11. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Misappropriation of
money!
!
Redundant spending!
!
Bloated budgets!
!
Poor choices by key
decision makers!
!
Lack of accountability!
12. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
The Politics of Content!
• By the time we recognize we’re in a political
struggle with content it’s often too late.!
• Content is more than political. Deconstructing
the processes that drive such heavily charged
information can minimalize politics getting in the
way of achieving your content goals.!
!
• The politics of content = $$$. The more politics,
the more expensive your content objectives. !
13. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Navigating the Politics of Content!
14. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Navigating the Politics of Content!
• Explore the warning signs!
• Show the politics of content in action!
• Show ways to mitigate politics
derailing your content objectives!
16. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Warning Signs!
• Your content initiatives are crossing
multiple lines of business!
17. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Warning Signs!
• Your content initiatives are crossing
multiple lines of business!
• Large organization (institution, non-profit)!
18. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Warning Signs!
• Your content initiatives are crossing
multiple lines of business!
• Large organization (institution, non-profit)!
• Buy-in not high enough up the food chain!
19. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Warning Signs!
• Your content initiatives are crossing
multiple lines of business!
• Large organization (institution, non-profit)!
• Buy-in not high enough up the food chain!
• Assumed cost of business!
20. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Multiple lines
of business!
26. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
10 years ago a publically traded company was
making over 50 million in annual revenue creating
software and services for the banking industry. Much
like many successful growing companies, they
acquired companies to improve their organization. !
27. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
My job was to work with the content that came
along with those acquisitions. I wasn’t so much
writing content and managing writers, as I was
dealing with a content windfall. !
32. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Marketing – was content aligned with global brand?!
!
Sales - how will these products be sold in the future?!
!
Development – how will products or service be built?!
!
Legal – does the product do what previously claimed?!
!
Support – are we still supporting current features?!
!
Research – evolution into current business
ecosystem? !
!
33. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
• Brokering conversations!
• Deal making between teams!
• Lobbying for tools!
• Drafting regulations!
!
!
34. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
• Brokering conversations!
• Deal making between teams!
• Lobbying for tools!
• Drafting regulations!
!
!
35. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
• Brokering conversations!
• Deal making between teams!
• Lobbying for tools!
• Drafting regulations!
!
!
!
36. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
What does this
mean for you? !
41. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Your Product Description!
Cocktail napkin!
!
!
White board!
!
!
Requirements document!
!
!
Web site!
42. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Your Product Description!
CEO needs a presentation!
Sales training!
United lounge!
Product development!
43. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Your Product Description!
CEO needs a presentation!
Training materials!
Sales training!
United lounge!
Product development!
44. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Your Product Description!
CEO needs a presentation!
Training materials!
Sales training!
United lounge! Different United lounge!
!
Product development!
45. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Your Product Description!
CEO needs a presentation!
!
!
Training materials!
Sales training!
United lounge! Different United lounge!
!
Bar! Product development!
46. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Your Product Description!
Marketing!
!
• Brochures !
• Web Copy!
• Data Sheets!
• Micro sites!
• Sales sheets!
• White papers!
• Video content!
!
47. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Your Product Description!
Marketing!
!
• Brochures !
• Web Copy!
• Data Sheets!
• Micro sites!
• Sales sheets!
• White papers!
• Video content!
!
48. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Your Product Description!
• Product is about to go to market!
Marketing!
!
• Development can’t get a feature to work!
• Brochures !
• Sales never hearsCopy!
• Web of this!
• Data Sheets!
• Marketing • Micro sites!
and training aren’t communicating!
• Sales sheets!
• Feature is • White papers!
dropped, but legal doesn’t review!
• Video content!
!
50. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Your Product Description!
• Product is about to go to market!
• Marketing!
Over 20 different versions of your product’s story!
!
• Development can’t get a feature to work!
• Product has been live for 3! hours!
• Brochures
• Sales never hearsCopy!
• Web of this!
• • Data Sheets!
Your website isn’t optimized for SEO!
• Marketing • Micro sites! communicating!
and training are
• • Sales sheets!
The phone starts to ring…!
! • Feature is • White papers!
dropped, but legal doesn’t review!
• Video content!
!
51. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Your Product Description!
• Product is about to go to market!
Marketing!
• Over 20 different versions of your product’s story!
“What does yourcan’t get ado and how can it
• Development product feature to work!
!
• Product has been help me?”!
• Brochures3! hours!
live for
!
• Sales never hearsCopy!
• Web of this!
• Data Sheets!
• Your website isn’t optimized for SEO!
• Marketing • Micro sites! communicating!
and training are
• Sales sheets!
• The phone starts to ring…!
! • Feature is • White papers!
dropped, but legal doesn’t review!
• Video content!
!
52. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Your Product Description!
• Product is about to go to market!
Without even realizing it, your
Marketing!
• Over 20 different versions of thousands – if
company has just spent your product’s story!
“Whattens of thousandsfeature to work!
• Development your product do and
not
does can’t get a of dollars –
!
has been live for 3! hours!
Brochures
• Producthow• can it help me?”!
! • creating duplicate content they will
Sales never hearsCopy!
• Web of this!
• Yourspend over tens of thousands of
• Data Sheets!
website isn’t optimized for SEO!
• Marketing • Micro sites! communicating!
dollars to clean up. !
and training are
• Sales sheets!
• The phone starts to ring…!
! • Feature is • White papers!
dropped, but legal doesn’t review!
• Video content!
!
54. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
How did we get here?!
• Content can be a very expensive version of
telephone!
• Lack of content strategy creates a
preponderance of duplicity!
• LOBs constantly battle for funding, profit
margins, and resources!
• We have created a landscape of cultural
internal corporate competition, each vying for
executive acceptance and MONEY !
55. #DCSC13!
@mgrocki!
Mitigate the risks of politics!
• Build politics into the cost of your project!
• Ask the tough questions early in the project!
• Align contentious groups for the sake of the
project!
!