Antiphony

Balancing Innovation and Enterprise Concerns

Ellen Weber — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 13:39:27 GMT

As we work with both large enterprises with innovation initiatives and startup companies looking to sell to enterprises, a very interesting dance comes into play over and over again. While enterprises need innovation to continue their growth and health, ensuring that these innovations are compliant with their security, data, and reporting requirements is never easy.

Tim O'Brien Microsoft's general manager of platform strategy, really understands this dance, as he discussed with Hamish McKenzie in his article: The New World in Enterprise Computing.

What Microsoft has learned and startups are only now finding out is that there are no shortcuts to understanding enterprise requirements, says O’Brien. “The things that keep businesses up at night have as much to do with compliance and security and governance and data portability, and things like that, as they do with innovation and disruption and business agility, and some of the new things that probably get more attention in the press,” he says.

As enterprises adapt more innovation from early-stage companies, incubating them properly will become more and more important.

Thinking Inside the Box

Ellen Weber — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:26:25 GMT

Thinking inside the box may not be common advice, but sometimes it is the best way to create a product or a service. We often think of innovation as something that we sit and squeeze and something comes out... when basically it comes down to people drawing from their own experiences.

Next time you call for an innovation meeting, encourage the group to get in their box to create products and services that they are interested in. Ask them to think about the problems that they are currently experiencing, and then to brainstorm as a group on solutions to those problems.

To read more, see this article on a recent Idea Generation Workshop at Weiss Tech House:

http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2011/11/idea_generation_workshop_kicks_off_pennvention

Creating a Culture of Innovation

Kathy Harrell Babin — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:55:06 GMT

Fostering a "culture of innovation" can be a tall order for many businesses, particularly as they evolve from fast-moving, nimble start-ups into more mature organizations. Somewhere along the way, the entrepreneurial spark that helped kindle exciting new ideas can get extinguished. With the notable exception of a few standout companies such as Apple, most businesses tend to become less innovative and more complacent over time.

However, there are some concrete steps that companies can take to help make innovation an ongoing part of their corporate culture. In a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, "Can a Big Company Innovate Like a Start-up?” author Ron Askenas touches on some of these ideas.

We invite you to share your thoughts with us on the subject. What's been your experience with innovation as companies mature?

Social Media - It's a Culture Thing

Kathy Harrell Babin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:51:48 GMT

Social Media -
It's a Culture Thing

For companies taking the plunge into the social media world, it’s often as much about changing their communications culture as it is about the technology. Let’s face it, social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook are about creating dialogues, which, by definition, entail a certain degree of spontaneity and informality.

Traditional forms of corporate communications, such as the standard press release often involve lengthy, internal review processes. Social media requires a shift in thinking. Channels such as Twitter and Facebook invite conversations with the outside world, and blogs, which are increasingly popular, tend be unfiltered venues for opinions and insights.

As a result, companies who are taking the plunge into social media typically give employees guidelines on what they can and can’t say, then trust they’ll represent the company in a favorable light. Relinquishing control of the process can be a scary proposition, but the upside is being able to reveal a more of human side of the company. Less spin, more personality.

I happen to think it’s refreshing to see companies engage in a public dialogue in a less formal way. For example, take Jonathan Schwartz, the CEO of Sun Microsystems who became the first chief executive of a major company to create his own blog. As noted in the New York Times, he made history as the first Fortune 200 CEO to tweet his resignation, and he took the novel approach of doing it via a haiku. No stuffy press release for him.

Social media requires a more open corporate culture, but by giving voice to a multitude of new perspectives, it promises to enrich the conversation for everyone.

Kathy Harrell Babin is a senior marketing and communications strategist for Antiphony. In addition to helping companies market their products and tell their stories, she enjoys vegetarian cooking, yoga and running.

Employee Policies for Social Media - A Must Have

Kathy Harrell Babin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:59:41 GMT

Employee Policies for
Social Media - A Must Have

For those of us in the marketing communications world, one of the hottest topics these days is how to develop thoughtful policies to ensure employees use social media responsibly. Thanks to the widespread popularity of social media channels such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, companies are increasingly being forced to think about what kinds of information employees are divulging in these public forums.

Of course, it’s all a bit complicated as the traditional boundaries between personal and professional communications are becoming blurred, which is why having a clear policy spelled out is so important. Companies must protect themselves and their reputation by defining what’s okay and not okay to say.

Perhaps one of the best corporate policies I’ve seen is IBM's Social Computing Guidelines which the company developed in conjunction with input from its employees. These guidelines spell out the company’s underlying philosophy about employee participation in social media forums (quick synopsis: okay to learn and participate, but must be responsible) as well as practical considerations regarding proprietary information, confidentiality and social media etiquette.

I think one of the most salient points from IBM’s guidelines is the concept of employees taking personal responsibility for any and all online content they create, even in “private” social media venues like Facebook. In short, if employees talk about the company on Facebook, they might inadvertently put the company at risk as a result of what they say. What’s published will be public for a long time to come and online content can easily be spread far beyond its initial audience. Employees need to think carefully about what they write so it doesn’t come back to haunt them, and the company, at some point down the road.

Additionally, here are some other guiding principles to keep in mind when developing a social media policy.

1. Employees should identify who they are and their role at the company.

2. Employees must not share confidential or proprietary information.

3. Employees should state they are not an authorized representative of the company.

4. Employees should respect copyrighted work and give credit where it’s due.

5. Employees should maintain a civil, polite tone in all online conversations.

As social media continues to evolve, the opportunity for employees to engage in meaningful dialogues with the outside world will continue to grow which is why creating practical employee guidelines is so important.

Kathy Harrell Babin is a senior marketing and communications strategist for Antiphony. In addition to helping companies market their products and tell their stories, she enjoys vegetarian cooking, yoga and running.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet - That is the Question

Kathy Harrell Babin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:10:03 GMT

To Tweet or Not to Tweet -
That is the Question

Despite the fact I’m intrigued by social media, most of my friends don’t use Twitter. For now, I suppose, they don’t feel compelled to share their thoughts with the world via the popular social networking site. That’s okay because there are lots of good reasons for individuals not to Twitter.

On the other hand, many businesses are now using Twitter or at least starting to test the waters. However, twittering is hard work. While the upfront costs of creating a Twitter account are minimal, the ongoing care and feeding of it takes a concerted effort from someone dedicated to the cause. When customers send a company a tweet, they expect a timely response. To build a community of followers, content must be fresh and interesting. And, in order for a company to monitor its online reputation, someone needs sort through online clutter to scrutinize relevant tweets.

Like any social media tool, Twitter should be part of a broader marketing strategy, but the potential upside of using it to communicate with customers, prospects, journalists and other key influencers is promising. Tom Pick makes a compelling case for why businesses should use Twitter in his recent blog.

Also, if you’re just learning about Twitter check out this useful post by Elyssa Pallai “5 Simple Listening Twitter Tips Every Marketer Should Know.” Twitter can be a valuable tool if you carefully consider the work and resources it’ll require before you start.

Kathy Harrell Babin is a senior marketing and communications strategist for Antiphony. In addition to helping companies market their products and tell their stories, she enjoys vegetarian cooking, yoga, running, and spending time with her husband, kids and labrador retriever.

The Value of Innovating Vertically

Jeffrey — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:51:42 GMT

Apple [NASDAQ:AAPL] is often cited as a model of innovation, leading BusinessWeek's Most Innovative Companies list every year since it was established in 2005. We know that design and cool are key elements of Apple's success. However, the old-fashioned concept of vertical integration is critical to the company's innovativeness.

When Apple introduced the Macintosh in 1984, they controlled all aspects of the hardware, operating system, and software. This focus on vertical integration was the source of ridicule in the early days of the PC, when IBM/Microsoft took Apple's early desktop market leadership and relegated the Apple and its Macintosh to a niche player in computing. However, Apple's focus has always been and remains on the user experience. In the case of the Macintosh, Apple creates and controls the computing experience.

Apple did not create the MP3 player, but by integrating the iPod, iTunes software, and the iTunes music store, Apple controls the music consumption experience. The fact that they were the first to bring on all the major music labels to the iTunes store concept helped, too. In this case, without owning the music, Apple controls how the music is bought, organized, and played.

According to Strategic Analytics, Apple became the "World's Most Profitable Handset Vendor in 3Q2009." Apple earned an estimated $1.6 billion in profits on its iPhone handheld device. That is ~$500MM more than Nokia, the worldwide market leader in handsets, earned on handsets in the same period. Your first reaction might be, "of course, their prices are higher, so their profits would be higher, too." But consider the following: Nokia has 43 models of handsets in the US alone. Apple has ONE. This allows Apple to work with manufacturers to drive the price, and therefore their cost, down. Vertical integration allows Apple to be incredibly profitable as well as innovative.

Late last year, the WSJ (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125954262100968855.html) wrote of "executives reviving 'vertical integration,' a 100-year-old strategy in which a company controls materials, manufacturing and distribution." Apple never deviated from this strategy with the Macintosh, the iPod, or the iPhone.

This brings us to Wednesday's announcement of the iPad, "a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price." [You have to love Apple's marketing department.] To me, the most significant, yet unheralded part of this launch announcement, is the Apple A4 chip, the heart of the iPad. This chip brings Apple back into the semiconductor business to ensure that they have even more control over the eReading, eMailing, eListening, ePhotoing, eVideoing and other eXperiences Apple wants to innovate. This is one 100 year-old strategy that works today!

Rapid-Response Listening and Responding

Kathy Harrell Babin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:13:06 GMT

I just read an interesting blog by Paul Gillian "The Decade That Transformed Media" about the contraction of traditional mass market media over the last decade. The mind-boggling statics he cites illustrate how quickly things are changing in the world. A mere decade ago, most people had never heard of Google or blogs. People used their mobile phones for talking, and got their news from old-fashioned newspapers and magazines. Facebook and Twitter hadn't even been invented yet.

Today, my two kids couldn't begin to imagine life without cell phones and iPods. The amount of information available at their fingertips would have been beyond my wildest dreams when I was a kid.

As new technologies continue to redefine how we communicate, what does it all mean for marketers? For starters, it means companies have to turbo-charge how they listen to and engage their customers. Virtually any customer can write a glowing review, post a tweet, or publicly rant about their dissatisfaction online. Companies beware. Keeping up with and responding to these far-flung conversations is already tremendously challenging and promises to remain so as social media tools continue to evolve.

The amount of online clutter in cyberspace is daunting, but customers expect that they'll be heard and taken seriously. Savvy companies must invest in the resources and tools they need to create a meaningful dialogue with their customers. Social media may be new, but listening to your customers is an age-old ingredient for success.

Kathy Babin is a senior marketing and social media strategist for Antiphony. In addition to helping companies market their products and tell their stories, she enjoys vegetarian cooking, yoga, running, and spending time with her husband, kids and labrador retriever.

2010 Social Media Outlook: Going Mainstream

Kathy Harrell Babin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:58:08 GMT

Last year, the social media phenomena captured the attention of marketers everywhere. New Twitter pages, corporate Facebook profiles, podcasts, and blogs proliferated like mushrooms after a rainstorm as companies experimented with these tools to engage customers in ways that were once unimaginable.

Clearly, social media isn't just a fad. However, going forward, the trick will be for companies to incorporate social media into their traditional marketing strategies in a thoughtful manner. Like any endeavor, you need a sound plan before you pull the trigger. How should you budget your costs? How do you measure success? How do you use the customer feedback you gather from social media to shape your business?

This year promises to be a wild ride as social media increasingly goes mainstream. Undoubtedly, new ground will be broken as marketers work to find innovative ways of incorporating social media into their businesses. We're all in uncharted territory, learning as we go. Catharine Taylor just wrote a great article well worth reading "Eight Ways to Ruin Your Social Media Strategy." Good food for thought for the new year.

Innovation - The Year in Review

Ellen Weber — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:08:15 GMT

Unquestionably, executives everywhere dialed back on their investment in innovation -- in some cases, losing the edge that they had worked so hard to gain. But some interesting trends were noted this year, including instilling new discipline in looking at innovation, bottom-of-the-pyramid innovation, and many more.

To read the article...

And see their Best List of Innovation Books for 2009 - I for one am going to start reading the Chief Culture Officer today!

The Magic of "So That"

Ellen Weber — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:49:14 GMT

I had the good fortune of hearing David Ulrich speak this week to the Philadelphia Human Resource Society on Creating Value through HR and Leadership. His main focus was on Innovative HR and leadership trends including a focus on HR transformation.

My favorite takeaway? Using the phrase SO THAT. Too often, we HR Leaders say we need a Succession Plan, or a Performance Management System, or a Social Media network. By adding SO THAT, we enhance the strategic conversation. We need a better intranet SO THAT informed employees can make better customer service decisions, SO THAT we can retain clients, SO THAT we can increase revenue.