Name: BurrellesLuce Insider
Bio: BurrellesLuce invites knowledgeable employees with valuable information and perspectives to share their thoughts on topics relevant to our industry.
Posts by BurrellesLuce Insider:
- Understand who you are trying to reach. Who are your target demographics?
- Get the attention of the people watching. You only have 10 seconds to hook their interest.
- Shoot to script, don’t script to shoot. In other words, take the time to plan your videos and write a script.
- Create biscuits, little surprises along the way, and don’t give away the ending upfront.
- Be truthful. And remember, production values count.
- Entertain or DIE.
- Too much text is annoying for online video.
Crazy Target Lady: Seasonal Campaign Brands Memorable Spokesperson
December 9th, 2011Andrea Corbo*
Whether or not you’ve been trying to ignore the over-abundance of holiday sale commercials — if you’ve watched any TV in the last few weeks, you’ve surely noticed that the famous Crazy Target Lady is back again. Who am I talking about? The over-enthusiastic, fictional shopper who performs extreme measures to take full advantage of Target sales. With funny quotes like, “The Target 2-Day sale is almost here. The last thing that’s gonna stop me is weak thighs,” you’ve surely taken notice.
With so many holiday sale commercials in existence, it’s quite an accomplishment to create a campaign that can stick out in the mind of viewers, be remembered, and get people talking about your brand and purchasing your products.
Nearly every commercial we’ll see in the next month will be winter and holiday related, but does that really help guide us to shop for that brand? Or is that something we consumers have come to expect from the brands we already loyally shop? Perhaps just the idea of snow, family, and presents is supposed to drive the typical consumer toward the nearest mall? Whatever the recipe for holiday marketing, Target is making a lasting impression of its name with this series of commercials from Wieden + Kennedy, a full service integrated advertising agency.
Branding a memorable spokesperson, however fictitious she may be, is something that viewers can recall each year and, in fact, many do love that crazy Target lady. If a viewer is a fan of the comedic commercial series, this may again contribute to brand loyalty. Despite the fact that the commercials don’t exactly highlight any specific products, you’re still reminded of the Target brand itself along with the fact that you may need to do some shopping.
Personally, I don’t usually watch commercials because I fast forward through them. However, there has been such hype about the Crazy Target Lady by word-of-mouth that I’ve now stopped to take notice. People are talking online and offline which means the branding is working.
What other brands have created a seasonal campaign that you can clearly and successfully identify? Are there commercials you talk about with friends and family? Are there ads that have made you take action?
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Bio: After receiving a B.A. in communications, and briefly working at a TV production studio, Andrea began volunteering abroad. This lead her to work in the non-profit world, where she was fortunate enough to learn about international education, women’s empowerment and social issues for the elderly, while traveling to over a dozen countries. Since joining BurrellesLuce in 2011, Andrea is excited to share her thoughts and views on branding, social media, and communications with the growing Fresh Ideas audience, as well as her passion for cultural awareness, volunteerism, and sustainable efforts. Twitter: @AndreaCorbo; Facebook: BurrellesLuce; LinkedIn: BurrellesLuce
How to Use Social Media to Save on Holiday Gifts
December 7th, 2011by Ruth Mesfun*
I love the holiday season! During the month of December, I revert to a nine year old, anticipating the slew of holiday traditions upon us. First, my family assembles the fake pine-like tree in our living room. (Well, my father assembles the tree while I read the directions.) Then, my siblings and I decorate it until it looks like a personalized Santa’s beacon with every light blinking.
One of my favorite parts of the holiday is gift-giving. However this year it seems like more of a financial burden than fun. Brands seem to understand this and are incorporating humor into social media holiday campaigns. Old Spice and its MANta Claus One Man, Seven Billion Gifts campaign is one example.
While a far cry from seven billion gifts, here is how I am using social and online media to spread a little holiday cheer while spending only $43 on presents for four family members, three awesome friends, two roommates, and one cat.
1. Craigslist. I love Craigslist for vintage and technology. I found a quality, fully-functional vintage record player for free. It just needed a little TLC, and my father (whose record player broke) would love this. ($200 value). I also received 30 vinyl records, which I am giving half to my dad and the other half to my roommate who equally loves vinyl – potentially saving $20 on gift for said roommate.
Remember to check if it works before paying and to ensure the seller is legit. Also, make sure you know what your receiver wants. There is no use getting something for free if no one wants or needs it.
Spent: $0
2. Groupon. I love Groupon for trips, beauty/spa deals, events, and classes. But we all know how addicting Groupon was when we first signed up and started buying all those Groupons that we thought we would use, but probably won’t. Now we can put them to good use. I have six random Groupons from a day spa to belly dancing. I am giving a Groupon to my sister, mom, and two of my friends. ($800 value).
Again, before giving random Groupons to people (unless you don’t care and will never see them again) make sure you know they will actually like the gift.
Spent: $0
3. Marshalls. Marshalls is great to buy name brand for less. I bought an adorable jewelry box set for my other roommate and a mouse toy for the cat.
Spent: $10
4. eBay. I bought a miniature doll tea set for my best friend who loves all things miniature. eBay is a smorgasbord, if you know what you want this site is loaded with deals.
Spent: $10
5. Barnes and Noble. I love my brother and he loves Legos. So, with my sister’s help we split the difference for the LEGO 2011 Architecture White House and received a 10 percent discount because I am a member.
Spent: $23
The best part is that my friends and family are getting something that they always wanted.
What other ways have you used social and online media to saved money or to promote your products and services during the holidays?
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Bio: Before joining the BurrellesLuce team in 2011, as social media specialist, Ruth worked as a marketing assistant in a kitchen design firm and, later interned with Turner Public Relations. She holds a BA in Economics with a minor degree in International Relations from Rowan University. In addition to economics, education, and finance – Ruth is passionate about understanding the business implications of social media, including how it can be used to increase ROI, find and maintain a career, and create a business. Connect with her on Twitter: @RuthMesfun LinkedIn: Ruth Mesfun Facebook: BurrellesLuce
How to Enhance Online Video with Live Streaming and SEO – Lessons from PRSA-NY
November 17th, 2011Alfred Cox*
My last few BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas posts have focused on integrating online video into your public relations campaign and creating, marketing, and measuring online video in PR. Both were inspired by a recent PRSA-NY panel. For this post, the third and final in the series, I thought we could discuss how to enhance online video with live streaming and SEO, as taken from the panel.
The event featured presentations from Joe D’Amico, PopTent; Jake Finkelstein, Method Savvy; Jonah Minton, Ustream; Mark Rotblat, TubeMogul; Eric Wright, DS Simon; Jim Sulley, newscast US; and Larry Thomas, Latergy.
It was followed by a roundtable Q&A moderated by Jason Winocour, social and digital media practice leader at Hunter Public Relations.
Recipe for SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Marketing and communications professionals often talk about the need for engagement and the desire for their videos to go viral. Who wouldn’t want millions of people viewing their videos and spreading them across the web seemingly overnight?
While it’s not impossible to fulfill that goal, the success of a video is quite relative. It won’t matter how great or potentially “viral” your video is, if no one can find it online…
Jack Finkelstein, president of Method Savvy, had these tips to share on effective SEO and improving the searchable quality of your video: Read the rest of this entry “
Marketing through the Web: How Information is Power
November 11th, 2011Kelly Mulholland*
Flickr Image: Jeffrey Beall
There are three ways consumers use the web: they search, browse and buy. Most organizations increase their site’s traffic by adding searching tools and enhancing SEO. While this helps people answer their initial question of “what,” it doesn’t necessarily go the extra step and encourage them to browse or buy.
However, if positioned correctly, encouragement to go beyond just the initial search can be helpful to the consumer… at least when it comes to expanding their knowledge and possibly influencing their buying decisions. Today’s consumers, want a site to tell them something they didn’t think to search for or think they might want/need. In the process, they may be persuaded to take some action and possibly lead to a conversion or sale based on the resources you provide beyond the original search.
Search Mode- Provide the consumer with what they know they want
When a prospective customer is searching a site they almost always have an overall notion of what they want, but perhaps not all the details or at least a vague idea of the need they want to fulfill. This is where websites that utilize the search toolbox plug-in (usually located at the top of a webpage) come into action. The client wants to be able to search their product and be given substantial results.
For instance, when I simply type in the search box “scarves” at ShopBop—a luxury clothing retail website and BurrellesLuce client—I get an overwhelming list of over 200 results. The search function on the site even makes my quest easier by providing suggestions of related searches much the way Google or Bing might.
Browse Mode- Provide detailed information
With a list generated, a prospective buyer shifts into browse mode. What’s important here is how much information is provided—the customer wants to know more about their prospective purchase in the most organized fashion possible, no pun intended. Generated reviews from other customers should be at complete view coupled with suggestions. This will help the consumer differentiate one product’s value from another. It is also most helpful to provide organizational tools for the client to be able to sift through all the search results.
Shopbop does a great job at this. First, I can see “More from Scarves /Wraps” and also descriptions about the designer and the item itself. I have the capability to see how other customers rated each scarf. I also have the option of organizing my products in “Wish Lists” and “My Likes/Hearts” giving me time to consider my purchases without fully committing myself to placing the product in “My Cart.” I can sort the scarves with drop-down options by designer, size, color, and price. These categorizations are an aid to a consumer who might be inundated with an overwhelming amount of data.
Buyer Mode- Be your customer’s personal researcher
Now that the customer has browsed all the data, they have finally chosen the best product for them. While they may be done researching, that doesn’t mean the work of the service provider should end there. In fact, it is now your job to take on a new role: personal researcher. As Tara Gessinger, states in this Online PR Media blog post on Online Public Relations: Building Personal Relationships with Customers in the Digital Age, you need to keep the online conversation with your clients going through email as you would in real life. For instance, provide future recommendations based on previous purchases to the client. After I browse ShopBop or make a purchase, I receive an e-mail weeks later suggesting clothing that I might like based on my past shopping experiences.
Sites using this type of search and browse capability are designed to work for people who research and take a period of time before making a committed decision. In today’s market, researched buyers are becoming the norm and the buying cycle is changing. The impulsive spendthrift is a dying species. Marketers need to be a step ahead of the curve. Web marketing should not be about gimmicks to get attention from a prospective buyer – today’s savvy consumers will see through this. Instead it is about understanding the keywords that buyers are using and then positioning campaigns to engage buyers to webpages full with the content they want (or never knew they wanted).
How are you using search capabilities on your website to influence visitor action? What are some of your favorite search features provided by your favorite sites?
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Bio: Before joining the Burrellesluce team in 2011, Kelly interned at CondeNast’s Glamour magazine as an editorial intern to the senior style writer and was an editor of her college newspaper. She received a B.A. in Behavioral Science and Business, Society and Culture from Drew University with honors. After graduation, she worked as a sales associate at Nordstrom and took a month off to travel abroad throughout Europe. In Kelly’s free time, she enjoys traveling, fashion, reading, bringing awareness to Breast Cancer, running 5Ks, baking and social media. Twitter:@miss_mulholland Facebook: BurrellesLuce; LinkedIn: Kelly Mulholland
Creating, Marketing, and Measuring Online Video for Your PR Campaigns – Tips from PRSA-NY
November 8th, 2011Alfred Cox*
Recently I wrote a post, here on BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas, outlining key tips for integrating online video into your PR campaign from a recent PRSA-NY panel. For this post, I thought I would re-cap some of what I thought were the most compelling best practices for creating, marketing, and measuring online video content – as discussed at the event.
The event featured presentations from Joe D’Amico, PopTent; Jake Finkelstein, Method Savvy; Jonah Minton, Ustream; Mark Rotblat, TubeMogul; Eric Wright, DS Simon; Jim Sulley, newscast US; and Larry Thomas, Latergy.
It was followed by a roundtable Q&A moderated by Jason Winocour, social and digital media practice leader at Hunter Public Relations.
How to Create Online Video Content
Nearly 89 percent of journalist report that they regularly include online video content in their stories. But how can marketing and communications professionals create compelling video content?
Jim Sulley, president of Newscast U.S., had these best practices to offer:
When creating video content, you will also want to get your online community, stakeholders, and agencies involved, as this with provide you with feedback and help you market your initiatives. Read the rest of this entry “
