Posts Tagged ‘brand’


How to Use Social Media to Save on Holiday Gifts

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

by 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 

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Posted in Advertising/Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media | No Comments »

Marketing Brand Loyalty: How Far Would You Go?

Monday, November 28th, 2011
Yfrog: the_951

Yfrog: the_951

As I was going through my daily ritual of skimming through my Google Reader and industry headlines, this one caught my eye, “Zappos Founder Launches New Voyeuristic Ecommerce Site.” I figured it was a teaser headline so after only a brief pause, I continued on.  When I saw this one a minute later, “Zappos Founder Wants to Peek in Your Closet.” I knew it was something I had to read!

Nick Swinmurn does want to see what’s in your closet, as do many other marketers and advertisers. According to AdWeek, his new platform RNKD (pronounced ranked) opened to the public (in beta) on Wednesday, November 16th. In an interview with Women’s Wear Daily, Swinmurn said he felt there had to be a better way for vendors to know who their customers are and to create a channel of communication. 

Mashable explains, “The concept is simple: Take pictures of all the things you have in your closet. Tag them by brand and purchase location and get rewards and deals based on your proven likes.”

In a statement to Huffington Post Swinmurn says, “Every consumer has favorite brands and stores they are loyal to, but most have never been recognized or rewarded for their purchases. If you buy more shoes from Nike than anyone else – shouldn’t you be given early access to new lines and different pricing than someone who is trying the product for the first time and may never buy again? ” Swinmurn argued that RNKD, unlike many other social sites, gives people an incentive to share.

There are tiered rewards, presumably to make sure beginners are able to win some deals. Users can earn points, badges and discounts by uploading, “liking,” commenting, or accumulating a particular brand as well as inviting friends and sharing via Twitter and Facebook. There are also individual ranks for the various types of apparel. The user can even peruse other people’s closets to find new brands (although you are able to make your profile private if you prefer).

According to a WSJ blog, the catch right now is that not many brands have jumped onboard yet, and it could be a while before the site reaches the scale that brands really begin to offer discounts.  Currently the site shows users being rewarded based on weekly rankings with gift certificates from Zappos and Dethrone Royalty – two of Swinmurn’s own creations.  The blogger notes brands currently have no control over how their clothing items, shoes, and accessories are being portrayed on RNKD, since the content is user-generated – to which Swinmurn replied, “We’re telling brands, that’s just real life. Here are the $100 shoes in people’s closets, next to the $20 pair, because that’s what people really own.” 

So, as the old BASF tagline goes, “At BASF, we don’t make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.” Swinmurn is betting that RNKD will revolutionize the brand loyalty arena by allowing retailers to offer the biggest discounts to those who deserve them – their biggest fans.

What do you think? Will you whip out your phone (yes, there’s an app for that) and start uploading pictures of what’s in your closet? Do you think Swinmurn is on the right path? I look forward to your feedback!

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Posted in Advertising/Marketing, Public Relations | 4 Comments »

Storytelling for the Digital Age: 2011 PRSA International Conference

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

This post first appeared on PRSA ComPRehension 10.27.11 and is reposted with permission.

Even though the PRSA International Conference was my 12th in the past 13 years, I was excited about this year’s theme of Envisioning the Future of Public Relations. As I’m a PRSSA mentor and adviser, and vice president of BurrellesLuce Media Contacts, the future of the profession is close to my heart.

One of the sessions I attended was led by my colleague Johna Burke, on the topic of storytelling and its importance in this digital age. I came away with two pages of typewritten notes, but here are what I believe to be the key takeaways.

Burke began by stressing that storytelling is the core competency in the public relations profession, next to great writing. She talked about this being the “Web 2.0” of storytelling. No more is it just local library readings, storytelling festivals and other analog channels. We now have multimedia, hypertext, social media, user-generated broadcast, etc. Public relations professionals must leverage the art form — make your story compelling, make it stand out.

Blasting your message out to the masses is not the way to reach everyone. The most important considerations:

  • Where is your audience? Target your story through the proper channels.
  • What matters? Understand who your community is and what they want. 
  • What is sustainable? Understand how your organization makes and spends money. Channel your resources in the proper way so that you aren’t wasting time and money talking where no one is listening.

In the spirit of being in Orlando, Burke referenced Walt Disney as one of the best storytellers of all time; he knew who his audience was. He knew that kids were his primary market, yet he recognized his secondary market was the parents (using allusions above the kids’ heads to amuse the adults). He also didn’t forget there’s always a tertiary market — audiences we may not have originally anticipated but who still matter and who take an interest in our stories. These audiences should be identified as they emerge. 

The key is to understand what your brand means. Being generic dilutes the message.

Public relations professionals must empower their audience by digging deeper, driving the story. She warns to beware of the desire to be the newest, coolest — using the “all sizzle, no steak” analogy. People see through this, and will not support long-time relationships, which is what you need. You do want to be relevant — visuals, videos, info-graphics are powerful, but don’t miss the opportunity to tell your story.

Tressa Robbins is vice president of Media Contacts for BurrellesLuce. Tressa is a regular contributor to BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas blog, a member of the St. Louis PRSA chapter, Champions for PRSSA section member, PRSSA mentor and Professional Adviser. She recently served as a panelist for the PRSSA National Conference and speaks at the local and regional level. Connect with Tressa on LinkedIn and follow Tressa on Twitter @tressalynne.

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Posted in Advertising/Marketing, Industry Events, Media Outreach, Media Relations, Public Relations | 1 Comment »

In PR and the Media: August 22, 2011

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

Local TV Newscasts Expanding (NYT)
Rebounding after nearly three years of decline, local news stations are slowly adding staff back into their newsroom mix. But will this expansion be enough to revive the television industry?

StumbleUpon Delivers Half of U.S. Social Media Traffic (ReadWriteWeb)
While Facebook may have reached this milestone back in April 2010, StumbleUpon is proving it is also a force to be reckoned with – continually providing more referrals than Twitter.

Initiative to Marketers: Wake Up, Optimize Brand Content Online (Media Post)
“40% of customers now say they will not buy a brand if they can’t find the right information about it online,” according to a new consumer survey by Initiative, the Interpublic Group media agency.

Most Android Apps Sit Idle, Top-50 Apps Make Up 61% of All Usage, Nielsen Finds (BGR)
The first report by Nielsen, using software that directly measures consumers’ behavior rather than relying on surveys, finds that Android users spend almost double the amount of time using apps than browsing the mobile web.

The Evolution of Search Will Refine the Spectrum of Quality in Media (Rossdawsonblog.com)
Despite the evolution of technology and search functionality, search engines are not getting any better as more and more erroneous content is being pulled to the top of results. This post highlights five ways search engines can decrease spam and improve the quality of content.

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Posted in BurrellesLuce, News Coverage, Public Relations | No Comments »

Florida Public Relations Association 2011 Annual Conference: Using Storytelling to Balance Brand With Business

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

Andrea Corbo*

Among many of the lessons I learned at this year’s Annual Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) Conference, the value of storytelling and balancing brand with business was emphasized by Danya Proud, director of U.S. media relations, McDonald’s.mcdonalds

Danya asked the conference attendees to consider two questions that would make their own storytelling valuable: Why should the people you are telling care? What about the story will make them want to share it?

I agree with Danya’s statement that “people believe people, not corporations.” In fact, the stories you trust from your friends may truly shape your perception of the brand, as these stories are often viewed as authentic. Danya continued that, “Stories provide experience; they are the emotional glue that hold things together.”

For professionals who help shape a brand’s image…

  • Know your business and your audience.
  • Talk to your customers. Danya suggests that we do less talking at (commercials, press releases, marketing) and do more talking with.
  • Stay involved! People are creating their own dialogue and these stories are told no matter what and can even weigh more heavily on the brand than your own PR efforts. So, listen to what people are saying and participate in two-way dialogue through social media and active media engagements.
  • Tell your story often and well. People need to hear a message three to five times before they believe it.
  • Become a resource. People follow 75 percent of what they hear through stories and only 5 – 10 percent through facts. While you cannot change the perception of everyone, it’s your responsibility to help share information.

Brand trust doesn’t just result from a brand showing support. “Doing good” is not enough anymore. For example, McDonald’s is now expected to be involved in community and now makes huge efforts to be involved in communities on a local level while promoting healthy eating habits. This involvement will add to their story. These efforts can be viewed by their target audience of 18-34 year olds (a generation that is often stereotyped as not trusting corporate American, but who also reads and listens to everything in The Media) as genuine, positive, and ultimately result in storytelling based on experience, rather than ads.

Need help tailoring your storytelling for the digital age?  Attend Johna Burke’s, senior vice president marketing and sales, BurrellesLuce, workshop at this year’s PRSA 2011 International Conference in Orlando on October 15 – 18. Saver Rate Deadline is August 26, 2011.

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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

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