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Stifling innovation is en vogue- but wait, it’s not that easy

Ann Dalrymple — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:35:48 +0000

Events in the tech world are threatening innovation, warn the press and certain pundits. (It makes a great headline.) Recent examples include Microsoft’s suit against Barnes & Noble, Foxconn and Inventec for alleged patent violations, as well as AT&T’s bid to take over T-Mobile (Sprint is not happy – they claim it’s a blow to innovation and a risk for subscribers, but are they a spurned suitor?)

We’re not lawyers so it’s hard to say anything authoritative about the substance of Microsoft’s claim of infringement. What we can take issue with is the FUD behind the term ‘stifle innovation.’ How do you do that? Do you just scare people into a coma?

It really isn’t that easy to stop innovation in its tracks.

While big companies with hordes of lawyers and thousands of patents drag each other into court – which they do every day to protect rights they have laid claim to, and which the overworked US Patent Office grants to them – entrepreneurs with innovative ideas chip away at old ways of doing things.

Innovators start in high school, many building robots (Dean Kamen’s US FIRST program is a great supporter of young innovative minds.) They go to college and create open source projects that become indispensable business tools, or help people lead their lives (the Linux kernel, the Google search engine, the smartphone-based auto speed monitor from our client Speedbump); drop out of school and create companies that innovate on multiple fronts (Apple, the early Microsoft); start companies that support open source communities (Red Hat/Fedora) and generally just keep inventing things. A host of companies create processes and challenges to foster innovation (InnoCentive, Invention Machine.) It just keeps happening: some of us have a drive to innovate and create. Some of us have the energy and nerve to go beyond creation to build companies that create jobs and value. (More on jobs, value, entrepreneurs and small business in another post.)

Some protect those innovations by becoming lawyers. Some promote innovation by doing PR. Some help all the rest understand innovation – the press.

Saying an industry event ‘stifles innovation’ may make for a good headline, but it’s just that: a headline, good for generating attention for one day. While you’re reading that headline, real innovation is happening in someone’s garage, or a high-school classroom or VC incubator.

Don’t let FUD stifle innovation. Keep watching for the next story, the one about a new technology, and the value it’s creating.

Technorati Tags: AT&T, entrepreneurs, InnoCentive, innovation, Microsoft, Speedbump, techonology

Obama Backs Personal Data Protection Legislation

esiff — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:58:18 +0000

Image Courtesy of PBS.org

The Obama administration is now backing legislation that would protect the personal data of internet users which, in my humblest opinion, is a step in the right direction from last year’s call for voluntary codes of conduct for advertisers and data companies.

Of course, said advertisers and data aggregators will whine and complain until they’re blue in the face, defending their more or less shady practices as integral to giving internet users a relevant advertising experience – which is somewhat true if you’ve accepted the fact that the advertising is going to be there anyway.

However, a recent shopping experience has inspired me to question whether or not these advertising experiences are truly relevant. I don’t normally wear a watch (or any jewelry) but while leafing through a magazine last week I spotted a totally rad all-black Swatch and, being the nostalgic child of the 80’s and victim of consumer culture that I am, I decided that I must have it for my birthday – which is in a few days (feel free to send gifts via paypal). It has come to my attention that all week I’ve been seeing advertisements for the exact same Swatch I ordered and a few other ones that I had looked at. How is that a relevant advertising experience if I’ve already bought the item?

Totally Rad!

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind advertising and tracking so much while I’m shopping, the aggregators have recommended very cool t-shirt websites on more than one occasion, but I’ve always felt that the key aspect of this (and myriad other issues) is choice – consumers should have the option of whether or not they want their information available to advertisers – and apparently Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz feels the same way as the commission has proposed a ‘do not track’ option.

“We don’t think tracking is per se bad at all,” said Leibowitz. “We just think that consumers should be able to opt out of tracking. … You should have the right not to be followed around if you don’t want to be followed around.”

For those of you who despise tracking and can’t wait for legislation to pass (if it passes), apparently the new Internet Explorer 9 from Microsoft has an anti-tracking feature but a recent article from Computing UK suggests that it may be flawed.

Technorati Tags: Advertising, Federal Trade Commission, Internet Explorer 9, Jon Leibowitz, Microsoft, Obama administration, Swatch

Yet Another PKD Story Becomes a Feature Film

esiff — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:13:46 +0000

Prolific… profound… prophetic – these are the words I associate with Philip K. Dick, whose name has been immortalized among the great science-fiction writers such as Asimov, Bradbury and Clarke. For those reading that may be unfamiliar with PKD (shame on you), chances are you have encountered his work before, as over ten of his stories have been adapted into feature length films, including The Adjustment Bureau, which opens today in cinemas across the USA.

For those of you who cringe at the idea of anything related to “sci-fi” (typically based on a false connotation, I might add), PKD stories tend to transcend any one particular genre and one of his finest works is an historical-fiction novel titled The Man in the High Castle, which explores an alternate ending to WWII in which the Axis conquers USSR and Europe and the USA subsequently surrenders (after FDR is assassinated).

Like him or not, PKD continues to become more and more culturally relevant nearly 30 years after his death, as his stories continue to become adapted into films. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read, however, and I can’t recommend his stories enough.

I’ve included below some screenshots from PKD stories that have found their way to the big screen, can you name them? (roll over image for answer)

Technorati Tags: Adjustment Bureau, Arts, Fiction, Man In the High Castle, Online Writing, Philip K Dick, Science Fiction, United States

Thank You Google, for Keeping it Real

esiff — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:56:15 +0000

Even the most avid history buff isn’t going to remember every historically significant day of the year. Thankfully, every so often we are given a reminder when we open up Firefox, Chrome, Explorer or Safari.

I would like to take this time to thank Google for cleverly using their search engine, which constitutes millions of homepages around the world, to remind us of significant historical events through clever designs/animations of their logo. While my all-time favorite had to be the anniversary of Pac-Man (which is playable!), I think today’s edition is far more historically significant.

55 years ago today in Montgomery Alabama, an African-American woman by the name of Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger and move to the “colored” section in the back. Little did she know that her seemingly insignificant action would become one of the greatest single events in US history, the spark that ignited the modern Civil Rights Movement.

We can all learn a lot from Rosa Parks, a hero in the truest sense of the word. Thank you Google for taking the time to remind us.

Technorati Tags: Civil Rights, Google, History, Rosa Parks, Search Engine

Does Cyber Monday Really Exist?

esiff — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:44:21 +0000

What is Cyber Monday?

I’m sure that by now we’ve all heard the term “Cyber Monday” which hasn’t yet earned the infamy of “Black Friday” but has gained some significant media coverage nonetheless. But where and when did this silly term originate? I was once told by a very reliable source that it originated in the early 2000s when office workers, still nursing tryptophan hangovers from the Thanksgiving weekend, would do or finish their holiday shopping online at their desks because many, if not most people still didn’t have high-speed internet connections at home. Or, perhaps it was just a clever excuse for procrastination! Whatever the case may be, a decade later Ethernet, wireless 3G and 4G are pretty much standard at home and on smart phones, so the connection theory doesn’t exactly hold up anymore, but are there really better deals for online shoppers the Monday after Thanksgiving?

According to a recent article from CNN, Cyber Monday is nothing more than a marketing gimmick and “has never been the biggest day of the year for online retail sales,” which usually (and ironically, I suppose) falls on a Monday in mid-December. One report suggests that featured deals on Cyber Monday are actually for stuff that didn’t sell on Black Friday (leftovers anyone?).

Did you do any shopping on Black Friday and/or planning to shop online today?

Technorati Tags: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Online Shopping

PubClub Event: Securing TV Coverage (an Overview)

Alison Raymond — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 16:43:16 +0000

Last night, I attended The Publicity Club of New England’s program on Securing TV Coverage in a Major Market. It was a great session! Fred Kocher – from WMUR-TV (ABC) – moderated a panel consisting of Jack Auresto, Planning Manager of WFXT-TV (FOX 25); Lauren Bettencourt, Managing Editor of the Local News Service at WBZ and FOX 25; Linda Olsen, News Assignment Editor at NECN; and last, but definitely not least, Joe Roche, News Assignment Editor at WCVB-TV (ABC).

It’s every client’s dream to get TV coverage, however news assignment editors are swarmed with emails for us PR folk every day, all day trying to fulfill this dream for our clients. The panel was great and offered excellent insight as to how to get their interest. They also said not to take it personally if you don’t always hear back with a response – they’re essentially working in a tornado.

Here are a couple highlights from last night:

After all the fires & robberies are covered, how do they make their decision as to what to feature next?

Roche: He sees what people are clicking on. It’s about giving people news items that they are interested in and want to see. The news is 3 parts: what the audience wants to know, what the audience needs to know and what the audience didn’t know.

Olsen: At NECN keep in mind there are different areas to tap into: the Business Show, CEO corner, etc. She tries to look for a mix of stories and noted 3 very important things a pitch should be packaged with:

1. Make it visually pleasing
2. Make it of human interest
3. Have the story be relatable

Bettencourt: LNS covers many things that some of the other stations couldn’t. She loves community outreach stories.

Let’s talk on-air vs. web, do they choose different stories for each?

Auresto: We don’t wait till the 6 o’clock news to break a story that happened at noon. It’ll be put on the web (but it still may be covered during the 6 o’clock news). The Web is like having a sister-station. Everything is moving to the Web.

Roche: For instance, if there is a news conference, only part of it might be shown on TV – but you’ll be able to see the entire conference online.

What don’t they cover?

Olsen: Dry meetings or events that are more like a dry meetings. Stuff that isn’t visually stimulating.

Auresto: You have to think, “Do I want to watch this on the 10 o’clock news?” Fine a compelling story about what you are pitching.

Bettencourt: Also, if you send releases about events, have an interesting person available at the event.

Top Dos and Don’ts

Bettencourt: Don’t send an email then call 5 seconds later. You can call, but remember she always is checking email, but she might be busy. Give her time to digest. Do, however, leave contact information including cell phone numbers.

Auresto: Contact information is extremely important. Put that up front with details below. *Regarding events

Olsen: Establish a relationship. She’ll take a few minutes to talk to you if you start a relationship with her. Also, remember you don’t always have to pitch the assignment editors, build relationships with others at the station too.

Roche: Relationships are important. Don’t call too close to news time. Don’t pitch the same exact thing to him that you are pitching to another station.

A couple other interesting pieces I got out of last night:

Roche: He said they aren’t a bunch of prima donnas, so do reach out.

Auresto: He files all the experts he receives, so send him a list of clients and what they can talk about/specialize in.

All-in-all, the panel stressed the fact that they just want to put together an awesome newscast. Think about what you would want to see on the news, create a good story for your pitches and offer them a nicely packaged story idea.

Technorati Tags: FOX 25, NECN, Pitching News Station, Pitching Tips, TV Coverage, WBZ, WCVB-TV, WFXT-TV, WMUR-TV

Too many conferences, too few reporters – a modest proposal

Ann Dalrymple — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:15:18 +0000

I’ve been talking to a lot of reporters lately, trying to secure meetings for clients planning to break news at industry conferences. It’s an uphill push to get in-person briefings at the best of times, but the strikeout rate is particularly high for conferences. It’s a case of too many conferences and too few reporters.

One of my reporter friends (I think of him as a friend, at least) tells me that he’s done travelling, thanks to drastic budget cuts at his publication. He’s not the only one claiming lack of funds – it seems to be the new normal.

So here’s a modest proposal: let’s manage press attendance at conferences as the Europeans do. Let’s pay for travel and living expenses for accredited journalists.

I’m not suggesting pay-for-play here, but a modification of sponsorship agreements that would set up a travel fund that could be accessed by vetted reporters. It’s not a guarantee of coverage, just a way to ensure journalists can afford to attend.

Here’s how it could work: conference sponsors would pay a reasonable, small surcharge – say $2,000 – that would go into a kitty to provide funds to reporters with no travel budget. There’d be a pre-set room charge, a block of reserved rooms at the conference hotel, and a daily allotment for food and such – just enough to cover T&L expenses. Reporters would have to apply – maybe use a lottery system? – and prove their credentials to receive a stipend. They’d have to agree to allot a certain percentage of conference time for briefings, but would not have to agree to meeting any specific sponsor or attendee. The idea is to increase chances of access to reporters, not to promise access.

Handled carefully, conference organizers could ensure that the church/state separation so essential to fair and impartial reporting would be maintained. And journalists could actually go to conferences and cover news live and in person.

What do you think? As a sponsor, would you be willing to chip in to make sure reporters can actually afford to come to conferences? As a reporter, would you turn your back at the handout or see it as a way to help you do your job? Let us know what you think.

Technorati Tags: Conferences, Event Suggestions, Getting reporters to shows, Sponsorships

Straight from the horse’s mouth, almost

Joanna DiTrapano — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:39:07 +0000

So what’s it like to be a business editor at a newspaper these days, with slimmer budgets but more news to cover than ever?

The Publicity Club of New England held a panel discussion of regional business editors to hear their likes and gripes – and to find out what works and what doesn’t when trying to secure your clients in these highly sought after publications.

The panel was moderated by Tina Cassidy, VP of Soloman McCown & Company, and consisted of the Boston Business Journal’s Eric Convey, The Boston Globe’s Shirley Leung and the Boston Herald’s Frank Quaratiello. The competition among these publications was clear but despite this, or perhaps because of it, the dynamic among them was great – engaging, entertaining and most importantly, helpful to us PR folks.

Here are some highlights:

* Wait for the no *

According to Leung, even if a reporter likes your story it’s almost guaranteed not to be published if they realized you’ve pitched multiple people.

If you don’t hear back from someone in one department, wait for them to say “no” before pitching another department within the same publication. If you must move on to another reporter before you get the “no”, be transparent with the next person you pitch – letting them know you reached out to someone already.

* Phone calls and beyond *

We were all dying to know about follow up calls, and basically what we learned is that every reporter is different. Here’s how it breaks down with these three –

Globe: Leung likes follow up calls, especially after timely pitches

Herald: Quaratiello won’t let you off the phone if he likes your story (but beware if he asks you to send him an email).

BBJ: Convey says not to even bother with phone calls (understandably so, according to Convey he wouldn’t be able to get any work done if he took every call)

* Twitter and Social Media *

Globe: Leung’s staff is adapting to twitter more and more and they have a specific person to keep up their Facebook page with events, postings stories, contests etc.

Leung realizes that social media drives traffic and amazingly, is about #4 out of the top ten facets that do so.

Herald: Quaratiello doesn’t really use Twitter and doubts much of his staff does either. Although, they will check Facebook to get photos to support any crimes/incidents.

BBJ: Twitter is very important to them and an important factor in driving traffic to their site/specific stories. Some of you might recognize one of their biggest cheerleaders, @lvanderpool

One thing they all seem to hate is mass pitching! When it comes to quality vs. quantity, quality always wins.

What are some pitching faux pas you’ve come across (or dare I say tried yourself)?

Technorati Tags: editors, PubClub NE, public relations, Social Media

Waterless Engine Coolant – The way of the Future…

Paul Hughes — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:08:12 +0000

I was recently at the Performance Racing Industry’s 22nd Annual Show in Orlando with Evans Cooling (client). At the show, all manners of technological advances were showcased as they related to the racing industry.

At the show, Evans showcased their waterless engine coolant. This is a unique engine coolant that overcomes the drawbacks of water-based coolant. Essentially, with Evans product, a vehicle can get better performance, better gas mileage, reduced maintenance, a lifetime coolant that never needs to be replaced providing a reduced the impact on the environment.

While Evans solutions have an application in high performance (race cars, motorcycles, ATVs, etc.) engines, it is also a viable option for virtually any internal combustion engine that has a radiator.

The benefit of Evans that was most interesting to the editors we talked to at the show – with all the talk on climate, the environment and being “green” – was the fact the Evans coolant is currently in testing to be declared non-toxic. With 88% of regular coolant ending up in landfills, this is a tremendous benefit.

Evans is available worldwide, but few folks know about them. Take a minute to visit their website and check out their coolant…www.evanscooling.com. I think you’ll find it interesting.

Technorati Tags: Events, Marketing, PR, technology, Topaz Partners