Levelling the Playing Field

Future Camp @ Humber PR

2010-04-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

It's the last day of first semester at Humber PR! A few days ago we participated in Future Camp during our Social and Digital Media class. Future Camp gave us the opportunity to reflect on what we have learned so far and discuss how we will use social media in our future careers and also to keep in touch with each other once we depart ways.

We broke off into groups based on our areas of interest within PR. I joined the "corporate" group because I think that's the direction I'm going in. Personally, the social media application that I have found to be the most useful is Twitter. Before this course, I wasn't registered on Twitter and had only visited the site a few time to read some celebrity tweets. Now, I'm a total convert. I understand its networking usefulness, as well as how corporations can use it to enhance their brand and connect with their customers. So what makes a good corporate Twitter account? What are some of the best? Some of the worst? I think the key is finding the right balance between promotion and conversation.

During Future Camp, we also discussed how we're going to keep in touch with each other after graduation. There is no question about it, social media is going to make this a whole lot easier. Because of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, we'll always know what's going on in each others' lives - whether we want to or not!

So now we've got a week off before we tackle semester two. Enjoy the break - see friends you haven't seen in a while, have fun and most importantly get some SLEEP! Can't wait to see all your fresh faces when we get back!

For more Future Camp insights, check out what Sayurie, Caterina and Andrew have to say.

Florence Welch...I think it's love.

2010-04-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Last night I saw Florence + The Machine at koolhaus in Toronto. I was really looking forward to the show because I've been listening to "Lungs" on repeat for the past 6 months. They definitely did not disappoint. Florence sounded ridiculously amazing live. Plus, she's stunningly beautiful and I could not take my eyes off her as she ran back and forth, dancing across the stage. I know it's completely cliche, but she has that certain je ne sais quoi about her. And she was so gracious and seemed to really appreciate how into the show the fans were. Guys, I think it's love.

I'm not really one for spending an entire concert taking pictures/videos so unfortunately, I don't have any from the show. I now realize that this makes for a pretty lame blog post. In any case, here is Florence + The Machine performing my favourite song ("You Got the Love" - which is apparently a remake of this, who knew?) at Reading last summer. She's amazing.

If you don't have the album yet, I highly recommend it. Other highlights include: Dog Days Are Over, Howl, Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) and Hurricane Drunk.

Next time...pictures and perhaps a video or two!

I'm a Guest Blogger Now!

2010-04-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

I just guest posted on Jackie Clarke's blog A Parliament of Owls. She writes a great blog about young adult fiction. My post is about publishers using Twilight to market Wuthering Heights - "Bella and Edward's favourite book", apparently. Check it out here! You may be surprised by my ultimate verdict on this re-branding!

Guest Blog: The Dead Talks (By Jackie Clarke from A Parliament of Owls)

2010-04-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

I think I have officially seen it all.

Besides the miracle that Nike never dropped Tiger Woods after his little sex scandal, they brought back his dead father just for the occasion of Tiger coming out of his seclusion! They gave Tiger’s dad a little vacation to come back to Earth to do a little voiceover for his son, chastising his philandering ways.

Wait? They never actually brought him back? He is still dead? Oh...

Well, I was thinking that personally there were a lot of people we could have brought back before Tiger’s dad, though I am sure he was a very nice man.

Back to the commercial at hand. So now that the idea of a modern day miracle has been ruled out, this means that this commercial is just plain creepy and icky.

Let’s recap what we just witnessed.

Tiger is decked out in Nike gear, looking very ‘lost his puppy’ sad, on a golf course, being photographed. Someone is filming it in black and while with a pretty crappy video camera. And an old interview with Tiger’s deceased father has been mangled and altered to suit Tiger’s current state.

So, are we supposed to buy Nike? Or forgive Tiger? Send money? Have a turkey sandwich? Am I the only one slightly confused?

I mean, we get it. Tiger is sad and sorry that he cheated. He won’t do it anymore. He has seen the error of his ways. Whatever. What does this have to do with Nike gear?

Now, let’s get to the daddy voice over.

WHY?!

Why would you take an interview belonging to your deceased father and manipulate it for publicity and to sell (I think) sports gear? I couldn’t care less about his cheating. Not really my problem. I wasn’t even really that offended by it, because I personally don’t care what celebrities do in their spare time. But now that I am being exposed to such a blatant attempt at emotional manipulation to sell sports gear through something so cheesy, tacky and just plain gross, I will never forgive Tiger. Never!

Go ahead and cheat on your wife. A lot of celebrities do that. It’s normal. However, digging up dear ol’ dad to win over your audience? Ugh.

By Jackie Clarke

Straight Up: American Idol & Viral Videos

2010-03-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

American Idol is only on the air for 5 months of the year. During these 5 months, social media plays a really important role in generating buzz about the contestants and increasing viewership for the show. American Idol's website serves as a hub for viewers to access all relevant information (photos, videos, downloads, behind the scenes, etc.) and links to Idol's official Twitter and Facebook accounts.

I was somewhat shocked to discover that American Idol does not have an official YouTube channel. This is in contrast to other singing competition reality shows, such as the UK's The X Factor. I am not ashamed to admit that last year, while living in Dublin, I became seriously addicted to The X Factor. Every week, I would watch it religiously with friends and colleagues and we often made a night out of it. Unfortunately, my time in Dublin came to an end due to Visa restrictions and while I now miss the friendly Irish people, the quaint countryside and the great pubs and beer, what I initially missed the most was the finale of The X Factor!!!

Luckily for me, The official X Factor YouTube channel is updated with performances and results almost immediately after the shows air. Even though I was back in Canada, I could still watch the performances and results and even Skype with my Irish friends while watching!

The lack of an "official" presence on YouTube is a weakness of American Idol's social media program. That being said, American Idol "performance" (I use that term loosely) videos often go viral and as a result, generate buzz about the contestants and increase viewership. Here are a few examples from this year. The first is an AMAZING interpretation of Paula Abdul's Straight Up by contestant Andrew Garcia.

Currently, this particular video of Andrew's performance has nearly 2 million hits on YouTube. What is also interesting is that there have been also been a ton of covers of "Andrew Garcia's version of Straight Up" posted on YouTube.

So why is it important that this particular video was so popular?

Andrew isn't your "typical" American Idol contestant.
His fans may not be "typical" or current American Idol viewers.
This performance may encourage people who don't usually watch American Idol to tune in.
It may also encourage people who do not usually vote for idol contestants to vote for Andrew.
All of this means more exposure for Andrew...but also more viewers and voters for Fox.

The first viral video of this season's American Idol came to us care of 62 year old Larry Platt. The performance of his original song Pants on the Ground truly went viral. Everyone was blogging, tweeting and talking about it after his audition aired. There are also a ton of remixes and covers of Pants of the Ground on YouTube. Personally, I didn't find this video that funny but I think I'm apparently in the minority when it comes to Pants on the Ground.

So does American Idol really need an official YouTube channel? Videos are posted on the AI website but I think most people turn to YouTube to watch performance and result clips. Taking control of this and encouraging viewers to watch clips on an official YouTube channel could be another advertising opportunity for AI and their corporate sponsors.

Caitlin, Kara, Carmen, Katie and Sayurie have also written blogs about American Idol's social media program so be sure to take a look at what they have to say!

My Personal Brand Plan - The WRITE Stuff

2010-02-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

What skills do I possess that will set me apart from other young PR professionals? How am I going to use social media to promote my personal brand to potential employers? Check out my personal brand plan - the WRITE stuff - to find out! Let me know what you think of it. Any other social media applications you would recommend to help me realize my objectives?

Zoya's Personal Brand Plan

View more presentations from zoyamcgroarty.

HOT TOPIC: The Little Red Mittens That Could

2010-02-27T11:20:00.000-08:00

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games have made the likes ofAlexandre Bilodeau, John Montgomery and Joannie Rochette household names but who is the real star of these Olympics? Why those adorable red mittens, of course!

To say that these mittens are a hot commodity would be a major understatement. I remember going into The Bay the day after the opening ceremonies and the Olympics section was complete mayhem. If you had told me that it was Boxing Day, I would have believed you. The section was full of people. The lineup at the cashier was incredibly long. The items remaining on the shelves were few and far between. Not your typical scene at the chronically "uncool" retailer.

The Scarcity Factor:

The hardest items to find on the shelves that day and every day since the games began are the red mittens. The buzz has been building about these mittens and a lot of it can be attributed to the fact that they are so hard to get. In a Globe & Mail article about HBC's Olympic gear, an advertising executive sums it up nicely:

“Scarcity can create a perception of coolness,” said Chris Staples, president of Rethink Communications in Vancouver. “This is the first instance of cool stuff at the Bay that I can remember.”

Social Media & the Mittens:

Social media has also played a really important role in building buzz about the mittens, and the HBC Olympic gear in general.

The mittens are selling like hot cakes on ebay.ca, with some going for 4 times their original price of $10. The last time I checked, there 1,761 people selling new (and used) mittens.
A quick search of "red mittens" on Twitter brings up a bunch of tweets on the topic. People complaining about not being able to find them, telling others where they found them, selling them and just plain saying how much they love them!
And then there's the YouTube video of the red mitten flash mob, dressed conspicuously head to toe in HBC Olympic gear. I heard about it on Facebook, Twitter and the Globe & Mail online.

Celebs Loving the Mittens:

Celebrity endorsements have also played a large part in creating buzz about these mittens. Oprah, arguably the world's most important endorser, gave her seal of approval by wearing them on her show and giving them away to her audience. She said she got them through her "connections". Surprise, surprise. Some other public figures photographed wearing the mittens include Stephen Colbert, Joe Biden and Wayne Gretzky.

What This Means for The Bay?

The net proceeds from each pair sold goes toward supporting Canadian athletes in gaining access to equipment and training. While HBC is not profiting directly from the sale of the mittens, they are benefiting from their buzz and popularity.

The mittens are driving people into the stores where they are likely to purchase other items.
Sales of Olympic gear is 40-50 per cent higher than anticipated.
According to a recent survey, there has been a 43 per cent increase in sponsorship awareness.
Another survey found that 60 per cent of people who purchased Olympic apparel at HBC would "definitely" or "probably" return to purchase other things in the future.
Increased the "cool" factor of HBC exponentially.

UPDATE: It's been over 2 months since the end of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and what has become of the little red mittens that could? Well, they have been the source of a few PR issues for HBC. First, there was outrage after HBC determined that they would not create similar mittens with the Paralympic logo. Secondly, the blogosphere was abuzz once people realized that these symbols of Canadian pride were actually manufactured in China. So what do you think? Do Canadians still feel all warm and fuzzy about the mittens?

PR 2.0: A Change Will Do You Good

2010-02-19T16:43:00.000-08:00

Public Relations professionals are nothing more than manipulative spin doctors. They are just a bunch of flacks who do nothing but push paper all day and schmooze all night. We've all heard these stereotypes before and personally, I'm getting a little tired of having to defend PR every time I tell someone new what I'm studying at school.

PR professionals have worked really hard to try fix the damaged reputation of the industry and take back its credibility but unfortunately, these stereotypes are still prevalent. So is there anything that can "save" PR's reputation? According to Deirdre Breakenridge, it's PR 2.0.

The concept of PR 2.0 has been around for about 10 years and the term was coined by Brian Solis (it's also the name of his blog). He explains PR 2.0 in detail in the interview below:

Breakenridge and Solis wrote a book called Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR wherein they argue that as a result of technology, brands have the ability to speak to more people in more ways than ever before. This makes the PR role even more significant. Brands have access to what their customers are saying and can respond to their questions and needs all day and every day. A good example of PR 2.0 in action is the recent twitter/blog "discussion" that occurred between Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines.

PR 2.0 presents some challenges, especially for those who are used to practicing traditional PR. Here are some of the questions that Breakenridge poses in her manifesto on PR 2.0:

How can we make sure PR stays relevant in the communication process?
How do we build strong blogger relations? How is this different from traditional media relations?
How do we get over the initial fear and intimidation of this evolution of PR?

Some of the best advice given by the authors to PR professionals is to practice what you preach. They stress the importance embracing social media and actually becoming a part of the conversation. As a student of PR and a young (soon to be) professional in the industry, I think this is the best and most exciting time to be getting into the game. For the most part, my generation already "gets" social media. We're already "on the inside" and part of the online community in many different ways. This is such an advantage because we're in the best position to truly embrace PR 2.0 and the changes that it has brought to the PR industry. This is possibly the one time when my lack of experience is actually beneficial!

Super Bowl Ad Stays in the Closet

2010-02-01T05:24:00.000-08:00

We all know that Super Bowl commercials are a big deal. How big? A recent survey found that 51 per cent of Americans watch the Super Bowl just for the ads. One commercial they won't be seeing this year is an ad for the gay dating website ManCrunch.com. CBS rejected the 30-second commercial claiming that it is not within the network broadcast standards for Super Bowl Sunday. Check it out below. Do you think it's too racy for TV?

CBS also cites the following reasons for rejecting the ad:

- Low production quality
- Unverifiable credit

ManCrunch claims that it has the money to pay for the spot and even offered to pay the entire amount in cash. GLAAD also released a statement asking CBS to publicly explain its advertising standards (considering that a controversial pro-life commercial has been approved) and arguing that there is clearly a homophobic double standard.

While I completely agree with GLAAD (come on people, what year is this again?), I find this story particularly interesting from a PR point of view. It has been reported that ManCrunch knew that the commercial would be rejected and expected to benefit from the publicity. It's hard to believe that a company whose website launched last month could afford the US$2.5-million to US$3-million price tag attached to a 30-second Super Bowl time slot.

ManCrunch is likely getting more publicity than it would have if CBS had approved and aired the commercial. The controversy has been covered by numerous news and entertainment media outlets (I first heard about it on PerezHilton.com) and traffic to their website has increased dramatically. Regardless of their true intentions, ManCrunch has definitely been successful in getting publicity for their website!

ManCrunch isn't the first company to have a commercial deemed "too racy" for the Super Bowl. Here are a few other examples. When compared to these other controversial ads, the clearly fake kiss between two men in the ManCrunch commercial seems fairly innocent.