CEN DC: Great Communicators, Sticky Stories & Branding through Media

The Cornell Entrepreneur Network (CEN) presents “Great Communicators, Sticky Stories & Branding through Media: Generating Good News & Viral Buzz in Hard Times” featuring Emmy Award winning journalist and Cornell alum Farland Chang '84, MS '85, a former CNN Business News Anchor & NBC News Correspondent.

Background

From grade school to college, and business to politics, we're challenged to get our point across and make our ideas stick. We have a message to deliver and an audience to reach.

But what is the most credible, compelling and colorful approach? Having a great story to tell! And ideally one that others will tell and retell. If a picture says 1000 words, a story says 1000 pictures.

As the Heath brothers write in “Made to Stick,” sticky stories explain why some ideas succeed and others die. Think of Bible stories and Aesop's Fables.

Sticky stories appeal to media — both news & social media. And that's a win-win recipe - feeding the media's hunger for “news their audience can use” and feeding your hunger for good press.

Positive publicity helps brand names win hearts and minds. That's because independent reviews offer credible, third party endorsements. And that's why many leaders in commerce and government view the media as one of their most important “customers.”

Favorable reviews from trusted sources build reputations — while follow up advertising reinforces those reputations. As marketing guru Al Ries notes, Publicity first, Advertising second.

From east to west, many top brand names in their early days got off the ground thanks to the power of publicity and word-of-mouth – with virtually no advertising at all.

Consider Google, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, Craigslist, Subway, Apple, Starbucks, eBay, Pokémon, Harry Potter, Viagra, Blackberry, The Body Shop, Palm, Red Bull, Amazon, Yahoo, even Wal-Mart and Microsoft early on. And from China, look at the success of homegrown brands such as Alibaba, Baidu, Li-Ning, Sohu, Sina, Taobao, Tudou, Youku, Xiaonei and Taobao.

Publicity from news reports — good and bad — can be amplified through Facebook and other social networking sites — with their power to virally distribute news stories. So how can we craft our own memorable headlines by thinking like journalists?

Beyond knowing WHAT to say, we need to know HOW to say it. How much are we being judged by verbal versus nonverbal? What can Great Communicators teach us — from Obama to Oprah, and Steve Jobs to Ronald Reagan? And what's the secret to performing as ourselves — at our best?

Join Farland Chang ’84, MS ‘85 for this entertaining & interactive presentation featuring video case studies and filled with take-home value.

Highlights

• Harnessing the power of news & social media
• Promoting your cause, your brand and yourself
• The art of storytelling
• Crafting your ideal headline

Agenda

• 6:30 PM Reception and Networking
• 7:30 PM Presentation/Q&A
• 9:00 PM Open Mic and Networking Continue
• 9:30 PM Event Concludes