Zeno Group Blog

Here are some articles the Zeno team has been reading from November 11th through November 14th:

• SI.com: Fox and ESPN are fighting for the next BCS contract
• Chicago Tribune: Poetic justice: Black athlete’s name to join segregationist’s on IU gym
• NYTimes.com: How Obama Tapped Into Social Networks’ Power

Whenever I was asked the question “Who would you most like to have lunch with” in elementary school essays, my default answer was Steven Spielberg (what 10-year-old child aspires to have lunch with a popular film director over Jonathan Taylor Thomas, I do not know, but apparently I did). Fifteen years later, if you asked my now more grown-up and professional self the same question, I’d have to say Google’s Marissa Mayer. Hands Down.

On Tuesday, FastCompany’s Saabira Chaudhuri published an article on the “Most Influential Women in Web 2.0” (which, of course, includes Ms. Mayer). Though the article picked up a lot of heat throughout the blogosphere, with some calling the author “sexist” for not also including men, I believe it’s about time women are recognized for their great achievements in Web 2.0.

From Arianna Huffington who created what is now the most popular blog on the Web, Huffington Post, to Ning’s Gina Bianchini, the outstanding women featured in this article have all made great strides online during a time when women are finally beginning to put the “housewife in the kitchen” stereotype behind them. Truth be told, it can be fairly intimidating competing and interacting with the “big boys” online. These women offer great advice, such as “you need to stick your neck out there and just do it in order to be successful.” (Cyan Banister).

In a traditionally male-dominated industry, it is nice to read about and celebrate the achievements of women who have made great strides in the online environment. As Marissa recommends, it’s important for women to find a company that fosters “an environment where people will invest in you.” I’ve found this to be so true and important to my growth as a digital media professional. For me, with Google and Marissa as examples, nothing is impossible.

Photo Credit: dfarber on Flickr

At PR Week’s “The Next Conference” next Wednesday in New York, Peter Kim, a former Forrester analyst, is moderating a panel titled, “The Next Digital Era” featuring Steve Rubel from Edelman Digital, Mark Donovan from comScore, and Tom Arrix from Facebook. Kim invited his blog readers to provide input for the panel. One of his questions included, “What’s next for the communications industry?” Below are my thoughts:

Thomas Friedman of The New York Times says we live in a world that’s “Hot, Flat and Crowded.” He might as well be describing the multitude of stagnant organizations that are still hesitant to integrate social platforms and new media strategies in their PR and marketing campaigns. They sit in a smog of inaction, unable to see the fresh air within reach. Alternative communications fuels such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Digg are already helping to eliminate corporate dependence on ink.

What’s next in communications is undoubtedly clear for those socially aware in the current media environment. Communications policy should be based on driving conversation and consumer engagement; rather than one-way vehicles that many organizations exclusively pursue on the congested road to market leadership. National media outlets and mainstream pursuits are still important, but niche communities and micro-platforms will increasingly receive outreach investment from smart PR professionals on behalf of their cost-conscious clients.

The social trends and behavioral shifts happening now will continue to shape what’s next … The availability of effective direct-to-consumer social channels, the accelerating transition from print to online, the growing adoption of social media among all demographics, the rise of the constantly connected consumer are moving all communicators to a massroots marketing era where brands are the broadcasters (think Blendtec YouTube channel). “Marketers as media” will be the norm rather than the exception in communications efforts moving forward. We may not all have the money for a 30-minute spot on multiple network TV channels, but anyone can broadcast to the world in minutes – whether online or on mobile (live video on mobile phones will be the shiny new 2009 car in the ever-expanding communications garage).

How powerful can a “marketers as media” approach be in an increasingly Internet-driven society and digital culture? Just last week, one man who established himself as a brand, spoke directly to his customers and enlisted the power of social communication became President of his industry.

One of the greatest challenges facing groups – from companies, to non-profits, to governments, to school clubs – is how to effectively inform and mobilize their members, particularly when they are large. Over the last two years, we have seen the emergence of Twitter as a resource for doing so – and with it, growing adoption by a variety of organizations.

During the recent election, we saw perhaps the most effective use of Twitter, to date, by the Obama campaign. By consistently putting out updates and calling his supporters to action, Barack Obama managed to become the single most followed person on Twitter, with more than 125,000 followers (almost twice the next largest crowd). Obama’s twitter profile is just one piece of his social media outreach, which includes pages on YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Ustream, and other social networking sites. This presence served him two crucial purposes – to build his following and provide engagement for them. Whenever there was a new rally to be watched online, reminders about important deadlines, or thank you’s to be given, the Obama web team pushed out a twitter update – instantly notifying all of his followers who could then immediately react.

While Twitter is extremely useful for building and mobilizing support, it also is useful for the simple dissemination of information. In Los Angeles County, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) uses its Twitter profile to let riders know about service interruptions. By signing up with Twitter, riders can be instantly notified whenever the MTA announces a new service disruption – receiving text messages on their cell phones with the updates.

The Los Angeles Fire Department uses Twitter to post announcements about any major alerts and disseminate emergency information. Their use of Twitter also shows off another attractive feature– integration with RSS. Since Twitter uses RSS for its distribution, it can also read existing RSS feeds, which can be used to generate new posts. In the LAFD’s case, they simply linked an account to an existing RSS system, giving Los Angelinos another way to follow them and get updates.

This brings up a crucial question: Why Twitter? There are plenty of ways to disseminate information (for instance, my college campus subscribed to an emergency text messaging service where they could send alerts out to everyone who had signed up for it), so what is the particular appeal of Twitter? I see the answer as being three fold: It has a built in user base, it’s simple to work with and, most importantly, its free! Combined with the universal architecture (it uses RSS Feeds) and customizability (you can brand your page however you like) it provides the simplest, most efficient, and most cost effective solution for almost any organization.

If you haven’t already seen or tried twitter, hop on over to http://www.twitter.com and check it out – I’m sure you can find someone interesting you’d like to follow.

o   Search through Twitter’s archives

o   A recap of some of the best Twitter tools

o   Follow me (@alexlmiller), or other members (@NickMendoza, @AndreaNowack) of the Zeno Group Digital Lifestyle Team, on Twitter

I had the pleasure of attending the Opportunity Green eco-friendly business conference at UCLA over the weekend and was fortunate enough to hear a number of speakers whom I greatly respect and admire talking about some really interesting topics surrounding green business.

During a panel called “What’s Hot, What’s Not, What’s Next: The Latest Trends in Sustainability,” a lively debate arose about “greenwashing,” which is when companies mislead consumers about their environmental practices. Zem Joaquin, founder/editor-in-chief of Ecofabulous, echoed what I thought were my own feelings, that greenwashing is unequivocally a bad thing and that we should blow the whistle on companies engaging in this practice and encourage true change.

Tom Szaky, CEO of Terracycle, offered an interesting opposing view. Basically, he raised the point that some change is better than no change, and if we come down hard on a company for talking about the small steps they are taking because they are an environment offender on larger fronts, it will discourage companies from making changes, talking about their efforts and influencing other companies to make changes. He cited the example of the ubiquitous 99 cent shopping bags at every checkout counter around the country. The bags actually use 50 times more energy to make than plastic bags! But, there is no arguing that they have shifted consumer consciousness and inspired many consumers to start thinking about and using reusable bags. Being that this is the change we want to see, is it worth the environmental infraction – and not condemning companies who sell the bags – for the movement it has created?

As PR professionals, we are in the unique position of helping to shape companies’ messages as well as having a dialog with the media about what and how they cover issues. On our end, this example helps to illustrate the importance of really thinking through what we counsel our clients to say publicly and how they say it, as well as considering all the possible reactions – especially the negative ones – and developing thoughtful responses that may tell a story that the media or consumers hadn’t thought of initially.

Here are some articles the Zeno team has been reading from November 4th through November 10th:

• CNN.com: Obama launches Web site to reach public
• Chicago Tribune.com- The Watcher: CNN ‘hologram’: How much did it cost?
• MarketingVOX: Blogs Influence Purchases More than Social Networks

What a thrill it is to arrive at work today in Zeno’s Chicago office with a historic stage literally behind my back. Tonight Sen. Barack Obama will address the nation from Chicago’s Grant Park (as seen here from our office windows) and if the polls are correct, he will do so as the next President of the United States.

The New York Times has provided a viewing guide for tonight’s returns. If things break Obama’s way early in Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana and Florida, Election Day will be devoid of the late-night drama of eight years ago. For news junkies, the battle for the White House shares the spotlight with the battle between the networks to be the first to (correctly) call the winner. With a number of political Web sites also serving as primary sources of information, the networks will be pressed to make an early call while avoiding the mistakes of 2000.

If you haven’t cast your vote already, make sure your voice is heard. And once you’ve made your choice, sit back and enjoy the show.

Here are some articles the Zeno team has been reading from November 3rd:

• NYTimes.com: Yahoo News Is Bracing for a Day of Heavy Traffic
• CNNMoney: Circuit City to close 20% of stores
• Chicago Tribune: Skyline on pause- Credit crunch leaves Spire, other towers short
• CNN.com: The Onion is ready for a new era of satire