filter by tag: newmedia
Marketers play tag with 2-D barcodes
One of the most interesting new media trends at this year’s SXSW was the evolution of the mobile 2-D tag. It’s grown up from a clunky, relatively unattractive tool, into something more sophisticated that marketers can customize and use to go deeper with their consumers.
Mobile 2-D tags are scan-able barcodes that can be printed on anything from products to advertisements to promotional materials. Consumers use smartphone apps to scan the barcode and are often rewarded with incentives, exclusive content or automatic status updates.
Infographic courtesy of Microsoft Tag
As you start thinking of ways to leverage new media technologies to help your clients, think about mobile 2-D tagging as a way to extend the conversation, educate consumers and drive new forms of online traffic. Below are some quick ideas on how mobile tagging can work for you:
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Tell consumers more about where your product came from and its environmental footprint
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Create menu-pairing options for a food or beverage
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Use mobile tags in a sweepstakes or as a contest-entry tool
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Tease a product, as Blake Mycoskie of TOMS Shoes did at his keynote
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Drive donations
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Create a gaming experience
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Provide schedules
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Leverage tags as a rewards vehicle, for couponing or driving retail engagement
--Alex Nicholson, New Media Director, @Alex20001
Tags: marketing newmedia bestpractices trend mobile
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A new era of editor events taking the traditional press event online
In-person editor meetings and press events have always been an integral tool for introducing media to our clients’ new products and campaigns; however, shrinking editorial staffs, busier schedules and tighter program budgets challenge us as marketers to consider new and more efficient ways of presenting information to the media.
We know the average American spent 32 hours a month online last year, so it only makes sense to interact with media through the same channel. More and more, brands are taking the traditional editor meeting out of the hotel boardroom and onto a live-streaming webcast, hosting virtual press conferences. This format can effectively communicate your client’s key product and campaign messages and offer a number of other benefits.
Avoid travel and scheduling issues
While New York and Los Angeles will always be central locations for media, more and more, editorial staffs are made up of freelancers and contributors who live all across the country. Gathering your contacts in one place may prove more costly and time-consuming than you may have anticipated. Hosting an online event removes this barrier and can also attract attendees who would otherwise not be able to attend due to personal or professional conflicts. Writers and editors who may be on the road for business or away for a family trip are more likely to log on to a webcast for an hour in the middle of their busy travel schedules – especially if your product launch doesn’t always fall in a “convenient” time of the year.
Widen your reach
Most brands are eager to reach beyond traditional media and engage with bloggers and social media influencers. A webcast is a great way to present your client’s information to this audience through a medium they are most comfortable with and allows your brand to interact with hundreds of contacts at one time. This may also result in instant coverage for your clients, with attendees posting about your client’s product attributes or campaign details directly after – or during – the virtual event.
Offer more content
The options for providing content through this platform are endless. Encourage social media chatter through a live Twitter feed, deliver digital assets like photos and videos or engage in real-time Q&As with attendees from across the country. You can even provide media who were unable to attend with an archived version of the press event broadcast – something that media who attended could benefit from, as well, by having the option to revisit the information on their own time.
--Emilie Valle, Account Supervisor
Tags: blogging media newmedia event bestpractices mediarelations
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New media users follow an average of only 5 companies online: New Cone research
New media adoption is soaring, thanks to older Americans and minorities increasingly moving online, but the competition among companies looking for loyal followers just got tougher. According to our latest research, the 2010 Cone Consumer New Media Study, new media users still choose to demonstrate affinity (e.g., “like” on Facebook, “follow” on Twitter or subscribe to an RSS feed) toward an average of only 4.6 companies online.
Consumers are more open than ever to engaging with companies via new media (86 percent vs. 78 percent in 2009), but it still takes a big effort on the part of the company to reach the upper echelons of the consideration set. To stand out, companies need to incentivize new followers. Before deciding whether to engage with companies online, 77 percent of new media users look for free products, coupons or discounts.
It may be difficult for companies to get to the top, but it’s even harder to stay there. Nearly two-thirds (59%) of new media users say they are satisfied with their online experiences with companies, but that doesn’t mean they won’t hesitate to punish companies by disengaging. More than half of users will stop following a company if it acts irresponsibly toward its consumers (58%), over-communicates with them (58%) or provides irrelevant content (53%). Under-communicating (36%) or censoring user-generated content (28%) is also grounds for falling out of favor.
Companies that can deliver high-quality customer experiences are richly rewarded. Users who engage with companies via new media are more likely to:
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Share information about the company across their own social networks – 62%
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Feel a stronger connection to the company – 61%
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Feel better served by the company – 60%
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Purchase the company’s products or services – 59%
Is your company doing what it takes to stay on top?
Tags: coupons blogs socialmedia research newmedia
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Gen Z takes the digital space by storm
“Generation Z,” or children born between the years of 1994 and 2004, have likely never known life without the Internet, cell phones or YouTube. That makes them the most digitally connected generation ever. Although children aren’t permitted to register for an account on social networking sites such as Twitter, Youtube and Facebook until the age of 13, that’s not stopping them from embracing the digital age.
Social Media
Teens ages 13-17 make up 10 percent of total Facebook users, but let’s not discount those younger than 13 who are using social networking sites. Togetherville, also known as “Facebook for kids,” allows children 10 years and younger to play games, acquire virtual gifts and watch YouTube videos with their friends. The site requires parents to sign up their kids and even allows them to monitor their children’s use in real-time. A separate social network called Scuttlepad, or “Twitter for kids,” asserts that it lets children “tell your friends what you're doing (...just like the older kids do!).”
Brands seem to be taking notice of Generation Z’s online interests. Mattel recently launched the Barbie Video Girl, a toy that makes it easy for girls to create and edit their own video and post it on YouTube. They’re also asking consumers to follow them on Foursquare and Twitter as Barbie travels the US for a chance to win a Video Girl doll. Other YouTube channels, such as Sesame Street and Fred, have racked up thousands of views and prove that even pre-schoolers are familiar with social media.
Gaming & Web
Children are spending about 17 minutes per day playing online games – that includes even the tiniest of tykes. To meet the growing demand, toy company Fischer-Price offers a collection of educational games for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers, while PBS’s Sid the Science Kid game teaches children all about antibodies, weather and vocabulary.
Going Mobile
In 2009, the average child was given his own cell phone at 9.7 years old; that’s actually down from 10.1 years in 2008. Children are spending this time sending thousands of text messages a month, playing pre-installed games, taking pictures and listening to music. And although Leapfrog’s “baby Blackberry” isn’t actually a phone, it certainly teaches tiny tots how to type on a Qwerty keyboard at a surprisingly young age.
Parents are Adapting, Too
It seems that parents are becoming more and more comfortable with their children being active in the digital space and are especially comfortable with it being used as an educational tool. In fact, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, only three-in-10 children have restrictions on media use, and Retrevo.com reports that 31 percent of parents think children under nine are ready to own their first computer.
At this point, it seems there’s no turning back for Generation Z. Whether kids are addicted or just more social, it’s clear that they’re spending more and more time consuming digital media.
-- Christa Keizer, New Media Intern
Tags: research tweens newmedia youth socialmedia mobile teens
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Old school or new when it comes to paid media?
When brands look to enhance and extend the reach of their messages, they often turn to paid media tools. Whether for a product launch, company news, an event or a new campaign, audio news releases, radio or satellite media tours and b-roll distribution help PR professionals reach key target audiences. Although these tools are tried-and-true, over the years, they have evolved to include “new school” tools to account for the prevalence of online media:
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Blogger SMT: Similar to a traditional satellite media tour, this technique offers a spokesperson to bloggers during which an interview* is conducted live using a video conferencing technology such as Skype.
- Multi-Media News Release: This enhanced press release is a package* that combines a traditional release with photographs and video and is distributed to both on and offline media, in addition to video sharing websites.
- Online Videos: A more visual and creative way to tell a story, clients hope these videos* go “viral” and get picked up by online media nationwide.
But, by no means should old school techniques be considered obsolete. They can still be just as effective as newer options. It’s important to really understand who the target audience is and to look at all the tools offered to reach it in the most effective way.
--Jennifer Newberg, Senior Account Supervisor
*Cone client
Tags: PR newmedia blogs bestpractices mediarelations
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What does the Facebook Open Graph mean to marketers?
Recent changes to Facebook announced at the Facebook developers’ conference have been hot topics in new media marketing and pop culture. The largest issue affecting anyone with a Facebook page – that’s now more than 400 million people – is that of privacy. While this is a relevant issue, the platform’s social developments, the Open Graph, will have a more significant effect on how we all use the Internet.
The Open Graph connects the Internet in ways never conceived. Imagine visiting a website that can access your social profile and customize content based on your likes and interests, as well as those of your friends. These connections are powered by Facebook, and the platform will become the backbone of the social web. It’s what we like to call the Facebook-Powered Internet. Currently, the Open Graph connects Facebook to more than 30 partners, including CNN, ESPN, IMDB and Pandora; however, as the new developments gather momentum, more and more websites will connect with users and Facebook through Open Graph.
The Facebook-Powered Internet will be faster, safer, intuitive and much more social. Users will be able to “travel” with their Facebook profile information, while websites will be able to recognize information about the user to help serve up relevant content. That means no more logging in or setting up accounts for websites, both a speed and security bonus. Content will be easier to find: less searching through large sites to find the exact thing you need, fewer irrelevant news articles and fewer ads that don’t come close to targeting you.
But, not everyone is on board. Facebook is getting pushback from users who fear their privacy is at stake. Facebook bases its changes on what user activity on the Internet has already shown. People want to share their exact location on Foursquare and know what strangers are thinking on Twitter. Even the word “viral” has taken on a completely new meaning today to accommodate the mass sharing that is taking place online.
Marketers and communicators need to understand that the Facebook Open Graph will change how people use the Internet, very drastically and very quickly. Although it is impossible to know exactly how these changes will affect how people receive information, buy products and support causes, marketers should be fostering and growing Facebook Fan Pages to take full advantage of this development. For each “like” that your fan page receives, you make another connection in the Open Graph. These connections are the web that ties together the Facebook-Powered Internet.
As a marketer, are you in a position to take advantage of the Open Graph? What tactics are you using to grow and engage Facebook fans?
--Marcus Andrews, @Marcus_Andrews
Tags: marketing newmedia socialmedia trend
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Surviving a PR disaster is a preparedness plan away
Toyotas and aspirin and lettuce! Oh my! These days, everywhere you look something else is being recalled. What is a company in crisis to do?
First, take a deep breath. Second, be glad you have a crisis preparedness plan in place.
You do have one, don’t you? You should. Mid-calamity is not the time to start developing one. Take advantage of today’s peace and quiet to prepare for tomorrow’s potential disaster.
And, be sure to consider the following when developing your company’s plan:
- Act quickly and take responsibility to “contain” the crisis.
- Your organizations will be on trial during the early stages of a crisis. If you wait for every last fact before taking action, you will be convicted in the “court of public opinion.”
- Ensure your actions are consistent with your mission and values, and don’t forget to show empathy for what has happened.
- Organizations in crisis too often focus their communications on the minutiae of the crisis, event timelines, etc. and forget to share feelings (regret, sadness) about what has happened to critical audiences as a result of the crisis.
- Review your organization’s history to find prior damaging occurrences (similar past events, active litigation, etc.) that could be dredged up or leveraged for greater impact during the current crisis.
- Agree on how you’re going to address questions about this history, the impact it has on the current event or what it may suggest (i.e., the company did not sufficiently address a past problem).
- Use the media – traditional and new media – as information resources and communication vehicles.
- Both media and online resources can help organizations reach critical audiences quickly with a message about the crisis or can help correct damaging misinformation before it has any significant impact.
- Make time for media and online monitoring as well as monitoring for feedback from audiences with which you are communicating.
- Listen to what’s being said about your organization’s response to and communications about the crisis – this information may prompt valuable adjustments to communications strategy and messaging.
--Jenn Sheehy Everett, Vice President
Tags: newmedia media crisis planning
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Sleeping at the Internet wheel
There seems to be a trend emerging wherein agencies and clients use new media and Web analytics to catch each other sleeping. It started with the Zappos agency review in July in which one respondent, Ignited, tracked Zappos’ review of its submission and found the company had spent fewer than 15 seconds per page viewing only five of the 25 pages submitted. Right, wrong or otherwise – as usual both sides have their story – the point is that Zappos was “found out” thanks to Google Analytics.
And just yesterday, Marty St. George, senior vice president of marketing and commercial at JetBlue, tweeted the following:
We're pitching our advertising AOR. Curious on digital savvy....first test is how many of the agencies will find me on twitter. #sneaky
10:57 AM Feb 17th from UberTwitter
I would look at these examples as an eye opener for parties on both sides – you better be on top of new media or it’s likely to bite you in the “you-know-what.” The hashtag #sneaky at the end of JetBlue’s tweet gives me a sense of the spirit in which it was done. But, for Ignited, I think it was a legitimate test to see if there was any valuable return on its hours of time invested.
Some follow-up tweets from JetBlue indicate the sneak attack may not have been as fun as initially thought, but it was a great wake-up call to agencies on the types of metrics some clients are beginning to use. No longer should we just view new media as a way to communicate, but realize that they’re also a way to track us, like a bloodhound. Sarbanes-Oxley would be proud – you can run, but you can’t hide.
As someone involved in business development, these tactics initially make me question the authenticity of a relationship we might be about to embark upon. If the client and/or agency is setting up “tests” for us to fail or pass and we don’t even know we’re being tested, it seems sneaky (no hashtag needed) to me – the wrong way to lay the foundation of a trusting relationship. Shouldn’t the quality of our work, the quality of our strategies speak volumes? Isn’t that what they are hiring us for?
The JetBlue example also feels arrogant. But even if I “passed” the test, found the tweet and presumably were as smart as the client, I’d constantly have to wonder what next test was being administered. Would I start to think up some of my own tests to get the upper hand (even if I never told the other party)? Wow, this could get interesting…
--Cici Gordon, Senior Brand Strategist
Tags: Trust Twitter trend strategy partnership newmedia
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Journalists getting social to find sources
If your clients aren’t talking about social media, get them started now! A new study from Cision and George Washington University finds nine out of 10 journalists turn to at least one type of new media channel for story research and source information. That’s especially true for newspaper and online journalists, three-quarters of who use social networking sites for research, compared to just under two-thirds for magazine writers.
The big takeaway here is that while journalists used to go directly to the source for information, they are increasingly looking to social media to act as conduits. This means that we need to make sure our clients are participating in and taking ownership of the online dialogue and their presence across social media, blogs and traditional online media. This requires an entirely new level of rigor and in many cases, new skill sets to maintain their brand.
This could be a good opportunity to start a dialogue with your clients about the importance of online brand maintenance and reputation – beginning with a basic audit of their online presence. From there you can start to home in on the key places where consumers are talking about your brand.
Tags: research newmedia media blogs socialmedia
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Twitter is Just a Fad
Josh Bernoff, Forrester analyst and author of groundswell – winning in a world transformed by social technologies, is a leading force in helping survey and segment how people use the Internet. His research is an invaluable resource for marketers trying to understand social technology behavior. His Social Technographics “ladder” is a segmentation model of how adults online are using technology socially. In most cases a person falls into more than one group, groups include:
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Creators – Who actively create content for an audience.
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Conversationalists (New) – Who have quick exchanges back and forth through Twitter/Facebook updates.
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Critics – Who rate sites, comment on blogs and edit wikis.
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Collectors – Who use RSS feeds and add “tags” to pages or photos online.
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Joiners – Maintain a profile on social networking sites.
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Spectators – Consume content online but do not create.
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Inactives – None of the above
This week Bernoff released an updated version of the ladder specifically to address how Internet users are using Twitter – the microblogging site. Here is what Bernoff had to say,
“Well, it worked. Despite the rapid pace of technology adoption, the rungs on the ladder have shown steady growth, with some (like Joiners) growing faster than others (like Creators). We have analyzed data for 13 countries, for business buyers, and even for voters. My colleagues and I have done profiles for over a hundred clients, profiling Walmart shoppers, non-profit donors, and doctors. In all that time, only one thing has been bugging me: there was no place for Twitter. We fixed that today.”
The “fix” Bernoff is referring to, is a new rung called “Conversationalists” a group that 33% of adults online fall in. This Forrester’s ladder update is a big win for all who champion using online conversations to build relationships and trust. It illustrates the point that conversations among friends, families and between brands and consumers are shifting to the online space. With a third of all U.S. adults in this group it makes it hard for brands to ignore the status update phenomenon that is Twitter and Facebook.
How many of the rungs do you fall under? Is there one or two you would add?
-- Marcus Andrews, New Media Associate
Tags: research newmedia socialmedia
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Who takes the lead when it comes to social media strategy?
Almost 80 percent of new media users interact with companies or brands online. So, it's pretty much an imperative that your brand have a social media strategy in place. But that poses a puzzling question: Who should take the lead when it comes to developing your social media strategy? PR or digital?
2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study
A recent PRNews article lays out the argument for the PR folks, and our own director of new media, Mike Hollywood, couldn't agree more. "Our channel agnosticism affords us the luxury of looking at the entire media landscape before deciding which channels are best for our client's message AND audience."
Read his take on the debate and get tips for implementing your own social media strategy.* And be sure to tell us what you think. Who should own the strategy?
*Check out our updated new media research, the 2009 Consumer New Media Study.
Tags: research PR cone strategy newmedia bestpractices socialmedia
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Keep it in the family when taking luxury online
With a predicted decrease in holiday spending this season, brands are reaching into their marketing coffers and pulling out social media strategies to help boost sales and maybe even beat the grim prognostications. It might just pay off, too. According to our client Deloitte's 24th Annual Holiday Survey, nearly 20 percent of respondents plan to use social media sites to aid in their holiday shopping, largely to find sales, discounts and coupons or to research gift ideas.
But, what’s good for the goose may not be so great for the gander, or in this case, the über-luxury brands. The lifestyles of the rich and famous leave plenty of room for new media – our research shows new media users with the highest HHI are 10 percent more likely than the average population to use these sites and tools – but it's not necessarily in luxury brands’ best interests to develop social media strategies that overemphasize traditional sites, such as Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. The popularity of new media stems from its democratic, community-building traits that bring once-exclusive content to the masses. Something luxury brands, counseled to return to their elitist, indulgent roots, don’t want to see happen to their products.
Brands would do well to remember that when marketing the most luxurious of products and services, the same rules apply whether using on- or offline channels. Remain high-touch, and remain exclusive. Affluent new media users are 20 percent less likely to expect retail brands to use new media to solicit product or service feedback. They want to keep those relationships high-touch and interpersonal. Whereas the average user finds new media an ideal platform to voice opinions once difficult to express in a meaningful way, affluent consumerslikely expect a more direct, face-to-face, line of communication with their favorite brands. Also, whatever experiences luxury brands do create online, they should stillfoster a senseof indulgent exclusivity. Reserve them for only the most preferred customers to enjoy, and make sure they can share the content, but only among peers.
Although popular social media sites may not be the best channels for affluents, it doesn’t mean they still can’t be effective branding tools for luxury goods – among a different audience. Luxury brands need to maintain a certain cachet to hold on to their brand status, and a large Facebook or Twitter following from aspirational fans, perhaps future consumers, can bolster their posh positioning. But keep in mind, affluents and aspirationals are two very different audiences. Learn to play to the strengths of both, and social media have the potential to be very generous this holiday season.
Tags: research clients newmedia bestpractices socialmedia branding
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Changes on the way for blogger outreach
With the new FTC guidelines for online disclosure just around the corner, brands, agencies and bloggers are all doing their best to understand what this means for online reviews and product information. Jason Kottke successfully (and humorously) turned a 57-word blog post into 375 with the disclosures he included. At the same time, a new site launched which is trying to standardize the disclosure copy that bloggers, tweeters and other online content creators can use to disclose their association with a product or brand.
You’ll notice there are several “flavors” of disclosure – this is probably not the be-all-end-all solution, but if you are looking for ways to ensure your online contacts are being transparent, you may want to use this copy as a suggested starting point for the disclosure statement.
Certainly this is going to be an interesting aspect of the communications world to follow in the coming weeks and months. With the FTC more likely to slap a fine on the associated brand than the offending blogger, we can likely look forward to at least a few large brands serving as the unfortunate examples for the larger community of what might happen if the new guidelines are not followed. For many, disclosure has always been a part of how we as communications professionals do business – but these new guidelines certainly underscore the importance.
Tags: newmedia blogs socialmedia mediarelations
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New Cone Research Shows Growing Consumer Interaction with Businesses Online
There’s good news for businesses online!
New media users are increasingly interacting with companies and brand in this environment. In fact, interactions are up 32 percent from 2008 with almost 80 percent (78%) of new media users engaging with businesses through traditional online or social media channels. This is according to our latest research, the 2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study.
The2nd annual new media study, an update of the 2008 Business in Social Media Study, is a three-part survey which explored new media users’ interactions with brands, their support of social and environmental issues and their engagement with corporate responsibility practices. The research also reveals new media users:
- Feel a stronger connection to (72%) and better served by (68%) companies they can interact with via new media
- Believe companies should market to them through traditional online advertising (43%, up from 25% in 2008)
- Believe they can influence corporate responsibility decisions by voicing opinions via new media channels (62%)
- Believe companies and nonprofits should use new media to raise money and awareness for causes (79%)
For additional findings, please visit www.coneinc.com/consumernewmediastudy to download the research fact sheets.
Tags: marketing socialmedia research PR newmedia cause media mobile blogs CR
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Digital Download
Your weekly glimpse into the world of new media
Mobile: Starbucks launches an iPhone app and outmaneuvers Dunkin’ by letting you actually pay for coffee with your phone. Mobile barcodes may be the next big marketing trend, as other retailers continue to experiment with them.
Experiential: To promote its Black Pepper Jack and Smoking Cheddar BBQ flavors, Doritos is brining back the Hotel 626 online fright fest – this time as Asylum 626 – to resurrect the retired flavors from the dead.
Social: Fast-casual TGI Friday’s new spokesperson is a lot more likeable than the chain expected. Its new Facebook campaign resulted in 500,000 friends in only six days.
Research: A new report from the e-Tailing Group finds five out of 10 social media tools have been adopted by more than 50 percent of brands and retailers.
Misstep: Google Gmail users were without access to their contacts while the search giant’s email platform suffered another outage.
Our favorite: The Starbucks iPhone app. Some day we’ll be able to run the whole world from our phones.
Tags: Facebook newmedia clients campaigns digitaldownload trend
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Can't buy me love
Who falls for these things?
USocial is a service that has promised in the past to bring its customers scads of Twitter followers and is now jumping into the business of bringing the masses to Facebook fan pages, according to a recent AdAge article.
Is it just me, or is paying for fans and followers in social media the equivalent of a band paying to pack the club it's playing tonight?
Think about it... OK, so the club is packed to the gills. The band comes on stage and starts to play. It's actually really good! But...no one in the club cares. Not a single toe tapping or head bopping in the crowd. At best, they politely sip their drinks, keep the chatter to a minimum and don't throw stuff at the band members. With every song, the band tries harder and harder to get the crowd groovin', but it receives no feedback, just blank stares and chirping crickets. When the concert is over, the people leave and go about their business.
The next day, not a single concert-goer tells a friend what they did the night before. No one goes onto iTunes and buys the band's songs, and the band can forget about getting any of those folks to come see it in another venue in the future.
In the end, the band feels defeated and the members wonder if they can go on chasing the rock-star dream.
What should they have done instead? And how does this apply to building a social media following for your brand? Here's a better option:
1. Find the fans you have. Tell them where you're playing. Sincerely acknowledge their presence, and maybe even give them something special for attending your show.
Social Media Application: Use your existing marketing channels to promote your efforts in social media. Engage deeply with the early adopters as they are the key to your future growth. Make them feel special (because they are!) with exclusive offers or products.
2. Even if there are only a few people in the audience, put on the best show that you can -- something people will talk about the next day. Encourage them to spread the word.
Social Media Application: Create (or aggregate) content that wows your fans. Make it shareable. On Facebook, use the publisher to update your status and share photos, videos and stories. Don't underestimate the power of users "likes" or comments - their friends are listening.
3. Listen to your fans. If they don't like the song you just played, try something new.
Social Media Application: Engage. Solicit feedback. Silence is a good indicator that you are not hitting the mark. Establish metrics and keep an eye on the types of content and engagement that produce the most feedback from your fans. (Facebook Fan Pages have all of these measures built in.)
4. Understand that you'll be playing smaller venues for a while, but if you follow the above steps, you'll soon be packing them in.
Social Media Application: Be patient. Sustained organic growth of your follower and fan base will ensure you are reaching the most targeted consumers with the most appropriate messages. Don't fall for the easy way out of paying for your fans.
Tags: newmedia bestpractices socialmedia
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Back-to-basics trend goes to the dogs
Does your dog have a better life than you? You buy him the latest designer duds and be-jeweled collars, you take him to the doggie day spa for some R & R, you sign him up for professional massages so he can work out all his stress. Puh-lease!
At a time when the Paris Hiltons of the world are toting their pooches around in Louis Vuitton handbags, Cone client ALPO® brand dog food is saying, “Get real!” It’s time to let dogs be dogs. This back-to-basics trend is building momentum as the economic realities of 2009 have many people calling for an end to gaudy displays of excess and a return to traditional, common sense values – even when it comes to our dogs.
According to an ALPO survey, pet parents are taking a simpler – and wallet-friendlier – approach to life with man’s best friend. When asked when their dog is happiest, 62 percent of owners say it is greeting them when they come home, being taken for a walk or a run (52%), receiving treats (48%), napping on the couch (32%) or chewing a bone (30%).
To celebrate the simple pleasures of just being a dog, ALPO is launching the ALPO Real Dogs Tell It Like It Is Contest. The national contest is searching for real dogs to share their stories about their favorite real dog behaviors, such as rolling in the mud, drooling for dinner or chasing a ball. Up to 20 winning “pawthors” will have their stories published in a first-of-its-kind “how-to” manual to help dogs be dogs.
Whether it's shopping at discount retailers, cooking more meals at home or letting dogs be dogs, consumers are simplifying their lives in an effort to focus on basic necessities. ALPO is leading the trend in the pet care industry allowing consumers to extend the back-to-basics mentality to their four-legged friends.
Tags: research newmedia clients contest trend
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The key to PR 2.0 is marketing 101
During the last few months, I have heard clients, co-workers, industry colleagues and just about every marketing professional I know state that there is a lot of jockeying for position within the social media space. Even though the idea of social media has been around for a while, it seems like everyone who works in marketing communications has just awakened from a deep sleep, all at the same time, and decided that social media is going to be the focus of his or her job.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s exciting and it’s a fresh approach to what we do. However, it doesn’t, or shouldn’t, really change things that much for marketers who care about their craft. So what if the media landscape has changed drastically within the last year? So what if consumers are getting their information from completely different places than they were just six months ago? Truth be told, when the dust settles, it still boils down to a sound strategic approach and a good idea.
Of course, we need to understand and continually adapt to the new playing field. We need to know that there is a right and wrong way to approach bloggers. We should be open to a constant, steady stream of new technologies, social networks, content creation concepts and digital partnerships from which brands can potentially benefit. But, the key thing that we, as marketers, should understand is, for the first time, we have the opportunity to establish a two-way dialogue with the very consumers we are trying to reach. That’s a great opportunity, but we won’t get the chance again if we blow it with a bad idea or approach.
So before any social and/or traditional media campaign is executed, it’s important to first think about the basics. Understand your objectives, know your target, carefully build your strategies and bring to life a creative platform and idea that truly earn valid consumer and media attention. Even though we are in the world of PR 2.0, it is important not to forget the basics of marketing 101.
-- Mark Malinowski, Vice President
Tags: blogs newmedia socialmedia marketing strategy PR
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inConetext: Communicate your CR efforts with new media
The following originally appeared in Cone’s inConetext quarterly newsletter. To read current or past issues, visit our Web site.
New media have provided countless innovative ways for consumers to connect with like-minded individuals and engage in dialogue around topics of interest. Increasingly, consumers are connecting to research and discussing their relationships with brands and corporations, scrutinizing not only the benefits they derive from these relationships, but the ways that organizations impact the world as a whole.
According to our 2008 Business in Social Media Study, 85 percent of social media users want to engage with brands through social media channels. That’s five out of every six people that are looking for some form of interaction with your organization. New media present a tremendous opportunity to engage with consumers around your CSR efforts, as both new media and CSR are rooted in transparency, open dialogue and collective efforts to improve upon the status quo.
Tags: research sustainability newmedia socialmedia
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Redefining Media Relations
It’s an exciting time for media relations. In the ever-changing online world, there are new, creative ways to communicate instantaneously. Consumers are rapidly gaining control of the various lines of communication and demanding companies maintain a constant online presence. How do we stay relevant and lead strategic communications programs?
First, let’s get rid of all our media descriptors. It’s not traditional vs. social media or old and new media – it’s all media relations. We need to increase our expertise in all areas.
Second, let’s not just tweet because it’s the hottest method at the moment. Let’s first determine how best to achieve our clients’ objectives, identify our key audiences and then recommend which channels of communication will most effectively deliver results. For example, Pizza Hut has strategically employed social media to achieve its goals of engaging consumers and increasing sales. On the other hand, let’s not have a creative tactic, but poor strategy. Does anybody remember the company behind Elf Yourself?
Third, remember that consumers are now the media. They can influence our purchasing decisions quicker than a long-lead magazine can roll off the press and become brand evangelists overnight. So remember, the next blogger you pitch could be your next-door neighbor.
Despite these changes, the important rules in media relations remain the same: stay transparent by expressing accountability and maintaining honesty. And, we still need to spend time building relationships – getting to know all media and becoming a valued, trusted resource to each contact.
--Maureen O’Connell, Senior Account Supervisor
Tags: bestpractices strategy newmedia mediarelations
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Dog owners crave canine companionship more than their daily cup of coffee
Nearly half of all American dog owners say they cannot live without their dogs on a daily basis, according to a new Beneful survey. That means a daily pooch pick-me-up is more important than their morning cup of coffee (35%), television (35%), their car (26%), their cell phone (23%) or even best friends (15%)!
To honor this powerful relationship between dog owners and their best friends, our client, Beneful, launched WagWorld.com, an online destination where dog lovers can find and share new dog-friendly places to visit with their dogs, write reviews, upload pictures and pass along posts to friends and family.
The site allows canine crazies to filter searches by places to eat, places to play or places to sleep. And, all suggestions are rated by WagWorld users on a five-paw scale. WagWorld comes at a good time as branded Web sites and the opinions of others online have become the second most-trusted sources of advertising. In fact, WagWorld may soon be known as Yelp! for dogs.
In celebration of the launch, Beneful is also searching for the Top 10 Most Dog-Friendly Cities in America. Visit WagWorld.com between July 27 and September 27 to add reviews, post photos or upload stories about living life with your dog in your city. The cities with the most buzz will make the top 10 list to be announced this October.
Tags: promotion newmedia socialmedia clients
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5 marketing trends we're seeing everywhere
- Fierce competition: Rivals square off
- All aTwitter: Brands find clever ways to use Twitter
- Everywhere you want to be: Marketers going mobile
- "Video killed the radio star": Marketers are turning to Web video
- I hardly recognized myself: Brand revitalizations
Tags: marketing branding campaigns advertising newmedia Twitter promotion PR
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With New Media, Outcomes Are Never Certain
Recently, we shared our excitement for Starbucks’ latest social media campaign. The coffee giant asked its consumers to photograph Starbucks’ outdoor advertisements and upload the Twitpic to their Twitter feeds using the campaign’s hashtag.
This was all well and good until anti-Starbucks activists “hijacked” the campaign and uploaded their own Twitpics. Instead of pictures of the Starbucks’ advertising, the activists’ pictures featured homemade banners protesting the chain’s stance on union representation for its employees.
The lesson for Starbucks, or any company embarking on a new media campaign, is to recognize that when it comes to new media, you don’t really control the conversation or the outcome. If you understand and accept this, you can prepare yourself for negative dialogue. And, you may even learn something that can turn into a positive.
Tags: clients newmedia socialmedia
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Bulldog Media Relations Summit Recap
Cone’s EVP of Crisis Prevention & Management, Mike Lawrence, recently had the privilege of speaking at the 2009 Bulldog Media Relations Summit in New York, NY. His presentation, entitled “Lightning Response: Surviving the First 24 Hours of Crisis” can be viewed below.
Thank you to everyone who attended!
Tags: newmedia socialmedia crisis
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Cone’s new media service offers companies online presence
Cone announces the launch of its new media Clickstart Program, designed to help companies effectively engage consumers online through the use of social media channels. The introductory program will aid companies in exploring emerging communication technologies and identifying opportunities for additional consumer dialogue and interaction. “New media are here to stay, and having an online presence is now the cost of doing business in this communications 2.0 world,” says Bill Fleishman, Cone Managing Director and EVP of Brand Marketing. “Often we find companies recognize the importance of using technology to speak to stakeholders but could use some help getting started. Clickstart is designed to provide that solid foundation.”
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Tags: newmedia socialmedia
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