Miley Cyrus, PR Pro?

It has been over a month since Miley Cyrus’ VMA performance, yet she is still making it into every magazine, newspaper and website we can get our hands on. Whether it’s twerking with a foam finger to a national audience, breaking off her engagement with fiancé, Liam Hemsworth, or hitting No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 charts, Miley is everywhere.

What’s her secret? Great PR.

Miley has brilliantly utilized her fame to gain even more recognition. While most might think of Miley as a child star who has gone off the deep end, there is no doubt that she can still capture our attention.

Rethinking Miley’s moves:

• About a year ago, Miley’s long, brown hair slowly transformed into a short, blonde and bold cut. She had been out of the limelight for a while, so what better way to create a buzz than to tweet a picture and keep the audience in suspense about her new look.
• Four months ago, Miley dropped a music video for her first single “We Can’t Stop,” from her new album. While everyone was in shock at how different this was from anything she had done before, Miley got to sit back and let the video do its work.  She had successfully rebranded herself. No longer were her fans expecting her to cater to the pre-teen crowd.
• After the drop of her music video, everyone wondered what Miley would do next. Her VMA performance not only brought about an array of reactions, it sent the audience a very clear message: she was here to stay.
• Left in the dark about her new look, style and voice, Miley fans celebrated the release of her MTV documentary in early October. The documentary offered viewers a new perspective on her life and created a connection that fans were missing since her 2013 “debut”. Without realizing it, fans across the world had reconnected with their childhood idol, and could once again relate to her new sound.

The next time you see Miley pull another one of her crazy stunts, you’ll know that it isn’t Miley being like every other superstar, but rather Miley being a PR genius.

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Hiya Ray.

How to #Hashtag on Facebook

It has been a little over two months since Facebook rolled out it's hashtag feature and some brands have been utilizing as a potential tool to drive engagement. Although it hasn't gained much traction yet, Simply Measured's recent study found that brand adoption of Facebook hashtags had increased by 20% by the end of July. 

Five major brands have demonstrated strategic and effective hashtag tactics and, in turn, have been seeing major results:

1. American Express - Cross-Channel Campaign Promotion 
#PassionProject
Average Brand Engagement: 1,689
Post Engagement: 10,362
Engagement Factor: 6.1 x AVG
By creating awareness for its #PassionProject campaign using the same hashtag on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, American Express is making the campaign content discoverable across networks. 

2. Moet & Chandon - Seasonal Hashtags for Seasonal Products
#Summer 
Average Brand Engagement: 1,571
Post Engagement: 9,083
Engagement Factor: 5.7 x AVG
Seasonal hashtags allow seasonal brands like Moet & Chandon to promote #Summer products by tapping into a broad topic. 

3. Credit Suisse - News Jacking
#Wimbeldon 
Average Brand Engagement: 168
Post Engagement: 1,088
Engagement Factor: 6.4 x AVG
Credit Suisse, a multinational financial services holding company, used #Wimbeldon to highlight it's player sponsorship. Brands can use Facebook hashtags to create awareness for their pages by tapping into event discussion and providing valuable content. 

4. Loreal Paris - Already Popular Hashtags 
#ManiMonday
Average Brand Engagement: 1,012
Post Engagement: 3,387
Engagement Factor: 3.3 x AVG
Popular hashtags on other networks can be extended to Facebook. Cosmetic brands' use of #ManiMonday exemplifies that using context that has already been created for many popular tags on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram is effective. 

5. MTV - Leverage Your Largest Audience 
#BeyInspired 
Average Brand Engagement: 4,924
Post Engagement: 8,171
Engagement Factor: 1.7 x AVG
MTV has shown how brands can use Facebook hashtags to run integrated contests and promotions to encourage fans, their largest social audience, to participate on other networks. 

The Knot’s Smart Use of Sandy

Hurricane Sandy wrecked havoc and put life on hold for millions of residents on the East Coast this past week, destroying homes, flooding cities and causing millions to lose power. As I was sitting at work discussing the disaster and its repercussions with a fellow co-worker she mentioned something that really struck a chord; Sandy had completely destroyed her friend’s wedding venue. That made me think – there must have been thousands and thousands of fall weddings cancelled, venues ruined and churches flooded all due to Sandy’s destruction.

As I was on Twitter, I came across an article discussing how the most-trafficked wedding website called The Knot helped to salvage over 2,000 weddings disrupted by Sandy. The online company estimates nearly 2,300 brides-to-be had to put a halt to their wedding plans this week due to the inclement weather. 

The Knot created a Facebook page as an online forum to connect brides with venues and vendors to reschedule this week’s weddings and to keep the more than 4,000 November ceremonies intact.

“Helping Brides in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy” is the name of the Facebook page where East Coast couples can share tips, find available venues and talk to local experts. Helping couples “tie the knot” as scheduled is the main goal for The Knot.

From Nov. 1 to Nov. 25, vendors are asked to list their businesses, addresses, availability and contact information. Many venues in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut lost power and sustained damage from flood waters, forcing brides to make major adjustments.
This is a great example of taking a current event and using it to your company’s advantage. The Knot saw its opportunity and clearly took it. I believe this is a great lesson in marketing as well as public relations.

Can you think of other companies like The Knot that could benefit from a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy? Let us know!

Pin it to Win It

The new Pinterest has been circulating around the social media block. I'm personally a fan, all you have to do is "pin" things that you like; food, fashion, decor, people, and even art. The things you pin will then go on their designated board, showcasing your personal boards to the public. But bored college students and stay-at-home moms aren't the only people benefiting from Pinterest. Below are "3 ways to use Pinterest for business right now":

• Hold a contest- What many companies have been doing is holding contests for customers to pin products on their website and publish it on their boards in exchange for a small prize. One of the best things about Pinterest is that it allows you the option to incorporate both your Facebook and Twitter. Whenever you pin something, you can choose to publish it on your Facebook and Twitter as well, making the ability to share on multiple social media accounts simple and effective.
• Add the "Pin It" widget to your sites- Pinterest allows you to add their widget easily onto your website. Connecting your website to Pinterest will allow users to simply click on the widget whenever they would like to pin something on your website.
• Create a company board- Some company's have already jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon and have created boards. While you're not allowed to obviously advertise your brand, you can categorize your boards strategically, much like Nordstrom did, and pin products that are available through your company.

Not on Pinterest yet? The site is still invite only so feel free to let me know if you'd like an invite!

Effective Use of Social Media: What it Means to Build a Brand

As PR and marketing companies continue to increasingly utilize social media, questions concerning the affect social media has on the industry seem to come up quite often. How are companies capitalizing on the use of branding through social media? What are the benefits of using Facebook and Twitter? How important is blogging to PR and marketing firms? Social media has changed the industry for good, and knowing how to use it effectively has become a main concern for companies and agencies everywhere.

Using social media is a simple way to build a brand without having to invest significant time and resources. PR and marketing agencies can reap many benefits from establishing a brand through social media, including connecting with consumers and interacting with other professionals in the field. When PR and marketing companies begin to brand themselves through social media and establish a following, it is easy to find ways to capitalize on it. The fact that a company has the potential to reach millions without spending any money is a huge advantage, especially to non-profits. The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation is a great example of a company that has branded themselves extremely well through social media. They maintain a constant interaction with their over 21,000 followers on Twitter and the 97,130 people who “like” their Facebook page. They’re With Love, Philadelphia XOXO image has become instantly recognizable with the help of their effective use of social media.

It has become increasingly more crucial for agencies to have an interactive, successful blog. Blogs are one of the best ways for companies to build a solid reputation and market themselves efficiently. Blogs have affected the PR industry tremendously, giving PR professionals an outlet to promote not only themselves, but their clients, products or ideas as well. It has been proven that those organizations that are actively blogging communicate with their audience much more effectively than those that do not. GPTMC has won numerous awards for their blog, and is a great example of how PR and marketing companies can utilize blogging to their advantage. Check it out at http://www.uwishunu.com/.

So what does all of this mean to prospective PR professionals? The use of social media has undoubtedly shaped the way future employers go through the hiring process. Building a personal brand is just as important as building an agency brand. Companies will be looking at prospective employees’ use of social media, their following, and the content that they display. Blogging, tweeting and personal branding are now just as important as flawless writing and verbal skills. Social media has shaped the PR and marketing industries forever, and effective use of it is certainly a step in the right direction for students going into the field.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Kaitlin Tully.

Guerrilla Marketing Sensations

Everyone loves guerrilla marketing tactics. They're outrageous, unexpected, creative and ridiculously successful at generating a buzz for your product. They cost little money and are a thousand times more effective at capturing the attention of consumers over standard advertising. I have had the opportunity to help generate stunts for student organizations that I'm involved in on campus and can attest first hand at how effective they are at generating interest (and have helped grow the membership base of my theatre organization immensely).

While coming up with creative ideas for our next big stunt for an upcoming event, I came across a great post from Mashable with 11 great guerilla marketing videos. Some of the videos included were Nike, Ikea, Absolut, UNICEF and Volkswagon. All of the videos were great, however my personal favorites were Ikea and UNICEF (who wouldn't love to relax at a posh bus stop?) The most important part about any stunt is that its memorable and is consistent with the branding of the product or mission. It has to be purpose driven and it needs to provide results. Guerrilla marketing can be an incredibly powerful tool when used appropriately.

Be sure to check out all of the great videos here.

What was your favorite video? What are your thoughts on the use of guerrilla marketing to promote your client?

Let us know!

Cryptic Clues about UCLA's Internet Celebration

Did you know that the first Internet message was sent by professor Leonard Kleinrock of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at UCLA 40 years ago? Many people think the Internet was created at MIT, but it was the communications team’s job at UCLA to inform you otherwise. In order to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Internet and talk about the real-world impact that some of the discoveries and research work from UCLA have, the university proposed a $100,000 budget for advertising and promotion. Instead, they got $9,500 total.

Although the creation of the Internet is obviously impressive, it is also noteworthy that the team at UCLA was able to craft and execute such a creative campaign in two months and with a budget that was slashed by 90 percent.

Below are some of the components of the campaign:

• A countdown clock was posted on the main page of the university’s website with no description of what it was counting down to. When visitors clicked on the clock, cryptic clues would appear hinting at what was going on. When the clock hit zero, the website page began to flicker and appeared to crash to the ground with a balloon featuring the letters “LO” floating upwards, a simulation of the crash that occurred when Dr. Kleinrock attempted to type “LOGIN” in his first Internet message. A link then sent readers to an article about the anniversary.
  
• Cryptic clues about the anniversary were also disseminated on Facebook with a #ucla40 tag that led people to guess what could possibly be going on. Social media was also used to promote videos of Dr. Kleinrock explaining the process of sending the first information over the Internet to UCLA’s 55,000 Facebook fans, 5,500 Twitter followers and 6,500 YouTube subscribers.
  
• Traditional media was also used as a component to the plan. The UCLA team bought an ad in the school newspaper, pitched an online story in the university magazine, and bought online banner ads in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, which led to approximately 160,000 impressions on the event website.
  
• The eight-hour main event was live streamed on UCLA’s website, Ustream and Facebook accounts. More than 50,000 viewers tuned in and communicators encouraged speakers at the conference to ask their Twitter followers to send in questions to be answered live.
  

What would you have done with $9,500 and the task of promoting the 40th anniversary of the first Internet message? Click here to read the full article by Matt Wilson at Ragan.com.

Customer Service: Good PR at the Ground Level

While visiting my hometown of Lancaster recently, my boyfriend and I observed an excellent example of PR at the ground level.

My boyfriend purchased a watch in April from the Fossil outlet. At the time, we were thrilled with the customer service we received, particularly because the employees removed links to custom fit the watch--in just minutes and for free! After that trip, we were both quick to recommend Fossil to our friends and family members.

Since then, we have made several other purchases from that store. Recently, though, the watch we originally purchased in April stopped working. Disappointed that the battery stopped working after only four months, we returned to the store on Monday. Without any hassle, or even needing to verify our purchase history, the employees at Fossil replaced the battery for free! The employees were very friendly, attentive and apologetic, and they made it very simple and quick to repair the watch.

It was so refreshing to see a company so thoroughly stand by its products and its customers. Thanks to the excellent customer service we received, we have developed a deep level of loyalty to Fossil. In fact, my boyfriend has said that he will never buy a watch any place else! In addition, you can be sure that our recommendations to friends and family will be even stronger after this experience; the company has succeeded in unofficially enlisting us as its very own buzz marketers!

What changes can you make at your company to generate loyalty and to positively represent your brand at the ground level?

Find Food on Twitter!

Here in Philadelphia, food trucks are very popular. Trucks park along curbs all over the city and serve hot food at cheap prices--on the fly. At Temple alone, I can think of over 15 food trucks lining various streets on campus. Many people have their favorite foods they like to get from their favorite trucks.

But what happens if one day your food truck isn't parked where it normally would be? Enter Twitter onto the scene.

That's right, food trucks all over the country are tapping the power of Twitter to keep their faithful customers abreast of their location.

Twitter is also facilitating a change in the types of cuisine that can be found on the streets. In California, as discussed in an article I recently read in Food and Wine Magazine, it is a rising trend for famous chefs to serve their cuisine out of trucks that allow them to travel around the city. Author Salma Abdelnour has credited social media for the success of these new "catch-me-if-you-can" entrepreneurial ventures. Some such trucks have amassed as many as 63,000 followers on Twitter, as people "chase" the trucks through the city for a chance to sample these fine foods.

Pretty cool, if you ask me. The power of social media never ceases to amaze me!

Click here to view Food and Wine Magazine's list of top restaurants, food trucks and and carts to follow on Twitter.

Domino's Turns to Buzz Marketing. Will it Work?

Domino's Pizza is turning to buzz marketing in its latest campaign. In its TV ad, the company explains that they are so confident in their product that they do not feel the need to doctor or manipulate their pizzas for commercial purposes. Instead, the company is turning to its customers and the public at large for its next advertising photos.

Customers are encouraged to take their own photos of their Domino's pizza and submit them online at showusyourpizza.com. Customers can win $500 and the chance to have their photo actually used in a Domino's Pizza ad.

The photo guidelines? According to the website, in all photos taken for commercial purposes, whether taken by a consumer-turned-photographer or the company itself, the following guidelines will be followed:

• pictures only of "honest-to-goodness" pizzas will be taken.
• pictures only of pizzas made by Domino's employees will be taken.
  
• the pizzas in the photos cannot and will not be "artificially manipulate[d]"
  

To encourage people to participate in the contest (and also to boost sales), Domino's is also offering customers a special deal: two medium two topping pizzas for $5.99 (although, curiously, there is a two pizza minimum).

Do you think this campaign will succeed in generating word-of-mouth buzz about the company and its products? Do you think this campaign is a good way of connecting with customers and the public at large? It certainly caught my attention! While I don't plan on submitting my own photos, I think it is a fun and clever way to generate both business and awareness--not to mention cheap for the company (the winner is only promised $500 and the money spent on web development and TV ads is probably money that would be spent on promotion either way).

I'd love to hear your thoughts!