Blogs

Here’s your chance Canada. In less than one hour you will have the opportunity to use YouTube to submit a question directly to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The Prime Minister’s response to the Speech from the Throne will be broadcasted live onto YouTube at approx. 11am on Thursday, March 11th. From March 11th until Sunday March 14th, you will have the opportunity to submit questions (text or video) on YouTube and also vote on which questions should be asked directly to the Prime Minister in a live interview on Tuesday, March 16th conducted by Google CFO Patrick Pichette, which will also be posted to YouTube.

I’ll likely be posting one about the need for open data and/or 2-way social media engagement unless someone beats me to it.

Here’s a link to the YouTube channel where you can submit and also vote on questions for Prime Minister Harper. His speech and interview will also be streamed on this channel. Additionally, here’s a link to the YouTube blog with more info about this particular initiative.

Special thanks to Geordie Hyland for the heads up.

Here’s my take on the brief history of demand for social media expertise:

• Back in late 2007, proactive organizations started frantically searching for someone to help them with all this social media “stuff”. They searched for the first thing that came to their mind, “social media expert“. “Surely, there must be an expert out there” , they though.
• Then in early 2008, the real rush came in as the field became more legitimate and the term “social media consultant” emerged.
• Mid-2009 saw a sharp rise in search for the term “social media guru” as certain powerful personal brands emerged that apparently knew everything at an almost enlightening level.
• Late 2009 witnessed a demand in search for “social media strategist” , as certain people realized that the preceding three terms were often being used (with a few exceptions) by hobbyists capitalizing on this trend.

Personally, I like to use “social media strategist”, even though it’s a less popular term in terms of volume. In fact I throw in “marketing & social media strategist” for additional context and to leverage my background in traditional strategic marketing.  The problem with the other terms is that they are too broad.  What are you an expert, guru or consultant in exactly? Technical social media channel setup? Guideline creation? Overall strategy? Tactical promotion?

I’ve witnessed plenty of these “so-called” experts come into organizations (based on poorly written RFP’s asking for “experts”) armed with nothing except the knowledge of how to setup a blog, Twitter account and maybe even a Facebook page as they proudly give out their new “social media expert” business cards.

This is why I use “strategist”. Essentially, I help guide organizations on the most efficient and effective way to get from A to B using a strategic framework. I always start by asking the question, “what is B?”, followed by, “why do you want to achieve B?” You would be shocked to find out how many people don’t have a clear answer for either one. Often, my job involves determining a realistic B for them that ties into their overall organizational strategy.

If your B is flawed to begin with (e.g. if it’s a tactic instead of a strategic outcome), then you’re in trouble. Common examples of flawed social media initiative B’s include:

• “to create a Facebook page”
• “to start a blog”
• “to be on Twitter”
• “to start a YouTube channel

So what are some examples of good B’s for social media initiatives? These depend on your organizational strategy of course (they need to be in-line with it). Here are some examples:

• “to become a more proactive organization” why? : so that we are seen as leaders, not followers – as is the current case.
• “to build relationships with online influencers in our industry” why? : so that we have a community to help us should a crisis occur
• “to share our existing rich media content on new channels” why? : so that content creators can easily embed and share our content so that it is seen by more people
• “to equip online content creators within our industry with facts” why? : so that we can help reduce the amount of incorrect information floating around the social web

Only once these are in place (and you’ve completed thorough macro and micro environmental scans), can you make the appropriate tactical decisions and set corresponding specific goals.

Long story short, just do your due diligence before selecting someone and make sure that whatever they call themselves, they understand this basic premise.

A few weeks ago our organization (CEPSM) sent out an e-newsletter to our database gauging the level of interest for a new workshop we are thinking of offering. We’ve received some pretty positive initial feedback so I figured I’d test this out a bit further with you, my blog readers ( if you don’t already subscribe to the CEPSM newsletter that is).

Here’s the scoop:

Over the course of the last few years of working with our clients, we have found that in general, marketing and/or communications professionals interact with a wide array of stakeholders (i.e. agencies, translators, consultants such as us, etc…) on a weekly, if not daily basis. Often times, what seems like basic knowledge to these stakeholders(i.e. file formats, resolutions, basic copy & paste HTML embedding, etc…) is poorly understood by marketers and communicators. As a result a great deal of back and forth time is wasted on emails and meetings that could have been avoided.We are currently exploring opportunities to create high-level web design and graphic design courses (in partnership with another organization) specifically designed for strategic public sector and non-profit marketing and communications professionals that have received little training on the various technological tools and applications that could potentially make their day-to-day jobs much easier.

What I need you to do:

Fill out this ridiculously short online survey to help us determine if there is a need for this sort of thing or if we’re all crazy.

I love the Olympics. Besides the excitement of the actual events, I love the sense of camaraderie, national unity and general goodwill that the games bring with them. While it’s true that Vancouver has had its series of mishaps, including a tragic death, the overall spirit of the games can be felt radiating out of the homes and workplaces of our great country.

What’s really exciting about these games is that they mark a new era of interaction and engagement during a global sporting event. I remember only having two options as a kid during past Olympics: watch a select few live events on TV (time-zone permitting) or listen to them on the radio. The rest I would pick up on during the evening news or the next morning’s paper.

Wow, have things ever changed. Here’s my daily Olympic routine for the 2010 games:

• Check the medal standings and event schedule on my CTV Vancouver 2010 iPhone App (kudos to CTV for keeping up with the times and creating this!)
• Listen to, and offer words of encouragement to actual Olympic Athletes right before they compete by following the “official” Twitter list of Olympians
• Whenever a live event is occurring, I’ll stream the video if no TV is present nearby. If I have access to a TV then I watch the event on there and follow the #olympics OR #teamcanada hashtags on my mobile.
• If I want to feel a little closer to the action than the traditional media can get me, I do a quick advanced twitter user search based on the GPS co-ordinates of the event to tap into some citizen journalism (i.e. tweets, videos, pics, and other content coming from fans at the actual event).
• Repeat the first step and send a quick encouragement tweet to any Canadian athletes competing the next day.

I do all of the above on my mobile device since I am rarely in front of a TV. Mobile means 24/7 access on my own terms, anywhere I go. Bottom line, I have less time than ever to watch these olympics, and yet I can’t help but feel a stronger sense of community and connection than ever before.

How are you experiencing these 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games?

Since I published my book on branding last year I have received a great deal of feedback on branding topics and have had the opportunity to write a number of blogs on branding.

Recently, as a result of the Tiger Woods situation a great deal of attention has been given to branding.  Branding in the commercial sector is pervasive and fairly easy to understand and recognize. But branding in the public sector is a bit complicated. I have never really given much thought to “Country Branding” until I saw  a Maclean’s magazine screaming headline on their cover in  December  “Why the World Hates Canada.”

I must say as someone who has traveled extensively (in many cases as a Canadian representative of our government) this came to me as quite a shock. As a branding and marketing professional my first thoughts were what is this going to do to the Canada’s brand with potential tourists, investors, or even immigrants.

We have certainly all witnessed the powerful role marketing and branding  can play in advancing a nation, from its capacity to shift perceptions or introduce a new country to the world to its ability to communicate a destination’s focus or superior export.

Country branding offers many benefits according to futurebrand.com:

• Provides the glue among political, social and economic pillars
• Defines how a country’s own citizens and the world perceive it
• Balances substance and form―perception and reality
• Enhances a nation’s ability to achieve its objectives across foreign policy, FDI, trade, tourism, etc.
• Creates a seamless connection between the country’s strategic intent, its marketing and its experience
• Delivers a unifying platform that builds synergy, allowing for cross-promotion and alignment across the public and private sectors

Canada has always had a great international reputation but now it seems its stand on environmental issues may be undermining its standing in the world. Yes it may be true that we have taken “hits” in the past because of the “seal hunt” and the way we treat our aboriginal peoples, but in general Canada had has a strong brand .

For example  the latest rankings from the CBI show our strong position where Canada is ranked second.CBI tracks the perceptions of approximately 3,000 international business and leisure travelers from nine countries—the US, the UK, China, Australia, Japan, Brazil, the UAE, Germany and Russia. The insights from an expert panel of 47 tourism, development, policy and academic professionals are also featured.

Now with issues like climate change and treatment of Afghanistan prisoners our brand may be taking a real hit.

(In my blog I am not going to get into a discussion on climate change, seal hunt, treatment of aboriginals and Afghan prisoners. This is not my area of expertise. Yes I have personal opinions on all of these matters but I prefer my blog focus on marketing issues like branding.)

Tiger Woods like Canada had a tremendous reputation and one of the best brands in sports. Who would have thought in the matter of weeks Woods would be viewed as an adulterer and his brand like is Cadillac Escalade would crash so quickly. He has lost a number of sponsors and it will take years, if ever to redeem himself.  It is hard to remember a brand being destroyed so quickly. “How the mighty of fallen”. Not only has he hurt his brand but he has also seriously hurt the PGA who was very dependent on Woods. Will Woods and the PGA be able to recover from this fiasco remains to be seen? But never think that your brand, no matter how strong, cannot be destroyed in an instant?

So why am I concerned about Canada’s brand and that it might take a “big hit” just like Tiger Woods?

The Ottawa Citizen reports that a new poll gives us something to worry about.

The world thinks a lot less highly of Canada than last year, thanks in large part to our poor showing at the Copenhagen climate change conference and a problematic prime ministerial trip to China. A BBC World Service poll of public opinion across 18 countries released last week found that people’s view of Canada’s influence has worsened during the last year, particularly in the U.S., Britain and China. The poll of more than 20,000 people, which was conducted by international polling firm GlobeScan, showed a decline in Canada’s reputation around the world for the first time since tracking began in 2005.

“Canada still has a very favourable rating overall,” Oliver Martin, a GlobeScan spokesman based in Toronto, told CTV.ca on Thursday. “But that’s largely driven by lack of knowledge of Canada.” “We’re seen as Mounties, snow and polar bears — we’re the warm and fuzzy Great White North,” he added.

But that changed after Canada came under widespread criticism, from environmentalists and other nations, at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen, Martin said. There were sharp drops in positive ratings of Canada in several countries included in the survey, including some of our most important trading partners. In the U.S., the proportion of people who rated Canadian influence as positive fell from 82 per cent to 67 per cent. In the U.K., those who saw Canada as a positive influence fell from 74 per cent to 62 per cent, and in Australia from 77 per cent to 72 per cent.

Overall, comparing views in 15 of the countries that were surveyed last year, the proportion rating Canadian influence in the world as mainly positive has fallen on average from 57 per cent to 53 per cent. Martin said the most likely explanation was that the survey was taken in December and January, when the Copenhagen summit was taking place. Our reputation took the most serious dive in China, which went from 75 per cent to 54 per cent. Martin attributed the slide to widely negative coverage of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit in the Chinese media. “The rhetoric was really dialed up in terms of Canada’s record,” he said. “And all the Chinese media was negative.”The numbers of people giving Canada a negative rating remained broadly steady compared to last year, but those saying that Canada’s influence was neither negative nor positive overall increased.

Canadians themselves are also less positive about their country’s influence than in 2009, with 75 per cent now rating Canada’s influence in the world as positive, compared to 86 per cent last year.

Until this year, perceptions of Canadian influence had been on the rise in many countries. Results last year showed higher positive ratings for Canada in China, the Philippines, Britain and the U.S. — but in all these cases, positive ratings have now fallen

Despite this recent drop in our popularity, Canada is expected to remain among the most positively viewed countries when results on the way other major nations are perceived are released by the BBC in April.

The results are drawn from a survey of 20,176 adult citizens across 18 countries, conducted for BBC World Service by the international polling firm GlobeScan, together with the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland. http://www.globescan.com/news_archives/bbc_global_canada/

Now it is quite possible that Canada’s brand may improve in future … a lot depends on the Government’s actions in the next few years but a weakened brand is not something we should “take with a grain of salt”.

Some may agree with many or all of our stances on the key controversial issues like climate change and treatment of prisoners that are affecting our brand and some will say who cares what the world thinks of our positions on various issues.

But this is short-sighted thinking . Many companies and personalities have learned that it doesn’t really matter if you think you are right or wrong. Canada, which is very dependent on international trade (and we can’t keep depending on the USA), attracting tourists from around the world as well as attracting the best and brightest immigrants, needs to be concerned being called the “Fossil of the Week” by 450 non government organizations in Copenhagen .

An article by Andreas Markessinis is very revealing:

What does having a strong nation brand really mean in practical terms? Many things of course, but generally speaking countries enjoying a good (and strong) nation brand typically enjoy at least these 10 benefits:

1. They are better at attracting talent – people like scientists, researchers, students or entrepreneurs are better disposed to move there than to other countries
2. Exports coming from that country sell more, and sell for higher prices, which means turning greater margins back to the country
3. Nationals overseas are more likely to get good jobs – foreigners trust people coming from that country more than people coming from other countries
4. More tourists visit the country – foreigners have more interest in good-branded countries and accept to pay higher prices
5. Their culture (language, costumes, traditions, movies, books) is perceived to be more attractive abroad and consequently more successful
6. Their diplomatic interests are reinforced – most countries want to have that good-branded countries in alliance
7. They are less vulnerable to changes in people’s trends, appetites, wishes – they enjoy greater nation brand loyalty
8. Their population is more likely to be respected abroad, be they travelers, sportsmen, tourists, artists, migrants or businessmen
9. They compete from a privileged stand to attract FDI and other sorts of inwards investment
10. They are better positioned to advance their international policy agendas, because they are considered and trusted

These benefits of a good nation brand are very general, but also very real. A good and strong nation brand helps virtually every aspect of a nation’s life. Some say nation branding can cost millions of dollars, but do never forget that having a good nation brand is worth billions.

So maybe I am overreacting a bit here and making the comparison of Canada with Tiger Woods is a bit over the top, but I am concerned. I hope the government and businesses across Canda  are paying attention before it is to late.

Let me know what you think

Upcoming Don’t Miss Events

February 25 & 26, 2010 – Social Media Strategies for the Public Sector (2-day workshop with Mike Kujawski)

March 4, 2010 - Social Marketing Workshop for the Public and Non-Profit Sector (with Jim Mintz)

March 22 – 31, 2010 – Atlantic Canada Marketing and Communications Professional Development Program

March 24, 2010 – Promoting Fuel Efficient Automobiles (free webinar with Pollution Probe)

June 10-11, 2010 – MARCOM Professional Development Annual Forum (pre-forum workshops June 9)

IABC Ottawa presents: Social Marketing Workshop for the Public and Not-for-Profit Sectors

Wednesday, March 4, 2010
8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Hampton Inn and Conference Center – 200 Coventry Road

Messages from social marketing programs can affect audiences in unique and profound ways. Putting together a successful plan can feel haphazard, but it doesn’t have to be. IABC’s all-encompassing, interactive one-day workshop will teach participants the most up-to-date techniques and a proven step-by-step process to bring their plans to life.

Led by Jim Mintz, Director of the Centre for Excellence in Public Sector Marketing, this workshop provides the tools to develop a successful, end-to-end social marketing initiative on your own. Mr. Mintz holds diplomas in both Advanced Marketing Management and Advertising and has provided social marketing advice and consultation to a number of countries. As the retired Director of Marketing & Corporate Communications at Health Canada, Jim has held positions in the private sector, federal government and crown corporations. Jim has lectured at many universities across North America sharing his knowledge and experiences as director to numerous social marketing and communications campaigns in health and social issues.

In addition to being privy to Mr. Mintz’s wealth of experience, participants will also receive a comprehensive social marketing workbook to help guide them through the process for creating their own Customized Social Marketing Action Plan. Learn what makes social marketing different from other campaigns and how it can give you a single approach for mobilizing communities, influencing the media, lobbying/advocacy and building strategic alliances with businesses.

Don’t miss your chance to get ahead!

Register Now

Halifax, Nova Scotia, March 22-31, 2010

The Centre for Excellence in Communications (CEC) and The Centre for Excellence in Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM), Ottawa, in association with Catapult Media, Halifax, are offering a series of professional development workshops for the Atlantic Canada public and not-for-profit sectors in the context of the

Atlantic Canada Marketing and Communications Professional Development Program, Halifax, Nova Scotia, March 22-31, 2010.

WHY ATTEND?

The Atlantic Canada Marketing and Communications Professional Development Program is an opportunity for communications and marketing professionals, executives and managers to enjoy focused and tested professional development and training

Workshop Date Price Registration Status Fundamentals of Public Sector and Non-Profit Marketing
***Workshop will be held at the Four Points by Sheraton Halifax March 24, 2010 $675 Social Marketing Strategies for the Public and Non-Profit Sectors March 25, 2010 $675

• FEES
• 1-Day Workshops $675*
  20% Group Rate Discount for 3+ Individuals from the Same Unit*
• For each workshop, groups of 3 or more will receive a 20% discount of the regular workshop fee for all but the first registrant. Registrations need to be coordinated centrally by the relevant unit, with one registration list for each workshop.

MARCOM 2010

The premiere educational forum for public and not-for-profit marketers and communicators

Mark your calendar for MARCOM 2010, happening at the Hilton Lac-Leamy, June 10 & 11, 2010.  Plan now to attend the most important marketing event for public and not-for-profit marketing and communications professionals.  What a destination!  Make the most of your experience by planning ahead.

To Register Go to http://www.marcom.ca/

Pre Conference Workshop

June 9, 2010: Pre-Forum Workshop

09:00 – 16:30 Social Marketing Planning – Implementing an Effective Campaign

Jim Mintz | Director, Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing

One of the biggest challenges in Social Marketing Planning is the Implementation stage. Many organizations develop great plans, but poor execution leaves them wondering why they didn’t achieve the desired results. In previous editions of MARCOM, Jim Mintz has taken participants through a proven process for developing their social marketing strategy and plan.  At MARCOM 2010, you will learn how to transform Strategies into Action!  Jim will briefly review the social marketing plan process and then move into detailed discussions surrounding how to successfully implement your strategy.  In this tough economy it’s important to ensure maximum impact for marketing dollars; especially when you are moving from planning into implementation where the majority of your budget will be allocated.

You will learn 7 key areas for social marketing plan implementation:

1. What questions to ask when working with marketing and communications suppliers;
2. How to develop a creative brief to ensure your communications agencies remain on strategy;
3. The Do’s and Don’ts for smooth supplier relationships;
4. Innovative ideas to fully leverage a limited budget;
5. How to present and “sell” your social marketing strategy to management;
6. How to approach and capitalize on strategic alliances;
7. How to evaluate your campaign progress and success.

Take the next step:  Join Me and move your plan into action

Professional Certificate in Public Sector and
Non-Profit Marketing

There is a rising need for highly-skilled marketing professionals in the public and non-profit sectors to effectively bring their organization’s products, services and messages to the marketplace.

The Professional Certificate in Public Sector and Non-Profit Marketing provides the information, tools and solutions that are critical for marketers in these sectors to excel in their positions. This program engages participants in a rich learning environment that reinforces theory with practical, real-life examples based upon the extensive experience of the instructors.

This years course is booked but come join us in 2011. If you require information please contact me at:  jim.mintz@publicsectormarketing.ca

Chain of events:

1. George Packer rants about Twitter on his New Yorker blog
2. Nick Bilton from the NYT Bits Blog rants about George Packer’s blog post
3. Both blog posts (especially Nick Bilton’s) generate a mass of comments illustrating the social media digital divide that still exists in our society.

My response, which I posted on both blogs:

“I can’t stop shaking my head reading some of the comments on here. Why? Because far too many people are still looking at Twitter at a micro-level (i.e. the actual application). Forget the name “Twitter” for a second. Let’s use the broader term “micro-blogging” , a channel to which Twitter (the app) belongs. Micro-blogging, or real-time status updating, is here to stay. Whether it’s Twitter updates, LinkedIn updates, Facebook updates, or “Application of tomorrow” updates, a critical mass of people (not everyone!) will now ALWAYS be sharing information in real-time regardless of what applications are out there. Google now indexes “updates” from any of these channels. Can you see the bigger picture here? Because these channels are aggregated they form THE WORLD’S LARGEST “REAL-TIME” DATABASE OF COLLECTIVE HUMAN THOUGHT. What most Twitter-dismissers don’t realize is that they can FILTER this database to make it relevant to their needs. Not only that, just like “there’s an app for everything” on the iPhone, Twitter has an open API ,which allows programmers to tap into that “real-time database” to create custom tools for very specific needs. There is no “right” way to use this channel (although plenty of obvious wrong ways). At the end of the day it depends what your objectives are personally and/or professionally. I think we have only seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of the potential of real-time collective human thought. Don’t forget that internet penetration is increasing at a 10X faster rate in transitional and developing economies (holding the majority of the world’s population) than it is in the western world. Quick activity for newbies and skeptics:Go to search.twitter.com, click on advanced search, select Moscow as the location, select 50km radius, and Russian as the language. Hit enter. Press the “translate to English” button on the results page. Now take a deep breath and think about what you just did and how powerful of a tool this can potentially be in bringing humans around the globe closer together. And for Pete’s sake, stop going to Twitter.com, that’s where you go to sign up only. Download Tweetdeck (or equivalent) for yourself and set-up some filters, groups, categories and lists so that you don’t waste time doing it manually. Check-in for 5 minutes a day at first. You’ll determine your own use for it eventually. I can’t tell you what that is, you’ll need to discover it for yourself.”

I could obviously go on and on. At the end of the day thought, there will always be skeptics and people that simply have no interest in sharing, creating and discussing content, especially in a real-time setting. That’s perfectly fine! What I would love them to understand though is that even as in-actives, they will soon be tapping into this collective knowledge base regardless of Twitter (the tools will change) since the broader concept of a “real-time content/conversation channel” is here to stay.

What do you think?

If you check out our website you will note that our expertise is developing marketing strategies for public sector and non-profit marketers. Now when we started our organization many people told us we were crazy to set up an organization that only focuses on strategies as most public sector and non-profit organizations are looking for tacticians who do market research, advertising and other forms of communications including on-line products.

Well we are in business for close to 5 years and guess what , we found that a lot of public sector and non-profit organizations who need our services. Now it wasn’t always like that. Most of our clients were like most of you. You work in a government or non profit and your boss or internal client wants to see STUFF . Strategies are not STUFF. Websites. brochures, posters, ads, research studies are STUFF. Anyways why would you want to contract someone to help you with your strategy. Good question! But I would ask why hire an architect or engineer to help you design a building or bridge, why not just hire the construction crew and start building. You save a lot of money and you can get your building or bridge up quickly.

Now can you imagine anyone building a bridge or building with out a plan. Of course not, but in our world of marketing and communications we see organizations spending thousands or should I say millions of dollars producing STUFF and rolling it out with out a proper marketing strategy or plan. If you are one of those people shame on you … you should know better. Frankly the best investment a marketer or communicator can make is working with someone who understands the marketing and communications business and can craft a strategy so that your tactics fit into a plan with measurable objectives, segmentation plan, etc.

If I have learned one thing in my career is tactics with out a strategy is a recipe for disaster. More money is wasted on organizations developing marketing communications programs with out the FOUNDATION of a well thought marketing strategy

A good example is the recent phenomena of social media where now everyone is now trying to get involved in social media but as Mike Kujawski our social media expert points out in an article which will be published in a government newsletter next month:

“Clearly we are seeing major changes in the world of marketing and communications, however before government organizations start developing social media tactics it is important for them to ask some fundamental questions such as: What are the key issues that we are trying to address by engaging in social media? Which channels make the most sense based on our target audience? What are the relevant existing conversations already taking place? How are we going to measure performance? What is our employee social media engagement policy?

Too often we see government departments launch into social media without first having a strategy developed addressing the above (among other things). An effective social media strategy follows a very similar process to a well developed marketing strategy. The problem is most organizations within government departments don’t even have the latter.

Many people who work in the communications function of the public sector do not fully understand the marketing concept and how it can help them achieve their goals and objectives. They need to realize that marketing is first and foremost a process that helps organizations attain their objectives as effectively and efficiently as possible.  It follows a specific process and various frameworks (such as the 4P’s) that have been developed over many decades.

Marketing is one of the most misunderstood words in the public sector, often confused with “promotion”, “marketing communications” and in some cases “public relations”.

So this is resolution time being early in the year. This years resolution is you won’t develop any STUFF without a fully developed marketing strategy.

IABC Ottawa presents: Social Marketing Workshop for the Public and Not-for-Profit Sectors

IABC Ottawa presents: Social Marketing Workshop for the Public and Not-for-Profit Sectors

Wednesday, March 4, 2010
8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Hampton Inn and Conference Center – 200 Coventry Road

Messages from social marketing programs can affect audiences in unique and profound ways. Putting together a successful plan can feel haphazard, but it doesn’t have to be. IABC’s all-encompassing, interactive one-day workshop will teach participants the most up-to-date techniques and a proven step-by-step process to bring their plans to life.

Led by Jim Mintz, Director of the Centre for Excellence in Public Sector Marketing, this workshop provides the tools to develop a successful, end-to-end social marketing initiative on your own. Mr. Mintz holds diplomas in both Advanced Marketing Management and Advertising and has provided social marketing advice and consultation to a number of countries. As the retired Director of Marketing & Corporate Communications at Health Canada, Jim has held positions in the private sector, federal government and crown corporations. Jim has lectured at many universities across North America sharing his knowledge and experiences as director to numerous social marketing and communications campaigns in health and social issues.

In addition to being privy to Mr. Mintz’s wealth of experience, participants will also receive a comprehensive social marketing workbook to help guide them through the process for creating their own Customized Social Marketing Action Plan. Learn what makes social marketing different from other campaigns and how it can give you a single approach for mobilizing communities, influencing the media, lobbying/advocacy and building strategic alliances with businesses.

Don’t miss your chance to get ahead!

Register Now

MARCOM Professional Development Forum 2010 MARCOM 2010, June 10-11 at Hilton Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Quebec. http://www.marcom.ca/ Atlantic Canada Marketing AND Communications Professional Development Program Posted on December 16, 2009 by jimmintz | Edit

Halifax, Nova Scotia, March 22-31, 2010

As you likely already know I’m a strong advocate of anything mobile, especially given how much time I spend on the road. I’ve been asked quite a bit lately to provide examples of Canadian mobile government websites. The main two that always come to mind come from CATSA (full disclosure: they are a client) & PHAC.I know there are plenty more. What I’m surprised not to have found however, is some sort of central website/directory that provides a list of all Canadian government departments currently offering mobile versions of their websites. If you know of such a list, then please let me know.

In the meantime, I would love it if you could help me fill out the following Google Spreasheet that I created for this reason. It should have public access enabled so that you don’t need a Google Account to edit. All I’m asking for is for you to state the name of the government organization along with a link to their mobile website. Once this list grows, I’m thinking of posting it under an easy public domain such as www.mobilegovernment.ca ,which I just purchased, stay tuned…

Thanks for your help!

A while back I read the book “Groundswell” by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff from Forrester Research. I was very impressed at the time, with what seemed to be the most comprehensive analysis of social media user segments available, explained very nicely in a book. I have since used many of their graphs and diagrams in my presentations, however I always wished that there was a better way to use their research. Naturally, this goldmine of data was bound to evolve into something more interactive, customizable and useful for people actually trying to apply it. Enter the Consumer Profile Tool (below), now with 2009 data, including Canadian statistics!

It’s pretty much self-explanatory. However, for specific descriptions of each segment, please refer to the following presentation:

Social Technographics Explained

View more presentations from jbernoff.

This quick post is for all of my non gadget-geek readers that likely had no idea that Apple launched the iPad today at 1PM EST. What is the iPad? There are enough search results on Google to keep you busy for a while. But before you do that, watch this video:

My big three take-aways:

1. It leverages the existing Apple application platform. Basically, it has hit the ground running with 140,000 apps already developed for it.
2. The iBooks store. This will kill existing e-readers unless they agree on a common platform, which likely won’t happen.
3. Smart positioning. It’s not meant to replace your smartphone or your laptop. It’s a third device that effectively fills the gap in between and still manages to fit into your briefcase.

I’ve mentioned this before and I’ll mention it again, certain government departments are full of great hidden online products/tools that few people know of. Those outside of government walls may find it hard to believe, but it’s true. Some departments have been told to keep a low-profile on their offering for political reasons, others don’t yet realize just how much value they could potentially bring to audiences beyond their existing niche. In other cases still, it’s the complete lack of a well thought out marketing strategy that is to blame.

This will soon change. It’s becoming harder and harder to remain invisible. Believe it or not, we are slowly moving into the early adopter phase of Government 2.0 here in Canada. A demand for increased transparency, collaboration across multiple stakeholders, and a wide variety of new channels for participation with Canadian citizens, are all bringing to light some of these existing little gems, and rapidly giving birth to new ones. We’re still a far cry away from U.S initiatives such as data.gov and apps.gov, however here are three great Canadian online products/tools that I’ve stumbled upon through my consulting:

Working in Canada Tool – A government mash-up tool that allows you to search for an occupation that you’re interested in and receive up-to-date, accurate information from a wide variety of integrated databases. It puts certain private sector fee-based tools to shame. It was initially developed for skilled immigrants looking to work in Canada. Once you try it out yourself you’ll realize that it’s useful for much more than that.

Termium Plus – An incredible translation tool initially only used by government departments internally. It’s now available to the public. Try typing in a word in English and see just how thorough it is.

GC Surplus Auction – If you think you can find great things to buy on e-Bay, take a look a this Canadian Federal Government auction website. I just found a 2003 Yamaha ATV with a starting bid of $100.

There are plenty more of course. And they will only get better, especially as they begin to transition into stand-alone mobile applications. What I’m curious about though is what you’ve come across lately? Whether you’re a public servant, consultant, or citizen, there’s bound to be an online government tool that impressed you.

Over the holidays I took some time off to re-charge and prepare for what looks like a very promising year for the field of marketing in the digital space, especially for all of you in the public sector. I thought I’d quickly summarize a few of my predictions, comments and hopes that I have for 2010.

• Death of buzzwords: I’m likely being too optimistic here, however I sincerely hope that this will be the year that everyone stops confusing social media tools and applications with the much more important philosophical organizational culture changes taking place in the world of business, government and non profit organizations. The tools and technology are not the drivers of this revolution, they are merely the facilitators. The key players are you and I and how we adapt our behaviours to truly participate, collaborate, and be genuine. Otherwise we will become obsolete.
• Live search goes mainstream: Those of you that are still living in TUD (Twitter Usefulness Denial) should hop on over to a little search engine called Google and try searching for anything. Next click on “more options” and hit the “updates” feature. Welcome to the world of “live” search results that now incorporate Twitter updates. Here’s an example of what you get if you search for “airport security” after following those exact steps. Throughout all of my social media 101 presentations, I have always emphasized that the most important element about Twitter from a marketing perspective is that it is the world’s largest live conversation database. There have been numerous specific Twitter search applications (e.g. Twitter Search) that have leveraged this for a while now thanks to the open API. Even “Twitter.com” itself, finally caught on to the growing importance of search by placing it front and centre on its new home page. Awareness about this crucial element of Twitter has always been limited, as evidenced by the surprised faces I still get at numerous presentations to marketing and communications professionals that still think it’s merely another social network to waste time on (or to follow celebrities). However, now that Google has tapped into this database, users no longer have to be in the social media circle, or even know about Twitter for that matter, to be influenced by it. Further still, if Twitter disappears down the road or is bought out, very little will change. The community will simply migrate to the next dominant platform. Search engines won’t care which one it is either. As of now Google’s live search feature isn’t just tracking Twitter status updates, but Facebook Status’ (if enabled) and Google Talk updates as well. Welcome to live search. You may want to re-think how to approach your search engine optimization strategy.
• Augmented reality: If you haven’t read my post on “Why you need to focus on mobile right now” then I suggest you do so before reading on. Augmented Reality (AR), as defined by wikipedia here, is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with (or augmented by) virtual computer-generated imagery – creating a mixed reality. AR is now being made available to the masses thanks to the rapid advancement of mobile device technology. Just like with social media, the tool here is not the game-changing factor but rather the concept itself is. We are no longer limited to our 5 senses when we are on the go and interacting with the physical world. AR is bound to revolutionize the way we interact with our surroundings.  I can now point my mobile device camera at a store or restaurant and have the screen instantly overlay metadata such as restaurant name, specials, reviews, menu, etc…Take a look at the Top 10 Augmented Reality Apps to see some other examples. After this Christmas, my shopping experience has changed forever thanks to applications such as Red Laser. Note that these apps are not just limited to the iPhone. Whether or not you have the  Nexus One, Palm Pre, HTC Touch or one of the newer BlackBerries will soon be less and less of an issue. As long as you have GPS, internet access, and the ability to download applications for your device, you’re set. It just so happens that at the moment, the iPhone has the most applications. Not for long though; have a look at this San Francisco Chronicle article about the AR industry which predicts that the industry will hit $700 Million in the next 5 years .
• E – Readers (i.e. digital book reading devices):If you haven’t been to your local electronics store in a while, you may want to pay it a visit. Whether it’s the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader Digital Book, Barnes & Noble E-Reader, or Kobo on your mobile phone, these devices are getting better and better. Even myself, someone who loves to feel the books and newspapers I read in my hands, is realizing that something tremendous is happening in the world of book publishing. Think back to what Napster combined with MP3 players did to the world of CD’s and music labels. The same thing is happening to digital book storefronts combined with e-readers. Just like with music, it wasn’t until the MP3 players came along that the mainstream really jumped on board. Burning cd’s was easy, but still a bit of a hassle. Digital books (also known as eBooks) have been available for a long time, however it hasn’t been until now that proper reading devices have made it easy and practical for users to read content on the go. Remember, most text content on the web is scanned, not read. Reading online has never been comfortable due in large part to eye fatigue and outright discomfort of staring at a screen and using a mouse not made for reading. It’s a personal hope of mine that these devices stop competing with each other this year and agree on a standard, common platform. Just like with BluRay vs. HD-DVD,  VHS vs BETA; only one can exist in the long run if mass adoption is to take place. In the meantime, start thinking about getting your PDF’s and longer texts converted to e-reader friendly formats and make these available on your website and in e-book directories. Personally as a marketing consultant, I’d love to have access to annual reports, business magazines, textbooks, legal documents, etc.. in this format as opposed to printing out the PDF’s and wasting paper. Remember, these e-readers are never going to completely replace printed material, but rather supplement it and make content easier to consume while on the go.
• IT finally at peace with other branches re: social media adoption: This could be wishful thinking, however I am starting to see a noticeable trend of IT departments not being so controlling when properly approached. I’ve seen far too many branches of organizations try to completely bypass IT for not letting them install various tools. Rather than focusing on the tools, begin the conversation with what it is that you are trying to do and why.  Ask them if they would be willing to help you achieve this by building a case for middle management or senior management (which ever one is the main barrier in your organization). You’ll be surprised as to just how many people have likely already successfully gone through a similar process in their organizations. Collaborative efforts have resulted in resources such as the Social Media Policy Database, or for all of you Canadian Government public servants, the Guideline to Acceptable Use of Internal Wikis and Blogs Within the Government of Canada

So there you have it, I could keep going but I think that’s a good starting point for your SWOT analysis this year. In other news, CEPSM is currently undergoing some exciting major internal changes (hence why I’ve been so silent lately). More to come as soon as everything is official. Cheers and welcome to the New Year!

Now that I’ve finally begun to adjust back to Ottawa time from the 13hr difference, I thought I’d share a few highlights from my recent trip to the other side of the planet. First of all, I’d like to start off by giving a big thanks to everyone at FIK International for inviting me down and being such gracious hosts. The venue, transportation, logistics, and of course the food, were all flawless.

Kuala Lumpur

After a solid 1.5 days in transit (Ottawa-Vancouver-Hong Kong-Kuala Lumpur), I arrived at KL airport and was greeted by my driver who took me to the wonderful Park Royal Hotel in downtown KL. I immediately unpacked, put on my shorts and sandals, and hit the streets to find something to eat and do some people watching. First impressions were quite powerful, some words that come to mind:

• Exciting, humid, lights, people everywhere, noise , traffic, food, food, food, crowds, music, monorail, Petronas Towers, exotic smells, Chinese business men singing karaoke, dark alleys, mysterious allure,  massage, reflexology, fish therapy, fortune tellers, electronics stores, food, more food, even more food.

One of the things I had done while waiting for my Hong Kong flight in Vancouver was search for local KL twitter users (using Advanced Twitter Search). This is how I stumbled upon Carolyn Chan (@thechannelc) and Rachel Foong (@redsheep), two KL residents that happened to also be social media junkies. Why did I do this? As a general rule, when I travel I like to avoid tourist traps and get myself immersed in the culture instead; especially when I’m somewhere on business and have very little personal time in the first place. Both Carolyn and Rachel, whom I never met before, offered to take me around KL to some local hot spots and give me advice for the few days that I was to stay there. I am immensely grateful to them for this. By the time the first day of my 3-day KL workshop rolled around I had a basic high-level grasp of not just the city from walking around myself and being toured around by them, but of the Malay culture and various internal political and cultural issues present in Malaysia.

Workshop Impressions:

• The participants were fantastic. Quiet at first, but very quick to open up once rapport was built.
• They ranged from staff of the Prime Minsters Office to higher education and health service providers. I learned a great deal from all of them myself.
• I was quite surprised to see the Prime Minister’s Office and their 1Malaysia initiative very active on social channels. The Prime Minister, Najib Razak (@najibrazak) even has a Twitter Page, although I am yet to get a response to one of my tweets (hmmm…).
• Big controversy going on right now over rapper Namewee’s YouTube comments about Malaysia’s power supplier TNB
• The adoption barriers they face are quite similar to the ones we have here (privacy, security, 1-way mindsets,  etc…)
• They were quick to see the immense immediate opportunities that social media held for them and their government organizations, especially from the “insight” angle.
• They were quite surprised to see me show them just how active the Malaysian population was on these channels (special thanks to Louise Clements over at Facebook and Geordie Hyland at Google for sending last minute data)
• The lunch served on each day of the workshop was nothing short of spectacular. Conference organizers, hotels and caterers back here could learn a thing or two.
• You may have noticed by now that I have an obsession with Asian food. I do not deny this. What I love the most thought is how people bond and build social ties over food thanks to it being such a focal point. This is where I had some of my best conversations.

During the eveinings and nights I would try to visit and experience KL as much as I could. Some additional highlights include:

• Watching Chinese businessmen sing drunk karaoke
• Going up KL Tower
• Watching a monkey bite a tourist’s finger (thinking of YouTube’ing this one up)
• Getting a foot massage (reflexology) from one of the hundreds of street clinics
• Eating a stingray
• Blending into local watering holes
• Getting lost on purpose in various side alleys and streets
• Listening to local bands in a flea market at 4am while eating some street meat
• Planning out an eating strategy for each day

Singapore

After 3 straight full days of speaking and mentoring in KL, I packed my stuff and was driven to the airport by the workshop organizers (and now my friends), Saravanan and Vijay Thangaraja. Once I arrived in Singapore, I took a cab to the wonderful Swissotel Merchant Court conveniently located in the always active Clark Quay district. By the time I got to my hotel it was already midnight and I had to be at my workshop for 7am so I resisted the temptation to go out the first night, especially since I had planned to stay for the weekend before heading home. The first night that I did go out, my impressions were as follows:

• Clean, hot, sunny, orderly, efficient, crowds, people, tourists, events, lights, water, boats, river, tall skinny buildings, architecture, massive construction, music, polite vendors, clubs, food, food, food, dancing, busy, noise, food, it’s own little world.

Workshop Impressions

• Was greeted by Nadie, an extremely polite, and superbly organized representative from FIK, who was responsible for the Singapore event.
• Extremely polite participants. Many already very active on certain social media channels, others were complete newbies.
• Very eager to learn more about other governments and how they are dealing with various barriers to adoption
• Had some wonderful lunch conversations once again over a royal feast of goodness.
• All participants very eager to get the ball rolling inside their organizations
• One of my participants (and great new friend) Benedict Chia (@bhchia), decided to put what he learned to practice right away by creating a Google Doc itinerary for me for the rest of my trip!

After my final day presenting, it suddenly dawned on me that I had been up and at it speaking, facilitating and traveling for nearly a month straight. I should have probably collapsed but my second wind kicked in and I was off to take in Singapore with my custom itinerary.

Some highlights:

• Boat ride down the Singapore River
• Experiencing the Night Safari, Singapore Zoo and Bird Park
• Checking out the 24/7 packed crowds at Mustafa’s
• Hitting the clubs in Clark Quay
• Visiting Orchard Street
• Hitting up Sentosa Island with 28,000 people for Zouk Out 2009
• Getting the most painful foot massage of my life (my feet are still swollen)
• Eating a kangaroo and a whole bunch of things I can’t pronounce that can be found here.
• Breakfast with Nadie, chatting about future opportunities, life, and the importance she places on people and relationship building

On my last day, Benedict offered to take me out for the true local experience. Among other things, he:

• Showed me how most people live and commute (including himself)
• Told me why there are no old cars on the street (it often costs more to get a license to own a car than the car itself)
• Took me to a Confucian Temple, a massive electronics store, 4 local eating hot-spots (yes, I ate each time), and a really shady part of town (which even the cops avoid)
• Introduced me to tourist-free public eateries offering the same great food for 1/10th the price
• Took me through massive flea markets and introduced me to the real ice-cream street sandwich
• Perhaps most importantly, he kept me company and launched a new friendship

Overall, I had an absolute blast and am thrilled to see so many of my workshop participants already finding their respective communities on various social media channels. I always try to heavily emphasize the fact that behind these channels are REGULAR PEOPLE with common interests, not just geeks. I’m looking forward to staying in touch with everyone and helping to connect people whenever possible. I’ll leave you with some pics of my wonderful participants (KL on top, Singapore at the bottom).

Halifax, Nova Scotia, March 22-31, 2010

The Centre for Excellence in Communications (CEC) and The Centre for Excellence in Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM), Ottawa, in association with Catapult Media, Halifax, are offering a series of professional development workshops for the Atlantic Canada public and not-for-profit sectors in the context of the

Atlantic Canada Marketing and Communications Professional Development Program, Halifax, Nova Scotia, March 22-31, 2010.

WHY ATTEND?

The Atlantic Canada Marketing and Communications Professional Development Program is an opportunity for communications and marketing professionals, executives and managers to enjoy focused and tested professional development and training. The eight courses available have been successfully delivered to thousands of public, not-for-profit sector and other participants. They provide learning that is conceptually rigorous and practical, and that can be applied immediately. And course content is specifically relevant to the challenges faced by Atlantic Canada marketers, communicators and anyone working in related areas.

The Atlantic Canada Marketing and Communications Professional Development Program:

• Provides learning for individual career development and for building organizations’ leadership capacity;
• Offers tools, techniques and strategies to enable managers and their marketing and communications professionals to better serve the needs of their internal and external partners and effectively reach key audiences and markets;
• Helps strengthen organizations’ communications and marketing capabilities;
• Offers access to professional development opportunities while saving costs and time and maximizing training budgets;
• Provides excellent networking opportunities and the chance to see what others in the same professional areas are doing.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE (Click on each workshop for description) Strategic Communications Workshop Date Price Registration Status Strategic Communications Planning: Critical Steps and Techniques March 22, 2010 $675 Measuring Communications Performance and Success through a Performance Measurement Framework and Strategy March 23, 2010 $675 Fundamentals of Public Sector and Non-Profit Marketing March 24, 2010 $675 Social Marketing Strategies for the Public and Non-Profit Sectors March 25, 2010 $675 Partnership Marketing and Corporate Engagement Techniques March 26, 2010 $675 Strategies for Social Media: Developing a Social Media Marketing Plan March 29, 2010 $675

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Effective Messaging: Strategies and Techniques March 3, 2010 $675

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Competencies for Communications Professionals March 30, 2010 $675 Partnering with the Federal Government: The Communications Dimension March 31, 2010 $675 FEES

1-Day Workshops $675*
20% Group Rate Discount for 3+ Individuals from the Same Unit*

For each workshop, groups of 3 or more will receive a 20% discount of the regular workshop fee for all but the first registrant. Registrations need to be coordinated centrally by the relevant unit, with one registration list for each workshop.

We will issue one invoice for each workshop, based on the number of participants registered. Subsequent additions to the registration list will be included in the group discount rate, with separate invoices issued.

*NOTE: Organizational unit is defined as a Branch, Bureau, Division or Sector.

Regular Workshop Fee $675.00* Group Rates 1st registrant $675.00* 2nd, 3rd, 4th registrants $540.00* each Saving for 3 registrants -$270.00* Saving for 4 registrants -$405.00* Past Participant Discount

Any workshop registrant who previously participated in a CEC open workshop or registers for more than one workshop will automatically receive a 10% discount for each workshop beyond their initial registration.

In-House Workshops for up to 20 Participants from One Organizational Unit

Well suited for organizations with potential groups of communications, policy or program staff working on the same issues and programs.

Workshop duration 1/2 day 1 day 2 days In-House session (Off-the-shelf) $3,000.00* $5,500.00* $8,750.00* Customization cost $1,250.00/day*

* Prices do not include HST

The most recent fiasco with Tiger Woods reminds me of some of my experiences with celebrity endorsers when I ran the marketing and corporate communications operation at Health Canada.

First a bit about Tiger. As Ken Gray points out in his recent piece in the Ottawa Citizen.

“Tiger Woods is probably the greatest athlete of our time. He even bridges ethnicity i.e. a black man with Asian roots who dominates the white middle-aged realm of the fairway. He is the Martin Luther King of the country club, that exclusive enclave of the white and wealthy.

Now corporations must be wringing their hands about picking celebrities to endorse products. The Tiger was about as squeaky clean as anyone, though the occasional f-word was picked up on TV mikes when he sliced a drive. That’s about it.

Now every celebrity endorsement will undergo the sniff test. Any little stink in a background will rule out the multi-million-dollar contracts. And who among us, even the fundamentalist TV preachers, doesn’t have a bit of a skeleton rattling around in the closet?” (Ottawa Citizen)

As mentioned, I have had my own experiences with celebrities and TV talent myself. One example was running an anti-drug campaign (marijuana) and finding out that the young lady we featured in the  ad was reportedly a “pot user”. Fortunately we were able to get the ad off the airwaves before any serious damage to the reputation to the national health department. After that experience we made sure to draw up a legal waiver which we used to negotiate with talent we used for our social marketing campaigns on the broadcast and print media.   This is clearly not a “fool proof” solution but at least it gave us some assurance that the talent we used for our advertising did not abuse alcohol, use drugs or smoke etc.

On the celebrity front we had an incident that kept me up for many nights. It was a campaign we ran with Wayne Gretzky, when he was in his prime in the late eighties and early nineties, for an impaired driving campaign on radio and the poster media. We also had produced brochures and other educational material featuring the famous 99.  At the time Gretzky was to Canada what Tiger Woods is to the USA  (before the Thanksgiving Massacre). He was loved by all Canadians both English and French and other cultures (believe it or not we actually used Gretzky in our French ads using his high school French and coaching from one of my staff). The campaign was going quite well until a few weeks into the campaign I am standing at the local convenience store in my neighborhood and I see Gretzky on the cover of a  Cigar magazine smoking a big fat “stoogie” . Yes, our poster boy for Health Canada is featured on the cover of Cigar Aficionado.

Now, to many of you, this may not be a big deal but trust me our anti- smoking group at Health Canada were not pleased. Fortunately the campaign ended a few weeks later but we certainly were much more cautious when we used celebrities in subsequent campaigns .

So if you think using celebrities have risks for commercial marketers, public sector marketers have additional risks as there is an expectation from  the public  that not only does the celebrity have to be squeaky clean but they expect the same from the organization who is using the celebrity. Health Canada is not Nike or Gatorade, but  I would argue we in the public sector have much more at stake. Is there a solution? Not sure. Who would have believed that Tiger Woods would be a risk? But here we are. Maybe Taco Bell had it right using the Chihuahua-without-a-past for its commercials, Next time a tiger endorses something, it will be Tony the Tiger.

Sean Smith in his article 10 worst celebrity endorsements reminds us that you never know when you  celebrity choice can backfire.

• “When WalMart asked Kathie Lee Gifford, a  talk-show host in 1990s who was considered a role model for working mothers, to put her name to a range of clothing, they probably had no idea how the move would change the face of retailing in America.In 1996, the US National Labor Committee found that Gifford’s clothing line was being produced at a sweatshop in Honduras by 13- to 15-year-old girls, working up to 75 hours a week for 31 cents an hour. One of the workers, Wendy Diaz, captured the nation when she came to the United States to testify about the conditions under which she worked.”
• “Kmart was hoping that Martha Stewart’s “Everyday” line would salvage the one-time retail giant from the depths of bankruptcy. Instead, soon after the line was released, the Feds charged Stewart with insider trading. Although Stewart and her brand (which is now being run by Macy’s) were able to recover, Kmart never did.”
• “Pepsi made a similarly controversial step in appointing Britney Spears as the voice of a new generation of pop idols, long before her “breakdown” in 2007.”

So you just never know when a celebrity can suddenly “go off the rails” .  I guess it is Sponsor beware.

If you have not signed up for our Professional Certificate for Public and Nonprofit Marketing time is running out. REGISTER NOW

http://www.comcec.com/atlantic/index.html

During these tough economic times for public and non profit sector organizations  the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM) has decided to offer a special consulting opportunity for those who require social marketing expertise but  can not afford the prices of high priced consultants. We do this because our Centre is committed  “To advance the marketing discipline in the public sector”.

We are offering our 3-Step Social Marketing Consultation for under $5,000.

We are  now offering  both nonprofit and government organizations an easy and affordable way to acquire expertise from senior marketing strategists to help develop a successful social marketing strategy. The entire process can be completed in less than 3 days!

How does the 3-Step Social Marketing Consultation work?

1. Orientation

First, we familiarize ourselves with your organization, objectives, issues, target audience (s), marketing communications activities, existing research and other information that helps us understand your environment.

2. Strategy Development

Once the initial orientation has been completed, experts from the CEPSM will conduct a strategy session with the team responsible for developing and implementing the marketing initiative. CEPSM facilitates the planning session with the support of its exclusive strategic social marketing workbook used to speed up the process.

3. Fine-tuning

At the end of the facilitated session the organization will have formulated a framework for a social marketing plan from which details such as specific time lines and costs can be completed at a later date. Following the session, our consultants will work with the project leader to fine-tune the plan. In addition CEPSM experts are available via e-mail or telephone to discuss any questions.

Why should you consider a consultant to assist you in preparing a plan?

• You will receive help with the complex planning work

The problem facing most public sector and non-profit project managers in trying to develop a social marketing plan is that there is a lot of information that needs to be absorbed and analyzed. We will help you select the pertinent information required for the plan.

• Your strategy will be ready by the set deadline

Many times, managers are under pressure to have the plan “done yesterday”. Hiring an outside expert will keep your efforts focused on completing the plan by the specified date.

• Your strategy will be developed using a proven planning process

Often members of the team that are developing the plan (i.e. communications managers, marketing managers, program managers and marketing suppliers) have different ideas about what should be done and have a tendency to focus on tactics before the research and analysis has been completed. The facilitated session takes you through a proven planning process to ensure you come out with a strategic, cross-functional, integrated social marketing plan.

Why CEPSM?

• We are affordable

We have a great deal of experience developing many plans on numerous issues and topics, the learning curve on our part is minimal, which means that you don’t need to pay for “ramp-up” expenses. At the end of this process, you will have a strategic social marketing plan from which you can start implementation.

• Our process is a proven winner

The process we use to develop the social marketing plan has been used to launch many successful campaigns and we continually refine our approach to achieve more efficient results.

• Our process includes a comprehensive workbook

Our social marketing workbook provides a step-by-step structured approach which speeds up the entire planning process and provides a documented structure for you to refer to throughout the planning and implementation process.

What types of issues do we address in the Planning Session?

• What does the primary or secondary research tell us?

• What is the focus and purpose of the campaign?

• What are the best practices and lessons learned?

• What are the social norms?

• What is the best way to segment the market?

• What are the target audience barriers for adopting the desired behaviour?

• Would upstream efforts be appropriate for this campaign?

• What are the measurable knowledge, belief and behaviour objectives?

• What is the overall positioning and message?

• What are the 4P’s (product, price, place, promotion)?

• What strategies and tactics will we use to deliver the campaign?

• Who should we develop strategic alliances with?

• How will we measure the actual outcomes of the campaign?

Where would the planning session be held?

The Planning Session is usually held at a mutually convenient time at your place of business; however if you do not have access to facilities, alternative arrangements can be made.

Who should attend?

The team responsible for the social marketing strategy should participate in the session, including representatives from your communications and research staff or suppliers, (if appropriate). We suggest no more than 10 participants to ensure a productive session.

How long is the strategy session?

Normally the session ranges from 1.5 to 2 days depending on the complexity of the project.

How much does this consultation cost?

A full strategy session (1.5 to 2 days) plus preparation by the CEPSM consultant prior to the session as well as feedback from us after the session costs $4,500 plus GST. Travel and accommodations are extra.

What follow-up services does CEPSM offer?

• We offer a professional coaching service, designed to assist organizations in implementing their social marketing plan. This includes attending meetings, providing on-going advice on any aspect of the plan, reviewing statements of work for suppliers and reviewing strategies, tactics and results.

• We also conduct social marketing workshops . We can conduct in-house training sessions tailored to the specific needs of your organization (e.g. “train the trainer” sessions);

• Follow-up services are very reasonably priced . CEPSM’s experienced consultants have saved clients hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years by ensuring that strategies and tactics are implemented in the most cost effective and efficient manner.

Does CEPSM also provide other consulting services?

Yes, CEPSM provides a full suite of consulting services in the field of public sector and nonprofit marketing. Our prices are very reasonable. Please visit www.publicsectormarketing.ca to find out more.

What are the Next Steps?

Contact us today to learn more about this 3-Step Social Marketing Consultation or any of our other public sector or non-profit marketing services.

Jim Mintz

Director

Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing

Ottawa-Toronto-Regina- Calgary

T: 613.731.9851 ext.18

F:613.731.2407

E-mail: jim.mintz@publicsectormarketing.ca

CEPSM Website: www.publicsectormarketing.ca

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jimmintz

Subscribe to my blog: www.jimmintz.ca

Spaces are still available for the Professional Certificate in Public Sector and Non-Profit Marketing

Program Starts January 20, 2010! Register Today!

• Do you work in the government, a crown corporation/agency, a non-profit organization or an association?
• Are you responsible for marketing products or services, social marketing, generating revenue, community outreach, strategic communications or web/digital marketing?
• Are you frustrated that most programs offered in marketing or communications are not designed for the public or non-profit sectors?
• Do you feel that you are falling behind because you are not up-to-date on the latest marketing communications technologies and strategies such as web 2.0?
• Do you want to gain value-added skills to improve your expertise in marketing and communications?

The Professional Certificate in Public Sector and Non-Profit Marketing offers in-depth, advanced-level training in core areas that are critical for marketers in these sectors to excel in their positions. The program provides intensive training of two days per month over a six-month period.

We still have spots open for this very popular program! Be sure to reserve your spot for this cutting-edge learning experience!

I recently switched smartphones (now representing 50% of the worldwide cell phone market) from RIM’s Blackberry Storm to Apple’s iPhone 3GS. Why did I do it, and more importantly why should you care?

The first reason is simple. On November 5th, 2009 Telus released the iPhone, finally taking the Canadian network monopoly away from Rogers (i.e. not my provider of choice to put it lightly).

The second reason is a bit more elaborate. Contrary to popular belief, the iPhone is not just another toy for the “personal use” consumer segment. When people ask me why I switched from a “business” phone, I tell them that on the contrary, I switched because I could no longer efficiently conduct business communication on my BB. How is that possible you may ask? The BB is supposed to be a business machine! True, however the majority of my business is no longer conducted via email (the BB’s USP). Instead, my business requires the constant use of interactive social platforms and user-generated applications. Simply having access to a mobile website is not enough.

Let’s start with the social platforms. For the first time ever, the majority of my online business communication this year (or conversation rather), occurred on channels other than email. My big three channels are now Twitter , LinkedIn and my Blog. To navigate these effectively as a consultant who is always on the go, I need an intuitive mobile platform. So not just the ability to open websites designed for mainstream screens, but rather specific applications designed purely for the few visible inches of screen real estate that I have. Further still, ones that specifically cater to mobile from a user interface perspective.

Now let’s talk apps. To date, no one has come close to the 2 billion iPhone application downloads, many of which become more effective the more people use them (especially the social ones). While it is true that many new platforms are on the horizon with tremendous potential to take the crown away from Apple (i.e. Google Android for one), that’s not the point, the tools will change, however the concept of community-powered niche applications is here to stay.

Let me explain.

The device that I now have in my pocket can be turned into almost any tool that I can imagine, in an instant, at exactly the moment I need it.

At first glance, the above sentence may force you to say “so what?”. If that’s the case, read it again.

Can we truly even begin to imagine the implications of this? The change in consumer behaviour? In citizen engagement? In governance? Forget one-size-fits-all and even segmented solutions (i.e. the website), enter the era of micro niche service delivery (i.e. The Long Tail) catering to individual exact needs. I’ve only had the iPhone a few weeks and already I’ve used it to solve very specific niche problems that surely wouldn’t be useful to everyone. That’s exactly my point though! Everyone has unique needs that need to be solved in a unique way. The concept of applications designed and developed by niche communities for niche communities at micro-costs (99 cents on average) is too profound for any of us to fully comprehend at the moment. Here are some top-of-mind issues I solved so far:

• I was in another city the other week and I wanted to located the nearest RBC atm. Sure enough I reached into my pocket, searched the AppStore and found the “RBC ATM Locator” app free of charge. Ten seconds later it downloaded, talked to my device’s GPS and mapped out a path for me to walk (since I was on foot).
• A client had a question about one of their website conversion goals. I was on the go and was unable to effectively navigate my Google Analytics program from my mobile device, since even the mobile friendly website was not designed with an interface catering to efficiency. I reached into my pocket and you know the drill… A minute later I had setup the “Google Analyticator” app and could now browse all of my client’s web stats in real-time on an app designed solely for my touchscreen.
• I was walking with a business colleague looking for a place to eat in another city. My colleague was vegan. You’ve seen this one before on TV…I downloaded the “Urban Spoon” app and located the nearest vegan restaurant based on our GPS location with the click of a button.
• I was curious if the travel power adapter I had found in Staples was available for a better price somewhere else. This one’s my favourite…I downloaded the “RedLaser” application, scanned the barcode, and was informed of three other nearby locations selling the same device, two of which had it listed at a better price.
• I needed an effective mobile way to manage the numerous government and client department back-channel Twitter conversations that I had set-up on my laptop using Tweetdeck. Sure enough, “Tweetdeck” has a mobile app by the same name, with the exact same functionality and ability to quickly scan through various conversation columns.
• I was always amazed at the powerful concept behind TwitScoop (i.e. the pulse of the collective human conversation) but annoyed that I could not access this unless I was in front of a laptop or desktop computer. Sure enough, the “Twitscoop” app let’s you track this pulse on-the-go.
• I needed a new process of quickly creating invoices and tracking billable hours while on the go. Sure enough an application called FreshBooks came to the rescue.
• I was unhappy with all the paper waste coming from printing out my travel itineraries. I remembered that my BB had an app called WorldMate. It let’s you forward your text itineraries to an email address (or wizard rather) that immediately syncs them to this application in a highly visual , very easy to understand format. What’s the difference between the BB app and iPhone app of the same name? Functionality. The iPhone version wins with absolutely no contest. Why? It was desinged with only the iPhone in mind. The BB version was designed with numerous different kinds of BB’s in mind, most of which, as explained before, have hardware designed for email navigation.

At this point I know I sound like the Apple ad “there’s an app for that”. What you need to remember though is that this is much bigger than Apple. As I already mentioned, the platforms and brands will probably change, however the trend of niche applications solving niche problems is what you simply cannot afford to ignore. Have you even begun to think about how you will catch up to this? I hate to single out Canadian government departments, but Service Canada, I sure hope that “mobile” is on your immediate agenda, especially given your name and the potential that this channel has for a federal organization with “people serving people” as their slogan.

On November 12th, 2009, I ran a Social Media workshop and how it can benefit events/festivals for Ottawa Festivals. It’s interesting how many organizations are just starting to see the enormous benefits in getting their Social Media Footprints established.

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I have been a long time donor to Kiva, networking generous people with lenders to entrepreneurs of third world countries through their website. After receiving rewarding personal notes from the people you help, you get the feeling that your donations are going straight into their hands to help them with their business. You can monitor your donations being fully repaid in small increments, Kiva will then take the money that is repaid in form of credits, allowing you to re-lend your $25+ to new projects. Now, you can also donate a % of the funds to the Kiva administration for each loan your process. I have made over 9 loans in the past couple years, some of them repaid in full, some still owing money.

When you process a loan you also have the option to count each loan you make towards the overall impact of one of your teams, recently I’m supporting the TEDxOttawa Kiva Team, which has a goal to raise up to $1,500 in Kiva loans. I makes me happy to know that my minimal loans can make a difference in people’s lives.

Kiva has grown in the developer community as well, check out KivaPedia and Build.Kiva, they’re independent websites which aggregates Kiva’s lending data.