The Mystery of the Vanishing Buzzy

It’s official. Buzzy ToyStory, the 3rd , arguably one of the country’s greatest artist is dead! He is known for starring in the trilogy which all became blockbusters, namely the Toy Story. All that his fans know is that he suddenly vanished, and now they pronounced him dead?

All eyes were on PR Studenty, the lead investigator of this case. Everyone especially the public wants to hear the conclusion of the investigation. Everyone was tuned in as Investigator PR called for a press conference.

As he speaks, he brought out his copy of the case file-The Anatomy of Buzz. (It was aptly named for it was based on the book of the same title authored by Emanuel Rosen). He starts, “I can’t believe it myself but as I study this case further, this is the only conclusion I and my colleagues can find.”

The Case File

PR narrates, “He was the right product everyone could wish for, people of all ages could relate with him and enjoyed his presence immensely. All his promotional efforts and campaigns were consistent of who he was, his sentimentality and value of friendship. He was sensitive and listened intently to his fans’ need.” As PR tells the story, he can’t help but feel emotional, for he was a fan himself. He then calls for a short break.

After the break, Investigator PR once again faced the public. This time he is resolute to finish telling the public the truth about Buzzy ToyStory III’s death.

PR narrates, “Everyone was able to know him because his marketing campaign was flawless. To build buzz around his latest movie Toys Story 3, he released a fake ‘vintage’  commercial posted in YouTube introducing his new friend named Lots-O’-Huggin’-Bear. As a testament to its success, this video became viral. His Facebook page was built with a ticket-buying application for his latest movie, where it is connected to a news stream and anyone who buys a ticket can share their story.”

“Since the iPhone 4 was the hottest gadget during the showing of his latest movie, his studio even partnered with the developers of iPhone 4 to have a feature called an iAd. His manager even said that the campaign was focused on the idea that ‘no friends get left behind’. This could not be far from him as his personal tagline was ‘no toy gets left behind’.”

PR continues, “Everyone was engaged in his performances and participated with his marketing efforts. He even used traditional media to complement his social media endeavors.”

“It looks like everything he did was right but there was one thing he forgot: everything here on earth is time-bound. After all his campaign, he stopped reaching out. This is why everyone thought he disappeared. The conclusion of this case is that he died a natural death”, PR ends.

Get Out Or Sleep After Reading This

Ever felt like social networking all day leaves you feeling weary? Of course, staring at your computer all day dries  up and tires your eyes. Not only that, but you have to sit all day!

Did you know that studies have shown that there is a correlation between cardiovascular diseases and having a sedentary lifestyle. What are the characteristics of a sedentary lifestyle?

• lack of physical activity even during leisure time
• no regular exercise
• not giving your body enough rest
• smoking a cigar, cigarette, tobacco

So how are working individuals affected by the study I just cited? Actually, the checklist above characterizes our lifestyle. Working people usually sit in front of their computers all day and at night, perhaps go online to connect through social media before going to bed. Also, when we evaluate what we eat, we’ll realize that we’ve been eating junk, processed foods.

One current issue presented by Social Media in the workplace is the question of To Use or Not To Use? Those who believe that Social Networking must be available in the office says that it allows for happy, well-connected people while those who oppose it says workers become lazy and unproductive. Of course, some industries hinge part of their work on social media so they allow it without question.

Facebook not allowed in this company!

Whatever your office policy may be, I urge you to stand up and walk once in a while. During break time, why don’t you walk up and down the stairs to let your blood circulate your body. This simple cardio exercise will energize your body.

Office hours exercise...

Another good energy booster is sleep. There are researches that prove sleep deprivation decreases our productivity and increases the chance of suffering from depression. So, if you’re lacking in sleep, why don’t you go for a power nap of 15-20 mins? This will boost your productivity and mood.

Napping is healthy

The whole point of this post is that it’s ok to disconnect. When you do so however, make sure that you use that time not only for other worthwhile activities such as exercising and what have you, but also to give your body some time to rest.

Real People for Real Causes

We already talked about organizations and their causes. Well then, this time we’re going to, discuss about the people who will engage in the corporation’s advocacy for real change to happen. Who then are these individuals? None other than the employees!

Who but the employees will be the people whom management will send memo to urge them to participate in such causes? Sure, a representative from the upper echelon will show up from time to time, but in most of these activities, the staff will be responsible for the facilitation of the programs. I remember during my internship, my boss asked me and my partner to think of activities that will encourage the employees of one of our clients to participate in their CSR programs.

Visible CSR through employees posting pics

Knowing this, the challenge for us is not just to encourage the employees to participate but also for them to embody the corporation’s advocacy. For these employees to be the breathing, walking and living embodiment of the cause. Why is this important?

We know that most people are allergic to corporations who are “wolves under a sheep’s clothing”, that is organizations who are pretending to be standing up for something when in reality they aren’t. If the employees will be a brand’s ambassadors, then in order to be  it’s only common sense for them to really inculcate in their lives as to what the company stands for.

For example, in Coca-Cola, they always greet each other with “good morning”, all throughout the day. This way they are fostering an atmosphere of happiness, enthusiasm, and good energy-values that Coca-Cola prioritizes. What do you think happens when the employees are deployed to CSR activities? These individuals will project the same values and the beneficiaries will feel their sincerity. In this way, the employees of Coca-Cola are able to win the hearts of the masses.

Also, this will help employees to find meaning in their work. If they do so, then having fun in their work is not so far-fetched. What then are its implications?

Well, they’ll be more productive in their work. Second, company loyalty will be enhanced and; 3rd, the employees will be the company’s ambassadors. When  they go about their daily activities such as accessing their social media, then it’ll be second nature to them to write about their corporation and what do they do there. If they are really enjoying their work, then it’s only natural that the content will be positive.

Beyond the Bottom Line

We often think that corporations and social advocacy don’t blend well together. Once we see a particular business campaigning for a social cause, we immediately think that they are just using the cause to promote themselves. In the corporate world, all of the plans, strategies, and actions are mapped out very carefully in hopes of improving the bottom line. This is why aspects such as internal communications, corporate social responsibility and social advocacy are often overlooked. How then are we to bridge the gap?

Well, let’s take a look at how corporations started. We see that they were established because their founders understood a need in society and they responded by providing a solution to that need. If this was the case, it only means that any business has social relevance. The question now is how do we highlight this social relevance and tell our publics in a manner that they will understand?

Social media + Social Advocacy = Social Change

One avenue of bridging the gap between social advocacy and marketing is social media. Social media are significant to the consumers and what better way to tell them the organization’s social relevance than through this channel.

I remember during the aftermath of the tsunami and earthquake that shook Fukushima, Japan, people from around the globe rallied each other to help those in need. The social media were flooded with encouraging messages aimed at strengthening the faith of those who were stricken with grief. Social media also became an avenue for corporations and organizations to gather money for donation. Organizations such as Campbell Soup, Avon, LG, Microsoft, Nintendo and others linked their Facebook pages to Red Cross and contributed contributions for the Japanese people.

Disaster-stricken Fukushima

Corporations using Social Media to Contribute

This act by the corporations stated above boosts their business image. A corporation that not only produces whatever their specialization may be but also a corporation that is aware of what’s happening and would take action to fill the needs. At first glance, it may look like this corporate image is meaningless for it doesn’t affect the bottomline (this issue calls for another blog post). I beg to differ though. After all, business is much more than the bottom line.

Word War I

Or Com practitioners are trained to think, speak, and write in English. Even as I write this blog entry, I am writing in English. When you enter a shopping mall, you’ll immediately hear a, ” Good morning sir/ma’am!” – an English phrase! It’s evident that English is the world language, even the language of business (although Chinese is a contender in that arena!).

Rizal, our national hero once said that, “Ang taong di marunong mahalin ang sariling wika ay higit pa sa malansang isda.” Yet Filipinos nowadays think of our national language as the “other” language, even as far as degrading it as proved by a writer named James Soriano, calling it a language of the uneducated!

It begins. Which side are you on?

Why is there a great divide between the English and the Filipino languages? Why is it that we venerate English so much that we think it’s the language of the learned and the elite all the while Filipino is the language of the poor and the masses? This is very evident that when a person commits lapses in English, his/her companions immediately laugh. Also, inside of organizations, we usually speak English with our clients and our bosses, yet when we make utos to our janitors, guards, and messengers, we immediately codeswitch to Filipino.

I know, buwan ng wika has already passed, but it’s important for us to discuss this issue because underneath it all, it reveals our attitude towards our identity as responsible citizens of the Philippines. After all, we owe it to the masses that we are studying in the premier state University.

I remember back in August when James Soriano’s article was posted in Manila Bulletin. What followed was Verbal World War I with one side agreeing him but others chose to dissent. Everyone and everywhere, be it Facebook, Twitter, forums, and chat rooms were filled with people airing their stand on the issue.

This is a photo of what James Soriano wrote.

 

I find it funny that the weapon we use nowadays is social media. Through social media, all of a sudden our opinions matter, that we are able to contribute something to the world. We should be really grateful that we are living in a world were our words have value. It is then our responsibility to use our words carefully and to post our “selves” wisely!

Bye Bye Blindness, May We Never See Each Other Again

Ever thought why there is a deep need for social media?

As Jesus & his disciples… were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus, was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he  jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.  “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, ” Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and folllowed Jesus along the road. Mark 10:46-52 NIV

Jesus and Blind Bartimaeus

You may be familiar with this story. You may have heard this from a semon? Whatever the case, how does this concern social media in the corporate world? Are there even a connection?

Well, there are few things I want you to notice.

There’s the relationship between poverty and blindness. Studies in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Kenya, the Philippines, and Vietnam showed that there is a link between poverty and blindness. Kuper  and his colleagues in studying the phenomenon has this to say, “Poverty and blindness are believed to be intimately linked, with poverty predisposing to blindness, and blindness exacerbating poverty by limiting employment opportunities, or by incurring treatment cost” (2010).

This means that blindness is one factor causing poverty. In the contemporary corporate world, we are aware that information is king-that without information, you are actually “blind.” As corporations compete against each other for the consumers’ attention, in essence it can be said that they are “blind” as to what are the consumer’s top priorities, how their products can solve those needs and how will they capture those consumers.

Only by humbling themselves, by “begging” can they be noticed. Begging in this sense is not deregatory rather it of the noblest thing to do for it involves humility. Also, throughout history, as people are not able to find cure for a disease, all their possession gets spent therefore they resort to begging. How do corporations beg?

Through the use of social media! Social media is a vehicle for corporations to be able to “see” and reach their consumers. I remember the video our professor showed us about lovers who “don’t see each other anymore”. Here, watch it:

You see, social media is one way to open blinded eyes, it presents you with perspectives that directly comes from your stakeholders. Then when corporations are cured, they can be productive and produce healthy profits.

Big Top

Last July 26, 2011, I was fortunate to be able to watch Cirque du Soleil’s Varekai. While I was enjoying the show, it dawned on me that there are similarities between the use of social media and a circus show.

That's me at the Grand Chapiteau (Big Top)

Here are some of my observations:

1. Trust, teamwork and unity mean life and death. In the context of the big top, this is used in its most literal sense because most of their performances require for the artists to work hand in hand or their acts will crumble and their bodies injured. In the social media context especially those used by corporate brands, it would take a lot of collaborative efforts for a successful campaign.

2. Wow factor is key. So what makes Cirque du Soleil’s performances stand out from the typical circus? Their acts are full of heart-throbbing sequences that will make the audiences roar with excitement and the audio-visuals are top notch! In Social media, campaigns that gain recognition are those that go beyond the usual and creativity outside the box.

Talk about wow factor!

3. Damage is forever. Once they sustain injuries in the circus, although it’ll heal at some point, it’ll affect their performance cause after all it is dependent on their physical body. In social media, once you post something stupid, it will be engraved for everyone to  see and your reputation will be tarnished forever.

4. Substance is of essence. If the customes, lights, sounds and acrobats are perfect but there is no story to tell, then they wouldn’t be able to capture the audiences’ attention. Likewise, brands may be able to have the best web design or the best products to offer, but if they are not able to tell how these services and products are relevant to the consumers, then they will be ignored.

There it is! Social media is one big circus after all. I hope that we could enjoy more performances from Cirque du Soleil but for the mean time let’s enjoy what we have- social media!

The Circus in Social Media

Obviously there are differences between social media and the circus. You know what? It would really be helpful if you would share these differences by commenting, or if you would want to add some similarities, please feel free to do so. Well then happy watching (or browsing)!

Or Com Myth Buster

Organizational Communication or Or Com. What the heck is that? This is the resounding question that surrounds every Or Com student, even though the course has been existent for 27 years!

Instead of telling you about what Or Com is, its history and all of that stuff my batchmates already wrote about, I’ll list the myths and the truth about Or Com.

1. Or Com is UP Manila’s Mass Comm. 2 words. NOT TRUE! Or Com is a wholistic communication course that deals with the business side of communication. In fact it can be said that Mass Comm falls under Or Com.

2. Or Com is an easy course. Most students treat Or Com as a stepping stone to enter UP Manila so they can shift afterwards. However the select few who remain in the program can testify that we are spending grueling hours studying theories, strategizing communication plans, and perfecting essential communication skills.

3. Or Com students are elitists and apathetic. Yes, you will see Or Com students dressed in a fashionable corporate attire but that’s because we believe in power dressing. Also, as UP students, are eyes are opened to the realities happening around us and we address these issues with an approach that may be a little different than what may be expected as students of UP. Here’s a video of our stand against the education budget:

4. You have to have English as your favorite subject to qualify in Or Com. As much as you need to be excellent in communication once you graduate from Or Com, you need not fear if you feel you’re not the best English speaker there is. After all, communication is a skill meaning it is developed. Besides, communication is more than writing and speaking in English, its complexity involves having goals and objectives, understanding your stakeholders, crafting interesting and relevant messages, and so much more!

5. Or Com presents its students with few opportunities for their future. This is one of the biggest lies about Or Com, the truth can be far from perception after all! Enrollees are apprehensive of taking up Or Com cause they don’t know what future lies ahead with this track. In reality however, Or Com imbibes students with skills that are sought and needed in fields such as marketing, advertising, media, research, events, human resources, public relations, law, medicine and others.

These are things people should know about Or Com. This is the truth. Trust me, I, myself can testify honestly because I am an Or Com student. Well, if you want to know more about the program, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am after all a comment away!

The Butterfly Effect (Part II)

Sorry for the long delayed part 2.

Last time we were able to see how the age of hyperspecialization affects our country, let’s now go to the Butterfly Effect of hyperspecialization to Or Com. This is important for us because as Or Communicologist who have been given a glimpse of the future working place, it is our job to create positive little changes into the system of hyperspecialization to hopefully create solutions to the some difficulty hyperspecialization has posed. After all, we know that not only can we not stop hyperspecialization from blooming but also it offers great benefits for organizations and workers alike.

from Chaos Theory

Let’s go directly to the point, here are some of my analysis on what are the Butterfly Effects of Hyperspecialization on Or Com:

• The subdivision of labor and skills lead to decrease of marketability of a person. A person who is super specialized in just one field may have a hard time looking for a job. After all, even today we value those people who are well rounded. It boils down to this: Why would you hire (a) person/s whose skills are concentrated on just a specific knowledge when you can hire a person who has expertise on a variety of intelligence?
• Internal communication will never be the same again since the workers of a certain project may not be the same laborers for another assignment. In a sense the proliferation of hyperspecialization may be compared to that of contractualization (in addition to Adam Smith’s division of labor). The dynamics of internal communication will change as you need to customize and specify the messages for a respective undertaking.
• Reputation is at stake! Since it is important that you attract the best pool of talents to work for you, the experiences of the ones who already labored for and with you may make or break the marketability of the organization. What they say and how they say it matters, especially since social media and hyperspecialization tends to build a community.
• An Or Com practitioner differs from the other managers because s/he approaches hyperspecialization with a holistic approach. Or Communicologists are trained to be able to adapt in any situation and have the attitude of “if it’s not the whole picture, then something is still missing” and we should find and put the missing puzzle into the whole image.
• A culture of collaboration and unity must be fostered among the team members. It is true that they don’t have to meet each other, but we understand that there is still a need for people to connect with each other not just mentally but also emotionally. In short, there must be an avenue for the team members to really connect with each other.
• The strength of the people inside an organization at some point determines the strength of the organization. This implies 4 things: 1. you should choose carefully who will you put for a certain tasks and really get to know them; 2. provide an opportunity for the people to develop their skills (yes, even though they will not work for you permanently, you’ll thank yourself later!); 3. Let your team members know who the organization is and what they are all about, the work they do for you, those honest stuff about your organization (it’s ethically important that they know what they are doing and what the big picture will be); 4. Learning from our elders on how they cope with technology during their time must be an attitude within the group.

Theorist of Hyperspecialization

In the end, it is up to us to fulfill our tasks as bringers of positive change in the workplace. How about you, do you have any other suggestions on how we can generate constructive little changes that will have great Butterfly Effects on hyperspecialization? Share it by posting a comment or two!

The Butterfly Effect (Part I)

In chaos theory, the Butterfly Effect tells us that miniscule changes can affect enormous and multifaceted systems. It speculates that it’s quite impossible to predict the behavior of huge systems save you know the minute factors affecting the systems. The most popular example of Butterfly Effect is the changes in weather pattern from the flapping of the butterflies’ wings. This theory popped on my mind while reading the article The Age of Hyperspecialization taken from the Harvard Business Review.

In a nutshell, The Age of Hyperspecialization advises us of what we will be doing in our future careers. These are:

• People will be engaged in hyperspecialization- much like a subdivision of  division of labor but focuses more on “knowledge work and communications technology”
• The example given in the article is the case of InnoCentive. When InnoCentive is given a project by a certain client, they divide the project into parts. These different parts will now be a contest open for everyone to join where the emerging winners’ works will then be combined and presented to the client.
• Advantages of hyperspecialization includes faster, economical and superior work
• Hyperspecialization calls for a new kind of manager, one that knows how to  divide the overall work, attract quality workers and match them properly in a specialized job, secure the value of the job, and incorporate the different parts of the work into one cohesive, coherent and effectual work
• The benefits it offer workers are they get to choose flexibility in their work schedule and work load,  reduce skills mismatch, avoid discrimination, and provide labor opportunities especially in developing countries
• The cost it presents on the other hand are exploitation, unknown end game (since you’re working on a certain part of a whole), boredom,  uncertain flow of income, and reduction of jobs

Now, how does it relate to the Butterfly Effect? Let us all remember that hyperspecialization is gaining momentum in the other part of the world, which is in the West. The little changes in labor patterns that will be introduce in the Western part of the world will soon enough be felt by the Philippines, this is why it’s very important for us to add an additional analysis of what are the “Butterfly Effects” of hyperspecialization on the Philippines will be in first the national level (part 1) and second the specific (especially Organizational Communication) level (part 2).

Let’s put the implications that hyperspecialization have on the Philippines (especially as a developing country) in categories.

Technological- Sure, hyperspecialization may offer unemployed job opportunities and other benefits without having  to leave the house and just use the internet/social media but only 29.7 million out of 99.9 million Filipinos have access to the internet! What’s interesting is that most of these internet users are living in urban areas although they have to access the internet through internet cafes and other public areas meaning they have restricted internet usage.  All this points out that the Philippines is not yet ready for hyperspecialization. We might not feel it because it LOOKS LIKE internet is everywhere and we may even argue that the youth are internet experts, I say think again and look around you!

Political- In a government like ours, hyperspecialization being dependent on communications technology can be a problem. Simply put, communications technology is not a priority for our government and I think they pass on the private companies the job of developing this important aspect of labor. Without proper funding and sufficient attention, communications technology’s time has unfortunately not yet come in the Philippines.

Cultural- Filipinos as with other Asians are collectivist. Even though hyperspecialization cultivates a culture of collaboration, the great digital divide separates the workers from one another, thus socialization among the workers are not fostered. This phenomenon goes against the culture of Filipinos; this is why they may approach hyperspecialization with doubts.

Socio-Economical- In order to participate in hyperspecialization, one must have a specialized expertise in a certain field of knowledge. Of the 86.40% functionally literate Filipinos (as of 2008-2009), how many will really be able to penetrate the hyperspecialized work place? I really believe that we are a gifted and talented race, but with all the competition around, most of the time the privileged will be the ones to join this new kind of working condition. Even when you are the most qualified worker for the job yet you don’t have the resources as well as knowledge of internet usage, then you won’t be able to enter this new age. Of course there is also the issue of exploitation giving workers low wages even when their contributions should have been compensated well and even the issue of uncertainty of payment.

These are just some of the problems that hyperspecialization presents to the Philippines. Stay tune for Part II which will deal on the implications to Or Com. If you have any comment or other analysis that you want to add, please feel free to comment.