Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles

Another Page Turns in the Facebook

The significant upgrade to the online social networking site Facebook that was launched today is somewhat of a sentimental milestone for me, if you would.  I’ve felt a part of Facebook’s growth as one of the first hundred thousand people to be invited though the pearly gates of procrastinator's heaven. That’s right; access was invitation-only, based on your school’s involvement with the site. I remember it being a status symbol of sorts if ones alma mater granted access to a Facebook profile.  

Over a period of time that I’m officially labeling "Facebook Adolescence," Facebook grew by imitating its peers, much like a teenager would, and took on its competitor's best qualities. Facebook emulated Friendfeed and Twitter by adding features that allowed users to mini-blog with both the status and the feed features. From Myspace they grabbed personalization options and top friend features.

It wasn’t until more recently that the appworld came about with countless third-party-created mini-programs invading the online homes of so many facebook profiles. Programs did anything from track ones hottest friends in a network voting contest, to qualifying one's undying devotion to a sports team.  In my opinion, this addition has created the most unwanted change to the site. I'm prompted to label this time for Facebook as "The College Years" because of the numerous casual, careless "flings" Facebook had with third party applications.  I avoid certain friend's profiles due to their uninhibited use of applications that subsequently clutter their profile.  It can take more than a few minutes just to find their wall! (see: right snapshot of one of those friend's app icons)

Fortunately the days of wall searching are nearing an end. The new design, launched today, targets site organization. The noise created from Apps has been replaced with a more organized layout. The once prominent “wall” has made its way back to the spotlight.  It seems Facebook is attempting to recall the basic layout that awarded it so much of its initial success.

Incidentally, in the un-cluttering attempt, the order of the Apps appearing on ones homepage gets shuffled around; ridding the reliability of placement and publicity for developers.  Before now, recently added Apps were the most prominently displayed on the profile. However, applications have now received “bookmarks” and have a new coveted home page spot.  

The more widespread design also opens up the text and allows a better focus on inline advertisements in the news feed.  That’s not the only advertising perk this upgrade has to offer. Facebook is now able to include the popular 300x250 ad unit, whereas before, FB could only use the odd size of 120x600. Good news for advertisers, great news for Facebook profit margins.

The new “facelift” is expected to be phased into existence over the next few weeks.  Users will be able to test out new features before the upgrade is made permanent. It’s safe to say Facebook has graduated into the real world and will have increased relevance in the years to come.

*Photo Credit: Insidefacebook.com 

Getting motivated to lose weight is the easy part but remaining inspired to stay the course is tough. We're inundated with opportunities to go on a diet vs. a lifestyle change, try this fad weight loss plan or this fad workout and it's no wonder most of us fail. Two and half weeks ago I began working out everyday, something I've never done before. I know that in order to keep myself mentally motivated I needed to find a source of inspiration when that little voice fills me with doubt that I can't meet my weight loss goal. Then, out of the blue, Mark Salinas began following me on Twitter and I became inspired.

Read the complete post and interview on our Fitness PR blog.

It is always exciting to sign a new client. Signing a new client is a fresh start, a clean slate, your chance to make this new company your own – to make it successful! With high expectations from clients, delivering the best results is always our plan. However, from wanting consumer to trade, newspaper to broadcast, events to desksides - the full picture can often become overwhelming. It is important when signing a client to be honest. Honesty, from the beginning, will only help in the future. Never over promise results! Over promising can often times lead to a road of apologies.

As publicists, we aim to please our clients. Often to appease them, we jump at every chance and every idea they may have to keep them happy. It is important, however, to keep in mind the plan of attack, what is best for the client and what actions will bring your client the best results. Absolutely take into consideration their ideas and work them into your overall plan. Remember the golden phrase, “We will evaluate that opportunity and let you know how that fits into the overall strategy.” Keep in mind we are only publicists, we can’t give every client the world, but if we stick to the plan with a clear focus on the strategy that will deliver the best results, we can sure try.

As I near the 10-year mark in my career, I started thinking about how PR has changed since I began. It seems that with the advent and increased usage of email, less and less of us are picking up the phones and talking to reporters. I can almost hear my mentor’s shrill voice in my ear: “How can we be effective publicists with good media contacts if we don’t get on the phones?” I know many reporters and editors are now asking not to be contacted via the phone, but I think it’s because we’ve been breaking a few of their rules. 

When I started in PR, I worked at a small shop (read: boutique agency) for a man who still used a typewriter and owned one of the first Macs ever put into production (I am so serious). I didn’t even have an e-mail address because he didn’t understand why I needed it. This PR guru, who shall remain nameless (unless you know me personally – then you know exactly who I am talking about), taught me the art of pitching rather simply: he sat next to me with the phone on speaker until he was satisfied I could go at it alone. And honestly, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

In my left hand, I had an outline of what I wanted to convey to the reporter and in my right hand, a pencil (yes, I said a pencil) to track on my spreadsheet (so that’s why we had the one computer) the feedback I received from reporters as I delivered my pitch. He made a few calls that quickly demonstrated to me how to cold call a reporter, leave an effective message that would get a response, and deal with people who were nasty or hung up while he was mid-sentence. Then it was my turn. I had to make 150 calls for one client by noon – and it was already 10 a.m. – and I hadn’t started yet. Needless to say, I survived “pitching boot camp” and made all 150 calls by my noon deadline. I also survived every reporter (nice, nasty and in between) on that list – I went from a Nervous Nelly to a Knowledgeable Novice in two hours.

I get it. The hardest part is that first phone call – especially with someone sitting right next to you judging you, but YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE FIRST STEP! Reporters are people too and they need leads as much as we need placements. They may not always be nice, but just remember these simple rules and you too will be able to sharpen your pitching skills and develop lasting relationships with the media...

Continue reading "F-O-N-E: The New Four-Letter Word in PR" »

Tags: Fashion PR

Those of us in PR have all heard the chatter that print publications are a dying breed. Today another print publication, Quick & Simple, announced that at the end of this month it will only be found online. With so many people turning to digital media for their news and seeing more cut backs in newsrooms everywhere (ie. The LA Times) I wanted to get the perspective from one of the top dailies, The Philadelphia Inquirer, with its Executive Editor Chris Krewson, weighing in the state of newspaper publications.

Shannon: As an editor in the newspaper industry, what is the general feeling about more publications abandoning print and strictly going online?

Chris Krewson: I’m 31 years old – so I’m hardly the typical newspaper editor. When I speak to college or high school students, or young professionals in urban areas, they don’t “use” the daily newspaper. They don’t subscribe to it, don’t read it (much less every day) – but they ARE familiar with our brand, our name. Where we wind up engaging the bulk of them is on our Web site –philly.com – or they getting Inquirer content through other means (sharing it with emails, finding it on Digg or Reddit or StumbleUpon, clicking links other people post on Facebook, following us on Twitter, etc.). Now, people are using this content differently than they’re using the printed paper – they’re looking at our Web products for shorter periods of time, generally during the business day, instead of first thing in the morning.

Bottom line, I think printed newspapers will be part of the future – but I don’t think paid circulation is a sustainable business model, long-term. I think free newspapers disseminated at public transit stops that are derived from news and information first published digitally in a constantly updated, robust, multimedia platform that has arms online, on mobile, in video on demand, on Kindles, etc makes more sense.

Shannon: Have you found at the Philadelphia Inquirer that more of the job requirements of the editors is to be familiar with html and SEO skills?

Chris Krewson: We’ve had training to show everyone who writes headlines why print label heads don’t work with Google. For instance, “Sacred Ground” standing by itself on a Web page tells you (and search engines!) nothing, while in our Magazine section the presentation of that and a subhead (‘Beneath Independence Mall, story of early free black America’) gives our print readers every indication of what they’re about to read. Now, every copy editor writes a separate headline for the Web that works in that medium. HTML is not a common skill we teach in the newsroom – but we’re training all our graphic artists in Flash and CSS, so they can more effectively present their work on the Web.

Continue reading "Are Newspapers Dying? Chris Krewson, Executive Editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer Weighs In" »

The FDA has approved another dermal filler to be used in the US market. Evolence is a collagen-based injectable meant to correct moderate to deep wrinkles and folds. According to Evolence, because it is a natural collagen filler, your skin will look and feel more natural. Evolence is also said to last up to 6 months. With the release of this news, I decided to go to leading Dermatologist, Dr. Jeffery Benabio to get some insight as to how Evolence compares to other dermal fillers currently on the market.

To read the complete post, visit our Beauty PR blog Beauty Pro. 

In a time when you can find a counterfeit handbag from every major fashion brand on the street corners of New York, it's not surprising that those same handbags have made their way onto eBay. Then there are those who know people will pay top dollar for luxury beauty and accessories that set up shop with the giant of internet shopping, but now due to a landmark ruling in favor of Louis Vuitton, those days may be numbered.

Louis Vuitton recently sued eBay for allowing counterfeit merchandise to be sold, as well as, genuine products to be sold outside of their retail chains. LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton won $63.2 million dollars in the ruling and eBay has to stop selling their products and fragrances or receive daily fines.

So what will happen next? How will eBay counteract this negative publicity? Surely we'd be ignorant to think that Vuitton will be the first and last company to sue eBay. I suspect there will be a lot of reorganization to how eBay operates in order to avoid lawsuits like this one going forward. What do you think?

*Source: WWD

Most companies, like our own, often take the personality behind the company and turn it into the trademark name. There's definitely a positive with this as the person and company are always heavily associated with each other and can accumulate a good amount of press. However, in this day and age of sell-offs and acquisitions, it can also mean that you can lose your "identity" when you no longer have rights to your own name.

Michael Lechter from Inc. Magazine's blog wrote a really great post on this very topic when he recently covered the story of Joseph Abboud. It reminds us all that anyone can lose the benefit of their reputation: Sorry, but Your Name is Mine--How Joseph Abboud Lost His Name.