When it comes to unlocking the power of digital platforms, the National Association of Broadcasters is “challenged.”
That’s one of the findings in a study by think tank L2, written by Scott Galloway of NYU Stern and Doug Guthrie of the George Washington University School of Business, and released to help promote a new media seminar planned for January.
They ranked the new media efforts of public sector organizations like government agencies, non-profits and industry trade groups. The authors wrote, “Our thesis is that digital competence will play a seminal role in determining the ideas and people that gain or lose influence in the halls of power.”
Coming out tops in the rankings — winning “genius” rankings for their efforts in website effectiveness, digital marketing, social media and mobile — were NASA (which pretty much smoked the field), the White House, PETA, the Army and the Democratic National Committee.
Among those ranked lowest (“feeble”) among the 100 organizations were the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, the Universal Postal Union and the National Transportation Safety Board.
The study found that NAB makes “effective use of microsites to galvanize around its issues” but is “absent” from YouTube. The authors also used NAB’s membership application process as an example of “yesterday’s” way of doing things online.
The authors said that more than half of the organizations registered “Digital IQs” as “feeble” or and “challenged.” They wrote that this suggests that “most public sector organizations have yet to unlock the power of digital platforms. This is a stark contrast to the Digital IQ rankings of more digitally-mature private sector industries, including automobile … and specialty retail … The good news for organizations classified as challenged and feeble is a modest investment can move the needle dramatically. Most of these organizations still have yet to reap low-hanging fruit: purchasing search terms, establishing a presence on social media platforms and investing in mobile.”
More findings: The armed forces category registered the highest Digital IQ, while industry associations and multilateral organizations posted the lowest.
Also: “Many government institutions, including the White House, are bypassing traditional media to get their message out.” And: “There is substantial low hanging fruit around basic digital marketing tactics. Only 18 percent of organizations are purchasing search terms, only 15 percent have mobile sites and nearly one in five organizations still do not allow e-mail opt-in.”
Galloway stated in a summary: “We’re likely to see a transfer in power and influence from organizations that are digitally inept to those who are digitally deft.”
