Facebook Places and Advertising

I am liking the integration between social media and advertising for Cheryl Cole's new album launch - Messy Little Raindrops. The outdoor UK-based campaign encourages fans to 'check in' to her Facebook page for a chance to win two free tickets (plus travel and hotel) to one of her X Factor shows.

Mediacom and Polydor Records have done a great job - not only will they boost her online following but they will also get some informed data on which billboards are most effective.

Ted Baker London's twitter experiment

Really looking forward to taking a look at Ted Baker London's twitter experiment - agree with the team @mashable - looks like a very clever promotion!

At 6 p.m (GMT) today, Ted Baker London will open the first live, Twitter-operated styling studio where a selection fashion bloggers will use a live video stream and Twitter to direct hair stylists, makeup artists, runners and models to create a number of different looks from 450 pieces of Ted Baker’s Autumn/Winter 2010 collection.

If you fancy following the styling session live on takeonted.com and on Twitter by following @ted_baker.

Want to take part? Tweet your own styling suggestions with the hashtag #takeonted. The best ideas, the company promises, will have a chance of winning a prize.

Mummy Bloggers and their role in PR

What motivates mummy bloggers – why do they blog? What do they get out of it?

Mummy bloggers are motivated by many different things. However friendship, unity and the notion of sharing are probably the most motivating factors for them. The internet has opened up a whole new world for parents and the raft of online communities now available helps lessen the isolation that some people feel while spending more time at home. Mummy bloggers write about everything from serious subjects such as post-natal depression and the challenges of raising a child with autism or merely sharing their favourite cup cake recipes. By being able to speak to others who are going through similar experiences, mummy bloggers are able to get the reassurance and social interaction they seek.

In what circumstances would you target a mummy blogger – what is their use to PR agencies?

Newspapers and magazines have always featured parenting columns but the growth of social media and online communities has meant that the dialogue has now become two-way. As a result, many more people can get involved in the conversation. So, from a PR perspective where we would have targeted features editors or columnists in the past to raise brand and product awareness, we now talk to mummy bloggers too. They have become very influential and are increasingly playing a larger role in product launches and product development. We would treat them the same way as we would a journalist by inviting them to launch events or sending them products to review. Mummy bloggers are a massively influential group who can help get your message out to a well targeted audience.
How you would target a mummy blogger – what have you found works well, and what should PR professionals avoid?

The biggest mistake a PR could make when trying to work with mummy bloggers is looking at them as a channel for mass communication and trying to target them as a whole. It is really important to find out as much as you possible can about each individual blogger that you want to engage with and tailor your approach accordingly. The best way to do this is to actually read their blogs – sounds obvious but many people still do not practice this common courtesy and look at mummy bloggers as merely a means to get their messages or products out. Once you have done your research you will have a greater understanding of what they are like and what resonates with them. Not every mummy blogger will be interested in what your client is selling so don’t think that you can ‘buy’ them. The best way to communicate with mummy bloggers is to be honest from the outset about what you are trying to achieve, take an interest in what they are doing online and engage with them. Direct them to information that helps them in their own blogging and build a two-way relationship. Keep in touch with them and ensure they have everything they need – in the same way that you would a journalist.

@lyannatsakiris

Skoda's Social Experiment

Skoda Social Experiment: The more you like on Facebook, the less you pay

We have seen some very clever things on Facebook by Skoda Belgium recently. Their current‘Generous Skoda’ Facebook campaign which is supported by a microsite utilises group buying power to drive fan growth and brand awareness.

Essentially for every Facebook ‘Like’ the campaign gets, the price of the Skoda Fabia drops by 2 euros making it a compelling shareable idea – upon liking you are encouraged to invite more friends in the interest of driving the price down.

This simple yet powerful idea makes great use of Facebook’s functionality and appears to be the first time that a brand has attributed a monetary value to this feature. The only catch with this campaign is that only one fan will get the car at the ‘Facebook Price’.

So what next? Although this campaign has clearly had a great impact so far on brand awareness/generating fans, it will be interesting to see if this concept will be taken on as part of a longer term campaign to reward fans with the ‘Facebook Price’ on a regular basis.

Is there such a thing as PR anymore dahlink?

So much more than PR
Times they are a changing… if you asked me a few years ago what I did for a living. I would have said I’m in PR. Ask me today and you’ll get a different answer.

So what do I do today? I work in communications.

It’s not just the old PR vs. marketing debate but with online/digital having entered the arena I believe that for quite some time now there is a bigger, better industry that has been bubbling away, growing and refining itself. Yes – communications. Forgive me if I am stating the obvious but have talked about this at length with colleagues and other industry professionals and I don’t know that everyone can see it as clearly as maybe I do. I suppose it’s a bit like the EU debate. Some want to be part of it (and are), some will not and still see themselves as individual member states and others will be in it to make the most of the benefits.

Integration and understanding are key
Ultimately for me communications is about understanding and engaging with people in the most appropriate way and thus finding the right solution for the client. Many people are still trying to fit a square peg into a round hole and it’s not just wrong in an ethical sense but it’s a big waste of time for everyone involved. People who do this are just setting themselves up for a big #FAIL.

Don’t get me wrong, I think there will always be a need for expertise in different areas of the traditional marketing mix, however I think that the future holds integration and collaboration for PRs and marketers, a place where people allow themselves to see the bigger picture, doing away with tunnel vision and having the courage to admit that there is not always one solution.

So do you see yourself as a member state or will you embrace integration?

To blog or not to blog?

I’ve been mulling it over for a while and I feel it’s time to bite the bullet and start the blog that I have been threatening to begin for months (maybe even years!).

I live and breathe communications. Whether it’s catching up with my mum on the phone, advising clients on integrated comms strategies or keeping in touch with my mates on social media sites - I am constantly communicating with someone in some shape or form. So why does it feel so alien sitting here writing this? I write for a living you see – from features on BREEAM excellent-rated buildings, newsletters on what’s hot and what’s not in the fashion world this season, to pieces on the benefits of organic milk. Yet, there is something quite unnerving about sitting down in front of my laptop sharing my thoughts in cyberspace.

I’ll keep this short and hopefully find something other than myself to write about next time (we PRs do love to talk about ourselves – if you are a PR reading this I know you are smiling because you know it’s true even if you don’t admit it!).

I am sensing that there will be something quite cathartic about pressing the ‘publish post’ button shortly.

Take care out there!