How are you an expert on something that is brand new?

I find myself amused when I see in job postings, mostly agency but sometimes corporate, that they seek a social media expert to run their Twitter, Facebook and usually Blog portals. Now what makes me laugh is that, more often than not, I see they are looking for expertise in these fields. I find that not only funny but a tad ironic because it really does fly in the face of what is generally considered expertise.

Think of other areas in our society where we want expertise. For our doctors they have to go to 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school and then serve various residency and attending programs that often go for another 4 to 6 years. At that point they are considered a doctor but are still the low man, or woman, on the totem pole. I remember reading about Japanese fugu chefs who have to study for 7 years in how to prepare what is considered one of the world's great delicacies. Of course fugu comes from the liver of a puffer fish and, if prepared incorrectly, can quite literally kill you. Even a restaurant sommelier needs to demonstrate extensive knowledge of wines before being certified.

What all of these groups also share is that they need to keep their skills current to maintain their status. In PR and Marketing sadly, the opposite is the case. We seek people out based on a perception of skill and not a proven ability to deliver the goods. This differs from the development of the Internet when you could show demonstrable programming, and/or design skills. We tend to put people into slots (tech, media relations etc.) and keep them there for the balance of their careers.

Of greater concern, a lot of organizations are treating Web 2.0/social media areas as a separate field of marketing. I am of the mind set that this is wrong headed and will pose problems for the organization down the road. For one thing, the organization, in order to be effective, needs to speak with one voice. You can not have the social media guru, I do love that term , sending out messages that either will contradict or disrupt the corporate messaging strategy. Most importantly, you need to have someone who appreciates the role of corporate communications and public relations and bases their decisions less on something being cool and more on how it will impact the organization positively or not.

The simple fact is that this technology is too new too hire someone off the street as an expert. What is more important, and in my opinion likely to be more successful, is to have an experienced PR or Corp Comm person assume oversight and manage the program conservatively to start, and then with more increasing amounts of risk taking as familiarity and experience grow. To do otherwise risks the disruption of the corporate message and worst case scenario, damage to the corporate brand.

Should PR and Corp Comm People Have Liablity Insurance

There is an old joke about a doctor who saw a patient and told him that in order to stay healthy he needed to quit drinking, quit smoking and quit eating fatty foods and exercise more. The next time the doctor saw the patient, not only was it obvious he hadn't done any of what he said but had actually gotten worse at it. The doctor, fuming and exasperated asked why the patient hadn't done what he asked. The patient looked at the doctor puzzled and said, "oh were you being serious.?"

Sometimes, when you work in Corp Comm or PR you can see situations like this. If the patient in the case dies from a heart attack most people would say that he had lived an unhealthy life. If you are a PR person, you or your organization has committed a public relations gaffe. Recently, when BP CEO Tony Hayward went sailing while oil surged into the Gulf of Mexico, it was referred to as a PR disaster. OK, first of all, I Mr. Hayward told his PR person what he had planned and then had it approved before he went sailing. Granted, BP has committed more than its share of PR errors which can be attributed to PR but this was not one of them.

Keep in mind that in general when an organization does something stupid or just flat out wrong and then mishandles the response it is often called a PR gaffe. The usual problem is that we're seeing an organization trying to "spin" its way out of trouble. That is they are trying to set the agenda and decide what is, and what isn't, relevant to the discussion.

So what is the solution to this issue? Well there is actually an easy one. It's called telling the truth. Well it's a bit more complex than that. My parents used to call being punished "taking your medicine." A throwback to the days before Nyquil when medicine actually tasted poorly and you had to brace yourself before taking it.

McDonald's is the sign of an organization who took their medicine earlier this year and very quickly the problem was gone. It's amazing how quickly stories enter and exit our news cycle but you may recall that when the most recent Shrek movie was released, McDonald's had some glasses it released as a product tie in to the movie. Of course it turned out that the glasses were tainted with lead. McDonald's quickly issued a recall and about 4 to 6 weeks later the issue has been almost forgotten. They didn't spin, they told the truth, took their medicine and as a result will move forward with little interruption.

So I come back to the issue that made me write this little tome. Should PR and Corp Comm people have liability insurance. Well of course I was being somewhat factitious when I said that, the truth is we don't. What we need to do is remember that our first goal and highest calling is to tell the truth. While lawyers and bean counters think we should "spin" the news the fact remains when an organization listens to them, or has a culture that encourages that, you have a situation like BP. If you encourage the truth and "taking your medicine," you are like McDonald's where only a minor hit disrupts your path to ongoing business success.

How to survive a game changing application!

There is the old expression, "be careful what you wish for." This is very true. I don't know if it has an ending but if it does the ideal ending in my opinion would be, "be careful what you wish for, it may come true." One thing that every marketing and communications professional wishes for is to be there at the beginning of a potentially market changing application. We would all like to think this is very exciting and filled with moments of breathtaking, heart pounding thrills.

Well one analogy I could draw is what it must be like to be the pitcher of a no-hitter. While everyone remembers the no-hitter and we all see the players dancing around once it is over, imagine the last few minutes before the final out. That is what it is always like being with a company trying to launch a product that can change the marketplace. With one step you could reach immortality and hey, based on what players make, maybe you can make a lot of money off it as well. But there is also the potential for having a miscue mean that you're going to miss out on the opportunity and soon be relegated to the trash heap of soon to be forgotten history.

Marketing and communicating the benefits of a game changing application are simply put, brutal. For one thing, every company thinks they have a game changing application. I remember seeing an electric fly swatter being sold as a "revolutionary pest control device." Let's be honest, restraint is not really a facet one tends to see in most marketing and communications people. Nor is a judicious temperament.

But often when you have a product that is set to radically alter the landscape that is exactly what is needed. For one thing, no brand new, market altering product can be successful without properly educating the media and analysts' who follow the market. Basically, they are both the gatekeepers as well the individuals with the knowledge and insight to see if something really has the potential to change the marketplace or is once again, more hot air.

So the best way to survive a game changing application is by realizing that if you truly have a unique story to tell then you are in the drivers seat and can choose, when, where and how you wish to tell it. But remember that there is truly, very little out there that hasn't already been done or said or told 50 times 50 before. Restraint will help you, but passion will fuel you.