SXSW Panel Proposal: Building a Team That Embraces Social Technologies

I submitted a panel for SXSW - South By Southwest 2010 - titled: Building a Team That Embraces Social Technologies. My co-panelist is Kami Huyse of Communications Overtones. I will add 2 additional panelists if the panel proposal is accepted.

Here is the panel description:

Event: Interactive 2010

Level: Advanced

Type: Panel

Category:

Branding / Marketing / Publicity, Business / Entrepreneurial / Monetization, Career / Work Concerns, Case Study, Social Networking

Organizer:

Bert DuMars, Newell Rubbermaid

Questions:

1. When is the right time to bring in a consultant or agency?
2. How do you determine if a consultant has the required expertise?
3. What does it take for this arrangement to be successful?
4. What approach should the team leader take to keep it working?
5. How can agencies and consultants effectively work alongside internal teams?
6. What is best left to the internal team?
7. What role is best played by the external team?
8. How to avoid infighting among multiple agencies and consultants?
9. How can these blended teams work together to craft strategies to engage?
10. Why do some efforts fail to produce the desired results?

Description:

This session will cover how brands successfully integrate internal and external teams to engage with customers using social technologies. Both agencies and companies will learn how to work together more effectively to serve the customer. It also covers what consultants can do and what is best left to the brand.

If you find this panel of interest and think it would add value to South by Southwest 2010, please go here and vote.

If The Twitter Community Were 100 People

I like the perspective on Twitter provided by the below graphic created by David McCandless from his Information is Beautiful blog. It simplifies the view of the Twitter community by synthsizing it down to 100 people. It also provides an interesting perspective on what people are tweeting about on different days of the week. For instance, real life tweets occur on Saturdays, one of the lowest volume days.

As someone who is very active on Twitter and fits in at the high end of engagement, it is interesting to note how many are not actively engaged. You can also find this graphic on flickr.

Quck-n-Dirty Social Media Podcast

I have the pleasure of being a guest on the Quick-n-Dirty Social Media Podcast this evening, 6 PM Eastern Time, August 13, 2009. The hosts are Jennifer Leggio, ZDNet Blogger and @Mediaphyter, and Aaron Strout, CMO Powered Inc. and @AaronStrout. We will be discussing Newell Rubbermaid's branded social media and community marketing efforts and other related topics.

For those who cannot listen live, the Podcast will be available and archived on BlogTalkRadio.

Added 09/10/09 - A little background on the Quick 'n' Dirty Podcast and the hosts: New Podcast with Jennifer Leggio aka Mediaphyter

Efficient Website Redesigns: 6 Tactics to Guide Your Process

I was interviewed for the MarketingSherpa article: Efficient Website Redesigns: 6 Tactics to Guide Your Process a few weeks back and the article came out very well.

Please read down to the bottom of the article for some great resources for your website redesign efforts.

Here are the 6 Tactics:

1. Get user feedback from online surveys
2. Analyze click-stream data
3. Work from a well-defined brand strategy
4. Assign at least one (Full-Time) in-house person to oversee the project
5. Focus redesign on improving common problems
6. Aim to satisfy the majority of visitors

Voices in the Technology For The Turnaround Conversation

I received the Spring 2009, Pomona College Magazine and was sitting by the pool reading it when I realized the magazine editors had compiled a timely and comprehensive set of articles on the present and future of journalism. The articles were written by Pomona College alumni ranging from Bill Keller, Class of 1970, and New York Times Executive Editor to Molly Goodson (@mollygoodson), Class of 2004, Editorial Creative Director at PopSugar.

The title of this post refers to the University of Georgia, Grady College, New Media Institute, Technology For The Turnaround (my blog post) event I attended April 25, 2009. That event focused on the future of journalism, public relations and mass communications. At the end of the event, all attendees agreed this is an evolving discussion and a critical piece to the future of the social web ecosystem. If you want to review the conversation and discussion that occurred during the event, use the hashtag #tech4turn and do a search on Twitter.

I believe journalism and journalists are very important to researching, analyzing, synthesizing and reporting on local, national and international events. I also believe that bloggers are and will become more like journalists and journalists will become more like bloggers and vloggers. It is the merging of professional and practiced journalism technique with social technologies that will lead to the future of what we currently call newspapers and magazines. Once newspapers, magazines and journalists truly embrace social technologies and become unencumbered by the spatial requirements of paper, they will both deliver far more depth and insights and more concise stories. Journalists must embrace tools like Twitter that enforce a 140 character limitation while also taking advantage of the infinite space afforded to them on websites and blogs to deliver far more background and depth to their stories that were edited out in the past.

There was also an excellent debate last night (July 6, 2009) on #Journchat (@Journchat) about journalism and public relations specifically related to a New York Times story: "Spinning The Web: P.R. In Silicon Valley" and the corresponding arguments about this article on TechCrunch: "The Reality of PR: Smile, Dial, Name Drop, Pray" and Dave Taylor's The Business Blog At Intutive.com: "Mike Arrington Doesn't Understand PR At All..." Both blog posts make strong arguments about the pros and cons of PR today and how integration of traditional and new media approaches are required to be successful.

Below are links to the Pomona College Magazine articles on the present and future of journalism. Read and enjoy.

• Endangered Species: The Future of the News, The Reporter - Richard Perez-Pena (@perezpena), Class of 1984 (full disclosure, I am also a Pomona College alum, Class of 1984)

• Revolution Redux: The Future of the News, The Columnist - Mary Schmich (@MarySchmich), Class of 1975, Chicago-Tribune Columns
  

• Not With A Bang: The Future of the News, The Editor - Bill Keller, Class of 1970

• Holding On & Letting Go: The Future of the News, The Blogger - Teresa Valdez Klein, (bio @tetesagehen) Class of 2005

• Search Your Feelings: Professor Sara Sood's Cyberquest for the Heart of the Blogosphere - This is a very interesting article and research project as Prof. Sood is trying to figure out how to search on emotional context of a word or phrase instead of literal meaning.

• Gossip Girl: Molly Goodson, Class of 2004, Feeds The Endless Cycle of Celebrity News at PopSugar

• A Glimmer of Hope: Tom Redburn, Class of 1972, Sees Hope For Newspapers In New Technology

I hope you enjoy these articles and I look forward to the continuing conversation around this vital topic during the weekly #journchat and #blogchat events or at a future University of Georgia, Grady College CONNECT (CONNECT Blog) or New Media Institute events.

July 8, 2009 Revision - I am adding this blog post: "Thoughts on the Future of Journalism from the Purple List" as another good discussion on the future of journalism.

Clay Shirky: How Twitter can make history

I just watched this June 2009 TED (TED = Technology, Entertainment, Design) video: "Clay Shirky: How Twitter can make history" for the 5th time and I continue getting more social web ecosystem insights out of it. Clay Shirky is amazingly prescient as seen in both of the below videos. The older TED video from 2005: "Clay Shirky on institutions vs. collaboration" predicted almost exactly what would happen in the social web ecosystem and how it would impact society and culture in 2008.

This June 2009 video essentially predicts, without specifically calling out Iran, what could happen politically, socially and culturally when closed societies' citizens gain and use the power of the social web ecosystem and open tools and services like Twitter.

Both videos are well worth the approximately twenty minute investment to watch. Also, check out the TED Blog: "Q&A with Clay Shirky on Twitter and Iran" where he discusses the Iran election and political uprising that is still continuing today, June 20, 2009.

AMA Atlanta Panel Presentation: Advocacy In The Digital Age

I was honored today to be part of a panel presenting ideas, concepts and case studies related to social media, social web and interactive marketing to the American Marketing Association - Atlanta Chapter. It was an energized, sold out crowd that provided insightful and eloquent questions during the Q&A.

The panel: Advocacy in the Digital Age was moderated by Glen Caruso (@glencaruso), FY 2008-2009 AMA Atlanta President, and Director of Advertising Sales at Tremor Media.

Panel Description:

Social media is greatly impacting the lives of everyday people and as well as the marketers that are trying to reach them. After all, online communities provide businesses with an efficient way to reach targeted segments of the population as well as monitor their customers’ opinions about products, services and brands. But what does this sea change really mean for brands? Join us to learn how to:

Effectively tap into this groundswell of activity.

Leverage your most passionate fans to drive bottom line value.

Foster brand advocacy while adhering to the delicate and varied mores that govern marketing’s role within social networks

Panel members included:

Thought Leader Perspective on Social Media and Advocacy - Dave Rollo (@iRollo) – SVP, Director of Digital Media Strategy, 22squared

WOM as Social Media – Dave Balter (@DaveBalter), CEO, BzzAgent Dave will look at the role of WOM in creating advocacy and spark a discussion of what social media means for brands. Balter will explore a selection of word-of-mouth generating success stories and highlight how marketers have effectively engaged with brand advocates and measured the outcome. Mr. Balter is also the author of several books including: The Word Of Mouth Manual: Volume II and Grapevine: Why Buzz Was a Fad but Word of Mouth is Forever.

Brand Case Study - Bert DuMars (@bwdumars), Vice President E-Business & Interactive Marketing, Newell Rubbermaid. Bert will present how Newell Rubbermaid has successfully used social media to drive business results.

Dave Rollo and David Balter did an excellent job of framing the social web ecosystem and provided a number of statistical insights and case studies from their clients. I discussed our social media marketing efforts at our Graco Baby, Rubbermaid and Sharpie brands. See my post: Newell Rubbermaid Social Web Ecosystem Update.

I want to send a big Thank You out to the AMA Atlanta Chapter and especially Glen Caruso and Tracy Frank for running an excellent event and inviting me to participate.

How and When to Incorporate Social Media Into Your Next PR Program

I was part of a Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) (@PRSA) webinar today, June 9, 2009 from 3PM to 4PM EST - How and When to Incorporate Social Media into your next PR Program.

The webinar panel included the following industry experts:

• Moderator - Peter Himler is an award winning public relations industry veteran. He is also the founder/principal of Flatiron Communications LLC, a PR/media consulting firm. (@PeterHimler)
  

• Rob Key, CEO, founded Converseon in 2001 to provide new, innovative communication solutions designed to help companies meet their business objectives in a digital environment. Previously, he was head of the Innovations Group at a division of Young & Rubicam and member of the WPP.com board. His twenty years of experience spans public relations, reputation management, search marketing, affiliate marketing and online media/advertising. (@robkey)
  

• David Bradfield, partner, Fleishman-Hillard, manages the FH Digital team, which combines industry-leading strategic counsel in interactive, digital and social media with full-service design and development capabilities to help clients navigate the evolving world of communication, conversation and community. He is also a practice group leader, which includes more than 120 digital communication consultants, and creative and technical development professionals. (@dbradfield)
  

• And me -

  Bert DuMars, vice president, E-Business and Interactive Marketing for Newell Rubbermaid, is responsible for directing and coordinating e-marketing, interactive marketing, social media marketing and e-commerce initiatives for Newell Rubbermaid’s externally-facing Web sites, overseeing a new e-business shared services model with standard processes, enterprise services, technologies and metrics across the company’s brand sites. (@bwdumars)
  

We discussed several topics including

• How to engage with your target customer segments through social media efforts.
• How to start - Listening - and how tools like Converseon Conversation Miner can help.
• The value of Twitter and how to begin using it to engage with consumers.
• How to handle bloggers who are unhappy with your brand.
• How to find and engage with influential bloggers.
• How to manage your social media efforts.
• How to use the way consumers talk about your brands and products in your communications

I want to send a big thank you out to PRSA and Peter Himler for including me as a panelist.

Newell Rubbermaid Social Web Ecosystem Update

It has been a very busy past couple of weeks. Below is an update on Newell Rubbermaid interactive and social web marketing efforts:

• Sharpie launched a new community microsite on June 1, 2009 - sharpieuncapped.com - that focuses on bringing creative Sharpie fans, content, creativity, art work, and innovative uses together in one place. USA Today ran a nice article on the effort: Ad Track: Signing On To Social Media; An Alluring Reader Inquiry. The Sharpie brand also received a lot of attention in a recent Investors Business Daily article: Corporate Marketers Blogging, Tweeting As Part Of Their Job. Also, check out the Sharpie Facebook Fan Page and @SharpieSusan on Twitter.
  

• Rubbermaid launched a new branded microsite on June 1, 2009 - easyfindlids.com - with several social web capabilities including a button for consumers to share Rubbermaid food storage Easy Find Lids on Facebook. The microsite also displays links to the Rubbermaid Facebook Fan Page and Twitter account.

• Graco also launched a Facebook Fan Page during the past few weeks. This is another component to the social web marketing strategy and engaging with the community where it lives. You can also engage with Graco through the Graco Baby Blog and Graco Baby Twitter Account. Finally, check out the Graco Baby microsites: My SweatPeace and Ready For The Road Ahead.

I also wanted to provide an update on the various places where you can find out more about Newell Rubbermaid brands in the social web ecosystem.

Newell Rubbermaid Brands on YouTube:

Bernzomatic Fat Boy

Graco Baby Products

Lenox Tools

Rubbermaid

Rubbermaid Commercial

Sharpie

uni-ball

Newell Rubbermaid Brands on Facebook:

Newell Rubbermaid Corporate Fan Page - Corporate Communications and Recruiting

BernzOmatic MAPP Propane and Butane powered Torches and Lighters

Graco Baby Fan Page

Irwin Industrial Tools UK Ultimate Tradesman Challenge

Irwin Vise Grip Appreciation Society

Lenox Tools Fan Page

Mimio Fan Page

Paper Mate Fan Page

Parker Gentleman's Club Fan Page

Prismacolor Fan Page

Prismacolor Group

Rubbermaid Fan Page

Sharpie Permanent Markers

Sharpie Fan Club

uni-ball Fan Page

Newell Rubbermaid Blogs:

Graco Baby - From The Heart

Rubbermaid - Adventures In Organization

Sharpie - Uncap What's Inside

Newell Rubbermaid Twitter Accounts:

@CoolJobsAtNWL

@DYMOtechnology

@Endicia

@endicia_a

@ExpoMarkers

@LenoxTools

@mimioTechnology

@NWLRubbermaidTA

@Prismacolor_

@rubbermaid

@RubbermaidTwo

@SalesJobsAtNWL

@SharpieSally

@SharpieSheryl

@SharpieSusan

@stampedapproval

@UniBall_USA

@UniBall_Pen_Gal

I will make updates to this list as we increase our presence in the social web ecosystem.

June 9, 2009 Update:

Sharpie "Uncap What's Inside" integrated marketing campaign additional articles:

• PRNewswire: Sharpie Challenges Consumers to "Uncap What's Inside" with New Multi-Channel Marketing Campaign

• Chicago Sun-Times: Sharpie Uncaps Its Creativity

Corporate Marketers Blogging, Tweeting As Part Of Their Job

Jennie Phelps, Investors Business Daily, wrote a very nice article about Newell Rubbermaid's social media/social web marketing efforts. She interviewed me about six weeks ago and wrote a nice summary and analysis on our efforts with a special focus on the Sharpie brand. The article is titled: Corporate Marketers Blogging, Tweeting As Part of their Job.

I have been thinking a lot about the Skittles interactive marketing campaign and social media marketing focused brand website. I know they have been receiving a lot of flack for their effort, but I think there are parts of their marketing program that are compelling and thought provoking. They took the concept of the "branded website is dead" and took a shot at what that might look like.

So the question is how could the parts of this marketing program that worked be executed on by brands not in the candy business? I believe there are many and will continuing exploring this as time goes on.