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Socializing Your
Brand: A Brand’s
Guide to Sociability
A GLOBAL STUDY BY WEBER SHANDWICK AND FORBES INSIGHTS




                                       WO
                                      CLA RLD
                                    SOC SS
                                   BRA IAL
                                      ND
                                         S
Foreword by
Chris Perry
President of Digital Communications, Weber Shandwick

In considering the biggest influences on their brand’s
sociability, most executives look to external forces —
winning the approval of the right media, achieving a
target number of “Likes” on Facebook and dominating
coverage of certain topics. The reality is that internal
strategy, planning, cohesiveness and comfort in the
digital space must come first — but may never come
at all. As new research from Weber Shandwick and
Forbes Insights shows, internal focus and consistency of
vision are areas where substantial improvement must
be made by most brands.

Weber Shandwick works with some of the world’s most
successful brands to align social activity with business
objectives. Sociability for the sake of it carries significant
risks, but sociability in pursuit of bottom line goals can reap
rewards beyond initial expectations.
B
                     eing social online is fast becoming critical
                     to being a world class brand. Despite the
                     proliferation of social media outlets and
             growing penetration of the Internet worldwide,
             most organizations still struggle to build a brand
             with a distinctive social identity.

                            Social brands interact with their      executives from high revenue
                            target audiences. They do much         companies across 50 countries in
                            more than broadcast news,              North America, Europe, Africa,
                            deals or events. They get their        the Middle East, Asia Pacific
                            communities of interest engaged        and Latin America. Executive
                            and develop meaningful ties            respondents were selected for
                            over shared passions or                their personal involvement in
                            commonalities. Social brands           marketing, communications or
                            demonstrate a genuine interest         public relations strategy and
                            in what their audiences say and        utilization of digital channels as
                            listen carefully to responses.         part of that strategy. They are
                            Technology has hyper-charged           on the front lines of “brand
                            the ability for brands to be           sociability” with all its risks
                            more social but it is not the          and rewards.
                            technology alone that makes a
                                                                   Creating and nurturing a social
                            brand social. Sociability ultimately
                                                                   brand is no longer optional.
                            rests on the collaboration of the
                                                                   To support an effective social
                            entire organization and, more
                                                                   undertaking, brands need a strong
                            specifically, on marketers and
                                                                   social governance foundation
                            public relations professionals who
                                                                   so that their organizations can
                            typically have responsibility
                                                                   meet their business objectives.
                            for communications and
                                                                   As sociability at the core of
                            branding strategies.
                                                                   the organization becomes
                            Global public relations firm           fundamental, brand managers
                            Weber Shandwick partnered with         are charged with developing a
                            Forbes Insights to identify what       strong framework for enabling
                            makes brands social – and how.         meaningful social interactions
                            We conducted an online survey          that allow the best of the brand
                            in Spring 2011 of 1,897 senior         to emerge.


WEBER SHANDWICK                                                                                         1
Why does
    brand sociability
    matter?
    It is no longer an open question     “quality of online presence
    as to whether brand sociability      or engagement” a primary
    matters. Global executives           contributor to a company’s
    attribute 52% of their brand’s       overall reputation. Whereas
    reputation to how social it is       many of the traditional drivers
    online today, up from 45% one        of reputation such as customer
    year ago. They project that 65%      experience and product/service
    of their brand’s reputation will     quality remain at the top of the
    come from its online sociability     importance list, the addition of
    in three years, a five-year growth   “online presence” as a factor in
    rate of 44%.                         driving reputation today is long
                                         overdue for consideration.
    Sociability is important not
    only to the brand, but also to
    the reputation of the entire
    enterprise: One-third (33%) of all
    global executives with digital and
    marketing responsibility consider




2                                                                      WEBER SHANDWICK
%      65%
                         44
                       +

                               52%


           45%                                                            ye
                                                                             a   rs
                                                                      3
                                                                 in




                                              d   ay
                                           to
                                                       Average per cent
                                                       brand reputation
                                                       attributed to
                                   o                   online sociability
                              ag
                           ar
                      ye
                  1




WEBER SHANDWICK                                                                       3
Average percent
                  brand reputation
                  attributed to
                  online sociability
                                                         Recognizing how important brand sociability is and will
                                                                          65     %
                                                         be, large global companies say that they have jumped
                                                         into the social media waters with both feet. They almost
                                                         52  %
                                                         universally have social media brand strategies (87%)

                                       45 %              and nearly all (93%) are using at least one social media
                                                         tool. Yet, fewer have integrated their social brand
                                                         strategies into their marketing and communications
                                                         strategies (63%), a sign they are struggling to master
                                                         the challenges of brand sociability. Bringing social
                                                         activities into marketing and communications
                                                         strategies ensures a cohesive, holistic approach.
                                                         Global executives acknowledge that they have far
                                                         to go before their companies are truly social: Only a
                                       1 year ago           today             in 3 years
                                                         small group of global executives (16%) describe their
                                                         brand’s sociability as “world class.” Is it worth the
                                                         intense effort to be a world class social organization?
                                                         Global senior executives think so – they report that
                                                         the rewards of using social media far outweigh the
                                                         risks, by a margin of more than 2-to-1.


                                            GLOBAL EXECUTIVES




           54%                         23%                     20%                          3%
    Rewards outweigh risks      Risks outweigh rewards      Risks and rewards            Don’t know
                                                              are fairly even




4                                                                                         WEBER SHANDWICK
Since use of social media tools is nearly universal,
the focus of our report is not to convince readers
that they should adopt social tools. Rather, we
concentrate on how to focus their social media
communication goals and efforts to maximize
their brand’s sociability.
An impediment that companies in our study face
is a lack of clear business goals for social media.           Top Objectives of                        Global
                                                              Social Media Brand Strategy              Companies (%)
First, no single item stands out as a strong objective
                                                              Strengthen customer loyalty                   32
of social media strategies among respondents.
                                                              Improve brand recognition                     32
Second, response levels to goals for social media
                                                              Locate new customers or prospects             31
brand strategy show little differentiation — the most
                                                              Improve customer service                      31
frequently mentioned objectives are strengthening
                                                              Improve brand reputation                      28
customer loyalty and improving brand reputation,
each cited by barely one-third of all global executives       Broadcast information quickly                 28

(32% each).
                                                              Bottom Objectives of                     Global
What do these results mean? Perhaps executives are            Social Media Brand Strategy              Companies (%)
not quite sure how social media exactly benefits their        Make us part of the brand conversation        18
business, or perhaps social media is expected to              Impact company reputation better than
                                                                                                            17
                                                              other marketing
deliver a host of many different benefits. In either case,
this suggests that senior executives are scrambling to        Stay competitive: Our competitors
                                                                                                            16
                                                              use social media
figure out where their businesses will ultimately benefit
                                                              It’s the cost of entry for marketing
the most from all this social activity. Their crystal balls                                                 16
                                                              goods and services
are fairly cloudy at this point and there is no clearly       Allows us to charge a premium                 14
identified brass ring of social media.
Interestingly, inclusion into the brand conversation — an     Socializing Your Brand identifies the
aspect of social media endlessly touted as the ultimate
goal of social media – is very low on the list (18%).         hallmarks of a world class social brand.
                                                              This report provides both conceptual
                                                              and practical guidance on what it
                                                              takes to execute brand sociability
                                                              that delivers on specific business
                                                              objectives and become world class.




WEBER SHANDWICK                                                                                                        5
9 drivers of
                    world class
                    brand sociability:
Weber Shandwick has developed a guide to brand
sociability rooted in the practices of the elite few
whose activities, organizational structure, integrative
nature and measurement focus are all at the high end
of social brand creation. These global organizations
have earned the distinction of “world class.”          WO
The 9 drivers of brand sociability are based
on an analysis of the most distinguishing
                                                      CLA RLD
                                                    SOC SS
characteristics of world class social brands
relative to those of the average global
company in our study.


                                                   BRA IAL
                                                      ND
                                                         S



6                                                               WEBER SHANDWICK
it’s not the medium —
   and it’s more than the message   put your brands in motion       integrate or die




                                                                 count what matters —
        make social central         listen more than you talk   meaningful engagement




            think global            go outside to get inside          be vigilant




WEBER SHANDWICK                                                                         7
#
     1
    It’s not the medium
    — and it’s more than
    the message




8                   WEBER SHANDWICK
Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase “the medium is the message”
                   and foresaw the World Wide Web nearly 30 years before it was invented.
                   As brands today strive for sociability, there is no question that there is a
                   keen relationship between the medium and the message. Companies,
                   however, may be concentrating too hard on the medium and not enough
                   on the substance of the brand story, identity and message. In the case of
                   Weber Shandwick/Forbes Insights’ research, you could say that it’s not the
                   medium — and it’s more than the message — that is required to be among
                   the best social brands in the world.
                   The vast majority of large global companies use social media, making
                   the medium almost ubiquitous. What makes world class social brand
                   organizations stand out is how they differentiate their brands through the
                   medium. World class brands don’t depend on the medium to make them
                   social. They strive to provide unique and engaging content that pull their
                   fans in which allows the brands and fans to enjoy the interactive benefits
                   of social media.
                   World class brands are much more likely than the average
                   brand to create original content designed specifically
                   for their community of interest and influencers.
                   Although fewer than half of world                            “We create original
                   class companies are currently originating                     content specifically
                   content, they are much more likely than other                 for social media”
                   global companies to report they are creating original         (% strongly agree)
                   content for social media.
                   Messages are only part of what constitutes a brand’s
                   social identity. Weaving messages into a brand’s
                   story without the behavior to back it up will discredit
                   the story. As most marketers and communications                                45%
                   professionals know, style is important but substance
                   is critical.
                                    Creating original material is
 “Nothing turns off visitors        important to brand identity                   28%
 more than old content.”            because it differentiates the
 — Canadian C-Level Executive       brand from its competitors,
                                    shows its responsiveness to
                                    meeting the varied interests
                    of different communities through customized
                    content and provides a measure of value-
                    added exclusivity, i.e., “available                          Global           World Class
                    only on _____.”                                             Companies         Companies


WEBER SHANDWICK                                                                                                 9
2
     #

     Put your brands
     in motion
          World class social brands are deeply entrenched in social media —
          eight-in-10 use social networks, three-quarters use blogs, Twitter and
          YouTube, and at least six-in-10 use mobile apps and crowdsourcing.
          Usage of all the social brand tools included in our survey are indexed
          much higher than the average global company.
          World class companies don’t just experiment with social media tools.
          They also apply their social media tools in more ways for their brands
          than the average global company. For example, they are much more
          likely than the average global company to host branded podcasts,
          brand-specific YouTube channels, video blogs, viral videos, proximity-
          marketing, brand-related mobile content and geo-location tools.
          The social activities of world class brands are not static but in motion.
          They do not exist to occupy space on social networks but are activated
          for dynamic interaction with their communities of interest.




10                                                             WEBER SHANDWICK
Weber Shandwick/Forbes Insights’ research found
                                                                        that world class social brands are pioneers — they
                                                                        lead their industry in the use of emerging social media
                                                                        tactics. Interestingly, these pioneers are so rapidly
                                                                        refining their “toolbox” that nearly half of them (48%)
                                                                        have already closed a corporate blog. Of course,
                                                                        they were probably more likely to have a corporate
                                                                        blog than other companies to begin with. World class
                                Global    World Class                   brands realize that it is essential to test tactics and
                                Companies Companies
                                (%)       (%)         Index             iterate or eliminate as necessary. “Failing better” is
 Brand sociability tools currently using…
                                                                        a key to success for any endeavor.
 Social network                     70             81           1.16    These companies may also realize that they cannot
 Online community                   67             76           1.13    afford to rest on their laurels in the social space.
 Blog                               61             74           1.21    As new platforms and streams of attention-getting
 Twitter/other micro-feed           58             74           1.28    content are created at a rate faster than most of us
 YouTube/other                      58             75           1.29    can comprehend, it is not enough to try to freeze
 video channel                                                          today’s success for tomorrow. Bringing value — in
 Mobile app                         54             68           1.26    the form of solutions, personality, context and other
 Location-based                     50             69           1.38    social commodities — is the only way to stay on top.
 mobile app                                                             Evolution has to be tackled daily.
 Crowdsourcing                      42             61           1.45
                                                                        The current focus of world class brands, by a 2-to-1
 Social activities that MOST distinguish world class
 Companies from Average Global Companies*…                              margin over the average global brand, is on mobile. In
 We offer brand-related             25             36           1.44    particular, they are currently more likely to do proximity
 mobile content                                                         marketing (38% vs. 27%, respectively), offer brand-
 (e.g., games, ringtones)
                                                                        related mobile content (36% vs. 25%) and participate in
 We participate on                  23             33           1.43
 Foursquare and/or
                                                                        Foursquare or other check-in apps (33% vs. 23%).
 other “check-in” apps
 We do proximity                    27             38           1.41                                   Global    World Class
 marketing                                                                                             Companies Companies
 (e.g., geo-tracking, offers                                            % Strongly agree that…         (%)       (%)         Index
 based on location, offers
 based on context)                                                      We are generally among           27          56       2.07
                                                                        the first in our industry to
 We have our own                    35             49           1.40    adopt emerging social
 branded channel(s)                                                     media tactics
 on YouTube
                                                                        We are focusing most of          25          50       2.00
*World Class organizations over-indexed on every activity measured in   our social media efforts
 our survey, those listed here are the highest indexing.                on mobile-based tools
                                                                        Increased use of                 32          50       1.56
                                                                        smartphones and tablets
                                                                        will change how we
                                                                        approach social media
                                                                        We have closed a                 21          48       2.29
                                                                        corporate blog



WEBER SHANDWICK                                                                                                                      11
#
           3
                          Integrate or die
     Building a truly global social brand
     with a clear identity that optimizes
     the customer experience requires
     rock solid integration.
     Senior executives of world class
     social brands are more likely than
     the average global executive to
     report that their social strategy is
     fully integrated into their overall
     marketing/communications strategy.
     For world class companies, brand
     sociability is an enterprise affair.
     The brand’s social identity is a
     team endeavor — all levels of the
     organization are involved.




12                                          WEBER SHANDWICK
Because of this higher level of internal social devotion, world class
             organizations are more rigorous in their social media operations than
             the average global brand. Results indicate that world class companies
             are more likely to review and change their social media strategy at least
             quarterly, enact employee policies and guidelines for social media and use
             an editorial content calendar to coordinate efforts across different social
             media platforms.

                                                                                      Global    World Class
                                                                                      Companies Companies
                                                                                      (%)       (%)         Index
                                  Social strategy is part of the overall marketing/     63          83       1.32
                                  communications strategy
                                  % Strongly agree that…
                                  All employees are encouraged to be involved in        31          53       1.71
                                  building brand’s social media presence
                                  Our company CEO supports social media                 30          49       1.63
                                  brand efforts
                                  We review and change our social media                 29          51       1.76
                                  strategy at least quarterly
                                  Our company has social media policies and             29          50       1.72
                                  guidelines in place that describe what employees
                                  can and cannot do or say online about our brand
                                  We have a content calendar that we use to             28          48       1.71
                                  coordinate our efforts across different social
                                  media platforms

                                 World class organizations are also much better integrators of brand
                                 personality – they are nearly twice as likely as other organizations to have
                                 a consistent brand personality across all social media and traditional
                                 media channels and much more likely to include a social media element
                                 to traditional print or broadcast messaging. This is not to say that world
                                 class companies have mastered the fine art of content integration. World
                                 class organizations recognize that they are not yet good at integrating it
                                 completely across social media, online media, and traditional broadcast/
                                 print media.

                                                                                      Global    World Class
                                                                                      Companies Companies
                                  % Strongly agree that…                              (%)       (%)         Index
                                  We have a consistent brand “personality” across        29         54       1.86
                                  all social media and traditional media channels
                                  We always include a social media element to            29         52       1.79
                                  our traditional print or broadcast messaging
                                  (e.g., encourage Facebook followers, follow on
                                  Twitter, etc.)
                                  We are not yet good at integrating our brand           23         44       1.91
                                  messaging completely across social media, online
                                  media, and traditional broadcast/print media




WEBER SHANDWICK                                                                                                     13
#
       4
     Make social central




14                   WEBER SHANDWICK
“The most important thing               How do world class brands accomplish all this? World
  we can do is to centrally plan         class companies are fundamentally structured for social
  social media activities across         media – they are more likely to employ a dedicated
  all channels to amplify key            social media strategist/manager and centralize their
  messages.” — US Executive              social media strategy.


                                                                   Global    World Class
                                                                   Companies Companies
                                                                   (%)       (%)         Index
                   Brand has a dedicated social media                 71           86         1.21
                   strategist/manager
                   Social media is coordinated from                   41           61         1.49
                   one department


                   In fact, the absence of a centralized function is deemed a governance risk
                   by the Institute of Internal Auditors:

                     “Separate departments often take completely different approaches. A
                     single department will have a champion for social media – someone who
                     has seen what it can do and convinces the department head to move
                     forward. Six months later, another department, unaware of what the first
                     has done, has its own champion and starts its own presence. There is
                     no communication, no standardized approach, and no awareness at the
                     top that the customers may be getting mixed messages. Aligning brand,
                     message, and image is never so important as when an organization is
                     about to send daily messages to millions of people.”

                   While core strategy should be primarily owned by the brand or “social”
                   officer, it is crucial that talent throughout the organization have the skills to
                   execute as part of a fundamentally social approach to the brand’s business.
                   It is a fact of business life today that employees, intentionally or not, will
                   participate in online conversation about their brands and companies.
                   Therefore, a centralized function needs to support and inform their activities
                   and ensure that clear and accessible social media policies and procedures
                   are in place.

                   For this reason, companies often adopt a “hub and spoke” model in which
                   strategic decisions are centrally made but the business units (“the spokes”)
                   are able to manage their individual social needs. The spokes are aligned
                   around the brand’s social media policy and leverage the resources of the
                   central “hub.”
                   Such a model allows brands the utmost
                   flexibility for social engagement while              “The most important thing our company
                   adhering to the strategies, objectives and            can do in the next 12-24 months to
                   policies of the brand.                                increase the sociability of our brand
                                                                         is to have a consistent tone of voice
                                                                         from a dedicated team.”
                                                                         — UK Head of Business Unit


WEBER SHANDWICK                                                                                                  15
#
     5   Listen
         more
         than
         you
         talk




16                WEBER SHANDWICK
The social activities of world class brands aren’t
             limited to just pushing out information and thinking
             the job of brand sociability is done. Executives
             at world class social brands listen intently to their
             social media consumers and act on what they hear
             and learn. For example, they are much more apt
             than the average global organization to monitor/
             research fan pages to determine what customers
             want, make product or services changes based on
             fan recommendations and refine messaging based
             on user demographics or attitudes. They clearly have
             their ear on their influencers.

                                                                                    Global    World Class
                                                                                    Companies Companies
                                  % Strongly agree that…                            (%)       (%)         Index
                                  We constantly monitor or research our fan pages     30          53       1.77
                                  to determine what our customers want from us
                                  We have changed a product or service based          26          51       1.96
                                  on specific recommendations from social
                                  network “fans”
                                  We change our social brand messaging based          27          49       1.81
                                  on user demographics or attitudes
                                  We post to our social media “fan” pages at          27          51       1.89
                                  least daily

             True social brands take full advantage of technology’s
             unique benefits for two-way engagement to co-create
             high-demand products and services. World class
             social brand companies also fine-tune their messages
             to customers on an almost daily basis and integrate
             what is on their fans’ minds into their brand stories.
             They can see past the shiny social media objects to
             the connections and affinity they enable between
             customers. If a brand does not impose itself into the
             equation, customers will organically let it in — and
             the company can make use of that closeness to build
             customer-centric brands that stand the test of time.




WEBER SHANDWICK                                                                                                   17
6
     #

Count what
matters —
 meaningful
 engagement
         Nearly all companies report that they are using at least
         one form of measurement to prove the effectiveness
         of their brand sociability. There aren’t many differences
         between the metrics that world class brands use
         compared to other global brands, but world class brands
         are more likely to take a big picture view by measuring
         the most social of metrics, contributors and the business
         impact of social, such as reduced call volume, revenue
         contribution and conversion.



18                                                                   WEBER SHANDWICK
Perhaps their greater focus on
             more rigorous business results has
             to do with the pressure to prove
             return on investment from their
             social media efforts, or perhaps
             their progression along the social      Not only are world class social brands much more likely
             evolutionary scale mandates a           than average to gauge efforts on social contribution,
             close look at their investments.        but it is their #1 measure of social effectiveness (tied
             Regardless of the circumstance,         with number of posts). It ranks as #6 for the average
             executives of world class brands        global company. This indicator that user participation
             are much more likely than the           in the business of the brand is highly valued reinforces
             average global executive to admit       why world class social brands are admired and
             challenges with measuring ROI on        outpacing their peers. This openness
             social efforts and, consequently,       to contributors yields richer, deeper and more
             realize that more is required of        innovative content.
             them to ensure that they get the        Metrics used to             Global    World Class
             funding they need to experiment         measure social media        Companies Companies
                                                     effectiveness…              (%)       (%)         Index
             with being social.
                                                     Use any effectiveness            97         98
             The average global company is           metrics
             stuck on metrics that don’t effect        Number of posts                33     38 (#1)    1.15
             true social meaning – page views          Number of contributors     28 (#6)    38 (#1)    1.36
             are their #1 effectiveness measure.       Revenue contribution           27         36     1.33
             Brand social companies measure            Number of positive             34         35     1.03
                                                       customer mentions
             the number of people participating
                                                       Number of fans/                33         38     1.15
             and contributing to their social          friends/members
             communities, whether this includes        Number of brand “likes”        31         35     1.13
             consumers who tweet or retweet            Site traffic                   38         34     0.89
             about brand activities, those who         Average sales value            30         32     1.07
             share, like or link to brand sites or     Conversion                     23         31     1.35
             post about the brand on their own
                                                       Page views                 36 (#1)        31     0.86
             social networks. Contributors assist
                                                       Reduced call volume            20         29     1.45
             in creating content for the brands.
                                                     Average # metrics using         3.3        3.7     1.12
             World class social brands recognize
             that these social media contributors    It is worth noting that not all contributions are equal.
             are worth watching and engaging         For example, a highly respected fan writing a positive
             — they add value, deepen brand          blog post about your company is worth more than a
             identity and multiply messages          retweet from a random Twitter account. Brands that are
             rapidly. They are the reward for        ahead of the curve realize that the numbers only tell
             brand social smarts.                    part of the story, and do not fixate on only that which
                                                     they can measure.

WEBER SHANDWICK                                                                                                19
#
         7   Think global




20                     WEBER SHANDWICK
“Our social branding
                       A strong social brand reputation is           goals involve a very firm
                       directly related to greater recognition       commitment to increase
                       of all corporate reputation influencers.      the recognition of the
                       When global executives were asked             company’s globalization.”
                       to rate nine drivers of corporate             — Brazilian Executive
                       reputation, companies with brands at
                       all social levels agreed that “customer
                       service” is the top driver of a solid
                       reputation. However, executives
                       managing world class social brands
                       consider a company’s “global reach”
                       to be just as important as customer
                       service, while the average global
                       executive ranks it last.
                       World class social brand executives
                       recognize the global potential of
                       social media and that to have a good
                       reputation, companies must consider
                       the entire stakeholder portfolio.


                  Importance of Global                                 62%
                  Reach to Corporate
                  Reputation (% rate
                  extremely important)



                                                      33%


                                                        Global          World Class
                                                        Companies       Companies




WEBER SHANDWICK                                                                                  21
#
     8
Go outside
to get inside
         In this new era of multi-channel, multi-discipline
         marketing, it is often necessary to engage outside
         experts to achieve or maintain world class status. Our
         research found that world class companies are more
         likely to engage outside support to measure their
         brand’s social performance. More than the average
         global executive, those at world class companies
         hire third parties to measure the effectiveness of
         their social networking and microblogging. These
         preeminent social companies are intent on engaging
         the right partners to measure their enterprise-wide
         social media initiatives with precision.




22                                                                WEBER SHANDWICK
Additionally, world class social brand executives know
             the value of deep customer experience. By engaging
             third-parties to manage their micro-blogs or Twitter
             more efficiently than they can do internally, world class
             companies, more so than average global companies,
             ensure superior customer engagement. For many brands
             and companies, social media measurement and customer
             relationship management are not their core competencies
             and they recognize the value of going outside for these
             services. Close integration of internal goals and objectives
             with external competencies is key – as is ensuring that
             those within the enterprise are well-versed enough to
             provide checks and balances on what third parties
             are doing.



                                                                        World
                                                              Global    Class
                                                              Companies Companies
                                  % Strongly agree that…      (%)       (%)         Index
                                  We use an outside partner     25          49       1.96
                                  to measure social media
                                  effectiveness
                                  We use a third-party to       23          35       1.52
                                  manage Twitter feeds

                                 That is not to say that companies can’t manage their
                                 social activities internally. Ultimately, the brand is
                                 responsible and the buck stops at the brand
                                 officer’s desk.




WEBER SHANDWICK                                                                             23
#
     9
         Be vigilant
         Executives of world class brand social companies
         are 35% more likely than the average global company
         to report their brand experienced an online crisis in
         the past year that affected its reputation. These social
         champions who have dealt with a recent online crisis
         are no stranger to the risks of the hyper-connected
         world — two-thirds (66%) report that they deal
         with negative online commentary on a daily basis
         (vs. 51% of total global companies).




24                                        WEBER SHANDWICK
“Weber Shandwick also sees this brand
                                                                   vigilance in some of the most culturally
               Are these companies more crisis-prone?              significant, profitable brands thriving today.
               Or, as socially vigilant organizations,             They all share the willingness to make
               are they naturally more inclined to be              what they do fundamentally social, so that
               on the lookout for negativity toward                customers can carry them further than they
               their brand? Their keen social senses               ever could under their own steam. That
               are rooted in their hyper-sensitivity to            means taking calculated risks — and enjoying
               brand identity, careful online monitoring           rewards that only engaged customers can
               of customer satisfaction and content,               bestow: profits, advocacy and the emotional
               employee engagement                                 investment in a brand that makes them want it
               and their use of third parties to alert             to succeed.”
               them to any early warning signs in their            — Micho Spring, Chairperson, Global Corporate
               marketing strategy.                                    Practice, Weber Shandwick



                                        On the other hand, if world class brands are in fact more susceptible to
 In a survey of global corporate        crisis, it is possible that they have been forced to master brand sociability
 social strategists conducted by        to survive. In either case, the lesson companies can learn from their world
 Altimeter Group, fewer than            class peers is vigilance. There are dangers lurking online that can destroy a
 one-half (44%) report their            brand’s reputation instantaneously.
 companies have a formalized
                                                                                             Global    World Class
 social media crisis escalation                                                              Companies Companies
 plan. “Companies are quick                                                                  (%)       (%)         Index

 to deploy the latest social             Experienced online brand reputation crisis during     40          54       1.35
                                         past 12 months
 media technology, yet most
                                         Experience negative online commentary at least        51          66       1.29
 companies are not prepared              daily (among those who experienced crisis in past
 for the threat of social media          12 months)

 crises, or the long-term impacts       Consistent with their propensity for daily management of online crises, world
 to their business. We found            class companies assign more risk than reward to social media than the average
 that social media crises are on        global company. Companies that are at the head of their class in terms of
 the rise, even though most             brand sociability are realistic about the present-day dangers facing them such
 of these crises (76%) could            as data security breaches, ‘brand jacking,’ rumors and lack of control. For
 have been diminished or                these reasons, they are more likely than the average global company surveyed
 averted, had companies                 to perceive the online risks exposed by Wikileaks and privacy violations. To
 invested internally.”                  protect their social brand integrity, they are always on high alert.
 — Jeremiah Owyang, Altimeter Group
                                                                                             Global    World Class
                                                                                             Companies Companies
                                          % Strongly agree that…                             (%)       (%)         Index
                                         Wikileaks has made us increasingly concerned          27          50       1.85
                                         about using social media
                                         Privacy issues are a major concern for us when        31          49       1.58
                                         using social networks such as Facebook


WEBER SHANDWICK                                                                                                            25
Socializing
     your brand
         Despite the rapid integration of social media
         into marketing plans, only a handful of global
         organizations are mastering its potential for
         brand-building. Never before have marketers
         been presented with the vast and meaningful
         audience engagement opportunities that social
         media offers. Yes, they have adopted the tools
         and they know that the rewards are plentiful.
         Yet, tapping into the opportunities takes careful
         consideration, enterprise-wide commitment and
         ample resource allocation. A Brand’s Guide to
         Sociability offers brand managers with a starting
         point for developing their own “world class”
         practices for creating an authentically social brand.




26                                         WEBER SHANDWICK
For more information about this study or additional thought leadership, please contact:

  Andy Polansky                        Paul Jensen                            Ranny Cooper
  President                            Chairperson, North American            President, Public Affairs
  212.445.8102                         Corporate Practice                     202.585.2737; 212.445.8209
  apolansky@webershandwick.com         212.445.8066                           rcooper@webershandwick.com
                                       pjensen@webershandwick.com
  Gail Heimann                                                                Laura Schoen
  Vice Chair                           Chris Perry                            President, Global Healthcare
  212.445.8117                         President, Digital Communications      212.445.8222
  gheimann@webershandwick.com          212.445.8007                           lschoen@webershandwick.com
                                       cperry@webershandwick.com
  Colin Byrne                                                                 Heidi Sinclair
  CEO, UK & Europe                     James Warren                           President, Global Tech Practice
  44 20 7067 0191                      Chief Creative Officer, Digital        206.576.5570
  cbyrne@webershandwick.com            44 20 7067 0503                        hsinclair@webershandwick.com
                                       jwarren@webershandwick.com
  Tim Sutton                                                                  Ian Rumsby
  Chairman, Asia Pacific               Jon Wade                               EVP, Client Strategy, Asia Pacific
  852 2501 7907                        Head of Digital Communications         61 413 026 740
  tsutton@webershandwick.com           practice, Asia Pacific                 irumsby@webershandwick.com
                                       852 2501 7988
  Baxter Jolly                         jwade@webershandwick.com
  Vice Chair, Asia Pacific                                                       You can also visit:
                                                                                 w w w. w e be rsh a n dw i ck.com
  65 6825 8001                         Leslie Gaines-Ross
  bjolly@webershandwick.com            Chief Reputation Strategist
                                       212.445.8302
  Micho Spring                         lgaines-ross@webershandwick.com
  Chairperson, Global Corporate
                                       Lisa Sepulveda
  Practice
                                       President, Global Consumer Marketing
  617.520.7075
                                       212.445.8179
  mspring@webershandwick.com
                                       lsepulveda@webershandwick.com

  Cathy Calhoun
                                       Barb Iverson
  President, North America
                                       President, Financial Services
  312.988.2375
                                       952.346.6176
  ccalhoun@webershandwick.com
                                       biverson@webershandwick.com




WEBER SHANDWICK                                                                                                      27

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Forbes / Webber Shandwick Social Brand Execsummary Oct 2011

  • 1. Socializing Your Brand: A Brand’s Guide to Sociability A GLOBAL STUDY BY WEBER SHANDWICK AND FORBES INSIGHTS WO CLA RLD SOC SS BRA IAL ND S
  • 2. Foreword by Chris Perry President of Digital Communications, Weber Shandwick In considering the biggest influences on their brand’s sociability, most executives look to external forces — winning the approval of the right media, achieving a target number of “Likes” on Facebook and dominating coverage of certain topics. The reality is that internal strategy, planning, cohesiveness and comfort in the digital space must come first — but may never come at all. As new research from Weber Shandwick and Forbes Insights shows, internal focus and consistency of vision are areas where substantial improvement must be made by most brands. Weber Shandwick works with some of the world’s most successful brands to align social activity with business objectives. Sociability for the sake of it carries significant risks, but sociability in pursuit of bottom line goals can reap rewards beyond initial expectations.
  • 3. B eing social online is fast becoming critical to being a world class brand. Despite the proliferation of social media outlets and growing penetration of the Internet worldwide, most organizations still struggle to build a brand with a distinctive social identity. Social brands interact with their executives from high revenue target audiences. They do much companies across 50 countries in more than broadcast news, North America, Europe, Africa, deals or events. They get their the Middle East, Asia Pacific communities of interest engaged and Latin America. Executive and develop meaningful ties respondents were selected for over shared passions or their personal involvement in commonalities. Social brands marketing, communications or demonstrate a genuine interest public relations strategy and in what their audiences say and utilization of digital channels as listen carefully to responses. part of that strategy. They are Technology has hyper-charged on the front lines of “brand the ability for brands to be sociability” with all its risks more social but it is not the and rewards. technology alone that makes a Creating and nurturing a social brand social. Sociability ultimately brand is no longer optional. rests on the collaboration of the To support an effective social entire organization and, more undertaking, brands need a strong specifically, on marketers and social governance foundation public relations professionals who so that their organizations can typically have responsibility meet their business objectives. for communications and As sociability at the core of branding strategies. the organization becomes Global public relations firm fundamental, brand managers Weber Shandwick partnered with are charged with developing a Forbes Insights to identify what strong framework for enabling makes brands social – and how. meaningful social interactions We conducted an online survey that allow the best of the brand in Spring 2011 of 1,897 senior to emerge. WEBER SHANDWICK 1
  • 4. Why does brand sociability matter? It is no longer an open question “quality of online presence as to whether brand sociability or engagement” a primary matters. Global executives contributor to a company’s attribute 52% of their brand’s overall reputation. Whereas reputation to how social it is many of the traditional drivers online today, up from 45% one of reputation such as customer year ago. They project that 65% experience and product/service of their brand’s reputation will quality remain at the top of the come from its online sociability importance list, the addition of in three years, a five-year growth “online presence” as a factor in rate of 44%. driving reputation today is long overdue for consideration. Sociability is important not only to the brand, but also to the reputation of the entire enterprise: One-third (33%) of all global executives with digital and marketing responsibility consider 2 WEBER SHANDWICK
  • 5. % 65% 44 + 52% 45% ye a rs 3 in d ay to Average per cent brand reputation attributed to o online sociability ag ar ye 1 WEBER SHANDWICK 3
  • 6. Average percent brand reputation attributed to online sociability Recognizing how important brand sociability is and will 65 % be, large global companies say that they have jumped into the social media waters with both feet. They almost 52 % universally have social media brand strategies (87%) 45 % and nearly all (93%) are using at least one social media tool. Yet, fewer have integrated their social brand strategies into their marketing and communications strategies (63%), a sign they are struggling to master the challenges of brand sociability. Bringing social activities into marketing and communications strategies ensures a cohesive, holistic approach. Global executives acknowledge that they have far to go before their companies are truly social: Only a 1 year ago today in 3 years small group of global executives (16%) describe their brand’s sociability as “world class.” Is it worth the intense effort to be a world class social organization? Global senior executives think so – they report that the rewards of using social media far outweigh the risks, by a margin of more than 2-to-1. GLOBAL EXECUTIVES 54% 23% 20% 3% Rewards outweigh risks Risks outweigh rewards Risks and rewards Don’t know are fairly even 4 WEBER SHANDWICK
  • 7. Since use of social media tools is nearly universal, the focus of our report is not to convince readers that they should adopt social tools. Rather, we concentrate on how to focus their social media communication goals and efforts to maximize their brand’s sociability. An impediment that companies in our study face is a lack of clear business goals for social media. Top Objectives of Global Social Media Brand Strategy Companies (%) First, no single item stands out as a strong objective Strengthen customer loyalty 32 of social media strategies among respondents. Improve brand recognition 32 Second, response levels to goals for social media Locate new customers or prospects 31 brand strategy show little differentiation — the most Improve customer service 31 frequently mentioned objectives are strengthening Improve brand reputation 28 customer loyalty and improving brand reputation, each cited by barely one-third of all global executives Broadcast information quickly 28 (32% each). Bottom Objectives of Global What do these results mean? Perhaps executives are Social Media Brand Strategy Companies (%) not quite sure how social media exactly benefits their Make us part of the brand conversation 18 business, or perhaps social media is expected to Impact company reputation better than 17 other marketing deliver a host of many different benefits. In either case, this suggests that senior executives are scrambling to Stay competitive: Our competitors 16 use social media figure out where their businesses will ultimately benefit It’s the cost of entry for marketing the most from all this social activity. Their crystal balls 16 goods and services are fairly cloudy at this point and there is no clearly Allows us to charge a premium 14 identified brass ring of social media. Interestingly, inclusion into the brand conversation — an Socializing Your Brand identifies the aspect of social media endlessly touted as the ultimate goal of social media – is very low on the list (18%). hallmarks of a world class social brand. This report provides both conceptual and practical guidance on what it takes to execute brand sociability that delivers on specific business objectives and become world class. WEBER SHANDWICK 5
  • 8. 9 drivers of world class brand sociability: Weber Shandwick has developed a guide to brand sociability rooted in the practices of the elite few whose activities, organizational structure, integrative nature and measurement focus are all at the high end of social brand creation. These global organizations have earned the distinction of “world class.” WO The 9 drivers of brand sociability are based on an analysis of the most distinguishing CLA RLD SOC SS characteristics of world class social brands relative to those of the average global company in our study. BRA IAL ND S 6 WEBER SHANDWICK
  • 9. it’s not the medium — and it’s more than the message put your brands in motion integrate or die count what matters — make social central listen more than you talk meaningful engagement think global go outside to get inside be vigilant WEBER SHANDWICK 7
  • 10. # 1 It’s not the medium — and it’s more than the message 8 WEBER SHANDWICK
  • 11. Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase “the medium is the message” and foresaw the World Wide Web nearly 30 years before it was invented. As brands today strive for sociability, there is no question that there is a keen relationship between the medium and the message. Companies, however, may be concentrating too hard on the medium and not enough on the substance of the brand story, identity and message. In the case of Weber Shandwick/Forbes Insights’ research, you could say that it’s not the medium — and it’s more than the message — that is required to be among the best social brands in the world. The vast majority of large global companies use social media, making the medium almost ubiquitous. What makes world class social brand organizations stand out is how they differentiate their brands through the medium. World class brands don’t depend on the medium to make them social. They strive to provide unique and engaging content that pull their fans in which allows the brands and fans to enjoy the interactive benefits of social media. World class brands are much more likely than the average brand to create original content designed specifically for their community of interest and influencers. Although fewer than half of world “We create original class companies are currently originating content specifically content, they are much more likely than other for social media” global companies to report they are creating original (% strongly agree) content for social media. Messages are only part of what constitutes a brand’s social identity. Weaving messages into a brand’s story without the behavior to back it up will discredit the story. As most marketers and communications 45% professionals know, style is important but substance is critical. Creating original material is “Nothing turns off visitors important to brand identity 28% more than old content.” because it differentiates the — Canadian C-Level Executive brand from its competitors, shows its responsiveness to meeting the varied interests of different communities through customized content and provides a measure of value- added exclusivity, i.e., “available Global World Class only on _____.” Companies Companies WEBER SHANDWICK 9
  • 12. 2 # Put your brands in motion World class social brands are deeply entrenched in social media — eight-in-10 use social networks, three-quarters use blogs, Twitter and YouTube, and at least six-in-10 use mobile apps and crowdsourcing. Usage of all the social brand tools included in our survey are indexed much higher than the average global company. World class companies don’t just experiment with social media tools. They also apply their social media tools in more ways for their brands than the average global company. For example, they are much more likely than the average global company to host branded podcasts, brand-specific YouTube channels, video blogs, viral videos, proximity- marketing, brand-related mobile content and geo-location tools. The social activities of world class brands are not static but in motion. They do not exist to occupy space on social networks but are activated for dynamic interaction with their communities of interest. 10 WEBER SHANDWICK
  • 13. Weber Shandwick/Forbes Insights’ research found that world class social brands are pioneers — they lead their industry in the use of emerging social media tactics. Interestingly, these pioneers are so rapidly refining their “toolbox” that nearly half of them (48%) have already closed a corporate blog. Of course, they were probably more likely to have a corporate blog than other companies to begin with. World class Global World Class brands realize that it is essential to test tactics and Companies Companies (%) (%) Index iterate or eliminate as necessary. “Failing better” is Brand sociability tools currently using… a key to success for any endeavor. Social network 70 81 1.16 These companies may also realize that they cannot Online community 67 76 1.13 afford to rest on their laurels in the social space. Blog 61 74 1.21 As new platforms and streams of attention-getting Twitter/other micro-feed 58 74 1.28 content are created at a rate faster than most of us YouTube/other 58 75 1.29 can comprehend, it is not enough to try to freeze video channel today’s success for tomorrow. Bringing value — in Mobile app 54 68 1.26 the form of solutions, personality, context and other Location-based 50 69 1.38 social commodities — is the only way to stay on top. mobile app Evolution has to be tackled daily. Crowdsourcing 42 61 1.45 The current focus of world class brands, by a 2-to-1 Social activities that MOST distinguish world class Companies from Average Global Companies*… margin over the average global brand, is on mobile. In We offer brand-related 25 36 1.44 particular, they are currently more likely to do proximity mobile content marketing (38% vs. 27%, respectively), offer brand- (e.g., games, ringtones) related mobile content (36% vs. 25%) and participate in We participate on 23 33 1.43 Foursquare and/or Foursquare or other check-in apps (33% vs. 23%). other “check-in” apps We do proximity 27 38 1.41 Global World Class marketing Companies Companies (e.g., geo-tracking, offers % Strongly agree that… (%) (%) Index based on location, offers based on context) We are generally among 27 56 2.07 the first in our industry to We have our own 35 49 1.40 adopt emerging social branded channel(s) media tactics on YouTube We are focusing most of 25 50 2.00 *World Class organizations over-indexed on every activity measured in our social media efforts our survey, those listed here are the highest indexing. on mobile-based tools Increased use of 32 50 1.56 smartphones and tablets will change how we approach social media We have closed a 21 48 2.29 corporate blog WEBER SHANDWICK 11
  • 14. # 3 Integrate or die Building a truly global social brand with a clear identity that optimizes the customer experience requires rock solid integration. Senior executives of world class social brands are more likely than the average global executive to report that their social strategy is fully integrated into their overall marketing/communications strategy. For world class companies, brand sociability is an enterprise affair. The brand’s social identity is a team endeavor — all levels of the organization are involved. 12 WEBER SHANDWICK
  • 15. Because of this higher level of internal social devotion, world class organizations are more rigorous in their social media operations than the average global brand. Results indicate that world class companies are more likely to review and change their social media strategy at least quarterly, enact employee policies and guidelines for social media and use an editorial content calendar to coordinate efforts across different social media platforms. Global World Class Companies Companies (%) (%) Index Social strategy is part of the overall marketing/ 63 83 1.32 communications strategy % Strongly agree that… All employees are encouraged to be involved in 31 53 1.71 building brand’s social media presence Our company CEO supports social media 30 49 1.63 brand efforts We review and change our social media 29 51 1.76 strategy at least quarterly Our company has social media policies and 29 50 1.72 guidelines in place that describe what employees can and cannot do or say online about our brand We have a content calendar that we use to 28 48 1.71 coordinate our efforts across different social media platforms World class organizations are also much better integrators of brand personality – they are nearly twice as likely as other organizations to have a consistent brand personality across all social media and traditional media channels and much more likely to include a social media element to traditional print or broadcast messaging. This is not to say that world class companies have mastered the fine art of content integration. World class organizations recognize that they are not yet good at integrating it completely across social media, online media, and traditional broadcast/ print media. Global World Class Companies Companies % Strongly agree that… (%) (%) Index We have a consistent brand “personality” across 29 54 1.86 all social media and traditional media channels We always include a social media element to 29 52 1.79 our traditional print or broadcast messaging (e.g., encourage Facebook followers, follow on Twitter, etc.) We are not yet good at integrating our brand 23 44 1.91 messaging completely across social media, online media, and traditional broadcast/print media WEBER SHANDWICK 13
  • 16. # 4 Make social central 14 WEBER SHANDWICK
  • 17. “The most important thing How do world class brands accomplish all this? World we can do is to centrally plan class companies are fundamentally structured for social social media activities across media – they are more likely to employ a dedicated all channels to amplify key social media strategist/manager and centralize their messages.” — US Executive social media strategy. Global World Class Companies Companies (%) (%) Index Brand has a dedicated social media 71 86 1.21 strategist/manager Social media is coordinated from 41 61 1.49 one department In fact, the absence of a centralized function is deemed a governance risk by the Institute of Internal Auditors: “Separate departments often take completely different approaches. A single department will have a champion for social media – someone who has seen what it can do and convinces the department head to move forward. Six months later, another department, unaware of what the first has done, has its own champion and starts its own presence. There is no communication, no standardized approach, and no awareness at the top that the customers may be getting mixed messages. Aligning brand, message, and image is never so important as when an organization is about to send daily messages to millions of people.” While core strategy should be primarily owned by the brand or “social” officer, it is crucial that talent throughout the organization have the skills to execute as part of a fundamentally social approach to the brand’s business. It is a fact of business life today that employees, intentionally or not, will participate in online conversation about their brands and companies. Therefore, a centralized function needs to support and inform their activities and ensure that clear and accessible social media policies and procedures are in place. For this reason, companies often adopt a “hub and spoke” model in which strategic decisions are centrally made but the business units (“the spokes”) are able to manage their individual social needs. The spokes are aligned around the brand’s social media policy and leverage the resources of the central “hub.” Such a model allows brands the utmost flexibility for social engagement while “The most important thing our company adhering to the strategies, objectives and can do in the next 12-24 months to policies of the brand. increase the sociability of our brand is to have a consistent tone of voice from a dedicated team.” — UK Head of Business Unit WEBER SHANDWICK 15
  • 18. # 5 Listen more than you talk 16 WEBER SHANDWICK
  • 19. The social activities of world class brands aren’t limited to just pushing out information and thinking the job of brand sociability is done. Executives at world class social brands listen intently to their social media consumers and act on what they hear and learn. For example, they are much more apt than the average global organization to monitor/ research fan pages to determine what customers want, make product or services changes based on fan recommendations and refine messaging based on user demographics or attitudes. They clearly have their ear on their influencers. Global World Class Companies Companies % Strongly agree that… (%) (%) Index We constantly monitor or research our fan pages 30 53 1.77 to determine what our customers want from us We have changed a product or service based 26 51 1.96 on specific recommendations from social network “fans” We change our social brand messaging based 27 49 1.81 on user demographics or attitudes We post to our social media “fan” pages at 27 51 1.89 least daily True social brands take full advantage of technology’s unique benefits for two-way engagement to co-create high-demand products and services. World class social brand companies also fine-tune their messages to customers on an almost daily basis and integrate what is on their fans’ minds into their brand stories. They can see past the shiny social media objects to the connections and affinity they enable between customers. If a brand does not impose itself into the equation, customers will organically let it in — and the company can make use of that closeness to build customer-centric brands that stand the test of time. WEBER SHANDWICK 17
  • 20. 6 # Count what matters — meaningful engagement Nearly all companies report that they are using at least one form of measurement to prove the effectiveness of their brand sociability. There aren’t many differences between the metrics that world class brands use compared to other global brands, but world class brands are more likely to take a big picture view by measuring the most social of metrics, contributors and the business impact of social, such as reduced call volume, revenue contribution and conversion. 18 WEBER SHANDWICK
  • 21. Perhaps their greater focus on more rigorous business results has to do with the pressure to prove return on investment from their social media efforts, or perhaps their progression along the social Not only are world class social brands much more likely evolutionary scale mandates a than average to gauge efforts on social contribution, close look at their investments. but it is their #1 measure of social effectiveness (tied Regardless of the circumstance, with number of posts). It ranks as #6 for the average executives of world class brands global company. This indicator that user participation are much more likely than the in the business of the brand is highly valued reinforces average global executive to admit why world class social brands are admired and challenges with measuring ROI on outpacing their peers. This openness social efforts and, consequently, to contributors yields richer, deeper and more realize that more is required of innovative content. them to ensure that they get the Metrics used to Global World Class funding they need to experiment measure social media Companies Companies effectiveness… (%) (%) Index with being social. Use any effectiveness 97 98 The average global company is metrics stuck on metrics that don’t effect Number of posts 33 38 (#1) 1.15 true social meaning – page views Number of contributors 28 (#6) 38 (#1) 1.36 are their #1 effectiveness measure. Revenue contribution 27 36 1.33 Brand social companies measure Number of positive 34 35 1.03 customer mentions the number of people participating Number of fans/ 33 38 1.15 and contributing to their social friends/members communities, whether this includes Number of brand “likes” 31 35 1.13 consumers who tweet or retweet Site traffic 38 34 0.89 about brand activities, those who Average sales value 30 32 1.07 share, like or link to brand sites or Conversion 23 31 1.35 post about the brand on their own Page views 36 (#1) 31 0.86 social networks. Contributors assist Reduced call volume 20 29 1.45 in creating content for the brands. Average # metrics using 3.3 3.7 1.12 World class social brands recognize that these social media contributors It is worth noting that not all contributions are equal. are worth watching and engaging For example, a highly respected fan writing a positive — they add value, deepen brand blog post about your company is worth more than a identity and multiply messages retweet from a random Twitter account. Brands that are rapidly. They are the reward for ahead of the curve realize that the numbers only tell brand social smarts. part of the story, and do not fixate on only that which they can measure. WEBER SHANDWICK 19
  • 22. # 7 Think global 20 WEBER SHANDWICK
  • 23. “Our social branding A strong social brand reputation is goals involve a very firm directly related to greater recognition commitment to increase of all corporate reputation influencers. the recognition of the When global executives were asked company’s globalization.” to rate nine drivers of corporate — Brazilian Executive reputation, companies with brands at all social levels agreed that “customer service” is the top driver of a solid reputation. However, executives managing world class social brands consider a company’s “global reach” to be just as important as customer service, while the average global executive ranks it last. World class social brand executives recognize the global potential of social media and that to have a good reputation, companies must consider the entire stakeholder portfolio. Importance of Global 62% Reach to Corporate Reputation (% rate extremely important) 33% Global World Class Companies Companies WEBER SHANDWICK 21
  • 24. # 8 Go outside to get inside In this new era of multi-channel, multi-discipline marketing, it is often necessary to engage outside experts to achieve or maintain world class status. Our research found that world class companies are more likely to engage outside support to measure their brand’s social performance. More than the average global executive, those at world class companies hire third parties to measure the effectiveness of their social networking and microblogging. These preeminent social companies are intent on engaging the right partners to measure their enterprise-wide social media initiatives with precision. 22 WEBER SHANDWICK
  • 25. Additionally, world class social brand executives know the value of deep customer experience. By engaging third-parties to manage their micro-blogs or Twitter more efficiently than they can do internally, world class companies, more so than average global companies, ensure superior customer engagement. For many brands and companies, social media measurement and customer relationship management are not their core competencies and they recognize the value of going outside for these services. Close integration of internal goals and objectives with external competencies is key – as is ensuring that those within the enterprise are well-versed enough to provide checks and balances on what third parties are doing. World Global Class Companies Companies % Strongly agree that… (%) (%) Index We use an outside partner 25 49 1.96 to measure social media effectiveness We use a third-party to 23 35 1.52 manage Twitter feeds That is not to say that companies can’t manage their social activities internally. Ultimately, the brand is responsible and the buck stops at the brand officer’s desk. WEBER SHANDWICK 23
  • 26. # 9 Be vigilant Executives of world class brand social companies are 35% more likely than the average global company to report their brand experienced an online crisis in the past year that affected its reputation. These social champions who have dealt with a recent online crisis are no stranger to the risks of the hyper-connected world — two-thirds (66%) report that they deal with negative online commentary on a daily basis (vs. 51% of total global companies). 24 WEBER SHANDWICK
  • 27. “Weber Shandwick also sees this brand vigilance in some of the most culturally Are these companies more crisis-prone? significant, profitable brands thriving today. Or, as socially vigilant organizations, They all share the willingness to make are they naturally more inclined to be what they do fundamentally social, so that on the lookout for negativity toward customers can carry them further than they their brand? Their keen social senses ever could under their own steam. That are rooted in their hyper-sensitivity to means taking calculated risks — and enjoying brand identity, careful online monitoring rewards that only engaged customers can of customer satisfaction and content, bestow: profits, advocacy and the emotional employee engagement investment in a brand that makes them want it and their use of third parties to alert to succeed.” them to any early warning signs in their — Micho Spring, Chairperson, Global Corporate marketing strategy. Practice, Weber Shandwick On the other hand, if world class brands are in fact more susceptible to In a survey of global corporate crisis, it is possible that they have been forced to master brand sociability social strategists conducted by to survive. In either case, the lesson companies can learn from their world Altimeter Group, fewer than class peers is vigilance. There are dangers lurking online that can destroy a one-half (44%) report their brand’s reputation instantaneously. companies have a formalized Global World Class social media crisis escalation Companies Companies plan. “Companies are quick (%) (%) Index to deploy the latest social Experienced online brand reputation crisis during 40 54 1.35 past 12 months media technology, yet most Experience negative online commentary at least 51 66 1.29 companies are not prepared daily (among those who experienced crisis in past for the threat of social media 12 months) crises, or the long-term impacts Consistent with their propensity for daily management of online crises, world to their business. We found class companies assign more risk than reward to social media than the average that social media crises are on global company. Companies that are at the head of their class in terms of the rise, even though most brand sociability are realistic about the present-day dangers facing them such of these crises (76%) could as data security breaches, ‘brand jacking,’ rumors and lack of control. For have been diminished or these reasons, they are more likely than the average global company surveyed averted, had companies to perceive the online risks exposed by Wikileaks and privacy violations. To invested internally.” protect their social brand integrity, they are always on high alert. — Jeremiah Owyang, Altimeter Group Global World Class Companies Companies % Strongly agree that… (%) (%) Index Wikileaks has made us increasingly concerned 27 50 1.85 about using social media Privacy issues are a major concern for us when 31 49 1.58 using social networks such as Facebook WEBER SHANDWICK 25
  • 28. Socializing your brand Despite the rapid integration of social media into marketing plans, only a handful of global organizations are mastering its potential for brand-building. Never before have marketers been presented with the vast and meaningful audience engagement opportunities that social media offers. Yes, they have adopted the tools and they know that the rewards are plentiful. Yet, tapping into the opportunities takes careful consideration, enterprise-wide commitment and ample resource allocation. A Brand’s Guide to Sociability offers brand managers with a starting point for developing their own “world class” practices for creating an authentically social brand. 26 WEBER SHANDWICK
  • 29. For more information about this study or additional thought leadership, please contact: Andy Polansky Paul Jensen Ranny Cooper President Chairperson, North American President, Public Affairs 212.445.8102 Corporate Practice 202.585.2737; 212.445.8209 apolansky@webershandwick.com 212.445.8066 rcooper@webershandwick.com pjensen@webershandwick.com Gail Heimann Laura Schoen Vice Chair Chris Perry President, Global Healthcare 212.445.8117 President, Digital Communications 212.445.8222 gheimann@webershandwick.com 212.445.8007 lschoen@webershandwick.com cperry@webershandwick.com Colin Byrne Heidi Sinclair CEO, UK & Europe James Warren President, Global Tech Practice 44 20 7067 0191 Chief Creative Officer, Digital 206.576.5570 cbyrne@webershandwick.com 44 20 7067 0503 hsinclair@webershandwick.com jwarren@webershandwick.com Tim Sutton Ian Rumsby Chairman, Asia Pacific Jon Wade EVP, Client Strategy, Asia Pacific 852 2501 7907 Head of Digital Communications 61 413 026 740 tsutton@webershandwick.com practice, Asia Pacific irumsby@webershandwick.com 852 2501 7988 Baxter Jolly jwade@webershandwick.com Vice Chair, Asia Pacific You can also visit: w w w. w e be rsh a n dw i ck.com 65 6825 8001 Leslie Gaines-Ross bjolly@webershandwick.com Chief Reputation Strategist 212.445.8302 Micho Spring lgaines-ross@webershandwick.com Chairperson, Global Corporate Lisa Sepulveda Practice President, Global Consumer Marketing 617.520.7075 212.445.8179 mspring@webershandwick.com lsepulveda@webershandwick.com Cathy Calhoun Barb Iverson President, North America President, Financial Services 312.988.2375 952.346.6176 ccalhoun@webershandwick.com biverson@webershandwick.com WEBER SHANDWICK 27