Building Creative Communications

Studio Two

Lenox, MA

Contact Name
Kevin Sprague
Post date
October 21, 2012
Project Dates
2007 - Present
Workshop Leader
Creative Communities Exchange (CCX) 2011
Tags
Technology, Networking
The formation of Berkshire Creative occurred at a time when the web was transitioning from a static, web 1.0 model to the more networked and connected 2.0 model. We realized that as a foundation element of the organization, a focus on integrated, open-source tools would likely provide us a low-cost platform to develop our message and strategy over time. As a new organization, we had to let the market be our guide - so we implemented a flexible framework to broadcast our message, build constituency, and shape our communications in response to our community. Controlling costs was a significant factor and we have managed to build a very efficient, very low-cost media system for communicating that is extensible and sustainable.
Project Goals
What were the project goals?
The goal of the project is ongoing - to build our constituency, to communicate with predictable and sustainable frequency, and to be able to respond to changes in the media landscape and new communications opportunities easily as they emerge.
Have they changed over time?
For instance, the rise of facebook and twitter has provided significant new channels to communication that we were easily able to integrate in short order as they emerged.
Who are the project partners and stakeholders?
Partners in this project are primarily the Staff and Board of Berkshire Creative. Our community as a whole are stakeholders and turn to Berkshire Creative for important resources, information and opportunities on a regular basis.
Project Specifics
How was the project implemented? What were the steps taken?
The project was initiated in 2007 with the development of our first wordpress-powered website and the implementation of an intelligent database structure to aggregate content assets into archives on an ongoing basis. This was integrated with a bulk email system and contact capture and promotion strategy. Integration of facebook, twitter and other web 2.0 technologies followed.
Have they been refined over time?
We managed an overall reorganization of the site content and presentation in late 2008 and have continued to update and manage the strategy throughout.
Obstacles
What were your major obstacles?
We encountered relatively few obstacles in this process - primarily due to the fact that much of the work was done on a volunteer and pro-bono basis. We have observed that the primary hurdle to other organizations approaching this challenge has been an over-emphasis on brand identity and communications control at the expense of foundation architecture and strategy.
Who or what was instrumental in overcoming these obstacles?
We have worked with other institutions on implementing similar strategies and have found that the first step is actually educating the internal administrative culture about the ways in which communication have fundamentally changed in the last 3-4 years - too often we find ourselves fighting entrenched ideas and models.
What top three suggestions would you give to others attempting a similar project?
• Form follows function - design needs to be driven by how the systems work, not the other way around • Don't introduce "friction" into the system or create barriers to participation or communicating through an excessive adherence to cultural hierarchy or branding • Communications in web 2.0 space are broad, shared and vary in content, voice and perspective. Build an institutional culture that decentralizes communications and allows multiple stakeholders to participate without excessive controls.
Project Impact
How has this project contributed to creative community building?
The project has been key to Berkshire Creative's success - it has been our primary tool for building community and has been a model that has been replicated by other creative communities as well as development organizations and community groups inside our own region.
Why do you consider the project successful, as related to your project goals above?
It exceeded our earliest goals significantly; it is been a tool for building community and been an effective tool for other communities to replicate.
Were there unexpected impacts?
The most interesting development has been the role that good metrics, a fundamental aspect of this type of communications strategy, has had on our ability to track and monitor success and modify our actions in response.
CCX Workshop Handout
todo_studiotwo_0.pdf (483.53 KB)

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