The World's Got Talent

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Just because it's been done before doesn't mean it can't be done differently and better. In business, that's the key to competing. When you find a way to do something differently and better, you've created a market opportunity.

Singer Susan Boyle may have 47 million views on YouTube, but when I watch this dance troupe--Diversity--that performed a few weeks after Boyle on Britain's Got Talent, I'm reminded that there's always room for innovation--even in a communications art that goes back thousands of years! Enjoy...

Swine Flu infects the media

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Swine Flu is highly contagious among journalists. In fact, this news story seems to have mutated in the media population and is now more viral than the virus itself. With 40 cases reported by the CDC in the U.S. to date--20 of which have already fully recovered--my research suggests a probable 1:100 patient to journalist ratio.

• How has Swine Flu impacted the IT industry and your company's travel or business in Mexico? An IT industry reporter wants to know.


• A trade show industry publication wants to hear from meeting and event planners who have cancelled an event because of Swine Flu.


• How are retailers keeping the devices customer touch germ-free? A retailing trade reporter is on deadline and needs your 'real-world' stories.


• Producers with a cable TV news channel want U.S. tourism experts to talk to about travel impacts.

That last query was 7 hours old. By now, I assume, any pundit worth his or her weight in bacon would have porked up their bio to emphasize expertise in pandemics. And bookers are probably batting experts away like so many malaria-infected mosquitos (malaria, by the way, kills over 850,000 people per year).

So, what's your Swine Flu story? As much as it pains me to ask, if you've got an angle on this story dominating the news cycle today (and for the foreseeable future), clearly there's some media very anxious to talk to you. And, in their time of suffering, you would be bringing them comfort!

And, if you've got some anxieties about Swine Fluenza, the good news is that you can be a shut-in and still stay connected thanks to social media tools, like the CDC's Twitter feed (probably the only Swine Flu source you should pay heed to on Twitter) or, my favorite, this Google map which is tracking and plotting cases worldwide.

By the way, 600 Tweets including the #swineflu hashtag were posted in the past few minutes as I wrote this.

Your Crisis Plan Needs a Web 2.0 Upgrade

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Ten years ago, I developed a crisis communications plan and training workshop for executives of a regional pizza chain.

As part of the planning process, I had to present feasible crisis scenarios that this company might face--a food poisoning outbreak, workplace violence, fatal collision, employee theft, fire, earthquake, high profile lawsuit, etc.

By anticipating these scenarios, I could help the organization's executives prepare and be ready to hit the ground running in a crisis.

If I were working on that project today, I would definitely be incorporating social media into the scenarios both as a threat and an opportunity.

Domino's Pizza showed last week exactly how social media can be both the problem and the solution. In case you missed it, two dimwitted Domino's employees made a YouTube video of themselves tampering with the food they were preparing and acting in ways sure to get them fired if not criminally charged. They uploaded the video April 13 and it got noticed--quickly!

Domino's shut down and sanitized the store, fired the employees (who've also been charged by the local D.A.'s office with a felony), posted a response on YouTube from the company's U.S. president, and launched a Twitter feed from its corporate headquarters to engage directly with customers and commentators.

This example should serve as a wake-up call to any organization that hasn't upgraded its crisis communications plan to include both social media as a communications tool but also social media as a crisis accelerant!

Social Media as Crisis

Social media backlashes now constitute a crisis of their own. Therefore, if you haven't done this already, it's high time your organization thought about and prepared for the possibility of a social media crisis.

Take the Motrin mom backlash on Twitter over the release of a tongue-in-cheek Motrin campaign targeting baby-wearing mothers as an example. The entire crisis was initially confined to the 3.4 million unique visitors on Twitter in November 2008 and a vocal sub-set of those who were offended by the campaign. Ultimately, their complaints and discussions became the number one trending topic on Twitter, which attracted the attention of traditional media like USA Today as well as the Motrin makers. The campaign was pulled and apologies made.

In March 2009, Twitter was visited by 14 million people. This growth in just four months is staggering, particularly now that it exceeds the combined print circulation of the top five daily newspapers in America.

While in terms of website traffic (a fairer comparison), CNN.com had over 30 million unique visitors last month--or double Twitter--Facebook.com drew in 91 million. (See the stats via Compete.com.) Based on their numbers and reach alone, these social media sites definitely matter to anyone charged with managing communications for their organization.

Think of each 'user' of a social media site as a potential 'contributor' with the ability to shape opinion or break news themselves. Then you then get the full idea of how quickly a social media backlash can spread on a site like Twitter and why having a crisis plan ready to trigger in response is so essential.

Social Media as Solution

While the bad news is that social media can wreak havoc, the good news is that you can also harness its power in response to any type of crisis--and, in fact, you should.

In your crisis communications plan, your social media section should set out who is in charge of content for the organization's Twitter feed, blog, YouTube channel, and Facebook updates--to name a few. Login information should be at the ready so that the organization is not inadvertently locked out at the precise moment when these communications tools are needed.

The social media or community manager must be at the table along with the organization's media spokesperson and decision-makers. In a crisis, the social media message must be consistent with all other message points. And because of the immediacy of social media -- which makes it even quicker than a press release -- under no circumstances should social media communications be left to someone without first-hand knowledge of the situation and direct access to the organization's leadership.

Credibility is key in a crisis. And for your organization's communications to hold the high ground in social media circles, they need to be timely, accurate and authentic.

If you're not timely, other commentators will fill the vacuum with opinion, speculation, and innuendo. If you're not accurate, your mistakes will be outed immediately and contribute to the crisis. And if you're not authentic, you'll be ignored or, worse, ridiculed.

With live streaming video possible from a cell phone or laptop, and so many channels for sharing information with stakeholders and the public, social media used correctly during a crisis should be an opportunity for a smart and prepared organization to build its relationships with stakeholders and enhance its image and reputation.

So if your organization has no crisis communications plan or hasn't reviewed and updated its plan in several years, dust it off and upgrade it for compatibility with Web 2.0!

If the economy gives you lemons, open a lemonade stand

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Researchers from the Stanford Business School recently published the results of an experiment conducted with a children's lemonade stand. And the results were conclusive.

Three signs were used to advertise. One said, "Spend a little time and enjoy C&D's lemonade." Another read, "Spend a little money and enjoy C&D's lemonade." And the third sign read, "Enjoy C&D's lemonade."

The sign that mentioned time attracted the most customers and the most money. Fourteen percent of passersby stopped to buy and spent an average of $2.50 in response to this sign.

Only half that volume, seven percent, bought when the "Spend a little money" sign was displayed, and the average amount spent per glass dropped to $1.36.

Conjuring up a personal connection to an experience versus a promotional message focused on cost is more likely to resonate with consumers and produce sales.