Campaign Overview

Social networking, once new and alien, is now part of everyday life. However, what many people still don’t realize is that applications are not only prominent in our social lives; they have become integral to the professional world. 

Blue Banana Principal Linda Coles introduces us to the corporate world of social networking…

A social media trainer, LinkedIn specialist, and SEO consultant, Linda approached Alexander Communications to assist her in building both her personal and business profiles. She wanted to position Blue Banana in the corporate sphere and demonstrate her social media expertise. 

We were pleased to take on this project: with social media being essential to public relations, the team could relate to and understand the project and its complexities..  Working with a clear brief from Linda, AC knew which direction to take and which business contacts to target. 

The background information and examples Linda provided allowed AC to create media releases and key opinion pieces. We were confident that, because of the niche topic, we would be able to convey and leverage Linda’s expertise and past experiences in a still-emerging market. 

Outcomes
Our business contacts were keen to meet the face behind Blue Banana; they were curious and enthusiastic to learn more from a professional social networker.

Business publication Unlimited.co.nz, characteristically quick on the uptake, was first to publish an opinion piece by Linda. The piece discussed the impact of word-of-mouth on businesses and how invaluable networking is within corporate structures – the message was that businesses are so busy trying to buy into spaces, they forget (or don’t know how) to use the powerful online tools at their fingertips. 

AC also secured articles with the  New Zealand Herald and business columnist Gill South. This featured in the Business Herald print pull-out and online at www.nzherald.co.nz.  Linda was also profiled by Glenn Baker in the March issue of NZ Business in an article ‘It’s networking but not as you know it’.

These articles reaffirmed the untapped opportunities of social networking for businesses, and reminded businesses and executives that this could be a stabilizing tool following a turbulent 2009.  

AC successfully raised the profile of Blue Banana and positioned the company strongly at a corporate level. In addition, AC improved Linda’s position as a social media expert and opinion leader; in providing simple communication tips, Linda has become more accessible and transparent as the principal of Blue Banana, and has secured several new projects for 2010.

We are bombarded every day with the news of the death of newspapers and other traditional media thanks to the killer effect of the rise of social media. Quite frankly, it’s not the truth, and hearing it is getting a little tiresome and repetitive.

Sure, where there’s smoke there’s fire, as they say. There is certainly evidence that the decline in newspaper and magazine advertising revenues corresponds with an increasing ad spend in social media.

Looking at it strictly from a first-world perspective, yes, technologies and behaviours like blogging, social media, the iPhone and iPad are permanently changing the way we consume media. However, our newspapers’ (mainly) Australian bosses are not stupid (truly – I have worked with some of them). They will change their business models to reflect the new paradigm. They will buy, they will merge, they will purge. One sure thing is that the large  newspapers, and other traditional media, have been experimenting with new business models for some time. They will crack it eventually, even if it means hiring in some young guns to help change the paradigm (again, this has started already).

In fact, the ‘old’ mainstream media have already started to get more social (see Stuff.co.nz and nzherald.co.nz for examples), while social media are becoming more mainstream (WordPress, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn). I believe that in the end these media will blend their technologies and start to look more similar – that is, until the next revolution comes along. What’s after social media? When all media is ‘social’? What’s the next thing?  Is it media collaboration? Or co-opetition? I’m not sure yet, but we are working on it.

One prediction I will make confidently is that more journalists will be required to embrace the online world; many leading journalists already use social media for research and story leads, blog regularly themselves and see these things as natural extensions of the craft. Those that don’t embrace it will be left behind – at least in the developed world.

Slightly less relevant but important in terms of world-wide change: looking purely at population statistics in less developed countries, the newspapers (outdoor advertising and radio) are there to stay for a long time yet, and social media is really. . . well, it’s getting social around a water pump, or the community clinic or at local shebeen (pub).

Now where is that iPad so that I can read the news and check out my fave technology mag and the new Lee Child novel!

As you may have guessed, I don’t believe traditional media will die or that social media will take over the world, but the technologies will be shared and the process will sort out the wheat from the chaff  in developed markets. There will be room only for those that can attract revenue and deliver relevant content (and fast). Co-opetition may be the new strategy for media companies.

Ok.  I have on occasion wondered what all the fuss is about, as I am sure you have. However after around 6 months on Twitter and using it as a tool to learn, connect and engage with people, I have come to the conclusion that, together with an integrated campaign of other traditional and new media – it can be a very powerful business tool . Twitter is no longer cosmetic for me, but of real value. So this post is not aimed at Twitter users , but at clients, associates and acquaintances that ask me why? How? When ? What? questions about Twitter.

The function and form of Twitter changes for me daily and over the course of the last six months I have used it to:

• Follow international and local experts and see what they are doing around media, PR and social networking, Goals , Guitar and many other interests.
• Share interviews with successful people on my other blogs livemygoals.com and the nzherald Inspired People Blog
• Share thoughts, links and stories that we deal with through our own clients at Alexander Communications, to (have actually been contacted by journalists following up on tweets / newsworthy clients  for opinions on a  business issue
• At times I have used it to diary personal moments of triumph and discord (as you do!)
• I’ve steered clear of the spammers and wierdos and managed to learn something new each (or every other) day and share it.
• I’ve organised meetings
• I have retweeted links and posts that resonated with my value system
• I have shared articles and opinions that I have enjoyed
• I have laughed until my stomach hurt at funny videos shared at opportune moments
• I’ve also shared articles which we have arranged on behalf of some of our clients when I believe they have something interesting to say
• I’ve captured moments on my iPhone camera and shared it – from concerts, (international stars and my daughters home made ones!), situations (traffic, beautiful scenary, scenes of interest) and other hobby related things.
• I’ve linked my Twitter feed with Facebook so that I can share some of this with people I chose to have on my Facebook profile. We are all interested in similar things.
• I’ve searched for ideas and comments on latest # hashtags on issues, people etc.
• I’ve downloaded stuff from links shared.
• I’ve “listened” to conversations and noted the tone and content and internalised ideas.

So you see – it can be frivalous, but actually fullfills an increasingly important role both for R & R and for business – that is as long as you don’t have addictive tendencies… 

In which I would say, Put it down. Walk slowly backwards. Turn and run as fast as you can.

One of Australia’s top stockbrokers, Li Cunxin (pronounced “Lee Schwin Sing”) has been invited to speak to some of the most successful companies and influential business, presidential and national leaders of our times, and for a brief couple of hours will be in New Zealand to exclusively address the Brokers Independents Group (BIG) networking breakfast at the Ellerslie Convention Centre on Tuesday 12 May.

Li was born into bitter poverty in rural China, when a chance discovery by Madame Mao’s Beijing Dance Academy put 11 year old Li on course to become one of the best ballet dancers China has ever produced. He later went on to defect to the U.S., tour the world as a guest performer with some of the world’s best ballet companies, win medals at international competitions, marry and move to Australia until at the age of 34, Li started to plan his life after dancing and a radical shift in career. He began studying accounting and financial courses by correspondence at the Australian Securities Institute with a view to becoming a stockbroker.

For the final two years he was with the Australian Ballet, he rose at 5am to start ballet training, then raced to get to the stock exchange by 8am to work as a stockbroker until noon. By the time he joined the rest of the Australian Ballet dancers for rehearsals, he had already put in a full day’s work and has gone on to become a senior manager at one of the biggest stockbroking firms in Australia.

Upon learning his remarkable story, you begin to understand why it strikes such a chord with presidents and world leaders and small to medium business owners alike: it’s a story of change, vision and transformation, shattered and recreated dreams and passion, determination, love, hard work – and triumph despite all.

It’s one of those stories that warms the human heart and inspires us to stay true to our faith in the future in the belief that no matter what life may throw our way, we ourselves always have a say in our outcomes.

As soon as Li’s autobiography, Mao’s Last Dancer, was published it immediately hit the top of the Australia best sellers list. It was number 1 in the non-fiction category and won the Book of the Year Award in Australia, the Christopher Award in America and was short-listed for the National Biography Award among other prestigious literary awards.

Mao’s Last Dancer stayed on the Top 10 Bestseller List for over one and a half years and is now in its 45th printing, having been published and sold in over 20 countries with a feature film in the pipeline. He is now a highly sought-after speaker and will be in New Zealand briefly to address a largely business audience.

Ends
A film of the book is on its way…
Director Bruce Beresford of Driving Miss Daisy, Breaker Morant, Black Robe and The Contract fame has teamed up with Academy Award winning producer, Jane Scott and screenplay writer Jan Sardi (of Shine) to produce a feature film based on Li’s extraordinary life.
About Brokers’ Independents Group (BIG)
BIG is a newly founded industry group set up by independent brokers for independent brokers (and likeminded industries –like accountants and lawyers), with the aim of working together for the benefit of clients, mutual prosperity and the success of the insurance industry in New Zealand.

Its two key aims are to support independent brokers through the sharing of knowledge in training, case studies and industry updates and in terms of the general public, ensure the insured get paid at claims time.

BIG has a world-class recruitment and training programme of inspiration and information lined up for brokers and businesses including major events with International speakers, national road-shows, 2-day knowledge boosters and online video link seminars.

For further information:
Alexander Communications
Dwayne Alexander
+64 (0)9 522 5541
021 324 463
dwayne@alexanderonlinepr.co.nz
Brokers’ Independents Group (BIG)
Nicola Smee
+64 (0)9 443 8201
021 220 9773
nicola@biggroup.co.nz

We interviewed Carey Smith for our “Inspired People” Blog on www.nzherald.co.nz about 12 months ago. In this interview he mentioned how he had planned to write a book.

So many people do. But Carey delivered on his promise. We feel proud to have been part of the team that helped to make it happen.

• We encouraged Carey to create a web 2.0 social networking & sharing enabled site
• We linked him up with another client of ours www.publishme.co.nz who helped him create and publish the book.
• We worked with his great web team – Big Fish Marketing - to assist him in creating a site that would display his media links and enable people to read up great testimonials and download chapters
• We syndicated some of his content onto mainstream online media to generate some hype
• We shared our enthusiasm for his book and the content on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin
• We networked him into Unlimited, (the mag), NZ Business, NZ Marketing , ASB Business Breakfast TV and also press and mentions on radio and other online sites.
• We have bought some of his great books and plan to share them amoung our other clients – the people who can benefit – leaders.
• It was a great project to work on from beginning to middle. The end is no where in site as his books are now selling on www.publishme, www.trademe.co.nz, www.nile.co.nz  and a host of other sites.
• We are encouraging him to write again.

About Carey Smith

The basis of many of my achievements has been an annual letter that I write to myself. The book Deliver is part of one of those promises, and I have had great enjoyment in bringing it together. I hope that it becomes something that I can continue to build on.

At a Glance

• Chief Executive of Ray White New Zealand. Ray White New Zealand has more than 125 offices nationwide, transacting approximately $5 billion worth of property sales per annum.
• Chief Executive of The Loan Market New Zealand. The Loan Market New Zealand has 38 brokers facilitating $600 million in loans per annum.
• Entered the Real Estate Industry at the age of 17 and joined Ray White Group in Australia in 1990 as an Auctioneer and Development Associate
• Assisted in the changeover and conversion of United Realty to Ray White Zealand, which I have led for the past 10 years
• Currently involved in the international expansion of Ray White
• Inaugural recipient of the Chairman’s Cup 1996 and White Family Trophy 2005.
  Author of the book Deliver.
• Ex-Rugby League player and current referee.
• Proud, family oriented Father

From the outset of the brief from Results.com we knew that we wanted to ensure that our client received recognition for bringing Tom Peters out and that the market acknowledged the firm for showing leadership in a time of upheaval in New Zealand small and medium business.

• We interviewed Tom Peters on what he felt were the key issues facing small to  medium businesses and the world;
• This inspired live TV3 ASB Business coverage in an interview with Emma Brannam complete with Results branding behind Tom (who was charming by the way) and interviews with both Tom and Results.com MD, Ben Ridler for The Herald on Sunday, www.nzherald.co.nz , The New Zealand Herald’s The Business, the National Business Review and NewsTalkZB;
• Of course we shared some of his pithy thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Scoop as well.