The Importance Of Online PR

Copyright 2008 | headstreampr.com

The importance of online PR


UK media 30 years ago…

Sources: OfCom

3 TV channels 6 radio stations 3,500 magazine titles


UK media today...

Sources: OfCom, Wikipedia

250+ TV channels

500+ radio stations

10,000+ magazine titles

+


39.1m internet users (64.2%)

But not just penetration… broadband drives interactivity &

engagement

Average amount of time spent online increased x4 in last 4 years

(20hrs pm)

110% mobile phone penetration

1 billion text messages sent weekly

38% mobile internet usage by 2012

UK media today...

Sources: Yahoo! 2006, eMarketer 2007 & OfCom Q1 2006, International Telecommunications Union and Veronis Suhler Stevenson, Economist 2004, Forrester


3,000

Source: Advertising: It's Everywhere, Media Awareness Network, 2005.


Always on culture…today’s consumer mashes 44hrs into 24hr day

Source: Yahoo!/OMD


There are 3.5 billion online conversations every day

Peer reviews are a significant driver of brand trust and product selection

Sources: Keller Fay Group, Bazaarvoice/izu Answers online market research May 16, 2007 to June 6, 2007


Consumers trust their peers more than they trust marketers

90%

70%

45%

Recommendations fromother consumers

Brand websites

TV ads

Sources: Forrester/Intelliseek Research 2006, Yankelovich Monitor 2004/05

Not as overwhelmed by information as they used to be58% 1999

“I’m overwhelmed by all the sources of information avail;able today.”

45% 2004

Want to try before they buy

More and more watching film trailer online before buying ticketsiTunes have shifted record buying. Sample the singles then buy the album.

Pride themselves on seeing through the marketing speak & spin

58% 2005

“It’s important to be seen as somebody who can see through the exaggeration & the hype.”38%

2002


The atomisation of the web has made these complexities harder to overcome

Brand “ownership” has fundamentally shifted.Consumers expect to be involved, engaged and invited to collaborate

Sources: David Armano, http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion


From SHOUTING to conversations

web 1.0 / mass media

web 2.0


The user is in control

• Everyone can be a:– Publisher– DJ– Expert– Broadcaster– Editor– Network– Critic– Syndicated

• Without any technical knowledge

• Without any vast resources• Just one of these…


The consumer has evolved…

They have on demand expectations

They want real-time dialogue

They want personal experiences

Sources: Greg Verdino, http://gregverdino.typepad.com/


Even journalism has evolved

• In September 2006, mainstream media had over 200 attributions to blogs

• Journalists now monitor blogs, forums and activist news to get information:– 53% finding story ideas– 43% use blogs for research and reference facts– 33% uncover breaking news or scandals

• A case in point: BBC news reporter Jo Twist. Blogs have:

– “… transformed my newsgathering… blogs reflect wider conversation about news… I don’t have time to go searching… blogs will have absolute latest news”


How can your brand engage in this world?

Be:

Open

Authentic

Transparent



Find your risk threshold

The comfort point between“policing the brand” and “releasing the brand”



The most important thing you can do?

listen



Getting it wrong is easier than getting it right


“I want to acknowledge our error in failing to be transparentabout the identity of the two bloggers from the outset.”

Edelman PR


But have learned from mistakes


Hasbro tried to shutdown Facebook’s Scrabulous app

Source: Fallon Brainfood


Agencies not immune


Nike Supersonic on Facebook

• Nike have set up a group for their new Supersonic event (run followed by groovy tunes in secret locale)

• Not much activity so far and then some comments to gee up the group and spread the word. From people at AKQA. Who are Nike’s agency.

• And then a happy chap added a deliberately provocative comment. Which then has been wiped.

http://bluurb.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/return-of-flogs-this-time-on-fakebook/


Sony PSP flog

• All I want for Christmas Is a PSP pretends to be a fan blog (run by a guy named “Charlie,” who says he’s helping his buddy Jeremy get a PSP for Christmas), but it’s a poorly disguised marketing effort

• The blog attempts to reach a male demographic by speaking like Ali G on IM and featuring low-resolution rap video.

• The worst part is, the PSP blog keeps up the act, even long after commenters publicly flog the ad agency behind it.

– “yo where all u hatas com from... juz cuz you aint feelin the flow of PSP dun mean its sum mad faek website or summ... youall be trippin.”


Sony PSP flog

• “Please know that we approached the client initially with this scenario and they said ‘who cares if people find out? As long as it is funny, we do this stuff all of the time.’…when was the last time people were blogging about Zip ato ni? I’m confident Dawn will turn this into one helluva a case study in the months to come.”– President, Zipatoni (Ad agency)

• “Busted. Nailed. Snagged. As many of you have figured out (maybe our speech was a little too funky fresh???), Peter isn’t a real hip-hop maven and this site was actually developed by Sony. Guess we were trying to be just a little too clever. From this point forward, we will just stick to making cool products, and use this site to give you nothing but the facts on the PSP.”– Sony Computer Entertainment America


Some examples of getting it right


Starbucks Vs Oxfam“Starbucks' response is

unique in that the corporation managed

Oxfam's unconventional assault

in a very unconventional way,

via YouTube. Regardless of the

outcome of this particular incident, the

move on Starbucks' part comes off as

unmistakably in touch with today's

communication modes and methods”

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/02/2117236&from=rsshttp://www.irwebreport.com/daily/2007/01/08/starbucks-answers-activists-on-youtube/


Southwest airlines setting the record straight


Coke Facts

http://www.cokefacts.org/


5 principles


VALUE EXCHANGE

Interaction that benefits the individual

EXPERIENCES, NOT MESSAGES

Engagement, not advertising. Co-

creation, comment.

DETACH & DISTRIBUTE

Content that does not exist in one silo. Allow good content to spread & allow consumers to build on it. Infectious content will spread

faster.

BRAND EXPERIENCE

Ensure consistency of messages across all

platforms and channels. Allow consumer to choose channel for

them: do not dictate.

OPTIMISE

Continually assess. Do and learn. Build on

what works, stop what doesn’t.


How we do it


Online media relations

Reputation

management

Brand assets

Video/pod casting

Viral

e-communications

Managing online relationships

Editorial placement

Online promotions

Corporate partnerships

Auditing

Consulting

Blogs

Landscaping

Monitoring

Interaction

Street teams

Grassroots

communication


And we do it for…

The Importance Of Online PR

Business

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