High Road Communications

3GSM is here again, the annual “everything to do with wireless and mobile phones” love fest in Barcelona. I always eagerly anticipate the exhibition because it’s an extravaganza, a freak show… and I used to go every year.

60,000 people, 1,300 booths… oh, the hype, the networking (i.e. parties), the jostling for media to cover your story. 3GSM is about entrepreneurs on speed, PR people taking vitamin B shots to survive, and demo babes selling their wares in hellish heels (you try standing in them for 12 hours a day) - and not much else.

I’ve been following the coverage, and I must admit I’ve been disappointed. This could partially be because I’m not there, but it does seem that the BIG announcements – the ones that shake, shudder and even convulse the industry, forcing it forward with such speed that barely anyone has a chance to sort through the ramifications until well after the conference, have not happened this year.

Instead, the news focuses on fashion, and how content and location-based services are the Holy Grail. (Even though I’m not really sure there is anything “new” in that news). Launching new mobile phones continues to be a big part of the show and everyone is still trying to demonstrate that a phone will be the “remote control” for life… a concept that’s been around since mobile phones began gaining traction in the ‘90s. Music, games, MySpace and everything else is rammed on the phone as people try to make it a tool for more than just communication.

However, using the Internet on phones still hasn’t achieved the usage rates expected, and this is largely because the experience still isn’t where it needs to be. Mobile surfing can be clumsy and slow.  3G still hasn’t delivered on its promise of speed and quality of service, so the talk has now turned to HSDPA.

This all sounds so eerily familiar - flash back five years ago, when Forrester wrote a report about the lack of vision at the 3GSM 2002 show.

One big difference from five years ago is the growth. Back then it was about cautious optimism amidst a post-telecom-crash (and post-Nortel debacle) throng (see here, for example). Five years later, the show has tripled in size, and the feeling is overwhelmingly positive. In fact, my blog (and views) demonstrate that there is now an expectation of visionary thinking and seismic announcements.

Good on 3GSM and the industry – it’s quite a comeback, and I wish I was there with my vitamin B to take it all in…

Further reading on 3GSM

Main site: http://3gsmworldcongress.com/index.asp

Other stories and blogs:
http://networks.silicon.com/mobile/0,39024665,39165772,00.htm
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6158099.html
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/11/technology/btcontent.php
http://news.com.com/At+3GSM%2C+a+call+for+mobile+ad+standards/2100-1039-6158854.html?part=dht&tag=nl.e703
http://www.consumerelectronicsnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=105514
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i49998ef2b580e2b5f8832562851ba344?imw=Y
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/tag/3gsm
http://gigaom.com/2007/02/12/3gsm/
http://blog.bitepr.com/2007/02/day_two_at_3gsm_1.html
http://www.theunwired.net/?itemid=3630

Our clients’ customers bring technology stories to life. Because they use the client’s product or service, they offer the kind of credibility reporters seek. However, many technology companies struggle with getting their customers to talk.

In some cases a customer’s corporate policy won’t allow it. But in others, customers stay away from sharing their experiences because they don’t know what to expect, or assume that it will require too much of their time. That’s why it is important for PR to talk to the marketing team and help them educate the sales representatives and account managers who deal with the customers every day, and who are closest to them. If the sales team understands how PR can help to get the customer stories out, they will have an easier time discussing it with their customers.

A well-managed program can help convince reluctant (but happy) customers to talk about their experiences. Not every customer wants to get engaged in the same way. The sales team needs to know that there are different options to choose from, for example:

• case study
• press release
• media opportunities
• advertising
• testimonial quotes for the website

To avoid any confusion, the sales team should also clearly understand what makes a good case study from a PR/marketing perspective.

For example, it is important to manage input/output expectations for case studies. Some people think that the writer should simply “spin” or “fluff up” a mediocre success study into a great one. While it is true that a writer can steer a story by emphasizing or de-emphasizing certain aspects, they will still need a solid, fact-based foundation to work with. If the results aren’t there, don’t do a case study.

Timing is important, too. It usually takes a little bit of time until a customer can realize or quantify the value they have gotten out of the new product or service, and thus be in a position to speak about those benefits with authority. To get a good story with great results, it is best to not start a case study too early.

The sales team can also explain to customers that, in most cases, the process requires only a small time commitment, and that the PR team will do most of the legwork.

By outlining the expectations and the process to your clients’ sales teams, they will know how to address and take care of any uncertainties their customers may have before handing it over to the marketing team or the agency.

Posted by Michael MacMillan and Martin Hofmann

We’ve updated our website and refreshed our brand.  We used our tenth anniversary to not only celebrate but also make changes to our corporate look and feel. 

We loved our old logo with the road-that-leads-to-the-mountain. It’s been with us ever since High Road was founded back in the days when a website launch still created excitement and media started to think they might want to look into this thing they called “Cyberland” (“Extra! Readers talk back!”).

A lot has changed since then. High Road has grown from two to more than 70 people. We’re still doing technology and digital lifestyle PR but now we are doing it in six divisions and four offices.

We’ve been to the mountain and back many times. But we still love the hike, and we always strive to find new and better ways to get up there.  And that’s what we wanted to focus on with our “refreshed” brand.

We searched for people who could help us with that, and found the team of Evoke Solutions (branding and design) – or as I like to call them: Knights of the White Space - and The Working Group (website planning and development).

Together, we came up with a new logo, a new corporate identity, and a new website. We hope you like the result. 

How do you get people to say nice things about you? Invite them to a party, make sure they are having a good time and then shove a camera in their faces. Well, it also helps if you’ve worked with them for a while, either because they are your clients or journalists, analysts and bloggers.

In December 2006, High Road Toronto hosted its annual holiday party at Nectar. This time around we also celebrated ten years of being in business. Here is what some of the people we work with had to say about us.

For the launch of Windows Vista and the 2007 Office System, Microsoft Canada had built a Digital Ice House in Toronto where people could walk in and get a first look at the latest software. Here is a video of a walkthrough of the ice house.

Video: Microsoft Canada’s Digital Ice House

Found on the Canadian IT Professionals blog