Welcome
⛏️ Are you using Minecraft for your ESG? Microsoft is.
Welcome to another week (and slightly delayed TWTWTW as I've had internet glitches over the weekend). It's the Microsoft issue as we look at how Microsoft secured a victory over in Google and Facebook as well as how it is using Minecraft for its global sustainability report.
This week's PRTech tool is Sendspark which lets you send video emails. It works a lot better in an actual email as the email platform I use for TWTWTW doesn't let me use the code that you'd use in an actual email. It works well if you're sending it from Outlook or other email systems. For this I've had to use this link (click it to see the video) and manually embed the GIF which means it's the wrong size and grainy.
Best wishes - Stuart
News
🏂 Join us in Davos at the Davos Online Communications Summit
For many years I was a regular visitor to Davos to speak at and participate in the World Communication Forum. Hopefully next year we'll all be back in Davos, but for now it's still online. I spoke at last year's online summit which was one of the first global events in lockdown for the public relations and communications industry. It's free to attend this year's summit on 25 February which has speakers from Asia, Africa, Europe, South America and North America. It is chaired by Maxim Behar, the winner of last year's PRWeek Best PR Professional in Europe award.
eventbrite.com
🐨 How Microsoft outfoxed Google and Facebook
In Australia there is battle with the Australian government and media owners on one side and Google and Facebook on the other. The battle has just been won by Microsoft, who weren't even participants. Google is using its corporate muscle to bully the Australian government by threatening to remove its search service from Australia. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella called Australian PM Scott Morrison to offer Microsoft's full throated support for the new legislation. With one call he forced Google back to the negotiating table. What makes it so clever is once Google has conceded to the Australian government it will eventually have to make similar concessions elsewhere.
Image from Wikipedia with a CC licence.
thespinoff.co.nz
Corporate affairs
🏞️ Microsoft created a Minecraft map for its sustainability report
Sustaining interesting in sustainability reports is one of challenges we as public relations and corporate affairs professionals help to solve. That's why I loved this innovative approach from Microsoft which used the fact it owns Minecraft developer Mojang to create an interactive map. Sustainable City is a new Minecraft map which is available as a free download. It is also available in the education version of Minecraft with six lessons for students covering everything from water outflow and treatment to responsible forestry.
theverge.com
CommTech tools
📺 How you can use video email
Video email has been around for a while. I've always thought the biggest drawback is if you're sending them to people in corporate offices as it's not always easy for them to watch them. However, now most of us are working from home I think they might have a role. I also saw professional speaker Alan Stevens talking about how he was successfully using video email. As there's a lifetime deal for Sendspark on AppSumo I thought I'd give it a go. The results have been positive so far with great feedback from everyone I've sent one to. Why don't you give it a go? It's $39 for the deal I bought and you can refund it within 60 days if it's not working for you. [Note this is a referral link so you get a $10 discount and I get a $10 referral fee.]
fbuy.me
How to and tips
🌐 How to plan PR campaigns in an uncertain and unpredictable world
I recently published a review of the latest edition of Professor Anne Gregory's Planning and Managing Public Relations Campaigns, and she's now written a great article on how to plan PR campaigns in an uncertain and unpredictable world. She tackles why planning is so important even when the world is moving and changing so quickly.
influenceonline.co.uk
👭 Free guide to behaviour change communications
The UK's Government Communication Service (GCS) does some great work. I'm not talking about political comms, but the day-to-day work of government communications such as getting people to pay tax on time, stop smoking and drive safely. It creates lots of guides and templates for its own staff and other public sector organisations in the UK. But what's great is it publishes these on its website so all public relations and corporate affairs practitioners can use them. They aren't just relevant to the public sector as I often use them with private sector clients. GCS has just published its latest which is an updated guide on the principles of behaviour change communications.
civilservice.gov.uk