Get Them Talking - PR, Marketing & Social Media

Hotchkis & Jay Leno

2009-11-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

We set client John Hotchkis up with Jay Leno for a segment on Leno's garage, and Jay had a great time showing off in the Hotchkis Challenger. Check it out:

New Land Speed Record!

2009-10-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

Kahn Media client Spectre Performance has just done the near-impossible: finished an all-new racecar mere hours before it was set to debut, taken it to the famed Bonneville Salt Flats and set a new world record.

In this case the car average 330 mph over two runs, making it the World's Fastest Cadillac and the World's Fastest Blown Gasoline Streamliner. Quite a feat for a new team and new car. We not only provided PR for the effort, but also promoted it in advance with a newsletter and created a a dedicated blog page, where we liveblogged the entire four-day event with photos, videos and info posted real-time from the salt.

The PR story is spreading like wildfire on the web, including on the following sites:
Top Gear
Wired
Autoblog
Jalopnik
WebRidesTV

Kahn on Comm.

2009-10-13T14:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been nearly two months since my last blog post and I've barely posted anything on PR. I'm a bad, bad marcom blogger. Things have been very very busy lately: new office, expanding the Kahn Media team with several new hires, new business and more. All good stuff and I'll explain more soon.

In the meantime, SEMA News has a fantastic story in its latest issue about the importance of marketing to Gen Y, how to reach them and why manufacturing companies should care. Yours truly was quoted extensively in the story - even though I'm a few ticks too old to be in the actual demographic.

You can read more about it here.

Thanks to Alysha Webb for doing a great job on a much-needed story.

Autoblog & Performance Therapy

2009-08-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

Speaking of racing videos, Jonny Lieberman at Autoblog posted a cool story about client Mark Hotchkis from Lifeline Fire & Safety Systems winning the Monterey Historics in his Porsche 962. If you like the sound of a 230mph Porsche racecar at 9,000rpm, check it out.

Also, the Performance Therapy Contest is up and running. Basically this is a social media car show concept developed in-house at Kahn Media for Hotchkis Performance as a means to drive brand awareness, promote the hobby, let gearheads know that even in this economy its ok to have fun with their car, and drive traffic/SEO to sponsor sites. Co-sponsors include Hot Wheels, Yokohama, Red Line Oil, Rushforth Wheels, Baer Brakes, Lifeline Fire & Safety Systems, Flowmaster and MSD.

All entrants have to do is submit a picture and a short caption explaining how they enjoy their car. Click a photo to vote, and feel free to promote yourself on Flickr or Facebook. Top vote getters will receive a T-Shirt or gift certificate. The Grand Prize winner (determined by a panel of sponsors and journalists) will receive nearly $40k in free parts from the sponsor companies. Autoblog, Motorator and several forums have already written up great pieces about it.

Time Flies...

2009-08-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been nearly a month since my last post. I apologize if anyone out there reads this thing on a regular basis, but life has been a little crazy. Two new clients, several client events, a SEMA internet symposium and a NEW office all in the past three weeks. That's right, Kahn Media HQ is expanding.

I've got lots of info to share, including notes from a few of the more interested SEMA lectures on SEO and Video Production. In the meantime, here's a bit o'entertainment.

Wired Autopia just put up a fantastic list of their favorite car commercials.

My favorite of the list (and one I've never seen before) is this killer homage to Ferrari Grand Prix racing from Shell:

Do I need to worry about BING?

2009-07-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

As anyone who watches prime time TV knows by now, Microsoft recently launched a new search engine called Bing. The site is still relatively small, but the official numbers vary. I've heard it's in third place behind Google and Yahoo (according to Microsoft), but I've also heard it's in 17th place according to Pew research.

Regardless, Microsoft is putting serious muscle behind the engine so some clients are asking if it's worth worrying about SEO for Bing. The answer is "sort of." After analyzing traffic data for client's sites and my own, I can tell you that we're all getting about a 5% referral rate from Bing. Not bad for a startup, but pretty lousy for a major project backed by the biggest company in the world with a $100 million ad campaign.

The reality is for the time being we really don't have to worry about Bing-specific SEO. Microsoft loves to tout all its new features, and even put up an SEO guide for web developers. You can download it here. But if you're even remotely prone to falling asleep at the computer, I'd avoid reading past page two. It's pretty dry. The gist is this: most of Bing is carried over from MSN Search. The main differences are in the way it categorizes results with tabs and the fact that it learns from repeated searches.

The same basic rules that apply to SEO for Google and Yahoo apply here: use page titles and tags to explain the contents of each page, caption and tag photos whenever possible, include as much useful and relevant information in HTML copy as possible, etc. One thing I have heard about Bing is that it tends to favor new and/or freshly updated sites over older static ones, so keep that in mind.

In the meantime, relax and keep pushing forward with a Google-centric SEO campaign, because unless Larry and Sergey make some radical missteps, Google will still be the 900 lb gorilla for many years to come.

Grassroots Marketing

2009-07-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had an open house at one of my client's offices. We promoted it to a very specific niche - Los Angeles based Chrysler owners - and pulled in nearly 100 cars. That's enough to max out the parking lot and the building. My client couldn't have been happier about the results. I promoted it using a combination of old-school tactics (calling all the local club presidents on the phone) and new-media strategy (posting flyers in major forums, asking blog moderators to write stories). Hopefully we influenced the influencers, and they'll spread the word for us.

Is Facebook Runnin on Empty?

2009-07-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

Since he just settled a lawsuit with the GOP I thought it appropriate to kick this post off with a little Jackson Browne. Hope he doesn't sue me. Sorry about the long delay, I've been workin' hard hustling media for a few new clients and I've neglected my little corner of the interwebs.

So here's the deal... I've mentioned in a few previous posts that an uncanny number of my aged-challenged friends and family have been hopping onto the Facebook bandwagon. Even big media outlets have noticed. In a way, that's a fantastic thing because it means all demos are becoming comfortable with social media. However like most trends of the past few decades, where the Baby Boomers go, big business will follow. And, like MySpace before it, Facebook is in the process of revamping its advertising program to accommodate new ad packages.

Facebook actually only became the reigning traffic champ about a month ago, but most marketers started shying away from the platform as far back as a year go, when the NewsCorp buyout caused a seismic shift in who was actually using the site. Until Rupert got his hands on it, Myspace was essentially a gathering place for young people. After the massive ads went up and started alienating people, waves of users started shifting towards Facebook. For a short time record labels and movie studios Myspace pages helped bolster the site's traffic, but the magic is gone and Myspace is essentially a trade show hall filled with companies showing their wares and exhibiting their hipness to a non-existent crowd. So Myspace is essentially dunzo.

Now it looks like Facebook might be going the same way. According to recent PC Magazine/MSN story, people are flocking to Twitter from Facebook. I can't say I blame them. Facebook is still an excellent platform for reconnecting with old friends and promoting companies and/or clients. The problem is the new site design bombards people with so many updates and such a deluge of information that any self-respecting page with more than a few hundred friends can't effectively keep news or updates on the front page for more than a few minutes. So.... unless you're literally sitting at your computer checking your wall all day, you'll probably miss a load of info. Twitter essentially takes the update portion of Facebook and throws away the rest.

Now I'm not a huge fan of using Twitter for PR purposes unless you have a dedicated tweeter that knows what they're doing and only broadcasts relevant, interesting info. It will be interesting to sit back and see how things play out, but my gut instinct tells me that Facebook will be irrelevant in two years, and a new platform will have taken its place. What do you think?

Kahn Media in the News

2009-07-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

From the latest issue of The Green Sheet, the weekly trade newsletter for the automotive aftermarket:

RED LINE OIL RETAINS KAHN MEDIA FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS, OUTREACH

Red Line Synthetic Oil Corp. (Benicia, CA), which manufacturers a line of motor oils, gear oils and additives, has engaged Kahn Media of Woodland Hills, CA, to provide Red Line with North American media outreach and P.R. assistance. This includes targeted media outreach, social media marketing, new product debuts, events and special projects.

More specifically, Kahn is working with Red Line’s management on strategic planning initiatives, as well as the development and implementation of a social media marketing campaign. Kahn also will promote Red Line’s motorsports initiatives, including drag racing, sports car road racing and more.

You can read the whole issue here.

State of Social Media

2009-07-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

The research gurus at Nielsen released some interesting info last week about where Americans are spending their time, specifically regarding social media.

Top Social Networking and Blog Sites (April 2009 U.S. Home and Work)

You can get all the details in their press release, but this is the gist:

April was the fourth month in a row that Facebook held the top spot in both unique visitors and total minutes, but Myspace has been winning in online video with 120.8 million video streams. Myspace visitors spent 384 million minutes viewing video on the site, with an average of 38.8 minutes per viewer. In comparison, Facebook visitors spent only 113.5 million minutes viewing video in April, with an average of 11.2 minutes per video viewer.

Twitter is growing by such huge proportions its staggering, but that might not last as the medium becomes saturated. In the meantime, it appears that Myspace shouldn't be counted out yet, particularly if you have video to promote.

Direct Email Mistakes to Avoid

2009-07-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

Let's face a reality here: direct email marketing works. If it didn't I wouldn't get 20 messages a day promoting everything from 600 horsepower crate engines to business card printing services. The key is to build a tight list of readers who want your information, create a list big enough that even if your open rate is 20% you're still reaching a significant number of people, and then managing your content so its interesting and not a blatant sales pitch.

I've had great success with clients building email newsletter campaigns that essentially mimic what magazines did in the past: provide an interesting, entertaining and informative blend of feature stories, company news and product information. Done correctly, your database will grow and the newsletter will not only drive traffic to your site, but also increase brand awareness.

My friends at MailDog recently put up a fantastic list of direct email marketing mistakes and how to avoid them. Check it out below:

Ignoring CAN-SPAM Requirements - The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 and other Federal Trade Commission regulations require that email marketing messages be permission-based, in addition to having a true identity in the "From" line, an accurate subject line, a valid postal address, and unsubscribe link in the email.Failure to do so could result in a significant fine from the FTC (up to $200 per complaint) OUCH!

Sending to Non-Opt-Ins - Sending email without having the recipients permission is one of the quickest ways to alienate prospects and customers... not to mention goes against the CAN-SPAM (see above) and Mail Dog's permission-only policies (bad dog!). Having customers sign up, keeping accurate opt-in records and providing a quality email newsletter makes subscribers happy and keeps you out of the hot water!

Linking only to your Homepage - If your email links just send subscribers back to your homepage, you could be losing major impact points with your subscribers. Instead link to specific products or pages and don't make subscribers hunt for the information.

Large, Image-Based Emails - Images are overrated, plus they are suppressed by more than 50% of emails subscribers' software, so the key is to craft an effective offer and feature it using both text and graphics. And always remember to use ALT-tags on images.

Writing Whatever - Pay attention to your copy. It should be short, yes, but not at the expense of quality... and always have someone else proof read to make sure it all makes sense.

Lazy Subject Lines -A good subject line is the most important indicator of open rates. Be short, sweet, and specific. Good rule-of-thumb - spend the same amount of time writing the subject line as it takes to write the copy.

Only Using Email Marketing - Don't treat your emails campaigns as one-offs, or segregate them from the rest of your marketing. If you have video on your website, be sure to include links to previews of that in your emails. Also, link to your social media pages like Twitter and Facebook to keep your customers engaged.

Sending Before Testing - Always send test emails! Check subject lines, copy, offers, and any other content you are including. Then double check and check again. Once an email is sent it is gone!

Center for Media Research: Internet is Now Dominant Media in People's Lives

2009-06-25T05:33:00.000-07:00

According to a recent report by The Media Audit, in the past three years, the average U.S. adult has nearly doubled their daily use of the Internet as the average U.S. adult spent 2.1 hours per day online in 2006, compared to 3.8 hours in 2008, an 81% increase over three years.

As a result, the Internet now represents 32.5% of the typical "media day" for all U.S. adults when compared to daily exposure to newspaper, radio, TV and outdoor advertising.

Even those who are considered heavy newspaper readers spend about as much time online today as the typical U.S. adult. According to the report, heavy newspaper readers, those who spend more than an hour per day reading, currently spend 3.7 hours per day online. In 2006 the Internet represented only 18.4% of a heavy newspaper reader's "media day," but today it represents 28.4%.

Chris Deam @ TED Conference on Airstream Design

2009-06-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

25k Views & Counting!

2009-06-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

Post Recession: The Shift to Grass Roots Marketing

2009-06-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

We've all known it for a while, but now a study by the Association of National Advertisers clarifies the point: as the country slowly claws its way out of recession, marketing budgets will be primarily focused on high-ROI efforts including Social Media, Public Relations, grass roots word-of-mouth campaigns and direct customer education, rather than traditional print advertising.

According to the survey, 47% of marketers studied are planning "pricing deals" as the initiative most likely to be increased in the current economic environment. 26% say social networking and word of mouth activities are currently most important, while 23% say public relations efforts.

Other info:

68% say media budgets will be increased
41% will increase social networking/word-of-mouth
40% will increase budgets for innovation and testing/learning
73% of respondents said they would ideally implement these increased marketing activities three to six months before the recession ends, and an additional 16% as soon as it ends.

From a quote on Mediapost:

Roger Adams, Chair of the ANA Brand Management Committee, notes that "Marketers have increased their emphasis on gauging consumer sentiment and brand health trends... with the proliferation of instant feedback... marketers can... quickly gauge brand equity, health and signs of deterioration."

Finally, in the report summation, it is noted that traditional media channels have declined in importance since the first survey was conducted in February 2007:

Television (down to 64% from 80%)
Magazines (down to 51% from 67%)
Radio (down to 30% from 36%)
Outdoor (down to 26% from 35%)
Newspapers (down to 19% from 36%)

Welcome

2009-06-04T09:12:00.001-07:00

Welcome HARO users. This is my tiny little annex where I bounce ideas about digital marketing and PR around. Hope you find a few things interesting before you surf back to eBay or TMZ. Let me know if you have any questions you'd like me to tackle and enjoy!

New PR: Become Your Own Publisher

2009-06-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed a few days ago by a reporter writing a story on "How to Connect With Gen Y." She writes for a trade magazine, and was basically looking for tips on how small and mid sized companies can connect with younger buyers.

Over the course of the conversation two things occurred to me. A) I'm closer to middle age than youth, and B) How much the communications business has changed since I started.

Print PR is still fantastic. In fact, a story in a major paper is one of the best hits a marketer can get. However now you can be your own publisher. Start a company blog. Create a monthly newsletter or magazine and send it via email to your database with links going back to your consistently updated website. The client now controls the message, which is fantastic and terrifying at the same time. There's a lot of risk there.

Done correctly, a program like this can result in boosted Search Engine Optimization, fantastic customer feedback, viral spread of your marketing message and boosted sales. Done poorly, you can irritate your potential customer base and create a negative message that is permanently cached on the internet for all eternity. So how do you avoid the latter? As I told the reporter, tread slowly. Don't try to do everything yourself. Be open, honest and transparent. They will respect you for it and business will follow. Most importantly, be consistent. Nothing is worse than clicking on a blog or facebook page that hasn't been updated in six months.

Here are a few of my favorites you might find interesting. It's a mix of corporate, new media and traditional media takes on the digital publishing game.

Southwest Airlines Corp. Blog

The findingDulcinea Blog

LA Times Up to Speed

and of course my daily haunt, Autoblog

Let me know if you have any questions: Dan@KahnMedia.com

Twitter, Social Media & Korean BBQ

2009-06-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

This is a story about Burritos with Korean flair, Twitter, and how the "social media crazy" traditional press loves both.

I was born and raised in L.A. There are many terrible things about living in the City of Angels: earth quakes, exclusionary property values, paparazzi, terrible drivers, etc. There are also some excellent benefits. Namely, restaurants offering virtually every type of ethnic food - from hole in the wall Cuban and Pho fair to Nancy Silverton's insano Pizza - within walking distance of my house. L.A. is also home to the ubiquitous taco truck.

Catering trucks are normal in these parts, and "roach coaches" actually kept me alive during my first few years of high school, before I had a driver's license. The food it better than you would imagine. Just think NYC food cart, on a big rig chassis and with a fancy horn. However one particular such roaming palace of Good Eats has been making HUGE waves in the traditional media thanks to its wildly successful use of new media.

The Kogi Korean BBQ Truck does an INCREDIBLE job at PR/Marketing. Here's the breakdown. First, a guy named Mark Manguera started Kogi with the idea of offering a hybrid of Korean BBQ flavors and traditional Mexican street food. He brought in a business manager from the Omni hotel chain, a CIA trained chef who worked at Le Bernardin and a PR guru who also works as a food blogger. They also have a two-man new media team in charge of twitter, blogging, etc. That's right... this crew has more communicators than cooks, and its working. The buzz is INSANE.

The team cranked out a killer menu, lots of hype and name recognition and a key element all of L.A.'s hottest eateries must have to survive: exclusivity. Except unlike Katsuya + Starke or Mozza, this restaurant changes locations every night! They announce locations via Twitter, and the hipsters, lawyers, foodies and other L.A. ilk flock. If you want the grub, you have to pay attention... some even call it stalking. The trad media LOVE this story... which is where it gets kind of crazy.

First local "ist" blog LAist ran a piece back in December 2008. Then in January Pulitzer Prize winning food writer Jonathan Gold wrote a story for LA Weekly. Then LAist ran a story about LA Weekly's article. Then the always-thorough-but-usually-tardy LA Times ran a long piece in the Thursday "guide" section in February. The New York Observer jumped into the Korean Burito fray in April. Then the motherlode: On May 15 the Associated Press ran a story about the tweeting taco truck that got picked up in dozens of papers across the country. The editors at CNET must have been motivated by the AP because three days later they ran a story about the tweeting food truck trend. Finally, none other than Gourmet Magazine ran a story about Korean Tacos (yes, they wrote about the food, not the media trend - thankfully).

So what's all this mean? Well, apparently people realllly like Korean tacos. And since human nature is to want something you can't have... people really like chasing a gourmet restaurant on wheels. But the lesson for me is that even in a down economy in a city so spread out most people rarely leave their 'hood, a social media savvy PR team can drive huge consumer interest and then leverage that interest into traditional media coverage which only drives more customers. So the truck is the story for the consumers, and the consumers following the truck is the story for the media. This model won't apply to every business, but I offer a deep bow and hat tip to Mike Prasad.

Oh, and for my car friends, you can check out the new Camaro AND eat a Koji Korean Taco at the same time. More info here.

Promoting Yourself/Clients Through Facebook

2009-05-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to spend time in this post talking about "web 2.0" or the importance of leveraging social media as a means to market your brand. I've said it all before, and frankly if you're a)reading this post, or b)anyone born after 1980 you already know it.

Instead I'm just going to point out a fantastic article Charles Hull from Archrival wrote for MediaPost about developing Facebook apps to promote your brand. He's right-on, if you can develop a fun, easy-to-use app that promote your brand without bombarding people with constant updates and notifications, it will become viral and produce the desired effect.

I can't tell you how many brand-promotional apps I've tried that ended up making me angry because they either harvested my profile info to push content to my friends that didn't opt-in, or slammed my inbox with junk. Those have the opposite effect and should be avoided. In any case, a good article so enjoy!

Killer Firefox Apps for PR/Marketing/Web Developers

2009-05-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

If you're not using Firefox, you should be. Compared to internet exporer or any of the other browsers, this program offers incredible easy to use features, fantastic spam filtering and lots of cool plugins. Plus, it's free!

They just released a new version, and it has some really hand features, including Fontfinder (helps you identify and grab fonts you like on a website), Colorzilla (an advanced eyedropper that helps pick photos. My favorite is ScreenGrab, a tool that lets you select and copy any section of a screen shot.

You can get the entire list here.

NOLA

2009-05-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

Nothing to do with PR today, I've been wandering around New Orleans with my wife on a surprise anniversary trip. Just had to comment about the people who live here. From the streets of the French Quarter to the residents of the Garden District and thw students at Tulane, everyone is incredibly kind, friendly and outgoing. Here's a group of people that has gone through horrible upheavel, yet they're far friendlier than ANY Angeleno I've encountered. Amazing food, fantastic music and an incredible vibe. Love it here. Now if you excuse me, a chorus of raw oysters are calling my name...

PR & Social Media Story Roundup

2009-05-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

Going to a wedding in Florida tomorrow and I'll be gone through Memorial Day, so I thought I'd share a few of this week's more interesting PR/Social Media stories I found on the interwebs.

Wall Street Journal: Troubled Dealerships, Amazing Auto Deals

Marketing Daily: Ford Takes Fiesta On The Road For Test-Drives

ClickZ: Social Marketing: Brands Pursue 'Controlled Spontaneity'

Bulldog Reporter: Economy May Be Down, But PR Opportunities Are Up

Facebook Promotion: Fast Company "Involver" Profile

2009-05-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

My friend and fellow PR-dude Fazel turned me on to this vid. For those of you who don't know, Robert Scoble is a major pioneering tech blogger and author of the Scobleizer Blog, which made a lot of headlines when he was the main marketing maven at Microsoft.

Scoble shot a series of videos for Fast Company on a fantastic startup called Involver, based in the Bay Area. Basically they have developed a facebook app that allows companies to promote their videos to specific demographic groups using a filtered push tool they've developed. Awesome stuff, check it out:

Aptera Electric Car on Leno

2009-05-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

Eagle eyed electric car fans would have seen this outside Starfleet Academy in the new Star Trek movie. I've worked with Leno several times on stories, and met with Paul Wilbur once with my old boss when we were pitching the now-defunct Saleen account. Both are very cool guys, and the Aptera is one helluva cool car. Enjoy.

Ford Social Media Guru Scott Monty on Adam Carolla Podcast

2009-05-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

I'm a Stern fan. Always have been. So when Howard left regular radio for Sirius three years ago, I followed him. However I'm also an Adam Carolla fan, and used to love his rants on "Love Line."

So for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, radio host Adam Carolla took over the Howard Stern slot. Then the network switched all the talk stations to a Top 40 format and they kicked Adam off the air... and he took to Podcasting.

Now, thanks to my friend (and fellow auto-file) Tony Huntimer, I'm hooked on the Adam Carolla podcast. Adam's a car guy (I met him a the Monterey Historics a few years ago) with a BRE Datsun 510, a '72 911 RS and other cool rides in his garage. He's also a social media fan, even if he wouldn't say it like that. He has a fair number of "maven" types on his program... even though I don't like using that word.

You're probably saying: Podcast? People still listen to those? In fact, thanks to his built-in audience from the radio show, Carolla's show is consistently the #1 podcast on iTunes. He has managed to maintain his profile using a garage studio ranting about stuff he thinks is interesting. The perfect example of how anyone can be their own media outlet.

Which brings us to my point. Adam's most recent podcast features Scott Monty, who runs Ford Motor Company's social media program. They're doing some pretty cool stuff at the house of Henry, including the Fiesta Movement I've blogged about before. So on this podcast you get: Carolla, car talk, marketing insight, Ford's social media plans, a little sugary PR-speak and some occasional profanity. Enjoy!

Adam Carolla Podcast w/ Scott Monty

Animoto Is The Fast, Easy Way Path to YouTube Slide Shows

2009-05-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you who didn't see the cover of January's Entrepreneur Magazine, they ran a major feature on a NYC startup called Animoto. The company is run by four friends: two software geeks, a music major and a film student.

Together they cooked up a sweet little piece of software that allows users to upload photos, pick from a pretty wide list pre-licensed music (or upload their own) and hit the GO button. Then Animoto takes over, analyzing the images and music and creating a slide show with slick transitions that match the visuals and sound. Then it gives you a code to upload to YouTube. The entire process takes about 30 seconds.

The process is pretty cool, particularly for those who don't always want to spend time in iMovie cutting videos and would rather post a quick slide show. I did one about a car show a client sponsored just for fun. Check it out:

This was accomplished with the free version of the software. Upgrade to the Pro version (about $250) and you can use higher-resolution photo, make shows as long as you want (the free version is limited to 30 seconds) and it's fully licensed to use commercially. Imagine the promotional possibilities for real estate agents, restaurants, photographers, even car dealers! Just upload your shots, pick some music and BAM, you've got a slick little video to post on your site.

Video feeds the Car Guy's Soul

2009-05-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay, it's been a crazy week. My next post will cover some new SEM tactics, but in this post I wanted to share a cool new video one of my clients just posted:

The Day Oprah Tweeted

2009-04-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of Twitter on a personal level. I understand its marketing potential. In fact, one of my clients uses Twitter to keep people updated during races and events to great effect. So it certainly has its purpose.

My issue with the service is that, like every other "hot new trend" in social media, once a few "gurus" start talking about how incredible something is and the masses flock to it, the results are rarely good in the long term for the platform. Need I remind everyone of the original uber-social media site, MySpace, and what happened in the months after Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp purchased it. They sold ad space to any corporation willing to write a check, made the site clunky and slow, and it has now lost the war with Facebook (badly) and just lost its CEO.

So with that in mind, everyone is Tweeting... even people who probably shouldn't be. Ashton Kutcher and CNN had a race to one million followers, and everyone's favorite cougar-bait beat the news network handily. The true winner in that battle, however, was Twitter. The race gave the site major mainstream media coverage - enough that Ms. Oprah Winfrey herself jumped into the Twitter fray.

Oprah's first tweet was less than stellar (in all caps no less... reminds me of a former boss who send every message in all caps, fully knowing it meant he was screaming). It was the Tweet heard 'round the world, and according to HitWise, the site went bonkers. Below is the percentage of internet users on Twitter and what happened the day Oprah logged in.

That's a 24% increase in ONE DAY! Crazy, right? So does this mean Twitter is the next big thing? Sadly, yes... until the general public gets so wrapped up in it that blundering, irresponsible corporate communicators jump in, handle the campaigns poorly (a'la Myspace, see above) and turn off the influencers. Then they'll jump ship for the next thing, and the cycle will repeat.

In the meantime, some advice:

If you decide to sign your company up for a Twitter feed, keep it simple and relevant. No need to send everyone an update every time you get gas or buy a candy bar. Share images. Keep it interesting. Content is always king, especially when you have to compete with Oprah.

Social Networking = Increased Business

2009-04-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting article at MediaPost about how the majority of marketers are now using some form of social media to promote their business, but the majority of those people have been at it for less than one year. Some other interesting stats:

Key survey findings about specific application show that:

* Small-business owners are more likely to use LinkedIn than employees working for a corporation

* Men are significantly more likely to use YouTube or other video marketing than women (52.4% of all men compared with 31.7% of women)

* For those just getting under way with social media marketing, LinkedIn is ranked as their number-two choice, pushing blogging down one notch

* Among those who have been using social media for a few months, Facebook is in second place. This group also has more Twitter use

* Twitter is used by 94% of marketers who have been using social media for years, followed closely by blogs. This group also endorses online video significantly more than the other groups

72% of marketers say they have either just started or have been using social media for only a few months.

Ford Tops First-Ever Automotive Social Media Rankings

2009-04-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

Virtue is a Social Media Marketing agency that handles some pretty heavy accounts, including AT&T, Pepsi, MTV and more. They're quite fond of lists, and they just released one ranking the car companies by social media activity. The brands were measured by their Q1 '09 "chatter" across social media sites like Facebook and myspace, as well as viral video and photo sharing sites.

Here's the list:

The Vitrue 20 Top Social Auto Brands

1. Ford
2. Lincoln
3. GM
4. Honda
5. BMW
6. Mercedes
7. Dodge
8. Ferrari
9. Toyota
10. Suzuki
11. Jeep
12. Nissan
13. Cadillac
14. Audi
15. Porsche
16. Kia
17. Subaru
18. Chrysler
19. Volvo
20. Chevrolet

Interesting stuff. I have no doubt that a Ford's top spot ranking is due to the conclusion of it's Fiesta Movement viral video contest, where people were asked to submit videos about why they deserve to drive a new Fiesta for six months. Out of 3,000 submissions, 100 were chosen... including our friend Davey Johnson, who submitted this fantastic brown-car-focused, Streets of San Francisco homage:

So Ford is rolling out a tiny economy car, yet by offering creative-types the opportunity to drive one for a six months they get thousands of viral videos posted all over the interwebs tagged with their product name, creating huge buzz.

In the meantime, Chevrolet - which has a hugely important new product hitting showrooms any day (2010 Camaro) is at the bottom of the list. Someone as Ford deserves a bonus.

Dominos Pizza YouTube Fiasco: A Lesson in Online Crisis Management

2009-04-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't follow Digg trends or pay attention to the latest viral videos spreading like wildfire on YouTube, an interesting PR situation developed this week.

Two less than intelligent Domino's Pizza employees shot a handful of videos at work, where they did some pretty disgusting stuff including purposefully sneezing on pizzas, shoving ingredients in their nose before placing them on the pizza and even cleaning the pots and pans with a sponge they used to clean their, well, nether regions. Then they put it on YouTube. Brilliant move. Here's a clip... beware, this is pretty gross:

The video was posted on April 13th. Within 8 hours, it had racked up over 100,000 views, local news stations were running the story and several people reported that franchise to the health department. What did Domino's corporate communications do? Well... nothing. Not at first.

Their initial reaction was to say the video was a result of a few bad employees at one franchise location, and that an official corporate reaction would "be akin to putting out a candle with a fire hose." Translation: They didn't understand how quickly viral video can damage a brand, and sticking to traditional PR tactics they didn't want to legitimize the scandal by recognizing it.

Within 48 hours the video had hundreds of thousands of hits, the franchise was shut down by the health department, and the video was making national headlines. YouTube pulled the original down and the employees were fired (they also fled the area), but the damage was done. Several people re-posted the vid on YouTube, and as the story picked up steam, the google searches and YouTube views for the videos intensified. These are NOT images Dominos corporate wanted in people's heads when they contemplated ordering a pizza.

So... two days later the Pizza PR team posted this video, featuring Dominos President Patrick Doyle:

So let's brake down the video and do a little scoring:

- He's clearly reading off a cue card. Mr. Doyle appears properly briefed about the YouTube process and how this all went down, but by not looking in the camera he doesn't necessarily come off as genuine as he could. -1 point

- One of the first things he does is thank the online community for alerting Dominos to the situation. He doesn't blame bloggers for re-upping the videos, as previous execs have done in times for PR crisis. +2 points

- He explains it was an isolated incident and that the "team members" claim it was a hoax. Doyle goes on to state that they have been dismissed and that the company takes this very seriously. He also claims that there are "felony warrants out for their arrest." Not sure if that's true (sneezing on pizza is a felony?), but it stretched credibility. 0 points

- "There is nothing more important or sacred to us than our customer's trust." - said with sincerity. +2 points

- Admits that this has caused major damage to the brand, and that 125,000 employees will be impacted by a few individuals. Thanks customers for "hanging in there with us." +1 points

Conclusion on the video response: They Domino's PR team could have reacted faster, but all-in-all they got a relatively well-done response piece up on YouTube and began heavily promoting it within days. They also got major news outlets to run a follow-up story on their response, framing the company as the victim and the incident as an isolated one.

Is the damage already done? You bet, but they reacted fairly quickly. So the lesson to be learned:

- If a negative video about your brand makes it's way onto the internet, react SWIFTLY with a genuine response. TRUST the public enough to know that they'll understand that some people are idiots.

- Thank the online community for calling attention to the story, DO NOT blame them.

- Have your PR team focus news coverage on the damage done to the good employees, and brand the perpetrators as the bad guys. Single them out so they take the brunt of the bad PR, not the brand.

- After the initial response, weather the storm. Let the story blow over when the next online story hits. Continued responses will perpetuate the story.

- Don't do what Domino's Australia did and use the scandal as an excuse to make a rambling video about new products and thicker rubber gloves. It totally kills credibility:

Excited

2009-04-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry... I know this isn't directly related to PR or Marketing. But I must share this.

If a PR Flack Tweets and Nobody Listens, Does it Make a Sound?

2009-04-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

I have mixed feelings about Twitter. I know its the hottest, latest, greatest rage in social media. Personally, I don't use my account, as I feel like a good ol' fashioned blog (that sounds weird) is the best method of broadcasting my thoughts about this crazy ever-changing industry.

As a professional communicator, I think Twitter can be an incredibly effective PR tool as it allows individuals and companies to broadcast updates to the adoring masses on a regular basis. The mainstream media are no longer gatekeepers, no we can relate directly to the actual public. And that's what scares the hell out of me.

There are some that feel that Twitter is the savior of PR. As newspapers fail, magazines slowly tank and TV becomes more fractioned, this is a direct channel into the mind of the consumer. I agree on some levels. The technology can be incredibly effective in the right hands, but it's not for everyone. I have one client in particular that uses Twitter to keep people updated on race results live from the track, broadcast pictures from cool events, and generally share a random assortment of fun little mini-stories. People like it, and respond well to the updates. I have other clients that have no business using Twitter. Screaming into the void accomplishes nothing if nobody is listening.

Here's my quick checklist to determine whether or not your company should Tweet:
5. Do you have a dedicated in-house marketing maven that can tweet daily?
4. Does that person write clean, compelling emails that leave you wanting more?
3. Do they have a sense of humor?
2. Is your company progressive enough that its day-to-day operations are interesting to the general public or people within your industry?
1. Do you have a social media platform that will support and take advantage of increased branding/traffic from a Twitter campaign?

If you answered no to any of these questions, you should seriously consider building a solid social media foundation before jumping on the Twitter bandwagon.

Businessweek: AP to take on Google

2009-04-08T09:30:00.000-07:00

According to this story in Businessweek, the Associated Press is taking its fight with search giant Google to an interesting new level. For those not familiar, the AP is suing Google for using its news content without permission. Since that's not going anywhere, not they've decided to build their own search engine that will simultaneously give readers a way to access and search AP content quickly and easily, while also blocking Google spiders from tagging their stories.

I have a feeling this is as much a defensive move in response to lost income from failing newspapers as it is a genuine beef with Google. I love the AP, and some of the most well-written and thoroughly researched international news stories come out of that agency. It makes me a little sad that the prevailing minds at the country's biggest print news agency are taking the same path as many of the papers they serve: fighting against google rather than embracing it.

If they worked out a content sharing program that used adsense to monetize their content rather than blocking the number one aggregator's access to their content, it would probably work better and would certainly deliver more eyeballs to their content.

I'll keep you posted on developments.

The Big Show

2009-04-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend working a show, the Good Guys Del Mar Nationals, for my client Hotchkis Performance. The show was HUGE. Over one thousand cars, several thousand spectators, a full field of enthusiasts thrashing their muscle cars in the Auto Cross, and dozens of vendors peddling their wares.

After speaking with the organizers of the show, several manufacturers with booths at the the event, spectators and members of the media covering the festivities, I was able to draw a few conclusions. My totally unscientific gut reaction to the Del Mar Show, which is considered the first major car show of the season, is thus:

- People are ready to enjoy life again. The Saturday crowd was HUGE. People walking the show, dragging their little kids behind them, smiles beaming and cars rumbling. Every show participant I expressed a said a variant of the same sentiment: "I'm tired of hiding in my house waiting for the recession to end, it's time to enjoy my life, my hobby, and spend a little money doing what I love."

- Business is getting back to normal. Most of the vendors I spoke to from the automotive aftermarket said that after a very lean Winter (particularly November - January) things started picking up again February, and March was actually strong. One manufacturer I spoke to actually told me his business was UP in March compared to the same month last year.

Why? I'm not an economist or a psychologist, but my instincts tell me that:
a) Tax refunds are making an impact
b) People are tired of living in fear and need some relief. For car guys that means working on their car or going to events
c) Those who have been living frugally for the past two years need to splurge on something, and in the case of gearheads that's car-related spending
d) Baby boomers have decided if they're going to put money into an investment, at least you can enjoy a classic car. A mutual fund? Not so much.
e) This whole crisis has bottomed out, and is starting the slow climb back to normal.

- Media has changed. Forever. This has been happening for a while, but the change is now irreversible. Members of the "old media" were out in force at the event, from editors and publishers to ad sales people and more. Many of these folks are my friends. In fact, I used to be one of them. While editors were doing interviews and photographers were shooting feature stories, their messages were universal: the big media companies have cut staff to a bare minimum, advertising revenue is way down, and things are pretty lean.

On the flip side, social media sites were represented in force. I saw dozens of hats and t-shirts emblazoned with the URLs of different popular automotive forums, moderators and admins I spoke with were extremely upbeat and positive, and at the racetrack there were clear rivalries and affiliations based on site loyalties. There were hundreds of people shooting the event with high-end digital still cameras and high-def video cameras, and you know all that content is going to land on the web. People have become their own publishers, and while its empowering for the general public it poses opportunities for the clever marketing maven and huge risks for those who ignore it.

So what does that mean for PR & Marketing? NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT DECISIVELY. Don't get back to the wasteful ways of old spending huge sums of money on advertising. Instead build a lean marketing program that speaks directly to the consumer. Blend traditional media relations to generate ink about how well your company is doing in the face of economic trouble, utilize a social media marketing campaign to speak directly with the most active influencers in your target demographic, and only buy ads in the most effective media outlets to reinforce the messages of the PR and Social Media campaigns.

Act now and capture the hearts and minds of consumers while your competitor is still hiding under his bed waiting for things to blow over, and you'll not only win your old customers back, you'll take his too. And that's the point of a truly excellent campaign, to increase your base and make money.

Interesting Read: Why do people buy?

2009-04-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

The Bulldog Reporter posted a thought-provoking story last week titled
"Why do people buy? Emotional Triggers Drive Consumer Behavior and Can Reframe PR Research"

The 'dog has a recap of the article along with an interview with its authors, Michelle Helin & Linda Goodman. While the Bulldog Reporter focuses on the PR trade (and does an excellent job of it) I thought there were some take-away lessons here for anyone who runs a retail business. Here are the highlights:

What was a big surprise for your research that destroyed long-held marketing beliefs?

The big surprise, frankly, is that interviewees are often unaware of their own thoughts and feelings. Very often they are surprised at where the conversation has led them and how emotional they are. This dispels the tradition that customers are able to tell us how they will react to a new product or service. They act instinctively based on emotion but when asked to explain their actions after the fact the answers are often part fact, part re-invention and part wishful thinking.

How important is "storytelling" and narrative in inciting emotional triggers? Why?

Storytelling is important because it allows the "teller" to speak in a deeply personal way, revealing the heart felt feelings or emotions that drive or influence their behavior. While someone might not say, "I was so angry," they will, in telling the story, invariably, allow those angry emotions to show.

Since these responses are neither deliberate nor planned they elude quantifiable explanations. Emotional triggers are important because they strike at a deep-seated chord. They are what connect with at a level that goes beyond reasoning because in our gut it feels right or familiar.

The rest of the story is focused on Emotional Trigger Response, a PR effectiveness testing method. Read the rest of the story here.

Why Online Video Has Forever Changed PR

2009-04-03T06:20:00.000-07:00

The top European market Auto viral videos from last year:

From Media Post:

Businesses Embracing Online Video Will Fuel The Web's Revolution
by Dave Dutch

IF VIDEO KILLED THE radio star, online video will surely kill the static Web.

The following are a handful of ways video is impacting corporate Web strategies and business models:

Company news and information. Web video enables organizations to become their own broadcast networks. For example, rather than being greeted by the customary block of text and images on a company's home page, visitors may find a running video news feed. British Sky Broadcasting posts its top news stories as video. Organizations can populate the corporate news room with video news releases. To satisfy investors and meet compliance requirements, companies can populate on-demand libraries with shareholder meetings, annual reports and RSS videocasts on a host of topics.

Product information and how-to. Video can be a key enabler of product support and advice. Avery, the office supply company, offers a library of demos that show how to pull off that pesky mail merge, among other office tasks. Another example, Scott's Miracle-Gro Company, has turned its Web site into a consumer-centric source of advice on lawn care, gardening and related topics. Here, video serves as the primary format for "help" articles.

Branded entertainment. Organizations can deliver original video content directly to customers. Nike.com offers sports-specific channels that, in addition to offering video-based training, feature stories about Nike athletes. A good example is the basketball documentary on Team USA's road to Beijing.

Best practices and knowledge management. If commercials and entertainment can be viral, so can internal company knowledge. A manufacturing company with plants all over the world could enable far-flung employees to record and share best practices. Along those same lines, investment in education and training can be expanded exponentially by giving distributed offices and facilities access to video-based programs, seminars and workshops. IT consulting firm Bluewolf provides an example of how businesses might accomplish this-the firm shares its case studies and testimonials with external audiences on Bluewolf TV.

Community. User-generated content (UGC) can turn customers and fans into a network of content creators who communicate through video. Cult footwear favorite Crocs, for instance, has set up a site that invites lovers and haters of the brand to upload videos about how they feel about the product. And look for more companies to build communities with video as the primary form of content.

UGC offers organizations a significant source of original content and can foster a natural community that keeps a pulse of the brand. This is where two of today's most powerful trends -- online video and the social Web -- combine to form a new capability for business: the power to create and sustain new communities, glued together by our most compelling mass medium.

Turning on the Spigot

So why should corporate America embrace the video-centric Web? Remember the lessons of a certain small appliance maker called Blendtec. This small business came out of nowhere in a crowded and competitive market segment to establish a vibrant business on the back of short, simple video segments. You never know where the best ideas or content will come from. Successful companies will be the ones that engage online communities with video that is compelling and continuous.

And of course I have to throw in client video, just to keep it relevant:

YouTube Going Corporate

2009-04-02T10:01:00.001-07:00

This story was just posted on the Bulldog Reporter:

YouTube Absorbed By Corporate Machinery:
The Amateur-Video Pioneer Begins Transition to Hollywood Vehicle

YouTube will soon unveil a redesign that clearly separates its premium and long-form programming from the user-posted videos that account for most of its activity. According to two sources familiar with Google's plans for YouTube, the new design will do away with the current navigation scheme — which funnels users into "videos," "channels," and "community" categories. That layout will be replaced with a tabbed navigation with clearly defined sections for professional content, ClickZ reports.

The new design will offer four tabs: Movies, Music, Shows, and Videos. The first three tabs will display premium shows, clips, and movies from Google's network and studio partners, all of which will be monetized with in-stream advertising. Meanwhile the Videos channel will house amateur and semi-pro content of the sort major brand advertisers have shied away from. "They're putting up walls between all the UGC stuff, which will live within the video channel,...and the brand safe content," said one senior agency exec who was briefed on YouTube's plans, reports ClickZ writer Zachary Rodgers.

The redesign also touches YouTube's video player. The new player interface closely resembles the video experience on Hulu, the video portal that's grown by leaps and bounds since its launch last year. Like Hulu, the new video player displays visual markers in places where ads are scheduled to play. Also like Hulu, the YouTube player allows users to "dim the lights," reducing the brightness of screen real estate outside the video frame. "It's totally a Hulu approach, but that's best practices right now," the exec told ClickZ.

The planned launch date for the overhauled site is April 16. According to sources, the original plan was to roll it out next week, but YouTube pushed the date back for unknown reasons. YouTube has been pitching launch packages to agencies for approximately six weeks.

This does not bode well. Myspace was once a vibrant, booming social media platform. Then Newscorp decided it would be a great outlet to reach young people and bought it, quickly turning the site into one giant flashing banner advertisement for its latest movies and promotions. People fled the site in droves to Facebook, which was still an emerging site growing in popularity amongst high school and college kids. I fear the same will happen with YouTube once Hollywood sinks its incredibly out-of-touch teeth in.

2009-04-01T17:05:00.001-07:00

News segment I setup with CBS news on a client's charity "live build" from Las Vegas:

A little positivity doesn't hurt...

2009-04-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

I try to keep this blog focused on PR and Marketing, but I've got to make a comment on a media trend that's becoming more and more difficult to deal with. I'm fed up with the non-stop crisis reporting.

September 11th was a terrible event and a true turning point in the trajectory of our nation. However it seems like ever since that horrible day, the cable news networks (and in their wake the local news and papers) have been trying to feed the ratings beast and fill that gaping maw of round-the-clock coverage with a never ending series of scandals and blown-out-of-proportion disasters. Remember Elian Gonzales? How about Terry Schiavo, Drew Petersen, Octomom, etc? Most recently the networks made it sound like the residents of Fargo, ND, needed to build an ark and wait for the end of the world to fall on them. Except... it didn't happen. There was some rain, an some damage, but people did what they had to do and moved on.

I used to be a journalist, actually made a living at it too. I live and breathe media as a PR flack, and I understand how news cycles work. However the combination of "feed the beast" news programming and the war between mediums has created a situation where bad situations get blown up into major catastrophes, which causes panic and perpetuates the problem. I believe that's exactly what happened with this economic downturn. Every seven years or so the economy goes soft. However reporters screaming about "the next great depression" certainly caused some damage to the American psyche and made the situation worse.

I'm seeing very strong signs that this thing is starting to get better. People are spending money again, business is picking up for nearly everyone I speak with. Are we out of the woods? Not quite yet... but things are certainly looking up from my perspective.

So what's next? Smile. Be positive. Go out to dinner. Wax your car and go for a drive. Get back to the important stuff, working hard and having fun. Hopefully one day soon the newsdesk editors I pitch on a regular basis will start doing some positive stories and we can all get back to normal. Save the scary music and crisis graphs for the unfortunate day when they're actually appropriate.

Of course, John Stewart says it best.

Wagoner Out

2009-03-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

GM CEO Rick Wagoner just posted a note on the GM Media site explaining that he resigned after being asked to do so by the White House.

I won't get political on this blog... but its a shame to see Wagoner go. He was a dynamic and thoughtful leader for GM, more of a politician and less of an actor than his buddy Maximum Bob Lutz. I have no problem with a CEO leaving a company in trouble, but it's the government asking him to leave that makes me a little uncomfortable.

There's a pretty good story about the whole matter at the Detroit Free Press.

On a related note - Chrysler will give up a 35% stake to Fiat, another nationalized auto company run by a head of state.

2009-03-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

InsideFacebook.com just posted the following report on new users for the social media site. In the past two months, the number of people over the age of 35 (Gen X and Baby Boomers) on facebook has DOUBLED. Also of note is the fact that more women appear to be signing up for accounts then men.

These figures don't surprise me. I'm not sure what gelled since New Years Eve, but something has indeed spurned people to sign up for the site that in the past barely used any web apps beyond email and google. My father, aunt, uncle, even my great uncle (in his 80s!) are now on Facebook. Believe me when I say its truly surreal to be sitting around a table at a family function with a group of 50 and 60 somethings as they chat away about status updates and friend requests.

So what does this mean for business? Simple: a faster, more effective way to get your message out than ever. My client Hotchkis Performance has an active and vibrant facebook page, with hundreds of fans and industry insiders signed up as friends. With the new Facebook format, every time we attend an event, launch a product or do something cool, Dennis (Hotchkis' in-house Marketing maven) posts an udpate on both Facebook and Twitter. The responses have been overwhelmingly positive. It's like having a little PR Newswire Feed built into your cell phone.

Of course like Uncle Ben says, "With great power comes great responsibility," and that applies to facebook as well as webslinging superheroes. Just because you can post updates ten times a day about every little thing, doesn't mean you should. Keep the posts real, timely, and interesting and your friend list (and reach) will grow.

Number of US Facebook Users Over 35 Nearly Doubles in Last 60 Days

Don’t look now, but the number of Americans over 35, 45, and 55 on Facebook is growing fast. In the last 60 days alone, the number of people over 35 has nearly doubled. Developers and marketers may want to think about how to serve this group of new users.

Here are the latest stats on Facebook’s US audience gender and age demographics, according to the company:

Facebook US Audience Growth, Last 180 Days

Looking at Facebook US audience growth over the last 180 days, it’s clear that Facebook is seeing massive increases in adoption amongst users 35-65. The fastest growing demographic on Facebook is still women over 55 - there are now nearly 1.5 million of them active on Facebook each month.

The biggest growth in terms of absolute new users over the last six month came amongst users 35-44. Over 4 million more US women 35-44 and nearly 3 million more US men 35-44 used Facebook in March 2009 compared to September 2008.

US Facebook Users By Age and Gender

With the rapid growth amongst older users, the majority of US Facebook users are now over 25. There are now 6 million users 13-17, 19.5 million 18-25, 13.4 million 26-34, 9.7 million 35-44, 4.6 million 45-54, and 2.8 million over 55. In other words, there are more Facebook users 26-44 than 18-25 today.

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Lexus Backs First Consumer-Customized Magazine

2009-03-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

THIS is very cool, and quite possibly the future of the publishing business.

Lexus is sole sponsor and advertiser of a new effort with Time Inc., and American Express Publishing (AEP) that constitutes what the companies say is the first-ever consumer-customized magazine.

The magazine, called Mine--with the tagline "My magazine, My way"--comprises content from Time Inc. and AEP brands consolidated in a free, personal, customized magazine.

Starting this week, consumers can go to Timeinc.com/mine and choose content from five of eight select titles: Time, Sports Illustrated, Food & Wine, Real Simple, Money, InStyle, Golf, and Travel + Leisure. They can get the magazine either as a limited-edition print format or online, and also receive news, information, and entertainment alerts through a customized widget or mobile application via RSS feeds.

They already have all the content, why not re-purpose it in a fun and dynamic way?

Portfolio: Meltdown, A Marketing Opportunity

2009-03-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Dann has penned an excellent piece for Portfolio.com where he interviewed Dominique Hanssens, the marketing chair at UCLA's Anderson School of Business. This is the most pertinent excerpt from the interview:

Dann: What are some companies that have “upped the ante” during down times?

Hanssens: You can easily point to examples of companies who have done successful innovations—new products and so forth despite the fact that these were launched during a recessionary period. The big growth period for Microsoft in the 1990s, when they went from being big to being a giant, coincided with the early ‘90s recessionary years. They had a lot of new value to offer with their products and were not afraid to get behind them with very aggressive marketing. A current example, if you accept the premise we are currently in a recession, would be Apple, which has been very aggressive with its iPhones and is doing spectacularly well, despite some negative news about the overall economy.

Read the rest of the story here.

NYT Video

2009-03-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

This is a worthwhile video about three small businesses in the NYC area, and how business is slowly getting back to normal for them.

The long Winter is winding down...

2009-03-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a four day trip to Las Vegas, working the Mopars at the Strip car show for Hotchkis Performance. It was an interesting experience. Someone on a forum described this show as a "Star Trek Convention for Chrysler fans", and that seems to be the most fitting description I've heard. The three day event features drag racing, road racing, a car show, a swap meet, live bands (including members of Journey and Santana) and more, all catering to the Chrysler faithful.

I've never attended the show before, and was struck by the community that supports it. This was not like a typical Good Guys car show. Mopar (that stands for MOtor PARts, a Chrysler name) fans are fiercely loyal to their brand and their community, and by and large they are not wealthy high-rollers commissioning the construction of big buck show cars. These are hard working middle class Americans. Many of the people who showed up at the event came long distances, and are clearly stretched thin by the economy, but they came anyway.

I know the tough economic times have hurt a lot of people in this country and around the world. Some may think it trivial to focus on a big car show when thousands are losing their jobs - but I think its just the opposite. American have been sucked into the media-blitz of never ending bad news, and as a country we need to collectively lighten up. Go to a car show, attend a local game if that's your thing.

Most of the manufacturers and retailers I know are struggling but surviving. A few are thriving. Those who have the vision to continue marketing and reaching out to the core consumers that are still spending will emerge from this mess bigger, stronger and with a broader customer base than their competitors. To quote Harvey Dent, "The night is darkest before the dawn."

K.I.S.S.

2009-03-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

I've noticed my last few posts have been pretty wordy and drawn out. Sorry 'bout that.

Here's a video we just posted on Streetfire where an old client talks about a new one.

We've been shooting a LOT of new video content, and hosting it on both YouTube and the car-specific video channel StreetFire.

The web as a global "hive mind"

2009-03-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

An interesting story landed in my inbox this morning. Thought I'd share it.

It's a column at Forbes.com written by Joshua-Michele Ross, called The Rise of the Social Nervous System.

In the column, Ross argues that since more than half of the earth's population is now connected in one way or another to the internet (1.6 billion by computer, another 4 billion on mobile devices), social media has transformed the web from an information source into a "hive mind" where common knowledge and information is shared by billions across the globe.

Ross tries to make the point that this rapidly expanding global social media network will eventually help end war and disease and better all mankind.

"The social nervous system makes us aware of a broader context of relationship with humanity. My immediate relationships--with my family, my city and state--begin to span the globe. We can leverage the ubiquity of communications to coordinate real world activity--and just about anyone can do it. Even a kid with a mobile phone can capture a revolution."

A noble and lofty idea, but one I doubt will come to fruition. While I'm sure the social media wave (blogs, facebook, etc) will create major change in our world, from the end of the newspaper business as we know it, to a radical departure in how government and businesses relate to the people, I think that in the end, left to their own devices, people will use this new technology to catch up on gossip, learn about their neighbors and find out about the coolest new stuff to buy.

It's human nature. In the end, everyone wants to hang out in their living room and shoot the breeze with their friends. That living room is now an online web app, and their friends might be 1,000 miles away, but we still want to catch up, read about the topics that interest us, and buy cool toys. And that's not a bad thing. What do you think?

Opt-In Email Next Best After Family and Friends

2009-03-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

From the MediaPost research blog:

The conclusion drawn in a new report from Merkle, "View from the Inbox," 2009, is that Email continues to be a popular marketing communications channel in today's challenging economic climate due to its low cost-per-contact and its ability to provide direct, measurable results. But, consumers' attitudes and behavior regarding email continue to change.

As a result, inboxes are becoming more crowded with marketing messages and marketers are finding they must adapt to sustain gains made via their recent email marketing efforts. Permission-based, or "opt-in" email marketing, is seen as an important element in the unfolding strategies.

Permission email accounts for about a quarter of all time spent with email, second only to its primary function of communicating with friends and family
Just over half of all permission email recipients have added at least one company to their address book, and do so for 25% of the companies sending them email
The biggest reasons subscribers choose to opt-out of permission email continue to be lack of relevance (cited by 75%), followed closely by sending too frequently (73%)

An inverse relationship exists between the emails that are valued by consumers pertaining directly to them such as transaction-related confirmations and account summaries and the quantities that they receive in which they are relatively less interested, such as news alerts and offers.

The main reasons subscribers choose to opt out of email programs, 75% say perceived irrelevance and 73% cite sending too frequently, are problems most commonly associated with promotional email because these can be the most intrusive.

The report concludes that the quality of a company's email program influences brand perceptions, both negatively and positively, acknowledged by 59% of permission email recipients, while 30% of permission email recipients have stopped doing business with at least one company due to their poor email marketing practices.

So what does this mean? Something common sense already tells us but many marketers ignore:
Obey the following commandments for direct e-mail customer contact:
1. Only send messages to those who want them
2. Send interesting and informative content people will enjoy. Avoid schlock and hyberbole.
3. Don't send emails to often, once a month is good. Once a week is bad.

SURVIVE, EXPAND & THRIVE W/ LEAN MARKETING

2009-03-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

Print advertising is becoming increasing less effective and more expensive. Online display ads are nearly useless except for branding purposes. Traditional PR - which involves placing stories in print and on TV - is fine if done correctly and on a budget, but only as an addendum to a vibrant social media outreach program.

Why? Because a print hit takes 90 days to reach customers and you depend on the writer to deliver your message. A Social Media campaign can be executed in real-time, and YOU control the message. The key is to craft a message people WANT to read. F

Here's my point: over the next few weeks and months I will outline some low-cost (or even free) tips and ideas on building a Lean Marketing program. This includes Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Forum Community Building, Blogger Relations, basic Public Relations, Opt-In Direct E-Mail and more.

The goal will be to help you re-connect with current or former customers, attract the attention of new customers, make it easier for influencers to find you on the web and to attract as much marketshare as possible. Once the recession is over, you will have fewer competitors to contend with and if you continue to apply the same principals with more manpower and a bigger budget, business will increase exponentially.

Social Media Gurus

2009-03-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

Two experts in the field of social media marketing that inspire me are Brian Solis, of Future Works PR, and Geoff Livingston, of Livingston Communications and The Buzz Bin.

Livingston wrote a book (Solis wrote the intro) called Now is Gone that is a must read for every business owner contemplating new media.

Here are two videos of both gentlemen... one interesting and informative, one just plain crazy:

Market or Die

2009-03-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

TOUGH TIMES, NEW OPPORTUNITIES
This is the first marketing-specific post on Get Them Talking, my new blog focused on public relations and new media marketing tactics for small businesses and entrepreneurs. You're probably asking yourself, "who the hell cares about PR and Marketing while the economy is melting down and I can barely make payroll?"

Here's the thing: most business people's first reaction to economic hardship is to slash marketing and advertising down to the bone, then go about reducing staff and other overhead. That makes sense in a way, since the power bill, employees and taxes DO take priority. However - and I'll say this a lot in the next few blog posts - in tough economic times when businesses must fight for every sale and over every customer, re-connecting with existing consumers and reaching out to new ones is critical.

To put it simply: Market or Die.

Even in tough times, people will continue to spend money, but they will be very careful about WHERE they spend it. If you pull back all marketing while your competitor continues to push forward, your company will be forgotten and they will get the sale.

Only a finite number of sales can be made at any given time. For every dollar in sales you make, it means your competitor is not only losing that sale to you but they can’t replace that lost revenue.

Excellent Story on Fast Company: Recession Proof Your Business

2009-03-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

This story is on FastCompany.com

Recession Proof Your Business – How to Avoid Business Failure & Increase Sales in a Lagging Economy

BY Ron RomanoTue Nov 11, 2008 at 7:19 AM

Quick and Easy Strategies to Increase Sales and Profits during a Recession...

When you're a small business owner there's no "Golden Parachute", no Massive Severance Package or Stock Options to cash in on and there are definitely no bailouts. The success or failure of your small business is all on your shoulders!

Here's Are 5 Things to Do If You Want Your Business to Fail During a Recession

1. Don't Do Anything
2. Don't Do Enough
3. Don't Encourage Referrals From Other Clients
4. Don't Create a "WOW" Experience
5. Don't Take Massive Action Now

Now, if you want to build your small business, there's good news.

You don't have to sit back and become a victim of the times. Right now there are businesses and market segments that are making record profits. US Steel just posted record profits for the second quarter after losing huge orders from the auto industry.

Here's How US Steel Achieved Record Making Profits – And So Can You:

- They found new markets at higher prices
- They were open to new opportunities
- They were pro-active

Here Are 10 Quick and Easy Strategies to Increase Sales and Profits During a Recession

1. Implement systems that measure and track the results of ALL of your marketing, advertising and publicity efforts

2. Look for new ways to re-position products or services you provide to attract a new market segment. Example: Re-position Yoga as "Fall Prevention Strategies for Seniors

3. Find new distribution channels for your products whether it's through the Internet or other retailers who are selling complimentary products or services.

4. Create Joint Venture Arrangements with other complimentary, not competing Businesses. For example an accounting firm could go to their legal firm and offer to hold a seminar on "Tax Reduction Strategies" for the their (legal firms) clients as a special bonus. The accounting company may get new clients and the only cost is their time. One stipulation, the accounting firm must offer a special seminar to their clients on "How To Structure Tax Shelters for Estate Management". Both companies benefit.

5. Have a "Rewards Referral Program " for your existing customers and let them experience how it will work.

6. Know the numbers in your business. Find out what products and services make the most profits and which ones make the least. Start promoting or up-selling those first. Do you know the average transaction value which is the average amount each consumer pays you at the point of purchase? Go find that out now and then ask yourself the question "How can I increase that amount by 10% by adding or bundling in extra value?

7. Position yourself as the "Knowledgeable Expert" in Your Field and write articles for the newspaper, or trade journals and radio interviews. You can even write and submit articles online using www.IWantMoreProspects.com. The print and online media is always hungry for information to provide their readership. They are always on the lookout for new information that solves people's problems or helps them save them time or money.

8. Differentiate yourself from the competition and give the consumer the "Reason Why" they should do Business with you versus your competitors.

9. Join a Mastermind Group or Coaching Program to improve your skills as a Marketer. Tiger Woods has a golf coach to help him. Professional baseball teams have hitting and pitching coaches. And you should have a business and marketing coach to stop the downhill slide before it becomes uncontrollable.

10. Build a stronger relationship with your customer base through frequent contact, special offers, and newsletters. Survey your existing customers to see what they want and then sell it to them.

This is just a short list on the many things that are possible. Now the question is, do you want to recession proof your business and achieve massive results or do you want to lay down and play dead and hope things get better? It's your choice!

Welcome to Get Them Talking

2009-03-13T09:37:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Get Them Talking, the Kahn Media blog about PR, New Media Marketing and surviving the CRISISGATE 2009 (hey, every big story needs a -gate at the end, right?).

I'm Dan Kahn... the humble proprietor of Kahn Media. Since I'm basically shouting into a dark empty room with a first post, I might as well tell you a little about myself.

I started in this business as a media junky and gearhead about 15 years ago, when I landed my first gig writing for a small enthusiast publishing company in L.A. I serves as editor at several small niche magazines that covered everything from toys to cars to mountain bikes. From there I spent some time writing for a tech magazine during the dot com boom, and when the market crashed and burned so did my employer. After that I served as an editor at Petersen Publishing (which became Emap which became Primedia and is now Source Interlink) and then Edmunds.com

After that I made the leap into PR, where I've been helping small and mid-size businesses connect with consumer for the past five years. Along the way I've become obsessed with Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media and what I like to call Lean Marketing.

I should also mention I'm a diehard car guy with the unfortunate habit of buying vehicles, modifying them to the point where they're no longer functional or useful in any way, then selling them and starting over. The first step, apparently, is admitting you have a problem. Other background stuff: I'm married, live in Los Angeles with my wife and two dogs, my firm handles marketing and PR and I really enjoy cooking and speeding. Not in that order. My insurance guy is unhappy.

Future posts will focus on PR and Social Media Marketing tips that will help you survive and thrive during RecessionGate, create new business opportunities and build a community around your brand.

Thanks for reading, I'll be back soon with more on-topic content.

-Dan

Visit me on:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Myspace
KahnMedia.com

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2009-02-23T13:47:00.001-08:00

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