360PR Blog

Don’t you think the New Gap, Old Gap logo drama was a lot like the New Coke, Old Coke marketing stunt hopped up on modern day social media steroids? Or maybe it’s that my brain is trained to think this way because so often the job of the PR pros is to help marketers create buzz, and that’s exactly what the new Gap logo accomplished. I just can’t fathom that the thoughtful marketing folks at the Gap didn’t do their scenario planning homework and examine their new logo launch through every possible lens to determine the outcomes (you know, if A then B.) Surely they would have preferred some outcomes more than others, but none were troubling, and they all helped create “conversation” around a brand that isn’t much talked about these days.

I also believe the Gap counted on an energetic fan base to help them light up social networks and fuel viral buzz around the new logo – it didn’t really matter if anyone loved or hated the logo. Any outcome was good because it created buzz, and just in time for the Holiday season.

For those who may have missed this news, Gap marketers quietly unveiled a new logo, which ignited all the people who would care about a new logo – marketers and logo designers. The vocalists thought the Gap should keep the original logo, or possibly even return to the 1970′s logo as a retro nod to their great jeans and white T-shirt roots. It is ironic that the people online who are dubbing the logo change a “non event,” are the very same people who are fueling the viral buzz; they can’t seem to stop talking about it and have actually propelled the conversation into a mainstream spotlight. Have a look:

• Front page AdAge article, with over 30 comments
• Close to 4000 comments on The Gap’s Facebook page
• Google returns 17,700,000 results for the search term “new Gap logo”

A blog post form Ohheykyle (Rochester, NY) addressed Marka Hansen, President of Gap North America, on AdAge, “HA! Very clever Marka!! I’m impressed with the way you turned our collective attention to GAP just in time for the holidays.”

Oh Hey Kyle, I’m with you. Isn’t it also neat that while the Gap had the spotlight on them, they were able to make news out of the fact that they are going to turn their big box “red” for their seasonal campaign? I mean, seriously, who would care if not for the buzz about their logo?

Please weigh in. Was the new GAP, back to the original GAP logo a well-planned social media strategy or just a failed design in your opinion?

Filed under: Digital PR, Food & Beverage PR, advertising by Admin - 3 Comments →

There is a little movie that has been getting a lot of buzz the past few weeks. Have you heard of it? The Social Network is about the life of 20-something billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook.com. The 360 team all headed to the theater last night to check it out – we loved it! And, we’re not the only ones. The movie has been #1 for the past couple weeks and is receiving Oscar nomination buzz.

Since seeing the movie, we’ve all been wondering how much truth is in the storyline? You see, the movie is based on Ben Mezrich’s book “The Accidental Billionaires” and on court documents filed in a series of lawsuits by Zuckerberg’s fellow students from Harvard. It is NOT endorsed by Facebook or Zuckerberg, who has been quoted saying that the story is largely fiction. The friends / classmates who sued Zuckerberg claiming that he stole their idea for the website may beg to differ.

Regardless of whose idea Facebook was, what is more important is simply that it was created. Facebook has changed the way millions of people communicate – 500 million, to be exact!

Speaking of Facebook, if you haven’t visited the 360PR Facebook Page, check out our page here.

Filed under: FaceBook, Social Media, Social Networking by EliciaBasoli - 3 Comments →

360 recently hosted members of the new Boston Parent Bloggers Network for a discussion on what’s next for bloggers and brands and what’s working now.  The meeting was spurred by a rigorous schedule of blogger events we have underway this fall for an array of brands.

We’ve had great turnout at our first few events.  But if you’re a blogger, how many events for how many brands can you get to in a given week, especially if blogging is a part-time gig as it is for many?  And how can agencies and brands take it the next level?

All of the bloggers we met with are active on Twitter – some to promote their blogs and give-aways and others for purely social reasons.  The group agreed that on the whole Twitter is a platform for influencers, not the average consumer.  Facebook is also part of bloggers’ daily routines and bloggers “like” brands that fit their lifestyle.  If you’re not interacting with bloggers on Facebook, consider how you can.

Bloggers stressed that once they have become invested in a brand by participating in events, writing posts, etc., they expect to be kept in contact with.  The best programs, like relationships, are ongoing.  For example, a food council sent a different “recipe in a box” to bloggers every month for a year.

Bloggers said they’ll continue to take the time to go to events, but certain times work better than others – for mom bloggers it’s Monday-Thursday mid-morning, after school, or after 7PM.

Virtual events are catching on with busy bloggers.  Some factors for success include special access to a celebrity or other high-profile speaker, a charitable tie-in, and limiting the event to no more than one hour.

We talked about the value of tapping into existing events instead of, or to supplement, your own.  Conferences like Type A Mom, Blissdom and Blogalicious are drawing hundreds of bloggers and offer a captive audience for quality interactions.  But you have to have a strategy to stand out.

Bloggers are also interested in ambassadorships, which might entail producing content for a brand – a video series, for example.

When asked how they measure their influence and success, bloggers cited their loyal readers and the quality of their writing as most important.  It’s that personal relationship with their readers that continues to differentiate blogs from traditional media.  Brands that are succeeding in the blogosphere have a similar respect for bloggers, and an ongoing, integrated approach.

Many thanks to Christy Matte, Jodi Grundig, Erin Furey, Melanie Feehan and Kate Hayes for contributing their time and insights for this post.

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Blogger Relations, Boston, Digital PR, Marketing to Moms, Social Media by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

Some say that email is dead, but while email may be considered an “older” form of communication in the context of the “social media revolution”, it is still integral to direct-to-consumer communication. And, the two mediums are actually complimentary.

Email is alive and well. In the simplest sense, social networks still rely heavily on email systems to trigger consumers’ interactions online – i.e. an email telling you that Johnny has just sent you a message on Facebook or Sally has requested to be your friend.

Studies have found that consumers are using both email and social media to keep tabs on their favorite brands. Check out this graph, a result of ExactTarget’s “Subscribers, Fans and Followers” study from earlier this year:

Clearly, there is an overlap – consumers are not just using one medium or the other. The majority are still using email, and complimenting it with a profile on other networks.

In a blog post from Nielsen about their examination of the relationship between email consumption and social media use, it was found that very often the people who are highly engaged in social media are also those that consume the most email. Social media was found to make people consume email even more, not less, and in particular for the highest social media users.

Further, in a separate report from GetResponse about the integration of social media and email marketing, it was found that emails that included options like “Share on Facebook or Twitter” generated a 30% higher click-through rate than emails without these options. Reason to start integrating social media and emails? Yes.

With all of that said, email marketing is most definately still relevant and, in fact, is complimentary to the “relationship building” aspect that is now so key in most PR/ Marketing campaigns.

What do you think?

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Digital PR, Email Marketing, Interactive Marketing, Social Marketing, Social Media by EliciaBasoli - 1 Comment →