The Washington Post’s “Top Secret America” package blasted onto the scene Monday, starting a week-long, agenda-setting news cycle on the U.S.’s intelligence infrastructure.

In all the excitement about the content it’s easy to miss the brilliant marketing.  But that would be a shame.  Because in its components lies the answer to an important corporate communications question:  how should I promote my company’s biggest thought leadership study of the year?  You know the one.

But before we dive in, be sure to check out their microsite if you haven’t already.

Done?  Great.  Let’s go.

Don’t Write a Story, Develop a Tool

First, recognize that WaPo didn’t do a “story.” They didn’t even perform a public service.  They CREATED a public service; a research tool that their readers can use on an ongoing basis.  They researched and assembled data point by point, expressed it in graphical ways and made it searchable.  They hired (as their press release mentions) cartography experts, database reporters and interactive graphic designers to pull it together.

WaPo goes out of its way to say this isn’t news, but “first and most comprehensive examination of the complex system.” I’m sure news will come out of it, but it doesn’t need to given the results they’ve already achieved. This is far cry from your average investigative journalism piece and it’s an inspiration for a new generation of corporate thought leadership.

Enforcing a Longer Attention Span

Having created this package, they’re using a non-traditional tempo to distribute it.  Instead of dropping this huge mass of information out there in a day, they’re dripping it out slowly over time.

Why?  Because WaPo and your company face the same marketing problem. Even if you unveil a great study (for WaPo, a story) there’s so much competition you simply can’t hold the public’s attention for long.  How’s WaPo solving that?  The same way you can!

• They’re taking a week to release portions of their research.  Each day another article will come out, keeping a stream of people fixated on their topic and coming back to their properties. It also makes the effort feel big and compels the audience to reflect on the topic over a period of time.
• The video intro gives the site an imprimatur of weight and authority to the package.  It communicates, “this is so special, so historic that we created a dramatic video about it.”   And yet video production is now so cheap any thought leadership study can have its own flashy intro and feel weightier.  Bonus points for making it entertaining.
• They’re escaping the tyranny of the traditional media news cycle by using social media.  Who cares if the press jumps onto some other story next week ?  The conversation with readers will continue online, especially among those most interested in the issues it raises. WaPo says their TSA-focused blog is the anchor of the microsite, “providing updates on Top Secret America coverage, original journalism and insight around related national security matters… will serve as an online destination for further reporting, discussion, analysis, and interaction. Priest and Arkin will host this continuing conversation throughout the rest of the year…”
• In several places on the site, WaPo states how much work it took to assemble. “Two years in the making…more than a dozen Washington Post journalists.” Readers know when real work goes into something.  If WaPo took two years to create this, the least I can do is give it a serious look.

Other good moves to emulate:

1. Microsite: The content has its own microsite.  That conveys the importance of the topic and gives WaPo the freedom to customize the layout that’s as unique as the content. It also frees them from WashingtonPost.com’s format, which resembles a print newspaper — not an interactive research tool.

2. Authors are people, not institutions: The authors of the package, Dana Priest and William Arkin, are prominently featured on the site with head shots and bios and they make appearances in the intro video. That puts a face to the topic and will help with recall when the authors appear on TV through the week.  Readers will also note their bylines in subsequent pieces.  Especially in professional services circles, where clients are buying people’s expertise, it’s important to show the faces behind research.

On the downside, I was hoping to see a way to connect to the authors.  A twitter feed or blog I could follow, maybe a LinkedIn or Facebook account to connect with (not ones dedicated to the topic, but the experts on it).   Alas, these reporters are probably too busy to run those channels, but it’s a lost opportunity.  Even a box to fill in an email address to sign up for their latest articles would have added to the WaPo’s win.

3. Social media: There are the standard share/comment buttons. A prominent section of the microsite is devoted to “Conversation” with Twitter (@PostTSA) and Facebook channels.  A Twitter scroll of #topsecretamerica is included to show they’re listening and to give readers a chance to see the conversation evolve over time.  I couldn’t find any embed code to include their tool on my blog, but I’ve asked them via Twitter if that’s available and will let you know if they come back.

4. Who cares about the press release?: The press release is at the very bottom of the microsite — where it should be.  Really, compared to these other channels, how can a release compare?

5. Helping the reader: Under the banner of usefulness, they have a helpful reference section with definitions and explanation of national security terms and services. Again, it gives the visitor a reason to come back multiple times and makes you feel indebted and thankful to the company.

6. Send us Tips: Tip section headlined with, “Talk to us. Want to contribute to this ongoing project?”  Every page has one, from the front page entry point to each and every company profile entry.  You’re invited to upload docs, video or audio.  Wow.

7. SEO: They’ve set up multiple domains and routes into the package.  There’s http://topsecretamerica.com, http://www.washingtonpost.com/TopSecretAmerica, and http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america. Multiple domains mean they’ll dominate their search results more with their own material.  (Any SEO experts want to offer something specifgic on why this is a good/bad idea?)

Here’s what it looks like to completely dominate a topic on day one of release:

The first couple results are authoritative blogs (NYT, CNN and third, ironically — WaPo).  Note that on the right hand side are adwords for Video: Top Secret America.” Talk about integrated marketing!

The next two results are Washingtonpost.com properties, then Slashdot (having a proud geek moment), followed by a live-tweet stream punctuated by blog posts in a scrolly.  YouTube videos from the companion PBS documentary are next.

Finally, a Google trends chart that states the topic is the 16th most popular search in the past hour.

So there’s our new high bar for thought leadership dominance.  What ideas do YOU get from WaPo’s delivery of this story?