Cablegate: the information Goldrush

There’s only one story this week and it’s Wikileaks. The ultimate media feeding-frenzy has begun. It’s going to be a bit like this: http://bit.ly/eIb7NZ (if you have a bird phobia, it’s NSFW).

But it’s going to last longer. With 250,000 missives to sift through, employees of every ‘serious’ media outlet will be gainfully employed for weeks piecing together interesting story-lines from the quirky, to the worrying to the downright outrageous.

As @richardbacon (of all people) said on Twitter last night: “some of these wikileak revelations are astonishing: http://bit.ly/e4toHn”. (great Guardian journalism by the way).

The wikileaks affair (or #cablegate as it’s known on Twitter), is a lesson in how the web has changed the information economy for good. It is the ultimate embodiment of freedom of information.

But it will also be an education in the role of the Editor. With 251,287 potential stories to publish, the media will have many difficult calls to make on which ones are the biggest news and which ones make the most compelling content (the Sun has already shown its cards, I’m surprised they missed the ‘Ghaddaffi’s Ukrainian Nurse’ opportunity: http://bit.ly/hvclv3).

It will also pit editors against citizen journalists, the ‘editorial filter’ against the ‘social filter’. With 250,000 potential scoops, anyone, from a blogger to CNN, has the opportunity to find a nugget of gold or help form opinion. Wikileaks is like a gold rush for information. Everyone will be at it. This is a time of true 'media democracy'.

And brands should take notice. Why? Well…

1. It’ll be a lesson in content: aside from which stories make headlines, it’s a great opportunity to listen online (Twitter, forums, etc) and find out what kind of story drives online buzz.

2. It just got competitive: Cablegate gives the press enough to fill their pages 100x over from here until 2011, so you need to be even more creative with your brand to get profile.

3. Milk the agenda: such a huge agenda point gives brands an opportunity so they should explore whether they can relevantly (seriously or amusingly) get involved in the debate.

4. It could happen to them: already people are asking whether wikileaks should divert its energy towards corporate as well as government targets (http://reddit.com/eczv1). Beware.

5. Learn from the zeitgeist: Cablegate will create a whole new set of cultural reference points, brands should think like pundits and commentators to remain relevant.

Royal Wedding: Boon or Bust for Brands?

So he’s done it. He’s done what millions of blokes do every year. That awkward one knee thing. Except when he does it, it becomes a cottage industry. It becomes a global talking point. It becomes a bone of contention. A Republican-Monarchist debate. A change in the national mood. And a Daily Mail wankfest.

Taking a step back (unlike the Daily Mail who’s taken 16 steps/pages forward this morning) or Paddy Power whose ad has already used the Royal Couple’s image (http://twitpic.com/37lyak), what does this mean in media and brand terms over the coming months? Is it an opportunity or is it something to be avoided? What are the things that make it a ‘boon’ or a ‘bust’ for your brand and what can you do about it?

On the ‘boon’ side, the clearest positive for brands is the mood of patriotism the wedding is likely to generate, creating a greater domestic appetite for ‘Britishness’ and a more positive ‘retail’ mood. With the world watching, British brands will also have a great shop window in which to display their innovations, creativity and quality. Media obsession will mean journalists will look for the ‘wedding angle’ in everything, creating a ‘cottage industry’ of tie-ups, media partnerships and promotions. Ultimately, there will be a whole new market created in wedding-related goods, from classic merchandise such as the ‘Mug’ to higher-quality, more subtle packages and products.

On the ‘bust’ side, the obvious watch-out is the ‘perfect storm’ of marketing and PR clutter which will spring up at key points along the next 6-8 months, interspersed with the likely fatigue and disinterest which will hit once the initial media frenzy has subsided (a cycle which will continue relentlessly). There is also a fine line to walk between taking developments into account when planning and over-commercialising what is ultimately a personal occasion – opportunism in the asence of relevance or humour will be punished. Finally, if a brand messes up, oversteps the mark or is too crass, millions of critics await on Twitter. A foot out of place will be instant news.

In five – what brands might do:

1. Know your place – brands need to know whether they have a right to talk wedding and if they do, what is the narrative for their involvement, their context and the tone to adopt;

2. Know the media cycle – the build up will be so significant that the ‘wedding trajectory’ must be fed into planning, if only to avoid key dates and potential media obscurity;

3. Be respectful or be funny – brands with a more relevant link should be subtle and luxury in feel, those who don’t should use humour (but not cruel humour);

4. Brit abroad – British brands can capitalise on the wedding abroad, where people will also be celebratory and interested but less informed, simply by dialing up their Britishness;

5. Be flexible – allow some flexibility to respond to the media agenda and think with a journalist's mindset about how your brand can enhance or bring credibility to an editorial environment.

An apology and an excuse

So I’ve been away from the blogosphere for most of October and half of November.

Apologies to my 2 readers.

What started with 2½ weeks in Portugal and California ended in a need to cram two weeks work into the ensuing two weeks with already busy clients and a realisation that re-entering the digital world after a 2 week hiatus is harder than expected. Ignorance of the news agenda and of what was doing the rounds online meant I lost my inspiration to write anything interesting. I now understand what they mean by writer’s block...

So after 2 inspirational weeks in the home of Port wine and the home of entertainment and some amazing client projects, I have many things to write about but unfortunately my mission is to stick to the news agenda. And there is only one thing on it this week. Royal. Wedding.

Forgive me for any rustiness.