On Our Mind

J.D. Power and Associates has identified five important consumer trends that have emerged from examining social media commentary. Below is the list from the company’s press release.

Access: Consumers now have access to more information than ever before, including unprecedented access to brands and people through social networks. This access to information will continue to accelerate through the proliferation of smartphone and mobile devices. Therefore, it becomes increasingly critical for brands to provide timely and accurate information online that can be accessed through mobile devices.

Elimination of excess: Triggered by the economic downturn and environmental factors, consumers are scaling back from excess and gravitating toward simplification and minimalist lifestyles. Many seem to be pleased with these changes. For brands and marketers, this means that it is critical to reinforce the value of their products and services, and lead consumers to perceive products as essential to their lifestyles.

Quality: In response to the economic difficulties of 2008 and 2009, many consumers curtailed purchase of more expensive products, at times at the expense of quality. In 2010, consumers are increasingly questioning why low price and high quality seem to be mutually exclusive. Brands that succeed at delivering both may have a competitive advantage.

Control: With the proliferation of online information and smart devices, consumers are taking greater control over their purchase experiences, and by extension, their lives. As a result, conveying a sense of empowerment to consumers may be a particularly effective marketing theme.

Identity: Traditional notions of life stages are changing and evolving. For example, people are entering marriage and childbearing phases at a later age and the definition of retirement is changing for many Baby Boomers. Approximately 85 percent of college graduates in 2011 plan to move back in with parents after graduation. As a result, marketers must re-evaluate how they segment and target consumers, as traditional perceptions and roles may no longer apply.

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=138101

Social media is one of the hottest topics in public relations and MS&L has been listening to what decision makers and influencers are saying about the impact of social media on the industry. Teaming up with PRWeek for the second year, MS&L Group issued a “Social Media Survey,” polling nearly 300 U.S. chief marketing officers, VPs of marketing and marketing directors.

The insights were telling about the obstacles brands face in achieving social media success:

-45 percent say the biggest challenge in measurement is the inability to link social media activity to sales and revenues
-44 percent of respondents have no budget allocated for social media whatsoever
-26 percent of companies have no specific approach to how staff should use social media to share company messages

While those stats may seem alarming, companies are making the connection that social media is a necessity and a main driver for innovation:

-33 percent of companies have made changes to products or marketing efforts based on the feedback gathered from social media
-58 perfect believe that in the next two years social media will have more of an impact on generating sales and revenue

Public relations experts are in a unique position to better educate communicators and provide the measurement tools necessary for identifying success. We serve as the bridge to help spark the conversation and inform companies on engaging effectively in social media to ultimately add to their bottom line.

We encourage you to read the full survey findings by visiting the MS&L Social Media Survey.

Spotted.

Our own media expert, Stephen Brown, discussing reputation management  in the wake of the Bishop Eddie Long scandal on WSB TV and AJC.com.

From the AJC:

Stephen M. Brown, senior vice president of media strategy at MS&L’s Atlanta office, also believes Long was long overdue for in personally addressing the allegations.

“Folks want to hear from him directly,” he said. “Having a surrogate or lawyer speak on his behalf is a missed opportunity.”  Addressing the allegations on his home turf, though, is understandable. “He is certainly speaking to a friendly audience and base of supporters. It also gives him some artistic liberty to talk around the issue a little bit — to invoke parables and anecdotes.”

Check out Stephen’s interviews.

http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/bishop-eddie-long-pastor-620267.html

http://www.wsbtv.com/video/index.html

I just returned from a whirlwind trend spotting trip to Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo punctuated by visits with MS&L colleagues from Asian offices. It was awe-inspiring to see the riches of these far-flung cultures – from wonders of the world such as the Great Wall, to perfectly preserved Buddhist and Shinto temples and shrines to the sprawling world expo focused on sustainable modern cities and wrapping up this fall on the river banks of Shanghai.

In talking to each other over several days of visits, my Asian counterparts and I realized shared values of authentic communication, strong writing, the importance of media relations and real-time communications with clients and influencers.

Whether you plan to do business in China or Japan, to visit for recreation or are just curious about these places in our increasingly global business culture, here are ten findings from this first-time visitor that may instruct or inspire:

1. Avoid the number “4” as it is bad luck in Asian tradition with the Mandarin pronunciation equivalent to “death.” Conversely, the number “8” is quite lucky – and the well-heeled will actually pay to get a license plate or phone number full of eights and free of fours.

2. Quick service restaurants are hugely popular and very surreal. KFC is most popular, followed closely by McDonald’s. Most restaurants were huge hangouts of the young, with a trip to the McCafé not an uncommon first date or place to gather with friends. Many paid for their food with a mobile phone or subway card in some of the intown locations.

3. Want a place to debut a new product in China? I suggest a mega-mall or an emerging arts district. The Village shopping center in Beijing features a high-rise mall with an Apple Store and boutiques and the city’s Dashanzi Arts District – originally the 798 Factory – is at the heart of a growing art and culture community called the “798 Space.”

4. Bloggers receive an honorarium for covering PR clients. Despite movements toward transparency and full disclosure in the States, it is quite difficult to enforce in Asia. Many bloggers who travel to attend events will be compensated for transportation and more and may not reveal on their blogs that they were compensated in any way.

5. Here’s a tip: no tipping. Gratuity is not assumed or expected for most activities in Asia that would require it in America. So you don’t need to factor in tips for valet, taxi, restaurant, hotel or a variety of services.

6. The social network of the moment in Asia is QQ. With sites such as Facebook not permitted by Chinese government, QQ, a very popular instant message platform, has become the social network of the moment.

7. The bootleg movement was alive and well in China, not as much in Japan. Custom tailors in Beijing would gladly sew an Armani label into a suit or a Disney label onto a plush toy. Video stores were lined with DVD’s of “Inception” and other extraordinarily “new” releases.

8. There’s amusement on every corner. It was not uncommon in Japan to see multiple karaoke clubs (called “KTV” by locals), pachinko parlors for gambling or teens who change from street clothes to costumes at subway stations to role play and “see and be seen” as anime and comic book characters. Even the famed Watercube of the Beijing Olympics has been transformed into an elaborate water park complete with cascades, wave pools and looming jellyfish mobiles.

9. Marketing messages were absolutely ubiquitous. From LED screens covering full ceilings to signs on moving sidewalks and grocery store floors and wall-sized displays featuring American stars such as Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman, advertising was everywhere. There were even trucks devoted to playing one radio music single and promoting it loudly and in the streets.

10. Study up on transportation before visiting Asia. Many taxi drivers will not be fluent in English, and even family names such as Marriott (as in the hotel where I was staying) translate into Chinese characters and are pronounced differently than they would be in English. And in Tokyo, never take the taxi from the airport. If you do, you could have upwards to a $400 bill. Instead take the “limousine,” which is actually a bus that takes you directly to most U.S. brands of hotels in the key in-town districts.