PRESIDENTIAL PARALLELS, TWO

It’s inevitable.  In fact, it’s already started:  Comparisons between the 2008 (forget 2012) and this/next year’s Presidential campaigns.

Most probably, there won’t be as many drastic thens/nows as there will be evolutions in tactics.  For sure, we’ll see:

  • Extraordinary use of social media and analytics
  • Foot soldiers, a/k/a message carriers and
  • Chum (read:  branded merchandise for sale), among other activities

Last time around, politicians did well in driving funds and votes through Facebook, podcasts, Web sites, and YouTube.  Volunteer armies continued to transmit the message, whether asking for dollars or votes.  And the spoils of war, er, tchtchokes, helped get the candidate in front of audiences hitherto unreached (remember the famous “Hope” poster from Shepard Fairey).

What’s to keep us in corporate America from using similar approaches?  [Though we just might not want to charge for swag emblazoned with the corporate name and logo.]   Given a robust business case and an unrelenting focus on one simple and compelling message, it’s entirely possible that:

  • Jams, other internal community gatherings, and Yammer-type sharing are embedded with data-pulling (and pushing) capabilities
  • Our Ambassadors are supported by professional-level L&D training, house party-like events, and continuous organizing tips and
  • Visual reminders are reinforced by 3D branded tools, ranging from holograms to the latest version of Viewmasters.

We’ve seen this kind of political movement succeed inside and out of companies.  There’s always a ‘but.’  Find out why in  our next (and yes, final) Presidential Parallel.

GO DIRECT, YOUNG PROFESSIONALS!

There’s a corporate America practice that has us flummoxed. 

It usually doesn’t work 100 percent of the time for 100 percent of the people. 

It requires lots of preparation and cajoling. 

And it truly needs a major support system, bolstered in part by human resources, policies and procedures, and heavy-duty communications.

The culprit:  Cascading information from managers and supervisors to staff and teams.  Somehow, many times, information gets stuck in the middle.

Our solution?  Straight from a Forrester Research survey, revealing (no surprise) that 66 percent of consumers trust recommendations from people they care about, while only 18 percent trust brand information found on Facebook, Instagram, and the like. 

Instead of labeling it in the same league as the somewhat tarnished multi-level marketing, think of it as the friends and family kind of swap, using employees to ‘sell’ to other employees (in this case, to exchange data and info).  Online and social media make it incredibly easy to sell to those you know; internally, most companies host communities and affinity groups on their intranets, encouraging conversations and collaboration.  And if we plot out a well-defined influencer network and map, so much the better.

[Yes, we know the downsides:  That kind of freedom makes brand and corporate messages so much harder to control.  And timing would be, to an extent, loosey-goosey.]

Yet the power and meaningfulness of direct connections overcomes, to us, any objections.  Your take, dear readers?