Stephen Davies | http://stedavies.com | @stedavies | sdavies@3wpr.co.uk | +44 (0) 790 4444 229

CORPORATECORPORATE

A DYING FAD?!A DYING FAD?!

BLOGGINGBLOGGING:

Before we start, let’s meet Before we start, let’s meet Blog circa 2004/5 Blog circa 2004/5

Fresh, hip, different and disruptive. Blog was the new kid in town and he was shaking things up.

Source: http://bit.ly/5NVxrK

“... they're simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself. And they're going to shake up just about every business -- including yours.”

““

””

Eventually, most Eventually, most businesses will use businesses will use blogs to communicate blogs to communicate with customers, with customers, suppliers, and suppliers, and employees, because employees, because it's two-way and it's two-way and more satisfying.more satisfying.

Bill Gates, 2004Bill Gates, 2004

SHINY SHINY

OBJECTOBJECT

SYNDROMESYNDROME

A very common condition among us geeksA very common condition among us geeks

The Shiny Object The Shiny Object Syndrome got worse Syndrome got worse however, and we however, and we soon began to see soon began to see people spelling the people spelling the end of PR as we know end of PR as we know it...it...

Why was there such an anti-PR revolution?

1.1. Immediate Immediate

2.2. Genuine Genuine

3.3. SimpleSimple

4.4. Inexpensive Inexpensive

5.5. Two-way Two-way

In truth, however, the benefits of corporate blogging were probably seen through rose tinted glasses

1.1. Little traffic Little traffic

2.2. Time requirementsTime requirements

3.3. Difficult to be conversational Difficult to be conversational

4.4. No ending date. When do you stop?No ending date. When do you stop?

5.5. Concerns over employee Concerns over employee ‘superstars’‘superstars’

6.6. Legal department has hangups Legal department has hangups

7.7. Hard to measure success Hard to measure success Source: Jeremiah Owyang

We have had an influx of We have had an influx of more Shiny Objects at our more Shiny Objects at our disposaldisposal

Death reared its ugly Death reared its ugly head again, but this head again, but this time it wasn’t time it wasn’t blogging that was blogging that was going to kill PR...going to kill PR...

Let’s meet Blog in present Let’s meet Blog in present dayday

You could liken today’s perception of a blog to that of someone in their senior years. Insightful and often knowledgeable but not very cool

Is this really the case? Is this really the case?

15.5% of 15.5% of Fortune 500 Fortune 500 companies companies use use corporate corporate blogsblogs

Source: Socialtext

Corporate blogging is very Corporate blogging is very low among multinationalslow among multinationals

But some companies are But some companies are using blogs to good effectusing blogs to good effect

THETHE

CEOCEO BLOGBLOG

Chairman & CEO, Bill Chairman & CEO, Bill MarriottMarriott

Blogging around three yearsBlogging around three years

Dictates into a recorder and Dictates into a recorder and a staff member transcribesa staff member transcribes

““Marriott has made more than $5 Marriott has made more than $5 million in bookings from people who million in bookings from people who clicked through to the reservation clicked through to the reservation page from Marriott's blog.”page from Marriott's blog.”Marriott Head of Communications, Kathleen Matthews Marriott Head of Communications, Kathleen Matthews

o The means to reach out to customers The means to reach out to customers and employers with an authentic and employers with an authentic expression of grief expression of grief

o The ability to react almost instantly The ability to react almost instantly

o The opportunity for its customers to The opportunity for its customers to offer their own thoughts or the offer their own thoughts or the tragedy tragedy

o The ability for Bill Marriott to The ability for Bill Marriott to assume leadership during assume leadership during the crisis the crisis Ref: Shel Holtz

““Part of the Part of the job of a CEO job of a CEO is to explain is to explain your mission your mission and actions and actions to the public. to the public. Why Why wouldn’t you wouldn’t you use one of use one of the greatest the greatest communicaticommunication tools that on tools that exists (a exists (a blog) to do blog) to do that?”that?”Jonathan Schwartz

Tactical Transparency

THE THE

CSRCSRBLOGBLOG

THETHE GROUPGROUP

BLOGBLOG

Looking Looking in to the in to the futurefuture

w: http://stedavies.com e: sdavies@3wpr.co.ukt: +44 (0) 790 4444 229