The Official Word: Growing up in a test market

Growing up in Columbus, Ohio — a major test market for new products and services — provided some unique opportunities to sample products before anyone else. Fellow Ohioans would often rib us by saying that all cow paths led to Columbus, but when it came to being a choice test city, we were considered the cream of the crop for marketers to introduce their innovations.

One such innovation occurred in the mid-1970s when Warner Cable launched QUBE in Columbus and transformed cable TV service through interactive television. Described by Wikipedia as "a faster method for groups to communicate and interact across distance," QUBE introduced concepts that today seem common, such as pay-per-view, special interest networks and interactive services. But for the day, it was a novel approach to how entertainment could be personally delivered.

I recall the technicians snaking the cables into our Magnavox as we became one of the 30,000 test homes in Columbus to experience QUBE. After the cable was installed, they left behind the controller, with rows of buttons, five of which were used to respond to polls. These responses were then able to be collected within seconds.

My family's first interaction came during a meeting of the city council televised live on one of the community channels. During the meeting, viewers were polled as to their preferences to several questions. It was the one and only town hall meeting I recall my mother attending, and she cast her vote on each of the issues.

QUBE was new and it was news, internationally and nationally, and it was on the threshold of an evolving communication landscape.

A video making the viral rounds and now in its second iteration is Social Media Revolution 2. It provides updated social media and mobile statistics that are based on the book "Socialnomics" by Erik Qualman. Certainly it demonstrates the evolution of communications, and that we continue to develop better mousetraps to communicate across our rat race society.

The twist is to grow beyond the traditional. Instead of an op-ed piece, try a blog. Take your PowerPoint presentation to SlideShare, or your e-mail to Twitter, Facebook or text messaging. The news release remains relevant, but it evolves into a social media release, with its usual elements complemented with videos or presentations that can be embraced by social media channels.

Your toolbox will always expand to embrace the newest innovation. As you become the test market, in all of this, what remains constant? What is it that, no matter how ambitious, innovative or beyond our current imagination, remains at the core, as the nuts and bolts of PR?

PR tips of the month

• Know your message. The "who, what, when, where and why" still are relevant. Know these answers and use them to develop and manage a list of key phrases that tie directly to your key messages.
• Know your audience. Understanding who they are, why they would care about you, what their preferences are, where they exist and who their influencers are will move you in the right direction.
• Be curious, and learn, learn, learn constantly. The abundance of communication channels demands that we evolve our toolboxes to accommodate the evolving communication landscape. Then we will be able to consider and use our best tools, appropriate to the audience and message.

In this evolving landscape, we have removed the barriers of time and place and we have created a 24/7 expectation for communication that is swift and instantaneous. Prime time is no longer king; what rules is "my time." Communicate above the chaos, and most of all, don't forget the personal touch.