http://www.360prblog.com/

Click on the two videos below for a sneak preview of the SXSW discussion called “Pass it Back! Kid Apps on Grown-Up Devices” featuring PBS Senior Director Sara DeWitt  (the actual discussion is on Monday, March 15 @ 5 PM in Ballrooom C in case you are one of the lucky ones in Austin).

Sara tells 360 that she will be revealing real-time research findings from PBS on what kids are learning by using iPhone apps. From what I’ve seen, most parents have a “do touch” instead of a “do not touch” policy when it comes to iPhones and other grown-up devices, and kids at all ages appear more than ready to embrace the technology. Apparently parents are buying apps to entertain and educate their kids in growing numbers. They also use the apps for distraction purposes, such as long rides in the car or to give their kids something to do while waiting in the doctor’s office (at least it’s their own germs and not someone else’s!)

We look forward to hearing Sara’s research reveal, and you can bank on finding the results here on the 360 blog.

Kid Apps on Grown-up Devices

Check out PBS iPhone Apps for Kids!

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Mobile Industry, Parenting, Social Media, Uncategorized by CindyGordon - 1 Comment →

I had the pleasure of moderating an informative panel of leading brands and bloggers in the parenting space at last month’s Marketing 2 Moms conference.  We’ve edited the two-hour session down to a 13-minute podcast, packed with tips and insights – worth a listen as you’re building your 2010 campaigns and considering how to initiate or extend your work with bloggers.

eMarketer reports that there are 34 million moms online and that may very well be a conservative estimate – we’ve seen numbers as high as 40+ million moms online.  And as parenting books such as Child, Wondertime and Cookie have ceased publication, hundreds more mom bloggers have begun posting.  There’s no denying it, blogs are a legitimate part of the mom media mix today – especially if you want to reach the connected, influencer-moms who have the power to word-of-mouth your brand.  But with more bloggers and brands jumping in, the environment is cluttered, and communications needs to be on point to break through and resonate with bloggers and their readers.

Moreover, with the FTC Guides taking effect 12/1, brands need to be diligent with their monitoring – making sure what is played back is accurate and any material relationships are clearly disclosed. We all have lots at stake – brands, bloggers and, most of all, readers.  Here’s what the experts at M2Moms had to say:

“Blogger relations should be about “quality over quantity…what [bloggers] say is more important than the numbers.” – Lesley Hettinger, General Motors Corp

“The intimate conversations are so much more valuable…it’s not about building an army, but an influential group of advisors and advocates…you really have to look at the long tail.” – Jeannine Harvey, PBS

“To me, it’s always about the added value…brands need to be able to provide added value” when working with bloggers and their audiences. – Kristin Brandt, Manic Mommies

“Blogs are such a personal experience for the reader…it’s really important that everything on that page be reflective of who we are.” – Liz Gumbinner, Cool Mom Picks & Blog with Integrity

“We want to get to know moms on a 1:1 basis.  We’re always reading blogs and looking at what bloggers are talking about on Twitter.”  - Marcia Hansen, Allstate Insurance Company

“I feel better about a brand if they have a presence on Twitter.  But the most important thing is to have someone monitoring…you have to have someone interacting with your customers.” – Beth Blecherman, Silicon Valley Moms Group

For more, listen to the M2Moms Brands & Blogs podcast below. A BIG thanks to Kristin Brandt for recording the session and to Susan Getgood for her masterful editing!

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Consumer Marketing, Digital PR, Events and Conferences, Marketing to Moms, Parenting, Pitch tips by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

This week, the 360PR team took on Vegas for the 7^th annual ABC Kids Expo.  This year was my first trip to the show, and I was overwhelmed with the sheer magnitude of juvenile product companies exhibiting.  Anything you think a baby or parent-to-be would need/want was there…and then some!  Stainless steel baby bottles, eco-friendly cloth diapers, and multitudes of edgy, cool baby furniture were just some of the many highlights. 

It’s always a blast to look at the latest designs and fashions for baby (everything is just too darn cute!); however, the most important feature when little ones are concerned is always safety.  

The timing for ABC Expo was perfect, as Saturday kicked off National Child Passenger Safety Week, which is a nationwide effort sponsored by NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).  To start the week, car seat check events were held throughout the nation on Saturday.  I was lucky enough to attend a local event sponsored by Safe Kids.  I met the inspiring and dedicated folks behind Safe Kids, including the Training Manager and Technical Advisor, Lorrie Walker (pictured below).  Safe Kids reports that a whopping 4 out of 5 car seats are installed incorrectly. 

The theme of child safety continued, as we held a car seat safety briefing at the Safety 1^st booth at ABC Kids Expo.  The panel discussed the danger of side impact crashes for children and new innovations in testing methods and technology to protect our kids on the road.  We had a great turn-out - including top-notch editors, bloggers and industry advocates.  This briefing also caught the attention of NBC Las Vegas, as they broadcasted live from our booth to report on the Safety 1^st Air Protect Side Impact Technology for their morning show - which meant a 3AM wake-up call for me.  In true Vegas fashion, the streets were bustling at that hour anyway!

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Events and Conferences, Industry Organizations, Media and Press, Parenting by BrittanyWelch - 1 Comment →

The Summer issue of our MomSquad Trendletter is out and I keep meaning to post the link here in case you’re not a Trendletter subscriber.  It’s a particularly good issue if I may say so, with a great line up of content and contributors, including:

• What’s happening with Dad Blogs, a piece contributed by Christy Matte of About.com’s Family Computing blog and her own blog, More Than Mommy;
• Boston Mamas’ Christine Koh’s report from BlogHer with tips for brands interacting with bloggers;
• Going beyond blogs to forums such as the Mom Bloggers Club to reach powerful networks of influencers, by Clarissa Nassar, a.k.a. The Posh Parent; and
• A look at what’s on the mind of PTA moms as back-to-school time approaches, written by PTA Mom Anisa Raoof, editor at Rhode Island-based Kidoinfo.

We’d love your feedback if you get a chance to link over and read the current issue!

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Consumer Marketing, Digital PR, Marketing to Moms, Parenting by LauraTomasetti - 1 Comment →

I got a sneak-peek at Frontline’s Digital Nation:  Life on the Virtual Frontier the other night at WGBH-TV.  There were about 30 or so of us in the audience - a collection of mom and dad bloggers, including MommyBytes, MoreThanMommy, Bostonmamas, ManicMommies and DigitalDads, and educators from Boston Public Schools and beyond.

I think a better title might be Digital World, but “Nation” seems to fit since the documentary is being produced in a city that thinks of itself as a nation, e.g., Red Sox Nation, Patriot Nation, etc.  Back to the preview…

Digital Nation, set to debut in Winter 2010 on PBS, aims to be “a multiplatform exploration of what it means to be human in a wired world.”  Producer Rachel Dretzin, whose credits include the PBS series “Growing Up Online,” which covered cyber-bullying among other topics, started the preview by pointing to Digital Nation’s web site and blog.  One of the cool things about Digital Nation is getting to see it as work in progress. Chapter 2 is currently up online and focuses on the military’s use of digital  media - very cool indeed.  You can also upload your own digital story on Digital Nation’s blog.

[Read more →]

Filed under: Internet, Media and Press, Parenting by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

We just posted a new issue of our MomSquad Trendletter. If you’re still tinkering with your summer marketing plan, there are some great insights gleaned from 360’s MomSquad members. From New England to Georgia, Chicago and out to the West Coast, moms say they’re staying close to home this summer, an opportunity for brands with an angle on backyard fun and budget-friendly activities for the whole family.

“Even though we don’t have any major plans, I’m excited for the summer,” comments Laura Often of North Grafton, Mass. “The summer gives us more options - ice cream runs, the pool, picnics, the beach and just being able to play outside makes the days better.”

Among summer vacation travel trends identified by the 360PR MomSquad:

• Families are planning shorter, drive-to trips.
• Day trips to local attractions - from beaches, parks and museums - top the list of destinations.
• If staying overnight, most will be bunking with family and friends taking advantage of built-in babysitters.
• Those planning a staycation say they’re saving their money now to be able to eat some meals out this summer.
• Top purchases will include GPS systems, grills (and the usual accompaniments) and outdoor toys.

And before they go anywhere, moms will head online.”We make sure to look things up online before going to find any coupons for activities or places to eat,” says Missouri mom Courtney Foster. “You can go on a great vacation and spend about the same you would at home if you plan ahead and look for deals.”

Deal Seeking Mom is one of my personal favorites. For deals on summer groceries, be sure to check out the web site of your local supermarket before hopping in the car. 360 client Stop & Shop posts their weekly circular and other deals online, and our Peapod (grocery delivery) client lets you sort your virtual cart and list for items on sale that you may want to stock up on. (Don’t forget to pick up some Ball jars to store everything!)

“And just because school is out doesn’t mean the learning stops. I try to have some educational aspect of our vacations - I’m looking for ways that my children can have fun and learn something,” says Anita Doberman, a military mom in Georgia.

For more MomSquad summer insights, checkout the Trendletter.

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Marketing to Moms, Parenting, Pitch tips by LauraTomasetti - 1 Comment →

Last week was school vacation week in many parts of the country.  I was struck by the number of clients who were juggling work while “on vacation” with the kids.  School vacation comes at a tough time - just six weeks after the holidays, when we’re knee-deep into the year’s campaigns.

Indeed, one of the most pervasive mom trends currently is moms returning to work.  Some moms are being driven back to work, full- or part-time, by economic conditions.  Others are re-tracking and re-launching careers after a hiatus at home raising their children.  While many companies are downsizing, the marketplace is seeing the biggest influx of mompreneurs yet.

An opportunity exists for marketers who offer or can reshape their products, services and content to support moms returning to work.   A new conference series has sprung up to help.  The latest Detours & OnRamps Forum will be held March 25 in Boston (actually just outside, in Waltham).  It’s worth passing to moms you may know who are transitioning back to work.  Conference Leader & Founder Meghan McCartan  has been there (and back).  360PR will be there scouting for new members of the 360PR MomSquad.

Filed under: Events and Conferences, Marketing to Moms, Parenting by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

We just fed the latest issue of our MomSquad Trendletter.  The lead feature looks at moms’ take on product awards.  So many of our clients participate in awards programs, and there’s been a proliferation of such programs in the past couple of years.  Media companies and others have figured out that not only do awards benefit the recipient, they can attract attention for the publication, web site or other entity making the award.

Awards do help products break through in a cluttered marketplace - at least catching moms’ (and presumably other consumers’) eyes initially.  Some awards aren’t worth the time - it seems everyone wins, watering down the value of their seal.  Consumers catch on quickly.  And not every company can afford to enter every award.  But organizations like Parents’ Choice and Family Fun run heavily research-based award programs with strict criteria, and we’ve seen them make a difference - especially for new and unproven products and emerging categories of products and media.

Read more about moms’ view of award seals, as well as “Sitter Socials” and what’s on mom’s New Year’s resolutions list in our December Trendletter, and let us know what you think!

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Consumer Marketing, Media and Press, PR Industry, Parenting by LauraTomasetti - 2 Comments →

I attended the recent Sandbox Summit on technology and playtime in New York.  The first Sandbox Summit was held at CES earlier this year, and founders Wendy Smolen and Claire Green moved it to Manhattan for round two.  Starting with a presentation by Google Creative Labs’ Andy Berndt, much of the discussion focused on the opportunities for collaboration and creativity online.

MIT Media Lab’s Mitch Resnick discussed the Media Lab’s Scratch, a site that lets kids upload and add to each other’s projects, such as stories, games and animated characters, all created by kids.  Dizzywood founder Scott Arpajian shared Dizzywood’s use as a classroom tool to get kids working together on projects in the eco-friendly virtual world.  Offline, Leapfrog’s Jim Gray presented the company’s Tag Reading System, which lets parents know what their child is learning and interested in even if they can’t be there to read the bed time story. [Read more →]

Filed under: Events and Conferences, Parenting, Video Games, Virtual Worlds by LauraTomasetti - 2 Comments →

Who knew an evening at the supermarket could be so much fun? Well, when you spend it chatting with the women behind Manic Mommies , Erin and Kristin, and Stop & Shop (a 360 client) Consumer Advisor Andrea Astrachan , it sure is.

Last week I got to leave the office and head to the Natick Super Stop & Shop to tape a podcast with the Manic Mommies and our client Andrea.  The topic of the conversation was how to reduce those nasty “pain points” moms experience at the supermarket. Andrea, a mom herself, offered some great ideas on how to get in and out of the store more quickly (lists really do help), how to save money by shopping seasonally (which means more money for new shoes, right?!) and how to get kids involved in the shopping process - those Easy Scan hand-held devices (they’re kind of like laser guns) certainly seem to be a big hit with the little ones.

[Read more →]

Filed under: Food Industry, Media and Press, Parenting by VictoriaBreglio - 1 Comment →

I had the pleasure of joining a team of mompreneurs, editors and bloggers at last week’s Detours & OnRamps Conference, created by Meghan McCartan to help moms in career transition. It was the second such forum, following a successful launch event in New Jersey last fall. According to the US Bureau of Labor, more than 70 percent of women with children under 18 work outside of the home. That’s approximately 24 million moms trying to balance family needs with the responsibility of working part- or full-time.

HybridMom Publisher Meryl Otis Kessler moderated the “entrepreneur” panel I participated in, and I got to meet Christine Koh, founder of Boston Mamas and Posh Peacock, a gorgeous new line of stationery and invitations. Christine has more degrees than anyone I’ve met in Boston and in this university town, that’s saying something. She’s an accomplished musician and, of course, a proud mother. Amid all this, she finds time to post twice daily about resources and events for families living in and around Boston. She talked about the importance of finding a niche when starting a business - in her case focusing on Boston happenings rather than trying to be all things to all families everywhere. She said the strategy has helped her attract advertisers.

[Read more →]

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Blogger Relations, Events and Conferences, Parenting by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

It’s a wonder with all today’s mothers do that they’re not planning their own Mother’s Day celebration - in fact many probably are. It’s not that mothers of past generations didn’t work as hard. They worked differently, and they didn’t have Web 2.0 in their corner. But sometimes the best networking happens the good, old-fashioned way - face to face. At next week’s Detours & OnRamps conference in Boston, 200 moms will gather to discuss how to balance work and family life, many looking to make their next career move.

The list of speakers includes some amazing women who have found a way to balance work and family life - entrepreneurs like Jo McChesney, who helped found Isis Maternity, Meryl Otis Kessler, publisher of Hybrid Mom, Christine Koh, founder of Boston Mamas, and Sheila Marcelo, founder and CEO of sitter service Care.com. It’s hard not to notice, and perhaps no coincidence, that each of these women launched a business to help women in their everyday, busy, family lives.

I also recently had a fun lunch with Erin Kane, who created Manic Mommies. “Manic” seems to be the operative word for today’s moms trying to do it all.

My guess is, if you asked these women leaders - and the moms you meet at the grocery store, playground and school - what they really want for Mother’s Day, the answer would be “more time.” More time for their families, for their businesses, and for themselves. That, and maybe getting to sleep in on Sunday. You don’t need a credit card for either, but they’re both priceless.

Filed under: Boston, Events and Conferences, Parenting by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

It’s hard to escape the buzz about marketing to moms these days. At 360, we’re entrenched in the mom market, and conferences dedicated exclusively to the mom market have sprung up in recent years (M2Moms is a prime example). But let’s not forget the dads - who, pardon the pun, offer fertile ground for marketers too. I’m not talking about the sliver segment of stay-at-home dads. More important than how much time dad spends at home is his level of participation in the parenting partnership. If you’re interested in more on this “dad factor,” the following 360PR article, published in The Council of PR Firms’ Firm Voice earlier this month, may be of interest.

[Read more →]

Filed under: PR Industry, Parenting by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →