Marketing Blog: FootPrints

by Matilda Swartz, on May 11, 2012, filed under: Public Relations

Whether you’ve watched the first four episodes or not, it’s highly unlikely that you’re unaware of HBO’s latest Sunday night special “Girls,” the semi-Judd Apatow produced show that critics and viewers of both genders have been touting as Gen-Y’s follow-up to “Sex & the City.” (This post isn’t about me telling you how indescribably relevant this program is to my life and how it’s poignancy makes it a must-see for men and women, but if you’re asking my opinion then, absolutely, you should give it a try.)

What’s even more worthwhile examining than the plotline itself is the cultural calamity “Girls’” 30 minute segments have been stirring through all echelons of the media, from The New York Times to YouTube, and how the show’s creator is navigating through it all. Initial reviews raved about Lena Dunham (the 25-year-old bumbling brunette/anti-hero who writes and stars in the show) for her ability to so accurately recreate the essence of a particular cohort and her self-deprecation in personally portraying the not-so-beautiful (but always comical) side of twenty-something life.

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by Guest Blogger, on May 9, 2012, filed under: Public Relations

Judging from the response on Twitter and media blogs, journalists are wearing a recent CareerCast survey that ranked newspaper reporter as the fifth-worst job in America like a badge of honor.

Having spent a decade in newsrooms, that doesn’t surprise me. Journalists are a different breed who consider the long hours, stressful deadlines and angry readers part of the price they pay for the sake of the cause. It’s a martyrdom mentality that finds its reward in serving the public interest.

Many journalists feigned insult and gave us lots of reasons – many of them legitimate – why being a reporter is actually the best job ever. Of course, they also quickly pointed out that there are much, much worse jobs out there, including “anything in public relations.” Despite their industry turmoil and uncertain future, reporters always find comfort in the fact that they’re not doing PR. (Public relations executive was ranked No. 70 on the list of the 200 best and worst jobs of 2012, compared to No. 196 for newspaper reporter.)

Well, as someone who came over to the dark side, I’d like to give my noble-minded friends eight reasons why they should consider selling out.

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by Challin Meink, on April 27, 2012, filed under: Events, Marketing, News, Public Relations

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, so of course I’ve been scouring the internet for the latest and greatest gifts to get Mom.  During my research I found some great purchasing stats from Internet Retailer.

According to a survey by PriceGrabber, a unit of Experian, 43 percent of respondents stated that they’ll stick to the old standard gift of flowers.  The most interesting finding though was the number of respondents who said they’d buy gadgets for their moms: 13 percent said they plan on purchasing some form of technology.  Of those, more than half  said they’d buy tablets, 21 percent  said they’d buy smartphones, 15 percent said computers and another 15 percent said they’d buy e-readers- multiple answers could be selected.  Our mothers are growing up so fast!  Who would have thought?  Just last Christmas, my mom didn’t even know what an app was.

In a trend similar to last year’s winter holiday purchasing shift, many consumers will make their Mother’s Day purchases online.  In a survey conducted by National Retail Federation in April, a little more than a quarter of respondents stated that they’ll be making online purchases – up 4 percent from last year.

Side Note: Since I started this research, I’ve seen nothing but flower ads and mom-ish things popping up all over my browser.  Google is messing with my subconscious… Maybe I should get my mom flowers for Mother’s Day?!

In other Mother’s Day news, NRF is expecting U.S. consumers to spend approximately $18.6 billion this year.  The majority of individuals will spend under $100 (62 percent), another 20 percent will spend $100-$249 and only 8 percent will spend more than $250.  Sorry Mom, but 10 percent don’t plan on spending anything.

Although, my mom says that some of the best gifts she ever received were made by my own two hands.  She might be biased.

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by Katie Welge, on April 26, 2012, filed under: Marketing, News, Public Relations

Did you know that breakfast, lunch and dinner at Burger King just became more animal-friendly? In one of the more bold sales moves I’ve seen in a while, Burger King joined with the Humane Society on Wednesday in announcing an aggressive yet kind-hearted move to sell only pork and eggs from cage-free sources by 2017. Burger King’s decision certainly tops those of its rivals, some of which have announced similar but less aggressive plans.

I believe this genius move is justified by a sales decline in today’s turbulent economy, pressure from competitors and Burger King’s plans to relist its shares on the New York Stock Exchange within the next few months.  No matter the motive, Burger King’s cage-free promise benefits all involved.

As a PR professional, my job consists of strategic efforts to create and sustain an understanding between an organization and the public. Sometimes an organization makes a mistake or catastrophic goof, and the PR team has to pick up the pieces. Sometimes the organization prevails. Sometimes it doesn’t. However, my job is made so much easier when the organization I represent has sound, ethical business practices.

When Burger King signed off on its new pork-and-poultry effort, it made the PR team’s job that much easier to pitch to the pubic a win-win situation that ultimately will increase profits while concurrently building a positive reputation for the fast-food chain and improving the lives of animals.

Based on Burger King’s announcement that both its pork and eggs will come from cage-free animals, I am asking that business leaders and decision makers do us all a favor and not only partake in good business practices, but go the extra mile when doing so. Just take a look the benefits that follow when headlines bear good news versus bad: businesses increase profits, shareholders smile as stocks rise and company morale becomes that much more collegial. Good business practice not only makes your pockets deeper, but also increases happiness in the lives of all involved.

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by Erin Jordan, on April 25, 2012, filed under: Branding, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Technology

As I (finally) finish up my last semester of college, I have been closely studying the association between social media use and its relationship to the, “Big Five” personality traits, as categorized by Coasta and McCrae (1992). The (too massive) pile of research I’ve read, in coordination with my findings on the relationship between individuals’ personality traits and their sharing on social networks, has led me to consider the benefits of using personality research and social media in another aspect. There is a huge opportunity to use social media to relate to an organization’s target audience.

All too often organizations want to be “social” or use media as a branding tool to showcase their capabilities without getting to know their audience. Although some brands try to discern the kind of content that would best relate to an audience, they still often fail to understand the ways in which consumers would prefer to interact; they post too often, not enough, or don’t choose a particular type of person to whom they tailor their content.  Brands are still missing out on a chance to take initiative in showcasing interactions that relate more to the audience and directly to the actions and behaviors of those individuals on social networks.

While Coasta and McCrae’s personality traits are directly coded across five categories; openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism, there is an enormous opportunity to build upon this template with more in-depth research to help discover traits of specific niche audiences.

By paying closer attention to the ways individuals in a particular audience communicate with one another, as well as how often and what types of information these individuals are posting, organizations should not only use social media as a tool to teach about brands, but also to learn about the business or consumer they’re trying to reach. I look forward to psychology being used more in-depth to create a real “social” atmosphere in which social media truly becomes a two-way street.

When I first decided to major in both psychology and advertising/public relations I was warned that I might not find a place for both skills. I am happy to say that I believe that has changed and will continue to change as the trend of audience behavior dominating all platforms of marketing moves its way into digital- a tangible element that can be efficiently utilized for observational studies. I’m betting we can learn a lot from what is right in front of us.

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by Emily Johnson, on April 24, 2012, filed under: Branding, Crisis PR, Marketing, News, Public Relations

Shares of Walmart Stores Inc. dropped 5 percent on Monday after The New York Times uncovered a massive, half-decade scandal in an in-depth report alleging key executives at Wal-Mart de Mexico, the corporation’s largest subsidiary, carried out and covered up a nearly incomprehensible bribery scheme.

Retail mammoth Walmart, already up against a sometimes negative perception among “buy-local” activist groups, populists, and other organizations and individuals, is caught up in a PR nightmare, which if not addressed soon, may cause the company to join the likes of BP and Rupert Murdoch as a top PR gaffe of the 21^st century.

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by Andrew Cross, on April 18, 2012, filed under: Public Relations

Would your pitches be more effective if you knew up-front what a reporter does (and does not) cover, whether she prefers email or phone pitches, and how she takes her coffee?

Of course they would.

That’s the goal of Pitching Notes, a new website devoted to aggregating important information about journalists in an effort to create in-depth pitching profiles accessible for free by anyone.

As the name suggests, Pitching Notes describes itself as the “free service where members can share their reporter experiences with other PR professionals.” Registration is quick and easy, but make sure to check your spam folder for the verification email. Once registered, users have the option of creating reporter profiles. I took a few minutes to fill one out, and the process was quick and seamless.

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by Challin Meink, on April 17, 2012, filed under: Public Relations

Although I greatly appreciate my colleague Matilda’s fervor for life without a smartphone, something happened about a month ago that makes me disagree.  I got an iPhone.  I know. I know.  Everyone thinks there is some grand conspiracy going on.  Steve Jobs brainwashed us all into believing that we NEED an iEverything.  And five weeks ago I would have agreed.  Five weeks ago, I had a Blackberry Curve.  Browsing the internet was impossible. The #136 bus had long passed my stop by the time my screen loaded.  Scrolling left and right in emails was a joke.  Really?  A mouse on a cell phone?  I was more connected in China in 2009 with an ancient Palm Trio, than I was in 2012 with a Blackberry.  At least overseas my mobile map would fully load on the first try.  Needless to say, my frustration with my phone situation was building.

Everybody said I needed to buy an iPhone.  But I’ve never owned a Mac, my iPod is from 2007, and (not long ago) I was happy with a phone that was literally the size and weight of a brick.  Was I capable of using an iPhone?  It’s so sleek and shiny.  There are so many applications- how would I choose?  What if I wanted to change the settings- would I need a user’s guide?  One button to go back to the home screen? That’s madness!

I was cautious and nervous.  I’m terrible with electronics and $300 is a lot of money, but with much hesitation, I made the investment in my sanity.  I bought the iPhone 4s.

After owning my phone for a month, I still feel like a whole new woman!  Now I know exactly when my bus is coming (unless the CTA decides to play its tricks on me).  I know what the weather will be.  I can listen to my music or Pandora, while reading my emails, or buying shoes online.  I can see what my tweeps are saying.  My photos from the Sox home-opener load in seconds, so I can immediately untag the bad ones.  It’s really the most amazingly dramatic improvement to my life since I got my driver’s license.

With the joy of my new iPhone, which I’ve named Betty, also comes the burden of connectivity.  As Matilda mentioned, there really is no need to be connected 24/7, so I’ve imposed some rules on her.

1. No work email during meals
2. No work email between 8:30pm and 8am
3. If I’m in a social setting, I will be social with the people who are present
4. No texting while driving, unless I’m using Siri
5. Before I Google a fact, I’ll put in the honest effort to try and remember it on my own
6. Limit my time on stupid games
7. Use more apps that contribute to my knowledge i.e. Mandarin learning tools, dictionary.com word of the day, mental floss etc.

With these rules, Betty and I will live happily (and conveniently) ever after.

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by Matilda Swartz, on April 11, 2012, filed under: Branding, Marketing

If, like me, your world revolves around a meal schedule and you turn into a significantly tougher person to be around when your blood sugar dips, then you probably follow food news as closely (but probably closer) than the stock market’s pulse. For the past week, Burger King has infiltrated the news cycle with their latest rebranding strategy: upgraded dining rooms, trendy menu options and a slew of celebrity-sprinkled advertisements. Only a couple weeks in, I’d bet my body weight in Whoppers that BK will remain America’s third favorite burger purveyor. Here’s why.

You may remember that BK fired their King mascot last year; I like to think they exiled him to an island called “Melba.” Apparently he began appearing too frequently on “creepiest” mascot lists, but, as far as appearances are concerned, his highness was no more sinister than Ronald McDonald. Now, in an attempt to glamorize their flame-grilled patties, BK produced commercial spots featuring beautiful people including David Beckham, Steven Tyler and Sofia Vergara. One ad featuring Mary J. Blige was pulled due to political-incorrectness and music licensing issues, but I cannot see the ones that remain being any more effective.  (more…)

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by Guest Blogger, on April 10, 2012, filed under: Public Relations

Remember when you picked up the phonebook last night and ordered deep-dish pizza from the place with the largest advertisement in the yellow pages? Yeah, me neither.

Today, social proof is a determining factor for gaining new business and earning customer trust. More likely, you ordered your pizza from a place your co-worker recommended on Facebook, from somewhere with the highest ratings on Yelp, or from a place listed on the first page of your Google search for “pizza Chicago”.

Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people trust the actions or opinion of others, especially in ambiguous social situations. The underlying assumption of social proof is that other people are more knowledgeable about a situation and therefore, they must be right. Personalized search results, a form of social proof, are certainly rewriting the rules of paid and organic search. Companies are scrambling to stay ahead of the curve. When Google launched Search Plus Your World back in January, it rocked industry insiders and casual internet users alike; all of the sudden, a person’s social graph became integrated with their search results.

I attended LeadsCon in Las Vegas last month and one of the presentations that stood out was by Jay Gierak and Nathan Labenz, cofounders of Stick.com. They discussed the implications of social discovery fueled by Google social search.

One thing that I found interesting was the impact of social annotations on click-through-rates. The addition of social annotations – displaying the profile picture of someone who interacted with the company or brand next to the search result– provided a 20 -200% boost in CTR.  It’s pretty clear that brands who can figure out how to provide social proof will win at search.

In the past, Google served internet browsers with what they deemed to be the best search result. Now, the model is shifting with the introduction of the Google +1 button, and each user is served the best results for them.

So, what can you do right now to prepare to for the evolution of social search?

1. Make sure you have a Google+ page set up for your brand – If you don’t have one already, it’s very simple to set one up, and it’s crucial that you do so. Focus on integrating keywords into your profile and filling it out its entirety including images and contact information. Add your network to circles on Google + so you have a better chance of your content being shared.

2. Clean up your reputation online – Now is a good time to find out if you have any skeletons in your online closet.  What happens when you search for your company’s name on Google? Does a negative customer review come up? Make sure your online reputation is squeaky clean so that customers don’t second guess choosing you due to something they found online.

3. Establish yourself or your company as a thought-leader in your industry – By now, it should be obvious that it’s important to create quality content that is sharable on a regular basis. The more interactions with your brand, the greater amount of social proof you are providing. The key is to create interesting and memorable content to encourage shares and comments.

Lauren Licata is a communications manager in Chicago, IL where she connects brands and consumers using new media. Find her on Twitter @LaurenLicata, or online at http://www.laurenlicata.com.

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