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Simply stated, social media has changed the way we communicate during disasters. This is now abundantly clear with all of the online activity surrounding the recent earthquake in Haiti.

Over the past couple weeks, there has been a tremendous outpouring of support for the Haitian people. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy donations have exceeded $470 million!

Mobile giving raises the bar

A large portion of donations are coming from The Red Cross’ mobile phone texting campaign. With partners Mobile Accord and the mGive Foundation, Red Cross quickly enacted a mobile texting campaign shortly after the earthquake hit. And with the help of the NFL playoff game spots and other widespread promotions, mobile phone users have donated over $25 million thus far just by texting “90999!” According to this NY Times story, over $500,000 per hour was donated to the Red Cross during recent NFL games. And according to Pew and Twitter-tracking service Sysomos, 189,024 tweets included “90999″ between January 12^th and 14^th. 2.3 million included the word “Haiti” or “Red Cross” in this same time frame. Truly unbelievable!

Relying on social media and citizen journalists

Not only has social media been used to gather donations, but people on the ground in Haiti have used Facebook and Twitter to send updates/photos, while concerned onlookers tune in to the constant stream of updates. In addition, news outlets have relied on social media and “citizen journalists” in their reporting. For example, CNN started a “Haiti Boots On Ground” Twitter list, compiling updates from the CNN reporters on the ground.  CNN’s iReport has also played a key role in their coverage of the disaster.

And companies have rallied to develop mobile apps and websites dedicated to the cause, such as a Creole-to-English translator app .  An organization called “The Extraordinaries” which allows people to complete micro-tasks for organizations or causes, using a mobile phone or web browser in a few minutes, have set up a support page at http://www.beextra.org/haiti to leverage the “power of the crowd” to help locate and identify missing persons.

Our best wishes to the Haitian people and to all of the families affected by the earthquake. Stay strong.

Filed under: Cause-Related, Internet, Media and Press, Mobile Industry, Social Media by EliciaBasoli - 5 Comments →

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 →

When times get tough, it’s not easy for CEOs to be in the spotlight.  But it’s more important than ever, and the ones who lead now are the ones we’ll remember.  Like Trish Karter, CEO of Dancing Deer Baking Co. 

Next month, Karter will take a 1,500-mile bike ride to raise awareness of the needs of homeless families, sleeping at homeless shelters from Atlanta to Boston.  “Cookies are my excuse for social change,” said Karter at a Commonwealth Institute leadership forum Tuesday night.  That’s an authentic statement, not a marketing platform, as anyone who knows Karter can attest to.

But Dancing Deer’s commitment to social change is a message that resonates even more loudly today and, so in the course of advocating social change, Dancing Deer will hopefully sell some more cookies, too.  (Try their Sweet Home line of cookies – 35% of retail sales goes to job training, child care and housing for homeless families.)

Back to Karter’s bike ride.  Karter commented that some might not approve of a CEO’s “going out for a long bike ride” amid one of the worst economic crises in recent decades.  But as Karter went on to explain, “it’s absolutely the right time.”  She’s right.  This is a time for CEOs to break out of the board room, to be visible, and to inspire and lead us.

So take that bike ride, and take your employees, your investors, and your customers with you – their reaction just may surprise you.

Filed under: Cause-Related by LauraTomasetti - 1 Comment →

As many non-profits operate with limited budgets in such a tough economy, to take advantage of social media is a no-brainer.  Many of these tools (Twitter, FaceBook, etc.) are absolutely FREE to use and can be a huge help to non-profits looking to spread the word, interact and gather feedback from various audiences.

This point was made crystal clear during “Thriving and Surviving in Uncertain Times: Digital Marketing Techniques for Non-profits” (#NGOSM09), an event that was hosted by the Council of PR Firms and held at the (awesome) Boston Museum of Science yesterday. A few of us at 360 attended and the speaker line-up included agency execs like 360’s own Laura Tomasetti, Carol Cone of Cone, David Almacy of Waggener Edstrom and local non-profits including The Museum of Science, The Boston Center for Adult Education, and Everybody Wins! USA.

I pulled together a handful of key tid-bits from the session that I thought were worth calling out:

[Read more →]

Filed under: Cause-Related, Digital PR, Events and Conferences, Industry Organizations, Social Media by EliciaBasoli - 3 Comments →

The Council of PR Firms is hosting a series of workshops to help non-profits leverage digital media.  Perhaps more than any sector, non-profits have been hit hardest by the economy.  Donations to candidates’ campaigns in this year’s Presidential election also have taken away precious dollars from non-profit organizations.

At the same time, non-profits operating in the social services sector, such as The Women’s Lunch Place here in Boston, have had to balance inceased needs and the higher cost of providing services (for example, food and health care costs have skyrocketed) with tighter support.

Digital and social media could be a big boon to non-profits looking to extend their donor base, especially those trying to tap into younger philanthropists and volunteers whose first interaction with a non-profit may be online.  In addition, social media provides a more interactive environment to engage existing supporters, and can also save thousands of dollars in printed materials.

The Council’s digital workshops for non-profits will be held beginning this month and into early next year in Los Angeles (Dec. 11), Boston (Jan. 14), San Francisco (Jan. 27), Raleigh (Feb. 19), Dallas (date TBD) and Washington, DC (date TBD).

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Boston, Cause-Related, Digital PR, Events and Conferences, Industry Organizations, Internet by LauraTomasetti - 2 Comments →

Everyone wants to be green.  Recent trends clearly indicate this.  But environmentally friendly practices merely scratch the surface when it comes to measuring degrees of the social responsibility taken by companies and corporations that are competing in the modern marketplace.  Corporate social responsibility extends into society as a whole, including communities, employees, customers, and practically any stakeholder that is impacted by a particular company.

What does this mean for brands?  According to Professor Gustavo A Yepes Lopez of the Universidad Externado de Columbia, who has conducted thorough research on the topic of corporate social responsibility in Latin America, it means everything.  I listened to Professor Lopez give a presentation on the subject last evening at a Publicity Club of New England event which was moderated by Dr. Robert Brown, whom I have had the privilege to study under.  He made the argument that since it is in the hands of the consumer whether a company succeeds or fails, it is a direct result of consumer opinions and actions if a company changes its social mission.  In this reactive sense, it is obvious why companies might be so eager to do all that they can to be viewed as socially responsible.  If your image is bad, it is likely business will be bad.  But what about the potential for taking a proactive approach to the ways that a brand impacts each of its stakeholders?  [Read more →]

Filed under: Cause-Related, Events and Conferences by JohnLeRoy - No Comments →

Politicians are always looking for an angle and when a charity stands to benefit I say bring it on!  If the hometown team’s in the finals, you can bet (and these are betting words) that someone’s going to get in on the action.  Last month, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick placed a bet with The Governator, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, that paid off nicely for The Women’s Lunch Place as a result of the Celtics’ NBA Championship.

[Read more →]

Filed under: Boston, Cause-Related by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

As the nation gears up for Independence Day, drivers in California and Washington are beginning to declare independence from their hand-held cellphones (at least while they are behind the wheel, according to new legislation that goes into effect today). California and Washington join a growing list of states nationwide that are cracking down on drivers who take their hands off the wheel to hold a cell by enacting “hands-free” laws. With these new laws, drivers must weigh their options. They can a) continue using mobile phones at the risk of getting a ticket, b) stop talking on the phone altogether while driving, or c) purchase a Bluetooth headset that allows them to talk and have both hands on the wheel.

For our client, Jabra, which makes Bluetooth headsets, option C has presented a clear opportunity. In preparation for the new legislation, we have been diligently reaching out to media in these markets to inform them of the legal and safety issues at hand, and also to let them know what Bluetooth options are available to drivers. According to a study, discussed in this MSNBC Article, 300 lives will be saved in California alone with the hands-free driving laws, indicating the switch to headsets in the car may make driving safer. [Read more →]

Filed under: Cause-Related, Mobile Industry by JohnLeRoy - No Comments →

About 10 years ago, when I moved back to Boston from DC, I stumbled upon (literally stumbled) The Women’s Lunch Place on Newbury Street. Sandwiched between the high-end cafes and shoe stores was this humble organization doing incredibly important work – providing a nutritious mid-day meal and day-time gathering place for homeless and poor women, some of whom, though working, can’t afford to buy lunch every day. When the overnight shelters closed each morning, The Women’s Lunch Place opened its doors.

Today, The Women’s Lunch Place gives hundreds of women a place to receive mail, do their laundry, take a shower, receive a range of support services and enjoy a good meal in a congenial, non-threatening environment.

An easy (and fun) way to support The Women’s Lunch Place is to purchase one of their Mother’s Day cards. For a donation of $25, the staff and guests will send a beautifully designed, hand-signed card on your behalf to your mom, grandmother, sister, aunt or other woman in your life. This year’s card features a bright watercolor painting by an artist who was served by The Women’s Lunch Place.

The Women’s Lunch Place Mother’s Day cards are available through May 6. If you know of an organization offering a way to give to mom and give back or have a cause your passionate about, we’d love to hear about it!

Filed under: Cause-Related by LauraTomasetti - 4 Comments →