Are You Guilty of the Intent to Distribute? (A press release without media?)

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Sara| Leave a comment

Like PB&J, press releases taste better with media

What’s Sonny without Cher? Tom without Jerry?  Or peanut butter without jelly?  Split any of these duos and you get only half their combined potential.  This is my thought process as I’m distributing a press release without accompanying media.  When pitching a news release I know I’ve got about 5 seconds to get the media’s attention.  Otherwise it quickly becomes digital trash.  But, if the release includes any picture/video/audio, it doubles my chances of getting it noticed.   Sometimes, these resources aren’t always available to me and it never fails:  I’ll send a release out by its lonesome and in come the requests for images. This is where any campaign can lose major momentum. Here’s why:

It’s all in the preparation, or lack thereof. One of the biggest mistakes a company can make is not generating the appropriate visual/audio media for its PR efforts.  To fully do our job as PR professionals we need these tools.  The pitching landscape has changed too much; it’s not enough anymore to send out a traditional two-page press release.   Now, journalists are looking for these releases to be a resource full of information like audio files, links to pictures, videos, extra quotes and even previous, relative news releases.  It’s a refreshingly simpler format where bullet points and links to media are king; it’s not editorialized and gets right to the point.  This has been dubbed the social media press release (SMPR).

More and more PR pros are picking up on the value of SMPR’s.  But to create one is a two-way street between PR firm and its client.  As a client, make it a priority to get quality photos of every project/product you want to be pitched. Grab sound bites from your SME’s and take video of that groundbreaking.  Create official accounts on YouTube and Flickr in order to host the media.  Next step: hand it all over to your PR firm. I’ll breathe a sigh of relief and do the rest.

Follow me @SaraAlisia

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Posted in Daum Weigle, Social Media

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Vancouver Harley Davidson Dealer Rides a Tsunami Toward More Well-Earned Positive PR

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Marrissa| Leave a comment

Ikuo Yokoyama's Harley motorcycle washed ashore on Vancouver Island. Image: Peter Mark / AP

It’s no secret the Harley Davidson’s marketing team is doing something right – the company has a passionate social media following and passionate customers, but one Harley Davidson dealer on Vancouver Island, British Columbia just earned some well-deserved PR, not as a result of a major media campaign, but because it decided to do something good for someone who had lost almost everything.

A Vancouver Island resident recently came upon an unexpected find washed ashore on a local beach – a damaged, heavily rusted Harley Davidson motorcycle in a Styrofoam-lined storage container.

Japanese writing on the license plate gave clues to the bike’s origin – turns out it had floated over 4,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean – washed out to sea by last year’s devastating tsunami in Japan.

After a bit of research and collaboration between a Harley Davidson dealership in Vancouver and a Harley representative in Japan who saw a television report of the bike’s discovery, the Harley Davidson company hatched a plan. They would restore and return the bike to owner Ikuo Yokoyama, who lost three family members, his home and all his possessions when the tsunami battered Japan’s northeast coast.

Harley Davidson’s decision to restore and return the bike makes for the best possible type of PR – the kind generated by companies that know the value of their product or service, appreciate their customers as people (not just dollars) and most importantly – show good, old-fashioned human kindness; because it’s the right thing to do.

So kudos to Harley Davidson! A company that’s gone out of its way to restore and ship just one motorcycle halfway across the world – you’ve just given the term “earned media” a whole new meaning.

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Key To Social Media Success? Think Like A Wildcat

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Jon| Leave a comment

Image via Stickyegg.com

A truly successful social media campaign requires enthusiastic involvement from your employees, students or vendors – even their families. These are your best ambassadors and offer a glimpse into the organization that goes well beyond what your social media director alone can provide. And why should you expect the general public to embrace your efforts if your own immediate constituency won’t?

The University of Kentucky recently provided a good example as its men’s basketball team moved through March Madness to become NCAA champions.  Throughout the tournament, the campus’ social media team posted insights into the team on its Facebook site. It offered its followers regular Twitter updates.  Flicker was used to post team photos.

UK students, faculty, staff and alumni were encouraged to add their own comments and photos. They responded in a big way and attracted their friends and followers to the university’s sites. Thousands of new visitors – some from as far away as Army bases in Afghanistan – became Kentucky fans.

Seizing on this opportunity, the social media team added news about other UK sports, academics, student achievements and many other posts to showcase a well-rounded campus. Pardon the mixed metaphor, but this was a real homerun leading to the University of Kentucky’s use of social media being named to two Top Ten rankings among U.S. colleges and universities.

Admittedly, your organization isn’t likely to win one of the most highly publicized national competitions anytime soon. But by encouraging your team to fully embrace your social media efforts, your organization’s message opens up to a much wider community, providing a chance to gain new followers and experience what sets you apart from the competition.

There are ways to keep the process fun and informative and gain employee involvement in a big way. Do that, and you’ll be well on your way to social media success.

Need some ideas on gaining involvement? Is your social media “team” at the breaking point or even non-existent? Then look for an experienced outside vendor to help develop and maintain your social media properties.

– JD

Follow me on Twitter @jdaum

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Posted in Social Media, We Like

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It’s a Dog Meet Dog World

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Jon| Leave a comment

Image via Flickr (Tracy Lee)

The Internet is going to the dogs — literally.

There’s a new beta service in New York (other cities likely to follow soon) that allows dog owners to find playmates for their pets.  Known as MatchPuppy, the new service allows you to enter your pet’s photo, name, size, age, gender, energy level and favorite parks on a website.  Then, we assume, the MatchPuppy matchmakers do their work to create a balanced playgroup.  The pet parents are provided a choice of times and parks and told how many other dogs are already planning to attend – we’re guessing the owners are also invited.

You can even check out details on little Dita Von Dog, Powsimodo, Pucca Valeria, Iodzia or even larger Ganymede.  (What’s up with these names?)

However, we don’t think dogs are all that particular — at least ours are willing to sniff and be sniffed by just about any other canine.  And one park is just about as good as any other.  MatchPuppy is an interesting concept, but we wonder if it isn’t really just a dating service for lonely dog owners.

But, at least this shows that when it comes to the Internet, be willing to be creative and take a chance with a new concept. Maybe something for pet turtles?

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Posted in Social Media, Weekly Win

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Have A Great Idea That Can’t Wait? Maybe It Should

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Jon| Leave a comment

Most PR pros engage in endless meetings, phone calls and emails, sharing information with internal project managers, field representatives and others.

With luck, all of that communication occasionally presents you with a homerun, or as it’s sometimes called – a good idea.

Now the rush is on. This is your opportunity to get into the PR frenzy around National Scrapbooking Day, Rural Life Sunday or some other pseudo-celebratory occasion. Maybe it’s even your big trade show of the year.

But before rushing off to have your agency write a news release, check to see if the company brass is on board and supportive. Need a subject matter expert to handle interviews? Make sure you have someone knowledgeable and media-trained available as you announce your news. If you want to name any customers, confirm their participation first.

I don’t need to run down the entire checklist. But I do offer a word of caution:  Make sure all you’ve done all of your homework before loading up to launch a campaign. Sometimes it’s better to slow down – there will be another opportunity soon enough.

Act too fast, and that good idea may not lead to a great result.

– JD

Follow me on Twitter @jdaum

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Posted in Daum Weigle, Marketing/Communications, Public Relations

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Let Me Totally Eliminate Any Confused Misunderstandings with Some True Facts

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Jon| Leave a comment

Most of us are inundated daily with too much information.  It comes from our email, Twitter, Facebook, RSS feeds, blogs or text messages.  If you’re like me, most of what comes into your computer or mobile device is junk.

I do receive a few nuggets that I want or need to read, I appreciate those writers that use the fewest words to create a clear message.  Brevity is a virtue.

I recently read an interesting column from the publisher of PR Daily about circumlocution — the use of many words when one will do.

Here are a few examples:

Rather than using “in advance of,” try the word “before”

“With the exception of” can be adequately replaced by “except”

The thought behind “at this point in time” is more articulately stated using the word “now”

I have a few pet peeves of my own, not all reducing the number, but also the length – or even necessity – of some words.

“On a regular basis” is a long way of writing “regularly”

Why use “approximately” when “about” does the job using eight fewer letters?

Does the word “actually” have any serious value?

If you use Twitter, with its 140-character limit, you understand the need for brevity.  Take that same attitude into all of your electronic communications.  Your readers will appreciate it.

Do you have a few of your own pet peeves to share?

– JD

Follow me on Twitter @jdaum

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Posted in Daum Weigle, Marketing/Communications

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Shock Marketing – Some Brands Will Do Anything to Go Viral

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Cindy| Leave a comment

Shock jocks have been around for a while — disc jockeys or radio personalities that will say outrageous and offensive things to keep people tantalized and tuned in.  We see the same type of antics with the upcoming election.  Rush Limbaugh said some things on air that had people outraged and advertisers pulling commercials and sponsorships.

Sometimes these things are said to spread beyond the audience at hand by making headlines.  It follows the thinking that all attention (even very bad attention) is good and that there is no such thing as bad publicity as long as they get the name right.   And maybe they’re right.  Limbaugh had a good share of the media cycle and held the spotlight for the better part of a week.  Most advertising analysts predict that his advertisers will slink away until the attention dies down and then quietly return.

We are seeing the same type of behavior with certain companies and brands.  The brass ring in this case is going viral and some companies will say almost anything to get there.

Take Belvedere vodka.  The company recently ran an ad showing a women looking distressed as she is trying to get away from a man. The man appears to be pulling her towards him.  The copy under the graphic reads “Unlike some people: Belvedere always goes down smoothly.” It was obviously a blatant reference to a woman being force to perform oral sex and it was extremely offensive as is always the case when making light of rape.  It didn’t take long for people to express outrage and exclaim that they were disgusted and that Belvedere would never, ever pass their lips in this lifetime.

Belvedere's fail ad campaign

Of course, as these things go, Belvedere pulled the ad – but not until it had already reached the pinnacle of marketing nirvana – it went viral.  We all know that once an ad has gone viral it is impossible to “pull.”  It will live on in the webosphere for eternity and not only will it live on, it will take on a life of its own.

Of course, the vodka maker has said mea culpa and also given a “generous donation” to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.  The cynic in me has to believe that Belvedere’s marketing team is not comprised of a bunch of dumb bunnies (I may be giving them too much credit here). So, I can only surmise that this was all part of the plan.  Even the resulting lawsuit by the actress in the photo feels staged.  She is claiming that Belvedere used her image without permission and that the ad publicly humiliates her and gives the false impression that she approves of it.

I have seen a number of viral ad campaigns that have been edgy, funny and effective.  This wasn’t one of them.  Still, breaking through the advertising clutter that comes at us from all sides isn’t easy and I believe we haven’t seen the last of shock marketing or shockvertising.  Here is one of my favorite viral ads.  Please feel free to share one of yours.

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Posted in Marketing/Communications, We Dislike

Your Name Here – for $5

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Jon| Leave a comment

What would you buy for $5? Fiverr.com

What’s the value of a ukulele song written just for you?  A photo with your name spelled out with glow sticks?  Or maybe a video of man juggling three objects of your choice?

Is $5 too much to ask?  Not on what’s become one of my favorite websites.

The backers of the site, Fiverr, think that’s just the right amount.  And judging from public response, they’re right.  The site links people offering an incredible array of services with a buying public used to ferreting out super deals on the Internet.  There are currently more than 700,000 “gigs” offered on the Fiverr site.

And if what you want isn’t already offered, you can request a gig. The requests can be as strange as the offerings. One recent request sought a photo of someone wearing a facemask in front of a famous place.

Two years ago, with the economy and employment stalled, two Israeli Internet entrepreneurs launched Fiverr with the idea that people could make a few dollars through buying and selling small, fun services at a low cost.

Since then, Fiverr has drawn the attention of mainstream and Internet media with coverage in the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, CNN Money, TechCrunch and Wired, among others.

About now, if you’re like me, you probably have a couple of questions about this idea.

Can anyone really make money at $5 per job?  Apparently so. One successful seller claims to have made thousands of dollars selling a short, color-enhanced video of her pet bird dancing around in its cage.

Is there any way I could get involved and make a few bucks?  In my case, probably not.  I’m not very artistic, don’t do celebrity imitations or have a cute, young pet.

Ah, wait a minute.  I’ll promise to provide you with an Internet presence by working your name into my next blog.  Just leave a comment and we’ll sort out the details.

– JD

Twitter: @Jdaum

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Huggies Bases Ad on Stereotypical Dad, Thousands of Customers Know a Load of Crap When They Smell It

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Marrissa| Leave a comment

NEW Huggies "Easy Chair" Commercial

Huggies was recently forced to pull its potentially chuckle-worthy, but highly misdirected “Test Dad” campaign after a Pennsylvania dad started an online petition that quickly garnered over 1,300 signatures.

The campaign, basically depicted fathers as bumbling, incompetent caregivers, with a commercial voiceover that said leaving dads alone with their babies for five days, is the “toughest test imaginable.”

More dads than ever are taking on child-rearing chores, with one in three fathers regularly acting as their child’s primary caregiver, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. So it’s no surprise that an ad like this was bound to anger hard-working, sleep-deprived dads (and moms) of infants the world over.

As a result of the online petition and a meeting with angry fathers at the Dad Summit 2.0, Huggies poo-poo’d the most reviled spot that showed dads apparently more engrossed in watching spots on TV than minding their young kids. Huggies has since replaced the canned ad with a more subtle version that goes a long way toward accomplishing a kind of “dad’s rule (with help from Huggies)!” message they were aiming for.

Although Huggies responded quickly and cleaned up its act with a revised campaign, some commenters remain fussy about the campaign’s entire premise – that leaving dads alone with their babies constitutes “the ultimate test.”

Let’s face it, stereotypes are often funny and often true, but as we’ve seen time and time again exploiting stereotypes in advertising has the potential to hit a hilarious homerun, or sink customer credibility, and there’s a fine line between success and failure.

I’m certain that I’d naturally be a little concerned about leaving my diapered little one with a husband if he were a new father. But I’d also be confident that he’d have enough sense to know when it’s time to re-diaper junior. Apparently Huggies didn’t give their customers as much credit with “Test Dad.”

- Marrissa (Twitter: @marrissam)

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Posted in Marketing/Communications, Weekly Win

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I don’t care what Google says – I’m innocent

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Jon| Leave a comment

The technology that’s meant to serve us sometimes comes back to bite us.

Imagine a perspective employer enters your name in a Google search and the autocomplete feature offers suggestions such as “sex offender” or “pedophile.”  Maybe someone with the same name fits those descriptions — or maybe the Google feature just made a poor choice.  Either way, you’re not likely to get that job.

Something similar recently happened to a Japanese man.  Google’s Instant Search linked his name to crimes and his employer fired him.  The man claims he didn’t commit any crimes and now he can’t find another job.  He took Google to court claiming an invasion of privacy.  A Tokyo court recently agreed with him and ordered Google to stop the use of its Instant Search feature.

Google of course disagrees and says that as a U.S. company it won’t change its business practices due to Japanese laws.  The problem the man suffered, says Google, wasn’t intentional or the result of a malicious company employee.  The Instant Search uses impersonal algorithms to suggest the most popular searches.

Instant Search is a cool tool that I’ve used many times.  But this story led me to check out my name.   Just to play it safe, you might want to check out yours.  Fortunately, mine came back clean.  I hope yours does, too.

–JD

Follow me on Twitter @jdaum

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