by Susan Gosselin, Vest Director of PR

Sigh.  I just don’t know what to make of this study by the University of Kentucky.  The upshot of it is this:  work place gossip helps employees manage anxiety during times of change, get important social information they need to navigate corporate politics, and in general do a better job.  Being social animals, we can’t leave those traits behind when we enter our offices, they say. An observation that’s no doubt true.

There is such a thing as good gossip.  Talking to your fellow employees about what your boss’s priorities are, the sort of things they’re interested in, and so on, can help you do better.  Talking amongst yourselves about the impacts a new product or negotiation could have on your department could be good, too.  The study even notes positive gossip…such as praising a team member who stayed up until 10 to help you. “Gossip” like this helps employees put things into perspective.

Let’s not forget the dark side of gossip.  The personal kind… “Mary’s looking like she hasn’t gotten any sleep.  She’s probably fighting with her husband again.”  The “making up lies kind”, like the boss who ignores a deadline then says an employee or vendor were to blame.  The “bullying kind” where false rumors are spread to weaken a rival’s social standing in an organization.  And perhaps the most common, the “idle speculation kind” , where employees know something is wrong with, or going to change in their company, and they creatively fill in the gaps in their information.

The wrong kind of gossip can kill your company and its work environment.  That’s why it’s so important to:

• Communicate as much as you possibly can, from the top down, about what is happening in the company.  I recommend sending out “face to face communication briefs” for managers to share in their regular staff meetings.  A password protected online community for employees through Ning.com is a good idea for instant info.  Employees on the go can follow on Twitter.
• Train managers in what is and is not acceptable in how they deal with employees.  Have a zero tolerance for abusive, gossipy bosses, with public reprimands, if possible.
• Have a very strict policy about how employees are to treat each other.  “Problem employees” who make everyone else miserable should be reprimanded, watched, and fired later, if they don’t shape up.
• Have a good channel for employees to ask questions…either through their boss, through regular meetings, or through an employee network.
• Have a good channel through human resources for complaints to be filed when others don’t uphold the policies.

Do you agree with this study?  How does your organization deal with gossip?

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!

I found this article, and thought it would be a good follow up to my blog about World Cup marketing.  In this article, Barry Finkelstein (Vice President/Director of Public Relations of Erwin-Penland in Greenville, SC), talks about some valuable marketing lessons that we can learn from the World Cup.

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from despair.com

by Susan Gosselin,

Vest Director of PR

Most people think that p.r. people are hired to cover things up, and “pretty up” the facts. CEOs, pr flacks and corporate talking heads have done a darn good job of proving them right over the years.  Remember how Enron denied being in trouble right before the company crashed into financial oblivion?  Even parsing the facts (Clinton saying “I didn’t have sex with that woman” comes to mind) has become rampant. People have always been able to spot a liar.  But in today’s fully enabled social information age, there are hundreds of ways they can now call you on it…and publicly prove it.  The most important thing you can do as a leader is turn off your spin machine.  Here’s how.

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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

I think the disaster in MontCoal, WV, with more than 20 miners dead, speaks for itself. Whether or not you believe Massey energy was negligent in the management of this mine, you have to admit, things look pretty bad for the company right now. So in light of the events, don’t you think they should reconsider this logo?

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By Katie Earley, Copywriter

I recently discovered Giveo (via The Denver Egotist), a company that works to connect brands, foundations and charities and bring democracy to donating.

Giveo offers two products:

• GiveoCharity helps nonprofits integrate their campaigns with the social web, and provides several tracking, recruiting and sharing options.
• CrowdGiver works with brands and foundations to run extensive loyalty campaigns.

I love that Giveo is working to offer both an affordable way for nonprofits to step up their fundraising game and a way for corporations to easily and visibly (Good PR for them!) help nonprofits. It’s a win-win for everyone.

by Susan Gosselin,Vest Director of PR

Everyone has been so worried that social media will kill traditional advertising.  But what if it were actually making tv advertising BETTER?  You could certainly make this argument, as Ad Age has so nimbly made in its recent curation of the best videos on You Tube, shown here.  The publication chose savvy marketers who created tv ads that people would not only WANT to watch, but pass around to their friends.  Imagine how well their marketing message is cutting through the clutter now! I’m particularly impressed with the T-mobile spot, which features a viral event made into a viral video.  Same goes with the piano stairs video. It goes to show…when you have a good concept, people will joyfully embrace it, and do a lot of your marketing work for you.