Zócalo Group town square blog

Before the days of Twitter and Facebook, blogs were one of the central parts of social media. Peter Williams, founder of the non-profit ARCHIVE, started out blogging at anarchi-tecture in 2005. Williams examined the relationships between epidemics, public health policy and architecture and eventually attracted a large following of readers who worked in different sectors like architecture, public health and medicine. Realizing the power of his blog and its message, Williams and his readers worked together to raise funds and mobilize, thus creating the ARCHIVE (Architecture for Health in Vulnerable Environments) non-profit organization all within a year’s time. ARCHIVE was founded in 2006 as an international charity that brings awareness to the relationship between poor housing and poor health and aims to bring down rates of tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS in countries like Haiti, Jamaica, South Africa and Singapore – all this from an architect who started to blog.

#BrandHit Learnings:

• Starting small may reap big rewards This non-profit started out as a niche blog, but due to great content and an inspiring topic, its readership was able to grow and eventually create something totally new.  While it’s great to garner huge numbers for clients, we can’t forget that sometimes, slow and steady does win the race.  When launching a new campaign or project, we all have to start from somewhere – it’s what we do with that content we share that really matters.
• Find a topic about which people are passionate Advocates can be passionate about brands, but they’re also people who have genuine interests or hobbies as well. Brands can’t forget that while, yes, they’re trying to encourage engagement about their brand, reaching outside typical brand discussion can sometimes lead to greater advocacy. Connecting to topics that consumers are truly passionate about is one avenue for driving additional awareness and recommendation.

New York City created a 311 appfor residents to report things when they happen or when you see it. Pothole? Report it. Broken traffic light? Report it. Sadly, the app’s reception has been wildly underwhelming. People have said the app is poorly built and is filled with bugs. User reviews include such commentary as “Greatest city in the World with a govt that uses 1980s technology.” Its adoption rate is very low (only 23,000 users) with even fewer complaints registered via the app (4,000). The app’s poor performance has now reached New York’s mayor – and he’s none too happy.

#BrandMiss Learnings:

• QA’s importance should never be underestimated QA (quality assurance) should be the final step before any project, especially something digital. Clicking through links, testing software or simply reading copy are key steps in ensuring a smooth user experience for any piece of digital content. Those few extra days (or even hours) can save a project from launching full of bugs to launching without a hitch.
• Have a crisis management plan in place Even after that QA process, issues are bound to come up, no matter what. Over communicating is key – identifying potential issues, escalation tactics and having a definite crisis plan that includes what to do in case of obstacles or issues will not only save on stress, it will save on time to get those issues or obstacles fixed and back on track.