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Is Kik Replacing Snapchat?

Social media comes in many different shapes and sizes. From Facebook to Snapchat to Pinterest to Kik, there are a variety of ways for us to stay in touch with our friends and favorite celebrities every day. Facebook, Snapchat, and Pinterest are widely known by many, but what is Kik?

I’m sure many of us have heard the phrase, “You got a kik?” but what is it really. Kik Messenger is an instant messaging mobile app available for Android, iPhones and Windows Phone operating systems. Through Wi-Fi, you can send and receive messages, videos, sketches and other content with any of your friends that have the app and register a username. Sounds a little bit like Snapchat with similar capabilities and a focus on anonymity. Kik made its debut in 2010, but why did it get lost in the shadow of Snapchat?

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Ad Week recently published an article about Dunkin’ Donuts’ interesting marketing move involving Kik. On National Donut Day this year, Dunkin’ Donuts will create and sponsor the first branded face filter on Kik. This face filter will be in addition to the filter they will be creating for Snapchat. While Snapchat face filters have become increasingly popular in recent years, this is the first time a major corporation will be paying for a filter on Kik.

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Dunkin’ Donuts could be onto something here. Kik is making its first major comeback in the always evolving world of social media. Will other major corporations follow in Dunkin’ Donuts’ footsteps and create and sponsor face filters for Kik? Or is this going to prove to be a complete waste of money for the coffee and donut company America runs on?

Make sure to grab a donut for National Donut Day!

For more reading, visit Ad Week.

 

The Ultimate Summer BBQ experience with Big Red

BBQ-Acrross-Logo-BlackBig Red, America’s original and bestselling red soda, kicks off the grilling season and their 80th Anniversary with its “BBQ Across America” promotion. Known for its sweet and smooth taste, Big Red drinkers love to pair the soft drink with a bold BBQ flavor.

Big Red will reward fans with BBQ-related prizes all summer long including a grand prize Ultimate Summer BBQ Party for the lucky winner and 50 guests. The grand prize winner will receive the ultimate BBQ experience in their own backyard. Weber will deck out the backyard with a Weber Genesis Gas Grill, the Weber Smoker and the classic Weber Charcoal Grill. Additional prizes will be rewarded to fans from Memorial Day to Labor Day including; Yeti Insulators, Big Red Washer Game Sets, Rufus Teague BBQ Sauces & Rubs, and Big Red T-shirts.

To enter the contest, consumers need to buy two Big Red flavored products and take a picture of the receipt using a phone. Then text “Big Red” to the number 811811 and entrants will receive a text back with a link to a URL. Follow the link to upload a photo of the receipt.

For more information check out their Facebook,  Instagram, and Twitter

Models with Down Syndrome Becoming More Visible

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Over the years brands have stuck to the traditional idea of using regular everyday people to represent their brand’s image. From time to time, advertisers would occasionally feature people with disabilities, but recently models with Down syndrome have become more visible. Fisher-Price recently released a new advertisement featuring Lili Boglarka Havasi, a 2-year-old model with Down syndrome, in a commercial for the Fisher-Price Little People Sit ‘n Stand Skyway. People with Down syndrome have also been featured in ads for other popular brands such as McDonald’s, Target, A.C. Moore, Zulily and have been spotted on New York catwalks.

So why has this trend started? Advertisers eventually caught on to the fact that consumers preferred a broad cross-section of individuals included in advertisements. The response was positive, especially from millennials, to inclusiveness and portraying “authenticity” in advertising. Using models with a physical disability allowed them to communicate their values and connect with customers.

Parents of children with Down syndrome say that it’s about time advertisers noticed the distinctive beauty of people with the condition. One mother, Megan Nash of Buford, GA, has a son, Asher, with Down syndrome and will soon be modeling for the OshKosh children’s clothing line.

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When Nash first submitted his pictures for a casting call she was told they weren’t included in the final round because the retailer hadn’t specifically asked for child models with special needs. Nash shared her story on Facebook, which went viral. This resulted in the story getting back to OshKosh, who then stated it wasn’t the company itself, but rather the talent agency that had turned her down. OshKosh then invited Nash and her son to a photo shoot for the company’s holiday ad campaign.

Numerous brands are continuing to include people with Down syndrome and even groups such as Changing the Face of Beauty have focused on improving the inclusion of models with disabilities. In 2015 they set out to find 15 retailers who would commit to using models with disabilities in their advertisements.

People with Down syndrome are continuing to be featured in acting roles and advertisements. Perception continues to change and Nash continues to have hope in progression for people with disabilities. “They’re not going to say, ‘Oh, that boy has Down syndrome,’” she said. “They’re going to say, ‘Look at that jacket the boy is wearing in the ad.’”

To read more visit The New York Times.

Crisis Lessons Learned from Samsung’s Public Relations Disaster

Throughout the past few months there has been tremendous backlash against the Samsung brand due to the new Samsung Note 7 batteries exploding. Customers have been infuriated and airlines are even implementing rules against passengers taking these phones on board flights due to a fire risk. Tensions are high and Samsung has been feeling it, but they have yet to take the necessary steps to maintain complete transparency with the public and keep their stakeholders updated.

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When facing a crisis it is important that the company assumes complete transparency with its consumers in order to maintain a good relationship through the tough times. There are several important steps which Samsung has failed to perform, and in result, is turning a crisis into a mega-crisis. According to an article from PR News, there are certain precautionary steps that must be taken by a company to resolve a crisis effectively:

  1. Be Prepared

A crisis can happen to any company, it is never expected but it is always important to be prepared. Your company should take time to identify the possible crises that could occur and come up with an action plan for each possible crisis.

  1. Establish the Facts, Apologize and Take Action

It is important to be honest about the facts of the issue right away. Holding anything back will cloud the stakeholders’ thoughts and judgements about your company. An apology should be voiced immediately to the public on behalf of your organization by the appointed spokesperson, then action to resolve the crisis should be taken right away.

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  1. Appoint the Right Spokesperson

The face of a brand determines the public’s views and opinions of that company, especially in the midst of a crisis. It is detrimental that the right spokesperson is appointed to help with crisis management in order to diminish the effects of the crisis. However, the person who is leading the actions and response to the actual crisis should not be the appointed spokesperson who communicates with the media. The two jobs should be separate to ensure proper coverage of both.

  1. Listen and Monitor What People Are Saying

Having a social media monitoring application is extremely important in order to know what the public is saying at the time of the crisis and what their opinions are. The monitoring also allows the company to respond to the public through social media which is beneficial for maintaining transparency.

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  1. Keep Communicating and Be Proactive

Along with the Social Media monitoring there needs to be constant communication with all stakeholders and the public. There is nothing worse than making vague statements, having the truth come out and your company getting stamped a liar. Constant communication across all platforms will help to keep the relationship and trust between the brand and consumers. Once the crisis has died down, it is important to maintain consistent communication with the public by updating them with business successes and other positive news in the company.

  1. Learn From Mistakes

As detrimental as the crisis may be to the company it is important to view it as a learning experience. The crisis will die down eventually and at that point the company and its stakeholders should talk about what worked and didn’t when dealing with the crisis to use it to better plan for any future crises that may occur.

Read more at: http://www.prnewsonline.com/samsung-maher

 

“She’s a Lady” but She Doesn’t Fit the Mold

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H&M developed a new advertising campaign earlier this year that clearly states there is no correct way to be a lady. Set to the song “She’s a Lady” by Tom Jones, the commercial goes against the very misogynistic themed tune. The advertisement by Swedish agency Forsman & Bodenfors features many women who in the past would not be considered the ideal “lady” that is described in the song. An article by AdWeek describes the implications of this commercial.

There are some very iconic people involved in this stand-out commercial including actress Lauren Hutton, model Adwoa Aboah, transgender actress Hari Nef, Design Army’s Chief Creative Officer Pum Lefebure and Lion Babe’s Jillian Hervey. There is something uniquely inspiring about this campaign’s direction, which clearly goes against the societal norms of what it is to be a lady.

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The new fall 2016 fashion line by H&M is presented in this commercial and it isn’t until after you view it, that you find out there is a hidden message in this fashion preview. The campaign helps to create conversation about the oppression of women in a seemingly entertaining way.

The commercial challenges the traditional concept of what it means to be a lady in a variety of ways. Most people think of women (ladies) as having long, thick, luscious hair, but H&M’s new commercial features a woman who has a bald head and challenges the viewer’s thoughts on what is beautiful. A woman is beautiful and a “lady,” no matter the length of her hair. Throughout the commercial women are curvy, transgender, bald, muscular, and don’t have “lady-like” posture. All of these women are still ladies, no matter what the traditional thoughts on that label are.

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H&M made a strong advertising move by creating a commercial that is not only entertaining, but has a heavy social message behind it. There is sure to be a lot of opinionated talk about this bold campaign.

View the full commercial: https://youtu.be/8-RY6fWVrQ0

Read more at: http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/hms-stunning-new-ad-subverts-what-you-think-lady-should-look-or-act-173487

Snapchat and Instagram Continue with the “Story” War

Social media sites are in a constant battle for users by creating new features and nothing is different when it comes to Snapchat and Instagram. Snapchat is known for its 10 second pictures or videos that users are able to send to other app users or post on their “My Story.” My Story is a temporary photo/video album that is available for only 24 hours after posting an image that your list of friends can see. Instagram, on the other hand, is a more permanent photo sharing social media site. Users can post photos or videos that go onto their followers’ news feeds as well as their personal Instagram page, which is like a digital photo album.

Throughout the past few months Instagram and Snapchat have been in a battle over the “story” feature. Snapchat has had their “My Story” feature since fall of 2013, but Instagram announced its new “Instagram Story” addition in an update in early August 2016. This sparked controversy and competition between the two social media apps.

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According to an article by The Verge, Snapchat has now copied a feature of “Instagram Story;” the ability to rewind a story. Users of Snapchat will no longer need to exit the story and scroll to their friend’s name to re-watch a story they may have skimmed over.

Instagram allows the viewers of the Instagram Stories to tap on the left side of the screen in order to rewind and replay the story. Snapchat has now adopted this feature and allows its users who update the app to do the same thing.

Along with the ability to go back to the previous snap in a story, Snapchat included a few other new features to its latest update. The Snapchat filters that users know and love are now available on the rear camera, which Snapchat calls “world lenses.” Another feature in the update is the ability to send a snap of a friend’s story to another friend on the app.

With all of the newly updated snapchat features, it leaves us wondering what Instagram will retaliate with next.

To read more visit: http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/8/13565030/snapchat-stories-rewind

 

Google Tops List of Best Companies to Work For

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Google continues to dominate the list of Best 100 Companies to Work For as it was again ranked number one on the 2016 list put out by Fortune. Since being founded in 1998, Google has made the list for ten consecutive years, seven of which they have ranked in the top spot.

According to Tech Times, “Fortune identifies and ranks the companies on the list through a partnership with the Great Places to Work Institute, which conducts the most extensive survey among employees in the United States.” The survey is sent to a random sampling of employees from each company and asks a variety of questions ranging from management and job satisfaction to benefits and internal communication.

Google’s staggering numbers are impressive year after year and have proved to be hard to beat. Sparking the imagination of talented and highly compensated workers and adding an endless number of employee perks to an already astonishing array of freebies is exactly what puts Google at the top of the list each year. Some of the perks offered to employees include enhanced health care coverage, three organic meals a day with unlimited coffee and tea, free personal fitness classes, college tuition reimbursement up to $12,000, unlimited paid sick days as well as close to 30 paid off days for vacation and holidays.

With perks like this it’s no wonder Google employees praise the company. According to an employee survey 97% say there is a great working atmosphere, 95% say management is honest and ethical in business practices and 98% say they take pride in working for the company.

Google assures that each employee feels valued and enjoys coming into work every day which is a key factor in keeping a smooth running business that is loved by both the workers and the public. Word of perks and treatment of employees at Google is widely known by the public and is a main reason why so many people idolize the company. The way a business treats their employees directly influences how the public perceives them and Google is acing the test with their stellar work atmosphere and employee perks. Companies looking to increase brand awareness and generate a loyal customer following should take note, Google is doing everything right and is one of the top players in the game!

For more info check out Tech Times full article here: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/138568/20160304/google-alphabet-tops-fortunes-list-of-100-best-companies-to-work-for-in-the-us.htm

Chipotle Wins Back Customers with Safety Regulations and Free Burritos

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Chipotle Mexican Grill has proven to be one of the hottest fast food chains in the country thanks to their fresh ingredients and reasonable prices. However, the popular food chain has had a rough time this past year, and is officially on the road to winning back customers nationwide. After several reported outbreaks of E. coli, salmonella and norovirus at locations across the country, the negative press started scaring customers away and the company experienced a drop in sales and stocks.

Instead of attempting to cover up the mistakes made, Chipotle publicized the issues and informed the public on how they are going about fixing them. Chipotle temporarily closed over 2,000 locations for a day while they dedicated time to informing employees on the new food safety regulations put in place to ensure no future outbreaks occur.

According to Fortune, by closing its locations in the name of food safety, Chipotle is proving to the public exactly how seriously it is taking the recent outbreaks. Suddenly the buzz around Chipotle shifted from E. coli and salmonella to food safety and ethically grown food, not a coincidence, but a well thought out PR plan. The company even live tweeted its meeting to keep the public updated on all the issues being discussed.

New regulations include a $10 million program that will help local food suppliers adhere to its new safety guidelines as well as DNA testing before ingredients are shipped to restaurants. The company is even offering fully paid sick days to employees in order to ensure further contamination doesn’t occur.

If that’s not enough to win back customers, during its temporary closure, Chipotle offered a free burrito to any patron who texted “rain check,” to Chipotle.

According to Public Relations Specialist, Tyler Barnett, “by combining damage control tactics, positive press, and driving traffic to its locations, Chipotle is well on its way to resurrecting the customer loyalty and trust that was lost, while also attracting some new business in the process.”

To learn more read the full Fortune article here:http://fortune.com/2016/02/10/chipotle-temporarily-closing-pr/

Zuckerburg to Donate 99% of Facebook Stock

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For Silicon Valley’s newest generation of billionaires, the biggest trend in innovation is actually something old – giving back. As someone who is no stranger to innovation, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerburg is at the forefront of the movement. The 31 year old with a net worth of $37.5 billion announced on Tuesday that he and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, will donate 99 percent of their Facebook stock shares throughout the course of their lives. The stocks are currently worth more than $45 billion and will be donated to charitable causes still to be announced, or even still to be created.

According to a recent New York Times article, Zuckerberg’s charitable plans are the latest indication of a growing interest in philanthropy among Silicon Valley’s young billionaires, who unlike previous generations of business tycoons, appear eager to spread their wealth while they are still young.

Zuckerburg and Chan have a new baby girl, Max, who was born just last week. The couple says the pledge to donate the stocks is all about making the world a better place for her generation and those to follow. Publishing an open letter to her, they explain the better life they wish for her to have. The letter explains that they are making the donation because they wish to help advance human potential, promote equality and help create technology to foster change for the future.

“Today your mother and I are committing to spend our lives doing our small part to help solve these challenges,” writes Zuckerburg. “I will continue to serve as Facebook’s CEO for many, many years to come, but these issues are too important to wait until you or we are older to begin this work.”

Many industry leaders are showing support for the donation and aim for change including one of Zuckerburg’s childhood heroes and the wealthiest man in the world, Bill Gates. Mr. Gates and his wife congratulated his efforts releasing a statement.

“The example you’re setting today is an inspiration to us and the world,” they said. “We can be confident of this: Max and every child born today will grow up in a world that is better than the one we know now. As you say, ‘Seeds planted now will grow.’ Your work will bear fruit for many decades to come.”

Zuckerburg believes that by creating and building new, innovative technology will help drive changes to improve education worldwide. The improved technology would then increase literacy rates and decrease poverty levels in these areas.

To learn more read the full New York Times story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/02/technology/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-charity.html?_r=0

REI Would Rather #OptOutside On Black Friday

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The national outdoor and sporting goods retailer REI has decided to close all 143 stores on Black Friday this year in a push to encourage customers to #OptOutside and enjoy the outdoors. In recent years the trend has been for stores to open earlier and earlier on Black Friday leading some stores like RadioShack to open as early as 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. This year, REI is taking a stand against the craziness that ensues when customers flock into stores for some of the lowest prices of the year.

An article by USA Today describes how REI President and CEO Jerry Stritzke came to the decision to take a step back from Black Friday:

“Any retailer that hears this will be startled by the idea,” says REI President and CEO Jerry Stritzke, who admits he was apprehensive about closing at first. “As a co-op … we define success a little differently. It’s much broader than just money. How effectively do we get people outside?”

Other stores like Costco and Nordstrom have taken a stand against opening early on Thanksgiving Day, but no other store has sat on the sideline during Black Friday until now. This is a momentous decision by Stritzke because Black Friday marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season and, as USA Today points out, Black Friday has consistently been a top 10 sales day for REI.

With its #OptOutside campaign, REI hopes to completely turn the tide of the Black Friday shopping tradition and give its employees two paid days off to enjoy the outdoors.

The Bloomington, MN REI store manager Brian Harrower has already planned an ice hockey tournament for his first Black Friday off in 25 years, USA Today reported.

“Somebody has to be the one to kind of put their flag in the sand and say enough is enough,” he says. “That’s what #OptOutside is for us, is saying we’re going to be the first, we think this doesn’t make sense anymore, it’s not healthy. And an outdoor life is a healthy life.”

Well put, Brian!

In fact, shouldn’t REI fanatics be thanking Stritzke? Because after all, by forgoing shopping altogether, shoppers will score the best savings of the year.