Comments on: 3 Questions With… Edward Boches http://www.davidwmullen.com/2009/09/27/3-questions-with-edward-boches/ David Mullen on PR, Integrated Communications and Social Media Mon, 06 Jun 2011 03:58:50 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: edward boches http://www.davidwmullen.com/2009/09/27/3-questions-with-edward-boches/#comment-3976 edward boches Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:59:19 +0000 http://www.davidwmullen.com/?p=1838#comment-3976 Keith: Didn't mean to gloss over that. Some of it is a given: understanding a business, its model, finances, operations, decision making, style and most importantly culture. As for the MBA, if it will get you into the boardroom with more respect and attention for your ideas, then yes. I personally dropped out of graduate school and concluded that it didn't matter for me. Then again, I was an entrepreneur, more interested in building than running. It can't hurt. But if you do get one, you'll end up a CFO or a CMO, not a pr guy. Keith:
Didn’t mean to gloss over that. Some of it is a given: understanding a business, its model, finances, operations, decision making, style and most importantly culture. As for the MBA, if it will get you into the boardroom with more respect and attention for your ideas, then yes. I personally dropped out of graduate school and concluded that it didn’t matter for me. Then again, I was an entrepreneur, more interested in building than running. It can’t hurt. But if you do get one, you’ll end up a CFO or a CMO, not a pr guy.

]]> By: Keith Trivitt http://www.davidwmullen.com/2009/09/27/3-questions-with-edward-boches/#comment-3972 Keith Trivitt Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:50:15 +0000 http://www.davidwmullen.com/?p=1838#comment-3972 David - Great series going here, and I really like how you have focused this Q&A session down to just 3 really well-targeted questions. Edward - Thanks for the insightful answers and for giving us all some perspective about how you have taken a background in PR and molded that into a very well rounded career in client services, advertising, PR and social media. Certainly a model many of us would like to follow. My question for you is this: You mention in your comment to Amy Mengel that you believe PR pros need to better understand how to inspire conversation, generate content and unite multiple parties behind a common cause. Certainly those are all worthy of our time, and something I firmly believe each of us should work hard toward improving on. But my gut feeling as I continue to move forward in the PR/social media world, now on the agency side, is that PR pros really need a better understanding of how their clients' and organizations' business operates. Frankly, it's something that I am seeing lacking in the profession: a high-level business acumen that is necessary in order to best advise and counsel clients and organizations about targeted and well-executed outreach efforts. I'm curious as to what your take is on this, and what benefit you see in a PR pro obtaining an MBA. It's certainly an idea that has been on my mind lately, and I would really appreciate hearing what value - if any - you see in this. Thanks - @KeithTrivitt David – Great series going here, and I really like how you have focused this Q&A session down to just 3 really well-targeted questions.

Edward – Thanks for the insightful answers and for giving us all some perspective about how you have taken a background in PR and molded that into a very well rounded career in client services, advertising, PR and social media. Certainly a model many of us would like to follow. My question for you is this: You mention in your comment to Amy Mengel that you believe PR pros need to better understand how to inspire conversation, generate content and unite multiple parties behind a common cause. Certainly those are all worthy of our time, and something I firmly believe each of us should work hard toward improving on. But my gut feeling as I continue to move forward in the PR/social media world, now on the agency side, is that PR pros really need a better understanding of how their clients’ and organizations’ business operates. Frankly, it’s something that I am seeing lacking in the profession: a high-level business acumen that is necessary in order to best advise and counsel clients and organizations about targeted and well-executed outreach efforts.

I’m curious as to what your take is on this, and what benefit you see in a PR pro obtaining an MBA. It’s certainly an idea that has been on my mind lately, and I would really appreciate hearing what value – if any – you see in this.

Thanks – @KeithTrivitt

]]> By: edward boches http://www.davidwmullen.com/2009/09/27/3-questions-with-edward-boches/#comment-3971 edward boches Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:56:50 +0000 http://www.davidwmullen.com/?p=1838#comment-3971 Damn. OK, will try again. Messages are inherently one-way broadcasted soundbites. Social is about dialog and conversation and participation. How do we stimulate that? Not merely with messages and or soundbites, but often with real utility and applications that invite participation and enable a role for the consumer. Not suggesting that what we say isn't important; rather that what we offer up as content and utility (don't forget ins social media that is our product) become equally important. Damn. OK, will try again. Messages are inherently one-way broadcasted soundbites. Social is about dialog and conversation and participation. How do we stimulate that? Not merely with messages and or soundbites, but often with real utility and applications that invite participation and enable a role for the consumer. Not suggesting that what we say isn’t important; rather that what we offer up as content and utility (don’t forget ins social media that is our product) become equally important.

]]> By: edward boches http://www.davidwmullen.com/2009/09/27/3-questions-with-edward-boches/#comment-3970 edward boches Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:54:26 +0000 http://www.davidwmullen.com/?p=1838#comment-3970 Jim: Always appreciate your point of view. You caught me for sure. Should have been a little more careful. Meant to say that content and utility (apps) become more important than messages (one way messages) for two reasons. Content in social space is by definition stuff that inspires conversation. And two, stuff that inspires conversation and participation are often things that aren't written content but rather useful things. Think Gap's fan page where you can mix up outfits. Or the Zingr add-on from Miracle Whip. Social ideas that aren't messages but actually enable consumers. Interesting I also think that creatives need to embrace and play a key role in social media, but more as idea generators, not as the day in and day out folks who maintain the relationships that social builds. Thanks Jim:
Always appreciate your point of view. You caught me for sure. Should have been a little more careful. Meant to say that content and utility (apps) become more important than messages (one way messages) for two reasons. Content in social space is by definition stuff that inspires conversation. And two, stuff that inspires conversation and participation are often things that aren’t written content but rather useful things. Think Gap’s fan page where you can mix up outfits. Or the Zingr add-on from Miracle Whip. Social ideas that aren’t messages but actually enable consumers. Interesting I also think that creatives need to embrace and play a key role in social media, but more as idea generators, not as the day in and day out folks who maintain the relationships that social builds. Thanks

]]> By: amymengel http://www.davidwmullen.com/2009/09/27/3-questions-with-edward-boches/#comment-3968 amymengel Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:05:49 +0000 http://www.davidwmullen.com/?p=1838#comment-3968 Not what I thought you'd say, but a very interesting response. Part museum director, part cruise director? It's a tall order, for sure, but I think we've already seen that professionals who have been most successful innovating for their organizations are doing exactly what you've said: developing and telling a story across many channels such that a community will want to participate in that story. Not what I thought you’d say, but a very interesting response. Part museum director, part cruise director? It’s a tall order, for sure, but I think we’ve already seen that professionals who have been most successful innovating for their organizations are doing exactly what you’ve said: developing and telling a story across many channels such that a community will want to participate in that story.

]]> By: liz http://www.davidwmullen.com/2009/09/27/3-questions-with-edward-boches/#comment-3967 liz Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:59:14 +0000 http://www.davidwmullen.com/?p=1838#comment-3967 "...in the world of social media, applications and utility are more important than messages" Really? I think they are equals. Can you explain why you believe this a little more? “…in the world of social media, applications and utility are more important than messages”

Really? I think they are equals.

Can you explain why you believe this a little more?

]]> By: Jim Mitchem http://www.davidwmullen.com/2009/09/27/3-questions-with-edward-boches/#comment-3966 Jim Mitchem Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:56:25 +0000 http://www.davidwmullen.com/?p=1838#comment-3966 With concern to question 1, I both agree and disagree with you Edward. First, you state: "applications and utility are more important than messages" which, to me, is just wrong - and directly contradicts the first point you make within this question. I'm no media expert, but have sold a ton of Lexus' because of knowing how to engage an audience in dialogue. Before social media, copywriters were the ones tasked with one goal - to effectively (and affectively) engage an audience in (an internal) dialogue. The applications and utilities today are no different than learning how to use MS word to write a tv script, or how to use Photoshop to mock up storyboards. As to which communications discipline should lead the charge in dealing directly with an audience, I wrote a post last January (a month into SM) http://tinyurl.com/82dd22 called Revenge of the Copywriter. I still believe that for seeking out and engaging an audience you still need a copywriter's tact. However, the deeper I dive into SM, I'm in agreement with you that PR people might be the ones who are best suited to handle direct client dialogue to solve problems, announce things, etc. Besides, I think PR writers might be less expensive than hotshot copywriters. So I'm torn. Nice post David. And yes, congratulations to you guys on the Zappos account. Jim - @smashadv With concern to question 1, I both agree and disagree with you Edward. First, you state: “applications and utility are more important than messages” which, to me, is just wrong – and directly contradicts the first point you make within this question.

I’m no media expert, but have sold a ton of Lexus’ because of knowing how to engage an audience in dialogue. Before social media, copywriters were the ones tasked with one goal – to effectively (and affectively) engage an audience in (an internal) dialogue. The applications and utilities today are no different than learning how to use MS word to write a tv script, or how to use Photoshop to mock up storyboards.

As to which communications discipline should lead the charge in dealing directly with an audience, I wrote a post last January (a month into SM) http://tinyurl.com/82dd22 called Revenge of the Copywriter. I still believe that for seeking out and engaging an audience you still need a copywriter’s tact. However, the deeper I dive into SM, I’m in agreement with you that PR people might be the ones who are best suited to handle direct client dialogue to solve problems, announce things, etc. Besides, I think PR writers might be less expensive than hotshot copywriters.

So I’m torn. Nice post David. And yes, congratulations to you guys on the Zappos account.

Jim – @smashadv

]]> By: edward boches http://www.davidwmullen.com/2009/09/27/3-questions-with-edward-boches/#comment-3964 edward boches Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:36:29 +0000 http://www.davidwmullen.com/?p=1838#comment-3964 Amy: Hard to nail down one skill, but the two things that I believe every PR person needs to get really good at is: curating and choreography. Ha. Bet that's not what you thought I'd say. But these days everything is so interdependent. Content/technology/distribution/branding/paid/unpaid, etc. A PR person should know how to inspire conversation, gather a community, represent a brand, and counsel its use of social. But more and more she'll need to create or inspire original content and utility, unite multiple services and agencies, and incorporate ideas and apps beyond what any one person or group can do. Requires a new set of skills; like being an architect: have a vision, know what needs to get done, assemble the pieces, build. Good luck. Somewhere between difficult and challenging. Amy:
Hard to nail down one skill, but the two things that I believe every PR person needs to get really good at is: curating and choreography. Ha. Bet that’s not what you thought I’d say. But these days everything is so interdependent. Content/technology/distribution/branding/paid/unpaid, etc. A PR person should know how to inspire conversation, gather a community, represent a brand, and counsel its use of social. But more and more she’ll need to create or inspire original content and utility, unite multiple services and agencies, and incorporate ideas and apps beyond what any one person or group can do. Requires a new set of skills; like being an architect: have a vision, know what needs to get done, assemble the pieces, build. Good luck. Somewhere between difficult and challenging.

]]> By: amymengel http://www.davidwmullen.com/2009/09/27/3-questions-with-edward-boches/#comment-3963 amymengel Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:33:52 +0000 http://www.davidwmullen.com/?p=1838#comment-3963 Looking forward to this series. I love Edward's comments on Zappos in that social media is just one piece of the puzzle. It's not the be-all, end-all. My question to add for Edward, someone who has successfully bridged PR and creative in his career: what's the number one skill you think PR practitioners are lacking today that is stopping them from being an "all-around" performer as the marcomm disciplines continue to meld together? Looking forward to this series. I love Edward’s comments on Zappos in that social media is just one piece of the puzzle. It’s not the be-all, end-all.

My question to add for Edward, someone who has successfully bridged PR and creative in his career: what’s the number one skill you think PR practitioners are lacking today that is stopping them from being an “all-around” performer as the marcomm disciplines continue to meld together?

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