Kermit the Frog has been singing the blues…er…greens…about how hard it is to be green for DECADES now. Take a looksee:
But according to this post from Jaunted.com, the organizers of the ever-popular SXSW are disproving the Muppet’s thoery.
Instead of giving “swag bags” to attendees that contains flyers, trinkets, branded goodies and other budget-busting, tree-slaying materials, SXSW will be going green with a digital SXswag “bag.” Contents will include free music downloads and other free and discounted materials and services.
This is a tremendous thing for many reasons.
1) Save The Trees – Without trees, we don’t breathe. We don’t breathe, we die. Enough said.
2) Easy to Add Contents – If a sponsor comes on last-minute to cover costs, their materials can be included, presumably a million times easier. Take it from someone that has stuffed thousands and thousands of goodie bags for events…it is not easy to add one more thing.
3) Reduce Staff Stress - Worry less about doodads people will throw away immediately and more on running the coolest conference of the year? Win!
4) Attendee Back Pain – You get swag at registration and then…carry it around with you all day long. The bag breaks, you leave it in a panel discussion and can’t find it or ditch it on your way to happy hour. (It’s OK, we’ve all done exactly that.) Or…access the portal when you get a break…or get home. Oh, and don’t worry about stuffing it into your carry-on, either!
I’ll do a review of how SXswag works during or after the conference, but at this point, it sounds like a fantastic idea!
Here are the slides from the presentation Kelly Stewart and I gave at the ASAE Annual Meeting on August 24, 2010 – focusing on how non-profits and associations can integrate social media into their overall communications plan. Enjoy!
There’s a difference between a PR crisis and a legal crisis.
When PR crap hits the fan, you get out in front of it, quash rumors, blame those at fault and try to move past it.
However, when legal proceedings are involved, things take a slightly more dramatic turn. A company really can’t open their collective mouth about what’s happening, so as to not impede the impair the investigation. You know the drill: silence is golden.
PR is an art, not a science, and Exhibit A right now is JetBlue.
You know the story: flight attendant allegedly got into a possibly physical altercation with a passenger, showed a potty mouth and dangerously (yet hilariously), stole some beer for the drink cart, and used the inflatable escape slide to de-plane. He was arrested at his residence a short time later (allegedly in the midst of intercourse), and charged with crimes that could add up to seven years in jail. One of them being “criminal mischief,” which, if not illegal, would sound kind of fun.
JetBlue suspended him and has since gone relatively silent. Wherein lies the problem.
Let’s go one-by-one at how they are doing the right things, but the wrong way.
Right Thing: Suspend the Accused Good move! Get him off the schedule while this matter is sorted out.
Wrong Way: Why did they wait until the NEXT DAY to suspend him? Isn’t that something they should have done…I don’t know…immediately? Let’s get this down so everyone understands. If an employee allegedly fights with a customer, curses out hundreds more, steals from you and uses illegal procedures to exit, you do NOT need to wait to suspend them. Got it?
Right Thing: Reimburse the Affected JetBlue is giving everyone on that flight a $100 travel voucher.
Wrong Way: In the statement their spokesman gave to CNN, he said:
“This is consistent with our long standing policies,” spokesman Steve Stampley told CNN. “JetBlue often provides vouchers to our customers when they experience a disruption or otherwise abnormal circumstance. This event falls into that category.”
Wow…way to make this generous “we’re sorry” sound as cold and robotic as possible. How about something like, “This type of service is not representative of JetBlue’s industry-leading standards. We invite everyone who was on that flight to give us another try, using a $100 voucher we are sending to them this week, with no blackout dates or restrictions. Again, we deeply apologize and assure everyone this is not how JetBlue operates.”
See? That wasn’t so hard.
Right Thing: Don’t comment. If a legal investigation is on-going, an agency can not discuss it. Good on JetBlue for keeping everything quiet.
Wrong Way: In a tweet to a CNN reporter asking about the situation, JetBlue responded: “@brookebcnn We will not comment further on ongoing investigations.” I know that inflection is hard to get across in text, but…really?
Try this: “@brookebcnn Since there is a legal investigation, we can’t comment now, but will when we are legally able.” See how that comes off as nicer and warmer? It accomplished the exact same goal, but leaves readers with a better feeling of your brand.
Another example is how they engaged comedian Andy Borowitz, who was needling them online. Don’t give a comedian extra bullets to hit you with. That’s just bad business. Let him make his joke about you and let the 24-hour news cycle wash everything away.
Several days in, how do YOU think JetBlue is handling this from a PR perspective?
For those who don’t know, Seth is widely-recognized as one of the top marketing minds in the world today. I highly recommend his blog and writings. To call him a thought-leader in the industry is to sell Seth short – whether or not you agree with what he has to say. For the record, I agree with a good percentage of his views, but respect 100% of them.
Without giving away the crux of the content of his tour, I want to share with you some highlights from his presentation and discussion:
1) A revolution creates things that are easy that were once inconceivable: We throw the word “revolution” around a lot, but this is a simple definition that cuts through the clutter associated with the word. If something once thought to be impossible happens–and happens easily–a revolution has occurred. Godin thinks we are in the midst of a revolution — probably the biggest one of our times.
I think the data may be there. Social media marketing is taking the industry to places the industry has never been for — places that nobody ever thought possible. And how easy is it to use? (There are other societal revolutions going on, too: African-American President, electric cars, etc.)
2) The best way to have an idea spread is to have an idea worth spreading: In many cases, we market a concept or product, but, what we should also consider is working backwards: developing a product or concept that fills a marketing need.
Be honest, PR, Marketing, Advertising Pros: how many times have you sat around a table trying to figure out “viral” campaigns for your thing (whatever it may be).
What Godin seemed to say was that if you have an idea that people want to share, it will spread. At the end of the day, the product/concept/idea is more important than how marketing people market it. That’s not to say marketing isn’t vitally important, but you can only put so much lipstick on a pig.
3) Innovation is the willingness to fail: Taking risks is HARD. Even if the odds of success are 50/50, you will succeed as much as you don’t over the long haul. However, real, true change comes when the status quo is shaken.
Making change takes people out of their comfort zones, which is, by definition, uncomfortable. I don’t know people that really enjoy discomfort. And that’s where the magic is: if you are always comfortable, you will never grow!
Do you want to be doing the same things over and over again? Or do you want to challenge yourself and your team to do new things and be different? You may not always succeed, but taking that risk will be worth it…because the next time you want to shake things up, you’ll have that much more data on your side.
4) When building an interest group, know you will never reach everyone: Seth often refers to “tribes,” or groups of people with similar worldviews. No matter how many people are in the “Coke” tribe, there are folks that will always be “Team Pepsi.” Each tribe should take care of it’s own and show the value of being a part of that family. If they try to be everything to everyone, they will fragment and dissolve.
Set realistic goals. Don’t go after all soda drinkers – but make sure your soda’s customers are united and loyal.
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t look to bolster your ranks – “recruitment” for lack of better term, is part of ALL marketing strategies. We want more people in our networks. Just don’t use “everyone” as a measuring stick. You’ll never reach that goal.
I leave you with my favorite quote of the day from Seth: “Screaming does not keep the plane in the air, but we do it anyway.”
What are some of your favorite lessons from Seth Godin?
Iconic musician and noted weirdo Prince has officially either become the smartest man on the planet, or is continuing his lifelong assault on common sense. (Remember, this is the dude that changed his name to a symbol.)
The internet’s completely over. I don’t see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won’t pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can’t get it. The internet’s like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can’t be good for you. – The Artist Formerly and Currently Known as Prince
Whoa.
That’s a pretty ballsy thing to say, dontcha think?
The Internet is done? Gone the way of “Yo! MTV Raps?” And “Remote Control?”
You may recall that rock band Metallica had some run-ins with the Internet because they wanted to get paid for their work. As cool as stealing music may sound, for artists, even millionaire artists, it’s theft. They did something good and deserve to get compensated for it. I get that.
However, Prince is complaining because he won’t get paid in advance from iTunes? How about you get paid for what you sell? Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?
So, is the Internet over? Is it just like MTV? Will we look back on this period of time fondly in 20 years and wonder where it all went? And, most importantly, if the Internet is “over,” can we save it?
(Also, I was going to put up a Prince song for you, but he had pulled his music from the Internet, practicing what he’s preaching…)
My professors would cringe if they heard that question come out of my mouth. Perhaps because a tiny bit of them
Image via Flickr Creative Commons
knows that this is true. Now let me back up a second here – we all need that foundation we build through coursework, I’m certainly not arguing otherwise. But in a field that is based so much around learning on the job and from actual experiences in the industry, textbooks and class assignments can only take an upcoming PR graduate so far. Those textbooks I speak of? Constantly changing. New editions come out left and right as those in the academic world struggle to keep up with the newest industry rules and trends. Want proof? The AP Stylebook is the only book I’ve ever reused in more than one class, but even that gets the occasional facelift.
We work in a field that is always changing based upon the latest trends. There is no guarantee that what’s working for you now will still have the same level of success six months down the road. So how do we cope?
The jury may still be out on that one, but with social networking sites this has become much easier. Not only that, but it has given me the hands-on education required for PR. The things professors and textbooks can only speak of, Twitter does. So what are these things and why are they so important? Read on, my friend.
Networking. Now I’m not saying fill your Rolodex to capacity and call it a day. Absolutely not. We’ve all heard this before – “quality over quantity.” Sure, that may be the overused phrase of the day – but let’s be honest, it’s true. It’s not about the size of your network, but rather who’s in it.
You don’t follow people on Twitter that don’t add value, do you? Nope. You follow those that bring something to the table. People that share information, provide industry updates, or post links to relevant content. If all you ever Tweet is what you had for lunch, what song you’re currently listening to on Grooveshark, or you’re exact location while sipping on a coffee, I could probably do without your updates filling my Twitter stream. Don’t get me wrong, this is all okay in moderation (I want to get a feel for you personally, also) but if you’re not adding much value, say goodbye to your space on my Twitter stream. But remember, others are evaluating your value as well…and it’s not just on Twitter.
Building Relationships. Open up that Rolodex and blindly pick a name, any random name. When was the last time you communicated with one another? The last time you reached out to either provide something or ask for something? Relationships are all about the give and take, requiring an equal effort from both parties. In any industry, you need those relationships and PR is no exception. So build, build, build.
You Are What You Tweet. As professional communicators, we are only as good as our word – and that word better be pretty darn good. On Twitter, your value is what you tweet. Sure, a 140-character limit doesn’t give you much room to get your point across, but all the more reason to make each of those characters count. We’re taught throughout college to write concisely – get to the point, support your point, and get out. Easier said than done, but Twitter forces us to do just that.
Instant Information. Yep, it’s no surprise that we’ve become a society that demands to know about things as they happen. Thanks to the Internet and the evolution of social networking sites such as Twitter, this has shifted from being only a possibility to becoming a reality. Admit it – we’re spoiled. We are provided with up-to-the-minute news, often before a story’s even fully developed. With a few taps of the keyboard and a quick click of the mouse, the story goes viral. Oh, and some of those sources of information? Well, let’s just say they’re not so reliable.
It’s no surprise that all PR professionals must keep this in mind. Use what you can to your advantage, but be wary of what you find. Sure, it can become a challenge – but armed with the right knowledge and a little social media savvy, this becomes yet another asset to benefit from.
Become an Extrovert. Twitter is all about engagement, and you can’t engage by keeping your mouth shut. Luckily, this forces us all to become extroverts whether we want to or not. As communications folks, we like to think that our social skills are up to par (and I’m sure for many, this is indeed true). We want to share ideas; we want to expand our networks; we want to get to know other people, learning from them and about them. To put it simply, this all relates back to relationship-building. No shocker here. Welcome, once again, to one of the major foundations of PR (and social media platforms).
A Little Help, Please? I’ve always considered myself an optimist. You know, that annoying “glass is always half full” and “everything will work out” kind of attitude. So why is it that I was so shocked by the generosity of those in the Twitterverse? People want to help. People like to help. People will help. It didn’t take much time to realize that this wasn’t just a quality unique to Tweeps. I can’t speak for other industries, but the PR pros I’ve spoken with are always up for sharing their knowledge and expertise. I’m sure this is not unusual – in fact, I’m confident this is the case across the board, in most (if not all) other career fields. The key to advancing any profession is learning from one another and growing as a group. Seems pretty obvious, right?
So there you have it. Those are the teachings of Twitter as I’ve chosen to apply them to PR and the professional world in general. Yeah, it’s probably only the tip of the iceberg and I’m sure I’ve missed quite a few. Think of any others (or do I need to reference the value of sharing ideas again)? Come on. Go for it, I’m all ears.
Lauren Sandelin is a senior at Miami University (Ohio), where she currently serves as the PR Director for the university’s PRSSA chapter. She will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations. Connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn, or visit her blog.
