By Stephanie LaDue
As a new parent, I know I’m a marketer’s dream. Getting ready for my baby meant my wallet was wide open, ready to purchase a nursery full of new goodies. I wanted – and still want – everything that will make my child’s life better. Like other new moms, overwhelmed by decisions and new responsibilities, I look to the Internet and friends for advice on the best products for my new bundle of joy.
As a marketer, I know the importance of reaching the right people at the right time and the value of trustworthy recommendations. Word of mouth from “a person like me” is still the most trusted source of information and social media…via bloggers and social communities like Facebook…is like word of mouth on steroids. Recommendations/influence is taken from one-to-one to one-to-many (thousands or even millions).
At RL&A we have an arsenal of top bloggers at our fingertips and we work closely with them to become brand advocates for our clients. Our social media PR efforts, on behalf of the brands we represent, help to continually populate the Internet with positive brand reviews that are reinforced with strategic keywords and images which also ultimately effects search engine optimization. And when dealing with the consistent churn of new parents in the market…our continual outreach and creativity in positioning brands is critical to maintaining relevance.
Brands we work with are in the right place at the right time, providing answers and populating search with recommendations from “a person like me.” So, for example, when a new parent, like me, is wading through the barrage of baby brands…they’ll find the solutions they need in pages upon pages of positive reviews from trustworthy sources…a marketer’s and a new parent’s dream.
RL&A created the nationwide “lip model” search in 2006 as an ownable PR element that could generate buzz for the brand amongst the target audience beyond the topic of general lip care, while also giving the brand a uniquely fun, feminine identity in a crowded product category. We partnered with Parts Models in New York City, the country’s only modeling agency that deals exclusively in beautiful body parts. Parts Models’ president Dani Korwin acts as a key judge in the competition, and has fielded many interviews about the contest and on the topic of parts modeling over the past two years. 
For the second year in a row, RL&A and The Mentholatum Company teamed up to conduct the “Softlips Picture Perfect Lips” contest that was developed by RL&A to highlight the leading lip conditioner’s lip-perfecting qualities amongst young women.
The campaign kicked off with a segment on 
The Softlips® Picture Perfect Lip Search celebrates its second year, as thousands of young women (13+) nationwide enter their photo on the brand site to vie for the title of America’s most perfect lips. Not only does this contest tie in with the brand’s messaging of soft, beautiful lips, but it provides RL&A with a “product” to reach out to media outlets that would not traditionally cover beauty and/or lip balm, and it is a vehicle to drive Web traffic. The contest has traveled to college campuses, retailers, and fun women’s night out events nationwide.
One of the biggest complaints of those who suffer from excessive underarm perspiration is that they can’t wear what they want. Since Certain Dri Antiperspirant can help get rid of the problem, we wanted to offer another life-changing offer….a $1,000 “sweat-free” shopping spree to buy the wardrobe you always wanted, now that the excessive perspiration is under control. Through traditional PR, online efforts and an exclusive editorial offer via Woman’s World magazine (the top read magazine by Wal-Mart shoppers), tens of thousands of entries came rolling in.