PR junkie

How often do you forget a password?

2011-02-21T12:11:40Z

This is a guest post from Jessica Levco, a Ragan.com staff writer and the editor of HealthCare Marketing & Communications News. Nobody likes a whiner. That's what my Mom always said, at least. But there's something I need to complain about. Since Oct. 23, I've had to change my password each time I log into Twitter. Ugh! Why is my life soooooo unfair?! (That one's for you, Mom.) After a thorough investigation (calling our IT department), I was told that I had a "known issue" that was listed on the Twitter support page. There were more than 19 pages of complaints from Twitter users with a similar issue. For two weeks, I sent tweets to the message board and also directed a tweet to @Support to see if anybody heard me. After all, wasn't Twitter the company that invented the idea of companies "listening" to users? @Support never got back to me directly. But before I release my tirade, I'd like to say at least it acknowledged that it isn't getting back to anybody--no matter how many different ways I complained. Here's a sampling: First, I thought I'd stick to the facts. Please fix: My password needs to be reset each time I log in. (Jan 6) Maybe my complaints didn't have a "voice." I tried to be friendly. Hi @Support! My password issue is still unresolved. Please fix! (Jan. 11) @Support didn't respond to my exclamations. I quickly fell into a spiral of depression. Woe is me. Dear @Support, I have to change my password each time I log in. (Jan. 17) The least @Support could do is DM me and tell me that it's over. Hello, @Support? Are you there? It's me, Jessica. Did you get my last message about my password? (Jan. 21) I gave @Support the weekend to respond. But I kept checking my messages. @Support Can we at least talk about my password issue? I think we can still work this out. DM, please. (Jan. 24) Nothing. Well, now seemed like the perfect time to result to scare tactics. @Support, do you really want to ignore a social media reporter? My password has to be changed each time I log in. Argh! (Jan.25) Later on that day, I checked back to @Support. Here's what it said: The ability to check existing help requests online at support.twitter.com is temporarily down for maintenance. It'll be back up soon! (Jan. 21) Well, maybe this means I can stop complaining for a little while. But for now, I'm taking suggestions for password combinations. Let me know.

Is Twitter to blame for the Ricky Gervais backlash?

2011-01-19T18:41:57Z

The big story in entertainment news this week is British comedian Ricky Gervais's supposedly controversial opening monologue at the Golden Globes awards. On Monday morning, media outlets around the world--from Detroit to Australia--asked: Did Gervais go too far? In his monologue, Gervais cracked jokes about Charlie Sheen, Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, Cher, Scientologists, Hugh Hefner, Mel Gibson, and the cast of Sex and the City 2. The audience didn't seem to chafe at his jokes. Sure, there were groans and some uncomfortable laughter, but crowd shots--like those of Robert De Niro and Halle Berry--showed many stars chuckling at Gervais's jokes. So, why all the anger toward Gervais? The culprit in this case seems to be Twitter. After the comedian's 5-minute monologue, he didn't appear on the Golden Globes stage for about one hour. During that time, speculation among Twitter members was that Gervais had been pulled from the show. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Piers Morgan, the new CNN host in Larry King's former time slot, launched the Twitter speculation when he tweeted: "Gervais not seen for an hour now." Note that Morgan earned his stripes reporting for tabloids in the U.K. and that Gervais will be a guest on his brand-new show this Thursday, Shortly after Morgan's tweet, other news outlets began speculating on Twitter. For instance, The Boston Globe's Wesley Morris tweeted: "Where's Ricky Gervais? Has anyone seen him? Has he been sent home? Is he somewhere passed out on some suit's wife. What gives?" And it was a PR pro who quit beating around the bush and said what many of the other tweets were suggesting: "Others have joked but I think it is getting to the point where it may be true...did HFPA fire Gervais midway through the show??" Hollywood publicist Lewis Kay tweeted. HFPA is the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hosts the Golden Globes and was among Gervais targets during his monologue. Ultimately, the speculation proved incorrect. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Gervais insisted there was nothing strange about his hour-long absence from the stage. "I did every single introduction I was meant to," Gervais explained. "There just happened to be a long gap. This is because I was allowed to choose who I would introduce in advance. I obviously chose presenters who I had the best jokes for. (And who I knew had a good sense of humor)." Gervais also denied any awkwardness backstage. "Everyone took it well and the atmosphere backstage and at the after show was great," he said. Although the HFPA said in a statement that Gervais "occasionally went too far," the organization insisted the show "was among the best" it had staged. Even Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who was the butt of a Gervais joke, tweeted about the Golden Globes, suggesting he wasn't offended by the cracks. "The Golden Globes was a blast," he tweeted. "They made fun of everyone, including ... me. A great night." What did you think about the monologue? Do you think Gervais went over the line?

Smells like teen spirit 2010 - eau de decayed celebrity

2011-01-14T22:07:18Z

To put it delicately, I hate shopping for cologne with the feverous heat of a thousand blistering suns. There are pushy salesmen who think they know the particular musk you're after far better than you, when really they're just inundating you with scented toxins because, hey, they work on commission - no, thank you. That said, about once every year, after I've rallied every last milliliter of my cologne, I muster the strength to yet again face the fragrance counter. Though it doesn't decongest my perfumed-clogged nasal passages, it does make me feel better knowing that I did not shop alone in 2010. But which fragrances cast an intoxicating spell on consumers in the year that was? Sadly for me, it was not my scent of yesteryear, Story by David Beckham; I was directed toward a nice Michigan Avenue Walgreens in search of my second-tier eau de designer of choice. I wish I was kidding. While 2010 didn't smell like Posh Spice's favorite footballer, when you look at the marketing data, celebrity touted fragrances weren't among the perfumes and colognes that most tickled customers' olfactories. And when examined even further, other industries aren't having the same luck they once marshaled with the allure of Hollywood glam either. Although it used to be enough to add a celebrity name or endorsement to a particular scent, those days are gone - sorry, Kim K. With former marketing superstars like Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong losing their luster - the prior for reasons more self-inflicted than the latter - a study published by Advertising Age that looked at every televised ad over the first 11 months of 2010 found that less than 12 percent of ads using celebrities to hawk their products garnered more than a 10 percent lift when it came to a spot or campaign's effectiveness. Twenty percent even saw a negative reaction from audiences. Ad Age sums it up quite well, not just expressing that good advertising stands on its own, but saying: "Adding a celebrity to an ad with an already poor creative message is like rubbing salt in the wound. Instead of serving as a Band-Aid to bad creative, using a celebrity on top of bad creative usually makes the ad even less effective and confusing to viewers." We couldn't agree more - though if anyone does find my Beckham touted Story, please send it to our offices. Thanks in advance.

Did this PR pro write the 'most amazing press release ever'?

2011-01-11T22:29:22Z

Know your audience. That's a good tip for pitching any journalist, blogger, or consumer. It's clear PitchPoint Public Relations understands this. On Tuesday afternoon, the company--which consists of Chicago-based PR pro Mitch Delaplane, an Apple computer, and his dog Sally--issued a press release titled, "The most amazing press release ever written." And it purported to be--that's right--the best press release ever written. How meta. If you work in the business press and cover PR and marketing--like me--this press release will catch your eye. If you're a company looking for a stunning example of a press release, and you enter "amazing press release" into Google, guess what, Delaplane's prose appears on the first page. Like I said, he knows his audience. Here's a copy of the press release. What do you think?

The Most Amazing Press Release Ever Written

PR Professional Distributes Groundbreaking Press Release

CHICAGO, Jan. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitch Delaplane of PitchPoint Public Relations has issued the most amazing press release ever written. While hundreds of press releases are distributed daily, Delaplane feels this particular release will go down in history as the most amazing press release that has ever been written.

"I've been in the business for over ten years and have to say, I'm speechless," claims Delaplane. "The title alone grabs you and demands that it be read. Then there's this quote that completely takes things to an entirely new level. I'm proud of this press release. In fact, I think it is [really] amazing."

Typically reserved for company news announcements and other public relations communications, the press release has long been the favored default for informing media about exciting, groundbreaking news. Then this news release comes along and changes everything people thought they knew about press releases.

"I'm quoting myself again because the first quote didn't do it justice," says Delaplane. "If you're still reading this news release, then you know what I'm talking about when I say it's something special. In fact, it's 483 words of pure awesomeness. When it crosses the wires, I believe history will have been made."

The science behind this Earth-shattering news release lies in its simplicity - no science, just pure old press release craftsmanship. It started with an incredible brainstorming session that asked a very simple question: "what makes a press release amazing?" Elaborate notes from that brainstorm were then formulated into mesmerizing sentences, paragraphs and pages...all expertly designed to make you pause and reflect at the brilliance of this press release.

Every single word of this news release was track changed, stetted, then track changed again to its original draft. Upon final approval, it was spell checked, fact checked and printed for posterity. The result is a two-page, 1.5-spaced news release that is like no other news release in existence.

According to PitchPoint Public Relations you have just read the most amazing press release ever written. If you agree, tell Mitch at mitch@pitchpointpr.com or follow him on Twitter at Lifeisamitch.

If you disagree, issue your own press release and prepare for war.

4 unconventional New Year's resolutions for PR pros

2011-01-10T23:41:38Z

"Because who has time to slim slowly?" That's the slogan from Slim-Fast as we kickoff 2011; it's part of the iconic weight-loss brand's first-quarter marketing campaign, timely coupling its advertising efforts with a world of New Year's resolutions. Well, I can't tell you who has time to slim slowly, Slim-Fast. But I can tell you which of my former schoolmates had time to balloon-up rapidly. Lucky for you, Cynthia Bostwick, I won't name names. Kidding. (Sort of.) All joking aside, with all the New Year's resolutions on the table, we thought it'd be nice to suggest a few vows that our professional friends might carry with them into the workplace over the next 360 or so days. Start drinking. The creative juices, that is. Guess what. Digital media isn't going anywhere. To get the most from your online campaigns and viral efforts, you better spike that morning coffee with some inspiring liquids because clients are asking for it. But please, don't mistake creative juices with management Kool-Aid. Best to stay away from that. Loosen that belt. People continually battle their ever-expanding waistlines, starting fitness regimens that will fizzle in a week, but when it comes to work, you should work on loosening the belt--particularly the tool belt. You should always be learning new skills to make you more valuable to your clients and your company. Light up. Where there's smoke, there's fire. PR agencies need to keep things hot. Once the heat cools down, it's hard to sustain momentum and word-of-mouth about anything. Knowing when and how to keep the fire going will save you in the end. Spend. Spend as much time as necessary to make sure you finish strong. It's always better to do things right the first time than backtrack when things go wrong. Ask BP.

Researchers track Twitter to learn when Americans are happiest

2011-01-03T19:06:37Z

If you're happy and you know it, tweet it now. Yeah, I don't remember that verse of the song either, but in the age of social media, happiness in the U.S. can be more easily measured via Twitter than it can listening for a retort of some 300 million-plus hand-claps. According to a joint study by Harvard and Northeastern, which tracked the nation's tweets minute-by-minute over the last three years, people on the East Coast are happier before their West Coast counterparts. In fairness, that's only because of the time difference. But still. The research revealed that the American public is happiest in the morning and late evening, with our red and white stars and stripes feeling their absolute bluest on Thursday afternoon, when people are most depressed. Americans are happiest on Sunday mornings, the study found. Three years worth of tweets seem like a lot to review to conclude people are most gleeful on the weekends, but if you're interested in learning more, here's a video that breaks down the research. Color key for the video: red is grumpy, while green is happy. I thought green was envy. Perhaps the research team was colorblind, eh.

8 title suggestions for ABC's new PR-based pilot

2010-12-28T17:47:56Z

Beep - beep - beep - beep - beep - ___________ If you thought you were the only one getting flat-lined by Shonda Rhimes-produced medical dramas, you're not alone. And thankfully, ABC might agree. Ordering the network's first new pilot of its next development season, ABC has tapped Rhimes, the creator of "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice," for a show revolving around something other than promiscuous doctors. The new show focuses on the real-life adventures of African-American PR professional and crisis management consultant Judy Smith. (As a side note: Smith had her own stint as a senior VP of corporate communication at NBC.) Thus far, the new drama remains untitled. While Rhimes is probably leaning toward something like "Spin Docters," we'd like to extend ABC our own suggestions. If used, we only ask a reasonable 10 percent cut of the deal. You're welcome. 1. Publicity 2. Spun & Pressed 3. Consultry 4. Off the Record 5. In Between the Coverage 6. Pitch & Release 7. PRetty & PRimal 8. Spinster Any ideas you'd like to add?

5 last-minute holiday gifts for the social media obsessed

2010-12-20T22:32:43Z

The holidays are a great time to get everyone together, toss back a glass or 12 of celebratory eggnog, warm your chestnuts by the fire--not too close, mind you--and exchange the perfect gift that lets your loved ones know how much you appreciate them. Too bad with only four shopping days left until Christmas, you don't have time to appreciate them. You've got last minute gifts to buy. And among those left on the list are the friends you learn more about via Facebook status updates than actual face-to-face. If this is the hidden-pickle on the Christmas tree you're in, don't fret; we've put together a list of five easy gifts you can get them, and all without leaving the house. Just finish your shopping online, and even ship it their way--probably like they're going to do. YouTube tube socks. If the irony of these "Tube" socks is wasted on them, it's probably best to unfriend them. '@' cufflinks. For all those red-carpet premieres they'll be watching on their laptops and then live tweeting. Adjustable laptop lap desk. Now they'll never have to leave the bed. eHarmony subscription. You can't put a price on love, but if your friend won't step away from the computer, he or she will never find it. FarmVille Mousepad. Virtual farming isn't something that should be encouraged, but hey, it's the holidays.

And since no Christmas present would be complete without the whole package, how fitting is this personalized Twitter wrapping paper from Samsung to help promote its RF510 laptop? Tweet wrap is a site where you can add just the right personal touch to your gifts, customizing your very own wrapping paper with your very own tweets.

79 percent of moms on social media

2010-12-20T00:12:33Z

We know, kids. Hearing that your parents are still socially active must seem like a nightmare. We only hope someone taught them how to use protection--at least a tutorial on how to change their partial profile-view security-settings on Facebook. A recent study by Child's Play Communications shows that moms might not be as inexperienced with social media as their naïve sons and daughters may think. Of the 2,000 U.S. mothers surveyed, 79 percent with kids younger than 18 are active on social networking sites, such as Facebook, with 43 percent of these moms using it on a daily basis. What does that mean for marketers? Almost one in four moms (23 percent) considered active on social media say they've purchased a children's product based on a networking site or blog recommendation. Broken down even further: • Moms purchasing kids items based on Web recommendation do so, on average, five times a year. • 40 percent of these moms made their purchase(s) based on personal review blogs. • An additional 40 percent made their product buys based on Facebook recommendations.

Does Facebook know when you're about to end a relationship?

2010-12-16T15:32:00Z

Worried your honey is souring on that relationship? Facebook might know the ax is coming before you do. A must-read GQ story ("Viral Me") about the spread of social media, written by a social media luddite, includes this nugget:

FB [Facebook] knows a lot about you. Like, more than you tell it. ... One of the founders of a ... company called 1000Memories.com (it's FB for dead people, only more interesting) says he heard FB can already tell when you're about to break up with someone: certain communication patterns emerge.

Like what? Poking other people? Sending virtual flowers to someone else? The silent treatment? What are the patterns?

Top 10 PR blunders of 2010

2010-12-15T23:48:32Z

Every December, Fineman PR in San Francisco releases a list of the year's top 10 PR blunders. Sure, lots of media organizations, agencies, and bloggers publish a best of/worst of yearend list, but Fineman's been doing it for 16 years. That's right; this list has street cred. Here is this year's list. I simply copy and pasted it from the original press release.* I offer it without further comment. 1. BP execs pass the buck. All eyes were on British Petroleum this year for its role in the protracted oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. Although credited by some public relations professionals for speaking out early and often, CEO Tony Hayward hurt BP's corporate image by downplaying the damage and issuing thoughtless sound bites, including "it wasn't our accident" and "I just want my life back"--after 11 workers lost their lives in the explosion of oil rig Deepwater Horizon. 2. "Moving forward ... uncontrollably." "Unintended acceleration" in best-selling Toyota vehicles plagued the world's largest automaker in 2010, with The Los Angeles Times attributing over 100 deaths to crash-causing manufacturing defects. Like the affected models, the public relations debacle quickly escalated, with Toyota eventually "at the center of the biggest product recall since the Firestone tire fiasco in 2000," according to Motor Trend. The company stumbled through months of multistage recalls and poor communications, promoting inconsistent solutions that had few discernable effects on the situation, blaming parts suppliers and at one point targeting drivers themselves with the help of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report. "If you look at what they did it was clear that they didn't really understand the magnitude of the issue and the potential PR risk," Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University, told MSNBC.com. 3. Fired up over NPR action. Although National Public Radio commentator Juan Williams raised eyebrows when he told Bill O'Reilly of FOX News' "The O'Reilly Factor" that flying on airplanes with overt Muslims made him nervous, it was NPR that took the damaging reputational hit. NPR CEO Vivian Schiller dismissed Williams over the phone and, according to The Washington Post, later publicly implied that Williams needed psychological help. His supporters framed the firing as a First Amendment issue and called for cuts to NPR's budget while FOX News capitalized on the situation by awarding Williams a multi-year contract and promising to protect his freedom of speech. 4. Craigslist "missed connection" on "adult services." Popular classifieds website Craigslist came under public, media, and governmental scrutiny for longtime insistence on retaining its "Adult Services" category. Andrea Powell, founder of human rights organization FAIR Fund, called the website "the Wal-Mart of online sex trafficking," as reported by The Washington Post, among others. Founder Craig Newmark performed poorly when interviewed on the topic by investigating CNN reporter Amber Lyon, eventually falling silent and walking away. 5. Amazon bans porn but promotes pedophilia. While public relations and the practice of law both involve client defense, it's important to select the correct tool for the job. When Amazon.com employed anti-censorship arguments in a stilted statement to the Business Insider to defend its decision to sell an author's self-published guide for pedophiles, the online retail giant left itself open to massive public retaliation via social media, including calls for a boycott of the site. 6. Sticky situation at Nestlé. Besieged by Greenpeace supporters protesting its use of environmentally questionable palm oil, international food giant Nestlé dropped the social media ball. Instead of immediately addressing public concerns, the company first lobbied to have the video removed from YouTube and then accused Facebook posters of copyright infringement, initiating a combative online exchange with opponents and publicly debating the "rules of engagement." This heavy-handed approach won Nestlé no sympathy and, as reported in The Wall Street Journal, drew thousands of protesting "fans" to the company's Facebook page. 7. Public recalls trust in Johnson & Johnson. Misleading claims from healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson and subsidiary McNeil Consumer Healthcare may have originated a damaging series of issues with well-known products such as Tylenol, Motrin, and Benadryl, but delayed corporate action, "phantom recalls," and a glaring lack of corporate transparency turned a bad situation into a nightmare crisis culminating in social media uproar and a congressional investigation. Mina Kimes of Fortune reported that House Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) took the giant to task in a May hearing, saying "the information I've seen during the course of our investigation raises questions about the integrity of the company ... it paints a picture of a company that is deceptive, dishonest, and has risked the health of many of our children." 8. James makes "The Decision." Reigning NBA MVP LeBron James made news for the clueless handling of his free agency choice, when he announced that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat during a highly publicized, live ESPN special entitled "The Decision." He did all of this without giving the Cavaliers any prior notice. James' actions enraged his most ardent supporters and drew media criticism for perceived arrogance. 9. Glenn Beck: Beyond belief. Political commentator and prominent conservative Glenn Beck offended many by holding his "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington D.C. on August 28, the same location and date as Dr. Martin Luther King's historic freedom march. Beck claimed that the event, which was dominated by high-profile conservatives such as Sarah Palin and attended by Tea Party members, was non-political and not racially divisive. 10. "Alaska Airlines Hates Families." Alaska Airlines stranded Dan Blais' family in Las Vegas when his wife returned to the gate after rushing away to deal with a diaper emergency, coldly informing him that he could still board the waiting plane but that his wife's ticket had been given to a stand-by customer because she was "one minute late." Unwilling to abandon his family or wait two or three days for a stand-by flight, Blais purchased seats with an alternative carrier, returned home, and then detailed his unsatisfying experience in the now defunct blog entitled "Alaska Airlines Hates Families" (excerpts from the original post can be found on Business Insider). When the media caught wind of the couple's experience, their story began appearing in daily newspapers such as the Vancouver Sun and the Edmonton Journal and among mommy bloggers. While Alaska Airlines social media manager Elliott Pesut did respond promptly in the blog's comment section, he did so without compassion, citing rigid policy and offering a future travel voucher for less than half the family's losses. Alaska Airlines later agreed to give the couple the amount spent on new plane tickets. *I edited some of the items for length. If you'd like to see the list in its full glory, click here.

When in Rome: Burditch Marketing to Imagine new possibilities in Italy

2010-12-15T18:13:51Z

Two firms--one based in Italy and another in the U.S.--are joining forces. Burditch Marketing Communications (BMC), a San Francisco-based firm that specializes in travel and dining, inked a deal with Imagine Communications, a firm out of Rome, so both companies can increase their reach abroad. "A partnership with Imagine Communication ... will allow each of our companies to introduce the other to more trendsetters and tastemakers worldwide," said BMC President Paul Burditch. Imagine CEO Marco Ferrari said his company wants to expand its network of "American editors, producers, and freelancers that are interested in cover our top-tier Italian hospitality clients." Ferrari cited a Harris Interactive Poll that said Americans most want to vacation to Italy. Looks like this deal will make that dream come true for some employees of BMC.

When should you listen to consumers?

2010-12-15T03:49:29Z

This is a guest post from Jeni Chapman, EVP Harris Interactive Global Brand and Communications Consulting. Brands must listen to consumers. Of course, that's easier said than done. The number of places online where consumers voice their opinions is growing at a dizzying place--thanks to social media. For instance, from January 2008 to July 2010, adoption of Facebook increased from 65 billion page views per month to approximately three trillion page views per month. The number of companies with Facebook pages has grown, too. Currently 1.5 million businesses have active pages on Facebook; 20 million people become fans of Facebook pages every day. A recent Harris Interactive poll found that 60 percent of consumers on social networks say they know what's going on in friends' lives even though they do not personally interact with those friends. More than two in five Americans said they prefer social media to face-to-face interaction with acquaintances. What does all of this mean? Your audience is online--via their computers, mobile phones, tablets, et cetera--and they're talking. Sometimes, they're talking about you. So, the question becomes: How do we know when to listen to consumers and when not to? "Mad Men" and the Gap ignite chatter online Take two recent examples of brands that received a significant amount of attention in social media circles for their marketing efforts. One is the Unilever "Mad Men" campaign--a series of ads that included iconic brands Dove, Breyers, Hellman's, Klondike, Suave, and Vaseline. The second case is the social media tumult, which resulted in Gap retracting their new launched logo in fewer than five days. In the first case, Unilever picked the second episode in the fourth season of "Mad Men" to launch the campaign, which is akin to an advertising miniseries. According to an Advertising Age article from August, "The first reactions from viewers and bloggers [to the Dove campaign] haven't been positive, with some complaining about how the ads too closely mimic the show." With the Gap logo launch, there was the same outcry, along with numerous call outs and protests posted on the company's Facebook page and on Twitter. And yet, 80 percent of consumers said they had no idea the logo had changed, according to survey of 1,000 consumers that was commissioned by Ad Age. One post noted: "Gap may have been quick to react to the outcry of a smaller, yet louder demographic. Social media is a great tool, but can amplify the voices of a smaller, more vocal group. The question is whether their voice represents the opinions of Gap's larger target market segment." As someone who helps clients use research to inform their branding decisions and amplification decisions, I decided to use data that we have through our Harris Poll Research Lifestreaming Panel to answer the question, "How do we know if what we are hearing represents the opinions of your target customers?" First, we looked to confirm if real people (that is, people who aren't bloggers, marketers, and brand fanatics) were talking about each marketer's perceived misstep. Here's the thing about Harris's data: It collects these conversations from real people. We not only collect comments that are publicly available on places like Twitter and Facebook, but through our panel we can yield the brand dialogues on these sites that are not publicly available. Since most people are talking on Facebook with their friends and family--but not necessarily posting comments, writing blogs, or giving reviews--we are able to explore and deliver insight based on the real postings of everyday people. By virtue of being panel based, we can profile these dialogues by demographics such as sex, age, income, region, and brand loyalty among other targeting metrics. Crunching the numbers In the case of "Mad Men," we had extensive posts about the show, but only one post concerned the Unilever ads. Essentially, we identified that all the conversation about this topic in social media was not by typical consumers; real people were not talking about the ads with family or friends. (See chart below.) Gap was a different story. We noticed that there was a spike in conversations during the logo launch, and that chatter was related specifically to the logo. The sentiment was negative overall. (See chart below.) On the other hand, we quantified that while specific comments about the logo increased, the comments around the logo debacle represented only 16 percent of all conversation about Gap in the month of October. Question is: Were those posts representative of their target market? (See chart below.) Chart 3 shows that more than 40 percent of commenters were 35 years of age and older and that 29 percent were 25 to 34. Only 12 percent were from the Gap's core target market of 18 to 24 year olds. We know that groupthink exists. It is a well documented phenomenon: If everyone is attacking something, people will feel freer to adopt that point of view and vice versa. So, managing a brand by the whims of the crowd is not a long-term strategy (hey, just think how well that worked for the French Revolution). In the case of Gap, we noticed that the company heard the outcry of many customers that "were" rather than "are." We saw there was a segment of people that were talking about the logo, but it was by no means everyone. Those who were talking were both vocal and loud--a testament to the historical equity of the brand--but the outcry was from many people that are not part of their core target market of today. 3 important lessons Maybe the whole thing was about reaching out to their customers of yesterday and bringing them back into the franchise? Only time will tell, but we can take away four lessons on how to use social media--or rather social intelligence--to inform marketing and branding decisions: 1. Listen. But make sure you know the magnitude. 2. Determine if those talking about your brand or product actually represent your core franchise; the voices of the "connected" or loyal consumer are important but may not always represent your wider customer group. 3. Create a two-way dialogue with those who talk about your brand; dive deeper to understand what is driving their opinions. At the risk of stating the obvious, have them come along the journey with you and use research that is socially intelligent to gather input.

Survey says hiring in marketing industry to improve--by 1 percent

2010-12-13T20:43:21Z

Five, four, three, two, one -- No, I'm not counting down to the moment we crack open a fine bottle of bubbly on New Year's. Instead, I'm taking a crack at guessing how much hiring will improve in 2011. If you guessed "up one percentage point," congratulations, you're correct. You might find yourself still unemployed next year, but you're correct, nonetheless. A national study by The Creative Group found that 12 percent of marketing and advertising executives anticipate an increase in hiring within the first quarters of 2011. Meanwhile, 8 percent of respondents expect a decrease in hiring, and 80 percent anticipate no change. That four percent variance between an increase and decrease in hiring only accounts for a one point jump--well, more of a slight hop--from the same survey last quarter. One percentage point. Though the results, which were based on more than 500 phone interviews, don't exactly paint a sunny picture for 2011, they do offer some good news--especially if you work in PR or social media. The survey asked respondents which areas they plan to add staff. Here's how it broke down: • Account services (16 percent) • Public relations (15 percent) • Social media (15 percent) • Interactive media (14 percent) • Media services (13 percent) • Brand/product management (13 percent) • Web design/production (12 percent) • Print design/production (12 percent) • Create/art direction (12 percent) • Marketing research (9 percent) • Copywriting (7 percent) Take heart new graduates. This data demonstrates that--despite high unemployment--recruiters and HR chiefs are looking for skilled professionals. So, for those with specialty skills to offer--sans the ability to cram your whole fist into your mouth--I guess, Happy New Year?!

Windy City marketing firm declares war on time-honored tradition

2010-12-13T01:15:36Z

Stockings above the fireplace. Candy canes on the tree. Waiting for Nana to fall asleep in her chair--teeth out--so you can string her in a monsoon of sparkling garland and twinkling lights. We all have our holiday traditions. But this year, one ritual of some Chicago residents has neighbors more at war rather than at peace. Every winter, as the first of many inevitable snows fall, Chicagoans flood the streets of their neighborhoods to shovel their cars out from that (momentarily) pretty white stuff. And after risking frostbite in places you haven't seen on your poor old body in years, residents stake a claim to their hard-earned spots, decreeing parking "dibs" on each of these spaces with the placement of a mere chair or two. But not this year, hopes Proximity Marketing, a Windy City firm that launched a community-wide effort, Chair-Free Chicago, last week, asking city-dwellers to keep public spots strictly that--public. Through their website, ChairFreeChicago.org, the firm encourages--in true neighborly fashion--that residents instead embrace more of another time-honored tradition in the The City of Big Shoulders: Kill them with simple, old-fashioned kindness. "A Chair-Free Zone is a place where neighbors act like neighbors," the website says. "A place where we all hope our shoveled-out parking space is available when we return, but we aren't selfish enough to try and save the spot." Paints quite the snowy picture, if you ask me. If you'd like to help, you can go to their website to printout or order flyers for your own neighborhoods--and, of course, relay the message to all those Facebook and Twitter followers. Image via.