PulsOpinion

Ever been a part of those endless meetings on how to build hype and generate word of mouth publicity? While most discussions would end up with finding tools and ways to make people see and listen, one way could be to involve them. The impact only multiplies when you involve your audience and encourage them to participate. The success of digital is a proof of how successful campaigns become when masses get involved.

Public Sector companies, consumer brands, consumer technology companies…infact any organization that works on the B2C model can use this effectively. Companies who have done this well reap instant rewards and some quick references could be the Nokia Music initiative or the famous Nike Race. Very recently, I went to an event- more of a community initiative. It was the 30^th anniversary celebration of the Marine Parade branch of the National Library Board. What struck me most was the simplicity and perfection in which things were done and the impact far greater and more rewarding.

Looking back, for this kind of an initiative, an advertising agency would probably have suggested innovative online and offline ad campaigns, a PR agency could have suggested press releases, interviews, a bit of blogger relations and modules on good reading habits and how libraries are an integral part of our social system. There could be direct mailers and think of it, we could probably come out with 100 different things to tell people our story. The difference however arises when ‘telling a story’ is replaced with ‘being a part of the story’. Basically, INVOLVING YOUR AUDIENCE.

What happened (and in fact is still happening till end November) are a series of special programmes and initiatives for library members across all age groups. From puppet shows and story-telling sessions to creative workshops and workshops on effective parenting; sessions on vintage bags, perfumes, food and fashion. Topics chosen were of relevance and they all linked back to library collections that one could refer to.

But what I really liked was the choice tools to convey the message. The workshops aimed at increasing public awareness, enhancing reading skills, fostering creativity and basically- having fun!! And truly, fun is what people had. It was a month to remember- packed halls, standing ovation, and children storming towards cartoons, puppets, concerts and books. 

Not only did NLB succeed in communicating the message…it would also doubled up on the books issued, increased members and not to forget…people like us…who went back feeling good about a well spent weekend and a promise to come back and enjoy more such family library days

An offshoot of the Podcamp discussion was Blogger code of ethics. There are pages on it when you do a Google search.

So what’s the big deal about bloggers and ethics? Why so much fuss….?

The discussion began during Brian Koh’s session at Podcamp Singapore and a question rightfully asked by Melvin Yuan….’Ethics are ethics. What’s so different about blogger ethics? Why hype it so much?” The next question was “Why are agencies saying different things? A PR agency proactively comes with a big list of ‘cannot do la..!’- no financial implications, no discounts/ freebies etc while the Marketing/ Advertising arm of the same firm may come with financial benefits for writing about their client.”

Why such confusion?

To understand why agencies behave the way they do one needs to look at the way they function.

The function of communication be it advertising/marketing/direct mailing/events/PR is to reach out to people that matter. The most common medium used to do this is media: print/television/radio/new media. So the vehicles are the same…but the route to reach out to customers is different.

Public Relations believes in ‘influencing the influencers’ by building relationships. They provide material, arrange for client meetings and hope that information will result in coverage. In the end what is covered is the sole discretion of the writer. PR has strong policies against what they term as bribing. For them media and message cannot be bought and I guess that is why people still believe in the credibility of the press. By initiating code of ethics they are simply trying to maintain the way PR fundamentally works.

Advertising/marketing has always worked on the concept of buying media space. They usually plug client fed information in the space that they buy and this is most commonly known as ads. Since traditionally they have been doing this, they continue to offer financial benefits for the write-ups.

Though traditional agencies have separate departments for each function and are able to avoid confusion- it is not possible to replicate the format with blogs. That leads to mixed messaging.

So what can a blogger do?

1. Ask questions and be upfront to first know who you are talking to…PR or Advertising

2. Define the path you want to take and make it clear to the agencies upfront. You may consider writing a disclaimer in your blog that clearly clarifies your stance on PR/Advertising.

3. If you do not want your write-ups to be influenced and still want to earn, try adding an advertorial section to the blog

4. Consider external links so there is no messing up with your content

Have more ideas…please post them as your comments.

Many of my co-attendees (Claudia, Derrik… to name a few) have already covered the entire camp or parts of it….so no point going through the series again. What I would like to share however are the ‘good’ and the ‘can do better’ parts of the event. Please feel free to share your feedback in the comments.

The good stuff…

1. A great initiative in getting together like-minded people, who were trying to contribute by sharing insights and learnings and trying to crack the thoroughly webbed new media space. I liked the sessions of Coleman Yee and to some extent Brian Koh ….for their ability to stir some healthy discussion. There were no answers…but it definitely set the thoughts rolling.

2. What I missed and really regret is the Charlie Pownall session on Online Influencers. The last bits that I caught were on Obama and how he magically used ‘word of mouth’ to his favour…got to know some more from Claudia’s blog post.
(…so now you know…my next reading will be trying to analyse Obama’s success secrets from the communicators perspective…and maybe later…if I get the opportunity, discuss my thoughts with you, Charles.

3. Another session that was reasonably good was Preetam Rai’s on twitter. Though purely by selection of topic…I was attending Brian’s session, Preetam…what I heard about you from fellow bloggers and liked- was your idea of networking and understanding (not just superficially) about how bloggers/writers in other markets work. Good stuff..you are surely working that extra mile to bridge the gap between markets and people.

4. My comments will be incomplete if I did not mention the Tech 65 guys and Joshua Nair. You guys truly rock and it was a pleasure having you around. Joshua, a special mention to you….you were the youngest of the lot and very well prepared. I wish you luck and am sure you have a bright future.

5. The next best thing about the event was the presence of a lot of PR people…the presenters and the attendees(…Weber Shandwick, Burson Marsteller, Text100…to name a few) which talks about the seriousness and the lead that PR people are trying to take in the new media space. I may have missed many…but must mention the presence of two …great guys- Shalabh and Melvin. Melvin was also one of the keynotes speaker at Podcamp. Sunita, Su from Text 100 and Daphne Maia great meeting you too.

How it could be better….

Content overall could have been more in-depth. Its great to have a discussion but there should be some key take away from the session. Some speakers got a bit too carried away about personal achievements. So maybe a little balance on that front could make the sessions more fulfilling.

Signing off statement: Great initiative guys. Keep up the good work!!