tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866550336890931362024-03-14T02:24:31.369+00:00MicroMedia - Info BlogLoadAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176251541731744586noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686655033689093136.post-59318749028887301452017-01-11T14:15:00.000+00:002017-01-11T14:15:52.076+00:00Post-Truth Era - Do We Need to Change Our Communications Strategies?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wrTxxJWy1-AMzbXXZVwjz02_YuyOVuCDD9AX8JCdy6TWlAi9z6eoDSa2pkdIN5eXIJ73pRvrAhn8xd4iSTJL9-p_j8daObhtbz-LBs7hcFOcd3Djv5oxrS1AwkkLShwREGF7yyQ5TuQ/s1600/magnifying-glass-1607160_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wrTxxJWy1-AMzbXXZVwjz02_YuyOVuCDD9AX8JCdy6TWlAi9z6eoDSa2pkdIN5eXIJ73pRvrAhn8xd4iSTJL9-p_j8daObhtbz-LBs7hcFOcd3Djv5oxrS1AwkkLShwREGF7yyQ5TuQ/s320/magnifying-glass-1607160_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I wasn't really surprised to see that the Oxford Dictionary declared that the word of the year was '<a href="https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/word-of-the-year/word-of-the-year-2016">Post-truth</a>'. 2016 was a year that took so many of us by surprise, what with the UK voting in favour of Brexit and the US people electing a TV celebrity to the highest office in the country.<br />
<br />
What frustrated Brexit/Trump opponents was that their audiences appeared to have stopped listening to facts and were believing <u>anything</u> they were told by their competitors. And I use the word 'frustrated' very carefully, as this is what they should be - but they're not. They're angry.<br />
<br />
Anger can be all consuming. It can cause you to keep on doing what you're doing, but harder... And you still don't get results. And in some cases, things get worse.<br />
<br />
Let's play with an analogy.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2TzjywYFwj-_BVfoCxSAohpvWeEXtK8VCoL5aQLIGk5kr8sEHwYV1H2FLVB3qkffRfB5-iXwJmJckbX84mohyphenhyphenTVKOpBOvyCSpO8vnZDjVqUxn-B4vQwwhb3K4_96KPgRPHCI9RxruDY/s1600/fire-3314_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2TzjywYFwj-_BVfoCxSAohpvWeEXtK8VCoL5aQLIGk5kr8sEHwYV1H2FLVB3qkffRfB5-iXwJmJckbX84mohyphenhyphenTVKOpBOvyCSpO8vnZDjVqUxn-B4vQwwhb3K4_96KPgRPHCI9RxruDY/s320/fire-3314_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Fire.<br />
<br />
You have a campfire and you need to put it out. You know that pouring water on it will do that. You know that fire-fighters use water to put out fires. So, when you're presented with an unwanted fire, you just pour water on it and you've dealt with the situation...<br />
<br />
But what about an electrical fire?<br />
<br />
Most of us know that fighting an electrical fire with water is a bad idea - so we need to change the type of extinguisher we use.<br />
<br />
And that's the communications arena we've now entered. There are still flames and heat, but you need to look at the cause of the fire to be able to deal with it. But the Post-Truth era has changed not only the cause, but the fuel.<br />
<br />
I'm hoping that none of you have ever had to deal with a magnesium fire. There are flames and extraordinary heat. But, if you attempt to extinguish the fire with water... the water gets converted to hydrogen and oxygen - and adds <b><i>enormous</i></b> amounts of fuel to the fire and you're now in explosion territory.<br />
<br />
And that's what's happened in the Post-Truth era. We have a different cause for our 'fire'. And a substantially different, and volatile, fuel. Continue communicating in the way you have been and you're throwing water on to your magnesium fire.<br />
<br />
So what's the cause that enable Post-Truth communications? Principally, disenfranchisement.<br />
<br />
People have lost trust. They feel they are not being listened to. They feel that the 'old ways' of doing things and status quo haven't worked - so they want to hear something new. They don't feel connected with the 'traditional' way of doing things and are looking for an (or any) alternative.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYeTNcyPeWbgKk7PUHTcmgeNgO0ZmGhnPqJ0RI3XweqKQ-Di4ucrYzE0RqqxZBW3TZcWzeThklXpuk6qQM7uGOxe4O1MAunwblYuAlGBh31em-ZdV1yUz86GxAGH1ALIoUzZqmybDp18/s1600/oliver-kahn-406393_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYeTNcyPeWbgKk7PUHTcmgeNgO0ZmGhnPqJ0RI3XweqKQ-Di4ucrYzE0RqqxZBW3TZcWzeThklXpuk6qQM7uGOxe4O1MAunwblYuAlGBh31em-ZdV1yUz86GxAGH1ALIoUzZqmybDp18/s320/oliver-kahn-406393_640.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
So what's the fuel?<br />
<br />
Emotions.<br />
<br />
People are upset, angry and want someone to agree with <u>their</u> feelings. They also want someone to blame.<br />
<br />
Take the example of the Conservative Member of Parliament Michael Gove. On the run up to the Brexit vote Mr Gove was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGgiGtJk7MA">interviewed by Sky News</a> and was presented with a list of nations and high ranking officials that thought that the UK leaving the EU was a bad idea. His response...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/3be49734-29cb-11e6-83e4-abc22d5d108c">The people in this country have had enough of experts.</a>"</blockquote>
The interviewer jumped on this suggesting that the voters we're going to have to employ "blind faith" in their decision making if they weren't listening to experts. But he, and we all, missed the point.<br />
<br />
Gove had hit on something - and something raw. People don't like being told they're wrong. And Mr Gove effectively told them that they could dismiss anyone that disagreed with them. And they liked it - because of emotions.<br />
<br />
In my <a href="http://micromediablog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/can-over-worked-message-backfire.html">previous post</a>, I spoke about the fact that we, as humans, are not logical beings with emotions. We're emotional beings that have logic - when we want to. The Brexit debate was very emotional, as was the US Presidential Election. And here was their game-changer. Their principle messaging content wasn't facts. It was emotions.<br />
<br />
This struck a chord with their audiences. They were employing the emotional nature of human beings to influence their decisions. We all do. We're all susceptible to it.<br />
<br />
If you dislike someone and someone else agrees with you, you feel validated and solidify your feelings. But if someone tells you 'they give so much back to society, donate large sums to charity and repeatedly help their neighbours' - it's not uncommon to think 'Well... I still don't like them.'. You reject facts and fall back to your emotions.<br />
<br />
Talking emotionally is so powerful because:<br />
<br />
<b><u>Emotions</u> - <u>Feel</u> - <u>True</u>.</b><br />
<br />
My <a href="http://micromediablog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/can-over-worked-message-backfire.html">previous post</a> mentioned <a href="http://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html">cognitive dissonance</a>. And here it is in action. I feel something, but I can't express it in words or logic. Someone agrees with my feelings and it reinforces them. In fact, we then feel that these emotions are now facts by the very fact that other people agreeing with me.<br />
<br />
And when someone challenges us with facts, we feel like we are being denied our feelings. We feel like our emotions are being dismissed... And the people denying our feelings, dismissing our emotions... They're the people we can blame!<br />
<br />
That's why Post-Truth communications are such effective influence tools.<br />
<br />
So what do we need to do to counter Post-Truth communications?<br />
<br />
Get emotional!<br />
<br />
We still need to collect our facts. But once we have them, we need to determine what emotions our audiences will resonate with. We then need to create our messages with those emotions at the forefront, substantiate them with facts, then return to the emotions.<br />
<br />
This is nothing new. Aristotle postulated the <a href="http://www.european-rhetoric.com/ethos-pathos-logos-modes-persuasion-aristotle/">Ethos, Pathos, Logos modes of persuasion</a>. Traditional communications have centred on the Logos mode occasionally supported by the Ethos mode. Whereas Post-Truth centres on the Pathos.<br />
<br />
So I suggest that we need to examine our communications strategies and see how we could develop messages that follow the order of:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Pathos</li>
<li>Logos</li>
<li>Ethos</li>
<li>And return to Pathos</li>
</ul>
<div>
To work in the Post-Truth era, and still work with facts, we need to examine the fuel that's being used. then we need to use it ourselves.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But make it more powerful by embedding the facts into the emotion.</div>
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176251541731744586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686655033689093136.post-953504680471841332017-01-09T15:57:00.000+00:002017-01-09T16:01:25.882+00:00Can an over-worked message backfire?<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I’ve noticed a
trend in communications from large corporations and organisations.
Their messages come across as corporate, impersonal and devoid of any
human emotion. And I’ve watched professional communicators and
communications trainers encourage this practice. And I hate it! It
goes against so many things that MicroMedia stands for.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
A lot of the time it
isn’t going to make any difference – and as such, it won’t
cause an effect (either one you want, or one you don’t). But using
a corporate, impersonal message at a time when people are feeling
high emotions can potentially throw fuel on the fire.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I watched with
interest, and concern, communications that were released by the <a href="https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/">West Yorkshire Police</a> following a fatal shooting on the M62 motorway in the UK on the
evening of Monday 2<sup>nd</sup> January 2017.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Like many, I have a
breaking news app running on my smartphone and was shocked to read:
‘<i><a href="https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/news/update-police-incident-near-junction-24-m62-huddersfield">Around
6pm this evening (Monday January 2), during a pre-planned policing
operation near to the M62 in Huddersfield a police firearm was
discharged and a man has died.</a>’ </i><i>(See the statement at
the bottom of the document.)</i></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
What shocked me?
Was it that there had been a shooting in the UK? Was it that someone had lost their
life? Of course. But the communicator in me baulked at the statement:</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
‘<span style="font-style: normal;"><b>a
police firearm was discharged and a man has died.</b></span>’</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This couldn’t be
more corporate, it couldn’t be more impersonal and it couldn’t be
more devoid of emotion.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For communications
of this type to work, you have to assume that humans are
logical beings with emotions…</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
But we’re not…!</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We’re emotional
beings that can find logic… if we want to!</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We are highly
complex beings capable of being highly logical. And we can reject
that logic instantly. We’re capable of <a href="http://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html">cognitive
dissonance</a> and compassion.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We only have to look
at the ‘<a href="https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/word-of-the-year/word-of-the-year-2016">post-truth</a>’ political era that we have entered to
see that people would far sooner react emotionally than process facts.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You try to process
the phrase ‘<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">a<i>
police firearm was discharged and a man has died</i></span></span>’ and
there are emotional and logical disconnects. Examine the
perfectly acceptable and understandable emotional and logical
assumptions a reader would have, after reading that statement:</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<b>Someone’s
been killed!</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<b>A
police officer has shot someone dead!</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<b>Who
was killed?</b> (<i>If you lived close to the M62, you might ask is you
knew them.</i><span style="font-style: normal;">)</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">But
</span><span style="font-style: normal;">the provided</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
statement doesn’t match the reactions above – and I’m assuming
that's on purpose. It has been ‘crafted’ to remove all
emotion. But is that a good idea?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">My
major problem with this statement is the use of the phrase ‘a
firearm was discharged’. Everyone can see that this is code. It’s
code, trying to get away from the fact that there was a human being
holding the ‘firearm’. It’s code trying to get away from the
fact that a human being made the decision to pull the trigger. </span><span style="font-style: normal;">It
a corporate mechanism to try and remove the human holding the gun. It
can be argued that it’s trying to convey that the ‘firearm’
killed the man, not the person holding it.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">It’s
like the military using terms like ‘collateral damage’ in an
attempt to remove the emotion from the fact that civilians have been
killed, or ‘friendly fire’ to desensitise the fact that
service-personnel have been killed by their own allies.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">I
read this statement and worried that the message had been overworked
and <a href="https://twitter.com/MicroMediaUK/status/816269453583351809">tweeted
about it</a>. I was surprised that no one commented on my concerns –
but in reflection, I shouldn’t have been. Communicators are
currently trained to be corporate, impersonal and remove emotion –
so why should they think that there was anything wrong with the
message?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">But
I will argue that being impersonal and devoid of emotion
backfired on the police. The message was effective </span><span style="font-style: normal;">in</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
‘inform</span><span style="font-style: normal;">ing</span><span style="font-style: normal;">’
people that something had happened. But the lack of emotion
potentially fuelled something they didn’t expect…</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Community
resentment.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Quite
rightly, the initial statement didn’t tell us anything about the
person that had die</span><span style="font-style: normal;">d</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
– after all, it would be improper to do so until their next of kin
was informed.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">But
very soon after the incident, it was revealed that the dead man was
from an ethnic minority.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">As
soon as you have that fact, it’s all too easy to stereotype. But as
communicators we have to have our audiences are the foremost of our
thoughts. And this man’s community should have been one of the
principle audiences.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Again,
it’s all too easy for me to review this in retrospect – but if I
had been asked to prepare a statement for this situation, my first
question would have been ‘</span><span style="font-style: normal;">How
trusted is </span><span style="font-style: normal;">my police force</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
within this</span><span style="font-style: normal;"> communit</span><span style="font-style: normal;">y</span><span style="font-style: normal;">?’.
I would then have used this as a check-mark against any message I
generated – </span><span style="font-style: normal;">let alone</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
release.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">How
would I react to </span><span style="font-style: normal;">the</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
statement if I were a member of this community?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Am
I seriously being told that a gun killed this man, not a police
officer?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">A
member of my community has died, but the police don’t have a single
emotion about it…</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Ironically,
the lack of emotion in this statement could be seen to have evoked
high, negative emotions in the community. Indeed there were protests
against th</span><span style="font-style: normal;">is</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
shooting </span><span style="font-style: normal;">that caused traffic
to come to a stop and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-38505164">damage
to a police vehicle</a>. The local MP took to Facebook to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NazShahMP/posts/1647156778918154">appeal
for calm</a>.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Can
I 100% say that this initial statement caused this community
resentment </span><span style="font-style: normal;">or</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
civil unrest? Of course not.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">But
I will argue, that in this case, it did more harm than good.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">So
what should this constabulary learn from this and what could they
have done better?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">First,
a quick review of constabular</span><span style="font-style: normal;">y’</span><span style="font-style: normal;">s
</span><span style="font-style: normal;">T</span><span style="font-style: normal;">witter
channel shows that they have used the </span><span style="font-style: normal;">words</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
‘firearm’ </span><span style="font-style: normal;">and</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
‘discharge’ </span><span style="font-style: normal;">together</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
so often, that it’</span><span style="font-style: normal;">s</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
become a cliché – <a href="https://twitter.com/55bloke/status/408167438770241536">and
it’s being pointed out </a></span><a href="https://twitter.com/55bloke/status/408167438770241536"><span style="font-style: normal;">to
</span><span style="font-style: normal;">them by their own audience</span></a><span style="font-style: normal;">.
</span><span style="font-style: normal;">They have to stop using this
phrase immediately as it’s undermining audience trust.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">If
you look at what the force said at the inquest, the messaging was
better. During the inquest it was stated that ‘</span><a href="http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/15006762.UPDATE___GALLERY__Inquest_opens_and_funeral_held_for_Yassar_Yaqub_shot_dead_by_police_on_M62/"><span style="font-style: normal;">During
the incident an officer discharged a firearm in the execution of his
duty with the shots going through the windscreen of the Audi.</span></a><span style="font-style: normal;">’
</span><span style="font-style: normal;">This still uses the words
‘firearm’ and ‘discharged’. </span><span style="font-style: normal;">B</span><span style="font-style: normal;">ut
there’s a human present with ‘an officer’ and there was a
‘reason’ to use that weapon via ‘in the execution of his duty’.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Review
all the statements released by this constabulary <a href="https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/news/update-police-incident-near-junction-24-m62-huddersfield">online</a> and you’ll
see they all lack so much.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">If
</span><span style="font-style: normal;">the communications</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
had started with:</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-style: normal;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">'A police officer was called upon to use their
weapon </span><span style="font-style: normal;">during an planned
operation on the M62 that resulted in the death of one male. More to
follow...’</span></div>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Would
it have provided a better foundation on which to communicate with
the desired audiences?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">In
my opinion, yes. That’s what I train at MicroMedia; realise there
are emotions and acknowledge them; if humans are involved, be honest
and say so.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
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<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
And
most of all, if you remove emotion and stay impersonal… Expect your
audience to come after you. People speak to people, not faceless
emotionless organisations.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176251541731744586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686655033689093136.post-1576480810935468342016-08-10T15:28:00.000+01:002016-08-10T20:09:36.957+01:00Media Approach to Communications. Does it work? The case-study that started MicroMedia.I've spent 20 years in the Royal Navy and one of the reasons I chose that life was that I couldn't - and still can't - stand by and watch injustice.<br>
<br>
My father-in-law had been running an independent Do-It-Yourself (or home improvement) shop in Salisbury for over 40 years. Things we're getting hard in that sector and he had to admit that he wasn't the young buck he was when he started the shop. We all had to sit down and make the heart-breaking decision that given profits weren't what they used to be, we'd have to close Teed Tools and let him retire.<br>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4OgoJy36kup-Zn9jHMJrDeHVWCET8cGNpC1TIENHJy-csMsb81h6vtLGDjDtr66ZCNcYaSSDSKI4nWDLPeIkHYZi_t1tpGQY2l4XrrS-fmmJZDCkyvqEBnGq3aF9EdL3byTXBfOtw_w/s1600/TeedToolsInterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4OgoJy36kup-Zn9jHMJrDeHVWCET8cGNpC1TIENHJy-csMsb81h6vtLGDjDtr66ZCNcYaSSDSKI4nWDLPeIkHYZi_t1tpGQY2l4XrrS-fmmJZDCkyvqEBnGq3aF9EdL3byTXBfOtw_w/s320/TeedToolsInterior.jpg" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My father-in-law hard at work in the shop.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On examining the books, I was shocked to see how much he was paying for advertising - and I couldn't see the adverts, let alone the return on investment. With more investigation, I found that he was paying thousands of pounds to advertise in Post Offices with the most awful and inappropriate stock graphics - all in the hope that someone that's in a queue to send a letter or pay a bill, might be inspired to call into his shop.<br>
<br>
I was the Second-In-Command of the Defence Media Operations Centre at the time and in a fit of anger at the company that had tied my father-in-law into a multi-year contract for this 'advertising', I informed the entire family that I was taking over his advertising and marketing!<br>
<br>
Sure, I had done media for the military, I had developed messages for operations and deployments - but could I take this to the civilian and commercial arena?<br>
<br>
I developed a media plan that only used Twitter, Facebook and Google+. I then forged strategies that would gain the attention of the local newspaper and radio station.<br>
<br>
Transferring the way the UK military conducts Media Operations, I developed a media plan, constructed easily repeated messages and studied the audiences we needed to influence. And there were 3 simple things we kept playing with:<br>
<ul>
<li>Let the tradesmen that used store have a good laugh.</li>
<li>Generate interest in the my father-in-law's story from the traditional media.</li>
<li>Remind people that they could save money by tackling tasks themselves.</li>
</ul>
<div>
The most powerful of these was making tradesmen laugh. The number of double-entendres you can play with a DIY store is amazing:<br>
<ul>
<li><i>Come and feel our knobs and knockers - Made you look, made you stare, now come and see our amazing hardware!</i></li>
<li><i>We've got wood on Wednesday - Have you? We'll even cut it to size!</i></li>
<li><i>When was the last time you had a good screw? Ours are of the finest quality.</i></li>
</ul>
People interacted and that led to people listening to how they could save money by taking on projects themselves.<br>
<br>
We increased footfall (t<i>radesmen were always commenting about the morning 'rude' post</i>), increased takings - and on the last day he was trading, the pavement was blocked with customers 4 or 5 deep at the door before we had even opened the store.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
And we didn't pay an advertising or marketing company a single penny.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
Then there was a crisis. My Father-in-law got robbed in the store taking much needed cash to aid his retirement. I instantly knew that emotions were high - and also knew that the emotions we were feeling was a story that other would react to. So, I contacted the local press - I didn't bother with a 'Press Release' as I knew that it wouldn't be as effective as an emotional phone call to the news desk.<br>
<br>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/resources/images/2365468.jpg?display=1&htype=100002&type=responsive-gallery" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/resources/images/2365468.jpg?display=1&htype=100002&type=responsive-gallery" height="362" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from this <a href="http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/10283507.Thief_steals_money_during_retirement_sale/?ref=rss">newspaper article</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>"I thought you should know that Mr Teed of Teed Tools was robbed today. Someone took a load of cash from his till when we wasn't looking. I mean, he's in his seventies and he's running his last sale so that he can retire. Who would do that to someone that's served the community for over 40 years?"</i><br>
<br>
No matter which way you look at it, I gave them a story with amazing words that excite the media. - <i>theft, anger, elderly, retirement, compassion, society, service</i>... So of course they ran <a href="http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/10283507.Thief_steals_money_during_retirement_sale/?ref=rss">a story</a>.<br>
<br>
This led to local radio conducting interviews, additional newpaper articles - and footfall and income increased yet again. The local radio even ran a piece during his last day of trading thanking him for everything that he had done for the community.<br>
<br>
Did it work? I'm delighted to say that we managed to raise enough not only to ensure he's enjoying his retirement, but we even managed to buy him and his wife a house in the area so that he can still keep in touch with all his friends and former customers.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
As we closed the shop door the final evening, I realised that I could take these skills and help other companies take over their own media presence. And the seed was planted to form MicroMedia.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
I've reviewed all of the military training I've received, from planning, audience analysis, to 'Courses of Action' and 'Decisive Conditions' - then blended it with the media channels that are available to all of us and finding way to make your stories of interest to all forms of media, both traditional and web-based... And launched MicroMedia Ltd.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
It's all about the ethics of MicroMedia - no lies, no spin, save money where you can. But, most importantly, you are the media - You've got stories the media wants and they can shape the way you can gain the effects that you need... And you won't have to waste thousands of pounds on a slideshow shown to a disgruntled post office queue.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176251541731744586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686655033689093136.post-28596078749366909922016-03-29T11:19:00.000+01:002016-03-29T11:19:30.113+01:00Measuring Media - It's More Than Followers<div dir="ltr">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgtyU3-p9_jdUMbMPDZnleY9R7KvJrYytoivJzDSUD6KRm0_iRq32J_4-3uaOowL4dbbxgt_imUwQT3KMN_lc9eQlNEKr8sTiNrJbFYyUZHPfaaAJBor_bOL3HOEij6JrOmlt8VTj39g/s1600/tailor_plate.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgtyU3-p9_jdUMbMPDZnleY9R7KvJrYytoivJzDSUD6KRm0_iRq32J_4-3uaOowL4dbbxgt_imUwQT3KMN_lc9eQlNEKr8sTiNrJbFYyUZHPfaaAJBor_bOL3HOEij6JrOmlt8VTj39g/s320/tailor_plate.png" width="320" /></a></div>
So many people that engage with the media get this wrong. And you can't blame them.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Everyone wants to be a success, so there are companies out there that will 'support' you. They'll sell you 'followers'... They'll sell you 'likes'... They'll even sell you 'listens' on audio-hosting platforms like SoundCloud.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
While this isn't illegal, MicroMedia considers this practice not only unethical (<i>these aren't people, they're lines of code that don't appreciate what you're doing</i>) but I consider it completely irrelevant and unecessary.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
The number of followers you have doesn't generate effect. Effect is generated when individual followers do something you desire with the information or message you give them. Would you rather have 10 followers that engage with nearly everything you post, or 1.5k 'code'-followers that just make your profile 'look better'?</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
When measuring the effects of your media engagement, you need to break it into three areas:</div>
<h3>
Measure of Activity</h3>
<div>
This is how much effort you are putting into getting your messages out there. It could be the number of tweets you've sent, the number of hours you've crafted Facebook posts or even how many traditional press releases you've emailed.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You set the measure. But this information will enable you to start determining which channels are working best, where to focus your efforts and where you need to improve.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Measure of Performance</h3>
<div>
This is what these companies are offering you... Followers, likes, shares et al. But they are only performance. You could follow a band on twitter for years, but until you buy their album or tickets to their next concert, they haven't realised the effect they wanted.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So here is where you want to record the number of followers, shares, likes, comments, press releases that turn into articles and the like. But don't think for one second that they are effects.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaypCpN_TTBOPT6h2-D6PKaoBE7nm5ZKDvmhH0gA4kzUlLNuXel-U1Jr8byvSDGnGBUOnzD13hHGsSJ5VyD0jYZ_MUYx6bJs0kJ-rtLXoBxwtdrzuRy2zNf8uL2ndgM7bKu9MSiOxp2FY/s1600/inches-953425_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaypCpN_TTBOPT6h2-D6PKaoBE7nm5ZKDvmhH0gA4kzUlLNuXel-U1Jr8byvSDGnGBUOnzD13hHGsSJ5VyD0jYZ_MUYx6bJs0kJ-rtLXoBxwtdrzuRy2zNf8uL2ndgM7bKu9MSiOxp2FY/s320/inches-953425_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Measure of Effect</h3>
<div>
And this is the hardest part of all. How do you know that you've had an effect? How do you know that the effect was generated by your media interaction? And most importantly...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>What effect were you trying to achieve?</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
Sales, footfall, website visits...? Maybe its just getting someone to repeat your message unaltered...?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is where you have to apply the grey matter. This is where you should start. This is where you may need assistance.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What effect do you want to have? Who can generate that effect? What do you need to tell them? Where will they hear your message? How can you identify if their actions were caused by my media engagement?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
None of this has an easy answer. But one thing's for certain:</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<b><i>You can have as many followers as you like, but unless you know what you want to achieve... How do you know you're leading them in the right direction?</i></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176251541731744586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686655033689093136.post-53247060438075239022016-03-18T11:34:00.000+00:002016-03-18T13:06:43.405+00:00Why MicroMedia?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFT7aF5lQ8uKsf6z8HjSAaGcbnacc3Pnwe2hiE_0xndfpEY0MVsEcPcfZji79hJpI7Mi26BKQLW_0XsCGRTRLmZEbXS9v1TslBfsFLLiT7EOpj5xsy_UAaZwrFgt8mL5cuSwhE0Sz1suY/s1600/MMTwitterAvatarLarge.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFT7aF5lQ8uKsf6z8HjSAaGcbnacc3Pnwe2hiE_0xndfpEY0MVsEcPcfZji79hJpI7Mi26BKQLW_0XsCGRTRLmZEbXS9v1TslBfsFLLiT7EOpj5xsy_UAaZwrFgt8mL5cuSwhE0Sz1suY/s320/MMTwitterAvatarLarge.png" width="320"></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Because my military experience has taught me that the vast majority of advertising and marketing companies have got it wrong. And before anyone asks "<i>What the heck has military experience got to with it?</i>" I'll come to that in a later post.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Everyone appears to be confused as to who is working for who - or more importantly, who owns who? The MicroMedia tag line is:</span><br>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Use the media...?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Own the media.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Be the media...!</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's just basic supply and demand. The media provides products for you to consume. But if you don't consume (<i>demand</i>) those products, they've got no one to supply.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Let's take it a step further. The media needs stories. Those stories become products. So where do they get the stories? In the case of drama and situation comedies, they'll have a bank of writers. But let's take the extreme example of reality television - it's the participants that provide the stores, the media companies just package (<i>and sometimes exaggerate</i>) them.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br></span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauYzj9j3yoU8TEfgA-yY9uEuP5xNlplFJHA8EUZNHbAoSh-JPZayn2XNrQS0MlkUP0RGsyXCQao2MWgMxwbh0gMiPVz9C1W0oTpWDi6mHZy8ofG6GtvZdKQ6XG4ImpbKRbwPbbZ5BrZw/s1600/start_a_story.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauYzj9j3yoU8TEfgA-yY9uEuP5xNlplFJHA8EUZNHbAoSh-JPZayn2XNrQS0MlkUP0RGsyXCQao2MWgMxwbh0gMiPVz9C1W0oTpWDi6mHZy8ofG6GtvZdKQ6XG4ImpbKRbwPbbZ5BrZw/s320/start_a_story.jpg" width="320"></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm not suggesting you or your company need to get yourself onto a reality television programme - so let's look at the news. News reportage is just telling stories. So where do they get their stories?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">From you.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Everyone - every company, every individual - has a story to tell. A night at the pub would be rather boring without them. But is your story worth anything to the media?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was once told by a well-respected newspaper journalist, that the media are looking for one of 3 things:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Exceptional people doing exceptional things.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Exceptional people doing ordinary things.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ordinary people doing exceptional things.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Examine that list long and hard and you might be able to form a link between yourself or your organisation to the last of these 3 statements. With MicroMedia's assistance, I can show you that when you really examine what you are doing - you're the first.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Let's go back and revisit supply and demand. You are supplying the stories. The media have a demand for those stories - otherwise they have nothing to package to supply to their audiences.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So now we're in a situation where you're the supplier and the media are the demander. Or as MicroMedia put it - You 'Own the Media'.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now you've got 2 options:</span><br>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You can supply the media.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You can 'Be the Media'.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And I say, do both.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now, explain to me again why you need to be reliant on marketing and advertising companies? <span id="goog_2074615310"></span><span id="goog_2074615311"></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176251541731744586noreply@blogger.com0