stedavies.com - communications consultant

I’ve never done an Olympic triathlon before (in fact I’ve never done any kind of triathlon before) and it seemed like a good idea at the time. 1.5km swim, 40km bike ride, and 10km run. I’ve signed up to the London Triathlon and I’m raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support which provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer.

It’s very sad but no doubt everybody knows someone that’s been affected by cancer either directly or indirectly and Macmillan plays a brilliant role in helping not just cancer sufferers but their relatives too. Besides, hopefully I might be able to impress people by telling them I’m a triathlete.

So please dig deep and donate now.

The 2nd piece of research from Middleberg Communications and the Society for New Communications Research titled, “Media in the Wired World” (pdf). Key points include:

• Nearly 70 percent of journalists are using social networking sites, a 28% increase since the 2008 study
• 48 percent are using Twitter or other microblogging sites and tools, a 25% increase since 2008
• 66 percent are using blogs
• 48 percent are using online video
• 25 percent are using podcasts
• More than 90 percent of journalists agree that new media and communications tools and technologies are enhancing journalism to some extent

Only US journalists surveyed for this I believe. If you are of the UK persuasion check out the most comprehensive Twitter list of UK journalists.

I’ve just returned from the Communication on Top conference held in Davos, Switzerland and what a great conference it was too with lots of insightful and thought-provoking presentations from communication professionals from around the world. I had a fantastic time and made some new friends along the way. It was also great to share a lift to the airport with keynoter Paul Holmes of the Holmes Report and Sabre Awards. A cracking guy.

Here’s my presentation for anyone that’s interested.

The view from my hotel room

A friend of mine is doing the PR around the One Young World initiative which is being touted as ‘the Davos for young people’ and which is taking place in London on 8th – 10th February. It’s a very interesting concept and I’m disappointed that I’ll miss it since (ironically) I’ll be in Davos for the Communication on Top Forum over the same period.

From the press release, “A group of the world’s most influential leaders will descend upon London on Feb. 8, 2010. Kofi Annan, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Bob Geldof, former President of Peru Alejandro Toledo, HRM Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and U.S. Sen. John Kerry will all gather in service of several hundreds delegates representing the world’s youth.

“The One Young World Inaugural Summit is the event drawing the international spectrum of leaders, but, more important, say founders, the first-ever leadership summit for people age 25 and under is bringing together young leaders from the world’s 192 countries to confront today’s major global challenges.”

The announcement of the event coincides with a piece of research which is apparently one of the largest global youth studies ever undertaken which identified the top ten trends of 20-somethings. Findings below:

1. Real-time expectations

Anyone in his or her 20s living in an economically developed community has never known life without instant communication everywhere. Twenty-somethings communicate with friends on the go, in real time—no waiting for snail mail. They get the latest news as it happens, with a live feed from where it’s happening—no waiting for the scheduled news on TV or radio. Whenever they need to dig out information about virtually anything, it’s there, in abundance; there’s no need to dig around in books.

Twenty-somethings are riding the wave of real-time living. If it’s not real time, 20-somethings switch their focus to something that is.

2. Living more intense local lives

One of the great paradoxes of borderless, global real-time technology is the way it reinforces local connections.

As adept users of real-time technology, 20-somethings are able to live locally more intensely. With mobile devices they make social arrangements on the fly. With location-based services through Google and others, they can locate friends who happen to be nearby; they can also get alerts from whichever companies in the vicinity are offering interesting deals.

Facebook typifies the paradox. Now with 350 million users worldwide, it was started by 20-somethings at Harvard for local users. It grew by extending its services to other local groups (e.g. other Ivy League universities). Like many big cities, Facebook is just an amalgam of discrete localities.

Read more »

Something bad happened to your company? Scandal occurring? Negative press from the traditional media outlets? Reputation damage? There’s always YouTube.

YouTube is becoming the communication channel of choice among senior executives during a time of crisis. CEOs, presidents and other important senior staff are using YouTube to go direct to their stakeholders while cutting out the (often negative) traditional media in the process.

The latest example is Toyota Motor Sales President & COO, Jim Lentz (see below) who is using YouTube to communicate with customers regarding the recent news of the the sticking pedals.

But Mr Lentz is not the first as you will see below.

Toyota Motor Sales President & COO, Jim Lentz

Founder and CEO of jetBlue Airways, David Neeleman. (No longer CEO)

After jetBlue customers suffered terrible conditions and waiting times at JFK Airport which was subsequently documented in the press, Neeleman used YouTube to make a public apology and to outline what the company intended to do.

President of Domino’s, Patrick Doyle

Basically: Two Domino’s Pizza staff uploaded a video to YouTube of themselves doing disgusting things to the fast food chain’s food. The video spread like wildfire and negative press ensued which caused president of Domino’s, Patrick Doyle, to upload his own video to YouTube to alert customers and other interested parties on the company’s reaction to the video and the steps it had taken.

CEO of Mattel, Bob Eckert

Mattel had to recall over 1 million Chinese-made toys because of potential hazards from parts of the toys which were colored using lead-based paint. It was found that the amount of lead in the paint exceeded US government limits. Bob Eckert looked to quash worries by posting this YouTube clip.

Notice one thing? They’re all American. Having spoke with many UK (and European) PR execs over the years about deploying such tactics I’ve found that the majority of PR people don’t think it would work as well in their respective countries. Personally, I think it depends.

www.inconvenientprtruth.com

• 1.7 billion irrelevant press release emails estimated to be received in total each year by UK and US Journalists alone

• 78% of press release emails are received by Recipients to whom they are irrelevant

• 55% of Recipients have taken action to block a sender of news

Disclosure: RealWire is a client and I was involved in this campaign

Tom Murphy, Irish guy who does PR for Microsoft in the States and one of the first people I met through social media*, nails it with his latest blog post.

I think I am having Social Media sweats. There are just so many articles, posts, rants and links. Now don’t get me wrong it’s great that people are sharing their views, and opinions and, in a very small number of cases even their experiences.

But really… there are only so many Social Media Top 10s, 10 things to avoid, 10 brands that…. you know… enough already.

* It was called ‘blogging’ at the time

The PR-otaginist, Dom Whitehurst, who is also a mate of mine, is annoyed. He feels Britain’s going down the swanny. Dom says, “British people don’t care about the UK any more. The era of national pride has passed and all that is left is a divided, self-interested populous with more loyalty to celebrities and brands than to British people.”

To me it sounds like something an old age pensioner with a faded memory and a pair of rose tinted spectacles would say when reminiscing about “the good old days” of years gone by. It’s easy to look back at the past with a utopian ideology of how things used to be so much better, nicer and simpler. But in my opinion it’s false and wrong on a number of levels.

When has Britain ever been in complete unison? I’m no historian but the countries within the UK have fought among each other for many years. Then it was bloody battles, now rivalry is revelled in a game of football. Including our apparent skill for, ahem, moaning, it’s the way it has always been.

Reading Dom’s post it seems his main gripe is that people aren’t courteous to one another on the Tube. Granted, but this is common knowledge to anyone outside of London. “Ya ganin to London like?” “Aye.” “Well, aah heard nee one tarks t’ya on the Tube. Ever!”

It’s hardly a reflection of the state of the nation. That said, you only have to remember the atrocity of the 7/7 bombings to know that when it *really* matters people will come together.