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Influencing Influencers QUORUM PR June 2008

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Influencers <ul><li>Peers </li></ul><ul><li>Industry Analysts </li></ul><ul><li>Business Press </li></ul><ul><li>Trade Press </li></ul><ul><li>Social & New Media </li></ul><ul><li>Industry Consultants </li></ul><ul><li>Market Researchers </li></ul><ul><li>Industry Events </li></ul>

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How to Influence <ul><li>We used to talk about: Messaging to Audiences </li></ul><ul><li>Now we talk about: Interacting with Communities </li></ul>Message 1 Message 2 Message 3 Message 1 Message 2

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Messaging vs Interacting <ul><li>Three Levels of Message </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Open, already disclosed </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Internal, but not confidential </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Internal, strictly confidential </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Three Levels of Interaction </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Junior (low level, searches information)‏ </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Senior (respected, give value to insights)‏ </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Guru (recognized, on a tight agenda but with big/huge impact)‏ </li></ul></ul>

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Methodology PUSH PULL &

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Push & Pull <ul><li>PUSH (contents)‏ </li></ul><ul><li>Interviews and/or opinions </li></ul><ul><li>Editorial calendars </li></ul><ul><li>Scenario articles on technology & market </li></ul><ul><li>Press briefings on technologies </li></ul><ul><li>PULL (products)‏ </li></ul><ul><li>Press releases </li></ul><ul><li>Technology articles </li></ul><ul><li>White papers and/or backgrounders </li></ul><ul><li>Case studies, also international </li></ul>

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Interviews & Opinions <ul><li>Interviews (one-on-one)‏ </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Support major announcements </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Underline company leadership </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Opinions (inside articles)‏ </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Position amongst market leaders </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Strengthen technology positioning </li></ul></ul>

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Editorial Calendars <ul><li>Quorum PR monitors all editorial calendars through direct relations with publishers </li></ul><ul><li>Monitoring is updated on a monthly basis with non-planned forward features </li></ul><ul><li>The agency works with the editorial staff in order to ensure an optimal presence </li></ul>

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Proactive Attitude <ul><li>Press Releases </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Oriented to news stories (online)‏ </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Foster other opportunities of visibility </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Maintain the contact with the company </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Special Features </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Often hide interesting opportunities </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Leave some space to company opinions </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Interviews </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Offer the possibility to explain in depth the vision and the messages of the company </li></ul></ul>

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Universe of Innovation Types Disruptive Innovation Application Innovation Product Innovation Platform Innovation Enhancement Innovation Process Innovation Experiential Innovation Integration Innovation Marketing Innovation Business Model Innovation Line Extension Innovation Value Engineering Innovation Renewal Innovation Organic Renewal Structural Renewal

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Flexibility <ul><li>With business media </li></ul><ul><ul><li>A personalized approach </li></ul></ul><ul><li>With trade media </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Quick and complete answers </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Creativity in articles approach </li></ul></ul><ul><li>In meetings with the press </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Only few, with “strong” contents </li></ul></ul><ul><li>In building messages </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Ongoing attention for the market </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Advanced use of Internet sources </li></ul></ul>

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Case Study Process <ul><li>Collection of information </li></ul><ul><li>Editing of first draft of case study </li></ul><ul><li>Approval of first draft from vendor </li></ul><ul><li>Editing of final copy of case study </li></ul><ul><li>Approval of final copy from client </li></ul><ul><li>Production of a press release </li></ul><ul><li>Exclusive interview with magazine </li></ul><ul><li>Distribution of press release </li></ul><ul><li>Special features </li></ul>

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Magazines: Press Release + Interview

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Dailies and Weeklies: Press Release

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Online Media: Press Relese

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Magazines: Press Release

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Magazines: Press Release

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Innovation <ul><li>New communication tools </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Blogs, RSS Feeds, Wiki, News </li></ul></ul><ul><li>“ Enriched” traditional tools </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Use of Internet sources for market data, authoritative opinions, tech news, etc. </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Ongoing update </li></ul><ul><ul><li>“ Automated” search infrastructure inside the agency </li></ul></ul>

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Research & Development <ul><li>Q-Blog corporate blogs </li></ul><ul><li>Q-Wiki wiki for the media (2008)‏ </li></ul><ul><li>PR Blues Enrico Bianchessi blog </li></ul><ul><li>PRossemico Italo Vignoli blog </li></ul><ul><li>WikItalo Italo Vignoli wiki </li></ul><ul><li>FERPI & Ordine dei Giornalisti trainings on PR and social media </li></ul><ul><li>OpenOffice marketing OSS </li></ul>

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Engaging the Blogosphere <ul><li>The relationship between Corporations and bloggers is still difficult and somehow unclear </li></ul><ul><li>Companies try to engage bloggers in a boorish way, without understanding the nature and the (not-written) rules of the blogosphere </li></ul><ul><li>Bloggers are not journalists, blogs are not media, bloggers hate to be used as an “advertising media” </li></ul>

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Engaging the Blogosphere <ul><li>Bloggers are persons with defined interests, who decide to open and share a conversational space with other people </li></ul><ul><li>Thanks to their specific knowledge, combined with conversational attitude, some of them “arise” in the blogosphere and become authoritative in connection with specific communities and/or topics </li></ul>

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Engaging the Blogosphere <ul><li>To get in touch with bloggers in a credible way, we become active bloggers taking part and/or launching conversations </li></ul><ul><li>Italo Vignoli and Enrico Bianchessi have a personal blog since 2005 </li></ul>

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Engaging the Blogosphere <ul><li>Example 1 : how to engage a blogger on a conversation about a client </li></ul><ul><li>In February '07 the blogger Massimo Moruzzi wrote a post abount a FAST product, expressing doubts on the real potential of the solution </li></ul>

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Engaging the Blogosphere <ul><li>How to approach the situation ? </li></ul><ul><li>Massimo already knew EB and IV as bloggers </li></ul><ul><li>Tactics: no press release or official statement in the comments, but a simple, personal email to Massimo, making clear that FAST is a client of ours, and asking him if he was available for a direct conversation with a FAST manager in order to clarify FAST vision and receive answers to his questions </li></ul>

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Engaging the Blogosphere <ul><li>Massimo accepted, and had a phone conversation with a FAST representative: after that wrote a post on that, modifying his original position </li></ul>

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Engaging the Blogosphere <ul><li>Example 2 : how to engage a Microsoft manager on a conversation about new media and advertising </li></ul><ul><li>Pietro Scott Jovane is Country Manager of Online Division of Microsoft Italia </li></ul><ul><li>He recently declared that “Today if I want to know what I should not buy, I read blogs; when I want to know what to buy, I follow advertising”. This statement was reported on Edelman (MS corporate agency) blog </li></ul><ul><li>EB disagrees with this vision of the role of new social media and wanted to engage a conversation and draw attention of the blogosphere on this </li></ul>

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Engaging the Blogosphere <ul><li>Microsoft managers do not take part in conversations about MS products and policies outside MS blogging world </li></ul><ul><li>EB wrote a post on his blog about the issue </li></ul>

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Engaging the blogosphere <ul><li>After some negative comments coming from other marketing/communication/PR bloggers, Jovane commented directly on EB blog </li></ul>

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Engaging the Blogosphere <ul><li>Other bloggers and a portal commented and linked what happened </li></ul>

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Measurement <ul><li>Quantitative in terms of: </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Coverage </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Number of articles </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Mention in titles </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Mention in scenario articles </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Qualitative in terms of: </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Understanding of messages </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Positive vs negative messages </li></ul></ul>

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Hi-Tech PR Agencies <ul><li>2 nd Millennium </li></ul><ul><li>Many magazines </li></ul><ul><li>A lot of paperwork </li></ul><ul><li>A stable world </li></ul><ul><li>Many things to do </li></ul><ul><li>Extremely tactical </li></ul><ul><li>Flexible budgets </li></ul><ul><li>Overhead </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Big office </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Many juniors </li></ul></ul><ul><li>3 rd Millennium </li></ul><ul><li>Many media </li></ul><ul><li>Almost no paper </li></ul><ul><li>A world in progress </li></ul><ul><li>A lot to think about </li></ul><ul><li>Highly strategical </li></ul><ul><li>Closed budgets </li></ul><ul><li>No overhead </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Small office </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>No juniors </li></ul></ul>

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Traditional PR Agencies Managers Seniors Juniors Directors BTB Before the Bubble

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Traditional PR Agencies Managers Juniors ATB After the Bubble Seniors Directors

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Quorum PR Matrix EB IV GB TV Freelance Freelance Freelance Freelance Freelance Freelance MEDIA MEDIA MEDIA CLIENTS CLIENTS CLIENTS MEDIA

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Partners <ul><li>Italo Vignoli </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Strategy & Coordination </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Giovanna Benvenuti </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Media Relation & Events </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Enrico Bianchessi </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Marketing & Social Media </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Tiziana Vola </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Events & Online Contents </li></ul></ul>

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Strengths <ul><li>25 years of uninterrupted relations with Italian high-technology media </li></ul><ul><li>Solid network of relationships with journalists writing about hi-tech </li></ul><ul><li>Ability of developing relations with emerging media (i.e., blogs, etc.)‏ </li></ul>

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Added Value <ul><li>One partner participates to the online &quot;conversation&quot; </li></ul><ul><li>One partner is a member of the &quot;marketing board&quot; of the largest open source community </li></ul><ul><li>Partnership with NetConsulting (Italian analyst) on open source issues </li></ul><ul><li>Strong professional background (three partners with a master in journalism, one partner with a master in PR, one partner with a strong marketing background)‏ </li></ul>

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Past: Computer

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Past: Peripherals

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Past: Software

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Past: Networking

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Past: Other Hi-Tech

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Clients <ul><li>DG Line online technologies (projects)‏ </li></ul><ul><li>Elettrodata personal computers </li></ul><ul><li>Faticoni VAR (projects)‏ </li></ul><ul><li>Forti Group GPS distributor </li></ul><ul><li>Konvergence retail software </li></ul><ul><li>Magirus enterprise distributor </li></ul><ul><li>Metro Ethernet Forum network (projects)‏ </li></ul><ul><li>MIX Milan Internet eXchange (projects)‏ </li></ul><ul><li>Motorola enterprise mobility </li></ul><ul><li>SuperCluster high availability server </li></ul><ul><li>TechData broadline distributor (projects)‏ </li></ul><ul><li>Yacme open source software </li></ul>

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QUORUM PR Via M. Gioia 82 tel. (02) 36504831/2 fax (02) 700547907 Italo Vignoli – (348) 5653829 [email_address] Enrico Bianchessi – (348) 5316441 [email_address]