Category: Advertising & Marketing

Plan ample time for marketing and PR

Posted on by Brian Lee

We’ve been hired last-minute to generate publicity for numerous projects and events–for example, we were brought in to do PR only a few days before a restaurant’s grand opening–so we know it is challenging, but not impossible, to work under such a short timeline. However, individuals and businesses should do themselves a favor and plan well ahead to lay the groundwork for marketing and PR.

For earned media relations, especially TV or radio, don’t expect to contact a producer two days before your event and then get scheduled. We typically try to schedule live interviews at least a month out. Meanwhile, daily newspapers are at least one week out, and magazines are at least three months out. Don’t forget the time required for developing a messaging strategy and performing media training.

For marketing, remember that it takes time to build awareness and repetition with your target audience. It also takes time to develop (and place) ads, promotions, newsletters, collateral, etc.

Takeaways From ALS #IceBucketChallenge

Posted on by Taylor Kennedy

By now we’ve all had our social media accounts filled with people dumping buckets of ice water on their heads and making a donation to the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association. Within the month, it’s no surprise the Association has seen an increase in donations from $1.9 billion to $70.2 billion. But what does this Ice Bucket Challenge phenomenon do for public relations and campaigns in the future? Here are a few takeaways:

1. Encourage grassroots thoughts.
Many probably don’t know that the Ice Bucket Challenge was not created by the ALS association. According to Facebook research, it was started  by a video in late July from former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates, who was diagnosed with the disease. At the heart of the campaign is the key to any successful grassroots campaign, which is shareability. In today’s world, people want to be at the forefront of social movements, which then help increase their validity.

2. Involve everyone!
Another reason for the success of this campaign was the sheer number of people it involved. The campaign was smart in having everyone nominate a handful of others to complete the challenge, helping it spread like wildfire.

3. Make it fun and easy.
How many people have a bucket, ice, water, video camera and a social media account to post it on? Almost everyone. The challenge took advantage of items around the home that were easily accessible to people of all ages.

4. Timing is everything.
It’s not every day the weather is warm enough for people to dump ice water on themselves, so this campaign had to happen in the summer months. Additionally, July and August are two of the most common summer months for vacations, leaving people with the time to participate. Also, the short 24-hour turnaround time of the challenge helped with its viral spread.

T-Mobile’s Test Drive campaign

Posted on by Brian Lee

I admit, I was immediately intrigued when I learned of the T-Mobile Test Drive campaign, in which the company sends you a new iPhone 5S with unlimited calling, data and text messaging to use for one week. Afterward, you return your phone to a T-Mobile store, and there are no strings attached.

First, the campaign had an inauspicious start. I learned about the campaign through a full-page ad in USA TODAY. That ad, as well as the ones in other newspapers, told readers to visit t-mobile.com/7nightstand. However, that site hadn’t been created. It was only after a bit of searching that I found t-mobile.com/testdrive was the correct URL (after a month, T-Mobile has finally created a redirect for /7nightstand).

Second, I discovered Wisconsin is not a T-Mobile-friendly state. You may not return the phone to an authorized dealer; rather, you have to go to a T-Mobile-owned store. The nearest ones to Madison were Brookfield, Wis., and Rockford, Ill. To me, it felt a little ridiculous to drive an hour away just to return a free phone.

Third, T-Mobile doesn’t seem to work on Fridays. That’s when I ordered the phone, but the company didn’t process the order until Monday, and I received it on Thursday.

Just before I received the phone I purchased a protective case. For $20, it helped insure me against damage, which would result in me paying up to $600 for the phone as part of the agreement.

T-Mobile did do a good job in selecting the iPhone 5S as the trial phone. Compared to the iPhone 4 I’ve used, it’s a million times faster. I enjoyed trying apps like Facetime, which I don’t have on my Windows Phone (actually, I basically have no apps for my Windows Phone, because no one will make apps for the platform).

Finally, this experience has taught me how much I value Verizon’s nationwide coverage. In various parts of Wisconsin and Illinois, my Verizon phone would be on 4G LTE, while the T-Mobile phone was on extended network. Sorry, T-Mobile.