Old Spice launched a campaign in Februrary around the Old Spice Guy with a television ad themed, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” This initial ad campaign recently climaxed this month with a flurry of 180 YouTube videos personalized for fans and celebrities alike. The original ad attracted 19 million views, with this latest “Old Spice Responses” campaign resulting in 5.9 million views and 22,500 comments, all since the middle of July.

What’s great about the campaign is how Old Spice and marketing agency Wieden + Kennedy used viewers to go viral, noting that brands don’t make viral videos, users do. To achieve viral success, they not only sent customized video responses to random individuals, but also to celebrities like Alyssa Milano and Ellen DeGeneres. The campaign also took a positive approach, offering valuable, but funny advice, as opposed to a shocking or over-the-top attitude to help the content go viral. This approach made people want to be a part of the experience.

On the other hand, in an effort to be seen as edgy and youthful, Dr. Pepper launched a Facebook campaign in the U.K. with ad agency Lean Mean Fighting Machine (LMFM) that used Chat Roulette as part of April Fool’s jokes by “punking” users, showing them a cheerleader to get their attention then switching her out for someone less desirable. Later, LMFM led a campaign that gave consumers a chance to win £1,000 if they allowed the brand to take control of their status updates on Facebook. This campaign eventually offended a 14-year-old girl (and her parents) with an inappropriate message.

Dr. Pepper later apologized and no longer works with LMFM. This shock value-based campaign backfired. Lesson: when you’re testing the boundaries of good taste, the chances that something could go wrong are extremely high.

The best defense against such risks is a clearly thought out plan of action that spans the life of a campaign. For example, take a look at the tag lines for each campaign.

Old Spice – We make anti-perspirant and laughter.

Dr. Pepper – What’s the worst that could happen?

The difference is obvious. Using new media in interesting ways is just one aspect of successful branding. Consider the following tips before launching a social media campaign:

• Listen: Before you or your company can be a part of the conversation, you need to know what people are already talking about so you can determine how best to contribute.
• Know who you are: Successful companies are the ones that have gotten us interested in their story to the point where we want to share it with others.
• Set rules of engagement: Make sure your company has a social media policy in place that offers guidelines to your employees on the appropriate way to engage in online conversations.
• Determine objectives: Decide what your objectives are before diving into tactics – “we want a viral video” is not an objective.
• Set your metrics: Don’t enter social media until you know what you want to get out of it. Success can include building buzz, more website traffic, increased blog subscribers/leads, etc.
• Consider costs: It’s free to set up a Facebook page or send tweets, but think about staff costs, external fees, supplementary advertising and monitoring software.
• Engage genuinely: Once you decide on what platform you want to engage, do so with sincerity, responsiveness and positivity.
• Access success: Since you already have decided on what success looks like, examine what went right and what could be improved.

Old Spice has set the bar high. Can your next campaign measure up?

The topic given to me was communication, one of the four pillars of leadership as defined by Gen. Franks. The audience consisted of approximately 40 high school students from the United States and the Middle East. Other speakers included Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Robert Jordan, as well as two-time Olympic Softball Gold Medalist Michele Smith. Needless to say, I felt the pressure to perform.  

As I began preparing my remarks, a lot of thoughts came to mind.

First, the students I was to address are all digital natives. They were born into an age where communication technology has been a primary tool they have used to learn. Understanding how to make this technology work to their advantage is a huge benefit.

“How many of you had cell phones by age 12?” I asked.

Nearly every hand raised.

Second, I thought about how the world had changed over the past decade. These young men and women were less than 8 years old on Sept. 11, 2001. A speech about communications looks significantly different in 2010 because of social networks, digital distribution, the democratization of creative tools and software, as well as the rise of the global marketplace.

After a great deal of contemplation, I came up with the six traits of a leader communicator in 2010. I argued that a great leader communicator must possess all if he or she hopes to be effective at the highest degree.

• Credible – Are they believable and experienced on the subject they are speaking about?
• Articulate – Can they express their viewpoints with clarity and confidence?
• Attentive – Do they regularly pick up additional knowledge through written and verbal one-on-one communication? Are they thoughtful enough to change their mind as new information becomes available?
• Informed – Do they have the ability to put context around the content?
• Transparent – Are they telling the truth now, and is it the truth later?
• Engaged – Are they interesting enough to keep the audience engaged?

“So which attribute is most important?” I asked.

A spirited conversation broke out about which trait was most critical to being a leader communicator. Each attribute was argued for and against. It was decided that there was not a right or wrong answer – they all are important.

A young lady raised her hand at the end.

“I think you missed one,” she said. “Passion.”

She’s right. To be a true leader communicator, you have to be passionate about the subject matter you are trying to communicate to truly be effective.

The experience in Jordan was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The students in the program are likely leaders in the future of our world. I am glad to have played a small part in their education.

Here’s a recap: James is regarded by many as the NBA’s brightest star. From his first day in the NBA, James’s star power has been so strong that folks from CNBC often talked about the economic benefits he brought to Cleveland, a city hard hit by recession. Free agency came calling this year, and the James sweepstakes was narrowed down to several teams, including the Cavs, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks.

Typically, when free agents sign a contract, they release a media statement. James, however, scheduled a primetime ESPN special to announce he’s joining the Heat. Within seconds, Cleveland fans disowned him, Facebook lit up and President Obama released a statement (OK – the last part didn’t happen). The most common knock against James was that he publically embarrassed his home state by announcing on live television that he was leaving.

But it didn’t end there. Apparently confusing owning a franchise with owning a human being, Gilbert wrote a scathing letter about James and posted it on the Cavs’ website. While James and Gilbert both made mistakes, James comes out on top, and I’m sure the Boys and Girls Club of America appreciated the $2.5 million raised from the ESPN special.

Sure, James could have notified Cavs officials before the special. But Gilbert clearly loses the PR battle. When PR pros meet with clients, we always ask about the client’s target audience. Gilbert’s target audience has to be players, because they put fans in the seats, and fans produce revenue. What championship-caliber player wants to play for an owner who calls the game’s biggest star shameful, selfish and narcissistic? I have to believe the Cavs’ PR team was either not informed of Gilbert’s letter or were too busy in crisis mode to think straight. How else could a letter like that be posted?

Kudos to players like Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, who quietly signed an extension with the Thunder the day of James’ announcement. PR blunders surrounding James’ announcement make players like Durant and organizations like the Thunder look better and better every day.

It’s always fun to talk about change intellectually, but when it comes right down to it, we are all creatures of habit, and significant change makes us all more anxious until it becomes part of who we are

So, it helped to understand that while the Internet is revolutionizing the way the world works, the anxiety about change is not new. I learned that every increase in freedom to create or consume media, from paperback books to YouTube, alarms people who are accustomed to the restrictions of the old system, convincing them that the new media will make young people stupid. This fear, the article said, dates back to at least the invention of movable type.

“As Gutenberg’s press spread through Europe, the Bible was translated into local languages, enabling direct encounters with the text; this was accompanied by a flood of contemporary literature, most of it mediocre. Vulgar versions of the Bible and distracting secular writings fueled religious unrest and civic confusion, leading to claims that the printing press, if not controlled, would lead to chaos and the dismemberment of European intellectual life.”

Sound familiar?

We are living through a similar explosion of publishing capability today, in which digital media can connect the more than 1 billion Internet users worldwide with the click of a mouse. The article contends that this linking of minds and information will free up time for us, giving the educated people on the planet a trillion hours a year of free time to spend doing things they care about. If we spent the bulk of our time in the 20^th century watching television, then that tiny fraction of time freed up now from consumption to participation can create enormous positive effects.

Think about the time we used to spend researching things that were important to us personally and professionally. Now, if we have a question about our health, or the capital of some obscure country, we can find the answer on the Internet in a matter of seconds. Is some of this information mediocre? Probably. But the article contends that while of course there is a lot of dumb stuff online, there is also lots of dumb stuff in book stores.

On the other hand, one can relate to the concerns of those who contend that the innate bias of the human brain is to be distracted. Our predisposition is to be aware of as much of what’s going on around us as possible.

Optimists contend that the task before us now is to experiment with new ways of using a medium that is “social, ubiquitous and cheap, a medium that changes the landscape by distributing freedom of the press and freedom of assembly as widely as freedom of speech.” Pessimists contend that our mental discipline is in jeopardy.

I’m with the optimists.

This recent tweet from one of my former Dallas colleagues caught my eye. Having lived in Dallas for the past 10 years, I’d heard my fair share of Okie jokes, but this tweet really made me stop and think about my own home state pride. It’s something I never considered I had in my first 23 years of living in Oklahoma. I wasn’t ashamed of my home state; it was honestly just something I never thought about—until last year.

My wife and I were sitting outside Eskimo Joe’s during a trip back home for an Oklahoma State football game, and we decided right then and there that we wanted to be back in our home state. We noticed that we missed the little things we took for granted while living in Oklahoma, from the pace and quality of life to an overall appreciation for how Oklahomans treat each other. A five-year plan became a five-month plan, and in November we were officially Oklahoma residents again. What we didn’t truly realize was the dramatic changes and progress that both Oklahoma City and Tulsa had undergone during our 10-year absence.

From the opening of the Ford Center and bringing an NBA franchise to the city, to the continued growth and revitalization of Western Avenue and Midtown, Oklahoma City continues to re-invent itself. In the Tulsa metropolitan area, the Oklahoma River District has established itself as a major entertainment and shopping destination. The BOK Center continues to book major music acts on a weekly basis and the new ballpark, ONEOK Field (client), is part of the major revitalization of downtown Tulsa.

This progress can be attributed not only to outstanding leaders on the local and state level, but outstanding campaigns in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The Tulsa Vision 2025 and the Oklahoma City MAPS projects provided economic investment, improved education systems and created an overall better quality of life for Oklahomans. 

The state also developed great internal campaigns in an effort to keep talent in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma City Chamber implemented Greater Grads, while the Tulsa Chamber’s Young Professionals Club works to keep talented Oklahomans here. Oklahoma Boomerang, which was instrumental in getting my family back home, works to bring talented Oklahoma natives back to their home state.

Oklahoma is a great place to work, a great place to live and a great place to raise a family. It took me 10 years to recognize what I was missing, but once I did, I got back as fast as I could.

I may not be from Muskogee, but I’m sure proud to be an Okie.

MSU alums, students and fans became aware that the university planned to change the current logo when a new version was uncovered in January on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Web site. MSU’s athletics department soon found itself facing angry fans that were fiercely loyal to its current logo.

Fans created a Facebook page, “The Old Spartan Logo.” Within a few weeks, more than 63,000 people had joined. To put that number in perspective, The Oprah Magazine page has less than 7,500 fans. Even beloved basketball coach Tom Izzo became involved when he publicly berated fans opposed to the change, “For all of you out there complaining, shame on you.” (That included yours truly, a 2003 alumnus.)

In the end, the fans on Facebook won. Athletics Director Mark Hollis announced Feb. 5 that MSU’s current logo will not change. Nike will still design new uniforms, bringing all MSU athletic teams into a unified look, but the logo will stay untouched.

The logo war could have ended much worse for MSU. I give credit to Hollis and MSU’s administration for listening to their most important audience- the fans. But credit is also due to the thousands of fans who voiced their opinions.

For us PR folks out there, the lesson learned is obvious. Before social media, my Spartans would almost certainly be taking the field with a new logo on their helmets next football season. But because fans now have immediate access to an unfiltered megaphone in social media, their voices are stronger than ever. With little exception, that’s the way it should be.

Now if only our logo could help us win a bowl game or two.

Now, think about today. If you travel to any airport, ride public transportation or have spent the night at a hotel before, then you have seen printed newspapers in use. Today marks a major change for printed news as we know it.

Apple introduces their Tablet to the world today, aka the Kindle Killer (much to Amazon’s dismay), at an exclusive event in San Francisco. We’ll know more as reviews come in, but book publishers have been scrambling in recent weeks to make sure their electronic books are available, and I’m sure newspaper publishers will be next in line to sign up. Finally, journalism has a tool that could make paid content the new normal.

Whether you live in Tulsa, Oklahoma or Timbuktu, the Tablet is being billed as the electronic tool that will change how consumers receive their news, interact with social media channels and change how we all read books.

I predict that public relations professionals will have to adapt as well, because the Tablet, over time, will create new audiences who currently are not participating in the exchange of information. Also, I predict motion graphic HD video has an opportunity to become a mainstream news product.

I’ve never considered myself an early adopter. I got my first iPod in 2003. Saxum’s philosophy is much more aligned with practical use of new technologies. However, I may splurge and get a Tablet. I’m just too excited about the possibilities of this new tool.

Ford’s public relations team positioned the announcement as a way to enhance safety, because drivers will no longer have to take their eyes off the road to check their cell phones. In partnership with Microsoft, using technology called Sync, automobiles will read Tweets aloud through the vehicle’s speakers.

Here’s how it will work. New models of the Ford Edge and Ford Focus released later this year will be the first of the company’s lineup to have this new technology. (The autos will also be armed with Pandora Internet radio, which will allow drivers to create their own customized radio stations.). The Edge and Focus will take a drivers’ mobile devices and Sync (hence the name) information into their systems. Drivers will then use voice commands to tell the models when they want to hear Tweets.

Here’s a nice spot for a friendly disclaimer. I come from a Ford family – we buy them, we’ve worked for them and I was born in Dearborn, Ford’s world headquarters city in Michigan.

All of that aside, I still think it is a brilliant move for the company.

Here’s why. A year ago, while the economy was in the gutter, automobile companies were, well, whatever is worse than being in the gutter. Chrysler and GM took government bailouts, foreign companies took loans from their countries and customers weren’t buying. Slowly, Ford emerged from the Big Three as the survivor. Its stock price skyrocketed. Its cars picked up steam (and sales). The announcement of this groundbreaking technology is another notch in Ford’s PR belt and another chapter in its recovery.

Safety experts will continue to debate what this move means. I don’t think we should deny that people look at Twitter while driving (bad idea, by the way). Ford has embraced what people are already doing and has made it a little safer, I think.

Ford’s global director of connected services described this move best when he told CNN, “We take what people do – they talk on the phone, they fumble with mp3 players, they look at maps. We take these activities and make them safer.”

He’s right. Think of it this way – in 10 years, we’ll probably consider this new technology standard, just like the radio.

The question posed to Maj. Gen. Mark Graham was innocent enough.

You see, a group of us was eating breakfast with Graham, U.S. Army commanding general of Division West, at Fort Carson, Colo., recently as part of the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC) hosted by the secretary of defense. Graham is a high-achieving career Army man who has been stationed around the world, including three stints at Fort Sill in Lawton. His daughter graduated from the University of Oklahoma last month. He received his MBA from Oklahoma City University and considers Oklahoma his adopted home – as much of a home as a general in the U.S. Army can have.

I had met Graham only about 20 minutes earlier when he loaded onto our bus at the gates of the base. The tall, sharp-looking and fit general has a full head of gray hair, but doesn’t look a day over 50. His self-effacing humor was evident immediately when he commented on enlisting in the U.S. Army 31 years ago and, in an offhand manner, said he was thinking about making a career of it. I immediately liked this guy. Forget the Hollywood image of generals barking orders, dropping privates to do 20 push-ups or giving tirades to flunkies over the ETA.

This guy was a legit leader. You could feel it.

Since 1948, the intent of the JCOC program – now in its 77th class – has been to orient civilian leaders to the U.S. military. In the course of four days, I joined university presidents, public company CEOs, private equity guys, representatives of the national media and nonprofit leaders in learning about the U.S. Northern Command, NORAD, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Army and the Coast Guard. We were up each day at 5 a.m. and didn’t return until 11 p.m. We were on a rigorous travel schedule that took us from Colorado Springs to San Diego to Albuquerque. I saw Marines training, heard pirate stories from Navy Seals, flew on an Air Force Osprey and had dinner on the USS Green Bay (food was better than expected). It was cool.

But back to Graham and the question.

“Sir,” my classmate asked between bites of toast. “How big a problem is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for returning Army vets?”

Without missing a beat, Graham replied, “It’s a big problem and the Army is addressing it. We now understand every soldier has some degree of PTSD and the Army has a required re-entry program complete with counselors and psychologists to help these men and women. Army divorce, abuse, motorcycle accidents, caffeine addiction and suicide rates are skyrocketing compared to civilians.”

And then he said, “This issue is close to my heart. My son committed suicide by hanging himself in his dorm room.” As a follow-up, the general shared that his other son was killed in the line of duty in Iraq.

Conversation at our table stopped.

Graham, sensing our shock, offered up a teachable moment.

“Thank our soldiers for their commitment. Be sensitive to those returning from war. Talk to family members of someone who has committed suicide. They need help, too. Finally, always tell your kids that you love them.”

The general and our nation’s heroes left a lasting impression. We welcome Graham and his family back to Oklahoma any time.

C. Renzi Stone is the CEO of Saxum Public Relations. He participated in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference May 31-June 4. For more on Stone’s experience with the JCOC, visit his blog at www.blogspot.saxumpr.com.

Within seconds, I found myself in the peculiar spot of experiencing the first two minutes of basic training boot camp as an enlisted man, one of 21,000 just this year, in the United States Marine Corp.

“You will not look at me. You will look straight ahead. Click your heels together. SIR, YES, SIR. Say it soldier! LOUDER!”

Sir, YES, sir, I replied in my best Forrest Gump voice.

Sgt. Garcia is about 6’7, but cannot weigh more than 210 pounds. However, the sharp dress of a marine drill sergeant combined with that famous hat made Sgt. Garcia very intimidating. A couple minutes later I found myself marching in perfect formation with my classmates (okay, our formation was not perfect – a fact we were told about numerous times in the next hour).

A march around the base took us to an Olympic swimming pool where we witnessed full dress survival exercises in water followed by a trek across base to a giant sandbox where 400 recruits were punching, crawling, yelling, swearing, climbing, sweating and carrying each other in the hot sun. All the time, with drill sergeants reminding them to try harder at the top of their lungs. It was hell and made me proud to witness such discipline and commitment. The faces of the soldiers told the story of their inner struggles to complete the rigorous 12 week training that gives recruits “basic” skills which would serve them well to pass the famous 54 hour Marine Crucible.

The above account is just one of many experiences realized over the course of my four days as a guest of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the Pentagon Public Affairs office. For a day-by-day accounting of our overall experience, check out the following Twitter feeds from Jason Liebman, Dave Evans (JCOC staff) and myself.

The United States military is the most intimidating, disciplined, powerful, flexible, caring, trained killing force in the world. I am a proud of our men and women who serve and I go to sleep each night confident in their ability to protect our homeland as well as help in times of civil distress.

In the coming weeks, I will explore each of the five branches – Marines, Navy, Army, Coast Guard and Air Force.