Posts Tagged ‘Social Media’

A Brit’s Take on the Super Bowl.

February 10th, 2012 | Posted By admin

I’ve always felt like I’ve had some kind of damaged central nervous system, I’m not sure what the issue is, but somewhere between my eyes and my hands there is a problem.

Everywhere from sitting in corporate boxes at the Rugby world cup in France to crowded pubs in London watching England in the vital stages of the World Cup, each time a goal is scored, the reflex action of punching the air, jumping for joy and yelling just doesn’t quite happen for me, I do well to muster a smile. The thing is I just don’t care.

It’s not that I don’t love sports. I thrive on playing them. I just don’t get supporting it, I don’t have that urge. Supporting individuals makes a little more sense to me, they are people, and they do have personalities, backgrounds and thus are somehow relatable. I can see how the stories of someone like the Golfer John Daly, make me feel a certain fondness and if say Roger Federer went to my school again it would make sense. But not teams, and least of all teams that have no obvious connection to each other or me.

It’s for these reason I was a bit reluctant to watch the Super Bowl with a big group of people. I thought my muted chants and my badly timed and apathetic cheers would make me stick out a bit, I was worried about feeling awkward (a permanent English fear). So we decided to watch it at home, on a pleasantly large American sized TV and with the sound up so I could try to understand what was happening.

Within minutes I loved it, the MASSIVE ads, the big sound, the amazing stadium, even across the country, in the heat and sunshine of LA I felt transported to the seats of the Lucas Oil Stadium. A few minutes in and I was both transfixed but also roused into strong support of my now beloved New York Giants.

The quarters went on, points were scored and by the end of the game my voice was hoarse with support and I was thrilled by the win.

I have no idea what happened, but I loved it. I am not sure why but here are some thoughts.

The game seems more approachable, accessible and open than Football in the UK. I had no idea of the rules but it seems like I was not the only one. It seemed more like a tide of enthusiasm and energy engulfed everyone. Knowing how points were scored or what offside meant seemed like a bit of distraction from the real fun of big ads, big hits, big music.

In fact, at times the game seemed irrelevant, and was more about the joy of consumerism and sponsorship and humor. Even when the teams won, the first focus of the interviewer seemed the owners and not the actual players.

A lot of fun, at this rate my ability to celebrate may develop. Bring on the basketball matches – I think New York has a team—and maybe my once incurable lacking of the celebratory nerve may be cured all thanks to sponsorship, family fun, good ads and an excuse to cheer, eat and be merry.

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DeVries Forecasts 2012 Trends

January 17th, 2012 | Posted By Cassie Boorn

The New Year is the perfect time to start thinking about trends and technologies that will build momentum in the coming year. We tapped our Creative and Strategic planning team here at DeVries, and asked what trends they think will shape the digital and creative landscape in 2012:

Timeline in the Spotlight
The cottage industry forming around Facebook Timeline will continue to evolve, creating fertile new territory for brands and organizations. Timeline already serves as inspiration for a chilling drug awareness PSA, clever business card offering and several profile customization services. Expect to see Timeline-fueled creativity explode in 2012, for brands and individuals alike.
–Stephanie Smirnov, President and Chief Creative Officer

Unplugging and Technology Breaks
We are seeing a movement towards unplugging and taking necessary breaks from some of the social media overload and technology that has consumed people over the past few years. No longer are we dying to be connected 24/7. Hotels are offering “breaks from technology” as a coveted feature to entice travelers to book retreats at their properties. Groups of friends going out to dinner are stacking their phones on the table throughout the meal, with the person who checks their phone first to be punished by paying the entire tab. Scaling back, simplifying, and getting back to basics is going to be big in 2012.
–Amy Schoenberger, Social Media Specialist

The Facebook Slump
Although the number of Facebook users continues to grow, I predict that in 2012 younger, influential consumers will spend less time there, flocking to social media sites that let them share their content and experiences seamlessly and more creatively. With almost 12 million users on Instagram, Foursquare at 10 million strong and networks like Pinterest attracting 31 million views per month, there is growing proof that consumers are yearning for social experiences outside of Facebook. With the well documented unplugging trend that Amy notes, consumers are not likely just adding these networks to their repertoire of platforms, they will actually start replacing their Facebook time with them.
–Adrianna Giuliani, SVP, Creative and Strategic Planning

Creativity Explosion
2012 is the year that we will witness new heights of creativity on the web. After seeing so much growth in user generated content, we are now going to witness a shift from people creating their own, to simply curating what they find to be interesting. And because it’s so hard to get noticed, only those really dedicated to creativity and those with talent will continue to create and innovate. That’s why tools like tumblr and pinterest have been so popular lately. They help us sift through hoards of fascinating content, images, art, photos etc and simply share what we like. As a result so much creativity will bubble up to the top!
–Andy Amendola, Director of Digital

Email to Snail Mail
We send so many emails each day that people are craving a more personalized way to connect with friends and family. This year we have seen an explosion of branded campaigns and services that turn digital products into physical mail—from the Heinz personalized Get Well Soup Cans to Postcardly, a service that turns emails into real postcards and mails them out for you. I think, in 2012, we will continue to see the desire for physical mail and personalized products surge.
–Cassie Boorn, Social Media Coordinator

Now that we have shared our predictions, what do you foresee happening in 2012?

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Cause Marketing: Is Bigger Necessarily Better

December 19th, 2011 | Posted By Amy Schoenberger

So, I kind of lead a double life. By day, I do PR for one of the largest brands in the world. By night, I run the New York board of a small charity that came into existence a few short years ago.

You’ve probably heard of Tide. You probably do your laundry with it. What you might not know is that Tide has an amazing program called Loads of Hope, which provides clean clothes to families who have been affected by disaster.

About four years ago, I found out about a nonprofit organization called Nest that provides loans to women artisans in developing countries. I loved the idea, and about one year and a trip to Guatemala later; I had taken on the role as president of the NYC board.

What’s most interesting is that even though these programs are so drastically different, a lot of the principles in how to create a successful cause marketing campaign are the same. Here are a few of the things I’ve learned by working simultaneously on cause marketing efforts for projects big and small:

Make the Most of the Resources You Have:

With Tide, we are backed by a large company that invests wisely in its marketing efforts. There are dedicated teams of people at top creative agencies whose full time jobs are to come up with ideas and ways to turn those ideas into actual programs.

With a small nonprofit, you are most likely dealing with a minimal to nonexistent budget. If a nonprofit is fortunate enough to have one or more full time staff members, they most likely have to spend their time courting big donors and thinking of new ways to fundraise before they can turn their focus to marketing. Nest, with only two full time staffers, has to rely on their network of hundreds of volunteers across the country, most with demanding full time jobs who can only help with Nest in their limited free time.

Get Creative:

With a well known program like Loads of Hope, trying to come up with new ideas and to make such an established program feel fresh can be difficult at times. Yes, we are always going to different disasters and it’ll always be local news to the residents of the affected area, but in terms of the bigger picture, what can we do to engage more people around the country in our cause?

On the contrary, with the rapidly growing nature of Nest, new news is constantly pouring in. Between new partnerships with retailers, new loan recipients and events happening in each city, we’re flooded with information. The challenge here is how to choose what people outside the organization will find interesting. We’re often sifting through the clutter and determining what the most important news is and how to use it in a way that will get our target consumers involved.

Keep the Focus on the Mission:

The one thing that remains constant in my work on both Tide and with Nest is the bottom line. Both programs have a very clear mission-to help people. Whether sitting in a woman’s home with her children in Morocco or standing in the freezing cold by the Tide Loads of Hope truck in Fargo, North Dakota with a man whose home was destroyed, it’s the people who keep us all inspired to continue doing what we do.

What do you think? Would you rather work for a big brand’s cause or a small nonprofit? Share your thoughts below.

Amy Schoenberger is a Senior Account Executive on the Tide account at DeVries.

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On Our Radar.

August 19th, 2011 | Posted By Cassie Boorn

Each Friday we work hard to bring together the hottest topics in the world of PR, media, marketing, and pop culture. The best finds on the Web are contributed by different members of the agency and brought together to create a list of must-see topics. This week’s links were brought to you by our Senior Account Executive Jessie duPont and myself.

In the past year the ability to add QR codes into your advertisments and events has become a really popular tactic. Brands began adding QR codes to advertisements, event sponsorships and more. This week Mashable published an article giving tips and ideas for successful ways you can use QR codes in your marketing.

Every week we see new and innovative ways that brands are using social media. This week Starbucks announced a program in which consumers can rally to have the popular Pumpkin Spice latte come to their city first. The creative community in New York came together to launch a project that will bring the stories of everyday New Yorkers to life.

Last year a few brands began using the popular blogging platform Tumblr as a way to share information with consumers. There was a ton of buzz around successful ways that brands were using Tumblr and this year even more brands have joined the bandwagon. Mashable published an article this week showcasing Tumblr Marketing and how you can know when your brand is ready for their own blog.

Events have always been a big part of the PR world. Whether you are hosting a press event, sponsoring a conference, or inviting people to a tweet-up, organizing events is part of the job. Luckily, we have been able to streamline the event organizing process by leveraging many of the digital tools created for event planning. This week Bing launched a new tool that will help you invite people, organize RSVP lists and make your event flow even smoother.

If you are around the city this weekend and looking for a family friendly event join one of our clients over at Summer Streets and say hello!

Cassie Boorn is the Social Media Coordinator at DeVries. You can also find her writing regularly at her personal blog.

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A PR Pro’s Guide to Surviving BlogHer

August 2nd, 2011 | Posted By Cassie Boorn

If you spend any time at all in the women’s blogging space I am sure you know that women from across the country will be coming together for the annual BlogHer conference this week. Each year BlogHer grows a little bit bigger and this year 3500 women will be gathering together in San Diego.

This will be my third BlogHer and this year I will be attending BlogHer for business so in typical BlogHer fashion, I wanted to put together a “Getting Ready for BlogHer—PR style” post.

When you have three days to build relationships and connect with as many people as possible it helps to go in with a few tips to be effective.

1. Know your purpose before showing up

Time is limited at BlogHer so it helps to go in with some basic goals. Maybe you are looking for people to add to your next Blogger brigade or to connect with moms in a certain demographic? There are tons of parties and meet-ups so knowing what or who you are looking for before you get there can help you figure out where you need to be.

2. Find your people before you arrive

With three-thousand women in one place it is impossible to make connections with them all. Choose specific women you would like to meet or types of bloggers you are interested in working with and seek those connections out beforehand. This will help you know where you need to be and make introducing yourself a little easier.

3. Be transparent about your goals

Many bloggers go to conferences to connect with brands and find new ways to work with the companies that they like. Because of this bloggers will have questions about what your goals are, who you are looking to work with and how they can help. Don’t be afraid to let them know what projects you have coming up and what you are looking to do.

4. Be open minded (and kind)

Following up on being transparent—every blogger works differently and has different opinions on how brands should work with bloggers. You can gain a ton of insight on how bloggers perceive your plans and what you can change to be successful. When sharing ideas and goals be open minded and listen to their feedback and suggestions.

5. Have a follow up plan

After the number of parties, panels and meet-ups you will need about a week to recuperate from BlogHer. You may not remember what conversations you had with whom at each party in a week. Take notes about the people you meet and create a plan to follow up.

I will be spending most of the weekend at the P&G house in the expo center so stop by and say hello!

Cassie Boorn is the Social Media Coordinator at DeVries. You can also find her writing regularly at her personal blog.

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On Our Radar.

July 29th, 2011 | Posted By Cassie Boorn

In the past week we saw traditional media and social media come together with the Lucky Magazine Collective. Lucky Magazine has partnered with a group of highly influential fashion bloggers in a partnership that will create content for Lucky Magazine while providing income and special opportunities for the bloggers. We have seen a number of outlets creating blogger partnerships and this seems to be a win-win for all parties involved.

How much is a Facebook fan worth? This is a question that seems to be on everyone’s mind lately. Ad Age released a great article stating that a Facebook Fans worth depends on their number of friends.

Next week is the annual BlogHer conference where three-thousand women bloggers will come together in San Diego. If you are attending the conference make sure you grab the BlogHer ’11 I-phone app that was just released. This app is a great way to manage your conference schedule and where you need to be throughout the weekend.

When Google+ launched there was lots of buzz happening around how that community would grow and what it would look like. This week Mashable pulled together a great analysis of what is happening on Google+ one month after its launch. If you’re using Google+ to connect with writers and journalists Mashable pulled together how you can connect with Mashable employees on this new social network.

Twitter announced this week that it would be pushing ads into user’s timelines. Everyone is wondering how much this will affect how people use Twitter. Ad Age published a great article talking about what changes we will see.

Have a great weekend!

Cassie Boorn is the Social Media Coordinator at DeVries. You can also find her writing regularly at her personal blog.

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There are some great beauty tips being shared at our #client #039;s event today, follow the conversation at #PGVisionhouse and via @PGBeauty
2012-10-10
Here's some exciting news! We're crossing the pond: "DeVries creates London office after merging with IPG's @SlamPR" http://t.co/iZGTORRE
2012-10-08

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Posts Tagged ‘Social Media’

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