Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

As a Blogger, I see Microsoft’s gifting of their Acer Ferrari laptop complete with Windows Vista to select Bloggers just another day in the world of “Review me” and word of mouth advertising in the blogosphere. Many don’t feel the same way, stating that it is outright bribery. The laptops received came during the height of the Holiday season and many Bloggers feel that these “gifts” are unethical. As I’m sure you know from my previous posts on this topic, I completely disagree.

As, LongZheng, one of the Blogger’s on the receiving end noted, “Windows Vista is launching in 30 days.” My question is, why wouldn’t Microsoft want to create a buzz about a brand new product and operating system soon to launch among tech Bloggers? I understand why Microsoft did it, as I received Max Factor’s Volume Couture Mascara a few weeks ago. It is a product that is only available come January. My job was to test it out and write a review. Obviously the company that sent it was hoping for a good review and to help generate the buzz about it prior to launch. The difference in the price tag of a bottle of mascara and a laptop is quite large, but it still doesn’t take away from the fact that companies want to find new ways of creating product buzz prior to and after a product is out on the market. By sending the laptop to only a select few Bloggers, generates even more buzz and you get the various views on how the system works from real people, not advertisers, using the product. Is it because this product to review had a high-end price tag? If Microsoft sent a $20 product, would those tech Bloggers still feel it was a case of bribery?

BL Ochman's WhatsNextBlog is a daily read for me. Unfortunatly she has been dealing with a detached retna (ouch) and not posting as frequently as usual. I've been seeing the same Bazooka viral post since the 25th of September.

In agreement with her post headline Doing a Viral Campaign Right Ain't Cheap, or Easy but confused about the details of her post I decided to comment. Here is her post. I'm curios if anyone on the Bazooka campaign cares to respond.

Something about these projects (I've seen a few over the years) that always grabs me. I know, many people think it's lame. Perhaps it's the voyeur in me. Here is your unique advertising opportunity Baxter Of California! How about a travel site? I want to see him on a beach, or visiting famous places around the world, it’s a little melancholy that all his recorded images are inside- he needs a tan, (product placement opportunity) how about some new threads? He obviously gets around as a photographer. I can see the big budget version of this. A big name beauty product. Ten year time laps and the female talent actually looks better at the end, because of the product of course! Would work best for a mid-sized privately owned cosmetic line like Jane Iredale. That way the owner could do the real time laps "herself". Definitely a back burner concept.

If there is one thing that America loves as a culture it is scandal. Celebrity culture is such a pervasive force that it substitutes for small talk just as well as the weather nowadays. High minded individuals may take offense to these subjects, but in truth we are all attracted to the destructive flames of perversion and excess. Many disdain the hoi polloi for their distractions, but I would contend that we all benefit from whiffs of scandal now and again.

Cathartic acts can heal , and now we can all engage in these sorts of behaviors without any of the consequences. The popularity of shows like Desperate Housewives takes all of us inside these dens of inequity that bubble away hidden in suburban utopia, confirming and arousing suspicions that we all secretly harbor. Of course no one really wants crazy murderous neighbors or philandering husbands in their actual lives, but some of us wouldn't mind a little "fake" drama now and again. Actually, we would all be better off because of it.

Thus, even if you are a New Yorker reading, Economist quoting, graduate degreed snob you could still use a little Wisteria Lane in your life. Isn't that why we all love Bree so much? Deep down below the perfect surface we are all a complete mess. That is why even when I find myself experiencing some revulsion at the mere notion of Desperate Housewives I still see a little value in immersing myself once in awhile. That is why I predict that the Desperate Housewives game will be a huge success - all of the scandal and perversion with none of the consequences. So when can I log on?

I'm a geek who daily works on a PC and a Mac. While I'm very comfortable on a PC I'm a Mac lover and ashamed I didn't immediately recognize the model in the new Apple ad. Perhaps had I viewed the ad on TV I would have noticed, unless your watching HD quicktime clips you always miss a little detail in the compression. Thanks to Meg Wilson for the link to the model's career "mash-up" video.

View all the Apple ads here

For a long while celebrities have been pretty vocal about their political beliefs. They are not strangers to being used by both political parties to taunt their positions or to help in raising money for their party through their celebrity clout.

Some say that celebrities and politics don’t mix. After reading a recent article by Jeff Davidson on TMZ.com, 90% of me agrees. Many celebrities put their faces in commercials or join a campaign to tell people to vote. Yet, one celebrity in the 2004 Vote or Die campaign turned out to be all lip service. Or there are those who threaten leaving the country if a political figure is re-elected; remember Alec Baldwin? That is what bothers me the most. Celebrities who talk and talk and won’t shut up (and then make money off of their chattering) or those who take a punch during a concert, but quite honestly don’t do a darn thing to help foster change. Am I alone in this annoyance?

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

New World Notes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MenEssentials President, James Whittall has some helpful advice for hairy men who want to be smooth all over and shave like a man: This may surprise you, but at least one-sixth of the search engine referrals we receive each month are for men — ordinary guys, like you and me — who want information on how to shave their privates.

Squirm all you like. There's an immense subculture of eroticists who claim a bald bag makes for better sex. Indeed, when I went online to research this subject, I counted no less than a dozen serious human sexuality web sites with entire sections devoted to the art of sensual shaving.

Unfortunately, few of these resources offers tips on how to safely and hygienically perform this most delicate of procedures. Never one to shrink (pun intended) from the outrageous, I hereby offer my thoughts on the subject.

A Disclaimer
Personally, I think genital shaving is ill advised. A botched job can lead to intense irritation or, worse, permanent falsetto. Don't say I didn't warn you.

And a Warning
If you have sensitive skin that ordinarily reacts to shave creams or gels, then do not ever shave your pubic area or testicles. This region is much more sensitive than your face. Your allergic reaction could be spectacular.

According to The Blog Herald and the timeline on W3.org, the web turns sweet 16 today!The first web server was nxoc01.cern.ch, later called info.cern.ch, and the first world wide web page http://nxoc01.cern.ch/ hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html Unfortunately CERN no longer supports the historical site. Note from this era too, the least recently modified web page Blog Herald knew of, last changed Tue, 13 Nov 1990 15:17:00 GMT (though the URI changed.)

• Edelman Public Relations Disclosure Follies (Raving Lunacy) Edelman to Fund a Second Life Business screams the headline over at Micro Persuasion.

• $6 Billion For MySpace? (The Blog Herald) Rupert Murdock, CEO of News Corp., told Australian investors that MySpace would sell for $6 billion.

• Users Respond To The Dove Evolution Viral I find the user created responses to Dove fascinating, it is as if through retouching themselves, and manipulating their own digital representation, users can reaffirm their feeling in their true body, and experience an apparent sense of liberation through mutating themselves, looking at it and being able to recognise how ridiculous and distorted standards have become.(Marketing Babylon)

• Pepsi goes organic with new product lines at Whole Foods Market (SpinThicket)

• B.L. Ochman Yawns At Big PR Firms Getting Into "Social Media" (B.L. Ochman)

It seems that nowadays these two things can be easily emeshed and confused. On the one hand they are the same; affiliate marketing (word of mouth advertising) is when you recommend a product and are paid a commission if those you are marketing it to purchase the product and Flogs (fake blogs) are when the company, or someone they hire, post about the product (making a recommendation) and posing it in a positive light to increase sales. In both cases, neither the affiliate marketer nor the Flogger reveals that they are in some way being paid for what they are saying.

I see both sides of the issue on this one, as I use affiliate links on my beauty blogs. I may be in the minority, but I give honest reviews on every product I post about regardless of whether or not a good review could possibly earn me some cash. I certainly haven’t become rich using affiliate links, however there are plenty of Bloggers who have. While most of us never out and out say, “If you buy this product, I will earn a paycheck,” I do feel that it is obvious when I write about a product and upon clicking on the link it brings the reader to Amazon or a makeup store, that it is an affiliate related product. I also feel that most readers are aware of it. It isn’t said out loud, but the awareness is there.

As a Blogger, I see Microsoft’s gifting (via Edelman PR) of their Acer Ferrari laptop complete with Windows Vista to select Bloggers just another day in the world of “Review me” and word of mouth advertising in the blogosphere. Many don’t feel the same way, stating that it is outright bribery. The laptops received came during the height of the Holiday season and many Bloggers feel that these “gifts” are unethical. As I’m sure you know from my previous posts on this topic, I completely disagree. I'm so tired of self serving "reactive for ratings" Bloggers who don’t understand how product reviews work or think they have a right to scold companies or publicists for reaching out to hard working & respected Bloggers for reviews.

As, LongZheng, one of the Blogger’s on the receiving end noted, “Windows Vista is launching in 30 days.” My question is, why wouldn’t Microsoft want to create a buzz about a brand new product and operating system soon to launch among tech Bloggers? I understand why Microsoft did it, as I received Max Factor’s Volume Couture Mascara in the beginning of December. It is a product that would only become available this month. My job was to test it out and write a review. Obviously the company that sent it was hoping for a good review and to help generate the buzz about it prior to launch. The difference in the price tag of a bottle of mascara and a laptop is quite large, but it still doesn’t take away from the fact that companies want to find new ways of creating product buzz prior to and after a product is out on the market. By sending the laptop to only a select few Bloggers, generates even more buzz and you get the various views on how the system works from real people, not advertisers, using the product. Is it because this product to review had a high-end price tag? If Microsoft sent a $20 product, would those tech Bloggers still feel it was a case of bribery?

The Blogger’s were also told they could disclose that they were given the laptop, but they were not required to. They were told they didn’t have to blog about their experience using the laptop, but that the firm hoped they would. If I received the laptop, I would still feel the pressure to review it regardless if the firm sending it said it wasn’t necessary. Common sense says that they are sending it because they want it reviewed, not simply because they are being kind. However, it still wouldn’t impede on my honest review of the product. I understand the "pressure" or the feeling that you owe them something good (review). Drop the pressure and remember what journalists are supposed to do... report the truth as they experience it. You really just owe your readers the truth.

Bloggers: Be professional and human, don’t crucify a company for deeming you worthy of free products to review and own! You might want to mention professional reviews of technology are "loaned" products like MP3 players, TV's and electronics. They don’t get to keep them... they essentially are "on a tour" following the tech press circuit, like a rock-star. Honestly, if you’re a Blogger and you get to keep a product like that, the human thing to do is say thank you.

Companies: See my post on pimping products to Bloggers, as sometimes a company needs to learn how to approach a Blogger for the best results.

What do you think? If you receive free products from a company, do you feel the pressure to write a good review? Does it matter the price tag associated with the free product? Lend your thoughts in the comments.

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UPDATE: Journalist writer and blogger Ed Bott thinks the whole moral debate is unnecessary. “Everyone in the community wins when that person gets the chance to play with new technology.” He got a Ferrari 5000, and might auction it off for charity.

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UPDATE: Slashdot has labelled this a “bribe.” However unlike what they have claimed, these were not gifts. As it may happen to coincide with Christmas, it is important to note Windows Vista is launching in 30 days. It is nothing more than just good timing and coincidence.

I, however, wrote these as “Christmas presents,” only because it happens to coincide with Christmas. Officially, these were review PCs with the the options at upon completion of review to either send back to Microsoft, give away or keep indefinitely. This choice is solely at the discretion of bloggers.

Last year we saw many brands launching anti-wrinkle campaigns and going after the baby boomer market. Why not? After all, they were considered the largest demographic out there. However, we are only a month into 2007 and the tides are starting to change. Brands are beginning to turn their interests to the children of baby boomers and finding that they have money to spend with the potential for long-term brand loyalty.

This younger generation learned well from their mothers, I should know, my mother is 55 and I carefully paid attention to all of the brands she purchased throughout the years. I watched at how well my mother took care of her skin and in turn, I followed suit becoming a loyal customer to many brands. This is just what the beauty industry is betting on resonating throughout the 17-35 year old demographic.

Super Bowl XLI takes place this Sunday when the Indianapolis Colts take on the Chicago Bears, but the spending and the hype have already begun. With 90 million people predicted to be watching the big game, half of which are women, electronic stores, grocery stores and yes, even florists and jewelry stores can expect an increase in sales this weekend.

According to Visa, sponsor of the NFL since 1995, florists and jewelry stores alone saw a 30% increase in spending on Super Bowl weekend in both 2005 and 2006. Visa suspects it is either consumers getting a jump-start on Valentine’s Day gifts or out of guilt from all of the spending on electronics and food for the big game. If this is the case, honey I would like those diamond earrings I have been eyeing up and I like Tulips not Roses.

Commercials this year continue to increase in popularity, especially with You Tube offering continued viral marketing and buzz by hosting SUPERVOTE. Not only will those watching the game be able to talk around the water cooler about which commercials they loved or hated, but they will be able to vote at You Tube giving advertisers some tangible data as to who was successful with their advertising campaign. Sports blogs and advertising blogs are also sure to keep the buzz going about which brand was most successful with their commercial. It will be interesting to see if anyone is collecting data on how much a brand’s sales increase due to all of the above.

A few months back I wrote about the mystery man trying to raise $2 million dollars for a 30-second ad spot during the Super Bowl so that he could propose to his girlfriend of five years. There were many skeptics out there, especially because he had to remain anonymous and no one knew if it was a hoax or the real deal, but then interviews on different television networks began showing up bringing legitimacy to the idea.

Once it seemed confirmed that it was a legitimate attempt at something extraordinary, there were many of us glued to the Super Bowl commercials just waiting to see the ad. MSNBC had even confirmed that the ad was going to take place and I refused to let my husband change the channel during the big game. When the ad never emerged, I felt duped, as did much of the blogosphere and the people who pledged up to $75,000 and another donating $10,000 in cash to try to help the mystery man known then as “JP,” achieve his super proposal dream. For days, MySuperProposal.com was offline and I scoured the internet looking for any word as to what the truth was.

With so many social networking sites beginning to dominate the internet, it’s about time there was one that had one main focus to bring people with the same interest together to connect and network. IQONS is to fashion what MySpace is to music. Created by Rafael Jimenez and Suran Goonatilake with co-mentor Diane Pernet, they bring experience to the table that will see this new social networking site blossom.

IQONS is the global social network where designers, fashion labels, magazine editors, models, stylists, fashion PR professionals, fashion enthusiasts and the like can connect and network with each other. IQONS only launched last month, but it is already building a presence online with 820 designers with an online profile. Through their profile you can get a more in depth look into who they are and browse through their “showcase.” A showcase is where you can upload your work for the rest of the network to see.

IQONS has a few ways that members can connect and promote their work through the site. Influential and highly respected fashion industry professionals, referred to as Iqons, review and comment on work showcased by members on the site; IQONS features one Iqon each month; they also give members 15 minutes of fame by spotlighting a member profile every hour on the hour. IQONS also creates projects with influential fashion industry professionals for members to take part in. The first one is with online fashion retailer Yoox.com for a design competition.

I think this a great way to network with others in the industry and I’ve already started to create a profile, or “Portrait” as they call it, there myself. If you are already on IQONS, tell us what you think of the site.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You've already created a Facebook sponsored group for your brand and your MySpace friend list reads like the white pages, so here's one new thing to add to your social media PR must-do list: Create a brand-specific social network on Ning.

Ning is a site where instead of just creating a page, you create a community with features like discussions, forums, and messaging. Instead of joining a myspace, you’re a creating a YOU-space, your own personal social network where brand-fans can upload their own content, blogs, videos, and pictures.

“We wanted to enable people to create their own worlds, not just join someone else's,” explains Ning founder and internet pioneer Marc Andreessen (he invented the first web browser) on his blog, blog.pmarca.com. “The more people learn what social networking makes possible, the more interested they will be in creating their own worlds, their own social networks, around every conceivable need and niche: their families, friends, cities, companies, start-ups, classes, hobbies, interests, political candidates, nonprofit activities, and so on.”

Another plus in Ning's favor is the ability for you to add RSS feeds so that you can update members of your network on any new content. Signing up is free and takes little time depending on whether you choose to use Ning’s templates or create your own fancier html code. You can also choose whether to make your network public or private.

According to Andreessen, 71,531 social networks have already been created with networks created by professionals and educators to MTV celebrity Kristin Cavallari, and the numbers keep on growing.

When it comes to creating truly customized social marketing, Ning's the thing.

Photo Credit: learnscience.net

Lemonade.com made its debut on the web last week, an e-commerce concept based on the old-fashioned values and money-making strategy of our youth. Sure there are several other e-commerce applications out there available at your fingertips, but Lemonade.com has a slight edge over them (by about 35 million people) with a notch in their belt as being the first and only e-commerce application that can be used on Facebook.

What it is:

A way to recommend and make money from showcasing products you love to those who read your blog, website, and social networking profile.

How Lemonade.com is different from the others:

* While most e-commerce applications only offer one revenue stream, Lemonade.com offers three: Commission sales, cost per acquisition and CPM. All three of these forms of revenue go into your revenue “pot” and you are paid 80% and Lemonade keeps 20%.

* Lemonade has over 200 retailers whose products you can choose from. Unlike other affiliate applications, you do not need to try to qualify for each retailer; if you are a Lemonade Stand owner, you are a guaranteed partner living up to their tagline “e-commerce for all.”

* Lemonade is family friendly with a language filter and no adult content; they hand pick products through a datafeed. So if you are targeting parents with your recommendations using their partner Drugstore.com and want to recommend various toys, you won’t bring up those “other” toys instead.

* A Lemonade Stand can raise funds for charity, which is reminiscent of Alex, the wonderful little girl from Pennsylvania who set up a Lemonade Stand of the non-virtual kind to raise money for cancer (including her own).

* Lemonade gives your stand exposure through its Marketplace. This helps boost your stand views and ultimately clicks on the products you recommend.

In Lemonade.com’s 1st week alone without any marketing, over 1100 stands were set up. I personally decided to give this a try and you can see it live on my blog, A Girl’s Gotta Spa.

What’s next for Lemonade.com:

* In the 4th quarter of this year, there will be new Stand sizes to choose from.
* In the 1st quarter of 2008, you’ll be able to customize your stand.
* By the end of the 2nd quarter in 2008, Lemonade.com will available on mobile phones as a “Stand in your hand.”

The concept around Lemonade.com is simple: creating a sense of familiarity from the Lemonade Stands of the past, but bringing it into the 21st century with a twist and a modern way of doing business.

Have you set up a Lemonade Stand? We’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

Whether you are a makeup artist, photographer, painter or designer, an online portfolio community has just launched to give you a space on the web to not only set up a clean, professional and rich online portfolio of your images, but to also give your work more exposure and a great way to network with like-minded industry talent. Dripbook.com came out of private beta yesterday to showcase all it has to offer to the world of visual arts.

Dripbook is equally appropriate to the fashion scene as the fine art scene to the underground youth art scene. Painters, photographers, stylists and illustrators are equally represented. Dripbook also serves as a survey of the visual arts world, allowing users and viewers to find great artwork around the world.

Alex Wright, a New York based music photographer, is the creative mind behind Dripbook. In designing Dripbook, he took on the challenge of creating a place where artists can upload and organize their art into books, no matter the genre (even if they cover various genres) without the hassle of understanding code and plugins that go along with designing a website for yourself. The interface is easy for both the user and viewer, in that the entire site is HTML and doesn’t require anything extra for the portfolio to be seen. All users have a splash page, a profile, their book page and a place where other artists can comment on their work. The site is very clean, well laid out and easy to navigate.

I believe we’ll start seeing more niche social networks such as Dripbook, IQONS and PRVoices, as more industry professionals look for a way to see and be seen by other professionals in their industry, while avoiding the clutter of networks such as MySpace and Facebook.

See all that Dripbook has to offer at: www.dripbook.com

* Photo Credit: Alex Wright Photography via Dripbook

Over $120 billion dollars are spent by soon-to-be newlyweds on items needed leading up to and after a wedding. It is an incredible industry to become a part of and one that welcomes tradition and trend. Not sure where to start or are looking for a new way to get coverage for your product? I put together five tips to sort through the clutter on how to get your brand better exposure in the vastness of the bridal industry.

Something Old, Something New. If you don’t have the budget for advertising your product in long lead bridal publications such as Brides and Modern Bride, seek out their editorial calendar to find an upcoming theme they are working on that you may fit into. Whether your brand is targeted for traditional wedding fare or along the modern & trendy aspect, offer an idea surrounding your product that tells a story that will resonate with the reader. Wedding planning advice, ideas on DIY, how to find the perfect gown/florist/honeymoon destination and so on are always a hit with brides to be. Just be sure to follow the rule of thumb of sending press 3-4 months in advance. Hot Bridal Magazines: Brides, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride, The Knot, InStyle Weddings.

Something Borrowed. Renting a tux is no longer the only thing that is being borrowed for the big day; brides are also taking part in this wedding tradition, but in a whole new way. Just as celebrities don borrowed jewelry and other items for their walk down the red carpet, brides are seeking out retailers who also have a rental option available for their accessory needs. Bag Borrow or Steal is one such retailer that allows jewelry rental from such names as Vera Wang, Miriam Haskell and Chanel to handbags from Rafe New York and Badgley Mischka for as little as $10 a week. Developing a rental option for your products and starting the buzz in-store and through your local media will quickly have brides generating word of mouth press for your brand that can be as simple as friend to friend or through posting on wedding forums spreading the word to other brides.

I do—green. Offering DIY advice on how couples can maximize their budget using environmentally friendly ways of giving new life to an old product is one such way to get your brand noticed in the green aspect of the bridal industry. The interest in green weddings has exploded in the last year and Portovert Magazine answered the call to assist brides and grooms with creative ideas to evoke a sense of elegance at the wedding with very little environmental impact.

When Portovert launched in January 2007, we became the voice of glamour in the green movement, showing brides and grooms that green doesn’t have to mean giving up on the idea of a spectacular wedding,” said Megan Yudes, Editorial Director of Portovert, “All brides are looking for ways to stretch their budgets. We’ve been able to do this by showing them how to be creative fixing and recycling items found throughout their surroundings and incorporating these elements into their nuptials in a way that will garner positive attention and make them feel good about using these cost saving measures for the good of the environment.”

The race for the White House is being done in a way that has changed the face of Presidential campaigns from here on out. Sure, we still see the typical television ads, town hall meetings, debates and so forth, but the candidates seem to have come to the understanding that social media has huge reach--a different reach than traditional methods of spreading the word regarding their campaigns. Going viral seems to be the way candidates are progressing vs. typical PR. It has left me wondering, will we see a change come November in who is coming out to vote? Has it changed the demographics of who is coming out to vote in the primary and possibly behind "the movement" that has been attributed to Presidential hopeful, Barack Obama?

Just looking at the Democratic bid for nominee, both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have MySpace pages. Both are on Twitter, which is interesting to note--Hillary Clinton has 1643 followers, has had 59 updates--but is following no one. Barack Obama has 13,712 followers, has had 75 updates and is following 13,048 (is he really though?) That's a pretty substantial difference and again makes me wonder if this places into Obama's "movement." (Has social media helped his campaign or is this organic?)

As always celebrities want to have their say on who they support and they are no longer just making a comment here and there hoping it will get picked up on the newswires, they are creating You Tube videos to reach a broader audience. For example, Jack Nicholson's video endorsing Hillary Clinton and will.i.am's music video regarding Barack Obama.

So what do you think? Are the candidates reach through social media bringing on and educating a younger audience of voters? Does it change each way the other campaigns and will campaign going forth once we have established Republican and Democratic nominees? Speak up in the comments!

Today marks the beginning of the first annual New Media Tastemakers Summit in San Francisco. Key players from blogging, vlogging, social bookmarking, among other vertical non-mainstream influencers will be collaborating and networking to discuss the ever evolving niche of new media. With industry giants speaking such as Yelp, Sugar Publishing, Style Hive and You Tube, it's amazing to see more summits like this coming together to further develop interest and understanding into this ever expansive world of social media.

One of the speakers and friend of mine, Lesley Scott-Silbergeld, Editor in Chief of Fashion Tribes, took a moment to answer some questions in regards to new media:

Shannon: With some of the chatter lately claiming that new media is over saturated (and over rated), what are your thoughts on this?

Lesley Scott-Silbergeld: What's so interesting is how many millions of blogs there appear to be and how many are actually in people's readers & have regular visitors. The increase in the number of people participating in the new media has brought us more attention, which is great. The downside, of course, is that there are so many more shoddy quality blogs to weed through in search of what's worthwhile. So yes, much of what's recently come on board is overrated, but overall, I think high quality online publishers and blogs have benefited. What I love most about publishing online is that if you are consistent and have a high quality site, loyal readers will not only find you, they tell all their friends about you, spreading amazing word of mouth.

Shannon: What are some of the ways new media is elevating a brand’s reach and influencing its consumers?

Lesley Scott-Silbergeld: Much of the appeal of a blog is that readers feel there is a person they are connecting with. Yes, the product picks are helpful, but they're more interested in the person doing the recommending. There is an element of trust that major print publications can't buy for any sum of cash, not that they haven't tried of course, but most corporate blogs fail simply because they are an afterthought and come across as such and readers are quick to recognize how inauthentic this is. By endorsing a product or brand, a blogger has their reputation involved, which obviously benefits a brand in terms of a way that a for-pay marketing or ad campaign simply can never replicate.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is no secret here at Pierce Mattie PR that I am a major admirer of Isaac Mizrahi. He has incredible talent when it comes to fashion design, an amazing reputation and is known for being innovative. It's Isaac's creativity and keen eye in foreseeing new and unique ways to further brand himself that I love the most. As a Blogger, it gives me great pride in seeing Isaac utilize social media to bring more depth to his website and a more conversational approach to his brand.

Isaac's brand is a one part business savvy and one part personality. Truly this has been the key to his success. He is resourceful at utilizing his voice to garner attention which brings me to his increase in use of Vlogging to not only give you behind the scenes looks at the who, what and why behind his clothing lines, but he gives you the inside look to daily happenings in his studio and his Watch Isaac Webisodes. From a consumer standpoint, this creates a relationship and bond. He's doing something no other designer has done before--giving the average person access to his world in the fashion industry.

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

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

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

Another Page Turns in the Facebook

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*Photo Credit: Insidefacebook.com 

Another Page Turns in the Facebook

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*Photo Credit: Insidefacebook.com 

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?

Runway to Change, a Fashion PR/Political PR type fund-raiser for Obama, took place at Charles Nolan Studios last Tuesday night. I attended and was in good company with handbag guru, Pamela Pekerman (pictured right), at what we hoped was going to be an amazing event. Prior to the event taking place, the broadcast press was covering it that morning and with the 26 incredible designers said to be taking part, we thought we were in for an amazing show.

About 400 fashion obsessed fans, some wearing "Obama Bling," stepped foot into the studio (packed like sardines) and about an hour from the original start time, Charles Nolan stood on a platform and welcomed everyone. Anna Wintour dazzled in diamonds and a gorgeous dress while Sarah Jessica Parker cheekily wore "Barack and Roll" pinned to the back of her jacket. Pamela and I made our way to the very front of the audience to hear each person speak, including Barack Obama's Deputy Campaign Manager, Steve Hildebrand. I began to (shakily) take video with my FlipCam until I was told to turn it off by someone who did not identify herself other than pointing to another young lady standing next to SJP and telling me, "She said you can't do that," (although I had cleared it with the event staff prior).

It was only once Anna Wintour and SJP spoke that I realized there would be no runway show, but that the designers involved created t-shirts and accessories that we were to purchase. I was disappointed to say the least. Fashion Week and "Runway" to Change seemed to be like a perfect fit and I was hoping to see collaborations from top designers not t-shirts and totes. Obama's grassroots efforts always seem to have a viral way about them, so it was also surprising to learn that the press was not invited to the event. With such a tight race and each speaker stressing the importance of getting people out to vote, I was floored that the importance of the media as a tool to communicate this was overlooked. Or was it?

Sometimes the best word of mouth is one of person to person and not something that is mass broadcast to both interested and non-interested parties. Perhaps the exclusivity of the event will have people buzzing and seeking out information and those that were able to attend will be telling their friends who in turn will be passing it on. So did Runway to Change create a grassroots buzz or was it a total flop? You decide.

*Photo Credit: SJP pic from Rose Apodaca (who I saw at the event in an amazing colonial flag inspired outfit--shoes included!; and Shannon Nelson

Branding Strategies Appeal to the Everyday Woman

As we all know, the aging baby boomers make up the majority of the consumer market.  Therefore it should be no surprise that the media is chock full of messages positioned to the older or, more generally speaking, the “everyday woman.”  That's why CoverGirl will be featuring comedienne Ellen DeGeneres, 49 and very “nontraditional” beauty, in an ad campaign starting January 2009.

Editor in Chief of More, a magazine for women over 40, Leslie Jane Seymour, agrees with this new positioning strategy when she told New York Times, "We don't need to see another ingénue rocking to the top--we're getting worn out by the Lindsays and Britneys, and I think we need a break."

She continued, "[Women] just want to be the best that they can be for the stage of life that they are in."

Ellen joins Queen Latifah and recent America's Next Top (Plus Size) Model Whitney Thompson in a line up of CoverGirl's quite different from the Nikki Taylor's of the 90s.  These women each have characteristics more representative of the actual psycho/demographics of American women, excluding income of course.

That's where Dove takes a further step by featuring no-name women of all shapes, sizes, races and ages in their most recent integrated branding campaign.  Dove skips the photoshopping portion of the editing process in ads and has a slew of events, charities, and messages etc. that affirm their “Campaign for Real Beauty.”

Dove, deliberately using the word "campaign" here, suggests that Dove is the initiator of this new found empowerment amongst women.  Is it the companies and actresses who began this “everyday woman” revolution of sorts? Or did the disenfranchised women unite first causing marketers and publicists to scramble to take advantage of this sentiment? Which came first?

The first suggestion, that this is a branding-spawned positioning effort, could mean that once the media has seen enough of this strategy, unachievable ideas of beauty might resurface in an attempt to stand out amongst the soon-to-be prolific messages of "real" beauty.  The second suggests that women are accepting the "skin they’re in" and changing the idea of beauty forever.

The Celebrity branding of yesteryear mainly consisted of a celebrity almost obnoixously parading around with their name and face attached to some new fragrance, clothing line, or in Derek Jeter’s case a 24 hour Fitness center named Jeter24.  The idea here is to directly use a public figure as a brand with little or no departure from the celebrity’s own image by including the famous moniker in the brand’s name.

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

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

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

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

Typically I would've been putting out this forecast on PR trends last month, but I think it's safe to say that the economy is turbulent and therefore what may be a great business and PR strategy one day may not necessarily work months down the line. While everyone may be all doom and gloom about the current state of public relations, I remain an eternal optimist and think that success lies in being educated, creative and having a willingness to let the diversified background of your team make you collectively stronger to meet your clients needs.

1. The spotlight can no longer shine on just one star, 2009 is about teamwork. Sure, we all have that one employee who is so amazing that everyone wants to emulate them, but look close enough, and you will find that each one of your staff has incredible talents, that collectively, make your firm a powerhouse. Find ways to help your staff let those talents emerge and yes this may take some investment of time by upper management to really identify each of your team members strengths (and weaknesses), but in this economy our best weapon is from within our own resources.

2.  Education equals vitality. No one can be ignorant any longer to the shift in the way the public consumes news and researches/purchases products. Everyone everywhere is looking to make cuts in their budgets, but educating your team should be considered a priority and not something that can be put on the backburner until the economy pinks up. Our industry will need to keep up to speed on how to work with and remain flexible during this time of transition.

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?

VPXSports, well known for products like Muscle Milk and Redline, has always been very in-your-face tongue and cheek in their product descriptors. However, it is their most recent advertisement for their newest product, Muscle Power, that has me thinking maybe they went a little too far. Maybe it is because I am a mother or maybe it is because they used the image of a nursing baby that represents bonding, health and nourishment to promote their "physique building performance enhancing supplementation" fitness product. Either way, the advertisement doesn't sit well with me and my guess is, it won't sit well with a lot of people. But maybe that's the point?

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

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

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

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

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?

As part of the "comeback story" for Britney Spears continues, her latest venture is with footwear and apparel brand, Candies, who has partnered with Kohl's. Her new ads for Candies for Kohl's are reminiscent of the old Britney, but the ads are getting a lot of flack for being airbrushed, which has helped generate a lot of buzz and publicity for this collection. However if you watch the behind the scenes video, it's obvious that Miss Brit is in fantastic shape these days!

So will the mix of photoshopping controversy and pop star comeback help drive consumer awareness (and sales) for Candies for Kohl's?

I admit I am not a big fan of Amazon; the books take forever to arrive, the shipping fees are insane and the used books often smell like they have been stored in someone’s barn. In recent years we have watched countless independent book sellers close up shop not because of Barnes & Noble, oh no, but because of Amazon.com. As a former librarian page it's even more upsetting to watch book publishers use Amazon.com as a tool to determine what titles, genres and authors are selling the most. Have you ever wondered if the ranking system seems a little out of sku?

In recent days the conversation on Twitter (and among bloggers) started getting into a well deserved uproar over Amazon’s catalog misplacing the gay titles into their adult category which prompted Amazon's public relations' to respond. Is this clean up a matter of good PR or a response to full online transparency in the world of social media? It’s interesting to note that in the virtual world you can’t get away with "glitches" such as this because your audience will call you out on it immediately. I am happy that Amazon's PR responded so quickly hopefully averting what could have surmounted to a much bigger PR crisis. Will the news that it was potentially a hacker help recover their reputation?

However, my bigger question is why rank gay subjects as adult, why not label it regardless of sexual orientation? If Ellen Degeneres' biography is a biography then label it as such, not as adult or gay. Her TV show is a talk show, not an adult show, and the list of examples goes on. I personally will be sticking to the NY Times Best Sellers list to get a view of what moves in the book world. What do you think about Amazon's "glitch?"

Photo Credit: Just Jared

Since last August, in an effort to boost sales, Procter & Gamble have come up with a giveaway that has been so secret that no one has really known about it. On every deodorant stick lies the chance of winning a $15,000 diamond. By entering the product SKU from a Secret Flawless deodorant at www.secretdiamondgiveaway.com, a person can find out if they have won one of the ten $15K diamonds that have been hidden (fake ones to be traded for the real thing) or another prize such as a $500 Visa shopping spree or dinner at a 5-Star restaurant. However, it appears that the campaign hasn't really gotten much buzz until recently which leads me to ponder about this unique promotion--has it really been a viable PR campaign?

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

MSN, BermanBraun Interactive and Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.), publisher of ELLE, Woman's Day and ELLE DECOR brands, have partnered to launch a new online lifestyle experience focused on style, beauty, relationships and home decor. The new site, which will launch in the first half of next year, will present a wide range of accessible content in an aspirational and innovative visual package. The design, programming and operations of the new digital brand will be spearheaded by BermanBraun and HFM U.S. MSN will lead the advertising sales efforts along with HFM U.S. on selected accounts.

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.

We love to see a PR firm and client have a good laugh, especially in this new world where everyone seems to be taking everything too seriously. I always tell our team – we are pitching lipstick aren’t we, not strategizing for world peace! The coffee just about came out of my nose from laughing so hard this morning when I watched the video for AXE and read the latest pitch from Amy Nadler at Edelman w/ Heather Mitchell at Unilever.

For those of you PR pros who haven't yet seen the clip, take a look as it features Jaime Pressly playing a fictional tennis star, who is quoted in the release as saying; "I had a blast working with AXE on this video. The comedic undertones were hilarious and there were definitely a few laugh-out-loud moments on set, where I thought to myself …'only AXE.'"

To celebrate the launch of this new video and the updated Detailer, AXE held the AXECYB.com launch party, hosted by Khloe Kardashian Odom, at the Sky Lodge in Park City, UT during Sundance. Celebrities from film, television and music, including Malin Akerman, Adrien Brody, Wilmer Valderrama and Stephanie Pratt came out to the hottest party at Sundance to screen the AXE “Cleans Your Balls” video and enjoyed special performances by DJ Steve Aoki and DJ MomJeans (a.k.a. Danny Masterson).

I can't help but think as SNL's popularity waxes and wanes, that the Facebook fans who petitioned Betty White as host, were onto something. All of the publicity and fan fare surrounding the 88-year old comedian's SNL debut this past Saturday was certainly not minimized in the NBC boardroom, I am sure. The petition and eventually White's actual hosting of SNL created so much buzz, it is the kind of viral PR that brands often dream of.

Forget Justin Bieber or any other "hot now" musical act or actor hosting SNL, forget recycling former hosts. What they need is to tap into the vein of the American people once again by way of iconic comedians and actors. The boost in ratings Betty White gave to SNL alone should be evidence enough that the current emotional state of the country looks to nostalgia as feel good medicine. And Ms. White delivered, with great success, her ability to make us laugh and stay tuned into SNL as she appeared in each skit throughout the night. SNL should thank White's petitioners because Saturday night was ratings gold.

I hear there is a new petition out there now for Carol Burnett, and SNL should pay close attention. Certainly that is another sketch comic I can get behind and would tune in to see. How about you? Will legendary actors and musicians hosting SNL give it the publicity it needs to be brought back to life?

*Photo Source: Carol Burnett for SNL fan page

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.