January 21st, 2010
Today’s news media are a far cry from what my mother experienced in the Walter Cronkite-era of my youth. Social media invigorate our communications, broaden our networks and make content-sharing much more immediate.
How will our communications possibilities be transformed by the mainstreaming of social media this year? Here are my thoughts:
- People will continue to gravitate toward news that is shareable. We are social beings, and there’s power in using our social networks to share news in real time. On Sunday mornings, I curl up with my newsreader and share content with friends separated by time and space. Big news organizations realize this and have made the ShareIt icon ubiquitous, because news shared in context takes on greater meaning. There are more news stories out there and more in-depth discussion as a result of sharing content.
- News publishing that encourages us to be the correspondent isn’t just more engaging – it has more impact for the news audience. This interactive map from The New York Times’ site is a good example. The before-after impacts of the Haiti earthquake are palpable. It’s clear that we like to share the news with our friends, and we like it even more when it’s combined with visuals that “take us to the news.”
- Action-oriented news can make a difference. Recent fundraising for Haiti relief efforts and geo-targeting police abuses in Iran give us practical ways to use Twitter for human benefit. When news becomes meaningful information that people care enough to do something about, it makes a measurable difference.
Simply reading a two-dimensional paper at the kitchen table in the morning like my mother used to do is no longer enough. We must be able to experience the news through our senses, in multiple dimensions – along with friends on the other side of the world.
The kitchen table “newspaper” experience just got personal, global and substantive. And, because new media are breaking down communications barriers, even my mother is tapping into the possibilities. She recently joined Facebook.
If you are marveling at the new media mix and relishing the possibilities, drop me a line at kratcliff@paulwerth.com, or comment here. I look forward to reading your thoughts – and starting the dialogue.
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November 30th, 2009
What’s that sound? It’s the sands of time, the ticking clock and and my unfinished to-do list — all being eaten whole by Facebook, Twitter and my blog. Prioritizing social media time is a challenge in today’s communications world. How do people draw the line between true engagement and online time-wasting?
I was recently asked a question about this on a panel. The question was:
How do you find hours in the day to “do” social media for yourself and clients? Doesn’t it take up all of your time?
The answer? It can — if you let it. The best way to carve out the time is to set limits on how much time to devote to each social media footprint. The worst thing for me is to leave my time wide open. Like most of us, I can’t usually afford to let my time evaporate. I’ve got a family to get home to, client deadlines to meet and other normal life commitments.
I try to spend 30 minutes on each Twitter account per day — 15 each in the morning and the afternoon or evening. I keep myself focused on content within my industry areas of interest and don’t get sidetracked. With the blog, it’s a couple of hours a week. Just one post a week, usually. And then I’m reading others’ blogs through my reader, usually an hour a day.
Then there’s Facebook. How much sharing is enough, really? I try to limit myself to sharing just a few items per day of others’ content, with a couple of status updates and/or content of my own.
It does add up, all told. At least 10 hours a week is a standard commitment for just one social media account.
What are others’ experiences? Amber Naslund, director of community at Radian6, recently put up a good series of posts about time management in the midst of social media. Bottom line, it’s about knowing one’s goals and setting priorities aligned with them. She shares helpful information to guide social media priorities.
For me, it’s all about the balance. Easy to write about, not easy to strike! DM me on Twitter with questions, or leave a comment here on the blog if you have ideas that work for your own social media time management.
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September 9th, 2009
Brands that elicit emotion attract devotion—and loyal followers. In The 18 Immutable Laws of Corporate Reputation, Ron Alsop describes this phenomenon:
That elusive emotional spark between a company and its stakeholders makes some reputations soar and never lose altitude.
Sophisticated measurements—even MRIs as described by Martin Lindstrom in Buyology—can track individual emotional reactions and the brain’s response to the appeals of marketing. Neuro-marketing is all the rage now thanks to self-described brand futurist Lindstrom, and the revelations from his $7 million study are riveting. The study provides evidence that purchasing decisions once considered to be driven by deliberate thought are in fact driven by instinct, deeply embedded and hard-wired into our nervous systems.
But describing and quantifying emotional connection to brands is different than feeling the connection. Lovemarks, coined by Saatchi and Saatchi, describe the beyond-brand nirvana of sensory connection to products. Lovemarks are in the upper-right corner of the quadrants formed by the love and respect continuums, squarely defined by high love/high respect. Our senses are clearly connected to our emotional responses to branding, and lovemarks embrace this.
One brand that’s leveraging the lovemark and Alsop’s seventh law is Ohio: The State of Perfect Balance. This is Ohio’s new brand. The “O” logo is now on driver’s licenses and is being implemented across all areas of state government. From the economic development perspective, the concept behind this brand is that business leaders can build their business AND love their life—something that’s clearly not possible on the coasts and in other areas that require large commitments of time for commute. Place branding has the power to draw more people to Ohio through emotional connections.
Take a moment to consider the brands that evoke emotional reactions for you. Comfort. Inspiration. Hope. Love. Protection. Relaxation.
What gut-level reactions do you associate with different brands? Compare notes with your colleagues. Is your own company’s brand a lovemark? Almost every brand has a lovemark they can cultivate and leverage. The best way to discover it is through research. Take action today to make your brand a lovemark.
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August 28th, 2009
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August 18th, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Paul Werth Associates senior account supervisor Caroline Cofer Golon has been featured – along with her cat Romeo – in Columbus Dispatch feature writer Joe Blundo’s Aug. 18 column. This is the latest coverage of Golon’s endeavor to raise money for animal rescues leveraging social media platforms.
The Dispatch column chronicles the Werth origins of Golon’s free-time pastime, which arose from a friendly debate among colleagues whether Twitter users would follow updates posted in the guise of her Persian rescue cat Romeo.
More than 6,000 Twitter followers later, having raised more than $20,000 for animal rescues and more than $250,000 in earned media coverage, Romeo’s popularity continues unabated, Golon said.
“Romeo has become something of a star,” Golon said. “While this is a fun personal project for me, it also allows me to make a difference for worthy animal rescue causes across the country. I have also been invited to speak about my experience at professional conferences and by pet-focused businesses. Who knew that Twittering could make such a difference?”
“It’s a testimony to the power of Twitter – or, perhaps, cats,” Blundo wrote in his column’s introduction. “Of course, the cat has a good ghost-Tweeter: Caroline Cofer Golon, who works for Paul Werth Associates, a public-relations company in Columbus.”
About Paul Werth Associates
Founded in 1963, Paul Werth Associates is a full-service public relations, marketing and public affairs firm counseling clients throughout the United States. The firm has offices in Columbus, Ohio and Washington, D.C.
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August 18th, 2009
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August 14th, 2009
As a student in my beginning years of college, my fine art professor told me, “You must have a unique style.” Which I didn’t.
As I gravitated toward design, my new professor told me, “Whatever you do, don’t have a unique style. You must adapt and design to your clients’ needs, not yours. An agency whose work all looks the same will be temporary.”
That really stuck with me. It wasn’t just one of those things that I learned in school and applied it because someone told me that was the right answer. It was, and is, one of those things that just makes sense. Her lesson is something that I truly believe and will always think about before approaching any branding project.
But, there are trends, and sometimes those trends tend to grow into styles, and once that happens, it’s all over.
The other day I walked through our break room and saw an annual report lying on the table, designed by another agency. The cover caught my eye because it was smartly designed. But once I opened it, I knew the agency that designed it.
Later in the day, I received a direct mail piece from a company. I investigated further and found that it was created by the agency that designed the annual report. Again, I saw the same trendy look. These work samples were created for two different clients, in different industries—but the designers executed almost the exact same brand guidelines. It seems that the agency is using the same brand for its book of business. That’s just not right. Clients deserve better than recycled brands.
Here’s my approach—and what you will see in the work of Paul Werth’s creative:
The brand represents the one-of-a-kind soul of an organization and should shine through in every work of design. Our work reflects each company’s unique soul, not our own.
Ask yourself this question:
Does your agency interview you before each project, as a continuing opportunity to know what you and your projects are all about? Are they seeing your brand through their company’s lens or the lens of your company’s soul?
I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on authentic and unique, company-specific branding. Please drop me a line, as a comment on this blog or personally, at kwaldron@paulwerth.com.
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July 20th, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Who swiped the missing slice? That’s the mystery Corporate Research International has posed in The Missing Slice Sweepstakes, an online contest created in conjunction with Paul Werth Associates, a Columbus-based public relations, public affairs and marketing firm.
Seeking to spread the word about Corporate Research International’s capabilities to support small businesses – like independent pizza shops – through its customizable mystery shopping product Eye On Your Business, the Findlay, Ohio-based shopping research provider developed with Werth The Missing Slice Sweepstakes, which engages local pizza shop fans to nominate their favorite for the Missing Slice Award.
“The Missing Slice Award is given to the pizza shop that serves pizza so good you can’t help swiping a slice,” said Mike Mallett, president of Corporate Research International. “CRI wants to provide local pizza shop customers with a forum to tell their whole community why their local pizza shop is better than all the rest.”
Werth developed a short humorous online video to help promote the contest, which will award $1,000 in free pizza to the winner of a drawing among all contest entrants. Werth also developed promotional material toolkits for pizza shops and is leveraging Corporate Research International’s Facebook page, Twitter account and small business blog to help share contest details.
More information about Eye On Your Business is available at www.EyeOnYourBusiness.com.
About Paul Werth Associates
Founded in 1963, Paul Werth Associates is a full-service public relations, marketing and public affairs firm counseling clients throughout the United States. The firm has offices in Columbus, Ohio and Washington, D.C.
Paul Werth Associates has previously received nine Silver Anvils, which is the highest level of recognition in the public relations industry. The Silver Anvil Award recognizes complete programs incorporating sound research, planning, execution and evaluation. They must meet the highest standards of performance in the profession.
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July 20th, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Werth’s development of the “Justin Case” advertising campaign for SafeAuto Insurance Company has been featured in a July 19 Columbus Dispatch profile.
The article describes the growing popularity of the Justin Case character, recently filmed for a second round of new commercials that will continue the campaign in September. Justin Case debuted on air May 1.
“The name came as we sat around thinking of ideas,” Werth Chief Creative Officer Ken Waldron told the Dispatch. “We kept saying, ‘Just in case of an accident,’ or, ‘Just in case this happens’ – and that led to Justin Case.”
Click here to read the article or download a copy.
About Paul Werth Associates
Founded in 1963, Paul Werth Associates is a full-service public relations, marketing and public affairs firm counseling clients throughout the United States. The firm has offices in Columbus, Ohio and Washington, D.C.
Paul Werth Associates has previously received nine Silver Anvils, which is the highest level of recognition in the public relations industry. The Silver Anvil Award recognizes complete programs incorporating sound research, planning, execution and evaluation. They must meet the highest standards of performance in the profession.
» Read more
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