Strategic Public Relations

Walter Cronkite | Sharing Video on Twitter | Costs of Meetings | Mommy Bloggers | Four Links | 07.19.09

1)

Cronkite's Greatest Hits | Mediaite:  These highlights from Walter Cronkite's career remind us why we want need journalism to survive. Cronkite was so Super Bad he had chunks of guys like Michael Arrington in his stool.

2) 5 Ways to Share Video on Twitter | Mashable:  This post raises my iPhone 3G-S envy. But more importantly it shows one way how videos are being made more shareable.

3) Calculate the True Cost of Meetings | AdLab:  A meeting cost calculator? This tool should be a mandatory Outlook Calendar plugin.

4) Mommy Bloggers Fight Back | PR Newser:  The title of the post sounds like a B-Movie. But PR Newser details the latest dust up in the blogosphere to ignore PR for a week straight. As Susan Getgood notes, the boycott misses the point.

Walter Cronkite, 1916 - 2009uploaded by John McNab

The First Mash-Up, Circa: 1977

The AP tells us that "some retailers are giving vinyl records a spin" (get it?).

This reminded me of another long-lost recording format. As I wistfully combed the results of a Google Image search for the perfect image of an Eight Track, I found evidence of the first mash-up.

The interactive 8-track looked like the average 8-track, except at the bottom, where the Atari cartridge was connected. These 8-tracks, or "double-enders" as the music/video game fanatics called them, were an instant success and proceeded to change the music industry for at least a couple of weeks.

The double-ender was a hit. Magazines like Rolling Stone and Gamers Monthly hailed the Foghat Live 8-track as the start of the new music and video game revolution. And it was, for the next four years at least, but in the end it was not enough to save the interactive 8-track from the trash heap of nostalgia.

-- Via The Van Gogh-Gogh's

Is it me, or is that guy so beyond smiling that he looks in pain? UPDATE: Yeah, it's a joke. But a guy can dream, can't he?!

Will Twitter Survive the Super Bowl?

Lots of great content leading up to Super Bowl XLII, including urban legends and stock tips.

Super Bowl ad content is more bountiful than ever. Consider that 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. Firebrand alone has a week’s worth of content.

I’ve covered the ads in the past and even sat on a panel of reviewers. If I weigh in during the game this year, it will be via Twitter. Many folks will be doing the same as it's less work. Twitter also allows you to do so quickly and easily while still enjoying the game.

TIP: There are a few ways to gauge an ad’s performance. Don't forget to mine Twitter after the game.

But will Twitter be able to survive the added traffic the game is sure to bring with it? MacWorld and recent service outages suggest no. Guess I’m rooting for two underdogs this year.

Twitter Bought the Farm uploaded by Jestu what?!
Super Bowl XLII | Super Bowl ads | Super Bowl

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

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.

Best Buy’s PR Smarts and ChargeCarte’s Customer Disservice

It’s been so long since I’ve done a Goofus and Gallant post that I’ll remind everyone we point to marketing and PR stories that demonstrate how to and how not to.

Best Buy’s High-Definition PR
Best Buy starts us out with some smart public relations. A few people have listened to me talk about Best Buy’s HD strategy – from creating HD awareness to ceasing analog TV sales across the chain.

Consider how many customers will call foul over the retailer that sold them an analog set a few months before the switch to HD.

Now we quickly digress from taking something away from customers (and getting high marks) to offering a new service to customers (and getting points off).

ChargeCarte’s Nickel and Dime Strategy
The concept sounds good...get your phone or iPod charged at the airport twice as fast as your own charger can do it.

But charging me for electricity seems more opportunistic than helpful – especially at $3 for 30 minutes for only a 50 percent charge.

This ChargeCarte is located in baggage claim – where all you want to do is exit the airport.

There’s also only one small bench located next to it. If more than one or two people use this at a time, you'll have to hover and make sure no one walks off with your phone/iPod.

ChargeCarte should have taken this technology upstream. How much would you pay for an adapter that allows you to charge your phone faster?

Something tells me I’m not the target customer.

Charge Carte?! uploaded by prblog
tags | public relations | PR | media relations | Best Buy | Goofus and Gallant | marketing | design

VNRs Need To Get This Picture Moving

The FCC’s recent fake news fine has YoungPRPro list members wondering* if the end of the video news release is near.

In other video news, Springwise details a product placement company that will put your CPG onto YouTube. And this, in turn, reminds me of yesterday’s news about Firebrand.

Video is becoming more flexible, widespread and commonplace. VNR use should be increasing, not dying out. The FCC fine could turn the tactic into the TV equivalent of an advertorial, but hopefully it will mostly discourage the offending parties from misusing this tactic.

As video technology gets more powerful, it’s getting cheaper. It’s one thing to worry about print media as its audience migrates to a completely different platform, forcing publishers to change its business model. But VNR production companies have more opportunities than threats right now. Here are four ways VNR production companies can thrive.

Unbundle: Many assume you must pay for an entire VNR package to get access to the biggest point of value – distribution and tracking. By unbundling services, VNR production companies create a lower cost of entry for customers. The end result should be an increase in market share/customer base to which you then cross–sell services.

Leverage: This tactic is getting easier, not harder. And by staying behind the scenes, we’re seeing everyone including your neighbor's kid grab the attention -- in their spare time. VNR production companies should be positioned as cool, video gods. By not positioning themselves and exhibiting leadership in the space, someone else is taking all the credit.

Expand: There are many opportunities here as the market expands. Giving customers more ways to use the carefully crafted content they've invested in adds value to the customer relationship (and revenue to your bottom line). VNR production companies should create a garage/boutique service that puts “street/authentic” video production capabilities into the hands of corporations. Yes, corporations will pay money to make a video that is shaky with less than average production values. This same company can tell me how to turn my b-roll into a YouTube teaser campaign leading up to the launch.

Educate: More directly connected to the FCC news, and reinforcing the need for industry leadership, is the need for education. VNRs are being likened to a devil’s trident thrown by fat cats in Washington as they twirl their mustaches and count stacks of money. Please. Spare me the drama. Which VNR production company is going to step up and lead a campaign raising awareness of the right and wrong ways to create a VNR?

The question posed by the YoungPRPros is an important one, but for reasons beyond the FCC news. VNR production companies need to step up or they'll fade to black.

*Thanks to Andy Aldridge for inspiring this post and helping me bake it.

minimize me uploaded by electronicott
tags | public relations | PR | media relations | media | video news release | VNR

Four Links – 09.25.07 – Firebrand Reinvents the 30-Second Spot, Flickr’s Dark Side, PR Makes Geek Squad Smarter, Swash Sounds Strange

1) Firebrand Reinvents the 30-Second Spot | Firebrand
Billed as “the QVC for the MySpace generation,” the social media press release says that

Firebrand programs the "coolest" TV commercials the way MTV used to program music videos, creating the first multi-platform network to go "live" simultaneously on TV, the web and mobile.

A YouTube for ads might sound odd initially, but this pull technique feels better to me than recent push methods being floated out there. And with content, contests and commerce to offer it will be interesting to see how it unfolds.

2) Flickr’s Dark Side | Various Sources
Holy Fotomat! One picture from Flickr placed into a Virgin Mobile ad is raising some serious questions about Creative Commons licenses and Flickr. Having used a Flickr pic in printed materials before, might I suggest ASKING the photographer and getting a release form signed?

Flickr is playing an interesting role in computer theft too. But it’s not the only photo site having issues. Scott Baradell notes that the rise of sites like iStockPhoto has caused Getty to drop some prices. This price drop has understandably raised photog ire.

3) PR Makes Geek Squad Even Smarter | Minneapolis/ St. Paul Business Journal
Best Buy research shows that “90 percent of Americans don't understand HDTVs.” In response, Best Buy is launching HD Done Right, to provide consumers with information about planning and budgeting for the new sets.

As we settle into football season and the holidays hurtle towards us, this approach is brilliant on so many levels. It makes the Geek Squad look that much smarter, positions Best Buy and Geek Squad as HDTV experts and it generates plenty of media cat nip to get the word out through the research results. Smart.

4) Swash Sounds Strange, er, Too Good to be True | Swash
Tide brings us Swash – a collection of products that eliminate wrinkles, odors and stains so the energy-conscious can stave off the laundry cycle a bit longer. The sloth-centric will appreciate it too. Green is good and P&G gets a gold star for trying something new. But it’s “Fresh It Up” product comes in Free Agent, At Large and Posse scents!? Something tells me I’m not the target audience.

tags | public relations | PR | media relations | media | Firebrand | Swash | Geek Squad | advertising | marketing | Flickr

171 Starbucks in One Day: You Can't Buy This Buzz

During general Sunday morning activity, I noticed what looked like a paid product placement on NBC's Today Show.

Lester Holt sat across from a man in the studio and between them was a TV screen "filled to the brim" with a Starbucks logo.

That man was comedian Mark Malkoff who recently learned there are 171 Starbucks in Manhattan. He then proceeded to visit these 171 Starbucks -- in one day.

It took Malkoff a bicycle and $369.14 ($80 of which was spent on bribing a barista for one piece of pound cake at the 171st location that closed minutes before Malkoff arrived).

Is this positive PR for Starbucks? One could argue he's making light of their Manhattan ubiquity.

I'll argue that, while Malkoff's stunt is creative, he's doing little more than hitching his wagon to Starbuck's brand. But the end result is priceless -- some serious air time on a national network (during a slow news day). It's one more example of the power of a passionate customer and a brand with some serious gravitas.

You can’t buy that kind of buzz.

'9ami howa uploaded by FUNKYAH
tags | public relations | PR | media relations | Starbucks