Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

I've been thinking a lot about community lately.

I guess I'm at an age where I find comfort being part of something bigger than me. But also, there's so much noise about online communities and brand communities. So what goes into building a community?

In studying various communities, I've discovered commonalities in how they are formed, how they are sustained and even how they fall apart. Here are my 5 C's for creating community:

Common sense of purpose. This is obvious. The best communities have to have a common theme. But it's easy to assume that the common theme can just be a common interest. That's part of it, but I believe the stronger communities have something nobler at their center. This year, the Triangle chapter of the American Marketing Association galvanized around a theme of Marketing @ Work. While everyone in the association is interested in marketing, a focus that resonated most and really started the sense of community within the group was a challenge to put every marketer back to work.

Conflict. Every community can be helped by having a villain or at least a good competitor. The PR community has advertising (As a marketer, I really don't get this.) The Apple community has the PC and Bill Gates. Craft brewers have Anheuser Busch. The Democrats have the . . . Well you get the idea.

Consistency. Community building requires consistency. Communities have to be nurtured just like a toddler. If you're managing a group, communicate regularly. If you are running an association or even an internal group at work, set a consistent meeting time and location.

Conversation. Communities are built on dialog and not just one way communications. Ask your community members what they think and what they want. Then let them know you heard them.

Contact. Thanks to social media, I now know many people only online. There are some that I feel are part of a community I'm in - like the local social media community, or the national marketing community. I know them only through 140 character messages and I can't explain it but now I want to meet these people. That's why there are meet ups and tweet ups. At some point, community members want contact. They want more than an online conversation. Online communities may be cost-effective, but if you're managing a product or brand, at some point, invest the money to get your key community members together. There's nothing more powerful than peer interaction.

I think there's never been a more exciting time for community building thanks to the desire for connection coupled with the tools that are available today.

So, go build a community (and invite me to be a part of it!)

My first real job after college was working for Grey Advertising in New York City. This was 1993 when the Internet was just truly at its infancy and no-one really knew where this wacky interwebs thing was going. I remember the interview like it happened yesterday. I was applying for a developer position, yes I know, it's ok to begin laughing now. Moving on, they actually called me in to interview with the president of their new Interactive group so I put on my one and only suit and headed to their midtown office.

I sat down with the president and he immediately remarked about my suit. He mentioned that most of the people he had interviewed for this position wore jeans and t-shirts to the interview. I thanked him for the compliment and got ready for the actual interview. That's when a funny thing happened, the discussion of my attire and what made me decide to wear a suit actually became the interview. The president did not know what HTML or Javascript was nor should he. His focus was on finding good people that he could build a new group from the ground up.  My interview was pretty quick and he made me a job offer right there.

Now was I qualified for that job, probably not? But I worked my butt off to learn and get qualified quickly. I went the extra mile and within 3 years of taking that job, I was the Senior Producer at Grey Interactive managing a number of our largest clients.

What does all this mean? How does this help you find that job you really want? The point I am trying to get across is that the hiring process is not just about resumes, interviews and skill sets. Hiring managers like myself not only want to find smart and talented people, but we also care deeply about the culture and the "vibe" of our company. There have been times we have passed on a qualified candidate because we did not think they would help elevate or be successful in our culture.

Ask yourself, how am I selling myself today? Does my resume not only show my qualifications, but also some personality communicating who I am as a person? What can I do in my next interview so the hiring manager will want to work with me?

You might take away from my story that I was incredibly lucky and my suit got me hired. You might be right. What I like to believe is my suit gave me the opportunity I needed to show what kind of person I was and the kind of employee I would make. The president believed in me and that is what you need to do to land that next great gig.

Do you know where you'll work in ten years? If so, congratulations. You're one in a million. You can stop reading here.

For everyone else, continue reading.

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When I was a freshman at UNC-Chapel Hill, I thought it was time for me to get started on my career at Capstrat. I applied for an internship. As a freshman, I didn't have the necessary skills required for an internship at Capstrat. I had not completed all the public relations sequence courses. Nor did I have any other work experience to speak of. Thank you, Capstrat, for not laughing at me. They even interviewed me!

Needless to say, I didn't get the internship. Even so, I stayed in touch. In the years following my interview with Capstrat, I completed eight other internships and work studies. Graduation was upon me, and I had no idea where I would work. I was applying for public relations positions across the East Coast. (I believe it was just about this time several years ago that I started sweating.)

During that time, I also applied for the PR Week Student of the Year award. That spring, I traveled to New York to the PR Week Awards ceremony, where I took home second place in my category. Capstrat was a finalist too. And the next day, I got a call. It took four years, a rigorous award application and an event in New York City to help me land a job 10 minutes from my university.

The moral of the story: Never burn a bridge. I'm sure there were many other qualified candidates for my position at Capstrat. But Capstrat and I had a relationship. Networking may seem like it's a lot of hard work, but in the end, the more people that know you and know what you're interested in, the more likely you'll find not only a job, but the right job for you.

The flip side is true, too. Employers you network with are just as interested in meeting you as you are them. Talented people are valuable, and building a relationship makes it more likely those valuable potential employees will want to come to work for employers they already have relationships with.

Keep your foot in the door. You never know when it will open.

If you keep up with the PR trade world, you may have noticed that the O’Dwyer organization did not include our agency, Capstrat, in its new annual rankings of PR firms. Jack O’Dwyer publishes newsletters, a magazine and maintains a Web site covering the public relations industry. Capstrat has been ranked among the top 25 U.S. firms for several years.  

This year, Jack was very clear: if we wanted to be included in his rankings, we had to pay $3,000. The $3,000 could be used to buy subscriptions or advertising in his publications. But no money, no ranking.

I admire anyone who does what Jack has done for a long, long time – cover an industry objectively while seeking advertising revenues from those he covers. Journalistic integrity inevitably has cost Jack some advertising dollars through the years.  

That’s why Jack’s ultimatum is disappointing. We don’t advertise Capstrat’s services very much in trade publications. Much of Jack’s readership is our competition. Why advertise to them?

Jack complained that we were willing to pay dues to the Council of Public Relations Firms (I’m a board member), but unwilling to support him by purchasing advertising or subscriptions. That comparison is nutty. CPRF is a professional organization. Jack is a publisher.   

But if you want to go there, I’m not sure we’ve ever gotten a lead from a client who saw our agency in the O’Dwyer rankings. But we sure have gotten hired as a result of the Council of Public Relations Firms’ “Find a Firm” search engine.  

A couple lifetimes ago, when I covered political campaigns for The Charlotte Observer, I would ask candidates questions about integrity or judgment. Oftentimes, the candidate would reply something like this:  “I haven’t done anything illegal, immoral or unethical.”

My usual response: “Yeah, but you know, it just looks bad.”

Jack, your ultimatum just looks bad. 

Google Goggles is a new image image recognition service that runs on Android phones. Just point a camera at something and it'll tell you what it is. Golden gate bridge, store fronts, business cards.

Just watch the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhgfz0zPmH4&feature=player_embedded

This effectivley turns any Android phone connected to the Web into a augmented reality device.

Mind = blown.