Legally Blog: The challenges of coralling the conversation

I don't have the answer yet. I don't know that anyone really does, as social media is like an octopus, regrowing tentacles and mushing and morphing its way through the communal media ocean. But one of the biggest questions I hear from my client and prospects about entering that ocean is how to "control their employees." And of course the immediate answer to THAT is: "you dont."

Clearly, participating in social networking is about being yourself and communing as best we can in our face-time starved society. I always think about Tim Sanders and his book from '02, Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends His premise is that sharing information is a loving, giving thing and that we all need to open our "rolodexes" and give a little to get a little. The Dilbert society of cubicles has starved us for companionship. Even love ain't gonna drive us offline so easily any more. We even FIND love online these days. We will keeping trying to find virtual places to hang out and talk.

So, for a company to ask us to stay nicely in our cubbies and not chat is not practical. But there are WAYS to chat...and as has always been the case there's that little thing most employees sign about not blabbing trade secrets to the press or even friends.

The internet is one big mouthpiece (and I LOVE Brian Madison's song "What Happens in Vegas Stays on the Internet" it should be sung after the Pledge of Allegiance every day in school, if kids still do the pledge, these days.)

Blogger beware.
Employees have to have the dots connected for them that badmouthing a bad boss on Twitter or posting a gripe in a chat room about co-worker is the same as broadcasting to the world. Forever.

So, for here's a good legal blog to read, even if it will sort of strike fear in the hearts of some employees and employers.
The battle of the blog: Legal implications of your employees blogging about the workplace :: WRAL.com

FYI: (No employees were harmed in the making of this blog.)


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Lessons in Sponsor Engagement from Wondering what's Up with Chuck

If Twitter moms can get a Motrin ad pulled, can Facebook friends save Chuck?

Will the roar of the social media crowd be able to influence programming? We're always hearing from programming execs that they just "give the people what they want." (I'm not sure if that was entirely accurate when striking writers helped spark the plethora of reality shows.)

Compare the story about the social media pressure mounting to save NBC's "Chuck" in the Observer, with the LA Times blog talking about NBC's new fall season. The blog quotes Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, talking about the network's effort to speak to advertisers on a more 1:1 basis, than at the usual party-riffic dog-and-pony upfronts: “We’re not interested in just screaming out to 5,000 people and then walking off to some VIP corridor. We’re here to talk to you and speak to you and connect with our client base and allow them to ask questions in small settings.”


That's GREAT to get the feedback of the people footing a lot of the bill. Though it sounds a little like "IF I were to ask you to marry me, what would you say?"...instead of being confident in your value and just jumping in and proposing. After all, they're buying your brand, your track record...oh, wait, NBC was fourth in line this year. What about the opinion of the people passionate about a program, though? Well, programmers do what programmers have to do, and they have tough choices to make, based on eyeballs, network brand decisions, trends, etc.


But the thing that really gets me thinking is that the social media crowds were actually trying to drive more REVENUE to Subway, one of the show sponsors, as an additional incentive to keep Chuck on the air. This to me is the embodiment of how the consumer is in control now. (Well, maybe except when programmers are involved.) But THIS is the opportunity to court the consumer AND offer a deeper opportunity for advertiser engagement with the viewer on multiple platforms. How has Subway leveraged that viewer passion? What did Subway say to Silverman in those 1:1 discussions? Did they "friend" HIM?


It's really time for media executives -- especially those in ad sales -- to apply best social media practices. This is a chance to do the old "consultancy sell" and do more than push "spots and dots" in a numbers guy of ad sales. Instead:

• Listen to what people controlling the purse strings and the remotes are saying
• Learn more about what they want and what they like about your programs and about your advertisers
• Share that information with your sponsors and prospective sponsors in order to educate them
• Find ways to facilitate a dialogue between your sponsors and your program's biggest fans. (Shameless plug: Did I mention I am an excellent promotion/ad sales marketer with social media chops?)
  

Give ALL the people what they want. Advertisers and Twitterers are people too.

4 signs you're a social media failure - Plan and prepare - iMediaConnection.com

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"Happy Irthday!" Celebrating with Expos, Awards and Trees

I was a tree about a million years ago today... That is, it was my first "stage role" that I recall, in my kindergarten Arbor Day play. Maybe I got that part because of my last name. Or maybe it was what set me on the path to first be an actress, then be a green marketer.

But today is Arbor Day and I am reminded of my affinity for trees every year on this day...and almost every other day...since that early imprinting.

I've been entrenched in a lot of the Earth Day / Arbor Day celebrations and in fact I'm late in getting to the Expo at Grand Central today and tomorrow. I've come across people like Erik Baard who has been encouraging the planting of Newton Pippin apple trees all over NY. And Marielle Anzelone who within weeks of the birth of her new baby was back out there promoting her other baby, the annual NYC Wildflower Week (5/2 - 9).

And last night I went to the Heart of Green Awards, sponsored by The Daily Green and Hearst. It was pretty impressive. The small but very tasteful crowd included one of my first eco-heroes, author and excellent speaker, Andrew Winston. Happily, he told me he has a new book coming out soon! Others in the crowd included, Elizabeth Harrington of the increasingly cool Greenopia, the indominatable Bob Woodruff, Daniel Sieberg, etc.
You can see the list and profiles of recipients on the link, but some highlights included:

Alicia Silverstone was awarded the "Eco-Original" title. She's passionate about PETA and promoted one making any effort they can, even if it's to be an "aspiring" vegetarian. Reducing one 16 oz steak from your diet, for example, she says saves the equivalent water of 6 months of showers vs that watering the cattle! Plus, she says,

"I feel great, got better skin, a better body, and got my heart open as a gift from connecting to the earth."

Maria Menounos was appropriately transparent about her newness to the green cause, but now recycles all the time for the greater good, vs. when she grew up having to recycle cans for the greater good of her struggling family. Gloria Reuben, The Truth-Teller, welled up with pride about receiving the award for her work with, ironically, Waterkeeper.

But there was not a dry eye in the house when the award for best Local Hero went to teacher Greg Perry from Beachwood High School in Ohio who empowered his marketing class to stage the "Green Dream", the largest green products and services expo in Ohio to date, drawing more than 3,000 attendees. (I wonder how many attended the Go Green Expo? And this one was produced by teenagers!) Greg got news of his award while he was literally in bed...in intensive care as part of battling a recurrence of cancer.

He forced himself to fly in for the awards, and needed assistance getting onto the stage. He voice broke with exhaustion and emotion during his acceptance speech. And his message became the clarion call for the event: "It Starts with One." His students came up with that tagline for their effort, and Greg continues to embody that. He said,

"Young people force you to think differently. This is their world. They know they can change it and are not fearful."

Lifetime Achievement award winner, Frances Beinecke of NRDC, echoed that when she said,

"To be in this business you have to be an optimist...to believe you can make a difference.....The planet is in tru crisis. That will only change if every citizen in world takes action in their daily lives to make a difference. ...Leaders won't change without the bubbling up of citizen interest."

We must put the messages out to galvanize those leaders, she said, and concluded with, "All of you are a force in making a difference and you inspire me."

I think that the more people that are exposed to people also honored like Dierdre Imus, Summer Rayne Oakes, Roger Doiron, and the others mentioned above, that the more we'll be inspired by how much extraordinary effort some people make. And perhaps we will be galvanized to take a few more steps ourselves.

We must.

It's a small (green marketing) world after all

We are continuing to see an increase in consumer awareness of and demand for more things green. It's time that products marketing to conscious-consumers moved away from the expected "leafy green" approach and got a little more mainstream.

I just got back from the GoGreen Expo in NYC, and was pretty impressed by the number of booths and the variety of eco-oriented products. A lotta baby clothes and body lotions. Water filters and water bottles. Bags and antioxidants, etc. Hundreds of booths and new products.

But whether at the Expo or at the other events and sites I visit, I'm seeing a lot of unsophisticated design and underwhelming marketing in this space. I know how scary it can feel for a start up or small business to invest in good creative, but it doesn't have to be expensive. And there is everything to gain when trying to reach this now very eager audience.

Even the more established companies (relatively speaking) are using conspicuously similar styles... Check out these three companies -- and I happen to be a big fan of each of them -- but look at their logos!:

http://www.vivavi.com/ -- Leafy "V"
http://www.verterra.com/ - semi Leafy V
http://www.veevlife.com/ - double leafy V

Granted, my logo for Moss Appeal Green could be considered a close cousin of the leafy icon, but I come by my last name by birth! Plus it's a brand extension from my main Moss Appeal logo, which was designed to depict that our work has both "mass appeal" but speaks to the target on a 1:1 basis...AND echoes a type of moss plant, which you can see an image of on my home page. I'm not saying the logos for the above companies are not perfectly fine; I was just struck by the similarity of their looks...as well as the pervasive "beige colors and leaf pictures" at the whole expos.

There's one company doing it really well, and it's paying off: Green Apple Cleaners has a "clean" look, and impressive collateral to match. They're even savvy (and authentic) enough to be aligning themselves with the effort to make the Newton Pippin NY's "official apple." (But even they use a little plant cradled in two hands, with leaves that look like one of the logos above, as one of the images on their site.)

The time is now to start creating cool marketing that speaks to the mainstream more, because eco-sensitive products deserve to BE mainstream! We haven't had the opportunity for as big a change in consciousness as we're going through now in decades. Companies hoping to promote their "green appeal" as I like to call it, really owe it to themselves AND to us to get their good green word out there in the most stand-out way possible.

Call me.

Networking with networks about networking

My blog has always reflected my cross-section of marketing and green work experiences with some personal passions thrown in. More and more those experiences have included social media as I ramp up both my presence and that of my clients in that space. A cross-section -- or lack of -- was never more apparent than at The Cable Show (see #CS09 at search.twitter.com) this year.

It's easy to feel "eco-centric," as I describe my environmental focus, and think that, say EVERYONE knows the meaning of the word "sustainability" these days. But it ain't necessarily so. And when you focus on media and spend time in the SOCIAL network space, it's easy to believe that PROGRAMMING networks would know their way around a Tweetdeck or a follower, too. But you know what they say about the word "ASSUME."

(Reminder - This is a key time to ramp up your knowledge and your efforts since it takes time to build a presence. Give us a call now about letting Sheryl and me (@mossappeal) help. And I must say my overview workshop on Social Media Marketing for Business has gotten rave reviews!)

So I was impressed when Moss Appeal alliance partner, "Marketing Maven" Sheryl Victor, wrote a post today that did a great job summing up our experience at the Cable Show, and probably that of many others who were not tied to a booth. You should read her take on Broadband Nation for good first hand objective observations -- especially as a returning CS alumni after some years away. But her paragraph about Social Media awareness in the cable arena particular really has me jazzed, since we talked to a lot of folks there about tapping our expertise in the Social Media space:

"Social Media is very much in its embryonic stage in most of the Cable industry. Which actually, I was a little surprised at. From a B2B perspective, a colleague and myself were in a panel about 360 Degree marketing. Ann Cowan from CTAM was moderating the panel. When the panelists were asked if they were using Social Networks or Media, you could hear a pin drop…except from the folks at A&E. Mark Garner spoke to their program around the show Hammer, with MC Hammer. Hallmark spoke to how they were dipping their toe, and TV Guide wasn’t using Social Media at all. Then Ann asked if anyone in the audience was tweeting….and out of close to 200 people, only 2 hands went up. Mine and my colleague’s. It actually was incredibly surprising to me. This room was filled with Marketers listening to Marketers. It was just a testament to me how the space is still very much new and uncharted, but is ripe with opportunity!"Sheryl Victor under, Savvy Strategy - Business Development, Marketing and Social Media

Conscious Caretaking

My brother and his family recently had to say goodbye to their cat, Lilah. I was really impressed with the conscientious and caring approach they took:

Poor Lilah had had a sudden decline, had stopped eating and was facing an uncomfortable time. My niece spent her entire spring break from college by the cat's side as opposed to beachside. Betsy, my sister-in-law, solicited help and support by reaching out to her community of friends and family via an email asking if anyone had advice on putting a pet down. This was her way of sharing the news and asking for help in a way that did not disturb or make people uncomfortable -- but a way that also let them know she was facing a tough time in case they wanted to reach out. She was surprised by the outpouring of support and thoughts her fairly straightforward email elicited.

One person in Betsy's extended circle of friends turned out to be a vet who knew of another vet who made housecalls and would actually put the animal to sleep at home. They didn't even realize that in-home pet euthansia was possible, so thank the world of social networking again. Lilah hated going to the vet, or even in a carrier. My brother said he could just point a finger at the carrier and Lilah would bolt from the room. So, they were able to avoid adding to her misery by avoiding a ride to a clinic.

On her final day, the whole family spent time with their pet, taking portraits and created a kind of sanctuary on the back porch with a terry covered set up for Lilah. They all gathered around and had a comforting hand on her as she was put under.

The final loving touch? Lilah's ashes will be returned to them in a seed-embedded biodegrable box which will bloom with flowers in their backyard. Ashes to ashes. Or, as one site guides, "Be a Tree."