Piercing the “Wall of Rational Ignorance”: A Communication Strategy for an Information Center

Barbara S. Wilson, Rohm and Haas Company

Elizabeth Freeman, CRA, Inc.

The ability to communicate is a crucial skill for today’s special librarians. In fact, one of the SLA Competencies for Special Librarians of the 21st century is “uses appropriate business and management approaches to communicate the importance of information services…” The dilemma facing librarians is how to identify and implement the appropriate communication strategies and how to define success. The Rohm and Haas Knowledge Center recently sought help with marketing and raising awareness of our services and, as a result, now has a strategic approach to how we communicate with our customers and other stakeholders.

The Rohm and Haas Knowledge Center supports the company globally. Our services include content offerings such as electronic and print journals, books and other resources, records management, document management, and online search services. Although there is a physical library, the Knowledge Center provides most services electronically via an Intranet site.

The Knowledge Center has always engaged in marketing and outreach activities to promote understanding of the scope of services and to increase the use of the products and resources. Specifically we have relied on seminars, training, and presentations, and have also made a special effort to meet face-to-face to determine customers’ information needs. The Knowledge Center has otherwise used traditional intra-organizational media for outreach including brochures, a monthly email newsletter to all employees, giveaways, etc. Although the outreach efforts have been continual, feedback has indicated that many employees do not know what the Knowledge Center does or has to offer. In addition, after the release of the Knowledge Center website in September of 2000, usage grew dramatically but then tapered off with no noticeable growth.

Accordingly, the Knowledge Center decided to seek outside help with our outreach and marketing efforts. In early 2002, we solicited proposals for consulting services to develop an outreach strategy for the Knowledge Center. After creating an Request for Proposal (RFP) for “marketing” expertise, we realized that our actual main objective was help with the promotion piece of the four Ps of marketing (product, price, placement and promotion). We assumed we knew our customers’ information needs and knew we had the right product offerings. These were big assumptions, but we continually acquire customer input and feedback and benchmark with our peer companies on products and services offered.

We sent the RFP to three information industry consultants and one organizational communication consultant known to us through a communications firm who had previously worked with Rohm and Haas. We selected CRA, Inc., the communication consultant. We chose CRA for several reasons: CRA recognized we have a communication problem not necessarily related to our information services function; CRA had designed internal communications strategies for other major companies; and CRA was local (Valley Forge, PA) which we believed would facilitate the interviewing part of the process.

To accomplish our objectives, CRA worked with the Knowledge Center to conduct an audience analysis across our key target markets. CRA also gathered information via an audit of existing outreach vehicles and activities, and interviews with Knowledge Center leaders, Knowledge Center customers, non-customers and other key stakeholders. As a result of this information gathering stage, CRA identified three helpful insights:

1. People like us better than they like our technology. While intuitive, CRA’s research identified this “fact.” The company’s employees prefer Knowledge Center employees over Knowledge Center technology.
2. The Knowledge Center is seen more as a vendor than a strategic partner. The Knowledge Center is viewed as a “problem solver,” which detracts from their current efforts to position the Knowledge Center as a strategic partner / resource.
3. The barrier against greater awareness is the “wall of rational ignorance.” Company employees make conscious decisions not to engage in Knowledge Center service offerings because of two primary reasons: (1) they are too busy, and (2) they do not see the ROI. These individuals make a choice to not attend to Knowledge Center messages. Accordingly, we do not have to make the message louder, simpler, or more persuasive.

CRA then met with the Knowledge Center team in a design session to share their findings as well as to test, clarify, and refine straw models and assumptions. Specifically, the design session focused on target audiences, desired outcomes, key messages, potential strategies/ activities, and challenges/issues. As a result of CRA’s primary findings, they generated seven ideas:

1. Structured Relationship Management. This campaign element has several goals:
   (1) build relationships with key stakeholders across the organizations, (2) use these relationships to push our messages and manage meaning, and (3) seek input and guidance from these relationships. In general, to accomplish these objectives, it would first be necessary to identify stakeholders and assign “relationship managers” as well as create protocols and processes.
2. Outcomes-Focused Messaging. This campaign element focuses on (1) pushing messages about how to solve user or user-to-be problems and (2) positioning the Knowledge Center as a strategic partner, rather than a solutions- or product-oriented vendor. To do this, CRA suggested an audit of existing messages. As a result of the audit, we would work to adjust current messages as well as produce new ones.
3. “Blogging.” A growing, popular trend on the Internet—typically known as “blogging” or web-logging—provides a format that facilitates the “writer” to summarize information, provide commentary, and also provide the “reader” with the link to the summarized materials. Accordingly, the goals of this campaign element include: (1) the notion of elevating knowledge as a strategic resource, (2) increasing exposure to Knowledge Center information among users and users-to-be, and (3) leveraging Knowledge Center personalities. To accomplish these objectives, CRA suggested that the Knowledge Center leadership team identify what “blogging” topics should be covered, and who should be the primary “blogger/author.”
4. Consultative Orientation. This campaign element has similar objectives to that of the Outcomes-Focused Messaging: positioning the Knowledge Center as a strategic partner. Accordingly, the Knowledge Center could meet its objectives if it refined its processes to identify Rohm and Haas employee needs, and as a result, adapt training / orientation information to these specific individual / group needs.
5. Leveraging Network Stars. This campaign element is about “creating coaches.” Through these “coaches,” the Knowledge Center would be able to: (1) leverage formal and informal employee networks, and (2) push information via trusted and preferred information sources. The next step for the Knowledge Center would be to identify potential coaches and provide information and messages to them that the Knowledge Center would expect them to share with other users and users-to-be.
6. User Advisory Panel. In an effort to gather input and feedback as well as push information and tools, CRA suggested that the Knowledge Center identify 8 to 10 user / non-users to participate in a “user advisory panel.” The Knowledge Center could further identify other key groups to invite to participate on additional advisory panel(s). The next step for the Knowledge Center would be to identify the process by which to execute the Advisory Panels.
7. Knowledge Networks. CRA recommended that the Knowledge Center engage in a Knowledge Network, or Knowledge Maps. While CRA did not provide a specific approach, CRA and the Knowledge Center agreed that any effort should strive to accomplish the following goals: (1) facilitate efforts to leverage internal information sources, (2) associate the Knowledge Center with knowledge management—not just external sources of information, and (3) work within significant constraints, including resources and budget.

Consistent with CRA’s recommendations, Knowledge Center leadership prioritized the campaign elements. As such, we decided to move forward most aggressively with:

1. Structured Relationship Management. Through a deliberate process of making repeated connections at multiple levels between Knowledge Center staff and stakeholders in the organization that are key to Knowledge Center’s success, we also made certain that there was more than one point of contact with each stakeholder’s organization. We leveraged these relationships to accomplish several objectives.
2. Outcomes-Based Messaging. Working with CRA, the Knowledge Center reworked all user-related communication so that messages explained to the users “what’s in it for me.” The effort focused on messages that familiarized users with the beneficial outcomes of using Knowledge Center tools and services (rather than familiarize them with a particular Knowledge Center tool or service) and emphasized the orientation that the Knowledge Center should be viewed as a strategic partner.
3. “Blogging.” Originating as a web-log, this journaling activity provides an opportunity for one or more Knowledge Center staff members to contribute new things they have learned and provide links to the full text. Some of the appeal of “blogging” stems from the opportunity to showcase personalities and draw “repeat customers.”

The Knowledge Center continues to do all previous outreach activities, and is focusing on building a consultative approach for specific areas, as well as exploring the use of advisory panels, and working with the company’s communications staff. In general, there is consensus among Knowledge Center team members and leadership that our efforts to date are moving us towards piercing the “wall of rationale ignorance,” positioning the Knowledge Center more as a strategic partner, and meeting our objectives relative to our key audiences.