Grafik had its holiday party this weekend.  Here are a few of the photos from the event.  If you would like to see more photos, check out our Flickr page!

The Smithsonian announced this weekend that they are launching a new brand line, “Seriously Amazing.” Before you read any further, in the interest of complete disclosure, you should know that Grafik has worked with the Smithsonian on many of their initiatives including the branding of the National Museum of the American Indian, and a brand exercise for the Smithsonian Institution’s Latino Center. And we have had a beef over the years, on behalf of all of the excellent branding firms in Washington, D.C., that we are never invited to the dance. So in the context of having a large chip on my shoulder, I have to say that the new tagline for the Smithsonian is really pretty good—excellent in fact. The firm called in for the assignment is a well-known branding agency in NYC, London, and Dubai Wolff Olins and branding museums and international institutions is their specialty.

A news item in the Washington Post on Sunday shows that Wolff Olins spent the time to research, and get input from many of the museum directors and board members. As a pre-eminently political beast it must have been a huge endeavor to interview all of the people necessary to build consensus for the new line—one that costs $1 million dollars. It seems they hit the nail right on the head, getting a huge round of applause when they launched the brand last week.

I personally like “Seriously Amazing” as it taps into the research as well as the vast store of treasures that are held by all of the museums making up the Institution. Known for years as the “Nation’s Attic,” the new tagline has a more forward direction. It remains to be seen how the mark will play out in future fundraising and the awareness building campaign.

Job well done, Wolff Olins! Oh, and a note to self: Every time the Smithsonian cries poor to our local D.C. agencies, we should think of the tagline’s million dollar price tag and refuse to do their work on a pro bono basis.

Driving home from work the other day I was listening to NPR and heard a story about a battle between Chick-fil-A and a small Vermont T-shirt manufacturer who is producing T-shirts saying “Eat More Kale.” Chick-fil-A owns the tagline “Eat Mor Chikin” and, indeed, the corporation has done a splendid job advertising their fast food chicken restaurants through the Eat Mor Chikin campaign. It seems that the T-shirt manufacturer, Bo Muller-Moore, has been doing a booming business producing “Eat More Kale” shirts out of a studio above his garage and has enough orders to support himself. He decided it would be wise to apply for a trademark for “Eat More Kale” and was confronted by a cease and desist letter from the chicken guys. In a statement, Chick-fil-A  said, “We must legally protect and defend our “Eat mor chikin” trademark in order to maintain rights to the slogan.”

Laws regarding trademark and patent infringement are complex, which is why we always tell our clients to consult with their own trademark lawyers or use one of ours. But one test of trademark infringement is whether there would be confusion in the marketplace or whether the existing brand equity would be diluted. Muller-Moore’s lawyer commented in a New York Times article, “There’s no one out there that’s going to come forward and say, ‘I thought I was buying a Chick-fil-A product but I got this T-shirt.” Add to that the fact that the food chain does not have a franchise operating in Vermont so there is even less chance for confusion.

Can a company or brand own words exclusively? Clearly many wonderful campaigns have been copied such as the Got Milk? campaign that I wrote about several weeks ago. Harley Davidson has copyrighted the sound of their motorcycle—and no other motorcycle or bike can use the same sound. But can you hold a copyright to the words “Eat More”? I did a quick search on Google to see how many “Eat More” campaigns and ads there have been. Witness just a few.

Clearly there have been many campaigns that have used the the words “Eat More.” And it is equally clear that Chick-fil-A has done a superb job of imprinting their brand through their deft ad campaign. So what has been accomplished and what are the effects of this lawsuit? Well, Eat More Kale has gotten way more publicity than they ever thought possible, getting national coverage in the NY Times and an NPR spot. Muller-Moore has tapped social media and drew incredible support from Facebook followers, both a former and the present governors of Vermont, and a groundswell of kale lovers nationally.

At a recent press conference, Governor Peter Shulmin of Vermont noted, “If you think that Vermonters don’t understand the difference between kale and a chicken sandwich, we invite you to Vermont, and we’ll give you a lesson about the difference between a kale and a chicken,” Shumlin said. “There are some very distinct features that should be noticed in that difference. Kale is a vegetable; chickens are birds. Birds create manure; kale eats manure.”

What has the Chick-Fil-A brand gained—a tarnished reputation as a corporate bully that flies in the face of its humorous campaigns. How many people will look at the cows and think of the “Eat More Kale” controversy and leave with a bad taste in their mouths? With little possibility of confusion and not even one Chick-fil-A restaurant in Vermont, one has to wonder if this was a giant mistake by the Chick legal department with little thought how it might effect their brand. In this case their cease and desist order may have a real correlation to less counter orders. Governor Shumlin sent this message to Chick-fil-A, “Don’t mess with Vermont. Don’t mess with kale. And, Chick-fil-A, get out of the way because we are going to win this one.” (Source: NPR.org—Chicken Vs. Kale, Kirk Carapezza)

Vintage Ivory soap

Okay. I freely admit that I love old packaging. My house is filled with thousands of antique tins, old boxes, and discarded packaging from days gone by. I notice packaging, so when Procter & Gamble decided to pump up the packaging and advertising for one of its oldest brands, Ivory soap, I was eager to see what change was in store.

The new campaign devised by Wieden+Kennedy is nothing short of brilliant. But the new packaging by Sterling Brands is uninspired. One has to wonder why their advertising agency did not show the new look on any of their ads, TV spots, or online placements. If you want to look at 125 years of Ivory soap packaging, Procter & Gamble has set up a Facebook page that shows all the different ways they have wrapped their pure white soap.

The most controversial aspect to their simple blue and white packaging was the Procter & Gamble logo which was thought to have ties to Satan.

Old Ivory soap packaging the showcased a P&G logo that was thought to have Satanic themes

For years urban legend maintained that the man in the logo was proof of the company’s ties to Satan. Supposedly the curlicues of the moon man’s beard was an array of 6’s and if you connect the dots with the 13 stars, three 6’s appear. The curlicues at the top of his head resembled the horns of a ram representing the false prophet. Eventually in 1985 the Procter and Gamble logo was taken off of Ivory soap. Over the years the Ivory logo has been modified and most recently Wieden+Kennedy modernized the wordmark. Tag lines have also changed and those in use over the years have included:

• Pure Clean. Pure Ivory.
• 99.44% Pure.
• So Pure it floats.
• Keep it pure, clean and simple

“Ivory is P&G’s oldest and most beloved brand, and while consumers relish in the nostalgia and heritage of the product, it’s time for a holistic reinvention of the brand as we work to touch and improve more consumers’ lives in more parts of the world more completely,” says Jay Sethi, Ivory brand manager. “We’ve answered the call for consumers wanting a ‘simple and clean’ solution and the most powerful aspect of Ivory still remains the simplicity of the product.” Lisa McTigue Pierce—Packaging Digest Oct. 4, 2011.

Karl Lieberman, creative director, Wieden+Kennedy, spoke about the new advertising. “Unlike a lot of other brands, Ivory has stayed true to its equity. It has remained the antithesis of the overly complicated—from its ingredients, packaging and advertising—it’s a throwback to an era where there wasn’t time for such things. And that’s what makes its new voice so refreshing.”

Ivory has changed its look over the years, but has always kept it simple.

But while Ivory has remained a strong brand since 1879, competition in the soap category has changed. The Ivory brand has been running third to Dove and Dial. (Source: NY Times, Nov. 7, 2011). Product managers felt that with the increased consumer focus on cost savings during the recession years, it was a good time to promote the Ivory brand promise of “value and simplicity.” “Renée Richardson Gosline, an assistant professor of marketing at the MIT Sloan School of Management, also predicted the simplicity of Ivory and its campaign could appeal to consumers. However, she also questioned the absence of the new Ivory packaging in advertising. ‘If you’re proud of the packaging, show it off,’ she said.”

Display of Ivory soap products

I did it. I grew my Mo’ (that’s slang for moustache). And what a wild ride it has been. What started off as a simple gesture to support a client (PCF) and a cause (Movember for men’s cancers), became a personal test of dedication and perseverance. I know, we’re talking about some facial hair on the top of my lip at the end of the day. But as my wife often tells me, I am a vain Wain. And I do care about appearances, particularly in the work place. So with a full slate of meetings and pitches set up throughout the month of November, there was certainly some anxiety about letting my follicles run wild. And that anxiety was going into full force week one.

Can see the little fuzz just prior to catching a train to New York.

I had to travel to New York for a new prospect meeting at the Harvard Club and partner networking event at the historic New York Public Library. As my colleagues can attest, I had SERIOUS reservations about hitting both with the peach fuzz and contemplated breaking out the old trusty Gillette. But I sucked it up, got all decked out in a suit and tie, and sported the infant Mo’ for all of New York to see. All I kept thinking about on the train ride up is that the folks in my meeting would be staring at my lip and if it were me, would I really want to do business and talk to a dude with a weak attempt at growing a ‘stache? But much to my surprise and delight, I was greeted at both venues with “you’re doing Movember aren’t you?” Suddenly feeling like the guy from the Old Spice commercial I proudly replied—YES I AM!

Week two—the stubble started to turn into real hair and I was getting some serious attention. Every time a colleague would walk into my office, I would either get a smirk, a chuckle, a double take, or a full blown laughing attack (Cheryl Haar). As I posted on my Facebook page, I felt like a cross between Tom Selleck and the fictitious Dirk Diggler (see Boogie Nights). But again, I was shocked when one of our clients came in for a meeting and immediately said to me “Good for you Lance—I take it you’re doing Movember.” He told me he donates to the cause on an annual basis, but couldn’t go through with growing the Mo’. I was starting to feel proud of what I was doing and riding some serious Mo’Jo.

Ever more confident in week three, and heading into the Turkey holiday, I had to mix it up a little bring some flavor to the face.

This opened up a whole new round of critiques.

These are some of the comments that I jotted down:

From one of my friends—Fu Man Jew.
From a female colleague—OMG—Ew….
From a  male colleague—Fierce, Lance. Really fierce.
From my 5-year-old niece—You look like a man from the highway.
From my sister-in-law—I’ll give you 500 bucks to shave it off.

While the last offer was tempting, at this point, nothing was going to get in the way of me and my Mo’. In fact, I found myself looking forward to each morning to do a little trim and manicure to make it looked polished for the day.

How time flew. Yesterday was the end of the month, and just as my Mo’ has really become a part of me, the campaign came to a close.

Me and my full grown Mo’.

So what are my key takeaways from this experience?

1) I actually enjoyed being a walking billboard for Movember and raising a few bucks for men’s cancer research in the process.
2) I had no idea there was so much recognition for Movember and what a successful viral brand it has become.
3) As attached as I have become to my Mo’, I don’t believe moustaches are making a comeback anytime soon (although it’s December 2 and I still haven’t shaved).

Speaking of viral, yesterday the entire Grafik team sported fake Mo’s and surprised me with a small celebration showing their amazing support. It was hilariously touching. See for yourself.

Grafik get hairy for Lance's Movember Suprise

Yesterday, Facebook + Media released the list of Most Shared Articles on Facebook in 2011. As a sucker for “top” and “most” lists and the like, I look forward to the last quarter of the year, when they start popping up left and right on any topic you can possibly think of, because they are somewhat descriptive of the past year. Much longer than other year-ending rundowns, this list surprisingly had a really good mix—funny and serious, informative and seemingly useless, print and multimedia. This list left me almost in tears (of both laughter and sadness), but most of all, it has left me a bit confused. Its wide variety of subject matter and type of content makes me wonder about what all this means.

With online video and multimedia consumption emerging, only 11 of the 40 stories are videos or have a video component, and only four are primarily based on photos or have an interactive feature. With 44% (and growing) of Facebook users accessing the social networking site via mobile, does this mean that multimedia content has yet to be better utilized for mobile consumption despite Facebook’s recent push for mobile? Or do text-only articles show no signs weakening? My bet is on the first rather than the latter.

I also noticed that reputable news sites such as CNN.com, NYTimes.com, WashingtonPost.com and Yahoo! News dominate as the most popular sources. As someone from a journalism background, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside that the online community still primarily refers to the respected and esteemed news outlets for content—at least I’d like to believe that. Much of the sharing could be better attributed to Open Graph apps which has increased Yahoo! News’ traffic by 600% and garnered the WaPo more than 3.5 million users via the Social Reader app based on early statistics.

With this in mind, the majority of the articles are content primarily originating from, or touching issues directly affecting, the U.S. despite 75% of Facebook users living outside the United States. With topics ranging from Steve Jobs, job hunting, laughing babies, the U.S. deficit and Japan tsunami, this list is indeed indicative of this past year. It would be really interesting to see analytics and demographics on who shared what. Check out the list and let me know what you think.

Most Shared Articles on Facebook in 2011

1. Satellite Photos of Japan, Before and After the Quake and Tsunami (New York Times)

2. What teachers really want to tell parents (CNN)

3. No, your zodiac sign hasn’t changed (CNN)

4. Parents, don’t dress your girls like tramps (CNN)

5. Father Daughter Dance Medley (Yahoo)

6. At funeral, dog mourns the death of Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan (Yahoo)

7. You’ll freak when you see the new Facebook (CNN)

8. Dog in Japan stays by the side of ailing friend in the rubble (Yahoo)

9. Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines (Yahoo)

10. New Zodiac Sign Dates: Ophiuchus The 13th Sign? (The Huffington Post)

11. Parents keep child’s gender under wraps (Yahoo)

12. How to Talk to Little Girls (The Huffington Post)

13. Stop Coddling the Super-Rich (New York Times)

14. Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior (Wall Street Journal)

15. Twin Baby Boys Have A Conversation! (Yahoo)

16. Man robs bank to get medical care in jail (Yahoo)

17. Why You’re Not Married (The Huffington Post)

18. A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs (New York Times)

19. Ryan Dunn Dead: ‘Jackass’ Star Dies In Car Crash (The Huffington Post)

20. Scientists warn California could be struck by winter ‘superstorm’ (Yahoo)

21. Notes From a Dragon Mom (New York Times)

22.  A Message to Women From a Man: You Are Not “Crazy” (The Huffington Post)

23. Obama’s and Bush’s effects on the deficit in one graph (Washington Post)

24. Penn State, my final loss of faith (Washington Post)

25.  Golden-Voiced Homeless Man Captivates Internet (Yahoo)

26. The most typical face on the planet (Yahoo)

27. Widespread destruction from Japan earthquake, tsunamis (CNN)

28. Permissive parents: Curb your brats (CNN)

29. A father’s day wish: Dads, wake the hell up! (CNN)

30. Laughing Baby Loves Ripping Paper! (Yahoo)

31. Epic Cover Letter: How To Get Hired For Your Dream Job (Pic) (The Huffington Post)

32. New Zodiac sign dates: Don’t switch horoscopes yet (Washington Post)

33. Things Babies Born in 2011 Will Never Know (Yahoo)

34.  The Psychology of Revenge: Why We Should Stop Celebrating Osama Bin Laden’s Death (The Huffington Post)

35. Where Children Sleep (New York Times)

36. Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet, shifted Earth’s axis (CNN)

37.  Steve Jobs, Apple founder, dies (CNN)

38. China’s latest craze: dyeing pets to look like other wild animals (CNN)

39. Grant Hill’s Response to Jalen Rose (New York Times)

40. Steve Jobs’s Patents (New York Times)

I was raised in a Jewish household, so Christmas was not celebrated. I used to look wistfully at the beautiful Christmas decorations, think about the cookie baking marathons, and go to our fireplace every Christmas morning hoping that Santa had left us something…he didn’t. There is one Christmas memory that rises above all the others, The Norelco Santa commercial.

The Norelco Santa ad first ran in 1961 and appeared in black and white. It was rather crude but the Santa riding on the electric razor was enough to get everyone’s attention. As a young girl I knew little about the Norelco brand, and I really did not need an electric shaver, yet the TV spot remains imprinted on my mind. Not only was it fun to watch, it was a new kind of animation that many had not seen before.

The TV spot was so successful that it was updated several times to add additional products and to take advantage of color TV. In 1994 the commercial was remade with a more up to date Santa, better animation, and more scenes of Santa frolicking through the snow. While viewers continued to watch their sets for the first Christmas viewing of Santa, it seems that Santa’s job was on the line.

In his book, Santa Claus: A Biography, author Gerry Bowler notes, “Santa’s job as adman was not secure. Norelco electric shavers had employed Santa Claus in its Christmas ads for years. “Norelco,” the ads would chirp. Unfortunately this presentation seemed to suggest to viewers that the company was in the toy business and so in 1986 Santa was dumped in favour of a manly looking fellow shaving to the slogan “We made close comfortable…” The result? Sales boomed and the company expressed no regret making its loyal, old employee redundant. His appearance was a classic example of how an advertisement could be popular without being effective. “Santa Claus advertising at best created a cute, warm, image for the brand, but nothing else.”

After  Philips decided to subsitute Santa with a new ad, the company was besieged by letters from loyal fans wondering why Santa had been replaced. For six years viewers, like me, felt as if something was missing from the pre-holiday TV fare. In 2002, the company realized that they had made a mistake and Santa was reintroduced. This year finds the Norelco commercial hipper and more contemporary with better production values.

And my eyes will probably gloss over while it is on. It’s missing the nostalgia for a simpler time and the magic of animation is magic no more. I highly doubt that kids watching this commercial today will remember it years from now, but not due to any Norelco missteps. It is a different time, a totally different world, and the black and white jerkily animated Kris Kringle has to be put out to pasture. Still, for this non-Christian, Norelco will always symbolize the fun, beauty, and magic of the holiday season.

The line outside of Target on Black Friday

It seems that this year the 99% stood in line to open up stores at midnight while the 1% comfortably slept in.

Black Friday no longer started at an un-Godly 4 a.m.—it now started at the stroke of midnight. It all started with Target, and was rapidly followed by several other retailers. Kohl’s and Best Buy all jumped on the midnight Black Friday bandwagon. Walmart and Toys“R”Us are opened even earlier at 10 p.m. the night before. Some of the affordable brands like JCPenney, Sears, RadioShack, H&M and Staples all let their buyers sleep in until 4 or 5 a.m. Mall also jumped on the bandwagon and in the DC area, The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City opened at 5 a.m.

It seems as you go up the food chain you are allowed more sleep and the hour of shopping is correlated with the level of luxury brands. Barneys and Burberry did not open their doors until 10:00 a.m., as well as Saks, Tory Burch, and Cartier. Many of the luxury brands anchoring the malls followed their landlord’s guidelines. Mazza Gallerie, home to luxury brands like Neiman Marcus and Sak’s Men’s Store held their opening steady at 9:00 a.m.—only one hour earlier than normal. It seems that the luxury brands are catering to a clientele that understandably does not care about saving $200 on an off-brand TV set, but also wanted to have some of the Black Friday “fun.”

Many of the luxury brands are promoting more goods online, and they are not waiting until Cyber Monday. Astute online marketers have been working with luxury brands like Zegna to build up enthusiasm and awareness for their Cyber Monday sales. In some uber-elite stores, they are not expecting their clients to lift so much as a finger—either to shop online or to stand in line. Just call for your personal shopper and everything will be taken care of.

Norman Rockwell's famous Thanksgiving painting

Early shopping or not, I for one hope that the shopping mania did not seep over into Thanksgiving Day, a day normally reserved for family, food, and football. Imagine if the beloved Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving scene with family gathered around the table was altered to show the seats of missing family members who are in line at Best Buy counting minutes till opening instead of counting their blessings.

Write what you are thankful for

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I propose a challenge to you. It is not a challenge of strength or wit, but a challenge of gratitude. With one day of each year singled out for giving thanks, it is easy to focus on what makes you happy. The family surrounding you. The food at the table. The day off of work. And it feels good. It feels great, even. Physically expressing love and gratitude physically makes you feel great, and don’t you want that all year ‘round?

For about two years, I began each day with a list of what I was grateful for. I would spend 15 minutes each morning and log onto my blog and get typing. It started off with 21 things, moved to 49, and some days I’d be in the 60s. Initially, finding even 21 things you are grateful for can be daunting. Some people I’ve discussed this with had difficulty getting seven things on the page. But that’s OK. Shoot for seven things for your first list. Move up from there.

I wrote my gratitude list every day to start my day off in a mindset of love and thankfulness. It turns out that things go better when you start your day on a positive note. It makes writing emails easier, it makes you more mindful of what you say and do, and it makes you happier, which makes you more enjoyable to be around.

It may seem difficult to get started, because you may have concerns like, “What should I be grateful for?” “What if it sounds petty?” “Am I being grateful enough?” The truth is, it’s your list. It’s meant to bring you peace. If you’re grateful for your expensive car and your beautiful home, by all means, put that down. If you’re grateful because there are nursing homes to take care of your ailing grandparents, put that down. If you’re grateful because you had an uneventful (read: no accidents) drive to work, put that down. If you’re grateful for your electricity, toothbrush, couch, shoes, put those down. It doesn’t have to be worldly and grand. It doesn’t have to be unique. It can be the same things each day. It just has to be true to you.

Once you get on a roll, it’s difficult to stop. Sometimes the words can’t come out fast enough to keep up with your brain. If you need some inspiration, start your list with things you’re surrounded by when you write, from the pen in your hand or the computer keyboard beneath your fingers, that allow you to share information. Or think about your meals that you have had or have planned for the day. You are able to purchase that food because of the job you hold, and you can give thanks for your boss, and your coworkers who make your job enjoyable or easier.

The food you eat makes its way to you somehow, whether direct from the farm or through a grocery store where it was likely handled by an employee, the truck driver who brought it to you, the person who harvested the fields for you, then to the sun, rain, dirt, insects, animals, every thing that had a part in the process. Show gratitude for all of those things; because of them, you had food to eat today.

See how my lists got up there into the 60s? I didn’t go this deep every day, but once you get started on one thing, you can see how it continues. Once you are aware of all of the things you are grateful for, you will find more, and more, and more. Your perspective will change on the things you see. Sometimes it can be overwhelming how much gratitude you have that you didn’t even know existed, but it is such a wonderful feeling that you will want to share with others.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I ask that each of you write a gratitude list, if even just as an experiment. What might be fun is to do this at your Thanksgiving dinner with your family. Instead of speaking your gratitude out loud (which can be scary), have everyone write something on a piece of paper, put it in a bowl, and have everyone pick one to read out loud. It breaks the tension of sharing your own gratitude, but opens everyone to sharing theirs.

Wishing you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving, and hoping you may make each day a day of giving thanks.

When news broke of the Penn State Scandal, the conversation took a life of its own on Twitter

Unless you have been hiding under a rock the past two weeks, the Jerry Sandusky and Penn State child abuse scandal has dominated headlines, talk/radio shows, and all forms of social media. And through the course of events, I have been particularly fascinated with how Twitter has been used (or not used) to take advantage of what it is good for: pushing out information instantly and engaging a broad audience that you may have no immediate connection to. Being the digital geek and spaghetti western fan that I am, I have selected a few examples from the past two weeks to highlight how Twitter was used or could have been used, and broken them down into the good, the bad, and the ugly.

However, before I go any further, I should note that as a Penn State graduate and husband to a wife who devoted hundreds of hours working with The Second Mile organization as a student, I was particularly transfixed by the unfolding events of this tragedy and consequently more obsessed and affected personally than the average American by the situation. And while this is not intended to be an op-ed, I do want to say that my heart goes out to the victims and their families, and also to the students, alum and all those associated to the University who are still trying to make sense of everything. My prayers are with you.

The Good: Twitter as a Breaking News Source
On November 5, the investigation into Jerry Sandusky became public knowledge as the formal grand jury presentment was released and Sandusky was formally accused of making sexual advances or assaults on eight boys. At the time, the news item was a footnote on ESPN’s website, and a small headline with local Pennsylvania news outlets. As a dedicated Penn State football fan, I needed more information, and not able to find anything of value on the web, I turned to Twitter to learn more. I did a quick search on Jerry Sandusky and found several Penn State users using the hashtag #PSUCharges to comment on the news. By following those users, I built a list of about 10–15 sources, most local to the State College area on Twitter that posted updates every 5–10 minutes over the next week. Not only did I have the latest news and information about the events as they happened, I also had an insight into what the students were going through and what the mood was like on campus, including photos and videos, as those local users retweeted tweets posted by Penn State students. Twitter continues to prove itself as the top source for breaking news and I recommend you use it as such for personal use, or as a means to disseminate your own news. Since Google ended their agreement with Twitter, real-time information is harder to come by in Google search results, and until Google Buzz catches on, you cannot rely on a search engine to surface the latest news.

The Bad: Twitter as a Form of Crisis Communication Management
The University knew about this investigation, and they also knew that the information would become public knowledge on November 5. And while most of the sports world was focused on the LSU-Alabama football game set to take place that night, which some argued was a game between the two best college football teams in the nation, Penn State’s public information department had an opportunity to set up a social media crisis response team, outline a strategy of information dissemination, and get ahead of the impending media storm. Social media has proven to be a critical component of any crisis communication management strategy, and as an example, Penn State could have established their own hashtag, could have set up a Twitter profile dedicated to distributing updates, facts, and contact information. This team (and I emphasize team as something this large would require many people) could also have used Twitter to engage the media in real time, and headed off the propagation of the multiple rumors that were flying fast and furiously. Sadly, Penn State stumbled out of the gates and chose to take a reactive approach which demonstrated their incompetency, led to the distribution of misinformation, and further fueled the media frenzy. As a digital strategist, it pained me to see my alma mater fall so short on something that should be PR 101 at this point and urge you to recognize the power of Twitter and never underestimate its value in defending your brand.

The Ugly: Twitter as a Means to Expand Your Audience
It became very clear at the outset of the media blitz that Twitter would not be exempt from sensationalism reporting, furthering personal agendas, and driving eyeballs, listeners, or in this case, followers. I have never been as disgusted as I was seeing people who styled themselves as “news” media shamelessly spouting off complete ignorance, conjecture, and speculation, taking advantage of an emotional and personal tragedy to make a name for themselves. What, ideally, should have been basic fact reporting turned into a contest to see who could denounce Penn State officials most vehemently, who was more against child abuse and Penn State, and who could criticize Penn State alums or students the hardest for being upset. 140 character pearls of wisdom have been tweeted and retweeted, effectively making the rounds within the Twitterverse similar to the email chain letters of old. And while I was personally disappointed with the content, I could not argue with the fact that these personalities were exposing themselves to new eyeballs, effectively growing their audience.

Finally, one other lesson I learned the hard way: use Twitter with caution when attempting to get work done at the same time. If you’re not careful, you will quickly get sucked in reading tweets, news articles, trading messages with users, and ultimately getting nothing done. Not that I’m speaking from experience…