They don’t use traditional media, their values are based on a strong orientation, and they are the most brand resistant generation ever. Let’s peek inside their heads.

1. Most educated generation yet
2. Closer to parents than previous generations
3. Strong social orientation supported by social media
4. 85% have MySpace and/or Facebook accounts
5. Only 2% interact with companies only online
6. They only open email if they’ve opted into a list from a brand or store
7. Ignore online and offline ads, including social media, use DVR to scoot past commercials, unless they are creative
8. Effective content includes videos, contests, and short articles that relate to their interests
9. Must be approached on their own terms on the media they use, e.g. Facebook, MySpace
10. Deeper brand relationships cultivated through through opt-in email and events

The British philosopher Bertrand Russell once wrote: “The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.” Once again, Bert was prophetic.

Justin Kruger and David Dunning from the Department of Psychology at Cornell University tested subjects about humor, logical reasoning, and English grammar. One of the key findings confirmed that “Incompetent individuals, compared with their more competent peers, will dramatically overestimate their ability.” The reason, in part, is that the low performers, in general, don’t have the skills or knowledge to recognize superior performance, and thus their own deficiencies.

In his post on the subject, blogger Allan Bellows compares the syndrome to Adams’ Dilbert Principle, which tells us that the most ineffective workers are systematically promoted.

The moral of the story: Beware of blustery, self-described mavens and experts, and find out what the quiet neurotic have on their minds.

It’s possible that determining the sex of a baby chick is more difficult than branding your company. Oddly enough, they both work in similar ways.

At one day old, the male and female chicks look exactly alike. While scientists can explain the minutiae of wing color, and where to find the BB-sized ovaries of the female chick, these observations don’t fly down on the farm.

The Zen Nippon School of Chicken Sexing in Nippon, Japan is known for training the most successful chicken sexers. The curriculum is simple. The student stares at the rear end of the chick and announces whether it’s male or female. The master standing nearby says “yes” or “no” and the chick is tossed in the appropriate bin.

Over a period of weeks the student gradually becomes an expert. This isn’t garden-variety deductive logic at work. It’s our unconscious mind learning through pattern recognition, colors, shapes, textures and associations. Sound familiar? It’s the same way we’re reminded by a glimpse of a shape, color or font. While you may remember the plot or the headline of an ad, great branding communicates a powerful message that the unconscious brain deciphers. There you go, chicken sexing and branding, now we all have a backup plan.

2. Always respond to media requests—quickly and thoroughly. The rules of engagement allow reporters to ambush if their interview request is ignored or denied. In crisis communications, you usually don’t get a second chance.

3. Know your interviewer. Research past stories. Dig deep to discover what angles a reporter might uncover in their own research of your organization and the issues involved. Provide members of your strategic management team with examples of past stories, so they understand what the company is facing. Identify patterns and analyze how the reporter might be expected to approach coverage of your organization.

4. Screen the reporter to learn as much as possible about the planned story. The more you know, the better you can determine who should respond, and how. Ask what the story is about, when it is anticipated to run, who else is being included in the coverage and keep them talking as long as you can. Ask what they would like from your organization and how they see your content fitting into the overall story.

5. Train your spokesperson. Prepare them for anticipated questions. Arm them with research and anecdotes ready to illustrate (and prove) their points.

6. Prepare anyone who could be in the line of fire, so they are equipped with enough information to decide whether they want to comment. Offer employees tools for keeping themselves out of the spotlight.

7. Monitor all of the interviews that take place within your organization, so you know what was asked and how the questions were answered.

8. If possible or appropriate, reach out to other entities included in the coverage. Compare their experiences with yours, to get a better idea of the scope of the story.

9. Accept that this will hurt. Investigative journalists don’t usually change their tone. By they time the contact your organization for comment, the story may be mostly written or filmed. The angle of the coverage is nearly impossible to change. Accept that and speak directly to the audience—let them decide what’s right.

10. Get out in front. Be the one to capture the coverage and share it with senior decision-makers. Never learn about it from someone else.

11. Lead. Evaluate what the coverage means to your organization. Who was hurt and how? Respond directly to those constituencies.

12. Set the record straight. Following the story, communicate directly to key audiences. Reach out with email messages, letters and phone calls and online content, including your website, Facebook and Twitter. Incorporate important messages into the advertising campaign and public relations outreach through other media venues. Don’t let misinformation stand!

13. Be prepared for follow up news stories, especially if something runs in print. Television newsrooms may show up next. Have spokespeople prepared to respond. Make them available for the next few days, until the furor dies down.

14. Provide employees with the language and tools they need to explain what happened. Remember they have to communicate to business audiences. But they also need language that they can share with their family and friends when they leave the office. They need to be able to defend themselves and their organization—serving as ambassadors in the community.

15. Boost morale. Recognize that when the organization’s reputation is blackened in the media, it’s a slight on all of the people working there too. Reassure them that they are working for an organization that they can be proud to serve. Take action to make sure that’s true!

16. Look in the mirror. Does your organization need to make changes to address any accusations? Can you do better? public relations, marketing or advertising can overcome operational or ethical lapses. Come clean and clean up if that’s what it takes to address a legitimate claim.

For more information about crisis communication and public relations at Ideopia, call Liz Vogel at 513-947-1444.

QR Codes haven’t changed much, but the technology that supports them is blasting off. Last year, QR code scans increased 1,600 percent. The ghastly boxes that resemble a cross between rat maze and a Lego® piece are turning up everywhere: packages, buildings, ketchup, TV and even the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Another driver in the adoption of QR codes is the rapid increase in larger-screen smartphone sales, like the Android-based phones and iPhone, which are cannibalizing the market for tiny-screen feature phones. Larger screens make the web easy to use, especially for mobile-designed sites and landing pages.

Mobile Web Pages are a Must with QR Codes
OK, QR codes are cool, but they’re pretty useless without the infrastructure of a mobile landing page or website. QR codes do two things: convey a short text message or launch a URL.

A successful campaign requires a site developed for mobile. That means a landing page that’s pertinent to a specific product, offer or contest. Sending customers to a desktop website will result in a frustrating experience and cost you dearly in response. On September 21, Google emphasized the switch to mobile by changing its algorithm to downgrade pages containing Flash or pages not designed specifically for smart phones.

Do you need mobile landing pages? Check your web analytics to see what percentage of your traffic is generated from a mobile device. Anything above 10 percent indicates an opportunity to mobify your marketing.

Have questions about getting started with mobile? Call Susan Abramovitz at 513-947-1444 ext. 10.

Our brains don’t like randomness, so we like to connect our actions to a result, like pressing an elevator’s close button. Feel that surge of power when the doors shut? It’s all bunk. Since the American Disabilities Act, almost all elevator close buttons have been disabled. These placebo buttons are everywhere. Crosswalk buttons don’t work, either. And there’s a good chance your office thermostat is a fake, too. A survey by Air Conditioning and Refrigeration news in 2003 reported that 72 percent of respondents admitted to installing dummy thermostats. But don’t knock placebos. They make us feel better, and sooner or later one will actually work.

That trendy new social-media doodad you’ve heard mutterings about? It’s Google+, and it packs privacy settings that trump Facebook’s, and it integrates Google technology to tailor content based on your interests. Although it’s still in beta format and not everyone’s free to roam around yet, we infiltrated Google’s not-so-top-secret platform. Here’s what we’ve found:

Privacy That’s Not an Afterthought
Google+ stands out with its Circles feature, which allows sharing of your information, pictures or posts with exactly who you want. You might have three different Circles, for example: friends, family and co-workers. And because you don’t want to inundate family with nerdy tech talk, you can share your iPhone post just with co-workers, rather than Aunt Sue, who still prefers rotary dial.

Google+ ‘Sparks’ Your Interests with, Well, Google
Obviously, you love squirrels like we do. So you type it into your interests, and Google+’s Sparks feature sends you blog posts, website links and even YouTube videos, all centered on your love for the nutty creatures. See an irresistible squirrel video? Use the Hangouts feature of Google+ and watch the video live with anyone in your Circles.

The Long Road Ahead to Nearly a Billion People
Google+ has a long way to go before we’re talking about it synonymously with Mark Zuckerberg’s blue empire. More than 750 million people peruse Facebook daily, while Google+ is still invitation-only. But for now, unique features like Circles, Hangouts and Sparks make it a serious contender for sucking your time in the future. Learn more on the Google+ Project Website

We didn’t actually find our new senior project manager. We beamed him up. We’re happy to welcome the newest addition to our team, Aaron Thomas-Arnold. Aaron has more than 10 years experience managing tech projects as diverse as ecommerce websites, software apps and web video. He is certified as a Project Portfolio Manager, and a graduate of the electronic media program at the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. He also holds a diploma from Music Tech in audio engineering and concert production. Welcome Aaron!