Now it was the US that felt different. On arrival in DC I cleared immigration in under 5 minutes. Had the security personnel here all of a sudden become friendlier too, reflecting the Obama administration's new approach to international affairs? It was probably a figment of my imagination - but then everyone likes to be part of a winning team. 12 years ago it was Britain's New Labour under Tony Blair - today it's Obama's 'Hope and Change' Democrats that are inspiring progressives around the world.

Together with 60 other consultants and campaign operatives from centre-left parties from around the world I was in DC for a seminar on the Obama campaign and what the global centre-left can learn from it, organised by the Center for American Progress (CAP), the think-tank set up a few years ago by John Podesta, Bill Clinton's former chief of staff and the man who headed Obama's transition team.

CAP is the successful Democratic answer to the right-wing think-tank movement that helped propel the Republicans' neo-con tendency into power 8 years ago. What sets CAP apart from other, more traditional Democratic think-tanks is the fact that it devotes 40 percent of its budget to communications. CAP realised that just producing new policies wasn't enough - they had to win the hearts as well as the minds of American voters. So they set out years ago to redefine the public's perception of what it means to be a 'progressive' - including through the use of slick tv and online videos.

By doing so, CAP helped generate an environment in which the Obama campaign was able to campaign for progressive policies in a much more receptive public environment. The key to the success of that campaign, according to a senior campaign official at the event? Define your message and your strategy early - and then stick to them. Where the McCain campaign kept adapting its strategy from one day to the next, the Obama team focused almost exclusively on implementation. From his keynote address at the Democratic convention in 2004, his announcement speech in 2007, his victory speech in 2008 to his inaugural address in 2009: as several speakers pointed out, the tone and content might have changed somewhat, but the message was consistent throughout.

So, several eager foreign campaigners asked, can other parties emulate Obama's success simply by adopting his much-praised use of online campaign tools and tactics? No, was the unanimous verdict of his campaign team. Obama's online presence was effective because it formed an integral part of his strategy, and because his online tactics were consistent with his campaign mantra: 'Respect, Empower, Include".

For the overseas participants who travelled from far to be in DC, many of whom had just started investing heavily in online communication tools, the message that they needed a strong candidate with a clear, credible strategy before they could start thinking about what tools to use to build a winning campaign, may have come as something of a rude awakening. But at least they had a hassle-free homeward journey to look forward to.

1. The long-term nature of nuclear power projects tempts politicians and other responsible parties to delay important but unpopular decisions, or simply to render the entire technology a taboo, no-go area. Their own agenda, e.g. the next set of elections, has much greater immediacy for them than the pending threat of power supply shortfalls. However, taking these decisions too late can have a sustained and adverse impact on the provision of sufficient levels of cost-effective power.
2. The exceptionally multi-faceted nature of the topic of power supply provision makes it yet more difficult to get to grips with nuclear power in a factual manner, not just in the population at large, but also with the decision-makers. The discussion in society at large continues to be a highly emotionally charged one, and the outcome of these deliberations remains unclear.
3. Industry specialists, at least those from our cultural circle, whose job it is to assure the safe operation and further development of nuclear power production, are not people who can simply be conjured out of a hat. The task of raising awareness for the demanding professions of engineering and science is one that needs to start right back at nursery school, and this is a concept with which large numbers of people have difficulty. A good pro-nuclear campaign therefore needs to start with a pro-technology campaign.

With people being laid off and companies left and right implementing hiring freezes, it sparks the question of who makes up the real competition in the workforce. Upon graduation, it is assumed that you will be up against those in your graduating class, or even those with similar specialties in other locations. What changes in today’s market for employees is the high presence of the Shelley Levines. To those of you who have yet to enjoy the masterpiece that is Glengarry Glen Ross, Shelley Levines represent those people who have years of experience and are not in high competition with the Ricky Romas, a character who represents the spunky college grads.

Shelley Levines are the type who in a good economy have high job security and usually stay at their company for many years. However with jobs being cut everyday these experienced workers have to re-enter the job market and compete against graduates. I have spoken to hiring managers who have argued both groups have an edge on the other. The college grads are beneficial to companies because they require much lower salaries than their experienced counterparts, and have the potential to invest more years into a company. However those with experience are now in a place where they can no longer demand the salaries they were once given, so the experience per dollar ratio is at a better level for the employer. 

For a soon-to-be college grad the question of which group is at an advantage remains unanswered, but the fact that the pool of employees is going to be approximately 2% bigger than usual is an intimidating thought. 

Rick Moranis recently wrote an article in the International Herald Tribune where he provides a great satire of our current economic crisis. He seems to look down on those with financial backgrounds or business degrees, and implies that those with real skills, the ability to “build, fix, weld, paint, plumb, wire, polish, lift, mold, sew, knit, cook, cobble, darn and/or knead” will be fine in this bleak economy. It’s an interesting point. I have members of my family who are mechanics and those who work on Wall Street, and today it is the mechanics that still have their jobs. It definitely makes one think about what direction demand will shift in the workforce, and how one can be versatile enough to follow that demand. 

While job prospects are scarce, the only things that there are a plethora of are opinions and advice. Students are being attacked on all sides by advisors and journalists with recommendations on their next step: continue your education, learn a trade, change majors, etc. At this point it seems that the best place to make a future is Vegas, at least it has better odds than the economy.

Maybe this video shows us where the job market is really going, and eventually the competitive advantage will be about being faster than the next person.

 
Most Contagious 2008 called “Yes We Can” the year’s Big Idea (they must not have seen Bob the Builder). Check out the other winners in their annual round-up of blistering phenomena from the worlds of technology, media, design, pop culture and brand strategy.

Obama it seems is hanging on to his Blackberry in the face of threats to sever this particular limb. “I’m still clinging to my BlackBerry,” Mr. Obama said on Wednesday to the New York Times. “They’re going to pry it out of my hands.”

You couldn’t think of a better third party endorser if communications consultants had been given the brief. In addition the brand marketing remains absolutely free for Research in Motion since Obama can’t cash in on the opportunity of advertising his love of the gadget. It is also being suggested that the Blackberry is good for Obama’s reputation, positioning him as a next-generation politician and somebody who has lots of people to communicate with. Indeed.

Going back to the holidays, the recent cold spell in Western Europe and freezing weather in Brussels is prolonging the holiday feeling. With all the concern that global warming is making white winters a thing of the past, there is something reassuring about all the snow lying about. I wouldn’t hand victory to the climate change skeptics just yet, but it’s definitely worth a Blackberry –free sledding trip to the park with the boys.

All which makes me think that the one thing that unites Obama, and snow, and Bob the Builder is a sense of something genuine and trust worthy. And – like snow – that’s not to be taken for granted these days. It is however the key to credible and effective communications – whether via a Blackberry or directly to Grant Park.

However, did you know that Qatar has one of the world’s fastest growing economies, and is the wealthiest country in the world measured by GDP per capita? Qatar is also among the world’s top five countries that has the highest concentration of millionaires in the world, according to the Boston Consulting Group.

Qatar enjoys sunshine just about every day of the year; it has great sandy beaches, unrivalled sports facilities and a rich cultural heritage. Qatar is also the gateway to exciting destinations in the region. But you wouldn’t think so, from the (largely negative) media coverage that the country receives in Europe – and the image that most Europeans have of this tiny Gulf state.

The Qatari government has committed itself to spending more than US$130 billion in investment to create a modern, sustainable and industrialized economy and its future wealth is largely founded on some 200 years of natural gas at current production rates. LNG fuels the economy and the country now seeks to stimulate the private sector and develop a “knowledge economy”.

In 2004, it established the Qatar Science & Technology Park to attract and serve technology-based companies and entrepreneurs, from overseas and within Qatar. Qatar also established Education City, a 2,500-acre campus on the outskirts of Doha which hosts branch campuses of some of the world's leading universities, as well as numerous other educational and research institutions.

Qatar has also several huge infrastructure projects under way including The Pearl, a Riviera-style man-made island covering 985 acres of land, and Lusail, a new city close to Doha which will provide accommodation for up to 200,000 people.

By late 2009, the first phase of the New Doha International Airport (NDIA) will be open at a cost of USD 9.5 billion. NDIA will be one of the biggest airports in the Middle East with an initial capacity of 24 million passengers per year and the ability to facilitate more than 50 million passengers per year upon completion.

Already today, Doha is a world-class city, with first class business, technology and sports facilities, as well as hotels and state-of-the-art museums and art collections, universities and all the modern infrastructure that comes with them.

The business opportunities in Qatar and the region have attracted people from all over the world and Doha has become a true international city. At the age of three, my daughter speaks Spanish, Norwegian and English and soon she will learn Arabic and even Dutch (!) at school. That’s what I call priceless.

However, the majority of Qatar’s concerted efforts to project its true image into the wider world will simply not touch the consciousness of the majority of Europeans.

On the other hand, after arriving to spend a holiday with me – and after just one week of shisha and meze, dune bashing with a 4WD vehicle through the Arabian desert, and great Arabian hospitality – my Dad’s perception about Qatar and the Middle East underwent a profound transformation.

People’s perceptions are formed over time. They are very hard to break - and to move them from “Current Perception” to “Best Perception” can be an extremely difficult process. To do so, you have to overcome numerous obstacles and barriers, build bridges to your most critical stakeholders, ask questions and get feedback from them.

Today, PR and communication are the primary tools for managing perceptions to motivate the desired behaviour. However, as my father demonstrated so well, a taste of "the real thing" has more effect on the external perceptions of a country, or a people, than a million brochures or adverts. A picture may say 1,000 words, but a taste of reality is the true shortcut to success.

Alas, even Qatar’s huge publicity budgets don’t run to mass “reality experiences”, and all that remains for PR professionals is to try to get as close to portraying the real thing as possible. Only that way can perceptions be changed.

• A complex issue of general interest, such as nanotechnology, GMOs, the future of drugs, young people and alcohol, etc… 
•  A backer – a public body or private enterprise – responsible for setting up and financing the conference
• A panel of about 20 people, representative of the population segment that the backer wants to sound out – and who have no in-depth knowledge of the issue.
• A steering committee that is independent of the backer to ensure that an ethical approach is adopted.
• And … several months of hard work!

After holding a public debate with experts whose profiles are defined by the panel members themselves, the panel issues collective recommendations on the chosen subject. This public debate can be preceded – and this is a key part of the methodology – by two or three weekends of training on the subject to enable panel members to address the issue from a global perspective.
Citizen conferences are therefore unlike any classic opinion survey method – consumer focus group, opinion survey or quality study – and that’s clearly why they can be a bit intimidating at first.
I recently experienced a citizen conference on a technical issue, insulating existing buildings, that also covered a range of environmental, economic and social questions raised by the Grenelle Environmental Forum. My conclusion was that the citizen conference actually has a very constructive dynamic:

First, it’s fascinating to see the extent to which 20 people will immerse themselves in an issue they know little about, and how determined they are to finding solutions. Second, the group showed real collective maturity. Common sense prevailed with a practical approach that avoided the role-play so prevalent in standard institutional approaches. Third, and what ultimately proved to be of particular benefit to the backer, is that the citizen conference actually appears to “propel opinion” making it possible to predict how public opinion will react and change once opinions have matured, in the same way that the panel’s opinions changed. In this way, this technique enables businesses to gain precious time, in a context where speed is often synonymous with competitive advantage!

In conclusion: don’t be afraid of citizen conferences. They are beneficial for us all – the community, business and individuals.

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Cathy Freeman, Halla, Mark Spitz and more recently Michael Phelps (let’s hope he is clean) and Matthias Steiner (let’s hope he is too). As long as the Olympic Games allow a peaceful competition and set emotions free and as long as taking part is an honour and there are enough weightlifters, fencers, judokas and archerists, they will live up to their myth and popularity. Despite the scandals and inconsistencies I must admit that I am still “infected by the Olympic Virus” and I am not the only one. But a question remains: how much faster, how much higher and how much stronger can it get?

What this reveals for me is that the key to digital media is not to know what the latest website is, or which social network or virtual world to enter, but instead to understand that their growth is due to some fundamental underlying societal trends. These trends – transparency, individuality, connection and knowledge – are the ones that every company should keep in mind when developing a communication program, offline and online.

The need for Transparency was already engrained in the demand for corporate social responsibility that emerged in the 90’s. Then, consumers required companies to be transparent about their impact on the environment and society. Now, consumers expect them to communicate in a clear and frank manner with them about everything, financial results, products, management... The same demand is also made of politicians, institutions, charities...

This is why consumers and citizens now put their trust in Individuals above all. Reviews on travel websites, opinions by a well-liked blogger, a quick text from a friend about a great product, will carry more weight as they appear free of any corporate involvement.

This is multiplied by the power of Connection. One piece of advice from an individual is interesting, but the same repeated by a community of trusted individuals definitely clinches the deal. Communities are the new social space where people build relationships. As people live in a dispersed world, both geographically and in terms of time zones, they re-create a social place online where they can meet regardless of the physical location they occupy and the time they can connect with each other.

This contributes to a new way of creating and consuming information. People build their Knowledge base via a mix of personal opinion that they gather on the net or via friends with what they get from traditional media in print and TV. Their knowledge is also more immediate. No longer do they want to wait for the six o’clock news (in the UK) or the “20h” (in France), they seek it via Twitter (see the recent explosion in the USA or the China earthquake rumoured to have first be told via the microblogging site) or their mobile phone.

So here you go: do you have what makes your consumers TICK? Be aware, they are already Ticking about you and your products. Have a look here: and input your company or brand’s name…

Blogger and journalist professor, Jeff Jarvis, goes even further and describes Flower as a journalistic hero: “I think we should be applauding and supporting Mayhill Fowler. Her reporting of Obama’s “bitter” remarks – in spite of her support of his candidacy – is an impressive act of intellectual honesty.”

The moral here is that bloggers and citizen journalists are challenging the information monopoly long held within the symbiotic relationship between journalists and public relations professionals. The rules of the old world are rapidly changing and newspapers are struggling to compete with smart and aggressive bloggers. The online militia at Dailykos.com is now only beaten by the largest daily newspapers in the U.S.  For the public relations industry, monitoring and influencing the online conversation has become its most daunting challenge to date.

What we do know is that the future is going to be rough – and companies, interest organizations and politicians will realise they are unable to control their reputations by using classical “spin control”. Ordinary citizens are taking journalism into their own hands and they are not intending to give it back. And for a dedicated citizen journalist there is no such thing as a private moment – just ask Barack Obama.

The video quality is quite poor, but still does the job of telling the story and it gives viewers a great sense of being present during a breaking story. Bo Nordin, editor-in-chief of Svd.se calls it “ugly-TV” but It gives media companies the opportunity to record and distribute news extremely fast and cheaply. Then again, so can anyone else now.

More of the news consumption and production will take place on and by mobile phones and YouTube are among the players that are considering how to facilitate live video streaming.

So at a time when businesses are starting to understand that every customer is also a blogger, they will also need to figure out what happens when all journalists and customers are TV channels. We used to say that bad news travels fast, but nowadays all news does.