I did it. In a past Waxing I wrote about how I’m trying to climb the social media ladder. Well, I moved up a rung by caving in and accepting Twitter as a social media avenue worth exploring for professional development. In particular, for sports marketing and sponsorship activation. You can find me @SportsMarkGuy.

As I try to stay afloat in the twitterverse, I’ll be analyzing how teams, sponsors and athletes market themselves through Twitter. Shaq (@THE_REAL_SHAQ) and the Phoenix Suns (@PhoenixSunsGirl) are among the leaders when it comes to using Twitter as a marketing tool. What can we (consumers and corporate communicators) learn from Shaq’s Twitter popularity, and when will the NBA’s popularity with Twitter spill over into the other major sports leagues? It’s difficult to find players or teams in the NHL using Twitter, but NBA players are Tweeting at halftime!

What I DO think is that Twitter will become the new handshake, or even autograph, between fans and athletes. Will it be just as cool to have Shaq wave to you as he gets into his car after a game, as it is to tell your friends that you are following Shaq on Twitter and he’s eating a pizza in downtown Phoenix right now? Twitter brings these bigger-than-life athletes down to the same level as their fans and allows a connection to be made that has been lost over the years.

Cool Tweets

It’s been about 48 hours since I joined Twitter. Here are two cool Tweets I’ve come across that are great examples of the continually evolving media landscape,

1. Pardon The Interruption (PTI, @PTIShow), a daily ESPN show, has asked people on Twitter to submit ideas for guests on their show.
2. David Schwab @david_schwab, VP and managing director for First Call (a division of Octagon) “twitterviewed” Billy Bush via Twitter and posted the transcript on his First Call blog.

Sponsorship Madness

Notice anything different behind the benches and in the hands of the players in the NCAA basketball tournament? It’s not Gatorade, it’s Vitamin Water. While it would have been thrilling to be a fly on the wall during those sponsorship negotiations, my question is how could Gatorade/Pepsi let this happen?!

It shows up as a clear sign of defeat to consumers when you lose your staple sponsorship to your competitor – all types of questions are begging to be answered. I’d like to know the figures paid, but it shouldn’t matter. Whatever Coke offered to pay for the sponsorship, Pepsi should have beaten it – no matter what. What’s Pepsi’s philosophy behind this? Coke paid $4.1 billion for Vitamin Water a couple of years ago. If that’s not reason enough for Gatorade to be scared and be sure it holds and expands its sponsorship marketing, I don’t know what is. By the way, what’s happened to PowerAde? Is the writing on the wall for the slow discontinuation of the brand?

Matt Hansen

Beehive PR

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

Here’s the start of a Minnesota media on Twitter listing. It’s not exhaustive – just the reporter names and news outlets we’ve come across so far in our “twavels.” So if you know a reporter or outlet that’s missing, let us know by email or Twitter. We’ll republish the list as updates are made.

3/2 Update: Thanks to @arikhanson and @jeffshelman for reviewing this list and providing input prior to publication.

Thanks also to @jennschaal, @ryanbarnholdt, @ryanmathre and @johnsoka606 for sharing additional media Twitter handles since this was posted. Watch Waxings for these updates – they’ll be up within the next month. 

Minnesota Reporters on Twitter

Broadcast

Michael Caputo, Analyst, Public Insight Journalism-Minnesota Public Radio, @MCaputo_MPR 

Bob Collins, Senior Editor Online News-Minnesota Public Radio, @bcollinsmn 

 

Scott Goldberg, Reporter-KARE 11, @scottgoldberg 

 

Jon Gordon, Reporter/Host of Future Tense-Minnesota Public Radio, @jongordon

 

Jason DeRusha, Reporter-WCCO-TV, @derushaj

 

Kim Insley, Morning News Anchor-KARE 11, @karemorninggal

 

Esme Murphy, Reporter, Anchor, Talk Show Host-WCCO-TV and WCCO Radio, @esmemurphy

 

Tim Post, Higher Education Reporter-Minnesota Public Radio, @posttim 

 

Patrick Reusse, Sports Columnist-Star Tribune and Radio Host-AM1500-KSTP, @patrickreusse 

 

Tom Scheck, Reporter-Minneapolis Public Radio, @tomscheck

 

Print

 

Jill Burcum, Editorial Writer-StarTribune, @jburcum 

 

Laurie Hertzel, Books Editor-StarTribune, @StribBooks 

 

Kara McGuire, Columnist/Reporter-Star Tribune, @kablog 

 

Pamela Miller, Night Metro Editor-Star Tribune, @nightnewspam 

 

Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Consumer Technology Reporter-St. Paul Pioneer Press, @jojeda 

 

Lora Pabst, Night Crime and Public Safety Reporter-Star Tribune, @lorapabst

 

Michael Rand, Team Leader Prep Sports-StarTribune, @randball

 

Patrick Reusse, Sports Columnist-Star Tribune and Radio Host-AM1500-KSTP, @patrickreusse

 

Rachel Stassen-Berger, Political Reporter-St. Paul Pioneer Press, @PolAnimal

 

Online

 

David Brauer, Media Reporter-MinnPost.com, @dbrauer

 

Noah Kunin, Senior Political Correspondent-The Uptake, @noahkunin 

 

Jay Weiner, Columnist-MinnPost.com, @jayweiner

 

Minnesota News Outlets on Twitter

 

Finance and Commerce, @businessmn

 

Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, @mspbjnews

 

Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine, @mspmag 

 

Minnesota Public Radio, @MPR

 

MinnPost, @MinnPost

 

Star Tribune (Minneapolis News), @minn_news

 

Star Tribune (St. Paul News), @stpaulnews

 

St. Paul Pioneer Press, @PiPress 

 

WCCO Breaking News, @WCCOBreaking

 

KARE-11, @kare11

 

KSTP, @kstp

 

Kellie Due Weiland

Account Director 

 

 

I admit it. I was a latecomer to the BlackBerry scene. I resisted it out of fear of email addiction. About six months ago, I caved in and joined the tribe of the ever-connected. I love it. Can’t imagine how I ever lived without it. So, I understand where the new President and First Lady are coming from – you can have my BlackBerry when you pry it from my hands by force.

I am delighted the Obamas have won the BlackBerry battle. It’s about time that we allow our nation’s leaders to run the country the same way many of us run our businesses, not to mention personal lives. A BlackBerry is access to real-time information in a real-time world. There is great flexibility in being able to work when and where you choose, and staying in touch with the important people in your life when duty calls.

But of course, there are real risks that come with this flexibility – possible email addiction not withstanding. For the President and First Lady, the risks have potentially global implications. Who is listening? What happens if an email becomes public? What if the bad guys can track the president’s location by the GPS location of his BlackBerry? Fortunately, the Obamas acknowledge these risks have a crack security team on the case.

BlackBerry Force One, as the president’s device is being called, is being protected by voice scrambling, data encryption and a top-secret email address. For most of us, this isn’t possible or practical. But we can be responsible BlackBerry users, too. Use your caller ID. If you aren’t in an appropriate place to talk to the caller, don’t answer. Don’t send an email you would be embarrassed for your mom to read if it became public. And if you are doing something that requires your undivided attention, just turn the darn thing off.

Nicki Gibbs
Group Director

Through social media, President-elect Obama re-defined political campaigning. Now it’s time to re-define how politicians and citizens interact. I don’t think he can successfully be a 21^st century president who is “of the people, by the people and for the people” any other way.

For Mr. Bi-partisan Pants to fulfill his promises of inclusivity and working across party lines, he should start with an executive branch social media makeover. Have you visited the White House Web site lately? Modern wisdom says that an “In focus” section should focus on something and an interactive section should have meaningful interaction. Where is the ease of use, the Web 2.0-ness?

Our president should Twitter after chatting up the UN and blog about his domestic priorities. His administration should seek feedback on specific issues and then consider the responses as they make a decision. Citizens should be able to easily access and provide real-time feedback on the three most important issues rather than have to decipher a litany of topics, sub-topics and sub-sub-topics. And, we should access everything through an engaging, interactive portal.

There is no doubt that President-elect Obama’s administration will have the social media savvy to be inclusive. Time will tell us if they deliver. In the meantime, you can add to Obama’s to-do list on Rachel Maddow’s site.

Jessica Zittlow

Account Supervisor

Hello from Motor City. Ayme Zemke and I are participating in the annual PRSA International Conference. We’re each spending our Saturday in different all-day seminars. Ayme is digging in on the latest in measurement strategies. And I’m deep diving into the most promising new media channels for businesses. Both are critical considerations for our clients’ businesses and our own brand.

Eric Schwartzman, founder and chairman of iPressroom and managing director of Schwartzman & Associates, is leading the new media workshop. He’s a recovering PR agency guy who’s been focused on new media for a decade. He’s pragmatic, honest and humorously cynical. The 50 people in the room – not so much. My industry peers — for the most part — are professionally overwhelmed and afraid. And each is likely a reflection of his or her organization.

Navigating these new media channels can be like trying to read a road sign in Ireland — 26 arrows pointing in every direction in multiple languages. Who knows which way to go? It feels risky. It can’t be controlled. How do you measure it? There is just too much to follow, learn and understand. 

Wikis, Google, YouTube, flickr, twitter, blogs, facebook, delicious, LinkedIn, RSS, podcasts, slideshare and more. The list is growing all the time. These services, applications and tools are generally free and easy to use. And they’re being used every hour of every day to share information about your brand, whether or not your organization approves.    

And there is also a lot of discussion in the room about who owns new media channels — the Web in general — inside their organizations. The corporate communications department? Marketing? IT? Brand? The turf battles are fierce, and thinking runs the gamut from “not my job” to “only IT can put information on our company’s Web site.”

So what’s an organization to do? Schwartzman’s advice is refreshingly simple. He recommends focusing on the channels that are most used by your target audiences. In this order, that’s: 1. your organization’s Web site; 2. e-mail. 3. search. And everything else after that. Schwartzman cautions: “the biggest mistake organizations make is putting the [new media] tools before the organization’s objectives.”

Research shows that an organization’s Web site is still the single most credible source of online information. (In fact, according to the 2008 PR Week Media Survey, eighty-nine percent of media gather information about a company through its Web site. And nearly sixty-five percent of media consider the company Web site “extremely” or “very” important when researching a story.) 

The Web site navigation has to be simple, and the content has to be compelling, interesting, brief and clear. Schwartzman notes, “there is no algorithm for humor, wit and irony online.” The Web site content, as well as the news and information you’re pushing to the marketplace, has to be relevant — use keywords your audiences use. Doing so helps readers digest content and also improves search engine optimization (SEO). Example: What would you search … “cheap airfare” or “low-fare leader?” You get the idea. As for e-mail? Nearly everyone uses it, and many people have multiple accounts. So use it to reach your target audience, but be sure it’s valuable, personalized and includes robust links to something the recipient will value.

New media channels are the present and the future of communicating and marketing everything. Think of the Web as the wheel, and emerging new media channels as the spokes. You need both to move your brand.

Lisa Hannum

CEO

The state of the TV newsroom and its integration with the Web

In a world of shrinking TV newsrooms and expanding online TV news sites, today’s networks are leveraging new technologies to meet users whenever, wherever and with more content than ever before. News organizations recognize it is no longer about just telling the story; they need to provide consumers with opportunities and tools to dig deeper, react to and use the information on their own terms.

Web Integration Across National TV Networks
In an obvious state of transition, the major national TV networks aggressively formed alliances to extend their audience reach and online platforms in 2007. ABC launched i-Caught to collect user-generated video submissions and partnered with social-networking site Facebook to engage individuals around the election. CBS hired out digital video editors to facilitate new mash-up EyeLab video content and also joined forces with Digg to share political content and election-news headlines.

Media companies are going beyond earlier digital strategies like video and reporter blogs, gobbling up user-generated sites and partnering with other media brands, community-oriented Web sites and social application providers. MSNBC.com, for example, bought Newsvine so citizen-produced news could be displayed on MSNBC news pages.

Web Integration Across Local TV Networks
On the local TV scene it’s a slightly different story. Local stations are working hard to keep up with multimedia and Web 2.0 technologies. They are adding staffers dedicated to a station’s Web site, better understanding quickly changing consumer lifestyles, and introducing site features and ways for consumers to both get news and contribute to it.

I speak to the local TV network transition and why PRO pros should be paying attention a bit more in the latest edition of PRSA Quarterly. Check out the “Trend Spotting” article on page three.

During a time when newsrooms are a “big factor in the economic success of local television” (2008 Annual Report on American Journalism), local affiliates have a competitive advantage in the digital marketplace. And that’s local content. Viewers tune in to watch broadcasted coverage of high school sport scores and local weather forecasts – not international business news.

These changes taking place and the increased emphasis on local content from Twin Cities TV stations reminds communicators and brand managers that in this vast Internet world, sometimes the best place to generate stories for a brand is close to home.

Katharine Mudra
Account Manager

In my last post I mentioned a few of the “next big things” relating to online communications and PR strategy that emerged in 2007 and that loom on the horizon for 2008.

As a fun way to wrap up the year, let’s take a step back in time and check out the stories and moments – often leading to the “next big thing” – that helped shape and define the Web today. MSN calls them the “aha” moments.

From Monica to Katrina to Christmas in Geneva to Friendster, these 16 moments were pivotal on several accounts, an important one being the way PR practitioners understood the Web, its effect on the changing media landscape and its potential to reach and engage audiences.

Katharine (Kaboord) Mudra
Account Manager