Steve Rubel Talks to PSFK

Steve Rubel is a digital marketing strategist currently serving as Senior Vice President of Edelman’s me2revolution practice. But Rubel is probably best known for his daily insights on technology, PR and media that can be found on his popular blog, Micro Persuasion, as well as in his bi-weekly column in AdAge Digital. We recently caught up with Steve and asked him to share with us some of his thoughts on the future of marketing communications and where we all fit in.

What have you been up to recently? What impact have you had at Edelman ?

I’ve been working very closely with our customers, particularly with brand marketers. Specifically, I have been helping them gain a deeper understanding for how technology and the social changes it effects will impact their business in the short and long term.

There’s a lot of work to be done here since the digital landscape changes every 18-24 months… with no end in site. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is right when he says that, over time, all advertising and media will go digital.

We’re constantly researching where this is all going and advising our clients accordingly.

In terms of impact, I look at it at a more macro level - e.g. what kind of influence is Edelman having on marketing communications. It’s significant. The way I can tell is that the agency is by our results. We are really doing not only a lot of groundbreaking work in PR but in digital marketing too - and these are increasingly converging in the US as they have in other parts around the world.

What’s changing? What shift are we witnessing in consumer behavior that is having the biggest impact on the marketing industry?

You’re asking the right question. A lot of people - marketers, the press, bloggers, etc. - tend to focus on specific companies and emerging sites. Every day the sphere is filled with stories about which social network is hot, which is not, etc. This will always ebb and flow. It’s far more important to look at how these technologies are changing society. This evolves more slowly, but the shifts are a lot more meaningful and lasting.

Generation Y really is my leading indicator. I read a lot of blogs written by high school and college-age men and women because they are the best barometer of social change. What’s most notable is how passionate they are for social causes. Their fire is really driving a greater awareness that companies need to really need to take on important issues in a meaningful way.

What creative ideas or brand activity are really catching your eye right now?

As I alluded earlier, action (often around social issues), not so much talk, is a key driver of brand equity these days.

The work that our Dove client is doing around self-esteem is a great example. They honed in on a nerve that their audience was passionate about and put significant dollars toward effecting change through the Dove Self Esteem Fund.

Another example is the American Express Member’s Project. They collaborated with their customers in a meaningful way to find a cause that Amex could bring its resources to help engender change. They are now working with Unicef to make drinking water safer around the world.

Both of these are examples for how companies are using digital media to coalesce their community toward some larger outcome than just selling products. By living their values they will sell.

Thanks, Steve!

Micro Persuasion