Archive for the ‘Strategy: Shaken, Not Stirred’ Category

Celebrity gossip and news are hot topics in today’s media. Consumers everywhere are fascinated with what their favorite stars are doing, wearing, driving, eating and more. As style leaders, they are powerful influencers and its no wonder that more and more companies want to integrate their products into the lives of celebrities with the goal of generating mass media exposure. This process is known as Celebrity Product Placement or Celebrity Seeding. There are several techniques that can be used to execute a Celebrity Seeding program which can help you to achieve coverage in the media at a fraction of the cost of advertising or paid endorsements. Read the rest of this entry »

Co-branding is a branding strategy used to form a strategic alliance between two companies. Many companies use this strategy to expand their customer base, gain financial benefits, strengthen their competitive position, introduce a new product, and increase media exposure.

In a winning co-branding partnership, both brands have a natural synergy that can leverage the loyalty of their customers. For example, Disney has been very successful in increasing its market exposure by partnering with McDonald’s to offer Disney toys that are exclusively made for Happy Meals. Nike and Apple are two strong consumer brands that partnered to create the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, a highly popular product amongst both Apple and Nike customers.

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At some point, it isn’t going to just be “are we on Twitter?” but “hey, why was that was such a great idea in the first place?”

Whether you are in-house, justifying time to your CEO or talking to a client about time spent on social media, it comes down to the bottom line. We see public relations as more than the cover story. It is conveying the message to the people. But the cover story makes the CEO feel great. A Facebook page may not do the trick.

It boils down to justifying the time, effort and process. Followers or fans or subscriptions don’t come overnight. They don’t look glossy like an ad in a magazine. Though the return on investment can be hard to track, but here are 10 ways to explain those benefits and emphasize the value of social media. Read the rest of this entry »

Even though the initials “P” and “R” are short for public relations, the media is still the best way to reach the public.

Yes, we all know that media is changing and, thanks to social media, producers and editors don’t hold the same “gatekeeping” power they once had.

Still, the mainstream media is still crucial to PR success so the best thing to do is to ensure that is to act like nothing has changed and letting the “old guard” still operate under the assumption that they are influential power brokers.

That said, there are certain things you shouldn’t do (not if you want to help your client). Read the rest of this entry »

I blinked and it’s already late-November!  How is it almost 2010?  (Is it just me, or does 2010 sound really “futuristic?”)  Chances are that as we head into the Thanksgiving and Holiday Season, you have set up your strategy planning sessions with clients for 2010.   Here are 10 essentials you should consider including in your PR blueprint for your clients:

1. Client Goals – Have a discussion with your client to make sure you are on the same page about what they hope & expect to get out of their PR campaign.  Read the rest of this entry »

In order to kick things off for the Business Development & Strategy section of the new SoCal PR Blog, let’s talk about the reality facing all PR pros right now, whether you are an account executive at a large or small agency, or running your own firm.  Put simply: This economy sucks!

Times are tough and it’s really affecting our business across the board.  Clients’ funds are tight, so they are either cutting back or eliminating PR campaigns altogether.  Publishers are suffering from advertisers pulling out, leaving great publications to fold every week (R.I.P. Cookie, Gourmet, Modern Bride…), our favorite editors out of work, and PR placements increasingly more difficult to secure these days.  Read the rest of this entry »

This year has been one of the most memorable of my life. And, if it all goes according to plan, 2009 will be remembered as the year I created the year’s “Ultimate Marketing Gimmick.”

Here’s the back story: In September, 2008, I was laid off from a journalism job and decided to go into PR instead.

It wasn’t a case of slumming. During my 20 years as a professional journalist, I consulted for PR companies like Weber Shandwick and Edelman and helped account executives craft pitches that would be used by the media (and gave them someone to blame when they didn’t). Read the rest of this entry »