InsidEPR

Into the Looking Glass: A View into 2012

By Suzanne Panoplos

December is one our favorite time of year from a news perspective. It is the time of year when publications and media outlets begin issuing its “top” and “best” lists and when industry experts look into their crystal balls to predict the future.

Here at Engage PR, we definitely wouldn’t classify our staff as “industry experts” but we do have quite a bit of exposure to  interesting clients that align with hot trends such as cloud computing and consumer IT.  Because our clientele span across several markets from Mobile to Enterprise Software to Telecom to Green IT, we feel that we have a front row seat to some of the interesting technologies hitting the market.

In our year end version of our quarterly newsletter the team took a look at some of the interesting trends hitting the market in 2012; more importantly for our clients, we've examined how the media is covering these trends. We also thought it would be fun to look back into the rear view mirror to see how 2011 shaped up with respect to last year's "predictions".  We think that you will find some of the media trends from last year will still be very relevant in 2012.

Take a look at the latest edition of inFocus – we are always interested in hearing your views.

Media Prediction 2012 Misses Green Boat

By Fran Lowe

I can only conclude that the Financial Times is, as they claimed earlier this week, the early media leader in moving coverage of Green business to its front page and business sections. FT is doing away with separate coverage - bringing green, clean economy and environmental coverage into the mainstream. This end to the “ghettoization" of Green IT, clean tech and corporate sustainability is a positive sign.

It is significant that green is being seen as a new way of doing business.  It is not just about creating new efficiencies, new goods and new markets; but also, it relates to global issues such as supply chain sustainability and global resource management, to name but a few.

This positive sign, however, seemed to run into a major stop sign at this week’s PRSA Media Predicts event, a gathering of top media luminaries that deliver their insights on what technologies, topics and trends will be significant in 2012. When asked by an audience member to predict what would happen in green tech in 2012 – and presumably what the media will be looking to cover – there was decidedly a “universal deer in the headlights” moment from the star line up of eight tech journalists that included TV (Bloomberg and CNBC), NY Times, SF Chronicle, IDG, TechCrunch, technologizer, SFGate and O’Reilly Radar.

The response, when it came, referred to Nest, the maker of a cool new green thermostat for consumers and current favorite with Nick Bilton, NYTimes, (@nickbilton) with a comment on consumers needing to see the benefit or incentive.  That’s certainly true, but what about business?

Sadly, consumer bias was the tone for much of the panel discussion. Sam Whitmore(@samwhitmore) summed it up well the morning after noting that John Gallant (@JohnGallant1) from IDG single-handedly drove enterprise discussion.

 For those of us who focus on B2B and the drive for not just greater efficiency and reductions in energy consumption but real innovation that is building new products, categories and industries, this green thing is pretty big stuff!

In Sum: Nick Bilton’s “I Live in the Future and Here’s How It Works”

By Caitlin Mattias

I recently dove into a book from Nick Bilton, lead writer and technology reporter for the New York Times Bits blog, titled “I Live in the Future and Here’s How it Works.” As a PR practitioner, I’m skeptical when a journalist actually commits a book to print about technology – it seems dated the moment it hits the presses; but, overall I commend Bilton for his examination of culture and human behavior as it relates to the growing tech landscape.

Here are his most compelling points…in sum:

Adapt or die.Well, he doesn’t put it in such bleak terms, but those people (we all know at least one) that starkly refuse to purchase a smartphone, do not IM and frown upon emoticons and abbreviations, will soon be tagged as cultural outsiders. Bilton points to a quote from New York Times’ coverage around the introduction of the telephone in 1876:

“Thus the telephone, by bringing music and ministers into every house, will empty the concert halls and churches…”

We all know that the music recording industry didn’t collapse until the introduction of file sharing via Napster, so clearly the telephone’s detractors overestimated a tad on how long it would take for the phenomenon they describe to impact society. Long story short, the texting and social media naysayers are the “earth is flat” subculture of our generation. Come on, even the Dalai Lama is on Twitter these days.

Trust is king.With a constant stream of information about friends and family, products and news available via SMS, web browser or app, the way that people consume and filter data has changed. In the consumer world, word-of-mouth has long been known as the most impactful information leading to someone making a purchase. But in an environment where those endorsements come somewhat anonymously through forums and conversations online, we’ve developed a more sophisticated filter for what information is more valid or trustworthy for us as individuals.

Digital natives now look to their social “anchors” for the best information about where to eat, shop and play. These anchors vary on the situation, but are most often friends, family, coworkers and acquaintances. In the digital world, however, our anchors also expand to certain journalists and experts that we’ve developed virtual relationships with online through reading their blog, following their comments on Twitter, or listening to podcasts, etc. The power that these community “anchors” wield has not been lost on marketers, who are now keenly focused on building influence and credibility online.

Bilton posits that as artificial intelligence advances and takes advantage of our online activity (purchasing decisions, reading materials, email content, etc.), we may trust our Watson-like computers to act as the filter between us and the world.

It’s not you, it’s me.In the short history of social networks and online services, one trend is still plowing ahead: personalization. From the lastest iPhone’s Siri personal assistant technology to Spotify’s recommendations for what music you prefer, advances in software and hardware lead to consumers being able to make things more their own. Bilton sites a laundry list of services that have become wildly popular based on their ability to “guess” what our preferences are and deliver us the product that we’d be most likely to purchase, rent, or view as a result.

Customization has become key to the way that digital natives evaluate the quality of experience they receive from a device or service and what they’re willing to pay for it. This is having a profound impact on business models for digital services as companies flounder to find the right equation of pricing and unique experience to keep their customers engaged.

Back to the future.As technology and the way we use it evolves, Bilton expects big changes to our cognitive processes as a result of our mulit-tasking and always-on behavior. Are we addicted to our devices? Can video games make us better drivers or surgeons? Only time will tell how the brain reacts and filters the data we throw at it, but we can expect that the changes of the past 15 years will be eclipsed by the next 15. Hold onto your wi-fi, because it’s about to become a bumpy ride!

Did Social Media Kill the Press Release?

By Suzanne Panoplos

Death of the press release? In the age of social media, many have predicted that the press release will go away as a medium for releasing news. With decreased attention spans and a focus on more interactive ways of communicating information, it is inevitable that we will need to find new methods for reaching key influencers.

Despite these changes, it doesn’t mean that you have to throw away that press release just yet.  Rather, it makes sense to make this an integrated component of your public relations program.  At Engage PR, we advise our clients to tie together all of their communications efforts from the press release to contributed content to more immediate mediums such as twitter.

With an integrated messaging campaign, the communication does not start and stop with the press release – it actually begins with thought leadership activities such as contributed articles or blogs weeks before news is actually released. The news is then carried through via twitter or another social media outlet to continue to reinforce the news.

Companies need to alter their perception of the press release as a one-time event and begin viewing it as part of a much larger campaign. To find out more about how the press release can be part of a larger program, check out Engage PR’s latest newsletter on the role of the press release in today’s digital world.

PRSA Silicon Valley: Media Predicts 2011

By Dale Legaspi

A few days ago, we shared with you Engage PR’s thoughts and opinions on the media trends for 2011. Recently, I had the chance to attend PRSA Silicon Valley’s annual “Media Predicts” event at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View to find out what the media thought the technology trends would be in the upcoming year.  The chapter assembles a panel of superstar tech journalists and picks their brains about technology trends for 2011.

Moderated by CNBC’s Jon Fortt, this year’s panel was not lacking for journalists with opinions, but with the exception of one mini feud between Newsweek and one of the Forbes guys, it stayed fairly amicable (unless Dell is a client of yours, in which case you were thrown under the bus).

Here’s each writer’s big prediction for 2011:

Eric Savitz (Forbes): The number of mobile phone platforms will decrease considerably.  Android and iOS will be the only major platforms left.  All others will be bit players.

Rachael King (BusinessWeek): Tech is on the upswing.  Economists are not sold on the great US recovery, but technology (which generally leads the charge), is set to do its thing in 2011.

Quentin Hardy (Forbes): Chinese companies are going to start buying American companies.  They’ve done a good job of looking ahead and growing steadily, and this is the year that they start to make acquisitions.

Chris O’Brien (San Jose Mercury News): There will be no major IPOs this year.  It’s become a game of acquisitions, and that has become the exit strategy of choice.  The traditional venture model is on its way out.

Bianca Bosker (Huffington Post): Technology will continue down the path of becoming increasingly personalized.

Ben Parr (Mashable): In the emerging feud between Facebook and Google, Facebook wins.  It will become apparent this upcoming year that Google’s attempt to break into social media was a failure, and Facebook will be there to capitalize on Google’s shortcomings .

Daniel Lyons (Newsweek): This will be the year that people learn just how scary Facebook is, and Twitter will finally figure out how to turn their giant user base into revenue.

If you ever have a chance to get to this event, I highly recommend it.  It gives you unparalleled access to some of the top minds covering the field, as after the panel, a number of the journalists were gracious enough to stick around to chat.  PRSA Silicon Valley puts on a great event, and I look forward to being there next year.

Media 2011: A Higher Bar For New Product Announcements

By Suzanne Panoplos

Over the last few weeks, the team took a look into their crystal balls to try and predict what the media landscape would look like in the new year. Whereas no one can predict the future, one thing is for certain, the old way of pitching news is not going to work with today’s media.

The latest edition of Engage PR’s newsletter captures some of our media “predictions” for 2011; however, one trend that really stands out relates to reporters covering news items such as product announcements. Gone are the days when each reporter was assigned a specific beat such as VPNs or Network Management. Shrinking publications and dwindling staff have forced those that are remaining to cover multiple beats and in some cases – write articles across multiple publications.

Given this situation, companies need to exercise caution when mapping out their PR and Marketing plans for 2011. New products will have to be game changers with compelling value propositions and quantifiable benefits. Reporters will no longer have the time or the resources to meet with a company every few weeks to discuss the latest product update or software release. 

To prove that a particular product or service is measurably better than what is already in the market, companies will need to rely more heavily on supporting resources and third-party validation:

• Innovative use cases and compelling customer stories
• Supporting data either from an analyst, testing organization or research firm
• Interesting applications or demonstrable capabilities
• Compelling graphics and/or video elements

And remember, product announcements are not the only vehicle for generating coverage -the demand for user-generated content and contributed materials is on the rise. With an integrated and balanced approach to raising visibility, a company can garner a steady stream of consistent coverage.   

A Look into Forbes and Online Personal Brands

By Neila Matheny

 

Last week, I attended PRSA Silicon Valley’s Inside the Newsroom event with Forbes in San Francisco.  Five of Forbes’ technology editors and writers spent part of their afternoon in a room of PR professionals describing their days, their likes and dislikes about PR and the changing environment at the publication. The group was quite generous with their thoughts and time and gave us “flacks” a lot of first-hand insight into the inner workings of Forbes’ technology department.

Forbes is currently undergoing a series of changes with a website redesign, a new editor-in-chief and the recent acquisition of the digital news site True/Slant. As a result of these changes, Forbes writers are being tasked to create a personal brand, much like bloggers have traditionally done.  However, with shrinking staffs, more deadlines and more companies to cover, it seems like a huge undertaking to also create a personal brand.

Yet, on the other hand, it makes sense. Most technology reporters these days are bloggers. They have daily responsibilities on their publication’s blog or may even have their own blog. Sites like Twitter also give readers a feel for a reporter’s personal style through social networking. And with Forbes, many reporters get to showcase their anchor skills on the Forbes Video Network.  With all of these outlets for direct contact with readers, its almost more work not to have a personal brand.

It will be interesting to see how the new Forbes site will aid its writers in their brand creation. If it is anything like True/Slant, where each blog and blogger has its own name and identity, it should do wonders for the endeavor.  And hopefully, will keep PR folks from committing the biggest sin of them all, pitching the wrong reporter!

Tips for Successful PR in Europe: Richard White, AxiCom

Today’s post is the last piece of Engage PR’s three-part series with European PR partner agencies. Each partner has provided some best practices for North American technology companies looking to expand into the European marketplace and shared what companies must consider before embarking down this new path.

In our final post of the series Richard White, associate director of telecom and wireless at global technology communications firm AxiCom, shares his thoughts on how companies should engage in the European technology markets.

By Richard White

Localize the Message

The enterprise IT media landscape varies from country-to-country, which means companies must take a localized approach by make sure that everything they are doing is relevant to the local market.

Companies looking to enter into the enterprise IT market should have a plan and determine how they can fulfill their services in local markets. This may include having a local angle with a reseller, customer or company office. Making sure that the company’s sales and pricing structure is localized is also important. Reporters will look at a company’s local approach as a requirement before accepting a briefing.

Start by Testing the Waters

It often works well to start with a project for start-ups launching in Europe, which does not require a large investment. However, commitment to do basic follow-up activity is important after a company launch or debut. It is best to launch in the UK first, as many English speaking analysts are based in London or in surrounding areas. Once your company has launched in the UK, think about which other countries make sense for your business.  Other markets that seem to be popular include France, Germany and Italy.

To “test the waters,” the best recommendation is to conduct a tour where the executives meet with target media and analysts in the UK. Next, follow up the tour by issuing 1-2 press releases per quarter where the release is distributed and translated for the local market. There is no need to invest in getting “wall-to- wall” coverage to ensure a successful PR campaign in Europe.  It is also recommended to do at least one case study, which can be very powerful for helping sales.

Don’t Overextend

Many U.S. companies try to launch in five countries at once. They invest money and time by doing a tour in each of those countries to start. Then after the launch, they never step foot in those countries again, nor do they follow-up with PR in those regions. Not only is traveling to five different countries exhausting, but it’s not always a realistic expectation for a company to keep up their PR activity in each of those regions.

Start small and make sure it’s manageable. As an agency “we can scale” when needed, but can your company?  Especially when having local spokespeople, who can speak the language and respond to reporters in a timely manner, is key.

Tailor your Media Approach

Media briefing preferences vary from country to country.  Media in Spain prefers press conferences, and companies are expected to have food available for journalists after the conference. Company launches will likely attract 20 journalists. Media in Germany, however, prefer to meet one-on-one and often at the publication’s headquarters.  In the UK, France and Netherlands, the media also prefers to meet companies one-on-one either at the publication’s headquarters or at another location.

The business press is also different from country to country. For example, in France and Germany, business press reporters are very tech savvy, which means reporters will likely be more willing to delve into technical details. In the Netherlands, however, it’s almost impossible to get coverage unless your company is listed on their stock exchange.

Digital media also varies. Like in the U.S., Websites like Facebook and LinkedIn are widely used, but are customized to meet the needs of each country.

Tips for Successful PR in Europe: Mike King, Johnson King

Today, we are continuing Engage PR’s three-part series with European PR partner agencies regarding Best Practices for North American technology companies looking to expand into the European marketplace. Each partner provided a tremendous amount of insight and shared what companies must consider before embarking down this new path.

In the second post of the series, Managing Director of UK-based technology PR agency Johnson King, Mike King shares his thoughts on what should be a company’s priorities when engaging in PR in the region.

By Mike King

Which countries are you going to focus on?

Although the technology industry is global, the market in Europe is very different from the US.  For a start the European market is highly fragmented and it is a mistake to think of Europe as one place – it consists of 47 different countries, with more than 200 different languages spoken.   Within the various European countries there are different stages of market maturity, different local competitors and very different local issues to address.  This means that the first decision US companies need to make when embarking on European PR is which countries do they want to focus on?   Of course, this needs to reflect where the most appealing business opportunities exists and doing business across 47 countries is clearly not an easy, or cheap, undertaking so having a clear idea of where to focus is essential.

Engage with the media on a local level

Europe’s diversity is reflected in its media landscape.  Areas of interest, styles of reporting, journalist expectations and levels of technical understanding vary hugely between countries.  The only way to engage effectively with local media is with on the ground PR teams who have the relationships and local knowledge required.  Of course, this means an additional local PR team for each target country.

Essential to demonstrate local commitment

An effective PR campaign needs to engage target audiences by demonstrating expertise, commitment and a good understanding of issues that are relevant to them.  This means being seen to have local language spokespeople (how can a company convince journalists that it is committed to a particular market if it doesn’t even speak their language?) and being in tune with local market drivers.

Find the right PR partner

Often, US tech companies will break into the European market by starting in one or two countries and then, as revenues build, expanding into other European countries.  When embarking on such a strategy, it is important to find a PR partner that not only understands your market (and has done it before) but also one that can comfortably expand activities to support future business growth.  A proven ability to manage pan-European campaigns from a central ‘hub’ and an open and honest relationship will mean that the right agency can help determine realistic targets and ensure expectations are met.

Tips for Successful PR in Europe: Richard Fogg, CCgroup

Today’s post is the first in a three-part series with Engage PR’s European PR partner agencies  regarding Best Practices for North American technology companies looking to expand into the European marketplace. Each partner provided a tremendous amount of insight and shared what companies must consider before embarking down this new path.

In this post, Managing Director of UK-based CCgroup, Richard Fogg shares his top five tips for launching a successful PR program in Europe.

By Richard Fogg

In the broad b2b telecoms and technology space it’s long been the case that the US has the capital and the technology, Europe has the customers. Over the last 20 years we’ve helped many US companies establish a beachhead in the European market. What have we learnt, and what have we tried to teach them?

1. Subtlety – European influencers positively cringe at flagrant marketing speak and overt displays of corporate confidence (i.e. arrogance). They’re interested in your opinions of the market, the issues, the challenges and then, maybe, how your service/product/widget addresses them. Far too many US companies entering Europe start with their product and work backwards. Turn this approach on its head. Don’t “sell” your product/company, and don’t give a sermon; know your stuff, tell a story, have a conversation. The reaction will be far more positive.
2. Appropriate informality – this is a horribly sweeping statement, but I stand by it: European influencers – especially in the trade media – are a little bit ‘left wing’. Why is that important? Because they have a diminished respect for seniority and tend against the stuffy, anodyne formal style so beloved by corporate America. They want to be spoken with as people, to form relationships with useful companies. Relax your style, invest time and get to know them as people – you will be surprised at the results.
3. Polycentricity – I’ve been guilty of this above. Of course European influencers are not all a little bit ‘left wing’! Many in London are...but not in Munich, Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan etc. There are nearly 50 countries in Europe (27 in the European Union), and 731 million people. They display huge political, economic, social and technological differences. It’s incredibly frustrating when American executives talk about Europe as a single country – especially to the media! Or, even worse, that ‘US, and then the rest of the world’ type approach. Basic cultural awareness and an understanding of national characteristics are essential in developing communications programmes and messages that have the desired effect in ‘Europe’. Take time too, to understand how your company is viewed in Europe before you arrive here. Want to make an impact in Germany without a German office or spokesperson? Good luck, you’ll need it.
4. Titles - While this issue is softening, many European media (not so much industry analysts) will naturally push back on interviews with people with ‘marketing,’ ‘sales’ or ‘communications’ in their title. Yes, they’re often the best spokespeople in engineering-focused technology companies, but they don’t have the credibility of a CEO or other C-class executive. The solution? Pick another title...you’d be amazed at how many ‘heads of strategy’ we’ve created in the last few years.
5. Cynicism, Satire and Irony – Brits invented the tabloid culture. Some of the articles published by UK-based trade media would make National Enquirer readers blush. You may find yourself having to defend your approach or product in fairly stark terms. While not often rude, European influencers do tend to be less ‘obedient’ than my own personal experience of US media would suggest. They are typically sceptical and independent, and see themselves as guardians of all that is righteous. Be prepared for an impassioned argument and enter into it with a smile – the chances are you’ll get a lot more out of it.

And finally, a pet hate...when coming to Europe, please try and avoid using the following hyperbole, words and phrases: leading provider, solutions, end-to-end, turnkey, unique, paradigm, sea-change, revolutionary, mission-critical, innovative, win-win, milestone (Europe is metric!)… Many UK-based reporters like to play a game called ‘bullsh*t bingo’ – identifying a predetermined number of useless, vacuous marketing terms said during a briefing or in press releases and contributed articles. This is one game you do not want to win!

Europe is a key market for the vast majority of US-based tech firms. By being culturally aware and learning from the points above, you dramatically improve your chances of being accepted, and even embraced, by a sometimes prickly influencer community.