Socially Adept

Under Armour Wins The Z List Experiment with Power of Pink

Almost exactly one year ago, I started "The Z List Experiment" with a belief that at some point big brands would start paying attention to bloggers no matter how big their audience is.  I had some lofty expectations, but was confident that a few targeted posts would eventually capture the eye of someone and warrant a response.  Last month, one of my initial three brands finally took the time to touch base!

UNDER ARMOUR!

A month ago, I was contacted by Allison at MWW (UA's PR Agency) regarding the companies Power in Pink campaign.  Exactly one year ago, I wrote about the campaign as I thought it was a great platform for injecting Social Media initiatives.  This year, Under Armour is doing it again and the micro site looks great, but the Social Media is still a bit lack luster.  Here is the info on the campaign from Allison:

"The campaign is similar to last year’s, so you are probably already familiar with the program, but here are some of the main details: Under Armour is encouraging survivors and women currently living with breast cancer to share their inspirational stories of strength and survival at www.underarmour.com/powerinpink as part of their Undeniable Survivor Search. Under Armour will select three stories of undeniable courage to become the new faces of the “Power in Pink” campaign and star in national magazine and online advertisements and in-store visuals. Stories will be accepted through April 30, 2008."

I encourage everyone to visit the site and if you have a story to tell, please tell it.  I also encourage Stephen Battista or other members of the UA Marketing team to read "Marketing to the Social Web"... I believe you have a copy? : )  Give me a call when you want to talk about how Social Media can fit into your plan.

So, to wrap up, kudos to Under Armour and MWW for your blogger outreach.  As someone who works in social media instead of just talking about it, I appreciate the effort and time.  On occasion, taking a minute to touch base with the little guy can yield big rewards!

On another note... I never updated anyone on my UA cleats.  Durability is great as they lasted 40+ games so far.  However, they looked better in the box then they did on my feet.  A+ for performance and durability, C- for looks.  Oh, and the new cross trainers looked good in the commercial, but not so hot on the website.

(My apologies to Allison for taking so long to post and to my readers for being absent for so long.  Things have been busy and quiting smoking is no joke!) 

School Administrators are "Douchebags"

I don't even know where to start with this one.  A Connecticut school has barred a student from serving on the student council (even though she won the election... as a write in...talk about campaigning) because she referred to a school administrator as being a "douchebag."  This is a story that's been around since July of 2007, but it's back in the news today as well as appeals court. 

Here's my struggle. 

1) I don't care what anyone calls me on the Internet as long as they are willing to explain why they wrote what they wrote to my face.  If you think I'm a "douchebag," tell me why and maybe we can get to the root of the problem.  Believe me... I am aware that I can be a "douchebag" on occasion so there is a chance I might agree with you.

2) I am clearly a fan of free speech, but I am smart enough to know that slinging insults at an authority figure is not a wise idea.  If I were to slander my boss, coach, parent, etc. on my blog, I would expect there to be some sort of repercussion.  It seems all too frequently these days that respect is something that is on the decline. (The two girls that got booted off of a Southwest flight are the perfect example)

In the instance of Avery Doninger (The CT. Student who write the post on her Myspace Page) I do feel that the punishment was too severe.  Being the rambunctious, destructive hellion I was in high school, I know for a fact that I called the administrators worse than "douchebag."  In fact, I called all authority figures worse things and received less of a punishment than this 17 year old.  However, my parents let me know that there was a valuable lesson to be learned from those experiences...

Sometimes, it's better to say nothing at all.  If you have to say anything, make sure you can say it to that person's face and can take what ever comes to you.

Good bloggers start writing because they are passionate about something.  Passion can occasionally lead to poor judgment.  There is always more than one way to say something and there is always another way to receive something someone has said. 

Not only is this case one of the many instances that highlight our social struggles with the rise of collaboration and conversation on the Internet, but it brings awareness to the slippery slope of issues that await us if we start to regulate the conversation.  In my opinion, Avery should have been punished for her insult, but not by the school administration.  Her parents should take this opportunity to teach their child that there are better ways to approach problems. 

But what do I know... I'm just an occasional "douchebag" without any kids and an occasional blog post.

*For those that are interested.  This is day 10 without cigarettes.  Chantix does work wonders. 

Blogger Outreach is a Waste of Time

...if you're not paying attention and being memorable!  For the past two years, I've seen countless amounts of posts about the appropriate way to pitch bloggers.  Many of these posts are the same, but occasionally, it's nice to have a reminder that short cuts won't work.  Today, Matt Dickman posts about the topic from his perspective.  In his post, Matt revisits tactics that should be common knowledge for many people by now, but sadly, it isn't.

I spend a great deal of time investigating the best approach for establishing relationships with Bloggers.  As a Marketer, my goal is to help introduce my clients to Influential bloggers not solely for the purpose of covering news and products, but to help start what I believe will be, and should be, a lucrative relationship.  As you can imagine, there are often many challenges.  Whether it's time, identifying the appropriate individuals to participate, or standing out from the crowd of PR people who are throwing releases over the fence, there is always a need for something new and fresh.

I'm a big believer that PR Agencies and Professionals should definitely be adopting blogger outreach activities.  It's important to keep Influential bloggers informed and provide them with opportunities to engage with the brand.  However, Social Media open opportunities to build relationships beyond the traditional press pitch, release and pre-brief.  Essentially, the PR agency is only capable of taking the conversation so far.

So what do I mean by that?

Sending press pitches and releases to bloggers is a wise idea.  Especially if you've adopted the Social Media Press Release idea.  Pretty pictures can always grab attention, but it's no more personal than the traditional pitch.  Sure, it makes it easier for the blogger to access all of the content they need to post about your news, but does it encourage a conversation?  Most of us should know by now that conversation creates relationships.  If I deliver a monologue to an audience of one while holding up a few photos and logos am I likely to establish a long lasting connection?

As a former PR guy, I always viewed pitch writing as a creative opportunity.  A way to flex a bit from the standard press release.  However, it was still just text...and maybe it's just me, but I don't connect well with text.  Every once in awhile someone will send me a pitch about their new product or service and I'll read the email a few times and visit the site to check it out, but when I close my email, it's lost and gone forever.  Before you know it, it's old news.

When thinking about blogger outreach, it may be better to think small.  Instead of creating a list of 200 bloggers to reach out to, try focusing on the key 15-20.  If you're target list is too big, how can you customize each pitch and participate in the conversation?  If you're only contact a handful of people, isn't it possible to come up with a rich experience that makes you stand out from the crowd?

Absolutely!  By leveraging marketers and creative resources, you have the power to make a statement and be memorable.  Why confine yourself to the small box that is text?  Too often, we as marketers spend too much time thinking about the bigger conversation.  How do we reach the masses using social media?  How do we leverage Influencers to deliver our message to potential customers? 

We should be more micro in our thinking.  How do we have the conversation with the one person who is conversing with many?

We're all still in a time of evolution and experimentation, so where we'll be two years from now is still anyone's guess.  The one thing we do know, is how do we measure success?  How do we justify the budget spend to create materials solely for 15-20 people?  Why should I spend $10k for creative to deliver the message to such a small audience when I can spend the same amount and pitch 200 bloggers?

I think it would be wise for all of us to start thinking about the real value.  Reaching out to 200 bloggers is risky.  If you're approach is too standard, you could be the next person featured on Jaffe Juice for your poor pitch strategy.  Additionally, what is your success rate for coverage?  10% maybe 20% depending on the quality of your news.  Essentially, the majority of your spend produced zero results.  Sure, you've only spent $50 per Influencer contacted, but the resulting coverage cost $1,000/$500 per hit.

Now, if you reach out to 15-20 key Influencers with a rich experience that starts the conversation, you're odds for success may be much higher.  Based on your approach, Influencers may be willing to cover your news as well as the unique way you approached them.  Assume that of the 20 Influencers included in the campaign, half of them covered your news via a post on their blog, the numbers look like this: $500 per Influencer contacted and a coverage cost of $1,000 per hit.

Hmmmm?  Interesting.  And this doesn't even take into account the conversation that would occur with the influencer (which is much easier to manage on the small scale) and the distribution of more rich materials instead of a press release.  Same costs, same coverage, better results.

Something to think about.  Feel free to send me a message with any ideas or thoughts...after all, we are all still learning and evolving! 

For The Record - Typepad is Driving Me Crazy

Take a look at this blog.  Looks like I haven't been posting, huh?  You could assume that based on the fact that there haven't been any new posts in awhile.  You'd be wrong!

You see, there are several posts that have nearly made their way to the front page of this blog.  Some of the are riveting (if I do say so myself).  Unfortunately, you have no idea what your missing.

After I've completed these fantastic posts that will drastically improve the readership of Socially Adept, I do the appropriate thing and spell check my work.  I hit the spell check button and PRESTO... the post is gone!

Rest assured, the content was created, but unfortunately not shared.  We'll see if I can correct this issue.  Then again... you may never even read this and the whole thing was a fruitless effort to express my issue and explanation to the world. 

If you're reading this... ignore any spelling mistakes and start thinking about what those posts could have been!

Feeling The Pain of Strangers in the Blogosphere

When I started this blog I joined a community.  In some respects, I joined a secret society.  There is no hand shake, no code word, no visual indicator that allows bloggers to nod in passing as if to say, "we belong."  All we have is a URL that links us to each other and an RSS feed that reminds us that there are others out there.  Simply put...just words on a page to tell our story, whatever that story may be.

Occasionally, real world circumstances occur that remind us all that the blogosphere, as big as it may be, is still a community that relies on the people behind the keyboards.  When Om Malik informed his community of readers and fellow bloggers of his current health condition, I admired his courage and dedication to share his life with so many perfect strangers.

When news of Ashley Spencer's death (a popular member of the twitterati) broke on Twitter and Utterz, the out pouring of support was amazing.  Tweets were captured in one place for all to review, badges were created and donation widgets embedded to help support the 20 year olds family.  Over 65 people replied to the Utterz post and the community has raised nearly $6,000 in donations for her family.

When Andrew Olmsted wrote a final post for his blog prior to being killed in active duty in Iraq and enlisted a friend to upload his final words, I felt honored and privileged to gain a little insight about a man I had never met.  I was beyond moved at the caring words he had for his wife and reflected deeply on how his words could provide solace and comfort to so many other grieving family members. 

His words were powerful and went beyond war and politics; as he intended.  Andrew was one man, of his own opinion, leaving behind a perspective so many of us will never understand but should familiarize ourselves with.  One man, in a community of many, believing in a cause and delivering a message.  A complete stranger to me who has left a lasting impression on my life and my perspective.

In some ways, I wish I'd never have to read posts, tweets, messages like this again but I'm not as naive as my photo may suggest.  All I can do is take notice and absorb these words into my life.  We all have a reason for sharing the personal information that we do with perfect strangers.  Sometimes the goal is not to educate people about the costs of war or the dangers of cigarettes.  Sometimes the goal is to merely share our story in an effort that it will merely be heard.

I for one... am listening.

Adding Value to your Blog Audience

Last week, Mack Collier, popular Social Media Blogger at The Viral Garden, continued his discussion on How to Launch a Successful Blogger Outreach Program in One Day.  This edition of the conversation focused on how companies can approach bloggers if there is currently little to no online chatter about the brand.  As Mack states, adding value for your audience can have an immediate impact on conversations about your brand.  Some of you may be scratching your head and wondering what that means.  How can you add value beyond the value your product or company currently provides?

Your first instinct may be to utilize traditional PR materials and redistribute them to the blog to increase exposure and drive traffic back to company news.  Another idea may be to take previously distributed content and post it up on the blog to see if it generates a conversation.  Don’t be disappointed when your audience doesn’t get excited about materials they can find elsewhere on your site or have seen before in the past.

Adding value means providing content, materials and conversation that expands upon your existing brand presence.  Use this venue to let people inside the operation and understand what makes the company tick.  I’m not suggesting that you give away the company “secret sauce,” but be passionate about the industry and ask yourself, “what do our customers need to know?”

If your company makes performance apparel for athletes that keeps you cool in hot weather, blog about all of the sports that could benefit from your offering.  I’m much more likely to talk to you if I believe that you use the products and they work.  Ask me what products I’d like to see you develop using your “state of the art technology” and you’ll have me hooked!  Don’t paint yourself into a corner by focusing solely on the technology that makes your clothes superior and news from the company.  Your customers don’t really care how it works; only that it does. 

There will always be an opportunity to mention a new product, discuss the addition of a new team member or even announce that you had a great quarter, but the primary focus should be on getting the people to your blog and keeping them involved in the conversation.  And most importantly, the conversation needs to come from a real person.

*Important Note: Start thinking about who you want your customers and potential customers to be conversing with before you launch the blog.

The Ethics of Blogging - Part 1

Rule #1 - Know your audience

By now, if you blog, you should know who your audience is and who your audience can be.  Unfortunately, many people are still forgetful of the fact that blogging is a public forum and everyone has access to the content you share.  Recently, I was contacted regarding a situation with a Mommy Blogger.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have become more interested in personal blogs and the real life behind these daily posters, so I was quick to investigate the situation.  Here is what has transpired:

A proud mother has been blogging incessantly about her two daughters and their lives in a suburban, southern community.  With two years behind her, the Mommy Blogger has been able to attract a reasonable following within her local community and online.  Most of the posts revolve around their daily lives and the blog acts as a platform for keeping family and friends updated.  At first glance, this blog (which I am not naming or linking to as I feel it is inappropriate) is the same as 50 million other blogs.  However, this blogger is not aware of who is reading.

In several posts, the Mommy Blogger references a child in her daughters school (Her daughter is in Kindergarten) who was sneezing and coughing all over her during her time volunteering.  Although the Mommy Blogger never names the child or posts photos, the local community is reading and begins to wonder, "is she talking about my kid?"  To make matters worse, the Mommy Blogger begins to chastise the parents of the child for not teaching proper manners.  Her readers chime in with comments supporting her "Parent's Responsibility" standpoint.

After some investigating, it has come to my attention that the child she is referencing is a special needs child with a special needs sibling.  Although I do not have children of my own, I have been fortunate to work with special needs kids on occasion and am aware of the challenges parents face.  Although no one enjoys being sneezed or coughed on, a little understanding is deserved in certain circumstances.

Now, imagine being the parent of this child.  Even though only a handful of people may know the true identity of the child being mentioned, the fact that this blog is popular among mothers within the local area can result in gossip and embarrassment.  As the old saying goes, "think before you speak," or in this case, post.

After hearing this story, I contacted the Mommy Blogger in question and reminded her that a blog is not always the best place to judge someone.  If she was aware of her audience, she might have recognized that there was the potential of embarrassing someone for no other purpose than to share a "woe is me" story with her audience. 

Sadly, the Mommy Blogger in question just deleted my comment without a response.

As the title of this post is The Ethics of Blogging, all of us have a responsibility to operate in a civilized manner (do unto others...).  It is imperative that bloggers understand that it is a very big world and your neighbor, boss, garbage man, or school teacher might be reading the content you publish online. 

I believe in transparency in blogs and value people who share insights into their lives and daily struggles, but a level of decorum is necessary.  Especially when discussing children. So, next time you rant on your blog that your neighbor's dog keeps crapping in your yard or your daughters friend dresses "a little slutty," remember that their lives are not fodder for your blog and the stories run deeper than what you see on the surface.  You never know, you might just be insulting someone who can't help it.  Just because it's a digital conversation, doesn't mean we should throw out the traditional rules of how to treat people... remember, do unto others....gossip has it's place, but leave the gossip to Perez Hilton.

Social Media Still Under Utilized and Recognized

Social Media is still bubbling under the surface like lava... it's hot and can burn your brand to the point of no return.  Everyday, things bubble to the surface... some cool off but others remain.  As 2007 ends, many bloggers will reflect on social media and consumer generated content over the course of the year.  There have been vast improvements and significant strides, but we're not even close to where Social Media will be at the peak.

Recently, while visiting California, I had an opportunity to catch some new shows on TV that I normally don't watch.  There were countless references to YouTube and blogs and I couldn't help but swell up with excitement.  Even today, after being in the space for quite some time, I enjoy hearing mention of social media on traditional network shows or splattered all over the newspaper.  Below are two instances that really stuck out to me over the weekend.

• While watching the "Speed" channel one evening (a sentence I never expected to write) there was a special on the Barret-Jackson Car Collector Events.  During the hour long program, car customizers and auctioneers were discussing the life behind Barret-Jackson.  The main focus of this show centered around one car customizer who had placed his classic up for auction.  However, when the Barret Jackson auctioneer dropped the gavel too quickly and sold the car at a bargain $300,000, the owner of said car was quite peeved.  So peeved, in fact, that he took it to the blogosphere.  Just goes to show all of us that the community lives ever where and the power of one blogger can ruffle up enough dust to the point where a response is required.
• While watching MSNBC, Jim Cramer was shouting about his new book and Mad Money.  I am familiar with Jim and appreciate his knowledge and advice, but I don't spend to much time watching him as he is almost as mad as Charlie Moore... in a crazy way.  However, during the interview, he referenced a YouTube clip that he is featured in that received over 1,400,000 views.  No question, a significant amount, but interesting that he mentioned the view count.

Anyway, there is still so much more to come and the majority of people born before 1980 aren't even close to participating yet as the barriers to entry are still a little high for many.  Educating the consumer and removing the fear that has existed for so long with so many will be key in the coming years.  Quality content that answers the "What's in it for me" question will continue bringing the consumer in and opening up the world for conversation.  After all, there has to be a reason to join and keep coming back and that can be different for every person.  2008 will surely see more great social media tools, but even 12 months from now, we still won't even be close to where we are going... it's going to be good! 

How Many Times can one Apologize to an Abandoned Blog?

I don't know how many times I can say I'm sorry.  You've been waiting so patiently for me to give you a little attention, but I continue to divert my attention elsewhere.  Not once did you scream at me or belittle me for such neglect.  I turned a blind eye to your quiet tears and for this I should be punished.

I have no excuse.  Giving you the attention you deserve shouldn't take that much of my time.  I realized last night while being forced to watch a screening of "The Nanny Diaries" that you are my privilege.  Seeing your sad face as I shut down my computer everyday should have elicited at least one interaction over the past month... but I was too selfish.  So, instead of hiring you a "nanny" or continuing to make false promises about how I'll be better, all I can do is say I am sorry.

Where we go from here is anyone's guess, but your my responsibility and I need to do what's best for you.  Tell me what you need?  Tell me how I can make you feel better and mend your wounded ego?  I'm listening... even if no one else is.

Self Promotion Overkill - When Blogs Go Bad

I've been inactive for awhile.  In part, because I felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again on other blogs.  There were a few instances where I found people writing the exact same posts they wrote 6 months ago.  It became clear to me that some of the people I read regularly were starting to show their true colors.

Too often, people find success with social media, but don't have much behind it.  There are many people blogging about... well... blogging, but lack a marketing or advertising background.  I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing, but I've found that many people stop creating valuable content when the experience isn't there to fall back on.  Before you know it, blogs become a platform for this meeting, that book, another presentation or an upcoming event.  They don't really say anything.

After thinking about it, I realized that I was also guilty of this form of "creating content for the sake of creating content."  So, I've spent the last few weeks reading more personal blogs.  Diving deeper into the relationships that are built around bloggers who discuss life struggles and real emotion.  I needed to recharge by reminding myself what makes the space powerful.

During this "alone time," I learned that I don't have time for blogs dedicated to self promotion.  I felt a bit cheated in a way.  Blog post after blog post about individual activities and products.  For lack of a better way to say it, I was being "Interrupted."  No more thought provoking discussion.  Just a platform for telling an audience where you'll be next or what you'll be selling soon.  It followed me to Facebook, Myspace and Twitter and I realized there was nothing "social" about this relationship.

So, is it time to branch out and look for a new perspective?  Is there a new Influencer waiting in the wings that can offer thought provoking ideas?  I'm taking recommendations and promise that moving forward, I'll focus a bit more on my decade of account management experience instead of the same old thing, the same old way.