[the article] reported on the growing trend of turning reputation management into a science, and cited research isolating and identifying the specific premium (or drag) that a company’s reputation can add to (or subtract from) its stock price.

That was almost five years ago.  Flash forward to my post last week on this blog, which cited a Wall Street Journal article that maintained that corporate crises cause little lasting damage to reputations, stock prices and balance sheets these days.

It is interesting, if you believe it – and I am wondering if things have changed to the extent that reputation matters less, in terms of quantifiable financial impact.

Stay tuned to this blog for more on this topic.   Meanwhile, it would be good to know what your thoughts are.

… how much real damage will they cause to the companies’ brands and financial standing? So far, very little.
The muted reaction to these fairly big corporate messes raises an intriguing possibility: In a socially-networked world where investors, customers and employees are judge, jury and news editors, companies may be able to survive foul-ups better than in the old days of “traditional” news and corporate spin.

Some of the reasons for the limited impact of crises relate to brand loyalty, few alternatives in each market space, and short attention spans these days, as we are all inundated with info and the next big story is always right around the corner.

Is this true, and if so, what does the trend mean for PR? I bounced this around amongst our team, and a few commented:

• With more sources for the story, people are drawing more of their own conclusions… it’s what we do for the long haul that makes a difference.
• I tend to agree with this a bit. I think that because the world has changed and brands are more exposed due to the Internet and social media, we see more of these brand crises pop up. Things go viral very quickly but just as fast as a story breaks and populates social media, another new story crops up and steals the attention of the public. News cycles last micro-seconds, which probably does benefit large organizations who face a PR crisis. Also, because of this ultra fast pace, companies and organizations can rebound much quicker.
• It depends on the disaster.   The BP one stuck around for a while.
• Perhaps lasting damage is minor, but it’s not pretty to watch companies take brand beatings due to crises that flare via social. I do, however, agree that we’re becoming increasingly immune to fires that start and stop on social. I’ve also seen smaller things – things that don’t at all constitute a crises – turn into real nightmares online simply because consumers have the floor. This wasn’t common 10 year ago.
• I also think it depends on the disaster.  It’s easy for some stories to get lost in the fold with new viral memes and trends popping up so often these days.

This has a lot to do with the changes in how people spend their time and stay informed. Some say that there is information overload, due to the fragmentation and growth of media channels. Clay Shirky famously said that information overload isn’t the problem, rather it is our failure to filter. People use various means to filter. Google, newsreaders and Twitter can be first lines of defense. Increasingly, we rely on ranking and trending lists to winnow down content choices….

The show covered lots of ground related to social media and content marketing.  There were two hands-on workshops that got attendees involved in real content creation projects; one that involved the Blue Man Group (I unfortunately missed these sessions).

• Simon Dumenco, Ad Age media writer
• Mark Schaefer, consultant and author of Return on Influence
• Joe Pulizzi, founder of Content Marketing Institute

Between sessions, I had a quick chat with Simon Dumenco, and asked him the question I had posed in my blog post, namely is there any real difference between content curation and aggregation? Simon and others have been writing about the journalistic challenges that come with these things.

He said, essentially that curation is just a fancier way of saying aggregation. So, although there may technically be a difference, as I pointed out here, not everyone agrees and there’s quite a bit of fuzziness.

There were some great sound bites and references to useful sites and resources during the day.  Please see below for just a few, I hope that you find them interesting and useful:

• Winning the Zero Moment of Truth – Google eBook
• And Then There’s This; How Stories Live and die in Viral Culture – Book by Bill Wasik
• GetGlue Social Entertainment
• Get Storied / Reinvention Summit 2 - Website and event that teaches entrepreneurs how to tell better stories

One of the biggest concerns relates to use of third party content, and how this might siphon off traffic and profits from creators and publishers.  In studying this, and reading lots of articles, it became clear to me that there is confusion about the words curation and aggregation.

Some say one thing when they mean the other, and vice versa.  I was not 100% clear on how they differ (although I had the sense that aggregation is more of an automated, keyword-driven collection and presentation of content; whereas curation usually involves careful selection and the addition of commentary and/or analysis).

At any rate, I did a search and turned up this great article on Idealog.  It spells out the differences pretty clearly, below (ahhh, now the key question: am I aggregating or curating in this post?!!)

Aggregation, of course, simply means pulling together things which are not necessarily connected.

Curation is a term that has always referred to the careful selection and pruning of aggregates, such as for a museum or an art exhibition. But the concept in the digital content world means the selection and presentation of these disparate items to help a browser or consumer navigate and select from them. Aggregation without curation is, normally, not very helpful. Curation creates the brand.

• Page One – Inside the New York Times
• Phone Booth
• Wag the Dog
• Sweet Smell of Success
• Happy Gilmore
• Exit through the Gift Shop
• Thank You for Smoking
• The Persuaders

Victoria: Although it is a year or so old, I wanted to recommend the documentary “Page One – Inside The New York Times.” Coming from a journalism background and with my career experience in PR, I think it was an interesting snapshot into a trying time for traditional newspapers. We’ve all lived through the industry wide meltdown and surely you’ll be familiar with the journalists showcased in the film…

Bob: Yes I have wanted to see that – any other good movies for PR people to see? There are some dark ones about the profession and publicity agents: Sweet Smell of Success – classic with Burt Lancaster; Phone Booth – Colin Farrell is a PR guy, did not see this; Thank you for Smoking – About a tobacco industry apologist / PR guy

Heather: Business Insider did a whole article in September….Some good movies on the list, but I wouldn’t call them accurate of the field….”Wag the Dog”, excellent flick

Mark: I saw “Phone Booth” – Colin plays a sleazy celebrity publicist. Not one to emulate! I liked the movie though. “Happy Gilmore” finds Adam Sandler’s violent hockey-loving golfer falling in love with a publicist for the golf tournament (played by an actress who now stars on “Modern Family”)! “Exit Through The Gift Shop” is a hilarious documentary about a talentless wannabe graffiti artist who self-promotes his way to success in the NYC art scene. Some pretty good PR lessons therein…. I haven’t seen it, but Amazon has a DVD of a Frontline episode called “The Persuaders,” focusing on the advertising and PR professions.

Judy Gombita, who also writes for the blog (and at PR Conversations) introduced me to Neal (thanks again, Judy, and thanks, Neal, for the invitiation to write).

As you may well know, Neal Schaffer is a dynamo, a real pro when it comes to social media; he is an author, noted speaker, etc. The blog is widely read, and it is an honor for me to join the ranks as he has assembled a number of writers.

My first post ran earlier this week.  It is about taking content off its royal pedestal and turning it into an ROI work horse, by combining content marketing with social media. I hope you read and enjoy it, and others there.  My column will appear near the end of each month.

The “Evolution of the Community Manager” session featured a great panel. At the end, each person offered tips for aspiring and practicing community managers.

• Danya Cheskis – Community Manager, Skillshare: Be ready to “murder your darling” if the concept is not working.  Everyone involved needs to know what is happening on the ground. Prioritize, relentlessly execute.
• Katie Morse – Social Marketing Manager, Billboard: Always remember the top business goal, execute against it.
• Matthew Wurst – Director, Brand Strategy and Emerging Media at 360i: Understand what content engages the consumer to drive the emotional connection (it should not be just about marketing).
• Staci Perkins – NYC Community Manager, Eventbrite: Continue to adapt, the job is not set in stone