Strategic Public Relations

Stop Email Signature File Abuse!

You know who you are. You’re stuck in the 1990’s-era novelty of using the Internet. You forward emails with 15 headers in them, forcing us to scroll through 10 pages of text to get to a really bad joke.

With this story, USA Today proves it’s a slow news day problem and I’m not just a curmudgeon. Here are my top five sig file pet peeves.

1) Script Font: Using script font for your name as if you really wrote it yourself. That’s so cute. Not.

2) ASCII Text Art: It’s ugly. See?

3) Any List: It’s a sig file, not a resume. And I don't care if you rode in the same elevator as Seth Godin.

4) Cheese: Automatic calculators tracking how old your kids are and any other related cheery, personal sap.

5) Quotes: I don’t care who said what. It doesn’t make you cool or smart anyway.

Less is more. We just need basic contact info. Thanks.

Field Notes on the Third Screen Teen and Threadless

Two interesting experiences from two family birthday parties within the last two weeks.

Third Screen Teens: This is my nephew. He’s a 17-year-old, high school senior and can easily use his PSP and his mobile phone almost simultaneously.

Here he’s watching a basketball game on TV with his cousins, participating in a conversation about that game while he plays a game on his PSP and reviews text messages from his friends.

He’s a reminder that multitasking applies less to the concept of work and more to the concept of attention.

Threadless: My 17-year-old niece’s jaw quite literally dropped when I asked her boyfriend if he got his t-shirt from Threadless.

When asked how I knew about Threadless, I opted not to gush about the concepts of community or democratized manufacturing. Instead, in an effort to keep my cool points, I noted vaguely “I saw it online."

Related: "Deep Thoughts" on the Third Screen

tags | third screen | Threadless

Steve Jobs & Bill Gates in Apple/PC Fight Club

Via Core77, the first two minutes of this current TV cartoon are solid and not just for nerds.

“Bill Gates and Steve Jobs square off in the clean white virtual world of the iconic Mac ads."

iPhone Bitch!

tags | Steve Jobs | Bill Gates

My Favorite JetBlue Posts?

People focusing less on the trees and more on the forest are providing the most interesting take on JetBlue, IMHO.

OK, some of the snark reads well too. It's fascinating how quickly we tear down what we build up.

JetBlue may be different from other airlines, that doesn't mean they're infallible.

jetBlue gets voice uploaded by fraying

tags | JetBlue

Four Links — 02.17.07 — PR In Stereo, Bloglines Image Wall, Power 150 and “Gorilla” Marketing

1) PR in Stereo: Podcasting Tips
If Shel and Neville haven’t inspired you to sound off, NPR has 80 million reasons to check out podcasting. There are many creative ways a podcast might enhance your marketing efforts.

If you have something relevant to say, there are several ways to do it. You can start from scratch, get some help, or use a service like BlogTalkRadio.

BTR combines the simplicity of social media with the conversation of a radio talk show. Just make sure you sketch out roughly what you want to discuss or it will sound like paint drying.

2) Bloglines Unveils River of Images: Bloglines
Bloglines’ new Image Wall means well, but it’s really nothing more than a soft core river of news. It’s “comprised of dynamically generated images from user feeds and may contain material of an explicit sexual nature or other adult content.” So it’s NSFW eye candy that you have no control over as it continually refreshes. Hopefully version 2.0 will be more useful.

3) The Power 150 - Top Marketing Blogs: Todd And
I need another feed like I need another coat hanger. But Todd’s put together a good mix of marketing blogs, including this one, into one giant feed. Todd, congrats on the link bait experiment. If you could identify the blog author in the feed before we click through, it would be even more useful. Just sayin'.

4) What’s Wrong with Guerrilla Marketing: Canuckflack
If you’re getting drunk on your own Web 2.0 wine, Colin McKay will sober you up---and make you laugh.

tags | public relations | PR | social media | podcast | Bloglines | marketing

Friday Flickr Fix – 02.16.07 – The Ultimate Trade Show

Prior to life on the client side, the bulk of trade shows I attended were industrial, business to business shows. So the nerd kid in me really enjoys seeing Toy Fair coverage.

It’s still a trade show—it can get ugly. But the swag from this show HAS to be cool.

Images from the show are more readily available than ever this year.

NY Int'l Toy Fair uploaded by 1987porsche944

tags | public relations | PR | trade show | Toy Fair 2007 | marketing | Toy Fair

Web 2.0’s Heavy Weather Bodes Well for Local Media

The Gannet-owned Cincinnati Enquirer has become a great example of how newspapers can help readers in a world where mainstream media is being upended by social media.

Cincinnati is getting through some real winter weather after an unusually mild holiday season. The Enquirer is employing a system of blogs and reader-submitted content to become the best source for local weather news.

As the weather cancels school and delays many services, The Enquirer is even promoting its electronic edition with readers. Unfortunately freezing rain has knocked out electrical service for thousand of homes—some for several days.

They won't win any design awards, but it’s great to see practical, helpful applications of social media...in mainstream media.

UPDATE: BusinessWeek's Jon Fine details Gannett's "Pro-am" approach to its online presence in Gannett's New Lease on News. "The pros do the heavy lifting and build the framework and structure," says a Gannett executive. "And the audience can come in and fill in" around it.

tags | media relations | media | marketing | blog | citizen journalist | Cincinnati Enquirer

Four Links — 02.12.07 — BusinessWeek Rips Off, Retail Pops Up, Mentos Blasts Off, Anna Nicole Moves Up

1) BusinessWeek Rips Off Flickr
Stumbled across this image in a Flickr search. No comment.

2) Pop-Up Stores: All the Rage BusinessWeek
As we ponder the depths of marketing post-Super Bowl, pop-up retail gives us something to get excited about.

There are still plenty of fun, creative ways to get attention in a message-cluttered world.

3) Mentos’ Road Trip Blasts Off The Cincinnati Enquirer
Keep an eye out for Mentos’ foray into mobile marketing.

According to a Mentos executive “If the brand was a comedian, it might be somebody like Adam Sandler.” So does this mean Mentos needs media training or brand consulting?

4) How Smith’s Death Hit Page 1 The Los Angeles Times
Some are mourning Anna Nicole Smith, others are mourning her ubiquity as an in-depth news story.

In addition to the timing of the story—it broke late Thursday before a slow news weekend—The LA Times notes it’s driven by online demand.

”The mainstream journalistic coverage of Smith's death is among the first such stories driven, in large part, by an editorial perception of public interest derived mainly from Internet traffic.

”It's the rare newspaper whose meeting to discuss the content of the next day's edition doesn't include a recitation of the most popular stories on the paper's website. What makes this of more than passing interest is that serious American journalism is in the process of transforming itself into a new, hybrid news medium that combines traditional print and broadcast with a more purposefully articulated online presence.”

Digg Conspiracy Covers uploaded by ZicklePop

tags | BusinessWeek | Mentos | pop-up retail | mobile marketing | advertising | marketing | branding | brand | retail design

Why I Blog

There’s a new meme in blog town and I’m a lemming—unencumbered by original thought.

Thank God Johnny Linkbait answered my incessant secret emails ,er, prayers and asked me to posit why I blog. I’m relieved honored to reluctantly!!! add my blog to the list.

Buzzwords: Social media butterfly 2.0, transparency, authenticity, scoble, blah blah, blah. Freedom of Speech!

Me: Me, me, me, back pat, puppies and world peace, family, TMI blah blah blah.

“Leave the Gun Take the Canoli:” Do I need to explain this? I’m a guy. It’s cool.

Girl Coffee: What? Are my kids named Dr. Quinn and Medicine Woman? I may be jacked up on coffee, but it’s black coffee. You can hold the doublehalfcaffmoca between your knees.

Seriously. Do you care why I blog? I don’t expect you to. I do hope you enjoy it and keep reading.

tags | Why I Blog | get over yourself | meme

Brands Using "Rock of Ages" to Hawk Wares

Age is a state of mind. My gray hairs don't bother me (anymore). They remind me I'm no longer in the 18-35 age bracket that marketers like to annoy exploit, er, covet.

But a new Wendy's TV commercial helped me realize that--regardless of my state of mind--I'm getting older. Wendy's is using the bouncy Violent Femmes tune, Blister in the Sun, to help sell fast food.

This compelled me to alert PR Ninja, blogger and closet DJ Dave Parmet to this questionable act. Parmet made it worse by informing me that AARP now relies on the Buzzcocks' Everybody's Happy Nowadays for its catchy commercial jingle.

Check out Adtunes to see if your favorite songs are now being used by brands to hawk their wares.

tags | Violent Femmes | Buzzcocks | AARP | Wendy’s | advertising | marketing