High-Tech PR Blog >> Beyond the Hype

Private Invites and Life in Austin

Stacey Higginbotham from GigaOm visited our Austin office earlier this week to provide us with new perspective from (yet another) established journalist recently turned blogger. We also learned that Om Malik is returning full-time to work in March, which was great news. Stacey is new at GigaOm and is covering the chip market, networking/telco and also looking for new start-ups.

One of the things she said that seems to be taking off among her reader base is private beta invites. We did one of these for a client we launched at DEMO last fall, Fluid Innovation and it was received very well-received. The beta invite actually helped us secure an in-person meeting with BusinessWeek.  Basically, the concept entails a company providing a person with private access to a beta software product, in which they can view and/or run a demo.  The people that receives the private invites typically receive a certain amount of other invites that they can pass along to (trusted) friends, which fuels very strong word-of-mouth buzz. She said she is seeing a lot of enthusiasm within the IT/social media sector for these types of new product demos, and obviously media are responding to the concept as well.

We also spoke about the Austin market in general. Stacey wrote a story later that day about her take on the market in "Recipe for a High-Tech Hub".

Speaking of hubs, Austin will be an entertainment/interactive hub over the next two weeks with SXSW starting on March 7.  This show is so large it brings $95 million into the Austin area!  It really does take this town over, and it's nice since our office is literally in the center of it all!  Stayed tuned for more, as LP&P will be there.  In fact, we are hosting a happy hour on Thursday, September 13th at 5 p.m. at One2One Bar on 5th St, between Congress and Brazos, on the rooftop.  If you are in Austin for "South by", please join us!

Don't Let Economic Gloom Cloud PR Investment

In a post a few months ago I wrote about how the tech market presented many of the same characteristics of the prior tech bubble.  Those of us who lived through it, or to put it more aptly, survived it, have always prayed that we'd never see another one like it.  Today the economy is once again showing cracks.  But this time the bubble is in housing.  That condition, coupled with soaring energy prices is starting to affect other segments of the economy.  The extent to which this will spill over into technology and other market segments is yet to be determined.  But we are seeing some warning signs.  Goldman Sachs just issued a report in which they scaled back their prior predictions for IT spending.  The silver lining in the report is that although there is softness in the US, demand is still expected to be strong in other parts of the world.

When times get tough, belts get tightened and budgets get cuts.  Inevitably PR is always part of that conversation.  But it's been proven time and time again that PR is the best investment a marketer can make in terms of value for the dollar.  Let's all hope we can avoid a repeat experience from earlier this decade.  But if it comes to it, keep your investment in PR as steady as possible.  It will ensure your visibility through the tough times and position you for growth when the economy turns around.

With a Strong Communications Strategy, Risks Can Pay Off

Location, location, location is definitely an axiom in the real estate business.  But it's also a very important factor in the strategic discussion of when and where to conduct a major launch or announcement in the communications business.  Those of us involved in discussions like that appreciate it when a journalist recognizes how important those elements are and commends companies for doing it right, as Jim Lyons did recently in his Observer blog post about ZINK Imaging's partnership launch with Polaroid at CES. (Disclosure: ZINK is a client.) Jim gives an interesting assessment of the strategy leveraged by ZINK and CEO Wendy Caswell...that is, to first launch at DEMO in 2007. Then ZINK opted for the noisy, crazy environment of CES this past January for its next strike -- the announcement of its first brand partner Polaroid -- rather than the more narrowly focused Photo Marketing Association Conference which happens in relatively the same time frame. Jim comments:

"ZINK sees the virtues of appealing to potential partners that are outside the grip of the "Innovator’s Dilemma." In other words, they are not relying on or expecting too much from existing industry players, who would turn down the opportunity to deploy ZINK's technology in future products, even if it allowed new applications and form factors, in favor of designing future printers around existing technologies that have already received a large investment in time and money."

It is very true that a great deal of analysis and anguish went into these decisions. Launching ZINK's disruptive, ink-less printing platform at DEMO '07 was not for the faint of heart, particularly given the preparation required by everyone at ZINK to ready their invention for an on-stage demonstration. Couple that with the behind the scenes work necessary to generate and capitalize on the great buzz that resulted in their successful launch and you can begin to understand the undertaking. And while choosing the broader and sometimes overwhelming CES show one year later as its venue to announce brand and development partners may have been a risk ...it proved to be a risk worth taking.

We're thrilled to be working with such an innovative company that is willing to make gutsy moves like this. We're also very pleased to see the support influencers like Jim Lyons have been giving to ZINK, recognizing the genius behind the business strategy as well as the magic of their technology.

Conversation on integrated PR/IR

We're pleased to bring you episode 2 of our podcast series. This segment is the first of a two-part roundtable discussion on PR and IR led by LP&P's Rich Wadsworth. Rich is joined by Lois Paul, and our partners Jane McCahon and Mary Conway of Conway Communications. They discuss the synergies that exist between IR and PR and the obstacles to realizing those synergies.

In particular, Jane shares her view that because of how the web has evolved, audiences for PR and IR have morphed into one audience, which creates an acute need to integrate communications disciplines. Mary adds that at the end of the day, public companies are in the market trying to sell itself, including to potential shareholders, on its full potential. To do this, she says, "it's not simply a numbers story. You need the messaging that layers on the potential long-term value of a company, that distinguishes the company, and makes it the preferred investment." She believes this level of information comes from PR and is another reason why PR and IR need to be integrated.

Lois shares how it is increasingly challenging for people on the PR side of the house to get more "storytelling" into financial announcements. She feels that this is rooted in a skepticism that CFO's and IR have of PR people because there is not enough understanding of the regulations that govern what kind of information to put in press releases beyond just numbers. As a result, Lois feels it important for PR people to be more educated by becoming members of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI), for example, as well as to seek out expert advice when appropriate.

We will have part 2 of this discussion within the next week, during which Lois, Jane and Mary discuss best practices around an IPO and how to mitigate risks in financial communications.

We hope you enjoy this podcast, and we'd love to hear your feeback.  You can subscribe to the podcast series through the Podcast Ready button in the right sidebar, or via iTunes.

Twitter grows in influence

I've been doing A LOT more training and education on social media -- both internally and with clients.  This is a great sign that B2B companies really are believing that social media can't be ignored.  Yet, it's very interesting to see the reactions and to read the interest level of the people I train on the various dimensions, tools and techniques of social media.

Probably the most interesting set of reactions stem from discussions about Twitter.  To be sure, it is a mixed bag.  Most really want to understand what it is all about, but have a perception that it (and microblogging in general) has little value because of the popular notion that it is used primarily for people to declare what they are eating for lunch or that they are watching American Idol.  This kind of banter certainly pervades Twitter, but it should be thought of as a social network first, and many use it to communicate with friends, so this type dialogue has value in that context.

The business context of Twitter, however, is growing in prominence and signficance.  Ann All has a great post on IT Business Edge that captures what several bleeding edge "Twitterati" are doing with Twitter as a business networking and influence channel.  Ann cites how one of these users boiled down the business uses to three areas: "promotions/marketing, market research/analysis, and communications with business suppliers and partners."

But, just as with blogs and social media in general, the first step for any company is to listen.  What is the conversation Twitter saying about your company, your product(s), your competitor(s) or your market segment?  There are very easy tools to use to do this listening, ranging from Twitter-specific search engines like Terraminds, to new applications like Twemes, which is designed to add to Twitter search the ability to more easily identify groups of people talking about a topic of relevance to a company.  For example, an open source software company can use Twemes to listen to the Twitter conversation on the topic of open source and use this as a very specific entry point to join that conversation.

What will this listening reveal?  For us, we've found that industry analysts are using Twitter to ask their network who has used a client's product and their opinions during briefings with clients.  We've also seen developers and IT pros reveal that they are thinking of evaluating vendors' products and asking for opinions from peers (i.e. trusted resources).  So there is very clear evidence to us that our clients' influencers and potential buyers are usine Twitter for relevant conversation.  This affords these the opportunity to participate and engage -- in a way that adds value to the conversation. 

In my opinion, Twitter is following a similar path as blogs and Facebook in terms of gaining more business value.  The difference is that it seems to be on a much steeper trajectory.  The resources cited here will help you determine its potential value (of course, we can help as well), but they key is to look past the "I just had a great burrito" tweet and dig deeper into the conversation.

Where do you see Twitter's business value?

It's not going to go away...

Three years ago Business Week published an article warning companies that they need to start blogging. This week the company has updated the story to tell its readers it is not just about blogging but about YouTube and Twitter and everything else that comprises Social Media. The key message, however, is the same:

Catch up…or catch you later.

If you are reading this entry, you know we at LP&P couldn't agree more. But if you haven't started adding social media activities to your marketing and communications mix, we aren't surprised. Many companies we speak with are overwhelmed and don't know where to start. Not surprisingly, when we go into speak to a company about their PR needs, they tell us that the other agencies' approach to social media is to tell them they need to launch a blog, ASAP.

Our approach is different. We believe that before a company embarks on any social media activities it has to answer the same types of questions that you would about any communications activity -- who are you trying to influence, what are you trying to communicate and where is the best place to reach them? From there we make recommendations for activities that will get you started right away. Launching a blog will probably be part of it but other activities will occur sooner. For some companies, their first step is to provide all their marketing and communications folks with an overview of social media fundamentals, the tools and techniques available to them, and examples of how similar companies have leveraged them. My colleague Ted Weismann has conducted several of these for clients and prospects and the feedback is outstanding.

I wonder how many marketing folks will be getting a ping from their bosses about moving forward on their social media strategy?  Right now it is the number one article being emailed from the Business Week site.

Finger in the wind decision-making

What's a journalist to do these days?  It's very hard to get a straight story from anyone regarding whether the U.S. truly is in a THAT WHICH CANNOT BE NAMED AND BEGINS WITH "R."  In fact, FierceTelecom's Dan O'Shea is trying to determine where things stand in the telecoms market, the same way CNBC Moneyline and AP-Ipsos in their respective broader markets. He is doing a straw poll.   

Telecom service providers for the most part reported pretty solid fourth quarter earnings, while some equipment makers did well and others just managed to maintain positive numbers. The most common attribute across the board was that most telecom companies are tempering their outlooks for 2008. The upward trend of involuntary customer disconnects could have something to do with it, and more broadly housing market doldrums and ongoing recession fears may keep anyone from being too optimistic. Maybe the lingering effect of service provider and vendor consolidation also is keeping the waters muddy. Is this all forming the recipe for another downturn?

We want to know what you think. Take our brand new poll asking if the telecom industry is headed for another downturn. And, please post any more extensive comments you might have about the financial health of the industry, and the direction in which you think various industry health indicators are pointing.

I spent a fair amount of time at the DEMO conference two weeks ago talking with other attendees about this subject.  In hushed tones we would ask each other how things are going with our respective businesses and then almost conspiratorially assess whether a slowdown is coming -- or here -- or if a self-fulfilling prophesy is being trumpeted by the media, who are trying to figure it out so they can do their jobs and report on it. 

An anonymous post to Dan's survey blog made me laugh:   

"No real downturn but we will do our best to talk ourselves into one."

CNBC's Fast Money just posted a reader poll asking the same question.  An recent AP-Ipsos poll documented that the consumers contacted fear the worst is already happening.  My own informal surveys over the past month or so of corporate executives in the tech marketplace differ from this.

Here's hoping Dan O'Shea's poll and the Fast Money poll are more positive.  And maybe, just maybe, we will get some concrete data to work with rather than having to resort to online polls and man-on-the-street interviews.

Roger Protests too much, the press declares

Roger, Roger, Roger.  Why didn't you take the sage advice I'm sure your agent and PR people have been giving you and just zip it?  Sometimes the best counsel us PR types can offer our clients is to protect them from themselves.  Example? Stopping the indignant CEO from wanting to respond to a "he said/he said" kind of issue that emerged in the press.  If we let them vent publicly, the press eats it up and the story lives yet another day.  And who knows what other great juicy tidbits they may drop along the way that will fan the flames even further.

I'll admit my bias right up front.  I'm a Red Sox fan and Roger is not loved by Red Sox Nation.  So I must admit I enjoyed reading the headlines this morning, such as this one in the San Jose Mercury News. "Clemens, Unlike Bonds, Steps Forward and Trips over his Ego."  Classic.  As a PR person, I also really related to the MSNBC column about Roger's failed attempt at damage control.

If Roger Clemens’ aim was damage control in his truculent and self-pitying appearance before a Congressional subcommittee on Wednesday, he failed badly. And for all the pious asides to due process and innocent-until-proven-guilty, it’s impossible to see a way that he can bluster his way out of the fix he’s in.

It's a case study in crisis communications.  First of all, you have to determine the facts and I'm not sure Roger truly has revealed -- and proved -- the facts of the matter to anyone, including himself.  Then you determine what is the right course of action to deal with the situation.  If there is blame on your side, you determine the best way -- and best person -- to stand up and admit it. Explain it and describe how you are making amends or dealing with it so you can move on.  And then you try your best to put the story to bed by not dribbling out any other comments for follow-on stories.  If you are being falsely accused, the onus is on you to prove that fact so your communications pros can help you take your case to the appropriate people -- again, with the appropriate spokesperson -- to quickly and decisively end the speculation and clear the record.

Roger Clemens is (or at least was) a great pitcher.  A good spokesperson he is not.  Nor is he a cool head in a crisis.  The MSNBC columnist comments that he seems to think that his primary view of this situation is that he is Roger Clemens and therefore should not be treated this way.  Tell it to the judge, Roger.  It will not help you in the court of public opinion.

Why we do what we love, and love what we do

As kids get ready to pass out Valentine's cards in class, and keep Valentines' Day the second largest card-giving holiday of the year behind Christmas, and as those of us who celebrate the day for what its become, another way to acknowledge those we love and care about most, it seemed appropriate to do the same for why those of us at LP&P love what we do. And even better, I'll try to explain why, in under 100 words or less, without buying a bouquet of flowers, box of chocolates or expensive jewelry:

1)  The best graduate school education you can get is to work with the smartest CEOs in the tech industry and we get to do that every day.

2)  We don't follow trends or jump on band-wagons. Rather we research, analyze and execute on ways that make the most sense.  Take our approach to social media.

3) We don't believe in results for results sake. We understand that results need to be in alignment with a company's business and revenue goals and tie to overall marketing objectives.

4) We're fortunate to work with talented colleagues and attract those that wish to further their careers in a dynamic, ever-changing and fast-paced industry.

5) Our clients always challenge us to rise to the occasion. There's nothing better than to celebrate success with those you've worked closely with to make an impact.

6) We understand nothing comes easy and we welcome the opportunity to roll up our sleeves, put our heads together and to help move the needle in the right direction for our clients.

7) We get to work with outstanding media and industry analysts that continue to remind us what makes for an interesting story, compelling message and we give them what they need to write stories and cover news.

8) We understand the importance of work-life balance.  If you work hard, you need to play hard.  That's why our foozball table, Wii, softball team and team celebrations are so popular.

9) We work with exciting technologies, passionate executives and engineers that bring them to market, and companies looking to make a difference.

10) And we all love storage, or at least that's what I keep trying to convince people of here :)

We may have gone beyond 100 words, but we think you'll understand why.  If there's anything you feel we may have missed, let us know. 

Surveying the Scene

I've probably already mentioned The Onion on a previous blog, as I'm a big fan. Sorry to repeat the reference, but it has written several very funny stories on the ever-present survey data in the news we read regularly. I read my local paper every day, and each day, I read at least two or three stories centered around a new survey. You name the topic, there is a survey out there that covers it.

Which brings me to my next point. Our client base, representing various industries and market segments, sees real value in outsourcing surveys for marketing and thought leadership purposes. The surveys help articulate market trends and problems that their customers need to monitor or address. Reporters keep telling us they are tired of surveys, but they keep on writing about them. And the primary reason behind this, in my opinion, is newsrooms are short-staffed and many journalists don't have the luxury of taking a few days or weeks to research an in-depth story to provide multiple angles. But surveys are an "insta-story," and they aren't going away any time soon. Not to mention, they are genuinely interesting - they confirm hunches and anecotal information. One of our clients, Kronos, just did a great survey on how many workers roll into work late on the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday. We all know Super Bowl Mondays are a problem, but now we have a survey that confirms it.

But there are things you need to consider when working with a survey company. Ask about their competitive policies, and be prepared for competing companies to use the same the tool. We had a client recently work with a reputable company on a security/compliance-oriented survey that uncovered valuable market data for the identity compliance market. Two weeks ago, the same survey company released a survey with our client's direct competitor, releasing similar findings.

Surveys sell, and they also provide valuable market data. Just keep in mind that that your competitors can use them, too.