CEC Insider

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to generate no shortage of commentary.  Not only on the environmental, political, and economic consequences of the disaster, but also on a topic much more personal for corporate communicators: BP’s communications strategy.  If you’ve seen such commentary from activists (e.g., James Hoggan) or from news outlets covering the broader story (e.g., CNN), you’ve likely noticed a certain schadenfreude that permeates these remarks.  Of course, this makes them interesting, but mostly irrelevant to corporate communications professionals, aside from the minority who are responsible for crisis response in companies capable of major industrial accidents.

For the rest of us – and even for that minority – there are a couple lessons to be gleaned from BP’s handling of the Gulf Coast oil spill.  Lessons that are more subtle than the prevailing commentary and much more relevant.  Read More »

Rule #1 (supposedly) for writing a blog is to include links: lots, the more the merrier.  I’d never really questioned this; hyperlinks are a part of Web reading, so it makes sense to use them when you’re writing for the Web.  Furthermore, search engines reward being linked to (although less now than ten years ago), so links are a polite acknowledgement of ideas that inspire you (not to mention a subtle ask for reciprocal links).

But I’ve had an epiphany over the last two weeks, brought on by one of the few remaining sources of Web deprivation: travel, in particular, airplane travel.  (Yes, some carriers offer in-flight broadband, but not my last few flights.)  This prompted me to do something that has become almost nostalgic: break open a book.  In this case, it was Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows, which, as far as I’m concerned, is a must-read for any communicator.

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May was a big month here at the CEC – we wrapped up our biggest research initiative of the year and presented it for the first time at our headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.

For me, the most memorable moment in discussion came during a segment on media monitoring.  This topic can seem quite mechanical – the sort of thing you’d assign to a mid-level person on your team.  But the discussion in Arlington really brought home for me just how strategic it needs to be.

Most of the comms executives participating in the discussion described what I can only characterize as a disjointed approach: one tool for traditional media, another for blogs, another for twitter, and so on.  For a few, responsibility for each type of monitoring (traditional vs. social) even resides in separate groups or departments.  Now, a few folks did describe more integrated systems.  But even in those cases, typical reporting is channel by channel, perhaps with some overall statistics on company mentions, tonality, and/or share of voice.

Does any of this describe your department’s approach? Read More »

Read PR Week lately?  I don’t mean the online edition—I’m talking about the old-fashioned print version, which now comes out … monthly.    I still read printed material when I can, because it helps me spot things I typically miss on a computer screen.

For example, I caught their piece on corporate press sites in the March 2010 issue (my apologies for not enclosing a link—you need a subscription to read it).  They hold up media sites from Microsoft and GM as examples of a trend: redesigned news rooms aimed not only at professional journalists but also at the general public. Read More »

Economics writer Tim Harford wrote an interesting opinion piece in the Financial Times last week, urging readers to “Listen to the bearers of bad news.”  Though politicians were the primary examples, the piece’s fundamental message—“any leader needs frank advice, and the biggest obstacle to receiving it is often the leader himself”—applies equally to business. Harford says as much, citing the reality television show Undercover Boss.

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One of the best parts of my job is getting out to visit our members in person.  What’s especially fun about live events is the chance to see members’ eyes light up when they discover a new way to look at a particular challenge that makes it easier for them to address it.

I traveled recently to a cool and rainy Amsterdam to talk about social media with a number of our European members.  (CEC members can check out the meeting materials here.) The 20ish participants, graciously hosted by Delta Lloyd, shared their experiences with the social media tools—such as blogs, Yammer, Facebook, and Twitter—used by many large corporations today.  The best discussion, though, was focused on the social media questions that lack easy answers. Here are a few that we talked about:

• How can we convince internal skeptics (especially Legal) to permit more social media use?
• When should we respond to what is being said about the company on social media platforms?
• Who should be allowed to speak for the company on social media platforms, and within what guidelines? Read More »