Altyrian View

PRWeek has posted an article where they asked some “new-media thinkers” to make their prediction as to what will be hot for the next 6 months. Visit the article to see who said what. I’ll just list their predictions (in bold) and my commentary (not bold):

• Social networking & productivity applications going mobile
• Participation TV: I think we all saw the possibilities with participation TV when ABC’s Lost had us surfing the ‘Net looking for clues. Other networks / shows would be foolish to miss out on this trend.
• MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators)
• Democratic editorial control: We’re talking about content being directed by sites like Digg.com and Newsvine.com. I think that not only are we going to see more of this, but we’ll see a response from “traditional” news outlets as they protect their ground from bloggers and podcasters.
• Online community measurement tools: A new service that will help PR people measure the influence of online communities on our products? Sounds awesome. I’m sure someone will try to sell this tool, but I don’t think it will come of age for a few years. I can’t imagine how this would work without the help of individual bloggers which won’t be happening for a while.
• PayPal Mobile: Pay for stuff on the go. If PayPal doesn’t do it, someone else will.
• Using tools to capture fragmented (niche) audiences: The Long Tail tells us that this trend is already upon us. For us to help our clients, it will be increasingly important to identify and target smaller, more well-defined audiences.
• Viral marketing through YouTube
• “2006 might be the year when the hype on blogs finally ends and the bigger picture on peer-to-peer media emerges.”: You’d have a hard time selling me on the 2006 demise of the blog. I’m seeing more and more “average” Web surfers start to get involved in blogs. It’s going to be hard for blogs to go away now that anyone feels compelled to be involved.
• RSS is implemented in IE7: Blog authorship is also coming to Office. Read this item and then check out the last one. Like I said, blogs will at least hit the “mainstream” before they go away.
• Microformats: The social media release has been all the buzz in PR circles, and I agree that change is upon us (look for my post on this subject later this week). The real question is “are reporters ready?”
• Second Life: I’m a big fan of SL! I think MMORPGs like this are going to become more mainstream when “non-geeks” jump in.
• The triumph of PR: Well, looks like we’ll get to keep our jobs one more year.
Leave a Comment
 

In yesterday’s podcast, Larry rhetorically asked me if having a child can be a public relations crisis. I assume that he meant it as a joke, but I did think about it over night. I think that there may be some points of discussion here.

The cases in point: Britney and Tom. Britney Spears has had a miserable time since the birth of her first, and Tom Cruise has been hiding his little one to the point that some people question her existence. Personally, I think that both of these individuals were headed down the path to serious PR problems, but the issues with their children have changed them from traveling the path on a bike to traveling it in a formula one racer.

Tom was having public perception problems long before the birth of his daughter. Many people chose to skip his latest movie, and his horrific interview with Matt Lauer didn’t help. Britney’s “loyal” fan base began to erode when she got married — twice (remember the “over-nighter” marriage)?

What has really hurt their reputations now is that they have kids that they are responsible for, and I think that America is having problems liking people who mistreat children. Celebrities are under such an intense microscope that when they screw up, the world knows it. When they screw up with their kids, the world knows it and is angry.

As with any crisis, their best course of action is to be public, be honest and be quick about it. Britney waited far too long to “tell her side of the story,” and most people didn’t believe what she said because her body language suggested otherwise. Tom has said very little since the birth. That’s hard for the public to stomach since he was so vocal before the birth.

Broadcasted on June 9, 2006

Today, John Mims interviews Tom Gaillard, President of Concentric Direct Marketing. Gaillard discuses the market’s shift toward consumer centric marketing: its strategies and practices.

• The common approach before consumer centric marketing was product marketing where companies were pushing products at consumers, with little input. Now, with consumer centric strategies, companies experience an opposite effect with consumers pulling at products. Successful companies are able to determine, understand, and deliver what the consumer wants.

• Technology is causing the shift toward consumer centric marketing. With large data warehouses, the internet and collection tools, collecting and capturing data has become significantly easier and practical.

• As a result of consumer centric marketing, companies use more real-time and relevant communication with their customers. Consumers naturally create a media barrier, jaded from spam and other irksome advertising attempts, so it is necessary to deliver the right message, at the right time, and the right way.

• Cross selling opportunities are becoming more widespread. Companies target previous customers by analyzing their demographics. For example, if a customer opens a checking account, the next day the bank will send a thank you package with specific promotions and offers which would best apply to the interests of the consumer.

• Specific targeting saves money in the long run by not sending out unnecessary information. Companies now target customers specifically by sending out details and information the customer would be interested in.

Listen to the full broadcast on our iTunes Podcast Marketing Watch.
Feel free to contact us; we welcome ideas and feedback from our audience.

Broadcasted on Mar. 14, 2006

Today’s interview is with John Mims, Public Relations Director for Altyris Advertising. Mims discusses the importance of understanding consumers from market research.

• Primary research is defined as collecting original research data, and the two categories of primary research include: quantitative and qualitative research.

• Quantitative research comes from the collection data and is an example of a statistical liability, this includes surveys and polling. Quantitative research can be costlier than qualitative, but is usually more reliable.

• Qualitative research comes from anecdotal information: focus groups or interviews. This is typically less expensive; however there is no statistical liability as in quantitative.

Listen to the full broadcast on our iTunes Podcast Marketing Watch.

Feel free to contact us; we welcome ideas and feedback from our audience.

Broadcasted on Nov. 1, 2005

Today’s interview is with John Mims, Public Relations Director for Altyris Advertising. John discusses the procedures of how to handle a public relations crisis.

• Although some companies do not respond at all, in fear of the media or from lawyer intervention, it is important to keep two rules in mind:

1. Respond Quickly. This usually depends on the crisis, but with events involving safety and injury, people want to hear if the parties involved are safe and if investigations are occurring to prevent any further incident.

2. Respond Completely. It is important to initially respond with as much information as can be given. This avoids the problem of going back out to the media to give additional information which will keep the story alive and lengthen the time the public will hear the bad press.

• A PR Crisis Plan preplans a response team at the time of the crisis and allows you to focus on what you are going to say, rather than who and how you are going to say it.

Listen to the full broadcast on our iTunes Podcast Marketing Watch.
Feel free to contact us; we welcome ideas and feedback from our audience.