|
Tech Image is in the business of helping our clients gain their unfair share of media coverage. Check out this section to see some of our latest successes. |
|
|
Click Below to See Some Of the Top Placements
Don't Fear the L-Factor
Likeability's as important in national politics as it is in office.
by David Berkowitz
There seems to be an expectation that being a leader means being, well, mean. Tim Sanders, author of a new book called The L-Factor and an executive at Yahoo! says nothing is further from the truth. In this interview, he tells eMarketer's David Berkowitz that being likeable is one of the greatest business assets a leader can have.
[FULL STORY]
|
|
Reputation May Start at the Top
But Communicators are the Cornerstones
by Philip Anast
The Bible says "The truth shall make you free." Yet according to a panel discussion at the Publicity Club of Chicago, too many executives try to duck bad news by spinning or otherwise manipulating the truth. Tech Image's Philip Anast reports on the discussion and suggestions for helping execs rebuild the trust and be seen as effective thought leaders.
[FULL STORY]
|
|
Survey Results
Last month we asked how many readers are involved with blogging, the practice of keeping an online journal that's getting so much press recently. Apparently it's not very big with PR professionals. Only one reader said he or she keeps a blog, while the vast majority (66%) said they have no interest in it at all. Time will tell if it will grow in popularity.
|
|
|  |
|
|
My 2 Cents
Follow the Leader
by Michael Nikolich
Back in the days when Bob Dylan was relevant for his music instead of for being the father of Jakob, he wrote, “Don’t follow leaders, watch your parking meters.”
While to this day I’m still not entirely sure what he meant, the gist of it was an admonition to go your own way rather than doing what leaders (in his case the Government) tell you to do. That’s a fine sentiment. Unfortunately it’s not based in the reality of human nature, as everyone who has read “Lord of the Flies” or participated in a game where sides are picked can attest.
Our brains are hard wired to set up a hierarchy, and then to follow those at the top of that hierarchy. It doesn’t have to be the same person all the time – often the leaders in one activity are the followers in another – but leaders will always emerge anytime an activity is performed or a decision is required. The truth is many of us want to follow leaders. As a result, becoming a leader, and/or knowing how to manipulate the leaders if you’re not one, can have a profound effect on the success of your marketing efforts.
I learned of a great example of using leaders to drive an action when I attended the annual meeting of the Worldcom Group, the world’s largest network of independent public relations agencies, of which Tech Image is a member. Paul Weinberger of Roeper ASW presented a case study about the movie "The Matrix Reloaded", the second film in the wildly successful series.
Prior to its theatrical release, Warner Brothers decided to test the film with some thought leaders in the target audience group. They knew that word of mouth would help drive the success of the film, and since they had already made a huge investment in it, both in the production and the marketing, they wanted to know what to expect. The news wasn’t good.
The thought leaders disliked the movie so thoroughly that Warner Brothers knew they had to make their money opening weekend if they were going to recoup their investment. So their entire marketing campaign was geared toward driving people to the theatre before the word of mouth got out. They were successful – "The Matrix Reloaded" earned $42.5 million on opening day and a record $157.6 million in its first seven days of release despite anemic reviews, particularly in Internet chat rooms.
In the business world, becoming a thought leader is a very effective strategy for making one company stand out from a spate of similar competitors, or for introducing a new product concept or category into the mix. Having a CEO or other executive viewed as a thought leader reflects well on the entire company. It also gives that company the opportunity to help paint the landscape in their favor, influencing decisions by setting expectations that they can best fulfill.
How does one become a thought leader? First of all, it helps to have a strong or controversial point of view. After all, if you’re merely reiterating the industry’s view, you’re more of a follower than a leader. You need to be able to make people think, to question their current beliefs. You also need to be willing to suffer the slings and arrows of people disagreeing strongly with that point of view.
When Al Ries came out with his latest book, The Death of Advertising and the Rise of PR, the title was designed to make some people very happy, and others very angry. Whether you agree or disagree with him, he took a stand. Ol’ Al created a lot of notoriety that helped him sell a lot of books, earn a nice income from well-attended speaking engagements, and put him once again in the spotlight.
Writing a book in general is a great way to establish thought leadership. While it can be a chore – ask Tech Image client Jon Sapir of InfoPower Systems, whose book is due out in April – it ultimately helps establish you as a serious player in your arena. Business books may not sell as well as a John Grisham thriller, but they definitely provide you with an instant level of credibility. Who would put forth the effort to write a book if they didn’t have something interesting to say?
If you don’t have the time or inclination to write a book, there are other ways to establish thought leadership as well. Writing byline articles for industry publications is one key tactic. Many media outlets, both print and online, are hungry for quality content. If you can provide their readers with valuable information, many of them will publish your article. You can’t just type up your marketing brochure; you need to inform rather than sell. But you can still work in your key messages as your paint the landscape for the way things should be. While your company name and/or product will only be mentioned at the end, you’ll be producing a valuable merchandising tool that provides a third- party endorsement of the selling points you’re trying to make.
Speaking at industry conferences is another way to demonstrate thought leadership. While a future issue of the PR Intelligence Report will be devoted to this topic, it bears mentioning now. Getting selected as a speaker implies expertise, and helps build credentials for the speaker that makes him/her more of a “big gun” in sales presentations. Since most events are either run or sponsored by an industry publication, coverage of the event will often include a summary of speakers and their topics. In addition to any direct benefits gained at the speaking opportunity itself, this coverage helps position your expert at the forefront of the field.
Of course, being quoted in articles on the state of your industry is important too. This is actually how many analysts “make their bones” and come to be viewed as experts on a given topic. They offer themselves up as experts in a particular area – generally one where no current expert exists – and soon they become the “go-to” person on that topic.
Jason Bloomberg of ZapThink is a great example of this type of strategy. If you do a Google search on the relatively new area of service oriented architectures (SOAs) and look at the media articles, Jason is almost always quoted in them. By being readily available and offering valuable insight early on, he is now riding the wave. At this point, if a writer is doing a story on SOAs it’s not too hard to figure out to whom he/she should turn for an analyst’s point of view.
One last thought. In each of these cases, thought leadership has been focused on a person rather than the company. People find it easier to relate to individuals rather than a faceless corporation. Yet when you go to most companies’ Web sites, as almost all buyers do these days when they’re checking out a potential resource, it’s often difficult to find any sense of personality or thought leadership there. What a missed opportunity!
Tech Image’s Deskside Chat™ can help change that perception. It allows organizations to place their thought leaders on the home page and throughout the site, telling their stories with their own voice, reinforced by a picture and key words. A Deskside Chat not only allows your organization to present thought leadership-type ideas. It also helps establish your credentials as a thought leader by using an innovative format to present the material. Check out www.desksidechat.com for some examples of how it works.
Despite what Mr. Dylan said back in the 1960s, the truth is people want to be led. They want someone to explain the tough issues to them, and help lead them to a decision. Rather than standing by on the sidelines letting your competitors set the industry’s agenda, consider putting serious effort into your own thought leadership campaign. After all, it’s a lot easier to meet the market’s desires when you’re the one telling them what they should be.
Anyway, that’s my 2 cents.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
|
|
|
