Weber Shandwick Seattle

Weber Seattle Snapshots: May Edition

Scott Meis — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:18:06 +0000

Following up on last month’s inaugural “Snaps” edition, we’ve kept ye ole camera handy to provide some more fun photographic insight into Weber Seattle world. Enjoy!

Our kind neighbors to the North make their mark.

A morning reminder from Megan Torres, VP of Happiness.

A post-it note. With a drawing of a kangaroo. That is all.

Our fancy weekly reward drawing for employee rock star results.

A walking meeting in action. So Seattle of us.

Go pro or go home. @ldavj in action.

@mydeadlyballoon unleashes the 6pm "brain maxed" fury. Jordan what?

“Lang may yer lum reek”—How Studying In Scotland Influences My PR Internship

Weber Intern — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:42:31 +0000

Weber Shandwick Seattle is proud to bring back its intern blog post series that aims to help young professionals land and make the most of their PR agency internships. In our first series, interns provided the inside scoop on What They Didn’t Tell You about careers in PR. This time around, our rock star interns take a look at how PR professionals can come from a variety of backgrounds. Below is the sixth post in the series – how studying in Scotland influenced my Weber Shandwick internship.

The rain was soaking through my rain coat and scarf, and I could feel the cold, wet moisture beginning to seep through my sweater. Through the fog, Stirling Castle loomed above me from its volcanic, rocky ledge. Finally, the bus (coach) arrived (on the “wrong” side of the road), and I fumbled through my foreign coins to find the correct fare. As the coach pulled back onto the road, I listened to the boys behind me speak what I presumed to be English—their Scottish accent disguising every other word. Fifteen minutes later we arrived at the university, and already feeling like I had survived a day’s hurdles, I walked onto campus for my morning lecture.

While studying abroad in Scotland, I learned skills and developed knowledge both inside and outside of the classroom that I believe will be useful to my career in PR. Most importantly, I discovered the importance of cultural awareness and learned how to thrive in completely foreign situations.

Widen Your Perspectives

My studies in Scotland have directly impacted my public relations knowledge base by widening my perspective of the media and audiences. I had always considered the UK and the US to be pretty similar—kind of like long-lost cousins. Relatively speaking I found this this to be true, but I also discovered that even similar people can have completely different reactions to the same topic. This concept really came to light during my “Terrorism in the Media” course at the University of Stirling. I took the class hoping to learn how Scottish or British media portrayed events such as 9/11 or the London tube incident. What I didn’t realize was that for the British, terrorism is not confined to these past events. With the recent history with Ireland and Northern Ireland, terrorism is a much more present issue. Because of this, the British media are extremely careful with the term “terrorism”. They do not use the word as an attention ploy, nor as a means to sensationalize a story. This caution was so important to our professor that a third of the term was devoted to honing in on the contextual meaning of the word. This was a huge learning experience for me as I had assumed our cultures were so similar that we would be approaching terrorism from relatively similar places.

Learn to Take Risks, and Be Open

Along with the extended global viewpoint, I also learned significant life lessons that have already helped me in PR world. For the first time in my life, I had no foundation. Everything was foreign. I didn’t have friends to talk to (my own friends back home were hardly ever awake when I was), I was trying to navigate a completely different university system, and due to dialect, even speaking to new people proved to be a daunting task.

As I walked along the cobblestone streets one afternoon, I realized that no strategy was going to be better than just diving in head first. You have to open yourself up to experiences, soak up everything you can and make new connections. My first weeks at Weber Shandwick were centered on the same principle. Learn everything you can and give back to the people around you. If we already knew everything there was to know, there would be no reason to get out of bed in the morning. That, to me, is the beauty of this internship with Weber Shandwick. It’s OK not to be sure; it’s OK to ask questions. This is supposed to be a learning experience, and so far, I have loved every minute of it.

Lang May Yer Lum Reek

The Scottish phrase “lang may yer lum reek” translates to “may you never be without fuel for your fire.” This phrase has been very appropriate to me both while navigating Scotland and pursuing a career in public relations, inspiring me to never stop learning and improving. While studying in a foreign place, much like starting a new job, there are many times when it would be easier to fade into the background, and not push the limits. I believe that in both situations, you will have a much more fruitful experience if you not only let go of your fear of the unknown, but actually embrace the uncertainty.

Author—Kirsten Howell graduated from Washington State University and is currently an intern at Weber Shandwick Seattle. You can find out more about Kirsten at her LinkedIn profile or by following her on Twitter.

Title image courtesy of Shadowgate.

1st Take with Stacey Bernstein: Digital Health Trends

Scott Meis — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:31:30 +0000

Recently, we sat down with Weber Shandwick’s Director of Digital Health, Stacey Bernstein, to talk about emerging digital health trends and the impact of social and native advertising on the healthcare world. Check out more from our network experts in our 1st Take series.

What’s the number one trend you’re seeing in the digital health space at the moment?

Can “actual movement” be a legitimate answer to this? In all honesty, for years we saw more of our pharmaceutical clients crippled by fear. Without regulatory guidance on what they could and could not do in social media, they chose to sit on the sidelines. What I’ve seen in the last 6 months is companies have stopped waiting for guidelines and have started engaging. It’s a really fascinating transformation. We just completed some high level research about pharma’s use of social media and the results show that the lack of regulatory guidance is no longer the main concern. What’s really top of mind for them is the challenge of socializing ideas internally and getting buy-in to go, go, go. This is a huge shift.

Aside from that, data is so critically important. With literally thousands of apps, websites and even new devices that track your every movement, people are suddenly inundated with an immense amount of data…about themselves. But now that we have this data, what do we do with it? How do we take the stats that your Fit Bit gives you, couple them with your electronic EKG monitor, add that to your MyFitnessPal food log, and actually use those numbers to improve your overall health? That’s a question everyone’s trying to answer.

Hospitals, health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, public health organizations…in your mind, which area has had the most advancement in social media and digital marketing? Why?

I think that in a lot of ways, hospitals and public health organizations are leading the way. For public health, the reason is obvious – they’re not burdened by FDA or HIPPA guidelines, so they have a tremendous freedom to do really innovative and more provocative work. Hospitals are a bit more of an interesting story. They don’t deal with FDA, but they still have HIPPA, and that presents some pretty significant privacy concerns. But despite this, we’re seeing hospitals lead the way in social engagement — even when it comes to adoption of new platforms and technologies. One of the first cases of an organization using Vine in the health space was not a consumer health company, which is what you would assume – it was a hospital.

Social and native advertising. Still an untouched arena for most healthcare companies and organizations?

For the most part, yes. Not to keep harkening back to guidelines, but it’s virtually impossible for pharma companies to advertise online in most of the limited space formats that are available to them. Most healthcare companies are leveraging social ads to some degree for unbranded initiatives, but more advanced advertising to support the more sophisticated content-driven work we’re doing for clients is entirely new territory. Especially when we talk about some of the newer platforms like Outbrain – there’s just a lack of understanding of how these platforms work and the opportunities they present to healthcare companies.

That said, the hesitations aren’t overstated – the healthcare industry in general faces unique challenges when it comes to advertising online. Not only are there regulatory concerns, but figuring out how to measure ROI for a healthcare company’s paid efforts online is an ongoing struggle. For consumer goods companies, it’s relatively easy – directly track things like sales and coupon downloads as a result of social ads and you’ve got a pretty good framework for success. But for healthcare companies, it’s virtually impossible to track prescriptions as a result of the activities you undertake in social. And when you’re talking about content that’s trying to ultimately drive behavior change, none of the usual metrics seem to cut it. The entire ROI matrix needs to be completely different.

What gets you jazzed about tackling digital health projects each day?

I truly believe that digital is redefining the way people take care of their health. And I love that we get to help our clients navigate this new environment and figure out how to leverage digital and social to make people’s lives better. In most instances, we’re not selling a product, we’re selling a lifestyle. That’s something you can feel good about at the end of the day. Ultimately I always say that “digital health” is not just about launching a Facebook and Twitter page for your clients. In fact, that’s the least of what it’s about. It’s really about empowering people to take control of their health, and positioning your clients as the enablers of that activity. And in healthcare, there is no better way right now to do that than through digital.

Image courtesy of ULC Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

Pro Bono Spotlight: Helping Treehouse Grow

Lauren Lytle — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:12:52 +0000

Last year, I had the opportunity to go to a tea party… for charity! The event was Treehouse’s annual Tea Party fundraising event at the Norcliffe Estate in North Seattle. I enjoyed an unforgettable afternoon of high tea in the grand ballroom, mingled among thousands of vintage hats (and selected the perfect one to complement my outfit), posed for a commemorative photo to mark the occasion and explored the beautiful grounds and gardens of the estate. But my favorite part of the event was meeting Treehouse CEO Janis Avery and learning more about Treehouse and the amazing services this beloved nonprofit provides for foster kids in Washington.

Treehouse’s mission is to give foster kids a childhood and a future. In Washington, state funding covers only 60 percent of the cost of basic care for foster kids. Treehouse helps close the gap for more than 6,000 foster kids each year with programs that help them succeed in school, provide key material needs and give them the important childhood experiences that every child deserves.

After attending the event, I knew I wanted to get involved and help out. A couple of months later, I joined several of my colleagues here at Weber Shandwick to help Treehouse with the organization’s 25th anniversary and its annual Champions for Foster Kids luncheon at the Seattle Sheraton Hotel.

The 1,100 luncheon attendees helped Treehouse raise more than $1 million. Attendees included many notable Seattle business leaders and philanthropists, including Washington State First Lady Trudi Inslee. At the luncheon, Treehouse CEO Janis Avery announced a rebranding of the organization, including a new visual identity and an expansion of programs that focus on improving education outcomes for foster youth.

Treehouse has set an ambitious strategic goal: that foster youth in King County will graduate high school at the same rate as their peers by 2017. With their new contemporary look that reflects this new focus, Treehouse hopes to engage and serve an increasing number of teenage youth in the coming years.

All of us here at Weber Shandwick are thrilled to have the privilege to support Treehouse’s PR efforts. It’s an honor to be able to lend our services to an organization that makes such a positive impact in the lives and schooling of thousands of children.

If you’re interested in getting involved with Treehouse, visit www.treehouseforkids.org, or on May 29, head over to Treehouse’s “Fostering Young Brains” Town Hall featuring John Medina and William Bell, presented by Amara and Casey Family Programs, and get started with an organization that’s making a real difference in the lives of children across Washington.

*Photos provided by Tiffany Diamond Photography, Treehouse and our Lucas Anderson.

Weber Shandwick Seattle Is Hiring

Weber Shandwick Seattle — Fri, 10 May 2013 00:20:18 +0000

We continue to experience exciting growth and are looking for dedicated, innovative, creative and digitally savvy communications professionals to join our award winning teams!

Weber Shandwick is more than a leading global communications agency – we’re an Engagement Agency. In a world where information comes at us from endless sources, it’s no longer just about engaging people with a story. Today, we engage people IN the story.

We’re committed to our clients and our people. We push ourselves and our clients to do our best work, and we are having fun doing it.

We offer challenging assignments, promote cross-office collaboration and help build exciting careers. We’re hiring for the open positions listed below. If you want to work with the industry’s best, please submit your cover letter, resume and/or portfolio to contactseattle@webershandwick.com.

Make a difference. Be bold. Launch the future. Join Weber Shandwick Seattle.

Need some extra convincing? Here are some of the recent awards we’ve won:

Photo courtesy of Marc Falardeau.

Debunking Myths Tied to Social Media Authenticity

Weber Shandwick Seattle — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:33:48 +0000

This post first appeared on High Talk and was written by George Snell, Senior Vice President of digital/social media for Weber Shandwick Boston. To hear more from George, watch our 1st Take video, in which George discusses the changing face of PR and how we help our clients take advantage.
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One of the great big whopping lies about social media is authenticity.

Because – let’s face it – there isn’t much that’s authentic about social media. There’s lots of spin, cherry-picking, and bright-side propaganda from both individuals and brands going on. Few people and brands are truly genuine about their attitudes, personalities and opinions on social channels.

Why?

Because few people are authentic when they are being watched. When you are being scrutinized you put your best face forward. It’s only natural. And for brands social channels are for marketing and communications. In other words, “planned” content. Planned content, by its nature, is not authentic.

So let us count and debunk some of the most popular myths about social media authenticity:

Myth #1: Consumers demand that brands be authentic on social media

Reality: Consumers want brands to fit within their perception of what the brand stands for. What people really mean by saying they want brands to be “authentic” is that they want brands to be on message. To reflect their brand. If the brand strays outside of the boundaries of that perception – they are routinely punished for it.

Take last year, for example, when the American Rifleman magazine published a tweet that read in part “Good morning, shooters” right after the Aurora, Colorado mass shooting. American Rifleman – which is a magazine for, well, shooters – was savaged for it. Its tweet, while badly timed, was most definitely authentic. In the storm that followed the publication deleted not only the tweet, but also its entire Twitter account. Why? It’s too risky being authentic when it means supporting guns and bullets.

A second example is Chik-Fil-A. It is a brand that is authentically conservative Christian. That philosophy is built into the brands DNA (the restaurants are closed on Sundays as a result). Chick-Fil-A found itself out of the frying pan and into the fire last year for speaking out against gay marriage. It’s a stance that’s about as authentic as you get, but no one was celebrating that fact. Chick-Fil-A’s opinions led to boycotts and people demanding that Chik-Fil-A keep its authentic opinions to itself.

Myth #2: People are authentic on social media

Reality: People lie like crazy on social media. And if they aren’t outright lying they are certainly painting their lives in the most wonderful light. Facebook has turned us all into our own private publicists. That’s why restaurant and vacation photographs are so popular – look at me doing awesome things! Few people write about the daily drudgery of their lives or the challenges of being married or a parent. A recent survey about women and dishonesty on social networks was very revealing.

Here’s what the Telegraph noted in its story on the survey:

“According to the OnePoll survey, one-third of women surveyed admitted to “dishonesty” on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter at some stage. Almost one in four admitted to lying or exaggerating about key aspects of their life online between one and three times a month while almost one in 10 said they lied more than once a week.”

I think it is safe to say men would likely rank about the same. Don’t we all what our lives to appear more glamorous or important to our friends, family and colleagues?

Myth #3: Brand authenticity is appreciated and rewarded on social media

Reality: Not even close. Do you want to know what is really authentic? Mistakes. We all make them. But if you’re a brand and you make a mistake on social media? Then you get a kick to the head for it – even if you retract it and apologize.

Look what happened when American Apparel tweeted out information about a sale they were having just before a big storm – just in case people got “bored” riding it out. The storm, unfortunately, was Hurricane Sandy. Hundreds, if not thousands of people turned on American Apparel on social channels to rip them about their tweet – even though it was written before the storm struck.

Or how about Kenneth Cole’s tweet linking the riots in Cairo with a sale of his shoes? He was hammered for this error in judgement even after apologizing for it.

Myth #4: Authenticity humanizes brands and that behavior is rewarded

Reality: Human beings don’t run the social media channels at brands. Groups of people do. And those groups are usually PR and marketing experts and all they are trying to do is sell things: messages, brand identity and products and services. Brands are a lot of things, but human isn’t one of them.

But that doesn’t stop “human emotions” from occasionally making its way onto brand social channels. And when that happens? Trouble. Nestle is a perfect example of this. When its Facebook page was attacked by Greenpeace activists angry about the brand’s use of palm oil and its connection to destroying rain forests, the flustered community manager at Nestle reacted in a most human way: he become frustrated.

And when he vented this frustration through a few snarky remarks about the rudeness of the activists, he was, of course, roundly and loudly denounced and criticized for reacting like, well, a human being.

———-

What do you think about authenticity on social media? Another buzzword? Or do you think it is what makes social media social? Head over to High Talk where this post originally appeared and contribute to the comments.

Links:

Why Women Constantly Lie About Life on Facebook via The Telegraph
A Single Tweet Can Cause A lot of Damage
There is No Authenticity Online

1st Take with Stan Stein: Carve Out Your Career Path

Dan Lee — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:34:33 +0000

How do you keep clients happy and maintain an interesting career at the same time? Ever dream about working overseas to experience a different culture or language? For more than 35 years, Stan Stein, Executive Vice President in Weber Shandwick’s Detroit office, has had a colorful career that has taken him to far-flung parts of the world on behalf of clients.

In this 1^st Take, Stan shares the key traits of a successful PR pro and why Weber Shandwick is the right place to grow your communications career.

Live Storytelling Gives Audiences Inside Access to Client Event

Matt Inda — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:19:35 +0000

And… we’re back!

A couple weeks back, Las Vegas played host to our Concur client’s annual user conference, Fusion 2013. And this year, it was more accessible than ever to Concur’s global customers, partners, employees and the many media who follow the company from around the world, thanks to a new form of real-time storytelling.

We live in an always-on world. We move between screens effortlessly as stories unfold from our laptops to the tablet to the mobile phone to the TV. In real time, news and information are no longer passively consumed, but participatory. So content should be made for real time engagement.

To help Concur extend the Fusion narrative and involve those not in attendance, we brought the event to them through Fusion Live. Fusion Live is Weber Shandwick’s real time video programming amplified through social media and strategic distribution to spread the word directly to key audiences.

The result: two live broadcasts that brought a personal, show-floor feel to homes and offices around the world. Here’s how it worked:

Take 1: More than just a live stream of the conference keynote, Fusion Live gave viewers inside access to Concur’s COO and President, Raj Singh. Viewers could submit questions via Twitter and Facebook for him to answer during a live Q&A segment. Providing a diverse overview of the show, Fusion Live also featured interviews with Concur’s partner salesforce.com and a customer CareerBuilder.com right from the show itself.

Take 2: Facebook, supported by conversations via Concur’s Twitter handles, was the perfect ingredient to generate viewership across the globe. Visitors of Concur’s Facebook page could not only view Fusion Live and the keynote broadcast, but engage with others doing the same. In just a few days, Concur’s Facebook page received a record-number of Likes/Fans!

Take 3: Paid pays off. Weber Shandwick partnered with one of the largest trade publications in the business travel industry to help promote the event and direct its audience to the Concur Facebook page. By placing two sponsored ads with BusinessTravelNews.com (one on its website and another in its highly-circulated newsletter), Concur’s Facebook page benefitted from these ads as well, which received click-thru rates four and five-times the industry standard for digital ads!

…and cut!

Although the event is over, all the action and conversation lives on! Check out the Fusion Live highlight reel for a look at the event in action or catch up on all-things-Fusion by visiting the Concur Blog, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn social channels.

Could You Live on One Dollar a Day?

Anne Culp — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:53:06 +0000

Here at Weber, we have the opportunity to work with some of the largest companies in the entire world, representing billions of dollars of assets and millions of workers across the globe.

But sometimes, we get the opportunity to work with clients who, though they may be small, are making a very big difference.

One of these clients is called Living on One. They’re a group of four friends who, as college sophomores, decided to spend two months living on one dollar a day in a village in Guatemala.

It seems impossible, right? For 56 days, having to manage everything you need to survive on just one dollar a day. Well, they got e.Coli, spent a lot of time hungry and struggled with extreme poverty, but they did it. And they did it through the help and inspiration of three of their Guatemalan neighbors, Anthony, Rosa and Chino.

It was an experience that changed their lives, and inspired all of us here at Weber Shandwick. We’ve been proud to help Living on One tell their story, both here in Seattle and through many of our offices across the country. In a previous blog post, we talked a bit about a cross-country bus tour they made last year to show the documentary of their time in Guatemala, talk about their experience, and promote microfinance and anti-poverty programs. Their goal was to prompt young people to take action to fight poverty. You can check out the highlights of their trip and how the Weber team helped them reach their goal here:

But the journey isn’t over. In honor of Earth Day, you now have the opportunity to share in their experiences, all from the comfort of your own home.

Right now, you can stream Living on One’s documentary of their time in Guatemala, “Living on One Dollar,” on Hulu and Hulu Plus in the U.S. until May 3. Additionally, Living on One recently announced that they have partnered with IndieFlix to distribute and promote the film.

After celebrating Earth Day last week and seeing the incredible work that Living on One has done to fight poverty, it made me think of the impact that seemingly small things can have. Recycling a can instead of throwing it away. Biking to work instead of driving. Those sorts of things –small things that can add up to make a big difference. Small things that can change the world.

Right now, billions of people live every day in poverty. It’s a problem that seems massive. A problem that’s too big to handle. But, if each of us can do one small thing to make a difference… maybe, just maybe, we can have an impact. Even if it’s just making a small donation to organizations that fight poverty, these four friends have shown what even a dollar a day can do for in need. And maybe that’s the lesson that Living on One is trying to teach – that no matter how small an impact you think you have, together, we can make a difference.

Image courtesy of the Living on One Facebook Page.

Four Peaks Spotlight: Sandra Jackson-Dumont

Elaine Helm — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:47:20 +0000

Picking up where we left off with our Four Peaks Spotlight Series, we’re featuring guests from upcoming Four Peaks episodes. Four Peaks is a current affairs program created in partnership with the University of Washington’s Master of Communication in Digital Media (UW MCDM) program and UWTV. Host Hanson Hosein recently spoke with Seattle Art Museum (SAM) Deputy Director for Education and Public Programs Sandra Jackson-Dumont about the evolution of urban renewal and creativity. We had the opportunity to ask Sandra a few additional questions about the role of museums in the community and how SAM is engaging people in art through programs like SAM ReMix. Here’s what she had to say:

Q: How do you reach new audiences for SAM and get them excited about art?

A: We employ a host of strategies to get new and existing audiences excited about art. I think connecting art to real life issues and moments that resonate with people is one of the most compelling ways to inspire engagement and participation in art. It’s not that different from anything else. When something moves someone on the surface or in deep, rich, fun or challenging ways, they tend to talk about that experience making them intentional or, in some cases, unintentional ambassadors for art.

Q: In tough economic times, why is it important to invest in community engagement programs for the museum?

A: Museums make people think. They are the custodians of culture. When I think about the Arab Spring, one of the most profound pictures I have in my mind is that of hundreds of people with their arms linked around the library/museum. It was as if they were saying: “This is our legacy and we must protect it.” When I think about community engagement programs in museums, I think about that image. Museums and the objects in their custody provide space to think for people who are nothing alike and those who have everything in common. This is no small feat. A thoughtful community is a considered and invested community. During tough economic times, museums are some of the most important spaces to invest in.

Q: What is your vision for the future of museum public programs?

A: I want a trip to a museum to be common place for everyone. I think the future of museum public programs sets the museum up to be a platform for the dynamic exchange of ideas. I also think museums can be democratic locations of learning through play for people of all ages. The future of museums’ public programs has artists and the public at the center.

Q: In today’s world of modern marketing communications, how would you define “effective engagement?”

A: Creating moments or exchanges, irrespective of platform or place, where people feel they have to be there! Something that causes people to say, “you missed it.”

Check out Sandra’s Four Peaks episode on Northwest Cable News (Comcast, Channel 2) airing May 18-19. Previous shows stream on uwtv.org/series/four-peaks/.