Chicago Marathon organizers: press send.

much of Woolard Speak is devoted to how companies can better communicate with their key constituents. to follow up on yesterday's recap of the Chicago Marathon, i want to highlight a few ways marathon organizers and those involved with the marathon could have cleaned up (heck - maybe even prevented) the pr crisis that's ensued. as of this moment, two full days after the marathon was canceled due to heat, i have not received any communication, or even a follow-up mass e-mail. the internet is booming with comments, quotes and stories told by runners, spectators and volunteers.

so, here are some thoughts...it's simple PR 101.

1) send an e-mail. the marathon organizers were diligent about sending pre-race e-mails to registrants. a simple recap of what happened, why and how it will be fixed next year should have been a) already drafted generically as part of their crisis communications planning and b) sent by now.
2) consider issuing a credit or discount for those who ran this year to be used to register for next year. the marathon is at great risk to have a major decline in participation next year, based on a bad experience this year. a little discount will go a long way in retaining runners and showing some goodwill.
3) encourage sponsors (Sprint, Mountain Valley Spring Water, Gatorade Endurance, Volkswagen, etc.) to take creative communication liberties. i know i'm thinking like a marketer here, but how powerful/relevant/meaningful would it be for Gatorade Endurance (which many are saying ran out, was warm, was not served properly) to send a coupon and a tongue-in-cheek e-mail about hydration. it would be met well by runners.
4) share the marathon's contingency/crisis plan. go public with what was in place to ensure safety and how that might be tweaked next year. that instills confident and addresses obvious questions from the runners and public.
5) bottom line, communicate. somehow. organizers are reaching the point where any e-mail will be too little too late. just do it. the database is in place. press send.

the power of talking...we preach communication and yet often overlook the simple solutions to big problems. humans are a forgiving lot. in this case, we runners get that it was unseasonably hot. but we also know that many things broke and broke severely. we want to hear from the people responsible. sometimes just hearing is all it takes.

Social network realization

After attending my first KC Coffee Morning last Friday, I had a lot of hope for the real-life realization of the conversations I enjoy via the blogosphere. It was nice to sit down with some new co-workers (John, Bruno, Seth, Andrew) as well as a few creatives from the area (Jeremy, Celeste). See, we read and comment. We forward and link. We admire and argue. And normally we hide behind a social firewall.

I've posted before about the power of unplugging and I was affirmed by the conversation and quickly-established relationships at the Coffee Morning. We nerds need to find more opportunities to shake hands, catch rolled eyes, hear laughter and wave goodbye to make our ideas, insights and interest tangible.

I enjoyed by this post from PSFK on social network realization. Good stuff to put into practice.

Listening to: Air, Talkie Walkie

The Four F's of Citizen Marketing...and Monk the Snow Dog

Great stuff on the "Four F's of Citizen Marketing" from the thought-leading brains at the Church of the Customer Blog. Ben and Jackie cite Filters, Fanatic, Facilitators and Firecrackers as the ways to classify user-created sites.

What excites me about the research and results above is the quickness in which the citizen/social media arena is evolving and the necessity to focus efforts to ensure relevancy and appropriate reach. As we continue to dig into the differences within this category, conversations will be better tailored, audiences will be reached in more relevant ways and ultimately, great relationships will be built.


And speaking of relevance, here's something that's probably not at all relevant:

Most know that our fair state-line-bisected city was involved in its first winter storm this week. Many of my friends have asked (as they do each year) whether my dog Monk likes the snow (I think this is the dog-owner equivalent to "how's he sleeping/eating/pooping" baby questions). Anyway. As with all things Monk, he likes the snow as long as I'm with him. Yesterday he spent about an hour plowing snow into his mouth as I shoveled my and my neighbor's driveway. This morning, the neighbor dog was outside waiting for him to run the fence line. They did. And by the time I bribed him away from the fun, he was covered in snow, looking more like a brave Iditarod musher than the co-dependent Labrador I love.

(Monk's favorite thing to do at the dog park) (Tougher dogs...with booties)

Listening to - South San Gabriel, Welcome Convelescence.

Simple talk

Presentation, public speaking and everyday interpersonal communication are incredibly important parts of a marketer's job. From client communication to new business, the way we communicators communicate can make or break an idea. Too often, we who write for, train and strategize others' communication have difficulty when we're in the spotlight. To that end, I've tried to consistently improve my yapping skills.

I've read Garr Reynold's blog religiously for tips on presentation, speaking and organization. His recent take on John Maeda's book and accompanying The Laws of Simplicity blog was intriguing, and extremely helpful. And, well...simple. Garr illustrates some of Maeda's points, but check out the blog (and its sidebar resources) and book to learn more about each of the "steps" as well as great real-world business examples.

My biggest takeaway was the oft-forgotten law that simplicity can always benefit communication. From taglines to talking points.

Listening to - Josh Rouse, Under Cold Blue Stars.