The PR of Commercials and Football

Today, the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will take the field and play in the NFL's 49th annual Super Bowl. The Super Bowl takes on the traits of a holiday for football lovers across the country. We throw parties for friends and family, stocked with wings. fries, and brews. Not to mention, the stigma surrounding Super Bowl commercials and who can create the best one.

Public Relations happens all around the Super Bowl. There are five obvious outlets:

• NFL
• New England Patriots
• Seattle Seahawks
• all brands with placed commericals

Though the commercials of the Super Bowl are the works of advertising, the discussion each individual commercial creates is a PR situation. For instance, GoDaddy intended on releasing a commercial during the Super Bowl, but found that the public opinion was not on their side, and decided to remove the commercial. The ad seemed to be mocking Bud Light for their use of an adorable blonde Labrador in their Super Bowl commercials every year. The ad shows a puppy getting lost after falling off of its owners' truck and finding his way back home, just to have the owners proclaim that they can't wait to sell the pup online thanks to GoDaddy.

Many found the advertisement insensitive, while GoDaddy thought its audience would laugh. The PR decision was to make a statement revoking the commercial and announcing that the public will still see GoDaddy on screen during the big event. GoDaddy left their audience with a little mystery.

Check out the Super Bowl tonight, and expect to see a lot of PR talk about the Half Time Show and advertisments come tomorrow morning!

Is Nine West on the Hunt for Fast Publicity?

Social media has been a buzz with opinions and backlash at shoe company Nine West's new advertising campaign. 

Recently, the company unveiled a series of images and online ads encouraging women to purchase shoes fitted for their most momentous occasions. While many events come to mind when mentioning momentous moments for women ages 25-49, Nine West's target audience, the company has decided to hone in on a very specific set of moments: husband hunting, a stay-at-home mom sending her child off on the first day of school, and soon to come: an anticipatory walk of shame.

Nine West marketing representatives have defended the campaign saying that the campaign is not meant to offend or belittle women, but rather to help reach women in a younger audience who see moments differently than their older counterparts. Vice President of Marketing for Nine West, Erika Szychowski explained to the Times "A night-on-the-town shoe, for example, would now be considered an on-the-prowl shoe."

Many consumers have taken to Facebook and Twitter to express their displeasure with the new campaign, while other female consumers search for the comedic light in the situation. One Facebook user added to the conversation on the photo above saying "As a professional woman, that's an offensive campaign based on an outmoded ideal. Apparently, your marketing team must be comprised of misogynists."

As a brand creating products for women, regardless of the specific demographics of the women being targeted, a campaign which seeks describe the experiences of women should be handled with care. While the women who have taken offense to the campaign are justified in doing so, the campaign in itself is not a complete loss.

So far the message of the campaign has been perceived as an outdated model of the female experience. A model which places women out of the boardroom and into the dressing room of a bridal boutique. While this perception of womanhood is not wildly popular, it is a portrayal of one aspect of some women's lives. Now, Nine West should feature other aspects of women's lives to portray.

In their attempt to reach women ages 25-49, there are other moments that I hope they opt to feature: graduation from college or graduate school, the launch of a successful business, or landing an executive position at work. These are the moments that women who were offended by the brand's first sweep of campaigns would better respond to; and, these are also moments that members of their new demographic would relate to and rejoice in celebrating.

What do you think? Is the Nine West campaign a complete miss? Or would adding to the message help to even out the responses to the backlash? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The Mix Up: Public Relations, Marketing and Advertising

It’s safe to say that for our generation public relations, marketing and advertising are all in one professional melting pot. This wasn’t always the case, but in recent years it has shown that the best campaigns and strategic plans involve a portion of each. Many public relations internship descriptions will be linked to these two other fields. Although they can go hand in hand with one another, let’s take a look at the difference.

 

PR vs Advertising

Public relations is earned media where advertising and paid media, plain and simple. When it comes down to drawing the line between the two, advertising is focused on immediate effects for promotion of the product. This difference falls under the telling vs. selling factor.Advertising’s main goal is the sell the product. PR is more concerned with specialized communication with media and building a relationship with them. Another difference is the control factor. Advertising has complete control of what they are portraying to the media. Public relations cannot beassured that their story will be covered and hands over themajority of control to the media. Lastly, the cost difference is another way to separate the two. Advertising often costs significantly more.

 

PR vs Marketing

Both of these fields are concerned with achieving business goals, but public relations focuses on numerous audiences, where marketing focuses on the customer audience. Public relations has to keep in mind they are under the watch of many, internally and externally. Marketing wants the sale, bottom line. It puts its efforts in coming up with tactics to drive an immediate purchase. Public relations keeps itsfocus on driving awareness about the story. One quote thatseems to clear things us perfectly is “PR lights the fire, Marketing fans the flames.”

 

The lines can still be blurry when trying to figure out what falls under each category. Despite their differences, the fields often lend each other a helping hand. Public relations professionals most likely will find themselves working on a project that can be considered advertising or marketing work. When it’s all said and done, you want your brands to be promoted in the best, most effective way which often times means combining a little bit of everything.

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Gabrielle Lacherza. 

Taco Bell's Clever Campaign

If I wasn't in public relations, I have a strong fascination in advertising and yesterday I saw a commercial that blew me away.

Recently Taco Bell has introduced a new breakfast menu to their chain's selections. In order to promote their new options, they released an ad campaign with real people's reactions after trying the breakfast choices. What makes this campaign so clever is that all of the people they used in the commercial are named Ronald McDonald.

It's no secret that Ronald McDonald is the mascot's name of fast food chain leader, McDonald's. It's also no secret that McDonald's has dominated the fast food breakfast field for decades. Taco Bell's new campaign is bold and direct statement to McDonald's without ever actually mentioning their competitor.

What as PR professionals can we learn from Taco Bell's brilliant commercial?

• Be creative. There's more than one way to communicate a message. The message Taco Bell is conveying is clear: that their breakfast options are just as good, if not better, than McDonald's trusted breakfast options. Using this tactic to present that message is a creative and engaging way to grab the audience's attention.
• Play with words. Language is a PR pro's bread and butter. We should be able to play to our strengths and have a bit more fun with how we frame our message. While one of the major differences between our messages and advertising messages is that we have to remain factual, that doesn't mean that we can't be entertaining as well.
• Think outside the box. No, this tip is not an intentional pun relating to Taco Bell's old slogan "Think outside the bun." However, innovative thinking has been a strength of Taco Bell's for years now. Words may be our strong suit, but PR pros should embrace other methods of relaying a message as well. Researching your audience and tailoring the way you choose to deliver a message to that audience will do wonders in an advertising or PR campaign.

What was your reaction to the Taco Bell commercial? We would love to hear your thoughts so comment below!

Why Are PR Students Taking Jobs in Other Fields?

As graduation looms closer each day, the job hunt has begun for many college seniors. When chatting with fellow classmates about where they might see themselves post-grad, many have told me that they have no intention of actually going into public relations. To a PR-obsessed person like me, this sounds absurd (why would you ever want to do anything else, am I right?) but it's something that actually happens a lot.

There are several reasons why people who have dedicated four years of their life to studying this field might not want to end up in it:

Lack of internships
Classroom learning is great, but there's nothing like the real thing. If you don't get internships in college you have no way of learning the ins and outs of real-world public relations. It's a lot more hands-on and a lot more fun.

Letting a bad experience change your path
A lot of people have had that one teacher who told them "you're not going to make any money" "all you do is busy work" and that deters them from wanting to pursue a career in PR. Rather than take one person's opinions and basing your decisions on them, make sure you're asking around and seeing what the reality is.

PR was never what you wanted to do in the first place
Public relations, marketing and advertising go hand-in-hand and every university has a different way of teaching each subject. Sometimes the three are integrated in classroom teachings and sometimes they are kept completely separate. In the case of schools that keep them separate, you might come in thinking you want to do PR, not really understanding what it's all about and actually marketing would be a better fit--but you'll never know. Make sure you do a lot of research before you choose your major and always, always take classes outside of your field!

Of course there are people who spend all four years studying a subject and just end up finding a different path that works better for them. That's great! Before you make that crucial choice, make sure you're doing it for the right reasons.

Have you or someone you know experienced this? Share your story!

The Smartest Super Bowl Commercial

It seems the general consensus about the Super Bowl commercials is that they were overall a bit...underwhelming this year. However, the first commercial to air after the big game caused a huge buzz on Twitter. Esurance aired a commercial promoting a contest they are hosting worth $1.5 million! Within seconds of the commercial airing, #EsuranceSave30 was already trending on Twitter and is still trending today worldwide.

Although this commercial created plenty of publicity for Esurance and its contest, it also opened the door for plenty of scamming accounts including @EsuranceSavings, @EsuranceWin, and @MillionEsurance. (For public knowledge, the only account affiliated with the contest is @Esurance.)

Regardless of the potential scams, Esurance's contest promotion via Twitter was a huge success. It seems the most intelligent Super Bowl commercials over the past few years have been incorporating social media. In fact, public relations professionals began using #BrandBowl to discuss the brands' new tactics of utilizing Twitter as opposed to solely relying on the Super Bowl commercials alone. Not only were companies tweeting things related to their commercials, they also tweeted amongst each other.

This new trend shows no sign of slowing down. Integrating social media into their advertisements allows companies to speak directly to their consumers and, in turn, builds a sense of brand loyalty and good relationships.

What do you think about the spike in social media advertising? Share your thoughts below!

The Best Ads of 2013

AdWeek chose their top ten ads of 2013. 

You can check them out here.

The list includes KMart's Ship My Pants commercial

and the Dove Real Beauty Sketches commercial, among others.

The ten videos that made the cut had a lot in common.  They were all either touching and heartwarming, like Chipotle's "The Scarecrow" commercial or hilarious like the Geico "Hump Day" commercial.  Just as a story needs to be newsworthy by maintaining relevancy, the same goes for advertisements.  Ads achieve relevancy by making an impact on their viewers. These top ten ads do this by giving viewers something to take away, like a funny phrase (i.e. HUMP DAAAAAY) or a message that resonates with the heart.

Which ad is your favorite? What makes it stand out? We want to hear from you!

Think Outside the Box: Internships

It's about the time that college students are applying for fall internships, if they haven't already.  I've been looking around at internships suggested by classmates, emailed to me by my advisor, and posted online--the usual places.  Then a coworker at my current internship asked me if I had ever worked at a TV station.  She encouraged me to apply for internships at local television stations because of the experience it would bring me. 

Interning somewhere like a television station is beneficial to aspiring PR pros for a lot of reasons.  You'll learn the ins and outs of broadcasting.  Knowing the jargon and being able to find your way around a station will definitely come in handy. It will also show that you aren't afraid to explore your options.

Some other great places for PR students to intern while they have the chance would be newspapers, marketing firms, and advertising agencies.

By working at a newspaper you're going to gain a lot of great contacts, as well as learn how a newsroom works so that you can more effectively communicate with reporters later on in your PR career.  Working at a marketing firm can provide you with a different way of looking a PR issues since, let's face it, marketing and PR are frequently lumped together.  Finally, working at an ad agency is a great way to dip into the creative side of things.

You'll come out of any of these types of internships with broadened horizons and a little something extra on your resume that other people might not have.  It's important to realize what area of PR you want to focus on and get an internship in that, but it's also important that you think outside the box sometimes.

Debate: Earned vs. Paid Media

By definition, the biggest difference between advertising and public relations is that company's pay for media advertisements in advertising, while public relations professionals must earn media coverage.

Recently, certain reporters and bloggers have tried to charge for coverage. Essentially, if the PR person for ABC company wants a certain reporter to cover their story, then they will charge a certain fee. Traditionally, this has been seen as unethical, as I'm inclined to believe. How can a reporter charge for relaying the news? If this is allowed in the future, who's to say that the news won't be completely controlled by the media and consumer culture? (True, it is partially, but where do we draw the line?)

What do you think? Is paying for media coverage unethical? Let us know in the comments below!

Insta-scammed!

Last week, Facebook and Twitter ignited with indignant messages against Instagram's new terms of service. The revised terms of service statement used language that made it seem like Instagram would obtain the rights to all user photos, giving them the freedom to use photos for advertisement purposes, without the user's permission. Needless to say, people per upset and many even closed their accounts.

On Wednesday, Instagram co-founder and CEO Kevin Systrom responded to the crisis via a blog post. Basically, Systrom admitted that Instagram made a mistake and jumped the gun too fast. The company failed to communicate with its audience and left users in the dark.

But the privacy issue is not the only factor that is raising heads. The updated terms of service also dictates that if a minor signs up for Instagram, then the minor is assumed to already have parental permission. Want to file a suit? Users must file an opt-out agreement within 30 days of joining Instagram, to Facebook's headquarters (Facebook bought out Instagram in April).

It is going to take a long time for Instagram to regain its users' trust after these recent discoveries. What do you think of the revised terms of service? Let us know!

Blogging 102: Advertisements and Sponsorships

So you've done it, you've started your own blog and thus far it has been a great success - congratulations. Now the big question is: what's next? Blogging, like any other social platform, is not just meant to be a means of pushing out information at readers. Blogging is a great way to grow and strengthen your network. An awesome way to do this is through the implementation of sponsorships and advertisements.

A blog sponsorship usually takes place between two independent blogger. The two bloggers will often exchange links or "link buttons" to display on one another's blog for an agreed upon period of time. Sponsorship usually does not indicate any form of monetary incentive. Through a sponsorship program, you not only get to share credible and useful websites with your readers, you are also having readers from other blogs pushed to your site. This is a great way to expand on viewership while interacting and networking with other bloggers.

Advertisements can come from a variety of sources. Many independent bloggers will establish relationships with outside companies to create a monetary gain from their blog. This can happen in various forms: placing advertisements in a viewable spot on the blogger's site, drafting sponsored posts that promote a brand or product, or even placing links to other blogs on your site for an agreed upon period of time in exchange for money. Advertisements are a great way to turn a hobby into a new means of income, as long as the addition of ads does not interrupt the integrity of your blog. Your goal is to gain money, not lose readers.

Only you as a blogger will know when you are ready to take this next leap even deeper into the blogosphere. Keep in mind that these things take time to come. You should already have a steady blog following, regular updates, and some interaction with other bloggers before you reach out to gain sponsors or advertisers. No matter what, alway remember that you are there to serve the readers. If you drive them away from your blog with constant sponsored posts or website plugs, you may lose the following you worked so hard to gain.

Have you ever considered adding these contributions to your blog? Let us know how it worked for you!

Mickey Mouse Marketing

Walt Disney Co. Chairman and CEO Robert Iger announced this past Tuesday that starting in 2015, Disney will ban all junk-food advertising on its children’s television and radio programs that do not meet certain nutritional guidelines.

Disney will be the first major media company to set a food and beverage advertising standard on kid-focused programming. Food and beverage products will need to meet pre-determined nutrition criteria for limiting calories and reducing saturated fat, sodium and sugar when the new regulations are put into effect.

Another aspect of the campaign that hasn’t gotten much media attention is how the Walt Disney Company is working to brand health.

Disney introduced the “Mickey Check” on Tuesday as well. It is described as a an icon in the shape of Mickey Mouse that will “call out nutritious food and menu items sold in stores, online and at restaurant food venues at its U.S. Parks and Resorts.” This so-called “tool” will eventually be featured on Disney licensed food products in your local grocery store.

Although this is an extremely smart business move, I can't help but think the program may be going a little too far. Kids are already bombarded with advertising messages in so many aspects of their everyday life. Now healthy eating, which is a serious public health issue looking at childhood obesity rates, is going to be directly connected to Disney consumer products. It makes me question whether the root of the campaign stems from a true concern over children’s health or is it just another way for Disney to make a profit?

How do you feel about this Mickey Mouse marketing? Is this a case of smart marketing going too far? Let us know!

Betting On PR

I recently came across an article on Inc.com titled “Why I’m Betting on PR” The article was written by Caroline Limpert, who recently started her own company. What caught my eye is that her start-up does not have a massive marketing budget like most start-ups tend to; instead, she is placing the entire budget into PR.

The reasons she is “betting on PR” are very powerful. As PR students and young professionals, we know that PR is sometimes misunderstood. Below are a few key ideas that we can take away from her list to help us justify what we are doing in our organizations and give ourselves some leverage over marketing and advertising professionals.

Editorial Coverage Builds Brand - In an age of advertising clutter, consumers look toward media coverage to form opinions of what’s in. Although Limpert’s start-up may not have the budget to place ads in TechCrunch, Vogue, and Details, she does have editorial coverage in those publications- which is more valuable in today’s age.

PR Creates Awareness - Most companies ideally would want to have their publics learn about their brand through positive word-of-mouth marketing. PR creates brand awareness in a credible way similar to how word-of-mouth marketing builds awareness. However, PR can build that awareness much faster.

PR Isn’t Just Press - PR does not just include press relations anymore. The new opportunities available to us, such as social media, are very low-cost to implement in comparison to marketing and advertising opportunities.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Kyra Mazurek.

Saving More with Social Media

After the Thanksgiving break, it almost seems as though Black Friday (or should I say Thursday, Friday, Saturday) shopping has taken consumers by storm this holiday season. With the use of social media sites, stores took their advertising to another level. Shoppers could be notified of the latest sales and even better deals on big-ticket items at their favorite stores through the following outlets...

• Foursquare: Stores such as JCPenney, Sports Authority, Aeropostale and Toys "R" Us, allowed customers to check-in on the location-based site to get discounts from their mobile phones. JCPenney even donated $25 to The Salvation Army for each person that checked in between certain times on Black Friday.
• Facebook: People that "Liked" the pages of major retailers, such as Macy's and Target, were able to see a preview of the deals that they might be interested in through their mini-feed.
  
• Twitter: Aside from announcing Black Friday deals through their company's page, there were accounts solely dedicated to the day's deals, like @blackfriday.
  
• Groupon: While not Black Friday-specific, Groupon offered different holiday deals under the name Grouponicus. They featured tickets to talk shows, cooking classes with famous chefs and even a round-the-world trip.
  
• Black Friday app: If social media sites weren't good enough for you, this free app featured ads from different retails that could be searched through store or category.
  

How did you use social media for your holiday shopping?

To read more about Black Friday social media marketing, click here.

RIP Steve Jobs

On October 5th, 2011 Steve Jobs, CEO and founder of Apple, inc. passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Apple users worldwide left flowers and trinkets in front of their local Apple store, with personal notes on the effect he had on the technological world.


In the time that Steve Jobs was CEO for Apple, he dramatically revolutionized marketing in such a way that no one expected him to. By streamlining packaging, holding separate Apple events, and using commercials to connect with their audience, Steve Jobs made Apple less of a computer company and more of a life style.

Every unveiling event that Steve Jobs held was always met with anticipation. Bloggers, journalists, and colleagues flocked to each event, anxious to see what Jobs had in store. Jobs himself almost always led the events, where simplicity ruled. Instead of the usual tech talk, Jobs and his colleagues always presented new devices in lamest terms. Following these events, Apple's website was always updated with the newly revealed product; with brightly colored displays, clear specs, and videos showcasing new additions. E-mail blasts are sent across the web, encouraging Apple users to by the newest and greatest Apple product yet, without the usual overselling tone.

Even the packaging that every Apple product arrives in sets it apart from every other product in the market. No one ever mistakes an Apple product for anything else, no doubt Steve Jobs's intention from the start. Users everywhere film YouTube videos of their Apple product unboxing, a tradition to some. In fact, when I bought my iPad, the salesperson handed it to me in a way that can only be compared to as being handed the Holy Grail.

Every Apple commercial has the air of familiarity in it. They show everyday people using their products; taking pictures and videos of their children, calling grandparents, making plans with friends, it is impossible to call Apple products impractical.

Steve Jobs changed the way that consumers view their devices. Jobs always put practicality and functionality first and did it with style, creating a global force to be reckoned with?

How do you feel about Steve Jobs's passing? What do you feel was his biggest achievement as CEO of Apple, inc.? Let us know!

A New Audience for Nestle

In any campaign, when you craft a message it is necessary to identify your audiences. This remains true even if your audience happens to have wet noses and wagging tails. This is the case with Nestle, a major pet food supplier.

They recently launched their first television commercial that is tailored to appeal to dogs and their owners. The company used a high-frequency tone, much like that of a dog whistle that humans can't really hear, but will cause a dog to pay attention to what is on the screen. Xavier Perez, Brand Manager of Beneful for Europe explains, "The television commercial aims to reach both the pet and the owner, supporting the special one-to-one relationship between them".

The 23-second commercial will be playing in Austria this week for their German customers. They were inspired by an advertising campaign in Germany that attracted dogs with scented posters. Just like any project, the company first had to do research into what sounds would appeal to dogs and what they should incorporate into the commercial for them to perk up their ears.

Do you think Nestle's new commercial will be successful?

Stay Safe Philly

On my way to work this weekend I noticed a particular public health ad traveling the Broad Street line. The ad was bright with the Philadelphia skyline gracing its background and spat FREECONDOM. Although the message of safe sex is not unique to the city of Philadelphia, the delivery and presentation is unlike any other public health ad.

One of the most interesting aspects of this ad is the cartoon spokesperson, Zelda. Zelda is portrayed as the young “cool mom”, she looks welcoming and understanding of sexual health needs.

But let’s be honest, who wants to go to their parents to talk about sex? This is exactly want the ad is trying to convince the audience, a mutual understanding between a child and a parent to talk about sex and the risks involved.

When I visited the site, the campaign was very consistent with the displayed ads. The color scheme was similar as well as the text and the message and there is even a link to “meet” Zelda.

TakeControlPhilly.org has recently been scrutinized for their services. The website offers a map where you can find free condoms as well as direct mailing for ages thirteen to nineteen.

Although the ad and its message are controversial, TakeControlPhilly does a great job in delivery.

SMARTphone Marketing

At the end of the summer I received a text message from Temple University notifying me that there was no damage to the school's facilities after the hurricane occurred in August. Seeing that I was in Boston at the time, I checked CNN for weather updates and then forgot about the text message shortly thereafter. On my first day back in Philadelphia, I received a text blast about a battle of the bands at a nearby venue in the city, but again I shoved my phone back in my pocket and moved on with my day. However, while catching up on the Cherry and White page before the Temple vs. Villanova game, I discovered on the school's website an option to have sports scores and updates texted to my phone as a live feed. It slowly hit me that I was getting news, promotions, sports and retail marketing to my phone without realizing it. It was then that I began to think about the importance of mobile message marketing in a more serious way.

In a recent article by the Miami Herald, Mobile Devices Can Help Attract and Keep Customers I read about some tips and trends of mobile marketing I thought I would share with my fellow PR lovers. According to a survey by Borrell and Associates, a Virginia-based media research firm, “small businesses in the United States are on track to spend almost $800 million in 2011 on mobile ads.” With the new found trend of mobile payments or m-payments becoming a phenomenon, providing information to one’s cell phone or smart phone is an effective way to allow a consumer to make a quick transaction. Promoting an event? Here’s a link to the online tickets! NEWS ALERT! Click here to access my blog!

In keeping up with the times as all PR professionals must do, here are some of the Miami Herald’s tips on mobile marketing and messaging:

1. Create a mobile campaign towards the gift giver

Make sure to emphasize occasions, holidays and reasons to reward yourself for the generous consumers who read your marketing materials.


2. Be helpful

Provide the reader with information on your client’s company or product and emphasize where they can read up on more! This gains coverage and provides a support system for the consumer.

3. Market your mobile program

Promote word-of-mouth marketing from your loyal customers in hopes of expanding your contact list.

4. Reward your best customers

Sending exclusive specials, coupons or promotional materials allows customers to feel like your relationship is mutually beneficial and encourages them to shop or support your client more.

5. Keep your customers close

Reward check-ins or give promotions to your customers who are close to the store as added incentive for coming in.

Whether you are a consumer benefiting from great sales or a marketer trying to sell a product or promote a client, be aware of the benefits of mobile outreach. Be smart when using your phone marketing and it will pay off!

What mobile marketing campaigns have you experienced? Were they successful? Let us know!


This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Meagan Prescott.

Location is Key

One of the primary goals of marketing a brand is to make it easily recognizable and attainable to everyone. When the average American goes out during the day, they pass hundreds of advertisements posted on billboards, in windows, on street poles, and even bus stops. This is because location is key. It is nearly impossible to avoid one of these everyday installments, and that is the goal, to make sure consumers remember your brand. In "HOW TO: Leverage Location for Better Ad Campaigns", David Staas highlights several ways to locationize your brand:

• Local messaging: When leading a national campaign, it is important to instill a local element into your advertisements to give your audience a sense of familiarity and personal attachment. According to Staas, one particular brand, placed advertisements in New York and incorporated the Statue of Liberty, and the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles. Doing this gave a more local, trustworthy feel to the brand rather than an inapproachable and consumerist one.
  
• Let consumers engage with a specific location: With the introduction of GPS capabilities in most mobile phones, location based apps have boomed. Foursquare, for instance, allows its users to "check-in" to locations for their friends to see. This idea of checking in to locations broadcasts that place across the web and sparks the idea that this location is the place to be. Another location based app, Shopkick, partners with specific brands so that when you step into their shop and check-in via your phone, you will earn points towards major discounts, attracting all the bargain hunters out there.
  
• Consider proximity: Most consumers will not trek too far for a 10% discount. But when faced with a larger discount of 40-50%, customers become much more willing to go the extra mile and buy a larger quantity of items. This allows marketers to gauge farther than just the immediate area of the store in order to attract new and returning customers.

What do you think? Do you have any location based apps on your phone? Can you think of any brands that have been using location to encourage consumers? Let us know!

To read more on taking advantage of location when promoting your brand, click here.

Dove's Not-So-Clean Ad Campaign

Nothing illustrates the power of the blogosphere more perfectly than a textbook PR dilemma. The Dove soap brand recently came under fire for a national ad that many claim to be racist. Before I delve into the crisis, take a glance at the ad for yourself:


See anything questionable? The ad is for Dove’s VisibleCare Body Wash, which claims to improve the overall appearance of women’s skin in just one week. Dove’s media headache began when the blog ‘Copyranter’ posted the following about the ad: “Dove body wash turns Black women into Latino women into White women.” The post explained how the ad shows black skin as bad and white skin as good, by having the skin color get progressively lighter by the ‘after’ or better side of the ad.

This dilemma brings up the question of how PR professionals should react to negative blog or social media posts. Fight back and risk saying something offensive or let the people talk and spread rumors? In this case, Dove kept a low profile by simply replying once to the original blog saying,

“…The ad is intended to illustrate the benefits of using Dove VisibleCare Body Wash, by making skin visibly more beautiful in just one week. All three women are intended to demonstrate the ‘after’ product benefit. We do not condone any activity or imagery that intentionally insults any audience.”

Little action on Twitter has been taken by Dove, and their Facebook page has been managed by one Dove commenter to defend the company. In my opinion, Dove handled this situation very responsibly, by replying to the original blog that started the chatter and to no one else. The new world of blogging creates these new types of problems for PR professionals everyday, and crises such as these are prime examples of how to deal with them.

Personally, the ad should have never seen the light of day, because when looked at closely it does give off a negative image towards darker skinned women. Looking at the ad again, it would make much more sense to have all of the women standing under the ‘after’ sign, showing that women of all skin colors are beautiful.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Mackenzie Krott.