Expanding Scope of Influence

Some lecture content courtesy of

Influence is changing

Rise of user-generated contentYouTubeFlickrMySpaceFacebook

Media Power Shift

“Circle of influence” is bigger and more diverseOLD: Discrete and formal

“Media gatekeepers”

NEW: Open and casual “Citizen-created media”

Example: Ravi Jain

Boston-based artist Maintains a “video blog” at

http://drivetime.ravijain.org His following has caught the attention of

companies wanting “placement” on his vlog His “authenticity” has high PR value He is an “influencer”

OLD vs. NEW “Influencers”

OLD: “Gatekeepers” were fairly predictable in how they would treat a news development

NEW: Unpredictability of the blogosphereThis is both an opportunity and a burden for

those in PR

Example: Don Imus Blog Backlash!

Don Imus racial remarks on his radio talk show are discussed and attacked in the blogosphere

Mainstream media stays on the story in part due to the heavy pressure from outraged bloggers

Example: “Impossible is Nothing”

Small events that might normally be overlooked by mainstream media are getting massive attention via the WebExample: “Impossible is Nothing” video

resume

Classic Influence Model

New Influence Model

Today’s Reality

Today a blend of both traditional and new influencers rule

OLD: Mainstream media, government officials, industry or financial analysts

OLD AND NEW: Friends and family (now via online sources)

NEW: Like-minded bloggers and media outlets

Less Control

PR messengers now have less control as a result of the “new influencers”

Media Consumption Changes

Traditional news consumption is declining Blogs and online media increasing

Recent data

54% of U.S. adults read a newspaper this week (62% read the Sunday edition)For 18-24 year-olds, the number drops to 42%

Three major U.S. TV nightly newscasts have declined by 59& since 1969.Many are scaling back their operations.

Rise of Blogs

The number of blogs doubled this year Technorati periodically issues a list of the

most influential bloggers as part of its “State of the Blogosphere” report

State of the Blogosphere

Technorati is now tracking over 70 million weblogs, and we're seeing about 120,000 new weblogs being created worldwide each day.

That's about 1.4 blogs created every second of every day.

Image/data courtesy of Technorati

Image/data courtesy of Technorati

Top 100 Site Growth

In April 2007, the number of blogs in the top 100 most popular sites has risen substantially. During Q3 2006 there were only 12 blogs in the Top 100 most popular sites.

In Q4, however, there were 22 blogs on the list -- further evidence of the continuing maturation of the Blogosphere.

SOURCE: Technorati

Blogging in Multiple Languages

Japanese is the top language used in blogs at 37% (up from 33%), followed closely by English at 36% (down from 39%).

Further, there is a wider diversity of languages represented here, specifically Farsi with TodayLink.ir, Persian Blog Fans Club, and Giliran.com making the Top 100.

“The Millennials”

“Millennials” are those born between 1980 and 2000

Many are creating their own news or leading “news free” lives

They select the influence “bits” they want and eliminate/filter out those they don’t want

Time-Shifting

Unlike previous generations, the “millennials” are used to “time-shifting” technologies that allow them to consume media in either “real-time” or on-demand

The New “Influencers”

Anyone with an online presence can “break” the news

Examples:Spyware on Sony-distributed CDsHow to pick a lockDan Rather’s reporting under attack

Faster Pace

The pace of news is speeding up News outlets post news immediately,

rather than waiting for the print edition or telecast

Consumer demand for immediacy

“Real-time PR”

PR communicators are now spending more time in execution and less time in planning

PR industry must join the “virtual campfire” to exchange discussion and ideasSome positive, some critical

Where to Start?

Companies can take advantage of real-time technologies to communicate to media, customers, employees, partners, consumers and other publics

Audience-Centricity

Learn about your audience If you want to influence “me,” then learn about

“me.”Don’t assume a third-party gatekeeper can

serve as a proxy for me Example: Think beyond relaying your message

through the mainstream media

Hyperintegrated Communications

Mix up your strategy among multiple media outlets

Example: Web site promoted on TV spot

Converse with the Consumer

Two-way communication rules Examples:

Microsoft’s Channel 9Audioworld.com

Tell your own story

How your company chooses to tell its story can be a powerful form of influenceExample: Microsoft XBOX 360 crisis response

Facilitate the conversation, but involve the consumers in the communication

Transparency and Trust