I’ve commented before on the communications style of Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh and he continues to impress.

His email to employees about Zappos’ sale to Amazon is, quite simply, amazing. And here’s why:

• He asks upfront that people take the time to thoroughly read the email
• The entire email reads like he is personally talking to each employee
• The language is clean and simple throughout – he uses words that people use in everyday conversations
• There are consistent links back to the company’s culture, team, community that are authentic, not forced
• Tough questions are addressed head on, early in the email
• The links to strategy are clearly defined and easy to understand
• Regulatory concepts are presented with explanations that aren’t offensive if people already know the meaning
• The email included a video of Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO talking equally authentically to Zappos employees
• Tony shared it externally on this Twitter page and the Bezos video is posted at YouTube

CEOs and leaders hesitate to communicate more frankly, personally or publicly because of regulatory and legal constraints. Tony’s email demonstrates there are effective ways to manage those constraints and communicate in an open, candid way with employees and beyond.

Clearly his style has struck a chord with communicators. As of this writing, more than 2,200 people have posted links to his email through their Twitter accounts.

When companies talk about being open and honest rarely do we get an opportunity to so publicly decide whether they’re paying that off. In this case, it’s easy to see that Zappos is.

What have I missed? How else is his email an example of communicating openly and honestly? Or do you disagree?

Kellie Due Weiland
Account Director

I recently had the privilege of listening to Jack Birch’s ‘Why Sponsorship Works’ presentation at the Minnesota Wild (NHL) sports marketing summit. A former managing director at Octagon and current consultant to pro sports franchises and leagues, he told stories of brands that have activated their sponsorship well throughout the years, and those who have crashed and burned. (I won’t name names.) Here are some key learnings and takeaways from his presentation.

There are five questions we need to be prepared to answer for our clients when considering a sponsorship:

1. Does it work?
2. If so, what should I sponsor?
3. How much do I pay?
4. How do I leverage it?
5. Can you measure it? PROVE IT (especially for the c-suite)

Companies have two goals.

1. Create a customer through marketing and innovation
2. Sales. Sell, sell, sell.

Create an emotion with your brand.
“Find the emotion that your brand portrays and connect that emotion with the consumer through your sponsorship. By doing so, you stimulate demand and create a customer.” – Jack Birch

The seven principles that make a successful sponsorship.

1. Authentication
2. Integration
3. Sales
4. Loyalty
5. Amplification
6. Transference
7. Exclusivity

BE AUTHENTIC – consumers today are too smart not to know. If you’re not Coke, don’t try and be Coke.

Be DEFENDABLE – if you’re always late, don’t claim you’re the “on-time” guy.

Hammer home your brand positioning – ALWAYS.

The storyteller of commerce -
What you see/hear = story you tell yourself = the emotion you get = the action you take
Let sponsorship be the storyteller of your brand.

Sponsorship amplifies your programs/tactics. It’s the appetizer.

Pro sports teams have two things.

1. The biggest stage
2. The attention of thousands of attendees

You need to take advantage of these two things to amplify your sponsorship through as many avenues as possible (POS, internet, direct mail, in-arena, community relations, public relations, employee recognition, cause marketing, etc.).

Associate your brand with the right properties. Do you care who your children hang out with?

The difference between marketing and sales.
Marketing = have what people want (that emotion, that loyalty, that association)
Sales = getting rid of what you have

Not only did these learnings serve as good insight and a reminder to those of us in the sponsorship marketing and activation business, but they can be used to educate and inform colleagues of the role sponsorship can play and be integrated within larger marketing plans.

Matt Hansen
Account Supervisor

Nothing beats the trusted and intimate referral from a friend or relative in the purchasing process.

A new study from Mintel reinforces the value of the personal endorsement. It shows that most purchases are still based on word-of-mouth recommendations from a trusted acquaintance. Only 5 percent said they based their purchase on a blogger or online environment.
Although social media continues to grow in marketing popularity and relevancy – it’s still important for brands to create an authentic experience that provides intimacy and personal discovery.

There’s no doubt many of those brand preferences begin with the early adopters (who tend to be heavy social media users). However, as brand marketers, finding a balance with offline and online – used in the most strategic ways – will continue to be the golden rule.

Jason Schumann
Account Director

Social Networks Moving Up the Ladder

A March 2009 study from Nielsen on social networks boasted some sweeping, but perhaps not surprising, numbers. Let’s take a look:

• Social networks/blogs now fourth most popular online category – ahead of personal e-mail
• Social networks account for one in every 11 minutes online
• Orkut in Brazil has the largest domestic online reach (70%) of any social network anywhere in the world
• Facebook has the highest average time per visitor amongst the 75 most popular brands online worldwide

This Nielsen study could provide a week’s worth of Waxings, but I’m going to focus on one interesting stat:

• Social network and blogging sites are now the fourth most popular activity on the Internet – ahead of personal e-mail

(In case you’re wondering what’s ahead of social networking and e-mail? Search. General interest portals and communities. Software manufacturers.)

These figures and changes continue to have a profound impact on publishers and marketers alike. AdWeek sums up the research under the appropriate heading: “As online paradigm shifts, advertisers must find a way to add value, rather than follow the ‘push’ model.” Copy that.

What’s interesting, however, is that here we have information showing social nets as more popular than e-mail, yet many of the social networks, microblogs and other services rely on it (e.g., you need an e-mail address to sign up for Facebook; Twitter sends you e-mail notification if you have a new follower, etc.). So while more time may be spent in other online categories, many would argue that e-mail is still the foundation for all electronic communication. And perhaps that’s why some social networks are toying with having their own branded e-mail.

Inbox Insanity

I found this study of particular interest in light of a recent e-mail marketing presentation in Minneapolis (thank you, MIMA). Jeff Rohrs, VP of marketing for Exact Target, described what has become a time of inbox insanity. Think about the many “inboxes” you have – home e-mail, work e-mail, cell voicemail, work voicemail, text message, IM, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, RSS reader and [insert your network here]. Oh, and don’t forget about your postal mail box.

Many of these inboxes will likely continue to grow as online activity continues to rise (especially across demographics) – and we’ll continue to need to check those feeds and inboxes and respond to the content that is in them (the relevant content that is).

The Social Inbox

Is it sustainable? According to Jeff, no. Time is too much of a commodity. And so we’re starting to see consolidation more and more – this time in the form of a social inbox.

While many desktop applications like AlertThingy and plug-ins like Xobni have helped provide much-appreciated aggregation and consolidation for social networking activity, none have proven to be the true “catch-all” for online social activity. So e-mail providers are hoping to bring that to users via “the social inbox.” A place to house and provide one-click access to your e-mail, search, RSS, Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, SMS, Wordpress and more. A more useful place, with more time-efficient ways of interacting with contacts online.

Yahoo has a beta site for its social inbox. From Ars Technica…

• the new Yahoo Mail is positioned as a dashboard for one’s increasingly diverse digital life
• these changes turn Yahoo Mail into a dashboard for watching contact activity at social sites

Microsoft is making strides with Windows Live and Gmail is working on it too. Bebo launched its’ social inbox in late 2008, integrating content and helping to efficiently keep track of friends’ activities/posts. Oh, and there’s the iPhone.

The iPhone: social media and network consolidation – photo from iLounge

What This Means for the Communications/Marketing Industry

So let’s get to the heart of this – what does this all mean for communication, PR and marketing pros using e-mail marketing to reach and connect with customers? Here are some key takeaways from what Jeff shared at the e-mail marketing event:

• The social inbox gives consumers more control and marketers less control.
• So, relevancy will be key; otherwise, you’re a spammer.
• E-mail marketing still plays a role. There’s the potential for terrific ROI, measurement and reach. There’s also research – companies can take the opportunity to learn from their customers.
• In a down economy, more retailers and brands will resort to e-mail marketing because it’s inexpensive and can hit a large population/demographic.
• But, to see real results and cut through the clutter, marketers must focus on: 1) customer personalization and permission AND 2) really relevant and resourceful content.
• Yes, e-mail marketing should be driven by the demands of consumer segments. Subscribers rule.
• “Batch and blast” is a thing of the past.
• Communication, content, frequency and channel delivery should be determined by customer preference and permission – based on strong data.
• Again, precision marketing and customization is key – use data and behavioral info to craft messages of relevance to specific customers.
• Customers need to be able to opt-in to e-mail relationships – so create touchpoints and opportunities allowing them to do so.

This shift is yet another reminder that to be effective today, authenticity, adding value, two-way communication and relationship building must drive marketing and PR efforts at every step.

Katharine Mudra

Account Supervisor

A recent article in Adweek predicts a growing trend for “sponsored conversations” – the act of paying bloggers for brand mentions. Inevitable as sponsored conversations or paid influencer programs may be, let’s also remember there’s been an ongoing movement with bloggers wanting to be treated as legitimate journalists.

Today, newsroom staffers are blogging as well, so it’s less about distinguishing the two roles from one another and more about simply tracking and following the most credible and intriguing sources – whether blogger or traditional journalist.

Nevertheless, if certain bloggers push for the same access and influence as, say, traditional journalists from major daily newspapers or magazines, I feel the same code of ethics should apply as well. Freebies can open doors, yes, but at some point there is a limit.

Transparency is Key

As these lines continue to blur, what remains paramount is the need for transparency. As long as bloggers are clear about what brand coverage is related to a “pay for play” situation, we can all rest a little easier. (And likewise for companies!)

If, however, bloggers start taking the money and “report” on the latest and greatest SUV on the market, or how much they love Target without disclosing their relationship with the brand – then things will go from blurred to an all-out optical illusion.

Jason Schumann

Account Director

I’m proud. So you’ll have to deal with a bit of self-promotion on Waxings today. We are, after all, in the PR business.

Let’s just lead with the lead: We won!

In 2008 we kicked off our inaugural awards season at the Hive, participating for the first time in local and national public relations awards competitions. It was a busy and productive year for Beehive. Strategic work, emotional work, rewarding work and challenging work. And it felt like the right time to pursue some outside recognition for that work.

So as positive tweets, e-mails and Yammer messages trickled in to me (home celebrating my daughter’s 9^th birthday) from teammates attending the Minnesota IABC Bronze Quill Awards Gala last Tuesday night, I was truly delighted.

Our team claimed an Award of Excellence and an Award of Merit. Then one single word crossed my BlackBerry: YES!!!! Followed by the brief message “Pinnacle winner.” Translation – Beehive won the equivalent of Best In Show.

Courtesy of Jana Noonan Photography

The Pinnacle Award recognized our crisis work for a Minnesota-based company. We had worked closely with this confidential client to develop, manage and execute a global response strategy reaching diverse internal and external stakeholders. It’s not easy to balance extraordinary emotion, personal relationships, business risks and the needs of numerous stakeholders, but I’m so proud of the Beehive team for doing all of it well – with efficiency and integrity.

We’re in a tough economic climate. Our clients and organizations and people everywhere are facing unprecedented challenges. We are living it with them and among ourselves. But in the midst of it all, it feels great to take a minute to celebrate a job very well done. Whether the award is for solid media relations work for a nonprofit on a small budget or successfully managing a crisis of global proportions, we’re humbled by the IABC Bronze Quill honors.

Every day we are grateful for the opportunity to work with terrific clients and partners and make positive contributions to their businesses. So, yes, for our first official awards outing, our team is very proud and excited to add it the growing list of Beehive’s accolades.

Let me offer a toast and congratulations to all Bronze Quill Award winners. And hats off to IABC for organizing a stylish event at the beautiful Calhoun Beach Club and giving credit to the industry. Not to mention I hear Frank’s keynote video was quite entertaining!

Lisa Hannum

President and CEO

Today, Beehivers Lisa Hannum and Katharine Mudra are at the annual Minnesota PRSA conference. Lisa will be on the agency panel “PR Today & Tomorrow” that focuses on “how PR agencies are evolving to stay relevant in today’s changing world – from the work they do for clients to the way they operate internally.” I anticipate an interesting discussion as several local PR veterans and agency leaders discuss social media and agency culture.    

We’ll be posting updates, including pictures or video following the event. And, now that we’re on Twitter, you can follow today’s happenings @beehivepr or @minnesotaPRSA. Going forward, we’ll continue to update @beehivepr with various Beehive PR news, insights and other info, such as live posts from industry events. Check it out. We look forward to meeting new people and talking with you.    

Katharine Mudra
Account Supervisor 

By Wednesday, the pundits will be discussing the coulda’, shoulda’, woulda’ of both 2008 presidential campaigns, some more than others. In preparation for those discussions I’m asking the media — no, I’m asking all Americans — to measure the campaigns as the ancient Greco-Roman orators and philosophers would, asking the question: “Were McCain and Obama virtuous rhetoricians?”

Why base your judgment on the ideas of guys in togas and laurel wreaths? Because, they strove to value truth more than showmanship and wisdom more than sooth-saying.

In De Oratore, Cicero cautions that: “the stronger [eloquence] is, the more necessary it is for it to be combined with integrity and supreme wisdom, and if we bestow fluency of speech on persons devoid of those virtues, we shall not have made orators of them but shall have put weapons into the hands of madmen.”

I’m thinking that Cicero and other ancient rhetoricians, such as his predecessor Isocrates, would be pretty critical of the presidential candidates’ and their running mates’ oratory (maybe some a little more than others).

Here’s just a sample of what I think they would balk at:

• Obama strategically takes Henry Kissinger’s statements about Iran out of context.
• Biden makes at least 10 misstatements during presidential campaign.
• McCain repeatedly makes misstatements about the Iraq conflict.
• Palin makes up a Thomas Jefferson quote.

More than once, each candidate has chosen the flashy statement over articulating truth. But, truth in public speaking matters because character matters. As Aristotle wrote in Politic, “The character of democracy creates democracy, and the character of oligarchy creates oligarchy; and always the better the character, the better the government.”

Jessica Zittlow

Account Supervisor