Hurting the accuser more than the accused

Lance Morgan

As some of you know, and one or two might believe, I am a registered independent. Please bear that in mind when I explain why people outside Washington look with disdain on people inside the Beltway.

President Obama today proposed merging six government agencies that deal with trade matters into a single department. It sounds like a logical thing to do and may streamline the making and execution of Federal trade policy. Good idea or not, it would seem something worth taking a look at.

The response from Sen. Mitch McConnell’s spokesman: “Americans want a government that’s simpler, streamlined, and secure.” So far, so good. Then: “So after presiding over one of the largest expansions of government in history, and a year after raising the issue in his last State of Union, it’s interesting to see the president finally acknowledge that Washington is out of control.” Argumentative, gratuitous and insulting.

A simple “This is an idea worth considering and seemingly in agreement with Republican ideas to streamline government and we look forward to seeing the details” would have sufficed. When are people in Washington (on both sides of the aisle) going to realize that demeaning every idea that comes from their political opponents, simply because it comes from their opponents, hurts the accusers more than the accused.

Long Story Short

Bob Brody

While appearing live on national TV, I recently learned all over again a lesson about an issue close to everyone connected with public relations: the matter of brevity.

I was to be a guest on “The CBS Early Show” for a segment about parents’ new year’s resolutions for 2012. 

At 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning in the CBS studio I rehearsed my intro. Afterward, the producer came over to me and said, “You went a minute and 15 seconds. That’s much too long, babe. You need to cut it in half. Thirty seconds, tops.”

Great. Now I had to take the messages I had crafted, all the while imagining myself as Michaelangelo sculpting David, and chip away morethan half. And for the next two hours, as I prepared to go before the cameras and the blinding studio lights to say my piece in front of about 2 million viewers, my attitude somewhere roughly in the middle of the spectrum between absolute confidence and petrified panic, I chiseled like a diamond cutter on 47th Street. I also practiced my lines at least 10 times. 

You already no doubt appreciate the value of brevity in communications. In the recent Republican presidential debates you can hear how the candidates have come to speak fluently the language known as sound bite. Good. You recognize that, as studies have shown, the less you say, the morelikely your words will be remembered. Doubly good. 

Maybe you’re even familiar with the observation about brevity, my favorite of all time, from the versatile French genius Blaise Pascal. Roughly translated: “My letter is too long only because I lacked the time to make it shorter.”

And that’s the key right there. Brevity seldom happens by accident. Brevity is the result of the strictest discipline. You can achieve that brevity, on behalf of yourself or your organization, only if and when you know, with absolute certainty, exactly what you need to say.

So how did my CBS close-up go? You tell me:

Greening 2012

Catie Caborn

One of my favorite parts of the New Year is reading through the abundance of “year in review” and “predictions for the new year” articles. It’s always interesting to see where the experts think we’ve moved the needle in 2011, and where emphasis will be placed in 2012. One of my favorites this year came from GreenBiz.com’s Tilde Herrera, who asked executives from a range of companies and organizations what they thought would be the biggest driver for sustainability in 2012.

A couple of drivers came up time and again in the responses- the first of which was building trust with their stakeholders. In 2012, companies such as Hasbro and Molson Coors are focusing their efforts on building trust with their employees, customers, and shareholders by making decisions around sustainability that are not only good for the environment, but that have economic value for the company’s bottom line. This is a driver for many companies as they realize the value in responding to stakeholder demands and desires for sustainability.

This driver points to the next recurring theme- that in 2012, companies will increasingly seek to invest in sustainability efforts because they’ll recognize the economic benefits that result from resource efficiency. Organizations such as the USGBC, Sprint, Dow Chemical, and Intuit echoed this sentiment. This driver illustrates the recent shift in the way companies consider their CSR efforts, which has been brought on in part by the current economic climate. What was once a “nice to have,” or an obligation that was seen as a financial burden, is now more often seen as an opportunity to innovate and find efficiencies that serve the bottom line.

To see the responses given by the executives GreenBiz interviewed, visit Green Biz.

Here’s to a happy (and green) 2012!

Priority Number One: Security In A Crisis

Nicole Todd

Recently our firm hosted a conversation with Bob Davis, a longtime health reporter at USA Today and currently the communications director at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Protection and Programs Directorate.

Bob, a former paramedic, recounted his experiences covering Hurricane Katrina and the Oklahoma City bombing for the national newspaper – often practicing what he called “parachute journalism” – and handling the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in his current role for DHS.

What came through more than any other factor in the hour-long session was his mindset as a crisis counselor in the name of public service.

For example, in Oklahoma City, rather than just cover the news unfolding as a reporter, Bob implemented needed safety measures, such as securing an open door to protect the privacy of grieving parents who had lost children in the rubble. At the BP oil spill, he stepped into the breach to provide more access to reporters so they could accurately report the cleanup of the mess.

Whether as a reporter covering catastrophe or as a public affairs officer protecting the nation against nuclear, biological or chemical threats, Bob has operated as a crusader in the cause of preparedness – hence, the awards he received for his reporting about emergency medicine.

“I believe in my mission,” Bob said. “I work for the American people.”

In addressing our staff, he offered the following advice:

• In counseling clients, always pursue the truth. Ask “where are the warts?”
• Ask clients tough questions, voicing dissent on strategy and tactics if necessary.
• Always be prepared, before a crisis breaks, to think “the unthinkable” and act fast.
• Partner with clients and colleagues in the interest of creating dialogue and meeting shared objectives.

Bottom line: give and take with all parties concerned so everyone can come together for the greater good. Only then can security be protected, lives saved and reputation preserved.

It Takes a Village to Get Kids Lean

Sally Squires

First Lady Michelle Obama is slated to be one of the speakers at the Partnership for a Healthier America’s first national summit opening today in Washington, DC. This sold-out conference, which is expected to draw some 600 people from the corporate, public health and policy sectors, is designed to showcase success and highlight new commitments from corporate partners to make the nation’s children leaner. 

A growing number of groups, from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to the industry- supported Healthy Weight Commitment, have made ending childhood obesity a top priority. But it’s the Let’s Move program, launched by First Lady Michelle Obama, which often sets the national agenda. 

Let’s Move! isn’t set up to work with private partners, so the Partnership was created nearly a year ago to take on that task. The Partnership is independent, non-profit and non-partisan, but it works closely with the Let’s Move! program. The First Lady serves as its honorary chair. Among the Partnership’s honorary board members are Newark Mayor Cory Booker and former Senator and transplant surgeon Bill Frist.

At a recent Breakfast Club meeting at Powell Tate, Partnership CEO and President Lawrence A. Soler, gave a sneak peak at the national summit agenda, which includes four tracks of sessions to foster healthier environments in childcare, widen access to healthy food, increase physical activity and make schools healthier. 

Lack of cooking skills and cost are often cited as barriers to healthy food. The Summit plans to address those issues tonight with the Great American Family Dinner Challenge, one of the few Summit events open to media. James Beard Award winning chefs Tom Colicchio, Maria Hines, Holly Smith and Ming Tsai will compete to prepare a healthy dinner for a family of four for about $10. Their culinary creations will be judged by a handful of families. 

Also slated for the Summit, according to Soler, are announcements of new corporate partners. We plan to attend the Summit and will post updates here. 

I won!

Victoria Baxter

My colleagues are probably already tired of my gloating, but I have to share that I won a contest. A new restaurant recently opened up near our office called Roti. (Not a client, by the way.)

In addition to the big sign announcing their opening and giving just enough information about their take on the classic lunch offering, they also handed out flyers with a contest to win free Roti for a year.

Who doesn’t like the idea of free lunch for a year? Certainly not me because I went back to my office and pulled up the contest website. 

Now this is where I can actually make the gloating relevant to our PT Insights blog. This wasn’t the online equivalent of tossing your business card in a jar contest. You actually had to write something about why you thought you should win. 

I got to the essay part – and, of course, it was a required field – and stopped and thought, “Do I really want to do this? Do I have time? Do I have something interesting to say?” But when I thought of all the contests I have organized as part of education and awareness campaigns, I knew that the higher you set the bar for entering, the less likely people are to participate. 

The upside of that particular hard truth is that the people who do enter and take your action – be it an essay, a photo, a haiku or a video – are probably pretty motivated and make the best advocates or potential donors. And, yes, I fall in that bucket apparently. Exhibit A: I’ve started following Roti on Twitter and have tweeted twice about what I am eating there. And, exhibit B: I’m writing a blog post about it for PT Insights.

I don’t know how many people entered. It could have been my clearly superior content that resulted in a win (albeit a runner up category) of free food for a month. I am a communications professional after all. We’re all writers and editors here. But, it is something to think about when designing a contest. Is your goal to get the most active and motivated participants? Then, set your bar high. If you want broad participation, make it easier for people to join, get to know you and hopefully take progressively more ambitious actions.

Get pissed off and do something!

Catie Caiborn

This week's National Women’s Law Center Annual Awards Dinner boasted some important special guests, but it was the message that shone through at the end of the evening. The event honored several female Freedom Riders by hosting a panel discussion, which was followed by a keynote speech from President Obama. Although President Obama was just a baby during the Freedom Rides of 1961, he joked that he “knew something important was going on.”

As a refresher, the Freedom Riders were a group of male and female activists who led nonviolent protests of the segregationist Jim Crow laws by traveling together on buses and trains that crossed state lines- an act that drew harsh punishment from law enforcement, society, and even the White House. As the women shared their stories, it became clear that they acted because they felt they had a responsibility to better society for future generations. President Obama echoed this sentiment when he said, “My wish for my daughters and yours is for them to go out into a world where no dream is out of reach.”

The evening’s host, NPR’s Michel Martin, closed the panel by asking the women what injustices or causes today need the same passion that they devoted to racial segregation back in the 60s. Some of the issues raised included religious intolerance, gender inequality, and the public education system. But my favorite response came from Ms. Helen Singleton, who said that everyone has a cause that stirs passion or frustration in them, and that’s what they should focus their energies on. She closed with a challenge that is well worth sharing. “Figure out what it is about our society today that pisses you off, and then do something about it,” she said.

The Big Red Donate Button

Joel Daly

One thing I really love about our Social Impact work is that every non-profit we work with is unique – unique causes, priorities, expertise, people and perspectives. But working with non-profits as much as we do, I also see commonalities – most non-profits share a lot of the same challenges. Often the primary challenge is how to effectively inspire would-be advocates to take action – be it to sign a petition, join a mailing list or donate money. In the latter case (though I think this applies to most calls to action) we regularly encounter a practice that I joking characterize as “the big red donate button.” The reaction of many organizations facing fundraising challenges is that the problem must be the donate button. Make it bigger! Redder! Use exclamation points!

But is this likely to truly inspire someone? I recently came across a blog post by Joshua Porter that manages to encapsulate the conversation that we often have with organizations on this subject. He writes: "We’re not fighting an attention war…we’re fighting an emotional war. We need to convince people of the value of what we’re offering enough so they actually care.”

While Porter is specifically referring to ‘Sign Up’ buttons on start-ups’ websites, I believe his observations and lessons are hugely relevant to non-profits with challenges in inspiring action. Simply replace his references to ‘Sign Up’ with your own call to action. Then think about what it is that makes your audience care and put your emphasis there.

Welcome to #BSR11

Paul Massey

Our team is in San Francisco this week for the 2011 BSR Conference– a gathering of 1,000 corporate social responsibility and sustainability leaders and advocates from 37 countries that starts today.  (Weber Shandwick is the global agency partner for BSR.)  

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we’re excited about our work with BSR to Storify the event.  This will offer conference attendees, and interested parties around the globe, access to real-time content from the conference.  Whether it’s takeaways from plenary sessions with Al Gore, Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn, and Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Carlos Brito, or insights from discussion of topics such as the impact of technology on sustainability, effective engagement with consumers on sustainability, and more, the #BSR11 Storify channel will have a curated stream of conference highlights. 

Take a look below at some of the conference content and say hello to Eric, Jackie, Catie, Adrienne, Colin, or me if you’re in San Francisco, too:

Our Plans to Storify the BSR Conference

Paul Massey

Next week, our team heads to San Francisco for the 2011 BSR Conference. (Weber Shandwick is the global agency partner for BSR.) We’re looking forward to seeing familiar faces and to contributing to the conversation on how companies are leading the way to a more sustainable future. We’re also excited about our work with BSR to Storify the event, which will offer conference attendees, and interested parties around the globe, access to real-time content from the conference. Whether it’s takeaways from plenary sessions with Al Gore, Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn, and Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Carlos Brito, or insights from discussion of topics such as the impact of technology on sustainability, effective engagement with consumers on sustainability, and more, the #BSR11 Storify channel will have a curated stream of conference highlights.

Bland Chicken, Billionaires and Bow Ties

Victoria Baxter

There is a lot of a conversation swirling around the Internet about the value of philanthropy and what motivates people to donate and how they like to make their donations. One of the most interesting is why Steve Jobs wasn’t a big philanthropic player, at least publicly, despite being worth billions. Chronicle of Philanthropy reporter Caroline Preston wrote that Jobs “found many things about professional philanthropy—the jargon, showiness and all the rich people who thought they could shake it up—distasteful.”

The always provocative blogger Seth Godin raised questioned about fundraising galas. Aside from a completely understandable criticism of the bland food that is served, Godin calls galas “corrupting” because people are driven by “social and selfish motivations to attend, and thus the philanthropic element of giving – just to give – is removed.” 

In addition, policy leaders are debating decisions that would have tremendous impacts on giving. President Obama has been calling for a limit to the amount that wealthy taxpayers (those making more than $200,000 a year) could write off in their itemized tax deductions – down from the current maximum of 35 percent. Studies range on the bottom line impact this would have on charitable giving, but charities would definitely take a fundraising hit.

Running through all of this is the question about what motivates people to give money to a cause. Having been in both the nonprofit and foundation sectors, I know it’s foolish to expect people to never have social or selfish reasons for giving. But is there an ideal mix of the social, the selfish and the self-less?

To me, it comes down to knowing your audience and finding the right ask, in the right venue (black tie or not), at the right time and in the right media.

The most effective charities are adept at knowing their audiences and building in multiple ways for them to get engaged. It’s not a coincidence that end-of-the-year appeals include information about tax deductions as a way of reminding people of this benefit. Some charities know that their major donors expect and like getting together for an annual gala. Some people (maybe even Steve Jobs) only give anonymously and don’t seek credit or an ongoing relationship. If you know your audience, you can adjust your strategies.

A ‘Discovery’ Mentality

Lindsey Ellerson

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape there are not many constants. New technologies are born and die in the marketplace on a daily basis. Audiences that were once known for consuming only traditional media – senior citizens – are now the fastest-growing demographic online. And those who used to delight in watching Oprah on TV would now rather play Angry Birds on their iPhones.

This ever-changing playing field underscores the importance of adopting a “discovery” mentality to keep pace with the medium. As an agency or brand, understanding who is participating on which platform at what time and why is the first step to building a successful communications campaign.

At New York’s Pivot Conference: The Rise of the Social Consumer last week, Adam Duritz of Counting Crows highlighted the importance of a “discovery” approach to reaching and engaging people in social media. As the voice behind @countingcrows with nearly 1.3 million followers, he outlined his approach to promoting his music by tapping into the growing the relationship between artists and fans, instead of relying only on record companies and other industry producers.

Referring to a crumpled paper of notes throughout his presentation, suggesting he too had done a deep dive to fully “discover” the space, Duritz pointed out that tweets, posts, check-ins and other social media activities are like human behavioral data, and it is up to activists in the social space to use this knowledge as insight to inform how we interact.

Britta Schell, Director of Digital Strategic Insights at MTV, said she focuses on implementing research methodologies to ensure MTV stays relevant and fully immersed with Millennial culture and its preferred technologies. After conducting research into Millennial engagement last year, MTV composed rules of digital etiquette, which the company is calling “digiquette.” MTV asserts these rules guide Millennial online behavior and thus, should be respected when brands and individuals alike are interacting digitally with this generation.

Co-founder and CEO of appssavvy Chris Cunningham echoed the sentiment that increasingly there is a fundamental shift in how brands need to think about driving awareness. Understanding what different audience groups are doing in the space and how they are using the environment is critical to initiating effective engagement.

“Think about the experience of your customer,” said Cunnigham. “Where is there friction and how can you improve that?”

Having a dedication to the continued “discovery” of audiences, behaviors, platforms and tactics is what will allow your brand to be relevant. Ultimately it will be your audience who decides whether your brand also has resonance.

Design the Movement

Joel Daly

Occupy Wall Street Signs
Flickr photo by Sasha Y. Kimel

After living in D.C. for more than a decade, I’ve become a connoisseur of organized protests. It's rare that a week goes by where I don't encounter a protest or two just going  about my everyday business. 

And when I do, it's tough not to evaluate and critique them and wonder about their effectiveness.Whether I agree with each protest or not, the cynic in me can't help but think they could be more successful if they did a better job staying on message.

Too often, protests feature a lot of noise with only a loosely consistent underlying message. This disjointed nature risks distracting or diluting from the primary message. And it ensures that many potential supporters will stumble upon something they disagree with instead of focusing on the primary message they support.

Occupy Design Infographic

This is a widespread critique of most protests and movements across the political spectrum from the Tea Party to Occupy Wall Street: there is no common platform.

With that in mind, I’m interested by OccupyDesign, a component of the Occupy Wall Street movement that applies the unique skills, expertise and passions of designers and other visual communicators.

In political and activist discourse, the messages that get noticed and resonate are succinct, unified, visual and sometimes humorous. OccupyDesign plays into that by aspiring to use design to create a visual vocabulary of the movement – to give OWS the most effective messages in the most effective formats.

It is a nascent aspect of the movement but has the potential to dramatically upgrade the traditional protest sign and directly address the critics who wonder aloud what it is they stand for.

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. 

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.

Greg McCarthy

Senior Vice President

Bob Brody

Senior Vice President

Lance Morgan

Chief Communications Strategist