Danielle Cyr

Could SM Become the New Product Placement?

4 Comments

Eat sign in desertFrom AOL’s prominence in You’ve Got Mail to T-Mobile’s stronghold on MTV’s Real World/Road Rules Challenge franchise, product placements are hard to miss.  They’ve run the gamut from subtly integrated to awkwardly implanted, generated buzz, and, prompted viewers to reevaluate their perceptions of endorsement.  But what’s next?

Could SM come to occupy a similar role in movies and television programs?  Is it reasonable to think we could see a day where reality show contestants are live tweeting?  Could Facebook updates replace some of the face-to-face interaction?  Not to mention how the speed at which messages move in the SM sphere seems ideal for helping the contestants on reality dating shows to spread their trash talk and drama effectively. Continue reading →

Nathan "PRCog" Burgess

We Know Nothing

8 Comments

Boy Raising Hand in ClassroomWe all like to go after the “Social Media Experts” claiming there’s no way anyone can a) be an expert in such a new field or b) such a quickly changing field.  Beyond the semantics (“expert” vs. “experience” (as much as one can get), “guru,” “knowledgeable in,” “has an instinctive grasp of,” or my favorite undefinable (but likely true in some cases) “just gets”) there’s certainly something to be said for being able to use labels professionally which make us appear to have some higher level of comprehension in our field (and in many cases this is true).

Here’s the kick in the pants — PR pros, and other professionals in the related communications fields, don’t really “know” anything either when it comes to this stuff that a first or second year wouldn’t. Continue reading →

Marie Baker

The Decline of the R.S.V.P.

7 Comments

pearls invitation jewelryIn a recent op-ed in the New York Times, the writer took on the current state of the R.S.V.P. He talked about the lack of response that R.S.V.P.s illicit, and that perhaps evites are on the way out the door. This is especially frustrating as a publicist when you are putting on event and are forced to utilize the cost-effective method of evites. You depend on responses.

The decline of evite popularity is becoming more and more of a trend.

I, myself, have been on both sides of the fence in relation to the R.S.V.P. Nothing is more frustrating then sending out an evite, only to realize no one has responded. Not only does it make you sad, but how do you even know who is coming to the event or not? Continue reading →

CTMichaels

Act of Nature and Lifetime TV

5 Comments

Television set in swimming poolEver wonder what would happen if the world ended? Well this past weekend the world almost did. For those of us in the northeast we all were exposed to the most disgusting form of weather…torrential downpours in a city. It’s not like torrential downpour in the country, its okay there…you always drive everywhere, in the city…Not so much. Life shuts down worse than when it snows.

I was totally ready to stay in and enjoy my time, save some money, do some work, catch up on TV, but I ran into a problem. For months a movie has been being pushed on Lifetime TV, “Who is Clark Rockefeller?” It’s based on a true story, seemingly dramatic, and appeared to be a night of entertainment, I was exciting to find out that the movie was debuting when I was stranded in my house! Continue reading →

Jess Greco

Dunkin’ Donuts: Keeping Customers Loyal Via Social Media

11 Comments
Little Girl Eating a Donut
Not the author 🙂

It’s no big secret that I am a bigger Dunkin’ Donuts fan than most.  This weekend, in the wake of New Jersey’s monster hurricane, I traveled to three different Dunkin’s just to get hash browns and an iced coffee, and then I went to a fourth one later that night.  Today I somehow found myself in a Starbucks and asked for a medium iced coffee three times before I realized I was supposed to say Grande.  Dunkin’ is sort of always on my brain.

And I’m definitely not the only one.  Last month, Dunkin’ Donuts was named number one in customer loyalty (in the coffee category) for the fourth straight year, which shows just how many people in the United States have made stopping at the infamous chain part of their daily routine.  Of course the question that a study like this raises is, what is it that Dunkin’ Donuts does that inspires such utter devotion among their consumers? Continue reading →

Danielle Cyr

When the Shiny Objects Disappear, Where Do You Get Story Ideas?

1 Comment

Old-fashioned toy ambulanceAs PR pros, it can be difficult to resist becoming an ambulance chaser. Sometimes, those big shiny openings to pitch a client are nearly impossible to resist. But what about the times when there isn’t an obvious point of entry? When you’re on your own to craft the story from inception to execution?

A recent survey by Middleberg/Ross revealed that 98% of journalists go online daily to generate story ideas and access information. Clearly, the web is working for them, and maybe for some of us as well. Over the past year, we’ve become increasingly familiar with hearing journalists site social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter as sources for story ideas. My question is, where are the PR people getting their story ideas? Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

Work-Life Balance is Your Decision

26 Comments

Coffee Stained Sticky Pad with Broken Pencil and Telephone ReceiverThere is no doubt the public relations business is a busy, exciting and hyperactive assault on the mind, senses and body. Simply put: It is a profession that requires you to mentally (and sometimes physically, particularly with those pesky events) give it your all every day. And at one end of the spectrum, these indelible facets of the business are what makes it so great and such a wonderful profession to work in, but they can also be the downfall of many, the cause of extreme burnout, if not managed and dealt with properly.

Which is probably why there are so many damn blog posts, articles, books, and Web sites devoted to work/life balance and effective time management and whether you need to separate your personal life/time from your professional life/time, or if you should choose the new trendy time-management theory of “your job and your personal life should blend harmoniously and in perfect sequence with one another.”

I say bulls*** to all of that. Continue reading →

Heather Whaling

Advice for Nonprofits: Ask and You Shall Receive

3 Comments

Technology Concepts 1As I help nonprofits improve their public relations and social media efforts, I’m struck by the fact that, regardless of size or mission, they often ask similar questions. I’m sure other groups have similar questions, which is why I’m excited to start this new PRBC series, which aims to answer nonprofits’ most burning questions.

Question: I’m having trouble establishing tangible goals & objectives in regards to media measurement for my non-profit organization. I’ve gotten stories placed in the paper or on local tv & radio stations in the past, but that was reactive, nothing strategically planned. Any advice? Continue reading →

Kate Ottavio

URGENT e-mails – Please stop abusing the ! notification

2 Comments

sign post with exclamation markI have one MAJOR pet peeve.

Who am I kidding? I have a lot of pet peeves.

Ok, well one of the things that I’d like to vent about today is the High Importance E-mail Indicator ! ! !

One day last week, POP goes an e-mail right into my inbox. This e-mail was from a lovely young lady I had spoken to about internship opportunities with my firm. A routine e-mail at best. But definitely NOT of high importance. Lucky girl . . . she marked that e-mail with that little red exclamation point. Continue reading →

…..a chance to start the day off right.