Zeno Group Blog

PRWeek’s Alex Bruell interviewed our CEO, Barby Siegel, last week about the agency’s plans to expand its technology capabilities on the West Coast and trends in the consumer space.

Our client today announced results for a very exciting medical prospect on the horizon for women’s health — the ability to definitively diagnose ovarian cancer, the deadliest of gynecological cancers, with a blood test. All of us women at some point in our lives worry and wonder, if we or someone close to us might have ovarian cancer. It’s a disease that is often asymptomatic; most women don’t know they have it until it’s in advanced stages, when the five year survival rate is just 23 percent. Imagine if along with her PAP smear, a woman could go to their OBGYN for her checkup, be tested for ovarian cancer and find it early when the survival rate is 94 percent. The future holds great hope for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and this is just one example of what is on the horizon.

Earlier this week the market research firm Juniper Research released a report that said consumers will have downloaded 25 billion mobile applications to their smartphones by the year 2015. That’s up almost ten times from the roughly 2.6 billion downloaded in 2009. This stat highlights an evoloution of social media’s home ground from the personal computer to the mobile device.

When social media was born, the discussion was exclusive to the Internet. And while Wi-Fi and smaller laptops made it easier to bring the Internet anywhere, without access to the Web, you were left out of the conversation. Now the need to have the fastest laptop on the block is giving way to the desire to hold the hottest smartphone in your hand.

We’ve seen the changes already with the rising popularity of FourSquare and enhanced mobile apps for Facebook and Twitter. Social media platforms that lack a compelling mobile element will quickly face irrelevance. While I was introduced to Twitter at (where else?) Twitter.com, I now spend as much time tweeting on my Blackberry as I do online. As the ability to capture, upload and view video from cell phones becomes more commonplace, YouTube’s Web site visitors will migrate to the mobile version to watch their favorite clips.

FourSquare’s Web site, meanwhile, is as bare bones as you’ll find and rightfully so. The experience is all about using your mobile devices to engage with your friends and followers. In this social medium, a Web site serves little purpose.

As 2015 approaches, the social media leaders will be those who master the mobile world. I’m looking forward to seeing who leads that race.

Last night’s televised announcement of LeBron James’ free agency decision was an unprecedented circus. There’s plenty to analyze from a media and public relations perspective. James’ decision to go on national television and deliver a stomach punch to his hometown didn’t do much for his image, and despite garnering huge ratings, ESPN has been roundly criticized for their role in staging the broadcast. But most intriguing to me was the rambling response sent out last night by Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert.

Letters and e-mails drafted when emotions are raw are rarely a good idea. Within a couple hours of James decision, Gilbert decided to unload on the team’s departing superstar. Some of my favorite passages:

“This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his ‘decision’ unlike anything ever ‘witnessed’ in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.”

“You simply don’t deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.”

“This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown ‘chosen one’ sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And ‘who’ we would want them to grow-up to become.”

And definitely the most over-the-top comment: “Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.”

ESPN anchors were so stunned by this outburst that some questioned its legitimacy. But with the letter posted to the front page of the Cavaliers Web site, there was no doubt it was intended for a public audience.

As public relations professionals, we’re taught to get your story out early to to control the message. This was an example where a cooling down period would have been far more beneficial. I’m not sure if Gilbert ran this letter by the team’s communications department, but he would have been well served to take 24 hours and consider if this was the message he wanted to send. If nothing else, he should have opted for a different font than the childlike Comic Sans that so many have skewered.

James decision is a major blow to Cleveland, but sports are a business and free agents departing at the end of their contracts is a part of that business. That doesn’t make James a coward. Athletes are criticized when they chase the dollars above all else. LeBron passed on the biggest payday, which would have come from staying in Cleveland, and went to the team where he thinks he has the best opportunity to win a championship. Although his announcement was tacky, the decision is a respectable one. Gilbert’s decision to blast LeBron on his way out the door doesn’t put him or his team in a better light.

The Chicago Tribune has a 163-year history as the voice of the Windy City. Yesterday was not one of its brighter days. Swept up in the euphoria surrounding the hometown Blackhawks run to the Stanley Cup, the Trib has been publishing a series of full-page Hawks player posters. On Tuesday the sports section went a different route, mocking Philadelphia Flyers antagonist Chris Pronger by photoshopping the lower half of a female figure skater onto his body and labeling him “Chrissy Pronger.”

Many have blasted the poster as sexist, and while I don’t disagree, I’m more troubled by how far the Tribune’s standards have slipped. I’m not a fan of over-the-top, rah-rah coverage of the home team, but newspapers are struggling and if a poster of Patrick Kane boosts the bottom line, I understand that decision. Still, would “Go Barack Go!” posters have been considered acceptable in support of a local candidate running for President? Why does a different standard apply to the sports section? Obviously the coverage is going to be pro-Blackhawks; that’s simply catering to your audience. But that coverage needs to look like it still comes with some objectivity.    

Openly mocking a professional athlete, however, brings the Trib to an even sorrier place. A newspaper’s role is to report on the games and provide analysis. If they want to needle the opposition, that’s the role of their sports columnists. Suggesting that Pronger “looks like Tarzan, skates like Jane,” is childish and pathetic. What if Pronger were to land on the Blackhawks roster someday? The Tribune will have already poisoned their relationships with him.

In an era when newspapers are struggling to maintain relevance, it’s sad to see one do so by resorting to third grade humor.

The year was 1990 and for the first time in 40 years, the United States soccer team was headed to the World Cup. Most of the nation reacted with a collective shrug of indifference. Soccer was best known in the U.S. as a game played by little kids or dismissed as the cause of rampant hooliganism in Europe. Fast forward to 2010. Those little kids are all grown up and so is America’s passion for “the beautiful game.”

As a lifelong soccer fan (that’s me and my brother at the 2006 World Cup), I’m amazed by the progress the sport has made in this country. Sitting on my desk right now is a “Special Double Issue” World Cup preview magazine. Not World Soccer or Sports Illustrated, but Time, a sure sign that soccer has arrived on mainstream America’s radar.

In 1990, cable network TNT broadcast selected World Cup matches, committing the cardinal sin of breaking away for commercials in the middle of a game. Now every tournament game will air on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 without commercial interruption. While the voice of Bono graces ESPN’s ad campaign, Brad Pitt has signed on to help promote the United States’ bid to host an upcoming World Cup. Perhaps you’ve heard of these guys.

A handful of factors have elevated soccer’s standing in the U.S. The Internet and expanded cable television has brought a global game into our living rooms. The generation that launched America’s youth soccer boom in the early ’80s has come of age, now taking their kids to watch an American pro league that has made solid strides in 14 years. And as U.S. companies like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Anheuser-Busch have embraced a global marketing strategy, they’ve learned that sponsoring with the world’s most popular game is a powerful platform.

Will soccer ever be king in this country? Don’t count on it. The world’s richest, most prestigious leagues aren’t leaving Europe anytime soon, nor is America’s passion for the NFL showing any sides of slowing. But in 20 years, soccer has emerged from obscurity to a place of prominence in American culture. I can wait to see what the next month- and the next 20 years- bring to the sport.

I have now returned to Washington, after a fabulous vacation in Montenegro. The trip has given me new perspective on several things. Mostly that we in the West take many things for granted. I had thought that before I left, but now I know that for sure.

Firstly, in the West when we say we lack resources we are generally talking money. In Montenegro they are talking both volunteers and budget. They have trouble getting volunteers for two reasons: because they have a law that requires them to have contracts with “volunteers” and because volunteers are seen as weird and unusual. I thought to myself the very idea of having a contract with volunteers is counter to the concept of “volunteering.” And because few volunteer due to the cultural legacy of socialism and the state taking care of everything, those who do volunteer are seen as unusual. We in the U.S. have a culture of volunteerism that we teach at the youngest of ages. It seems normal but we should know that it is not the norm in the entire world.

Secondly, in the world of health, we have many celebrities and role models willing to step up and discuss their illnesses and diseases. In Montenegro I was told that people do not discuss their illnesses, sometimes even with their own family. They stay close to home until they are well and do not discuss their issues with anyone, let alone go to a support group. We are lucky that more and more, role models and celebrities are willing to discuss their illnesses and give of their time to educate others. In addition, we have a support group for almost every disease that exists. For example, many breast cancer patients will walk around proudly with a bald head and have a choice of support groups to attend. In Montenegro you generally would not see bald heads out in the street and no support groups exist. To me it is very sad that people who are sick, who need support the most, have very few people to turn to due to stigma of illness.

Thirdly, while we sometimes get frustrated with our government and wish the outcomes of projects were different, we generally know the rules of engagement with the government. There are laws that exist for comment periods after a proposed rule as well as clear timeframes are established for feedback from the government. In Montenegro, hard working NGOs can submit comments to the government on an issue and may never hear back or have their comments acknowledged. That seems very frustrating. We think it is normal to have all these rules set up to promote public engagement and prevent abuse by government, it is not. Transparency in the U.S. is generally the norm, not the exception.

But mostly what I had taken for granted, is that in the U.S. generally if you work hard, you can be successful regardless of your family or connections. They of course help but I know I control my own life path, not my heritage and family name. It never occurred to me that because I was born to a certain family that my prospects were limited. My parents gave me self confidence and an education, and then I set on my way to build my life. In Montenegro an education and confidence does not appear to be enough.

I left Montenegro feeling hopeful that they will fully embrace democracy, with all the good and the bad it brings. I have to remind myself it has taken many, many years for our government and society to evolve and I have no doubt that Montenegro will, it’s just a matter of time! The importance of time should not be taken for granted!

I have now been in Montenegro for nine days and grow to love it more each day. I love the people, the beauty, the land and the heritage. Even though the people have been through many wars and political unrest, they remain happy. That may be because family is truly at the core of society. When I spoke with them about using celebrities as role models for public education campaigns, they explained that the best role model, especially for youth, are parents. I wish that were true in the U.S. It may be to some extent but not like here in Montenegro. As they become less isolated it will be interesting to see if that holds true. I hope so!

Today was another great day in Montenegro. I spent the whole day with healthcare groups including the Ministry of Heath and major NGOs. For the most part they deal with the same issues as we do in healthcare except our alcoholism problems are much greater as they do not consider it the forbidden proof. What is also different is that here sick are stigmatized and people do not discuss their sicknesses including breast and prostate cancers. Also, here they do not understand why people stigmatize those in the U.S. who have lung cancer. Here smoking is the norm and very accepted. I was asked today if there is really science studies that prove there is a link between smoking and lung cancer. After that question I realized some things are very different!

Today in Montenegro I realized a few fundamentals about campaigns whose goal is to change behavior that I have taken for granted: keep campaign messages simple, the need for campaign longevity (we cannot change behavior in 1-3 months), and who delivers the messages is important. Many of the organizations I met here have very good intentions but forget these three fundamentals, in particular longevity. Many of America’s most famous campaigns such as MADD, Click It or Ticket, and Smokey the Bear, have been going on for many years. Here, due to lack of funding, the longest they do a campaign is three months and then are left wondering why they do not make an impact. I am hoping that I have convinced them that doing less campaigns, but those they undertake they do for longer, may be a better route to go. Only time will tell and I know all my new friends will keep me informed of progress!