Going Viral for all the Wrong Reasons

Every time someone reads, clicks or shares a link or piece of content that we have created, it sends a small dose of dopamine into our brain. This release provides us with a sense or reward, pleasure – and encouragement. It’s why (for the marketer) digital marketing or social media can be addictive. It is also why those who don’t use social media fail to understand the way that participation can become contagious – or how content can go “viral”.

Unfortunately, the concept of “virality” has positive and negative connotations. And while the highs that come with a viral “hit” can be dwarfed by the lows that come with a viral “miss”. Where once we held that there was no such thing as bad PR, we now know that there IS such a thing as bad social media – and there are very real impacts on our reputation (personal and corporate) and even downsides for our corporation’s share price.

For those who have one eye on the audience and another on your corporate reputation, Sprinklr’s recent whitepaper on crisis management will be a must-read. Covering the five essentials for crisis preparation, it includes a handy score card to help you assess when a crisis is likely to move from medium to critical, and even includes a sample flowchart which you can adapt to your own organisation.

The whitepaper by Rick Reed (Intel), Melissa Agnes (Agnes + Day) and Sprinklr’s Ali Ardalan and Uyen Nguyen is a handy document to model your own crisis plan on. And it might just be your saviour should you find yourself “going viral” for all the wrong reasons. Download your copy here (registration required).

Tales of the One in Ten

Disadvantage can shape an entire life. This short, animated film by The Smith Family called, David & the Big Heavy, follows the true story of a young boy struggling to cope with issues at home and school as his family adjusts to life in a new country.

But then something happens that he could never have imagined.

Watch and share and help change someone else’s story.

Three Whats and a Why – Mary Meeker Meltdown

It’s that time of year when Mary Meeker releases her internet trends report. It’s the one that melts the internet.

Now, I will leave you to your own devices to go through the 164 slides in your own time. There is plenty to read, review and digest. But I’d also encourage you to look at a redesigned (and re-imagined) version of Mary Meeker’s slides. After all, in 2012, Mary Meeker encouraged us to think of one of the core trends as “re-imagining everything”.

But before you immerse yourself in “trends” … take a moment to reflect on the last 12 months in your business or organisation:

  • What mattered in mid 2013?
  • What matters now?
  • What are you measuring?
  • Why are these things important?

Understanding your own Three Whats and a Why can help you determine which trends are worth your attention, and which are just noise. Choose your signals wisely.

ReflectionsCreative Commons License Kevin Dooley via Compfight