Brand Yourself: Control Your Own Search Results

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What If Everybody Ran? Mizuno Running Social Media Monitoring: Part Two

In my last post, I introduced you all to Mizuno Running and the company's relationship with social media platforms.  Diving in deeper, we looked at some basic analytics over the course of a month to get a sense of how Mizuno Running was doing from a data-driven point of view. 

This week, I present to you the next (and final!) installment of the Social Media Monitoring project. Here, we will cover a few topics and wrap up some loose ends:

1. "If Everbody Ran" Campaign and its relationship to social media platforms
2. Demographics...who is left for Mizuno to tap into?
3. How does Mizuno Running fair against their competition?
4. Promotion Suggestions & Recommendations

Let's dive in, shall we? 

What if Everybody Ran?

It was a gift from the social media gods: Mizuno Running released a new campaign right as I was putting the finishing touches on Part One of this report.  Highlighting and analyzing this campaign seems to be the natural starting place for Part Two.  This hypothetical question is enough to make many people want to keel over. However, the videos produced by Mizuno are less intimidating and more motivational! 

An article published by Ask Men explains:

"According to a 2013 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80% of adults do not get enough exercise.  That's why Mizuno USA decided to offer a unique opportunity to North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School by asking a simple question with big implications: 'What if everybody ran?'" 

The study, released on March 5th, was all over their Facebook page the day it came out, of course!

And Twitter was a buzz, too! 

Not only was Mizuno's Twitter handle going crazy promoting this new study, but the groundswell was ignited.  Mizuno fans, non-runners, and even well known companies (like Runner's World and Degree Women) were linking to the Mizuno study and using the #IfEverybodyRan hashtag.  

A Runner's World tweet that was sent out on March 11th stating: "What could the world look like if everbody ran? Mizuno ran the numbers to find out #IfEverybodyRan" received 66 retweets and 73 favorites.   The Runner's World handle has over 764,00 followers, so the impact of those retweets is great...especially when we remember that Mizuno Running has just over 26,000 followers. 

Mizuno Running was certainly "first to market" in terms of producing a study/large scale social media campaign that was designed to be widely inclusive yet wildly personal at the same time.  It wasn't just for Mizuno shoe wearers or just for runners or just for athletes.  It was for anyone and everyone to who are interested in happiness, health, and maybe needed some motivation.  At the very least, it could maybe just brighten someone's day briefly.

But, arguably most importantly, did it work? Did the campaign create buzz around the brand? Take a look at the IceRocket graph below.  Short answer: yes, it did work.

There is a LOT of action happening right around the time the study was released and marketed heavily (March 4th,5th,6th), with continuing peaks and valleys that extend through the remainder of the days in March.  This may not result in a huge boost in sales immediately, but it will certainly serve to boost the name recognition of the brand. 

Demographics

Selling running shoes is a tricky game to play because there is so much brand loyalty involved.  For seasoned runners, it is likely that they have run in the same brand of shoes for years and years and years. After all, if it isn't broke, don't fix it!  For new runners, I imagine the word of mouth is a powerful influence on what brand they go with.  And for non-runners, well, I'm not actually sure how they choose shoes.  I do know that my boyfriend, who prefers cycling, walks into Dick's Sporting Goods and chooses the plainest shoe he can find. 

Using Alexa, a free (and awesome!) online analytics tool that spouts out all sorts of interesting bench marking data, I looked at the current audience demographics visiting the Mizuno website.  The graph shows that in terms of the traffic to the Mizuno site compared to the general internet population: 

1. Men are over represented, females are under represented.
2. Lots of college educated folks are browsing the website.
3. More people browse from work than from home.

This data could mean a lot of different things, depending on how you chose to look at it.  For example, I would be interested in finding out why people visit the Mizuno website.  As someone who has purchased many pairs of running shoes, I have never bought a pair of running shoes from the brand's website.  Why pay full prices when you can go to a site like Holabird Sports or Running Warehouse and save lots of money, get free shipping, and free returns?  So perhaps one of the reasons why women are underrepresented on the Mizuno website is because they are more likely to find a deal on shoes, rather than pay full price.   

Mizuno Running & The Competition
Keeping in mind the brand loyalty that goes along with running, how is Mizuno Running fairing against the competition? Turning to Alexa once again, I looked at the popularity of Mizuno vs. Nike and Adidas.  

Globally, Mizuno trails both Nike and Asics. Domestically, Mizuno and Asics both trail Nike significantly, but Mizuno actually has ab it of an edge on Asics. This could be because Mizuno and Asics have different sites for different countries and Nike has one site for everyone, though I have a hunch that sorority girls' obsession with and willingness to pay full price for Nike Free Runs and "Norts" has something to do with Nike site's overwhelming popularity. 

It can be difficult to steal customers away from other brands, especially after the customer has built up a level of trust with the shoe and brand their wearing.  With positive word of mouth however, it is possible to change people's minds and preferences.  My roommate had run in Asics for as long as she could remember, but became curious about Mizunos after I bought my third pair. Because I only had good things to say about the brand, she decided to give Mizunos a try.  And just like that, Kerien and a pair of Mizuno Inspire 10's lived happily ever after. 

Promotion Suggestions & Recommendations

1.  Partnerships with Community Organizations to Re-target Highlighted Demographic Groups (Engaging with the Groundswell)

On Saturday, February 22, 2014, Mizuno Running partnered with the Atlanta chapter of Back on My Feet (BOMF) to host the inaugural Mizuno Women's 5k.  Their website advertised the following: 

"Hit the streets with your girlfriends, sisters, and other ladies in Atlanta to honor the strength, beauty, and determination of all women.  Stand up for women experiencing homelessness, and let's help them get back on their feet.  Run like a warrior, finish like a lady... finishers will also receive a women's Mizuno tech shirt."

Philanthropy promotes positive word of mouth which is good for business and good for karma. Mizuno, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, should continue to partner with community organizations that highlight unique, untapped demographic groups.  Other examples may include: 

• Girls on the Run (highlighted demographic group: adolescent girls): Girls on the Run is a transformational physical activity based positive youth development program for girls in 3rd-8th grade.
• The Hall Steps Foundation (highlighted demographic group: individuals in Africa): The Hall Steps Foundation is a non-profit movement to fight global poverty through better health.
• College campuses (highlighted demographic group: poor college students): Never underestimate the power of free or reduced priced apparel.  College students will support close to everything if there's a free t-shirt (or pair of shoes?!) involved. 

2. Shoe Exchange Program (Celebrating & Rewarding the Groundswell) 

Shoe exchange programs are not new.  There are plenty of organizations that will gladly take your old running shoes to be donated to people in need.  Truth be told, Nike has an incredibly cool  "Reuse a Shoe" Program.  Donated shoes are turned into a new material that has been used to make fields and other play areas.  Really, really cool idea.  

Nike certainly does not have a monopoly on the shoe recycling market, so there is plenty of room and original opportunity for Mizuno to also profit from this service.  Imagine if Mizuno set up shop at college campuses, race expos, and other well-attended events.  They could offer incentives: if you bring us a pair of your old shoes, we'll recycle them/donate them/reuse them and give you a coupon for 20% off your next pair of Mizunos.  They could even offer special incentives to unique demographic groups: receive something extra (a free t-shirt!) if you're a faithful Mizuno brand wearer OR receive an additional 10% off if you're interested in trying your first pair of Mizunos.  This way, Mizuno can reward their loyal customers while providing incentive for others to try their brand. 

 3. Monitor Comments and Feedback All Across the Web! (Listening to the Groundswell)

Now, it is very likely that the good people at Mizuno Running DO scour the web frequently to read the reviews that are being posted of their shoes on other sites that sell shoes.  If they do, they should continue to read feedback and respond when necessary!  If they do not, they should begin immediately. Much chatter happens in the reviews and comments sections of places like Holabird Sports and Runner's Warehouse... those are usually the first places I go when I'm curious about a new model of shoes.  

Stand. Walk. Run. Fly. Mizuno Running Social Media Monitoring: Part 1

People closest to me have told me I can be stubborn at times.  Maybe it's because I'm the youngest child and only girl in the family, but I like to think of this so called "stubbornness" as passionate determination.  This trait has served me especially well in running.  Racing and pushing oneself past everything you thought you were capable of certainly requires one part stubbornness, two parts crazy, and a whole lot of soul.  It also requires the right footwear.  

Growing up, I was an Asics girl.  This was sort of by default, as my dad wore Asics and I consider him to be my personal running guru. Once I hit college and starting really competing (and nursing injuries), I decided to play around with different brands and models.  After a brief stint with Nike, I was back to Asics but was still not satisfied.  Finally, I went to Marathon Sports and got properly fitted for a shoe, based off my stride, gait, pronation, and all that good stuff.   It was then that I found Mizuno-- though I was hesitant to try them out, the risk paid off. I quickly became a Mizuno faithful, not just because of how good they felt, but because of the social community they have created. 

About Mizuno Running

The Mizuno Corporation was founded in 1906 by the Mizuno brothers, Rizo and Rihachi in Osaka, Japan.  The first office on American soil was established in Los Angeles in 1969.  While they happen to be one of the leading manufacturers of golf clubs, their list of sponsorships is inclusive of many, many different sports.

Running is one of the sports that Mizuno sponsors. Though they may not have the same name recognition as Nike or Adidas, it is not due to an inferior product.  Mizuno Running sponsors quite a few runners from all over the globe (and even has a Facebook page dedicated to their sponsored athletes). But what's the real special sauce of Mizuno Running that fosters loyalty among customers? What sets it apart from its uber well-known competitors?

The answer is simple: mezamashii.

But hey, don't take Mizuno's word for it.  Instead, watch actual real-life, non-sponsored Mizuno runners explain what mezamashii running means to them.

For the past four weeks, I have been collecting qualitative and quantitative data on the social media habits and online presence of Mizuno Running.  Below is an introduction and analysis of their social media habits. In addition to reviewing their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram,  I used to following tools to provide analytical data: Addictomatic, SocialBakers, Social Mention, Google Trends, and Ice Rocket. 

To begin, let's look at what Mizuno Running for themselves on social media platforms.  Then, we'll take a peak at some of the data to see how they're doing from that aspect. 

Mizuno Running & Social Media

Mizuno Running Website

Before being bombarded by visuals of the latest and greatest overpriced model of shoe released, Mizuno Running invites its visitors to "Join the Quest: Experience Mezamashii."  They aim to make the viewer feel like they'll get more than just shoes from Mizuno: they'll be a part of something larger. And, if one scrolls down just a tad, they will come across the "Find Your Perfect Shoe" quiz. They don't just want to sell you a shoe.  They want to sell you the best shoe for your foot. 

When you sign up to join the Mezamashii Community, you gain access to a member's forum, which unfortunately leaves something to be desired. There isn't a great deal of super exciting conversation going on. 

There are other perks of being a part of this free community though.  All runners are invited to share their stories answering the question "why do you run?" Stories are a positive (and free) way of building community AND promoting positive word of mouth about a brand. 

Facebook 

With nearly 170,000 likes, Mizuno Running North America has a very healthy Facebook following. According to data available from Social Bakers, they gained an additional 2,655 followers in last month alone. The graph below shows the number of people talking at the brand over the past month.  Clearly it has fluctuated a bit, peaking around February 10th and then steadily declining through the end of the month and into March.  Why, you ask? Well, it could be at least in part due to the marketing of the new Wave Rider 17 on February 12th. 

From SocialBakers

The account posts at least once a day, though usually it posts more than that.  The posts themselves range from asking the community their opinion on something, encouraging followers to send in pictures, sharing recipes and posts from other running websites, and my favorite, fill in the blank questions which always get some clever responses. 

The posts that tend to get the most likes are ones that promote a sense of comrade and the idea that runners are a tough, crazy breed of humans. 

Twitter

At 26,000 followers and growing, the Mizuno Running twitter handle is not as well followed as the Facebook page, but just as active.  It's following has steadily grown over the past month, as reported by SocialBakers.

The account is quick to answer any questions that are thrown their way and try to be as helpful as possible. They appear to take runner's feedback very seriously, which is a great sign.






Instagram
And last, but not least, there is the Mizuno Running Instagram page. Now, full disclosure: try as I might, I just don't really understand how to use Instagram. But if the success of one's Instagram page is based off the number of "likes" a picture receives, then Mizuno is doing a really great job.

They don't post as regularly on their Instagram account (in fact, there has yet to be a post in the month of March), but that doesn't seem to influence the response from their followers when they DO post. This post of a pretty pair of shoes won the hearts of over 1,000 of their followers.  And, as we can see above, the Mizuno Running account even responds to comments.

Analytical Data Observations

Addictomatic
Addictomatic is a search tool that gathers the latest news, blog posts, and images relating to a brand. It is important to note that this site does not pull data from Twitter, Facebook, or Youtube.  

Though this site doesn't tell us much about the social presence of the Mizuno Running brand, there are a few things we can take away from it: all of the legitimate information that it gathered (blog post titles and Bing News) is seemingly positive in nature.

Social Mention 
According to their website: "Social Mention is a social media search and analysis platform that aggregates user generated content from across the universe into a single stream of information. "

Before we get into what these numbers mean for Mizuno Running, here's a quick background to what these numbers measure:

• STRENGTH: a likelihood that your brand is being discussed in social media
• SENTIMENT: a ratio of mentions that are generally positive to those that are negative
• PASSION: a measure of the likelihood that individuals talking about your brand will do so repeatedly
• REACH: a measure of the range of influence

Now, I'm fairly skeptical about these measurements as most of the numbers are found by dividing the number of mentions by how many mentions the brand should have, which I find subjective.  I'm more interested in the data below those four boxes: average amount of time per mention, number of unique authors, and number of retweets.

The last set of data that I took was on March 6th, just a couple of days after Mizuno released their "What If Everybody Ran?" study which has all sorts of people talking about it (much more on this in Part Two of the Social Media Monitoring Report, so stay tuned!).  This can explain the major decrease in the time per mentions, the increase in the unique authors, and the number of retweets.

Ice Rocket

This graph from Ice Rocket shows the Daily Blogs Citation Trend of  the term "mizuno running" (the blue line) and the term "Mezamashii" (the red line), from February 4th to March 6th.  Clearly, it has fluctuated a decent amount over the course of the month.  The term Mizuno Running averages 7.70 posts per day.  For comparison purposes, I looked up how many posts "Nike Running" averages per day, which is a whopping 82.70 posts per day.  Wow.

Google Trends

Finally, let's take a step back and look at the big picture. Put simply, Google Trends, a child of Google (who rules the world), shows how often a search-term is entered into Google searches across the world and in various languages.  Below is the trend graph for Mizuno Running, with the 2014 and 2015 forecast included.

So far, overall...

...it appears that Mizuno is certainly putting the effort into creating a social community that thrives around more than just products, but customers stories as well.  While their reach might not be as impactful and widespread as Nike or Asics, they certainly appear to be taking steps in the right direction.

Running can feel like a very individual (and sometimes lonely) sport.  As a runner who wears Mizuno shoes, it feels good to have a community built around the brand I have chosen to run in.  We are Mizuno.

Buzzin' with Sam Adams Brewery

Have you experienced the buzz with Sam Adams beer? No, not that buzz... the groundswell buzz (okay, maybe the other kind of buzz, too)!  

If you haven't already been, I highly recommend taking a trip into Boston to visit the Samuel Adams Brewery and take a FREE (...which really means a suggested donation of $2...) brewery tour! Free beer, a free tasting glass, and a forced exit through the gift shop: trust me, it's well worth the trip. But perhaps you don't like beer or don't drink beer, aren't old enough to drink, or have no way of getting to Boston.  If so, fear not: the Samuel Adams Brewery has done an exceptional job transforming themselves into an organization that engages, energizes, and taps into the groundswell. 

It's hard to know for certain because I don't actually work at the Sam Adams Brewery (though I'd like to ever since one of the tour guides told our tour group that employees get to drink free beer all day), but I think it's a safe bet that the decision-makers utilized tips and tricks from Li & Bernoff, whether they knew it or not. 

The Groundswell Transforms! 
Part Three of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li & Josh Bernoff focuses on how the groundswell can transform companies.  Just as social media cannot be defined by the technologies of the moment as they are ever-changing, neither can the groundswell.  For companies, embracing the groundswell is so much more than adopting the necessary technologies and practices; rather, it is a total mental and cultural shift.  According to Li & Bernoff, 

"...one of the benefits [we've seen] of engaging with the groundswell is that your organization goes through a mental shift: you become so engaged with your customers that you walk in step with their needs and wants. The key to transformation is taking an idea that typically starts with a few employees who understand the groundswell and making it an organization-wide movement.  In essence, you want to create your own mini-groundswell within the company to embrace the groundswell of customers outside it."

 Li & Bernoff  flesh out what they consider to be the three elements of  transformation:

1. Take it step by step... you have to walk before you run. A mental shift takes time and practice.
2. Remember that each step builds on the next, so make sure to build a strong foundation (i.e. a plan and vision).
3. Executive support is a must or the transformation just simply will not work. 

Also, companies should consider the following two points: 

• You can't force people to do it! Instead, companies must work with what they've got and build strategy with people who are eager and enthusiastic about it. 
• As I mentioned in a previous post, having a strong relationship with the groundswell helps companies innovate faster. Remember, customers don't take long to tell you what they want and a company can iterate and make continuous improvements with customer support.

Sam Adams does Facebook 

The Samuel Adams Facebook page serves up a one sentence mission statement that is pretty spot on: the culture at Samuel Adams is centered around a love of the beer and a wondrous curiosity for all things beer.  Amen.  

While investigating the Facebook page, it was highly evident that they have a far reach on the beer-loving community: the page has over a million followers and nearly 50,000 reviews have been submitted, giving Sam Adams an overall average rating of 4.5 stars.

And, there was of course the collection of links to their Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.   

Someone at Sam Adam's must constantly be on Facebook, because pretty much every single thing that people post to the page gets a response (and super promptly, might I add).  For the most part the posts are positive or pictures of people with their favorite Sam Adam's beer.  

Thus, I took it upon myself to try and find a negative post to see if Sam Adam's would still respond.  I scrolled through the posts for about 10 minutes and got thirsty for a beer in the process, so I decided 10 minutes was good enough for my small, self-imposed research project. The two most "negative" posts I could find weren't even that harsh and yes, they still got a response.

One poster was having trouble finding a certain type of beer in Texas.  The Samuel Adams account recommended their Find a Sam page, to which the poster responded that they had tried using it but had no luck, but that it was okay because they know there are other great Sam products out there.  No angry customer here, just a Sam fan trying to find their favorite brew. 

The other "negative" post was in regards to, once again, the absence of the poster's favorite brew.  Even though this was just a complaining post, the Samuel Adams account still responded and suggested two of their new seasonal brews.  

Longshot and the Groundswell

Low and behold, Sam Adams (which is a brand under the Boston Beer Company), has an active philanthropic and community oriented arm.  Most relevant to this discussion is their annual Longshot American Homebrew Contest.

As the story goes, Jim Koch, founder of Samuel Adams, brewed his first batch of what is now known as Sam Adam's Boston Lager in his kitchen back in the 1980's.  When the business really began to grow, Koch started a company-wide home brew contest.  In 2006, they opened it up to the public.  Each year, there are three winners (one employee and two home brewers) who win the ultimate prize: their very own brew recipe mass produced and sold nationally in a "Longshot Mix 6 pack."

For Sam Adams, it's really quite simple: they let their fans and followers come up with neat flavor combinations and have the public vote on their favorites.  Then, once the three winners are chosen, they make a ton of money off the brews that the groundswell came up with (and supported enough to vote for). And to that, I say, well done, Samuel Adams Brewery.  

Digital Storytelling: Coping with the Boston Bombings

Me & my Dad: Mile 7

If there's one thing that is for absolute certain in this world, it is that nothing is permanent. Despite our greatest efforts to live our lives like we have no expiration date, whether that's a thoughtful decision or simply a result of oblivion, impermanence is the constant thread.  Sometimes it takes a tragedy to remind us of the fragility of life; my reminder came on April 15, 2013 in a hotel room on the 38th floor of the Boston Marriott Copley Place in Downtown Boston, where I had a beautiful view of the city skyline and the runners crossing the finish line of the 117th running of the Boston Marathon. 

Marathon Monday is my favorite holiday and has been for a very long time.  My dad ran his first Boston Marathon nearly two decades ago and hasn't missed one since. Nothing beats the energy, excitement, and determination! Every year I follow the same spectating route along the course that ultimately leads me downtown to the finish. For the past few years I've just met my dad at a hotel room right off the finish line (because the actual finish line is CRAZY) that his running club reserves for finishers and their families. That's where I was on April 15 at 2:49pm when the first explosion went off at the finish line.   

We are fast approaching the one-year anniversary of the Boston Bombings and so much has happened since then.  In case you've missed it, here's a quick recap of some of the highlights: 

• There was a massive manhunt to capture the suspected bombers. 
• The One Fund was created almost immediately to raise money for the victims.  
• David Ortiz got sassy.  
• Touching tributes surfaced at The London Marathon.  
• The Boston Bruins showed their love as a sold-out crowd sang the National Anthem in solidarity.  
• The One Run for Boston ran across the country. 

And, to preserve the stories and experiences of Marathon Monday 2013, Our Marathon: The Boston Bombing Digital Archive, was created.

Online Digital Archives

Storytelling is one of the oldest art forms that helps to persevere the experiences and knowledge of previous generations. As communication styles have evolved with technology, it's only appropriate that storytelling has also evolved to include digital archives.

From a social media perspective, gathering pictures, videos, and examples of social media is a wicked good idea because visual storytelling is so influential.  Check out the infographic that was featured in a recent blog post about the power of visuals and storytelling.  From a personal perspective, sometimes words don't do stories justice.  Sometimes pictures and videos are a more effective way to describe experiences and grieve.

Our Marathon, a community project that is hosted and maintained by Northeastern University, was modeled closely after the September 11th Archive.  It is a online space for people to contribute their stories, pictures, videos and social media.


In the spirit of using videos and pictures to tell a story, check out the video below, "2013 Boston Marathon Bombings: Six Months Later," to see the results of 6-months of archiving and hear from the co-founders of Our Marathon. 

Or, if you'd rather read about it, the Our Marathon website explains the mission so eloquently:

"'Our Marathon' will allow the public to explore not only what happened during the event, but also how the event was experienced by Bostonians, visitors to the city, and those many members of the 'Boston diaspora' who were far away but deeply engaged in the unfolding events.  The archive will serve as a long-term memorial, preserving these records for students and researchers, providing future historians with invaluable, local windows into an important national event...The bombing changed lives in ways small and large and in ways that were immediate and more enduring.  This is a place for those images, emotions, and experiences to be shared and for us to understand the event in its broad, community-wide dimensions." 

Our Marathon & Social Media Platforms 

Word cloud made from One Marathon archives in July 2013

But what good is anything in our society without a social media presence?  Why of course, Our Marathon has a Facebook account, a Twitter handle, and a Tumblr. From what I can tell, their accounts are well synced: when something is posted to Facebook, it is also posted to Twitter and Tumblr. 

It doesn't appear that there's much conversation that happens on these pages, but that makes sense... they are trying to drive traffic to the digital archive and encourage followers to contribute their own story:  no story is too small. Recently, Our Marathon won an 2013 Digital Humanities Award for "Best Project for Public Audiences." Digital Humanity Awards allow the public to nominate resources that exemplify talent and expertise in a few different areas.  It is the great people of this world who are entirely responsible for nominating and voting for their favorite resources.

In the archive itself, there is an entire section dedicated to posts relating to social media. Currently, there are 236 items that have been tagged as "social media."   The collection is fascinating, with posts ranging from Instagram pictures of the city as it continues to heal and commemorate, to snapshots of what was happening on social media on the day of the marathon.   Below is an example of what contributor sunfighter17 submitted. 

While nothing may be permanent in this life, digital archives sure are trying to make things more permanent! 

Our Marathon & Me

View from the 38th Floor, looking down at the finish area

Preserving social media as historical documentation in an organized and purposeful way is a relatively new territory... as a society, we've been in the business of creating content and a LOT of it.  It will be fascinating to look back on the September 11th archive and the Boston Marathon Bombings archive in the future and reflect on how people coped with tragedy in the year 2013.  Moreover, how did we communicate with each other and create community?  

On Marathon Monday, I heard and felt the bombs before I saw them.  Despite my efforts, every time I attempt to write down my story I have to stop because I have yet to find the words to adequately describe what happened that day.  Sneaking out the back of a hotel, walking the desolate streets of Boston, the invisible wounds of trauma. Thankfully, there is great comfort in knowing that Our Marathon is waiting with open arms. 

Marathon Monday is my favorite holiday and always will be.  As of the posting date, there are are only 54 days until the 118th Boston Marathon... I'll be there,will you? 

We the People: Embracing the Groundswell

As I flipped through a recent issue of TIME magazine, a picture of Justin Bieber's mugshot caught my eye. Positioned next to a headline that read "Wackiest White House Petitions," I was immediately intrigued. What in the world do Justin Bieber and the White House have in common?

In case you missed it, let me back up a few steps. Justin Bieber is a 19-year old Canadian singer who rose to fame in 2008. Since then, his voice has dropped a couple of octaves and he has unfortunately turned into a reckless dimwit who is destined to be completely bankrupt if he doesn't clean up his act. Just when I was starting to become a beiliber, too...bummer.

On January 23rd when Mr. Bieber was arrested for being stupid, he instantly became the butt of many jokes and, quite interestingly, was the subject of an oddly successful "We the People" petition.  Apparently, 247,000 Americans have enough time on their hands to organize and sign a petition to get Justin Bieber deported back to Canada. Ahhh yes, because down here in the United States we have our priorities straight...  

Embracing the Groundswell

Having just read a few chapters in Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, a light bulb went off-- were the folks over at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue attempting to embrace the groundswell when they launched the We the People Initiative back in 2011?  While a government agency serves constituents rather than customers and instead of turning profit they are focused on providing goods & services (and having high approval ratings), the principles of groundswell still apply.

Whether you are a large corporation, a small business, or the federal government of the United States, having the best product or service is simply not enough.  In order to stay on top, you must innovate faster. Embracing the groundswell, rather than resisting it or ignoring it all together, is one way to get you there. Why is faster innovation powerful? Li & Bernoff chalk it up to two main reasons:

1. Customers (or constituents) do not take very long to tell you what they want.  Everyone has an opinion and every one expects to be heard! 
2. With customers (or constituents) in the loop, you can get real time feedback and make continuous improvements as you go. 

We the People!

In September 2011 when the Obama Administration introduced the We the People Initiative, whether they knew it or not, they were practicing embracing the groundswell.  This initiative seeks to provide the American people with a "voice in our government."  Any citizen can start a petition.  If that petition gets at least 100,000 signatures (which was recently increased from 25,000), the White House will respond to it.  

Think about it: with over 313.9 million people in the United States, someone is bound to have a great idea. If they can get 100,000 people to agree that it is, in fact, a great idea, the government could take action on the idea.  For the Obama Administration it's a win-win (theoretically...): the really stupid petitions get weeded out naturally by virtue of not having enough signatures.  Even if a not-so-serious petition gets through to the administration (i.e.: Justin Bieber having his green card revoked), they have no obligation to act on it, they only have to respond to it.  But, if a great idea comes down the pipeline and the administration acts on it... BAM! A good idea is put into action! A public display of democracy in action! Everyone is happy! U-S-A! U-S-A!   

The site itself is very user friendly. Visitors can view open petitions, read responses to completed petitions, and learn more about the process of petitioning. Additionally, the website provides an option to share feedback. But before we get much further, let's clear something up: as much as this is an example of the government attempting to embrace a small part of the groundswell, this also has elements of crowdsourcing (AKA: asking the groundswell to provide you with ideas).  

According to Li & Bernoff, "...crowdsourced ads are a flash in the pan-- they tap the groundswell for a moment, rather than move the company in a positive direction."  Crowdsourcing is not a bad thing at all, so long as the party requesting the information recognizes what they're doing and why they're doing it. 

 

Our fearless leaders, Li & Bernoff, leave us with a few important thoughts as Part II of Groundswell wraps up.  Customers (or constituents) can always help.  After all, they are the ones using the products or living with the policies voted into law.  Successfully embracing the groundswell is a balancing act between skills and humility: 

"...customers don't tell [the companies] what to do-- they just make suggestions. The difference is, these companies are listening to and acting on many of those suggestions. That's what accelerates innovation-- starting a conversation with your customers and using your skills to understand and exploit their knowledge."  

While this government example slightly differs from the examples featured in Groundswell because the objectives of a for-profit company are different than those of a government, that's actually okay. The administration is not looking for input on how to change the "democratic process" for the better. They are, however, willing to tap the groundswell for their ideas, voice, & opinions. This is partly just practicing democracy and partly adapting to a world transformed by social media. 


Chances are pretty slim that J. Biebs will have his green card revoked, but I await with bated breath while the White House formulates a response.

Smart Girls at the Party: Why Amy Poehler Should Rule the World (of Social Media, at least...)

My infatuation with Amy Poehler happened suddenly.  After binge watching every season of her show Parks and Recreation over winter break, it became obvious to me that she was hilarious and cool... a more accessible version of Beyonce.  So, I'm just going to come right out and say it: I love Amy Poehler and I shall present just a few reasons why: 

Me and you both, Amy...

1. Her character in Parks and Rec, an overly-energetic government employee named Leslie Knope, gives me hope that my Master's in Public Administration might actually land me a job someday.
2. She hails from the great town of Burlington, MA and graduated from Boston College in 1993!  I am also from MA and I know people who also graduated from Boston College!
3. She's a non-annoying feminist and she's not afraid to show it. 
4. Along with two other women, Poehler created Amy Poehler's Smart Girls," a platform targeted at girls with the motto: "Change the world by being yourself!"

When visiting the Smart Girls website, the first thing I noticed was the simple, clean layout that was easy to navigate.  The second thing I noticed was the awesome Amy Poehler quote (that changes each time you refresh the page!).  And the third thing I noticed was the set of links to the many social media platforms they utilize.  All the usual suspects were there...

Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Tumblr, Google+, Pintrest, Instragram

So, naturally, I spent most of the evening get lost in social media profiles and learning as much as I could about being an Amy Poehler Smart Girl.   By staying up well past my bedtime, I was able to investigate all of them.  For the sake of depth over breadth and keeping things interesting, here is a quick look at how their Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are being utilized to spread the good word of being smart, kind, and fun.

Facebook
Generally speaking, Facebook may or may not be a dying art.  Regardless, Amy Poehler's Smart Girls page is alive and well! With over 143,000 "likes," the page is primarily used for celebrating the accomplisments of cool women all over the world, recipes and crafts featured on the Smart Girls blog, and promoting the #OperationNice campaign for the month of February.

It is also part forum: users who post comments are often responded to by the Amy Poehler's Smart Girls account and by other users. It's like a little sisterhood of support! (If you're curious, as I was, the Be Human 2014 campaign that Kirstie described is pretty neat...)



Twitter  
Similarly to the Facebook page, if you were to follow @smrtgirls on Twitter, you would be treated to a sampling of retweeted articles about women and girls doing great things, tips on how to be nice (for example: don't be mean to others on the internet...yes, it's really that simple), and conversations with followers.

YouTube
And then, there was YouTube.  And my friends, it is magical. As I watched video after video, my love for all things Amy Poehler became strong and stronger.  Organized into a handful of different channels, there seems to be something for everyone:

• Smart Girls at the Party: "Watch these wonderful Smart Girls as they change the world by being themselves"
• Operation Nice: "Every time you watch Operation Nice, a dolphin does a flip and your day gets better." 
• Girls of the World: " When you learn about the lives of others, the world gets a little smaller and maybe even a little better." 
• Meow Meow Music: "A wonderful cat themed music show!" 
• Boys Minute: A little something for the men-- watch Aziz Ansari teach us how to nap, Jason Bateman share his wisdom on how to lead a healthy lifestyle, and Amy's brother Greg showing off his basketball skills. 
• Ask Amy: Amy Poehler answers viewers questions.  Her answers are funny, thoughtful, and applicable to humans of all ages.  Check out the video below to hear Amy talk about news and education...

  

And so I leave you with this...

If you truly believed that you could change the world by being yourself, where would you start?