Google+ pages toujours dans les starting blocks

Depuis une semaine Google a annoncé la sortie de Google + pages. Une façon pour les entreprises, les marques et les organisations d’utiliser officiellement Google + pour se connecter avec les consommateurs. Bravo ! Avons-nous envie de dire, mais dommage : ce n’est pas encore prêt pour les entreprises.

Facebook nous a déjà montré la voie depuis plusieurs années : un outil stable, puissant avec des fonctionnalités progressant régulièrement et relativement cohérentes. Les défauts ne manquent pas mais c’est devenu un outil majeur, qu’aucun professionnel de la communication visant le grand public ne peut se permettre de ne pas considérer. Google, très fort pour copier ce qui se fait de mieux dans le domaine, semble lui s’être arrêté au milieu du gué.

Voyons rapidement les éléments manquants :

Google ne permet pas à plusieurs administrateurs de gérer une page, ce qui signifie qu’une seule personne peut gérer une entreprise ou une marque sur Google +. C’est le défaut le plus rédhibitoire à mes yeux et qui n’est pas prêt d’être résolu car  les plans de Google d’après Carter Gibson n’incluent la possibilité d’inclure cette fonctionnalité qu’à partir du 1er trimestre 2012. Certes il existe tout de même une possibilité pour contourner cela : créer une adresse email dédiée et partager les identifiants avec ses collègues. Pas très pratique tout de même et cela demande de gérer encore une adresse email supplémentaire.

La possibilité d’organiser des concours ou des promotions est interdite. On peut tout de même mentionner l’existence du concours mais son organisation doit être hébergée sur un site dédié tierce. Je ne comprends toujours pas ce que craignent Facebook et Google en permettant cette option.

Passons outre le fait que Google n’ait même pas pris la peine d’intégrer ses propre outils que ce soit d’analyse comme Google Analytics, de blog (Blogger) sans même parler de YouTube. Ce qui est encore plus gênant c’est l’absence de l’audience. Plus de 23 millions d’internautes français sur Facebook, combien sur G+ ? Les chiffres ne sont pas encore là mais cela ne doit certainement pas dépasser le million, sans doute beaucoup moins.

Attention mon propos n’est pas de dire que Google+ n’apportes rien, loin de là. Je constate juste que l’outil n’est pas encore prêt pour être intégré dans nos stratégies de communication. Evidement le monde tournant à la vitesse que l’on sait, l’histoire ne sera pas la même dans 3 mois. Du moins je l’espère !

Has social media killed off the postcard?

I don’t know about you but the news of the demise of the traditional postcard is quite sad, if a little unsurprising. Sending a postcard home was once a staple of the family holiday, letting family know how you were despite knowing they would receive it long after seeing you and your sunburn in person.

Any post that isn’t a bill or junk mail actually makes my day. It shows someone’s gone out of their way to think of you, it has the personal touch so often lost with the internet or a text.

According to a report out last week Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter have killed off the novelty of sending a postcard home to loved ones. Surveying 2,000 people, travel firm ebookers found four in ten people no longer send postcards when on holiday.

With the ease of new media and despite high charges for using WAP on your phone abroad, one in two Britons admit to checking and updating social networks or email when on holiday. Despite half of people who check or update social networks while on holiday confessing they think it’s a waste of their time, as many as two thirds admit to spending two hours or more doing so. It seems we can no longer bear to be out of the loop for even a week without feeling disconnected and aloof.

Newspapers can thrive in a social media world

When the Guardian tweeted  on Wednesday evening about it’s live blog for that evening’s Apprentice show, it demonstrated very clearly how newspapers can embrace social media and use it to their advantage.  Forget print (long-term), integrating social media and using it, is how newspaper brands are going to survive and prosper.  By blogging about the Apprentice live, the Guardian is extending its influence and value and role as a commentator. It’s true that the Guardian understood the power of social media globally early on and embraced it with open arms. I really do hope it propers especially with its new digital first strategy announced recently.

Coincidently, Twitter has also been talking about the influence of social media in newspapers this week.   Twitter has recognized that it has become an invaluable tool for the media when it comes to finding  and sharing stories,  so it has now released a guide that shows journalists how to best use the tool in their daily work. ‘Twitter for Newsrooms,’ has no new info particularly but the fact that Twitter has launched an official guide for journalists is indicative of how social media sources make the news now.

Facebook has also recently undertaken a similar initiative, launching a Page for journalists on Facebook, intended to be a resource for journalists who want to incorporate social media into their reporting, networking and storytelling. The social network also kicked off a journalists’ meetup programme.

It’ll be interesting to see how social media tools and newspapers continue to integrate for the benefit of all. It’s a revolution and it sure is changing everything fast.

Going for gold with Olympic campaigns

With just under 400 days to go until the London Olympics Games kick-off, marketing activity by the official sponsors have stepped up a gear. Though the majority of us will have to watch the games from the sofa having failed to secure tickets, this hasn’t stopped the marketing machine ramping things up with numerous events and announcements hitting the press in the last few weeks. Here are some campaigns that caught my eye:

Boasting that this will be the most ‘content rich’, and ‘connected’ Olympic games in history, Samsung  has set its sights on making 2012 the ‘Smart Games’. The tech firm is on the hunt for 60 Samsung Mobile Explorers. Each will be given  smartphones and tasked with sharing their own experiences of the Olympics through social media as online ambassadors for the brand.

Similarly, Coca-Cola  is in search of young and inspiring torchbearers for their Future Flames competition. If you have a burning passion and a life-changing story, the judging panel – which includes rapper Dizzee Rascal – can get you on the torch relay.  BA on the other hand are after not one, but three great Britons. Create a pieces of art, film or a menu using the games as inspiration and you can get mentored by Tracey Emin, Heston Blumenthal or Richard E Grant. Not bad.

Given the lead time, it’s understandable that the majority of activity to date has been competition-based.  As we near the opening ceremony,  I can’t wait to see what else the cunning PRs have up their sleeves. Assuming we don’t experience a fiasco on par with the ticket allocations, I’m sure there’ll be more to come.

Connected Devices take over the World!

Future-gazing usually ends up with visions of everyone doing the shopping in flying cars or taking a holiday on the Moon with their robo-dog. Never turns out that way but a vision of a world dominated by tiny intelligent machines that know everything about you and are constantly talking with one another is coming true or so Cisco would have us believe.

Their  recent survey caught my eye because it seems that by 2015 there will be more Internet connected devices on the planet than people. In fact, 15 billion devices or twice the world’s human population. We’re going to be outnumbered by devices in a way that the car or the TV never achieved (though there are some techy obstacles like a looming shortage of IP addresses that we need to fix)

And this forecast of being surrounded by connected devices  seems rooted in reality. Mobiles are almost an additional body part, never leaving our grasp and more likely to be in our hand than our pocket. We constantly want to touch them and check our connectivity more often than we actually ever check our pulse rate.

From a communications perspective, the opportunities to engage with people seem limitless because we are so connected.

But then again the fact that we’re living with so much readily available connectivity intensifies the need for communications that are highly personal and stand out from the crowd.

In praise of mathletics

Anything that makes younger children actually want to do their homework is a good thing in my book.  My junior school aged son is fine when it comes to science – particularly if it involves live action experiments – or anything arty that demands a bit of ‘mod rock’ or much cardboard, paint and tape but getting him to do the basics can be more than challenging.  So bring on Mathletics, which has just been upgraded: I heart you.  Never has learning times tables for the nth time been so easy to make fun.

We’ve been rocking, rapping and mixing to times tables cartoon music videos (‘Times Table Toons’ no less), in the rainforest learning  algebra and decking out his avatar in the latest garb via credits he’s earned doing his math.  Ok, the last one isn’t quite learning maths.  The best thing however is playing live mathletics against other students his age from around the globe.  It’s all I can do to stop myself shouting out the answers as you see three or four kids doing mental maths in real time and racing against each other and the clock live on screen.  So simple, but such cool tech.  Love it.

Mobile: the next big thing in Marketing and PR

The number of people accessing the internet via mobile devices may reach 1 billion by 2014, meaning mobile will overtake the PC as the most popular way to get on the Web. At the same time, more users will be consuming mobile apps with the mobile app market reaching $8.3 billion in 2014 compared to $3.8 billion forecast for this year.

This makes thinking about the marketing opportunities of mobile and mobile apps all the more pressing and exciting. Many brands are already incorporating mobile apps into their marketing and PR campaigns. Deodorant brand Lynx has launched a mobile app which encourages consumers to share their party experiences with selected friends by streamlining their social media activity in one place. The application will be promoted through the company Facebook page, YouTube channel and a dedicated website and will act as a media channel for future brand and marketing campaigns.

What’s significant about this example is how it makes the most of how the mobile platform allows marketers and PR professionals to interact with consumers regardless of time and location. The increase in mobile internet usage is a great opportunity for brands to engage consumers through social networks, while using dedicated apps and location-based websites to make their messages relevant to consumers. Additionally, mobile apps can be used to create innovative, interactive and engaging forms of content using specific Smartphone functionalities such as multi-touch navigation, cameras, GPS, etc.

Not surprisingly brands and media companies are focusing significant efforts on tapping into the mobile platform. In the era of mobility and social networking, mobile devices will have a profound impact on how marketers and PR professionals communicate with their target audiences.

The Royal Wedding: A Fairytale PR Opportunity

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for last 5 months, you may have noticed the media frenzy surrounding the impending Royal Wedding. Whilst regular updates on the guests (Fergie has not been invited,) best man (Prince Harry, of course) and bridesmaids (small Royal children) have fuelled the nation’s anticipation, the real stars have been the creative minds behind the many opportunist PR campaigns.

Following the announcement of the engagement at Clarence House, QVC released the Epiphany Platinum Clad Diamonique Oval Cluster Ring, a replica of the engagement ring for snip of the price at only £34.42. VisitBritain created a royal wedding itinerary complete with a tour of St Andrew’s, where the couple “went from students to soulmates.”

Boutique Hotel, Ten Manchester Street, offered all engaged couples called William and Kate a complimentary afternoon tea with chilled bottle of champagne, and confectionary brand Swizzels Matlow, created a mosaic image of the couple using Love Hearts, though it takes a few minutes of to realise the couple is William and Kate.

Even toy brands got a piece of the action. At Toy Fair Sylvanian Families launched its Royal Wedding Celebration Set featuring two rabbits called Catherine Chocolate and William Balmoral, with the help of a Wills and Kate look-a-like for a photo call. Lego issued a series of images depicting their take on the big day using mini figures and building blocks to represent the monarchs and Westminster Abbey.

Topping the list of more bizarre announcements: Benidorm Tourist board invited the happy couple to honeymoon on the island with a promise of “unforgettable days very near of your British people.” Whilst Revolver Entertainment has gone to the lengths of producing a film – Will & Kate: The Movie – a fictionalised documentation of their love story, shot in LA.

So why has the wedding served PRs to well?

Firstly, love them or loath them, the Royals get column inches. Like a good celebrity brand ambassador they have high profiles and are of interest to both the media and the Great British public. Secondly, weddings are one of the few events that almost any brand can be linked to. From Travel and Tourism to Food and Drink, and everything in between, there is a Royal Wedding themed story within almost every industry.

Thirdly, it’s a celebration, and celebrations mean special limited edition offers, products and services i.e. something ‘new’ to approach media with. Another key factor is that details of the day have been kept under wraps meaning PRs can take advantage of the nation’s curiosity to speculate and make assumptions to help their clients take centre stage.

Although it might seem like an easy target, securing standout coverage with a Royal Wedding-related campaign takes skill and PR nous. This has been demonstrated by the varying success of the stories over the last 5 months.

All that’s left for Wills and Kate to do is say “I do,” marking the start of their happily ever after, and the end of the PR coverage fairytale.

Social media revolution! So what’s next?

Social networking websites have seen unprecedented growth with communications professionals quick to adopt social media as a new platform for conversations about their brands. However, initiating online conversations with target audiences is often not enough when it comes to raising brand awareness. Identifying social media influencers among these audiences and encouraging them to talk about the brand is as important as participating in online discussions and putting up corporate messages on social networking websites.

The US baseball team Cleveland Indians has successfully used this strategy to build a strong relationship with their fans by becoming the first sports team to have a social media suite in their stadium. The idea encourages social media savvy fans to tweet and blog about their experiences from watching the games and to help raise brand awareness.

Another interesting example of emerging trends in social media use comes from the finance sector. Hedge funds and other investors are considering embracing sites like Twitter and Facebook to rally support for their industry and reach out to small shareholders and potential allies. Small investors are already using social networks to increase their influence versus big shareholders on boards. Websites such as MoxyVote.com allow small shareholders to vote on corporate issues independently or as part of a broader group and strengthen their role in corporate decision making.

As online activism becomes increasingly important for NGOs and private organisations, its potential to move groups of shareholders from passive administrators to active participants should not be underestimated. Engaging audiences as brand ambassadors or cause advocates is a great way of strengthening brand loyalty and encouraging a two-way model of communication. However, this area still has to be explored. As different industries adopt social media at different pace, there is plenty of space for experiment and innovation.

A professional hot or not.

During my daily routine of checking the trends and happenings on Linkedin and Facebook, I found a website that seemed to mix the two.  If there were two social networks that I didn’t think had any need to interact it was these two.  My interest was captured, however, when I began to see a few more of my connections and friends using it.  Now it spans Twitter and your email contacts and invites you to choose who is the best at “social media” or “business development” or in fact one of any number of skills we may have listed on a CV. 

The next stage is what does Mixtent do with this data?  It works out your worldwide rank and the position within your connections and within your company. I am yet to see how accurate this tool is going to be, as there are a number of times when I vote for someone based on the fact that I like them or I know them personally.  And I am sure others will do the same thing.  It is interesting to think that in the future when recruiting you might simply disregard anyone whose worldwide rank is outside the top ten percent. 

If this site does hit the tipping point, then it won’t be long before we will be throwing around terms like, “So what’s your Mixtent rank at Creativity?”