In the Mix...Twitter Parties Encourage Consumers to Give the "Gift of Time"

To support the launch of Frigidaire Professional’s sleek, time-saving kitchen countertop appliances at Target, we’re taking to Twitter to encourage consumers to give the “gift of time” to moms, dads, grads and newlyweds this spring. We garnered excellent engagement with consumers by hosting two Twitter parties on wedding and Mother’s Day gifting, which generated 4,300 tweets and more than 27 million impressions. The hashtag #Frigidaire also became a trending topic – proving that we broke through the Twitter clutter in a big way for Frigidaire Professional. Tomorrow night we will hold our final spring Twitter party to discuss graduation gifts. Look for the hashtag #Frigidaire Tuesday night between 8 and 9 p.m. CT and come join the conversation!

Favorite Finds

It’s been a gorgeous week in Chicago, but like the weather here, the Twittersphere is volatile.  Here are some favorite finds from the past week:

• Today’s Customer – This insightful article stresses the existence of varying paths to purchasing a product and reminds us that real human experiences remain paramount in providing customers “complete context” for them to make a purchase decision.

• Charlatans – I don’t often see this word in a headline, so it caught my eye. This article from Ragan grounds communications professionals and thoughtfully suggests the fundamental that quality trumps quantity, particularly in measuring messaging success.

• App Changes – What’s more volatile than ever-updated iPhone apps? This picture gallery demonstrates the latest and greatest from the Facebook app.

• U.K. Whitepaper – Our friends across the pond have offered a new whitepaper for free download. The author recommends a new mindset in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. The fragmentation, she says, give us more opportunity as communications professionals. Carry on! 

• Fun End-of-Week Reading – For the history buff in all of us, this is a great collection of quotes from notables past and present. According to Bill Gates, “If I was down to the last dollar of my marketing budget I’d spent it on PR!” 

Favorite Finds

As technology and social media evolve, it’s exciting to figure how PR will change too with the new trends.  This week, there were many celebrated successes as brands capture more consumer attention via digital means. Here’s a quick look at a few of them:

• Tablet Takeover: How many of you now use your tablet as your go-to digital device? Our friends at Hearst Corporation are capitalizing and just surpassed one million tablet subscribers. Could tablet subscriptions out-pace print soon?
• Google Glass: As the world awaits the launch of Google Glass, many brands are taking this time to figure out how it will affect marketing.  ReadWriteWeb shared this helpful guide to what we should know about the new technology.   
• Pinterest Paradox: Although some brands are leading the way with popular brand boards, it seems consumers still drive the most engagement on the popular social network. Looks like we still have some work to do. 
• Klout Perks Up: In some opinions, Klout Perks aren’t very enticing. American Airlines is looking to change that with access to their Admirals Clubs for those with a score above 55, making it tempting for many to get back to raising their score.   

In the Mix...Contigo Celebrates Teachers

When kids have great teachers, we all win – which is the premise behind our client Contigo’s “Thank You, Teachers” sweepstakes. In anticipation of the upcoming Teacher Appreciation Week, Contigo is asking its Facebook fans to celebrate all the special teachers in their life by nominating a teacher for a chance to win a prize pack of Contigo products for the teacher and the school. Plus, nominators also will be entered to win Contigo prizes and will receive a coupon code just for entering! The 20 winning teachers will be highlighted throughout May, so be sure to check out the Contigo Facebook page to enter your favorite teacher!

Favorite Finds

Whether it’s traditional, digital or social, media is constantly evolving – and as PR practitioners, we’re learning new skills, best practices, features and apps on a daily basis. Here’s a quick look at some of our favorite things we learned this week.: 

• Tag It: Thursday, Instagram rolled out its latest feature, “Photos of You,” which allows users to tag other users – and brands – directly in their photos, creating an archive of pictures that can be viewed on any user’s profile. For brands, this could mean tagging influencers in photos to drive followers and increase engagement. 

• Facebook Knows Best: Facebook published a thorough guide for journalists outlining best practices for breaking and updating news on the site, proving once again that social media platforms are growing sources where consumers get their news.

• Digital Skills: With digital and social platforms changing how people watch and read their news, PR pros are generating coverage in new ways. This article outlines four new roles for PR professionals.

• Meet Charlie: If you attend a lot of new business meetings or networking events, you’ll want to meet Charlie. A SXSW Accelerator finalist, this mobile app pulls up information about the people in your meeting and even details common likes and interests. 

Working with Other Agencies

Our work with national and global clients – and our involvement in the Public Relations Global Network, an international organization of leading independent PR agencies – often involves working with a variety of other agency teams. From partnerships with traditional advertising agencies to digital ad firms and even other public relations teams, we view these experiences as opportunities for all of us to bring our experiences and creativity together to provide great results for our clients. Here are several of my “best practices” for working with other agencies for the same client:

• Take Time for Introductions – At the inception of each partnership, be sure each team is “on-boarded” with the brand, key messages and business insights. This step can address many questions and concerns before they even arise. And, having strong guidelines in place from the start help us to collectively execute programs more efficiently and effectively.
• Communicate – Every agency, client and team follows different procedures. Outline timelines, protocols and expectations up front so everyone on all teams is working in tandem with one another. Schedule routine times to touch base and discuss upcoming projects and deadlines to make sure all team members stay on track and are on the same page. Also, make sure to share contact information for main contacts and back-ups – in a last-minute emergency, you need to know who to call. 
• Manage Expectations – We have a great team who can turn things around at the drop of a hat. It’s wonderful – but when you’re working with multiple teams on approvals, it may not always be enough. Allow as much time as possible for projects to account for the extra revisions and adjustments that come with having more sets of eyes, and keep clients up-to-date on the status of where projects stand and when they can expect to see deliverables.
• Collaborate – Being part of a team means being available to contribute, and accepting and appreciating others’ contributions. Don’t be afraid to investigate the “whys” and “hows” when feedback is given, and offer suggestions and ideas when you deliver feedback. Keep an open mind – you may learn a new best practice, or provide valuable insight that will help the other agency in your projects together moving forward.

Successful communications agencies thrive on our relationships – with clients, colleagues and other partners. These important points will keep projects moving along and ensure that the clients are happy! 

Favorite Finds

From rants to hacks, it's been a busy week in the online world. Below are some of our favorite finds for the week:

• Hacks make an impact. Twitter hacks of several news outlets - from the AP to "60 Minutes" to NPR - lead to Twitter bolstering security. The AP hack on April 23 included a message that the President had been injured in an attack at the White House, leading to a temporary freefall of the U.S. stock market. 
• LinkedIn links in. On Thursday, LinkedIn launched LinkedIn Contacts, which integrates into your email, mobile address book and calendar.
• Facebook ad-o-meter. Is Facebook really filling up with ads? A Facebook ad buyer audited his own page to find out. His (not so surprising) verdict: no. He summarizes that 16 percent of posts are from brands and 3 percent are paid ads - the rest are from friends.
• What goes online, stays online. The social media world was abuzz about the "rant heard 'round the world" from a sorority girl in Maryland. The profane email - and subsequent fallout - serves as a reminder that everything you put online will stay online - and can be shared online. Read about it here.  
• Social plays a part in tragedies. A week after the tragic events in Boston and West, Texas, we can look back on how social media played a role in the events.
• There is nowhere to hide. Anyone can be found on social media in 12 hours. This interesting study discusses how various social networks can be used to track people.