Musings

Margie Clayman Interviews Janice Person of Monsanto

For as long as I’ve known about Monsanto, I have only ever seen bad news about them. I first heard the name when I read Animal Vegetable Miracle. Then I heard about them again when I watched Food Inc.

One of the wonders of the world of social media is that pretenses you bring from your own life can be popped like a big bubble. Whenever I pictured Monsanto I pictured a sort of Earthly rendition of the Emperor’s crew from Star Wars. Guys dressed all in black, kind of scary looking, and very mean, for sure.

It was that perception I had in mind when a conversation began that would lead to this post. See, as some of you know, back in July I asked my community to give me topics for posts that I would write throughout August. My friend Janice, to whom I’ve been talking online for just about a year, recommended I write a post relating to farming. I’ve known her to be a highly engaged and supportive member of the farming community, so I said sure, and I said I already had an idea in mind.

“I’m thinking I’ll write something about stupid Monsanto and why they’re so mean to farmers.”

Janice tweeted me back. “You know I work for Monsanto, right?” Sure enough, this information had been in her Twitter bio for as long as I’d known her, but I had missed it. Whether I just am not cued in to peoples’ bios or whether my own vision of Monsanto had blinded me, I had not made the connection at all. After extracting my foot from my Twitter mouth, it seemed we had an opportunity to provide a good conversation to our mutual communities. I asked Janice if I could interview her not necessarily about Monsanto (I’m not Barbara Walters) but rather about how a brand can deal with a person like me in the online world. How does Janice, as part of Monsanto’s PR department, deal with all of the bad press one sees in the line realm? Janice gracious agreed to reply despite a move to a different state, and here is what we came up with.

1. A lot of people say that a brand must be understood from the highest position right down to the lowest rung on the ladder. It’s clear the message Monsanto wants to get out there is “We’re friends of the farmer.” Is everyone trained the same way on that message?

Monsanto had other businesses than agriculture in the past – the chemical business and sweeteners are among the most well known. Before I got to the company, agriculture became a standalone entity. It’s important for our employees to have the knowledge that as a business, we succeed when farmers succeed – after all, farmers are our customers. We’ve focused on that internally for a number of years. In the last couple of years though we’ve done more to communicate this vision externally too.

2. There are a lot of things about Monsanto that people really don’t like – how do you go about changing a company’s image for people who are so squarely set in their opinions?

When I see people who have defined opinions I disagree with on a one-on-one basis, like the conversations I have with some people on social media, I try to listen and ask questions when I hear people say things that are in direct conflict with my experience. I like to know why they think some of the things they do, whether they’ve talked directly to customers and if they would be willing to hear my experience or that of farmer customers. In fact, that’s what happened with you and I after months of having known each other through social media. Social media is a venue where anyone can manipulate or control messages broadly, from our viewpoint, social media provides an opportunity for broad discussion. That is where Monsanto’s social media efforts are — we want to participate in the dialog about our business and agriculture more broadly. Since I came to Monsanto a few years ago, I’ve become much more aware of critics who also have their own agenda. And quite frankly some critics have found it’s financially rewarding to spread misinformation. There are some people so entrenched in a belief talking can’t be productive, but many people are open to the conversation. When criticism gets on a larger scale, I usually try to look at from the standpoint of trying to understand the context of the topic which can get left out. Having so many farmers and ranchers active on social media helps me gain additional perspective on various topics of discussion.

3. How has social media helped your PR efforts? How has it hurt?

By being active in social media, people can find us if they are interested in what we have to say – both good and bad to that I guess. Transparency provided in social media is vastly different and we’re seeing more and more farmers out here, each able to offer their individual opinions. That helps people understand things aren’t always back and white. One of the benefits of social media is real people and faces are part of the conversation, not just a logo. We hear customers point to this as well as people who may not have known much about us previously. It also lets us participate in real-time discussions and reach large groups of people. Over time this may be able to keep some of the myths from taking as firm a hold as they had in the past. Real-time and mass distribution are also tough things to deal with when something new is talked about. We are pushed to move faster than with other media and when some of the things we see are technically complex, we have to be sure we remain scientifically accurate. That means there are times when we have to tell people we will get back to them.

4. There have been instances in the past where Monsanto has been attacked and the company did not respond. In retrospect, do you think it would have been better for the company to engage? Do you think Social Media is forcing companies to engage with critics more?

If you don’t mind, on the first part…. I’m not sure whether it has been a responding or not getting the response to all the interested audiences which can be perceived that we haven’t always responded. The internet made information more accessible to people but with social media, it’s easier for information to be included in the conversation about that information. Now, it is easier for people to hear from the company, our customers and employees directly instead of getting it filtered. We also have a lot more opportunity to interact with people. And we get to be in the conversations so much more often –we can tweet with farmers regularly about things they are seeing as do others. For that, social media has been amazing.

As far as engaging with our critics more, social media allows for more engagement with the critics. However, I see a lot of critics, not just of Monsanto, looking only for those things which support the viewpoint they already have. So I’m not so sure we engage more directly with critics. There are probably some things that answering doesn’t have anything constructive to it – one of my farmer friends uses “when was the last time you beat your wife/husband/kids?” as the “no win” question. It tends to be more the people somewhere in the middle of the spectrum that this has helped us, and agriculture in general, reach. With that in mind, we don’t get painted with the same broad brush we may have before.

What lessons can you derive from this interview for your own brand or business? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I Don’t Hate You. I Didn’t Misunderstand You. I Just Don’t Like What You’re Doing

by Margie Clayman

Imagine the following scenario with me, won’t you please?

It’s 1858, and you’re living in the Wild West, aka Illinois. There’s a pretty hotly contested senatorial race going on between the very well respected Democrat, Stephen A. Douglas, and some lanky dude named Abraham Lincoln. The two men have been engaging in debates all over the state, and they’re coming to your town. You’ve heard these things are pretty interesting, so you decide to go.

The first question is tossed out and Lincoln answers first. His response is thoughtful and creative and he really gets the crowd on his side. After he is done, it’s Douglas’ turn, and he rebuffs most of what Lincoln has said. The language is pretty sharp and pointed, but this guy really believes what he’s saying.

There’s a pregnant pause.

Then suddenly, Lincoln throws his hands up in the air, turns to the crowd in exasperation, and says, “I can’t talk to this guy. He’s just a hater!” Then Lincoln walks away.

That would be such a bummer, wouldn’t it?

Of course, the Lincoln-Douglas debates didn’t really go down that way. Both men were passionate about what they believed in. They had different ways of bringing their points to the crowds they talked to. But neither of them were reduced to to unprofessionalism on the platform, at least so far as the history books are concerned.

We could learn something here.

Debate, Civil Debate, is Extremely Fun

The fact of the matter is that debate, when conducted with care and civility, is actually really fun, especially if you’re truly passionate about what you’re saying. In the online world, there is plenty of stuff we could debate. We could debate how to follow people or unfollow people on Twitter. We could debate which platform is the most advantageous for parents or for business or for anything else. We could debate all kinds of stuff.

We could, in an ideal world.

Unfortunately, it seems the art of civil debate has fallen by the wayside just at the point when there is a medium that could accommodate it like no other.

Criticism that hits below the belt

Part of the problem is that a lot of people who could throw out a topic for debate instead throw sticks and stones. For example, instead of saying, “I disagree with what you said there,” people write posts or tweet, “Dude, what a dirt bag.” (OK, they don’t say dirt, but I’m not going to use the real word they say here). Instead of saying, “Here is why I think this person’s methodologies could be harmful,” people say, “Hey, you’re an a-hole and I hate you.”

It’s kind of hard to build a civil debate on that kind of foundation, right?

At the same time, though, people who may on occasion receive criticism, legitimate but perhaps sharply worded, have taken to reacting like they are Zeus come down from Olympus. “What? Um, are you saying I’m doing something wrong?” Sometimes people in the online world act as if disagreement is akin to being beaten up. They ask for sympathy when someone criticizes them. Other times still, disagreement is simply grouped into the ,”Well, I guess they hate me” category.

All of these things are useless. They make everybody look like toddlers (and I mean no offense to any toddlers who may read this).

Be open to being imperfect

When someone disagrees with you or criticizes something you are doing, do not automatically put all shields up and assume you are being attacked. Maybe someone has a legitimate point to make. Maybe someone is actually trying to protect you from making yourself look like a jerk, even if they don’t have the best way of verbalizing that. Here, repeat these things as your mantra.

“I am not being bullied if someone disagrees with me. I am just experiencing someone disagreeing with me.”

“Perhaps this person is offering sage wisdom. I will listen first and call them a hater later.” That rhymes so it’s more fun to say.

“Maybe I am not being misunderstood and maybe someone still doesn’t like this. Perhaps I need to look at this from their perspective.”

Practice saying those things to yourself. I mean, literally, aloud. Here, let’s try it right here. Do you disagree with what I’m saying here? I’m ready and waiting to add to my way of thinking, and I very probably will not hate you after you voice your opinion.

Have at it!

Image by B S K. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/spekulator

Go Ahead And Call Me A Coward

by Margie Clayman

I keep thinking about some of the posts I’ve seen over the last few days. Posts about bouts of depression. Posts about personal struggles – and personal triumphs. Posts calling people out. Posts mourning people who have been lost.

So often, people who comment on these posts say that the bloggers are brave. I have been thinking about that, too. Because, you see, I probably will never write a post like that here on my site. I have had my share of thises and thatses, but I will likely not share those things with you. Not here.

Does that make me a coward? Maybe.

Don’t Take Shortcuts

by Margie Clayman

Sean McGinnis is VP Sales and Marketing at Dot CO Law Marketing. Additionally, Sean is a co-founder of 12 Most and blogs about SEO, Internet Marketing, Social Media, Leadership and a variety of other topics at his blog 312 Digital. Sean is based in Chicago and has been involved in Internet Marketing since 1999.

I’m a huge movie buff. In fact, the first web site I ever created was a DVD movie review site (http://dvdverdict.com) that it is still going strong over 12 years later with over 22,000 original movie reviews. One of the byproducts of this fascination with film is I tend to have strong recall of movie dialogue and scenes and I often find myself thinking in movie terms.

Just ask my friend Sam Fiorella. Just this week, Sam and I were chatting via skype and he sparked an immediate movie recall in my mind and I shot him a couple movie clips. We both laughed. I did the same thing to my friends Gini Dietrich and Marcus Sheridan this past week, when I dropped a quick YouTube clip into the Spin Sucks comment stream. I do it because it’s funny and because it adds spice to the discussion.

And here’s the problem….

Every time I do that, I’m taking a shortcut.

I assume everyone knows what I know – that they think like I think – that everyone “gets it” – that they’re in on the joke because they too have seen the movie and understand what I’m trying to convey by dropping in a movie line out of nowhere.

But that’s rarely ever true!

Communication shortcuts can be useful when you have a shared community and you’re certain everyone “gets it,” but they can be death to your marketing efforts. In fact, a sense of community can be strengthened by using just these types of shortcuts. Again, I would cite Gini’s community over at Spin Sucks as an example. Every few weeks or so, I or someone else will call Gini Gumby or Gertrude. It’s funny to me. And it’s funny to Gini. But not every member of her community knows the backstory (click both the links above to get brought into the loop) and those that don’t, get very much left out of the shared experience of being part of that community during those short exchanges. BUT, those in the know have their bonds and allegiances to that community strengthened via this type of shorthand communication. Everyone that knows the Gumby story has a good laugh when it comes back out.

Here’s the rub… There’s a temptation to apply this type of thinking to your marketing effort as well. But, your market very rarely understands your product (or maybe even their need) as well as you do. And by creating shorthand things like branded product names or concepts and continually referring to them in your marketing materials without first explaining them to your prospects can lead to a lot of things – almost none of them good. Your prospects will walk away from your marketing efforts feeling confused and alienated.

Here’s the thing. It’s fairly easy to avoid this type of behavior. All you need to do is put yourself in your prospect’s shoes. It sounds pretty easy in theory, but it’s quite difficult to apply in the real world. Because we can’t unlearn what we already know. We are often blinded by our own self-interests – which is why sales people are often so incredibly bad – because they are focused on their own self-interests and not genuinely focused on the interests of their customers.

Nearly every time you try to take a shortcut you run the risk of alienating your market. Don’t talk down to them. Don’t talk over their heads. Don’t even talk TO them. Instead, talk WITH them. Discover the genuine questions they have about your product or service and answer those questions as completely and naturally as possible. Display a little empathy. It will go a long way in helping you put your market first.

So my advice is this. Beware the shortcut. It can be a VERY effective tactic, but it also has a tendency to limit your market – by creating those that are in the inner circle and those that are forever relegated to being on the outside looking in. Both are viable tactics. Just know which one makes the most sense for your business and when to use it.

The Beautiful Lesson That You’re Not Grasping

by Margie Clayman

One of my favorite movies is Love Actually, a Christmasy type movie that is also a beautiful reflection on the post 9/11 world. The movie points out, via a Hugh Grant voice-over, that on 9/11, the last messages were of love. “I want you to know I love you so much.” Those were peoples’ last words. Those were the words people picked up their phones to say when time was running out for them.

Over the last couple of days, I have watched as the sudden and tragic death of Trey Pennington has begun to dissolve into nothing but another polarizing issue in the online world. Amongst all of the questions that his family and friends are asking, amongst all of the grief that his loved ones are experiencing and will experience, the online world is missing the last and most important lesson Trey left. His last tweet, which I’m sure many have seen, was not of anger or anguish or hate or discontent. His last words in this online world – his last tweet – was of love.

As people deride each other for various reasons this week, I can only feel like I’m watching people slam their heads into brick walls. This week, more than any other week, is a time for patience, understanding, gentleness, kindness, and love. And yet, over the course of 12 hours, 2 exchanges I’ve seen have involved the word “hate” and a condemnation that one person is a waste of life.

I know there are people out there who are trying to gain social capital because of Trey Penningtons death, and that is so disheartening. I know there are people out there who you just find disgusting. That’s human nature. But this week, right at this particular time, that’s not the lesson. The lesson is that the message you’re sending out could be your last one to that person. It could be your last, period. And what are you leaving? Petty retorts, the cause of which no one will know or remember? Messages about how much you hate a person? Messages about how some people are so insensitive they deserve to die? Really?

Where are your hearts, my friends? Where are your heads? What must happen before you realize that you are what you say, and you only get one shot to leave a legacy to be proud of?

Can we not recoil our venomous tongues for the next five days at least? Can we not reach out with hands instead of claws? Just for a few days? What you say matters. It carries weight. It flies away from you and lands you know not where. Make it a risk-free journey. Just for the next few days.

Please.

Image by Adrian van Leen. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/TALUDA

What Will You Leave Behind?

by Margie Clayman

Nancy Davis is a freelance writer. She is also a content editor and social media blogger for Melen LLC. Follow her on Twitter. Thanks for the wonderful post, Nancy!

My Godfather is going into hospice. He has battled with alcoholism most of his life. Gangrene claimed his right leg above his knee back in 2005, and now it wants his left leg. I spoke to him and told him that I loved him. The conversation was extremely painful. Not because he is dying, because death is part of life. It was sad because of what he has become.

It makes me sad to think of the man he once was. The tragedy is that he is a shell of his former self. My Godfather marched to the beat of his own drum. He never did what anyone ever expected him to do. He was the youngest of three brothers, he grew up in the Bronx where fighting in the streets was how you got respect. He blew off the first three fingers on his right hand shooting off fireworks on the 4th of July as a teen. He was left with stumps.

It didn’t stop him from becoming one of the best auto body men around. He could restore any car. He was highly mechanical, and understood what it took to make something work.

I will never forget riding on the back of his motorcycle in my Easter dress. I was maybe 8 years old and I thought he was the coolest guy on Earth. He was a daredevil. There was absolutely nothing he would not try at least once. He had a fast temper, and we used to just write off his erratic behavior as “passionate” He married several times. He was not someone who would do what you wanted. He did what he wanted when he wanted to. I don’t want you to get the impression that he was a bad guy, he was not. In many ways he was deeply misunderstood. I could not have lived with his gifts. They would have driven me insane.

He was deeply psychic. He read tarot cards and did natal astrological charts. He accurately predicted my father’s open heart surgery on my 12th birthday in 1980. His gifts were heavy to him. He was deeply connected to me, and when I wound up in the hospital with a severe gallbladder attack a year and a half ago, he called. He felt something was wrong with me. Had I been in an accident? He said he felt that I was in a hospital. I was in the hospital. He knew things without me telling him. He always seemed to pick the exact right time to call me.

I prefer to remember him this way. Not what he has become. I prefer to think of him working on a car, a Pall Mall cigarette between his lips, with his eagle tattoo showing. I want to remember him talking about spirituality. I want to remember the good times, and forget the bad.

Memory is a funny thing – sometimes if we are very lucky, we can summon those moments about a loved one that make us smile rather than cry, I sit at my computer, tears shining in my eyes, and one single tear is sliding down my face.

No one knows when we will speak to someone for the last time, so I wanted to call him today to tell him I love him, just in case.

Image by Alicia Jo McMahan. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/ajmac

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