Olsonology

Social Media Swimming Lessons (& SMB at Mall of America)

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:05:00 -0600

At least 90% of the time someone asks me to figure out why their new wireless mouse isn’t working, or why half their presentation is being cut off by the printer, I’m just winging it. And I make a lot of mistakes.

Talking to people at this morning’s Social Media Breakfast at the Mall of America, I noticed that I wasn’t alone in my failure. A lot of really smart social media folks were failures,too! Some even admitted to a laundry list of failures and even further, owned them like badges of honor.

Jennifer Rock, Director of Employee Communications at Best Buy, spoke about the challenges of developing a social space online for employees to congregate. While Best Buy’s intranet message board “The Watercooler” has evolved into a fantastic social space for employees, she fully admits that development was not without issue. Having weathered everything from foul language to armchair mutinies, she's gone on to genuinely foster a community of online voices.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/qOxuZR-JJDg&hl]

^{Jennifer Rock, director of employee communications at Best Buy,
describes some of the internal steps and missteps of using social media to
connect with employees. Rock was a speaker at Social Media Breakfast}

As a result? She’s more than savvy – she’s pioneering, because she’s operating from a knowledge base you can’t get from Mashable articles and retweets. This doesn’t mean you should aim to fail, but there's something to be said for embracing the times you do. Because learning through doing, and failing, teaches us the best lessons.

When it comes to social media, it sure can seem like the deep end of the pool. I don’t blame anyone for wanting to test the waters first, but there is something to be said about diving in and learning through doing. So while you may want to avoid doing it on others' behalf, go out there and just try out every social medium you can.

Don’t worry: Everyone’s first tweet is “@newguy: Still trying to figure this twitter thing out!“

-Ben Pfutzenreuter, PR Intern

O’OLSON is leading the Minneapolis St Patrick’s Day Parade

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0600

Like a crazed leprechaun chasing down a pot of gold, OLSON's beloved Brickman is descending from his Loring Park rooftop perch to lead us in the Minneapolis St. Patrick's Day parade on March 17 at 6:30 p.m. on Nicollet Mall. Bring friends and family to witness shameless jigging, unabashed Riverdancing, and other shenanigans, all it the name of everything Irish.

Wear plenty of green and bring loads of cheer—it’s going to be a good one. Family, friends, kids and pets are all welcome.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/OLSONagency.

Releasing News Into the Wild

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0600

The news release is dead! Long live the news release!

For the sweet love of kung-fu movies, I can do without one more post on the demise of this traditional news vehicle. Don’t get me wrong, both the value and the role of the news release are evolving, but a news release is just as important to the communications industry now as it was 25 years ago.

But let’s get something out of the way first—thanks to the FaceySpaces, social media has turned the news-sharing process on its head. Now, both people and brands have the ability to livecast news and events in real time: from commentary on event atmosphere and attendance, to insightful nuggets of wisdom from a spokesperson or speaker. If anything, social media has created a culture where anyone—brands and people alike—can be an amateur journalist, speaking in 140-character missives. As such, traditional journalists (what does that even mean anymore?) can now stay on top of the news by following live tweets and hashtags as they happen.

So what’s the point of a news release then? It’s not the optimal format for sharing news; the need for internal feedback makes this process a little too time-intensive to quickly spread the word (#bottleneck). Instead, news releases have become the long-form, archival format that embodies the running history of a brand. Without them, our 140-character headlines have no anchor, and eventually are sucked into the ether of the InterWebs once they are no longer searchable.

Whoa, heavy.

To boil it down, the takeaway is this: It makes sense to share “news” in real time through basic facts, but we should archive news through rich stories and formats that endure.

-Tony Saucier, PR Associate Account Director and Social Media Strategist

Decade of Dodson

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Ten years ago, Joel Dodson came to OLSON fresh off a long run as a printing press operator. He smelled of ink. And blurted out “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys (in that pre auto-tune era) at random intervals. Troubling, indeed. But from day one, Joel was also clearly a person you could build something special on, and around. That rare type of entrepreneurial spirit who begged for a baptism by fire, never complained about its heat when thrown in, and somehow always came dashing out of its flames a hero. Not that you’d ever hear it from him. Today, Joel is the Head of All Things Motion and Sound at OLSON. Pulling off his signature heroics in a decidedly hybrid fashion. Helping us continue to redefine our now world-renowned product on a daily basis. So let’s all take a moment and give the man our hugs and our thanks. And remembering where he came from, let's also give him something else he richly deserves–a little press.

Winter Wonders: Ice Dancing With Royalty

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

One of my favorite OLSON traditions is the election of a new king and queen of the land of NOSLO*. This happens every December on the afternoon before our annual holiday party. The NOSLO King & Queen rein over our kingdom for the entire year.

This year, the OLSON community elected Developer Joe Song as our king and his queen, Account Executive Britta Savik. In their first month of their rein, they’ve organized an evening of ice skating. Join them and the rest of the OLSON community at The Depot this Thursday. Jan 21 from 7-9 p.m. Admission is $8. Skate rental is $7 (or bring your own).

The group will head over to Kieran's Irish Pub afterwards for some winter warmers - 330 2nd Avenue South (walking distance from ice rink).

Cheers to Minnesota Winter Wonders!

*That’s OLSON spelled backwards.

Giving hockey players control of your brand. It’s not as dangerous as it sounds.

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

So, let’s say you have the opportunity to work with one of the most revered brands in all of hockey. A brand with 80 years’ history in the sport. A company synonymous with the game itself. Hardly seems like something you’d want in the hands of a bunch of teenagers who stink-palming each other with their sweat-soaked hockey gloves. But for BAUER, it seemed like the perfect approach.

The social circle of hockey players is unlike any other. It is a brotherhood (one that includes women hockey players) that you absolutely have to earn your dues to be a part of. So, we earned our dues by living with them, all around the world. We learned what it meant to be a part of their community and how important all players—not just the pros—are in influencing each other. So, it was merely our job to get the conversation going. A simple strategy that paid off by giving kids portable, sharable content—and getting the heck out of the way.

The result? A brand that lives the game right along with the players, because it’s owned by the players. But don’t just take our word for it…

Minneapolis Star Tribune, “Ad agency from land of hockey shoots and scores with Bauer” posted January 18, 2010.

-Derek Bitter, Creative Director

Just in Time for Your Holiday Partying, Target’s Blogging Style

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Think about Target, and what comes to mind? Probably it’s the fact that you find yourself going in for staples like toilet paper and toothpaste and coming out with a surprise—often a surprise of the highly fashionable kind.

So it makes perfect sense for Target to blog about style, and for OLSON to help the retail icon translate what "fashionably frugal" means in the interactive social media space. Check it out, and expect lots more Web 2.0 elements as 2010 progresses and the blog evolves.

It’s a treat for all of us here at OLSON who get to work on this project. But the real winner is you. Yes, you. Stylish as you may be, the blog has ideas and inspiration that everyone can make their own—all of them holiday-themed all December long.

Music Fans, 1. Reality Stars, 0.

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

See how a social circle against the domination of reality show "musicians" in the UK music charts banded together to get a 16-year-old song to number one in the UK charts this Xmas. In second place? The favorite for number one, a new reality star's first single.

The Sun: "So here it is, Merry Xmas...but Joe's not No1"

-Sam Saunders, Associate Creative Director, Writer

Marcia Serves Up Grateful Platefuls

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Hunger relief is so important during the holidays - while some families come together around dinner tables for large feasts, one in 8 Americans is struggling just to provide the basics. This was the basic reason behind Grateful Platefuls - an initiative created by Chinet and OLSON to turn feelings of gratitude into real donations and support for Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief charity.

The program included a $100,000 donation to Feeding America, as well as a Facebook app where people can serve up their gratitude on a plate and post it on their wall. Bringing some much-needed attention to the cause, Desperate Housewives actress Marcia Cross conducted a video conference with bloggers, including Entertainment Tonight! Online and the Sugar Network.

Cross' messages underscored key findings from a national survey about gratitude conducted in October: despite high unemployment levels and continued economic uncertainty, 43% of Americans are feeling more grateful this year than at the same time last year. And the other cool finding - the majority of Americans are compelled to make donations because of feelings of gratitude.

To share what you're grateful for, visit http://www.facebook.com/mychinet.

Check out video of Marcia Cross on ET and her viral video.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/HnZjHzi_kJw]

-Tony Saucier, Assoc. Acct. Director PR, Social Media Strategist