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I am on the Board of Directors of the Publicity Club of New England and helped plan a program called “Boston’s Hottest Lifestyle Media” that took place on Monday night.  It was a great panel discussion where some of Boston’s leading lifestyle editors spoke candidly on a wide range of topics including how they like to be pitched to where they get story ideas to how they feel about exclusives.  The panel included:

• Kevin Alexander – Thrillist.com
• Kara Baskin – Editor, Lola
• Chris Farone – Boston Phoenix
• Robin Hauck – Misstropolis.com
• Jolyon Helterman – Features Editor, Boston Magazine
• Rebecca Knight – Freelancer to Financial Times among others
• Alison O’Leary Murray – Former editor of Skirt! Boston (which we found out folded yesterday!) and new editor to West of Boston Life
• Jill Radsken – Fashion Editor, Boston Herald

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Filed under: Uncategorized by CarolinePierce - 1 Comment →

Why are some messages memorable while others go in one ear and out the other?  The 360PR team hoped to answer this question with a discussion of our most recent book club selection “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive While Others Die” by brothers Chip and Dan Heath.

According to the Heaths, a “sticky” idea is one that is understood, remembered and has a lasting impact - like urban legends. Ever heard of the infamous ring of kidney thieves who steal people’s kidneys to sell in the black market? Now, that’s sticky.  Even though the kidney snatchers don’t exist, the story is memorable and people re-tell it, giving it that lasting impact. However, when company executives relay TRUE ideas to their employees or customers they, too often, say things like “We aim to maximize utility and unlock shareholder value” and people tune out - NOT sticky.

While poring over hundreds of naturally sticky ideas ranging from proverbs - “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”- to successful marketing campaigns, like Subway’s Jared campaign, the brothers found six common traits of sticky ideas. Naturally sticky ideas are simple, unexpected, credible, concrete, elicit emotion and/or tell a story.

These six traits make perfect sense in the context of PR. We are sometimes faced with the challenge of telling a story about a product or pitching a piece of news that isn’t, inherently, sticky. But, the Heaths offer hope to those of us facing this dilemma. After all, the book is not called “Born to Stick” it’s called “Made to Stick” and Chip and Dan argue that with a little love any idea can become sticky.

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Books by MeridethMcNally - 2 Comments →

Bloggers and marketers have new common ground: the proposed FTC regulations that, if enacted, will hold bloggers liable for product reviews.  That could have some bloggers skittish about accepting your next product sample for review.

Blogger X says the product cleans your house, picks up your kids and puts dinner on the table.  If the product doesn’t work the same way when you try it at home, you now have someone beside the product maker to blame - that nice mom blogger up the street, who, by the way, was just expressing an opinion, not writing a product manual.  Check out NJ Mom Blogger Liz Thompson’s comments on the subject.

There’s something, no wait, there’s a lot that bothers me about the idea of mom bloggers like Liz having to hire legal counsel.  But things may not be as bad as they sound.  The proposed regulations are primarily aimed at curtailing pay-for-play posts - separating editorial and advertisement, as traditional media have historically done (though things do seem to be murkier every day with “advertorial” copy and product placement, not to mention celebrity endorsements).

The new regs would also hold brands liable, requiring brands to ensure information provided to bloggers is 100% accurate - and PR people don’t embellish the pitch beyond what the product truly delivers (not a bad thing, truth in advertising, truth in PR).  The bigger challenge for brands would be traversing the blogosphere to make sure information delivered is accurately translated, as reviews are posted.  No small task.  Perhaps an opportunity for social media monitoring services, such as Radian6 (which we use) and more advanced tools, such as Trucast.

One positive that could come from all of this is the demise of pay-for-play agencies that promise to deliver XX number of positive reviews in XX days.  They can guarantee the reviews because they’re buying them.  I’ve been surprised at the level of brands who have subscribed to these models.  Why not be transparent and just place real ads on blogs and at the same time earn the editorial and endorsements?

Some networks, like BlogHer, have put in place their own standards - requiring bloggers participating in their network to place advertising and editorial on different pages - and sometimes different blogs altogether (many bloggers have separate blogs for product reviews, though their readership is not always as strong as their main blog).  That policy is meeting with mixed reviews, as some bloggers say they don’t want third-party groups controlling their blog.

I’m headed to NewComm Forum to join Susan Getgood on a blogger relations panel Monday, where the FTC regs promise to be a hot topic.  Stay tuned for more here and keep an eye on Twitter #sncr for the discussion.

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Marketing to Moms by LauraTomasetti - 3 Comments →

Though it’s nothing compared to my recent sabbatical (which, by the way, I regretfully admit lasted roughly 20 out of the 40 planned days,) we’re on a Twitter and Facebook hiatus this week to take a closer look at social media as a whole. We also want to highlight a piece on iPhone marketing and the Boston Marathon (we feel inclined to show some hometown love.) So get comfortable, order a pizza (or don’t after watching the Domino’s YouTube debacle,) and read up on some of the week’s best digital news.

ReadWriteWeb “Domino’s: How One YouTube Video Can Ruin a Brand” - It’s amazing how two employees, 1 camera and an immense amount of bad judgment can potentially tarnish a brand name. You’ve probably heard about the Domino’s co-workers who decided to film their disgusting antics and upload the video to Youtube for the world to see. Check out this article for more details about how the company is using the same social media that caused the controversy to save face.

PRWeek “iPhone app Uses Boston Marathon to Build Buzz” - How someone can run over 26 miles is beyond my comprehension. How someone can do so while tweeting is almost unimaginable. Jason Jacobs however, did both of those things while simultaneously serving as a moving billboard for a new fitness-focused iPhone application. Regardless of Jason’s finish time, his marketing strategy definitely outpaced the competition.

Mashable “The Web in Numbers: The Rise of Social Media” - An eye-opening view of exactly why Stan Schroeder is calling 2009 “the year of social media.” Don’t believe him? If Facebook were a country, it would be larger than Brazil!

Filed under: Internet, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - 1 Comment →

Our 360PR Stop & Shop team hit the road last week and headed to the Frog and Peach Restaurant in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The reason?  To meet some of the great New Jersey mom bloggers and chat with them about what Stop & Shop can do to help their families eat nutritiously, while still sticking to a budget.

Our good friend Liz Thompson from This Full House co-hosted the event and spread the word about it with her fellow Jersey (or Joisey as she calls it!) mom bloggers.  We had a really nice lunch with some great new friends, including Deb from Jersey Bites, Vanessa AKA Chef Druck, Hilary of Mrs. Mo’s NJ, Baby!, Monica from Paper Bridges, Bay from Queen Mother Blog, Cecile of The Shopping Duck and Kate from Growing Up in the Garden State who even celebrated her birthday with us!

Bringing together communities of bloggers for in-person events is always fun. Many of the bloggers at the lunch knew each other in the online world, but just “met” for the first time. And it sounds like great things will come out of that. The bloggers we met are especially committed to helping their communities through their blogs. Started by Deb at Jersey Bites, bloggers across the Garden State participated in Blogging Out Hunger, a holiday-timed campaign that raised $7,000 for the Community Food Bank of New Jersey and showed the power of blogs. Stop & Shop was able to get involved by pledging a $1 donation for every comment Liz at This Full House received in response to her campaign post.

Now that we’ve been formally introduced (and broken really good bread!) with these New Jersey bloggers, we definitely look forward to more events and collaborations like Blogging Out Hunger in the future.

Stop & Shop’s New Jersey Blogger Lunch introduces new friends: Cecile from The Shopping Duck, Deb from Jersey Bites, Kate from Growing Up in the Garden State and Liz from This Full House

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Cause-Related, Events and Conferences by VictoriaBreglio - 3 Comments →

It’s Friday and the weather is beautiful in Boston. But, while the city is in full-swing prepping for the marathon, my grandmother friended me on Facebook, someone accepted a marriage proposal on Twitter, and juggling all forms of social media just got easier. Intrigued? Check out some of these digital stories to end your week on the right foot:

CNN “All in the Facebook Family: Older Generations Join Social Networks” - Before you step away from your computer this Friday, make sure to friend your grandmother. Nowadays, everyone and their brother (literally!) is on Facebook. According to the Facebook press page, the fastest growing demographic is 35 years and older. People of all ages are using the site to stay in touch, and families are finding the site to be an important tool in connecting.

JMorgan Marketing “Time to Manage Your Social Media” - Social media plays a large part in the way we live our daily lives (especially in PR,) and it’s difficult not to feel overwhelmed by the fast-paced and ever-changing technology. Check out this article for a few simple tips on ways to manage. After all, media and technology should assist us in making our lives easier, not more stressful.

Mashable “10 Most Extraordinary Twitter Updates” - The twitterverse is expansive, and the context of tweets you come across varies greatly depending on who you’re following. Some people want to let you know that their dentist recommends they floss more frequently. Others use it to let their network know of their weekend plans. On the other hand, Twitter has been used in some pretty remarkable situations. Skeptical? Even unborn children have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon! I wonder what the preferred fetus desktop client is - Twhirl or Tweetdeck?

Filed under: Internet, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →

The final nominees for the 13th Annual Webby Awards were announced earlier this week, an occasion that slightly resembles the feeling of Christmas morning to me. While I technically don’t get to rip open any wrapping paper, clicking through the entries definitely produces a certain gleeful feeling

Webby Awards are handed out in over 100 categories including websites, interactive advertising, online film & video, and mobile. I spent some time browsing the entries and found that media companies have taken some of the limelight this year. I also find it pretty ironic that the website of the esteemed awards for the worldwide web doesn’t even have a simple search bar.

The New York Times got the most nominations (13) overall in categories such as best newspaper website and best political & business blogs. In addition, NBC.com received 12 nominations. It was somewhat bewildering to see that the newspaper category featured mostly UK websites – Guardian.co.uk, Independent.co.uk, and TimesOnline.co.uk, etc. But, I was happy to see that the website of our local Boston Globe, Boston.com, received a nomination for best use of photography for their Big Picture online feature - a personal favorite.

Consumer brand initiatives from companies like Nike, Volkswagen, Patagonia, Sony and Victoria’s Secret were represented in many categories. And brands in the kids and parenting/family space took multiple nominations, including the Disney Interactive Media Group, a 360PR client, for Pirates of the Caribbean Online, Disney Family.com and other properties. On the gaming front, Destructoid, GameSpot, and The Escapist – all top-notch editorial sites – were nominated in the games-related category.

If you’re looking for a little entertainment during your lunch break, check out some of the nominees for yourself. In addition to the judge-selected winners, the public has a chance to vote in the “People’s Choice” awards in each category. Voting ends April 30th, so be sure to cast your votes here.  The Webby Winners will be announced on May 5, 2009 – mark your calendars!

Filed under: Internet, PR Industry, Video Games by EliciaBasoli - No Comments →

It must be surreal to be a newspaper editor these days, having to cover your own demise.  Yesterday’s Boston Globe led with a feature on the Times Co.’s plans to potentially shut it down.  But as I thumbed through the still-thick sections of my Sunday Globe, reading comfortably in a recliner instead of hunched over my computer (my Monday-Friday news-consuming mode), I earnestly hoped for the future of the Sunday paper.

Much of the traditional publishers’ woes have been blamed on the digital generation who, for the most part, have demonstrated an adversity to the print medium.  For us "more mature" readers, the issue is perhaps more a lack of time.  Reading the paper page by page doesn’t fit my Monday-Friday schedule or needs.  For better — and sometimes worse – I rely on RSS feeds, Google News , Twitter and other more immediate, key word-driven sources.

I think there is a place for paper — on Sundays and at the most local level.  The community weekly paper distinguishes itself by offering something I haven’t seen done as well online (yet).  I look forward to flipping through the three weeklies in my neighborhood, cover to cover, reading about this neighbor and that school and finding out what events are coming to town.  I also pay attention to local merchants’ ads.

The big dailies face a more difficult landscape.  Ad revenues are down and not coming back.   Online, they can’t simply convert to a paid model overnight.  But hybrid models are catching on online, where some premium features are offered alongside free, ad-supported content.

What I’m really interested to see from content powerhouses, which the dailies are, are new products and platforms of delivery.  A Blackberry edition of the Globe, for example, would be extremely useful to me Monday-Friday.  I’d also be willing to pay for more immediate or expanded access.

It’s easy to look backward and doom an industy for "missing the boat."  It’s far less easy to innovate.  This week, 10 publishing veterans share their vision for the newspaper of the future in "Don’t Stop the Presses," a new cover story from, who else?,  the Newspaper Association of America .

Filed under: Boston, Media and Press by LauraTomasetti - 2 Comments →

Yes, you read that correctly - the recession (the dreaded ‘R’ word that seems to come up more times in any given day than we can stand) can suck it. So say the folks at Mekanism who led a crowd-pleasing, laughter-induced presentation to a ballroom full of marketing and PR professionals at the fourth annual MI6 conference last week.

Some of the fun game industry facts that were presented on just how the recession can suck it included the following highlights from 2008:

• Dance Dance Revolution was incorporated into 765 physical education classes around the U.S.
• World of Warcraft (and, believe me, I hate including this as we represent arguably, the #2 most successful MMO, The Lord of the Rings Online ) announced 8.5 Billion (yes Billion with a capital B) guests since launch in 2004
• 26% of Americans over 50 years old played games in 2008, up from 9% in 1999 (and I, for one, can back this up with my parents actually asking to play Wii games at my house over Easter weekend)
• 100 Million Sims games sold, making it the most successful PC franchise of all time
• And, finally, playing games, according to 32% British males, is better than sex (and that number jumps to 72% when sex is compared with a new game release). Yes, you read that correctly.

Couple these stats with the cold hard cash earnings from leading games retailer, GameStop, which recently touted an increase of 22.4% in Q4 sales, along with the fact that the industry reported record growth 11 out of 12 months last year (as reported by the US President of Future publishing in his opening address), and maybe we’re onto something here.

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Filed under: Blogger Relations, Events and Conferences, Media and Press, Social Media, Video Games by StaceyClement - 1 Comment →

Community and collaboration are key to growth, no matter what industry you’re in. In today’s digital age, we all have the ability to share knowledge, thoughts and opinions with others online. While the openness of the web can be seen by some as an obstacle when it comes to PR, the way I see it is that the collective knowledge of online communities is what helps us learn from one another and, ultimately, succeed.

So, to contribute to the super-sized round table we know as the web, here’s my quick two-cents of a few digital posts and stories from this week:

MediaPost "Forrester: Social Media Reaches Empowered Women" - Women are using the Internet more and more to help "manage their family life" as well as to ask others for product recommendations. I happen to be one of them! Just one of the key takeaways- social media campaigns, whether targeting women or not, are long term commitments. Definitely not a case of wham-bam-thank-you-mam.

B to B Magazine "When to Avoid Social Media" - The social media "revolution" has led some companies down the wrong path - i.e. "if competitor X or company Y is doing it, so should we!" This is a trap to keep your eyes out for and social media guru Paul Gillin has outlined some instances of when to avoid social media.

BrianSolis.com "Introducing MediaOnTwitter" - Social media execs Brian Solis, Sarah Evans, Peter Shankman, Melissa Hourigan and Ed Dunigan have launched a new collaborate site called MediaOnTwitter, which offers "a centralized, comprehensive, and global user-generated database for tracking media on Twitter." Check out the post for more details.

Have a great weekend!

Filed under: Digital PR, Marketing to Moms, Social Media by EliciaBasoli - No Comments →

The term "organic" has been the cause of some debate in the food industry lately. Organics were in the spotlight at last month’s Expo West , and recent high-profile news reports have discussed both safety considerations and the cost of organics.

Since the government began certifying food as organic six-and-a-half years ago, sales have at least doubled and 75 percent of the nation’s grocery stores now carry organic food. The New York Times recently published an interesting article asking if eating organic means eating well. The answer? According to Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food , Americans need to stick to real ingredients, specifically from the plant kingdom, in order to improve general health. Eating local, buying from sustainable farms and even growing your own fruits and veggies are key ways to do this.

Pollan claims that by eating sustainable foods, Americans can:

• Reduce the amount of land, water and chemicals used to produce the food we eat;
• Reduce the incidence of lifestyle diseases linked to unhealthy diets; and
• Reduce greenhouse gases from industrial meat production.

I recently spent a few days in New York on a whirlwind media tour with 360PR client Ball . The canning icon is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year and we met with editors to discuss how canning is just as relevant today as it was over a century ago. Home canning is taking off for a number of reasons, from the economy offering consumers a way to store food in bulk to a growing interest in eating sustainable foods.

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Filed under: Food Industry by BrittanyWelch - No Comments →

Another week has passed, but as quickly as time flies (especially in the PR world,) we’ve made sure not to let the hottest digital news slip through our fingers. Last week, the buzz surrounding Facebook and fan pages continued, we learned new ways to let the world know about the 360PR blog, and were disappointed to learn we haven’t actually been exchanging tweets with Obama. Too bad…we had a question for President Sarkozy we thought he could answer while at the G20 Summit.

Mashable “5 Elements of a Successful Facebook Fan Page” - Countless brands and famous names have a Facebook presence, but the best seem to be thinking outside the box. This article uses examples such as Victoria’s Secret, McDonald’s and Sears to detail elements needed to build a successful Facebook page.

Mashable “Top 20 Ways to Share a Great Blog Post” - Anyone can blog, which makes it extremely difficult to set yourself (and your blog) apart. This post details a number of not-so-obvious ways to promote your posts and help drive traffic to your blog - from using Tumblr, to TwitThat, and Ping.fm.

NYTimes “When Stars Twitter, a Ghost May Be Lurking”- Twitter is an incredibly personal way to connect online. As this article cautions, however, you may be under the impression you’re conversing directly with your favorite celebrity, but the twittersphere may be acting as a thin veil. For example, rapper 50 Cent and politician Ron Paul have hired people to update their accounts. In Shaq’s opinion, on the other hand, “It’s 140 characters. It’s so few characters. If you need a ghostwriter for that, I feel sorry for you.”

Filed under: Digital PR, Internet, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →

Every week, we sift through hundreds of headlines to bring you the very cream of the crop of developments in social media. As we saw last week , the competition between Twitter and Facebook is red-hot. Read on to learn more about how those two communities are stacking up, as well as the less-discussed topic of social bookmarking, which should be on marketers’ radar.

AllFacebook “Twitter vs. Facebook: A Comparison of the Top Users” – Given Facebook’s redesign (and expected backlash,) Nick O’Neil pits the sites against each other, comparing top users and numbers of fans/followers. “While most Twitter users are on Facebook, most Facebook users are not on Twitter. As such, Facebook’s top public profiles are a better indicator of worldwide trends whereas Twitter’s is a better indicator of trends within the Twitter community.” My take? It’s too early to tell. Both services are still relatively young, and for now there seems to be a place for both.

PR 2.0 “Tracking Brands on Twitter To Improve How You Engage and Listen” – Want to know if Zappos is currently offering coupons? If Dunkin’ Donuts will be adding a new menu item any time soon? Check out Brain Solis’ review of Twibs, a directory listing brands and businesses with a Twitter presence. His piece delves further into best Twitter practices, and how your company can successfully attract (and keep!) followers.

Marketing Roadmaps “Marketing Using Social Bookmarking” – Social marketing guru Susan Getgood (who visited 360 in January to discuss blogger relations) explores how social bookmarking (aggregate sites managing web links) can work for you. Though useful, it’s not as black and white as you may think. Getgood explains that if you’re willing to invest your time and energy and observe the interests of your audience, using sites such as Digg and Reddit can work to your advantage.

AllFacebook.com “Vitamin Water Launches Primetime Facebook Promotion” – Though fan brands such as Nutella and Coke already have Facebook pages with hundreds of thousands of followers, Vitamin Water took their marketing a step further during the NCAA tournament, and mentioned their Facebook page during a primetime Vitamin Water commercial. Has Vitamin Water started a trend? Don’t be surprised if other brands catch on and start mentioning their own Facebook pages on the small screen as well.

Filed under: Digital PR, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →