It’s Monday morning and I’m in my usual work routine…check the headlines from business and tech publications to see what’s going on in the world. A good PR person never wants to be caught off-guard and have a client call to discuss news that is relevant to them and the industry without being prepared, but that’s just my humble opinion.

I just read what I consider to be a fascinating article by Daniel Terdiman from c/net titled “At IBM Research, a constant quest for the bleeding edge“. The article discusses a handful of projects that are being worked on at the nine IBM research centers around the world. One project with a biology slant involves two researchers who are coming up with a procedure in which they drilled a tiny hole into a microprocessor in order to allow a strand of DNA to go through and impact its nanocircuitry. Another project, called “Lab on a Chip,” is trying to create an inexpensive and quick way for medical facilities to test blood samples. And yet a third project could help municipalities offer residents cutting edge traffic and public transportation system predictions that are far better than anything available today.

What we’re seeing here is an emphasis on researching and developing new technologies that can help people in ways never thought possible before. As Terdiman stated:

“Throughout my visit to IBM Research, nearly everyone I spoke with brought up Smarter Planet, IBM’s corporate innovation program that aims to gather data from a wide variety of sources and use analysis of that data to solve new problems for customers and clients alike.”

So why am I going on and on in praise of IBM, a $97 billion company? Aside from the fact that my father worked for IBM for 30 years, which gave me a natural bias towards Big Blue, it reminded me of why I got into this business. I cannot design a microchip, am not qualified to do biological research and can’t describe how a CPU works. None of that interests me nor has it ever. And yet my world, both professionally and personally, revolves around technology.

What I have always loved about technology is how it impacts our world on a daily basis. Is my T-Mobile G1 phone with the Android O/S saving the world? No, but it has kept me from getting lost thanks to its Map application, allowed me to take a picture while boating in the middle of Lake Pend O’Reille in Idaho and posting it to Facebook in real-time, and let me instant message with my kids during carpools.

It’s these types of advances that give me hope that people and companies will continue to create new technologies that not only help support corporate growth, but allow young minds to be creative and ask the question…why not?

When you hear the names Proctor & Gamble and BlueCross BlueShield what images come to mind? Conservative? Old school? Bureaucratic? I think it’s safe to say that these two companies, fairly or unfairly, aren’t exactly known for being progressive or nimble. Yet both of these well-known American brands have recently implemented programs that might surprise you.

P&G is letting several hundred of its workers use their own laptops as part of a workplace experiment.

This pilot program is based on a simple idea: many of P&G’s younger employees would rather use their own laptops than corporate-issued systems.

BlueCross BlueShield plans to introduce online care this year, a service that allows patients to connect with a physician on-demand 24 hours a day using webcams for video links, or secure text messages or telephone conversations.

I find that the word “brand” is thrown around quite loosely nowadays. Establishing brand takes careful planning, time and smart execution. Yet all the hard work in the world can be thrown by the wayside by a simple misstep – think Toyota could have handled that little gas pedal/floor mat issue any better?

If someone were to ask me what companies come to mind when I hear the words progressive, nimble, risk taking, I don’t think of P&G or BlueCross BlueShield. Yet both of these companies, albeit for different reasons, have adopted new technologies and policies which have helped to strengthen their already strong brands. By implementing these two new programs I believe that both companies are doing a good job of reinforcing their already strong brands by leveraging technology to adapt with the times.

By using new technologies and new methods of communicating with their employees and customers, both P&G and BlueCross BlueShield have shown that they have the guts (in a rough economy) to evolve their own brand strategies and take chances.

Are there other conservative, old school companies out there that are showing a willingness to adapt to the modern times?

For longer than I care to admit, I have been marketing a variety of software products to enterprise IT professionals and managers, from cloud-based start-ups to SAP.  What appeals to about this space is the technical nature of the products and the challenges of differentiating a client’s products from their competitors.  It’s also gratifying to hear about the customer successes and how a client’s technology is making a very real difference.

Over the years, the marketing approach we’ve used has involved more or less the same set of tools.  To launch a new product release, for instance, you first get everyone together and figure out a press release and some messaging, tie into a trade show, update the web site, put together a slide deck for sales and follow up with telemarketing.

And while all that still holds true, what’s changed is the growing influence of blogging. Over the last couple of years, blogging about enterprise software has expanded by leaps and bounds. The list of bloggers on the SAP Community Network or over at Oracle is truly extensive and growing steadily. Moreover, there are dozens upon dozens of consultants and managers all with a story to tell and blogging regularly.

It only makes sense that enterprise software would be a fertile ground for blogs. This stuff is complex and changes constantly. And no piece of enterprise software ever dies.  It simply isn’t possible for a general IT publication to even do a passable of job of delivering on information needs across all the little niches and cubbyholes. Enterprise software bloggers play a critical role in keeping specialized audiences informed and educated.

You might think the IT managers are all business and no fun, but having tied one on at a few SAPPHIREs, I can safely say that this can be a lively community.  It follows that Facebook is a popular gathering place for various IT communities. For instance, the SAPPHIRENOW 2010 (not sure about that name) Facebook page has nearly 2,000 fans, sharing critical information such as this photo of Shaun White with an SAP airport sign:

With blogging and social media on the upswing in the enterprise IT space, it follows that as marketers and IT professionals, we need to be there too. No longer is it enough to just do the press release, the trade show circuit and webinars. You need to be blogging (or podcasting and videocasting), you need to be on Facebook.  You need to be active and participating in the forums. You need to build communities of your own.

The rise of social media changes what we do in marketing and PR. Instead of focusing on finely tuned brochures and trade show booths, we spend time encouraging content owners and technical experts to keep blogging and looking for ways to syndicate content across blogs and various social media channels.  An example of how this works is a blog post by Deb Lavoy of Open Text (a McKenzie Worldwide client) that ended up on the AIIM Facebook page. AIIM is a large enterprise content management professional association.

If you’re an enterprise marketer, it would be great to hear how you see blogging and social media changing your approach. What’s working? What’s not? What are some of the best ways to take full advantage of this channel? I plan on delving deeper into this subject in future posts. Let’s talk.

It’s interesting to see how the idea of the virtual office has evolved and mirrored the advancement of the technologies available.  When I heard that Inc. Magazine had produced an entire issue virtually, I was intrigued.  One of Inc. Magazine’s staff writers came up with the notion of making an article idea about working remotely, “The Case and the Plan for the Virtual Company,” more personal by implementing a virtual office for the entire magazine staff for a month.  You can read and listen to the results for yourself but the net of it is that they were able to put this issue out without any of the staff members working in the main office.

One of the more surprising aspects of this story is that the entire staff was able to continue to do their jobs remotely without buying any new technology, software or equipment.  Ten years ago, when people were just starting to talk about the possibilities of working remotely, the argument often raised was the complication and expense of setting up a home office.  At the time there were naysayers who also questioned whether or not effective communication could still take place.  Now with just about every home having a computer, or better yet a laptop, and free technologies such as Skype it appears that many of these objections are no longer issues.

Many people working from home have experienced a significant increase in productivity. In the NPR podcast, “Magazine Staff Produces Entire Issue from Home,” Jane Berenston, Editor of Inc. Magazine, substantiates that point saying that staff writers found they were much more productive when they were working at  home and often lost track of time while they finished a story.  Berenston also reported that her staff was able to utilize the time they would have spent commuting by getting more work done. Talk about a “Green” work lifestyle!

All in all, a great article and podcast.

Maybe it’s because I’m married to a code monkey that I thought this little song was so cute?  I just think it’s great when we can make fun of ourselves.  There’s so much bad press for software developers…when code goes bad…when security holes are found…when software is hacked.  It’s nice when a little song can come along that helps to give these “monkeys” a personality, helps us all to realize that even though they like Fritos and Mountain Dew…they’re still people!  Click below to hear this cute little tune , I challenge you to listen to this song and not have a different opinion of the code monkey.

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Ok, so I don’t mean to be on a blogging rut focused on analyzing advertisements but I saw this commercial a few days ago and it struck me as an example of a smart way to use your industry leadership. In one of their latest commercials Lysol is positioning one of their employees as a key spokesperson. He’s not just any employee but Joe Rubino, the Director of Microbiology for Lysol Products. He introduces himself and then proceeds to give tips on how to kill the H1N1 virus in your home … oh and by the way…one of the tips is to use Lysol disinfectant spray and cloths.

My first thought is, “Wow, so Lysol has a Director for Microbiology? That’s pretty cool!” And then my second thought is, “Wow, so they care enough to show consumers how to make sure their home is safe from the H1N1 virus?” This ad represents a good example of how to not only use but to substantiate your position as a leader within your industry. Lysol is not only reinforcing their leadership position but also coming across as experts who really care about the consumer. They are doing this by not being in the consumer’s face about how great their product is, but by using a strategy of offering helpful tips on how to keep your home safe.

Where Lysol is missing the mark – and maybe this campaign has been out for a while and I missed it – is in timing. H1N1 is very close to becoming irrelevant. The threat is still there but nothing like it was a few months ago. Lysol may still be within the window, but much of the impact from an effective campaign is being lost with the onset of spring and the decline in flu virus. Well there’s always next year…

More than six years ago, I answered a query in a chat room.  A woman in LA was looking for radio interviewers.  As a long-time news anchor, reporter and author-interviewer, I symbolically raised my hand.

And then.

I lowered it.

She was looking for podcasters.  I’d never done a podcast.

She asked, “Have you hosted and produced radio shows?”

“Probably hundreds of radio shows, all lengths,” I quickly answered.

“Then,” she said, “you’ve done hundreds of podcasts. You’re hired.”

Oh! So, that’s a podcast!

Since then, I’ve hosted and produced more than a hundred more podcasts for authors, high tech clients, MBA and Law School students, and others.  Podcasts are real, dynamic conversations that you can listen to anytime, anyplace.  The word stems from a blend of “broadcasting” and “iPods.”  Or, as Wired described it in a March 2005 article, “the bastard offspring of the blog and the Apple MP3 player.”

Podcast popularity is rising rapidly.  The respected Pew organization did a study in late 2008 on the habits of web users.  The Pew Internet and American Life Project found 19-percent of Internet users downloaded podcasts, and this is up from twelve-percent two years prior to that.

Other stats – men more likely than women to download, and under-fifty more likely than over-fifty.  But, again, that was two years ago.

The Pew 2008 study shows more than 43,000 podcasts were produced — more than double the 2006 figure, and that technology is the most popular sector.  More than 4,000 podcasts were available then.  Wonder how many now?  I know I’ve pumped in a bunch.

Searching for ever more current stats, I find eMarketer projecting the growth will continue at least for the next three years, when there will be 37.6 million people downloading podcasts on a monthly basis.  That’s double the 2008 figures.  No question the trend is up.

Thankfully, podcasting is more than grabbing a mic and some software.  Paul Verna, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the report, Podcasting Into the Mainstream says “Today, the vast majority of the top-rated podcasts come from recognizable media entities that are using podcasts to expand their existing radio, TV, cable, or satellite audiences.”

The thing about podcasts is that they’re so convenient. They’re especially effective for high technology.  Entertaining.  Informative. Like a conversation between business associates.  And you can listen in anywhere.

Ok, I know there’s a football game going on as well, but for me, it’s all about the commercials. Anyone remember the Bud Bowls of the late ‘80s-early 90’s? I see the unveiling of these multimillion commercials, that often represent an entire year’s worth of advertising budget, as the biggest event of the year. I love watching the commercials in real-time but I will also Tivo the Superbowl and then fast forward through the game to get to the commercials. I wonder if anyone else does that since it probably does seem to be a bit backward. Ok ok, “My name is Stephanie and I’m a total advertising/marketing nerd.”

When I started my PR career, I was taught to always ask the question…why? So… why are these companies investing in this type of advertising campaign now? Why did they choose the Superbowl? Why did they take this direction with their commercial? Why are the putting all their eggs in one basket with this huge multi-million dollar commercial? Why did the choose the spokesperson/actor they did? Why, Why Why?? And the after all the why’s…I’m dying to know…how are they going to follow this up? What’s their plan to leverage and continue the momentum started with this commercial? Will they engage social media strategies and if not…why? Yes, lots of questions! I know!!

So anyway, come Sunday…I’ll be eagerly watching the Superbowl…but I’ll be the only one getting snacks during the game, so I can be at full attention for the commercials!

There’s inherent synergy between a company sales department and the PR team. I was recently reminded of how valuable it can for PR to stay tapped into what’s happening on the ground – and for PR to in turn contribute to the sales effort.

The obvious connection is with the new customers who buy a company’s solution and agree to be part of various PR activities. The sales team can then of course use articles in their sales materials.

There are other ways though that these two groups can work effectively together. On a recent conference call, I had a chance to speak with a few marketing folks who are in tight communication with their sales force. The purpose of the call was to go over upcoming editorial calendar opportunities for the target publications for the prioritized vertical markets.

As we were reviewing the topics, one of the marketing folks brought up that they had been working with the sales team on RFP’s that directly related to more than a few of the editorial calendar opportunities. Not only did these RFP’s directly address the editorial calendar topics but they were responding to real-world customer scenarios that were specific to the customer’s needs, giving us unique slants to use in our pitches. Wow! How cool!

We now have a monthly call with the sales team to review the upcoming editorial calendar topics, making sure to tap into each other’s pool of knowledge and the information gathered for pitches and for RFP’s.

Why is it that everyone seems to be in such a hurry in life? What is this irresistible craving we have for speed? Now I must admit that I grew up in the 1980s as part of the MTV generation so my attention span is pretty limited. Even Lisa Simpson, in an episode of The Simpsons, commented that (and I’m paraphrasing here) “we grew up in the MTV generation so we have an attention span of less than a minute.”

Armed with a short attention span and living in a business world where time apparently does equal money, we need to find ways to cut corners so we can be more productive. I completely understand that. Technologies like cell phones and mobile computing keep me stay connected to my work and help improve my productivity. But seriously, have we taken the whole speed-productivity-simplifying everything a little too far?

Which brings me to my question of the day: how many acronyms does the high tech world need? Why must we shorten everything so that we can talk faster?

The other day I was configuring my daughter’s new laptop. In the middle of cursing up a storm (yes, I’m technologically challenged J), in the same sentence I said, “just plug that into the USB drive, I’ll hook it up to the Wi-Fi network and the printer and then you’ll have your own SOHO set-up.” She looked at me like I was from Mars.

In an effort to help simplify everyone’s life in the tech world and help improve productivity I recommend that we combine some high tech acronyms. How about these?

CRM and ERP? Would that be CREEP?

HIPAA and BPO? Would that be HIPPO?

GUI and NIMBY? Would that be GUMBY?

SOHO and SAP? Would that be SOAP?

SMB and AC? Would that be SMAC?

Really now…SaaS, IP, VOIP, FOIP, ISO, CMOS, HTTP, RFID, FTP, OEM and EMEA …it never stops.

So what’s your opinion? Has the tech world taken acronyms too far?