On August 5, 2012, NASA successfully landed its robotic rover Curiosity on our dusty red neighbor in space. It only took 40 attempts, years of research and billions of dollars in government funding, but we finally made it!
In today’s plugged-in society where we are constantly connected, it was easier than ever to be a part of the anticipation and ecstasy of the NASA employees that worked on the landing of Curiosity. Streaming watch parties were held across the world for fellow space nerds to congregate and view the most epic touchdown ever broadcast. Whether from the privacy of their cherished Star Trek-themed bedroom or among other astronomically aware cronies, people were tweeting, posting and meme-making from the moment Curiosity set its wheels down in Mars’ Gale Crater.
The creation of the @MarsCuriosity Twitter handle in 2008 was the beginning of a highly social effort on behalf of NASA to get the average citizen more involved in its $2.5 billion project to land on Mars. While many people took the mission’s success seriously, social media sites exploded with Mars Rover humor and Curiosity comics. Articles everywhere highlighted the cleverest Mars Curiosity tweets and internet fanatics began cranking out memes on things like the London Olympics vs. NASA’s Curiosity landing. Continue reading →
The 2012 Summer Games, hosted by the good people of London, has already been dubbed the “First Social Media Games”. As we start the second week of the XXX Olympiad, the world has already seen what a huge impact social media has had on the games – and the numbers are staggering! Twitter has already reported that the opening ceremonies sparked 9.66 million mentions, topping the total number of Twitter posts during the entire 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. According to iProspect, a large British digital marketing agency, and Carat, a media agency, Twitter was by far the favorite social media site, accounting for 97% of all online conversations about the opening ceremony.
Social Media Goes for Gold in London
For those of us who are Twitter users, we know there are good and bad sides to this social media platform. For this year’s athletes, it is a unique way to communicate “directly” to their fans, families back home, and other athletes. “Twitter and social media are how we can get our word out, and fans kind of want to see what things look like from behind the scenes,” says U.S. swimmer Ricky Berens in a recent Mashable article. “TV portrays things the way it wants to and we can give a lot more than that.”
The dark side of social media, however, can be downright mean and pressure-packed, as we have already seen during the first week of the games. After becoming the first African-American woman to win the individual all-around women’s gymnastics competition, America’s newest sweetheart, Gabby Douglas, became victim to social media bullies who made fun of her hair. When Aussie swimmer Emily Seebohm failed to take gold in the 100-meter backstroke final, she told reporters that she believed the pressure put on her via social media to win gold caused her to lose the race. “…Maybe I just started believing that I’d already won by the time I had swum…I just felt like I didn’t get off (social media) and get into my own mind,” said Seebohm. Continue reading →
The people of the Internet have once again moved on from one meme, most recently the Sh*t Girls Say phenomenon, to the next, currently the “What I Really Do” meme. So far on my Facebook feed I’ve seen what media buyers, law students, lawyers, journalists, film editors, stay at home moms, and military wives “really do.” I thought it incredible that I hadn’t yet come across “What PR People do” meme considering the number of my Facebook friends are also in PR, but finally this morning, there it was! Let’s take a look:
And since you asked how I felt about it–oh, you didn’t? Anyway, here are my thoughts on the topic:
What my friends think I do: Fiction! I don’t think my friends would say my job involves any more partying than any other non-bartending job, which is to say it doesn’t involve much!
What my parents think I do: Fact. This is 100 percent true—my parents know what a press release is, of course, but that’s about as far their understanding of PR goes. There is some confusion on how it differs from advertising (a general rule: advertising is paid media, PR is earned media), and I’m not sure they would know how marketing is different from sales.
What journalists think I do: Fact. This is pretty accurate, though I wish there was a visual to capture a bunch of devious-looking PR folk sitting around wearing devils horns emailing a press release about an auto show to 2,000 journalists and editors who only cover healthcare. Unfortunately, a lot of editors and journalists believe PR specialists don’t try to target their audience and spam inboxes with irrelevant news without a second thought. At least at KG, we try our best to only send announcements or pitches to those we think are a good fit.
What my clients think I do: Fiction! This one made me laugh, I’ll admit. I work with truly wonderful clients, so I doubt my clients think the KG team frolics in piles of their money all day, but I will concede that when working on marketing projects, we do sometimes spend other people’s money (I hasten to add we spend it wisely!).
What society thinks I do: Fact. I was sold by this one photo—it captures society’s misconception that PR people are conniving, deceitful, shady, really I could keep going but I’ll stop myself. It’s funny how much discredit the public gives the profession. Certainly there have been gigantic PR missteps and sure, there are some companies with questionable products or practices I wouldn’t want to represent, but most PR, especially the B2B work KG specializes in, is entirely fact-based and straightforward.
What I actually do: Fact. It’s been well documentedon the KG blog and elsewhere that PR can be a stressful career—from the fear of the five most dreaded words, “Why aren’t we in this?” to a chronic case of PR Paranoia, “I know I’ve checked and re-checked this release I’m about to distribute 100 times, but what if there’s a typo?” I imagine air traffic controllers, neurosurgeons and teachers all have more stressful jobs than I do, don’t get me wrong, but yes, this head-meets-wall feeling really happens quite often. Maybe we should party more?
This version of the “What I Really Do” meme is more reality than myth, which I suppose is why the meme is so popular. It may not be a glamorous career, but it’s mine and I think I’ll keep it, “what society thinks I do” warts and all.
Iconic Austin theater Alamo Drafthouse is making a big splash online and in national media this week with a recently debuted PSA about texting during movies. In the video, we hear an unlettered, swear-filled voicemail the Alamo received from an angry customer who was ejected from the theater (without a refund) after ignoring repeated warnings about using her phone during a film.
The video and its corresponding blog post have generated thousands of comments and racked in a couple of million views on YouTube (uncensored and censored versions combined). The two-minute clip is well on its way to viral video fame, fueled by mainstream mentions everywhere from CNET to CNN, where Anderson Cooper said Alamo Drafthouse founder and CEO Tim League deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for his crusade against rude moviegoers.
What can brands learn from Alamo Drafthouse’s viral sensation, and what are the pros and cons of such a campaign? We had a brief roundtable to discuss.
Eric: Tim League’s Austin-born combo of beer, food, film and creative events is a popular one — Entertainment Weekly, Wired and Fandango call it one of the best theaters in the world — particularly with film fanatics, no doubt in part thanks to League’s zero tolerance policy on talking and texting. But, even if this customer acted like a jerk, does the PSA go too far by having a laugh at her expense?
Brittany: Girlfriend probably should have saved the drunk dial for an ex-boyfriend, but it’s within Alamo’s legal rights to use it. This is not the first provocative or explicit no-talking warning Alamo has put together, and I think it’s perfectly in line with its edgy, anti-corporate brand.
Eric: The way I see it is that League is a bit of hero to many film buffs. And not just for his outspokenness or his theaters’ Austin attitude. Besides creating the Alamo, he also heads a nonprofit called the American Genre Film Archive that preserves and exhibits the largest genre film archive in the world. The man obviously loves film and has a reverence for the movie-going experience that much of the general public doesn’t share. His stance is simple: If you don’t feel this way, don’t come to the Alamo.
As for the woman in the voicemail, she remains anonymous unless she decides to try to raise a stink about the video, so I don’t feel too bad for her. Besides, anyone who has ever worked a day in their life has dealt with a nightmare customer like this and can take some satisfaction in seeing her get publicly taken to task. Just because you give someone your money doesn’t mean you have the right to behave like a foul-mouthed brat. The Alamo makes it very clear before every movie that if you talk you’ll be kicked out — without a refund.
Catherine (our resident goody two-shoes): Let me first say that, as a longtime Austinite, I am a huge fan of Alamo Drafthouse and their “Keep Austin Weird” attitude. However, while I completely understand that Alamo has every right to use the caller’s voice message for their most recent PSA, does it really mean that they should have? My opinion is no, they shouldn’t have. Don’t get me wrong — I think the PSA is funny, and I laughed (like when you laugh at someone falling down or tripping). But, the goody two-shoes in me thinks it was a little mean spirited.
Eric: So we’ve got some differing opinions here about the video, but what should one consider before attempting to launch a potentially divisive campaign like this?
Caitlin: You have to weigh the positive and negative aspects to your message to make the best decision.
First, what was the Alamo Drafthouse’s message? That they’re the best movie theater to patron because not only do they promote a unique, “Keep Austin Weird” atmosphere, but they’re also serious about eliminating inconsiderate behavior during films.
Second, how can they prove that they’re serious? By using real world examples. The drunken voicemail was like a pot of gold landing in their lap. How could they not use it? Not only does the inebriated caller sound incredibly uneducated — “the Magnited States of America” takes offense — but she also severs any shred of sympathy we could feel for her with a rude, expletive-filled rant against a beloved local business.
Next, you have to weigh the positives and negatives. We’ll start with the negative. Some people might still feel sorry for her. It isn’t easy watching everyone turn on someone else, even if they deserve it (e.g., Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Anthony Weiner). Now, the positive. As I said before, most people can’t identify with her voicemail and have most likely lost respect for her, so using it is a comedic way to drive home the point that you are serious about your message.
As for the outcome? I’d say this anti-theater-texting PSA was quite successful due to the national media coverage and its viral web presence. If the Alamo Drafthouse weighed the positive and negative, I’m sure they decided that way more people would find it hilarious than mean. Though, we’re glad to have people on our team who are too kind-hearted to find the voicemail’s use appropriate. (We love you, Catherine!)
Valerie: I thought the video was funny, but I’m seeing something from looking at the comments on the Alamo’s blog post that we’ve not touched on yet. Tim League took a bold move opening the company up to criticism — not only from folks who don’t agree with the theater’s policy or think this is bad customer service or unnecessarily shaming of the girl, but also from folks who haven’t had this experience at Alamo theaters. Many commenters on the Alamo’s site complain of being bothered by noisy patrons and telling management only to have management not respond as promised. It was gutsy from that perspective too because they had to be ready to go into crisis response PR mode.
Eric: Well, no matter your opinion on the video, it’s hard to deny it’s a hit. The Alamo Drafthouse posted the video online last week and began showing it before screenings last weekend, and its view count is skyrocketing. For a video that probably took 30 minutes to make, that’s some great exposure.
We recently came across a blog post on 5 Rookie Mistakes in Press Releases, and turns out, the author was not exaggerating about the “rookie” part. Use a headline that makes sense. Include an “about” section and contact info. Still, it’s always helpful even for seasoned PR pros to get a reminder that sometimes the most basic things are the things we screw up, because we take for granted that we won’t screw them up. The post also inspired us to write our list of tips to help businesses avoid making rookie mistakes in social media. Without further ado…
1)Don’t dive in without a game plan. You know what makes me cringe? When companies get excited by the sparkly social media trend and tell their staff to go gangbusters on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, a company blog, etc. – all without having a strategy in place.What is your goal? Who are you trying to engage with? Do you need to engage with different audiences on different platforms, and perhaps share one type of information with your Twitter followers and a different type with your Facebook followers? What’s your policy on employees blogging or guest blogging for your company? Your plan for dealing with negative Yelp or App Store reviews? I know it’s tempting to want to just dive in – but trust me, you’ll be glad later that you had a strategy in place first.
2)That said, be wary of social media ninjas/experts/superstars. It can be incredibly valuable having people on your side with specific experience developing and executing social media initiatives. However, be careful about who you trust with your social media strategy; 90% of the self-professed social media ninjas/gurus/superstars/experts out there are full of it. Just because someone has 1,000+ Twitter followers and calls himself a guru doesn’t make it true – and typically, the people who are the gurus don’t need to use such audacious self-promotion to prove it. Since the beginning of time (or at least the beginning of capitalism?) people have looked for the next get-rich-quick scheme to make a buck off the latest hot new thing, and right now in marketing, that thing is social media. Don’t get suckered. Still, there are people out there who genuinely have great experience and a track record of success in working with businesses to help them do social media right. And if you’re already working with a PR or marketing agency, they may very well have the know-how to work with you on those initiatives, and it helps that the relationships and knowledge about your company are already established. Continue reading →
While this seems a bit surprising with everything that’s gone on this year, it’s not shocking. Social media came to the forefront of interest and attention, and every traditional media outlet jumped in the ring to break that minute’s social media trend story and to get a piece of the pie themselves by connecting with their readers via social networks.
Not that we’re complaining — we’ve gotten to see the social media craze first-hand with our client CheapTweet. Launched just before Black Friday in 2008, CheapTweet couldn’t have been better positioned for what 2009 had in store: an aggregator that pulls deals from Twitter and creates a community around finding the best possible deals for every shopping need. Social media darling Twitter? Check. Saving money in a recession? Check. We worked with CheapTweet to formulate the message and get the word out, and the site was featured as a holiday shopping must-see on MSNBC less than two weeks later. That followed in 2009 with hits including InStyle, Parents, New York Times, CNN, TechCrunch, Internet Retailer and tons more — and thankfully, CheapTweet’s message and product were strong enough to roll over the competitors that popped up along the way. Cyber Monday (yesterday) brought the company’s heaviest traffic to date. Continue reading →
A few of us Ketner Groupies recently attended a PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) luncheon and got to meet three of Austin’s most notable media professionals. Patti Smith, general manager and president of KVUE TV, Debbie Hiott, the managing editor of the Austin American Statesman, and Susanna Hamner, a freelance journalist that frequently writes for the New York Times, discussed the evolution of media in a changing world (specifically in a world where social media has become a viral phenomenon for spreading breaking news, celebrity gossip and saucy rumors). As we debated the different ways social media displaces traditional media, the conversation quickly turned to the hardships that have been plaguing print media for the last couple of years.
According to Paper Cuts, a website tracking the status of the newspaper industry, 175 newspapers have shut down or stopped printing since 2007, including the Rocky Mountain News, who closed its doors after 150 years, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, who now exists only online after 146 years of printing. Another 30,146+ newspaper jobs have been cut since 2007 and industry experts predict that many more will disappear by the end of 2009. Continue reading →
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