Digital Moms Aren’t Created Equal
May 15, 2012

Today, MWW Insights released a study on the heels of Mother’s Day looking at how moms influence (and are influenced by) other moms online. Based on a survey of more than 1,000 moms, we’ve learned that “digital” moms aren’t created equal when it comes to what they’re doing online and what kinds of technologies they prefer. In fact, there are five kinds of digital moms – and brands will need to market to them each individually. Take a look at how these five digital moms are using their digital networks to drive trends, purchases, and engage with brands.

 

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Will the MBA Class of 2012 Have a Social Media Problem?
May 10, 2012

Today on the Huffington Post, I talk about the lack of social media skills education offered at some of the top MBA programs in the nation. In a recent survey, 6 out of 10 managers who have hired recent MBA grads said those grads didn’t have the adequate skills to protect reputational credibility. I recommend five ways recent grads can make up for it…would love to hear your recommendations as well.

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Walter Cronkite and a New Kind of Shared Experience
April 18, 2012

I’ve summed up my thoughts on newsman Walter Cronkite, and how the formation public opinion has changed since his days in the anchor chair, back in this blog from 2006. But Cronkite has been on my mind again this week …the 50th anniversary of his debut on CBS… as my social media feeds fill up with photos of the shuttle Discovery final flight above Washington D.C. on Tuesday.

We’re sharing more than ever –Facebook’s $1 billion acquisition of Instagram confirms it – but it’s become rarer for us to have a shared experience. I’m talking about things like the moon landing – which Cronkite covered with 45 percent of households watching. You just don’t get that kind of viewership any more, unless you’re the Superbowl.

Even when there is a shared event – like the capture of Osama Bin Laden – we’re viewing it through different lenses…through our friends’ shares and likes…through our favorite cable network that aligns with our own political views.

And I think it’s really a pity. The more entrenched we get into our own news bunkers, the less we’re able to see things outside of our own worldview…and the less we’re able to experience those things together.

But as Cronkite would say it, “that’s the way it is.”

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Ben Bernanke’s 5 Lessons for Business Leaders
April 17, 2012

Chairman and CEO of North Jersey Community Bank Frank Sorrentino and I co-authored a piece for Forbes on the lessons every business leader can learn from Ben Bernanke’s recent efforts to bring transparency to the Fed. You can read the full piece here, but here’s a preview.

Preview: Now that Ben Bernanke has completed his lecture series and media blitz, we can ask the important questions: Did it work? Was it effective? Did it matter?

Our verdict: Yes, yes, and yes.

Bernanke not only succeeded in making the Fed relevant to Main Street America, he upped the ante for his predecessors. Never again can the Fed chair pull the curtain back around the Fed’s operations without public outcry and protest. That’s huge.

There’s a lot to learn in the lectures themselves, but for our money, the lessons for business leaders aren’t what Bernanke said, but how he said it. Let’s take a look at five key takeaways. (read more at Forbes)

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New models for incubating innovation in PR
April 11, 2012

I came across this article in the Economist this week highlighting a new trend among European ad companies offering ad space for start-ups in exchange for shares in the companies.

This isn’t just a phenomenon reserved for European companies or advertisers. It’s exactly what we’re doing here at MWW. Last month, we announced our own MWW Ventures to provide integrated communications services to start-ups that couldn’t otherwise afford a big PR firm, but who need publicity to foster new partnerships and attract additional venture capital.

Our first investment is in BuzzMob, a location-based mobile app that enables people in the same place – such as a concert or a restaurant – to share relevant content with one another.

It’s a platform poised to make a big impact on how our clients market their products to consumers physically in their stores or venues. In return for equity in the company, we’re going to help BuzzMob build strategic partnerships and raise its profile among potential investors.

MWW Ventures is the first of its kind – as far as we know – in the PR industry, anywhere in the world. As the Economist article notes, these investments have traditionally been undertaken by technology firms or other entrepreneurs. But MWW is proud of our own entrepreneurial roots, and this is just another way we’re helping entrepreneurs get their innovations off the ground.

If your firm is interested in working with us, we would love to hear from you.

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The Tragedy of the Media and the Tragedy of Trayvon
April 3, 2012

The tragic and unnecessary death of Trayvon Martin should have brought out the best in our nation…and a bi-partisan call to action…but instead it’s brought out the worst in many individuals in our society, particularly many members of our media.

As I’ve said many times in this blog before – not every story truly has two sides.

In this case, I am sickened by the rush of the conservative media to demonize the victim just to score political points…as if this would justify his killing even if their smear campaign turned out to be true.

And not to be outdone, the liberal media’s rooting for Zimmerman to be guilty is not without its own sensationalism.

We see the same lines trending in society… according to new findings from Pew Research, conservatives and liberals are divided on how the tragedy has been covered.

In the end, no matter your ideology, a young man has been needlessly killed. So, instead of demonizing the victim, shouldn’t we all be pushing for the truth?

While materially less important than the death of Trayvon Martin, the coverage of Sandra Fluke and her testimony before Congress brought out the same media behavior. Rather than talking about the issues, conservative commentators leapt to discredit her, painting her with an extraordinarily unflattering and untrue brush.

Demonizing victims, and particularly young people, to score political points or push an ideology is wrong and deserves our indignation. It’s a distraction from the real issues that demand our attention and discourse…and worse yet, it’s dividing us at a time when we should come together.

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Welcome to Our Timeline
March 30, 2012

Today is the today all Facebook brand pages switch over to the new Timeline format. I’ve been using Timeline on my own for awhile now, and I think it’s great. It’s going to be even better for brands, giving them more opportunity for greater engagement and more dynamic content to really tell their story.

Our digital team, Dialogue Digital, launched an in-depth, step-by-step guide on how to  make the most of the new changes, from the cover photo, to new customizable tabs, to brand milestones.

If you’re just getting started… or even if you’ve had your Timeline ready to go for weeks… give it a read. While you’re at it, head on over to the MWW Timeline and let us know what you think.

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Is “TimSanity” Worth the Risks?
March 23, 2012

Tim Tebow’s move to the Jets might seem like a match made in heaven. A high-profile player, a high-profile team. The Jets are a team in need of leadership – Tebow has proven himself as a strong presence in the locker room. Tebow wants to increase his brand’s value – New York is the biggest media market in the world.

But as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.  And in some ways, this reminds me of another “match made in heaven”…TimeWarner and AOL.  And we all know how that has played out.

That’s not to say Tebow and the Jets are fated for the same mutual destruction. The deal makes a lot of sense on many levels both on the field on and off for both sides. But this isn’t a risk without consequences.

If Tebow performs as poorly, New York fans aren’t going to give him a free pass just because he’s a good guy. New Yorkers aren’t as forgiving as Denver fans. They’ll eat him up and spit him out… and so will the media. In New York City, Tim Tebow will have nowhere to hide.

Then there are the risks the Jets are taking. The “TimSanity” as the media has already dubbed it could bring more instability to a team that certainly doesn’t need any more. It adds a new level of pressure on Mark Sanchez. One interception, and the calls to bring in Tebow will be deafening.

It remains to be seen if the risks will be worth it. If it fails, it will be a very public failure. And even if they win, and keep winning, Tebow’s brand may not be able to withstand more than a year as a back-up quarterback.  He needs the center stage…a stage he would have surely gotten in Jacksonville.  But Jacksonville is not New York, for better or worse.  In New York he will be king, at least until the unforgiving media and fans turn on him.

No matter what happens, it’s going to be a spectacle. And from our view here at MWW headquarters at 1 Meadowlands Plaza, we can’t wait to watch it all unfold.

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A few thoughts about the Federal Reserve and Transparency
March 21, 2012

This week Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is giving the first two of four lectures to students at George Washington University on the history of economics and the role of the Fed. It’s part of the institution’s new strategy to bring transparency to its traditionally opaque operations shaping monetary policy.

For awhile, this opaque model seemed to work. But just like the financial institutions it regulates, the Fed has lost the trust of the American consumer. The most the average American knows about it is what they’ve seen portrayed in films like HBO’s “Too Big Too Fail.” And it’s taken a beating from primarily Republican politicians who are using the public lack of understanding of the Fed to score political points.

Bernanke recognized that it was time to pull back the curtain and tell a “deeper” story about the Fed’s role. Over the last few weeks, the Fed has begun to harness social media tools. It even launched a mobile app.

But it’s Bernanke’s decision to bring that message directly to college students that is most remarkable in its simplicity. It’s not just targeting a demographic that has among the greatest influence across social media…it’s an entry point – an open, but perfectly comfortable forum –  to amplify that content through the larger network.

It will take more than a few lectures and an app to build back the trust and relevance the Fed has lost over the last few years. But these are the right first steps. The true test will be if the Fed can open a meaningful two-way dialogue. Transparency is always better and often critical…but it’s never enough by itself.  The Fed needs to move from monologue to dialogue if it is to be truly understood and embraced by the public.  I hope that Mr. Bernanke will seize this moment and make this just the beginning of a much larger conversation.

 

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This Week in Relevance
March 16, 2012

In today’s Huffington Post, I have a column on CNN’s pending acquisition of Mashable and the cable channel’s race for relevance – and why relevance is now what matters most.

And in case you missed it, a couple weeks back I commented on Wall Street’s growing recruitment crisis and offered some suggestions on how organizations can build relevance among Millennials.  This week’s scathing op-ed from a former Goldman Sachs executive re-iterates why this is so important…and gives great examples of what NOT to do…

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