Great Reads from Around the Marketing Blogosphere

This week we’d like to give a shout-out to other like-minded marketing or media agencies, whose blogs summed up everything we wanted to say before we could have said it.

Up first, is Thom Singer’s blog, “Tweet, Post, Update and Share Beyond Yourself,” which talks about the importance of promoting others even when there is nothing to gain personally. This is as easy as ‘retweeting’ someone else or sharing a Facebook update. The idea is to not make it all “Hey, look at me” but to make some of it “Hey, look at them!” You never know promoting others may lead to them promoting you.

Next we would like to mention Bazaarvoice and their blog on “Collaborative Economy,” a new(ish) way to reach, sell to and share with each other directly through a social, digital marketplace. This sharing marketplace allows customers to subscribe to or rent products other customers own. This was most commonly seen in media, such as: Netflix, Gamefly and Redbox, but now sharing has become something like a community.  This may seem like a threat to traditional businesses, but in reality, this sharing marketplace offers great opportunities for businesses that jump on the trend. For example, Toyota now lets customers rent cars off their lots, competing with services like ZipCar and Car2Go, and Chevy partnered with mobile app RelayRides, which lets members rent out their cars while they aren’t in use. The collaborative economy moves beyond selling, and allows business to create relationships for mutual benefit.

Our last shout out goes to Marketo and their round up of the “5 of the Most Innovative and Unique Marketing Campaigns So Far in 2013.” With 917 shares and counting, I was interested to see what campaigns made the cut. Out of the five campaigns, two really stood out to me in both creativity and just plain ole’ fun: Senador Volstead Beer and #lowesfixinsix.

  • Senador Volstead Beer is a truly genius campaign, I may have LOL’ed a bit while marveling at its website. Senador Volstead is a beer company based in Spain named after Senator Volstead, who declared the start of prohibition in 1920. How did they keep to the prohibition theme? By hiding their product to make it look like they are selling teddy BEARS not BEERS. This is memorable and hilarious.
  • Second, is from a Lowes Vine campaign: #lowesfixinsix on a solution to keep rugs from slipping across the floor. This is a really innovative campaign that uses Vine’s strengths to create a step-by-step process for the consumer. This campaign really sticks out to me; it really shows how a brand can use Vine to their advantage. Make sure to check out the other campaigns as well, they all do an amazing job of capturing the attention of their audience.
    Read an interesting blog lately or have any comments/thoughts? Please feel free to share!

    Image courtesy of Lowes

 

SXSW: A blur in the rear-view mirror

Photo courtesy of SXSW Interactive Festival

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both Austin and myself are fully recovered from the sleepless madness that is the South By South West (SXSW) onslaught of all things branded and hipster and geeky-cool that is now a much-loved and/or much-hated March tradition, depending on whom you ask (and whether or not you ask them as they sit in gridlocked traffic courtesy of all the road closures).

Though March and April(!) have come and gone, as have the road closures, thank goodness, I’m still thinking about a few sessions at SXSW Interactive (SXSWi) that opened my eyes to new ideas, and that’s the true value of SXSWi. As a busy professional, and one of the 69% of PR professionals that eat lunch at their desks every day, it’s so easy to put on blinders as I sit, chained to my computer every day, waging war against deadlines and monitoring budgets. Everyone needs to shake it up sometimes, and two sessions in particular posed questions that, a month and a half later, I still can’t shake.

The first session that blew me away was #bingle, a joint session with Danny Sullivan, Founding Editor Search Engine Land at Google, and Duane Forrester, Senior Product Marketing Manager of Bing Webmaster Tools. A pure Q&A format, the conversation was fluid and candid as SXSWi attendees took to the microphone to ask the experts. See the whole #bingle twitter feed here—look at the tweets from March 8-14.

 

 

 

The main question I walked away asking myself was this: What is the value of wire distribution for press releases?

Search engines have been discounting press releases for SEO for years.  So what’s the real value here? This question has come up a few times recently at KG, but hearing it directly from Google and Bing has increased our sense of urgency in reevaluating our internal processes. While we’ve always been very selective about which press releases we distribute via the wire and which circuits we recommend, we can still be more strategic in why and when we recommend wire distribution.

The other session that I still quote and think about daily (not exaggerating) was #socialb2b, “B2B Social Marketing: Blazing New Trails,” led by marketing experts Jamie Grenney, VP of Social Media & Online Video at Salesforce.com, Jason Bartlett, VP of Global Social Marketing at Xerox Corporation and Jeanette Gibson, Sr. Director of Social & Digital Marketing at Cisco Systems Inc. See the feed of tweets from March 11 here.

This session was packed with tidbits that have not just lingered in my memory, but have actually inspired change within myself and across KG:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And to quote myself quoting the panel:

 

 

 

The question that a session attendee asked the panel that still haunts me is: How can we translate big enterprise B2B social media success to much smaller companies with fewer resources?

The panel didn’t have an especially confident answer on that one, which is admittedly a really tough question with which the majority of businesses across the country struggle. The idea the panel did suggest, though, resonated with me. They all stressed how successful YouTube videos have been for their enterprises, and this is something many smaller companies do not invest in, but could produce on a budget. So long as there is a direct call to action within the first 15 seconds, YouTube videos are highly effective. One reason for this is how safe it is to share a familiar YouTube link. This point was driven home this week when I found an email from Networld in my inbox that aggregated some incredibly compelling stats about video:

  •  “89 million people in the United States are going to watch 1.2 billion online videos today.” (A second source: Comscore)
  • “Online video users are expected to double to 1.5 billion in 2016.” (Source: MediaPost & Cisco)
  • “Online video now accounts for 50 percent of all mobile traffic and up to 69 percent of traffic on certain networks.” (Source: TechCrunch & Bytemobile)

What’s more, PR giant FleishmanHillard saw the writing on the wall and this week announced they are rebranding from a traditional PR agency into a “channel agnostic” integrated marketing communications firm that will tackle digital marketing projects, including video.

SXSWi 2012 left me enlightened but exhausted. SXSWi 2013 left me inspired and recharged. The post-SXSWi zombie syndrome is always worth it to get out of my comfort zone and hobnob with the bright minds and progressive thinkers that are shaking up my industry. Ketner Group is committed to evolving with the times, staying fresh and current to bring our clients the most relevant, thoughtful counsel possible. We’re excited how far we have come—the new website, the new-and-improved PB&J blog, and the addition of the incredibly digitally-savvy Sara Lasseter—and we look forward to continuing to chart this new, more digital course through the rest of the year until SXSWi 2014, when we’ll fill up our inspiration tanks once more.

Introducing KG’s Newest Blog Series: PR 101

The KG Team is excited to introduce a content series for our PB&J Blog. “PR 101: Back to Basics”. Think back to your days in school: sitting in class, working on a campaign, writing all those press releases. Now think about the first year of your full-time job in PR… We’d be willing to bet you encountered more than a few concepts that threw you for a loop! We’ve all had our moments of panic when sitting in that first client meeting: bylines, analyst briefings, ed cals. What analysts? And what’s a byline?

“PR 101: Back to Basics” is a blog series designed to better prepare current PR students for the industry, as well as help professionals, green or well-seasoned, to enhance and expand their knowledge of PR. In this series, we’ll be profiling different topics that we feel would be beneficial to young PR professionals as well as vets who have been around the block, so to speak. We’d love to hear your thoughts on significant industry knowledge that would be helpful to highlight! Do you remember a specific instance when you were expected to know something on the job that you weren’t taught in school? Is there a topic you think gets pushed aside in our industry that you feel we should discuss? A penny for your thoughts! Or maybe a shout out on our blog will do.

If you’ve ever felt like Lucy at the chocolate factory, we understand. Feeling overwhelmed at work is normal, so no need to stuff all those truffles in your hat, or all those ed cals in a deep, dark, secret folder in Outlook. PR 101: Back to Basics will help you wrap those chocolate, and eat them, too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KG is on a mission to end uncertainty and encourage real world knowledge in PR! We hope you can all get involved for this series, and follow us along the way with your comments and feedback! Tweet us at @PBJblog or @KetnerGroupPR using the hashtag #KGPR101 with your thoughts!

Indoor Location Analytics Boosts Retailers’ Merchandising and Marketing Information Arsenal

Indoor Location Analytics is enjoying explosive adoption in retail, logistics, airports, healthcare and other industries. Growth is driven by new technology, smartphone ubiquity and increased market awareness. Editor in Chief Joe Francica interviewed Jonathon Rosen, business development director for WirelessWERX, who described the technology needed to capture mobile consumer data and some of the surprising uses for those data.

 

Ketner Group Gets a Blog Make-Over & National PB&J Day!

Does something look a little different to you? Our blog didn’t lose weight or change its hair, but it did get a whole new look! What was formerly Ketner Group’s KbloG is now PB&J! We aim to give readers “a slice of PR, Branding and Journalism”–a place to hang out and read about good ideas and examples of how to lead a better PR, content and marketing program and discuss trendy industry topics. Follow our Twitter page at www.twitter.com/PBJblog to get all of our updates!

We’re happy to announce our new PB&J blog name on 2013 National PB&J Day (April 2)!

If our new name doesn’t make you hungry, then National PB&J Day will make you itch for a ‘which and eager to help the environment, too! Check out the PB&J Campaign, whose goal is to educate people “on actions we can take (such as choosing a PB&J sandwich for lunch) to help create a sustainable, earth-friendly future with enough food for all.” You don’t have to agree with that to agree that PB&J is just an awesome name.

Hope you like our new graphic! Let us know what you think. And for the love of jelly, have a PB&J sandwich soon and think of us while you chew that peanuty goodness.

Apparel software trends: What else is on the agenda?

What else is likely to be topping the apparel industry’s software agenda this year? Using technology to help mitigate risk in the supply chain, automating data capture, and greater collaboration and information exchange between apparel retailers and brands and their suppliers are all highlighted. Tapping into social media and mobile technologies will also contribute to speed and accuracy.

An Engaging Experience

SecureNet’s mobile API libraries support both mobile phones and tablets running the iOS operating system. Streamlining the payments experience within mobile applications, the next generation mobile API libraries enable in-app acceptance of all credit card types, ACH and EBT transactions, and tracking for cash transactions, a feature most mobile payment solutions lack. The libraries also support secure card storage and automated recurring payment functionality.

Acorn Provides Microsoft Dynamics AX Customers with New Solution

Cost management and profitability solutions provider Acorn Systems Inc., a Microsoft
Managed Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Partner, now provides Microsoft Dynamics AX customers with a new integrated solution. Designed to drive even greater profitability and cost efficiency from their ERP investment, Acorn’s Total Profitability for Microsoft Dynamics AX is available immediately to Microsoft Dynamics AX resellers and customers.

Why Our New Intern, Mia, Decided on a PR Career

I don’t know exactly when I decided that the public relations industry was a fit for me. I did watch a lot of Sex and the City my freshman year of college, so there may be a correlation there.

I wanted to live Samantha Jones’s glamorous (fake) life. Little did I know that Samantha Jones’s fabulously glamorous life was an unrealistic version of what the public relations industry really is.

I was disappointed to find out that not everyone in PR rubs elbows with the elite and lives in million dollar condos, but the more I learned about the industry I was able to forgive Samantha for deceiving me all those years. Maybe this industry was right for me even without all the glamour. Who needs $500 Manolo Blahnik shoes, anyway?

As my undergraduate public relations education almost comes to a close I’m excited and nervous for what this industry has in store for me. I will be graduating in December with a public relations degree and business foundations certificate and look forward to using my education and experience to become a great PR professional.

My course work thus far has been a well-rounded mix of advertising, business and public relations classes, and I’ve worked with teams to create a PR plan for Animal Trustees of Austin — a local animal welfare non-profit as well as a hypothetical media plan for another local Austin business.

Outside of class, I’ve had experience in various industries such as special events, journalism, production and public relations. I worked at Study Breaks Magazine where I gained experience in social media as well as journalistic writing. Last year, I interned for Cultivate PR, a boutique lifestyle public relations firm that ignited my passion for food and was fortunate enough to meet Top Chef winner, Paul Qui and Tyson Cole of Uchi and Uchiko. After my internship at Cultivate, I had opportunity to drop everything during the summer of 2012 and move to NYC to intern for a production and branding agency, inVNT, which I eagerly and willingly took. I won’t lie; before I left I thought that I might actually have the glamorous life of Samantha Jones, even if it was just for the summer. However, as amazing as my summer in the “Big Apple” was, it was no Sex and the City. It was more work than anything, maybe a little glamour, but most importantly, a tremendous experience.

I’m extremely excited to use my skills and experiences at Ketner Group. I’m so happy to be part of the team. I feel at home even on my second day.