Quick rundown.  There’s an old and much beloved board game called Merchant of Venus.  Monopoly in space, let’s say (though there’s more to it than that).  The company that made it was bought in the late ‘90s, but the ownership of the rights became muddled.  Recently, two different companies thought they bought the rights to do a reprint – Fantasy Flight Games (FFG), a major player in the industry, and Stronghold Games, a well-regarded two-man shop.  In a specialty industry with many small independent firms, FFG has sometimes wrestled with accusations of being too “corporate.”

Both firms spent more than a year independently working on the Merchant of Venus project before, in mid-October, Stronghold Games announced on its website and on major gaming forums that it was reprinting the game.  Fantasy Flight responded by announcing its own reprint on its website, leading to consumer confusion (click to enlarge):

There were also accusations that they, as the larger company, were going to take advantage of their greater resources to quash a beloved small business.  Hundreds of posts were made over the next few days, such as (click to enlarge):

Although this announcement and the resulting firestorm came on a Saturday, the CEO of FFG was quick to respond, writing personally to the community.  He did three things that are key for reputation management:

1. Be timely.  This post was published at 12:06 am the day after the discussion began.  Timeliness shows that you care enough to set aside other work or a relaxing weekend and solve the problem.
2. Acknowledge consumer concerns.  Petersen addresses the specific question of the designer’s rights, understanding that this was a major issue for many.
3. Keep it personal.  His post – despite being about a legal issue – isn’t filled with legalese.  It’s written with honest excitement about the product and respect for the other publisher, Stronghold Games, even has he reasserts his company’s claim.
4. Have a specific plan for remedying the situation.  Consumers understand that the unexpected happens; they just want to know what you’re going to do next (click to enlarge):

Although the discussion continued, most posters seemed to accept that both parties were acting in good faith, and that whatever the outcome of the legal proceedings, both companies would deal with each other and with their fans fairly.  The crisis was stopped while still small, so no long-term reputational damage occurred.

Have you had to try to put out a spark recently before it became a wildfire?  How did the crisis management go?

Featured image by JoePhoto, used with attribution under a Creative Commons CC BY 2.0 license.

According to a November 2011 Pew Research study, 86% of smartphone owners and 77% of tablet owners use 10 or fewer apps every week. Of course, we don’t all use the same apps. On a bus filled with smartphone-tappers, one person might be taking notes for a book and making calendar appointments, while another might have a selection of games to pass the time and a third software to make their own music on the go. Pilots have been replacing their flight manuals with specialized apps, and smartphone photographers around the world have been taking advantage of Instagram’s filters. Yet across the population of app users, there’s clearly a limit to their time and attention – consumers won’t download an app if they don’t think it will give them value, or they’ll download it only to let it sit unused in the apps directory.

Developing a mobile app can be a great part of a Content Fusion-based communications strategy, but as with any other channel, it has to be targeted to the right audience and focused on providing useful content to its users. There’s a million apps out there. By the time yours goes live, there will probably be 1.1 million, and more of your audience will already have 9 or 10 apps they use regularly. So the key questions are…why your app rather than 1.1 million others? And how do you get into people’s top 10 weekly apps?

Is this something that people do on their phone anyway? If I didn’t have a Facebook app, I’d use the browser – but the app makes it easier. If I didn’t have FlightTrack, I’d look up departure times on the Delta website – but the app makes it easier.

Is the app’s purpose and execution simple? Tiny phone screens have limited real estate. Are you asking people to do something complicated, or simply to read a news update (which 74% of people like to do via apps), make a social post (67%) or learn useful information (64%)? If you want them to do elaborate things like manage health (29%) or shop (46%), there’s far less interest.

Is it fun? Of course the Adjective Animal (Angry Birds, Rocket Bunnies, etc.) series of games are fun, but is your app actually pleasant for people to use? The concept of “gamification,” including rewards such as tokens, badges or prizes for small accomplishments, has spread across digital culture. Can your app offer rewards to people who spend time with it that encourage them to come back and use it more?

Is it accessible? Not everyone is an early adopter, willing to go out of their way to find the latest and greatest apps. An essential part of every app launch is to make sure that the people who need to hear about it, do hear about it – and what its value will be to them.

What other factors should app creators consider?

Image by Rob Enslin, used with attribution under a Creative Commons CC BY 2.0 license.

Watching the orchestra as much as I listened to them, my thoughts inevitably turned to digital and social. (Let’s just say it’s hard to switch off in this line of work…) Symphony No. 9 is very much an ensemble piece, with no single instrument or performer taking the spotlight. There were many times during each movement when I’d hear the music and not be able to identify which section was giving us the foreign-yet-compelling sound. Scanning the musicians, I’d try to figure out which instrument was producing the arresting, captivating notes in question – but it was difficult, because the individual performers do not draw attention to themselves. It’s about the work, the effect, and the connection with the listener.

Orchestras blend communication with organization to create something remarkable. Every day, that’s what we strive to do for our clients. We’re not banging drums for the sake of it, tooting horns because we can, or crashing cymbals because it gets attention. Everything is driven by business objectives, executed by seasoned specialists, and directed by the singular purpose of producing something that takes brands and clients somewhere they otherwise may never have reached. As Weber Shandwick is bringing in a great deal of talent from outside the traditional PR world – such as our multi-Emmy Award winning Executive Producer Ian Cohen and our Chief Creative Officer Josh Rose – I couldn’t help but think of Glass’ innovative collaborations with sculptors, painters, choreographers, filmmakers, rappers, and others who can bring something new and spectacular to the table.

At the end, Glass received three standing ovations. With precise timing, Symphony No. 9 was released last night as a digital download. It seems the world of orchestral music is taking lessons from our industry, too.

Photo by Jackie Danicki, used with permission

After reinvigorating classic fashion label Chloé, making it cool again after a long dry spell, Philo was named artistic director of another major label: Céline. She’s so hip that Kanye West name-checks her on the first track of his latest album.

Philo is also seen as a visionary, someone who can innovate in a world steeped in tradition and custom. Her latest attempt to turn the fashion world on its head is happening off the runway, though. In fact, she’s removing the runway altogether.

Philo has decided that Céline will not take part in Paris Fashion Week with the same runway show event that every other label does, and has done for years. Instead, she’s going to stage a very intimate, informal showing. Philo has decided to go lo-fi, shunning altogether the event everyone “has” to do. (The official reason for this is that she is expecting her third child in April and a gigantic runway show would be too stressful an undertaking.)

So far, feedback from industry insiders is positive. Many have commented on how refreshing the approach is, eliminating the chaotic, scrum-like atmosphere to focus on the substance of her products instead of the dazzling lights that usually surround them. Buyers, celebrities and media will be spared a circus-like atmosphere and treated to a private, up-close viewing of the clothes.

Instead of merely reaching for the most spectacular thing her label could do to create a frenzied environment for the runway, she’s scrapping the runway in favor of more meaningful engagement with her customers.

Could it fail? Yes. If it does, some people could lose their jobs. But it could also be a stellar success, and spark a shift away from impersonal flashiness to carefully curated intimacy between brand and customer. It’s a calculated risk, but one worth taking – especially in light of how business at large is evolving.

With Phoebe Philo’s track record, expect the industry to follow her lead if this works. Because some brands lead and some follow, and Philo’s brands have always led. How about yours?

How important is content? So important that the New York Times and People magazine, in partnership with manufacturers, are now subsidizing e-readers for subscribers. The Times is giving away certain e-readers outright to those who subscribe for one year.

This makes sense no matter how you look at it, for both manufacturers and content producers – especially when the ease of purchasing additional content straight from the device turns them into handheld revenue generators. When e-readers first debuted, some traditionalists claimed that they’d never take off, that people love to hold real books and magazines. Recent developments in the runaway success of the e-book market have quieted such claims, and this new approach is likely to spread. Yes, the future is now.

Why?  That’s easy: to salute the talented and dedicated communications practitioners that manage more than 100 social communities on behalf of our clients.  From airplanes and automobiles, candy to pet food, mobile devices to hair care products, our community managers get deeply invested in the happiness of our clients’ communities. These members of our organization write creatively, fend off troublemakers, field questions, and spark compelling conversations; and serve as a consumer face for the many top brands we’re privileged to call our clients.

Today, on Community Manager Appreciation Day, Weber Shandwick toasts our amazing communicators and we thank them for their dedication, service, and good humor through inevitable challenges.

And we are always looking for enthusiastic, driven individuals with a passion for social media, brands and customers. If you’re intrigued, we’re hiring: have a look at the opportunities we have available and get in touch to be part of our exciting team.

Ponara Eng gave a packed room at the Science Museum of Minnesota a preview of what this means for the future of F-commerce last Wednesday morning as part of the first monthly MIMA meeting of 2012

So, why the change? According to Mashable, “The move was prompted by Facebook’s assertion that the Like button constrained sharing because it was an implicit endorsement of content. Facebook wants users to share everything they are doing, whether it’s watching a show or hiking a trail, so the company decided to create a way to ’express lightweight activity.’ “

This news is fulfilling a promise made when Facebook first announced at their F8 conference in September that marketers would be able to start using whatever verbs they want on their sites and apps.

But the big deal here has to do with “frictionless,” which means users will be able to opt once into sharing all of their activities from certain sites and apps. The frictionlessness means some will end up sharing a lot more about their online activities, which will in turn be seen more by their friends. This has the potential to drive virality and ultimately clicks back to the marketers website and increase the bottom line.

What actions would you like your users to start sharing with others?

In The Future is Now: Content, Context & Consequences for Brands, we’ve distilled the most critical outcomes of CES, giving direction to brands and those marketing them on how they can move now to capitalize on emerging trends.

As you can see from the video below, the Consumer Electronics Show was its usual dizzying, hectic self – but with some crucial stand-out themes that will have a big impact on how brands communicate. Read all about it.

The Company behind the Brand: In Reputation We Trust identifies six key insights for marketing and communications executives, revealing a world where people no longer buy products based solely on their own merits – they also shop by company reputation. Read more in our executive summary.

Over at the Forbes blog, our head of digital Chris Perry breaks down the implications of this research for marketers and communicators charged with keeping their brands’ reputations in check.

Above are excerpts from our much more detailed infographic, available here.