Indianapolis Presentation (What a Great Town)

December 14, 2006 at 5:30 pm 3 comments

Yesterday I was the speaker for the PRSA chapter in Indianapolis (Hoosier Chapter). I had a very quick trip, but maximized every second. I felt completely safe and welcome in Indianapolis the entire time, and there is much to do.

I was at the Hoosier PRSA chapter to present information on how social marketing can interact with public relations and tried to teach three things:

How to Listen
How to Participate
How to Partner and form Symbiotic Relationships.

Here are the slides from my talk: http://www.firststoplongstation.com/attachments/files/3/PR_Indy.ppt

A highlight of my less than 24 hour stay was my jog around the “Canal Walk” and my visit to the NCAA Hall of Champions and the Eiteljorg American Indian Museum.

Entry filed under: Uncategorized.

Caught Vs Taught The Effect of a Print Ad about Newspaper on the Web

3 Comments Add your own

1. Rachel | December 14, 2006 at 7:22 pm

Thanks for a great presentation – my notes were pretty scribbly so the slides are much appreciated. Glad you enjoyed your stay – we ordered up extra warm December weather just for you – or maybe you’d rather seen snow!
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2. Chris Brooks, APR | December 15, 2006 at 7:23 pm

Very much enjoyed your presentation. What follows is an interesting counterpoint, though, fyi. Would like your reaction!
Traditional Media Far from Dead, Reveals Ketchum/USC Media-Usage Survey; Findings Also Refute Common Communications Myths, Identify New Realities

NEW YORK, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ — A comprehensive survey of media usage
by consumers and communication professionals challenges several major
communications myths, including the growing belief that traditional media
— local newspapers and television news, in particular — are dead. The
survey by Ketchum and the University of Southern California’s Annenberg
Strategic Public Relations Center found that consumers still rely heavily
on their local newspapers and local TV news while, increasingly, also using
Web logs, or blogs, and other emerging new media to gather the information
they need to make purchases and explore issues.
The “Media Myths & Realities, 2006 Media Usage Survey” compares the
media- usage habits of 1,490 adult Americans and 500 communications
industry professionals. In general, the survey revealed that significant
gaps exist between the two groups. While heavy users of all media, industry
professionals often don’t seem to go beyond their corporate Web sites to
dispense information even though most consumers don’t visit those sites
that frequently. The results underscore the need for companies to establish
a balance in their media mix.
The strong “traditional media is not dead” finding comes at a time when
the circulation and viewership numbers for traditional publications and
television continue to slide and commentators are sounding the death knell
of newspapers, especially. So what triggers the paradox? The Ketchum/USC
Annenberg survey looks at media-usage habits and not whether consumers are
subscribing to publications or viewing TV news less frequently. Many
consumers undoubtedly are looking at newspaper and TV stations’ and
networks’ Web sites and considering them to be under the traditional media
umbrella. What’s clear is that consumers still rely heavily on traditional
media for the information they need to make purchasing decisions and to
consider issues.
According to the survey, nearly three-in-four consumers (73.6 percent)
rely on their local TV news while nearly 70 percent (68.9 percent) depend
on their local newspaper, and this heavy reliance cuts across all
generations. As for new media, just 13.4 percent of the general public use
blogs while only 4.8 percent use podcasts and 4.5 percent get media via
their cellphone. However, usage of new media varies significantly by age.
Other media myths deflated
The survey, which establishes a benchmark against which trends in media
usage can be tracked over time, discredits five other common media myths,
including:
* Blogs dominate. The survey revealed that just 13.4 percent of consumers
rely on Internet blogs and only give them a 5.2 rating out of 10 for
credibility, while nearly 69 percent of consumers read their local
newspaper and give it a 7.2 credibility rating and 73.6 percent rely on
local TV news and give it a 7.4 rating.
* Social networking sites are just for kids. Reflecting growing interest
toward personal relevance, the survey found that online social
networking sites such as MySpace.com and Friendster.com attract people
of all ages, not just the young. Overall, 17.1 percent of the survey
respondents ranked them highest in usage among new media. While adults
ages 18 to 24 (41.9 percent) and 25 to 34 (30.9 percent) use social
networks the most, 15.1 percent of adults ages 35 to 44 and nearly 10
percent of those 45 to 54 also use them.
* Young adults don’t read the newspaper. More than half of adults 18 to 24
read local newspapers, the survey shows, with 16.4 percent reading a
national newspaper or newspapers. Young adults are the most well rounded
in their media habits, making significant use of all types of new and
traditional media.
* Word of mouth cannot be managed. The study proves that word of mouth can
make or break a communications campaign. Advice from family and friends
is used by 43.7 percent of consumers when making purchase decisions, and
nearly one in four follows advice from coworkers. Credibility is high
for both groups. And while word of mouth can’t be controlled, it can be
influenced by communicators who understand the informational needs of
consumers and those who influence them by providing the information
accurately and creatively.
* The company Web site is the best way to communicate. Industry
professionals often rely too heavily on their Web sites to convey
corporate information while consumers view them as just one of many pit
stops for such news. For instance, while nearly half of industry
professionals use their company Web sites most for company
announcements, only 6.8 percent of consumers look to the Web sites for
such information. But consumers often use company Web sites to gather
information before making major purchases, such as a car, consumer
electronics and stock.

What the Findings Mean
“The Ketchum/USC Annenberg study clearly illuminates several critical
findings, particularly that industry professionals must customize their
media mix as consumers’ needs vary and they use a multi-channel approach
for their information,” said Raymond L. Kotcher, senior partner and chief
executive officer of Ketchum. “The survey also makes plain that traditional
media live as drivers of consumer attitudes and choices, that new media
have a definite place in the mix and that the human channel increasingly
spreads the message through word of mouth.”
“The study also tells us a lot about influencers — those people who
are society’s informational editors and who shape consumer attitudes,” said
Jerry Swerling, founder and director of the USC Annenberg Strategic Public
Relations Center. “Influencers devour all media all the time, including
word of mouth, and they adopt new media earlier than others. They typically
use media at higher levels than the average consumer. As a result,
companies must master how to participate in this cycle of influence, and
new media channels may well provide the answer.”
Consumers’ Multi-Source Approach
The study demonstrates that consumers use a multi-source approach when
seeking guidance about various purchases. For example, when considering the
purchase of a new car, 35 percent of consumers — the highest percentage —
rely on advice from family and friends, but when thinking about purchasing
stock, 26 percent look to business news Web sites and 20.8 percent visit
company Web sites. When choosing a brand name prescription, the top choices
are major TV news, at 14.3 percent, and manufacturers’ Web sites, at 11.7
percent.
Takeaways for Communicators
The survey identified what appears to be a disconnect between
consumers’ lack of reliance on corporate Web sites for information and
industry professionals’ strong use of them to convey corporate information
compared to other channels.
“The survey shows clearly that the best approach for corporate
communicators involves employing a real marketing-mix mentality and using a
variety of media channels when communicating with consumers and those who
influence them,” says Nicholas Scibetta, Ketchum senior vice president and
global director of the agency’s Communications and Media Strategy Network.
“This captures the intersection of traditional and new media and of the
human element that of word-of-mouth communications provides. Consumers and
influencers increasingly are navigating to that intersection for the
information they need.”
“What communicators must do, however, is understand which medium works
best with which audience. And that’s why employing a media mix is so
important today,” Scibetta added.
Media Usage Results Vary by City
The survey includes localized results for several major cities,
including New York, the District of Columbia, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles
and San Francisco. Media usage varies substantially among them. While
residents of all the cities rely heavily on local newspapers, the
percentages that rely on local TV news vary from 58.6 percent in Los
Angeles to 81 percent in Pittsburgh. As for social networking sites, only
7.2 percent of Atlantans use them compared to nearly one-in-four New
Yorkers (23.4 percent).
As for word of mouth, residents of Chicago especially rely on such
communication from family, friends and co-workers, while word of mouth is
less relied upon in Los Angeles and San Francisco. And only 19.4 percent of
New Yorkers look to company Web sites for information, compared to 34.7
percent of D.C. residents.
Survey Facts
The survey was conducted between Sept. 6-20 and among the 1,490 adult
respondents, at least 100 came from each of the seven cities where there
was a particular focus.
University of Southern California Annenberg Strategic Public Relations
Center
The USC Annenberg Strategic Public Relations Center (SPRC) plays a
major role in the continuing evolution, professionalization and expansion
of the public relations discipline. A unit of the USC Annenberg School for
Communication’s Public Relations Studies Program, the Center’s mission is
to advance the study, practice and value of public relations by conducting
applied research in partnership with leading industry groups.
Ketchum
An innovator in communication since 1923, Ketchum delivers seamless
service around the globe through its 23 offices and 48 affiliates in North
America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. With its five global
practices, Brand Marketing, Corporate Communication, Healthcare, Food and
Nutrition, and Technology, Ketchum offers clients a unique breadth and
depth of marketing and corporate communications expertise. A leading global
public relations firm and the PRWeek 2002 Agency of the Year, Ketchum is a
unit of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC; http://www.omnicomgroup.com).
Additional information on Ketchum, its award-winning work, and past press
releases can be found at http://www.ketchum.com.

SOURCE Ketchum

——————————————————————————–

Related links:

http://www.omnicomgroup.com

http://www.ketchum.com
Reply
3. aaronlong | December 15, 2006 at 7:48 pm

Great article. I believe that the research data linked here:

http://www.morganstanley.com/institutional/techresearch/msinternetadreport101306.html?page=research

Backs up the survey by indicating that all forms of “advertising spending” will show growth over the next few years. It is just that internet advertising will have a higher growth rate percentage than most.

For example the interenet is expected to experience a jump from 12.5 Billion to 31 Billion from 2005 -2010. However 31 is still behind the 86 Billion that all TV advertising is supposed to reach in 2010.

So Internet is not the only answer. It is just an area of large opportunity.

Also, I mention in my talk that it is essential to partner with other forms of media. The “regifting” site wouldn’t have recieved the traffic without the AP picking up the press release.

Another example of mixing media successfully is JPG magazine. It is very interesting in that it combines user based content with traditional magazine subscriptions and advertising.

Here is a link to my comments on JPG:

http://www.longstation.com/2006/12/03/jpg-magazine-user-generated-content/

Thanks for the comment.
Reply