Change is what life's all about. Sometimes it's planned, other times it falls in your lap.
When I first began to dabble with blogs as a communications tool over two years ago I saw change, but I didn't know what it was. I watched in awe as people like Robert Scoble, Buzz Bruggeman, Dan Gillmor, Phil Gomes, Tom Murphy and many others used a new medium powered by RSS, blogs and later podcasting to spread ideas far and wide. I sensed something big was going on. I got hooked on reading feeds faster than I did drinking Starbucks coffee. However, what happened next was anything but planned.
The environment at CooperKatz welcomes experimentation. After we rolled out a couple of client blogs in early 2004, I began to realize all the benefits of this new technology. I also knew I had to be part of the conversation, so I launched this blog on a whim one Sunday and I have been blogging every day since. Needless to say, it's been the greatest experience of my life... so far. And, thanks to readers like you, it's taken me to places I never could have imagined.
Two others who early on saw the revolution coming are Richard Edelman and Rick Murray at Edelman. Richard also started his blog in 2004. He gets it and he is fusing this Cluetrain thinking into the Edelman culture. Rick is driving a smart group that is developing breakthrough word of mouth marketing programs that utilize new technologies and processes. He was an early backer of WOMMA and is building a tremendous team of new marketers that includes the likes of Phil Gomes, Mike Krempasky and Guillaume du Gardier. As Doc Searls recently said, Edelman understands how the new and old worlds are coming together as one. Richard has called this the Me2 Revolution.
After five years at CooperKatz, I felt it was time for me to take the next step in my evolution. So I am excited to announce that I will be joining Rick Murray's team at Edelman (the world's largest independent PR firm) on February 27 as a Senior Vice
President. I will be working out of their New York office.
My role will be consistent to the one I played at CooperKatz, except in a much larger organization. I will be charged with helping the team win new word of mouth business as well as in developing/executing client programs. One of our biggest goals is getting more Fortune 500s blogging. For more, see Richard's blog. If you have questions, please leave them here in comments or email me. If you're on deadline, call me today at 212-455-8085. We will try to address as many of these as we reasonably can in an upcoming Edelman earShot podcast. (For more see Adage and PR Week.)
One question I am sure you have now is: what about Micro Persuasion? It was, after all, the name of a CooperKatz practice. Well, Edelman and CK have reached an agreement where I will continue to blog at here at the same URL. Edelman will not use the Micro Persuasion name for any service offering. And CooperKatz is renaming the old Micro Persuasion practice Cogence - short for consumer generated intelligence.
I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank the entire team at CooperKatz, especially Andy Cooper, Ralph Katz and SVP Anne Green, as well as clients like the ANA, WeatherBug, simplehuman and Vespa. Two years ago when I stormed in raving about blogs these folks were willing to take a chance and do so rather blindly. CooperKatz played a major role in innovating in marketing and I am confident they will continue to do so without me, just as they did before I arrived.
Now, on with the revolution!
Technorati Tags: Edelman CooperKatz Me2 Revolution Steve Rubel Richard Edelman Rick Murray Cogence
