What Do You Know?
Business 2.0 bemoans the fact that today's corporate
executives are afraid to admit ignorance. They're under great
pressure to project a "know-it-all" stance in public
pronouncements. CEOs predict quarterly earnings to the penny,
despite the uncertainties underlying the marketplace. The
secretary of defense proclaims he "knows" Iraq has
weapons of mass destruction. The magazine even cites a corporate vice president who got lost on her
way to a meeting and was advised by her boss "never to
tell anyone that she didn't know what she was doing-even about
something as unimportant as finding a travel destination."
The publication warns, "If you become so attached to
your course of action that proving it right becomes more important
than your overall success, chances are you are not going to
succeed.The solution is to put ignorance out there for all
to see," advising managers to "talk about what they
don't know and ask for time and resources to figure it out."
"There are times when saying nothing, says volumes,"
affirms Airfoil Account Supervisor Jane Berger. "By not
proactively entering the fray of debate or discourse on a
sometimes controversial and/or risky subject, you exercise
active patience and allow yourself the benefits of learning,
reflection and a calculated response." Berger cites the
media briefing as an example of a setting in which it is always
best to acknowledge what you don't know but to offer to find
and provide the information.
On
the other hand, she notes, executives with strong opinions
are sought out by the media. "Op-eds can be powerful
communications vehicles for advancing a corporate agenda,"
Berger says, "and occasionally times arise when the
company's reputation is being challenged publicly and proactive
comments are required." The art that public relations
counsel provides, she explains, is in weighing the risks
and benefits and taking into consideration the full range
of possible outcomes.
back
to top
Gizmodo—Where
Blog Meets Bylines
If you're in the business of marketing
technology, Gizmodo may be just your remotely brewed, automatically
poured, electronically gauged cup of tea. This online publication-one
part news, ten parts blog, one part portal and maybe five
parts advice column-is staffed with editors, correspondents,
reporters and writers; but, rather than posing as a conventional
magazine, it describes itself as "a technology weblog dedicated
to everything related to gadgets, gizmos and cutting-edge
consumer electronics," with news, reviews and product recommendations.
Indeed,
www.gizmodo.com is one of the most popular sites on the Web,
hauling in 9.9 million page views a month and more than 286,000
visitors a day, about half of whom influence technology purchasing
for their companies, according to the site. Gizmodo reports
that Forbes has named it one of the five best tech blogs
and that it was voted the best technology blog at the annual
Bloggies awards in 2005.
On Gizmodo, you'll find opinionated
pieces about new technology of all types, conjoined with
(often expired) links to online articles from magazines and
newspapers and even video clips. Readers can post comments
about each gizmo and subscribe to tagged topics through RSS
feeds. Subject matter covered by Gizmodo includes the annual
Consumer Electronics Show (a special section of the site
dedicated to this gizmofest), cell phones, digital cameras,
home entertainment, laptops, PCs, PDAs, peripherals, portable
media, robots, smart phones, software, wireless and other
miscellaneous tech topics.
"Gizmodo illustrates the rapidly disappearing line between conventional journalist and blogger," said Airfoil Vice President Eric Kushner. "Anchors, correspondents and editors of many traditional media outlets now are blogging every day; and blogs like Gizmodo, in turn, are becoming popular sources of news and opinion on technology. It's a site that every technology company should view as a major influencer for business and consumer decision-makers."
back
to top
What Does ECC Mean to You?
Airfoil Director of Research Chris
Yoon not only surfs the wave of change in business and technology,
but he also leaves a meaningful mark on the sands of sage
advice. In this new Boarding Pass section, Chris examines
research trends and offers his Higher Thinking on many related
areas that Yoon Oughta Know.
In the past several years, technology
has enabled people to reach one another in more efficient
ways than previously available. Web sites and blogs, such
as engadget and The Smoking Gun, can release breaking news
to a captive audience of thousands-millions, in some instances-long
before it's published in a newspaper or even before it's broadcast
on traditional radio or TV newscasts. These "emerging
channels of communication," or ECCs, include Web sites,
forums, blogs, wikis and podcasting, among other formats.
A number of public relations campaigns to gain top-of-mind
awareness illustrate the effectiveness of ECCs, including
the launch of Toyota's Scion and the continued momentum of
its non-traditional approach to marketing, as well as the
iPod and the growth of podcasting and even videocasting.
How are public relations professionals
addressing ECCs? Passive activity could result in a negative
backlash that may develop into a crisis situation. At the
bare minimum, ECCs should be monitored. In a proactive situation,
target ECCs should be strategically identified to match the
objectives of a campaign and should be treated with an approach
similar to conducting a media briefing. Don't assume that,
because these organizations are "grass roots" in
nature, their members will not behave like traditional journalists.
In fact, most writers/contributors to blogs are professional
journalists with their own regular columns.
Airfoil is interested in the business community's awareness
of ECCs.
What is your familiarity with ECCs?
1. Know of them
2. Know of them and monitor / read them
3. Post and reply to messages / threads
4. Author / owner
Share your answers and any ideas and
commentary related to this topic on Airfoil's blog.
back
to top
An HQ with IQ
Airfoil's new high-tech headquarters in the 1000 Tower of
the Southfield Town Center has been welcomed by clients and
staff alike. With its central geographic location; four smart
conference rooms; numerous general work spaces and free covered
parking, the office now affords clients an easy and comfortable
way to meet with account teams in house, as well as on site.
Airfoil's staff has increased more than eightfold over the
past five years. The new office furnishes plenty of space
for our ongoing growth and enables us to engage in higher
thinking from a new perspective.
back
to top
The Airfoil Client Roster
Grows by Two New Accounts
Airfoil
is pleased to announce the addition of two recent and exciting
wins to its client portfolio.
Airfoil will provide public relations services for Oxlo
Systems, a Colorado-based company that develops packaged
software applications designed specifically to enable automotive
dealers to seamlessly integrate their systems with auto manufacturers
and other partners. Airfoil will help increase the awareness
of Oxlo's solution and demonstrate its business value and
viability among dealers, finance and insurance partners,
suppliers and OEMs. Through industry media relations and
strategic event marketing, Airfoil seeks to establish the
company's technology and thought leadership in the growing
and complex category of automotive retailing technology solutions.
DF
Young has also joined Airfoil's client roster. This company
has more than 100 years of experience providing international
businesses with the full range of transportation and logistics
solutions. In the area of e-logistics, DF Young's technology
enables the seamless access of rich and timely global supply-
chain information. Its visibility solutions are unique in
the industry and provide a real-time view of a client's global
supply chain that is accessible from the Internet. Airfoil
is working on a positioning/branding project related to DF
Young's global visibility technology.
back
to top
Editorial Services Department Adds Exclamation
Point to Higher Thinking
While Airfoil's higher thinkers work every day with clients on written
materials of all types, Airfoil's new Editorial Services Department
advances our capabilities for senior-level writing, as well as the scope
of our work. Directed by seasoned journalist, public relations professional
and executive trainer Steve Friedman, the department augments our account
team's work with development of bylined articles, opinion pieces, white
papers, marketing materials and an array of other high-level editorial
projects. As an extension of client messaging in the written form, Steve
also conducts media and presentation training for top-level executives
to assist them in communicating their messages to audiences directly.
back
to top
Certification Recognizes
Airfoil's Progress as Woman-owned Business
Airfoil recently was certified as a woman-owned business by the Women's
Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), earning one of the most
widely recognized and respected certifications in the United States.
The affirmation provided by the WBENC is accepted by more than 700 major
corporations across the country, as well as many federal and other government
agencies. "This certification will support Airfoil's efforts to
gain increasing recognition for women-owned businesses among our clientele
and within our profession," said Airfoil CEO Lisa Vallee-Smith. "It's
another aspect of our Higher Thinking credo."
back
to top
|
