I had the pleasure of speaking at the Acuity Forums “Executing Social Media” conference today in Toronto about corporate reputations in our hyper-digital age (aka social media). It’s a variation on a talk I’ve given a couple of times over the last few months that seems to resonate with a lot of marketers and customer service folks as they try to navigate the new reality of the social web and “always on” communications.

The event this morning was sold-out but for those who missed it (and wish they hadn’t) we’ll be doing this again in early March. There are a few tickets still available. If you’re planning on attending make sure to say hi!

My slides (minus my witty chatter around them) are available to check out as well:

The Movie Network (Astral Media) hired us to develop an online-focused campaign to launch their new High Definition programming. We created the “More HD” theme that was used across all media. A series of rich IAB ads featured an HD movie carousel that updated dynamically from the Astral server. We also created video ad units (with purpose-built movie trailers) and an HD Movie microsite that featured the entire library of HD Movie Network titles. The microsite makes use of Flash 10 to create a smooth and engaging 3D environment. This site is also deployed as embedded content across affiliate and marketing partner sites.

By working closely with Media Experts we were able to identify media partnerships that were eager to create campaign destinations within their sites, notably, Heavy.com and GorrillaNation. Heavy components included a first-of-its-kind homepage zoom takeover, embedded deployment of the HD Movie microsite inside the HD movie trailers section, TMN sponsorship of various sections within the site, video channel content and Heavy blog editorial content. A branded TMN YouTube channel also features TMN HD movie trailers and exclusive online video content.

Visit the site jointhemovienetwork.ca

In the world of marketing and advertising, knowing what interests people have in our client’s brands is somewhat exciting for us. At Teehan+Lax we use social media measuring tools to help monitor our client’s brands, and the competition. What are people saying? Is it good? is it bad? It is ugly…

“What’s particularly interesting is the negative sentiment has jumped to 40% from 15%, while the positive sentiment has dropped to 14% from 49%” @sysomos

The findings can help validate expectations, but they also yield some interesting insights and trends. But what happens when these tools are applied to measuring a person’s reputation?

Sure one could argue that celebrities are often thought of as ‘brands’ in today’s society, but imagine being judged by your peers and the general population and be able to physically see the results?

The folks at Sysomos (who offer a variety of measuring tools that we use) did an interesting experiment along those lines. They recently blogged about Tiger Woods’ reputation pre and post the latest media frenzy surrounding his accident and admitted transgressions. (You know where to find these stories).

The social media measuring results are fun and entertaining when it comes to celebrities – but what happens when your own reputation is on the line? There have been recent reports that the CIA have been investigating ways to watch the social sphere. Beware… one false ‘tweet’ and you may end up on a list!

One of the challenges I continue to hear from companies looking to get involved in social communications is how to shift mindsets from tactics and campaigns to a holistic, conversational approach with customers, and what that means from an organizational and operational perspective. Additionally, while there are places within social media for fun, exciting campaigns, if you aren’t at the table having a conversation to begin with you are still adopting a push mentality to the web and missing key opportunities to engage directly with the people who care about your company.

A simple but powerful method I use to illustrate what holistic participation means in the social web is to “L.E.T. GO”.

What does this mean in practice?

Listen / Learn:

Find out what people think about, care about, talk about

Learn what you are doing right and wrong

Discover new ideas

Where are people talking?

What do they think about you?

Are there stories you didn’t know about?

Engage:

Figure out what you have to add that brings value

Find the people internally who are passionate and let them connect

Embrace the chaos

Internalize feedback

Experiment & think integration

You aren’t IN control, but you still HAVE some control

Transform:

Evolution isn’t static.

Social communications touches every aspect of your business – sales, HR, product development, customer care, marketing, R&D, partners, etc. in a holistic fashion. People don’t think in silos.


Caring about how people truly experience your brand will drive your brand forward. In our hyper-connected world your reputation is what other people say it is. The illusion of control is just that, an illusion.

——-


Above all else, when thinking about “letting go” and participating, the number one rule is that you must be HUMAN. Let go of the marketing and corporate speak: no one is listening. Being human means incorporating and acting on valid feedback and changing when it makes sense. In today’s world it is a differentiating factor that will drive your business forward.

We’re really excited to announce that we’ll be working with Virgin Mobile on their digital properties and initiatives. There was just such a great fit between us. From the moment we got the call to the final pitch – The brand, the people, the ask, everything just felt right. We both have a lot of work ahead of us and we really can’t wait to get started. We look forward to sharing some of what we do together over the coming months. A sincere thanks goes out to the people who worked on the pitch and those who picked up the slack while we did it.

After attending the MediaPost Digital Out of Home awards in New York (where we won the best point-of-sale award) I was invited to attend my first Toronto Digital Signage Industry mixer. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but have to admit I was pleasantly surprised and had a great time.

Most of the people in attendance were from the hardware, installation and deployment side of the business, but there were also reps from research companies, developers, and a couple of account types from creative shops. Apple sponsored the event and was there to showcase the latest mac mini as an affordable network solution for displaying HD signage.

I mention all this because I was taken by the diversity, enthusiasm and positive vibe of the group. It reminded me a lot of the early days in interactive where people talked about how the Internet would change everything. As one attendee said to me, “It’s just a matter of time before digital signs replace regular billboards… they’re simple to update, way more engaging… and eventually you’ll be able to interact with them.” Now, I don’t think digital signage will ever have the same transforming influence as the Internet, but I can appreciate the enthusiasm. And that got me thinking about where digital signage is headed.

Over the last two years we’ve seen digital signage show up on more and more media strategies, in direct contrast to the declining spends on TV and print. Clearly clients and media companies are see a benefit. In fact, that’s one of the reasons we got into signage. It was seen as a natural extension of the online work we did, there was a compelling budget/timing argument and quite frankly, the traditional agency didn’t want to do the work. And even though tough economic times have resulted in some production flowing back into the studios of traditional ad agencies, they still aren’t necessarily the ones best suited to do the work. As Michael Lebowitz, CEO of Big Spaceship, said in the article, Digital Shops Caught in Transition,

“The changed (economic) landscape will inevitably lead to new models that blur production and agency services. “One of the big issues for the traditional TV-driven agencies is they have outsourced craft that forget how to do it and its value,” he said. “Craft is more important than ever. Making things and seeing what sticks in a time of flux is the only answer.”

So who will be the ones to test new approaches and make sense of this opportunity? Personally, I think it will be innovators from the interactive world. And I hold up the MEGAphone work being done by Colin Moock and Derek Clayton as a prime example.

I’m also reminded of a visit I made over a year ago to the testing lab of a local digital signage company where they showcased gesture-based interfaces for retail storefront windows. It was very Minority Report, but it worked.

When it comes to digital signage, the future may not be here yet but it’s closer than we think. And with it will come new opportunities to extend a brand’s digital footprint and connect with consumers in fresh and meaningful ways. See you at the next mixer.

Follow 3beat on Twitter.

Our digital signage work for the TELUS launch of the HTC Diamond is a finalist in the Best Point-of-Sale Campaign category at the 2009 MediaPost Digital Out-Of-Home Awards. We’re up against R/GA for their Verizon Retail work and Moxie Interactive for their Blackberry Storm signage, and that’s great company to be in.

We’ll know who won on April 22nd. Wish us luck.

Our work for the SunChips Solar Launch Campaign won Effies in both the Green and Snacks/Desserts/Confections categories at the 2009 Effie Awards. But we’ll have to wait until June 8th to find out the flavour. In the meantime, feel free to read our SunChips Get Green case study.

Special thanks and congratulations go out to our good friends at SunChips, Juniper Park, and OMD.

Download the complete list of 2009 Effie winners.

Talk to anyone in marketing these days and they seem to be saying the same thing, “how can we leverage Twitter”. It feels like the early days of Facebook all over again. And no one wants to be the kid at the party who isn’t tweeting.

I think marketers are missing the point. Twitter is not a magic bullet. It will not instantly increase top-line revenue. And it certainly won’t have customers gushing with brand love just because you send out what you want them to hear. That said, I think Twitter is full of marketing potential. If you use it correctly. If you accept it as a tactic in your marketing mix. And if you give it the attention it requires.

So, what exactly is Twitter? The team that created it provides a great history lesson. But essentially it is an instant message format that allows you to publish in 140 character bursts. It allows anyone to follow you, read your messages, and publicly reply to them. And if you choose to follow someone back, you can share private messages. Oh, and all your public communication is on-the-record.

But in marketing terms, Twitter is an extremely efficient access point directly into the mind of your consumer. It’s self-subscribed. The communication flow is 100% controlled by the consumer. And your success or failure is completely up to you. Create the type of relationship your customers crave and Twitter can change your business.

So, where to start:

1. Decide if Twitter is right for your company. But know that using it to extend your offline ad campaign as 140 character soundbites could be a recipe for disaster. Twitter isn’t advertising. It’s a conversation. You need to respect your consumers’ views, and understand their relationship to your product(s) and brand. If they want information about retail sales offers, do it. If you sincerely want discussion about a product, ask for opinions and consider the feedback. [UPDATE: and as @thirtytwoteeth suggests, “provide useful/insightful updates.”] But most of all – determine your voice. This is likely the most intimate conversation you’ve ever had with your customer. Don’t squander it.
2. Make Twitter part of your communication plan. And this really means you’ll need to find someone in your company to own it. At this stage of the game it’s not something you can pass off to your ad agency, PR company or digital partner. It’s fast becoming a critical component of your social media mix, and potentially, more important than your advertising. If the US Army has a social media strategy, so can your company.

1. Most of all, embrace failure. The best way to find your voice is to start talking and listen to what your followers say. Engage them. Ask questions. And don’t be afraid to change. Twitter is extremely cost efficient experiment, so don’t let budget stand in your way.

   These three tips are by no means the only way to get into the Twitter game, but they will get you started. And no matter what your objective is, Twitter can help you define your social media approach. This is only going to get more important as consumers continue to become more savvy. So, get in there and figure it out.

   Follow 3beat on Twitter.

A friend of ours, Daniel Burka, who also happens to be the Creative Director at Digg posted this video to his twitter feed today. I was blown away by it. Aside from being visually stunning, its core message runs deep and has little to do with motorsport or automotive manufacturing. Everyone should take more personal time to reflect upon their failures rather than trying to forget about them.