The Responsibility of the Best
Being number one carries with it a set of expectations. The expectations of clients, potential clients, contemporaries, competitors and business at large demand a perfect digital image. I did not set out to pick on a giant today, a failed expectation led me to it. Expecting a company with over 3,000 employees, an elite clientèle, and a reach that spans 5 continents to display an awesome digital world presence is natural. However, Edelman’s corporate site honestly reflects a wholly different image. It is as if the company deployed the site as a “what if” element, just in case they needed to engage the digital market. Though exquisite in some regards, Edelman's site is nowhere near being either up to date or as engaging as it should be.
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Not exactly the tip of the sword for a tech page[/caption]
Best of the Best
Make no mistake about it, Edelman has directed resources at the digital image and engagement aspect. Their huge website has superb multimedia aspects (all be it somewhat hidden). A visitor can expect a degree of “world class” experience from Fox News segments spotlighting CEO Richard Edelman, to an excellent Nxtbook entitled Connections (all be it almost 2 years old). The point here is, though the world’s most influential communications firm does engage online, their topical coverage of issues and self branding is not comprehensive nor up to date online. This conveys an “incompleteness” that is both subliminal for some users of the site, and a slap in the face for Internet gurus. Being the best demands near perfection in this writer’s view, I am not wrong in this. [caption id="attachment_405" align="aligncenter" width="550"]
Year old content is not Communicating[/caption]
In or Out of the Kitchen
There is an old saying that goes something like this; “If you can’t handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen!” So, by way of an example, the Health Engagement Blog of the company professes to be “in the know” as far as how to engage people, and I quote:“ Inform in real time - Organizations and brands involved in health need to become more nimble in disseminating information. In the digital era, people expect organizations to provide information rapidly, and they view any delay with skepticism.”Yet, this blog, though authoritative, has an Alexa of a million and a half, not exactly indicative of the world’s best. I do not mean to inflect negatively on the authors there, but I hope you can see my point. If Edelman wants to be seen as committed to internet engagement, well, you see my point. The content is there, the potential is unlimited of course, but the writers are reaching no one. A lack of commitment to their own dogma and/or know how – obviously.
Summary
Being the best in communications means a blanket commitment to engage across the spectrum. Edelman, is an extraordinary company, with a visionary at its helm. My only explanation for their website not being more “all encompassing” is that the helm is a long way from the trenches of social media and the tech world. Possessing a great ability and influence has its drawbacks, and my critique is valid whether talking about Edelman and their online elements or a great basketball player who cannot shoot free throws. The difference being that a terrible free throw shooter like Wilt Chamberlain, made up ten fold in other aspects. This is true for Edelman too, but Wilt never professed to being a free throw expert, Edelman is obligated on several fronts to be “everything communication”. Even at the cost of spending some of those hundreds of millions, the Edelman website is THE online image of the company – Image is all you are on the Web - that is all I have to say about that. I leave the reader with this quote from the corporate website welcome page:"We engage micro-media - bloggers and online conversationalists - who appoint themselves leaders of a category and passionately communicate their real understanding of it."And an "up to date" reflection of this and other engagements. 5 years in Internet time is a lifetime. [caption id="attachment_415" align="aligncenter" width="550"]
A report from the Welcome page vintage 2004[/caption]
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Being The Greatest Is Not About Being Great At Everything - But Almost[/caption]
