Flickr Image: lumaxart
Social media and traditional media coverage can work together to give you great media coverage and business results. At the Powering Progress: 2010 PRSA International Conference in Washington, DC last week, Michael McDougall, Bausch & Lomb, Catherine Dunkin, The Standing Partnership and Nicole Ravlin, PMG Relations, presented case studies and personal experiences backing this statement.
Example 1: The lively interactive hour included several examples and ideas for gaining coverage for clients. A recent well-known example is the Old Spice campaign, where Isaiah Mustafa, Old Spice pitchman, answers Twitter and Facebook questions via videos. The videos were timely and funny, and lead to huge amounts of mainstream media coverage.
Example 2: Many people were shocked last year, when Pepsi announced they would not advertise during the Super Bowl. Instead, they agreed to donate the money to charities, and the public could nominate and vote on where the money should go. The Pepsi Refresh Project garnered Pepsi massive coverage via social media buzz, which lead to mainstream media coverage.
Example 3: Vermont maple syrup and bacon seller Dakin Farm has been able to trace the ROI to their social media posts. They started with a blog and then moved to video. Recorded with a Flip camera, the videos on their YouTube channel and their blog have significantly increased bacon sales. Ravlin suggested using these kinds of videos to show the broadcast media producers the camera-readiness of your spokesperson.
Example 4: As I’ve discussed previously on the BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas blog, incorporating geo-location social media into a campaign is new and a struggle for some organizations. But Boloco, a regional burrito restaurant chain, successfully used Foursquare to drive business and gain print and broadcast coverage. Each location’s “mayor” was given a VIP card good for prizes. If a new mayorship is awarded, Boloco invited both the incoming and outgoing mayors to lunch for handing over the VIP card. The promotion drew the attention of local newspapers and TV stations, which lead to increased traffic and sales.
Boloco’s CEO John Pepper blogs tweets for the company and responds personally to customers on Twitter. PMG Relations often refers reporters to his blog to get an idea of his personality and philosophy. The panelists commented on the importance of getting executive buy-in for any successful social media campaign.
How are you using social media to help you drive coverage in mainstream media? Do you have any suggestions or tips?
