NATIONAL\'s Digital Thinking Spring Issue

1. Digital Thinking
Insights into an evolving online world
Spring 2010

2. Introduction: The best Whatever digital program an organization settles
on, the key is to create one that drives business
digital thinking takes goals. This takes an array of insights and 360
an array of insight and degree thinking – a combination of strategic,
creative, technological and subject matter
experience expertise to truly seize on your organization’s
potential in the digital landscape. The expert
John Crean
views in this report represent that kind of diverse
Today, sharing opinions publicly is no longer insight and thinking.
limited to recognized experts, packaged and Whether it’s the latest trends in mobile and social
broadcast through mainstream media sources to marketing; the state of the “old media” and
mass audiences. As we are all witnessing, media digital expectations of the next generation; best
is increasingly social and communications is practices for monitoring and engaging in social
evolving into conversations led by the audiences media; creating digitally enabled workplaces and
themselves. knowing the distinct difference of social media
While it’s clear that digital solutions can help in Quebec; or understanding digital’s impact on
support an organization’s communications and investor relations and the pharmaceutical sector,
marketing activities, it’s also clear that avoiding our firm has important digital thinking that we
the online conversation altogether means lost would like to share.
opportunities to protect and build reputation, The global conversation is changing. And helping
foster strong relations with key people and business and organizations navigate this change
groups, or build better communications within with trusted, bold thinking is what we are about.
organizations themselves.
John Crean is national managing
But finding the right solutions can be a partner of NATIONAL Public
challenge. The digital space is vast and Relations
constantly changing, and every organization’s
jcrean@national.ca
needs are unique and evolving. Solutions can
range from building audiences to locating those
key audiences who are talking about you or the
issues that impact you.

3. Going wiki at work:
social media and
employee engagement
Carolyn Ray
Several weeks ago, I hosted a lunch-and-learn
session on employee engagement and social
media at our office. In it, we asked people to
do ”day in the life” exercises to show how
generational differences influence communications
preferences. It was a great way to demonstrate
how we need to shift our perspective. We must
move beyond the ”comfort zone” of traditional,
top-down communications and engage in
continuous, open dialogue with employees. As social media in the workplace gains
momentum, organizations should be more
In less than two years, Gen Ys (those born
concerned about being left behind than of losing
between 1981 and 2000) will outnumber baby
control. There is some risk in allowing employees
boomers in the workplace. In our office, almost
to freely express their opinions, but the rewards
half our employees are Gen Y. Is the printed
clearly outweigh the risks. Imagine how all-way
company newsletter still the best tool for multi-
dialogue could improve the customer experience,
generational workforces in a sea of online forums,
stimulate innovation or create new products and
blogs and wikis and mashups? We need to find
services?
more personalized ways to connect across the
generation gap—and we need to do it now. Today’s organizations are being asked to do
and communicate more than ever before. Social
Our own research, “Start the Dialogue:
media is changing the game for how we engage
Engaging Employees in Tough Times”, found
all of our employees as partners in business
that social media is the top trend impacting
success. Fortunately, the right tools are already
internal communications. In addition, 45 per
available. All that is needed is for business to
cent of respondents said changing workplace
embrace them—and start the dialogue!
demographics is a major challenge. With social
media, organizations can enhance trust with Carolyn Ray is a vice president in
leaders, understand employee concerns and NATIONAL’s Toronto office
overcome internal silos. cray@national.ca

4. Who should own social Small companies have been able to take
advantage of the latest social media tools,
media in your company? not only because smaller companies are more
nimble, but because small companies and their
Megan Halkett
employees often better understand what is going
When websites became a corporate necessity, on across cubicle borders.
it seemed practical to give ownership and Now is the time for larger companies to assess
management of the site to the IT department— their social media strategy across traditionally
websites being computer-related and all. distinct departments. For example, how is social
Slowly, it has become clear that although the media integrated to your customer service
technical management of a corporate website is programs? Have you measured its effectiveness?
critical, the content on the website is now more How is social media being used to recruit new
important than flashy photos have ever been. employees?
This is why many communications and marketing Keep in mind that students are evaluating
departments have taken over the reins of your social media profile just as you have the
corporate websites and the long-term goals they opportunity to evaluate theirs. How is social
hope to achieve with them. media going to be used if the company faces a
In large companies with entrenched departmental crisis? Do you know who to contact to update
roles and associated budgets, it is often difficult your followers or will you need to track down
for one department to oversee assets that other someone in IT? Remember, a timely response
departments are in charge of. In the case of is key, even if all you can say to your public is,
social media and who should own it, the answer, “We’re working on it!”
at first glance, may seem clear. But it is important It is critical when creating and managing a
to evaluate how social media can interact with social media presence that you build an internal
various end users—the customer, the employee team from multiple departments and that you
and the media. understand your social media presence should
With the uptake in social media use by not just be used as a copy of your website or a
companies large and small, never before has one-off marketing campaign tool. An integrated
there been a better time for senior management social media strategy can yield considerable
to evaluate the roles played by various “outward benefits, including a strong corporate reputation
facing” departments to ensure that their social for your company over the long term.
media program is meeting the needs of the Megan Halkett is a senior
entire organization. consultant in NATIONAL’s
Vancouver office
mhalkett@national.ca

5. Ethics and social media
Jeff Scott
The challenges presented by social media are not
entirely new—by now we have all experienced
disruptive technologies in the workplace. But
social media presents business with challenges of
a scope and pace the likes of which have never
been seen before.
Some of these challenges are technological,
such as where to host a corporate blog or how
to design a Facebook page, and these can be
solved with the right technological resources.
But the human aspect of social media makes its
challenges so much more inscrutable.
The rules for communicating on social media
Princeton’s WordNet defines ethics as “the are not set in stone, but they are shared and
principles of right and wrong that are accepted well understood by the people who use them.
by an individual or a social group”. So what are No business has been hurt by adhering to the
the ethics inherent to the groups we find on four main principles held dear by social media:
social media? In general, these groups expect honesty, transparency, authenticity and respect.
businesses to treat them on social media just as Adding technology to the mix simply means it is
they do in the real world. easier than ever for your customers to check up
The ethical challenges raised by the rapid on you.
expansion of social media are many: Should Jeff Scott is a consultant in
customers be able to speak directly with your NATIONAL’s Montreal office
CEO rather than by contacting your established
jscott@national.ca
customer service team? Should every tweet
published on your Twitter feed come from within
or is it acceptable to engage an agency to help?
Do you have to disclose the specifics of your
communications tactics to your customers or is it
enough to treat them with respect?

6. Online media and Most of the chatter on investor discussion forums
does not warrant any company participation.
investor relations: The forums can, however, reveal issues in how
opportunity awaits disclosure events are being perceived in the
marketplace. Rather than engaging in time-
Laurie Stretch consuming individual conversations on investor
discussion forums, company spokespeople,
The world of online media, social media, clearly identified, can point investors back to
blogs and discussion forums has added new relevant disclosed information on the company’s
complexity to the discipline of investor relations. website for clarification. A regularly updated
Finding the right balance between adhering to online FAQ document can also be an effective
disclosure rules and engaging shareholders vehicle for addressing issues that come up in
where they are communicating in the online world discussion forums, and companies can post links
can be challenging. to the FAQ across social media channels.
Due to legal concerns about the risks of including CEO blogs are popular in certain industries,
selective disclosure, many companies take a although like any new communications channel,
completely hands-off approach to digital media, analysis is required before a blog is launched to
limiting their communications to the established ensure that the tone and approach are suited to
tactics of news releases, websites, presentations the medium, that there is a purpose to the blog
and conference calls. Such an approach other than merely restating news releases, and
overlooks a key opportunity for engagement with that processes are in place to ensure the blog can
investor audiences in their own space. Provided be maintained over time.
that a company continues to disclose all material
Laurie Stretch is a vice president
news through news releases, online and social
in NATIONAL’s Calgary office
media can be a very useful way to broaden the
reach of the official disclosure. lstretch@national.ca
Social media monitoring is an essential addition
to conventional media monitoring to ensure
that companies have a true picture of investor
sentiment. Retail investors in particular are
avid users of social media. Ongoing and
comprehensive monitoring can track attitudinal
shifts or emerging issues in real time.

7. Responsible digital Conversely, if misinformation is being posted—on
Wikipedia, Facebook, a blog or YouTube—who has
engagement for the responsibility to correct it? And how can this
pharmaceutical be done without appearing self-serving? Should—
and possibly will—companies be held responsible
companies if they don’t correct erroneous information
disseminated by others?
Miranda Dini
Some companies have devised clever ways to
Despite ever-increasing pressure—and desire— address these communications challenges and
for pharmaceutical companies to enter the digital opportunities. When faced with SideWiki posts
space and engage in an interactive dialogue with ”graffiti-ing” its corporate website, AstraZeneca
their target audiences, this industry has been a posted legal statements running the length of
“late adopter”. Clearly this is a highly regulated the page, ”owning” their space and ensuring
environment—with a vacuum of clear-cut no inaccuracies are posted there. Roche, Novo
guidelines on digital engagement. Additionally, Nordisk and others use the immediacy of
the pharmaceutical industry (or pharma as it’s Twitter to issue news releases live from medical
often called) is conservative, often hesitant to conferences. Novartis sponsors an educational
leap into uncharted territories, particularly without Facebook page (Marcia Strassman—Patient
well-proven ROI. Advocate) about the realities of breast cancer and
As a result, pharma has generally remained a provides information about its drug’s efficacy and
silent spectator in the digital space. But are these safety. And numerous companies have created
companies missing opportunities to communicate interactive educational websites on diseases
with their target audiences? Definitely. Does and treatments.
silence equal responsibility? Not necessarily. Will So the industry can proactively, strategically
we continue to see more intrepid pharma clients and responsibly educate audiences using the
leading to creative digital projects? Hopefully! digital space, but there are limited examples to
When audiences want to learn more about a date. What’s needed is both regulatory guidance
disease, treatment or company, can pharma on the rules of engagement (the FDA is likely
communicate proactively? Opportunities vary. to be first, estimated Q4 2010), as well as a
For example, corporate reputation activities groundswell of digital industry advocates to push
are similar to other industries, while treatment- their colleagues to become digital players instead
specific discussions are highly regulated. of spectators.
Education about diseases provides the Miranda Dini is director of
greatest opportunities to communicate digitally operations of AxON’s office
with audiences. in London
mdini@axon-com.com

8. Numbers that matter: So which numbers matter? First, it is vital to
identify specific metrics that tie directly in to your
a common sense key goals. Calibrating a campaign might involve
approach to social media 30 different metrics ranging from basics like the
number of unique visitors, to tracking passing
monitoring of campaign collateral on Twitter, or tweaking
Facebook Ads for better audience targeting.
Channing Rodman
Start specific, and narrow focus as the campaign
Increasingly, companies demand that their social moves forward.
media campaigns show clear ROI, so it’s crucial Secondly, recognize that time is also a number
to have a good social media monitoring strategy. that matters. To properly evaluate a campaign,
Understanding which numbers matter in your companies must budget for real time spent
monitoring is the key to seeing real value from a strategizing, setting up and, above all, checking
digital initiative. metrics. Metrics is a science, so regular checks
Think of social media monitoring as the heartbeat are necessary in order to spot patterns of use that
of any campaign—it drives everything you do. spell success or trouble for a campaign.
During your planning stages, monitoring is how Finally, diversify. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all
you find out where the conversation is happening. platform yet, so companies can only ensure
Prior to launch, it lets you identify champions for smart monitoring through cross-checking tools.
outreach and helps you prepare for crises. After For example, in a Facebook campaign you will
launch, it lets you gauge success and points use insights to track users—but because social
toward adjustments you can make to grow your media does not happen in isolation, this must be
campaign. combined with other monitoring tools to track
It can, however, be difficult to identify just where users spread the campaign off Facebook.
which numbers matter most. Companies selling Designing social media monitoring from the start
monitoring platforms further cloud the issue by to count the numbers that matter is what leads to
claiming to measure metrics that can’t really real value for companies online.
be counted, like “engagement” or “sentiment.” Channing Rodman is a
Beware of claims to measure emotion since consultant in NATIONAL’s
computers aren’t currently accurate at Vancouver office
understanding natural language, so a platform
csrodman@national.ca
can’t truly gauge how users feel about a topic.
More importantly, metrics shouldn’t be about
emotions—they’re about what works and what
doesn’t.

9. Customers generating Value exchange is the “what’s in it for me?”
factor. For a moment, let’s admit that we are self-
customers interested. As social creatures, we seek personal
gain and act when we are given an incentive to
Alex Pejcic
do so. The interesting thing about value exchange
As a digital marketer, I used to live in a world in today’s social web is that the pay-off can come
where brand marketing, direct-response in various forms.
marketing and advertising were all that mattered In traditional direct-response marketing, we would
for the success of our clients. “reward” consumers with contests, coupons,
“Big Ideas” were translated into multi-directional or access to exclusive content. Nowadays,
creative executions, eventually pushed in front of consumers might share a brand’s piece of media
target audiences courtesy of a mass media buy. to help increase their own popularity or reputation
However, with the proliferation of peer-based among their online social graph.
social networking, this modus operandi has been A good digital partner will look for ways to
revolutionized—forever. develop opportunities that capitalize on these
In less than three years, social networking has types of value exchange. They will be able to
become mainstream. It’s transformed the way employ new strategies, rules and tactics that
we communicate online. We are no longer simply leverage the best of traditional communications,
motivated by a single brand voice, but have interactive marketing and the social web
become further persuaded by the multifaceted for success.
viewpoints of our online peers. For businesses and organizations, it’s critical to
Inside the social web, we can see that peer take advantage of this important cultural shift
influence will play a deeper role in brand affinity and allow consumers to drive brand affinity and
and purchasing decisions. As well, if brands or purchase intent through peer influence.
products are strong and ultimately worth talking Alex Pejcic is vice president,
about, customers will be eager to do the online managing director of
marketing for us. Sonic Boom Creative Media.
And yet, this notion generates even more a.pejcic@sonicboom.com
questions. What would motivate a person to
share a piece of media with a group of friends?
Why would a person participate in an online
community?
One way to answer these questions is with value
exchange.

10. Social media in Quebec
Doris Juergens
Je tweete,
When it comes to traditional media, Quebec tu tweetes
is definitely distinct. We have just 13 daily
newspapers and it’s not unusual for over half
the province to be glued to the TVA and Société
Radio-Canada TV networks on Sunday evenings
for local programming. But what about social
media? Does the French language factor into that
as well? The answer is yes and no.
Yes, because Quebeckers in general—and
francophones in particular—have been slower
to adopt social media. By way of example, in
late 2009, less than half of Quebeckers (42%)
Many Twitter accounts move back and forth
had even heard of Twitter, let alone used it.
from one language to the other quite seamlessly,
Just 2% held a Twitter account, according to a
depending on the conversation. On my Twitter
SOM survey, and usage among francophones is
account (@juergens), I post in either English or
significantly lower than among non-francophones
French, depending on the topic. The reality is
(1% vs. 5%)
what tends to slow down communicators’ use
For communicators, the low(er) numbers can be of social media in Quebec is the availability of
a challenge. Many Quebec-based blogs won’t French interfaces for tools. For example, in some
show up on the radar of standard social media instances, we have not recommended the new
monitoring tools because the number of visitors foursquare application because there isn’t a
is below their threshold, making it difficult to French interface (yet).
identify online key opinion leaders and track
But like most things with social media, it comes
conversations.
down to the main questions: What are we trying
On the other hand, language can be even less of to accomplish? Is a social media strategy a good
a factor in the digital world. While organizations fit? And if so, where is our audience? These
that want to reach out to Quebeckers generally questions must be answered before we reach out
have French-English mirror websites, blogs reflect to them and join the conversation. And in that
their author’s preference and can be unilingual sense, Quebec is no different from anywhere else.
or bilingual.
Doris Juergens is a partner in
NATIONAL’s Montreal office
djuergens@national.ca

11. Not dead yet It’s also true that traditional media outlets are
facing unprecedented financial challenges. Many
Alan Fryer and Zdenka Buric have already folded; others are teetering on
the brink. In order to survive, those that remain
Hard to believe looking back now, but when we are struggling to redefine themselves and what
first got into the business—one in TV journalism, constitutes hard news. What used to be “just
the other in public relations—we were unarmed the facts, Ma’am” now comes injected with
and didn’t know it. No email, no Internet and no increasingly large doses of opinion and analysis.
one had ever heard of Google, let alone LinkedIn, (Just look at the growing popularity of Fox News
Facebook or Twitter. in the US).
Fast forward to the present day. We’ve gone from And that presents huge challenges for your
what seemed like a trickle of information back company’s media relations strategy. Now, when
then—brought to you exclusively by what we now things go wrong and your company finds itself
refer to as the mainstream media—to a virtual in the news, it’s just as likely the media will be
deluge. And the waters just keep rising. writing about how you handled the issue—your
Amid all this, we keep hearing predictions (there’s strategy—as it will the five W’s.
even a Twitter feed that’s counting it down) about Consider this recent headline from Reuters:
the death of traditional media. If you buy that line,
“Toyota grapples with PR bungles, tarnished
you do so at your peril.
brand”
While it’s true that the glory days of the
In other words, your strategy itself is now
mainstream media are long gone, there remains
considered newsworthy. The good (Maple
one undeniable fact confirmed recently by a
Leaf Foods), the bad (Toyota) and the ugly
major study by the Pew Research Center’s
(Tiger Woods).
Project for Excellence in Journalism: most of
what the public learns—in other words, most Alan Fryer, a former Washington
of the news that’s reported and consumed—is bureau chief for CTV News, is
still generated by traditional media, particularly senior counsel to NATIONAL
newspapers and local television news. afryer@national.ca
By contrast, the world of new media—blogs and
social media sites—serve more as online “echo
chambers” that pick up that original content and Zdenka Buric is managing
pass it around with added commentary. You can’t partner of NATIONAL’s
ignore it: you have to deal with it, but it’s unlikely Vancouver office
you’ll learn much new from it. zburic@national.ca

12. Mobile and emerging
technologies
Brent Marshall
The emergence of the mobile marketplace is
one of the most significant events to hit the
digital environment in recent memory. Two years
ago, we witnessed the launch of the first mobile
marketplace. Competitors recently started
to appear and vie for a piece of the mobile
application pie. Now marketers are jumping into
the fray, leading the development charge to get
their brand in front of the consumer.
There’s no shortage of compelling arguments
in favour of mobile application development. As with any industry moving this quickly, there
The development can be monetized and are caveats. Each of the mobile platforms relies
handled through third-party marketplaces; on an individual framework. The more devices we
there’s no need to manage an e-commerce target, the longer the development will take. The
platform. Development cycles are short since mobile device we choose changes the way we
the applications are concise executions on a interact with the application. Understanding your
specific idea. Screen time for your brand can target market and the device they use is key to
be maximized with an application design that achieving a solid foundation for your application.
encourages re-use. Meanwhile, the penetration of We are fortunate to have been given a solid
smart phones continues to grow. foundation on which to construct and distribute
The mobile marketplace represents a paradigm our applications. Consumers can now conduct
shift in software distribution. Refereed any number of tasks through their mobile
marketplaces guarantee that only well-executed devices—from anywhere. Doesn’t it make sense
applications make it on to your phone. Daily to put your brand into the consumer’s hand?
reports are provided to track your application’s Brent Marshall is the lead
standing in the marketplace. Multiple-language technologist at Sonic Boom
support enables worldwide distribution. Touch Creative Media
screens, motion tracking and geo-location can
b.marshall@sonicboom.com
alter your approach to interface design.

13. Growing up digital John: Social networks fulfill a human and
very teenage yearning for belonging and
John Paul Fraser and Sam Merritt reinforcement. No wonder these networks are so
popular and the place to be if you want content
Sam: I am 16 years old. to spread.
John: I am not 16 years old. But I have two Sam: And just about every young teen surveyed
daughters who are under sixteen. has a cellphone and texts—a lot. “Facebooking”
Sam: Together John’s kids and I have something and texting are about equal in popularity. We
in common: we know nothing about a world crave communication—spoken, written, visual—
without online social networks. in our hands.
John: Some call them Digital Natives or John: Young people don’t fear technology
Generation Z. Whatever brand we impose, and, shockingly, can live without TV and its
they bring attitudes and perspective that will, constraints. They’ve never lived without choice
like generations before, define how the world over what they watch and when. YouTube
produces and shares information. beats TV.
Sam: Sound crazy? It was a 20-year-old who Behind these conclusions lies a core finding. The
helped friends, and then the world, share days of raising awareness through traditional
music online. Teens were the ones who made one-to-many broadcast channels are ending.
texting technology a dominant platform for More and more people will receive information
communication. from their friends—the people they trust. What’s
more, they’ll expect to receive it on the move, in
John: So it’s critical to know more about creative ways, without financial barriers.
tomorrow’s generation, today. Soon they will be
a driving force of global opinion—if they aren’t For businesses and organizations, this means
already. becoming a “friend” too—giving the audience
more ways to participate with you. It means your
Sam: Recently, I surveyed my friends about their story becomes your audience’s story.
online habits. The first big conclusion: free. If it’s
not free, then it’s not worth checking out. Sam: How do we know this? Because the people
you share your house with say so.
John: Young people expect to be able to receive
content without paying for it. And as companies John Paul Fraser is a vice
continue to develop technology to safeguard president in NATIONAL’s
it, youth will just continue to find ways to get Vancouver office
content for free.
jfraser@national.ca
Sam: Another conclusion: Facebook rules. Most
of my friends spend over two hours a day on
it. And it’s more than a place to get information, Sam Merritt is an intern in
check up on friends or receive fan updates—it’s NATIONAL’s Vancouver office
the best way for us to have direct one-to-one
smerritt@national.ca
contact. Goodbye email.

14. For over 33 years, NATIONAL Public Relations
has helped Canada’s leading organizations reach
their business goals with bold thinking that drives
innovative communications solutions. And for over
13 years, Sonic Boom Creative Media has helped
clients understand, embrace and optimize the
massive potential of the digital world. Together
we have the strategic, creative, technological and
subject matter expertise to help you seize the
potential of the digital landscape.
Contact us: digital@national.ca