance will build as the world becomes more collaborative.  This is one reason Edelman recently formed our Strategic + Creative Guild.  This is a group of strategists, art directors, copywriters and digital gurus from across our network working together on the best ways to build insight- driven initiatives for our clients, no matter their industry or practice.

New technology always has and always will change the way humans interact with each other – from the wheel  and telescope to steam locomotives, airplanes, automobiles, electric lights, movie projectors, computers, cellphones and apps for curing what ails us.  At the end of the day,  technology and creativity come together to produce innovation.  A step in the right direction for all of us.

Top Tech Gadgets for the Holiday Season

By Katie Gaskin, Assistant Account Executive, Austin

With the beginning of fall comes the inevitable stress surrounding holiday shopping. What to get for the person who has everything, or the tech geek in the family? In the digital world we live in, gadgets that allow for multitasking and provide the latest technology and fastest connectivity are highly sought after, making them ideal holiday gifts. Consumers are constantly seeking the newest, greatest and fastest technology as soon as it’s available, a trend exemplified by the craze surrounding Apple’s release of an updated iPhone each fall. Fortunately, a crop of cool gadgets has recently debuted, just in time to avoid any holiday shopping woes. Read on for some of the latest tech gadgets to hit the market.

iPhone 5
This is a given. If you know someone who wasn’t one of the 2 million-plus people to pre-order the iPhone 5 within the first 24 hours it was available, consider it a sure-to-please holiday present.  A 4-inch retina display, faster than ever Wi-Fi and a battery that manages to be more powerful while conserving battery life make the iPhone 5 a must-have for the mobile minded.

The HP Envy Sleekbook 6z
With features like Rapid Smart and Smart Response technology, and perks such as dual speakers and a subwoofer through the Beats Audio system, it’s hard to believe that the HP Envy Sleekbook 6 is only 19.8mm thick. The Sleekbook is the ideal size for transporting and has a battery life of up to 9 hours, allowing you to work all day without ever having to search for a plug to recharge.

iPad Mini
While Apple has not officially announced the iPad Mini, the device is hitting the rumor mill hard. The tech blog Gizmodo published pictures of a working device, while InformationWeek revealed specs for the gadget, which should measure 7.8 inches in diameter, similar in size to a Kindle and other Android tablets. Bloggers expect Apple to make an official announcement this month, so until then, keep this item in the back of your mind while doing any early shopping, as it is sure to top holiday wish lists this year.

Samsung Galaxy Camera
The Galaxy Camera by Samsung marks the first camera to offer 3G and 4G data connections in addition to Wi-Fi. Perfect for photography buffs or those who are constantly on the go, the Galaxy Camera presents the first real challenge to the portability and convenience of the smartphone. Other features include GPS, Bluetooth, the ability to download apps through Google Play and, of course, a 21x optical zoom, 1/2.3-inch BSI CMOS image sensor as well as a 4.77-inch LCD screen.

Toys R Us Tabeo Tablet
Not to forget the kiddos on everyone’s holiday list, the new Tabeo tablet released by Toys R Us is designed specifically for children. The 7-inch Android powered tablet is equipped with Wi-Fi (with plenty of parental controls), an HDMI port to connect to a TV and 50 preloaded games, educational apps and books. Last but not least, the tablet has a drop-safe bumper to protect it from any bumps and bruises. The Tabeo hits stores on October 21 and is available for pre-order on the Toys R Us website.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
Amazon’s newest e-reader, the Paperwhite, features higher resolution and contrast, an 8 week battery life and a patented built-in light. The Kindle’s screen lighting is its distinguishing feature from other tablets, allowing for optimal reading conditions without glare, even in the brightest of sunlight. The Paperwhite takes this feature to the next level with adjustable brightness that provides the perfect amount of light for reading in bed or relaxing by the pool. No additional reading lamp is needed.

Big Data Promise Tremendous Potential for Communicators

By By Kym White, Global Practice Chair, Health

 I’m just back from the Arthur Page conference in San Francisco, the twice-yearly confab for Chief Communications Officers, and this year’s theme was a steady drumbeat about data.

“Big data,” of course – data that ultimately hold the promise of more than volume, but actual diversity to power the answers to myriad questions. IBM’s John Kelly gave a terrific talk about what big data mean to communicators, speaking to “the four V’s” – the volume, velocity, variety and veracity that big data promise. Interestingly enough, he projects that in the next few years nearly 80 percent of our data will be coming in the form of video. While it’s difficult to think of the infographics we’ve all become so good at creating over the past few years as a passing fad driving audience engagement, Kelly predicts video will dominate in the not-so-distant future.

Ann Winblad, partner at Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, discussed how a data-driven orientation is built into every company they are funding, no matter what the sector. The implications of this are enormous, especially as we think about IBM’s Watson taking up residence at Wellpoint for the last seven months.

In discussions following these presentations, the CCOs assembled to discuss the possibilities that big data advance. Having data is one thing, but what do we ask of it, learn from it, do with it? And where does the CCO fit in this picture?

Throughout the meeting, CCOs were polled real-time on questions relating to data use, ownership and measurement. Here are just a few data points generated at the meeting that might interest communicators:

• 41 percent of CCOs ranked big data as “very important” to their organizations – yet 30 percent acknowledged it is “important – but we aren’t doing much in this area yet”
• CCOs named customer feedback, brand research and formal media and opinion surveys as their top three sources of data in their current roles
• They also say that the CIO has the biggest share of budget for big data (45 percent), followed closely by CMOs (36 percent)
• 55 percent indicated they needed assistance in measuring the ROI of big data, with nearly 35 percent reporting they were unsure if they needed assistance, presumably related to the number of CCOs calling big data important but suggesting their companies are not deeply engaged with it yet

Big data is on its way. How do you think it will it change the way we work as communicators?

Editor’s note: This piece was originally published on the Edelman Global Practices Blog, and can be found here.

How Dad and ‘Ma Bell Taught Me to Embrace Innovation and Change

  By Susan MacLaughlin, Account Supervisor, Dallas

My Daddy works for Western, and my Mommy works for Bell.
Considering Divestiture, I think I turned out swell.
Introducing Susan Kathryn, the newest Baby Bell.

So read the first few lines of the birth announcement for a third generation telecom brat.

My PR career has allowed me to work with a variety of telecommunications and technology companies that talk in bits and bytes and mostly work in rather bland office suites. But through my family’s history with AT&T and the Bell System, I’ve had an up-close view of an industry that’s moved from clunky landline rotary phones to smart devices and from an intricate maze of wires and poles to the cloud. 

With rapid innovation, old technologies often fall by the wayside. For example, there’s no longer a need for the porcelain and glass insulators that my grandfather once installed on top of telephone poles (they sure are pretty, though). While this may be the case, my Dad taught me how to balance my love for the products and services I pitch today with the promise of future innovation.

While Dad was among the engineers who worked on innovations like digital electronic switching, the time he spent improving long distance service to the towns and cities where he grew up were a highlight of his career. Through his work with Western Electric, he and his team were responsible for the construction and maintenance of a network of microwave towers placed throughout the rolling hills of Western Wisconsin.  They didn’t look like much – squatty little concrete buildings with metal towers pointing toward the sky – and were often placed smack in the middle of cow pastures. But at the time, the technology was mesmerizing – especially for an old farm kid like my Dad. Rather than relying solely on lines to relay the call, the microwave towers created a high frequency path for communication, relaying the transmission through the air from one tower to another until it was finally switched into our local telephone office and from there, to customers’ homes. 

Dad loved those towers. He loved them so much that he even brought my Mom to see them when they went on dates. Romantic, right? The towers were a huge part of his life. And then, just as quickly as the towers went up, they became obsolete. By 1989, AT&T announced that it would retire all its analog transmission facilities.   

On the one hand, it could be really easy to say that the thousands of hours he spent constructing microwave towers were a waste. But over the course of many drives through rural Wisconsin, what my Dad taught me as we passed by those defunct towers is that while those structures were a huge part of his life, microwave towers were a necessary step between the lines and poles my grandfather installed and the more advanced innovations that drive the way we communicate today. In fact, Dad was able to take what he learned from working on those towers and apply it to a twilight consulting career with various spin-off companies in Dallas during the telecom boom.

Dad has been retired for years now, but his lessons remain true. While innovation can lead to moments of reflection and nostalgia, the evolution of technology is also a good part of what makes working with it so incredibly fun and rewarding. Technology companies, including many of our clients, are constantly updating and improving their offerings – to the extent that when we look back at our pitches 10 years from now, their products and services will likely seem as antiquated as a 1970s-era microwave tower. And you know, even if the products and services we currently work with are gone within a year, we’ll have developed critical knowledge and relationships to help us keep having fun with the client technologies of tomorrow.  I know I’m still having a ball, and I can’t wait to see what the next year brings.
 
 

A View From TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2012

By Maria Amundson, GM, Silicon Valley

This year’s TechCrunch Disrupt, the annual Mecca of Bay Area entrepreneurialism, was an inimitable combination of great ideas, sharp mentors, impressive startups and contagious optimism for the future, along with the inevitable dash of caffeine overdose, self-reverence, insider lexicon and crazy socks. The enthusiasm was palpable, with over 300 startups exhibiting in the hallways and competing in pitch-offs to panels of angel investors and venture capitalists. In between, TechCrunch journalists hosted interviews onstage with interesting figures like Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The startup competition was friendly but fierce, particularly in the transportation disrupt-ors field where Your Mechanic, Lit Motors and a bevy of ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft showed off their business ideas and pitching prowess. Other clusters of innovation centered on food and wellness, parenting, sports, entertainment, publishing, conferencing, fan sites, careers, learning and mobile commerce.

The revered wise elders (at least relatively elder) at Disrupt, like Ben Horowitz of Andreessen Horowitz and Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn and Greylock Ventures, this year pointed to the enterprise as a key area for disruptive innovation. Hoffman predicted “the next cycle of IPO’s will be enterprise. And what’s interesting about that is much of [the innovative development] has roots in consumer, like Workday. And these will be substantial, world-changing companies.” The Wall Street Journal subsequently picked up this refrain.

Beyond the visions of smart, dedicated and passionate idealists, TechCrunch Disrupt also gave an entertaining view of some of the silly insider lexicon: terms like “iterate, liftoff, and glocal” used with very straight faces. Google Ventures’ Kevin Rose put it well in this New York Magazine capture of some of the day one conversation overheard on the floor of Disrupt. I didn’t check his socks.

Editor’s note: This piece was originally published on the Edelman Global Practices Blog, and can be found here.

Educate Yourself

By Helen Vollmer, President, Southwest

 

Education Reform.  Heavy sigh.  We hear a lot about it, but from my experience in querying people about it, the general response is,” yeah, we need it.”  But few can tell you what it is, what’s being done about it and at what cost (both financially and personally).  

This issue of E-volution is all about education from some of our experts in the field.  As we grapple with very real and emerging issues that affect us as a nation and society in general, one thing is certain.  Education is a very complex undertaking. 

In fact, education reform is so complex that it has been a topic of discussion since Plato’s time (The Republic).  Thomas Jefferson advocated ambitious reforms for public schooling, as did Rousseau, Thoreau, Dewey (remember the Dewey Decimal system?), Montessori and Bush (No Child Left Behind).

Clearly, no one has found the silver bullet yet to education reform.  In the meantime, according to an OECD report, the United States which ties for first place with Switzerland in annual spending per student, still lags far behind the schools of other wealthy nations in reading, math and science.

Education topics we all have a stake in include accountability, accessibility, teacher quality, curriculum standards, bilingual education, teacher quality, class sizes, instructional philosophies, academic standards, digital approaches, and mainstreaming students with learning disabilities.  And, oh, yes, did I say funding?

Education should not be a partisan issue but, of course, it is. The debate will rage on.  All we can do is educate ourselves, have a voice and work within our communities to better schools and academic approaches.  As schools and universities gear back up, let’s not forget we can always raise our educational standards for those to come.  We can do better.