Rising in a Down Economy wrap-up

Last Thursday we held our 12^th Panel in the SM& Presents Series. Co-hosted by Goulston & Storrs, the event, called Rising in a Down Economy, explored how smart organizations are innovating in this economy.

If you made it to the event, you would have gotten (along with fresh coffee and breakfast) keen insights from leading experts in the real estate, communications, media and non-profit sectors. Bennie DiNardo of boston.com; Ralph Fuccillo of the DentaQuest Foundation; Ken Hubbard of Hines; and Ashley McCown of Solomon McCown & Co, all spoke about what innovations they’re seeing in their respective spaces, what works and what doesn’t, and how organizations can use this recession to develop a sustainable business plan.

If you missed it, don’t fret. Today, we published a whitepaper summarizing the key points from each speaker. And as always, you can keep up with us in real time by following our various twitter accounts

--Chris Amenta is a marketing coordinator at Solomon McCown & Company. He can be reached by email at camenta@solomonmccown.com

Internet Anonymity

If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all. We’ve all heard it before, but what if there were no consequences for uttering something that isn’t all that nice? With the rise of the Internet and social media outlets, we suddenly find ourselves living in a world of anonymity, abandoning tactfulness and opting for frankness and thoughtlessness.

In an article on CNN.com, Manav Tanneeru describes a scenario in which a Canadian-born cover girl was assailed via an internet blog featuring photos of the model captioned with derogatory terms. In an effort to catch her anonymous assailant, she sued Google to learn his name. Google was forced to comply, and ultimately, the anonymous blogger suffered some serious consequences.

“You have a robust debate on a million different subjects every day on the Internet,” said CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin. “But on the other hand, is that a license to damage people’s reputation with knowing falsehood?”

So while you may be “brave” enough to share your thoughts and opinions behind an internet façade, next time you have something not so nice to say, ask yourself if you would be willing to suffer the consequences of being exposed.

---Kristina Coppola is an account coordinator at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached by email at kcoppola@solomonmccown.com

Social media invades the dictionary

The New Oxford American Dictionary’s 2009 Word of the Year was announced today and to anyone familiar with Facebook it won’t come as a surprise. “Unfriend,” a verb, which means to remove someone as a “friend” on a social networking site is the winner and Christine Lindberg, the Senior Lexicographer for Oxford’s US dictionary program said that the word won because it “has both currency and potential longevity." "Unfriend" beat out words like "hashtag," "sexting" and "intexticated," which indicates a distracted state of mind that results from texting while driving.

Not a huge social media fan? Many other words from the technology, economy and political affairs were considered. Click here to see the full list.

---Alison Thompson is an account supervisor at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached by email at athompson@solomonmccown.com

Rising in a Down Economy

Panelists left to right: Matthew Kiefer, director, Goulston & Storrs; Bennie DiNardo, deputy managing editor for Multimedia, The Boston Globe; Kenneth Hubbard, executive vice president, Hines; Helene Solomon, CEO, Solomon McCown & Co.; Ralph Fuccillo, president, DentaQuest Foundation; Ashley McCown, president, Solomon McCown & Co.

More than 150 people gathered at the Boston Harbor Hotel on November 12 for “Rising in a Down Economy,” a panel discussion hosted by Solomon McCown & Co. and Goulston & Storrs. It was the 12th SM& Presents panel and it attracted executives from real estate, architecture and construction, health care, mission-focused organizations and higher education.

The discussion focused on innovations that are helping corporations and non-profits navigate these challenging economic times. The panelists included: Bennie DiNardo, deputy managing editor for Multimedia, The Boston Globe; Ralph Fuccillo, president, DentaQuest Foundation; Ken Hubbard, executive vice president, Hines; and our very own Ashley McCown, president of SM&. The panelists agreed that innovation is essential to create a sustainable organization and a business model that will survive long past the current downturn. Each shared examples of how innovation has changed their organizations and their industries—whether it’s delivering content, a new building or a new mission. Matthew Kiefer, director, Goulston & Storrs kept the dialogue moving as moderator.

Ralph Fuccillo noted that the DentaQuest Foundation has adapted a new strategy for attacking our nation’s oral health problems. The Foundation went from funding individual community health centers for oral health programs to providing funding for more systemic and sustainable solutions that address the causes of, and provide solutions to, our country’s oral health problems.

At Boston.com, a new approach to sharing the news by focusing on what the Boston Globe does well (rather than trying to be “everything to everyone”) has increased web traffic significantly, making it the 6th largest newspaper website in the country. The introduction of other mediums, including video and twitter has also helped the Globe have greater relevance in the 24/7 news marketplace.

For Hines, an international real estate firm, a commitment to sustainability has helped the company better integrate green ideas and best practices into their development approach. Starting internally by asking employees to help “green the office” with the Hines Go! Program, the firm immediately began seeing returns in energy savings. As an added bonus, tenants in Hines’ buildings wanted in on the action – and now the Hines Go! Award graces the offices of individuals from many different companies.

Ashley McCown talked about how Solomon McCown’s clients are involving the agency early in the decision making process about how and when to communicate news about change—whether positive or difficult— because how organizations involve and inform employees and engage shareholders and stakeholders is essential to whether or not their evolution is successful.

If you missed the panel, follow us on Twitter or log on to Twitter and type #innovation in the search box. Keep checking Mission Recognition for updates. Shortly, a whitepaper capturing more highlights from the discussion will be posted on our website.

Corporate Innovation

A subject SM& is exploring at our panel on Thursday, corporate innovation is most effective when it can be translated into best practices and replicated by others. So I was intrigued by a recent NYT article about large corporations pooling their “green ideas.” Taking a page from the free-ware movement in technology, larger corporations are sharing ideas that reduce greenhouse emissions, create greater efficiencies of scale, and remove toxins from the environment.

For instance, I.B.M. has created a recyclable cardboard packaging insert that requires less fossil fuel to create than traditional foam inserts. DuPont has developed a method for better detecting pollution in soil, air or water by using a microorganism that produces light when exposed to a pollutant.

---Marika Beaton is an account supervisor at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached by email at mbeaton@solomonmccown.com

Innovation: Spreading the Word in Unconventional Ways

Talk about thinking outside the box. New York Daily News reporter Elizabeth Lazarowitz recently wrote a piece, “Art to dry for: Artists install exhibition at laundermat dealing with NYC housing struggles,” about two Brooklyn-based artists who are raising awareness of the state of housing in New York City through art. Their photographs, part of The Laundromat Project, show scenes of poor living conditions in NY, and how people are affected by the rising cost of housing in the city. The photos are accompanied by audio clips from interviews with 11 subjects who are fighting to “find a spot to call home.”

The Laundromat Project, which will put on three laundromat-based shows this year, is “hoping to make art more accessible, especially to people of color in low-income neighborhoods.” What a great way to spread the word and help people learn about their neighbors while doing laundry.

Come see how other organizations are adapting and innovating their way through a struggling economy at the SM& Presents panel event, “Rising in a Down Economy” on Thursday!

---Jane Munkelwitz is a senior account executive at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached by email at jmunkelwitz@solomonmccown.com

We take our job seriously, even if we look silly doing it!

This is a picture of Tina Cassidy, vice president at Solomon McCown who heads up the real estate practice. It was taken Friday on the site of a $341 million, 237-bed replacement hospital for Capital Health that our client Skanska is building in Hopewell Township, NJ. The project will include a facility for a Cyberknife®, a robotic radiosurgery system that can reduce or eliminate certain lesions and tumors that are often considered inoperable.

One of Skanska's core values is zero accidents with the end goal of fostering an injury free environment (IFE). Hence the full safety regalia required just to step foot on the dirt near the job, PR team not excluded!

--- Christine Comey is an account executive at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached at ccomey@solomonmccown.com