There are many lessons, too many perhaps to enumerate here. But the obvious ones, the ones that for some reason we never seem to learn include:

Got bad news? Get it out, and get it out fast, even if it hurts. You would think after all the cautionary tales over the years of private sector and government concealment and malfeasance, this would be a no-brainer. Apparently, not. How might the arc of BT have been different if back in 2008 Mayor Bob Kiss and Chief Administrative Officer Jonathan Leopold had come clean with the City Council and citizens about the controversial use of millions from the city’s cash pool to prop up struggling BT? Well, for one, it’s unlikely the mayor would have been re-elected in 2009.

Goodwill melts quickly. Recall all the glow and happy talk around BT when it was first conceived in 2002 and launched in 2006 as a municipally-owned telephone, Internet and cable TV provider. It would invigorate the city’s economy (likely some truth here) and strike back at big business. Notice the recent headlines and stories about BT. Nothing positive there. It will be years before BT recovers its glow, if ever, and that remains an impediment to its success, financial and otherwise.

Don’t take PR advice from your attorney. It’s hard to say who was writing the community relations script for BT, but it sure feels like a ham-handed legal brief. Attorneys are trained to navigate the law, not people’s perceptions and their government’s reputation.

Lack of transparency always has a cost. Often lies and half-truths have incalculable reputation costs to governments, non-profits and businesses. In the case of BT, the costs are real, in the form of higher borrowing costs since Moody’s downgraded Burlington to near-junk bond status. That means every taxpayer in Burlington bears the cost, every year, of former Mayor Kiss’s lack of transparency.

Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Of course, as humans, we fail to keep our promises — in small and big ways — all the time. But we expect our government, non-profit and business leaders to adhere to a higher standard. How did Burlington’s ostensible leaders, in 2008, calculate that an enterprise with limited revenue (a few million dollars a year) could pay back a total of $50 million? Must have been a miscalculation.

Be humble. Current Mayor Miro Weinberger is the one actor in this drama who has displayed humility. And the determination to get out ahead of the problem and solve it.

As much faith as I have in humanity and our American democracy, I know that debacles such as BT will befall our governments, non-profits and businesses again and again. At least we can hope for a more honest, more transparent approach to our human foibles in the future.

(Photo credit: AP/Toby Talbot)

The post Community Relations Lessons from the Burlington Telecom Debacle appeared first on KSV Blog.

What does this mean for New Englanders and their comfort? It’s been something to strive towards…and not always easily achieved. The quick fix is to put on more layers, crank up the thermostat or keep the fires burning. In the summer there seems to be fewer options—you just turn on the air-conditioner. All of these choices, aside from layering, weigh in on our wallet.

You would think, as thick-skinned New Englanders, we would know how to keep ourselves comfortable and keep our energy bills down. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

All over the U.S, but specifically in New England, the ratio of annual peak-hour electric demand to average hourly demand has risen over the past 20 years.  New England’s peak-to-average energy demand has dramatically increased from 1.52 in 1993 to 1.78 in 2012. 

What that means is that the peak-hour energy demand in New England rose 78% above the average hourly level.

This rise has a number of unwanted consequences. Firstly, cost. But, perhaps of equal importance is the drain on electric generators and the potential problems for homeowners and businesses.

Electric generators in New England now are faced with decreasing average utilization. There has been a shift from what was once consistent demand over the course of the year, to extremely high demands in shortened “peak” time segments. The revenue funding these electric generators is becoming more sporadic magnifying the need for capacity market payments.

We have come to expect hot summer days to translate into cool-aired nights in our homes. Similarly, our expectations in winter are comfort and warmth despite below zero temperatures.

Energy efficiency, or it’s preferred term, energy savings, can give us that comfort. Energy efficiency enables those old drafty windows and boundless inefficiencies in ones’ home to be rectified. The cold wind blowing between the crooked doorframe can be blocked, insulation can keep the below freezing temperatures away from your skin and efficient heaters provide you with consistent comfort as you aspire to thaw out in the warmth of your home.  And in the summer, when we are using substantial amounts of energy at peak periods, we can be comfortable without being wasteful. Our wallets, our comfort and the New England electric generators will thank us.

The post How Energy Efficiency Could Help New Englanders Get Comfortable appeared first on KSV Blog.

• We think we’re special. Ahem, we know we’re special.
• We actually do enjoy being social, not just with a screen.
• We prefer spending our money on experiences over objects.
• We know what marketing is, and we know what you’re trying to do.

Marketers know that millennials are more than just a vital audience to target; we also won’t take what has been working for previous generations.

So what does work? From a millennial, here are six tips.

1. Good connections start with good content. We don’t need your fluff; our attention spans are short enough without it. If you’re putting out good information, we’ll find it. But, if you’re saying the same thing we’ve heard a million times over, we won’t.

2. The time has come for transparency. After all, with all the information we need located in our back pocket (literally), we can figure out the truth pretty quickly. Be upfront about who you are and what you’re doing, and we’ll think more highly of your brand for it.

3. Shockingly, we don’t like being told we’re antisocial. Yes, we spend more time with our eyes on a screen than some might be able to fathom. However, we also value experiences and adventures more than you might expect. Stop selling us status. Start selling us social. I’m more likely to invest my time and money if you can give me a good experience, not just a good product.

4. We like being in the know. And talking about it. Call it “hipster” or “informed,” but we want to be able to talk about what’s going on. We want to be able to say, “Yeah, I definitely saw that video of that guy doing that thing, it was hilarious and totally made me think about that other thing.” Not just, “Yeah I saw that thing that went viral.”

5. Get us involved. We’re a proud group of people, and we like being a part of something. Get on social media. Talk to us. Get our creative juices flowing (creativity is important to us). Give us a good time, and you’ll get a good response.

6. We’re on the go. You should be too. If your site or emails are not compatible to our smartphones, they aren’t going to get very far with us. Studies are showing that the connection between mobile use and brand engagement is only getting stronger, and will continue to well into the foreseeable future.

Ultimately, be smart. Be fun and creative. Keep up. We’re not slowing down, and marketers – neither should you.

The post A Note to Marketers, From a Millennial appeared first on KSV Blog.

Super Bowl ads used to be just that: ads. But the best of what we watched yesterday weren’t ads; they were fully realized, digitally-driven campaigns, many of which began long before the final two teams were set, and by the time the players took the field, had already been watched, passed-along, praised, or mocked by millions.

Only a few years ago, it was considered a letdown to have seen a Super Bowl ad before the Super Bowl itself. That all changed with VW’s “The Force” featuring a pint-sized Darth Vader attempting mind control over the family car. 60 million people watched it before the game. And with that, the game changed.

This year, roughly half the Super Bowl ads that ran were released in advance online. Budweiser’s heartstring-tugging horse and doggy love fest “Puppy Love” was the big winner of the sneak peeks, with 30 million views prior to the game. Several other spots, including Bud’s “A Hero’s Welcome” featuring the homecoming of an actual US soldier, Hyundai’s “Nice Ride” featuring a slack-jawed Johnny Galecki, and Sodastream’s “Sorry, Coke and Pepsi” featuring the former Mrs. Ryan Reynolds had all garnered millions of online views.

Behind each of these pre-game releases was a well-oiled social media machine charged with getting as many eyeballs onto the spots as possible. So it’s no surprise that 60% of the spots included their own unique hashtags in the mad scramble to keep the chatter going. The results here were far more mixed. According to Twitterfall, for instance, only twelve people used Chobani’s #HowMatters hashtag in the twelve hours after the Super Bowl, and that included a few who were upset about using a captive bear to sell Greek yogurt. It’s one thing to get people to watch a Greek yogurt commercial on YouTube; it’s another thing to get them to talk about it.

Unless you’re an ad guy like me, who desperately wants people to know what he thinks about Super Bowl ads. So okay, here you go…

Big winners? Budweiser, Radio Shack, Doritos, and hashtags.

Big losers? GoDaddy, Subway (A Chicken-Fritos What?!?), Oikos Greek Yogurt, and anyone who’s done with hashtags. Like these guys.

The post 2014: The Super Bowl of HashTags appeared first on KSV Blog.

There is a place where snow is uncommon. A place where school is cancelled with only an inkling of troubled roads ahead, where temperatures rarely (if ever) drop below zero and where a “freezing” walk is only seen in a parking lot from the grocery store to the car. What is this place, you may ask, you native New Englander, you cold warrior.

This place is Maryland. This place is my home.

I am a suburbanite. I am not from the cold northern winds and weather. I do not have the tough skin of one who has grown up shoveling sidewalks and scoffing at temperatures below zero. I am not accustomed to wind chills and snow plows. Parking bans are a mystery and driving through white fluffy flakes is a downright impossibility.

Olson Ad Agency took a different approach, choosing to mock a popular cold weather science experiment for their campaign for the Belize Tourism Board. The company posted a 12 second video to Instagram showing what happens when you throw a cup of boiling water in the air on a Belize beach… Doesn’t have the same results as if we did it here in Vermont! http://adage.com/article/creativity-pick-of-the-day/travel-belize-boiling-water-trick/291035/

Our neighbors to the north pulled an impressive stunt recently, when the automotive parts retailer and manufacturer Canadian Tire froze their motomaster eliminator battery to -40°c and used it to start a pickup truck made of ice! The ice truck was built from more than 11,000lbs of ice and proved it’s chilly ability by driving over one kilometer through the streets! http://www.designboom.com/design/canadian-tire-builds-drivable-ice-truck-01-07-2014/

Whether it’s a day at the slopes or curled up in bed with Netflix, everyone is choosing different ways to battle the constantly dropping temperatures. As for me, in my mind, I’m in a warmer place.

The post Hot Ad Ideas During the Cold Weather appeared first on KSV Blog.

Robb had asked two highly respected working journalists — albeit, both too old to be digital natives, and both British — to respond to the question in a roundtable format.

Key insights on the “no it’s not” side include:

• Social media challenges entrenched monopolies of power and information.
• Regardless of source, journalists still need to vet what they see on social.
• Social media allows journalists to engage with anyone, not just a limited pool of sources.

And on the “yes it is” side:

• Is valuing speed over substance and accuracy good? Even dangerous?
• Social thrives on emotion, which can lead to bad decisions — and incorrect or biased reporting.
• Sources are now quoted as “X said on Twitter” — is that investigative journalism, or laziness?

At KSV, we can’t imagine a world without social media — it’s both increased our opportunities to share stories with journalists, and then to amplify media coverage of the great things our clients are doing.

Check out Mike Robb’s take on whether social media is killing journalism and tell us what you think.

The post Is social media killing journalism? appeared first on KSV Blog.

The KSV team has determined the 3 most important guidelines to successful retargeting:

• Be useful.
• Be of value.
• Make it personal.

It’s important to construct sequential messaging that is respectful of what people have already seen and what they’re interested in. You should absolutely incorporate frequency capping, which allows you to limit how many times a customer sees your message. No one wants your brand experience to be perceived as intrusive. Your customers are your friends. Treat them with respect.

Based on a visitor’s behavior, you have an idea of who they are and can speak directly to them. Did they visit your “New Customer” page? Did they spend time looking through Energy Efficiency Solutions? Or perhaps they visited the latest information on your Trade Ally program? Speak to your viewers based on their behaviors.

Our energy clients that have used retargeting have found great success. Though this technique has been around for years, it will only get more and more prevalent in 2014. Being relevant helps both you and your customers.

The post 4 Types of Retargeting to Successfully Reach Your Customers appeared first on KSV Blog.

The concept is simple: take a picture; add a question and post.  Questions appear one at a time in a steam. If someone knows the answer, they can respond. If they don’t they can forward it to someone who does, star it for later, or just pass the question altogether. Once passed, the question disappears from the user’s stream forever.

Jelly launched in its most basic form. However, the founders claim there will be many updates down the road. Stone and Finkel have worked together since 2010 when Twitter conducted a talent acquisition of Finkel’s Q&A site Fluther. With that amount of lead time for development and concepting we have no reason not to believe Jelly could be upgraded substantially in the coming year.

The concept is simple but the right upgrades could give Jelly a defining moment. It allows you to connect with those who are already in your networks, or connect to friends of your friends, which presents an opportunity to expand reach. The format also encourages engagement rather than consumption but you can’t search for questions that might relate to your area of expertise or tailor your message to specific groups. In its current form Jelly’s cost of entry (time and resources) does not make it a solid opportunity for most brands due to the lack of features and tailored content.

That’s not to say some brands haven’t jumped on the bandwagon early. Take Ben & Jerry’s for example, a known early adopter of new social media channels. The ice cream company has been posing questions to its network since the app launched two weeks ago. A recent post asking their network whether they preferred a cup or cone received over 50 responses in the first hour.

We say: get to know Jelly. Introduce yourself and learn how it operates. You may not want to commit right away but as the app grows up and becomes a better value proposition to your brand you may decide to invest some quality time in developing your relationship. And you certainly don’t want to be left unprepared if Jelly becomes the next must have of your social portfolio.

The post Should Your Brand Dive into Jelly? appeared first on KSV Blog.

Burlington is a picturesque city with breathtaking views across Lake Champlain and dazzling sunsets over the Adirondacks. The beauty more than compensates for the harsh cold, wind and blizzards that roll in every couple of days during the winter months.

This cycle of bitter weather, followed by clear days that beckon one to go outside, is much like how KSV thrives:  Balancing hard work with play.  

KSVers are some of the hardest-working, most dedicated marketers I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Despite everything going on, we all make sure to step back from our work every once and a while to have a beer, play a few rounds of pool, and refresh our minds so that when we return to our challenges we are ready to produce exceptional, inspired work for our clients.

In a high-stress industry that relies on creativity, strategy, and innovation – but mostly coffee, I am fortunate to be part of a team that understands the importance of having this balance in the workspace.

What do you think about a Day in the Life of KSV?  Tell me in the comments below.

The post KSV: Day in the Life appeared first on KSV Blog.

Content marketing is one of the dominant themes in advertising. And it makes sense. The way we consume media has changed dramatically in the past decade and consumers are savvier than ever to traditional marketing efforts. The creation of content that people genuinely want to engage with and share is a very alluring prospect to marketers in the age of YouTube and DVR. Everyone wants to be the content, not the annoying message that interrupts or distracts from it.

The problem is most marketers and brands aren’t willing to spend the money it takes to make that content. No one is willing to allocate the resources necessary to create the content they so badly want. And even when they do have the dough, the want to roll in key messaging or offers that distract from the initial goal. The goal cannot be to sell something; the goal has to be to create something that is wondrous, special, and creative – something that just happens to be sponsored by your brand. Why create content if it won’t elicit an emotion or make the viewer laugh, or cry, or scream?

I recently watched the documentary “Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s” about the influence of the landmark department store in New York City. The documentary itself was a fantastic example of content marketing, but it was the holiday window displays that really showcased how most marketers miss the mark when it comes to creating content.

You see, at Bergdorf Goodman the window displays aren’t just window displays, they’re stories. They dedicate a massive amount of resources to tell those stories including a team of full-time, year-round employees.  Imagine if every brand dedicated that many man hours to content marketing annually? A department store does it…for their window displays.

It doesn’t end at manpower. Bergdorf’s team has warehouses, yes warehouses plural, to store all of props and design elements they use throughout the year. It takes artists from all over the tri-state area months to create the works that fill each window, while the design team can spend years procuring specific works from artisans past and present all over the world. The window displays have become so iconic that designers will create one-of-a-kind, not for sale pieces simply to be a part of the magic.

All the time and effort pays off. The windows speak to a multi-faceted audience. They play to the fantasies and dreams of children, feed the desires of a wealthy clientele, and create an aspirational culture for thousands of passerby everyday. It’s estimated that millions of people make the trip to 5^th avenue to see the Bergdorf Goodman holiday windows. They come as tourists or locals, alone or with friends and family, and many make an annual pilgrimage. That’s what makes the Bergdorf Goodman windows the epitome of content marketing. They aren’t simply content, they’ve become a part of people’s traditions. What more can a brand ask for?

The post The Best Content Marketing around…A Window Display? appeared first on KSV Blog.