Future Comms (2018)

“Google knows more about you than anyone in history in terms of your true self.” 
“What are you doing to get a seat at the table?”

“You have to adapt in a way that is rooted in your values.”

These were the words spoken by industry leaders within the Communications space that shared their experiences and wisdom at the Future Comms 2018 Conference in New York City on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. This year’s theme? Communicators in Charge.  The speakers did their due diligence in emphasizing the importance of staying true to self (and the brand) while coming up with strategies and innovative ways to drive communication and magnify consumer experiences in a digitized society that is plagued by distractions (social media platforms, fake news, viral content, etc.). How can we take charge? How will we take charge?

At 9:15AM, keynote speaker Scott Galloway, Author and Marketing Professor at NYU Stern School of Business, led a discussion on “The Break Up of Big Tech”. The premise of this discussion was on how four (4) leading brands and social media platforms has shaped the ways in which we communicate and in turn has influenced our attitudinal behaviors, thought process and actions.  According to Galloway, “Google knows the real you. It knows when you’re about to get engaged and when you’re going to get divorced. Google knows more about you than anyone in history in terms of your true self. Google is God … Facebook is love. Facebook gives us the opportunity to catalyze, reengage and initiate strength in existing relationships. Mostly through imagery to create empathy. This explains the reason why we spend so much time on Facebook ... [The concept of] More is irresistible because its been drilled into us over the years. Amazon is a company that provides more for less and by the end of the year will be the most valuable company in the world ... Survival is the first instinct and appropriation is the second; You want to appeal to the irrational organs and that’s what Apple does.” Overall, his talk was eye opening and subtly alluded to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs with regards to these brands/platforms. These needs include physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualization. The key takeaway? Because these platforms/brands continue to evolve, we are under the impression that they shape and satisfy our needs. Digitally speaking, we are so consumed by the content that we see on these platforms that we fail to appreciate our surroundings and traditional communication – speaking to another on a face-to-face basis. The sad truth? We are so immersed in what these brands have to offer that we become distracted and fall victim to making irrational decisions. 

Next, SocialChorus’ Strategic Advisor, Ingrid Belobradic, moderated a panel called “How We Proved the Value of Comms to our Business”. The panelists were: Lindsey Birkel (Corporate Communications Director at Caterpillar), Jana Dawson (Director of Corporate Communications at Westar Energy), Andrea Goodman (VP of Public Relations and Communications at Eastern Bank) and Kyla Turner (Communications Manager at Love's Travel Stops).  The panelists had an open discussion about their experiences as Communication professionals. They touched base on how important it is to be consumer conscious, which drives their engagement with the brand. Something that stood out to me the most was the mentioning of trying to “get a seat at the table”.  Lindsey Birkel went on to say, “I think it’s really important as communication professionals to know your business … The more you can speak the language with your business, with those leaders and translate that into things that are simple for your employees to have an experience. We use a mantra within our corporate communications team called “Think. Feel. Do.” … How do we want that user to think after they’ve come in contact with that messaging, how do we want them to feel and ultimately, what we want them to do. That’s driving us in helping us measure the effectiveness but also to be better in touch with the needs of the business.” I couldn’t agree more with Mrs. Birkel. To get a seat at the table you must create a path. To do that you have to identify a conflict, give voice to that conflict and then change the narrative by finding solutions to build a bridge between the conflict and the solution. Whatever you want your audience to think, feel and do can guide that process. Lastly, we speak about having a seat at the table all the time but no on has ever pitched the idea of building a table and bringing other people on board. With the support from others, we can be the masterminds behind an idea that will ultimately be transformed into actions that will create an impact in the industry.

The morning session concluded with talk by Cliff Levy, Deputy Managing Director for The New York Times, called “Inside The New York Times’ Digital Transformation”. He’s been in the industry for quite some time but one lesson that has remained constant over the years is the need to stay rooted in your values. “You can’t be something that you’re not. Be authentic to who you are. Be of the organization but not of the organization at the same time and that’s how you drive fundamental change.” Mr. Levy hit it on the nail. External changes influence internal changes, but we cannot lose sight of who we are. We must remain conscious and action oriented so that we can also stay in tune with the people. I say people and not consumers because it’s most important to serve than to sell -- this helps with relationship building and ultimately, brand loyalty. If people can connect with your message and offerings because it resonates with them then you’ve hit the jackpot, especially if you also stay true to yourself and the brand’s vision, mission and objective.

All in all, the content shared at this conference emphasized the importance of communications beyond the digital space. As time progresses, so will the ways in which we interact and engage with one another and brands. As communicators, we must be more proactive than we are reactive; as communicators we must take charge!