QR: Quick Response or Questionable Reasoning

It was 5:30 a.m., and I'd just settled into a chair near by gate. Stifling a yawn, my eyelids opened just enough to see a cheery airport staffer headed my way with a stack of cards in her hand.

What could she be so eager to pass out at this time of the morning? Maybe a Dunkin' Donuts gift card? Some airline miles? None of the above. Instead, it was an invitation to take a short survey about the ROC airport experience, accessed via a QR code with your smart phone.

After seeing QR codes pop up overnight on all sorts of items, here was a well-thought-out application. At a time when the sun hadn't even crested the horizon, the last thing I want to do is punch a URL into my phone, or -- God help me -- speak to someone in person to provide insights on business travel. This was a better, and dare I say reasonable, request -- scan the bar code, answer a few mobile-optimized questions, and I was done.

My faith in QR codes restored, I boarded the plane. With the cabin door closing, I turned off my iPad, my Droid and other various devices, then grabbed a copy of the inflight magazine. I flipped a few pages before finding it...

There before me sat a beautifully designed, full page advertisement for something (I honestly can't remember the product). The copy then invited me to -- you guessed it -- scan a QR code for more information.

So let's think this through... chances are I'm reading this at 30,000 feet, on an airline that has no WiFi capability on its entire fleet of aircraft, and I'm not likely to take the magazine with me when I deplane. What in the hell was QR code doing on that ad, except frustrating the tech novice three rows behind me who kept scanning it only to receive a "page not found" message in her phone browser?

QR codes have their place, right alongside some of the other wah-wah pedals of our profession. Used creatively, they can turn interest into action. But placed in the hands of a team who only sees them as a cool accessory without understanding how they function, they too often miss the mark.

We want to hear from you. What are the best and worst uses of QR codes you've stumbled across over the past few weeks?

Our Sister Blog: Smarty Rants

Now and then, we like to cross-promote the great work being done by our Buffalo office -- Travers Collins. But don't wait for us... head over to the Smarty Rants blog for an inside look at what makes our colleagues to the west tick!

Excerpt 4: Balancing Corporate & Personal Brands

The following is the fourth excerpt from "Walking the Wire: Striking a Balance Between Corporate and Personal Brands" as presented by Mike McDougall, APR at the Ragan Communications / Southwest Airlines conference in October 2011.

Tip #4: Address the Problem Children

So you've screened out the vampires, but you're left with a few employees whose personal brands aren't simpatico with the corporate brand. They're the problem children.

I'm reminded of a conversation with the GM of a mid-market television station. He had a reporter whose personal brand was far outreaching the station brand via social media. That could be the foundation for a fantastic symbiotic relationship, but in this case, the reporter was Tweeting -- in large volumes -- questionable and subjective content.

The GM was troubled. "I know this is an issue, but [person] brings us so many eyeballs," he explained.

What would you do? Let the reporter continue unabated, or step in to make a much-needed change?

Ignoring the problem children won't make the situation disappear. In fact, the longer you ignore the issue, the more severe it will become. Plus, you'll be sending a signal to others in the organization that this type of action is condoned or even expected.

When you do take action, resist the urge to come in with guns a-blazin'. After all, the goal is not to force out the employee, but to find a way to modify his or her behavior in a way befitting the brand. It's a conversation, not an intervention (well, at least not at the beginning stage).

This isn't complex science. It's just a sound general management principle applied to a new medium.

And if you're a parent like me, you know that taking care of a whining child firmly yet with compassion is usually the best path forward. Address those problem children -- now!

To read additional insights from Mike McDougall's discussion, bookmark The Schism or follow our Twitter feed (@McDougallTC). For a copy of the presentation slides, contact us at info@McDougallTC.com.
 

Refreshing Perspectives from HR Chiefs

The auditorium was packed, with the din of  audience chatter overpowering the master of ceremonies' voice as he stepped to the podium. With the glare of the spotlights bouncing off their pearly smiles, the five panelists readied themselves for the discussion that was to come.

Another communications conference, perhaps? Not quite. It was "Up Close & Personal: a Conversation with Chief Human Resources Officers" held in Rochester last night.

The program topic would have you believe that the 130 registered attendees were there to discuss the intricacies of human resources. That's a fair assumption. In fact, I'd come to better understand the mindset of colleagues with whom I regularly work on employee communications challenges.

Carrying even more impact, however, were some broad-based recommendations and insights that just as easily apply to the communications profession as HR:

• From Michelle Graham, SVP HR at Greatbatch: "The secret to career success is rotation, rotation, rotation. You have to live in all of the roles which you someday hope to oversee."
• From Chuck Murphy, associate VP HR at the University of Rochester: "Speak the language of your business partner. How you discuss a topic with your CFO will differ from how you discuss it with your marketing chief or operations VP."
• From Lisa Critchley, SVP HR at Home Properties: "Don't be afraid to speak up. If you have the idea, chances are you'll be assigned the task."
• From Laurie Zaucha, SVP HR and OD at Paychex: "There is never an opportunity not to learn. Take advantage of the situation you're in."
• From Steve DePerrior of The Burke Group: "We're at the point of managing four generations in the workforce. It will take new ideas and skills to effectively communicate with and train them."

Thanks to Nazareth College for hosting this event, and for the panelists giving of their time.

Excerpt 3: Balancing Corporate & Personal Brands

The following is the third excerpt from "Walking the Wire: Striking a Balance Between Corporate and Personal Brands" as presented by Mike McDougall, APR at the Ragan Communications / Southwest Airlines conference in October 2011.

We've discussed setting expectations and seeking the true believers, but what about protecting your brand from those who might otherwise do it harm? It's essential that you screen for vampires.

Most of us don't live in Transylvania, and I wouldn't know where to find a silver spike if you asked me. It's crucial, though, that we know how to preempt a blood-sucking attack.

First and foremost, take an active role in screening candidates for hire, especially in senior or visible roles. We're not just talking about communications roles -- this extends to company-wide hiring.

But HR has that covered, right? They're obviously conducting screens of candidates' personal brands, especially on social media sites that could offer up revealing and salacious details best left under a cloak of darkness. Not so fast.

In my experience, a few progressive HR organizations are digging deep, but many others are assuming that the hiring manager is conducting his or her own research. That's a dangerous assumption to make, especially when a cursory, one-page Google search may turn up few items of interest to the harried executive desperate to get someone in the door.

I'm not advocating that communications screen every candidate ourselves. Far from it, in fact. Our role is to inject a healthy fear of the vampire into our hiring culture. It's a hell of a lot easier to screen out the trouble makers before they arrive in the company versus after they're on the payroll.

And what about the vampires who've already made their way inside, and whose personal brands conflict with the values and mission of the organization? We'll get to those in a moment with tip #4.

To read additional insights from Mike McDougall's discussion, bookmark The Schism or follow our Twitter feed (@McDougallTC). For a copy of the presentation slides, contact us at info@McDougallTC.com.

Change at the Top: Additonal Resources

Attendees at our "Change at the Top: Effectively Communicating Leadership Transitions" session from the 2011 PRSA International Conference in Orlando may benefit from some additional reading on the subject, including these links:

The Managed CEO Transition, CEO Forum Group
Changing of the Guard: 10 Strategies, Miri McDonald
Firing the CEO, Legal & Compliance


For a copy of our conference presentation slides, just click here or contact us at info@mcdougalltc.com.

Five Ways to Elevate Your PRSA Conference Experience

The 2011 Public Relations Society of America International Conference kicks off this weekend in Orlando, welcoming communications professionals from multiple industries and geographies. With top-tier keynotes,  dozens of professional development sessions, a hall crammed with vendors, an extensive hotel complex, and a city designed for visitors, it can take some time to get acclimated, especially for the new attendee.

Since we've been lacing up our PRSA conference boots for the past decade, it's only fair to share a few secrets from our survival guide:

1. Download the PRSA Mobile App. Use your iPhone, Android, Blackberry or Windows Phone to view the extensive conference program, glance at venue maps, look up local dining and entertainment options, and even see contact details for other conference attendees. Get it here.


2. Tap into Conference Social Media Tools. Even if you've seen social media incorporated at other conferences, be prepared to be blown away by its use in Orlando. Follow the #PRSAICON hashtag on Twitter to read realtime updates from other attendees. Follow PRSA speakers at @McDougallTC/prsa-2011-conf-speakers and Leadership Assembly delegates at @MikeMcDoug/prsa-2011-assembly. Check into multiple FourSquare conference locations and sessions. Even send a bit of what you're hearing to colleagues back home by using UStream.

3. Believe the Buzz. PRSA volunteers worked incredibly hard on programming, resulting in a wide variety of professional development topics. So how can you choose the best? A lot rests on the speaker, not just the content. Ask around as to who usually packs a room. See who's actively promoting their sessions on social media platforms (i.e., it means they want you there!). If you've seen a speaker in recent years and he/she is back, feedback must have been good, so see them again discussing a different topic.

4. Find the Gems. Identify at least one professional development session that you wouldn't normally think to attend, and show up there. Doing so lets you stretch your brain, perhaps meet a difference segment of attendees, and even find hidden-in-plain-sight practices that you could bring to your own industry.

5. Use Your Room for Sleeping. Despite the temptation "to get some work done," don't hole up in your hotel room. The conference is a rare chance to network with peers from across the globe, so spend as much time as possible in the hallways, at the sessions, walking the exhibits, and encountering smart, enthusiastic pros and students at every turn.

What's your secret survival tip? Post it in the comments, and we'll share an updated list this weekend. See you in Orlando!

Excerpt #2: Balancing Corporate & Personal Brands

The following is the second excerpt from "Walking the Wire: Striking a Balance Between Corporate and Personal Brands" as presented by Mike McDougall at the Ragan Communications / Southwest Airlines conference in October 2011.

This tip may be one of the most important -- seek the true believers.

Whom do you want associated  with your company brand? Employees who already live and breathe it, who support it, who understand it.

Influencers have always existed in organizations, well before the advent of social media. Go “old school” and work with these colleagues who have been honing their personal brands for years. For those who haven't extended their brands into the digital realm, help them make the leap. Remember that we're aiming for a symbiotic relationship -- you have to give to get.

While this technique could have national or international benefits in some cases, don’t overlook the hyper-local approach. Some personal brands can be more effective in a small sphere – for instance, at a particular office or plant location. Find those influencers, and make sure they're acting as ambassadors for the company with the full backing of the communications team.

To read additional insights from the discussion, bookmark the PR Schism or follow our Twitter feed (@McDougallTC). For a copy of the presentation slides, contact us at info@McDougallTC.com.

Soapbox: The "Look at Me" Mistake

"Look at me, look at me! Hey, over here. Right here! Yoo-hoo. Look. At. Me. NOW!"

You all remember that kid from the playground. The one who always felt the need to be the center of attention, even if she wasn't relevant to the conversation. And of course you recall what happened next -- you and your friends tried even harder to ignore her.

I always cringe when the same occurs in the public relations profession, with the same predictable results. It's an agency overloading the room when meeting with their advertising and marketing counterparts. A corporate PR manager trying to "own" all aspects of social media without realizing it's a shared responsibility. Industry spokespeople trying to somehow prove PR's worth by trumpeting new studies, such as this post by PRSA CEO Rosanna Fiske.

Having practiced public relations for nearly two decades, I'm proud of the profession. I love what I do. The results that my teams and I have produced have made a measurable difference for dozens of clients, companies and causes around the world. What could be better than that?

The problem lies not in that pride, but believing that telling is better than showing. When choosing sides for a playground soccer game, no one wants to listen to the kid over on the swings waving his arms for attention. They gravitate toward the kid who can bring her skills onto the field, score a few goals, and share her secret stash of candy with teammates afterward.

In the corporate setting, business leaders don't want to hear their executives go on-and-on about their functional prowess. You don't hear colleagues in finance talking about why they're needed. You don't hear the head of human resources trying to push a new SHRM study detailing HR's value into the hands of the CEO. "But they've already made it onto the radar," you say.

News flash -- so has communications and PR in many organizations around the globe. How? Not by talking about the function, but by proving its business value. By showing outcomes that are tied directly to business outcomes. By making a visible difference in how the company conducts itself.

Talk is cheap. For a profession in which talk plays such a large role, that's a lesson that's too often overlooked.

Excerpt #1: Balancing Corporate & Personal Brands

The following is an excerpt from "Walking the Wire: Striking a Balance Between Corporate and Personal Brands" as presented by Mike McDougall at the Ragan Communications / Southwest Airlines conference in October 2011.

Here's your first tip when trying to balance your corporate brand with your employees' personal brand efforts: establish mutual expectations.

For you Star Trek fans in the room, there are no mind melds. Assuming your people know what's right is... well... wrong. Without guidelines -- whether a written policy or even a conversation -- you're asking for trouble, especially with the evolution of digital outreach.

Leave some room for the gray areas -- you don't want to handcuff yourself via policy when markets change or opportunities arise. Consider incorporating the guidelines into an existing corporate code of conduct on business and ethical behavior, which should be broad enough to cover most scenarios, whether in the physical or digital worlds.

Then reinforce those guidelines with action and recognition -- highlight members of your team who themselves are achieving balance. This will go much further than simply asking employees to read and sign a 20-page policy document (which they'll promptly forget in less than a week, if they read it at all).

To glean additional insights from the discussion, bookmark the PR Schism or follow our Twitter feed (@McDougallTC). For a copy of the presentation slides, contact us at info@McDougallTC.com.