After a night cruising from MSM through blogs and some twittering, I cannot help but to reflect on changes in communications. Barack Obama has accepted the Democratic Party nomination in a reaching speech at Mile High Stadium in Denver on the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” address. Would you have thought we would see an African American nominated as president of the United States?  Even more remarkable, perhaps, is effectiveness of new media in energizing this campaign and a massive amount of funding from individuals.Going forward, we will see more - not fewer - changes in politics, business and society enabled by these technologies. There is so much written about these technologies. One of the best explanations of them appeared in a blog called hearitfrom.us  Not fancy. But clear.  

In recent weeks I’ve found myself slicing and dicing attributes of various clients’ offerings to isolate a core component of branding and marketing success – differentiation.

It’s about answering the prospect’s question, “Why should I choose you?” 

Sometimes the differences are minimal and pretty much meaningless. Does the buyer even care? 

What I have seen in many cases, there is one differential the buyer does care about: you, your brand, or your company. What’s different and persuasive, it turns out, is who and what you are. 

Sometimes it may be all that you need. 

When you or your organization brand communications is a big part of what customers love, then success means  keeping in touch and maintaining great relations with your customers. PR rocks. 

March 17 — It is changing. This morning one of our regional weekly business journals reported that the Journal Register Company (NYSE: JRC), publisher of our only daily paper as well as 26 other dailies and 327 other non dailies is facing tough times. Earlier this month they hired Lazard Freres to help devise a financial strategy and received a delisting notice from the New York Stock Exchange. Then I see a feature in The Drudge Report about an earnings loss by The New York Times for the quarter –”one of the worst periods the company and the newspaper industry have seen,” the paper said. Browsing through blogs in the evening, I realized that I was as much in blogs as in mainstream media (MSM). One of them, On Line Spin’s David Morgan predicts a tough four years ahead for the newspaper business.

He wanders into a future where the hometown paper is gone, where weeklies emerge to fill the gap for local business advertising and to some degree the thirst for news. he anticipates a death spiral of offline media which must support huge overhead. And he sees their demise as an opportunity for backfilling.

Someone will have to create a vehicle for the free-standing inserts and what will local businesses do but look for media replacements to carry the in-your-face promotions.

My point is not to repeat what is being covered so well. My point is that those who need to market should be moving into the new media. The groundswell is underway as attested to by the dismal financial news.

Several hours ago I was winding up a spirited meeting with two of the more spirited business people you will encounter any day: Bill Shafley, president & CEO and Doug McQuarrie, vice president of technology at Tactical Solution Partners (TTSR), Hanover, Md.

Following a formal meeting on a variety of topics, we were winding down with a common observation that no matter what industry one is connected with, no matter what technologies are involved, the fundamental human element of passion is central to success. People will do business with purchase from others who demonstrate passion.

Passion is communications at a fundamental level! It is certainly positive energy. It’s certainly the “juice,” as author Marcia Wieder writes in her book “Doing less and having more: five easy steps for discovering what you really want — and getting it.” (William Morrow and Company , 1998)

But she takes the notion of passion a step beyond having enthusiasm to the notion of “being compelled to action.

“Being passionate means being excited enough about an idea or project that you will actually do something about it.” She says enthusiasm is a close companion, with an etymology meaning “being inspired by God.”

Key point? The attitude and positiveness from one who takes action on his or her convictions is itself a communication –nonverbal, but powerful because it is not what they say but what they in fact are doing. We all respond to authenticity.

The Wall Street Journal ran a compelling piece How to Tap IT’s  Hidden  Potential, co-authored by Cox School of Business Prof. Amit Basu and Dallas-based LatticeWorks Consulting  Founder Chip Jarnagin. (The Wall Street Journal The Journal Report, March 10, 2008, pp R4,12)

The article covers an all-too-frequent problem with internal communications - - one group not connecting with another –  when either, both or the entire enterprise could benefit. Management workshops often refer to the condition  as having silos. The authors, referring to a glass partition, make these points:

(1) Too many top executives are unaware of the potential of IT to “transform a business and boost profits.”  Alas, they see IT as an expense they’d like to leave alone.

(2) There is a wall separating IT from other functions, because of language and mind-set differences between people in IT and the people in management; “geek” vs. MBA social influences; “flaws in IT governance;” and the straight on challenges of managing a fast-changing technology.

(3) Breakthrough tactics can change all that.

What are the approaches these authors suggest?  Answer: good organization that, in turn, enables good communication. They call for:

• Top-level C-suite commitment to the IT function;
• Hiring IT leaders who get the “big picture”
• Making sure “nothing gets lost in the translation.”

“A company must have people at all levels who can translate IT language for those outside that department and translate the language of management for those in IT.”

In sum, here’s another instance where better communications - - enabled by top executive attention and functional leaders who understand business — affects the profitability and productivity of the entire enterprise.

What goes for IT can be applied to other functions and departments as well.