Strategic Public Relations

New iPod Cellphone Will Expand Citizen Marketing

iPod says "Hello Moto." At least, The New York Times is cautiously suggesting it will:

Apple Computer and Motorola plan to unveil a long-awaited mobile phone and music player next week that will incorporate Apple's iTunes software. The development marks a melding of two of the digital era's most popular devices, the cellphone and the iPod.

This story started online earlier this week at Apple Insider. Apple and Motorola will need to answer some questions regarding downloading and storing songs on the phones. The iPod “pennies per song” business model might conflict with the “every second counts” approach wireless carriers appear to use.

Regardless, the hottest gadget converging with the ever-present cellphone has big marketing implications. We’ve discussed the need for more creative uses of new technology. Kraft Foods offers recipes for download to iPods. Perhaps now these recipes can also be sent to friends using the phone? Memory-rich iPods represent an untapped communication channel for marketers. Cellphone capabilities make this opportunity hard to ignore assuming your target audience is gadget-friendly.

Case in point: Pete Blackshaw has research noting that white ear buds signal a CGM-savvy audience.

iPodders have more CGM tools in their arsenal, and hence greater impact/amplification. If you know iPodders (or any influencer) are in your database, consider sending early news or product "samples" to them first. They'll spread the word faster. Just make sure they like the product. Early movers, trendsetters and trend "spreaders" are increasingly reaching for forums, boards, and blogs over email.

Hopefully Apple and Motorola are already tuned in to the consumer-generated media being created over this announcement. One Apple Fanatic even dreamed up his renditions of what the iPod Cellphone might look like—nearly a year ago.

Heck, even Bill Gates saw this coming.

tags: marketing, iPod, Motorola, cellphone, consumer generated media

CBS Gets Transparent with Nonbudsman Blog

CBS is pulling an Intel and learning from its mistakes.

According to Reuters, "After a controversial run-in with bloggers last year that helped sink "60 Minutes Wednesday," CBS has hired a "nonbudsman" to write a blog that will go behind the scenes at the news division.

For those old enough to remember, Intel's infamous (and ancient in Internet time) chip crisis began in a newsgroup. To Intel, the problem seemingly came out of nowhere and they were blindsided. Now they engage their power users to test new chips, encouraging them to put the products through their paces and find flaws. Intel took Internet lemons and turned them into lemonade to say the least. Perhaps the same thing will be said of CBS and Memogate someday?

tags: CBS, media, blog, Intel

Google Thinks I'm a Wiener

An Oscar Mayer Wiener to be exact. Here’s a fun example of the power of blogs, and search engines.

A recent post here on mobile marketing featured the Wienermobile. Oscar Mayer has a contest to win a day-long test drive in the fuel-injected frank. The post has received 38 comments from people telling me why they should win. Traffic logs helped me figure out that a misspelling in one of the comments has my blog popping up high in searches for “Oscar Myer.” And yes, I realize this post will only compound the problem.

A quick e-mail to Kraft Foods, alerting them to the extra entries, elicited this response:

Hi Kevin: Thank you for visiting http://www.kraftfoods.com/. We appreciate the time you have taken to share your comments with us.

However, in order to ensure that everyone's submissions are considered on the same level based on required information, we will only be able to consider the submissions from our site.

If you haven't done so already, please add our site to your favorites and visit us again soon!

Regards,
Cynthia Boychuk, Executive Representative

OK, the legal department makes the rules for these contests. But if you were one of these 38 people and you got an e-mail from Kraft thanking you for your entry, but asking you to resubmit it so it would count and the email had a link to the exact page you needed to visit, would that make you a happy customer? Maybe. Would you tell other people about the Kraft e-mail? Probably. Think of the good will Cynthia could have created by writing one email and sending it to these 38 people.

This response is even more bizarre coming from a company that is clearly savvy about online marketing. Kraft recipes are available for download to your iPod. You can take the recipe into the store, scroll through it on your iPod and make sure you pick up the right ingredients.

Segue to an observation...memory-rich iPods are one huge distribution channel for marketers. We should be getting more creative about all the opportunities that new technologies and gadgetry offer. For example, we have only begun to tap into how we use RSS feeds. Kraft got creative with the iPod and came out of left field with a great idea, IMHO.

tags: Google, iPod, search engine

Blogging's Higher Purpose

The Cincinnati Enquirer brings us the story of Mike Hauenstein. He has a rare form of cancer and is blogging his “fight to livestronger.” He also has a website.

It is an inspirational story to say the least. It also serves as a reminder, to A-list through Z, of how small and insignificant our corner of the blogosphere really is. PR blogs resemble a small circus in the shadow of blogs like Mike Hauenstein’s.

While Yahoo’s Blog for Hope aims to increase awareness with the American Cancer Society, blogs are an even more powerful way for the individual to tell their story and, most importantly, be heard. These stories can do more than increase awareness; they can move us to action.

Voce Nation brings us a story of how one non-profit, Girls for a Change, is blogging to their benefit. “Something the non-profit sector has learned over the years is to look to innovative ways to maximize their resources and use the models of for-profits to the benefit of their non-profit work. Blogging is just one way to succeed in this area and the investment of talent and time can potentially yield many more resources for not for profit ventures.”

With Blog for Hope as the perfect example, most any non-profit should examine an event blog as one way to tap into the power of blogs. Event blogs are a temporary commitment with long-term results that can help maximize the reward of blogging while minimizing the risk.

Who's Jumping on Wal-Mart's Brand Wagon?

According to Yahoo! News, Vogue, Garth Brooks and Destiny's Child.

"The world's largest retailer just launched a major fall ad campaign in the fashion bible Vogue, signed a multiyear music deal with country crooner Garth Brooks that might include exclusive products and linked with pop music's Destiny's Child for a holiday promotion.

"The ties with A-list brands and personalities come as Wal-Mart puts an increased emphasis on its clothing and music offerings. Marketing experts say that by tying in with popular, credible brand names, the retailer should be able to spruce up its image. Wal-Mart also will host a fashion show next month during New York's Fashion Week, the apparel industry's biannual big trade event."

Don’t laugh. Consider Target. It almost single-handedly made designer fashions affordable. Wal-Mart is trying to expand its customer base and include happy Target customers. To me, this is the funny part since the top 10 retailers reported $488 billion in 2004 sales. Wal-Mart sales made up more than half of this number with $285 billion. Target weighs in at number five behind Home Depot, Kroger and Costco.

So the giant blinks. This is proof that Target’s marketing blitz is working. They’ve already taken over an entire issue of the New Yorker and created several buzz worthy events including a vertical fashion show held on the side of a building and temporary, pop-up retail concepts in New York and the Hamptons.

But at what cost? “Target outspends far larger Wal-Mart on marketing: $904 million in 2004 vs. Wal-Mart's $841 million, as tallied by Advertising Age.”

The whole point of this post is: Some might tout this as a marketing case study of David and Goliath. But the numbers above show that the spend helped create Target’s marketing gravitas. Target is one of the most creative marketers in retail as far as I am concerned. If their marketing was not creative, it would not be as successful. But it also costs money to create this level of impact.

It will be interesting to watch Wal-Mart's brand wagon race with Target. Who do YOU think will win?

tags: public relations, media relations, PR, advertising, marketing, branding, brand, retail, wal-mart, target

Dave Taylor beats the dead PR horse

First let me say that Dave Taylor's Intuitive Life Business Blog is always a good read and full of insights. As most any passionate blog will do, he has just posted something with which I must completely disagree.

Evidently he was presenting at the recent Blog Business Summit and declared that PR is Dead. Well, here is my reply to his post:

Dave, With all due respect, anyone that claims anything is dead is oversimplifying their assertion to quickly make their point. It's tired shtick and surprising coming from you.

You are focused on one tactic within one element of public relations...media relations. If that's all people are using their agencies for, I feel for all involved. I suspect everyone you spoke with was dealing with press agents and press agencies...companies focused solely on media relations vs. full-service pr agencies, or integrated marketing communications agencies.

There is a lot more to public relations than dealing with the media. To name a few...internal communications, events, crisis communications and creating an array of content to help raise awareness with target audiences. This is not controlling the message; it's helping to get it out there in the first place. Most any product needs a package. They're designed to help the consumer understand what they're getting in the first place.

When everyone makes the sensationalist assumption that the public relations industry is here to spin the truth, it is clear to me that the loudest people in my industry are unfortunately the worst examples of how public relations should be conducted.

The organic anarchy you are proposing as it relates to creating messaging for a company would be fun to watch.

Everyone reading this, please say the following aloud:

Blogs are a tool.

Look back through history and you will see that new technologies do not clobber old ones out of existence. Usually they force the others to adapt and improve. Blogs do not slice, dice and julienne fries; blogs cannot cure the common cold or clean my oven. They are an impressive tool that several industries need to embrace and understand to be more effective in the future.

And this is all the Google Juice I will give to this topic at this time.

tags: public relations, media relations, blog, PR, advertising marketing

Yahoo's "Blog for Hope"

Take a telethon and a group blog and you have Yahoo's Blog for Hope project.

Yahoo! and the American Cancer Society are breaking new ground in an effort to connect individuals in the fight against cancer. In a 30-day Blog for Hope event on Yahoo! Health, celebrities from every walk of public life will share the triumphs, insights, and personal stories of how cancer has affected their lives. Join Deepak Chopra, Senator Hillary Clinton, Sam Donaldson, Fran Drescher, Jill Eikenberry, Peggy Fleming, Tom Green, Mary Hart and millions of blog readers around the world as we unite to raise awareness and bring an end to cancer.

This is a great idea for a great cause. It's also making good use of a blog's unique benefits:

• The celebrities do not have to be in a studio, in front of the camera or manning phone banks. They can continue their normal schedules.
• An event blog is a temporary commitment with long-lasting results. It can stay up post-event and continue to raise awareness from search engine traffic and links long after these bloggers sign off next month.

We've already seen how quickly international awareness was raised through the blogosphere for Shari Kurzrok and, as a result, organ donation. Blog for Hope will hopefully be another great example of tapping into the blogosphere's highly-networked nature to spread good news of hope instead of bad.

tags: public relations, media relations, blog, PR, consumer generated media

P&G on "How to Change Company DNA"

My latest post for Fast Company's BlogJam 2005 is now live. Be sure to stop by on the last day of the magazine's two-day anniversary celebration to see the wealth of business topics being discussed.

tags: Fast Company, BlogJam 2005, marketing, branding, brand, design

What's in Store at the Mall?

Rather than cross-post, I will point you to my first post at FC Now. BlogJam is well underway and there is plenty of content to check out through Tuesday.

tags: Fast Company, BlogJam 2005

World Blog

While the public relations corner of the blogosphere is truly global in nature, this site from Harvard Law shows us the whole picture. Global Voices Online aggregates and serves up samples of consumer-generated media, categorizing content by type and by nation.

The blog's creators want

to call attention to the most interesting conversations and perspectives emerging from citizens’ media around the world by linking to text, audio (podcasts) and video blogs and other forms of grassroots citizens’ media being produced by people around the world.

Talk about interconnectedness. As the site says, the world is talking. Are you listening?

tags: global pr blog week, public relations, blog, PR, consumer generated media