The ever-changing world of Facebook metrics.
In January, Facebook announced it would be prioritizing content from “friends, family and groups” in our news feeds. Of course, this caused a collective freakout from those of us who manage brand pages.
What does it all mean and how is it affecting reach and engagement for brands? After monitoring and analyzing three months of data, here is what we’ve found with our clients: Read more after the jump…
Gil Rudawsky, a city editor at the Rocky Mountain News, is at the news desk on the final day of publication for the paper nearly 10 years ago. In this blog, he revisits the future of journalism.
Leading up to the closure of the Rocky Mountain News in 2009, the mantra among corporate executives engaged in cost cutting was for journalists to “Work harder, not smarter” or “Do more with less.” But by that time, with a newsroom basically cut in half, the reality was “Doing less with less, and charging customers more.”
Nearly 10 years later, the continued death by a thousand cuts across the journalism world have continued, and we are at a tipping point. On Monday, The Chicago Sun-Times left its front page blank in a plea for subscribers in an effort to “protect the long-term survival” of its newsroom.
The Denver Post made a similar plea earlier this month, after one-third of its staff were laid off, demanding that its owners sell the newspaper. Hard-working Daily Camera reporter Alex Burness tweeted this week: “The stories being told now about the Post could be told about all of these newsrooms, just on different scales. National media reporters would do well to check out what’s happened in Boulder, Canon City, Longmont, Loveland, Sterling, Julesburg, Lamar, Broomfield, Brush.”
There’s the non-profit model, or the pay-wall model for digital news or the billionaire-backed model, or any combination of all three. As the shakedown continues, people are more and more realizing what the world looks like without the print media. There are city council meetings that aren’t being covered, feature stories that define the fabric of communities that aren’t being shared and checks and balances on our democratic way of life that aren’t being made.
As we grapple with this change, I have become keenly aware that in most instances news coverage originates from the print media. And the news is a commodity and just like anything else of value, you have to pay for it. The biggest question now is whether our news-obsessed culture will realize this as well.
We’re a quarter of the way through 2018 and it’s time for some trend spotting. Despite a rocky start to the year including some troubling news about privacy on social media, new research shows that social media use continues to be on the rise. Among which demographics and on which platforms might surprise you – so be sure to dig into the trend articles below to find out who’s using which platforms. Reading this around lunch time? You’ll want to see which fast food brands are best at tantalizing taste buds. And, if you’re daydreaming about summer vacation, learn more about how savvy brands might just enhance your downtime. Finally – a few tips about Instagram and Snapchat will leave you with some news you can use.
The Next Web: Social Media Use is Increasing Despite Privacy Fears
Chances are you know someone who has abandoned social media or certain platforms due to privacy fears. You might even have considered removing your brand’s presence – but before you make any decisions, read this recent research which shows that the number of social media users worldwide grew by more than 100 million in the first quarter of 2018. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg… Read more after the jump…
By now, you have no doubt seen the news that two African-American men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks Thursday. The men were waiting for a friend when they were asked to leave because they hadn’t yet purchased anything, a request that appears to run counter to the company’s policy. The incident sparked outrage and protest amid accusations that race was at the heart of the incident – had the two men been white, for example, it is almost certain the police would not have been called.
Give Starbucks’ senior management and crisis communications teams credit for neutralizing a delicate situation. The company recognized immediately that it had a highly charged and potentially combustible issue on its hands, and its reaction has been impressive. Among its responses:
Bottom Line: Starbucks followed the PR crisis playbook closely, and it has been incredibly effective at neutralizing this crisis. It didn’t just react, it leaned toward overreacting. Protesters in Philadelphia (and nationally) have been trying to leverage this situation into something bigger, but Starbucks has been a step ahead of them from the beginning. Additionally, Starbucks has signaled to its socially conscious customer base that it shares their inherent values and is more than willing to be a leader in the fight for principles such as racial equality and respect for all individuals.
Jeremy Story is a Vice President at GroundFloor Media, where he co-leads the firm’s Crisis, Reputation and Issues Management practice. He has more than 20 years of experience helping companies ranging from startups to the Fortune 100 prepare for, manage and recover from crisis issues.
At GroundFloor Media, we love giving back to the community however we can. That’s part of the reason why we started the Get Grounded Foundation in 2015 to help fund new, innovative and entrepreneurial programs or projects within existing, qualified nonprofits that directly support the healthy development of at-risk youth in the Denver Metro area in the areas of child abuse and neglect, youth behavioral health or childhood hunger relief.
We started the Get Grounded Spotlight video series to highlight a few of the past recipients of our Get Grounded grant. The latest episode centers on Denver Children’s Advocacy Center. DCAC serves the city and county of Denver in helping children and families recover from traumatic experiences. Get Grounded provided funding to help support the organization’s yoga therapy program. Watch the video above to learn more.
Once you’re done, check out the first episode, which featured another past grant recipient, PCs For People. If you are interested in receiving a Get Grounded Grant, the submission deadline for Spring 2018 grants is Monday April 30 at 5 p.m. MDT.
Slacktivism is a term coined years ago to describe support of a political or social cause that involves as little action or personal effort as possible, such as signing an online petition or sharing a tweet but little else.
Many viewers tuned in to witness a moment in history on March 24: The March for Our Lives and its 800+ sister city marches across the country. Alfonso Calderon, Sarah Chadwick, Jaclyn Corin, Emma González, David Hogg, Cameron Kasky, Alex Wind, Delaney Tarr and Ryan and Matt Deitsch have a common denominator; they survived the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy in Parkland, Florida in February. They also galvanized to change the typical social and legislative narrative that occurs after every mass shooting in America; an echo-chamber of divided voices demanding gun control legislation versus passionate protectors of the Second Amendment.
Activists share statistics about the amount of funding various politicians have accepted from the National Rifle Association. The conversation burns hot and angrily for a few weeks and then subsides until the next mass shooting. The current narrative is different. So how did a small group of teenage students force a sea change in the hotly debated gun control conversation? They started with social media but didn’t stop there.
In the hours that followed the shooting, Cameron Kasky posted the following to his personal Facebook: “Working on a central space that isn’t just my personal page for all of us to come together and change this. Stay alert. #NeverAgain.” His hashtag spread like wildfire, accompanied by another: #EnoughIsEnough. Kasky and his peers quickly formed Never Again MSD, a student-led organization that advocates for tighter weapon regulations to prevent violence.
The Parkland activists have effectively circumvented any trace of slacktivism around their cause by powerfully pairing information shared from social media with real action. Since the tragedy at their school occurred, they have:
Researchers are quick to cite the general affluence of the Parkland community and the students’ inclusion of racial minorities as two other factors in the success of their campaigns. Most agree that the true differentiator for Parkland has been the action that backs up their mobilization on social media platforms. The activist and suffragette Marjory Stoneman Douglas, for whom the school is named, recognized slacktivism years ago. She wrote, “Don’t think it is enough to attend meetings and sit there like a lump…Speak up. Learn to talk clearly and forcefully in public.”
As my colleague Barb wrote back in February, “No matter what your views are on the 2nd amendment, it’s hard not to take notice of Generation Z, and how they’re using all the communications tools available to them to speak out, and perhaps make a difference.” As user behavior on social networks continues to evolve, it’s apparent that efforts to reach individuals and drive “action” must also innovate and evolve to achieve tangible results.
It’s 2018. When was the last time your company or organization updated its crisis communication plan?
The GroundFloor Media crisis team has been spending time reviewing crisis communication plans for our clients, and we are finding several areas that need updating. For instance, unlike five years ago, most crisis events these days don’t manifest only in the media, so there is a large social media component. Also, response scenarios likely need to be updated as well as key audiences to take into account the likelihood of a crisis happening on social media.
In general, the key theme of a crisis-response plan must be providing clear, honest communications to various audiences that might be impacted by the bad news. The crisis response approach is simple and straightforward, and based on three points:
Here’s an outline of a crisis communications response plan:
Find out more about elements of a crisis plan in a Denver Business Journal article I wrote. Also, let us know if your business needs help revising its crisis communication plan.
While traditional advertising is on the decline, now being taken over by targeted digital ads and YouTube stars, it’s certainly not dead. Just ask Shaq.
In the world of public relations, one of the primary communication vehicles to reach target audiences five to 10 years ago, the mass media, has shrunk dramatically. It’s no secret that prominent newspapers and magazines have shuttered, and those that are still publishing are a fraction of the size they used to be. News departments at TV and radio stations have downsized dramatically as well. Certainly, the decline in advertising sales, particularly classified ads for newspapers, have had a dramatic impact on the media. What’s more, how people consume news, watch or listen to music and entertainment, has also shifted. Consider a Pew Research study that showed six in 10 young adults are turning to online streaming, like Netflix and HBO go, to watch TV. What this means is that all of us are seeing advertising in a much different way than a decade ago.
That said, I was intrigued by a recent Real Sports segment that featured Shaquille O’Neal and the fortune he’s made in the nearly decade since he’s retired from the NBA as an ad pitchman.
The social world continues to run like a hamster in a ball, but we’re taking a moment to step out of the rat (hamster?) race to reflect on some of the erudite content GroundFloor Media and CenterTable have put out into the world.
We’ve (Temporarily) Moved!
If you missed our Tweet, don’t be alarmed when you stop by 1923 Market St. and don’t find us. We’re a few blocks down the street as our offices are undergoing a remodel. We’re hoping to be back at the end of the summer. Read more after the jump…
Photo by Edho Pratama on Unsplash
“We’re looking for a creative solution”
“Can you work your magic on this?”
“We want something more graphic”
As a graphic designer, I often find myself in meetings with clients who have trouble articulating exactly what they want or need. Though it’s a designer’s job to translate his client’s vision, it’s sometimes impossible to decode what they’re trying to express. I usually run into this issue with clients who are unfamiliar with basic, design-related terms that could help them better articulate their goals. Even if you think you’re fairly well-versed in design lingo, it’s best to offer up visual examples to avoid confusion. I love it when a client shows me specific examples of what they like and dislike.
Here are some common terms to help you bridge the language gap between you and your creative team: Read more after the jump…
