I’ve just had a fantastic day which began with typical Waggener Edstrom work, but then I took off mid-morning to join a dozen or so of my WE Washington colleagues at the YWCA's Angeline’s Women Center to work in the dining room. Waggener Edstrom was founded with an eye toward what impact we could make in the world, and of course being a communications company a lot of what we deliver is how we help our clients make THEIR impact. We also do this through our Social Innovation practice, specifically partnering with innovators that embrace the practice of doing well in the world as a successful way to run a business. When it comes to our own programs of making an impact, we’ve put our money where our mouth is so to speak, which amounts to 1 percent of our total fee revenue being donated each year. (We beat our 1 percent goal this year.)
While giving and building a business that supports the practice of driving change are important, and something I am proud to say this agency continues to do, in the end the most important thing we do is empower every single WE person to get out into their communities — from South Africa to Munich and from Austin to Singapore — and lend their TIME to helping improve the places where they not only work but live.
I was impressed with Rochelle Calkins and Hollianne Monson the director and volunteer manager for the Angeline’s YWCA. I also enjoyed very much talking to the women who were there. One woman and I discovered we favor the same novelists, and another one compared notes with me about the beauty of the Ethiopian countryside. In addition to meeting new people and being part of a community effort, it makes for such a rewarding day when you get to spend time with your colleagues outside the usual environment, especially when you hear from many of them how great it is to get the chance to spend time pursuing their own Make a Difference goals.
As an aside, the staff at Angeline’s noted our efficiency, but also our sense of humor, which really is one of the WE traits we seem to have in abundance and one that I appreciate daily from my colleagues.
While doing these things in terms of how we run our business is far from a new commitment by Waggener Edstrom, it is part of our core and something that I have heard directly from our people makes this a place they feel proud to work for — and for that I am grateful and inspired by their efforts every year to drive impact right in their own backyards.
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Khloe Kardashian's Wiki page defines her as an "American businesswoman, TV personality, radio host, socialite, model." Based on a recent encounter with her, I would add master storyteller to her Wiki descriptors, having recently stumbled across the opportunity to observe a reality show in the making. My key learning was that making a reality TV show is not unlike what we do every day as storytellers: take loads of data and try to cobble it together into a cohesive and compelling storyline.
While visiting my brother’s nano-premie babies in the NICU of Children’s Hospital Dallas, the hospital PR director called up to say that Khloe Kardashian was on-site and wanted to come up and visit a couple of babies. Not just any babies — my brother’s babies because they’d been born weighing one pound and are now thriving. Khloe came on the scene some 15 minutes later via a back elevator, preceded by producers handing out releases to anyone and everyone on the floor, and followed by a big camera, fully rolling. We had not been warned that Khloe (who is, in fact, NOT an amazon!) would be accompanied by a crew shooting footage for her new show, "Khloe & Lamar in Dallas" (premieres Feb. 19 on E!). While she cooed over the babies and chatted away with my brother, I took a backseat near the producer so that I could ask him my burning questions about reality TV. Here’s what I learned:
• These cameras capture between 12 and 14 hours of footage per day of Khloe; they follow her everywhere.
• The footage is not scripted: writers/producers don’t create scenarios for her to fulfill; she just lives her life how she wants to live it (only on camera).
• Two weeks before the show airs, this producer and two writers guide the editing of the footage. They troll through hundreds of hours of footage with a goal of piecing together a compelling story, based on classic storytelling elements: tension between “characters,” good guy-bad guy dynamics, scenes that include genuine and raw emotion, “turning points in relationships,” etc. (Sound familiar?!)
• They then make recommendations to Khloe for the cuts they want to take and the commentary they will need from her. She ultimately makes the decision for what’s included and what’s not, with a goal of including “only the most authentic moments” because her “credibility depends on authenticity.” (Sound familiar?!)
Khloe and her crew soon departed, on to some Dallas hot spot for the night. I thanked the producer for the fascinating info, mumbling something cryptic about our being kindred spirits while thinking about how our jobs continue to change to accommodate audiences who increasingly want to be entertained rather than informed. Like this producer, our ability to tell compelling stories entirely depends on the quality of the footage we’re able to capture. And like reality TV, success means that we authentically communicate “reality,” the reality of business challenges and triumphs as well as the reality of how people experience products and services.
Like her and her sisters or not, watch their shows or not, their audience appeal is undeniable. Millions of viewers tune in weekly to to get the story (Truth) behind the headline. THAT's what I call storytelling chops!
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Liz Kelley, Account Coordinator, WE-Austin
The Mathews Elementary School’s Science Fair is an event the Waggener Edstrom Austin office looks forward to every year. After all—what’s not to love about judging papier-mâché volcanoes, lemon-powered light bulbs, collections of insects and chatting with kids excited about science? We experience all that and more with the school’s kindergarten-fifth grade students participating in the fair.
Judging the science fair starts bright and early — think back to the times when you showed up to school no later than 7:45 a.m. – starting with a nutritious homemade breakfast from the students’ parents. Surrounded by children’s books, posters with inspiring quotes, kid-crafted wall décor, and miniature tables and chairs, we gathered for the opening meeting with Mr. Chad Rackowitz, a fifth grade science teacher who has coordinated the science fair for several years. We received our judging instructions and were paired up with a community member to judge the projects. This year, we partnered with Austin High School AP biology students which added another fun aspect to the day and gave us an opportunity to mentor more up and coming scientists.
Katie Ryan, Rachel Austin, and Aaron Motsinger couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk science with kids and joined me as enthusiastic judges from WE on January 19. An extra bonus this year - at the fair we spent time with our 3M client, Jenni Balthrop, who has volunteered for five years! At the fair, we came across everything from a kindergartner’s exhibit about “Dolphin likes two Jump,” a market research project on generic versus name brand soda, to a fifth grader who created his own all-natural laundry detergent that removed mustard and red wine stains better than conventional brands. What a way to apply science to real life!
When the Austin office volunteers, we want the service to contribute to building our long term relationships with local nonprofits and neighborhoods and, if possible, tie back to Waggener Edstrom’s key values. While watching the kids of Mathews Elementary explain water hydraulics, magnets and veganism (yes, there was an exhibit on veganism), I couldn’t help but notice first-hand our agency’s core values: collaboration, curiosity, respect, integrity, passion and (above all else) innovation in the enthusiasm of these kids. While this is a volunteer opportunity that depends on volunteers like WE Austin, I can guarantee that all of us walked out of the fair more energized, curious and passionate about science and innovation and ultimately the clients we work for. And who knows, maybe 15 years from now one of these bright students will be a client!
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Established and Upcoming Influencers
Amid record snow fall last week, Seattle felt a bit like Davos minus the plows. Homebound, I started to poke around online and get ready for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting that takes place in the real Davos this week. Lucky for me, my agency, Waggener Edstrom, offers a suite of tools to help pinpoint the people who influence conversations most profoundly. Last year, I wrote a blog post that highlighted the top ten influencers to follow on Twitter at Davos. These are the movers and shakers who shape and develop the online dialogue. The list was so well received in the Twittersphere that I thought it well worth publishing a similar list this year.
To keep things interesting, I decided to present two lists. The first list contains the likely suspects and is rank ordered according to influence. The second list contains people that are relatively influential online and are newer to the Davos conversation. The second list is not rank ordered according to influence; they are simply my top picks. My research was not exhaustive, so I am not saying the people on the second list have never been involved in WEF. I see them as emerging leaders in the online social innovation conversation – a group of people we like to call “the influencers to the influencers.”
Without further ado, I present this year’s list(s):
Top 5 Influentials to Follow (You are likely already following if you care about Social Innovation!)
- @Davos (1,594,512 followers) – This one is a no-brainer. It’s the official Twitter handle of the World Economic Forum dedicated to the Annual Meeting in Davos.
- @Nouriel (130,216 followers) – American economist and professor Nouriel Roubini tweets consistently about global economic development. If you are not familiar with his work, check out this profile piece published by The New York Times Magazine in 2008.
- @nickkristof (1,218,632 followers) – Pulitzer prize winning columnist Nicholas Kristof has a globally diverse following. He can also be found engaging readers on his Facebook page. (Full disclosure: Waggener Edstrom partnered with Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn in developing www.halftheskymovement.org)
- @gatesfoundation (680,326 followers) - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation needs no introduction. What you might not know is that the foundation has a great blog called Impatient Optimists, which features the work of the foundation’s grantees, partners, leadership, and staff, as well as other bloggers, to provide commentary and insight on global health, global development and education.
- @fareedzakaria (125,117 followers) –Time magazine editor Fareed Zakaria is one of the leading journalists on international relations. (Note: These top influencers also talk to each other. Check out this video of Fareed discussing the role of women in the world with Kristof.
Top 5 Newcomers to the Davos Conversation (Add these influencers if you are looking to get a new and different perspective from Davos)
- @bethcomstock (8,965 followers) – BusinessWeek called Beth Comstock GE’s Innovation Champion. Her real title is Chief Marketing Officer. I believe to really solve some of the world’s most intractable problems it will take an all hands on deck approach, including innovative ideas from the private sector. Welcome, Beth!
- @hbuffett (1,494 followers) – Howard W. Buffett is the grandson of investment guru Warren Buffett and director of the HGB Foundation. Fast Company profiled him earlier this year for his own disruptive approach to philanthropy. He tweeted this gorgeous picture from Davos when he arrived and is participating in WEF’s Global Shapers Community, a group of 20-somethings aiming to making an impact in the world.
- @mabelvanoranje (14,370 followers) – Mabel van Oranje is CEO of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders who work together for peace and human rights. In 2005, the World Economic Forum named her one of its Young Global Leaders.
- @BabatundeUNFPA (869 followers) - As executive director of UNFPA, Babatunde Osotimehin addresses reproductive health of women worldwide. More than 215 million women worldwide don’t have access to contraceptives. Babatunde is fairly new to Twitter, but I hope that he engages to discuss this important issue at Davos.
- @felixsalmon – (48,375 followers) – Felix Salmon is a finance blogger for Thomson Reuters. Felix blogged extensively at Davos last year and keeps us honest by pointing out that Davos is still primarily the stomping grounds of the elite. He did an amusing blog post on how the badges at Davos work and the access one gets at each level. His posts will make you laugh.
A footnote on methodology: The WE twendz pro™ tool uses a formula (sentiment influence + quantitative + qualitative analysis) that can help us understand who the most influential players are in your industry or sector and more importantly, how to engage with them. Twitter can be pretty overwhelming and the WE twendz pro™ service allows us to dig through the clutter and gain some insight into the robust Twitter conversation happening at Davos. It’s a pretty easy tool to use, and once I put my request in, I had a list of the most influential people at Davos within 24 hours.
Update your Twitter feeds! To make it easy for you, we have created lists for each group. You can find the list of established influencers here, and the list of newcomers here. Although not all of us can be in Davos this week, we can all participate in the dialogue.
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