http://wesconard.com media, marketing, communications resources & tools Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:09:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 ©Wes Conard http://wesconard.com/?feed=podcast maihoang@gmail.com (Wes Conard) maihoang@gmail.com(Wes Conard) Marketing 1440 marketing, book reviews, marketing metaphors, marketing strategy Media, Marketing and Communications On Marketing, Media and Communications Wes Conard Wes Conard maihoang@gmail.com No no http://wesconard.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg http://wesconard.com 144 144 http://wesconard.com/interview-emmett-buell-jr-coauthor-attack-politics/ http://wesconard.com/interview-emmett-buell-jr-coauthor-attack-politics/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:02:31 +0000 Wes Conard http://wesconard.com/?p=335 ]]> http://wesconard.com/interview-emmett-buell-jr-coauthor-attack-politics/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Every election we hear endless analysis about who is going negative and who's being pulled into the mud, as if there was some courtly golden ... Every election we hear endless analysis about who is going negative and who's being pulled into the mud, as if there was some courtly golden age when politicians would not spew invective to gain any advantage. Attack Politics, by Dr. Emmett Buell Jr. and Lee Sigelman, confirms that, yes, presidential politics is nasty. But, in analyzing 17,000 campaign statements extracted from nearly 11,000 news items in the New York Times since 1960, they find that presidential campaigns have actually gotten a bit more civil. Buell counts the 1960 Kennedy/Nixon campaign as the most acrimonious and believes that Obama's campaign might have been the least negative. Buell also takes issue with the entire idea of "negative campaigning" as a pejorative term, saying that there's really no way for a candidate to take on substantive issues or differentiate himself from an opponent without attacking their record and hitting potentially personal issues like ethics and judgement. What might be most surprising is that while the front runner is generally less negative than the candidates that are trailing, there are few strategic rules that seem to hold up race to race. If there's a formula or a tried-and-true playbook, it hasn't been found. I asked Dr. Buell to talk about the book because campaigns are the most dynamic, high-stakes communication exercise their is. Buell and Sigelman go through the communications strategy/positioning/messaging of each presidential campaign since 1960, showing what worked and what didn't, backing up their conclusions with a wealth of details from historical accounts, poll data and from their own research in the NYT. It's a great read for anyone who works in communication and at one time or another has had to weigh the risks and benefits of "going negative. Media Wes Conard no No http://wesconard.com/interview-futurity-editor-jenny-leonard/ http://wesconard.com/interview-futurity-editor-jenny-leonard/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:30:26 +0000 Wes Conard http://wesconard.com/?p=318 ]]> http://wesconard.com/interview-futurity-editor-jenny-leonard/feed/ 0 10:08 As newspaper and magazine newsrooms clear out, people who depended on getting coverage from those reporters are searching for alternatives. One option is to simply ... As newspaper and magazine newsrooms clear out, people who depended on getting coverage from those reporters are searching for alternatives. One option is to simply hire the reporters themselves. The Los Angeles Kings hockey team has hired former Los Angeles Daily News reporter Rich Hammond, and Major League Baseball has hired a reporter to cover every team for MLB.com (see NYT story). Another approach is to create your own publication. That's what 40 research universities in the U.S. (Stanford, Princeton, U of M) have done. Frustrated by the lack of science coverage, they are collaborating on an online publication called Futurity. Since March Futurity has published over 500 stories covering health, medicine, science, design, earth, the environment, culture and society. Many of the articles are based on peer-reviewed papers published in academic journals, so the PR departments basically just have to translate the scientific jargon into language everyone can understand. Futurity only publishes papers that will be relevant to a general audience with an interest in science, so there is no slogging through inside-baseball science. The writing is sharp, very accessible, and not so different from what you would read in a typical newspaper. Jenny Leonard, a writer/editor with the University of Rochester's communications department is Futurity's editor. She said that concerns about how PR people can provide "fair and balanced" coverage miss the point of Futurity. "Futurity was not designed to be a replacement for science reporting by journalists," said Leonard. "Most of the universities involved would rather turn the clock back and have science reporting flourishing and independent reporters covering their stories. Futurity was conceived not as a replacement for journalism, but as a way for universities to react to the current void." Tech and biotech companies are facing a similar situation as technology and science trades lose reporters and the remaining print editions continue to thin. Companies will soon have little choice but to create their own media. And once the trades are online I think the playing field between "corporate journalism" and the journalism we see in trades will level considerably in terms of its ability to pull readers. PR, marcom, online community, social media and customer reference functions will merge and companies will have to find that line between promoting their own products and producing credible content that people will read. Podcast interview guide: 0:48 -- Q: How did Futurity get started?. 2:22 ndash; Q: How many visitors to site? 3:45 ndash; Q: How do you provide ldquo;fair and balancedrdquo; coverage? 5:30 ndash; Q: What are guidelines for publishing criticism of any of these papers? 7:09 ndash; Q: Are the researchers joining in the online conversation? 8:18 ndash; Q: How many stories have you produced? 9:08 ndash; Q: What has the reaction been from reporters and are you getting more press pickup? Uncategorized Wes Conard no No http://wesconard.com/dotspots-farhad-mohit-on-pervasive-wikis-googles-sidewiki-and-information-militias/ http://wesconard.com/dotspots-farhad-mohit-on-pervasive-wikis-googles-sidewiki-and-information-militias/#comments Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:11:35 +0000 Wes Conard http://wesconard.com/?p=303 ]]> http://wesconard.com/dotspots-farhad-mohit-on-pervasive-wikis-googles-sidewiki-and-information-militias/feed/ 0 http://wesconard.com/podcast-interview-with-paul-chaney-author-of-the-digital-handshake/ http://wesconard.com/podcast-interview-with-paul-chaney-author-of-the-digital-handshake/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:26:55 +0000 Wes Conard http://wesconard.com/?p=271 ]]> http://wesconard.com/podcast-interview-with-paul-chaney-author-of-the-digital-handshake/feed/ 1 00:01:01 The world of social media can be a bit daunting. Every day new applications and companies are launched and others fade into obscurity. Jargon is ... The world of social media can be a bit daunting. Every day new applications and companies are launched and others fade into obscurity. Jargon is coined, buzzwords and acronyms are applied liberally. In the face of all this, Paul Chaney's new book, The Digital Handshake, serves as a kind of field guide for the uninitiated. While he breaks down the the reasons social media is eclipsing mass media in marketing and PR, most of the book is structured as a social media how-to lesson. Chaney walks the reader through seven social media tools (blogging, social networks, online communities, twitter, video, podcasting, social media news release and other odds and ends). The book goes over the major applications in each category, the pros and cons of each product, a huge help if you are trying to figure out which of the hundreds of vendors you should try for your business. Finally, Chaney walks you through how a social media strategy could be implemented for an actual company. Chaney is a clear, concise writer who keeps the emphasis on practical instruction rather than the big picture, which will be a huge help to many. Chaney is Internet marketing director for Bizzuka, a Web design, content management and online marketing company based in Lafayette, LA. His site is thesocialmediahandyman.com Marketing,,Media,,PR Wes Conard no No http://wesconard.com/podcast-interview-with-bill-wasik-author-of-and-then-theres-this-how-stories-live-and-die-in-viral-culture/ http://wesconard.com/podcast-interview-with-bill-wasik-author-of-and-then-theres-this-how-stories-live-and-die-in-viral-culture/#comments Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:07:17 +0000 Wes Conard http://wesconard.com/2009/09/podcast-interview-with-bill-wasik-author-of-and-then-theres-this-how-stories-live-and-die-in-viral-culture/ ]]> http://wesconard.com/podcast-interview-with-bill-wasik-author-of-and-then-theres-this-how-stories-live-and-die-in-viral-culture/feed/ 0 28:34 Bill Wasik's new book "And Then There's This: How Stories Live and Die in Viral Culture" perfectly diagnoses the creeping Information Age anxiety of anyone ... Bill Wasik's new book "And Then There's This: How Stories Live and Die in Viral Culture" perfectly diagnoses the creeping Information Age anxiety of anyone who is trying to keep up with the online culture/news churn. Now that we can all produce our own newspaper/radio/TV, we begin to view the world as editors and producers, which is to say, ultimately as marketers, and that has changed the way we look at events and at ourselves. "You monitor and you scheme and you promote, just like the hit-addled corporate culture has been teaching you for years. Because when your words or actions or art are available not only to your friends, but to potentially thousands or even millions of strangers, it changes how you act, what you say, how you see yourself. You become aware of yourself as a character on a stage, as a public figure with a meaning. You develop, that is, the media mind. You know exactly what you are doing." Wasik, a senior editor for Harper's is a sharp, funny writer and the book is very entertaining. Wasik takes us through six viral experiments he performs that show the upside and downside of the global village. To get a taste of it, check out his recent NYT opinion piece or go to his blog at www.billwasik.com Uncategorized Wes Conard no No http://wesconard.com/podcast-interview-with-pamela-shoemaker-author-of-gatekeeping-theory/ http://wesconard.com/podcast-interview-with-pamela-shoemaker-author-of-gatekeeping-theory/#comments Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:30:48 +0000 Wes Conard http://wesconard.com/?p=227 ]]> http://wesconard.com/podcast-interview-with-pamela-shoemaker-author-of-gatekeeping-theory/feed/ 0 00:01:01 In her new book Gatekeeping Theory Pamela Shoemaker explains the journalistic gatekeeping process that ultimately decides what news runs and what doesn't. Shoemaker shows how ... In her new book Gatekeeping Theory Pamela Shoemaker explains the journalistic gatekeeping process that ultimately decides what news runs and what doesn't. Shoemaker shows how the process has, and has not, evolved since the first gatekeeping study in 1950. Shoemaker is the John Ben Snow Professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Shoemaker co-authored the book with Tim Vos, an assistant professor of Journalism Studies at the University of Missouri. Uncategorized Wes Conard no No http://wesconard.com/erik-2/ http://wesconard.com/erik-2/#comments Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:48:53 +0000 Wes Conard http://wesconard.com/?p=215 ]]> http://wesconard.com/erik-2/feed/ 0 28:12 I recently had a chance to talk with Erik Qualman who has put together a great read called ldquo;Socialnomicsrdquo; on how social media works and ... I recently had a chance to talk with Erik Qualman who has put together a great read called ldquo;Socialnomicsrdquo; on how social media works and how businesses can use it. For companies that are trying to figure out what they should do to get involved in social media he suggests that they not let the perfect be the enemy of the good: simply put on foot in front of the other and start doing something. His advice is to first figure out where your audience is and how your brand is being perceived and then figure out how to create a relevant conversation. That may involve a lot of failure, according to Qualman. For instance, about 3.7 million users a month use a TripAdvisor applications that enables them to put pins on a map of where theyrsquo;ve been. While it looks like a no-brainer in retrospect, Qualman said TripAdvisor CEO Steve Kaufer said you have to be prepared to fail a lot to get a winner. ldquo;He said `You have no idea how many iterations we did, not related to that idea, that failed, but the key for us was the idea that speed wins, that we just have to keep doing rather than deliberating. Uncategorized Wes Conard no No http://wesconard.com/test-3/ http://wesconard.com/test-3/#comments Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:06:21 +0000 Wes Conard http://wesconard.com/?p=161 ]]> http://wesconard.com/test-3/feed/ 0 25:08 Whether people are selling toasters or a national healthcare policy, the tried and true marketing method tends to be a laundry list of features and ... Whether people are selling toasters or a national healthcare policy, the tried and true marketing method tends to be a laundry list of features and benefits, a logical, left-brained approach to persuasion. Linguistics guru George Lakoff showed how disastrous this approach has been for Democrats over the past 30 years in Don't Think of an Elephant, the first popular look at the importance of metaphor in persuasive communication. The book details how Republicans have sidestepped the policy details and succeeded by instead focusing on the subconscious metaphorical "frames" that people hold in their minds on issues. In Marketing Metaphoria, Gerald and Lindsay Zaltman show how appealing to people's metaphorical understanding of the world applies equally to selling everything from cell phones to hearing aids. The father and son team (Gerald, a former HBS professsor and author of How Customers Think) explain the their method for working with marketing teams to find the metaphors that will best speak to their customer's understanding of a product. Most people learned the word ldquo;metaphorrdquo; in lit class and think of it, sometimes hazily, as a sophisticated literary device for writers. In fact, most people use five to six metaphors a minute in conversation, according to Zaltman, managing director of Olson Zaltman Associates, a marketing consultancy. Using a metaphor is simply thinking of one experience in terms of another. If you say, ldquo;I destroyed his argument,rdquo; you are using war as a metaphor for verbal argument. Metaphors are how humans categorize, or frame our experiences and there are 16 metaphors that are universal across all cultures, according to Zaltman. The seven most common metaphors are Balance, Container, Connection, Control, Resource, Journey, Transformation. One example is the metaphor of Balance, such as ldquo;I feel out of kilter,rdquo; or ldquo;I feel more centered after my vacation.rdquo; Zaltman says the Balance family of metaphors are likely derived from our shared experience of growing up and learning to do things like walk or drink from a cup without spilling. We later take this idea and apply it to things like our mental or emotional state. For marketers, metaphors are a way to literally learn how customers think about a product and to build communication to accommodate their frame of mind. For instance, Zaltman found that people view diamonds through a Journey metaphor framework because they look at diamonds as kind of mile markers in life. A hearing aid company found that their customers found experienced their product through a Container frame, in terms of the product enabling them to escape the limits their hearing imposed on them. This also works with B-to-B products. For instance, Cisco felt it was missing emotion in its brand. After working with Zaltman, they found they found was that there was an huge emotional response to the metaphor of Connection in their audience and that led to the companyrsquo;s successful ldquo;Human Networkrdquo; campaign, which is now three years old. [caption id="attachment_195" align="alignleft" width="230" caption="Lindsay Zaltman, co-author of Marketing Metaphoria"][/caption] . Marketing Wes Conard no No http://wesconard.com/142/ http://wesconard.com/142/#comments Tue, 19 May 2009 02:08:58 +0000 Wes Conard http://wesconard.com/?p=142 ]]> http://wesconard.com/142/feed/ 0 http://wesconard.com/book-review-slideology-by-nancy-duarte/ http://wesconard.com/book-review-slideology-by-nancy-duarte/#comments Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:02:24 +0000 Wes Conard http://wesconard.com/?p=137 ]]> http://wesconard.com/book-review-slideology-by-nancy-duarte/feed/ 0