360PR Blog

By Kerry Murphy

Attention. This blog post is going to be revolutionary, cutting edge, unique and state of the art.  It will be the leading provider in blog satisfaction through its state of the art tone and delivery with its exclusive real time content.

Buzzwords. I think it’s safe to say that most of us communications professionals have been guilty of using, and overusing them, at one moment or another. Why do we do this? We know it’s wrong. We know it reflects poorly on us as communications (ironic, eh?) professionals. We know influencers hate it. We know these words end up as e-mails in spam folders and cause a glazing (or even rolling) of the eyes for those who read them.

So why do we do it? After reading PR Daily’s recent piece on the subject, we started talking and thinking about all this here at 360. What did we come up with? We don’t really know why these words are still so pervasive in the industry. Why they just won’t go away.

We at 360 pledge to make a conscientious effort to ban the buzzwords, get out a thesaurus, dig deep into those word and language sharp brains of ours, and come up with words that simply say what we want them to say and speak to the people we are trying to reach in a way that makes sense and delivers value for our clients.

What do you say? We’re in…

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Media and Press, PR Industry, Pitch tips by Admin - 2 Comments →

By Caitlin McNamara

In the wake of the 8.9 earthquake that hit Japan on March 11, 2011, and a following tsunami, many took out their phones to call their loved ones but soon found out that the lines were down. So what was next? Social media, of course.
 
Under one hour after the earthquake devastated Japan, Google launched their “Person Finder”  application on their homepage. The “Person Finder” was built by the Google Crisis Response team, which is made up of a philanthropic group under the Google umbrella. The “Person Finder” is an interactive database in English and Japanese that allows users to search for missing persons online or submit information about people who are injured or are missing. To date, there are approximately 7,200 records being tracked on “Person Finder.” Not only is this database being used for the Japanese earthquake/tsunami, but was also used for the Haiti earthquake and the Christchurch earthquake.
 
Twitter, with an estimated 10 million active users in Japan, spiked with Japanese related hashtags, such as #prayforJapan, #Fukushima and #Sundai. #TokyoDisneyland also soon shot up in the trending list as a TwitPic was released of Japanese tourists sitting in the middle of the earthquake at Disneyland. Many people have also used Twitter to state their grief for those in Japan as well as their concerns on other aspects of the disaster. 
 
While Facebook is one of the top social media outlets in the world, its popularity has not translated equally in Japan. Similar to Facebook is the social media outlet, Mixi, which is Japan’s largest social network. However, many Americans overseas in Japan have utilized Facebook to spread a mass note to their family and friends letting them know that they are alive and well.
 
Lastly, mobile networks such as AT&T have begun using text messaging to help raise funds. AT&T wireless customers can text “REDCROSS” to 90999 to give a $10 donation to help Red Cross with disaster relief support. No text message fees will apply. This offer lasts until March 31.  
 
As more and more reports are released on the aftermath of the horrific earthquake and tsunami in Japan, many will continue to use social media as a way to communicate not only their locations, but also as a way to vent their frustrations and grieve their losses. Social media has become a way to spread awareness throughout the world in a matter of seconds. We will continue to look to social media as an up to the minute resource on the Japanese disaster, and we will all continue to pray for #Japan.

Filed under: Charity, FaceBook, Social Media, Social Networking by Admin - 1 Comment →

Can you believe it? It has been 5 years, since the first tweet was tweeted. Since 2006, Twitter has permeated our culture and is used by all walks of life around the globe, from politicians and celebrities to charitable organizations and brands! It is hard to imagine our lives without the ability to share a thought or experience via the infamous 140-characters that Twitter allows. So, Congrats to the folks at Twitter and here’s to many more years of tweets to come!

Check out this video released on the Twitter blog, featuring a number of VIPs talking about how they use Twitter. Who knew?! Snoop Dog follows Martha Stewart!

Filed under: Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking by EliciaBasoli - No Comments →

By Caitlin Melnick

SXSW is known to many as the conference of all conferences. And as a first timer, I would have to say, it was pretty amazing. The Interactive portion of SXSW (SXSWi) wrapped up earlier this week, and what I heard from veteran attendees is that this year’s conference was bigger and better than ever. More attendees, more panels sessions, more brands, more parties, more technology, more brain power – all in one Southern city.

You can’t get away from the new technology at SXSW. Group texting services emerged during the event, with GroupMe, Fast Society, and Beluga all vying for the number one spot. The social influence measurement site, Klout, was also all the rage, with people asking “What’s your Klout score?” several times a day. The site has created a system to measure influence in the social media arena. It uses over 35 variables on Facebook and Twitter to provide a score based on True Reach, Amplification Probability, and Network. Klout Founder Joe Fernandez just may be the next Mark Zuckerberg!

SXSW has evolved to be one of the best forums for social media insights for brands, with sessions like The Council of PR Firms’ “Marketing Budgets Have Gone Social – Is It Working?” At a session entitled, “Brand Mascots in the Digital Age,” panelists discussed how to get classic brand mascots, such as Tony the Tiger and Cap’n Crunch, into the digital world without losing their classic persona.

How was your SXSW experience?

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Digital PR, Events and Conferences, Interactive Marketing, Internet, Social Marketing, Social Media by Admin - No Comments →

by Lindsay Durr

This weekend Natural Products Expo West took over the Anaheim Convention Center displaying the latest and greatest in the natural and organic space. Several 360PR clients were in attendance including Nasoya, h2O spring water, Adora Calcium Supplements, and Stonyfield Farm with its larger-than-life yogurt cup booth!

The show spanned everything from dietary supplements to pet food to cleaning products and included a plethora of ways for consumers to make their lives healthier and more green. In the food space, gluten-free remained a buzz term for the second year in a row. We sampled gluten-free versions of everything from cupcakes to pizza to burger buns! Energy and “relaxation” drinks also continued to be a hot item; the LA Times posted an article about the trend which you can view here. Manufacturers also touted developments in green packaging including Seventh Generation’s new cardboard laundry detergent bottle.

For those of you at Expo (or observers of the natural space), what do you think will be this year’s top trends?

Filed under: Events and Conferences, Food & Beverage PR, Food Industry by Admin - No Comments →

The 2^nd annual Penny Arcade Expo East (PAX East) wrapped up yesterday. And, boy was it epic – with huge over-the-top booths from the big game companies, to a bevy of costumed characters roaming the city. Over 60,000 gamers descended upon 360’s hometown of Boston for an unforgettable weekend. We were out in full force with multiple 360 staff working the show floor. Check out some photos from the event on our Facebook page.

Massachusetts continues to shine as a “hub” for the worldwide video game industry. In fact, Massachusetts is home to numerous game development education programs from the MIT GAMBIT Game Lab to Becker College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. We also have hundreds of developers in the area – from Turbine to Harmonix and Blue Fang Games.  In addition, dedicated organizations like New England Games SIG and Boston Post Mortem keep the local games community strong in Massachusetts. PAX East has emerged as the icing on the cake and something we’ll be looking forward to each year for years to come.

The local media was all over PAX this weekend. If you missed the show, but want to find out more, check out the  Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Mass High Tech!

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Events and Conferences, Video Games by EliciaBasoli - 2 Comments →

If the Favorites folder on your browser is chock-full or you often find yourself saving links and images to re-visit them down the line, you’ll want to keep tabs on Pinterest, self-described as “a place to catalog the things you love.”

Essentially, Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board where users ‘pin’ things they find interesting – recipes, images, products, quotes, etc. – to their own boards which are categorized by theme. The option to ‘repin’ an item that another user covets is where the social aspect of the site comes in. Repinning is highly encouraged and you can also “follow” other users and their collections to receive updates on friends’ pins and site activity. Social media junkies will be pleased to find that Pinterest is integrated seamlessly with Facebook and Twitter.

Pinterest is too early in its infancy to tell how it will ultimately affect companies, but judging by its current content, Pinterest could serve as a cultivation point for brand fans and those passionate about spreading the word about everything from diamond-studded shoes to cheese knives to snow globes.

Though it’s unclear exactly when Pinterest began welcoming users, blogs including Apartment Therapy have been buzzing about the Palo Alto, CA-based site since last spring. Still in BETA, Pinterest is currently invite-only. For more information, check out Pinterest’s official blog, Oh, How Pinteresting!, here. Tastemakers pining to pin can request an invite here.

Filed under: Internet, Retail, Social Media, Social Networking by SkyeMcIntyre - 3 Comments →