Sep
30

Going Viral: How Bachmann Affected Vaccine Awareness

Victoria Baxter

I was fascinated by a recent PoliPulse finding on vaccines. PoliPulse is a data visualization tool that spots trends in social conversations and highlights pivot points in online conversations.

A pivot point happened this month when Michelle Bachmann inaccurately attributed the use of vaccinations as a potential cause for mental disabilities during a televised debate. Vaccines drive a fair amount of online conversation. Our PoliPulse research shows that in the three months before the president debate, the conversation was split with approximately 39% positive, 31% neutral and about 30% negative.

Vaccines are a great example of cost-effective smart aid. Our client the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a strong believer in the value of vaccines to protect children from preventative diseases like polio. Most cost less than $2 and vaccines are one of the major reasons why the number of children dying has declined by more than 50 percent since 1960.

However, questions about vaccine safety based on false statements and fraudulent medical studies can set back global will and funding for immunization programs.

After Bachmann’s erroneous claim, medical groups increased their activity online to inform people about both the invalidity of Bachmann’s claim and to debunk other common vaccine misconceptions. The result? Online conversation shifted with more than half of the social conversation positive and both neutral and negative comments decreased. 

This shows the power of social media to quickly respond to news-making moments and to educate people about social issues. 

Sep
19

What are the Questions on your Mind?

Paul Massey

At this point in the year, the conversation among our Social Impact colleagues is especially animated around two questions: (1) how the summer flew by so quickly, and (2) which topics we want to examine in our annual research project with KRC Research to illuminate key trends and notable developments in corporate social responsibility (CSR), or nonprofit and foundation communications.

In the past, we’ve interviewed top executives at Fortune 2000 companies to explore the impact of crowdsourcing in CSR and the drivers of corporate investment in CSR. We’ve also conducted research with nonprofit and foundation executives to explore how their organizations are using social media and the value they derive from these efforts.

In building our upcoming research plans, we want to consider how changes in the communications ecosystem are creating new opportunities (and challenges) for corporate and social sector organizations to drive awareness and engagement around their work. We want to shed light on the innovations, platforms, and strategies that are making the most significant impact in the work of companies and nonprofits to create social value.

This year, as we develop our plans, we’d love to hear from you. What questions would you like to see explored? How are companies integrating CSR strategies more directly with business strategies? How are corporate leaders communicating their CSR investment in today’s economic conditions? How are nonprofits bringing new creativity to driving advocacy in a saturated environment? What are the most meaningful forms of measurement for social engagement? Let us know what’s on your mind.

Sep
07

The evolution of media relations

David Leavitt

The art and science of media relations has evolved. Bob Brody, our media specialist, outlined the five new rules of engagement in the Holmes Report. Take a look:

The Five New Rules of Engagement

Michael Stopford

Executive Vice President and Senior Global Corporate Strategist

Brian Wommack

Senior Vice President

Lance Morgan

Chief Communications Strategist