New Zealand Media Wars!

Bring it on traditional media.

Your desperate attempts to pull your nose diving little cash cows out of the spiral amuses me.

Today's Herald on Sunday?

The screeching battlecry of an aggrieved drowning wilderbeast. Page after page devoted to discrediting new media content providers. It amuses me even more that your lazybus journalism reported these stories in the first place and gave them legs. The fakie TradeMe nude mum. Where did I first see the photos?

I must admit that I too was cynical of the 'digital paradigm shift.' But it's real, and it's happening and the traditional media blood letting will continue until you guys get it and start giving the people of New Zealand decent content.

Preparing Key Messages for SpaceWalking Astronauts

Houston- we have a problem. Prepare for key messages.

At first rumblings that there’s a media issue on the horizon, Houston communications cranks out four pages of key messages It’s horribly inefficient and more importantly, ineffective. Especially when most communications Houstons don’t write key messages, they write laundry lists of facts. I was asked to sign off on one of these laundry lists this morning developed by a junior Houston.

She is a very good Houston, but had got into the habit of cranking out four-page lists to keep up appearances for the Astronauts.

I had to remind her that key messages are:

1. For internal use only

2. For use by company approved Astronauts or Houstons only i.e. people that have an understanding of the issue already to act as media spokespeople

3. For communicating an established organisational, strategic position.

For example: "We aim to find water on Mars by 2040".

Is a project fact

"I think humans will reach Mars, and I would like to see it happen in my lifetime". Buzz Aldrin
Is a project key message (that’s why it gets quoted-that’s what you want).

Three of four maximum. Not pages, messages.

If the astronauts are out spacewalking, they don’t have time to read four-page documents when Oprah rings for a chat. Keep it simple, understand the issues, and make sure you nail the biggies on the media call.

"I believe that every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises." Neil Armstrong. You and me both Neil.

JetStar CEO Takes Media Tips from Veitch

After listening to CEO of JetStar Bruce Buchanan on Radio New Zealand this morning I'm quite convinced that the has been taking media training tips from Tony Veitch. The best piece of media management advice I've ever been given: "say sorry!". Turns out both Buchanan and Veitch have been given this chestnut too, but do you think they could say it?

Buchanan had a shocker in the Herald on Sunday last week with the excusefest megamix:

"We are apologetic." Is not SORRY

"Air New Zealand is being MEAN to us." Is not SORRY

"Air New Zealand made a a BIG DEAL of Prime Minister John Key being left in Queenstown." Is not SORRY.

So Radio NZ gave you another go this morning Mr JetStar CEO Bruce Buchanan. And how did that go?

"We understand that people just want us to say sorry"....(BUT YOU DIDN'T).

Live replay of the excusefest megamix, remashed with some 'we're all wise in hindsight'. He threw in a little bit of weather and fog and airports and slow border management (?) and then tried to bribe everyone with a '$50 if your plane is late'guarantee. Whoopee!(Um, and didn't Air New Zealand do that first to pull your pants down a couple of weeks back?). Check out their LAME deal below.

http://tinyurl.com/lv5bch

Posted via email from cjlambert's posterous

'Entergagement' for Dummies

I need a new word that’s not 'entertaining'. I keep saying it in meetings, sometimes I say 'entertainment'.

Your content needs to be 'entertaining'. Or -there is an 'entertainment' aspect that you can’t ignore in your social media strategy.

The usual response, when I unleash the magical E! channel word, is a physical twitch of disapproval.

Sometimes a bumped coffee and an under the breath mutter from my no longer captivated audience. On Wednesday I got a stern, "that’s not relevant to this campaign.”

If you are a serious pinstriped suit financial services company then I can understand the flashes of horror about mixing up your products with a spoonful of Paris Hilton. That’s not quite what I mean though. Geeky, interesting, informative content is—‘entertaining’-it doesn’t have to be Las Vegas.

In government PR 2.0, no one wants to campaign on the dancing clown ticket. I get that. You do need to be a real person though. Real people that are dry, boring, preachy and negative don’t get invited to the Friday night drinks. Obama is ‘entertaining’ to me; and he’s no dancing clown.

Relevant, engaging, what other words can I use? I have the attention span of a goldfish when I’m hoovering through online content. I get through a lot of it everyday and you’d better be cooking something tasty if you want me to park up and stay for dinner.

So from now on it's 'entergagement'. Your content needs to be 'entergaging'. That’ll really confuse them.