Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

When a company has set a goal and constructed a strategy around achieving that goal, if a new marketing effort does not help the company achieve that goal, don’t do it. I have experienced this too often in my public relations experience. Frequently businesses want to put out a release or do a promotion, and I ask, “Why? Will this achieve your goal? Will this sell more products, increase visibility, or achieve brand awareness?” Too often the answer is no and these marketing efforts are superfluous and the “why” is not communicated effectively.

Dear Beauty & Fashion Bloggers,

Pierce Mattie PR has worked hard over the last five years to develop unique expertise in beauty, fashion and jewelry communications. We have long recognized the importance and potential of new media, and in 2002 we were one of the first PR firms in our media beat category to launch a blog and begin blogging. We have the highest respect for bloggers and their work, and we treat bloggers with the same attention and respect we have for editors from top print publications.

Last night, Jackie Danicki posted on her blog, Jack & Hill, a piece about Pierce Mattie PR “spamming” other blogs. Please be assured that it is not the policy of Pierce Mattie PR to “spam” blogs (or spam anyone else, for that matter). However, although we were taken aback by Jackie’s ill-informed post, we want to acknowledge some recent missteps on our part that may have led to a misunderstanding about the matter.

A bit of history first. From 2002 to 2004, only two people at Pierce Mattie PR – Pierce and I – were permitted to post on the Pierce Mattie PR blog. By 2005, however, we took note of the increasing importance of blogging to the public relations industry and began encouraging all of our brand advocates to submit blog posts. This eventually turned into a requirement that each brand advocate submit at least one blog entry per week. The project has been unequivocally successful: brand advocates are pushed to think creatively and they take pride in their submissions, and our increased profile has been great for the firm and our clients. Although our firm’s policy requires blog entries to be approved before they are posted, we encourage our brand advocates to push the envelope with their posts and we give them a large degree of freedom and license.

Here is the first segment of the Fashion and Beauty Bloggers Event. Unfortunately we had to brake it up into a ten-pack, 10 min segments because of the YouTube file size requierments. If you want to automatically be notified when we post the rest of the segments just subscribe to our YouTube channel. In this segment you will find:

- Introduction to Host and guest speakers - How did the the fashion and beauty blog community of 180 industry blogs start? - Who are the bloggers in the community? - Treating bloggers with the same respect as journalists and editors and what bloggers should do to earn that respect when a blogger has no formal journalism training or experience working with publicists. - The basics, fact checking - RSS feeds make it hard to retract bad facts in posts - The value to a blogger working with a publicist

We invite you to join the discussion on the site and participate in educating bloggers and publicists on how to work together professionally, ethically and effectively in this "new" publishing platform. Get more information at on the Public Relations Roundtable website.

Other links: Flickr | Myspace | YouTube |

Interesting interview with Cathy Horyn of the New York Times. Cathy shares Julie Fredrickson's viewpoint on the need to take bloggers seriosly. Also discussed, Cathy's take on personally blogging and the "imaginary" conflict that some luxury brands feel when it comes to blogging about luxury. I'm sure if Billy Daily was still working at KCD he would have let Julie from Coutorure Media in to see the Mark Jacobs show at the Spring collections fashion week. Other sources for coverage are: New York Magazine, Fashion Week Live website, with coverage by Lauren Ezersky

We already use bacteria to inject under the skin to get rid of laff-lines. Why do we love these wrinkel creating viral videos so much? "Ugly" men get "hot chicks" when they have a good sense of humor. The message, subliminal or viral, does seem to go down easyer with humor as a chaser. Viral videos are everywhere. It’s hard to escape the swarm of links I get from friends, family and colleges. These free, interesting and sometimes amusing videos spread over the Internet in almost pandemic speed. I have to admit, I've been guilty of forwarding them on to others when the clip makes me giggle (like a school girl) or those I find clever enough. Not all videos are truly viral marketing. In fact, most clips are just creative expressions, which entertain. Obviosly where ever you have an audience and peer-to-peer networks your going to find marketers trying to relate and persuade and advertise.

Here are a few videos, can you spot which one is viral and which are just entertaining?

Treadmill Fitness Equiptment Viral Or Music Video?

Last night I was watching the classic “Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead” starring Christina Applegate and I realized she was the original Project Runway. Sue Ellen (Applegate) took staid and boring uniforms and turned them into high fashion taking a dying company and giving it new life. She had a rare moment in life where vision and opportunity allow for great achievement.

It got me thinking about innovation and how we see new businesses and new ideas and think, “Wow! That is innovative! Why didn’t I think of that?” We see businesses succeed every day because they tapped into a previously untapped market and have reaped the rewards. Whole Foods back in 1980 was just a natural food grocery in Austin, Texas looking to serve a niche market. Well that niche market grew and spread across the country and now Whole Foods has 187 stores nationwide.

Last week I was out for cocktails with a few other business owners in the service industry. One was a skin care manufacturer, the second was a clothing line designer and the third was the owner of a large fitness chain of health clubs.

We got into an in depth discussion about managing client relationships

We were discussing how to repair a client relationship where things have gone wrong, for example clients whose expectations are unrealistic, clients who are abusive towards the staff and those clients who for whatever reason have become dissatisfied with their service.

The Wall Street Journal had run an article on entrepreneurs a few years back where I was quoted by saying “My New Year’s resolution as a business owner is to only work with people, places and things I really care about and that respect my team, work and over-all business ethics.”

1. Choose clients carefully

4. Live Up To Your Own Standards. Give What You Expect, Set The Example.

If you have done all your work working with your clients and have defined what you can achieve and there are still insurmountable problems, then it is time to re-evaluate whether that client is appropriate to have.

About a month ago we had a client call the office and demand that I get on a conference call. The brand was new to the market, had very little distribution (only one salon in New York) and the consumer awareness was simply not there (she refused to do salon events with us). The owner had worked with two other PR firms before us (our biggest competitors) for about two years who both did not secure the regional and national glossy press that the client was looking for. We were given about 3 months to change her entire media platform and correct the damage that the other PR firms had done during the course of two years. Naturally I slipped off my dress shoes, undid my tie, sat back in my chair practiced my breathing exercises and then took her call.

Everyone wants to know what is going to be the "next" big thing. The idea that you will somehow be in the know before the guy sitting next to you is an incredibly tantalizing prospect. Fashion and beauty live for the thrill of the "next."

Of course, plenty of people claim to have their pulse on exactly what is happening in the here and now. Whole sites are dedicated to scoping out what is cool and happening. But in a world saturated by information it isn't surprising that it is nearly impossible for one individual person to keep up, no matter how good their taste.

One of the many intriguing realizations to come out of the Web 2.0 phenomenon is that we can harness the wisdom of many people such that we all derive benefit from our collective wisdom. Now us girls are certainly familiar with leveraging the wisdom of our girlfriends, mothers, and shopping buddies to make better style decisions so it should come as no surprise that we are equally willing to seek guidance from like minds no matter what their geographic origin.

Thus let me introduce you to ThisNext. Have a look at the ThisNext blog after you check out the site.

ThisNext is a shopcasting network where you can recommend, share and discover great products. ThisNext believes that better buying means better living. Great products can help us do, be and experience the things that make us happy. Our goal is to help people discover great and deeply gratifying products.

I have received fully six invitations to the Maja Ferme "Nymph" Fashion Show.

Normally I am pleased to have a publicist follow up on a subject. As a blogger and online fashion editor it helps to be reminded of new and interesting subjects as we new media types are often inundated with information making it quite possible that things slip through the cracks. In fact, more often than not publicists ignore the new media altogether.

But I admit I reached a certain point where I felt I had too much information on the Slovenian designer. I received email invitations, personal invitations, and invitations in the mail. Everyday it felt like I was being subtly reminded that I simply must RSVP to the "Nymph" showing. I have actually gotten to the point where I feel slightly guilty that I haven't followed up. Disregarding the fact that it said opportunity to buy clothing after the show in small type at the bottom of the invite as opposed to cocktail reception afterwards which is a sure way to turn off any editor, is it wise to so constantly assert your client to the press? When does it become too much?

I am sure there are many schools of thought on the issue and few publicists would argue that gaining maximum visibility for a client is a bad thing, but is there an ideal level of communication? In this particular case, Maja Ferme may have gotten her wish. I feel I simply must attend the event if her publicist made such an extreme effort to gain my attention. I only hope that there are cocktails afterward.

Strike Two for Edelman PR as Their Second Fake Wal-mart Blog is Revealed, via B.L. Ochman's What's Next blog

WallStrip, via Repliqa is a RocketBoom format web-show that profiles a different public company on the stock exchange every day .

Sofia Speaks The face (errrr cartoon illustration) of the Holy Mud Company rants about beauty, fashion, art, pop culture and...Politics!

Next Generation Insights (Young Adult Panel) The panel itself is informative, the technology (video tag) is cool too.

Get Out of Your Own Way at Work...
And Help Others Do the Same: Conquer Self-Defeating Behavior on the Job

A good book I would recommend to any manager in the PR industry. This follow-up to 1996's Get Out of Your Own Way diagnoses 40 business situations in which workers exhibit symptoms of self-defeating behavior, from "Not Being Able to Take No for an Answer" and "Being Competent but Out of Touch" to "Not Delegating" and "Assuming Others Understand You." Goulston's focus, however, is not on workplace effectiveness but on "earning self-esteem-and its twin sister, success." He devotes a chapter to each workplace issue: first, highlighting a case study that refers to a client from his consulting practice or, tangentially, to one of his hospital patients and, then, explaining how to remedy the behavior. In addition, each chapter is topped off with an aphoristic "Usable Insight" and a to-do list of "Action Steps." People are inclined to commit "hari-kari at work," Goulston says, because of "fearful aggression" and "fearful avoidance," two traits that he traces back to humans' "early-neural, unthinking, animal nature." While his insights are pedestrian-his advice can be boiled down to "be more self-aware"-the structure of the book makes it easy to cherry pick chapters that may apply to you.

Still warming up to Second Life? I am asked about it almost daily and wanted to get some basic info posted for those friends who read our blog consistently. Backstory is here. Follow the links.

New World Notes

From April 2003 to February 2006, I was a contract writer for Linden Lab, creators of Second Life, primarily hired by the company to cover SL as an embedded journalist in an emerging society-- its controversies, its personalities, its innovations and ambitions, along with larger themes of identity, social norms and organization, and cultural expression important to online worlds in general.

That contractual relationship has ended, but the story continues here. -Wagner James Au

Second Thoughts Do's and Dont's for Big Business.

"Every human being is interested in two kinds of worlds: the Primary, everyday world which he knows through his senses, and a Secondary world or worlds which he not only can create in his imagination, but which he cannot stop himself creating." W.H. Auden

Second Life Herald The Second Life Herald was founded on October 23, 2003, by philosophy professor Peter Ludlow. Its mission, as described the next day, was to observe, record and study "the legal, social, and economic implications" of life in the virtual world. Originally established as the Alphaville Herald and reporting for the most part on life on the Alphaville server of The Sims Online, the Herald soon branched out into coverage of other massively multiplayer online games and virtual worlds -- helped along by the murder of Herald publisher Urizenus (Ludlow's avatar) after Electronic Arts got wind of the stories the newspaper was printing about the scams and cyber-prostitution that were taking place within its game, and the company's indifference to reports of real-world violence.

Todays photo is from Patrick Marella. It's both cravable and breathtaking, reminds of growing up in Oregon, (Coos Bay) our high school track team would meet at 5AM to get a run in before first bell. Oregonians are big on running, Steve Prefontaine was from Coos Bay and of course Nike Global headquarters is located in the neighboring town of Beverton. Everything looks better in twilight. Think about it, all the coffee commercials that you've seen, they bask in twilight. Paris gets more twilight then any US city and It has been said lovers prefer twilight to daylight. Twilight represents hope, or if your a New Yorker you may think of the nightclub. But, I digress. New York is beautiful this time of year, thanks Patrick, for capturing so well a "feeling" I'm fond of. You can see more of his work on Flickr or JPG - The magazine of brave new photography.

• Communication Arts: This year’s interactive design winners were selected by our distinguished jury from a group of entries including Web sites, Kiosks, CD-ROM projects and PDA's.

• Strategic Public Relations: PR Industry: Improve Your Writing -Kevin Dugan

• Salon.com: Fake News, Fake Reporter: Why was a partisan hack, using an alias and with no journalism background, given repeated access to daily White House press briefings? -By Eric Boehlert

• Online Media Daily: Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Puts Edelman Public Relations on probation for creating fake Blogs (flogs) for client Walmart

• Customer Listening Blog: WOMMA Ethical Blogger Contact Guidelines: 10 Principles

Do you seem to be losing customers lately? Is your customer base and sales simply not increasing? Consumers are telling you all of the time what they want, but are you paying attention? Do you genuinely listen to what they want? Or do you feel comfortable with the way things are?

Here are five things that consumers want from a business both online and offline:

Funny when I was in Las Vegas this week for the ISPA show the taxi driver that picked me up was complaining on how the town was blowing things up. Little did I realize that it was the famous Stardust. The home of my favorite cheesy movie; Showgirls! As most hotels turn into resorts and expand their spas like Caesars Palace did this month with their new spa tower, the old players cannot keep up.

The Stardust, the neon-wrapped casino with a mobbed-up past whose 1,065 rooms once set the standard for size on the Las Vegas Strip, witnessed its last roll of the dice Wednesday.

Wistful longtime employees and loyal gamblers gathered for a last farewell to the iconic 48-year-old institution, which is to be razed early next year to make way for Boyd Gaming Corp.'s planned $4 billion Echelon Place resort.

The Stardust opened July 2, 1958, as the world's largest hotel and catered to middle America with $6-a-night rooms and low-minimum stakes gambling.

But as bigger, classier casinos sprung up around it in the late 1980s and '90s and patrons began shelling out more for rooms, food and drinks, its luster began to fade.

"I'm really going to miss this place," said Jimmy Kunihiro, a 60-year-old Honolulu resident, as he took a last pass at the craps table. "It's a home away from home."

I often get asked where my phone skills come from -- as a publicist, I can pitch over the phone like no one's business (toot-toot, goes my horn). Little do some know that I spent my senior year of high school as a telemarketer selling timeshares on the beach over the phone. Yes, in less than two minutes, I would talk, pitch, book and invite you to come to a new condo complex on the Gulf of Mexico to meet with a realtor. Today those phone skills are used daily and I encourage our team to "get on the phone." Email over the years has replaced the pitch calls.

However, trends come and go and this season, the phone will re-establish itself to become "the new email." This holiday season, the next marketing call consumers receive may not be from a credit card company or a politician. A growing number of apparel chains are making personal-sounding phone calls to tout sales events or the arrival of new merchandise, according to Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group Inc., a market research firm.

Automated calling services or store clerks who might otherwise be folding sweaters are dialing past customers - using phone numbers gleaned at the cash register - in an attempt to woo them back, he said. Some might even address the former customers by their first names to establish a kind of pseudo-familiarity. Cohen noted that the number of retailers vying for customers by phone has risen from about six to more than two dozen in the past year and a half. Chain stores such as Victoria's Secret, Limited Too and Lane Bryant started adopting the approach during the back-to-school period last year, he said.

Cohen said he expects a flurry of retailer calls after the holidays, when they will be trying to draw consumers into their stores to use gift certificates. "The bad news is the more stores that do this, the less effective this becomes" because customers may stop answering the phone or simply run out of money, Cohen said.

Although Blogging has been around for years, approaching Bloggers to review or pitch your products is fairly new and growing in momentum. If you are thinking of approaching a Blogger to review your products, there is a protocol that sometimes many companies do not invest their time to understand and follow.

As a beauty Blogger, I receive many emails on a weekly basis from companies and PR firms big and small to find out if I am interested in reviewing their products on my two beauty blogs. There are some that exude professionalism both in the way they approach me through their emails, through the way the package is sent and in their follow up. Then there are the mass emails, lack of PR materials with the product, presentation of the product and lack of follow up. The difference between the two potentially means your emails go in my trash folder.

Things you should not do when you approach a Blogger:

Send out a mass email, most notably saying “Dear Bloggers” or having no greeting at all. While some newer Bloggers may respond to this, many seasoned Bloggers won’t. It is the sign of a company simply harvesting your contact information and not taking the time to personally contact you, as they want you to personally review their product. It is a two way street.

Have the expectation that the Blogger will want to review your product simply because you offered it for free. Bloggers know their readers and most will only review products that are 1. Related to their blog and 2. Something that would be of interest to their readers.

Insincerely attempt to flatter them. So many companies do it and many times I receive the same email to each of my accounts for my blogs when the company doesn’t even realize they are sending it to the same person. Bloggers can read between the lines.

There is a little text book that was written for the PR firm managers that I often refer to from time to time to keep me on the straight and narrow. Well at least on the narrow. It’s called Managing a Public Relations Firm for Growth & Profit. The author A.C. Croft really is a genius with his delivery and instructions. You are able to apply everything to your PR firm that he teaches regardless of your size or media specialty.

One section of his book that I think is imperative this week can be found in Chapter 21 – New Year’s Resolutions. Here Mr. Croft gets frank and honest with what you as PR practitioners should set as your resolutions.

Since this year there seemed to be an unusual graying of the lines with the definition of PR I thought I would take it upon myself to give us all a refresher course in things to remember for 2007.

1. I will not lose my head when everyone around me has already lost theirs.
2. I resolve to take no more lip than totally necessary from clients.
3. I will cherish all freelance writers, photographers, artist and vendors.
4. I will take what I make and invest it into technology that can better my business.
5. I will pay attention to things that motivate my team and make them eager to come to work.
6. I will continue to train, inspire, and help grow my team and their activities while pushing them to go for the gold.
7. I will remember that there is life outside of Pierce Mattie PR (really?)
8. I will delegate responsibility and authority to my senior VP’s. (Watch out guys!)
9. I will encourage our publicists to not overwork themselves on their accounts and that clients are willing to pay for excellence but they are not willing to pay for perfection.
10. I will continue to listen and learn from my clients and provide good service that addresses their media needs and impacts their ROI.

PR professionals are laid off, change careers, rotate agencies and some individuals even start up their own shop around this time of year. The years end is a natural time for corporations to evaluate their talent pool and make appropriate changes. We've had a fantastic year of tremendous growth which has required constant tweaking of our staff to better serve our clients and provide our team with the best tools and resources available.

Of course, good people are in high demand. It’s always been my manner that if an employee doesn't love working with us, then I always feel like it's my responsibility to find out why and fix it! This was a year of change and growth for our firm; we've said goodbye to a senior staffer, switched up players on our different teams, beefed up our training and mentoring program, restructured reporting relationships in all three offices, promoted two directors to vice presidents and we added two new senior vice presidents to help lead the charge in 2007. It's been exciting to see the positive results in the last few months!

I hear stories all the time of an employee jumping ship and starting their own agency and stealing a few clients as they pick up the last paycheck. While it may be a common practice in our industry, this type of behavior does not display the level of professional ethics that are so vital in business. In fact, we're proud to help employees transition out of PR when they realize it's not for them any longer.

Here are some guidelines that every PR professional should understand:

1. PR firms own relationships both on behalf of the clients they represent and for the staff that they train and mentor.

2. PR firms should be compensated if those relationships are jeopardized or challenged.

3. Employees are accountable to their PR firm first and foremost rather than clients or the media.

4. It is always better to take the high road; business relationships are recycled everyday and you never know whose path you will cross again, so never burn bridges.

My golden rules for maintaining integrity as a PR professional are:

If you are going to a party or out on the town this weekend, of course you want to shine. To show how to add that sizzle to your outfit like the stars do, Dawn Yanek, editor-at-large at Life & Style Weekly magazine shared these tip with us.

Glittery drops:

• 14K white gold diamond earrings (2.02 carats), Endless Diamond Collection, $2,544 at Macy's, Zales and several independent jewelers nationwide.
• Bakers, $14, Bakers stores nationwide
• Express, $22.50, Express stores nationwide. For help finding an Express store, click here.
• Aqua, $28, Bloomingdales stores nationwide, or try Bloomingdales.com

The area in which I live is known to have character. Each house is different, or has historic presence, and stands out among other places nearby. There really is no “big business” in our area overcrowding every street corner and making their over domineering corporate-America presence known. This is a place that embraces entrepreneurs.

So when driving down a road I haven’t traveled in a while, I noticed something out of the ordinary; cookie cutter houses. A new development was being built and each house looked exactly the same. Their yards were the same, with the same tree in the same spot, and the grass all the same length. Nothing about these houses or this development had anything exceptional to them. They lacked character.

I decided to share what the topic was at "show and tell" time in our weekly management meetings in the New York Office. This weeks discussion was a review of Liz Wilson's Telling It Straight article. I will post the article here, then invite Pierce Mattie members to comment along with any comments you may have.

What quality do employees most want from business leaders?

A clear vision of the way ahead, perhaps? A charismatic leadership style? Political or business acumen?

Of course, we demand all those qualities in leaders. But a recent piece of research points to a different quality as being the top priority for many employees.

A survey of over 1,000 employees found that what they most want from their leaders is authenticity, honesty and clear communication. In other words, straight talk.

Many professional communicators already sense this and are counselling business leaders to adopt more open communication measures. But this message isn't always getting through. "Too much value is placed on charismatic leadership: Boards select leaders for their dazzle and the biggest plaudits are saved for those whose profile is often bigger than that of their organization," notes CHA, the consultancy that commissioned the research.

The straight talking survey identified four communication styles among business leaders:

Controlling
Understated
Charismatic
Considerate

Controlling Communicators don't really communicate at all. They are perceived as arrogant, cold and insincere. In the workplace environment, they are seen as strong on business acumen but failing to provide staff with enough information. Rupert Murdoch, boss of News Corporation, is cited as an example.

Lumalive light-emitting textiles create a magical lighting experience in anything made of fabric, from clothes and backpacks to soft furnishings and the upholstery of furniture.

Behind the outer fabric, you will find a layered system containing flexible arrays of colored light-emitting diodes (LEDs), only visible from the outside when the display panel is switched on. The system is modular and can be removed easily when you want to wash your garments or clean your soft furnishings.

Lumalive textiles bring inert objects to life by integrating flexible arrays of multi-colored light-emitting diodes (LEDs) into fabrics without compromising the softness of the cloth. The integration of electronic lighting devices into textiles is groundbreaking. Clothing, towels, upholstery, and drapes might at first seem unlikely hosts for intelligent and interactive systems, yet they figure prominently in our lives and as such present a wide spectrum of opportunity.

In my personal Blogging, I’ve come across many brands without a publicist or PR firm representing them. Many cosmetic brands that contact me are well aware that I am a Blogger for Pierce Mattie PR and will sometimes ask me, “What does a public relations firm do?” The key thing I have found is that these brands do not fully understand what public relations can accomplish for them and more so, how to effectively communicate to the media and public about their brand from within their own company.

When you think about your brand, have you thought about all aspects of it? From the customer service representative to the sales persons, everyone employed by your company should all consider themselves on the same team. Not only because everyone’s paychecks are written by the same company, but also because together, your employees are the force behind your brand. No job title within the company is too small or nondescript to be left out. They are the eyes and ears (and heartbeat) of your brand, and how they view and feel about your products affects how others—your consumers—see it as well.

Every report that comes to my inbox each day continues to debate over the value of social media and Blogging and its effects on a brand’s value and reputation. Many question if big media, brands and PR firms yet understand the value and impact blogging has as an overall tool to facilitate communication with their target market (obviously we do). I have to wonder why it is taking so long for others to recognize this form of citizen journalism and taking advantage of its positive aspects to enhance a brand’s image.

There is no doubt that entering into the blogosphere is tricky from a PR and brand perspective and should be done with thought and caution, but nonetheless should be done. As we all know, many times we are met with skepticism and many times we approach blogging in the wrong way. There is one thing that links us with a common bond; respect. The Blogger wants respect, the PR firm expects respect and big media and brands demand respect.

Most industry professionals know that ad placement for publication in September beauty magazines, is the most crucial time for your brand to be seen. As online media continues to strengthen, now is a good time to come to understand how you can maximize your brand’s exposure through Blogging, viral marketing and digital magazines dually with ad campaigns in the leading print magazines. Print magazines and online media sell a relationship with its readers, as well as, an opportunity to reach them in a time of intense focus and receptivity.

Here are some Beauty PR tips that may help your brand stand out:

Understand your competition:
How you can understand your competition begins in their ad campaigns. What you can learn:

+ What magazines/blogs they are pitching their products to.
+ Which demographic they are going after and if it changes depending on the magazine/blog they advertise in.
+ Are they focusing on color, scent, packaging or trendiness?
+ What is their approach? Which key words are they using to get the readers attention?

Learning these key points helps you to decide how to better your current/future campaign with a product that may be along the same lines as your competitor or how to present the same type of product effectively in a different way.

Know The Trends:
Follow the editorial calendars of the books that you want your product or service to appear. The editorial calendars are often featured on magazine Web sites. These give advertisers, readers and writers a heads up regarding planned issue themes.

Even if your product wasn’t originally intended for a particular season or holiday, figure out how you can spin it to make it fit. Study your chosen publications, and determine the types of stories each of them seems to favor—then use them as starting points for your own ideas. Look for patterns, trends, and points of discussion. Pinpoint the best editor for your idea. If need be, call the magazine and ask which editor is best to contact, and how he or she prefers submissions (via e-mail or conventional mail).

Creating a relationship with beauty editors is also key and helps in knowing what beauty editors are looking for months ahead of time. It helps you to prepare your story line and potentially get your product before the eyes of your target audience.

Green Is Good:
One way a non-green brand can become part of the green trend is to donate to a green charity. Brands can do this by becoming a sponsor for a green event, such as Earth Day, or hold a promotion with a percentage of the proceeds going to a particular green charity. Don’t count yourself out simply because you are not organic.

Some campaigns to learn from:
+ Lancome & Carbonfund.org
+ Diesel & StopGlobalWarming.org
+ Bank of America & it's green initiative

Pro-age vs. Antiwrinkle:
If you have anti-wrinkle products, give them a makeover with new wording or new packaging. Breathe new life into them so that they lose the negative connotation that “anti” brings about. Use creativity in the words used on the products and in ad campaigns to promote a more positive feeling about aging when using your product.

Embrace The Concept of Blogging:
Stand out and begin a blog surrounding your brand. When Blogging remember to:

+ Come across as a source of information.
+ Be a problem solver.
+ Remember that Blogging is more about your customers needs than your own.
+ Build relationships with your readers.
+ Allow for interaction between your readers and your brand—keep your comments section open, but moderated to weed through the spam.
+ Be patient. Building readership and trust takes time. The average time for a blog to build a consistent loyal readership is 6 months.
+ Show your brand’s personality. No one wants to read a cold lifeless blog. They want warmth and a personal connection to the brand.

Mother’s Day is only a few short weeks away and happens to be, in my opinion, a day that all mothers look forward to for the pampering, the gifts and demonstrations of love by her family. With consumer spending for Mother’s Day gifts expected to be $15.73 billion, these last few weeks before the big day are a fantastic opportunity to get your brand noticed, especially online.

According to the National Retail Federation’s 2007 Mother’s Day Consumer Actions and Intentions survey, 20% of consumers are expected to do their Mother’s Day gift shopping online, which is a 3.1% increase from last year. Although the other 80% do their gift buying offline, many still use the internet to research and look for gift ideas. While Mother’s Day shopping and gift research typically begins at the beginning of April, far more consumers make their purchase much closer to the holiday, which occurs on May 13th this year.

By utilizing the internet to spread the word about your product(s) as great gift ideas for mom, your advertising costs will be much less versus commercial and print ads and more likely to spread the word faster due to viral marketing. A few ways to utilize the web to get your products before Mother’s Day gift searchers are:

Press Releases
Advertisements on targeted websites
Advertisements on targeted blogs
Promoting them to blog owners

Online press releases are great for search engine optimization and will quickly get you picked up by the likes of Google and Yahoo when consumers do an online search. Using keywords in the title of your press release is a key factor. Key phrases to use are “Mother’s Day gifts” and “Mother’s Day gift ideas.” Some online press release services are PR NewsWire, Send2Press and PRWeb Direct. You can also use these same press releases to email to blog owners, but make sure to include links to your products (if you have an online site) and pictures as well.

For this week's Five Things Friday I wanted to focus on blogging. I knew that the best person to turn to for advice was Brian Clark, the Blogger behind the very popular copywriting and online marketing blog: CopyBlogger. With 15,744 subscribers to his blog, and plenty more regular readers to his credit, when Brian talks--people listen. If you haven't heard of Brian Clark, I will have to wonder if you live under a rock (and then ask you to please come out from under it). Please be sure to check out CopyBlogger, where I am sure you will gain a wealth of information from all Brian has to offer.

With Brian's permission I am reposting his post: The 5 Immutable Laws of Persuasive Blogging.

Blogging is a great way to grow a business, promote a cause, or spread new ideas, because when you take an educational approach to marketing, you gain the attention and trust of people who might otherwise simply ignore old-fashioned advertising. Not only can those people become your customers or converts, they can also become your advocates.

While there’s as many ways to approach blogging as there are blogs, some things remain steadfast when it comes to gaining influence and prompting action. Here are the 5 bedrock elements that you might keep in mind when blogging to persuade:

1. The Law of Value

Your blog must provide value to the reader by addressing a problem, concern, desire, or need that the reader already has. Fresh, original content is critical.

2. The Law of Headlines and Hooks

Your post titles must stand out in a crowded, noisy blogosphere, and you must quickly communicate the value of reading further with your opening.

3. The Law of “How To”

People don’t want to know “what” you can do, they want to know “how” it’s done. If you think you’re giving away too much information, you’re on the right track.

4. The Law of the List

Love them or hate them, informational posts presented in list format are easily digestable, and allow for an efficient transfer of your value proposition to the reader.

5. The Law of the Story

Stories are the most persuasive blogging element of all, as they allow you to present a problem, the solution, and the results, all while the connotation of the story allows readers to sell themselves on what you have to offer.

When it comes to your brand, are you soley focused on the bottom line and how to bring in the customers and drive your sales? Or are you willing to set aside a portion of your profits and time to focus on the one thing that makes your company a success: your customers and what they need. Tom’s of Maine recognized a consumer issue related to their niche and have created a program to serve a public health need. Not only is this a great way to generate positive feelings about the Tom’s of Maine brand, but also a great PR generator, as well.

Tom’s of Maine has a dental program they established in 2004 called Dental Health For All. It’s a program aimed at helping those who are without dental insurance and seek dental care through clinics. Since 2004 they have granted clinics throughout the US more than $670,000, which has helped more than 15,000 children and adults gain access to dental care. With more than 120,000 people in the US without dental insurance, Tom’s of Maine stepped up and decided to contribute to a cause that is beneficial to both the brand and potential consumers. Since they are one of the top leading brands in natural personal care products, it only made sense for Tom’s of Maine to extend their relationship beyond just their customers, but onto others where dental care due to lack of insurance is an everyday struggle.

Due to Tom’s of Maine’s ability to look beyond sales figures and profits, they have been able to establish themselves as a leader in their industry. Being a leader doesn’t mean your company has the highest profits or best sales tactics, being a leader means being the one to think beyond yourself, step out of the box and contribute to the community not only in a way to help your niche, but to help those customers in an unselfish way. By providing grants each year to various dental clinics around the US, Tom’s of Maine establishes a relationship with dental professionals and the clients who utilize their services and isn’t that what public relations is all about; creating a relationship and positive image of your brand that has the potential to do more than marketing alone?

Tom’s of Maine has done it right, what are you doing to establish a positive relationship with your target market to create brand awareness and create that personal connection with consumers?

Many times when a news story breaks, Bloggers and online news sites scramble to bring targeted traffic to their site through their posts and purchasing keyword advertisements that will pop up when someone searches phrases on Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines. There are five things you can do to get a hold of targeted traffic, whether it be when a big news story breaks or anytime in between:

1. Use key phrases in your headline. Think like a person, but also think like a robot that searches the web for sites using those words. I like to use Overture’s Keyword Selector Tool, which allows me to type in specific words and then tells me how many times that word was used for a search the previous month.

2. Use keywords in the body of your article. Be specific and try to avoid general terms. For example, if you are writing about what the incident at Virginia Tech, don’t say “the gunman,” instead say, “Cho Seung-Hui, the Virginia Tech gunman.”

3. Use multimedia. On your website or in the body of your article, it is always beneficial to include video and audio media, as both have great viral potential. You can also publish the video you used to You Tube with it linking back to your story to generate traffic, but it also give others the ability to post your video to their own sites and help generate traffic for you.

4. Divide your content up into many specific topics with relevant links to other stories you have written. I use Word Press for one of my sites and utilize a plugin that automatically does this for me. If I am writing on a specific topic, it will automatically generate related posts at the end of my article. If the reader has landed on your site for that specific topic, they are more likely to click to other related stories you have written, therefore increasing page views and loyalty to your site as a trusted source of information. If you don’t have a plugin that can do this for you, it is easy to do manually simply by hot linking keywords in your article that link to those stories.

5. Provide the ability for the readers to subscribe to your site or bookmark it. For subscription, Bloggers should utilize a RSS feed service and websites can create an opt-in mailing list; this will generate built in traffic and loyal readership. Creating the ability to bookmark your site means those readers are more likely to return to your site when looking for information than to use the search engines and invest time into a search.

A corporate website is still one of the most important tools for companies to establish a voice, educate on brands, and promote campaigns. However, with too much information, they can frustrate and turn away potential consumers.

To help companies know whether or not their websites are user friendly, Eric Eggertson, from Common Sense PR, offers these five potential problems to avoid.

1. Identity Crisis

Product FAQ’s, point of sales, bios, message boards, blogs…these are all great functions for a website but that doesn’t mean it should have all of them. Eric stresses the importance of making sure marketing and communications see eye to eye when it comes to the site’s purpose. He also cautions against too many pull down menus and links.

2. Poor Writing

“Involve your top copywriters. It’s a place to let the spirit of your organization sing.”

It might be tempting to delegate the responsibility of writing the content to an intern or lower level executive, but someone with greater knowledge and experience will bring more credibility and depth to the text.

3. Uneven Flow

“A good website should feel like a good museum or even someone’s home, where there is a natural flow from one room to the next.”

This is a big one. Make sure it’s easy to navigate the pages of your website and that there is a feeling of order. Links that connect to pages with dead ends or pointless material could get you into trouble.

4. TMI

Don’t overwhelm web surfers with paragraph after paragraph of information, if they want to learn more about something they can dig for it somewhere else. Only incorporate the company’s key messages and make sure they’re written out clearly and concisely.

5. Confusing Structure

Users should be able to figure out how to get around your website without a tour guide. Too many flash images that take a long time to load or too many sections and sub sections are definitely things to stay away from.

For additional information, webpagesthatsuck.com offers their top 10 worst websites for 2006, including Tampax, Brown University, and Association of International Glaucoma Societies.

Honorable mentions include graphicartsexchange.com (a sex change for graphic art?) and saltinstitute.org.

* Photo Credit: geeksontime.com

Dr. Georg Kolb gave Brian Pittman of The Daily Dog a really great interview on what he foresees as the public relations trends we’ll be seeing come 2008. Most of these trends are emerging now while others are trends we began to see take shape last year and have picked up speed as the role of PR has evolved over the year.

PR Trends for 2008 (as forecasted by Dr. Georg Kolb):

+ Fragmentation in the media will require PR to be more focused
+ Publicists will have to do more relationship building than pushing pitches
+ Addressing everyone on distribution lists in the same way will be ineffective
+ Discovery of and involvement in more Web 2.0 will be key
+ Word of Mouth will continue its importance and should be nurtured and supported
+ Corporate values & corporate behavior will need to be cohesive and clear
+ The value of PR will become more measurable

The fragmentation in the media has really taken shape and become more distinguishable as blogs, social media and the mass amounts of television stations have grown exponentially. Things are no longer condensed in neat little areas of media; it’s spread out sometimes creating a lot of scrambling and confusion. Know which portions of these fragments are the most beneficial to your company and stick to those.

For many publicists it’s always about the pitch and pushing the story out there. Just from a Blogging standpoint, I am bombarded with pitches all day long. The publicists who actually invest time into building relationships instead of sending out a blast of emails hoping that they’ll stick somewhere, are the ones who remain the top on my list and receive the most consideration. As I write this, I can think of only 5 publicists out of about 100 I hear from daily who do this. Don’t focus on the “right now” that many publicists fall pitfall to, focus on the many benefits a relationship can bring you time and again in the bigger scope of things. You’ll have to do more follow ups and the more personalized emails will take up more of your time, but in the long run it will reap the greatest rewards.

With most of the year behind us, we can look back upon our successes and failures and learn what obstacles we were able to overcome and which ones we still struggle with. 2007 has proven to be a year of learning new things and gaining the knowledge to do PR in ways we never thought possible before.

Already preparing for the PR trends of 2008, here are 5 of the challenges that lie ahead for the public relations industry:

1. Learning to navigate a system of disjointed media.
2. Working directly with talent during a time when it seems everyone has a "middle man."
3. Relinquishing generic pitches for something more specific.
4. Becoming transparent in an industry that it not typically known for such.
5. Continued education and involvement in Web 2.0.

Have a challenge you want to add? Be sure to post it in the comments.

Each year public relations professionals and industry brands are carefully constructing pitches to describe a product to editors and the media in a way that will vividly illustrate the look and feel of it and immediately prompt a response in return. As with previous years, there are always key buzz words being used and Pierce Mattie Public Relations (www.piercemattie.com) has developed a list of the product descriptors best used to describe, pitch and sell your product in the lifestyle, beauty and fashion industries.

1. Consumers continue to lead stressful, busy lives; positioning your product as one that will provide peace and relaxation will continue to help it reach your desired target.
Buzz words being used: Renewal, refreshing, nourishing, invigorating, effortless, rejuvenating.

2. Products that appear backed by science are also still being sought out.
Buzz words being used to convey this: Revolutionary, propriety formula/blend, innovative, potent, patented, nutraceutical, botaniceutical.

3. While hype is often looked at with skepticism, consumers still seek a results-driven miracle product.
Buzz words being used: Dramatic, exponentially, spectacular, results within minutes/hours/days.

4. As our economy doesn’t show signs of springing back to life anytime soon, consumers are looking for a way to stretch their dollar.
Buzz words being used: Value, versatile, blend of function & fashion, functional.

5. There are also still many consumers that derive their sense of status from the high end products they purchase.
Buzz words being used for this demographic: Premium, luxury, chic, opulent, premiere, exclusive.

Fashion, beauty and luxury PR can be an indicator of economic conditions, "green" claims will need to be supported and other great insights from Pierce Mattie can be found in this week's Thought Leaders column on The Bulldog Reporter.

Many thanks to Brian Pittman for such great thought provoking interview questions!

PR has long misused and misunderstood pitching to Bloggers, most specifically, mommy bloggers. Yesterday I caught the segment of the Today Show featuring mom bloggers Mir, Kristen, Jill and a live interview with Heather B. Armstrong. After watching Hota Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford totally miss the boat with "air quotes," backhanded compliments and asking Heather, "Is it all moms who are on your blogosphere," it basically solidified for me, if the media doesn't "get" mommy bloggers, how can PR expect to understand how to reach out to them either? Well, being a mom myself, I decided to do something no one else has seemed to do before--I asked them.

Erin Kotecki Vest who writes Queen of Spain, Elizabeth Thielke writer of Busy Mom and Jenn Satterwhite who writes Mommy Needs Coffee all graciously took the time to answer my questions when it came to pitching mommy blogs. If you are thinking of pitching your products to mommy blogs, it's definitely best to hear the right and wrong way to do it and avoid your pitch hitting the spam folder.

Shannon: How do mom blogs differ from a tech blog, beauty blog, foodie blog (besides the obvious niche differences)? Is there a difference in who the audience is?

Erin: We're not selling anything and odds are we don't review products or services. Normally we are discussing our lives. It's much easier to connect with a site that is in the business of discussing an 'industry' or category.

Jenn: I think every blog is going to have an audience that finds interest in the main topic of the posts. I think with mom blogs there is more of an interest in community and stories. However, there is a lot of cross over. Not all of my readers are parents. And not all the blogs I read are mom blogs. I just think people gravitate to what interests them most. Whether it be a narrow group or a large array or interests. Mom blogs are not the big influencers when it comes to products because many are now talking about them. Similar to the playground of our day when our moms would share opinions. We just share them online.

Elizabeth: A "mom blog" can be defined many different ways, the common factor is that they are written by a female who is a parent, but the content can vary widely. Many are exclusively about parenting, while others a more of a reflection of life in general, comedy, tech stuff or other topics mixed in the conversation. The audience is the same in that they are people who are interested in the writer and the topic. But, they are perhaps different in that a mom blog's audience is often people who are having or have had the same types of life experiences as the writer, where that's not usually a factor in other niche blogs.

Shannon: Why do you feel that PR firms and various brands are pitching mommy blogs and placing more value on them than the average niche blog?

Erin: There are many reasons-most of which have to do with stats. Women control .83cents on every household dollar. Women are now the heaviest web users. Women are turning off the TV and putting down the magazine in favor of being online. Women are the best word of mouth advertisers in the world.

Jenn: Two reasons: First: Moms do the majority of the household spending and are the ones who are going to go out and purchase most of the things that we are being pitched. We are the ones who are making most of the house hold purchases. Secondly, many women/moms look to each other for advice and recommendations on products before they buy. I will definitely take the word of a mom blogger I trust over any pitch, advertisement or branding tactic that comes my way.

Elizabeth: Moms often make everyday purchasing decisions for wide variety of items and aren't limited to a niche. With growing children, they will be making kid related and household purchases consistently over a long period of time. Additionally, moms are perceived as people who will talk to their friends about products and the reach is extended.

Pierce Mattie PR recently submitted an article to the Bulldog Reporter, which has been published in their Barks & Bites column, below is a preview:

PR has long misused and misunderstood pitching to bloggers. While it has long been the status quo of PR to send blanket impersonal press release type pitches to media outlets, blogs and social media are reshaping the way we pitch. Unlike print publications, blogs do not have advertisers to answer to and their blog is, in essence, their brand. PR has to invest the time to peel back the layers and research who they are, what they talk about and who their audience is before sending a pitch—or take the chance of their pitch hitting the spam folder (or worse, appearing as a slam on their blog).

There is no doubt that the social media scene is not going away. In fact, it continues to grow and become more influential. While print publications still lead the way as a client's preferred method of securing coverage, blogs and social media outlets tend to offer instant results with measurable ROI. While the initial results of a blog writing about your client may be fleeting, eventually that write up gets indexed and lives online in the search engines. In print, once you've had your moment in the spotlight, the next month it turns to someone else and that mention is long forgotten by the consumer.

As advocates for our clients, it is in our best interest to come to understand and navigate this often slippery slope of the blogosphere where one minute you may hit a homerun and in the next, strike out. In the new world of Communication 2.0, if PR hopes to find any success in securing publicity for their client on the web, then they need to devote themselves to reshaping the way they cast their net.

To read the complete article please check out the Bulldog Reporter. To see the original post that the article was summarized from please check out PR Tips: How to Pitch Mommy Bloggers.

Being the social media junkie that I am, I couldn't help but want to add my 2 cents to a recent inquiry from Ragan Communications writer Chris Kent regarding Twitter and whether it was a mindless time waster or an effective tool. I think we all know what my answer to that is (see my interview with Zappos' CEO if you doubt me) and from the many journalists, editors, PR people and bloggers that I interact with daily on Twitter, I can safely say I am not alone.

While Twitter is still experiencing a lot of growing pains, it is the epitome of what the best of PR and social media looks like together: self branding, relationship building, in depth communication and interaction.

So check out what what others had to say in the Ragan article, I think you'll find it a great read.

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...

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.

Recessionista: n. A person who dresses stylishly on a tight budget; according to wordspy.com. According to me? A catch phrase to encourage fashionistas to continue their infrugality regardless of the economy by choosing less expensive versions of their favorite luxaholic products and services. It's making light of a situation that isn't so favorable for the consumer driven industries of our nation, spinning it 360, and delivering a luring message to the masses—PR 101 ladies and gentlemen.

What has turned into a large scale "recession chic" PR movement has benefited a number of familiar brands. A host of discount brands kneel graciously at the feet of recession and position their products and services not only as the smart thing to do, but the posh one. Target leads the pack with already-in-place "design for all" strategies that flourish even more now. Huge designers like Botkier and Proenza Schouler have participated in the past with leaks of a possible Alexander McQueen and Target venture in the future. Now THAT'S recessionista.

Small businesses have taken this positioning tool under its wing as well. I just read that Fresco by Scotto, a posh New York eatery known for its very "upscale comfort food", has opened an "on the go" version in the heart of the financial district that offers sharp suited bankers gourmet lunch options for under $10. (Yes it seems even the bankers are looking for a great deal with the joint's opening day lunch crowd wrapping around the block). 

Some celebrities have even attempted to boost their own image by demonstrating, very publicly of course, recessionista ways. Kimora Lee Simmons, a die hard fashionista and luxaholic, proclaims her choice to travel commercially in place of her usual private jet-setting behavior to a gang of paparazzi as she waited in line at LAX in June. The 13 extra bags she brought along would rack up some serious extra charges so she may not be the beacon of saving money after all.

I’d love to hear your feedback on this growing positioning strategy. Where is the line that needs to be drawn between the educating of and the taking advantage of the consumer in these trying times we face? How long before consumers are no longer phased by the recessionista twist on ad campaigns and PR efforts?

Recessionista: n. A person who dresses stylishly on a tight budget; according to wordspy.com. According to me? A catch phrase to encourage fashionistas to continue their infrugality regardless of the economy by choosing less expensive versions of their favorite luxaholic products and services. It's making light of a situation that isn't so favorable for the consumer driven industries of our nation, spinning it 360, and delivering a luring message to the masses—PR 101 ladies and gentlemen.

What has turned into a large scale "recession chic" PR movement has benefited a number of familiar brands. A host of discount brands kneel graciously at the feet of recession and position their products and services not only as the smart thing to do, but the posh one. Target leads the pack with already-in-place "design for all" strategies that flourish even more now. Huge designers like Botkier and Proenza Schouler have participated in the past with leaks of a possible Alexander McQueen and Target venture in the future. Now THAT'S recessionista.

Small businesses have taken this positioning tool under its wing as well. I just read that Fresco by Scotto, a posh New York eatery known for its very "upscale comfort food", has opened an "on the go" version in the heart of the financial district that offers sharp suited bankers gourmet lunch options for under $10. (Yes it seems even the bankers are looking for a great deal with the joint's opening day lunch crowd wrapping around the block). 

Some celebrities have even attempted to boost their own image by demonstrating, very publicly of course, recessionista ways. Kimora Lee Simmons, a die hard fashionista and luxaholic, proclaims her choice to travel commercially in place of her usual private jet-setting behavior to a gang of paparazzi as she waited in line at LAX in June. The 13 extra bags she brought along would rack up some serious extra charges so she may not be the beacon of saving money after all.

I’d love to hear your feedback on this growing positioning strategy. Where is the line that needs to be drawn between the educating of and the taking advantage of the consumer in these trying times we face? How long before consumers are no longer phased by the recessionista twist on ad campaigns and PR efforts?

As I watched the news this morning about Lehman Brother's filing bankruptcy, Merrill Lynch being bought, gas prices rising and devastation costs due to Hurricane Ike and our stock market looking like it's about to hit the toilet--reading a story in Cosmetics Design Europe about India's upmarket growth in the beauty industry was a welcomed positive story. With so many foreign investors coming in and taking advantage of our down economy, why not turn the tables here and take advantage of the emerging trends overseas that can be a benefit to us here in the states?

Pierce Mattie PR loves the beauty industry and actually, if you are familiar with Pierce's bio, this is where our firm got its start in Beauty PR. So keeping up to date on emerging trends and forecasting future trends is something Pierce Mattie is well known for. In fact, at the beginning of August, Pierce was interviewed by Cosmetique News in Paris regarding Pakistan being an emerging market for men's grooming products. So I wasn't at all surprised when I read the story mentioned above from Cosmetics Design Europe reporting on India's upmarket growth potential in the personal care industry.

So how can beauty brands in the states take advantage of this potential?

Recently Pierce Mattie was interviewed by Incentive Magazine on ways our firm maintains employee morale and motivates our team to give 110% to each and every client on our roster. Our Publicist of the Year award was the main focus of the interview. Read on for insight from Pierce:

Start Spreading the News: Public Relations Agencies Are Using Incentives to High Inspire Performance and Innovative Thinking from their Publicists.
Incentive Magazine September 2008
By Alex Palmer

Pierce Mattie Public Relations, based in New York City, elevates MVP-style awards to an annual event. A company of about 30 employees, specializing in fashion, jewelry and other lifestyle products, Pierce Mattie PR honors its top publicists at the end of each year for such distinctions as Best Media Placement, Best Media Event, Most Original PR Campaign, Highest Placement Frequency and the Ultimate Platinum Service Award (for the person who has throughout the year gone above and beyond the call of duty; according to CEO Pierce Mattie).

The winners are awarded American Express gift cards, iPods and, of course, recognition for having had an outstanding performance, as judged by the executive team. Mattie points out that to many of the publicists, it's this recognition that can have the longest-lasting value.

Read the complete article on our Pierce Mattie Careers blog

What makes an off-price retailer so much fun to frequent? The mystery of “How did this <insert brand name here> White Linen Size 6 Dress end up here and in my lucky hands!”  Mystery no more ladies and gentlemen, I present to you three off-pricers who are mass communicating the way in which they acquire their inventory as way to improve their image.

Three major off-price retailers, TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Burlington Coat Factory, have all approached brand communications with a similar goal: to educate the consumer on how the brand labels end up in their stores at lower prices than traditional retailers.  Through this approach they glamourize the process by showing well-dressed buyers the consumer might have previously only associated with a high-end retailer.

 TJ Maxx Website

Read the full post on our Fashion PR blog, The Fashion Rag

The media landscape has been changing since the emergence of social media as a highly influential platform. Everyone has a soapbox and everyone wants to be heard. Some voices are louder than others reaching further and riding that digital wave. Not every brand out there understands how to effectively become part of that conversation and if there is any one thing that people tell me when I talk to them about how social media is instrumental for businesses today, it's that there is so much fragmentation that it makes their eyes cross. They often wonder, where do I begin? Which social media tools are the most effective? Do I have to be on every single social media site out there for it to have any impact on my business?

It's no secret to those who know me that I spend a lot of time in the space of social media and it could be said that I am a bit of a Twitter-holic. This past weekend the dominating conversation topic on Twitter was about the commercial Motrin has had out targeting moms...and not just any mom, but the moms who are considered "baby wearers." While I understood the main idea of what Motrin was trying to express--holding a child for any duration of time can cause back pain (and I am a mother of 4, so I do understand this)--the wording that was used and the way it was conveyed set off a firestorm via Twitter (and posted to You Tube) and the blogosphere that landed the controversial Motrin ad in the New York Times this morning.

The bottom line? The folks at McNeil Consumer Healthcare were blindsided by said firestorm because their consumer brands are not actively engaged in social media and monitoring discussions, good or bad, about their brands. Had they been, certainly they could have quelled the wave of people outraged by the advertisement rather than allow 3 days to pass before they realized they had were in a PR crisis.

With the continued current of bad news hitting print publications everywhere, it is apparent now more than ever, that the tide is turning to online and social media as no longer the "alternative" to print, but the primary choice for obtaining news and information. Securing coverage in newspapers and magazines where the staff count is dwindling and editors and journalists are overwhelmed has made this already competitive task even more cut throat. So what's a brand do to that isn't yet well known or highly established? They embark on a very digitally savvy marketing campaign utilizing various aspects of social media to create their own success.

Bad news seems to be everywhere the last few months with financial houses going bankrupt, buy-outs, bail outs, the stock market's ups and downs and consumer confidence sinking. These economic woes are out of our hands and to avoid falling into the pitfall of despair; here are 5 tips to remain positive in an economic decline.

1. Avoid TV: Don’t watch the evening news! More often than not, now throughout the first quarter will be scare tactics 101. All of the reporting of economic woes is simply enough to paralyze most business owners. Replace your typical television time with something productive such as learning a new skill or mastering an old one that can be beneficial to your business.

2. Re-visit the Master Plan: Go back to your business plan! It’s easy to get segway into other channels, but stick to your core. Relive the experiences that made your company vital to begin with. Extrapolate on that foundation and go back to your principal focal point. It will not only re-energize you, but will breathe new life into your team.

3. Re-acquaint Yourself with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Something easily overlooked and often forgotten are the basic needs all human beings must have met in order to be productive. Remember to get the 8 hours of sleep, eat the major food groups and spend at least 5 hours a week in the gym. It’s not only essential for you physically, but mentally, as well.

The synergy of two parties working together can produce greater results than their individual parts. In this economy collaboration will be a driving force behind the success of many brands. It's always been commonplace for companies to team up with complementary companies, non-profits, sponsor a celebrity or join in on events to boost publicity and reach a wider audience.  But will a recession make this the year where brands realize its true potential?

Some recent and notable collaborations include Nike and iPod, Product Red and Eddie Bauer and Ford. When you collaborate, a whole new section of the market opens up and the possibilities for sales increase, which is always important, but seems to have further importance during a time when many brands seem to be closing up shop and consumer confidence continues to slump.

The opportunities to collaborate are everywhere. Target your demographic, find out about their interests and hobbies and use the channel to promote your brand and products. With collaborations, it is a cost effective way to save money in this economy because you are sharing the costs with a second party while dually reaching audiences where both brands are appealing.

Our forecast? Brand collaborations will see an all time high this year. What do you think?

With the current state of the economy, companies may be questioning the value of PR and how publicity can directly translate into increased sales. I understand this and all too often our industry sees clients cutting PR from their budgets when it is the one thing that is most important in an economic downturn. The economy has caused the priorities of public relations to begin a seismic shift and our main focus is no longer solely about consumer awareness, but now includes the added challenge of positively impacting the bottom line. For the industry to remain afloat here are some public relations strategies we implement here at Pierce Mattie PR that we've found to be successful:

Empowerment. We all feel it at some time or another and its driving force to aid in the creation of change. We saw it this past election, we saw it in Joel Comm's Tweet-a-Thon to raise money for Water is Life and we even recently saw it when 180 million Facebook users created a public relations crisis causing the top social network to revert back to their old TOS while it "re-evaluates" its newer version. We throw around the term "word of mouth" a little too easily, underestimating its true power. The power of the people. The power of their voice. The power of collaboration. It all has to begin somewhere with that one person who sparks that empowerment and passion in others. Are we miscalculating their strength?

Consumer engagement via crowdsourcing is the new black. Back when Mazda leveraged Facebook in 2007 to engage car enthusiasts to design their next concept car, it was fairly unique but without much fanfare only gaining 300 entries. However this past year when BMW held a "graffitti design contest" via Facebook, there were over 6000 entries merely seven days into it. What does this tell us? "If they design it, they will come." Consumers love to be engaged. They love to have their creativity utilized and they like to feel like they are a part of something. Is this something new? Not really. But social media has thrown it into the spotlight simply validating something we already knew.

Maybe you were on Twitter today and noticed that the Fail Whale kept making an appearance and wondered if this East Coast blizzard had anything to do with it. That is, until you realized that just about everyone in your Twitter stream was suddenly mentioning the rainbow candy brand, Skittles. A quick jump to Skittles.com and there you have it--Skittles decided to take a form of Twitter-branding by storm...and yes, coincidence that we get a huge storm today? I'd say perfect timing to get the maximum amount of exposure for this social media strategy. So is this tactic daring enough to be buzzworthy and what is the ultimate goal of this PR stunt?

Anyone else getting tired of the doom and gloom of the news lately? Recession, lay-offs, newspapers and magazines folding, bail-outs....and the companies (AIG *cough cough*) who spend the bail-out money on luxury items and raises? I know I sure am (and we've given you some tips on how to keep your spirits up despite it.)

So in the spirit of watching the transition from print to digital publications become more clearly evident for those who lived in denial for so long, I decided that to avoid having positive news about your newest products falling on deaf ears thus slipping through the cracks, that another blog post was in order regarding some of the pet peeves blogger's have when it comes to pitching them. I'm sure you've read the more serious Do's and Don'ts of pitching bloggers that I wrote and had published on the Bulldog Reporter's The Daily Dog or even my interview with several mommy bloggers on what works and what doesn't in pitching them? If you haven't, you should. So we polled blogger's on Twitter this morning to ask them what bothers them most when being sent PR pitches; here's what they said:

One would think that beauty companies would be shifting gears down and out when it comes to paying the salaries of the celebrity elite--but think again. According to Forbes, consumer brands like Lancôme and CoverGirl are beefing up their usage of Ellen Degeneres and Anne Hathaway knowing that their products and personalities together have staying power and effectively drive sales.

Though we won’t find new brands launching in 2009 we will see a revival of the retail classics, especially in the world of fragrances. True, one right now may not be able to afford that house in the Hamptons, but for just a few dollars you can identify with Common for Diesel’s Only The Brave.

A recent study showed that American consumers are 90% more apt to purchase from a company that mirrors their conscience in both the company's social responsibility and philanthropic efforts. Due to the economic downturn, however, companies are looking to cut costs from all non-essential areas. While it may seem like an easy line item to remove, several jewelry companies have continued to embrace philanthropy.

In Town & Country's June Issue, companies such as Montblanc, Roberto Coin and Joan Hornig were highlighted for their charitable work. They were just part of a group that ran the gamut from luxury to wallet-friendly designers.

For smaller companies, putting dollars towards good causes can be challenging...

Have you been procrastinating about grabbing a Twitter profile for your business? Not sure where to start or what to tweet about? Pierce Mattie recently wrote an article in GCI Magazine with some guidelines, as well as success stories, from those who are using Twitter to increase their online (and offline) visibility.

Twittering from the Bench and the Field...

"Social media sites, as exemplified by Twitter, have quickly become the 21st century’s version of word-of-mouth, quickly putting brands on the map and generating conversation around products and services. While jumping on the bandwagon may seem easy enough, there are definitely guidelines to follow to get the most out of connecting and networking for the sake of transparent communication, especially if it involves your latest cosmetic creation."

Read the article here:gcimagazine.com

Or the digital version here.

Come join the conversation on Twitter: @PierceMattiePR

What the report revealed is:

• Jewelry chain stores are having the worst impact in this economy by over 13%
• Sales at independent high-end retailers were down slightly but not as steep
• Mid-range retailers were down 5.5 percent
• 2008, the diamond category (loose and set) remained the majority, with 49 percent of sales
• Timepieces saw growth, up from 3 percent of sales in 2007 to 6 percent in 2008
• Repair sales remain an important category, bringing in 10 percent of sales

How does this translate to Jewelry Public Relations and Marketing?

In 1988 I picked up a bottle at the Dior counter of Fahrenheit and was addicted at first whiff. It’s one of those scents that you either love or hate, no in between. Christian Dior fragrances are doing it right this year with their public relations and cosmetic marketing as they continue to reinforce their classic fragrances.

Fahrenheit can’t be compromised and Maurice Roger’s creation back in the day makes it a true staple in any man’s wardrobe for cologne. Fast-forward 21 years later to the present and Dior has created Absolute Fahrenheit to reach the new customer but also appeal to gents like me who have such fond memories. Its notes include Violet, Myrrh, Oud and Incense. 

An industry veteran last week got in a huff over an invitation they had sent someone on LinkedIn who rejected the invite with “don’t know.” They were upset by this and couldn’t understand how their invitation to connect could be rejected by someone in their same industry. After all, if you are looking to build your online social network shouldn't you just accept everyone's invitation to connect?

Not exactly! This example got me thinking about Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks in regards to how people use them to create rolodexes that don’t really have any weight or metric value because they lack real authenticity. These are the people you haven’t really met, done business with or have any other real life connection with. Yet everyday we all have come into contact with these "list builders" and the trend only seems to keep growing.

In the last week GlaxoSmithKline has had a PR crisis on their hands as the story broke that counterfeit alli, the over the counter weight loss drug, was being sold on eBay. While many times counterfeit anything is made to be similar to the real thing, there is one major difference with the counterfeit diet pill: it contains sibutramine. Sibutramine is something that is typically the ingredient in Dr. prescribed weight loss medications, therefore it can be dangerous to the health of those who unknowingly take it.

GSK has already begun to take steps to warn the public by the alert posted on their main website. They are working closely with eBay to deal with this issue and news outlets are beginning to spread the story.

Here are some PR suggestions to what other things they need to do during this time:

In the last week GlaxoSmithKline has had a PR crisis on their hands as the story broke that counterfeit alli, the over the counter weight loss drug, was being sold on eBay. While many times counterfeit anything is made to be similar to the real thing, there is one major difference with the counterfeit diet pill: it contains sibutramine. Sibutramine is something that is typically the ingredient in Dr. prescribed weight loss medications, therefore it can be dangerous to the health of those who unknowingly take it.

GSK has already begun to take steps to warn the public by the alert posted on their main website. They are working closely with eBay to deal with this issue and news outlets are beginning to spread the story.

Here are some PR suggestions to what other things they need to do during this time:

The number one reason companies have always deemed social media as the "wild wild west" is because they felt there is no semblance of order and a lack of control over their brand's image. Essentially, they can put the message out there, but relinquish a portion of control once it is in the hands of the end user. Nestle's recent social media PR crisis is one such example of how a brand's use of the space can quickly turn from fan adoration to an urgent case of reputation management. So what can a brand do to encourage discussion amongst true fans and those there to graffiti them with accusations?

While Nestle's first attempt to quell the fervor was to essentially demand good behavior on the fan page and establish rules for interaction, they did so under the assumption that clicking "become a fan" meant those 98,000+ people listed as fans were indeed true fans of their brand. Demands + Anti-brand = Defiance (as witnessed by folks using the Nestle logo in the manner Nestle told them not to.) In a sense, Nestle was trying to control what you cannot: human behavior.

So when you get bad press or called out for something publicly, how should it be handled before it gets out of control?

Last week I watched a video interview of Richard Stacy, a social media consultant in London, on Cosmetics Design Europe. The headline that pulled me in was: "Small and medium-sized cosmetics players lead the way in social media." Before I even heard the interview, I nodded my head in agreement. It has been my experience over the years that smaller brands (regardless of niche) tend to be willing to try new things to expand their reach while larger brands have a tendency to "wait and see." Shoestring budgets often energize smaller brands to take creative approaches to marketing and publicity than a larger company would. Would you agree?

Here are some key points Stacy made regarding social media that I absolutely concur with:

It seems that more and more products coming out of China are not only becoming synonymous with the words cheap, but also toxic. And so here we go again as recent reports about children's jewelry retailer Claire's and Miley Cyrus' Hannah Montana jewelry line for Walmart are being pulled from shelves due to being made with cadmium. Cadmium, as you might recall, is toxic to both bones and kidneys. As stated in the Pocono Record sometimes, "A low price comes at too high a cost."

So what PR strategies can Claire's and Walmart do to regain parent's trust when it comes to their jewelry products?

I like to think of social media as a chameleon. Over the last few years it has shown us how unique it can be yet still be adaptable to almost any situation we utilize it in. Print magazines are now found online in blog format, blogs are now used for SEO, microblogging for social sharing and customer service, live streaming to bring behind the scenes, local and non-local events directly to you and social networks to build relationships with customers. I'm talking social media from a business perspective, of course, and now more businesses are looking to incorporate the ability to sell direct to the consumer. Not just tweets from @DellOutlet with exclusive deals, I'm talking jumping onto Facebook and seeing more than "We just launched a new lipstick" on your favorite cosmetics brand's fan page. Instead you find actual storefronts set up making it easy to read about said newly launched lipstick and simply clicking a tab to purchase it...all without ever leaving the Facebook fan page.

Good customer service has always been the sure fire way to land the best publicity on earth. When economic times were good, many companies bypassed emphasis on this principle and strictly built value based on which publications featured their products. Certainly if they had a showcase of magazine hits here and broadcast hits there, that certainly was enough to make people buy (and repeat buy), enough to make people trust and enough to get people talking about their brand...right?

Maybe this was the way before, but in a want-it-now generation coupled with a troubled economy, there is a shift back to the "old school" principles of listening to what your customers want, then delivering. Or in other words, putting the customer first again. And honestly, I for one, love retro business standards. We could argue that the fervor around social media + business along with the demise of our economic stability created the perfect storm.