Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

ndustrimobile is a video to mobile network I had touched on last year when they launched PORTFOLIO, the first fashion newsmagazine exclusively for mobile phones and PDA's. With video becoming one of the fastest growing platforms and with over 210 million cell phones in use in the US, a marriage between the two looks to be a very promising way of branding and diving further into the depths of digital media.

ndustrimobile is launching "Overnight," a travel and lifestyle series, that goes into production mid-late fall and will begin airing around Christmas. It's a program that will take you to the most exotic locations of the Caribbean as you experience the food, night life and indigineous people. The program promises to not show you the typical tourist-type areas and they are currently looking for couples to be nominated beginning late September. Why couples? Because this series will feature a deserving couple in each episode as they tour each luxurious destination.

What I find incredible about ndustrimobile's video to mobile network is how this will be a great avenue for advertising, marketing and PR. When I talked to Ru-El Burford, CEO of ndustrimobile (and a heck of a nice guy), he explained that they are definitely open to relevant client pitches for the series that can include anything from fashion to tourist boards to resorts and everything in between. Ru-El hails from a marketing and creative background having also founded and built ad agency boutique The Quantum Group (named a top twenty African American owned ad agency by Black Entreprise Magazine) so if anyone understands branding, it's Ru-El.

Overnight will also be ad supported with pre-post roll ads as well as advertising within the context of the show itself and product placement. This is an amazing opportunity for those of us in PR to get our clients coverage in a virtually untapped media. With video to mobile's growth, it's one you should look into and get your clients up to speed on.

There's no argument that mobile phones are becoming not only a means of communication, but also an all-in-one tool in life and business. It's something an addicted tech society can't live without. And if you question that, then I ask you who do you know that doesn't own a cell phone?

While many may feel that social media is becoming more fragmented and expanding vastly at such a fast pace, I also think that as social media continues to evolve, there are certain aspects that have become very niche. All you have to do is look at the blogosphere, or Ning for that matter, to see that more and more people prefer to become a part of community that shares their talents, career interests and similarities. Where TheSpaProject.com may be a social network for spa goers, Spa Clique is geared towards spa and salon professionals to connect them and keep them up to date on the inner workings of their industry.

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?

Fourth quarter is a time of great stress for many companies--it's crunch time and with a bleak outlook on the economy heading into 2009, brands that typically stick to safe venues of advertising, such as print and broadcast, are now looking to do more with less. A good example? Creme de La Mer is advertising on Facebook. The luxury beauty brand who targets the 50 yr+ market is now being seen by a younger audience and targeted to those profiles that meet their keywords. When a beauty brand that charges $500 for moisturizer begins using social media as an alternative to print, one has to wonder--will there be a mad rush into the social media space where advertising costs are lower than paying high priced fees in faltering print publications?

When a luxury brand such as La Mer begins advertising on social media sites is it an act of desperation to push product in a time of major cut backs or is it that the luxury brand is beginning to understand the influence of the social media space? Or maybe a little of both?

I'd love to hear your thoughts--do you think we will we see an increase in advertising spending into December and the first quarter of the new year on sites such as Facebook and MySpace with brands who typically aren't found engaging with consumers there? 

It had been rumored earlier this year that Anna Wintour was looking to retire from Vogue at the end of 2008, which fueled speculation as to who her predecessor would be. Certainly Ms. Wintour has created a lot of intrigue around herself as a "brand" with editors and fashion junkies hanging on her every word for the possibility of insight into her iconic brilliance. But one has to wonder if the futility of the magazine industry prompted the consideration for retirement, a sort of going out on top before the situation among American print publications continues a slow demise.

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.

Popular party invitation site Evite.com has a special section dedicated to making invitations for your inauguration party! With history being made, people are preparing to celebrate like crazy. On the web, there is still wild speculation about the style of the first lady’s dress for the event. If you’re not going to be in Washington during the welcoming of President Barack Obama, it doesn’t mean you get to slack on your wardrobe at your Inauguration Day party. Your inauguration fashion statement should be about glam and glory. Dress up and show no sign of our faltering economy!

Read the complete post on our Fashion PR blog, The Fashion Rag.

MySpace previously had dominantly held the position as one of the highest ranked social networking sites. Recently, though, Facebook has taken over that space as the leader in social networking and with Facebook now having over 100 million more users than MySpace, MySpace is seeking to regain it's number one ranking and plans to do so by changing their reputation via the entertainment industry. We have already seen this through the changes they have put into place through their music platform. Now they are looking to target women by beginning a wedding-themed reality series. It left me wondering, can MySpace really rebrand itself by targeting a new demographic?

2009 is already seeing a lot of change, and not surprisingly (or maybe so?) the axe is beginning to fall (a little too often) on print publications that had previously been considered successful. Back in November The New York Observer discussed the possibility of Domino folding, but today that rumor was met with reality as both WWD and The San Francisco Chronicle confirm that Domino has officially folded. It appears no one is safe in this economy regardless of success because when it comes down to it--it's all about relevancy and numbers.

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:

Twitter has finally hit the mainstream media. Quite honestly, it has gotten so much press lately you would think this social networking site only just emerged on the scene. Yet it's been around for a few years now, so can we really call it "Twittermania" simply because the mainstream press has finally taken notice? The great thing about being an early adopter is being able to feel like you are in this secret, underground society where you know something most people don't. You know the advantages and disadvantages of being a part of this exclusive group, and you even try to lure people over little by little simply because you understand the value. But you also know that once enough people are on board, it's growth is like a high speed train careening out of control...until it hits a brick wall. Will Twitter become the next MySpace hitting the height of popularity only to then meet a turning point allowing a competitor to emerge and steal the spotlight? Or has the exposure Twitter is now receiving THAT turning point which determines how we will evolve the way we interact and communicate in the future?

Dismal. That is the first word that comes to mind when I hear anyone mention the current state of the job market. With the unemployment rate reaching staggering heights, it’s important to capitalize on all opportunities. One of the easiest ways to get started is by turning to the web. The trick is knowing where to look and how to market yourself appropriately. I recently met with Donna Schlessinger, Founder and President of Mutt Media, to discuss ways in which the unemployed can optimize their chances of securing a new job. The following is her “Top 10 Tips for Success in Your Online Job Search.”

Borghese's publicity and social media strategies have really caught my eye lately. As a big fan of their skin care products, I wanted to get the inside scoop from their communications and publicity team on what they have been up to and what products we can expect to see this fall.

Pierce Mattie: Borghese sure has caught on to the develops of social media. You have a Facebook fan page, a twitter profile and a flickr page. How has online communication been working for the Borghese team?

Borghese: The social media has been amazing for us. We are connecting with customers from all over the US. We recently launched our Community Page; our customers are sharing stories with each other on when they first discovered Borghese, their favorite Borghese product, etc.

Pierce Mattie: I actually get announcements when to head over to Lord & Taylor for facials, has Facebook announcements like this in the past helped fill the chairs at the department store?

Borghese: It certainly has helped in the past although social media has made it easier for us. Instead of sending out invitations (whether a bounce-back card or email which may be forgotten) to our events by city and state, we are now able to just list all our events and have our customers see it all at once when they log onto their pages with reminders, a list of who else is going, notifications to their friends, etc.

Pierce Mattie: Borghese is doing something quite special because you are remaining true to your loyalty of retail but actually helping the department stores to garner more consumer demand by stimulating customers with your social media strategies, what other ways have you been exciting the shopper?

Borghese: We try to connect with our customers in different ways; a good example is the shopping event, Shecky’s Girls Night Out. We alternate between having a physical presence at this shopping event and just a gift bag presence. With the physical presence, we get to speak one on one, not just with existing customers but new customers and customers who we may have lost. Our R&D is always working on developing new products which use the latest technologies. Also, we sometimes include an invitation back to our retailers for a complimentary facial or makeover in the event gift bags.

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

The results are in! The team at Pierce Mattie Public Relations has compiled their annual "What’s Hot, What’s Not" list for 2010 pertaining to all things beauty, fashion, lifestyle and media. What’s in? The stiletto heel, Jeggings, Minx Nails, diesel fuel and the use of condoms have made a major come back over the pill. And what’s out? Skinny jeans, Starbucks, Hybrid Technology and Zoloft just to name a few.

What’s IN:

Fashion –

Annabel Tollman
UNIQLO
Velcro
Navaho Prints
Stiletto Heels
Tie Clips
The Boyfriend Jacket
Jeggings

Beauty –

Blushing Nails
Bouncy hair that is air dried
neuLash & Latisse
Fresh Cut Cedarwood
Injectables
Goth inspired makeup
Violet/Carnation Scents
Minx Nails
Invisalign
Push-up Bra

Accessories –

House of Harlow
Metal Statement Necklaces
Bib necklaces
Alexander Wang handbags

Lifestyle -

How To and DIY stories
Blog stories
Brewing your own coffee
Berlin
Diesel Fuel
Condoms
Farm Weddings
Vampires
Pilates
Your real figure
Wine
Life Coach

Media -

Oxygen
Open source
Helpareporter.com
Real Housewives Washington DC
iRex
Wendy Williams
Glee
Megan Fox
Alexandra Wentworth (comedian)
David Baldacci (novelist)
Roberta Gellis (romance)
Taylor Lautner
Katie Cassidy

What’s OUT:

With traditional print media going the way of the dinosaurs, advertisers have been forced to adapt accordingly. With magazine subscriptions and newspaper circulation numbers steadily declining, advertisers are turning to interactive digital channels to raise brand awareness and connect with consumers.

Within the fashion industry, social media has been the next great frontier with brands, particularly luxury brands, utilizing outlets like Twitter and Facebook as a way to connect with their customer base. Once adverse to online endeavors, fearing that Internet exposure would cheapen their storied reputation, luxury brands are now eagerly embracing the digital sphere...possibly because they no longer have a choice.

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.

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.

Back in 2005 when I started my own blog, I wanted to remain anonymous not fully understanding (much like the rest of the world) that there is no such thing as anonymity on the internet. I know it's something Pierce Mattie has been on the fence w/ since their blogs launched in 2002. It's amazing to me how much privacy has evolved over these last 5 years due in part to social media. It seems we have been desensitized and actually expect all of our digital information to be much like our fingers... leaving prints all around the world wide web. We've become tagged, categorized, indexed, searched and googled leaving no clear line in the sand between public and private information; we've become an open book society with no page unturned.

Back in 2005 when I started my own blog, I wanted to remain anonymous not fully understanding (much like the rest of the world) that there is no such thing as anonymity on the internet. I know it's something Pierce Mattie has been on the fence w/ since their blogs launched in 2002. It's amazing to me how much privacy has evolved over these last 5 years due in part to social media. It seems we have been desensitized and actually expect all of our digital information to be much like our fingers... leaving prints all around the world wide web. We've become tagged, categorized, indexed, searched and googled leaving no clear line in the sand between public and private information; we've become an open book society with no page unturned.

The nosedive of the economy has made stories of brands going belly up and filing for bankruptcy as common as a can of hair spray in the bathroom of the cast members of The Jersey Shore. However, one thing that has changed brand restructure is the digital age that we find ourselves in, is in how the brand chooses to bounce back. Crabtree & Evelyn, an iconic 30-year beauty brand, is emerging from bankruptcy with a focus on ecommerce. Which, in my personal opinion, is a smart move, however there has to be more to it than ecommerce in and of itself.

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:

I think I can safely say that we have moved past "emerging" into the digital age and are full fledged in it. Whereas last year we heard repeated gasps as print media shuttered one after the other, this year, digital shells of their former selves are now not so surprising. The FTC and FDA have adopted guidelines to be put into place for digital media, and more and more broadcast media are incorporating blogs and online news outlets into their segments. So is it fair to say that consumer fed news sources and informational sites, like Wikipedia, should be just as accountable for accuracy, factual and appropriate content as their television counterparts?

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.

About two weeks ago, Chris Brogan posted a video asking "Are We Addicted to Social Media?" My response via Facebook was: "I like to think of it this way--we are social creatures, we're not addicted to the platform or social media, rather we are addicted to the interaction and push and pull of the relationships we create through it." From a personal perspective, it is the positive interactions that gives us the emotional fuel we need. It strokes our ego, it feeds our hearts and nourishes our soul. So when an article was recently published in Fast Company boasting "Social Networking Affects Our Brains Like Falling In Love", everything started to come together. Positive interactions with friends, companies we love and colleagues via social media increases our oxytocin levels (ie. the feel good chemical) only further encouraging us to repeatedly seek it out. So if you are a brand who previously blew off social media as an extension of reaching your consumers online, you may want to pay attention now. 

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. 

We here at Pierce Mattie PR have been blogging since 2001. Although I'm not going to go that far back into our archives, there are plenty of really good posts from a few years ago that I felt needed a re-look. Since it is well known that my passion is blogging and the overall use of social media, I've pulled up posts that seem to be the most popular with our readers.

         Social Media:

• Public Relations Strategies: Sifting Through the Clutter of Social Media
  
• Public Relations(hips): The Power of the People
  
• Brand Communication: Less Talk More (Inter)Action
  
• Brand Strategies: Driving Sales Through Consumer Engagement
  
• Can Social Media Increase Sales Through Feel Good Engagement?
  
• Transparent Social Media, Your Fake Rolodex & Followers Who Would Love To Be Leaders
• Has Social Media Changed Our View on Privacy?
  
• Do Smaller Beauty Brands Utilize Social Media Better Than Those That Are Well Known?
  
• Forget The Department Stores – Let's Go Direct To Consumer
  

   Pitching Bloggers:

• Social Media PR: Top 10 Ways Not to Pitch Bloggers
  
• Communication 2.0: Bloggers Speak Out on the Dos and Don'ts of Pitching
  
• PR Tips: How to Pitch Mommy Bloggers
  
• Etiquette Protocol For Pitching Products To Bloggers

  Bloggers Who Pitch PR Firms:

• Taking a Stand on Entitled Bloggers

Seems that social networks are all abuzz lately about the October movie debut of The Social Network, the alleged story of Mark Zuckerberg and the people surrounding the founding of Facebook based on Ben Mezrich's book The Accidental Billionaires. While Zuckerberg wasn't consulted for the book, Eduardo Saverin (a co-founder of Facebook) was, but as we know...there are always two sides to every story.

There is no doubt that the story of Facebook, and Zuckerberg being the world's youngest billionaire, reads like a fairytale...a bit of a twisted fairytale and as the movie's tag line suggests, "You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies." Zuckerberg has made enemies, and you always do when you don't let anything stand in your way on the road to the top. But how far astray the story line veers off from the truth is unknown since Zuckerberg will not endorse or discuss the film.

Rolling Stone magazine critic, Peter Travers, tweeted that The Social Network is "the movie of the year that also brilliantly defines the decade." And for future generations to really understand how one network changed the definition of social on a global scale, perhaps this is the movie they will look to.

Regardless if the movie is fact or fiction, I plan to go see it...and be sure to tell my Facebook friends what I thought. What about you?

It’s no secret that social media has become a huge part of our world today. It’s rare to find someone who isn’t using it in some capacity. Companies are learning that in order to reach their customers, they need to have this online presence. “Guerrilla Social Media Marketing” by Jay Conrad Levinson and Shane Gibson will provide you with all the advice and tips you need to successfully launch your social media campaign.

Guerrilla marketing through modern technology is "non-traditional" and most importantly, effective. This strategy is very flexible and allows you to connect and market on a consumer level. This book is referred to as “THE social media guerrilla's go-to guide” and it is a great tool to have. The book offers social media secrets, how to measure ROI, attack plans and more.

Lisa Gansky is a self-described “impact junkie”, a woman who actively tries to break down traditional boundaries. Gansky’s aim is to help businesses evolve in conjunction with our social media-centered world. As a CEO of multiple internet companies and an advisor for several new businesses, Gansky has a solid background that allows her to credibly pass her knowledge on to others. Her new book, The Mesh, explains how business can create dynamic results and progressive partnerships through the use of social media and wireless networks.

The Mesh challenges the traditional business framework: Create product, sell, make money, repeat. Gansky explains that a different, contemporary model has been formed and is undoubtedly more effective. At its most base level, The Mesh is about the fundamental concept of sharing. We’ve been told since we were toddlers that sharing is good, but that knowledge tends to fall to the wayside when business ventures are concerned. Gansky brings us back to this idea of sharing, and directly links it with the Internet.

Let me be clear from the beginning, it's not wrong to partner with a blogger for a product giveaway, but if you are looking for it to convert into sales, then you are employing the wrong tactic. Furthermore, if you are simply working with *any* blogger just to get a hit for your client or brand, then you are contributing to the brand discounting mentality that has suddenly picked up speed due to the toxic mix of the economy, newer bloggers looking for freebies and the brands/PR firms who are happy to oblige just so they can say, "Look we're mentioned on X blog!"

How is that working out for you?

I'm writing this as both a blogger myself and as someone who works directly with brands for their social media strategies. To capture the attention of a blogger and gain coverage via a review or write up, takes a lot of relationship building, and for some, a little luck with just the right subject heading and catchy pitch. I'm finding that more and more brands are getting desperate to get mentioned on a blog or to simply have the ability to say, "Yeah we work with bloggers..." And due to this, they are bypassing promoting a great product and instead offer it up as a giveaway because in a sense, it benefits the blogger as well. However, this is a slippery slope and one that I think more brands need to take precaution with because in the end, it's not about how many, but about who you are working with.

Why should I actually buy your product if I can find it on *any* blog giving it away for free?

There's something to be said for exclusivity. Pick a handful of reputable bloggers and work with them if you want to engage your potential consumers with a giveaway to spark interest in your brand. But certainly do not, under any circumstances, just work with anyone willing to host your giveaway. First of all Facebook numbers don't tell the whole story. So what if a blogger touts that they have 20K fans? If all they ever do is host giveaways and promote it via Twitter, and you've all seen it -- "Help us get to 3K fans! We're giving away X product!" ...well it's completely logical to come to the conclusion that the fans and followers are only there for free stuff, certainly not for their content or even to consider purchasing from you. If they don't win your product, they move onto the next giveaway.

ARM yourself with knowledge: Ask, Research, Monitor.

If you’re involved with media or technology in any capacity and are unaware of who/what Mashable is, I suggest taking a step out from the rock you’ve been living under.

Founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005, Mashable has since grown to be the top source for social media, tech, and web culture. The blog gained attention rapidly: it was quickly named one of the top 10 blogs in the world and is now followed by professionals in almost every capacity, from marketing and PR enthusiasts to bloggers and entrepreneurs.

Why is Mashable so popular? What has set this blog apart from all other industry blogs? For one, the blog has unmatchable name-brand recognition. Mashable has become a power brand, with a reputation that precedes its content – readers know that information from Mashable is trustworthy, and are thus more likely to read and pass on information to other industry professionals and media enthusiasts. It’s incredibly easy to share Mashable content – the interface encourages readers to tweet or share articles via Twitter and Facebook, and keeps a running tally of how many users have shared each piece.

When a celebrity dies, it is a sound heard across the world. When an ordinary person dies, it goes unheard. It is a sad but true fact in our celebrity obessed culture. That being the case, Digital Life Sacrifice is a cause marketing campaign involving celebrities like Lady Gaga, the Kardashian sisters and Alicia Keys who will cease communication on Twitter and Facebook starting this Wednesday--thus a digital death per say-- until the AIDS/HIV charity, Keep a Child Alive, raises $1 million.

While a lot of reaction to the campaign is that the celebrities could easily donate $1 million themselves (or hey Kim Kardashian could've just charged it to her Kardashian Kard, if that hadn't already gone defunct), the bottom line is that celebrity involvement often helps a charity with a wide reach, awareness of the issue they stand behind...and most of all: money.

Sure, it's a bit self absorbed for the celebrities to think their fans will rush to make donations in an effort to reach the $1 million mark to get them back tweeting again...especially when most of us are thinking about how to afford paying the bills AND holiday gifts this year. But this is the most philanthropic time of year after all, and if their silence means money raised for a good cause, then so be it.

In a week of website hacking, from Visa to MasterCard and even SarahPalin.com, it appears that Operation Payback has been just the inspiration hackers needed to motivate them to take down more sites. This time Gawker and it's properties, Gidmodo and Jezebel. Although not related to Operation Payback, you could say that exposing the media site's source code, email addresses and passwords of past and present employees as well as the same for it's registered users, was indeed retaliation.

A group that calls themselves Gnosis, not only hacked the site and made all private details open for all to see, it spawned the data mined from registered accounts to be used to distribute spam throughout Twitter.  Although it is uncertain if it was Gnosis that began the spam attack, it's definitely clear that their exposure of the usernames and passwords prompted it. Spam tweets about Acai began flooding Twitter streams reinforcing the fact that you should not use the same username and password for all of your accounts. 

In general, this brings about more concern than just the exploitation of Gawker, but an increased awareness that there is no such thing as privacy and security on the interwebs (see my related post "Has Social Media Changed Our View on Privacy?"). What do you think?

Photo: Sourced from Jon Erickson's Hacking: The Art of Exploitation

Groupon has taken social buying by storm and in a time when daily deal sites are popping up as fast as McDonald's serves up burgers, the only next natural step for the group discount site is to expand it's wings internationally. Back in August they stepped foot into Japan and Russia through acquisitions of Qpod and Darberry. Followed by capturing the the Asian market through acquisitions of uBuyiBuy, Beeconomic and Atlaspost to stake their claim in Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines and Taiwan. And now they have their sights squarely set on China, a market American .com's struggle for success in.

However, with such rapid growth comes missteps and mistakes, such as Groupon Japan's New Year's Day PR nightmare when Japanese restaurant, Bird Cafe, couldn't keep up with the demand that it's Groupon discount generated for osechi. Overwhelmed by the response, the osechi purchased by 500 Groupon members was delivered in sub par quality. Thus prompting members to do what everyone does in the digital age...they take to the web posting their dissatisfaction over what they received. Only 6 months in and Groupon's CEO is already posting a YouTube apology.

It looks like brands aren't the only companies drinking the social media kool aid lately, we've especially noticed this at Pierce Mattie PR. Investment firms, like J.P.Morgan, are also looking towards social media as a new means of revenue. And I don't mean the folks at J.P.Morgan will be tweeting about investment portfolios, but instead they'll be looking for those interested in getting involved in a fund that backs privately held technology companies before they go public.

It makes sense. Most people have been talking about the dotcom bubble bursting for a while now, and others talk about social media peaking...but all we've witnessed is an evolution of the digital space that is not only remaining strong and moving forward, but proving its profitability. And after a recession that left the stock market in a shambles, and many companies picking up the pieces of losing it all, "new media" (which really is the "right now media") only seems to be gaining momentum and spawning new breeds of companies capturing consumer interest left and right. (See: Groupon, Gilt Groupe, Foursquare, etc.)

So now that both Goldman Sach's and J.P.Morgan have set up funds for investment into social media companies, can we finally say that if your company has not yet entered the social media space, you are truly living in the stone age? Yes, I think so. Tell us what you think via our Twitter page at @PierceMattiePR

According to a new research study released today at the Digital Impact Conference in New York City, 93% of women bloggers surveyed are eager to partner with brands although the majority, almost 60%, have never been approached by a brand or agency to work on a campaign.

The survey was fielded across 50,000 women bloggers in the BlogFrog network during the month of April and was analyzed by the Social Studies Group, an independent social media research company. Almost 2,000 women and mom bloggers responded, offering valuable insights for brands that help them understand the most effective ways to partner with women bloggers to generate brand affinity, loyalty and drive purchase behavior.

• Key Findings Include:
• Compensation matters. 90% are interested in working with brands, so long as there is some form of compensation. 
• Social good matters. Campaigns that include an element of social good increase trust levels for 56% of bloggers surveyed. 
• 70% of bloggers trust a brand more when that brand is promoted or recommended by someone they know from a blog or social media. 
• Almost all women bloggers have positive opinions on brand sponsored social media and blog campaigns. 
• Almost 60% of women bloggers indicate they want long-term, deeper relationships with a few special brands. 
• Of the brand pitches bloggers receive, most are rejected by the majority of bloggers. 
• As consumers, women bloggers are highly influenced by other blogs. 93% have purchased a product based on brand information found on a blog or online community. 
• Bloggers who spend six or more hours a week engaging with other blog communities show a correlated increase in revenue. 
• Brands like Purex, Disney, Kraft, Silhouette, Proctor & Gamble, and CSN were given high marks for their blogger relations.

per jane:

Hi there,

It's here! It's real! It finally happened! The project I started working on nearly 8,000 years ago is actually live for you to see at xoJane.com.

I'm excited to hear what you like and don't like about it, what you want to see more of, less of, what questions you have for all of us, what you want to contribute, etc etc, so please write and tell me. I was thinking of you the whole time.

 xo,
Jane PS -- You can follow the site on Twitter now at @xojanedotcom and on Facebook at facebook.com/xoJane.

Glam Media, Inc. (www.glammedia.com), the number one vertical media company with the largest global reach for women online, recently announced that it has become the top Web property in comScore's Family/Parenting/Moms category with a reach of 25 million monthly unique visitors in the U.S.  Additionally, Glam has also acquired Babyworld, an online U.K. parenting brand to further the company's leadership in the Family content vertical.

According to a recent study conducted by eMarketer, moms in the U.S. control 80 percent of household spend, making them an extremely important audience for brand advertisers to reach. To help brands more effectively connect with moms online, Glam has expanded its presence with passionate influencers that create deeply engaging experiences, adding more than 35 quality publishing partners within the Family/Parenting/Moms vertical.

"Women and moms have undoubtedly become the Chief Spending Officers of the household, controlling the vast majority of consumer purchases in the U.S. As a leader in reaching women and moms online, Glam is the must-buy for any brand that wants to engage with these highly desirable audiences in a meaningful way at massive scale," said Samir Arora, Chairman and CEO of Glam Media.

We live in a competitive world. Why is it that some people forge ahead while others still struggle to make it? The answer simply lies in the supply and demand theory! What many businesses do not realize is in today’s world, customers have the power to make or break your business...via social media Today, the most important thing for success in any industry is to learn what people like and need, and to give them exactly that! Marketing and research is not just for starting up a business, but is also very important to make changes and ensure your place in your industry.

In Listen First!: Turning Social Media Conversations Into Business Advantage, Stephen Rappaport delivers advice backed up by research about how to use listening to give your business a competitive advantage.

This step-by-step guide for adopting a listening strategy in your business will help take it to another level. It starts out by telling you how to get organized to listen, then how to listen, understand what you have got, and finally what to do with what youve gotten from listening. This advice will help you gain a competitive advantage in many business areas including customer service, production, research and development, and advertising. If you already have an established business this method will help you understand what people think about your brand, whether that is what you had envisioned for the business, and whether you should make any changes to your brand to allow it to hold the image you want for it. Listening can also help you understand what people think about your competitors and whether they are a true threat to your business or not.

Have you ever dreamed of interning in New York for a beauty fashion PR firm but are not able to get off your college campus, which isn’t located in NY? Now you can!

Pierce Mattie PR is actively seeking Fall/Winter Social Media Interns to work remotely from their dorms. In years past our interns have gone on to be published authors, featured in the New York Times, received college credit and most importantly learned the ropes of beauty fashion social media from our in-house experts.

Whether you'll find yourself in the audience or backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week or simply having to get your updates from afar (we know at Pierce Mattie PR a great beauty blog to get it from--shameless plug), there are ways you can be part of fashion week thanks in part to social media.

Here are 5 ways we at Pierce Mattie PR suggest you can stay connected:

1. Live From the Runway YouTube channel. As reported by NYMag, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will have at least 30 designers this season who will be livestreaming their shows to YouTube. The channel will also give backstage access to beauty recaps and trend forecasting (which we here at Pierce Mattie PR love!)

2. Fashion's Night Out SCVNGR: No one has set up a challenge yet, but I think it would be a great way to get more interactive FNO activities going! (If you haven't heard of SCVNGR yet, do check them out!)

3.Foursquare Checkins: Back in February, designers like Marc Jacobs were getting involved with this location based social media platform by offering a Marc Jacobs Fashion Victim 2011 badge to those who check in at least once, then 4 of those people would be chosen to attend his show. This next go-round, I'm sure there will be more of the same.

4. Stylesight: Missed a show or want a sneak peek at the look books from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week designers? Stylesight and MBFW have collaborated to give buyers and the press access digitally to everything just by registering for free. Stylesight also has a great trend forecasting blog!

5.Tumblr: Just as this did this past February, Tumblr is once again hosting fashion bloggers to contribute imagery to Tumblr blogs to capture all things #NYFW.

How will you be staying connected to the fashion shows, parties and activities this season? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Whether you'll find yourself in the audience or backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week or simply having to get your updates from afar (we know at Pierce Mattie PR a great beauty blog to get it from--shameless plug), there are ways you can be part of fashion week thanks in part to social media.

Here are 5 ways we at Pierce Mattie PR suggest you can stay connected:

1. Live From the Runway YouTube channel. As reported by NYMag, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will have at least 30 designers this season who will be livestreaming their shows to YouTube. The channel will also give backstage access to beauty recaps and trend forecasting (which we here at Pierce Mattie PR love!)

2. Fashion's Night Out SCVNGR: No one has set up a challenge yet, but I think it would be a great way to get more interactive FNO activities going! (If you haven't heard of SCVNGR yet, do check them out!)

3.Foursquare Checkins: Back in February, designers like Marc Jacobs were getting involved with this location based social media platform by offering a Marc Jacobs Fashion Victim 2011 badge to those who check in at least once, then 4 of those people would be chosen to attend his show. This next go-round, I'm sure there will be more of the same.

4. Stylesight: Missed a show or want a sneak peek at the look books from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week designers? Stylesight and MBFW have collaborated to give buyers and the press access digitally to everything just by registering for free. Stylesight also has a great trend forecasting blog!

5.Tumblr: Just as this did this past February, Tumblr is once again hosting fashion bloggers to contribute imagery to Tumblr blogs to capture all things #NYFW.

How will you be staying connected to the fashion shows, parties and activities this season? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Whether you'll find yourself in the audience or backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week or simply having to get your updates from afar (we know at Pierce Mattie PR a great beauty blog to get it from--shameless plug), there are ways you can be part of fashion week thanks in part to social media.

Here are 5 ways we at Pierce Mattie PR suggest you can stay connected:

1. Live From the Runway YouTube channel. As reported by NYMag, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will have at least 30 designers this season who will be livestreaming their shows to YouTube. The channel will also give backstage access to beauty recaps and trend forecasting (which we here at Pierce Mattie PR love!)

2. Fashion's Night Out SCVNGR: No one has set up a challenge yet, but I think it would be a great way to get more interactive FNO activities going! (If you haven't heard of SCVNGR yet, do check them out!)

3.Foursquare Checkins: Back in February, designers like Marc Jacobs were getting involved with this location based social media platform by offering a Marc Jacobs Fashion Victim 2011 badge to those who check in at least once, then 4 of those people would be chosen to attend his show. This next go-round, I'm sure there will be more of the same.

4. Stylesight: Missed a show or want a sneak peek at the look books from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week designers? Stylesight and MBFW have collaborated to give buyers and the press access digitally to everything just by registering for free. Stylesight also has a great trend forecasting blog!

5.Tumblr: Just as this did this past February, Tumblr is once again hosting fashion bloggers to contribute imagery to Tumblr blogs to capture all things #NYFW.

How will you be staying connected to the fashion shows, parties and activities this season? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Whether you'll find yourself in the audience or backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week or simply having to get your updates from afar (we know at Pierce Mattie PR a great beauty blog to get it from--shameless plug), there are ways you can be part of fashion week thanks in part to social media.

Here are 5 ways we at Pierce Mattie PR suggest you can stay connected:

1. Live From the Runway YouTube channel. As reported by NYMag, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will have at least 30 designers this season who will be livestreaming their shows to YouTube. The channel will also give backstage access to beauty recaps and trend forecasting (which we here at Pierce Mattie PR love!)

2. Fashion's Night Out SCVNGR: No one has set up a challenge yet, but I think it would be a great way to get more interactive FNO activities going! (If you haven't heard of SCVNGR yet, do check them out!)

3.Foursquare Checkins: Back in February, designers like Marc Jacobs were getting involved with this location based social media platform by offering a Marc Jacobs Fashion Victim 2011 badge to those who check in at least once, then 4 of those people would be chosen to attend his show. This next go-round, I'm sure there will be more of the same.

4. Stylesight: Missed a show or want a sneak peek at the look books from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week designers? Stylesight and MBFW have collaborated to give buyers and the press access digitally to everything just by registering for free. Stylesight also has a great trend forecasting blog!

5.Tumblr: Just as this did this past February, Tumblr is once again hosting fashion bloggers to contribute imagery to Tumblr blogs to capture all things #NYFW.

How will you be staying connected to the fashion shows, parties and activities this season? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Whether you'll find yourself in the audience or backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week or simply having to get your updates from afar (we know at Pierce Mattie PR a great beauty blog to get it from--shameless plug), there are ways you can be part of fashion week thanks in part to social media.

Here are 5 ways we at Pierce Mattie PR suggest you can stay connected:

1. Live From the Runway YouTube channel. As reported by NYMag, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will have at least 30 designers this season who will be livestreaming their shows to YouTube. The channel will also give backstage access to beauty recaps and trend forecasting (which we here at Pierce Mattie PR love!)

2. Fashion's Night Out SCVNGR: No one has set up a challenge yet, but I think it would be a great way to get more interactive FNO activities going! (If you haven't heard of SCVNGR yet, do check them out!)

3.Foursquare Checkins: Back in February, designers like Marc Jacobs were getting involved with this location based social media platform by offering a Marc Jacobs Fashion Victim 2011 badge to those who check in at least once, then 4 of those people would be chosen to attend his show. This next go-round, I'm sure there will be more of the same.

4. Stylesight: Missed a show or want a sneak peek at the look books from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week designers? Stylesight and MBFW have collaborated to give buyers and the press access digitally to everything just by registering for free. Stylesight also has a great trend forecasting blog!

5.Tumblr: Just as this did this past February, Tumblr is once again hosting fashion bloggers to contribute imagery to Tumblr blogs to capture all things #NYFW.

How will you be staying connected to the fashion shows, parties and activities this season? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Whether you'll find yourself in the audience or backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week or simply having to get your updates from afar (we know at Pierce Mattie PR a great beauty blog to get it from--shameless plug), there are ways you can be part of fashion week thanks in part to social media.

Here are 5 ways we at Pierce Mattie PR suggest you can stay connected:

1. Live From the Runway YouTube channel. As reported by NYMag, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will have at least 30 designers this season who will be livestreaming their shows to YouTube. The channel will also give backstage access to beauty recaps and trend forecasting (which we here at Pierce Mattie PR love!)

2. Fashion's Night Out SCVNGR: No one has set up a challenge yet, but I think it would be a great way to get more interactive FNO activities going! (If you haven't heard of SCVNGR yet, do check them out!)

3.Foursquare Checkins: Back in February, designers like Marc Jacobs were getting involved with this location based social media platform by offering a Marc Jacobs Fashion Victim 2011 badge to those who check in at least once, then 4 of those people would be chosen to attend his show. This next go-round, I'm sure there will be more of the same.

4. Stylesight: Missed a show or want a sneak peek at the look books from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week designers? Stylesight and MBFW have collaborated to give buyers and the press access digitally to everything just by registering for free. Stylesight also has a great trend forecasting blog!

5.Tumblr: Just as this did this past February, Tumblr is once again hosting fashion bloggers to contribute imagery to Tumblr blogs to capture all things #NYFW.

How will you be staying connected to the fashion shows, parties and activities this season? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Whether you'll find yourself in the audience or backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week or simply having to get your updates from afar (we know at Pierce Mattie PR a great beauty blog to get it from--shameless plug), there are ways you can be part of fashion week thanks in part to social media.

Here are 5 ways we at Pierce Mattie PR suggest you can stay connected:

1. Live From the Runway YouTube channel. As reported by NYMag, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will have at least 30 designers this season who will be livestreaming their shows to YouTube. The channel will also give backstage access to beauty recaps and trend forecasting (which we here at Pierce Mattie PR love!)

2. Fashion's Night Out SCVNGR: No one has set up a challenge yet, but I think it would be a great way to get more interactive FNO activities going! (If you haven't heard of SCVNGR yet, do check them out!)

3.Foursquare Checkins: Back in February, designers like Marc Jacobs were getting involved with this location based social media platform by offering a Marc Jacobs Fashion Victim 2011 badge to those who check in at least once, then 4 of those people would be chosen to attend his show. This next go-round, I'm sure there will be more of the same.

4. Stylesight: Missed a show or want a sneak peek at the look books from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week designers? Stylesight and MBFW have collaborated to give buyers and the press access digitally to everything just by registering for free. Stylesight also has a great trend forecasting blog!

5.Tumblr: Just as this did this past February, Tumblr is once again hosting fashion bloggers to contribute imagery to Tumblr blogs to capture all things #NYFW.

How will you be staying connected to the fashion shows, parties and activities this season? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Whether you'll find yourself in the audience or backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week or simply having to get your updates from afar (we know at Pierce Mattie PR a great beauty blog to get it from--shameless plug), there are ways you can be part of fashion week thanks in part to social media.

Here are 5 ways we at Pierce Mattie PR suggest you can stay connected:

1. Live From the Runway YouTube channel. As reported by NYMag, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will have at least 30 designers this season who will be livestreaming their shows to YouTube. The channel will also give backstage access to beauty recaps and trend forecasting (which we here at Pierce Mattie PR love!)

2. Fashion's Night Out SCVNGR: No one has set up a challenge yet, but I think it would be a great way to get more interactive FNO activities going! (If you haven't heard of SCVNGR yet, do check them out!)

3.Foursquare Checkins: Back in February, designers like Marc Jacobs were getting involved with this location based social media platform by offering a Marc Jacobs Fashion Victim 2011 badge to those who check in at least once, then 4 of those people would be chosen to attend his show. This next go-round, I'm sure there will be more of the same.

4. Stylesight: Missed a show or want a sneak peek at the look books from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week designers? Stylesight and MBFW have collaborated to give buyers and the press access digitally to everything just by registering for free. Stylesight also has a great trend forecasting blog!

5.Tumblr: Just as this did this past February, Tumblr is once again hosting fashion bloggers to contribute imagery to Tumblr blogs to capture all things #NYFW.

How will you be staying connected to the fashion shows, parties and activities this season? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Whether you'll find yourself in the audience or backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week or simply having to get your updates from afar (we know at Pierce Mattie PR a great beauty blog to get it from--shameless plug), there are ways you can be part of fashion week thanks in part to social media.

Here are 5 ways we at Pierce Mattie PR suggest you can stay connected:

1. Live From the Runway YouTube channel. As reported by NYMag, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will have at least 30 designers this season who will be livestreaming their shows to YouTube. The channel will also give backstage access to beauty recaps and trend forecasting (which we here at Pierce Mattie PR love!)

2. Fashion's Night Out SCVNGR: No one has set up a challenge yet, but I think it would be a great way to get more interactive FNO activities going! (If you haven't heard of SCVNGR yet, do check them out!)

3.Foursquare Checkins: Back in February, designers like Marc Jacobs were getting involved with this location based social media platform by offering a Marc Jacobs Fashion Victim 2011 badge to those who check in at least once, then 4 of those people would be chosen to attend his show. This next go-round, I'm sure there will be more of the same.

4. Stylesight: Missed a show or want a sneak peek at the look books from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week designers? Stylesight and MBFW have collaborated to give buyers and the press access digitally to everything just by registering for free. Stylesight also has a great trend forecasting blog!

5.Tumblr: Just as this did this past February, Tumblr is once again hosting fashion bloggers to contribute imagery to Tumblr blogs to capture all things #NYFW.

How will you be staying connected to the fashion shows, parties and activities this season? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Whether you'll find yourself in the audience or backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week or simply having to get your updates from afar (we know at Pierce Mattie PR a great beauty blog to get it from--shameless plug), there are ways you can be part of fashion week thanks in part to social media.

Here are 5 ways we at Pierce Mattie PR suggest you can stay connected:

1. Live From the Runway YouTube channel. As reported by NYMag, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will have at least 30 designers this season who will be livestreaming their shows to YouTube. The channel will also give backstage access to beauty recaps and trend forecasting (which we here at Pierce Mattie PR love!)

2. Fashion's Night Out SCVNGR: No one has set up a challenge yet, but I think it would be a great way to get more interactive FNO activities going! (If you haven't heard of SCVNGR yet, do check them out!)

3.Foursquare Checkins: Back in February, designers like Marc Jacobs were getting involved with this location based social media platform by offering a Marc Jacobs Fashion Victim 2011 badge to those who check in at least once, then 4 of those people would be chosen to attend his show. This next go-round, I'm sure there will be more of the same.

4. Stylesight: Missed a show or want a sneak peek at the look books from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week designers? Stylesight and MBFW have collaborated to give buyers and the press access digitally to everything just by registering for free. Stylesight also has a great trend forecasting blog!

5.Tumblr: Just as this did this past February, Tumblr is once again hosting fashion bloggers to contribute imagery to Tumblr blogs to capture all things #NYFW.

How will you be staying connected to the fashion shows, parties and activities this season? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Whether you'll find yourself in the audience or backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week or simply having to get your updates from afar (we know at Pierce Mattie PR a great beauty blog to get it from--shameless plug), there are ways you can be part of fashion week thanks in part to social media.

Here are 5 ways we at Pierce Mattie PR suggest you can stay connected:

1. Live From the Runway YouTube channel. As reported by NYMag, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will have at least 30 designers this season who will be livestreaming their shows to YouTube. The channel will also give backstage access to beauty recaps and trend forecasting (which we here at Pierce Mattie PR love!)

2. Fashion's Night Out SCVNGR: No one has set up a challenge yet, but I think it would be a great way to get more interactive FNO activities going! (If you haven't heard of SCVNGR yet, do check them out!)

3.Foursquare Checkins: Back in February, designers like Marc Jacobs were getting involved with this location based social media platform by offering a Marc Jacobs Fashion Victim 2011 badge to those who check in at least once, then 4 of those people would be chosen to attend his show. This next go-round, I'm sure there will be more of the same.

4. Stylesight: Missed a show or want a sneak peek at the look books from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week designers? Stylesight and MBFW have collaborated to give buyers and the press access digitally to everything just by registering for free. Stylesight also has a great trend forecasting blog!

5.Tumblr: Just as this did this past February, Tumblr is once again hosting fashion bloggers to contribute imagery to Tumblr blogs to capture all things #NYFW.

How will you be staying connected to the fashion shows, parties and activities this season? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Last week Pierce Mattie and I got to talking about how social media has changed brand consumption and consumer expectations, noting that it has had both pros and cons. Pros being that it has made brands more accountable (if you mess up, expect it to become a trending topic on Twitter), more transparent (if you are lying, consumers will be quick to find out) and more pull and less push. Cons are that it has created a generation born of immediate gratification (God help you if you don't have someone immediately answering a fan's question on Facebook), high expectations, lacking brand loyalty and give new meaning to the term Generation "D"...no not digital; I'm talking about Generation Discount.

I like the personable aspect of social media and how it has transformed talking TO a computer (on the phone) into talking ON the computer. We seemed to have finally found the answer to "Press 1 for..." with "Hi @reallycoolbrand, I'm having a customer service issue, can you help?" and receive an answer much quicker than navigating a phone system to finally land in the right department after being transferred around 5 times. I like being acknowledged publicly by a brand as an important and valuable consumer. And I further like hearing about up and coming brands just by reading my friends status updates or tweets.

Yet there seems to be an entitlement factor in there. For example, there's the expectation that all brands should discount their product...and 20% is not enough anymore--heck that's not even considered a sale thanks to daily deal sites like Groupon...50% off is where it begins. And brands fall into the rut of always giving it away, holding contests and discounting because they are afraid if they don't, they will lose their new consumer-base of I'll never pay full price again shoppers. (Guess what? It's still about customer service once you get them in the door, that's what makes them come back! Really!) There's the expectation that brands need to be transparent 100% of the time..to which I say that there really should still be that barrier between a brand owned by its name vs. consumers thinking they own the brand. I'm fine with 80% transparency and call the other 20% the mystery that keeps me curious and wanting to learn more still about the brands I love.

So as a person who lives, eats and breathes social media, do I think it has ruined how consumers consume brands? I'm not entirely convinced. I definitely believe there are some definitive cons, but I think the transformation from corporate business into a connected, social business has been a benefit us all.

What do you think? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Last week Pierce Mattie and I got to talking about how social media has changed brand consumption and consumer expectations, noting that it has had both pros and cons. Pros being that it has made brands more accountable (if you mess up, expect it to become a trending topic on Twitter), more transparent (if you are lying, consumers will be quick to find out) and more pull and less push. Cons are that it has created a generation born of immediate gratification (God help you if you don't have someone immediately answering a fan's question on Facebook), high expectations, lacking brand loyalty and give new meaning to the term Generation "D"...no not digital; I'm talking about Generation Discount.

I like the personable aspect of social media and how it has transformed talking TO a computer (on the phone) into talking ON the computer. We seemed to have finally found the answer to "Press 1 for..." with "Hi @reallycoolbrand, I'm having a customer service issue, can you help?" and receive an answer much quicker than navigating a phone system to finally land in the right department after being transferred around 5 times. I like being acknowledged publicly by a brand as an important and valuable consumer. And I further like hearing about up and coming brands just by reading my friends status updates or tweets.

Yet there seems to be an entitlement factor in there. For example, there's the expectation that all brands should discount their product...and 20% is not enough anymore--heck that's not even considered a sale thanks to daily deal sites like Groupon...50% off is where it begins. And brands fall into the rut of always giving it away, holding contests and discounting because they are afraid if they don't, they will lose their new consumer-base of I'll never pay full price again shoppers. (Guess what? It's still about customer service once you get them in the door, that's what makes them come back! Really!) There's the expectation that brands need to be transparent 100% of the time..to which I say that there really should still be that barrier between a brand owned by its name vs. consumers thinking they own the brand. I'm fine with 80% transparency and call the other 20% the mystery that keeps me curious and wanting to learn more still about the brands I love.

So as a person who lives, eats and breathes social media, do I think it has ruined how consumers consume brands? I'm not entirely convinced. I definitely believe there are some definitive cons, but I think the transformation from corporate business into a connected, social business has been a benefit us all.

What do you think? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Last week Pierce Mattie and I got to talking about how social media has changed brand consumption and consumer expectations, noting that it has had both pros and cons. Pros being that it has made brands more accountable (if you mess up, expect it to become a trending topic on Twitter), more transparent (if you are lying, consumers will be quick to find out) and more pull and less push. Cons are that it has created a generation born of immediate gratification (God help you if you don't have someone immediately answering a fan's question on Facebook), high expectations, lacking brand loyalty and give new meaning to the term Generation "D"...no not digital; I'm talking about Generation Discount.

I like the personable aspect of social media and how it has transformed talking TO a computer (on the phone) into talking ON the computer. We seemed to have finally found the answer to "Press 1 for..." with "Hi @reallycoolbrand, I'm having a customer service issue, can you help?" and receive an answer much quicker than navigating a phone system to finally land in the right department after being transferred around 5 times. I like being acknowledged publicly by a brand as an important and valuable consumer. And I further like hearing about up and coming brands just by reading my friends status updates or tweets.

Yet there seems to be an entitlement factor in there. For example, there's the expectation that all brands should discount their product...and 20% is not enough anymore--heck that's not even considered a sale thanks to daily deal sites like Groupon...50% off is where it begins. And brands fall into the rut of always giving it away, holding contests and discounting because they are afraid if they don't, they will lose their new consumer-base of I'll never pay full price again shoppers. (Guess what? It's still about customer service once you get them in the door, that's what makes them come back! Really!) There's the expectation that brands need to be transparent 100% of the time..to which I say that there really should still be that barrier between a brand owned by its name vs. consumers thinking they own the brand. I'm fine with 80% transparency and call the other 20% the mystery that keeps me curious and wanting to learn more still about the brands I love.

So as a person who lives, eats and breathes social media, do I think it has ruined how consumers consume brands? I'm not entirely convinced. I definitely believe there are some definitive cons, but I think the transformation from corporate business into a connected, social business has been a benefit us all.

What do you think? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Last week Pierce Mattie and I got to talking about how social media has changed brand consumption and consumer expectations, noting that it has had both pros and cons. Pros being that it has made brands more accountable (if you mess up, expect it to become a trending topic on Twitter), more transparent (if you are lying, consumers will be quick to find out) and more pull and less push. Cons are that it has created a generation born of immediate gratification (God help you if you don't have someone immediately answering a fan's question on Facebook), high expectations, lacking brand loyalty and give new meaning to the term Generation "D"...no not digital; I'm talking about Generation Discount.

I like the personable aspect of social media and how it has transformed talking TO a computer (on the phone) into talking ON the computer. We seemed to have finally found the answer to "Press 1 for..." with "Hi @reallycoolbrand, I'm having a customer service issue, can you help?" and receive an answer much quicker than navigating a phone system to finally land in the right department after being transferred around 5 times. I like being acknowledged publicly by a brand as an important and valuable consumer. And I further like hearing about up and coming brands just by reading my friends status updates or tweets.

Yet there seems to be an entitlement factor in there. For example, there's the expectation that all brands should discount their product...and 20% is not enough anymore--heck that's not even considered a sale thanks to daily deal sites like Groupon...50% off is where it begins. And brands fall into the rut of always giving it away, holding contests and discounting because they are afraid if they don't, they will lose their new consumer-base of I'll never pay full price again shoppers. (Guess what? It's still about customer service once you get them in the door, that's what makes them come back! Really!) There's the expectation that brands need to be transparent 100% of the time..to which I say that there really should still be that barrier between a brand owned by its name vs. consumers thinking they own the brand. I'm fine with 80% transparency and call the other 20% the mystery that keeps me curious and wanting to learn more still about the brands I love.

So as a person who lives, eats and breathes social media, do I think it has ruined how consumers consume brands? I'm not entirely convinced. I definitely believe there are some definitive cons, but I think the transformation from corporate business into a connected, social business has been a benefit us all.

What do you think? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Last week Pierce Mattie and I got to talking about how social media has changed brand consumption and consumer expectations, noting that it has had both pros and cons. Pros being that it has made brands more accountable (if you mess up, expect it to become a trending topic on Twitter), more transparent (if you are lying, consumers will be quick to find out) and more pull and less push. Cons are that it has created a generation born of immediate gratification (God help you if you don't have someone immediately answering a fan's question on Facebook), high expectations, lacking brand loyalty and give new meaning to the term Generation "D"...no not digital; I'm talking about Generation Discount.

I like the personable aspect of social media and how it has transformed talking TO a computer (on the phone) into talking ON the computer. We seemed to have finally found the answer to "Press 1 for..." with "Hi @reallycoolbrand, I'm having a customer service issue, can you help?" and receive an answer much quicker than navigating a phone system to finally land in the right department after being transferred around 5 times. I like being acknowledged publicly by a brand as an important and valuable consumer. And I further like hearing about up and coming brands just by reading my friends status updates or tweets.

Yet there seems to be an entitlement factor in there. For example, there's the expectation that all brands should discount their product...and 20% is not enough anymore--heck that's not even considered a sale thanks to daily deal sites like Groupon...50% off is where it begins. And brands fall into the rut of always giving it away, holding contests and discounting because they are afraid if they don't, they will lose their new consumer-base of I'll never pay full price again shoppers. (Guess what? It's still about customer service once you get them in the door, that's what makes them come back! Really!) There's the expectation that brands need to be transparent 100% of the time..to which I say that there really should still be that barrier between a brand owned by its name vs. consumers thinking they own the brand. I'm fine with 80% transparency and call the other 20% the mystery that keeps me curious and wanting to learn more still about the brands I love.

So as a person who lives, eats and breathes social media, do I think it has ruined how consumers consume brands? I'm not entirely convinced. I definitely believe there are some definitive cons, but I think the transformation from corporate business into a connected, social business has been a benefit us all.

What do you think? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Last week I mentioned Generation Discount in my post regarding how social media has changed brand consumption. And although, I'd like to think that the growth Generation D has prompted in the daily deal site over-saturation will eventually go away, our economic fears will continue to fuel growth and we'll see this segment of social shopping continue to grow. On the one hand, as someone with a large family (read between the lines: on a budget), I have been known to purchase from a daily deal site or take advantage of a major discount (RetailMeNot is a favorite.) On the other hand, as someone who helps brands not only expand their reach, but maintain what they've acquired, the constant expectation from consumers for discounts, giveaways and freebies begins to wear on the bottom line. So what can brands do to avoid becoming a discount brand in an effort to get products and services moving off the shelf in a recession?

1. If you do want the sales boost that daily deal sites can lend, remember it is on loan to you. What does that mean, you ask? If you don't deliver A+ customer service, consider that customer walking through your door, a one hit wonder. It's a no brainer that you should ALWAYS deliver the best customer service possible...even if you are only an e-tailer discounting product...make the shopping experience super painless (as shopping should be.) It you deliver something of value, consumers will realize, discount or not, it's worth a repeat purchase.

I know. It's now the 3rd week that I've mentioned the daily deal niche. But this time I promise it's for a good reason. A socially good reason, that is. There is a newer daily deal site that not only gives shopper's incentive to purchase from their partners by offering up to 70% off retail, but 20% of that voucher you just purchased goes towards a charitable cause. The site I'm referring to is Social Goodies...call it guilt-free shopping if you will.

Social Goodies works with a variety of charities, but spotlights 3 at a time daily (and you can submit your favorite charity for consideration for a future deal as well.) When you purchase from a vendor on Social Goodies, you then get to choose which spotlighted charity that day that you want your 20% to go to. In a time when consumers are curtailing their donations to non-profits while searching for the deep discount, this is definitely one way to align your brand with some cause marketing without too much out of pocket on your part.

The other great thing about Social Goodies is that many of the brands they partner with are also into the act of social good as well, such as their recent daily deal collaboration with MoralEyes. MoralEyes is a fashion eyewear brand that donates reading glasses to a person in need when you make a purchase for a pair yourself (sort of like TOMS if you will.) What a great way to give back twice and save some money...maybe even use the money you save to make a donation to your local charity. Now I'd call that a charitable hat trick.

Take a peek at Social Goodies and tweet us your thoughts @PierceMattiePR.

I know. It's now the 3rd week that I've mentioned the daily deal niche. But this time I promise it's for a good reason. A socially good reason, that is. There is a newer daily deal site that not only gives shopper's incentive to purchase from their partners by offering up to 70% off retail, but 20% of that voucher you just purchased goes towards a charitable cause. The site I'm referring to is Social Goodies...call it guilt-free shopping if you will.

Social Goodies works with a variety of charities, but spotlights 3 at a time daily (and you can submit your favorite charity for consideration for a future deal as well.) When you purchase from a vendor on Social Goodies, you then get to choose which spotlighted charity that day that you want your 20% to go to. In a time when consumers are curtailing their donations to non-profits while searching for the deep discount, this is definitely one way to align your brand with some cause marketing without too much out of pocket on your part.

The other great thing about Social Goodies is that many of the brands they partner with are also into the act of social good as well, such as their recent daily deal collaboration with MoralEyes. MoralEyes is a fashion eyewear brand that donates reading glasses to a person in need when you make a purchase for a pair yourself (sort of like TOMS if you will.) What a great way to give back twice and save some money...maybe even use the money you save to make a donation to your local charity. Now I'd call that a charitable hat trick.

Take a peek at Social Goodies and tweet us your thoughts @PierceMattiePR.

I know. It's now the 3rd week that I've mentioned the daily deal niche. But this time I promise it's for a good reason. A socially good reason, that is. There is a newer daily deal site that not only gives shopper's incentive to purchase from their partners by offering up to 70% off retail, but 20% of that voucher you just purchased goes towards a charitable cause. The site I'm referring to is Social Goodies...call it guilt-free shopping if you will.

Social Goodies works with a variety of charities, but spotlights 3 at a time daily (and you can submit your favorite charity for consideration for a future deal as well.) When you purchase from a vendor on Social Goodies, you then get to choose which spotlighted charity that day that you want your 20% to go to. In a time when consumers are curtailing their donations to non-profits while searching for the deep discount, this is definitely one way to align your brand with some cause marketing without too much out of pocket on your part.

The other great thing about Social Goodies is that many of the brands they partner with are also into the act of social good as well, such as their recent daily deal collaboration with MoralEyes. MoralEyes is a fashion eyewear brand that donates reading glasses to a person in need when you make a purchase for a pair yourself (sort of like TOMS if you will.) What a great way to give back twice and save some money...maybe even use the money you save to make a donation to your local charity. Now I'd call that a charitable hat trick.

Take a peek at Social Goodies and tweet us your thoughts @PierceMattiePR.

I know. It's now the 3rd week that I've mentioned the daily deal niche. But this time I promise it's for a good reason. A socially good reason, that is. There is a newer daily deal site that not only gives shopper's incentive to purchase from their partners by offering up to 70% off retail, but 20% of that voucher you just purchased goes towards a charitable cause. The site I'm referring to is Social Goodies...call it guilt-free shopping if you will.

Social Goodies works with a variety of charities, but spotlights 3 at a time daily (and you can submit your favorite charity for consideration for a future deal as well.) When you purchase from a vendor on Social Goodies, you then get to choose which spotlighted charity that day that you want your 20% to go to. In a time when consumers are curtailing their donations to non-profits while searching for the deep discount, this is definitely one way to align your brand with some cause marketing without too much out of pocket on your part.

The other great thing about Social Goodies is that many of the brands they partner with are also into the act of social good as well, such as their recent daily deal collaboration with MoralEyes. MoralEyes is a fashion eyewear brand that donates reading glasses to a person in need when you make a purchase for a pair yourself (sort of like TOMS if you will.) What a great way to give back twice and save some money...maybe even use the money you save to make a donation to your local charity. Now I'd call that a charitable hat trick.

Take a peek at Social Goodies and tweet us your thoughts @PierceMattiePR.

As the editorial world gets smaller and smaller, it seems PR pitches are lending a bit of arrogance (and ignorance) when submitted to the online media world lately. I, unfortunately, have been on the receiving end of many of these half-witted pitches (and often tweet about my frustration over them.) I can only speak for myself, but I'm pretty sure my fellow bloggers would agree on these points when it comes to PR firms pitching what they call a "collaboration" or "partnership" on behalf of their client.

How NOT to pitch a collaboration/partnership with a blogger:

1. Never say it's a "win-win." Because most times the only person who will be winning (besides Charlie Sheen...sorry couldn't help it!) will be the client and not the blogger. Win-win is car salesman speak for--you're about to get screwed over and I will laugh all the way to the bank.

2. Don't underestimate our knowledge of SEO. Telling me "Linking to my client's website will be a great way to get traffic to your site!" only tells me you think my blog was just born yesterday. Chances are, if you are pitching me, then my blog ranks pretty high in the search engines. There's a reason for that Einstein.

3. Don't assume we don't know the difference between editorial and advertising. The subject often says, "We'd like to collaborate with you!" and the pitch subsequently follows with how many different ways you want me to mention your client: on my Facebook fan page, on Twitter and the best way to position your client in a blog post. Only to end with, "We look forward to a successful partnership with you!" For this, I usually reply back with my advertising rates. That's not a partnership, that's an advertisement--and it's not free.

4. Don't misunderstand collaborating as a one way street. If at any time in a pitch the words partnership and collaboration are used, then I want to not only hear what the benefit will be for your client, but what the benefit is for me. Both words infer teamwork which tells me we are both going to work together for our mutual benefit. If that's not what you are looking for (the part where you do legwork too) then please don't use either term. 

5. Don't assume that because you are an A-List Magazine or brand that I will froth at the mouth. I've been pitched by some of the best (and even my most favorite) beauty magazines asking to partner with me. Their idea is that I will re-publish one of their articles and in return, I will be in their good graces. The idea that they would re-publish one of my posts (because it is a partnership after all, right?) is met with, "Oh, haha, I'm sorry. We don't do that." Hmm, well neither do I. And then they are usually stunned that I declined to engage in such a partnership.

Hopefully amist some of the snark you understand where I am coming from. It is happening far too often, many times by interns just misunderstanding semantics. But in PR, semantics are everything. The way we position and angle things are important, not only for our client, but towards the online media we are hoping to engage in a relationship with in order to eventually strike up a real partnership. So the next time you are creating your PR pitch, remember what NOT to do...it may just be me you are pitching.

According to a recent press release by Newtek Business Services, they tallied a poll of approximately 2,200 respondents in regards to their use and sentiment of social media to find that nearly 60% of independent business owners utilized social media tools in order to attract new customers and communicate with existing ones.

The results were not necessarily surprising to me, as they still showed almost an even split when it came to using social media and its effectiveness overall. However, I'd be curious to know that of the 45% of brands who didn't find social media a significant means of sales growth (55% said they did), exactly the way in which they were using these tools to communicate with their customers. One, because so many brands are afraid to ask for the sale to begin with (so simple conversation that dances around without being direct goes nowhere) and two, because often brands go to the other extreme of always giving it away (which results in the question, what reason are you giving them to buy if you've become a freebie brand?)

Case in point, this past July while speaking at Cosmoprof North America I had a bath and body brand approach me to get my opinion regarding their social media tactics. They first were very proud to tell me that they had 17K fans on Facebook and when I asked how that was working out for them (because I had a feeling it wasn't), they told me that they had not generated a single sale from their fan base. I asked them to tell me about their content generation, in which they told me that every.single.day they held a contest and gave away product.

Well, then. There's your answer.

They had a captive audience, but they weren't understanding how to effectively use Facebook to communicate with them...so in order to retain them, they simply gave their product away. I will say this time and time again, please don't measure your success in utilizing social media simply based on how many followers or fans you have. Base it on the conversions you can create, the brand loyalists you empower to tweet/share/like and so on, and your overall retention. Because who cares if you have 17K fans and NOTHING happens? I'd much rather have 1K fans where 30% are making regular purchases, sharing links to product with a friend, and making recommendations on both the fan page and actual product page.

I'd like to hear what you think. If 60% of brands are using social media for business...just how many are actually effective? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

According to a recent press release by Newtek Business Services, they tallied a poll of approximately 2,200 respondents in regards to their use and sentiment of social media to find that nearly 60% of independent business owners utilized social media tools in order to attract new customers and communicate with existing ones.

The results were not necessarily surprising to me, as they still showed almost an even split when it came to using social media and its effectiveness overall. However, I'd be curious to know that of the 45% of brands who didn't find social media a significant means of sales growth (55% said they did), exactly the way in which they were using these tools to communicate with their customers. One, because so many brands are afraid to ask for the sale to begin with (so simple conversation that dances around without being direct goes nowhere) and two, because often brands go to the other extreme of always giving it away (which results in the question, what reason are you giving them to buy if you've become a freebie brand?)

Case in point, this past July while speaking at Cosmoprof North America I had a bath and body brand approach me to get my opinion regarding their social media tactics. They first were very proud to tell me that they had 17K fans on Facebook and when I asked how that was working out for them (because I had a feeling it wasn't), they told me that they had not generated a single sale from their fan base. I asked them to tell me about their content generation, in which they told me that every.single.day they held a contest and gave away product.

Well, then. There's your answer.

They had a captive audience, but they weren't understanding how to effectively use Facebook to communicate with them...so in order to retain them, they simply gave their product away. I will say this time and time again, please don't measure your success in utilizing social media simply based on how many followers or fans you have. Base it on the conversions you can create, the brand loyalists you empower to tweet/share/like and so on, and your overall retention. Because who cares if you have 17K fans and NOTHING happens? I'd much rather have 1K fans where 30% are making regular purchases, sharing links to product with a friend, and making recommendations on both the fan page and actual product page.

I'd like to hear what you think. If 60% of brands are using social media for business...just how many are actually effective? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

According to a recent press release by Newtek Business Services, they tallied a poll of approximately 2,200 respondents in regards to their use and sentiment of social media to find that nearly 60% of independent business owners utilized social media tools in order to attract new customers and communicate with existing ones.

The results were not necessarily surprising to me, as they still showed almost an even split when it came to using social media and its effectiveness overall. However, I'd be curious to know that of the 45% of brands who didn't find social media a significant means of sales growth (55% said they did), exactly the way in which they were using these tools to communicate with their customers. One, because so many brands are afraid to ask for the sale to begin with (so simple conversation that dances around without being direct goes nowhere) and two, because often brands go to the other extreme of always giving it away (which results in the question, what reason are you giving them to buy if you've become a freebie brand?)

Case in point, this past July while speaking at Cosmoprof North America I had a bath and body brand approach me to get my opinion regarding their social media tactics. They first were very proud to tell me that they had 17K fans on Facebook and when I asked how that was working out for them (because I had a feeling it wasn't), they told me that they had not generated a single sale from their fan base. I asked them to tell me about their content generation, in which they told me that every.single.day they held a contest and gave away product.

Well, then. There's your answer.

They had a captive audience, but they weren't understanding how to effectively use Facebook to communicate with them...so in order to retain them, they simply gave their product away. I will say this time and time again, please don't measure your success in utilizing social media simply based on how many followers or fans you have. Base it on the conversions you can create, the brand loyalists you empower to tweet/share/like and so on, and your overall retention. Because who cares if you have 17K fans and NOTHING happens? I'd much rather have 1K fans where 30% are making regular purchases, sharing links to product with a friend, and making recommendations on both the fan page and actual product page.

I'd like to hear what you think. If 60% of brands are using social media for business...just how many are actually effective? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

According to a recent press release by Newtek Business Services, they tallied a poll of approximately 2,200 respondents in regards to their use and sentiment of social media to find that nearly 60% of independent business owners utilized social media tools in order to attract new customers and communicate with existing ones.

The results were not necessarily surprising to me, as they still showed almost an even split when it came to using social media and its effectiveness overall. However, I'd be curious to know that of the 45% of brands who didn't find social media a significant means of sales growth (55% said they did), exactly the way in which they were using these tools to communicate with their customers. One, because so many brands are afraid to ask for the sale to begin with (so simple conversation that dances around without being direct goes nowhere) and two, because often brands go to the other extreme of always giving it away (which results in the question, what reason are you giving them to buy if you've become a freebie brand?)

Case in point, this past July while speaking at Cosmoprof North America I had a bath and body brand approach me to get my opinion regarding their social media tactics. They first were very proud to tell me that they had 17K fans on Facebook and when I asked how that was working out for them (because I had a feeling it wasn't), they told me that they had not generated a single sale from their fan base. I asked them to tell me about their content generation, in which they told me that every.single.day they held a contest and gave away product.

Well, then. There's your answer.

They had a captive audience, but they weren't understanding how to effectively use Facebook to communicate with them...so in order to retain them, they simply gave their product away. I will say this time and time again, please don't measure your success in utilizing social media simply based on how many followers or fans you have. Base it on the conversions you can create, the brand loyalists you empower to tweet/share/like and so on, and your overall retention. Because who cares if you have 17K fans and NOTHING happens? I'd much rather have 1K fans where 30% are making regular purchases, sharing links to product with a friend, and making recommendations on both the fan page and actual product page.

I'd like to hear what you think. If 60% of brands are using social media for business...just how many are actually effective? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Last week when Ashton Kutcher tweeted an ignorant and uninformed (my perception) statement about Penn State's Joe Paterno, the twitterverse erupted in outrage. Subsequently Kutcher did what any normal, non-famous, human being (that's you and me) would do: he got scared and ran. In "taking a break from Twitter," he drew more media attention and I just could not get away from all of the press and broadcast segments that used this as NEWS (must've been a slow news day for sure.) My inital reaction was, who cares? But also understanding that Kutcher has been one celeb who understands the nuances of social media (sans this episode), I think it is a good learning experience for brands and how to handle a social media PR crisis.

The wrong way: Stating that you are handing over control of your Twitter/Facebook to your "people" when you make a mistake. To publicly state that you will no longer tweet on your own, but hand it over to your "team" for "management" of the "quality" of your feed is ludicrous, if not ridiculous.

The right way: If you feel that's the route you need to take, "Just Do It!" Don't put the public on notice that you are completely uninformed and therefore need someone to hand hold you. Just like when brands change PR firms and the handling of their social media, they certainly don't tweet, "Such and such PR firm is now handling all of our tweets!" It just happens...seamlessly.

The wrong way: Putting your head in the sand. If you make a mistake, you can't hide in plain sight as it'll only drum up more curiousity and negative publicity.

The right way: Admit the mistake, own it, don't dwell on it and move forward. 

Understand that people by nature are just as compassionate as they are judgemental. When you take responsibility for what set off the crisis in the first place, the general public is willing to forgive. In the right situation, making fun of yourself, like Kutcher did, can also help soften hearts as long as it is done right and with sincerity.   

What do you think? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR. 

Last week when Ashton Kutcher tweeted an ignorant and uninformed (my perception) statement about Penn State's Joe Paterno, the twitterverse erupted in outrage. Subsequently Kutcher did what any normal, non-famous, human being (that's you and me) would do: he got scared and ran. In "taking a break from Twitter," he drew more media attention and I just could not get away from all of the press and broadcast segments that used this as NEWS (must've been a slow news day for sure.) My inital reaction was, who cares? But also understanding that Kutcher has been one celeb who understands the nuances of social media (sans this episode), I think it is a good learning experience for brands and how to handle a social media PR crisis.

The wrong way: Stating that you are handing over control of your Twitter/Facebook to your "people" when you make a mistake. To publicly state that you will no longer tweet on your own, but hand it over to your "team" for "management" of the "quality" of your feed is ludicrous, if not ridiculous.

The right way: If you feel that's the route you need to take, "Just Do It!" Don't put the public on notice that you are completely uninformed and therefore need someone to hand hold you. Just like when brands change PR firms and the handling of their social media, they certainly don't tweet, "Such and such PR firm is now handling all of our tweets!" It just happens...seamlessly.

The wrong way: Putting your head in the sand. If you make a mistake, you can't hide in plain sight as it'll only drum up more curiousity and negative publicity.

The right way: Admit the mistake, own it, don't dwell on it and move forward. 

Understand that people by nature are just as compassionate as they are judgemental. When you take responsibility for what set off the crisis in the first place, the general public is willing to forgive. In the right situation, making fun of yourself, like Kutcher did, can also help soften hearts as long as it is done right and with sincerity.   

What do you think? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR. 

Last week when Ashton Kutcher tweeted an ignorant and uninformed (my perception) statement about Penn State's Joe Paterno, the twitterverse erupted in outrage. Subsequently Kutcher did what any normal, non-famous, human being (that's you and me) would do: he got scared and ran. In "taking a break from Twitter," he drew more media attention and I just could not get away from all of the press and broadcast segments that used this as NEWS (must've been a slow news day for sure.) My inital reaction was, who cares? But also understanding that Kutcher has been one celeb who understands the nuances of social media (sans this episode), I think it is a good learning experience for brands and how to handle a social media PR crisis.

The wrong way: Stating that you are handing over control of your Twitter/Facebook to your "people" when you make a mistake. To publicly state that you will no longer tweet on your own, but hand it over to your "team" for "management" of the "quality" of your feed is ludicrous, if not ridiculous.

The right way: If you feel that's the route you need to take, "Just Do It!" Don't put the public on notice that you are completely uninformed and therefore need someone to hand hold you. Just like when brands change PR firms and the handling of their social media, they certainly don't tweet, "Such and such PR firm is now handling all of our tweets!" It just happens...seamlessly.

The wrong way: Putting your head in the sand. If you make a mistake, you can't hide in plain sight as it'll only drum up more curiousity and negative publicity.

The right way: Admit the mistake, own it, don't dwell on it and move forward. 

Understand that people by nature are just as compassionate as they are judgemental. When you take responsibility for what set off the crisis in the first place, the general public is willing to forgive. In the right situation, making fun of yourself, like Kutcher did, can also help soften hearts as long as it is done right and with sincerity.   

What do you think? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR. 

Last week when Ashton Kutcher tweeted an ignorant and uninformed (my perception) statement about Penn State's Joe Paterno, the twitterverse erupted in outrage. Subsequently Kutcher did what any normal, non-famous, human being (that's you and me) would do: he got scared and ran. In "taking a break from Twitter," he drew more media attention and I just could not get away from all of the press and broadcast segments that used this as NEWS (must've been a slow news day for sure.) My inital reaction was, who cares? But also understanding that Kutcher has been one celeb who understands the nuances of social media (sans this episode), I think it is a good learning experience for brands and how to handle a social media PR crisis.

The wrong way: Stating that you are handing over control of your Twitter/Facebook to your "people" when you make a mistake. To publicly state that you will no longer tweet on your own, but hand it over to your "team" for "management" of the "quality" of your feed is ludicrous, if not ridiculous.

The right way: If you feel that's the route you need to take, "Just Do It!" Don't put the public on notice that you are completely uninformed and therefore need someone to hand hold you. Just like when brands change PR firms and the handling of their social media, they certainly don't tweet, "Such and such PR firm is now handling all of our tweets!" It just happens...seamlessly.

The wrong way: Putting your head in the sand. If you make a mistake, you can't hide in plain sight as it'll only drum up more curiousity and negative publicity.

The right way: Admit the mistake, own it, don't dwell on it and move forward. 

Understand that people by nature are just as compassionate as they are judgemental. When you take responsibility for what set off the crisis in the first place, the general public is willing to forgive. In the right situation, making fun of yourself, like Kutcher did, can also help soften hearts as long as it is done right and with sincerity.   

What do you think? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR. 

It's true, as a blogger, I will often tweet about the misguided and often (very) ridiculous pitches I receive from PR firms on a regular basis. I've been pitched everything from electronic cigarettes to wood fireplaces for my...beauty blog. And, typically, you'd see me write about how PR firms need to get over the see where it sticks mentality and understand quality over quantity. However, today I turn my focus to bloggers, because honestly? Their pitches to us here at Pierce Mattie PR, and I'm sure to most PR firms in general, are getting out of hand.

Do I mean the frequency of pitches requesting product has increased? It has, however what I want to focus on is the sheer out amazement I feel over the unprofessionalism that seems to wreak havoc in how they approach us. I'll post the most recent, and one I feel takes the grand prize of all pitches EVER, first (and exactly as we received it):

From: <Name of blogger>
Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2011 7:35 PM
To: Pierce Mattie
Subject: please

Hi I was wondering if there is any way for me to review any of your products ( I would totally love to try all your products), I have a blog and would do a long review of every item that you send me. Please think about it. I would post a link to the review on facebook and on twitter. God bless. I am an un-employed college student, who\'s mom died when I was 15 and who\'s father has never really been in my life (he does not even think I am his). Please allow me to do this review it would be helping me out as I am just starting to do product reviews. I have been doing book reviews for a while now but am wanting to review other items.Thank you in advance. I am really looking forward to hearing from you.

God bless and take care.
<Name of blogger>
P.S here is a link to my blog: xxxx

I honestly have no words...and where do I begin? So is she trying to build the credibility of her blog based on the fact that her mom died and her dad doesn't think she is his...or because she is an unemployed college student looking for free products to write about? I'm not entirely sure...

Next:

I'll be honest, it's not really news when someone joins Twitter. Even if you are Rupert Murdoch. Newsflash Mr. Murdoch: You could've avoided phone hacking by joining the social networking site years ago. Celebrities tend to overindulge here and there are no shortages of newsworthy tweets. And PS. They are all public, so it's all free game.

However, Murdoch may be using Twitter to draw up publicity or to give insight into the human side of the media mogul, rather than the ruthless businessman some consider him to be. While, Twitter has Murdoch's account verified, it certainly doesn't mean all the tweets are his own. And in the few short days his profile has been live, there has been some debate on that. If it is indeed Murdoch (and his wife, @Wendi_Deng, as well), this could be the PR-revamp he needs as 2011 saw the demise of News of the World, one of his most profittable newspapers.

What do you think? Will Murdoch being seen as a human being help play a part in some positive publicity? Or is this PR stunt doomed to fail? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR. 

Update: It appears Wendi's Twitter has now been unverified by Twitter and it is confirmed that it was a spoof. No word on if Murdoch's Twitter is real or not. 

I'll be honest, it's not really news when someone joins Twitter. Even if you are Rupert Murdoch. Newsflash Mr. Murdoch: You could've avoided phone hacking by joining the social networking site years ago. Celebrities tend to overindulge here and there are no shortages of newsworthy tweets. And PS. They are all public, so it's all free game.

However, Murdoch may be using Twitter to draw up publicity or to give insight into the human side of the media mogul, rather than the ruthless businessman some consider him to be. While, Twitter has Murdoch's account verified, it certainly doesn't mean all the tweets are his own. And in the few short days his profile has been live, there has been some debate on that. If it is indeed Murdoch (and his wife, @Wendi_Deng, as well), this could be the PR-revamp he needs as 2011 saw the demise of News of the World, one of his most profittable newspapers.

What do you think? Will Murdoch being seen as a human being help play a part in some positive publicity? Or is this PR stunt doomed to fail? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR. 

Update: It appears Wendi's Twitter has now been unverified by Twitter and it is confirmed that it was a spoof. No word on if Murdoch's Twitter is real or not. 

I'll be honest, it's not really news when someone joins Twitter. Even if you are Rupert Murdoch. Newsflash Mr. Murdoch: You could've avoided phone hacking by joining the social networking site years ago. Celebrities tend to overindulge here and there are no shortages of newsworthy tweets. And PS. They are all public, so it's all free game.

However, Murdoch may be using Twitter to draw up publicity or to give insight into the human side of the media mogul, rather than the ruthless businessman some consider him to be. While, Twitter has Murdoch's account verified, it certainly doesn't mean all the tweets are his own. And in the few short days his profile has been live, there has been some debate on that. If it is indeed Murdoch (and his wife, @Wendi_Deng, as well), this could be the PR-revamp he needs as 2011 saw the demise of News of the World, one of his most profittable newspapers.

What do you think? Will Murdoch being seen as a human being help play a part in some positive publicity? Or is this PR stunt doomed to fail? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR. 

Update: It appears Wendi's Twitter has now been unverified by Twitter and it is confirmed that it was a spoof. No word on if Murdoch's Twitter is real or not. 

The start of a new year usually marks the start of many new beginnings. Businesses get the chance to make a fresh start and have the big year they have been working so hard for. We all watch television, read magazines (OK, read blogs) and spend time online looking for this years latest fashion and food trends to keep up with our progressively changing world. The public relations market is no stranger to changing trends. In fact, it should always be ahead of the newest trends and ready to catch the incoming wave that will carry them to higher success.

Here are some PR trends to watch for and become a part of in 2012:

Metrics are the name of the game. ROI has always mattered in PR, and for a while there didn't seem to be any true way to measure the value of social media as part of a PR campaign. With everyone's obsession over infographics, numbers continue to show the effectiveness of our campaigns (just visually now.) However, one thing to note is that the metrics of social media are ever evolving (a Like today doesn't necessarily equate to the same thing that it did a year ago) so keeping up on web measurement is vital.

Social Media. The platform in and of itself is not a trend, but certainly the networks that arise and the transitions that the current networks go through are something to monitor and learn more about. PR has definitely incorporated knowing, understanding and utilizing social media in order to deliver the most effective campaigns for clients.

Proactive not reactive: In the past, firms could handle a PR crisis AS it arose and due to the turnaround time in print and broadcast media, this could buy us some time. Not so since the emergence of the power of social media. Crisis' are not just reserved for weekdays, 9-5 with holidays off...a PR crisis can happen at 2am on a Saturday night (PR has learned since the Motrin and Nestle debacle, right?) And it can't just be left to sit on a Facebook fan page for the entire weekend just awaiting for all parties to discuss on Monday at 9am. This means that from the get-go a plan needs to be set in place for how to handle everything from that disgruntled customer venting on Facebook to your competitor dissing you on Twitter.

Are there any other prominent trends you see for this year? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

“So what were you thinking about doing today?” These are the dreaded words you hear every time we sit down in the chair at the salon. You scoured images of hair colors, hair trends, and hairstyles for hours online only to sit down in the chair without the faintest idea of what you want to do. You often walk in with the intention of leaving with a new look, but because you have no idea what that new look looks like you end up leaving with your roots touched up, a trim, and a nice treatment to give you that soft and shiny look. Sounding familiar?

Well Aveda has come out with a new (and free!) iPhone app to help solve this problem: My Aveda Style. Download their app and you’re taken to the menu that consists of find styles, hair advisor, find Aveda near you, see our style in action, upload a style, and live chat.

1. Find Styles: Now you can show your stylist exactly what you want from your phone and you only have to go to one place to find your new look. You can search by hair cut (short/mid-length, long, waves/curls, and men’s) or by hair color (black, brown, blonde, and red) to find the perfect style. There are some great pictures and ideas posted by Aveda stylists and by other Aveda app users.

“So what were you thinking about doing today?” These are the dreaded words you hear every time we sit down in the chair at the salon. You scoured images of hair colors, hair trends, and hairstyles for hours online only to sit down in the chair without the faintest idea of what you want to do. You often walk in with the intention of leaving with a new look, but because you have no idea what that new look looks like you end up leaving with your roots touched up, a trim, and a nice treatment to give you that soft and shiny look. Sounding familiar?

Well Aveda has come out with a new (and free!) iPhone app to help solve this problem: My Aveda Style. Download their app and you’re taken to the menu that consists of find styles, hair advisor, find Aveda near you, see our style in action, upload a style, and live chat.

1. Find Styles: Now you can show your stylist exactly what you want from your phone and you only have to go to one place to find your new look. You can search by hair cut (short/mid-length, long, waves/curls, and men’s) or by hair color (black, brown, blonde, and red) to find the perfect style. There are some great pictures and ideas posted by Aveda stylists and by other Aveda app users.

A few weeks ago at a Papa John's store in New York, a woman was issued a receipt that contained a racial slur directed at her. Later that evening Minhee Cho posted a photo of the receipt on Twitter and sent a tweet to Papa John's. The story was picked up nationally and the photo now has over 213,000 views. We have to ask ourselves, in today’s marketplace, how does this keep happening?

Although things like this should never happen, when they do they provide a valuable lesson from a public relations standpoint. Papa John's promptly issued an apology on their website and several social media outlets. They said that they were “extremely concerned” about the incident and the matter went against company values. The public was then informed that they had taken care of the problem by firing the employee that issued the receipt. Papa John's recognized the problem, said it was against policy, said how they were going to fix the problem and apologized. That should be enough right? The answer is maybe.