Strategic Public Relations

Figuring Out FriendFeed | An Early View

A reporter and I just discussed the PR industry’s use of Friend Feed. It’s for what I assume is a short, but well-intended story that shows the publication is tuned into PR nerds, er, early adopters. It just seems a bit early to be writing it.

I’ve only been actively using FriendFeed for about a week. But the interview forced me to formulate some first thoughts about the flavor of the month, week, day. I’d like YOUR opinion on the following as you’ll see Jeremiah’s job is still safe.

First let’s define terms. FriendFeed allows you to aggregate all of your social content, scattered across several web sites, into one data stream. Sounds like an RSS reader, right? Kinda. But FriendFeed collects content from more than 30 sites – everything from a blog post, Twitter reply and Flickr picture to a SlideShare presentation, Delicious bookmark and Youtube video.

So if I’ve subscribed to 10 friends, I see my data stream mixed in with all 10 friends. There is a thin layer of communication on top of this so you can comment on each individual piece of content with your friends and, due to the social nature of the site, their friends too. Sounds like Twitter, right? Kinda.

Early Chatter Pits FriendFeed vs. Twitter
The quest for one magic site that eliminates the need to visit others seems to be social media’s holy grail. To that end, some wonder if FriendFeed can replace Twitter. IMHO, even with its recent issues, FriendFeed can’t replace Twitter (as of this post). As FriendFeed is still brand new, a lot of its capabilities are still pretty basic. This overview explains some other pros and cons compared to RSS and Twitter.

Bring the Noise?!
With apologies to Public Enemy, one obvious concern with FriendFeed is the noise factor. However you can hide individual pieces of content. And if you find yourself hiding most of someone’s content, unsubscribe from their feed.

New Tools, New Rules
FriendFeed gives us new ways to consume content. But if you use it just to broadcast what you’re doing, or to monitor what someone else is doing, you’re wasting its potential. The whole reason to get involved in social media is to engage in conversations. I’ve already connected with folks like PitchEngine’s Jason Kintzler and have enjoyed sharing content and conversation with everyone.

So are you fried by the crash course on Friend Feed? Wondering why you should even bother? This early on let’s assume your target audiences are not using FriendFeed. You can take advantage of this head start and experiment with it. Create an informed opinion on it. Learn the rules of the road…perhaps even by making a mistake. Or not.

Either way, it will be interesting to see what happens next. Like Facebook was to LinkedIn, FriendFeed could be the competition Twitter needs to right their ship once and for all. In the meantime FriendFeed power users are making suggestions on how to improve the site. Hopefully FriendFeed is listening.

UPDATE: PR Week did the interview referenced above and you can read it here.

tags | public relations | PR | Friend Feed | social media | Twitter | marketing | RSS

(So Over) Exposed | Richard Laermer Guest Post

Dear Editor:
I was disappointed by the cover piece in this weekend’s New York Times Magazine, namely ”Exposed” by Emily Gould. It’s a self-important, pandering piece on the obvious that states what every reader knows by heart: The Internet is an open place. A very open place.

Like Bill Gates telling George Clooney he needs lessons in cool, Emily Gould, an editor at the once hip Gawker, attempted to reach out to fellow bloggers (I think that’s what she was doing) to pass on her wisdom in overexposure.

A funny thing happens when someone doesn’t get their own point. During a relationship transition Emily blogged about her belief in love. A blog that makes her “shudder involuntarily” to read and reminds her of “a diary I (Emily) kept as a teenager.” Funny she should mention that, considering she kicked off the article saying, “Back in 2006, when I was 24, my life was cozy and safe.” If that doesn’t scream teenaged girl’s eye-rolling journal, what, pray tell, does.

Emily possessed one exceptional opportunity and wasted it to the core. And I don’t think anyone cares why she did. As a constantly evolving (and nonstop) blogger, I would have done multiple back flips for the kind of opportunity Emily had at her ripe age. She’s complaining about life as an editor of a major online destination who gets recognized while lunching at Balthazar. We're asked to feel sorry for her. Why?!

As she ponders her self-absorption and a dramatic decision to wean herself off the heady immediacy of the blogosphere, she appears more narcissistic than I imagined possible. A writer and a New Yorker, Emily becomes worried about her self-centeredness. But isn’t that the definition of self-centered!

The lessons imparted by Emily Gould are elementary and silly to boot. Putting too much of yourself in a very public forum is revealing. Oh. I just stubbed my toe.

Richard Laermer

----

In addition to being a co-author at The Bad Pitch Blog, Richard has been blogging everywhere from Huffington Post to his own, aptly-titled blog. He was kind enough to let me post his missive to the Times here as a complement to his open letter to Emily Gould.

Robot Vanity uploaded by Jiffy Cat
tags | media | Gawker | NY Times | blog | Richard Laermer

Geek Squad Goes Guerilla, Frees Men from Chick Flick Hell

This pitch from Chris at Ketchum is sexist.

But it's also funny, short and timely. It’s for a smart guerilla marketing idea from Best Buy’s Geek Squad.

___
Not even the Geneva Convention can save us from the torture about to hit screens tomorrow. Sure “Sex and the City” will be adored by fanatic females that sip cosmos, adorn Manolos and look for their Mr. Big to get them out of credit card debt, but what about the unfortunate men that get dragged to this film? Don’t worry; Geek Squad has their back.

Geek Squad is heading to movie theaters in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles with quarters—lots of quarters. The mission is simple. Agents will be on site handing out packets with quarters for arcade games. But that’s not all. The packet will also contain a list of highly-accurate “Sex and the City” themed excuses to help the unfortunate male break free his unfortunate babe-flick bondage.

We even sent some Agents on the Sex and the City tour in NYC to become experts on the show. This helped them come up with accurate excuses. Check out the tour here.

Pictures of the life-saving packet can be found here.

May we all make it through this weekend of torture in one piece (may I suggest Ironman to start with a little Indy on the side).
----

While many media relations folks will lay low due to the "Sex and the City" eclipse we'll see in the news, Geek Squad hitched their brand to this guaranteed story.

If only the Geek Squad were doing this when "The English Patient" was in theaters (way) back in the day. My butt literally fell asleep during that marathon chick flick. I’m not kidding.

geek_sex_city_handout_FINAL-1 uploaded by cmkrestivo23
media relations | good pitch | guerilla marketing

Misplaced Word of Mouth

Three random emails in my inbox this weekend have me scratching my head.

YouIntern was lighting a fire under me, noting that the deadline to apply for an internship with Staples was today. Initially I was flattered by the misstep, and then I wondered if this wasn’t an unvitation.

Well it doesn’t matter as Staples has their summer intern locked in. Always the bridesmaid...

Then I received two emails from consumers on some old posts.

Old Spice (Packaging) Stinks?

A comment on the P&G Expands Word of Mouth Efforts post:
----
On Saturday, May 17, 2008, my wife purchased a bottle of Old Spice Cologne for me which cost $9.99 + tax. The Old Spice Cologne box contained a small cheap plastic bottle with 2.5 fluid ounces of cologne. I've been using Old Spice Cologne since college, and am now sixty years of age. I was completely shocked by this cheap marketing gimmick to take advantage of consumers. Someone might think you're selling oil instead of cologne. Your R&D and Marketing Departments are in need of major change. I will never again purchase or use Old Spice Cologne. I'm also going to avoid other P & G products, as your company's ethics are now in question. Your are a major dissappointment.
----

Google Thinks I’m a Wiener

A comment on the Marketing’s Summer Road Trip post:
----
I am a grandmother of a future graduate from High school, and she was a little girl I always told her I would have the weinermobile for her to ride arround in on that day. She is a terrific kid straight A and a very sensible girl, and plus she is beautiful. You would have quite a group of people, and think of the publicity. You would make a grandmothers wish come true and help me fulfil a wish I had for her. Thank you from the bottom of my heart weather you acept this or not, thank you >NAME< By the way this would be in the Year 2009...
----

OK, I have about three pages of comments on my Summer Road Trip post from folks asking for the keys to the fuel-injected frank. Back in 2005 I even contacted Kraft to alert them. A well-intended customer service agent cited “rules and regulations” when telling me these requests would not be considered.

What’s my point? Have you checked your search RESULTS lately? Do search results on the key words important to your brand point to someone else’s site?

In the cases above, I assumed one glance tells you this blog is in no way shape or form affiliated with P&G, Kraft or any of their respective brands. But sometimes passionate consumers take the fastest/shortest path to get their voice heard. In this case that was one click from a Google search before hitting send.

Justine Electra uploaded by Mas-Luka
tags | advertising | marketing | blog | SEO | brand

You Need Serious Play*

In lieu of a Friday Flickr Fix, I’m serving up video. Last week I won a webcam and this video is the result of my special effects test. When I watched it, the Radiohead mashup came to mind. The two complement each other (and redefine goofy in the process).

This is not my first webcam or my first video. But I’m posting the video to prove a point.

Playing around with new web sites and new gadgets can lead to some serious benefits. My presentations have improved since tuning into Flickr and using video to kick off a slide deck. So this post is to encourage and inspire – while hopefully making you laugh (with me, not at me).

Far too often, I think people want to fully understand new technologies before they start using them. But instead they should just jump in, experiment and engage in serious play. *Serious play is also a design conference and a book.

Seeing is Understanding | Eternal Branding | YouTube Timeline | Self-Defense for the Online Brand | Four Links | 05.12.08

1) NewsWare | msnbc
“NewsWare is msnbc.com’s laboratory for news-infused games, tools and other experimentation.”

The games and graphic news visualizers are fun while informing. Game on.

2) Brands on Tombstones | Ad Lab
From the “ads on every inch of humanity” department, it looks like Mercedes is the car of choice amongst the Russian mafia.

Speaking of mafia, I’ll bet a horse head wake up call you’ll find examples of “eternal branding”(tm) here in the United States. Based on this anecdotal evidence, I’m willing to bet the Scarface character is one of those brands.

3) Timetube: The YouTube Video Timeline | Information Aesthetics
Anything you can do to make information easier to understand and digest is a good thing. This YouTube mash up seems to fit in that category. It looks cool too, which doesn’t hurt either. Bonus link: The Top 10 Brands That Own YouTube

4) Manage Your Online Reputation | Lifehacker
Great article that gives hope to every college kid freaked out that a recruiter might Google them and find “those pics.” Also helpful for us whiny, older folk annoyed that someone found and posted “those pics.”

tags | public relations | PR | media relations | media | advertising | marketing | YouTube | brand

Practice Random Acts of Twitter | Friday Flickr Fix | 05.09.08

Admit it. At some point, in some form or another…Twitter pisses you off. I’ve been there and back.

That’s from a post detailing why I think Marketing and PR people should try Twitter. Rather than cross-posting it here, I’ll build on it.

People are time-starved and don’t want to spend more time online than they have to. In the wake of an endless stream of shiny new sites we simply HAVE to check out, the magic question becomes: What value does Twitter add to your life?

For me it’s the higher level of interaction, online and offline, with other professionals. I was running out of steam with this blog. Twitter connected me with several people and got me engaged in a variety of industry conversations. The offline meet ups in particular gave me a second wind as they "complete the circuit that social networking communities establish virtually." Via Angelo Mandato.

In addition to meeting new people via Twitter, it turns out you can also win contests. Billy Fairchild was running a contest as a way to connect with more folks online. I was unaware of the contest, but was automatically entered when I began following him on Twitter. It turns out I won the grand prize. How cool is that? I’d been meaning to replace my old web cam so it will be a lot of fun playing with this “random act of Twitter.”

If you haven’t already, check out Twitter. It’s a handy utility and one example of how professional communicators are getting more directly involved in the conversation.

so happy together uploaded by Mr. Mark
tags | public relations | PR | marketing | social media | Twitter

Social Media Breakfast(s)

Last week I was reminded of Twitter’s utility and the importance of breakfast. In addition to the meal’s obvious nutritional benefits, two breakfast meetings helped feed my social media POV.

No one blinked when Albert Maruggi held the first Cincinnati Social Media Breakfast across the river in Kentucky. Perhaps this is because Cincinnati’s airport is also located in Northern Kentucky?

The Tuesday morning meeting was well-attended – even bringing a few folks up from Louisville. As a result, Jason Falls and I finally met. I need to reciprocate the road trip at some point.

Twitter was the hot topic of conversation due to its current novelty (more on that later). Twitter is how I learned about both breakfasts – the night before each one.

The group also discussed social media’s impact on the news. News tends to break on Twitter a few minutes before it hits mainstream media. A few people at the breakfast from the media and with media backgrounds reminded everyone that the media want accuracy first, then speed.

Social media geeks, including myself, often mention that giving up control online means gaining permission to make mistakes. However the media aren't given this luxury.

Think about this as we evolve into the newsroom of the future – are mainstream media held to a double standard?

A huge thank you to Albert for organizing the event and for suggesting I continue Cincinnati Social Media Breakfasts. As it’s complementary to the New Media Cincinnati meetups, I’m planning another event.

Friday morning I met up with David Armano, Krista Neher and Andrew Paradies from Photrade.

The smaller group allowed for some more great conversation. Twitter was still a topic, but we also talked about social media's impact on business.

The best part of these meetings of course is simply connecting in person. This quote from Angelo Mandato says it all: “The physical meetups complete the circuit that social networking communities establish virtually.”

So to all you coasties...if you ever have a lay over in "fly over country," get local and look up your industry online to connect offline. You'll get more than a free drink out of it.

tags | public relations | marketing | Twitter | Social Media Breakfast