Author Archives: Marrissa

If You Could Do Your Banking on Facebook – Would You?

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Marrissa| Leave a comment

Image: digitimes.ie

From time to time, I might ask close friends and family members for a financial advice, but I can’t say I’ve ever thought about the possibility of “social banking.”

Financial giant, Citibank, is however thinking about the possibility of “social banking,” as least as far as Facebook is concerned. The bank recently posted an interesting message to its Facebook page, asking fans if they would bank through Facebook, testing consumer appetite for “social banking.”

The post has already garnered nearly 800 ‘Likes,’ but comments on the post are overwhelmingly negative – here’s just a small sampling (positive and negative) of my favorites:

  • “100%”
  • “No way.”
  • “Yes, absolutely.”
  • “Over my dead body”
  • “No. That would just give hackers an incentive to hack Facebook. In the long run, I get my information stolen, and Facebook AND Citibank lose their reputation for keeping your information safe.”

It’s clear, we live in an ever more-connected world. We check-in, hangout, Tweet, ping and snap photos all day and all night. We can already deposit paper checks into our accounts with mobile banking apps and transfer money with a touch.

That convenience has improved the way we do business and streamlined money management, but is a good idea always worth taking to its logical extreme?

Facebook’s questionable privacy history, combined with the obvious security questions raised by many Facebook users in the comments on Citbank’s post, come together to create what could either be a disruptive partnership that changes the way we think about banking, or, it could be a behemoth privacy disaster.

So, what do you think? If you could do your banking on Facebook, would you?

- Marrissa (@marrissam)

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Social Media

Tagged , , ,

Twitter: It’s Not All About You.

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Marrissa| Leave a comment

There’s no question, social media (primarily the “big three” networks: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) is integral to a successful, comprehensive PR campaign. However, as corporations get more comfortable with social media, we’ve noticed that many of them still have a “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha…” approach to Twitter. To those organizations I say, “Newsflash: it’s not all about you.”

That may sound a bit harsh, but what I really mean is that social media, Twitter especially, should not be used as corporate air horn – only for broadcasting company news, white papers, case studies or executive accomplishments. Twitter is capable of much, much more. That is IF you take the time to step back, think about what interests your followers, engage with them and share relevant news and stories – even if they’re not about you.

I’m not recommending a complete kibosh on sharing corporate news and marketing content. I am however, endorsing restraint when it comes to tweeting corporate news. Take your average enterprise Twitter handle: with 3-6 original tweets per day, no more than half of those tweets should be self-promotional.

What else should you tweet if your not sharing news about your company?

Great question. Twitter is perhaps the fastest way to directly connect with potential customers and even members of the media – they’re all there, and if your talking about a subject that interests them, you just might open the door to your next sale or major feature story.

In order to do that, you must share your knowledge with the ‘Twitterverse.’ No corporate news or product launches this quarter? No problem. What’s going on in your industry? Do you see a major industry challenge on the horizon? Have you noticed an interesting trend in customer buying preferences? These are just a few of the things you can (and should) be blogging about.

Draft a quick blog (100-200 words) and tweet it out. If you’re interested in the topic, chances are, the people following you (including influencers) are interested in it as well. If you regularly share your knowledge, you will be repaid in spades on Twitter. You’ll gain a) Credibility as a thought-leader; b) Trust of customers who are used to being bombarded by marketing messages c) The interest of members of the media looking for expert sources.

Finally, a point on engagement. It’s simple really – do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That means, thanking someone for a retweet or for following, responding to tweets in which your brand is mentioned and asking questions.

When you learn that Twitter is “not all about you,” you’ll gain the social media respect you deserve.

- Marrissa (follow me on Twitter: @marrissam)

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Marketing/Communications, Social Media

Tagged , , , , ,

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.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Public Relations, Weekly Win

Tagged , , , , , ,

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)

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Marketing/Communications, Weekly Win

Tagged , , ,

Identity Crisis: Kraft Rebrands, Chooses a Name Most American’s Can’t Pronounce

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Marrissa| 2 Comments

Mondelēz – the new brand name soon-to-replace the historic Kraft brand, is a bit of a mouthful.

In case you’re wondering how to pronounce the new brand name to be slapped on Kraft Foods’ global snacks business later this year, the company says it should be pronounced “Mohn-dah-LEEZ.” That little squiggly line above the last ‘e,’ that’s a macron – and it’s supposed to make sure you pronounce the new brand name with an “eez” instead of an “ayse.” Got that?!

Let’s go beyond the obvious recognition challenges that come with changing your brand’s name from a monosyllabic, five-letter word (Kraft), to a made-up word with three syllables and a macron, a macron! As a college-educated English major, I have no clue how a macron functions – forget the vast majority of Americans that have no idea what sound a squiggly line is supposed to help them pronounce.

Diane Brady at Businessweek raised a great point regarding the rebrand – most journalists (the people who’ll be covering your products and news, Kraft) don’t even have a macron on their keyboard (or know what it is without grabbing a dictionary). That’s a problem, because most news coverage of the new branding is already failing to include the symbol that’s so integral to the new name.

Apparently Kraft spent several weeks searching for a new name before deciding on Mondelēz. Maybe they should have spent several months looking for something newer, fresher and easier to pronounce instead?

Rebranding a multi-national company famous for producing household favorites such as Cadbury, Ritz crackers, Oreo and Chips Ahoy! cookies is no easy task. It’s also something that shouldn’t be taken lightly – we’re sure Kraft, I mean Mondelēz, has done it’s market research, but we just can’t see Mondelēz Macaroni & Cheese becoming a household name any time soon.

- Marrissa (Twitter: @marrissam)

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Marketing/Communications, Weekly Win

Tagged , ,

Are media marketers doomed to repeat past failures?

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Marrissa| Leave a comment

Image credit: Recruitmentnewstyle.com

Why is it that some of the nation’s largest, most well-known brands keep “screwing the pooch” with misdirected social media campaigns that either fall flat, highlight inept customer service, or practically incite a riot attempting to be provocative?

AdAge’s Matthew Yeomans recently wrote a post on why social media marketers fail to learn from their mistakes (he’s also co-authored a book on the topic). He details why the nation’s top brands keep making the same mistakes over and over and what everyone – from small business owners, to Fortune 100 executives – should do to keep them from happening again.

Here are the five key reasons companies keep making the same mistakes over and over and a breakdown on how to avoid turning a potentially successfully social media campaign into a giant #FAIL:

1. They fail to take social media complaints seriously – Waiting to respond to negative social media comments, or failing to respond at all, almost always leads to a groundswell of negativity. With the supercharged nature of social media, negative backlash can easily eclipse what you thought was a ‘cool idea.’

2. A small social media snafu spirals into a mammoth #FAIL – The company either hasn’t allocated the necessary resources/experience (read: interns) to managing social media, or it’s fallen asleep at the wheel. We can’t say it enough – leave social media management to people who,know your brand, have a stake in your business and experience managing more than simply their personal Facebook page. That could mean a qualified, engaged firm or a dedicated in-house team.

3. Companies too quickly dismiss the influence of new social media platforms – Often times, it’s easy to dismiss a new platform as a ‘flash in the pan,’ but the old adage “you don’t know until you try” is especially true with technology. Give that new platform a try (perhaps via your personal social media channels). Who knows? You might unearth a powerful brand-building tool.

4. Internal departments work in silos – When the marketing team has no idea what sales and human resources are doing, it becomes easy to turn social media into a muddled effort. More and more, a successful social media campaign relies on the buy-in of all business arms.

5. Opting to crowdsource your campaign? Be ready for anything – Some of the nation’s largest brands (McDonald’s, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola) have seen crowdsourcing (turning their campaigns over to the general public for feedback) blow up in their faces. A good rule of thumb is: think before you crowdsource.

- Marrissa

(follow me on Twitter: @marrissam)

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Public Relations, Social Media

Tagged , , , ,

Have you heard?…There’s a new definition of PR

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Marrissa| Leave a comment

Image credit: Duffey Communications, Inc.

After review of 927 proposals, a pretty extensive voting process and much hand-wringing, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has finally ‘re-defined’ the definition of public relations. After more than a century of existence, we wonder why PRSA chose now as the time to slap a definition on what exactly it is that PR professionals do, especially in a time when the day-to-day practice of “PR” has never been more fluid.

So what, you ask, is the new definition of PR? The winning definition, as selected by almost 1,500 voters: “Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

Whether you agree with the new definition, or not, the process of redefining PR certainly has the industry going. And while defining PR is important, the truly important question is, “Do our clients, current, future and former, really know what PR is?” and perhaps even more importantly, do they know how it can help their business?….questions the PRSA can’t answer.

- Marrissa
(@marrissam)

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Marketing/Communications, Public Relations

Tagged , ,

Can Brands Blend in Among the Pinterest-Addicted?

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Marrissa| Leave a comment

Pinterest homepage

For those of you that haven’t yet experienced the glory and sheer child-like excitement that comes from “pinning” – creating a visual compellation of your favorite things, ideas and images on Pinterest (a online pinboard that allows users to collect, organize and share images they find on the web) I implore you: give it a try.

I, along with the other 10 million unique monthly visitors (primarily women in the 25-45 age bracket), take to the site daily to “pin” image content. It’s a great escape, it’s visually engaging and it’s an exercise in what a physiologist might call visualizing our “ideal” selves. Whatever you call it, one thing’s certain – Pinterest has some very addictive qualities.

Brands are starting to experiment in leveraging those addictive qualities (or web “stickiness”) as many weigh how best to attract Pintrest users to their products.

As a user of Pinterest and a PR / media professional, I see the potential of brands on Pinterest from both sides – as a user, I’m worried brands might invade my personal “pinning space.” As a PR professional, I see the platform’s potential to engage users around products and services they’re interested it – striking a balance will be a challenge.

A great MediaPost article today points to what I consider a great mantra for brands looking to engage on Pinterest, “It [Pinterest] is not a broadcast tool similar to Twitter and Facebook. It doesn’t encourage “product pushing.””

Agreed! While Pinterest could be a highly lucrative marketing vehicle for brands, it’s also become a sacred cow to users (and we all know what happens when you upset your user-base, ahemcough…Netflix).

Pinterest is a place for brands to engage followers by watching / learning about how users view their products. Brands that take the time to listen, learn and enter with caution will most certainly reap the reward.

– Marrissa (@marrissam)

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Daum Weigle, Social Media

Tagged , , , , ,