The Buzz Bin

Today the Buzz Bin interviewed Richard Becker who is the president of Copywrite, Inc. He took some time to discuss his ideas on the PR industry and social media. Of particular note are Rich’s reflection on social media’s impact on the entertainment world, and Hollywood writer’s strike.

BB: Tell us about your Jericho blogging and how that’s impacted your blog, Copywrite, Ink.

RB: The cancelled and reinstated television show (Jericho) is really a collection of posts that represent two living case studies: viral fan efforts that quickly turned into a crisis communication situation for CBS (posts between May 18 and June 6) and then fan marketing efforts (posts between June 9 and ongoing).

The latter will likely continue through the second season. And I sometimes pick up other fan efforts for shows like The Black Donnellys, Veronica Mars, and most recently Journeyman. Tracking them has provided some great insight into the transformation of broadcast television.

Both case studies are also significant for anyone studying social media. It demonstrated how real people quickly connect, organize, interact, and take action that transcends chatting on the Internet (as evidenced by 40,000 pounds of nuts sent to CBS, among other things); and reinforces that there is a greater risk in ignoring social media than there is engaging it on some level.

In the first case study, it seems to me that CBS didn’t manage its message until the message began to manage it. In the second, it was interesting to cover the challenges fans faced without clear leadership as well as what could have been an amazing opportunity for CBS to work with better with program evangelists.

There were several ways it impacted our Copywrite, Ink. blog. During the cancellation protest, the blog received some dramatic exposure over our coverage of events as it applied to communication. There were several days where what once was a blog averaging 500 visitors per day jumped to more than 10,000 visitors. While traffic for the sake of traffic isn’t really a real goal, watching 10,000 people visit a blog in one day raises an eyebrow.

We received some criticism too. Several readers thought covering the show was divergent from business communication, even more so after I decided to stick with it as a case study in consumer marketing. It also presented an interesting challenge in that it seemed I was developing a split readership: professionals and consumers. Yet, after understanding and engaging fans, I quickly learned that there was more crossover than some people would believe. Many Jericho fans are professionals.

The experience taught me a great deal about engaging consumers in social media. They are great people, and several have become friends.

BB: How do you think the writer’s strike will affect the larger media landscape?

RB: This question really provides an excellent opportunity to connect the dots between Jericho fan efforts and the bigger picture of some changes taking place inside network television (which predates Jericho). For anyone doubting the significance of Jericho, the writers strike demonstrates that we’re in a transition between old and new media.

It seems to me that the real impacts will not be apparent until we see the outcomes. However, less dependant on the strike is recognizing that fans are increasingly connected to content creators — writers and producers — as opposed to networks and studios. This is a significant shift because it could change the dynamic of what a network really is in the eyes of consumers.

Are networks content creators as NBC says; or are they distribution platforms? David Letterman’s production company and United Artists signing the deal that networks refused to sign seems to imply the latter, making me wonder just how important networks will be in five or ten years if they continually focus on being ratings-driven distributors as opposed to niche content creators.

Whereas writers and producers used to have to sell themselves, it seems to me that the pendulum is swinging. As television goes digital, networks might have to sell writers and producers. Consumers care less about how the content is delivered; they just want quality programs.

BB: What was your favorite moment on Copywrite, Ink. and why?

RB: I don’t really think in terms of favorite moments because every experience seems unique. One is not really better than the other, just different.

Personally, I’ve enjoyed meeting hundreds and thousands of people as a result of maintaining a blog — some personal, some professional, and some in between. So if I have to choose a favorite, then suffice to say my favorite moments are whenever our blog turns into a connection beyond the blog.

For example, becoming a contributor to Recruiting Bloggers has led to a great friendship with the Recruiting Animal and some other recruiters. We recently extended Jericho fan Jane Sweat an online internship as a research assistant. And, it was great to have you over for a more homespun view of Las Vegas.

I have had scores of experiences like that every week. The best of them are connecting with people who appreciate that the measure of friendship is based on the relationship when you disagree, not always how often you agree.

BB: What other social networks do you play in, and how have they benefitted you?

RB: Since I’m always looking into new technologies and networks to see if they have any tangible benefits for existing and future clients, I try as many as possible. Some stick and some are just short-term trials. Even if they are short term however, I leave the doors open. They might not work for me, but that doesn’t mean they won’t work for a client.

Currently, I’m engaged with several forums, LinkedIn, Twitter, SpinThicket, RecuitingBloggers, and BlogCatalog (which I work from time to time). But I have several other accounts and have been invited to many more. Sometimes I sign up because I have an immediate interest; other times because that is where the conversations takes me. I use several more as tools, but haven’t truly engaged them as a social network (eg. Flickr, Digg, Revver, YouTube, etc.)

They are all beneficial. Each group lends a different perspective to scores of subjects that cross over into communication. More than that, the biggest benefit is that each has allowed me to develop some relationships that I might have missed otherwise.

BB: What’s the difference (if any) between new PR and marketing and traditional efforts?

RB: It’s not so much that there are real differences between “new PR and marketing” and “traditional efforts” as much as there are real differences in how these various efforts are employed to meet strategic goals.

I tend to view social media as a tool of strategic communication as opposed to a strategy unto itself. That said, there are many differences in how one might effectively communicate using social media and how one might communicate using traditional marketing and public relations. But to some degree, it has always been that way.

In advertising, marketing, public relations, investor relations, internal communication, etc., etc., communicators have always had to tailor their message to various mediums and various publics while maintaining a consistent message tied to strategic goals. Social media, and sometimes even varied applications of social media, require adjustments in how a message is communicated.

What stands out to me about social media is that while some define it as a “free for all,” there seems to be more pressure, even from proponents, to conform to the medium than ever before. That kind of thinking, in my opinion, is wrong on its face, reminding me of the classic parody “Nine Ways To Improve a Volkswagen Ad.” In the parody, the Volkswagen “Think Small” ad is forced to conform to nine “proven” rules of advertising. By the end, the ad doesn’t work.

I’ve always enjoyed the modern take on this classic between Apple and Microsoft. We posted it some time ago, but I love referencing it now and again. By the same token, I don’t think I recommend duplicating what I do on my blog. Experimentation and occasionally taking conversational risks is not for everyone.

BB: Do you have great hopes for social media?

RB: I have many great hopes for social media. Perhaps more than any other, I hope it continues to remove the cost of entry barrier for people, products, services, and entertainment while increasing speed to market.

There is nothing wrong with talented individuals sharing writing, art, productions, or products with an online market and seeing if they can prove it has value before, perhaps, being picked up by a larger distributor, publisher, or network. In this scenario, it could potentially improve a network’s risk-reward ratio. It also increases both collaboration and competition into the marketplace.

But all of this really depends on people who are willing to break any perceived rules and not necessarily conform to them. I think it’s important to see social media as a much more versatile tool than only its most public applications.

For example, Del Monte recently used a private social network as a focus group and gained valuable insights from consumers. That’s very smart stuff. Even better, they seem to have properly analyzed the data they collected with additional research and their own organizational knowledge.

For me, this provides a great example because it demonstrates that companies are engaged in social media much more than the “counting blogs” might reveal. But even in terms of blogs, we might want to reduce the rigidity in how we define them.

At minimum, a blog can be the perfect place to post news releases, social media releases, and non-news information. While I appreciate many social media proponents dismiss the idea that this would constitute a blog as they define it, I remain unconvinced that every blog has to have a conversational op-ed style, especially on the front end.

You know, sometimes customers just want to see what a company is up to without having their e-mails loaded up with frequent blasts. Sometimes they don’t want to know the inner workings of the CEO. And sometimes they don’t want to leave comments or be engaged by a team of company bloggers.

BB: What’s next for Rich Becker?

RB: In addition to serving our clients and business development, we have a number of short-term and long-term projects. Almost all of these have variable time lines and a couple have additional stakeholders.

I can say that I’ve always enjoyed keeping one foot in creative and one foot in business, with several dozen projects in various stages of development on deck. At the moment, three stand out as priorities.

I am working on a business plan for a hybrid project that falls somewhere in between new and old media, which will require some reliable partners to launch. I am finishing a brief on a promising communication ROI equation, which will be sent out for review and open for comment. And, although I have two other outlines complete, the third is an experimental book project. You see, I’m very curious about online publishing technologies and this project will give me some insight on which route to take the other two.

Of course, my most immediate “next” is teaching and my family and I are still considering where we might like to relocate. As for the rest of the time, well, that belongs to my family. I enjoy the balance; it generally leads to more productivity.