CEC Insider

Over the past month, one of the most prominent images plastered across the media and web has been thousands of “fan boys” lining up for the latest iPhone 4.  Given the intense passion you can visibly see people associating with the Apple brand and products, few members were shocked when CEC found that emotional connections (more than experiences or trust) drives the active support an organization needs to penetrate today’s networked environment.  While agreeing with the theory, many communicators have argued that their categories/industries are too rational, regulated, or conservative to build such bonds.

Although it’s true that we’re not all Apple, I don’t buy that this finding doesn’t have immediate applicability for every communicator worldwide, and to try to prove it, I’m listing below 10 highly accessible ideas to develop more emotionally resonant content. Read More »

When LeBron James finally joined Twitter during his week long free agency, many predicted the announcement of his new team would come in a 140 characters, representing another blow to the role of “traditional” media in reporting the world’s events.  Instead, fans were treated to “The Decision,” an hour-long ESPN special ostensibly to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club.  The backlash to both LeBron and ESPN was swift and intense as viewers saw a media organization ceding privileged access to accommodate the figures it’s supposed to cover and the corporations that back them – all perhaps just to stay relevant in the world of Twitter.

But the immediate revulsion of the public to ESPN’s highest-ever rated softball game suggests that Americans may have seen the future of journalism and decided they don’t like it. Read More »

I can’t last an hour in a mall.  I’ve never really “shopped” without a mission to fill a specific (perceived) hole among my material goods.  And the only coupon I can ever remember using was an online discount at last Sunday’s golf course.  I’m oddly proud of all of those facts, and so it pains me to report that Groupon may be the most perfect example of everything CEC has uncovered about succeeding in today’s networked environment.

I assume most are familiar with Groupon’s mechanics: subscribers receive a daily e-mail offering a discount at a local retailer, restaurant, or service provider.  The site shows a minimum number of purchase commitments required by the merchant and a running tally of how many have been made.  Once the minimum threshold is reached, the deal “tips” and the transactions are processed (98% of deals tip).  Merchants acquire new customers, subscribers get a discount, and Groupon takes a cut off the deal.

I never got the appeal as a consumer, but as an observer of business trends, I’m paying much closer attention to Groupon now based on its alignment with CEC’s most recent best practices.

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Last week, the evolution of CEB technology enabled me to remotely view our debut meeting of 2010 on Influencing Stakeholders in a Networked Environment.  This seemed like a great time to take a page from the online game commentary of ESPN’s Bill Simmons with a Retro Diary of last week’s CEC meeting… Read More »

I’m sitting outside Costa Coffee on an overcast April day struggling to balance a fashionably large porcelain mug with the finger gestures that direct the New York Times iPhone app.  As my Americano finally begins to wake me up, I admire a streetscape of eclectic boutiques, trendy bistros, and a colorfully decorated elementary school—all in a vaguely Parisian architectural style.  The comforts of yuppiedom feel extremely familiar.

Finally, a text from a friend interrupts my digestion of the latest Goldman Sachs news and directs me to our lunch destination.  I turn the corner and am suddenly confronted by a much less familiar scene: dozens of merchants selling fruit, scarves, and DVDs in chaotic street side markets; a breeze of fast moving bikes, cars, scooters, and people; and an undecipherable buzz of voices conducting business on cell phones, negotiating with shopkeepers, and asking me for money (I think).

Such are the contrasts of Shanghai’s French Concession where I spent most of my vacation last month.  These streets are still less a microcosm of modern China than ground zero for a rapidly evolving economic and cultural landscape, but I came to believe over my stay that there may not be a bigger or more challenging economic imperative for business communicators in the coming years than navigating the landscape of this complicated environment.

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Before the namesake of ObamaCare was in the U.S. Senate, I completed an undergraduate certificate program in Health Policy, primarily to stay on the family payroll for an extra semester.  Last week, those extra credits foolishly prompted me to volunteer this entry on what communicators should know and do about the reform bill.  Fortunately, our sister program serving benefits executives has produced a tidy 6-page summary of key provisions, but it may be more fortunate that they have us, as their recent online survey revealed communications about the bill as their most immediate concern.

Here are the most important things for corporate communicators to know right now about the health care reform bill:

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One of the best lines I’ve heard from a CEC member lately was a quote about brand guidelines from their CEO:

“I don’t care what they call us, as long as they call us.” 

It’s not a bad sentiment from executives focused on quarterly profits, but it’s questionable for communicators trying build the long-term value of the brand.

Two issues immediately arise: 1) what’s the point of brand guidelines as long as they “call us”? and 2) if we agree that the brand guidelines have value, then what can Communications do to enforce them—particularly in relatively decentralized organizations?

Read More »

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In the most dissected PR tactic since Bill Clinton first addressed the Monica Lewinsky affair, Tiger Woods delivered a statement in front of a hand-picked crowd unable to ask any questions.  I’ve argued in the past that the real lesson was from his allowing such a disconnect between the perception and reality of his life, but because Tiger is as close to a functioning business as an athlete could possibly be, I believe it’s instructive for professional communicators to assess his performance nonetheless.

My answer: Disastrous (but it’s not all his fault!). Read More »

For $3 million dollars per 30-second spot, Super Bowl advertisers gave us Betty White, talking babies (again), Danica Patrick (again), a Google wedding, and more late-night wars (why would Leno appear in a competitor’s commercial?), among other sophomoric hijinks. Those were my favorites in an otherwise uninspiring line-up. But even when our marketing brethren aren’t so funny, I see several ways that communicators can help their organizations get more out of any significant investment in advertising: Read More »

Like most political junkies, I spent last Tuesday night following the returns of the Massachusetts “special election.”  Among hundreds of potential reasons for the upset cited, many pointed to Scott Brown’s effective use of social media.  This significant event in the application of social media to politics followed a more symbolic event the day before.  On January 18^th, 2010, Barack Obama sent his first tweet. (I found this shocking because I would have put the over/under on his total tweets at around 100, but this was the first from the President himself.)

These developments reminded me of three recent member conversations on the following question:  Will social media erode the line between traditional lobbying and public relations?   I won’t predict the future, but I’ve seen enough smoke lately from some very credible parties to suggest the potential for a significant fire.    Read More »