Google vs. the Great Firewall

What would you say Google stands for?

Innovation … Collaboration … Freedom …

Yep, sounds about right.

Now, how about the Chinese government?

… Something had to give.

And so we have the latest escalation of tensions between Google and China.

Of all the American companies making a go of it in the People's Republic, Google’s venture has been among the most conflicted. Why was a company with a reputation as a progressive leader going along with censorship by a repressive regime?

And yet that’s what they were doing—until recently. Doing business with China was necessary to further Google’s mission of providing fast, free access to information around the world. You have to engage China to change China. Or so the argument went.

But one man’s “constructive engagement” is another’s “destructive capitulation”—especially for somebody like Google founder Sergey Brin, who grew up behind the Iron Curtain.

So Google has dramatically reversed its play-nice approach, opting as of now for a defiant end-run around censorship by redirecting Chinese users of Google through the company’s unfiltered Hong Kong-based site.

Some argue that this is all just a convenient cover for a necessary business decision—pulling out of China because increasingly nationalistic policies and persistent bureaucratic corruption make it nearly impossible for foreign companies to turn a profit.

And that may be, in fact, the bottom line.

Meanwhile, Google certainly benefits from publicly reaffirming its commitment to freedom, innovation and other principles that have made it the global force it is today.

Time for a Little Social Media Sobriety

Social media is fascinating. It’s an exciting, fast-evolving realm.

What it’s not is a cure-all for all your company’s sales and marketing challenges.

This should be obvious. But with all the hype out there surrounding Foursquare, Google Buzz or whatever the latest, hippest platform is, I guess it’s understandable that expectations become a little inflated.

That’s why it’s good to see some sobriety injected into the social media discussion, like this Wall Street Journal piece interviewing skeptical entrepreneurs.

The article cites a study of 500 owners of small businesses, only 22 percent of whom reported making a profit from their social media initiatives last year.

That stat handily exposes one big drawback of social media spending: that it’s still sometimes difficult to tie what you’re doing directly to definitive ROI.

But expecting social media engagement to suddenly, dramatically boost profits is asking too much. Better to think of social media as a great new opportunity to connect with target audiences.

Curb the irrational exuberance a bit, and you may find that a social media program is a cost-effective way to understand your customers and serve them better than ever.

Toyota’s Classic ‘No Comment’ Conundrum

Blunt piece in AdAge this week hammering Toyota’s handling of its massive case of recallitis.

James Treece’s argument boils down to one we’ve made more than a few times on this blog: “no comment” is a terrible crisis communications strategy.

Akio Toyoda’s congressional testimony last week was a decent attempt at a new era of straight talk and openness from the historically secretive multinational that his grandfather founded.

But it'll take more than one contrite appearance on Capitol Hill to overcome what we now know were decades of denial about major safety issues with the company's products--problems that the company knew of for quite some time, yet chose to remain silent about.

Toyoda left many questions unanswered, and the company still has lots of work to do in terms of transparency and responsiveness if it hopes to regain the reputation for reliability and quality that shot it to the top of the heap.

Social Media Buzz Begets Higher TV Ratings?

On the heels of last week’s post reminding us that social media hasn’t killed email marketing, turns out the social media hordes haven’t devoured TV, either.

The twitterati may even be boosting TV ratings, from the Grammys to the Super Bowl and now the Olympics.

It’s just a theory at this point, but it makes sense from a “rising tide lifts all boats” perspective. Or maybe from a “no such thing as bad publicity” mindset?

The point is that all media are increasingly interconnected, so a win in one channel can easily be leveraged for a win in another. Just keep that snowball rolling along the same strategic path, and watch it grow bigger and bigger.

Email marketing lives!

Well, whaddya know: social media isn’t killing email, according to a new survey.

Actually, it seems, people who are active in social media check their email more often.

That’s not entirely surprising when you think about it. People who are active in one online realm are likely to be active in another. Plus, notifications about social media goings-on come through personal email—another reason to check your inbox regularly.

So, what’s it mean for marketers? Greater bang for the buck, basically.

Because social media and email and blogs are all interconnected, and increasingly so, the opportunities are more bountiful than ever to share your message and expand your reach. A morsel of good news coverage can become an upbeat tweet, an article in your email newsletter, and so on.

It’s yet another reason why a cohesive online strategy is essential. Figure out what you’re trying to accomplish and whom you’re trying to reach, and take advantage of every way possible on the web to do so.

The Ferment over Milwaukee’s Brand Identity

One word: Beer.

That was the extent of my knowledge of Milwaukee when I moved here six years ago. So yeah, I could certainly identify with all the ignorant out-of-towners cited recently as evidence of the need for a Milwaukee brand-identity task force.

Some are skeptical. There are lots of groups already working very hard to promote Milwaukee. What’s another task force gonna do? But if the new panel can get these organizations aligned and speaking with one voice, it could make a difference.

As they try to do that, here’s something to consider: Don’t underestimate the power of beer. I understand that some want to get past the traditional concept of Brew Town. But, um, beer with me here. For me, at least, beer was reason enough to give this town a chance. And when I did, I was pleased to find so many more reasons to stay.

Sure, outside of “flyover country,” people like my former self have little to no awareness of Milwaukee. But sometimes, such low expectations can work to your advantage. Because when people do find their way to this city, they’re always pleasantly surprised.

If only we could get them to visit … So the challenge for the task force isn't only to create a cohesive brand identity, but also to craft one that gives people a consistent call to action—a warm invitation, sprinkled with Midwestern humility and hospitality.

Milwaukee: Join us for a beer?

Quad's Quest: Company at a Crossroads

Big shakeup this week in commercial printing: While the iPad was introducing yet another threat to the industry, Quad/Graphics was making a bold move for its future.

Quad is buying a Canadian firm called World Color Press to create the second largest printer in North America.

The deal is interesting not just because of our work with a number of commercial printers, but more so because of the communications challenges involved.

CEO Joel Quadracci rightly called the takeover “a transformational event.” Poised to go public at a time of great upheaval in the industry, Quad is at quite a crossroads. At stake are relationships with customers, employees and now a whole new audience—shareholders.

It’s a big moment of truth for the company. And, as our work with a number of clients during such critical events has shown, Quad will need to provide clear, consistent, strategic communications.

What Quad leaders say and do over the next few months will affect:

n Customer loyalty

n Employee retention

n Brand equity

n Strategic success

In other words, it will have a huge impact on the future success of the company and the industry.