As I mentioned in this previous post, “Don’t think the conversation is the message? Just look at how higher ed media have been going 2.0 lately,” I was interviewed last June by Andrea Jarrell:
Anyway, “the conversation is the message†has come back at me this week in an email exchange with Andrea Jarrell. She’s working on a follow-up piece for Currents focusing on the Web 2.0 denial syndrome (my words, hers were “fear and loathing in Web 2.0″) in higher ed communication offices.
I can’t wait to read Andrea’s article in the September issue of Currents, because she’s definitely right on target. People always fear change, and Web 2.0 is a big change for marketing, PR and communications folks.
For some, the denial stage — it’s just a fad — has just begun.
Earlier this month, I received a copy of the issue and was able to read “Fear and Loathing in Web 2.0,” a great feature article published in the September issue of CASE’s Currents also including some insights from 2 other higher ed bloggers: Andrew Careaga and Andrew Shaindlin (as you can see, Andrews are pretty well represented in the higher ed blogosphere ;-).
The online version of the article is usually only available to CASE members, but I asked nicely Liz Reilly, the editor of Currents, and she gave me (and you) a temporary access to this article until October 31st, 2007 so you can read the article even if your institution isn’t a member of CASE.
Something I really like about this piece is its conclusion (and not just because I’m quoted ;-)
Although the new Web 2.0 world announces the end of the controlled message, Joly says, the unmediated conversations of the blogosphere don’t actually conflict with integrated marketing. “If your integrated marketing strategy is based on what really makes your institution a good fit for prospective students, there is no balancing act. What will be published on blogs by your students will be along the lines of what can be read in your viewbook or on your Web site.†Think of it as staying “on concept†rather than “on message,†she says.
Rather than chucking the idea of brand out the window, today’s fifth “p†in marketing—participation—makes it even more important than ever for institutions to know who they are and what they stand for and to give their constituents ways to talk about it. Drevs emphasizes that Loyola’s blogs focus on key university brand traits connected to its Jesuit tradition and to pursuing global social justice. “Web 2.0 was the next big thing, but the university’s differentiation is not based on the technology,†he says. “It’s based on what Loyola is really good at.â€
While there is a certain amount of risk in letting go of control, not letting go is even riskier. If you don’t take part in all these online conversations, Joly says, “people searching blogs for information about your institution will only find content created and published on other blogs.â€
Put another way, if the conversation is the message, then opting out of the conversation is the real loss of control.
