Shape of Things

I dressed fairly conservatively up until the 7th or 8th grade, when I saw a picture of John Lennon in a polka-dot shirt.

It was late summer and I wanted that shirt to start the school year, along with a boldly printed paisley and a striped number with white collar and cuffs.

One-hit wonder

I didn’t think about the shirts going rapidly out of style.  I just wanted to make a splash. I don’t remember if I did or not, but I do remember that about a month into the school year I was embarrassed to wear the shirts.  My mother told me that the appeal of the shirts was going to be shortlived, but she let me buy them anyway.  Fortunately, she wasn’t an “I told you so” Mom and allowed me to get new shirts for Christmas.

I thought of this as I read an interview with Dan Nunan on the Business of Software blog.  Dan’s company, Scene Systems, produced the animation of the U.S. Air Hudson River landing.  The animation had an audience of nearly 2 million on YouTube and was featured on network television and in national newspapers. 

Dan was happy to get this exposure, but it wasn’t his initial goal: He just wanted to do something to make a low-cost impact at a trade show.  He did everything right in feeding the momentum of the story, but it wasn’t a source of pride.  Here’s what he said about it in an email to me:

“I admit to being slightly uncomfortable about the whole thing — partly because it was unplanned, and I’m not really convinced that it brings in much of the right kind of attention.”

Big splash vs. sustainable

Dan is even more suspicious than me of what he calls the “big-splash school of PR.”  Like the polka-dot shirt, this type of PR might cause an initial stir, but it’s not likely to have legs, especially when dealing with a specialized B2B audience (in Dan’s case, lawyers).

There are many clients and companies out there that want the big splash — for them, that’s what PR is all about.  If you are a PR or marketing person in a B2B market, you have to explain that the real rewards are elsewhere.

What is much more likely to succeed is a sustained program in community building; a program that could include articles and forum participation on popular web sites, positive blog postings from prominent people in the field, strong word of mouth from influencers, and perhaps an intensely read permission-based e-newsletter that your target audience welcomes and finds valuable.  This type of program doesn’t have to be bland or conservative, but it should be something that gains momentum over the long haul.

The community-building approach is decidedly unsexy and probably won’t get you on the cover of any PR or marketing journal.  But, that slow-building approach — the equivalent of a crisp black shirt that never goes out of style — will deliver the one precious commodity that we all seek: long-lasting, measurable results with the people you really want to engage.

The jury has reached its verdict on Simon Galbraith’s bold experiment to prove the superiority of professional photography for marketing.

Who’s hot and who’s not? See the results in Simon’s second guest spot on the Business of Software blog.

Most of the great leaders I know are self-effacing.  They’ll open themselves to ridicule if it makes a point.

A good example: Simon Galbraith, joint CEO of Red Gate. In this post on the Business of Software blog, he literally puts his face on the line to prove his theory of professional vs. amateur photography in marketing.

You decide. Is Simon is hot or not?

Everyone should have a manifesto.  Here’s mine, directly from my myspace page:

I’m a writer and marketing/communications consultant for high-tech companies. My current quest is to change the way companies conduct public relations, evolving it from a predominately outgoing, frequently self-aggrandizing activity to one that emphasizes ongoing dialogue with customers and a relationship that goes beyond products and services.

The best companies don’t need to proselytize; their messaging comes from their customers and the way their stories are told. PR needs to shift from a hype machine to a means of building community and keeping the lines of communication open. We should be helping people, not trying to coerce them.

I’m also working to bring some literacy to the pedestrian “success story” or “case study,” turning it into the kind of feature story that people actually want to read. Finally, I’d like to eradicate all the robust, intuitive, user-friendly, world-leading new paradigms that plague technology communication.

“We’re not for everybody” — my wife, Peggy Kelly.

“I don’t want to get another pair of Hush Puppies” — Nick Lowe

There will never be another Michael Jackson. Or another “Hey Ya.” Or another Pong. The days of the massive hits are over. Customization rules. 

It means you need to profile your customers and decide who you want to engage intensely and how, and who you need to leave behind. Your product or service can’t be for everyone.  If you’re lucky, you can develop a devoted tribe that will interact with you, spread the word about what you are doing, and give you a nice welcoming reception for new offerings.

Not being for everybody is marvelously freeing.  Once you define who your customers are — their needs, problems, working habits — and address them with respect and great products or service, the relationship can deepen beyond vendor/buyer.  You can engage in honest dialog. If you make a mistake, you’ll likely have a bit of a cushion to pad your landing.

Find your tribe, and be true to it.