Zeno Group Blog

Answer: This television news anchor appeared on a popular game show to win money for charity and in the process damaged the credibility of his network. Question: Who is Wolf Blitzer?

OK, “damaged the credibility of his network” might be an overstatement, but surely CNN executives were wincing last Thursday as they watched one their most visible personalities completely fall apart during an episode of Celebrity Jeopardy! Blitzer didn’t just finish a distant third to Tonight Show sidekick Andy Richter and actress Dana Delany, he stumbled home with a deficit of $-4,600 after Double Jeopardy. Not surprisingly, the blogosphere had a field day with the poor showing by the host of The Situation Room.

When the three contestants were first introduced, I’m sure I wasn’t alone in thinking Blitzer would cruise past the Desperate Housewife and Conan’s cohort. And while he struggled through the opening round, I was willing to chalk it up to a man who was simply slow with the buzzer. But when Wolf started to chime in late in the game, confusing fettuccine with mostaccioli and making an absolute mess of the “E Times 3” category, it was clear that this test of random knowledge was not for him.

So was the Blitzer blowout a black eye for CNN? It certainly doesn’t help. While there are no shortage of TV news personalities who are hired to be a pretty face that reads a teleprompter, Blitzer comes across as an intelligent man with thoughtful insights. That intelligence betrayed him during a 30-minute game show appearance. For a few weeks, many CNN viewers will see Blitzer and be unable to shake the comical image below. As time goes on, the incident will fade into a mere mention on his Wikipedia bio. But don’t expect CNN to encourage Anderson Cooper or Larry King to join Alex Trebek on the Celebrity Jeopardy! set anytime soon.

One of the most unfortunate effects of an economic downturn is the increase in domestic violence. But there are signs of hope, thanks to the efforts of the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) which is making great strides to increase awareness and reduce acts of domestic violence.

Sue Else has been the President of NNEDV since 2006. She started her career in the field as a volunteer at a battered women’s shelter in Ames, Iowa while earning her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Iowa State University. She was eventually hired as the volunteer coordinator at the shelter—one of two paid staff positions—and quickly became the Executive Director. Later, she moved to Kansas City, Missouri and served as President and CEO of Hope House for 18 years.

She recently sat down to discuss the organization’s work in the last year, providing insights on the challenges overcome and those that lie ahead.

Q: What are the core services NNEDV provides?
A: NNEDV started as a policy arm of state coalitions against domestic violence, to advocate for the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, which was introduced by then Senator Joe Biden, now our country’s Vice President. We were created to monitor, watch and affect legislation on all key issues that deal with family violence, such as housing, safety, health insurance and most importantly national domestic violence legislation. In addition, we work with state organizations to monitor what is occurring at the state level and what type of effect it could have at national level.

We also focus on issues surrounding training and economic literacy. For example, through our partnership with The Allstate Foundation, we provide survivors with economic literacy training, an important empowering skill for abused women. In many cases, domestic violence occurs – and is perpetuated – by the fact that the victim does not possess sound financial skills, and therefore depends on the abuser for economic support. (For more information on this program visit www.nnedv.org/projects/allstatefoundtion.html.

Another area where we provide support and training is around the risks and benefits that everyday technology provides. Working with survivors of domestic violence and advocacy groups, as well as police departments, we help educate how technology plays a role in domestic violence. For example, many women don’t know that a simple electronic greeting card sent to them can contain Spyware, allowing their abuser to monitor their email traffic. Or that police departments can use the GPS tracking system inside of a cell phone to find a missing person.

Q: Why is NNEDV’s work so important? Are incidents of domestic violence on the rise?
A: Our work is needed and important no matter the time or place. In the U.S. there are 2.3 million cases of domestic abuse in a year. One in four women in their lifetimes will experience domestic violence in some manner. In one day alone, local programs provided service to 61,000 domestic violence victims and answered over 21,000 crisis hotline calls.

Unfortunately, each day people lose their lives to domestic violence. Due to societal pressures and family matters, many people don’t talk about the subject. There is far too much blame felt by victims of domestic violence. The constant question — “Why didn’t she get out sooner?” – continues this myth. Women represent roughly 85 percent of domestic violence victims, but men can be victims, too.

Creating awareness and talking about domestic violence is so important if we want to end it. Domestic violence has a high cost to our economy, people lose work productivity due to it, healthcare costs are a higher and children who come from families that have domestic violence issues tend to do poorer in school and are more likely to join gangs.

Q: What new initiatives are on the horizon to broaden people’s knowledge of domestic violence?
A: One very important and exciting new development we have is that there is a new White House advisor on violence against women, Lynn Rosenthal, who also served as the former Executive Director of NNEDV. This is such a tremendous leap for us because we now have a touchstone for our work inside the White House, something that we never had before. This allows us to galvanize greater support, advocacy and understanding about domestic violence issues than ever before.

We’re also reaching out to the media through a project supported by The Allstate Foundation. We are educating members of the media on the importance of using language that does not stigmatize or place blame when domestic violence is reported. For example, the use the word “dispute” is often used to describe domestic violence, when in fact this is not the case at all. A better example is the recent “messaging” around the Chris Brown and Rihanna case in which the media confused the issue blurring the line as to who was to blame.

Q: What is the best way that companies and non-profit organizations can work together to build partnerships to combat domestic violence?
A: Getting involved with a cause holds some great benefits not only for the local shelter or group by providing needed services or money, but it also provides the partnering organization positive benefits by raising their profile, as well.

Another way that organizations can become active in addressing violence in the workplace is to create policies and procedures that help employees. For example, if a women is being stalked, her employer should provide a security guard to walk her to her car each night when she leaves work, allow for time off for her to go to court to handle any legal issues, or create a domestic violence education program within the workplace to heighten understanding.

Other simple, but effective, steps include taking up a collection for a local shelter, becoming a board member at a local program to put your skills to use, offering to drive a domestic violence victim to a doctor’s appointment or court case, or just volunteering at a local shelter.

Q: What are the shifting trends that you see emerging in public policy issues related to domestic violence?
A: The White House advisor is a positive. We do, however need legislation specifically designed to help teenagers. There is increasing abuse, and even death, at the teenage level, and we need proper protection orders and curriculum in the school systems to educate families and teens about domestic violence. Many teens don’t feel comfortable going to their parents, and the only way now that a teen can do anything in most states is to have their parents file the necessary report.

Finally, there is a lot of legislation within the criminal justice system for violence against women. That legislation doesn’t address ancillary issues like housing and finances. We are seeing an expanded effort to serve victims of domestic violence beyond the criminal justice system. For example, efforts are underway to protect victims from getting evicted from housing or losing access to their money due to domestic violence incidents.

When you are fighting breast cancer, you get overdosed and overdone by many things. You are flooded by drugs and therapies and yes, the color pink. In doctor’s offices, infusion rooms and radiation centers, pink ribbons adorn everything from literature to nurse’s uniforms. During my treatment four years ago, I started to hate the color. Well-meaning friends sent me endless pink gifts all bedecked and often bejeweled with the ribbon. Pink T-shirts and bracelets, balloons and flowers, hats and scarves were lovingly sent. My bedroom began to resemble a little girl’s pink decorating scheme.

On my last day of chemo, I expected a pink balloon drop or shower of pink confetti. But none came. I realized that the celebration was not in the end of treatment, but in the start of a new chapter. Pink took on a new meaning at my first breast cancer walk. I was immersed in a sea of survivors and friends and family and yes, pink. Everywhere. On hats, banners, signs, balloons and the endless posters carried by survivors and friends. It was overwhelming and beautiful. Incredibly beautiful. So as we approach Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I say bring on the pink. I may not be wearing it myself, but I will be proudly walking with other survivors, doing my part to raise awareness, taking my medications and moving toward the incredibly wonderful pink light.

Movie studios fully understand the influence that word-of-mouth reviews, whether positive or negative, have on box office receipts. Social networks are accelerating this conversation as consumers hype or hurt a movie’s perception. Many observers speculate that moviegoer talk on Twitter, which often comes straight from a mobile phone inside a theater, can impact a film’s opening weekend. As a result, studios are experimenting with ways to tap into the viral discussion, create awareness on social networks, and transform the mobile phone into a driver of positive buzz and box office earnings.

Read the full article on PBS MediaShift.  Do you use Facebook Connect on your iPhone or on any Web site?

I’ve been working in digital media for a couple of years now, though I don’t pretend to be an expert in health care.  Social media marketing in health care is a whole different world than pure consumer categories, and with all the rules and regulations set forth by the FDA it’s no wonder why so many health care companies are hesitant to dip their toes in the murky waters.

A few weeks ago, I attended a Health Care Social Media Webinar, presented by WOMMA, and was intrigued by the discussion that took place.  The conversation centered on the pros and cons of engaging directly with patients online, as well as applying guidelines for health care and pharmaceutical companies to current social media marketing tactics (a topic that has been hotly debated for some time).  The bottom line is, at this point no one knows the rules yet, and it’s a scary place for some companies in the health care industry.  But for many, social media is becoming a reality however good or bad that may be, thus they must take the initial steps to understand it and eventually incorporate it into their overall business strategy.

Despite moderating and reporting adverse events, or sticking to the Fair Balance “one click” rule, social media presents some exciting opportunities for health care and pharmaceutical companies, as well as everyday consumers seeking health information.  Patients and anyone interested in health are more empowered than ever.  Web 1.0 fostered patient education through the presentation of new content, and now Web 2.0 allows the opportunity to engage directly with companies.  Hospitals and pharma companies have spent millions of dollars in years past trying to push their messages out to consumers, with mediocre results at best.  Today, social media allows them the opportunity to reach their core audience directly and have a conversation with them.

A 2008 report published by the California HealthCare Foundation maintained that Web 2.0 puts the power back into the hands of the consumer, but I don’t know if I completely agree with that statement.  In fact, I think it’s a nice balance of power between the two parties.  Consumers have always had the potential to be empowered; however, I think social media truly empowers the health care companies who are trying to reach and engage with people in a meaningful way.  From finding distinct groups of people to recruit for clinical trials to mining social networks for valuable customer feedback to discussing hot topics that affect health care companies as a whole, patients are finally willing to listen to what they have to say.  Social media allows all parties involved in health care, from doctors to pharma companies to patients, to engage in a meaningful, direct conversation; the next step for health care companies is learning to navigate the hurdles presented by FDA regulations in order to truly engage.

As we all digest the very sad news of the death of Senator Ted Kennedy, I feel there is some irony and injustice in his death. He was the champion of health care reform and led the charge for a long while for universal health. He knew the importance of good health care. The irony is despite the excellent health care he had access to from the Federal program and through his own family wealth, the current health care treatments could not save his life.

This is important to recognize as we grapple with health care reform. We must make sure that research dollars for new treatments are preserved and access to experimental drugs becomes a little easier. Yes it’s absolutely important for all Americans to have access to basic health care and current treatments, but let us all not forget that we must still keep working to find new therapies for all those illneses that do not have cures or for patients where the current treatments fail them. Only once we have these discoveries and treatments will we truly have universal health care.

Here are some articles the Zeno team has been reading from June 30th through August 24th:

• Yahoo! News: Attack on Obama riles Beck’s advertisers
• NYTimes.com: Britons Shudder Over ESPN Broadcasting Premier League Soccer
• Wall Street Journal: How Moms Feel About Social Media

I love demographic terms and the names marketers come up with to define consumer categories. Recssionistas have garnered significant attention from companies and press. The question is not only how women are shopping today, but when the recession ends, will they ever return to former buying patterns? As the mother of two teenage daughters who view shopping as a competitive sport, leaner times have given us a chance to review and rethink how we buy. We continue to remain brand loyal, but shop smarter. Like other consumers, we search for the most competitive prices of the products we love. We find great satisfaction from extending our dollar in as many ways possible. With the passion of big game hunters, we are on the prowl for “the deal.” While we may spend more as the economy rebounds, our new found quest for great buys, will remain. The message to companies is help consumers feel good about shopping by providing value and appeal to our sense of deal-hunting.

I am all for a lively exchange. From town halls to pundits, from papers to blogs, lots of folks all are focused on how we are going to tackle health care. Just a few observations:

1) On July 23, Pres. Obama referred to “health insurance reform” when in Cleveland. While few noticed this substantive change in White House strategy back then, kudos to Cathy Arnst, BusinessWeek, for flagging it. The strategy is to assign blame to a segment (the insurance industry).

2) As has been noted by many, when Social Security was created, Americans tended to retire at 65 and die in the following year or so. Thanks to medical and health advances, we are living longer. The challenge is how to pay for our longer lives and the advances that help to make that happen.

3) Care of health care reform, I have learned a little something about Twitter: I commented on a tweet about health care being a right. I got a direct message back that was questioning my opinion. I tried to send a direct message back, but can’t until that person follows me. (This frustration further confirms my earlier blog that I am twitless.)

At the root of my health care reform post was that we need to consider the quantity of health care provided. Surely, this is very complicated. While “death panels” are a flash point, in fact, we need to do a much better job providing end of life care. Americans are optimists and we all hope for a miracle cure. I agree that a well informed physician and patient team should be in control of the decision. Ultimately, though, we need to become more realistic about the intended outcomes of care, the evidence that is available to guide the decision and weigh the options. By the time anyone reaches middle age, just like getting the invitation to join the AARP, we should also embrace the critical landmark of establishing a living will and ensuring we have done the very best we can to plan financially for long lives.

Social media policies quickly reveal which organizations “get it” and which don’t with respect to new media. A policy that’s being unveiled today by the Southeastern Conference in advance of the 2009 college football season shows that the SEC belongs in the category of “lost and confused.”

Earlier this year the SEC informed their member schools that “ticketed fans can’t ‘produce or disseminate (or aid in producing or disseminating) any material or information about the Event, including, but not limited to, any account, description, picture, video, audio, reproduction or other information concerning the Event.” The policy received such negative backlash that a revised version is coming out today, but the underlying message will likely remain the same: the SEC doesn’t want fans’ tweets, status updates, Flickr pictures and other social media accounts of their games landing on the Web.

The first story I read about the policy was from St. Petersburg Times staff writer Michal Kruse, who said “Many are saying this makes the bosses of the SEC look like fuddy-duddy technophobes — that they don’t ‘get’ new media. They get it. The language of the conference’s policy suggests they know all too well the high-stakes fight that’s just beginning.”

Kruse argues that the broad policy is designed not so much to ban the present-day social media tools- the tweets and Facebook photos that could come from gameday at an SEC venue, but to prepare for the future. When technology arrives that makes it possible to broadcast live streaming video from your cell phone, a policy prohibiting that will already be in place. I understand that line of thinking; CBS has a multi-billion dollar TV contract in place that they want protected (and obviously the SEC wants to protect that source of revenue). Future technology could become an alternative to watching games on the network.

But in the meantime, the policy comes off as pretty short-sighted, not to mention practically impossible to enforce in real time. As Mashable’s Adam Ostorow points out, how often do you see a Facebook update that someone is watching or attending a sporting event and feel inclined to turn on the TV? In my opinion, social media builds fan affinity in a way that ultimately helps the brand.

Ask any college football fan the best way to enjoy gameday and almost all of them will answer one of two ways: being at the stadium, or watching the game on TV, be that at someone’s home or at a sports bar. An old school minority still enjoys games on the radio, but no one is going to use a student or even a journalist tweeting from the stands or press box as their primary source if they have access to a TV or tickets to the game. The thought that this communications diminishes the value of CBS’ current contract with the SEC is folly. Social media brings fans closer to the games they love, and ultimately the television rights holder reaps the benefit.