You may recall the PR executive who foolishly tweeted about never wanting to live in his client’s hometown. Now we have Washington Post columnist Mike Wise who “experimented” with a knowingly false Twitter post.

In case you missed it, Wise posted a fake tweet about a reduced suspension for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for alleged misconduct.  In a big dose of irony, Wise ended up suspended as well. 

Even though he quickly acknowledged that the post was a hoax, his violation of the Post’s guidelines for social media and intentional deviation from the principles of good journalism resulted in Wise having a month off to think about it. 

Personally, I applaud the Post for a couple of things in this case. 

First, the publication has a social media policy in place (something many companies STILL do not have). Second, it believes in the policy enough to enforce it (you can decide for yourself if it was too harsh or lenient). 

A good social media policy should cover approved, encouraged and prohibited behavior, as well as rights and recourses thereof.  In fact, the Post’s social media policy regarding use of Twitter is about as straightforward as it gets. 

This recent example of carelessness isn’t likely to deter others from jumping aboard the “Twitter train,” as described by Mike Bazinet of Terex Corporation on a previous G&S webinar I moderated for manufacturing equipment communicators.

Adoption of social media among B2B marketers continues to grow, so it’s critical to have the rules of engagement established now.

Wise, himself, says he exercised poor judgment.  On his radio show that aired the day after the Twitter commotion,  he said, “The radio studio, my computer, everything is a big echo chamber.  It’s self contained and it’s reviewable for scrutiny.”  He went even further saying that, “I don’t want any debate over my actions and the punishment received…Just know that the most sacred thing in my business – the business of journalism, not radio schtick – is getting readers to believe that what you are telling them is the closest thing to the truth you can ascertain.  And I didn’t do that yesterday.”

I couldn’t agree more.

(Guest contributor Steve Halsey is a vice president and leads digital and social media planning at Gibbs & Soell Public Relations.)

Apparently, I’m in the minority.  Riding around the neighborhood with my son last night, we kept meeting these families where the kids are wearing helmets, but not the parents.  I wonder how long it will take for the kids to decide they’re old enough to risk traumatic brain injury like Mom and Dad.

Mixed messages like this are a killer of progress, and I’m afraid I see similar incongruity in the actions of companies pursuing sustainability. 

I was handed a great example during a discussion with two executives of a company that sells sustainably produced coated papers.  We were discussing challenges they face when trying to convert customers to green solutions. 

Most were typical – misperceptions that green paper is more expensive and that purchasing agents are resistant to change.  One, however, stood out. 

They had a prospect that was committing itself to becoming more sustainable and green paper seemed to be the perfect way for them to convey this message.  The only problem? The company’s designers didn’t like how the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification watermark looked, so they wouldn’t source the green paper!

No wonder the recent G&S Sense & Sustainability Study™ found consumers and Fortune 1000 executives skeptical about the commitment of corporate America to sustainability.  Unless every department and supplier is making decisions that reflect dedication to sustainability, “going green” appears to be an option, not a business imperative. 

Everyone needs to model the desired behavior.  Even if it means risking helmet hair or the intrusion of a sustainable certification symbol on your brochure design.

More than a week later I still find myself humming it.  Not because I like it, but just because it is there.

Fast forward to a peer-to-peer exchange among senior communicators and sustainability advocates I moderated last week in Manhattan. 

It was a great discussion with thought leaders from Verizon Communications and Church & Dwight sharing insights about how they are managing to instill a sustainability mindset within their companies. 

The spirited discussion among an intimate group over breakfast revolved around shared pain points in regards to building a sustainable enterprise. 

The one point that kept coming up was the need and difficulty in getting employees to embrace and implement sustainable practices. 

From resistance to double-sided printing to a laissez-faire attitude about computer monitors left on after hours, people around the table were struggling with the challenge of creating a sustainability mindset among employees. 

That got me thinking about my earworm.  How can we get sustainability to play as a subconscious soundtrack – ever present, requiring no more effort to conjure up than remaining awake? 

Certainly, we must explore more what sustainability can do for the employees personally than what they personally can do to save the earth.  Simple language is also a must – I think the only polysyllabic words in California Gurls are its namesake state and “bikini.”  But maybe most importantly is the idea of a continuous loop of a few selected hits. 

Sustainability can’t be just one of several company initiatives that employees are asked to embrace; something that is “launched” and left to take root organically. 

It needs to be the number one “song” played on a continuous loop so that it worms its way into the employee subconscious.

(Guest contributor Ron Loch is a senior vice president at Gibbs & Soell Public Relations. He leads the firm’s Greentech & Sustainability Practice, collaborating with G&S colleagues specializing in advanced manufacturing and energy, agribusiness and food, consumer lifestyle and building solutions, professional services, and technology and general science.)

I immediately rushed to use that bit of inspiration on my daughter who was getting ready for a race.  I promptly received the “Dad, you’re lame” look.  But I do find it to be an inspiring point of view; if not for my teenage daughter, perhaps for organizations striving to become more sustainable. 

Change, even when it makes an organization stronger, is often painful. 

This is reflected in a survey of CEOs by the United Nations Global Compact and Accenture.  Of the 720 executives surveyed, 93 percent said that sustainability is important to the strength of their organization, and 80 percent believe that fully integrating sustainability across their business will happen within 15 years. 

However, nearly half pointed to the complexity of implementation across functions and competing strategic priorities as significant barriers to an enterprise-wide approach to sustainability.  These are common barriers that often fatigue important initiatives and stress communicators charged with implementing organizational change. 

In fact, the same change management principles we employ when communicating about mergers and acquisitions, downsizing or restructuring apply to creating a corporate sustainability mindset. 

• Gain sponsorship from senior executives:  The power of the C-suite is critical to establishing sustainability as a business priority.  If it is crucial to the success of the organization, that importance must be reinforced with nearly every interaction.
• Deliver relevant messages:  It’s not enough to tell employees why sustainability is important to the company; they need to know why it’s important to them and their career.    
• Rethink how you communicate success:  Competing priorities suggest that reward systems are out of whack.  If production numbers are traditionally promoted, but not energy cost reductions, then energy conservation will not appear to be a critical business priority.  Forget tradition and look at communications through a new lens.
• Create feedback loops:  Talking at employees produces little change.  Create ways for employees to engage in the conversation about sustainability initiatives and you can gauge your success in making it a company-wide priority.
• Grin and bear it:  Let’s face it; change communications can be a pain when you are fighting entrenched interests and legacy processes.  But, take heart.  You’re helping to build a stronger, more successful and sustainable enterprise. 

After all, that pain is just weakness leaving the organization.

 (Guest contributor Ron Loch is a senior vice president at Gibbs & Soell Public Relations. He leads the firm’s Greentech & Sustainability Practice, collaborating with G&S colleagues specializing in advanced manufacturing and energy, agribusiness and food, consumer lifestyle and building solutions, professional services, and technology and general science.)

There were Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle,” which led to a call for meat inspection standards, John Muir’s “The Yosemite,” which inspired the creation of a national park system, and Dian Fossey’s “Gorillas in the Mist,” which rallied support for protecting endangered species. 

Each was a story that connected emotionally with people across social, geographic and economic boundaries to inspire understanding and action.

It made me reflect on a discussion I had last week at a G&S event on CSR leadership.  The particular exchange focused on the challenges of pursuing sustainability in organizations that are highly decentralized.

How do you get divisions that are at different stages in their journey toward sustainability to embrace and align with a corporate directive? 

The answer is to share more stories; stories that will motivate the line worker as well as the division president. 

Forget the PowerPoint slides filled with facts and figures.  Find an emotional connection that will get them excited.  

The outdoor clothier Patagonia provides an excellent example of this with its The Cleanest Line blog.  With stories of outdoor adventure, the blog helps crystallize the importance of both the products they sell and their commitment to sustainability without specifically mentioning either.    

Stories are powerful motivators.  In fact, I think the old saying that starts with “give a man a fish and you’ve fed him for a day” needs to be revised. 

Forget about teaching him to fish.

Tell him a good story about the big one that got away and he’ll want to fish for a lifetime.

(Guest contributor Ron Loch is a senior vice president at Gibbs & Soell Public Relations. He leads the firm’s Greentech & Sustainability Practice, collaborating with G&S colleagues specializing in advanced manufacturing and energy, agribusiness and food, consumer lifestyle and building solutions, professional services, and technology and general science.)

It was pure conversation at its finest.

One question triggered a chain reaction of comments like water rings from a stone dropped in a lake. Speakers turned the tables on the audience, peppering them with their own questions.

And, best of all, PowerPoint slides were banned.

During the networking session that followed, discussions naturally turned to the oil spill in the Gulf.  The estimated flow of oil was reported to be 35- to 60-times greater than first thought.  We debated the impact this news would have on President Obama’s address to the nation later that evening. 

The importance of reliable feedback systems was the common thread between our program’s topic and the White House’s role in the crisis.

The government initially relied on BP’s estimates which proved to be too rosy, and then had to assemble its own team of experts to try to measure more accurately.  As the estimates of flowing oil grew, the credibility of the estimators and of the “Communicator in Chief” declined.

Unfortunately, President Obama’s reputation remains at the mercy of an oil spill playing 24/7 on live video feeds put in place by BP 5,000 feet below the water’s surface. 

When a company pursues a path toward sustainability, it is taking responsibility for the flow of information within and outside their organization.  Without complete and trustworthy feedback, a well intentioned claim of improved environmental stewardship can turn into a growing accusation of “greenwashing” as results prove otherwise. 

And once marred, credibility can be as tough to restore as plumes of oil that have escaped from a deep sea well.

(Guest contributor Ron Loch is a senior vice president at Gibbs & Soell Public Relations. He leads the firm’s Greentech & Sustainability Practice, collaborating with G&S colleagues specializing in advanced manufacturing and energy, agribusiness and food, consumer lifestyle and building solutions, professional services, and technology and general science.)

Given that he was mostly characterized as an oilman during his time in the White House, it was interesting to listen to President Bush speak passionately about renewable energy.

As governor of Texas he created incentives for the development of wind energy, and today Texas is the top state in wind power generation. 

When I walk around the exhibit hall there are a lot of companies that share his communications challenge. Many have built their brands in the fossil fuel industry and are now making significant capital investments in wind.  

It will take a concerted communications effort to make sure they get the credit they deserve and are seen as advocates of this important industry.  

That will not only help these companies, but also help the industry get the attention of policy makers.

(Guest contributor Ron Loch is a senior vice president at Gibbs & Soell Public Relations. He leads the firm’s Greentech & Sustainability Practice, collaborating with G&S colleagues specializing in advanced manufacturing and energy, agribusiness and food, consumer lifestyle and building solutions, professional services, and technology and general science.)

This year’s conference has 200 more exhibitors than last year’s and attendance is expected to approach 20,000. Conversations on the floor are consistent with the Wind Industry Monitor poll – the industry in the U.S. needs a boost from a clear energy policy. There is particular support of a Renewable Electricity Standard. 

However, judging by the booths and traffic, companies are not taking a “wait-and-see” attitude.  They are obviously investing in sales and marketing judging by the size and complexity of the booths.  

Balancing the need for energy policy advocacy and immediate sales seems to be the most pressing communications issue they face.

(Guest contributor Ron Loch is a senior vice president at Gibbs & Soell Public Relations. He leads the firm’s Greentech & Sustainability Practice, collaborating with G&S colleagues specializing in advanced manufacturing and energy, agribusiness and food, consumer lifestyle and building solutions, professional services, and technology and general science.)

One of the best wasn’t the cover article on BP’s disaster in the Gulf. It was actually the shorter article about Conan O’Brien in which the sub-head said it all: “In the niche-media era, it’s not just the size of your audience – it’s how intensely they care.”

To me, Conan’s communications approach provides a perfect case study of how a nimble competitor who understands today’s media landscape can out-battle slower-moving Goliaths who are still trying to appeal to a mass audience. As the article states:

“The way O’Brien’s path is diverging from Leno’s raises the question: What does it mean to be a media star today? Is it about household viewers or Twitter followers? Breadth or depth? Mass appeal or cult appeal? (TV ad money is focused on under-50 demographics, so the right cult audience can outsize influence.) Conan and TBS are betting it is better to have a smaller group of fans who care intensely about what you do than a bigger number who care just enough to not change the channel. It doesn’t apply only to comedians. More people watch Brian Williams every night than Glenn Beck; that doesn’t make Williams more influential.” 

The same concept applies to both B2C and B2B PR and communications. With the rise of blogs, social media, YouTube, podcasts, Web seminars and other channels, we have more tools than ever to target our exact audience and forge strong relationships with them.

Those who do will build a loyal following, while those who are still measuring success via broad audience numbers probably spend way too much only to get left behind.

You rock, Coco!

While he’s spot-on about the reasons why there’s a difference, the fact he felt compelled to write the piece has me concerned.  

He writes that not a week goes by that someone doesn’t ask the question, “Where is the Google of green?”  Couple that with statements by corporate executives and venture capitalists that greentech will be “larger than the Internet” – and greentech has the hallmarks of a bandwagon.  

The greentech and renewable energy space is decades old, and it’s certainly seen its share of advancements and setbacks.  In fact, few people realize that in the early 1900s electric cars outnumbered gasoline automobiles.

What’s currently fueling the excitement among market watchers are recent developments, including the approval of the first U.S. large scale, offshore wind farm, the proposed Senate climate and energy bill, and a worldwide recognition that we must control carbon emissions.

That’s great because it attracts more investment. But, on the flip-side, you inevitably have an influx of service providers looking to exploit early stage enthusiasm to maximize short-term income.   

As new technologies approach commercialization, they often get a second look by the supply chain which can lead to a “too-good-to-be-true” narrative.

Companies in the greentech space need partners – whether lawyers, business consultants or communications agencies – that can navigate them through the challenges that inevitably follow launch to ensure they prosper and succeed.

After all, every bandwagon will have its share of jumpers, but they do nothing to move the float forward.  For that, you need an engine.  

That’s the thinking behind the recent announcement from Gibbs & Soell about our new greentech and sustainability practice. It’s an engine powered by a depth of client experience with clean technologies and sustainable practices.

Check us out, and contact me at rloch@gibbs-soell.com or (847) 519-9150 to learn more about our work.

(Guest contributor Ron Loch is a senior vice president at Gibbs & Soell Public Relations. He leads the firm’s Greentech & Sustainability Practice, collaborating with G&S colleagues specializing in advanced manufacturing and energy, agribusiness and food, consumer lifestyle and building solutions, professional services, and technology and general science.)