360PR Blog

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Prince William and Kate Middleton will marry this Friday to great fanfare. Perhaps the most talked and written-about event of 2011, the Royal Wedding has people all over the world in a tizzy. While your average commoners like you and me may be curious about the dress, guest list and honeymoon locale, some companies are concerned with wedding-related revenue.

Companies with food at their core, in particular, are hoping to cash in. Louisville, Ky-based chain Papa John’s commissioned a food artist to create the likeness of the prince and his bride on a pizza that “tastes as good as it looks.” The mosaic pizza portrait made from mushrooms, salami, peppers, and of course, cheese, can be purchased by residents across the pond.

If you’re stateside and planning on watching the early morning telecast (TODAY’s coverage beings at 4am EST), you’ll certainly need a cup of coffee.  Why not accompany your java with Dunkin’ Donuts Royal Wedding Donut? According to the Behind the Bean, Dunkin’s blog, the heart-shaped, glazed, jelly-filled masterpiece was created with wedding traditions and Will & Kate’s favorite flavors in mind.  If your sweet tooth isn’t satisfied after a Royal Donut, or if you’re looking for something to serve at your Royal Wedding viewing party, stop in to your local cupcake shop. Many across the country, like Boston’s Sweet, are selling the bite-sized treats with toppers featuring royal wedding-related images like Will and Kate’s engagement photo.

What royal-related marketing campaigns have you seen?

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Internet, Media and Press, Retail by SkyeMcIntyre - 3 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 →

By Amanda Gonzalez

It’s Valentine’s Day! Have you already picked up your card, chocolates, flowers, jewelry, etc?! If not, you better get on that pronto. But these Valentine’s Day staples aren’t the only way to show that special someone you care.

In a recent USAToday.com article, the newspaper shows us how marketers are using social media (like Facebook, Twitter, email, etc) to push their product and brand and help Valentines the world over display their affection in a unique way.

Mattel used Valentine’s Day to write another chapter in the epic love story of Barbie and Ken by asking fans to vote on whether or not the couple should get back together (they went their separate ways in 2004) and using Facebook and Twitter to give Ken a voice.  They also turned Barbie’s Facebook page into an online store on Valentine’s Day selling merchandise from the famous couple. FYI – they reunited today!!

We at 360PR also got into the Valentine’s Day promo mood as our Safety 1^st client launched a Valentine’s Day giveaway on both Facebook and Twitter of their new S1 product line. Not only did entrants get to enter for a great travel system, but they also got to post adorable pictures of their little lovies on Facebook AND $1 was donated for every entry towards infant health kits for families in need!

Have you chosen your Valentine yet?! Did you see any great Valentine’s Day promotions that you thought were clever/unique? Comment below and share!

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, FaceBook, Internet, Retail, Social Marketing, Social Media, Uncategorized by Admin - 1 Comment →

By Vanessa MacAulay

Starbucks started 2011 off with a bang by unveiling their new logo. In a bold twist they removed their name and now feature only the green symbol of the Starbucks mermaid.

Many companies have taken this same approach in the past, removing the brand name from their logo: Target, Nike & McDonald’s are some great examples. Target has one of the most recognized symbols across the world, only trailing to the smiley face. The question is, was Starbuck’s ready to make this move?

Personally, I think it was a smart move for Starbuck’s for a couple of reasons. First, they are receiving tons of media coverage from it. In addition, it was a transitional and planned out concept (see photo below), and shows they have confidence in themselves as a company.

What do you think of Starbuck’s new logo?

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Design, Retail by Admin - 5 Comments →

Who doesn’t love a good deal?  Let’s face it – we love getting things for free, and we love feeling like we’re privy to insider information. No wonder sites like Groupon, Buy with Me, Daily Deal, Living Social and Ever Save are catching on.

The basic premise behind these sites is simple. Sign up to receive a daily email alerting you of that day’s deal – whether it’s 25% off a skydiving trip, 50% off a whale watch, or today’s deal for Boston, $10 for $20 worth of “meats and more” at a local deli. The deals are enticing, and the retailers offering deep discounts benefit because the number of people purchasing the deal is usually remarkably high.

Take the meats and more example, for instance. The deal has only been offered for a few hours and 2,462 people have already thrown down 10 bucks for their choice of steaks and sausages!  And if people who have never experienced the animal offerings of this particular deli are happy with their purchase, it’s likely they’ll turn into regular customers. Another upside? Companies can often feature their offerings for free, and the risk is virtually nothing. It’s truly a win-win situation. 

The one catch – a certain amount of people have to purchase each daily deal for it to actually go into effect and be an active, usable coupon. That shouldn’t deter anyone, however. Most deals are ‘on’ within just a couple of hours of them being posted. And one more thing – these sites are not for the indecisive.  Most deals are available for a 24-hour period only.

Are you signed up for any of these social buying sites?  If so, has there been a killer deal you just couldn’t resist?

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

What girl doesn’t love to flaunt her latest outfit from a shopping spree? How about creating an online video dedicated to reviewing and showing off her new wardrobe and posting it to YouTube for all to see? Welcome to the world of Haul videos, which have taken the web by storm.

What’s the big deal? These videos are the ultimate form of word-of-mouth, with trend-setters sharing their thoughts about specific products and dishing on the latest sales & discounts at stores. It’s no surprise that major retailers such as JCPenney and Forever 21 want a piece of the action.

Some retailers have even sponsored videos by sending gift cards to Haulers, for example. Urban Outfitters took it a step further with a UO HAUL: SHOP & TELL contest for the chance to win gift cards to the store.

There are even blogs dedicated solely to finding the best Haul videos, such as HaulVideos.net.

This Haul video, which was sponsored by Forever 21, has received over 1.2 million views alone!

Do you think Haul videos have more of an influence over young women than fashion magazines and television?

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Internet, Retail, Social Marketing, Social Media by Admin - 1 Comment →

First came the iPod, then the iPhone, and now, the iPad; a tablet computer released this past Saturday which has thrown Apple devotees, average Americans and techies alike, into a tizzy.  Though the device has only been available for a little over 72 hours, Apple is reporting that over 300,000 units have already been sold, with more than 1 million apps downloaded. 

While we don’t yet have our hands on an iPad to give you a first-person review, we think Engadget’s ‘iPad Apple Review‘ is pretty thorough.

The verdict: You tell us.  If you’re one of the lucky ones who already have an iPad, we’d love to hear what you think!

Filed under: Mobile Industry, Retail, Uncategorized by SkyeMcIntyre - 5 Comments →

The life-size cardboard cut-out of Edward stopped me in my tracks as I walked the aisles at Toy Fair in New York this week.  ‘Twilight’ was one of the newer licenses dotting booths at the annual toy industry show.  Mattel has cast the Twilight stars – Edward and Bella – as Barbie dolls.  Mattel also unveiled the newest Barbie career dolls: News Anchor Barbie and Computer Engineer Barbie, as voted by fans and getting good buzz at the show.

Anniversaries were another dominant theme at Toy Fair: Etch a Sketch and Slinky celebrate their 50th and 65th (wow, I’m old!); Hello Kitty is 35; and Hasbro introduced a round Monopoly game board in honor of Monopoly’s 75th.   The makers of Rubik’s Cube (a 360 client), which turns 30 in 2010, have rolled out a campaign to empower America’s youth to solve the cube – check out the Rubik’s Facebook page we just set up for the You Can Do the Cube campaign.  You CAN do it!

Our friends at the Toy Book were offering to tweet show news for exhibitors.  Simply stop by Toy Book’s booth at the Javits with your 140 characters and the editors will tweet it out.  Social media made even easier.  You can read all the tweets from the show at #toyfair.

Looking at the appointment schedules our teams booked up for clients, it was striking just how many more bloggers made it to the show this year.  That added some welcomed immediacy and a real-parent perspective to the Toy Fair news stream.  (Love to read your post if you want to leave a link here.)

And here’s one of my favorite Toy Fair images - one that caught the attention of FOX Busiiness – the New York City skyline sculpted out of Bendaroos (a 360 client):

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Events and Conferences, Industry Organizations, PR Industry, Retail by LauraTomasetti - 4 Comments →

Still aglow from pumpkin carving, indulging our inner monster and overindulging on mini-sized candy bars, the 360 Digital Team took a look at how brands competed for our affection by getting into the Halloween spirit. Just as costume couture has great range, so did these promotions: some were cute, some clever, some cool and hip, and of course some downright scary. In no particular, our four faves and the lessons we learned.

Taco Bell

Taco Bell is a brand that is not afraid to try new tricks. To scare up customer interest on Halloween (which nicely fell on the same day as the World Series), they treated fans across America to free Black Jack Tacos after 6 PM. To promote the giveaway, they ran 15-second spots on TV and promoted the giveaway on Facebook as “It’s not our trick. It’s our treat” (as an aside, they have 652,000 fans). Taco Bell fans got into the spirit of things, even posting photos of themselves dressed as hot sauce packets and tacos. The company hasn’t yet reported the sales that were driven by this brand stunt, but seeing how their Liberty Bell stunt (they announced that Taco Bell had purchased the Liberty Bell) lifted revenue by $600,000 in one day, I’m sure it was a good holiday for the chain. By the way, does anyone share my interest in knowing what ingredients make the taco shells this dark shade of black?

Category: Edgy
Lesson Learned: It pays to be generous and to not take yourself too seriously.
Link: http://www.facebook.com/tacobell?v=app_2344061033

Foo Fighters

The Foo Fighters jumped right into the Halloween Festivities and performed a free, live concert on Facebook on October 30 from their Studio 606 complex in California. They used the same Livestream technology that was used for CNN’s live stream of Barack Obama’s inauguration. Earlier this month, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and his group “Them Crooked Vultures” released their new single on Facebook.  The facebook concert was a great treat for fans and good trick by the Foo Fighters. What was especially neat was seeing fans of the band connecting from across the world. While performing, band members were paying attention to the stream of status updates, responding to comments, and even taking song requests from fans! I couldn’t help but notice that their fan base on facebook increased considerably over the last week. They also had 17,000 confirmed guests and 1,700 wall posts. Talk about engaging with your fans! Coincidence that they are releasing their greatest hits compilation later this month? I think not.

Category: Cool
Lesson: There is an undeniable trend of live events moving online. You can reach a significant online audience and the costs are low. There is something to be said for thinking big online.
Link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=317195110480

Target

A brand with nearly 600,000 fans on Facebook and such panache for design found a clever way to use Halloween to create consumer engagement AND drive sales. They created a dedicated “Halloween” tab on their facebook page.  Click on it and you land on Target’s Halloween Horroscope page, featuring the cute skeleton animals from “skelanimals,” which just happens to be a cutting edge line of junior apparel sold only at Target under the tag line  ”Dead animals need love too.” Answer three quick questions and either the dead dog, cat, bat or spider spits out your horrorscope.  Seems my sign was “Scaries” and like “Dax” the dead dog, I am dying to keep the party alive. I was prompted to click on “my costume in the stars,” and up popped an awesome “Go Go Dress” costume, which I could instantly buy for $38.99 or I could browse the other 5000 costumes for purchase.

Category: Sassy
Lesson: Creativity works, and you CAN engage customers and drive brand sales in one fell swoop online.
Link: http://www.facebook.com/target#/target?v=app_149255152302

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal

If you really like to marinate in Halloween, then you probably know that rival theme parks Busch Gardens and Universal make recreation out of seeing who can send the biggest chill up the spines of their guests.  This year, in addition to the haunted houses, the entertainment team at Universal stole the honors with the idea of taking Horror previously only seen on the silver screen and bringing it to life – we’re talking really really scary flicks like Wolfman, Saw, Chucky and Fangoria. The event created major buzz with a super scary website (you hear the hum of a chainsaw in the background the whole time), and an app called “mobile terror” that gave fans updates (aka built buzz) prior to arrival, and offered trivia and wait times for haunted houses while at the event! (aka good customer service) If you couldn’t get to the event, you could enjoy one of the nine terrifying videos on the Hallowen Horror Nights facebook. For the first time ever, Universal also offered their Twitter followers “behind the scenes” access with their top Creative Director revealing exclusive information and tweeting a running creative chronicle of the celebrated event’s design, casting and production.

Category: Terrifyingly good
Lesson: Buzzworthy events with huge fan bases are an ideal fit for social media. And, if you’re going to look for inspiration for a marketing idea, why not borrow from popular culture.
Link: http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/orlando/

Filed under: Retail, Social Media by Admin - 6 Comments →

Last week, I traveled down to New York for the Gift Guide Show Media Event put on by Propel Media Events.  Editors from some of the top national consumer outlets were out in full-force with eager eyes looking to identify the “latest and greatest” gift ideas for the upcoming holiday season.

While “value” was the name of the game for most media in attendance, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that higher price tags did not necessarily turn-off the media.  This left me wondering – is the recession coming to an end?

Just one year ago it seemed like a gift suggestion of more than $100 was practically a lost cause. But now, perhaps, consumers are ready to push through all of the doom and gloom that the recession has reaped.  In fact, consumer confidence appears to be on the rise – USA Today recently reported that consumer confidence in the month of May is the highest it has been since September 2008!

While we are definitely not out of the recession completely, the good news is that our moods are lifting and consumer goods companies have a positive outlook towards a boost in holiday sales in 2009 – and we as publicists can help keep the positivity coming.

Filed under: Events and Conferences, PR Industry, Retail by Admin - 1 Comment →