What's next in online communication?

Jeremy Pepper (Weber Shandwick)
John Starkweather (Microsoft)
Jeanette Gibson (Cisco)


John:
MSFT culture of openness in the developer organization, versus the marketing organization which in a lot of ways is worried about things that the dev org is used to doing: collaborating and talking openly. Many devs at MSFT have blogs, have had for years, and are open with things that marketing would like to keep under wraps. Tug of war.

Result: healthy example of where companies are looking - how do we be open and engage customers and yet have control over top secret IP?

Didn't fire Mr. Scoble! He decided to leave.

Company talks about, relishes blogs like Mini-Microsoft. Employees openly bash the company. Makes it an interesting place to work.

Company shares info with its MVPs.

John is part of the Mobius program. group started by MSFT, but MSFT has pulled away from it. Community of online writers, some blogs, passionate about consumer electronics, mobile devices, get together and talk. John has a loose moderator role.

As we use new media to engage with people, old rules and dynamics of controlling things goes out the window. Mobius program is part of that.

Some Windows Mobile platform changes have been made based on things that we've said we want.

Jeannette:
Cisco is leveraging network technology to change the way we communicate and work together. Evangelizing new media internally and externally.

Power shift: "Who is the communications expert?" - now it's the consumers.

Consumers drive cisco's marketing campaigns. Consumers tell cisco what the message is.

question: cisco sells a lot through distributors, resellers - dealers and vars are protective of end users and don't want manufacturers to know them. How do you reach out to people who don't have a direct relationship with you?

Jeanette:
Interact with people online. Looking at giving people personalized views on our Web site. Personlization and interactivity. VARs are okay with that - at the end of the day, people buy Cisco equipment.

question:
Cisco and MSFT employees very tech-savvy. How are you taking steps to educate employees on internal initiatives, potential for engagement, getting them blogging etc. and also making them familiar with tools, and delivering info through internal channels?

John:
Interesting how many people don't believe in the internet, and what the internet does. Marketers don't understand how it fundamentally and radically changes the way we should be talking to people. We spend the most of our time in so many meetings talking about what you can do on the internet. "Do you believe that people are out there talking about our product?"

Need the best data possible to evangelize internally to get funds, get people on board with engaging people.

Jeanette:
Robust intranet has been a great way to reach employees. We make sure we have news articles posted, blog info, podcast info. Global employees can go to that Web site to get the information.

Also, leveraging video. Part of the corporate culture. The CEO communicates with employees through vods. Employees can see anything from their desks.

Launched "employee experience network" blog internally - "Tell us how we should be doing things." Technically a wiki w/blog functionality. Gets great feedback.

John:
Internal and external are the same. If you don't respond to an internal question, it's just as bad.

question about recent cisco initiative.

Jeanette:
Human Network campaign
Post stickies online - give it to your friend, boss, or co-worker. "Hey, see this blog entry/podcast/whatever."
Statement: we're making a big market transition.

question: define web 2..0? also, real life vs. second life.

Jeremy:
Explains Second Life. Says that it just hit its millionth member.
Not an audience - a new community that you interact with. You need to get inside the community to understand it.

question: there's a marketing sompany someone's formed inside SL. What's up with that? And what's an SL business model?

Jeremy:
 It's a real company in the real world, but launched in SL because none of the employees live near each other. They have meetings and such in SL. So its an SL-based marketing comnpany, not a marketing company for Second Life.

question: article about blogging, MySpace in USA Today, compared it to bowling.

Jeremy:
It's about reaching whatever community is out there. There's always going to be a community of interest for any activity.

Sneakerblog - community is hardcore, extermely viral, all of them go out and buy $500 shoes in limited editions. Like, horsehair sneakers. Unsettling.

John:
If you sell bowling shoes, you have a community where you can find your customer and your customer can find you.

Roughly a billion phones ship each year. maybe two. Contrast that with PCs that ship 250 million each year. Difference in number of people you can talk to, expand your network, just in those numebrs alone. Are phones the future? Absolutely. Cell phones are becoming invisible devices like a watch. You don't leave the house without your watch. Cell phones are on track to get there.

A year ago, I'd have said you need a smart phone to reach people. Now companies have simplified things. Any phone with a browser has lots of functionality.  You can listen to, create podcasts on demand. Video on demand. IM.

Jeanette:
We sell the stuff that powers the cell phone platform, so it's great for us!

You can point your phone at a billboard, snag the url, buy the product. You can buy e-tickets with phones.

question: measurement? The "So what?" factor. How do you deomonstrate what you are getting out of it?

Jeanette:
It's an unknown area. We have to think differently about metrics. Traditional hits don't matter - it's about the community you're engaging with. Comments? Conversations? It could be an audience of one, but that one is a strong connection you're making with somebody. Who are the influencers we want to reach, and are they having conversations about Cisco?

John:
Prepare to be frustrated. Most execs aren't willing to accept that answer today. They want an older metric. Traffic, Alexa rating, etc. One thing that drives me crazy but always works: "Walt Mossberg asked us about something we shared through Mobius."

Jeanette:
You have to go back to the mainstream media for vallidation.

John:
Yeah. Why the Washington Post? Engadget is much more important!

There's a game I play with execs: Do a Google search for your product. What's page one? For Windows Mobile, there's a carrier selling it, an OEM, and then a combination of new media. Not the WSJ, not the WaPo. It's people going online.

question: What data nuggets will we be able to glean from blogs that will help us make a case?

John:
Involves understanding how data flows. There are a number of tools, the data's there, we're starting to look at it. Not there yet.

Jeanette:
It's not. for us, it's about pulling non-trad people into our communications.

John:
In the future I hope that corporate communications - brochures, etc. - take their cues from the way we talk in blogs. Lose the spin, be more honest.

Jeanette:
Openness and transparency required by Sarbanes-Oxley was introduced by blogs.