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If you’re a regular Weekly Digital News reader, (and why wouldn’t you be?), you know that the social media stories we detail are typically related in some way. Sometimes very loosely, mind you, but related nonetheless. This week, we’re throwing caution and tradition to the wind, and bringing you the crème de la crème of the past week’s social media news. Happy reading, and don’t say you didn’t hear it from us.

Brian Solis “The Great Social Divide: Twitter, Facebook Traffic Surges, Myspace Fades” - Robert Frost told us that nothing gold can stay. The same applies to social media trends, and unfortunately for MySpace, the ‘place for friends’ is fading into obscurity. Research suggests that while Myspace once appealed to a younger audience, those users are now turning to Facebook and Twitter to virtually connect. So move over, MySpace, your spotlight’s no longer shining.

PaidContent “Visible Technologies Gets Funding To Help The CIA Monitor Social Media” - Though details are sketchy, this article may encourage you to watch what you tweet. Social media monitoring firm Visible Technologies recently received an undisclosed amount of money from an investment group associated with the government. What this means for internet users everywhere is still shrouded in mystery, much like most things associated with the CIA are.

BrandWeek “Brands Join Virtual Gift Giving on Twitter” - ‘Tis the season - almost. With the holidays just around the corner, giving will soon be top-of-mind for companies, brands and individuals. The idea of virtual gifts, however, is an evergreen topic online. Why? Because shipping and handling’s non-existent, for starters. Facebook users have been giving free or inexpensive gifts to other users of their choice for years, but now, Twitter’s getting in on the online exchange. It’s simply another way for marketers to build buzz with their most important asset - consumers.

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

The key take-away for me at this week’s Marketing to Moms conference was about story-telling. Not story-telling by advertisers or PR people - not the campaigns and messages that are pushed out. I’m talking about the stories created by the millions of consumers on YouTube, Facebook and other social sites.

With the increasing amount of user-generated content online, one of the best things brands can do is sit back and take it all in. Then, after looking and listening, figure out how to choreograph the content that’s already out there into a meaningful brand dance - the kind of raucous dance you see at Greek and Jewish weddings.

Coca-Cola is doing it. One of the best, most compelling presentations at M2Moms was by Wendy Clark, SVP of Integrated Marketing at Coca-Cola, who held a can of Diet Coke in her hand from the start to the end of her presentation (maybe not surprising, but as Clark talked about authenticity and brand fans, that Coke can seemed to add even more street cred).

Clark talked about seeking opportunities for collaboration and co-creation, tapping into the people who are telling your story. And that doesn’t mean people have to be literally talking about your brand. More often than not, it’s going to be a story that gets at the essence of what your brand has to offer (healthy living or more family time, for example).

“We need to integrate consumer ideas into the way we’re going to the marketplace, and use digital as an enabler,” said Clark.  She wasn’t talking about the usual consumer research or the traditionally linear process in developing campaigns.  As she talked, she pulled up random search results for “Coke” on Google.

What are people finding when they search for your brand (or a related topic)? How can you contribute to the conversation?  How can you “curate” what’s already there?  “The shift has happened - advertising doesn’t seem to capture what we do any more. We spend a lot of time talking about community marketing,” Clark said.  Marketers need to “be open to a model that bypasses traditional stages.”

Clark shared that her PR team is playing an active role in beating the social media drum at Coca-Cola.  “Our PR team has been our best friend,” she said. At the core, I believe good PR people are about two things: story-telling + relationship-building. We’ve got “the right stuff” for this new social media world. Now, we just need to listen a little more to the stories already being told in order to help write the next chapter for the brands we work with and the communities they want to be part of.

While at M2Moms, I “curated” a panel of brands and bloggers who are working together. Kristin Brandt of Manic Mommies, who was on the panel, was kind enough to record the session and we’ll be posting the audio here next week.  Meantime, you can scan some of the insights and soundbites from this week’s Marketing to Moms conference on Twitter, #m2moms.

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Digital PR, Events and Conferences, Food & Beverage PR, Internet, Marketing to Moms, Social Media by LauraTomasetti - 5 Comments →

For the past 48 years, The Hatch Awards, hosted by the Ad Club, have been New England’s premier creative awards show.  Over 1200 entries are reviewed by a dozen judges - high-ranking creative executives from outside the New England area.  Awards are presented across 32 categories including every kind of media possible.

As part of the Ad Club’s PR Committee, 360PR attended the show on Tuesday night…and was blown away (props to Boston University’s drum corps)!

Hatch Awards 2009

I serve on the Ad Club PR Committee and one of the things we try to do is to cast a light on the young, diverse creative ad biz in Boston – the industry has moved well beyond the bygone “Mad Men” era.  This year, we invited some special guests to attend — some leading bloggers from the Boston area.  As we all know, mom bloggers are the movers and shakers of the world — they can topple brands or create success stories in the blink of an eye.  In fact, U.S. moms say 80% of ads miss the mark (via M2Moms).  But experts say that we can improve those results by using social media to create online communities and brand advocates. 

We also set up a hash tag for bloggers and members of the Hatch audience to follow.  Over the course of the evening, there were over 70 Twitter status updates using #AdClub.  The following local bloggers in attendance driving the conversation were:

• Christy Matte, More than Mommy (http://morethanmommy.com/) 
• Nirasha Jaganath, Mommy Niri (http://www.mommyniri.com/) 
• Susan Getgood, Marketing Roadmaps (http://getgood.com/roadmaps/) 
• Jennifer Leal, Savor the Thyme (http://savorthethyme.blogspot.com/) 

Some of the gold bowl recipients were Arnold’s picturesque FootJoy print ads (something any golf fanatic would love) in the Consumer Magazine Spread category, Mullen’s hilarious Boston Bruins national TV spots (my personal favs), and Hill Holliday’s sobering Liberty Mutual TV spots.

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Blogger Relations, Boston, Consumer Marketing, Events and Conferences, Marketing to Moms, Social Media by MikeRush - No Comments →

It’s been awhile since the Beatles instructed the world to “come together,” but their message of peace still resonates today. Whether it’s joining Facebook with your blog, the FTC setting guidelines between bloggers and marketers, or the ongoing battle of the sexes, elements of social media rarely stand alone. This week, we’re taking a deeper look at online relationships, whether they’re between two social media services, or a government agency and a nation of product-reviewing bloggers. We’re left wondering: can’t everyone just get along?

Mashable “HOW TO: Integrate Facebook With Your Blog” - As the article’s author points out, integrating your blog’s copy with your personal Facebook page (or fan page) is a great means of exposure for your content. And really, who isn’t looking for more bang for their buck? There are several ways to cross-promote your posts, so if you’re looking to publicize your work, this piece is for you.

The Forrester Blog for Interactive Marketing Professionals “The End of Marketer-Blogger Relationships?” - There’s been a lot of buzz in the past few months surrounding product reviews, pay-for-play, and the issue of bloggers being bombarded by companies looking to get in front of niche audiences, sometimes through questionable and unethical means. On Monday, the Federal Trade Commission announced that relationships between marketers and bloggers must be fully disclosed, in other words, if a blogger receives a free product, or is paid to write a review, they have to say so. What are the implications of the changing guidelines? We’ll have to wait and see.

Brian Solis “In the World of Social Media, Women Rule” - Sorry, boys. It’s a girls’ social media world, and you’re just livin’ in it. According to a recent study published by social media guru Brian Solis, women are more active than men on Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Twitter, Yelp and other similar sites. ‘Women Rule’ was even a recent Trending Topic on Twitter. No disrespect to our male colleagues, but here at 360PR, we’re all about girl power!

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

This past weekend, I happened to catch the latest Halloween installment of one of my all-time favorite brand advertisements - - Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. 

I am intrigued by how some brands are able to run with the one marketing strategy for years and still induce the exact same feeling among some consumers that it did a decade ago.  I can still picture a younger me sitting in front of the TV watching these commercials and wondering, “What kind of bite are they going to take out of the peanut butter cup this time?”  Whether it was the vampire teeth marks or the current Jack-o-Lantern carved out of the peanut butter cup, the Reese’s ads provide a sense of nostalgia for me and, I would imagine, many others.

While the brand has moved away from its catchy 90’s slogan, “There’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s,” it appears as though the ad execs still see value in the visuals that they used to build brand awareness a decade ago.  As they say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Now, Reese’s (which happens to have a really fun website) isn’t the only brand that has come full-circle, back to their roots with a “What’s Old is New Again,” approach to marketing and/or PR.  Just think about perennials like the Budweiser Clydesdales or the Coca-Cola Polar Bears. What other brands have you seen look to the past for a PR/marketing campaign or what brands do you think this strategy might work for?

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Food & Beverage PR by JohnLeRoy - 2 Comments →

We just wrapped up the latest 360PR Book Club with a great read - Tactical Transparency by Shel Holtz and John C. Havens. It was a lively discussion (to say the least) and this book left us all contemplating…what is the balance of transparency?

In a nutshell, the book emphasizes that with the Internet and growing use of high-speed connections it is necessary for companies to be transparent. Holtz and Havens define transparency as the degree to which an organization shares its leaders, employees, values, culture, business strategy and the results of its business practices, with stakeholder publics.

There are organizations that use transparency to their benefit, and others who miss the mark. One of my favorite examples is Apple, which was transparent in their response to negative reactions online resulting from a sudden drop in the price of the iPhone. Instead of ignoring complaints from early adopters who felt cheated by the holiday price drop, Steve Jobs apologized in an open letter and offered a $100 credit.

On the other hand, an example from Wal-Mart illustrates how a lack of transparency can backfire. The WalmartingAcrossAmerica.com blog followed the adventures of a couple travelling cross-country, stopping in Wal-Mart parking lots. Customers had a strong negative reaction when it was leaked that Working Families for Wal-Mart (WFWM) funded the trip.

It’s clear that transparency is no longer just a “need-to-know” concept. As Holtz and Havens state, “The flood of social media has brought in an age of digital transparency that is putting the power to create or destroy a reputation into the hands of consumers. Every business today must speak the language and meet the expectations of a new digital population.”

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

Though we’d likely never admit it, in the end, everyone’s looking out for number one. This is especially true in social media. We publicize our makeups and breakups with our Facebook relationship status, begin blogs to let our readers know what we like and find interesting and tweet until our hearts’ desire about the minutiae of our daily lives. With that said, it’s only appropriate that we devote a post to, well, ourselves. Collectively speaking, that is. It is Friday, after all - what better day of the week is there to partake in a little self-indulgence??

The Measurement Standard “How to Analyze Your Brand Exposure in Social Media” - In social media, if you’re not actively participating, the conversation will carry on without you. And who doesn’t want to know what’s being said about them? This piece touches on some great tools for getting involved in the chatter.

Mashable “80% of Twitter Users Are All About Me” - Are you a meformer or a reformer? There hasn’t been a shortage of buzz around a new study that found out something not-so-surprising about Twitter users and their tweets - they’re largely self-centered. While 20% of users take an active role in the twittersphere for the purpose of sharing real news, most people want you to know what hot new restaurant they’re dining at on any given night. If this study is accurate, it might be best to stick with CNN if the day’s headlines are what you’re seeking.

Mashable “Add Facebook Connect Features To Your Site in 3 Easy Steps” - Just when you thought the internet couldn’t get any more simplified, Facebook Connect came along. You can now share your favorite web links and stories with Facebook friends - all with the click of your mouse. After all, it’s all about you.

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