Strategic Public Relations

Corbis Taps Bloggers To Help Turn a Profit

Reuters details a new program from Corbis giving bloggers access to some of its photos.

Corbis and its digital rights partner, PicScout, will allow bloggers to access photos via a Web link from the site PicApp.com, now in a test phase.

The photos will either include an ad overlay on part of the image, or embedded advertising that pops up when a Web user runs a cursor over the picture.

Any program making blog content more visual is OK in my book. I’m looking forward to seeing the program unfold and the images we’ll to which we’ll gain access.

What blew me away about this news is the revelation that Corbis hasn’t turned a profit since it was founded -- nearly 20 years ago.

“Shenk was promoted to the CEO role in July and charged with turning around privately held Corbis, which has not posted a profit since Microsoft Corp Chairman Bill Gates founded the company in 1989.”

Hmmm, the phrase "viable business model" comes to mind, but I guess it’s rendered meaningless by words like "bajillionaire" and "pet project."

9 coffe favorites uploaded by visualpanic
tags | Corbis

Brand Clouds, Charmin Hacks, Croc’s Kill Buzz and 3Luxe Bests | Four Links | 11.28.07

1) What Do Your Google Search Results Say About You? | Media Orchard
Scott Baradell uses Tag Cloud to show how Google results look to folks searching online. This is smart as your search results are part of your brand. In fact they can be your customer’s "first moment of truth" with your brand…is this moment a good one?

2) Two Admen Claim Credit for Charmin Slogan | Associated Press
Mr. Whipple passes at age 91. What better way to celebrate his life than a pissing match over who wrote his script!

3) Crocs Kill Buzz | Murketing
The NY Times’ Rob Walker updates us on a Consumed story about a Crocs fan that received a cease and desist letter from his favorite brand. It reminds me of the Fed Ex Furniture story. Brands that let legal drive decisions like this need to consider the long-term implications of turning a vocal passionate customer into a vocal brand hater.

4) Top 3 Choices for Shoppers | Springwise
Springwise details 3LUXE, a site that highlights “just three items in each of its many product categories…saving consumers the hassle of endless research.” Visitors can also post reviews and rate products themselves.

When I found this Springwise review I was glad to see word getting out about 3LUXE. Its CEO also runs a local ad agency where several of my friends work….without shoes even.

tags | public relations | PR | Crocs | 3LUXE | advertising | marketing | Charmin | brand

CBS: The Magazine?

”If print communication alone is no longer sufficient for print publications, it probably isn't sufficient for (your PR efforts) either.”

This quote via Scott Baradell underscores my thoughts on how content is changing. This quote was ringing in my ears as I sorted through my Sunday paper to find a copy of Watch! -- a custom publication from CBS.

I’m a huge fan of custom publications when they’re used for the right reasons. But why would a TV network go this route?

We’ve seen other media outlets strap a print magazine to its brand before. In the case of the WSJ, we assume it’s to create another ad vehicle for the venerable business paper. But that assumption doesn’t add up for a broadcast network.

According to the media kit:

Watch! delivers exclusive entertainment content to involved, sophisticated readers who love pop culture. We offer readers an exclusive look at America's favorite TV shows, movies, fashion, travel, sports, news, and music. We give our readers access to the world of celebrity with permission, not intrusion.

According to its web site, Watch! is aiming for a circulation of 400,000 copies and has been around for almost two years. In addition to the newsstand, copies are being distributed at live studio tapings, CBS affiliates and now my Sunday newspaper to help reach this goal.

CBS has been actively experimenting with everything from printing show promos on egg shells and air sickness bags to this custom publication. They get props and publicity for doing so, but I’m not sure if this custom publication will get them the awareness, viewership or readership they desire.

Will a pop culture hungry audience add to a reading stack that seems to sit just out of reach from the deadly triangle of the TV, couch and computer?

tags | public relations | PR | media | advertising | marketing | CBS | custom publishing

Rome Wasn't Built in a Day, But On a Story

Story telling has made me a better communicator. It’s even driven my latest impulse purchase.

Even the discovery of the Romulus and Remus Grotto provides a timely example of the power of story.

Rome was founded by Romulus. He, along with his twin brother Remus, was nursed by a wolf (Oy, Freud would have a field day). This story has evolved into a far-reaching, Roman icon. As an example, I submit this picture taken recently in the hills of Cincinnati, Ohio.

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The balance of this post is available at Influential Marketing Blog. A few guest bloggers are helping out Rohit Bhargava while he’s out on paternity leave.

Rohit is one of several bloggers that are new parents…there must’ve been something in the water. Congratulations to all!

Romulus and Remus uploaded by prblog
tags | public relations | PR | Romulus and Remus | marketing | SlideShare | Flickr

PR Opportunity in SEO is Short-Sighted

The untapped connection between SEO and public relations begs PR people to immerse themselves in a potent combination of meta tags, anchor text and the latest algorithms.

PR people are wordy by trade, so this makes good sense on the surface. But PR people need to look beyond search engines and focus more on social media.

Content is Changing: The PR industry needs to expand its definition of content in light of the new tools and online habits that are creating it. Blog post comments are content. The same can be said of everything from 140-character Twitter posts and pictures on Facebook to Utterz sound bytes and a slide show cum YouTube music video.

All of this content can increase search engine relevance as it increases audience engagement.

Is SEO a Benefit or Strategy: SEO’s effectiveness is proven and it’s an important tool. But a well-tailored message should make elements of SEO automatic. If SEO drives content development, more people may visit a site, but they’ll find content heavy on keywords and light on meaning.

Participation is the Real Opportunity: While SEO brings an audience to you, participation in social media brings you to the audience. Your presence and activity creates a conversation that builds on itself over time. Every time the folks at Google tweak an algorithm, you could be starting from scratch with SEO.

Beyond the above compare and contrast arguments, participating in social media makes you smarter. You’ll learn more by talking to more people about a broader group of topics. And a more well-informed perspective is what every employer, client and media outlet is looking for.

So how do we do it all? Instead of tapping into technology to pitch more people more quickly, spend time organizing RSS feeds and Google News alerts to track your self-defined industry landscape. Joining and exploring a social network over time will help you become even more effective and well-formed as you participate in the conversation.

l33t eye chart uploaded by maumeedb8
tags | public relations | PR | social media | social networks | marketing | SEO | search engine

The Power of Story

These three (lead-free) toy trains look very similar until you spend some time comparing them. If you’re a toddler, more specifically my son, you know there is a world of difference between each train.

That’s because each train is a character in the Thomas the Tank Engine stories.

As my son and I purchased the train on the left today, it occurred to me that a story is as powerful as a three-year-old is persuasive. Why else would I buy a toy this close to Christmas that is almost identical to two others we already own?

Um, wait, don’t answer that question.

tags | marketing

Friday Flickr Fix – 11.16.08 – Of Annual Plans and 08 Opportunities

We just finished a big week of annual planning. Phew! It’s exciting and exhausting as we review 07 with each of our studios/clients and look at what’s next in 08.

So this Flickr pic explains how my brain feels after a week of wading through CRM data, spreadsheets, research and stacks of background. It also explains in part why blogging has been light. The other reason is I’ve been messing around more with Twitter, Facebook and Utterz…creating bits of content as I keep in touch with folks.

This is not my “I’m blogging less speech.” If anything, the 2.0 cocktail I’m mixing seems to fuel ideas for blog posts.

My posting frequency is only about two per week anyway. You can expect more as the fog clears.

Letter jumble 2 uploaded by Brenda_Lillian
tags | public relations | PR | marketing

American Red Cross Plugs Social Media Tools into Disaster Communications Efforts – Four Links (x2) – 11.03.07

Now with twice as much link love!

1) Voce Nation Podcast: Ike Pigott/American Red Cross Interview // VoceNation
Ike Pigott details how the ARC uses social media tools "to convey vital information and help people connect during times of crisis — lessons other companies can apply to their own communications programs." An unrelated question: if steel is galvanized and dry cleaning is martinized does that mean Voce’s blog is Hallettized?

2) Utterz Makes Micropodcasting the Shiny New Tool // Utterz
LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, SlideShare, er, I mean Utterz is changing the way I communicate. OK, maybe not. But it’s an interesting site. Listening to Sarah Wurrey on Utterz, I learned about BeFunky. As you can see in this ice cream stand image, it gives photos a “cartoonish” feel to them.

3) The 'Winners' of the Wired News Saddest-Cubicle Contest // Wired
If you’re having a bad day just remember -- it could be worse.

4) Strictly no Photography // Core77
Core77 points us to this site aggregating photos from places where cameras and photography are off limits.

5) iPod touch Ad is Consumer-Generated // TUAW
This takes Tiny Machine to a whole new level.

6) Will Beat Reporters be Boosted by Social Networking? // PressThink
Jay Rosen is helping push journalism forward with NewAssignment.Net experiments. The latest is testing out a social network’s impact on beat reporting. This all reminds me of Steve Rubel’s blog-only news diet from 2004.

7) Orange’s Never-Ending Web Page // PSFK
Got (more than) a few minutes to spare? Check out Orange’s pretty Web site.

8) Dell’s new Investor Relations blog // Andy Lark
Andy Lark’s got a new blog as does his new employer Dell. While I have no experience with IR, an IR blog is an interesting concept. A key discussion started by Jonathan Schwartz is how it might impact disclosure.

tags | public relations | PR | media relations | media | advertising | marketing | consumer-generated media | Ike Piggott | American Red Cross

Super Bowl XLII – Ad Salmon Keep Swimming to this Mass Media Event

Ad Age reports that Super Bowl ads are almost sold out.

The game’s on Feb 3rd and a 30-second spot can go for as much as $2.7 million apiece. 90 percent of these spots are already sold?!

Let’s hope this early land grab is to ensure enough time to implement marketing programs that support the spot(s).

Yes, I’m suggesting Super Bowl advertisers get more out of their pricey investment by spending more money.

The annual Super Bowl ad binge is adding up. Super Bowl ads from 87-06 account for more than 11 hours of commercial time. This translates into more than 1,400 commercials and as much as $1.72 billion of ad sales. >gulp<

tags | advertising | marketing | Super Bowl XLII | Super Bowl ads | Super Bowl

Mad Men Swag

Steve Hall at Adrants held a Mad Men swag contest to celebrate the show's first season.

I was one of the winner's. WOOT! The martini shaker says "Conquering Madison Avenue, One Martini at a Time."

This details how much I enjoy swag/tchotchkes...I don't even drink. But it's in a place of honor in my office should an emergency arise.