Public Relations, Advertising & Social Media

How to spot fake social media ‘experts’

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Brian Lee

Unfortunately in the field of social media consulting, the barrier to entry is low. People with little experience and expertise can claim to be a social media guru/expert/wizard/ninja/etc.

The other day, I received an email from an obvious pretender. He claims he is able to “grow and manage social media communities for PR/media relations and marketing companies” and “(partner) with PR and marketing companies to build social media communities for their customers.”

Even more laughable, he cites as a case study, “my team currently is launching a network of what we call hyper, hyper local Facebook-based community news sites. It took only 28 days to gather 1,000 page likes in a relatively small market.”

One thing I talk about in the social media class that I teach is that followers, fans, etc. are vanity stats. Higher numbers do NOT matter on their own. What matters is what your followers, fans, etc. are doing for your business. Are they buying your products? Are they attending your events? Are they signing a petition? Are they referring new customers?

Thus, promises of higher web traffic, more Facebook Page fans, more Twitter followers, more Instagram followers, more YouTube Channel subscribers, etc., are a sure sign of a fake “expert.”

Sadly, these amateurs continue to trick clients, which is an unethical business practice. I forwarded this email to several of my colleagues, who shared my concern that these pretenders continue to exist.

In case you’re wondering, this pretender is a journalist who is launching a “social media marketing firm.” I shudder when thinking about what damage this firm will do to the credibility of this profession.

Why are you buying furniture on Presidents’ Day?

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Jessica Hamilton

Presidents Day According to Wikipedia, until the 1970s most businesses were closed on Presidents’ Day. The holiday was originally created under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which observes certain holidays throughout the year on predetermined Mondays.

It was not until the mid-1980s that advertisers began to use the phrase “Presidents’ Day” to encourage sales during the three day weekend. According to the Nevada Daily Mail, advertisers began to play a role in the changing of the name in 1986 after Congress enacted Martin Luther King Jr. day to be the third Monday in January. Since neither George Washington nor Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays fell on the third Monday of February, advertisers began using the time between Lincoln and Washington’s birthdays as a “Presidents’ Day” sale period.

Today, companies use the holiday to get rid of old merchandise to make room for spring items. Most commonly advertised are mattress and furniture sales. Real Simple said new furniture designs hit the market in spring, causing furniture stores to mark down many of last season’s items.

Meanwhile, Payoff.com said that spring brings an increase in home sales, therefore increasing the demand for new mattresses and furniture. Mattress models turn over in May, so deals begin in the new year during times when marketers know that shoppers have extended time off of work (like Presidents’ Day weekend).

Super Bowl ads 2016: staff opinions

Posted on February 8, 2016February 4, 2019 by Brian Lee

BRIAN:

Once upon a time, Super Bowl commercials generated buzz by being funny, eliciting emotions or creating a “wow” factor. Nowadays, creativity is rarer to find, and 2016 was no different (see Persil laundry detergent ad for an example of zero creativity). This year, I’ll pick the Toyota Prius car chase as my favorite. Although the first spot was a bit long (1:30), I liked the montage of clips (e.g. news programs, game shows, fans, etc.), which help to drive home (no pun intended) the messages of new features, safety, quiet and fuel-efficient. The follow-up commercial in which the police get a Prius was a nice touch.

TAYLOR:

I had seen most of the advertisements posted throughout the week leading up to the Super Bowl, so I was interested in seeing the ads that weren’t released early. To be honest, I was pretty disappointed in the Super bowl ads this year; however, the one that did make me laugh the most was Hyundai’s “First Date.” It was clear that laughter was the theme of the advertisements this year, and this ad hit the nail on the head. Every dad with a daughter could relate to this video as the hilarious Kevin Hart played the over-protective father who strategically lets his daughter’s date take his new Genesis car for their night out. Using the car’s new technology, Kevin could spy on his daughter throughout the night. Hyundai also produced other clever commercials during the Super Bowl, including the Elantra ad “Ryanville,” which starred Ryan Reynolds.

ALLISON:

Super Bowl commercials are hyped up to be the most comical, witty and creative commercials of the year; however, this year I was once again disappointed. Overall the commercials were nothing special in my eyes, but there were a few that stood out. I mostly enjoyed Taco Bell’s “Bigger Than” commercial. It was funny and relatable by incorporating, and almost poking fun at, today’s pop culture and trends. Taco Bell described its new Quesalupa as being bigger than drones, man buns, Tinder, hoverboard scooters, and so on. Taco Bell is targeting the late-night, grab-and-go millennials. It is a creative and relatable way to portray the Quesalupa as the next big thing.

JESSICA:

I really enjoyed the Doritos Dog commercial. Three dogs attempt to enter a grocery store to get Doritos through various methods (like riding on the bottom of a grocery cart) as the stingy store manager clearly points to the “No Dogs Allowed” sign in the store window. Finally, the dogs stack on top of one another underneath a trench coat to achieve a human-like appearance, managing to enter the store and purchase Doritos. Interestingly, this commercial was created by Jacob Chase, a participant in the PepsiCo Frito-Lay’s Crash the Super Bowl campaign.