public relations
CREATIVE: Whatever It’s Worth.
Monday, May 17th, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
As we’ve written here before, NOISE North hosts a garbage can in our conference room, a shiny receptacle that stands as our symbol of the value of award-winning advertising, interactive, social media, public relations or any other brand communications — without results.
So last week, when NOISE South had the great pleasure to share with a number of our outstanding clients the exciting news that four of our creative efforts this past year were judged worthy of “Regional” Addy Awards — three more than any other agency in Southwest Florida, and hot on the heels of our local 19-Addy-awards 2010 performance, which included two Best of Show Awards and a Judges Choice Award thrown in for good measure — we announced the news with a low-key memo simply entitled: “For whatever it’s worth.”
For the most part, the reactions of our clients were what you might expect. Excitement. Praise. Hearty congratulations. Then, we received a note from a client leader whom we’d describe as the “toughest sell” of this award-winning group. To paraphrase his message: “What’s it worth? I believe it translated into positive sales for us.”
We wrote the words “for whatever it’s worth” because even today, given the delicate state of the economy and the incredibly high value of every marketing dollar that you will spend, there are still many marketers who fail to understand that the better the message in, the better the reaction out — unlike the all-too-common very opposite of this that we see all too often in advertising today, which is: garbage in, garbage out.
So to our clients, congratulations on your award-winning work. We’re extremely pleased you see the value in them, in the truest business sense of the word.
SOURCE: NOISE
SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook Goes Sally Field-Like.
Monday, March 29th, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Clearly, one of Facebook’s most brilliant strategic moves in its amazingly brief (only since 2004) yet consistently brilliant corporate history was the decision less than two years ago to move its social media model into full-blown business tilt, with the introduction of the “Fan” page with its ubiquitous “Become a Fan” button and lexicon.
In that time, innovative marketers everywhere have jumped on the Fan bandwagon, grabbing and retaining thousands of passionate, vocal consumers who are engaged with their brand, hardly shy about sharing it with others, and motivated to visit their favorite websites and up the value (perceived or real) of social media marketing.
But now, along has come a radical new marketing initiative that Facebook is betting brands — or at the very least, Sally Field — will like, really like. It’s new nomenclature and a new option for consumers to “like” a brand instead of “fanning” it. According to Facebook, people are more than 200 percent more likely to click “Like” than “Become a Fan” (which effectively rested in peace on Monday, April 19, 2010).
One month into the changeover, the early returns suggest that once again, Facebook has chosen wisely. To date, more than 10 million new users have joined the FB ranks, and more than 10,000 brands have adopted the “Like” button.
If you’re an innovative social media marketer, stay ahead of the changes ahead and how you can, like, use them to your advantage.
SOURCE: NOISE, Mashable, MediaMemo
PUBLIC RELATIONS: Toyota or Tiger?
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
As public relations case studies go, Toyota and Tiger are clearly two of the more interesting train wrecks to come along in some time.
Toyota, of course, is mired in staggering damage control — including a nine-million-vehicle recall, a mass media mea culpa ad campaign, and testimony (coming later the very day we write this) by the corporation’s chief executive officer (and founder’s grandson) in front of a United States House of Representatives investigative committee. Gazillions of dollars of losses, lawsuits and lost consumer confidence are surely to follow.
And Tiger? Whatever your opinion of the public’s ownership of the private matters of a private citizen, the golf icon’s well-orchestrated chat up was almost an OJesque moment in America — with millions of us breaking away from what we should’ve been doing to get in front of a television or online stream, and millions more in endorsement potentially on the line.
Clearly, these are public relations fiascos of classic (and unfortunately in one case, apparently deadly) proportion. And while PR strategists inside their brands and around the world plot (should that be plod?) the best way out of these messes — or simply entertain debate, as NOISE was invited to opine by a media resource recently — these constants, as we see them, remain:
1. If you make a mistake, admit to it honestly.
2. If you make a mistake, admit to it immediately.
3. If you make a mistake, admit to it sincerely.
SOURCE: NOISE
CUSTOMER SERVICE: Where DuPont Fails to Shine.
Sunday, June 28th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
DuPont HIgh Gloss Sealer & Finish is hyped as a premier tile or stone surface treatment and color enhancer that provides a “long lasting wet look that protects against stains.” The product’s recommended for (among many surfaces) slate, concrete or travertine with an anticipated life expectancy of three to five years (remember this fact). Plus, it’s water based, so applying it while actually breathing won’t kill you.
Sounds like a winner for anyone looking to turn up the sheen of their flooring, right? Well, it did to me, even at $30-plus per gallon times six.
But the best advice that I can give you today is: run away, run away! That is, if you dare run on such a poor-performing sealant as DuPont’s.
Despite following all the instructions, using the proper application tools, applying the product per instructions to a recommended surface and waiting the appropriate time period between my three applications (two to four are recommended) upon more than 2,000 square feet of travertine (which consumed more than 20 hours of my life over the course of two weekends), it took less than four weeks before surface blemishes began to appear on our “three-to-five-years-lasting” finish. And appear here. And appear there. And appear appear everywhere, with every drag of a chair or scrape of a heel to the extent that our floor today looks distressed and, frankly, ruined.
Upon my complaint to the manufacturer, DuPont was ready to provide a full refund — with or without receipt — almost immediately upon mentioning the product name. All I had to do, they said, was return to the retailer (in my case, Lowe’s) and explain my dissatisfaction.
Guess what Lowe’s told me? It’s not our problem. And they’re right.
Here’s what I think. I think DuPoint continues to sell a product that they know should be recalled; why would they be so very quick to offer up a full refund almost without question otherwise? I think DuPont has a blame-shifting problem as well; why would they try to push the onus for refund to Lowe’s, when Lowe’s logically explained that a DuPont “return authorization” would be required? I think DuPont is oblivious to the value of a consumer’s time, too; why would they dismiss the 20-some hours I invested in applying their product, by seriously suggesting that my best solution would be (get this!) using a DuPont stripper to remove their product (which I would have to buy)! I respectfully or maybe disrespectfully declined, by the way.
In the end, I think DuPont fails to shine in customer service, just as much as their $30-per-gallon product fails miserably to shine a “recommended” surface.
Opportunity opened. Opportunity closed. Too bad DuPont. Let the stone sealer beware. Let all other marketers take note: if you screw up, fix it. People will forgive you.
Source: NOISE
PUBLIC RELATIONS: Remember, Actions Shout Louder Than Words.
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
For all the blinding, high-gloss shine that well-crafted public relations can put on a company, don’t gloss over this classic axiom: your actions speak to and reveal your firm’s true character just as loudly and clearly as your words.
NOISE has had the recent opportunity to observe two occasions of questionable organizational action, performed in one case as philanthropy and in another, as innocent information exchange. In both situations, the negative impression far surpassed the supposedly-positive motivation.
The philanthropic company was a firm participating in a community-wide fundraiser, and had invested substantially to achieve a high-level sponsorship status. One of its competitors was participating only as a silent auction donor. The character-revealing action came after the silent auction closed — when both firms generated an equal dollar amount and the “philanthropic company” reacted by actually removing gift elements from the charitable donation it had promised (can you even do that?) to a value it deemed more deserving of the lower-than-retail winning bid. Hmmm.
In the second occasion, Company A issued an internal email alerting members of its organization to the rumored, somewhat factually inaccurate demise of Company B — yet for some bizarre reason, then elected to blatantly and boldly forward a copy of that same email to a host of business and media leaders in its community as some sort of “for your information only” announcement. Hmmm again.
To repeat: your company’s actions are a window to your company’s soul, and what people see will be remembered for a long time. Be careful when you open that window.
SOURCE: NOISE
SOCIAL MEDIA: The Good, Better and Best Practices.
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
As social media opportunities expand exponentially, marketers may be tempted to assume that just about anything — in the right hands at a keyboard — is possible.
NOISE would agree, but only in a kinda sorta way.
It’s our opinion that while social media demands an active role in your overall brand development, brand building, marketing and sales, you need to understand that a) it’s better at some things than others, and b) it’s most effective when its roles and goals are understood and integrated into a multi-faceted, multi-channel strategic branding plan.
So what are the good, better and best practices of social media? Here’s what a new Social Media Marketing and Public Relations study from MarketingSherpa defines as the best, better and good applications for social media:
- Influences Brand Reputation: 92% very or somewhat effective.
- Increases Brand Awareness: 91% very or somewhat effective.
- Increases Web Traffic: 88% very or somewhat effective.
- Improves Search Engine Rankings: 87% very or somewhat effective.
- Generates Leads: 65% very or somewhat effective.
- Improves Internal Communications: 56% very or somewhat effective.
- Increases Online Sales: 54% very or somewhat effective.
What role does social media have in your brand plan? Remember to make sure it’s a prominent one — and the right ones.
Interested in learning more? Contact me at johns@make-noise.com to receive your free excerpt of MarketingSherpa’s outstanding publication, 2009 Social Media Marketing and PR Guide.
SOURCE: MarketingSherpa, NOISE
BRANDING: Leveraging Your Brand’s Good Will.
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Every brand possesses some degree of inherent public good will. That good will can be derived any number of ways, including but not limited to: the real or perceived value of your products or services; the positive impact those products or services make on individuals or society; the for-profit, pro-bono or at least good-corporate-citizen nature of your organization; even the simple perception that you’re “good guys” or “bad guys.”
In today’s marketing world, there are a lot of ways to leverage your brand’s good will to your advantage. You can give voice to your consumer’s experiences and make them ambassadors of your brand. You can solicit real-world opinion and feedback, and improve your brand’s delivery. And in certain situations, you can even tap into your brand’s good will to attain low-cost or no-cost partnerships for your advertising, public relations or other brand messaging.
Such is the brand good will of a NOISE client that provides a valuable community service in Florida. Embarking on an important rebranding, awareness and informational campaign, this client’s good will is so substantial within its community that a cadre of creative talent — including professional photographer, talent agency and actors — all contributed their time and skills at significant discount, and with great enthusiasm, saving the client thousands of important dollars that can be used toward community service (sample work here).
How can you best put your brand’s good will to work for you? Think about it. The go about it.
SOURCE: NOISE
BLOGS: Instant Messaging for Business.
Monday, September 8th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
The best examples of business blogs are those that provide useful, relevant, enlightening content that their audiences can learn from and apply to their own personal or business situations, and further their success. That’s the kind of blog that NOISE aims to achieve each month with Trendspottings, which nearly 1,000 marketing professionals now subscribe to — and the response last month to our post “Are You Ready For Your Brett Favre” suggests we were pretty successful.
Beyond the number of positive personal comments we received, our article in appeared (in no particular order) in online news channels and blogs including:
- Small Business Times
- Zimbio.com
- Project Clarity
- Bitemarks
- Alltop
A little chest-thumping on our part? Okay, we admit it, a little. But here’s the real point we’re trying to illustrate: If you’re a marketer that includes blogging as part of your overall branding, marketing and communications mix, don’t miss the opportunity to make bold, timely statements — statements that could reverberate throughout the blogosphere, garnering you and your company valuable ripple effects of awareness and attention that could, ultimately, add to your success.
Source: NOISE
Reported by: John Sprecher
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