Archive for September, 2007
September 25, 2007 at 7:25 pm · Filed under Australia
Australia must have an election before the end of January. It’s up to Prime Minister John Howard (not pictured) to call the date. The polls couldn’t be worse. Everyone likes Kevin Rudd (pictured), the leader of the Labor Party.
Yesterday’s updated polls have the Opposition Labor party with a 54% preference, compared to the sitting Liberal Party’s 42% share. There are always swings in polls - but never has there been such a large, unstoppable swing to the Opposition.
What’s the strategy and thinking in Canberra today? Is Howard waiting for momentum before calling the election? Is he hoping for a small close in the gap?
Here’s a great communications question: What is the PM waiting for?
September 23, 2007 at 1:54 am · Filed under Australia
The Arthur W. Page Society conference was great. I set low goals - learn something new, and meet someone nice. Both were accomplished many times over.
My Mom is 72 and very, very youthful. She flew out and we drove around Southern California for a few days. San Diego, Pala Indian Reservation, Tijuana, Los Angeles were all seen in four days and 458 miles of driving. It was great.
There’s a lot I miss about America. The ease and convenience of traveling with no agenda or reservations - and there’s a lot to see within short distances. It’s fairly low hassle anywhere, and you can do it in style or stick to a budget. And of course the shopping. I could live in Australia the rest of my life if I could go to a Walgreen’severy 90 days. The choices are beyond imagination - a dozen different types of orange juice, variety packs of all different foods, aspirin or paracetamol mixed with lots of other stuff, gifts, magazines, lotions, potions and gels. It really paralyses you with choice.
But I choose to live in Australia and for all my new home country has I consider myself lucky. It may not have the choice of shops in America - but in a weird way that’s a blessing. I don’t need Orange Juice with Extra Pulp, Calsium and Vitamin E and a splash of Mango. I’m okay with the garden variety.
I’m more at peace with America now that I don’t have to live there - I can visit, samples it’s numerous offerings, then return home to Sydney. To my family. To my adopted country.
My Country
by Dorothea Mackeller
1885-1968, written in 1904
The love of field and coppice
Of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance,
Brown streams and soft, dim skies
I know, but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of rugged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!
The stark white ring-barked forests,
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon,
Green tangle of the brushes
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops,
And ferns the warm dark soil.
Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When, sick at heart, around us
We see the cattle die
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady soaking rain.
Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine
She pays us back threefold.
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze…
An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand
though Earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.
September 18, 2007 at 2:48 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Our great conference photographer Yana Bridle found this left on the table by a budding AWPS artist…or were they simply distracted?
On this lighter note I’ll say farewell and report that the conference was successfully concluded at noon. Special thanks to Peter Debreceny for his work as Chairman of the conference.
September 18, 2007 at 2:41 pm · Filed under Issues Management, Public Relations
Intel came under fire for an offensive ad (See Times Online article from August). Angry consumers protested racist imagery showing African-American men bowing in front of a white man. See what they mean?
This caused NGOs to launch atacks on YouTube - and the cancellation of the advertisement. The video clip was pulled but the campaign remains: See how NGOs protested.
Their response? Nancy Bhagat Vice president, director of Integrated Marketing at the chip maker writes of the ad in her bog, here: “We have used the visual of sprinters in the past successfully. Unfortunately, our execution did not deliver our intended message and in fact proved to be insensitive and insulting. Upon recognizing this, we attempted to pull the ad from all publications but, unfortunately, we failed on one last media placement.”
September 18, 2007 at 1:54 pm · Filed under Climate Change, Public Relations
Panel discussion on corporate social responsibility. Chaired by Diane Osgood, Business for Social Responsibility. It inludes the following professionals:
Why the California experience with its increasing public voice - is this new, and can we expect it to be duplicated in the USA?
Wendy: If you follow the Page tenet and manage for the future, you do need to watch California. What’s undertaken here will spread to other parts of the nation. We’re a state of innovators - and we have a large population (in the USA, 1 in 8 kids live in California). CA remains on the forefront of public policy.
Tom: California has always taken the lead on environmental issues. Once we adopt standards other states follow. First state to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from cars. Given the stalemate in Washington, DC many other states implement standards from California. The business community os getting more engaged - and those that deal with the envionment successfully will make money and be leaders. Detroit is flatering and in CA Tessler is developing electric cars. ”GreenTech” investments are reaching $2 billion each year - investments to curb carbon is the wave of the future. Some of the largest environmental programs are funded by venture capital funds. GreenTech is the third wave - after HiTech and BioTech.
William: CALPERs listens to a number of important causes, such as those represented in the room. They invest in over 8,000 securities and we’re long-term holders. But we’re on the phone every day with the companies we own. CALERs believes strongly in transparency and disclosure. We use dedicated forums for the 1.5 million members we represent. One emphasis is CEO remuneration and we engage companies behind the scenes.
Question: How advise companies on engaging NGOs on public policy alliances?
September 18, 2007 at 1:15 pm · Filed under Public Relations, Social Media
Adam leads digital communications for The Coca-Cola Company. There are two streams of digital communications - marketing and corporate communications.
In marketing they asked thousands of Second Life citizens to help design a new vending machines that would then be placed all around Second Life locations.
Berman at MySpace.com already spoke about the promotion for Cherry Coke on MySpace.com.
“On the communications side we haven’t done as much,” said Brown. He joined on eyear ago and is starting the process.
Our brands and our company are mentioned every day 3,000 times - the majority are casual references (on MySpace saying, “I’m drinking a Diet Coke). Others are focused on issues like India, environment, corporate social responsibility.
For corporate communication sin social networking there are three steps:
- Established great monitoring tools - what’s being said but more important who is listening. Who is at the top of the pyramid and which speakers are the most relevant?
- Launching their own blogs and communities to have open and transparent communications.
- Entering discussions at other blogs and MySpace pages and entering the discussion - while being very transparent that they’re with Coke. We will respond with comments when we find credible blogs. Show that the company is listening and responding.
Getting out of “the monologue of dialogue” and veer away from one-way communications, but instead get into discussion.
We want to know who is influential so should we have issues or a crisis we have a relationship and we can return to them and have a meaningful dialogue.
This is so fast moving that if you created a college curicullum in January it would be out of date by March - Twitter just started a few months back. The head of communications at MySpace is 26 years old. You need a digital native on your team.
Traditional communications was used to dealing with 10 to 15 journalists in a week. Now how do they handle 50 to 60 citizen journalists in a week. The people who speak to citizen journalists need to be the same communications professionals who speak with traditional media. The explosion of growth is a challenge.
Here’s a good article in “The Wall Street Journal” featuring Adam Brown.
September 18, 2007 at 1:04 pm · Filed under Social Media
At MySpace we do four things:
- discover culture
- express themselves
- connect
- make a positive impact on the world
Been around 3.5 years and today have 110 million users - today tracks at 1 billion video every month, 45 billion page views every month.
Every MySpace user is a publisher. “Everyone is famous for 15 people,” said Berman. One woman has 1 million friends on MySpace - Barrack Obama has 200,000 friends and Cherry Coke after a campaign has 100,000 friends.
Launching a viral fundraising tool available for politicians and non-profits starting next month.
We’re entering a world where its a circular world of communications - not one-way, top-down. This is a richer, inter-connected way to communicate.
Companies and people have used the site strategically. All Presidential candidates have MySpace sites today - MySpace users watch videos on-line and are much more engaged politically.
The Impact Awards - last year’s winners were The Burrito Project - some kids who went to Ralph’s bought beans and made burritos and brought them to homeless people. Started in LA and then users saw it and did it in Charlotte. Then other cities. This was seen in Damascus, Syria and now there’s a Falafel Project. The LA kids took the money they won at The Impact Awards and founded a 501(3)-C charitable organisation and are taking their food project global. Check it out here!
Cherry Coke program has 100,000 people who are loyal to the brand and passionate - they are now ambassadors to the brand.
Privacy isn’t the big issues for oyunger users, as they willingly put information on MySpace. Yet employers are looking at these pages and the information remains forever.
September 18, 2007 at 12:27 pm · Filed under Social Media
The third day has a great panel to discuss the advent of social networking and Web 2.0. These include:
Look forward to a great session!
September 18, 2007 at 11:56 am · Filed under Workplace
Michael C. Hyer is a former publicist who now leads a human capital firm, Novations. He is also co-author of a book, “The Power of Inclusion.” He is to address the issue of leading with authenticity in a global work environment.
Arthur Page principles he wants to stress are:
- Listen to the customer
- Manage for tomorrow
- Realise a company’s try character is expressed by its people
Peter Drucker said leaders spend more than half of their business day in communications situations. Business days are basically communications situations that have an impact on people. Yet before today very few leaders have taken that seriously. Yet an organisation cannot perform to its maximum until people fully understand the company’s mission, vision and strategies. It’s all about moving people to action.
Insights into today’s workforce:
- 21 year olds today have played 10,000 video games, spend 10,000 hours on the phone and have received 250,000 emails or text messages.
- MySpace visits in 2006 exceeded 100 million and it started only in 2003.
- Today’s leaders will have 10 to 14 jobs by their 38th birthday.
- 50% of 21 year olds in the USA have created content on the web.
- 1 of 2 workers have been with their current employers for less than 5 years. (Source: Did You Know Video)
Companies are driven by cost efficiencies and that’s leading to a true global economy. Skills required that enable you to work and communicate effectively with people whose world views are unique - you need to meet the localised needs of people, while remaining true to yourself.
When trying to nurture people in the workforce, we see through generational filters:
- Traditionalists (Born 1922 to 1943)
- Baby Boomers (Born 1943 to 1960)
- Generation X (Born 1960 to 1980)
- Millenisals (Born 1980 to 2000)
This poses problems for companies - as Baby Boomers are retiring and plan to retire. How is the intellectucal capital these people have being saved and passed on? This is crucial as clients are more and more demanding.
Lots of insights into the differences between the generations - one of interest is that Baby Boomers believe work comes first and socialisation/relationships come second. For Gen X people the most important is the relationship. Work is a social connection and the task is secondary.
September 18, 2007 at 12:46 am · Filed under Media Industry
Beyond the hype it was great to finally meet Tina Brown – she’s stunningly presented in smart streamlined beige linen dress with fawn leather jacket. I introduced myself and was met with graciousness. Her remarks followed a delicious dinner in the open air courtyard at San Juan Capistrano Mission.
Even the sharpest at media needs to follow professional advice. Diana’s explosive interview with the BBC was done against the advice of her press relations professionals. It cut off all relations with the Palace, including policeprotection.
Always cautious with the chimera of the transformative interview – someone out there is waiting to hear the story from your perspective. The seduction usually starts with a well targeted letter – I know because I’ve written dozens of them. Bob Woodward is master and has written many to reach the weak point.
The BBC interview was to focus on the Princess’ love of children. The more you trust someone the more likely you are to say something off your guard. “I think of the media as a great beast that never sleeps,” said Brown. “As night follows day emails will surface years later.” See www.TheSmokingGun.com.
A lot of this dialogue is pretty mean spirited. “It’s like being in a Korean prison camp and you never know when they’re going to wake you up and beat your feet,” said an CBS executive when describing the Don Imus imbroglio. Their biggest mistake was waiting to long to respond. “In the era of the great beast that never sleeps the response needs to be instant,” said Brown.
“I’ve always believed in the power of exciting events,” said Brown. I convinced the ‘Powers That Be’ to hold a series of philanthropic events – and the first success was the Phoenix House event in Hollywood. Key: Invite writers along with marketing to showcase the talent of the magazine. And today every Conde Naste publication undertakes these events – and the Vanity Fair Oscar Party is now an institution.
With all the successes, how to remake the magazine? Annie Liebowitz’ photograph of Demi Moore was the best way to show the rejection of the glitz and jewelry of the decadent 1980s. In 1992 my challenge was to open up The New Yorker – the offices had all closed doors. There was a lot of fear – the hardcore saw me as the anti-Christ. Here’s an editor who put a naked Demi Moore on the cover!
I let go 75 and hired another 45. Few in the industry knew the numbers – we dealt with the hard core in a sensitive way on an individual level. I spoke with each person three times so they could move on with dignity. Tina hired a number of key writers and started a Los Angeles bureau – not just to sell advertising but to build a profile and develop a network. Lillian Ross, John Updike…and many other writers continue to flourish.
At Talk I walked right into a trap – the promotion of myself as a name to help make the magazine succeed. “Never give an opening party that’s better than the movie,” said Brown. The hostility to the media is astounding. Look at Profile magazine or the hard times given to Katie Couric at CBS News. A communications strategy needs to be diversified and sophisticated – use the blogosphere, and other micro-sources to fight the traditional media.
In Washington, DC a firm employs their Media Accountability Strategy – turn bad press into an issue about the accountability of media, discussed in the public forum of the web. You get a Greek Chorus of complaints from consumers and their competitors. Thin-skinned journalists hate the complaints about their own styles, guidelines.
Internal PR is as important as external. At The New Yorker we had kids – or grandkids – to the offices for a Christmas event. Sour old writers came out to drink eggnog to watch Santa hand out presents. You can run but you can’t hide. “You can’t go into ostrich mode.”
When a crisis hits it’s the person at the head of the company the public wants to see. In America companies need to have a public face. Most CEOs are not that gifted – so think brevity, brevity, brevity and close with a witty line.
The Communications Director must have a seat at the top table. Most PR disasters happen because executives don’t have a communications professional at the table – they need to be involved in the decision-making. Finally the upside of the difficult new media climate – it conveys a core value: Never do anything that you wouldn’t want to see made public.
What’s next? “I’m thinking of what to do next. Maybe a web idea, maybe another book – I’m cruising for a little bit now.”
“You learn more from the things that don’t go well,” said Brown when asked about crisis management. Getting the right team is agony and arduous. “I’m very much a whirling dervish” and am supported by good managers. “When you have success you assume the things that made you successful will always be there.”
What is the USA’s image abroad? “America is in a very bad PR condition everywhere. But people have this great sense that
America is a great place that’s stumbled and lost its way.
There’s a longing for these eight years to be over.
A great sense of waiting.
Until these eight years are over no one can quite breathe again about
America.”
If you’d advised Diana? “Diana’s problem was she was a good tactician but not a good strategist. By the end of her life her public work was at her best – but her private life always drew her back. The BBC interview was all emotion – feeling discarded, feeling angry and wanting to get back at Charles. She wanted to retaliate and didn’t think beyond that. She was in a good position and could have maintained a civil relationship with the Queen. Once she went on BBC she was cut off completely – wthin hours the Queen sent a letter saying, ‘You must be divorced.’
Difference between American or British media? American media the blogosphere is much more powerful. England is still a newspaper culture. The newspaper is much more destructive. England is a much harder place to be a public figure. American media is not as creative as the British media – far more lively, versatile, flair. “I think American newspapers are dieing…they sit there like dead whales.”
Juggling motherhood and career? It was difficult but you just muddle on. At The New Yorker I appointed all women editors. We all went home at 6:00 pm but then we all went on-line at 11:00 pm and the lines went hot until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. A great sense of women helping each other. I don’t demand staff working at the desk so long as the work is done.
Thoughts about Mr, Murdoch and a new magazine for The WSJ? I think that’s a great idea. “Mr. Murdoch has a lot of flair and if that was aligned to any morality that would be great,” said Brown. It’s been a dull time for magazines – I think this is a great idea.
Views on Katie Couric – will she prevail? Of course I identify with Katie and think she’s in her talk mode (re the interview in The New Yorker). She felt because she’d done something else in a different structure. Everything is against her in this situation. “No one under 72 makes and appointment to watch the evening news.” CBS is trying to hold on to the concept of “appointment news.” What works for the evening news is the “voice of god” guy who you don’t register with as a personality. She is in a battle that she cannot win. “It’s just the wrong gig.”
Views on women in politics, Hillary and the coverage of her. “I think Hillary is doing superbly well,” said Brown. “She just stands there in that purpose-built pants suit. She’s like a truck – nothing can knock her down. It doesn’t matter what the media say because she’s Tungsten. Short of soliciting someone in a public bathroom…’I’m a wide kind of woman’…she’s indefatigable.”
To laughs and applause Tina left for a red eye flight to New York where she’ll give a luncheon address at The Phoenix House.
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Australia must have an election before the end of January. It’s up to Prime Minister John Howard (not pictured) to call the date. The polls couldn’t be worse. Everyone likes Kevin Rudd (pictured), the leader of the Labor Party. 
