If it bled, it led.
I learned that early in my journalism career, producing a local morning show in New York. A heroic rescue of a cat in a tree by a Grandma with a bad left knee in a calico dress?
Save it for the kicker, the back end of the show meant to send viewers off with a smile.
A headless body in a topless bar?
Now that’s a lead.
I’m extremely proud to work for an organization that delivers break through work for clients, but there’s something else that makes me really happy to work for Ketchum: our corporate citizenship program, better known as Ketchum Social Responsibility (KSR).
I’m not the only one proud of this program. Our people around the world rally behind it to support causes important them, and these range from the small, like working with community groups to beautify our local neighborhoods, to the very large, like raising awareness for global literacy organization Room to Read or partnering with the World Economic Forum on issues including global health, battling corruption and role of media and education.
By mobilizing bloggers to post stories about life in Brooklyn, Ketchum ignited a grassroots campaign that gave ABSOLUT BROOKLYN, a city-inspired flavored vodka, the authentic street credibility to drive awareness and purchase intent significantly.
The ad biz sure knows how to put on a show. In the cavernous lobby of Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the industry’s creative rock stars munched on duck wraps and veggie skewers, admiring each other’s work and haircuts. I just attended the One Show, advertising’s night of creative exaltation, and ended the evening feeling both inspired and dumbfounded.
The show opened with a reel of extravagant ads I’d never seen. My host explained many are produced primarily for the One Show jury! Production studios and agencies looking to build portfolio creds go all out to make ads that seldom air–but that take home trophies for creative fabulousness. I was dumbfounded by such industry insularity.. .and by agency budgets that allow for it. An added incentive for creative wunderkinds, headhunters apparently stalk events like the One Show, looking to snap up the most fabulous.
If the PR world teaches us practitioners one thing, it’s learn to pick your battles.
I appreciate, it is often far easier for us to counsel our clients to say something rather than say nothing – being thought-provoking makes people sit up and take notice after all. Being silent on the other hand can provoke suspicion. And as human beings, we are all fiercely territorial when it comes to defending on our own patch.
However as trusted consultants, we need to constantly remind ourselves of the tightrope we’re walking and how easy it is for supposed ‘supporters’ of our clients to suddenly turn into adversaries. A mistimed comment, insensitive remark or throwaway opinion is all it takes to turn the tide of opinion, as recently experienced by London’s largest minicab company Addison Lee (a service I myself have used on many a late night!).
At a time when studies reveal trust and confidence in leadership to be in crisis - and with Trust and Reputation so inextricably linked – many would be forgiven for thinking that we are entering the golden age of reputation management. And they would be absolutely right.
Stakeholder perceptions of company behaviour are now proven to have a real impact on business value. In 2011, 283 of the S&P500 companies disclosed reputation risk to be material – and that is up from only 40 three years ago. In the finance industry, where traditional evaluation is based on profit and market share, one investment bank has publicly stated that reputation will be one of the nine criteria that the CEO’s performance will be judged upon for his remuneration package—effectively putting a stake in the ground for the importance of reputation.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) should lie at the core of every company’s operation. Take 60 seconds to find out why and what you can do to improve your company’s efforts with London’s own CSR expert.
Anthropologists say there are a handful of behaviors which set us apart from other primates. These include using specialized tools and ways to hunt. Another is the way we organize our living spaces.
These still hold true today. We still use specialized tools. We have unique ways of tracking down what we need. And we put lots of effort into organizing our living spaces. The big difference between now and the days of the stone hand axe is that today’s tools have an on/off switch and most have a silicon chip, too. Technology is now the tool that sets us apart as humans.
This year’s Marketing-to-Women (M2W) Conference was packed full of research. One session that really struck a chord with me was presented by Anthem! and focused on the expectations and motivations of women.
As a mom of a preschooler, with another on the way, I’m drawn to marketing that speaks to moms – and of course, a lot of it leaves me scratching my head. For example, there’s a campaign with Kelly Ripa as the spokesperson. Here she is looking skinny and gorgeous, running around her million-dollar NYC condo with heels, makeup and perfect hair cooking a full turkey while entertaining the kids and doing laundry.
Yes, I get that the commercial is implying the product is what makes it possible, but after viewing the commercial it just makes me annoyed. I mean, what mom really looks like that at home, and is so happy to do all of those things at once?
Cue the research from Anthem! which explains my annoyance.
While it’s true that women today have more power than ever before (more education, doing better than men in job market, etc.) this doesn’t mean they feel added pressure to do more. On the contrary, women today are shunning traditional external expectations (e.g., I need to look good, do everything and be nice) in favor of their personal internal motivations.
For brand marketers to be successful they should hit these true internal motivations. Some examples:
External Expectations (things women feel pressured to do): have a career, be a good mom, do it all, be attractive, be feminine, contribute to society
Internal Motivations (things women at their core are motivated to do – not something they do because of pressure): be healthy, have children, be in a relationship, be financially independent, have a balanced life, be fulfilled, follow my personal motivations
The previously mentioned ad hits external expectations too hard not what is internally motivating to women. It puts too much pressure on women to look good and do it all and frankly, we’re too tired to do it all and nor do we want to!
But it’s not all bad out there. There is a new campaign that’s doing it right. A campaign featuring real moms across the globe as they get their kids up, feed them breakfast and shuttle them to sports really touches on the internal motivations of women. This campaign is tied to the upcoming London Olympic games and every time I watch it, I get a little teary. What I love is that the moms are real – no makeup, houses are messy and the kids are kids. To see it, click here
To hear more about what motivates women, I’d like to invite you to tune into our “Best of M2W” webinar on May 9. Click here to register.
As Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge, PR 2.0 strategists, put it, “social media represents a shift from a broadcast mechanism to a many-to-many model” (Putting the Public back in Public Relations, 2009). Information is no longer owned by centrally organized broadcasting institutions (such as newspapers), but rather publicly generated (Wikipedia) and publicly distributed (Twitter).
As a consequence, people’s expectations regarding the supply of information have changed. People expect fast and direct information. Companies can no longer hide behind spokespersons, neither internally or externally. Speed and directness are without alternative to keep a share of voice –for example, if line managers do not communicate directly to their teams, employees might use the union chat to form their opinion.
I am a big believer in breakfast and lunch meetings and that face time results in stronger relationships and better business results. This past week I had a number of important lunch meetings that reminded me of their power. Here are a few takeaways
1. Pitching is everyone’s job. Even when you are as famous as Katie Couric no one can pitch your show or be more passionate than you can. Showing up in person signals a commitment to success. In addition, surrounding yourself with talented producers and promoters that we all want to work with left us wanting more.
2. How one deals with adversity speaks volumes. Lunch with my aunt’s best friend reminded me of the many life lessons of love and respect over time as she shows unbelievable compassion for a husband who can no longer communicate. Her approach to charity and doing what is right despite the drain on her are so admirable and reinforced for me the need to make more time to give back.
Welcome to Ketchum's blog portal, where we capture the opinions and insights of several of our employees on a variety of communications topics. We are proud to participate in the sharing of thoughts and ideas about our industry. Read More.