Marketing Roadmaps

Susan Getgood

What’s so wrong about “audience?” – another social media press release flap

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Big blog kerfuffle over the social media press release.

Short story: Panel to discuss in San Francisco last week, including Shel Holtz and Chris Heuer. Stowe Boyd attends, writes critical post. Robert Scoble chimes in against press release. Lots of people comment.

As readers here know, I don’t have any problem with press releases, old or new format, as long as the PR people do the real job of crafting well written and  newsworthy announcements without BS. The press release and other materials created for announcements are just the documentation of the story. They aren’t the story.

However, I do want to comment on one aspect of the linguistic nit-picking that has crept into this disagreement, and that is the word "audience." Just exactly what is so wrong about talking about the audience?

When we tell a story, whether to a friend, a colleague, a journalist or a neighbor, in person or on a blog, to one person or many, we should always think about them. What are they interested in, how will this story be more compelling to them, how can I make this a better story for the person/people who are listening, what parts of the story will make them want to participate, pass it on, and so on. 

And guess what! Not all people are interested in all stories. Everyone doesn’t participate in every conversation, online or off. It helps us tell a better story when we think about the people who are most interested in it, and tell it for them. Telling it for them is what makes them want to chime in.

So, I suppose we could advise people to frame their stories, their blogs, their outreach to best reach "the people who are most interested in it." Or we could just get over ourselves and understand that "the people who are most interested in a story" are the audience for the story.  Doesn’t mean they are passive.  Doesn’t mean they don’t participate. Doesn’t mean we are simply talking to or at them, not with them. Doesn’t mean we aren’t part of our own audience — we are.

Just means they are the ones who care.

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I’m Backstage at Sundance

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In case any of you were wondering where I’ve been for the last week, and warning, where I am likely to be much of next week as well, I’m Backstage at Sundance.

Well not literally of course. I’m covering general news and monitoring the blogosphere for interesting Sundance tidbits for the HP blog, all from GetGood Strategic Marketing world headquarters in Hudson, Mass. But as we all know, there’s only so much time to blog in any given week, so for the next little while, most of my writing will be over there, not here. And of course there’s lots of great Sundance blogging from the folks on the ground at the festival — film reviews, press conference reports, celebrity sightings. Be sure to check it out.

A few things I definitely want to note for my marketing and PR readers. I posted yesterday at Backstage about how Sundance is really embracing social media. In the last two weeks, they announced deals with iTunes and YouTube. Starting Monday, folks will be able to purchase short films from this year’s festival on iTunes. And on YouTube, there’s going to be a Sundance Channel section with all sorts of Sundance content — festival coverage of course, but also clips from programming and so on. Not to mention the festival screenings being held in Second Life. More details and links in my post over at Backstage at Sundance.

HP is trying something new with the Backstage blog this year: "En Español." Many of the general posts as well as posts of interest to the Hispanic audience will be translated into Spanish. From HP Hispanic Marketing Manager Kathleen Haley’s post today:

… we will have the most exciting entries about the festival, as well as specific entries that are relevant to the Hispanic market and our Hispanic readers — whether that be a celebrity sighting, a great movie (Padre Nuestro or Summer Rain directed by Antonio Banderas) or a big event. Keep coming back to see the latest on HP and Sundance en Español!

Finally, regular readers know how strongly I feel about donating to charity, early and often. Friday at Sundance, actor Kevin Bacon announced a new charitable initiative that plays off the well known game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

Together with Network for Good, Bacon has created  sixdegrees.org, a charitable community in which celebrities and regular folks alike share their favorite charity. When you donate to someone’s charity through sixdegrees.org, you can display a “badge” from the person whose charity you supported on your Web site or blog. Linking us all together by doing good.

You can read more about sixdegrees.org and Network for Good at the Diva Marketing blog and my Backstage post (updated).

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HP Snapshot Diaries Contest

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More client news.

As part of its Sundance activities, HP is holding a photo contest called Snapshot Diaries. Entrants submit 6-10 related photos with captions that tell a story. The winning entry will be turned into a short movie by film director Matt Pope like this one.

Grand prize is a trip for two to Sundance 2008 (airfare, hotel and event tickets), and there are three great runner up prizes of HP gear.

Contest begins today January 15, 2007 and ends January 28 2007. You can find all the details and rules at HP’s Sundance site, www.hp.com/go/sundance.  

From January 20 to February 20 on the Sundance Channel, you’ll also be able to see Snapshot Diaries from eight Sundance Film Festival attendees — actors, filmmakers, volunteers, agents, publicists — who will document a day in their life at the Festival using an HP digital camera to create "snapshots."

I’m doing blogger outreach for the contest, focusing on parents and film aficionados. Spread the word 🙂

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Client work keeping me busy: Spec.-Ops. Brand

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Radio silence here on the blog is mostly due to a heavy client work load, and trust me, I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth.

I spent the end of last week at the SHOT (Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade) Show. My client Spec.-Ops. Brand makes tactical nylon gear for the military and law enforcement, and I was there to staff media appointments. Just like last year, of our scheduled appointments (12 this year), we had only one no-show. We also picked up about six reporters who weren’t on the meeting schedule.

This is VERY different from the usual experience of a smaller company at a big trade show, where it is next to impossible to get meetings in the first place, and if you do, late- and  no-shows are common. At SHOT, the reporters apologize if they are a few minutes late.

Why is this so different than the norm? Part of the reason is how we approach the media in the first place. We focus our outreach on the publications and reporters who are truly  interested in the new gear. They have a gear guide or new products section and/or regularly do product evaluations. It also helps that the company makes great products and has an excellent reputation in the industry. I can’t tell you how many booth visitors made a point of showing us their Spec.-Ops. Brand wallets while telling us about some of the hardships the wallet had successfully survived!

But that just tells us why we get the appointments. Why does everyone show up? Most of the reporters are former military or law enforcement officers, and some of the freelancers are active-duty cops. I think punctuality and commitment are simply core values for them. You make a commitment, you show up.

Sure makes my job easier, and I am very grateful to be working with such a terrific group of reporters and editors.

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