Stuart Foster is a marketing consultant in the Boston area. He specializes in brand management, social media, and blog outreach. He authors a blog at Thelostjacket.com.

One voice in mainstream media just wants to sit down and have a scotch with you. That person is Colonel Tribune, the social media face of the Chicago Tribune whose Twitter account and Facebook page have amassed a good deal of attention. What you may not know is the story behind him and his creation. Who is Colonel Tribune? What is the genesis and future for this unique news entity?

Daniel Honigman, whose official title at Tribune Interactive is Social Media Strategist, has a reporting background and was the key voice in bringing the Colonel into the conversation. He spearheaded and is also behind much of the Tribune's current social media strategy. Honigman is the man behind the hat.

Creation

The Colonel was launched in 2008 with the purpose of trying out content sharing and strategies for the Chicago Tribune. Some initiatives were out there, but according to Honigman, 99% of the conversations were taking place outside of the Tribune's main site. "Essentially, we wanted to find our audience regardless of the medium. The Colonel acts as a touch point for the Tribune and serves as our voice on the web. Thus we needed a front man, which turned into Colonel Tribune. Who is kind of a goofy man about town but is an actual person. He would even answer questions that you might have."







The "original" Colonel of the Tribune was Mccormick, a former editor of the paper. He is the model on which the Colonel is based. So his historical persona, what he liked to eat, and gentlemanly voice is able to deviate between serious/soft/hard.

Here is what separated the Colonel from other marketing efforts: the Colonel was just one component of a larger strategy. "Our efforts to be listening to and following our audience were run primarily through his voice... He became a part of our comprehensive strategy. The Colonel tries to open the doors to let folks in. He tries to give the audience a voice, much like a community manager for a major company would. The news biz has never been about news, the news attracts audience that attracts advertising. We spend tons of money trying to attract readership and engage in daily conversations. We are audience centric and the Colonel allowed us to take it to a new level."

Execution

Did Honigman gain immediate success? Nope, but he had a few champions on the executive team that saw the potential for greatness and went with the concept. "We went under the radar," he said, "added tribune support as the project became more effective. We definitely used a periphery approach and not a top down initiative. You can change culture from the outside, you just have to have the right idea. The Colonel did have some key benefactors in Owen Youngman, VP and Bill Adee, Digital editor, and served a direct need: Humanization of the Tribune and engaging bloggers/readers in their territory on their terms."







He went on to elaborate, "Think of it this way: everyone has had a story buried. The fact is if newspapers ceased to exist how would reporters deal? Most reporters don't have that attitude. My solution? Network and take a blogger's approach to reporting. Talk with folks who want to expand and begin to build a list/grow. Eventually you will have built up trust..." Essentially, Honigman was able to build a brand and network for the Tribune for the new media age. A brand that interacts, has conversations with, and helps his audience regularly.

The Colonel is now an offline presence as well and regularly holds tweetups. How did he make the leap offline and to other avenues of conversation? By investing the time and really building a comprehensive strategy for success. The Colonel isn't just about the Tribune; he's about Chicago: "Step outside. Meet the audience. Friendship comes from meeting someone and sharing an experience with them," said Honigman. "The Colonel wants to be your friend and help you out. We could have just left the Colonel behind the curtain but we wanted to take that spirit of helpfulness and engagement further so we organized various events and tweetups."







For a long time the Colonel remained a closely guarded secret of the Tribune. He wouldn't show up for events that Honigman would host by claiming to be sick or just too busy working. "The Colonel needed to be a representative of the Tribune but one person isn't responsible for all the work being done behind the scenes: a team is," explained Honigman. "Plus, it was a lot of fun maintaining a certain air of mystery around the Colonel. We could be more cryptic and thus have more fun with the brand."

This raises another important issue: there is only so much original content. "Developing our staff (the Colonel is now assisted by a team) and creating more of a push for conversation is hard work. Whether it's an informed decision or entertainment we want to make sure that the Colonel is going to be there."

"Colonel Tribune isn't a model, per se, but our front man in the digital space, and folks have really connected with him, and through him, to the Chicago Tribune," Honigman said. His recommendation to other news organizations? "Don't worry about reinventing the wheel, but keep your ear close enough to the ground so that you're not late to the party, when something new does go on."

The Future

Honigman sees the future of news reporting going a different way than the static broadcasts that have existed in the past: "Don't underestimate the legwork you'll do just creating those micro-level connections with your end users. You must learn to embrace your audiences, wherever they are. How will you do that? However you can." So new media news reporters bashing your head against the wall in bureaucratic futility? The template for excellence is here. You just need to keep making good on your efforts.

Have any questions for the Colonel? I'm sure he'd be happy to answer them: @ColonelTribune.

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