by Susan Gosselin, Vest Director of PR

Bad managers beware.  Social media gives your employees more, and better, ways to get even than you imagine.

Here, for instance, is a long-suffering assistant to what appears to have a real pig of a boss.  She decided to quit through a series of whiteboard photos she sent to her co-workers, since her boss was too busy chatting up his friends and calling her a HOPA on the phone for her to deliver it face to face.  This hilarious, yet sincere and truthful, resignation has now become a viral sensation, being covered on Mashable and many other blogs.  She outed her boss not just for his horrible behavior, but for laziness, too…with stats to back her up.  Every company should show this to their managers during training.  Yes, they can monitor their employees.  But their employees are monitoring them, too.

While this kind of public humiliation campaign isn’t exactly corporate protocol, I feel it will help her job hunt in the end.  I would hire this girl in a minute, for her ethics and creativity alone.  Wouldn’t you?

by Susan Gosselin,

Vest Director of PR

I don’t know Michael Hyatt, the CEO of Christian Publisher Thomas Nelson, but I love him anyway.  Why?  Because he publishes one of the most prescient, interesting blogs out there on social media, leadership and publishing.  I read his blog religiously, and I feel like I understand what he is trying to accomplish in life–and it is nothing short of rewriting the rules of management for the modern, plugged-in CEO.

He has a beautifully designed blog/website that discusses everything that’s on his mind professionally, and sometimes personally.  And it’s not just self-important product rants.  He’s showing us what he believes, his hopes for the future, his philosophy of management, and where he believes his company fits in in this crazy world.  It’s a vision that’s compelling, whether you are a fan of Christian books or not.

I love Michael’s blog because it makes him:

Accessible–to all his publics, inside and outside the company

Inspirational–because he always has something positive or futuristic to say

Real–because he’s not trying to puff himself up or create some kind of sales conversion

Transparent–because he makes his motives perfectly clear to everyone

Not every CEO has the personality to do what Michael Hyatt has done.  But I think there is a lesson for every CEO in his accomplishments.  The business world would be a much better place if more leaders adopted his philosophies.  Michael, as they used to say on “Hee Haw”— SAAAALUUUTE!

by Susan Gosselin,

Vest Director of PR

If you’ve ever worked in a company that’s launching a new product, you’ve probably thought to yourself, “If people only knew all the cool stuff I do about what went into this product, they’d buy it.”  This is the kernel of the idea behind what Ford is trying to do with it’s new Ford Explorer launch, exclusively on Facebook.  It’s really corporate storytelling at its best…with some cool sweepstakes and giveaways thrown in for good measure.

I’m impressed with this approach.  Instead of the stale, auto industry show, followed by the requisite industry reviews and the inevitable barrage of cheesy dealer ads, they’ve taken their story directly to the people.  They did a constant schedule webinars, live chats, video releases and more on their Facebook page for all of July 26.  These long format videos show the designers of the car explaining the details of why the car is designed like it is.  They are showing off some of the industry first features like their one-touch control technology and seat belt airbags.  They’ve even got the very entertaining Mike Rowe, host of “Dirty Jobs”, involved. Comments are streaming in from fans and potential buyers, and Ford Execs are responding to every one.

Ford employees are looking great in these videos, because their passion is showing.  Their faces just light up with genuine pride when they talk about this vehicle.  Wouldn’t you rather buy your next car from someone like that?

Best of all, they are giving away cars!  Sign up for their sweepstakes or simply like the page, and you’ve got as good a chance as any one.  They set their goal at 30,000 fans their first day. They got more than double that, and it’s only likely to grow.  National news outlets have made this novel new launch one of the stories of the week.

This proves that social media can offer traditional companies a way to tell a lengthier, more satisfying version of their story…and people will listen.  People really want to have a conversation with your company, especially when selling a major and considered purchase like a car.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out in sales, however.  This new Explorer won’t make it to showrooms until the winter.  That’s a long time for the excitement to die down; but enough time, I suppose, for all the industry reviews to hit the stands.  Stay tuned!

by Susan Gosselin, Vest Advertising Director of PR

Let me start off by saying I am a dyed in the wool, unshakable Mac loyalist. I’ve used the Mac without abatement since the first Mac Classic. I think Steve Jobs is perhaps the greatest product designer since Thomas Edison.  The way he has handled the iPhone 4 reception debacle, however, has left me a bit perplexed.  He ended up doing the right thing by customers, but complaining, blaming, belittling and shifting the subject all the way. He made himself look small, and prolonged the sordid affair for days and days longer than it should have gone. This is not the way you handle Crisis PR.  I think Steve Jobs has been loved by his customers a little too much.  When he’s not treated like the Messiah, he’s so shocked that he doesn’t handle it well.

I could go on, but this blog on CNet lays out the argument for Job’s “failing grade” so well, I’ll just let you read the real thing.  And Steve, just remember…we’re smart enough to buy your products.  So stop trying to treat us like we’re stupid.

by Susan Gosselin, Vest Director of PR

Just because you have your own account on Twitter doesn’t mean it’s your private space.  It’s shockingly public, searchable and now…archived.  The Library of Congress archives every tweet posted by everyone, every day.  Right now, they say you can’t go to the library to look up one person specifically.  But they do have searches by subject and can use your tweets for datamining on general trends.  It is only a matter of time before your daily rantings about long airport lines, where you’re meeting up for drinks, or links to Perez Hilton are deemed historically significant and public domain.  So, when tweeting, just remember not to say anything you wouldn’t want your grandmother–or your great, great grand daughter–to hear.  Also keep in mind, many search engines are now looking for tweets and public Facebook comments when you type in a general search request.  So your comments today can be searched and seen in new and different ways.

Just because the government isn’t capturing every piece of data on the Internet, it doesn’t mean no one else is.  I was shocked to find a site called the “way back machine” that takes a snapshot of everything on the web every day.  Want to know what a company claimed on its website in 2002?  You can find it.  So just because you’ve taken information down, doesn’t mean it’s ever really gone.  This can have huge implications for companies in the midst of scandal or rapid, controversial change.

Want to know other ways you’re being watched?  Check out this great little story from Mashable. If you really want to get scared, try this ingenious game, Smokescreen.  It is designed to teach teens about Internet dangers, as you try to complete missions with completely plausible, real world privacy problems plaguing you at every turn.

What’s the upshot of all this?  Remember that whatever you say in even the most casual forum is searchable and analyzable by anyone.  If you want to send a truly private message, send a text, email or better yet, pick up the phone. Even then, if it’s in writing, it can be found by anyone with a subpeona.  For companies, remember that the bold statements and prognostications you make today will keep you accountable tomorrow. Consider it the other side of the coin of the Social Media revolution.

by Susan Gosselin

Vest Director of PR

Used to be, when you put out television advertising, the only thing you ever had to worry about was cutting through the clutter and sales results.  But in today’s world of mashups, youtube, fan art/fiction and media creation programs nearly anyone can use your intellectual property for their own.  It’s something brand managers should really be thinking about as they create their campaigns.

Exhibit A:  Esurance. Most of you recognize the perky pink haired cartoon spokesmodel for esurance, right?  Well, apparently, the face that launched thousands of new insurance accounts launched something else the company didn’t intend: an army of amateur artists, film makers and cartoonists making x-rated art with her image. (the illustration above is a very, very tame rendition.) The problem was becoming so bad that Erin’s many doppelgangers were completely drowning out the company’s legitimate presence in the search results, and hijacking the company’s presence on the Internet.  Who would have thought something like this could have happened even a few years ago?  But, there are plenty of perverts out there with photoshop, animation software and video editing suites and plenty of time on their hands.  I suppose no one should be surprised.

From a crisis management perspective, this is a classic example of when to cut bait. Happily, this is what Esurance has decided to do. No amount of indignant press releases or targeted lawsuits would have ever stamped out this brand infestation. It would have only served to bring more attention and search results to the cause.  Since it’s just a brand character and not the company’s core product, they can afford to do this.

Poor Erin.  Now that she’s been fired from her day job, she’ll have to go out onto the mean streets on her own.  Sounds like the beginning of a comic book series, to me.

by Susan Gosselin,

Vest Director of PR

Now THIS is what you can get when you put some money and strategy into social media.  What Gatorade is doing here goes far beyond just monitoring and navel gazing.  They are using the big money stars they were already paying to be in their ads, and using them as very interesting sports sources.  They give you a peek into what it is really like to be a sports star, and bring their fans the dose of fantasy and reality that keeps them coming back for more.  In many respects, they are occupying the same marketing space that Nike had just a few years ago. They are the sports performance experts. And how cool is that mission control? Thank you, Gatorade, for being a shining beacon, leading the way for the rest of us.

by Susan Gosselin,

Vest Director of PR

David Gergen, advisor to many presidents democratic and republican, is one of the few pundits in the media that makes sense, in my opinion. This recent post from BNET, summarizing one of Gergen’s recent missives, shows just how level headed he is.  No matter what your opinion on President Obama, I think most Americans agree they are not getting what they need from him in this crisis.  Those of you who follow my blog will probably have heard me say that in a crisis, it is more important what you do than what you say.  This is a key example.  Because Obama is perceived not to be doing enough, anything he says gets called into question.  I think Gergen has really nailed what the White House crisis response should be.  It’s simple, direct, and genius.  A great read for people interested in crisis communication.

by Susan Gosselin,

Vest Director of PR

I love the TV show “Glee.”  There. I said it. And I’d say it again.

As a former member of a (not nearly so good) high school show choir myself, I was more than a little ecstatic to find a funny, snarky and musically impeccable show to watch about this very familiar patch of high school angst. But the more I’ve fallen into the vast underworld of Glee fandom, the more I’ve come to realize that the show is phenom made possible, largely, because of its ground breaking social media marketing. Even NPR agrees.

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By Susan Gosselin,

Vest Director of PR

I think Foursquare is a neat idea and a terrific tool for marketers.  But on a personal level, it makes me queasy to broadcast to the world when I’m at every coffee shop, restaurant or attraction.  It seems like a bit of forced narcissism for the sake of getting a few coupons and special offers.  So it cheers me quite a bit to see these new GPS based phone apps for moms that are actually useful.

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