PepperDigital

Moving from "Sticky" to "Spreadable"

By: Sam Ford, PepperDigital

Recently, I brought up my opinion on "viral campaigns" here on the PepperDigital blog. I previously concluded, "Truth is, if you want something to be spread, it has to resonate with an audience to the point that they'll want to share it.  And that's not ultimately up to the producer of the message."

On that note, early next month, Peppercom will be hosting a free Webinar on this subject. Entitled "Moving from 'Sticky' to 'Spreadable': The Antidote to 'Viral Marketing' and the Broadcast Mentality" the panel will be from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6.

The subject is "spreadable media," based on a research project from the Convergence Culture Consortium and a book I am currently working on with Henry Jenkins at USC and Joshua Green at MIT. The three of us will be presenting the concept together on the Webinar.

For the past two years, the Convergence Culture Consortium team (where I formerly served as project manager) has been examining some of the issues with brands and entertainment properties basing success completely off the concept of stickiness, which measures based on how many people click onto a page, how much time they spend on the page, etc. 

Similarly, we've been looking at how communication professionals have adopted the language of "viral marketing" and how that concept has framed how companies build their online presence, in our minds in a way that is ultimately less helpful for brands and their audiences alike.

Peppercom's own Steve Cody will be joining us to moderate the conversation, and we'll also be taking some questions from those listening. To register or find out all the details, click here.

Hope you'll be able to join us

Digital Communication: How is Your Company Fairing?

By Amelia Denson, PepperDigital

For the past few months PepperDigital has been actively updating the Digital Network Assessment to meet the ever changing environment of digital communication. When analyzing the recent results, we surprisingly found that approximately 75 percent of companies failed the Digital Network Assessment mini-quiz.

The 7-question mini DNA quiz asks communications leaders about the quality of their brand’s digital communication based on three categories: quality and quantity of Internet content, use of interactive digital tools for communication and internal resources dedicated to online initiatives.

With companies like Pizza Hut, who  recently created a Twitern that serves as the company’s social media journalist, businesses need to focus on their use of interactive digital tools. However, with 80 percent of companies who admit that they are not ready to handle a digital crisis, they also need to realize that digital raises a company’s risk.

The online quiz is an abbreviated version of PepperDigital’s Digital Network Assessment, a service designed to target internal inconsistencies surrounding how an organization’s digital initiatives are prioritized.  The full assessment takes a deep dive into how employees perceive a company’s online presence and the internal processes in place to manage these online initiatives, starting with an approximate 60-question survey. 

The Digital Network Assessment has specialty areas in sales, internal communications, intellectual property and crisis management, allowing the assessment to be tailored to the particular concerns of each client and to analyze an organization’s digital initiatives from the perspective of the audience that knows the organization’s goals best—the employees.

What is your company’s DNA?

Social Networks: Friend or Foe?

By Amelia Denson, PepperDigital

Who knew updating your Twitter status could help increase work productivity? A new study released from the University of Melbourne says that using sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube actually helps workers.

Dr. Brent Coker, the author behind the study, said that when workers use ‘Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing’ they are 9 % more productive than those who don’t.

Dr. Coker added, “People need to zone out for a bit to get back their concentration […] Short and unobtrusive breaks, such as a quick surf of the internet, enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total net concentration for a days work, and as a result, increased productivity.”

Makes perfect sense right?

Those companies who block social networks should take notes from Dr. Coker and rethink their social media policy. Not only does social networking increase communication among employees, it also helps an organization recruit potential employees.

Public companies are not the only organizations that shy away from social networks, governments do as well. An article from last week’s New York Times points out that while the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has a Facebook page, their employees aren’t allowed to access it at the office and must wait till they go home. Why have a page in the first place?

At Peppercom, we have established a flexible and moderate social media guideline that protects our organization and its employees. We have used Facebook and Twitter countless times to organize events with co-workers. It helps us form bonds that exist outside the Peppercom offices.

To Wiki or Not to Wiki?

By Jackie Kolek, PepperDigital

Every three months or so, a certain junior account executive in our London office alerts one of our co-founders and managing partners that Peppercom does not have a Wikipedia entry.  This particular managing partner immediately sends a note to our PepperDigital team asking us why we don't have one and asking us to get one up ASAP.  And so the debate begins: should we create our own Wikipedia entry?

The past three or four (or six or seven) times this has come up, the PepperDigital team reminded the co-founder in question that our philosophy is that companies should never create their own page. It violates the principles of consumer-generated media and goes against everything we advise our clients with regard to transparency and authenticity.  However, the last time the issue was raised we decided to take a different approach. We convened a panel of Peppercommers from the digital team and beyond to discuss and debate the merits of creating one's own page.  In the true spirit of social media, we encouraged differing points of view and an open and honest dialogue.  Some interesting points that came out of the discussion include:

• Most consumers and many reporters will first visit Wikipedia before visiting a company's web site

• It is unethical and in violation for companies to upload information to Wikipedia on behalf of themselves•        

• The idea behind Wikipedia is that someone who doesn’t have a vested interest in the subject matter should add or edit information

• Having a Wikipedia page opens up the company to criticism 

•  If you are bashing an organization on a Wiki page or the comment doesn’t relate to the conversation, then you have the right to take it down. It’s not a part of the conversation

• But, if these comments ring true, they stay up

• If you use social media and digital technology like Twitter, blogs, and video, you have your own platform to respond from

• The risk is that there isn’t a code of ethics for interacting online

So, following a healthy debate and some dissenting opinions, it was decided that Peppercom would not create its own Wikipedia page.  It simply violates the essence of social media and flies in the face of transparency and authenticity.  Additionally, it opens the organization up to potential commentary that may not always be positive, and we would have to live with that.  Finally, having someone create a Wikipedia page is in some ways a symbol that a company has "arrived."  Peppercom is just not there yet, but who knows - someday a fan may take the time and interest to create a page for us. When they do, we'll embrace it.

In the meantime, I am sure that certain UK JAE will continue to raise the issue.  And, honestly, I hope he does.  Social media usage and rules are evolving and changing every day, and its imperative to continue having healthy debate and dialogue around these issues. 

Selling the C-suite on Digital Communications

By Joe Becker, PepperDigital

Here’s a story: You’re a communications professional with a previously proven stellar digital program for increasing the online awareness of a brand and/or corporate message using 2.0 tools like blogs, podcasts, social networking assets, sentiment monitoring and the like.  You’ve talked about the scope and outlook for implementing such a program with your client, and they too see the significant benefits of an online communications program.  All is moving forward until your client needs to gain sign-off from his/her CMO or CEO, and the emergency break is pulled full throttle because the C-suite doesn’t see the ROI value in loosening the purse strings. 

PepperDigital sees this question as a significant issue facing our industry: how do you communicate effectively the benefits of a digital program to the C-suite?

I posted a blog entry on the same subject a few weeks back but wanted to resurface this thought because PepperDigital is hosting two events in the early fall that explore best practices on this compelling subject.

First, registration is open for the Peppercom/PR Week webcast that will feature senior communicators at corporations that have successfully implemented social media strategies and how they got their C-suite to invest in the digital environment.

Date: Tuesday, September 9
Time: 12:00pm est

Featured speakers:
•    Sam Ford, Director of customer insights, Peppercom
•    Paula Drum, VP of marketing, H&R Block
•    Paula Berg, PR manager, Southwest Airlines
•    Russell Castronovo, director social & new media, Sun Microsystems

Second, registration is open for the October 3rd PR News Digital summit where Peppercom will host the opening day panel.  Based on recent PR News/Peppercom research (insert link), most communications executives are frustrated by the lack of support or funding for digital communications efforts. The Peppercom-hosted panel will explore the best practices of organizations that have closed the gap between PR imperatives and C-suite resistance.

Date: Friday, October 3
Time: 8:30 – 9:15 am ET
Location: Grand Hyatt, NYC

Featured Speakers:
•    Steve Cody, President, Peppercom
•    Surya Yalamanchili, Director of Marketing, "LinkedIn "
•    Jennifer Martin, Technology Public Relations Manager, CNN

Please share a comment if you have any best practices or thoughts on this issue.