Archive for March, 2010

The Latest Buzz…on Buzz and Other New Social Media Tools

Friday, March 26th, 2010

By John Whitcomb, Social Media Manager, Robin Leedy & Associates

At Robin Leedy & Associates, we are always reviewing the latest in social media/online tools for our clients, helping to assess what may be useful for a particular personal health (OTC) or beauty brand. Many new technologies and methods are emerging to help companies engage directly with their potential consumers…some will likely prove useful…others, just hype. Here are a few we have our eye on now:

Google Buzz

For businesses, Google Buzz is looking to become another social network – like Facebook and Twitter – where companies can find their customers (existing and new) and talk to them directly. One advantage to Buzz over the others is that since it has the Google powerhouse behind it, it will be indexed by the search engine and can help impact Google search results. One disadvantage is that in order to use the tool you have to be a Gmail subscriber, so it just means yet another email account to manage, etc. For a bit more info, you can check out this short demo of how the Buzz tool works:

Foursquare

This is a new, cool tool that uses “geotagging” to create local communities around stores, restaurants and other businesses. It works with a process called a “check-in,” which basically means the user is telling the system “I am at a certain location or I will be at a certain location.” The user is then able to search for other users (friends, colleagues, consumers) who have checked in at that location and read reviews and see comments from other users, or interact with them.

Each location /business receives a profile that can be updated with information and also show recent reviews from other users who have “checked-in.” This is obviously great for restaurants, stores and other permanent locations (e.g., Starbucks gives users who frequently check-in a badge labeled “Starbucks Barista” and offers them badge discounts and special offers at their locations), but clients doing special events, trade shows, etc. can use this technology for on-site communication to users in their temporary event market!

If you would like to discuss these new platforms or how to integrate them into your own marketing strategy, email us at jwhitcomb@robinleedyassociates.com or aomahoney@robinleedyassociates.com.

Posted in Chit Chatter | No Comments »

The Magic of Magazines

Friday, March 12th, 2010

By Anne Carlantone

I have always loved magazines. It started in childhood when I would look through my grandparents’ collection of what I think may have been every National Geographic issue ever printed. It progressed to when I discovered my older sister’s copies of Seventeen and Glamour and has grown from there to include everything from news magazines to home magazines to (yes, I’ll admit it) entertainment/tabloid magazines.

That’s why it was interesting to me to read the announcement last week from five major magazine publishers that they have united to launch an ad campaign that will promote the continued “vitality” of magazines as a medium in which to advertise, and, basically to communicate that people are still reading them.

Personally, I have never felt that magazines would go away. True, they have been dropping like flies (this article puts the death toll at a total of 1,466 nationwide from 2007 to 2009), but the publishers’ campaign also points to statistics showing that magazine readership has actually risen over the last five years, and this includes a growing number of 18- to 34-year-olds (whom everyone seems to assume are internet-only when it comes to information). I think what we can tell from all of these stats is that while hard-copy magazines may now face much more competition for our attention, they definitely still have their place.

Why? I think it’s because, like me, a lot of people just simply like magazines. Magazines are pretty and glossy. They appeal to several senses – the visual appeal of the photo layouts, the sound and feel of the flipping pages, even the smells of the perfume ad inserts. Magazines are a source of affordable, instant, curl-up-on-the-couch “me time,” (as many of my fellow moms will agree), and best of all, they are a pleasant escape from the computer, Blackberry and TV screens we’re tethered to all day. And let’s face it — no one is going to browse the online version of People on the beach!

As PR people, we can definitely see the reaction that a nice magazine placement still elicits from a client. While online placements are fantastic and very important, there’s still a special “something” about a great photo or mention of your product or service on the pages of a popular glossy magazine. So while we do spend a lot of time staying on top of, and, talking about the latest developments in digital media, this blog post is a tribute to the continued importance of “traditional” media. There’s a place for it all in a well-rounded PR program!

Posted in Talking PR | No Comments »

Be Authentic

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

By Alyson O’Mahoney, EVP/Partner

I will admit it…I’m a Facebook junkie. However, I think because I approach this social network as both a marketer in the space (RL&A has created and continues to manage several successful Facebook pages for clients), and female/consumer/mom/wife/stalker, I find it so interesting to see what is going on in this space on both fronts. Yet, with all the cool ways you can use Facebook, what appeals to me about it as both a marketer and consumer is probably the simplest thing of all….how you can use it to build authenticity.

Since I’m using Facebook for our clients and I use it personally for connecting to friends/family/companies, I find that I’ve become a fan or friend of MANY brands, services, organizations, causes, etc., so I get lots of updates and shared content in my newsfeed on a daily basis. The ones that resonate most with me out of all of them are those that feel believable:

  • Jillian Michaels, trainer on NBC’s The Biggest Loser (love that show), who I will swear on a stack of Bibles writes her own status updates (not her publicist or PR machine),
  • Lady Gaga (who does her own Facebooking vs. her agent or record company)
  • and, even, “the monkey” of our Anti Monkey Butt Powder page (www.facebook.com/antimonkeybutt).

There aren’t endless sales gimmicks posted to get you to buy Jillian’s latest fitness CD, or Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” on iTunes or cases of butt powder, but there are really voices communicating with fans of each of these brands, answering questions, reading comments, giving helpful info or just talking to you…like a friend….and isn’t that what Facebook started out to be?

It is hard to put an ROI on authenticity, but when it comes down to making choices in a cluttered consumer environment on Facebook (or at store shelves), I will listen to those brands who use their own voice (and, on occasion, plug their own products, but that’s okay, because they are my friend now…get it?).

So if you are thinking of doing a social media effort on Facebook, my advice to you is to be authentic, or, frankly, be quiet.

Posted in Chit Chatter | 1 Comment »