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How to media train your stereotype

After reading Flora’s blog last week, it got me thinking – if Kate Middleton is stereotyped a ‘commoner’ where does that leave me?

Humour me for a moment; I could be a ‘commoner’, born and bred Essex girl, who is renowned for being a tad too honest and likes to let her hair down occasionally by being a bit too enthusiastic with the wine pouring.  Or, I could be a less ‘common’, sincere, sociable wine enthusiast from the South East.

I ask, can a stereotype be applied to everyone – is it all just a matter of spin?  For example, if Kate Middleton is a ‘commoner’ and Jordan classy, is trying to avoid a stereotype completely futile?  Perhaps in truth all stereotypes are completely factless.

Luckily for most however, relating to a stereotype is usually only one characteristic taken to its extreme – most have many other personality traits they can rely on (apart from, it seems, the particularly dense one trick Essex pony in Tool Academy).  From newspapers, online media to television, the stereotype has become a form of entertainment.  With shows such as ‘The Only Way is Essex’ and ‘Tool Academy’ making awful yet addictive watching, magnifying your characteristics as a pursuit for comedy is only set to increase!  Moreover given that even your choice of mobile can define your personality it is no wonder that many are accused of being several stereotypes.

Let me stop for a second however, before I have an identity crisis.  We do, as authors of our own personalities, have some control.  Whilst pretending to be something we’re not is clearly out the question (not sure anyone would believe that my accent is RP), drawing attention to other, perhaps better, characteristics is now even easier thanks to the internet and social media – why not PR yourself?

Albeit some things do need to be glossed over, and I will try my very hardest to keep my white stilettos hidden away from the glaring eyes of Facebook, but there is opportunity.  For example, a Twitter biography keeps those stereotypes that define you, under your control.  It seems that social media and the internet have gone some way to making us embrace stereotypes and even identify with them in some instances.  After all in 160 characters – how can you not describe yourself as a patchwork of stereotypes?

So for me I’ll reside as an Essex girl, southerner, geek, wino, birdwatcher, historian, bargain hunter and techy! 

And, before your imaginations run wild and you’re picturing me as a glasses wearing, white stiletto owning, tipsy tool – I ask, didn’t you learn anything from my rebuke of stereotypes!

UK branded app chart – are you surprised by the top 15?

Brand Republic and PositionApp have put together a handy top 15 of branded apps in the UK this week and we found the results pretty interesting.  Unsurprisingly, Facebook is at number one this month, indeed the social networking app has hardly ever been off the top spot.  We were amazed to see, however, that Twitter didn’t even appear in the top 15.

News and lifestyle apps seem to be consistently popular with apps from CineWorld, Trip Advisor, Amazon and Jamie Oliver all making the top 15 with an interesting entry from Lego at number 2.  How does this list compare to your most used apps? 

Media Groundhog Day?

By Flora Haslam

Having recently been having a bit of a clear out, I came across a copy of The Times from 1973.  This was somewhat before my time I hasten to add, but it made me think about media stories that just come round again and again. 

It was the day of Princess Anne’s wedding to Mark Philips and there was an obvious correlation to the impending nuptials of William and Kate.  The day was declared a public holiday, the reports focused on a member of the British Royal family marrying a ‘commoner’ and there was talk of how this landmark event could help lift the spirits of Britain in a time of recession. 

Other stories in the same paper included problems in Egypt (and the country’s attitudes to America), a crisis in universities, as well as a host of pending strike action.

Of course, we’re not now in the midst of a three day week, but so far, so many parallels.  You start to wonder whether we could just type a topic into the newspaper archives, change the date and reprint.

Until it comes to tech.  This week I had a pleasure of a bit of time in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress – an event which has secured many column inches, and highlights the massive changes in the industry year on year. 

Back in 1973 NCR (or National Cash Register as it was at the time) was starting to manufacture ATMs, and the concept of the hole in the wall was a novel one.  The Ethernet went into operation linking desktop computers into office networks and the Alto computer was introduced by Xerox, pioneering the personal computer for general use.  Sadly, it found few buyers and was ultimately withdrawn.  Mobile, meanwhile, simply wasn't on the agenda.

This year's MWC announcements – the Nokia Microsoft deal, a stack of new tablet stories, a mobile with a button to connect you directly to Facebook – may not seem that radical, but they do show how dynamic the industry is.

 

The use of social media by small businesses

Small businesses are increasingly looking to technology to help grow their business and establish their brand.  Unsurprisingly, Twitter and Facebook are the most commonly used social networks – but what about the others?  And how are small businesses actually using these platforms?  Postling, a social media management company, put together this revealing infographic. (via @mashable)

Social Media Week 2011: That’s a wrap

Last week you will have seen a number of ‘Social Media Week’ blog entries on both the Johnson King blog and that of our partner, Affect Strategies. 

Representatives from both agencies attended no fewer than 11 events, varied, with topics ranging from ‘social media listening’ to how to protect your reputation, via what to do, and what not to do, even covering social gaming.  With the variety of seminars and workshops at this years’ event extensively covering diverse aspects of how to implement social media tactics, the discussion and analysis we’ve seen and summarised suggests that the broad topic of social media is continuing to generate as much interest, investment and debate as it ever has.

Stay tuned to the Johnson King and Affect Strategies blogs, newsletters and mailouts for more social media advice, tips and discussion.

Until next year...

Social Media Week 2011: Social media monitoring + Facebook + Quora

As the final instalment of Johnson King’s presence at Social Media Week 2011, our very own Rachel Phythian and Flora Haslam attended 'Social Media Monitoring + Facebook + Quora'.  Read their full assessment of the latest popular social media tool, Quora, and an analysis of how best to manage it, on the Affect Strategies blog.

Power to the people?

The Independent’s Alice-Azania Jarvis recently raised the question of whether online activism (or ‘Clicktivism’, to coin the latest lingo) carries as much weight as offline alternatives. 

It’s probably fair to say that a few clicks are unlikely to topple a government or persuade a wayward conglomerate to change its unethical ways, but when it comes to organising the masses and raising awareness, clicktivism is by far and away the most versatile and efficient tool at the modern activist’s disposal. 

What’s more, an increasingly tech-savvy population is learning how to make so much virtual noise that adversaries will struggle to ignore it.  No surprise, then, that a quick poll we ran on Twitter showed the majority of you think that online campaigns pack just as much punch as offline ones.

Social Media Week 2011: Facebook and Twitter for Business – It’s time to get personal

Social Media Week London continues – Johnson King’s Dana Hashem and Matthew Tubbs discuss how to use Facebook and Twitter successfully for businesses. Read the full post on the Affect Strategies blog.

Social Media Week 2011: From Silicon Roundabouts to a Silicon World

Over a breakfast of orange juice, coffee and hot sandwiches, Johnson King’s Rachel Phythian and Laura Mead were there for the panel on using social media to expand into new markets.  To find out how social media can help you to build an international brand, check out the full post at the Affect Strategies blog.

Social Media Week 2011: Social media & your career - what you need to know

 

 

By Thomas McHardy, Assistant Account Executive, Affect Strategies

As the crowd at this Social Media Week event settled into our seats the moderator asked two simple questions.

“First, who has ‘liked’ a brand or company on Facebook,” she asked – to which nearly every attendee raised their hand.  “Okay, now who has reached out to a recruiter or company through LinkedIn?”  

Only a handful of people raised their hands to the second question, illustrating the idea that although most people are active on social networks, not nearly enough of us are using them appropriately for professional purposes.

Over the next hour and a half the panel, which consisted of HR professionals and recruiters from various companies, provided attendees with numerous tips and tools to help them stand out among the millions of other people on the various platforms – mainly LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.  Although much was discussed, the main takeaways from the event can be summed up into a few key points.

• Use your online profile as an online résumé: Update your profile to highlight your most recent work and accomplishments, don’t post questionable material, and highlight contacts that are relevant for your industry

•  Highlight a point of reference: Do this whenever reaching out to a company, as it’s an opportunity to quickly inform them of how you can help their company, or why they would benefit from helping you

• Remain active in your networks: Using social media as a professional tool boils down to a numbers game.  You need to remain active and on target in order to stand out among your competitors

• Don’t forget to be courteous: Take the time to send emails thanking anyone that helps you along the way – even if it didn’t work out as you had hoped.  Doing this will make them more likely to look to you when future positions open up

Every panelist stressed the idea that everyone, whether you’re looking for a job or not, should be active on social media to build their personal brand.  Interacting with groups and influencers in your industry is an easy way to establish and build credibility with your online presence.

If you’re not seeking to become more active professionally on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter but are still concerned with maintaining a credible online presence, Margaret Davidson of Vault.com provided four easy tips to ensure your profiles aren’t working against you.  These tips include:

• Hide your pictures: It’s not necessary to delete or un-tag every picture you’re in, but you should make sure that they’re hidden from public view

• Police your wall: If you have friends that post questionable material on your wall, delete it

• Keep your beliefs to yourself: Don’t go out of your way to publicise any beliefs (religious, political, etc.) that may offend people in your social networks

• Check your company’s social media policy: You should do this whenever you get a new job to make sure your activity won’t be punishable by your company

These are all easy steps we can take to help ensure our online presence will be an asset and not a hindrance for our careers, both now and in the future.  Now that you know what to look for, is your online presence working for or against you?