NFL endorsement deals: True reflection or facade?

Picture via HeraldNews

Coming off of the great Sunday of football, I thought that a reflection on the endorsement deals that this year's four final quarterbacks have would be an interesting topic. First of all, it is very evident that all four of these men have extremely differing personalities and are known to the public for very different reasons. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are both experienced and talented quarterbacks who have been around for awhile, while both Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson are relatively younger and representative of the new generation of quarterbacks. Although some similarities, their differences far outweigh and are visible not only on the field, but in the world of NFL endorsements as well.

Off the field, Brady is known for his fashion sense, supermodel wife, and lavish spending. Manning, on the other hand, is often referred to as an "average joe" and depicts a humble individual, despite the fact that he is extremely wealthy and enjoys a lavish lifestyle as well. In regards to Kaepernick's and Wilson's off the field persona, look no further than this (relatively bias) comparison put together by Mashable:

Picture via Mashable

My question, however, is whether these men come into the NFL with these types of personalities or if perhaps, the brands they decide to endorse paint a picture of their personalities that is not one hundred percent accurate. Are these endorsement deals true reflections of the individuals' morals or are they all a facade? It's an interesting thing to think about and one that I feel many lose site of. After all, the media can construe things in whatever way they see fit and these endorsement deals are just another way they are able to do so. To see some of the brands that these players endorse, check out the full article at Time Magazine.

Some Do's and Don'ts of Social Media

It has been said that there is no wrong way to eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, there is, however, a wrong way to do social media.  The good news is when mistakes are made, there are ways that Public Relations Professionals are able to counteract them!

- Don't Take Short Cuts:

A huge mistake made today is professionals forget one of the main purposes of social media: to help build a brand.  According to Simply Social, " Businesses must embrace the opportunity to engage in the lives of consumers. Social media provides an open forum to which everyone is invited to collaborate and share ideas, experiences and interests."  By taking shortcuts in social media and putting out a false brand, you are essentially tricking people into thinking that you are a well-liked brand.  Any knowledgeable social media user will be able to look right past this.  Stephanie Frasco wrote an article recently titled "How I Increased My Twitter Followers By 30% in 6 Months" which summarized how she was able to boost her following on Twitter.  She did this by not buying any followers and didn't follow - unfollow.  

- Do Create a Plan:
A great tip from Lohas is "Random acts of social media do not work.  A clear aim is the key to reaching [your] destination... Without a proper identified goal and direction, your company would likely propel at a slower pace, if at all.... 'random' is not a word to include in your social media marketing."
The diagram below I found through an article written by Oliver Busmann titled 4 Powerful Social Media Shortcuts That Will Surprise You! Check it out for more great tips in being present on social media.

Photo Credit

- Don't Be A Ghost:
A crucial part of being present on social media is being active... The more you put in with social media, the more you get out!  Some great advice from MediaTrust is  "The audience need to see regular activity on the page or else they will lose interest, so the amount of staff time really depends on what your strategic aims are.  You may also want to get more than on person feeding into the page."  It is important to create a team with a unified goal of correctly branding the product.


What are some of your tips on social media?

A look back on 2013's biggest PR moments

Picture via blog.search-mojo

Happy New Year, everyone! Today marks the first day of 2014 and I am very excited for all that it has in store. Our chapter has already grown so much these past few years and I feel that success will only continue in 2014. This year was not only a big one for the Marist PRSSA Chapter, but for the PR industry as a whole. Therefore, I thought that it would be interesting to reflect on what PRWeek is calling "the most popular stories of 2013".

The first big story comes from an announcement made by the USPS of the switch from a six- to five-day mail-delivery schedule. The newly updated five-day website will be accompanied by a heavy PR push and is set to go into effect on August 5. All packages and prescription drugs will continue to be delivered six-days a week. The switch is predicted to save the USPS $2 billion annually. To read more about this story, click here.

The death of PR pioneer and founder of Edelman, Daniel J. Edelma rocked the PR world. Edelman passed away at age 92 from heart failure. He began his career as a reporter in Poughkeepsie, New York (fun fact!) and went on to found Edelman in 1952 in Chicago. Edelman was a great man and an inspiration to all. His work ethic and values are highly regarded by all and he will certainly be missed. To read the full story, click here.

Ketchum was accused of aiding Vladimir Putin in the composition of a controversial op-ed piece. However, the firm denied this and stated that they had only pitched his piece, not written it. Instances like these are interesting because it is a situation filled with blurred lines and can be used as a reference for future situations. To read the full story, click here.    

Edelman's VP of crisis and issues, Errol Cockfield, is reportedly helping Adam Lanza's father, Peter Lanza, deal with the media following the shootings in Newtown. I was not aware that organizations such as Edelman take on these types of clients, but I have to say that it does make a lot of sense. There is some controversy regarding this relationship, however, and the entire situation is rather secretive. To read the full story, click here.

 

Additionally, Chobani lost a few of their communications employees due to "refocusing" and Blue Cross Blue Shield launched an effort to educate uninsured consumers on the new Affordable Care Act. Finally, Dove's Real Beauty Sketches received a lot of praise and recognition at Cannes and was given two Gold Lions for Best Use of Social Media and Best Integrated Campaign Led by PR. All in all, it is undeniable that 2013 was filled with huge PR moments and I am excited to see what awaits us in 2014!

 

2013 Digital Marketing Highlights Infographic

2013 marked the start of brands begging to find new ways to market to their target audiences through different social networks like Facebook, Vine, Twitter and Instagram.  With 2013 coming to an end, it is important for us to reflect on what worked and why.  For me, I think Oreo's Superbowl blackout tweet, and Instagram introducing video, come to mind as successful marketing moments because people are still talking about them months later.

This info graphic from ExactTarget breaks down the best digital marketing moments of 2013.

What was your favorite digital marketing moment of 2013? 

Infographic Credit

Queen B epitomizes the brilliance that is social media

Picture via US Weekly

Ah, Beyonce has done it again. As many of you probably already know, Beyonce dropped her latest album Thursday night at midnight, breaking virtually every rule known to mankind surrounding the release of an album. In case you are not familiar, most albums are released on a Tuesday, are publicized through various media appearances, involve numerous consumer partnerships and feature at least one single being overplayed on the radio long before the actual album is released. Beyonce, however, refrained from all of these "rules" and in turn, showed the world just how powerful she is.

Unsurprisingly, this new album is not just any album. It is accompanied by 17 videos, 14 outrageous tracks, and was done all in secrecy while Beyonce was on tour and raising a baby. How did she do it? I am confident that many of the world's biggest music stars are probably wondering the same thing. The mere fact that nothing was leaked and no word got out about it is an achievement in itself in this day of technology and social media. There really is only one thing to say and that is, all hail the Queen.

What makes this really interesting from a PR standpoint, however, is the fact that Beyonce relied solely on social media to announce the release of the album. The only form of publicity to occur before all 14 songs and 17 videos appeared for sale on iTunes was a video posted to Instagram accompanied with the caption, "surprise!" 

According to the New York Times, this approach was a success and lead to over 365,000 copies sold in the United States on the first day. It is also being predicted that it will have one of the year's most successful opening sales weeks. Even though it is undeniable that Beyonce is a huge star and would most likely see success no matter how she released her album, this may just be the way of the future for the music business. After all, social media is all about the basis of relationships and by telling her fans exclusively on her personal Instagram, they were able to feel that they truly had a special bond with the artist. 

After the initial Instagram post, the album garnished much publicity. According to Mashable, the release generated 1.2 million tweets in 12 hours and was promoted by stars such as Katy Perry and Lady Gaga almost immediately. Additionally, Beyonce spent no money on marketing, which could perhaps have quite the impact on the industry in the future. All in all, Beyonce's album release was a monumental event for the music industry and a huge advocate for the power of social media. It must be nice to be Queen.

December's issue of esPResso out today!

Be sure to check out the latest issue of esPResso! From the PRSSA National Conference to an investigation of beauty vlogging, you are sure to find something of interest in it. Thanks to all who took part in making this issue of esPResso so amazing!

Click here!

Teens Get Tips with "Think Before You Share"

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about Facebook and the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence teaming up to end bullying with the installation of the Bully Prevention Hub.  To expand on these features, Facebook has joined with MediaSmarts, a Canadian nonprofit organization, to create a guide to help Facebook’s younger users to "Think Before You Share."  MediaSmarts and Facebook hopes that these tips will help teens make more conscious decisions about what they share online.  According to MediaBistro, "Facebook said it will run ads on the social network to promote Think Before You Share to both teens and parents."  A statement on the top of the PDF document that can be downloaded, says:

"We always hear that sharing is a good thing. And thanks to technology, we can share our ideas, opinions, pictures and videos with our friends and other people. Most of the time, sharing is good. But if we aren’t thoughtful about how we share, we run the risk of hurting ourselves or someone else. Also, remember that the things you share with your friends can end up being shared with others. That’s why it’s important to think before you share."

A few great tips for teens that the PDF provides are:

• It’s not a good idea to share things when you’re feeling really emotional – whether you’re angry, sad, or excited. Calm down first and then decide if it’s really a good idea. 

• Passwords are not social: There’s some things you need to be really careful about sharing. Sometimes friends share passwords with each other when all is good, but unfortunately this can turn into a nightmare later.  Don’t share your password with anyone.

• If what you received makes that person look bad, would embarrass them, or could hurt them if it got around, don’t pass it on. The person who sent it to you may have meant it as a joke, but jokes can be a lot less funny when something is seen by the wrong person. 

• If you shared something you shouldn’t have, the first step is to ask the people you sent it to not to pass it on.

The guide was first announced on December 4, 2013 online at Facebook's Safety Page.  Cathy Wing, the Co-Executive Director at MediaSmarts, released a statement saying:

For young people, more than anyone else, digital media is all about sharing: Whether it’s their thoughts, photos, or their latest favorite videos, almost all of the devices and platforms that youths use are designed to make it easy for them to share things with their friends. In MediaSmarts’ research with young people, we have looked carefully at the habits and attitudes youth have toward sharing things online, as well as their worries, bad experiences, and strategies for avoiding problems and fixing things when they go wrong.

One of the most interesting findings in recent research is that with the exception of online gaming, young people almost exclusively socialize online with people that they also know offline. That doesn’t mean that they’re not worried about their privacy: In fact, the youths we spoke to were very concerned about the things they posted online being seen by unintended audiences and acutely aware of the possibility that something meant for one friend might cause trouble if seen by another. They were also very conscious of the need to manage how they were portrayed in social media by other people, such as in revealing or embarrassing photos.

What do you think?  Do you think that Think Before You Share will be a helpful resource for teens?