GroundFloor Media launches crisis communication blog, formalizes service line

The news cycle never sleeps, and the bar for what is considered “news” continues to be lowered. One negative article, blog or tweet can snowball, and company reputations that have taken years to build can crumble instantly.

Understanding this changing media landscape, where news can be contained in 140 characters or less, is half the battle. With this emerging dynamic in mind, GroundFloor Media launched a new issues management/crisis communications blog covering topics related to social media, news media, media training and reputation management. So far, we’ve taken a closer look at a variety of topics, including Toyota’s PR plan during the latest recall; Bank of America using Twitter to inform customers of an online outage; how to prevent and prepare your online reputation; and top PR blunders from 2010.

The new blog is the newest component in GroundFloor Media’s crisis communication and issues management service line. Our team’s seasoned professionals have extensive real-world, first-hand experience working with our clients to manage issues such as litigation (e.g., criminal, civil, class action, bankruptcy, etc.), layoffs, ethical and/or data breaches, customer satisfaction issues, internal communications concerns, social media attacks and blunders, natural disasters and school shootings, just to name a few. We also conduct media training, develop crisis plans and social media response plans, conduct table-top crisis simulations, and offer strategic counsel. Find out more.

~Gil Rudawsky

Social Media Monitoring – The Human Touch

At GroundFloor Media, our GFM Digital practice offers what I believe is an innovative and highly customized approach to social media monitoring. Our Digital Snapshot™ is a proprietary social media discovery and competitive audit tool. Each Digital Snapshot combines measurable data with strategic insight to help clients understand what is being said about their brand, key competitors and most importantly, where opportunities exist to launch or improve a company’s social media presence.

I realize that I have an obvious bias as a GFM employee. But as an avid watcher of all things social media, GFM Digital does approach and deliver this research in a way that sets measurable benchmarks for clients and provides numerous recommendations for how to either create an online program from scratch or vastly improve a client’s engagement level in their current social media efforts.

How is this done? Lots and lots (and LOTS) of reading – what I like to call the “human touch.”

Yes, social media monitoring software has improved by leaps and bounds in the last few years. Radian 6, among other offerings, has drastically reduced the amount of time it takes to aggregate keyword-based content. Such platforms have also greatly improved functions such as sentiment/tone categorization, if you are willing to accept a certain margin of error. Going one step further, we can even use software to automatically group conversations by theme, verbs and adjectives, eliminating the tedious task of reading upwards of 5,000 posts or more to determine what the most common conversation topics and consumer actions are for a brand.

But all that data and related graphs are only as good as the people reviewing and presenting the information; social media metrics also need to be reviewed with a keen understanding about your company and industry competitors. The way I see it, new technology simply helps us pull more targeted data in less time. The real labor of social media monitoring and auditing hasn’t changed much – the best research still requires strategic review by a human being in order to provide insight that can positively steer and impact a brand that wants to excel in this space.

And that brings us back to the manual evaluation that GFM Digital delivers for every client that engages in the Digital Snapshot process. We just completed our annual Digital Snapshot for a client that conducts regular qualitative and quantitative reviews of market data, key benchmarks and competitor actions. Our findings were compelling. The good news – our client continues to shape its voice in social media and make progress in engaging target audiences in high-quality online conversations. And the surprising news – their competitors often appeared one way “on paper” and entirely differently once we took a deeper look at the impact that they are having (or not) on social media.

Digital Snapshots can be tedious and often require enlarging an Excel document to 175 percent so that by the 200th tweet, you can still keep analyzing the content and apply it to the social media plan being developed for a client after the research phase. But in the end, the “human touch” and our continually evolving approach to this research process enables us to elevate our conversations with clients about our findings, and hopefully add significant, lasting value to their social media programs.

~Alexis

The Critical Nature of Client Service

I’ve had several experiences lately – both good and bad – that have reminded me just how critical client/customer service is for companies of all sizes and across all industries. And it really only takes a little movement in either direction to make a big impact.

First, let’s get the bad out of the way… One of the simplest – and yet sometimes the most difficult – client service tools is communication. Communication is absolutely key. I’ve personally been working with a service provider who started out on such a high note in this area. My contact’s responsiveness to my questions – and indeed, his proactivity in keeping me updated – were the primary reasons I chose to work with his group over a competitor. However, the really disappointing part is that once the contract was signed, that communication pipeline all but dried up. I no longer get proactive update calls, and when I do manage to get someone to call me back, s/he is generally rushed and distracted on the phone. I certainly understand that everyone is busy, but the dramatic shift in customer service that I’ve experienced has left a bad taste in my mouth.

On the flip side – I’ve also had the pleasure of experiencing some pretty outstanding client service recently. And in these instances, I’m happy to be more specific. I tried a new (to me) Italian bakery recently – Vincenza’s Italian Bakery. I was desperate to find a last-minute solution for an impromptu dinner party. I looked up Italian bakeries, found Vincenza’s and called to see if they had any carry-out lasagna available. The woman I spoke to was incredibly friendly and helpful. Because it was last-minute, their supplies were limited, but she pulled the last lasagna out of the freezer and put my name on it. She proactively offered to prepare a loaf of garlic bread for me as well. And it was all ready to go when I arrived 20 minutes later. Wow!

On a grander scale, last week GroundFloor Media posted a link on our Facebook page to an article about a beautiful example of customer service exhibited by Southwest Airlines – in which a pilot opted to hold a plane to wait for a grieving grandfather. Yes, it delayed the flight a bit and probably angered some of the passengers – but in the end, the pilot helped make a tragic and painful situation slightly more bearable. And, although not as important in the grand scheme of things, his actions generated a great deal of goodwill for the airline in the process.

Finally, I’d like to cite two more examples of laudable client service – examples that are very relevant to the PR industry. And that is the amazing client service consistently demonstrated by our contacts at BusinessWire (Dylan Frusciano) and Cision (Kris Bates). Both gentlemen are always very friendly, incredibly prompt in responding to calls and e-mails, and they are always willing to go the extra mile to help answer questions, resolve issues, etc.

At GFM, I love that we place so much emphasis on exceptional client service. And it’s really the little things that matter – like client birthdays and quick responses. Or, as Seth Godin puts it, paying attention to those “last five minutes.” That being said, I cannot claim to be perfect – sometimes, stress and the frantic pace of a day get the best of me, and I don’t return a call as quickly as I should, or I fail to send a note of kudos to a client on a job well done. However, improving on that is my New Year’s resolution for 2011. And please – help me out! If I drop the client service ball when working with you, I sincerely want you to let me know!

~Amanda

If you don’t have anything nice to say…

It never fails – your mother is always right. I remember my mother telling me as a child that if I didn’t have anything nice to say, I shouldn’t say anything at all. In this day and age, it is a childhood scolding that would do us all a bit of good to remember. Over the past few weeks, you can’t turn on the TV, flip through stations on the radio, read the newspaper or a magazine, or participate in water cooler talk without hearing debate about the political tone of our nation. But this tone goes far beyond the political arena and has infiltrated almost all of our non-personal interaction.

For example, this past weekend I sadly watched the defeat of my beloved Patriots to the New York Jets. Feeling a bit sorry for myself, I took a few minutes to catch up on Facebook. What is usually a pretty enjoyable experience of peering into the daily happenings of friends was filled with mean-spirited posts about a simple football rivalry. Granted, I did not want the Jets to win, but I was surprised by the tone of the posts I read. I am not casting judgment on my Facebook friends because I am sure that I have posted things that may have left a bad taste in the mouths of others, but instead it made me think about how easy it is to write something negative or insensitive when you don’t have to look the other person in the eye. This electronic dialog has taken away from the art of debate and turned differences of opinion into personal attacks and down-right vile discourses that have moved from the computer screen into daily interpersonal communications.

The tone seems to get even worse when people are able to post anonymously. In April 2010, the New York Times published an article about news organization rethinking anonymous online comments. The article referenced the 1993 New Yorker cartoon featuring two dogs with the caption “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.”

My question is - should it matter? There have been too many headlines over the past few years about hateful speech having negative consequences because the “dog” posting the comment or video forgot that the target was an actual human being with feelings and emotions. Whether posting a comment anonymously, through social media or even when having a good old face-to-face difference of opinion, we may all want to remember the wise words of our mothers – if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

~ Kristina

Keep Your Foot on the Gas

Last week, my inbox alert chimed not once, but twice, with a forwarded message about the recent TED talk by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook. Yes, a woman is the number two behind Mark Zuckerberg – wow! I think many assume another youngish, Ivy League, tech-savvy male works side-by-side with the Time Magazine 2010 Person of the Year, when in fact it’s Sandberg, mother of two.

So, how does she do it – juggling the demands of one of the highest profile and fastest growing companies in the world with the responsibilities of family life?

This is precisely the reason why she was speaking as part of TEDWomen, which took place this past December in Washington, D.C. The event showcased an amazing number of accomplished women including Deborah Rhodes, who developed a new tool for breast cancer detection, and Beverly Joubert, who lived in the bush with her husband to capture stunning images and footage of lions and leopards in their natural habitat. One more time – WOW!

Sandberg mentions up front that she does not have all the answers, not even for herself, but she does offer up some startling statistics and follows up with three pieces of advice for women who wish to continue advancing their careers.

To begin, a statistic that we’ve often heard and hope isn’t correct – success and likeability are positively correlated for men and negatively for women. The “witchy” executive woman stereotype is proven time and again in studies. Ugg! Also, only 15 percent of C-suite and board of director positions are held by woman, and the numbers have remained flat since 2003. Double ugg!

So how do we begin to move the needle in the right direction? Sandberg shared three recommendations. While she’s doubtful that the current generation of women will experience a significant shift in attitudes and advancement in the workplace, she’s hopeful that the next generation – including the new little girl who was born into the GroundFloor Media family earlier this month – will benefit from all of us thinking and acting a bit differently about our careers.

• First, she recommends that women “sit at the table.” All to often, we are comfortable taking a seat on the sidelines and that’s just not helpful for us to be regarded as the leaders and thoughtful contributors that we are.
• Second, she suggests, “make your partner a real partner,” referring to the need for women and men to share equally in the responsibilities at home. How can a woman with a full-time job be truly successful in her career if she’s doing more of the housework, childcare, etc.
• Third, Sandberg encourages women not to “leave before you leave.” All too often, she has experienced women who are opting out of promotions or big projects as they prepare for maternity leave or a transition out of the work place. She suggests keeping your “foot on the gas” up until the moment when you make the decision to take another path.

Sandberg shared a lot more detail along with these recommendations during her talk, and the importance of her points cannot be overstated. Personally, beginning the New Year and looking to my one-year anniversary with GFM, I feel both grateful and proud to have the opportunity to work and continue to grow in an organization that is bucking national statistics and making a comfortable place for all of us – both male and female – to be successful.

Next month, GFM is looking forward to TED2011: The Rediscovery of Wonder. The agency has planned to participate as a video member of the four-day event, Feb. 28 – Mar. 4, 2011, and we will be sharing highlights and lessons learned through viewing parties and blog entries.

Eyes Wide Shut: Arizona Tragedy

Like many of you I was shocked and saddened this past weekend to learn of the tragic shooting in Arizona that left six dead and 14 wounded. In reading more about the shooter, it's clear that he had issues that were becoming more and more apparent to those around him, and it's sad to know that despite warning signs and concerns expressed by his fellow students at a local community college, he didn't get help and was still able to carry out the events of this past weekend.

As a PR professional, I've been contemplating how this type of tragedy affects my view on public events. Together with my clients, I've planned events ranging from press announcements in the park with Denver's Mayor to concerts for thousands of attendees at Red Rocks Amphitheater to sending models with body paint out onto a pedestrian mall – and while crisis planning is always on my mind, I have never imagined a scenario anywhere near the events of this past weekend in Arizona.

How could you possibly guess that an unstable individual might choose that day, that time and your event to act out?

The world we live in has certainly changed. Metal detectors at schools, invasive searches at airports, security cameras on the streets… I'm not complaining, because I appreciate the security that these additional safety measures afford, but I sometimes long for the innocence of the early days of my career.

I know that this event won't cause me or my colleagues to stop planning events, but I also know that while security might have been further down the list than messaging against potentially tough questions from the media, it will be making its way closer to the top at my next event planning session.

At the end of the day I choose to believe that most people are good and incidents like this are incredibly isolated, but I also choose to approach things with my eyes opened more widely now. Leaving them shut and longing for the days of innocence is a risk we as PR professionals cannot afford to take.

The More Things Change, the More they Stay the Same

As we kick off a new year, it’s hard not to acknowledge the more things change, the more things stay the same. This old proverb rings true for life and what we do in public relations.

I don’t think that anyone will disagree about the enormous impact social media has had on our society and certainly, the public relations profession. At the same time, the fundamentals of public relations have not changed. Public relations is, and always will be, about building relationships with your target audiences. It’s a two-way street; there must be something in it for both sides. With that said, following are a few personal observations and things to keep in mind as we move into a new year.

Traditional Media Is Not Dead
While we’re all keenly aware of what has happened to traditional media - the shrinking news room, loss in advertising revenues, fewer reporters covering more, etc. - the fact remains that people still pay attention to and read newspapers, subscribe to magazine, watch the news and listen to radio. Mass media still has a huge influence on our society – even though its delivery has evolved and now includes tweets, video and wall posts. And maintaining positive relationships with editors, news directors and reporters is as a critical as ever. Check out this article that provides some interesting statistics on traditional media and its continued reach:

If You Don’t Want to See it in Print (or on TV, or on YouTube, etc.), Don’t Say It
It’s like my mom always said to me when I was having disagreements with my siblings, if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. And in today’s day and age where anything and everything you say can be recorded, it’s even more critical. We witnessed many examples of this in 2010. In fact, GFM’s Gil Rudawsky pointed out a few of the more public blunders of 2010 in his blog on Dec. 22, 2010:

This is one of the first lessons any PR professional learns as part of media training – if you don’t want to see it in print, don’t say it or put it in writing.

You’re Only As Good as Your Reputation (and Your Good Reputation Can Disappear in a Flash)
We’ve all seen recent examples of individuals and corporations where reputations are damaged, if not destroyed, overnight - Tiger Woods, Brett Favre, BP, Goldman Sachs, to name a few. At the same time, we’re a country of people who believe in second chances and forgiveness. What are you doing to protect your reputation or the reputation of your clients? Do you have the resources in place to quickly address any issues that could arise and potentially damage your reputation? Do you have a social media crisis plan in place? Having an up-to-date crisis plan that you and your leadership team fully understand and embrace is that insurance policy. It won’t prevent a crisis from happening, but it will help guide you through difficult waters and allow you to emerge on the other side.

What are your thoughts on the topic? Are there other examples of how public relations is evolving, and at the same time, remaining true to its roots? We’d love to hear from you!

~ Barb Jones

Here’s to a Happy, Healthy New Year!

It’s that time of year again – everyone is writing about New Year’s resolutions and new beginnings and getting fit in the New Year – so I won’t disappoint…

GroundFloor Media (GFM) works with a number of health care and wellness-related clients including The Children’s Hospital, the Colorado Health Foundation, LiveWell Colorado, St. Anthony Central Hospital and USA Cycling, and our team members maintain fairly active lifestyles for such very busy people.

According to LiveWell Colorado’s Worksite Wellness Blueprint, worksite wellness efforts can have numerous benefits, including a healthier workforce, increased morale, higher employee productivity, reduced absenteeism and a reduction in health care costs. I know from personal experience that regular workouts can be the first thing to fall off of the proverbial “to do” list when things get busy at work. However, I also know that when I make a conscious effort to get those workouts in, even when things are really busy, it makes a positive difference in my energy and stress levels.

It is with that spirit in mind that GFM is announcing a new “active lifestyle allowance” for our full-time employees in 2011. Each employee will be allotted a monthly stipend to use toward their own active lifestyle – it may be used to attend yoga classes, buy that monthly membership at the gym, go toward the purchase of a new bike or sign up for a 5K, 10K or even a half marathon. However it is utilized, we hope that it certainly does result in a healthier, happier GFM team.

Small steps like this can make a big difference with regard to workplace wellness. I hope you have an active, healthy 2011, too!

A New Take on Decorating for the Holidays

When you are blessed with a wonderful job, a healthy and loving family and many non-necessities (e.g., new car, nice clothes, ski trips), it can be extremely easy to get wrapped up in all the glitter and sparkle of the holidays. And let me be clear, I don’t think anything is wrong with the sparkle – I live for Christmas carols, “Miracle on 34th Street” and gingerbread cookies.

However, just a few blocks from my candy cane lane is a place called Tennyson Center for Children, a treatment center and K-12 school for emotionally and crisis-affected children and youth, particularly those suffering from abuse and neglect. GroundFloor Media’s (GFM) president and founder Laura Love-Aden has been personally involved with Tennyson for more than six years and has introduced many GFM colleagues to the center via local leadership programs, GFM’s Get Giving program or pro-bono PR work. Still being somewhat new to GFM this year I hadn’t had the opportunity to visit Tennyson Center before last week when we decorated one of the kids’ cottages, served dinner and handed out stockings.

From the moment I stepped into the cottage I had an overwhelming feeling of excitement about brightening the kids’ night, paired with a lump in my throat because I simply cannot fathom why those innocent and adorable young children have to cope with such tragic family situations – especially during the holidays.

Not many businesses are staffed by owners and employees who are as passionate about embracing a cause and making it a part of their everyday life as the people of GFM. As I watched the children smile in delight over the most basic presents – candy canes, Silly Putty and lip gloss – I became keenly aware that GFM has invited me to be a part of something special. We get to do great work for incredible clients. We celebrate our successes wholeheartedly and learn and grow from our failures. But none of those attributes of GFM compare to the way we give back together – the support we have from our leaders to step outside of our office to go experience real-world situations and try, in our own little way, to make a difference.

One young girl in particular left a major impact on me during my evening at Tennyson. She quietly said, “it’s okay, nobody likes me,” when I tried to negotiate with another child to let her hang the next string of lights. Later in the evening she walked over to me, carefully holding a snowman ornament that we had not donated. She said it was very special to her and let me help her gingerly hang it above her doorway, carefully testing the hook to make sure it wouldn’t fall. I can only wonder who gave it to her, when she got it, and what it means to her this holiday season – you cannot ask those questions of the children at Tennyson Center because you do not know what memories or feelings it will bring up for the child.

Without naming this little girl here, I want to wish her happy holidays and my deepest wishes for her to have a healthy, happy and safe 2011 and beyond.

~Alexis Anzalone
 

Recap of the PR disasters of 2010

As the year draws to a close, it’s a good time to review the top 10 PR blunders of 2010 – and there are some doozies. Here are some of the best of the worst with input from Forbes.com and HuffingtonPost

Landing near the top of every list is British Petroleum (BP) CEO Tony Howard. Clearly, “wanting his life back” should have been the least of his worries after countless people along the Gulf had had their lives ruined after the BP oil rig exploded, killing 13 and spilling million of gallons of oil. To top it off, he also commented that the Gulf is “a very big ocean” and later attended a swank regatta days after being questioned by Congress about the spill. So much for getting his life back.

This next one is a bit more controversial, particularly if you are a Miami Heat fan. Up until this year, LeBron James sat on top of the basketball world. He had the poise, skills and savvy to back it up. But then came the media storm surrounding “The Decision” – LeBron’s announcement on live television about his decision to join the Heat. Fans from Cleveland and beyond now have a new player they love to hate – so much for humility.

Oftentimes, in media training with clients, GroundFloor Media warns that the moment they are in the presence of a television camera or reporter that everything is “on the record.” Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and California Senate candidate, learned this the hard way. While doing a sound check for a television interview, a live microphone recorded her commenting about opponent Barbara Boxer’s hair. And the evening news quoted her as saying, “God, what is that hair? So yesterday.”

Toyota was riding the wave of record car sales when news about unintended acceleration on some of its best selling vehicles hit the media. Instead of controlling the issue by providing clear and accurate communications, the company fumbled by passing the buck, and at one point, even blaming drivers. Now Toyota has the honor of being the brand behind the biggest automotive recall since Firestone tires in 2000.

Here’s a rundown of some more of the most memorable “what not to do” PR moments of the past year:

• Messaging, messaging, messaging: U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon, who once ran World Wrestling Entertainment, admitted that she didn't know whether WWE paid any of its employees minimum wage and that she didn’t even know the dollar figure for Connecticut's minimum wage.
• Spin isn’t the best defense: Craigslist standing behind its “Adult Services” category and not owning up to the fact that everyone else in the world knew what it was for. Fumbling through an interview on the topic, Founder Craig Newmark simply stopped talking and ended the interview by walking out of the room.
• Beware of what you say online: Chocolate maker Nestlé showed its thin skin when it went after naysayers on Facebook, which just added fuel to the fire. The company’s Facebook page will never be used as a proactive marketing tool again.
• One bad experience goes viral: Alaska Airlines didn’t win any customers over when one flyer’s ticket was given away because she was one minute late (because she was dealing with a child’s diaper emergency). The family posted the item on a blog, which caught the world’s attention and soon the media started calling. Instead of making it right, the airlines cited rules and procedures. Weeks later, they finally agreed to refund the family, but the damage had already been done.

As we head into 2011, there are a couple of lessons to learn from this year’s PR disasters. First off, social media networks are more and more becoming the median to highlight missteps. And tried and true media training is still a great defense for avoiding making next year’s list. Our team can help create a solid social media response plan and prepare your company for common and not-so-common pitfalls. Plus, we can offer you some good strategic counsel when best intentions fall off the deep end. LeBron, give us a call next time you switch teams.
-- Gil Rudawsky

The Spirit of Giving – A Look Back at 2010

As I wrote in an earlier post this year (Cause Marketing is Thriving – Thanks to Moms and Millennials), cause marketing is alive and well in the U.S. despite the economic difficulties of the past several years, according to Cone’s 2010 Cause Evolution Study, released this fall. In fact, per the study, 83 percent of consumers want more of the products, services and retailers that they use to benefit causes. Looking back over 2010, while individuals and businesses may not have been able to give as much overall as in previous years due to the economy, the spirit of giving illustrated in Cone’s study has been clearly evident to us at GroundFloor Media.

Our clients continue to seek ways to become more involved in their communities. For example, Westwood College recently donated Netbooks, portable computer carts and interactive white boards to Skyline High School in Dallas in order to help the school meet its technology needs. Westwood IT students are also helping to repair previously donated computers and equipment so that they can be put back into classrooms and student homes.

In addition, Qdoba Mexican Grill continues to support the Starlight Children’s Foundation through the company’s CSR program.

And, at GroundFloor Media we are celebrating the successful launch in 2010 of our Get Giving program. Through this program, we collected and donated hundreds of items to nonprofits including PlatteForum, SafeHouse Denver, Dumb Friends League, Colorado Youth at Risk and Florence Crittenton Services. In addition, thanks to the generosity of partners and clients such as LiveWell Colorado, Westwood College, Young Americans Center for Financial Education, CCT Advertising, Bradley Consulting Group, Motive, BusinessWire Denver, Radius, Relish Studio and Activate, we were recently able to donate 11 large boxes of Christmas wish list items to the families of Denver’s Warren Village through our Get Giving “On the Road” holiday initiative.

Looking more broadly across Colorado, as many of you are no doubt aware, Community First Foundation and FirstBank presented the first annual Colorado Gives Day on Dec. 8. Their goal was to raise $1 million in one day for Colorado nonprofits through online giving. Individuals and businesses across the state literally blew that goal out of the water by donating more than $8 million in one day!

As news stories focusing on bad news continue to abound, it is incredibly encouraging, especially during this holiday season, to know that the drive to do good is so strong in Colorado. We look forward to an even brighter and more generous 2011!

~Amanda Brannum

Maximizing strengths in the workplace

Have you ever wondered how you and your colleague think differently? Or, how you both can approach and execute the same project in a different way to achieve similar results? Earlier this week, our team participated in an Emergenetics team building workshop lead by one of the founders, Dr. Geil Browning. Talk about interesting stuff!

In case you are not familiar, Emergenetics is a brain-based psychometric assessment that highlights thinking and behavior. GFM team members Ramonna Tooley, Jim Licko and Barb Jones had all participated in the program during Leadership Denver with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Leadership Foundation. Ramonna was eager to get our entire team in the room to learn about it, and when the opportunity presented itself, she didn’t even think twice.

Most of the team didn’t know what to expect of the all-day off-site meeting. While some of us had anxiety about the “not knowing,” were freaked out when an agenda wasn’t presented at the beginning of the presentation, and were eager for the analytical part of the workshop to end so we could learn about our own profiles, one thing was clear – we were going to learn how to build upon our strengths, preferences and diversity to learn more about each other individually and as a team.

As I sit at my desk today and check the boxes off on my “typical” Jen Wills to do list, I am able to understand why I do some “quirky” things – my personal profile explains it all – and as my husband chuckled to himself while I shared my day and the specifics of my profile, I know he was thinking… “And your profile surprises you, why?”

Bottom line: I walked away with a greater appreciation of my strengths and perspectives, and most importantly those of my colleagues. GroundFloor Media wouldn’t be one of the Denver Business Journal’s Best Places to Work without the unique blend of each team member’s profile. We complement each other, and our clients, to ensure effectiveness in our business. Thanks to all of my colleagues for continually reminding me that it is important (and ok) to step outside of my analytical and structural box to have some spontaneous, laughable fun!

Looking forward to another great year at GFM!

~ Jen Wills

Healthy Choices In Schools: Let’s Debate!

Last week Congress approved a child nutrition bill that will make a significant investment in the National School Lunch program. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will increase health choices in school cafeterias across the country. This has ignited a discussion across the country and there are few things more entertaining for media than a debate about schools and food. My favorite headline was from the Boston Herald: “Hold the brownies! Bill could limit bake sales.” The lead-in was spectacular: “Don't touch my brownies! A child nutrition bill on its way to President Barack Obama - and championed by the first lady - gives the government power to limit school bake sales and other fundraisers that health advocates say sometimes replace wholesome meals in the lunchroom …” Here’s another quote: "This could be a real train wreck for school districts," Lucy Gettman of the National School Boards Association said Friday, a day after the House cleared the bill. "The federal government should not be in the business of regulating this kind of activity at the local level."

Now I like my brownies and the occasional bake sale. However, I keep hearing John Stossel, former ABC News anchor and current Fox Business host, ranting, “Give me a break!” over and over in my head. This is a groundbreaking piece of bipartisan legislation that will significantly improve the quality of meals that children receive at school and will play an integral role in our efforts to combat childhood obesity. I give the First Lady and the Let’s Move! initiative three cheers. As a parent, how could I stand by and not support a program that provides children across the country access to nutritious food to learn and grow to fulfill their potential?

Want to know the real train wreck? Obesity rates, especially among children and adolescents, have steadily climbed since the early 1990s. Today, many children eat two of three meals at school. School districts are experiencing dwindling resources and are often challenged to feed a large student population with little funding, yet they are tasked with serving food that is affordable, nutritious and appealing to students. Have you been to a school cafeteria lately? Care to name what is actually on the lunch tray?

Here’s something the media can sink its teeth into: The Hunger-Free Kids Act will help support local programs similar to the EatWell@School cooking competition hosted by LiveWell Colorado. This nine-week healthy cooking competition for Denver Public Schools high schools has challenged students to take on creating healthy school meals, as well as providing cooking and nutrition skills that will last a lifetime. The EatWell@School Cooking Competition with Denver Public Schools high school students seeks to raise awareness of the importance of healthy eating at school. The competition will culminate today with a fundraising luncheon, to honor the student competitors and raise funds for LiveWell Colorado’s ongoing mission of promoting healthy eating and active living. I can’t wait to enjoy Martin Luther King Jr. Early College’s winning meal of parmesan and herb crusted chicken with creamy pesto spaghetti and stuffed tomato. YUM!

Will the Hunger-Free Kids Act make a difference? You betcha’!

~ Amy

WikiLeaks Provides Painful Reminder to Review Plans and Policies

If you're like me, you've been hearing a lot about WikiLeaks in the past few weeks, but the real background and potential ramifications of the site and its contents have been a bit of a jumble, muted against the background of the holiday hustle and bustle. This article from Fast Company, however, quickly snapped me back to professional reality and provided a timely reminder to review communications plans and policies for the companies that we, as public relations professionals, represent.

According to the article, "...Julian Assange said at least half the treasure trove of documents the organization is holding belong to private corporations..." Sometime early next year, WikiLeaks plans to start adding these materials from private corporations to its site. Naturally, I wondered how WikiLeaks got its hands on its first round of materials, and slapped myself on the forehead when I saw this piece from CBS Sunday Morning about 23-year-old Bradley Manning who basically cut and pasted data he found simply searching documents to which he had access on the job.

As part of any fully-rounded communications planning process, we encourage our clients to try to head off crises like leaked documents by developing clear policies about document access and sharing. Of course, given the intersection of confidential documents and social mediums like Facebook, Twitter and wikis, there are no guarantees. In addition to having a reactive crisis plan, we also recommend the following common-sense steps when it comes to internal and external communications strategies:

• Remember that anything in writing can be forwarded, copied, saved or rebroadcast
• Confidential communications are best handled in person, not via e-mail
• Never say anything in an e-mail that you wouldn't want your boss or competitor to read
• Engage legal and communications team counsel early for particularly sensitive issues and documents
• If a confidential document must be distributed electronically, be sure to watermark it "Draft" and/or "Confidential" and ensure the recipients understand the importance of keeping the document confidential

As we head into the New Year, it's a great time to learn from WikiLeaks and review your communication policies. At GroundFloor Media we'll be doing so on behalf of our own communications as well as for our clients. Don't let your company be the next victim of WikiLeaks!

The Customer Experience, Branding and Hot Chocolate

Mid-Season snow conditions by Thanksgiving meant one thing for me and a group of friends this past weekend: turkey in Eagle County. Taking a break between runs at the Dusty Boot (try the mac n’ cheese wedges) a couple of us were discussing all of the special events that ski resorts have planned throughout the season when someone said, “They’ll do anything to get people up here.”

Another friend argued that events like Snow Daze, The World’s Best Chocolate Cookie Competition and Ullr Fest aren’t just a reason to get people to the mountain, but more about providing an experience for the people who were already there. And while I think both opinions are correct, it’s a great argument about customer experience and how brands are truly developed.

Customer experience is really what drives any brand – the look and feel of your product and packaging, the experience customers have with employees, promotions and special events – all of these things. You can’t change it by merely updating your logo or changing your tagline. Your brand is what your customers think about you and your product or service. And while companies can create special events or other ideas to enhance the customer experience, many experiences are going to happen whether you calculated them or not.

The European alpine surroundings and “feel” in Vail (to use one example) are definitely part of its brand, but so are the amount of snow in China Bowl and the often-backed-up lift lines at Chairs 3 & 4. Some of it is controllable, some of it isn’t. That is exactly what I was impressed with over the weekend. The things I experienced that ski resorts can control – amenities, the friendliness and helpfulness of the ski lift staff, hot chocolate at the top of the gondola, the cleanliness of the village, even the crazy special events were top-notch.

My point is that customer experiences and brands can’t be fabricated. They are a result of how a company is run and its commitment to the overall brand experience, not what the company wants its customers to believe. If you want to modify or change your brand, you’ve got to know what your customers currently think about your company, and then make the fundamental changes within your organization to give customers the authentic brand experience you want them to have.

Which ski resort has the best brand? I have three or four favorites, and which one I chose all depends on what type of experience I’m looking for that particular day. It’s great to live in Colorado, isn’t it?

Epiphany Half-Life

On the heels of the Ragan Communication 2^nd Annual Employee Communications, PR and Social Media Summit, I am officially facing what CIO Magazine recently dubbed the “Epiphany Half-Life” – the time that passes between an inspiring event and the implementation of new ideas.

You feel it as the opening speaker of a conference psyches you up with new campaigns and best practices – yes, Microsoft spent millions on a Cirque de Soleil marketing spectacle to launch Kinect for Xbox 360, but if they sell five million units this holiday season, the risk will have paid off as the company’s biggest Xbox product launch – wow!

Microsoft-sized dreams do feel possible, particularly when you’re away from the office and listening to some of the leading minds in marketing and communications.

Every speaker talked about transparency, honesty and consistency as core to effective employee communications. These attributes are now more important than ever before as social media and the 24/7 news cycle are driving new ways of connecting with people and sharing information. Today, no one can hide, so why try?

Sara Tatchio, global integrated communications manager for Ford Motor Company, shared that CEO Alan Mulally asks his executives to invite an employee guest to staff meetings – brilliant! And to think he didn’t even need to invest in new technology to put that idea into action. It’s actually not a coincidence that he was recently recognized with the Fortune Magazine Businessperson of the Year award; Ford used internal communications channels to rally employees together to vote for him.

But, technology can be helpful, and the conference highlighted a handful of new ways to use familiar tools – such as Dell’s use of Saleforce’s CRM Force.com – into employee communications campaigns.

My former employer deployed Microsoft’s My Site to more than 5,000 employees nearly three years ago – no small undertaking – and it stalled. The lack of employee buy-in was not the fault of the technology, but rather the way we used it. Beyond the initial launch, we never created any incentive for employees to return to the site.

To think we could have done something as simple as hyper linking to employee My Site pages from feature articles on the company’s Intranet. Doing so would have directed eyeballs from more familiar Intranet pages to My Site, while also encouraging employees to keep their My Site content up to date. My Site could have helped a company sometimes struggling with employee morale to create a greater sense of connectedness and shared understanding of everyone’s contributions and expertise. Again, brilliant – thank you Deloitte.

With all these fresh (and doable) ideas ripe in my mind, it’s time to avoid the distractions of the holidays and year-end deadlines to share them with my peers and more importantly, our clients.

The Epiphany Half-Life challenges that if inspiration isn’t “put into practice by the end of the first half-life that it will fade into wistful daydream.”*

I’m of the mind that with 21 pages of notes from the event and closing keynote David Pogue’s Britney Spears-inspired jingle, “Oops, I apped it again,” seared in my brain, I’ll have a good chance of extending the first half-life beyond New Years and well into 2011.

~ Kimmie Greene

^*Source: CIO Magazine, “How to Keep Your Team Fired Up,” Bob Lewis, Nov. 1, 2010.

Always Continue to Learn…

I recently attended the Mayo Clinic and Ragan Communications’ second annual Health Care Public Relations, Marketing and Internal Communications Social Media Summit in Jacksonville, Fla., and it got me thinking about the value of professional development. It’s so easy to get so wrapped up in our day-to-day work and our hectic schedules – and often, taking time out for professional development falls to the bottom of our priority list. It sounds like a lovely idea, but who has the time???

My experience at the Mayo/Ragan conference reminded me of the importance of stepping back and taking the time… the time to learn from renowned leaders in the field, the time to share ideas with industry colleagues, and the time to get re-energized about the work we’re doing.

For me, the conference was extremely valuable in that it served to validate that, as an agency, GroundFloor Media has stayed on the proverbial leading-edge when it comes to counseling our health care clients about social media. At the same time, I learned a variety of new tips, tricks and tools from both the speakers and my fellow attendees as we discussed approaches we’ve taken, issues we’ve faced, etc. And, indeed, I returned to Denver energized and excited to share this expanded knowledge with my co-workers and apply it to strategies for clients.

I am grateful that GroundFloor Media places such an importance on professional development – whether it’s membership in a professional organization or participation in a webinar, a local industry group luncheon, or a multi-day workshop in another city. We are encouraged to identify opportunities that will help us strengthen our expertise – and then to take the time to participate in them and share what we learned during a subsequent internal staff lunch & learn.

In addition to the conference I recently attended, one of my colleagues is currently at a conference focused on internal communications. Three of us will be attending a monthly breakfast for health care communicators next week, and yet another is planning to attend a travel-focused social media conference early in 2011. Many of us are also active members of professional organizations including the Colorado chapter of PRSA, Colorado Healthcare Communicators and the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN). All of these activities are invaluable when it comes to ensuring that we continue to stay abreast of the latest trends and developments in the PR/marketing communications industry.

~ Amanda Brannum

Multimedia world changing how we communicate

Here’s further proof that the media landscape is continuing to change, reinforcing that the tried and true traditional news mediums are becoming less of a factor in the communications and PR world.

The Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC), considered the gold-standard guide to newspaper circulation numbers, reported this week that from April through September 2010, weekday newspaper circulation numbers across the county dropped 5 percent compared to the previous six months.

It’s a grim story for newspapers, but still a slight improvement from the last report, which showed circulation numbers dropping 10 percent. To put it in perspective, consider the falling numbers are coupled with ballooning expenses in everything from newsprint to employee health benefits.

Only The Wall Street Journal showed a distinct increase in numbers, since the ABC began counting paid online subscriptions in its report.

GroundFloor Media offers a couple of best practices that we can takeaway from the ongoing trend:

• Newspaper pitches must be targeted to specific reporters, and include real news. Shrinking news holes means gone are the days of simply blanketing a nominal press release and expecting some pick-up.

• Consider taking advantage of “On the Move” sections. When I was at the Rocky Mountain News, we had reports showing that these announcement sections were one of the most highly read features of the paper, next to the obituaries (which is an announcement of sorts but not one that we hope to use anytime soon).

• Look for strictly online news publications and citizen journalists to pitch, such as AOL’s DailyFinance or MSNBC.com or Examiner.com. They don’t have newsprint or distribution costs and to a certain extent, their content can be endless. Plus, content lives forever online, and will never be used as fish-wrap.

• Social media is doing the job of newspapers. Use the power of the word-of-mouth sensation of the social media world to announce events or client news.

• The paid online newspaper subscription model is expanding, as newspapers try to recoup loses from the print editions. The Grand Junction Sentinel was the first newspaper in the state to begin charging for most of its online content. The model works for the Wall Street Journal, but it might be an uphill battle for local publications.

Plunging newspaper circulation numbers further acknowledges we live in a multichannel world. The good news is more people are getting news; we just need to be smart about how we reach them.

~Gil Rudawsky

What will your legacy be?

Last week I attended a beautiful funeral service for a good friend’s father. The chapel was standing room only, the flowers, plants and photos of his family were abundant, but the space and décor paled in comparison to the words that were spoken during the 90-minute tribute. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to spend Memorial Day with this family and was well aware (after a competitive afternoon of washer toss, knockout and listening to funny family stories), of the kind of man he was simply by being a witness to the incredible family dynamics he and his wife of 58 years had created. So as much as I dread funeral services, I found myself looking around the packed chapel curious to know more about what kind of person would command such an unbelievable crowd. Needless to say, I was not disappointed.

The memorial service began with a tribute by his business partner of 32 years and was followed by a moving speech from his older brother. But what was even more touching was that seven of his grandchildren got up in front of the crowd to speak, as did all five of his children. Their eulogies were personal, poignant and full of the specific life lessons he had imparted on each and every one of them. While their stories were all different, they shared a theme that couldn’t be missed. It was a theme of compassion, acceptance, and kindness to all o fthose he encountered; unbridled love and commitment to his family, and a strong work ethic (he was still happily working at age 78) where his business associates were treated as family.

So I ask myself – in your business and your professional life – does it really matter what awards you win? What titles you hold? What contracts you secure? The size of your paycheck or the year-end revenue you report? At the end of the day – or your day as the case may be – you won’t be remembered for these things. You will be remembered, as was this amazing man, by the friends you keep, the kindness you show, the quality of time you spend with friends and family and the legacy and lessons you leave your children and grandchildren. It really is that simple.

Is Our Profession Making Americans Fat?

Americans are fat. I said it. Fat. I know it, you know it,the world knows it. I know, it is a dirty word that people don’t like to talk about and as marketers we now use the term “health and wellness.” I suppose that is much easier to swallow. No pun intended. However, research supports this accusation. George Washington University researchers did a study on the overall cost of obesity that also added in things like employee sick days, lost productivity, even the need for extra gasoline — and found the annual cost of being obese is $4,879 for a woman and $2,646 for a man. Ouch! Another study done by John Cawley of Cornell University and Chad Meyerhoefer of Lehigh University released last week by the National Bureau of Economic Research, estimates that nearly 17 percent of U.S. medical costs can be blamed on obesity.

It’s not all doom and gloom. There are great healthy food choices to eat. I’m all for snacks. (And a little chocolate on the side.) Many of us remember walking or riding our bikes to school and playing outside until the sun went down. There is life beyond cable TV. People are starting to take notice and communities are fighting back. That is the beauty of grassroots movements and a tremendous opportunity for communication professionals working with these organizations as well as with businesses as they launch new products and services supporting the health and wellness cause. There are many stories to tell from revitalizing neighborhoods, eliminating “food deserts,” retraining lunch ladies, reviewing the built environment, and creating food policy councils, initiating small changes and lifestyle makeovers. But this goes beyond telling a good story and educating the public about smart choices. What’s our role in this as marketers?

As a communication professional, I can appreciate the value of good food marketing. Even my kids pick the carrots in a Dora the Explorer bag over the generic store brand. What I don’t like are the cereal boxes at kid eye-level with the Disney characters. In fact, I’d rather take my kids down the toy aisle than walk the cereal aisle. If you haven’t read Dr. Mark Hyman’s article in the Huffington Post, Obesity in America: Are Factory Farms, Big Pharma and Big Food to Blame?, I encourage you to do so. In the article two things grabbed my attention:

"Stop food advertising to children. Food marketing directed at children should be banned (through the FTC). This has been done in over 50 countries across the globe including Australia, the Netherlands, and Sweden. We should follow suit. The FDA should also restrict unproven health claims on labels.

End irresponsible relationships between medicine and industry. Public health organizations like the American Heart Association and the American Dietetic Association should avoid partnerships, endorsements, or financial ties with industry that compromises their independence and credibility. Coca-Cola sponsoring events at the American Dietetic Association, or the American Heart Association promoting chocolate sugary cereals as heart healthy because they have a few grains of whole wheat--is this credible?"

It’s hard to admit that our profession may have greatly impacted and added to the obesity epidemic. Dr. Hyman challenges us to be more creative and to develop an economy based on products and services that make people thin and healthy. We can support grassroot movements, back solid programming, promote healthy products and services and tell their stories.

I’ve had the good fortune to spend time with Dr. James Hill, professor of pediatrics and medicine, University of Colorado, and executive director, Anschutz Medical Campus Health and Wellness Center, and have become a fan of his small changes concept. Dr. Hill aims to inspire Americans to make small changes in how much they eat and how much they move to prevent weight gain. What a simple yet big concept that has millions of marketing applications.

We must be advocates for change within the marketing industry. The next time you hold a brainstorm for a client, think through the big and small ideas and trends and creative partnerships that truly align with not only your client’s business objectives but are innovative and are sustainable from a socially responsible perspective. We can help shape our future through our creative campaigns and advocacy efforts. Our overall health demands it.

~ Amy

Bridging the Generation Gap via Social Media

Is Your Brand Prepared?

Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter can serve as powerful tools for bridging the gap between generations. Brands that are missing the “cool” factor of years gone by can turn to social media to help reinvigorate a fan base, modernize their “voice,” and connect with an entirely new fan base.

One such brand that comes to mind is Kendall Motor Oil (disclaimer: a former client of mine). Kendall has been around since 1881 and in today’s “do it for me” culture of Jiffy Lube oil changes, younger drivers are less likely to learn (or want to learn) how to change their own oil or accompany dad to the local auto parts store to pick up a quart of transmission fluid. Recognizing this challenge, Kendall has recently done a great job of tapping into the power of Facebook to promote new viral videos, share vintage photos and cool historical brand facts, and generate awareness for its grassroots racing program.

Why the background on Kendall? Because on Sunday evening I randomly stumbled upon a very different – and less positive – example of how social media can connect different generations. While Twitter-surfing instead of watching “The Amazing Race” (thanks to a busted flat screen) I came across a tweet tagged with #BooNestle. I clicked on the link thinking it was a fun Halloween candy promotion, only to learn that it was promoting a decades-old boycott on Nestle products, including candy (there’s your timely Halloween tie) and infant formula. Some additional digging via the #NoNestle hashtag revealed a Sunday Twitter chat dedicated solely to this boycott. One blog even gave numerous offline suggestions for aligning with the boycott, such as window signs for display on Halloween that identify a house as a “Nestle Free” zone with a list of fair-trade candy options.

I won’t get into the history of the debate here, but what I will say is that I was momentarily floored that as a late twenty-something, unmarried with no kids, I was instantly connected to hundreds of women (mainly moms) who are vehemently against purchasing Nestle brands for their families. I never set out on Sunday evening to join the boycott, but after sending a few inquiring #BooNestle tweets and reading the back-story on how and why this movement started, I was involved.

As a PR professional, I am keenly aware of the power of social media and how it can in some cases, make or break a brand depending on how a company deals with an online crisis. I live and breathe it every single day. However, there are still many moments in my “personal” social media explorations that cause me to step back for a moment and think, “Wow, this movement is both incredibly exciting and simultaneously daunting.”

Have you bridged the generational gap using social media lately?

~Alexis Anzalone

Transparency Breeds Trust

I am a straight shooter—it’s not good and it’s also not necessarily bad. It is just who I am. But, I didn’t start out that way. In fact, when I started GroundFloor Media I used to get this undeniable pit in the bottom of my stomach when I knew that the inevitable conversation needed to happen. It didn’t matter if it was a disagreement with a team member, a level set with a client, or a frank discussion with one of our competitors. I despised the thought of having to talk openly and honestly about the issue at hand. I used to toss and turn at night trying to figure out the best way to approach it, the proof points that I should use, the setting in which it should happen and even if it was the right decision to have the conversation at all.

Three years ago we were managing a national project for a very large client and in that role,we managed multiple vendors who reported up to our team. Without delving into the details, there was an error that was made on location by one of the client’s vendors they had asked us to manage. The client was furious at our team and the cost of the mistake was significant. I received a call from our team lead early that morning to warn me that a lengthy e-mail was waiting for me in my in box – an e-mail that 26 people were copied on (including the CMO). Needless to say, by this time I understood what had happened and where the fault ultimately fell. However, in a split second I knew that the tough conversation needed to happen immediately and no matter who was at fault, we needed to take the blame and cover the cost. I wrote a response, owned up to our responsibility and offered to cover the cost.

I didn’t have time to even think about it. It was simply the right thing to do.

At that moment I also realized that all tough conversations needed to be like this. The longer you wait to either own something or address something, the worse it can get. I am still far from perfect and find myself fretting over the ‘how’ when that knot in my stomach creeps up, but it does get easier.

Any professional service position requires a commitment to personalize the situation and address any concerns head on. I continue to make mistakes, but I have learned that if something seems out of alignment, it is better to rip the Band-Aid off and have the courage to address it. Once I stopped fretting about the right words to use and spoke from my heart, it became a lot easier to take feedback, own my role in it and try to find a solution.

We are fortunate to have clients that believe this type of communication is not only important, but also necessary. They aren’t afraid to call us on our mistakes and ask us to let them know when we are off base. These frank and transparent conversations are often the turning point that leads us down the road of a trusting, long-lasting relationship.

If you have that knot in your stomach and are trying to figure out how to bridge the gap and start the dialogue, I encourage you to jump in and do it now. I can almost guarantee that not only will you feel better afterward, but also that your relationship and partnership will take a turn for the better.

~Laura Love-Aden

Getting Social at Austin City Limits

I had the pleasure of attending Austin City Limits Music Festival a couple of weekends ago, and in between the tried-and-true acts (The Eagles), some great up-and-coming bands (Vampire Weekend), some new favorites (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) and a lot of fantastic people watching, I made five key observations over the weekend:

1) Everyone is a photojournalist
This isn’t anything new to most of us, but I was still amazed at the number of phones/cameras/videos that were used by the crowd during every act. It’s amazing to be able to share experiences with such immediacy, but it is also a good reminder of two things: The camera is always on, and media lives online forever. Keep those things in mind when putting together your crisis communication plan.

2) Twitter as a social media “funnel”
It’s exciting to see how social media is being used at events of this magnitude. Contests, geotagging, instant photos and videos, real-time updates on “special guest” appearances…you name it, it was happening. The problem for most of us is how difficult it can be to keep up with so much content on so many different social media platforms – many of which you don’t even find out about until after the fact, if at all. Kudos to the folks running @aclfestival for taking so much content (from vendors, artists, attendees, music lovers and the City of Austin itself) and funneling it into one channel. It made the overall experience that much more enjoyable.

3) Mobile handcuffs
Given #1 and #2 above, it’s unfortunate when your mobile phone’s network can’t handle mass amounts of traffic. I won’t name my phone carrier (*wink*) but there were times when I couldn’t even send text messages on my iPhone, let alone post videos to Facebook or check in on FourSquare. It’s definitely not the end of the world when you can’t boast to your social network about being in the fifth row at M.I.A., but it is another good reminder for your crisis communication plan: what do you do when cell phones don’t work because of a network overload or otherwise?

4) I love a good plan
Most of us never notice the event planning aspects of a giant event until something is going wrong. I didn’t notice much of anything other than good music, good food and cold drinks. Kudos to the ACL planners for putting the food away from the music, having a TON of free water stations, recycling options galore, good traffic paths, great public transportation and even having a large tented area for people to get out of the sun for a while. We always talk at GFM about how the little things are what make the difference between a successful event and a great event. ACL was a great event.

5) Old school social “media”
I saw one of the best shows I attended all weekend (Miike Snow) not as a result of Twitter chatter or viral promotions, but as a result of a referral from a 20-something passenger on the plane ride to Austin. The lesson, as always, is get out there and meet people, talk to people and network…you never know what might come from it.

~Jim Licko

The Power of Your Network: Get Connected Women Entrepreneurs Event

Recently, GroundFloor Media hosted a Get Connected event for about 30 local women entrepreneurs. I was joined on a panel by Mindy Gantner from eXplore Communications, Laura Levaas of Yelp, Remy Spreeuw of 5280 and Taylor Woodard of Motive. We spent a few hours in small breakout sessions talking about career experiences, lessons learned and tips for building brands and communicating with media and other key stakeholders. The participants represented owners of multiple businesses including Eat (delicious catering, BTW), MaxLife Therapies, United Martial Arts and Fitness Center, Sticky Fingers Cooking, Studio R Designs and many, many more.

I was inspired by the stories I heard and the willingness of the women to share all of their ‘growth pain’ stories with the larger group– the good, the bad and the ugly. Since I started GroundFloor Media in April 2001, I have relied on my network of women to help guide me and serve as my informal ‘kitchen cabinet’ on issues that face many entrepreneurs – woman or man. How do you juggle work and family life? How do you know when to take on an employee that isn’t billable to a client? How do you purchase real estate and structure contracts with sub tenants? How do you manage the complexities and struggles of a divorce while building a business and raising a young child? While I am grateful to the male advisors I have surrounded myself with primarily through my involvement with EO Colorado, it is generally the women in my life that offer the necessary story telling and the fact giving that provide those coveted words of wisdom. In my experience, women have never been afraid to mix business and personal lives because they tend to know that – for an entrepreneur – the two can’t exist without one another. And women aren’t afraid to tell you just how hard – and rewarding – this life we have chosen can be.

This ability to view situations from both a personal and professional lens is a critical component to owning a business. The grey areas are vast and the inability to recognize that aspect can take down a company. I wonder if this is one of the many reasons that the growth of women-owned firms outpaces those for men – according to a new Department of Commerce survey . In fact, the number of women-owned businesses increased 44% from 1977 to 2007 and added 500,000 jobs. Meanwhile, the number of man-owned businesses increased 22% and lost 2 million jobs. Why? Well, there are probably many reasons. However, if the Get Connected event was any indication, I believe it is because women inspire one other to take chances. Thanks to all of the women in my kitchen cabinet who have inspired me to take a chance or two. It has all been worth it.

~ Laura Love-Aden

Waiting for “Superman” Making a Movement

As discussed on the GroundFloor Media blog on Sept. 29, the nationwide debate on education reform is once again poised to reach a fever pitch. Last week, the documentary movie, “Waiting for Superman,” was released nationwide, and today, controversial school superintendent, Michelle Rhee, announced her resignation in Washington, D.C.

However, the fervor has been brewing for weeks, if not months and years. Last month, The New York Times Magazine focused entirely on issues related to education and technology, challenging conventional beliefs about the way students learn. And in its November issue, Vanity Fair recognizes Wendy Kopp, founder and chief executive officer of Teach for America for 20 years of classroom innovation and leadership – education reform is making it big.

But wasn’t that the case in 1989 when the movie “Lean On Me” captured Morgan Freeman as hard-driving, New Jersey school principal, Joe Clark, introducing him and the plight of our public schools to millions of Americans? The question I keep asking is, “What makes a movement and when will we finally listen enough to take lasting action?”

At last night’s screening of “Waiting for Superman,” acclaimed director and producer, Davis Guggenheim of “The Inconvenient Truth,” opened the movie with brief remarks, encouraging Coloradans to take action because “Colorado Kids Can’t Wait.” The Colorado Children’s Campaign is a driving force behind the “Colorado Kids Can’t Wait” campaign, and it had the vision and foresight to schedule Guggenheim as the keynote speaker for its 25^th anniversary luncheon today.

Guggenheim’s visit to Colorado, combined with statewide screenings of the movie, are likely to do more to increase public awareness about the state of Colorado schools than all the publicly-funded initiatives of the past several years. I should know, I worked for Colorado Commission on Higher Education five years ago and since then, the statistics have not changed – nearly 25 percent of Colorado kids fail to graduate from high school, and an even greater percentage never go on to college.

So, how do we move the needle? For all of Kopp’s efforts and achievements, why is she just now making it in the “Hall of Fame” column of Vanity Fair, when Lindsay Lohan only had to skip bail to make the cover?

Creating news is tricky and encouraging action is even more difficult.

Whether promoting new products, or issues near and dear to our hearts, we need to convey passion and inspire commitment – and the Colorado Children’s Campaign is doing just that this week. The campaign has undertaken a multi-pronged approach that includes media relations, event planning, social media and community outreach in a personally engaging way. They have joined forces with like-minded partners, because the collective is louder than one person or group. They have backed up an alarming message with inspirational speakers and statistics – both local and national – putting a face on the campaign and scheduling their efforts at a time when the state and the nation can’t help but notice.

Executing a campaign of this scale and reach takes time and the team over at the Colorado Children’s Campaign has been working for nearly a year to make the momentum of the past week possible. This approach is instructive as we work with our clients to create news campaigns and make a lasting impression.

Without imploring anyone to agree or disagree with the content – go see the movie! We’re eager to hear how it inspires you. Comment below and share your thoughts with us.

~ Kimmie Greene

Coming of Age in the Age of Social Media

Being a teen is tough. I recall ups and downs of my own teen years – experiencing every emotion from the elation of being asked to prom by the captain of the football team to the lows of being shoved into a locker over and over by a bullying girl. While the lows still sting, I have to admit that I wasn’t entirely innocent, having joined some other girls in mocking the bully in part for the way she dressed.

In high school, a boy in our class was bullied so much that we were warned at graduation that in his fragile state we should all be on high alert that he might take action to retaliate against the class. Worried about our own safety, I can’t recall one classmate – or for that matter a teacher – who reached out to support the bullied boy – instead alienating him even further at what should have been among the most wonderful milestones of his young life.

Looking back on these experiences, I feel pain for the targets of my own and others’ bullying – but I simply cannot fathom the magnification teens feel today in the white hot spotlight that can be created by social media. Sadly, Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old student at Rutgers University, became a symbol for just how badly social media can sting by taking his own life after a very personal experience was broadcast via live, streaming video.

As a new parent, my insides simply seize up over the obstacles that my son could face as he finds his place in this world. The rise in social media makes him vulnerable to cyber bullying, online predators and so much more. As a professional whose world revolves largely around social media on a daily basis, I’ve struggled to remind myself of the positive side of this revolution as I look ahead to how to address this new parenting challenge.

“CBS Sunday Morning” did a great story on teen suicide prevention this weekend, alerting me to the organization To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), which has done an outstanding job creating a safe place in a medium where, although potentially filled with landmines, teens often do feel solace – the Internet.

Additionally, Ellen DeGeneres has created a compelling video that employs both an appeal to people to stop bullying as well as a strong message to those who feel bullied: “I know how you feel, and there is help out there. Things will get easier, people’s minds will change, and you should be alive to see it.” I’ve seen this video spread by friends and family all over Facebook and Twitter – proving that a simple one minute 45 second video shared via social media can have an impact.

Joining Ellen are Chris Colfer of “Glee,” Tim Gunn of “Project Runway” and a number of other celebrities who have recorded PSAs for The Trevor Project which has done a great job leveraging its message across social media platforms such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter – among others – in the wake of the recent spotlight on bullying, particularly of gay teens.

With these simple videos and social media posts – not to mention a text-to-give campaign also being promoted by Ellen – these celebrities and many others are making waves and rallying support all through the medium that just last week showed its dark side.

As we march forward as public relations professionals and stewards of social media – both personally and professionally – it’s imperative to be mindful of the impact our actions have both on and offline. Whether you’re blogging personally, creating a Facebook strategy for a client, or simply sending e-mails back and forth with colleagues, keep in mind that the simplest slip can have a strong impact. Whether that impact makes the world better is entirely up to you.

A Simple Thanks and Other Small Stuff

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a simple word of thanks worth? I like this quote from Voltaire: “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”

Giving that unexpected thanks can make someone’s day and gain a customer for life. Last year, I was on a search for a new hair stylist after my stylist of 13 years moved away. You can only imagine this VIP task. After visiting Brooke at The Parlour Denver and a fabulous haircut, I received a written thank you note…in the mail. Really! I’ve referred a dozen people to her. I hope she never moves, leaves or changes her career, or I will be devastated.

I often meet with recent graduates seeking to get their foot in the door for public relations and am surprised at the lack of basic follow-up etiquette. More than half never say thank you, even via email. Less than a third send a thank you note. Guess what? Their resume and future referrals go in the “round receptacle.” I’ve had to tell job seekers to ask for business cards when meeting with people and to follow up with a written thank you note. It surprises me that everyone hasn’t read, or at least heard of, Emily Post.

If you take the time to network for a new job, pitch new business, expand existing business, etc., say thanks and pay attention to the other small stuff. When was the last time you had a live conversation rather than an all e-mail correspondence day? Here’s an idea: pick up the phone. Do you celebrate your colleagues’ and clients’ birthdays? Remember to ask about an anniversary or other holiday functions when a colleague or client mentions it in a prior meeting? And lastly, be present! I’m all for multitasking, just not in meetings – though I am a frequent violator of my own good advice. Try going to your next meeting sans your technology. Take a pen and paper for notes. It will do your brain good, as well as serve as an example to those around you.

Other articles on keeping things simple and minding your manners:
• Boston Globe: When are invited to a business meal, mind your manners
• Harvard Business Journal: Business Etiquette Can Shape Firm’s Reputation
• Inc. Magazine article on “10 ways to Support Your Best Customers”
• Two Seconds (from Seth Godin’s blog)

~ Amy