Aldo Gives Free Shoes to Curious Pedestrians

Feet gross me out but if it meant free shoes, why not? In Israel, major shoe retail Aldo, tested pedestrians’ curiosity by placing a welcome mat in the middle of a street that read these instructions:

1. Stand here on our welcome mat
2. Take a picture of your shoes on Instagram
3. Tag your pic #aldo
4. Write your shoes size
5. Ring my bell

…and a surprise of a new pair of shoes from arrives rolling up to you. The bell rang 457 times and over 500 pictures were loaded to Instagram. An alarming number of 798,385 total interactions were recoded that day.

The implementation of social media with guerilla marketing makes for an effective tactic. The first guerilla marketing viral tactic incorporated with social media was QR codes. Comparatively this is more interactive which is where brands have an opportunity to distinguish themselves. Not only does guerilla marketing paired with social media measure awareness but also engagement, request and a return. 

Coca-Cola was at the forefront of this interaction with their “Open Hapiness” campaign which set up vending machines at the National University of Singapore that traded fee hugs for Coca-Cola drinks.

Would you take a picture of your feet for free schoes? How about hug a vending  for a free Coke?

Brainstorming Made Easy

One of my favorite aspects of PR is the creative side, where you get to really map out fresh innovative ideas for new and exciting projects. Whenever taking on a new client, it is likely that you will have to brainstorm ideas and tactics to help the clients meet its goals. This may seem like a piece of cake, but in reality, brainstorming can get a bit tricky. Especially when you are trying to collaborate thoughts within a team.

Clients are looking for you to come up with ideas that are even more outrageous and creative than the ones they could come with on their own - that's why they hired you! When brainstorming new ideas for a client, keep these tips in mind to stay focused on task and yield great results:

Start General - When thinking up fresh ideas, start with general phrases and thoughts and then narrow things down. Something may be too broad to attempt to execute, but it may spark an idea for something else. You also never know when a client will be more drawn to a bigger, more outrageous idea.

Write Everything Down - The power of word association is not one to be doubted. Write down any word or phrase that comes to mind. Seeing the words on paper makes it easier to trigger new thoughts which may prove useful.

Fill in Missing Links - What is your client lacking or asking you to bring to the table? Write that down, and use that to spark new thoughts. It's your job to help the client make up for the areas it lacks in.

Forget the Budget - This may sound like PR suicide, but while you're brainstorming the one thing that will prevent your creative juices from flowing is constantly considering numbers. Since you are starting with general ideas anyway, as you narrow your list down you will be able to more realistically consider the client's budget. You never know, one of your more extravagant ideas may inspire the client to reconsider their funding options!

What tips do you have to brainstorm effectively? Let us know!

Seeing the World Through Sandy Colored Glasses

If you have ever taken a public relations class, you know that weather trumps any aspect of newsworthiness. If you are sending out a pitch to the local paper about your company's new website this week, think again. Sandy has officially taken over.

Rumors have taken over the news, when is Sandy coming? Where? For how long? Grocery stores have been rampaged and raided and people are preparing to hibernate, potentially without electricity, until mid-week.

However, for companies that sometimes depend on the weather (e.g. power companies, hospitals, schools, etc.), bad weather can provide an opportunity to spread awareness. Con Edison, for example, was recently awarded with PR Daily's Best Use of Social Media in a Crisis distinction. Last summer, during Hurricane Irene, Con Edison was in a bind. The company, which provides service to over 9.2 million people, had to restore power to its customers in a timely manner which required interacting with its many customers. To do so, Con Edison took to Twitter. By providing consistent updates, responding to rumors and issues and remaining engaged, Con Edison set a great example for similar organizations worldwide.

Have you seen a company that has set the bar for disaster/crisis response? Let us know below!

The Pros and Cons of Live Tweeting

Today in a world run by social media, especially in PR, live tweeting seems to be taking over events of all sorts. Many PR industry pros are taking advantage of this new phenomenon to promote their events and even provide a hashtag for tweeters to use at their event. 

Live tweeting is great way to engage audience members as well as endorse an event and their company. Tweeters are able to share quotes, photos and event details to all their followers. Also, live tweeting allows one to connect with followers, realize similar hobbies and opinions as well as stimulate conversation. Although this new conversation can be beneficial, there is also a problem with live tweeting.

With PR pros constantly connected to social media and their cell phones, live tweeting can easily become another distraction. When one is using their phone to tweet, they are more likely to check text messages, emails and other tweets, taking away from the speaker and event. In addition, when one is furiously tweeting and typing away, you miss much of what is being said. One could miss an important fact, message or quote because you are looking at your phone. When everyone is looking at their phone, there is no focus on the speaker and it comes off rude, even if people are tweeting quotes.

Since it is presidential debate season, we see millions of tweets surrounding the debates, but it begs the question, how much of the debate are you actually watching? Are you watching just to tweet, to show your followers you are “engaged” and to tweet at others, or are you watching to become informed on the issues. Live tweeting takes away one’s engagement to an event or TV segment.

Live tweeting has its pros and cons, but when does live tweeting go too far?

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Brianna Rooney

Celebrity Political Endorsements: A Hindrance or Help to Presidential Candidates?

Celebrity endorsements have become increasingly more influential in our celebrity-fixated culture. Everywhere you look it seems that celebrities are rallying behind some product or brand. In light of the upcoming Presidential Election, those celebrity endorsements have turned political, as famous individuals are vocally supporting the Presidential candidates. Beyonce, Jay-Z and George Clooney are well-known Obama campaign supporters while Romney has received political endorsements from Clint Eastwood, Donald Trump and Cindy Crawford. Celebrity endorsements have proven to be successful when it comes to product marketing, but when these celebrities and politics mix- are these endorsements helping or hurting the candidates?

The audience a celebrity appeals to can potentially have a great impact on how those individuals vote. If a particular celebrity appeals to young individuals, these potential new voters may actively seek more information about the candidate and be more motivated to head to the polls. How the youth of America votes has been regarded as of crucial importance in this upcoming election. Candidates are employing several tactics in order to secure those young votes and celebrity endorsements can be a way to do just that.

On the other hand, the public’s perception of an endorser can adversely affect the candidate. It is no coincidence that brands often pick celebrities who are relatively scandal-free to be a spokesperson for their product. For example, Lindsay Lohan, a recent Romney supporter, has been a controversial endorser as her public image is marred by a party-girl reputation and numerous stints in rehab. The credibility of a celebrity can be reflective upon the candidate.

Celebrities have been more vocal about their political affiliation in recent years than ever before. Among the many factors that motivate us to vote for a certain candidate, should celebrity endorsements be one or is it already? Let us know what you think!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Cara Graeff.

Live Tweeting: The "Active Audience" Has Taken On A Whole New Meaning

I'll admit it; I have become competely obssessed with Twitter, and I am not the only one. Recently, Twitter has been blowing up the social media scene. More social media users are turning away from other popular forms, notably Facebook, and dedicating themselves to Twitter. Ever since Twitter blew up the social media scene in 2006, tweeting has become more socially acceptable in formal settings.

"Live tweeting" has become a new term in recent years. Maybe it is because the new generation has an addiction to knowing what is happening at every second of every day or perhaps it is the thrill of updating the world on the latest gossip. I see this "live tweeting" trend in its full form every week at our PRSSA meetings. It started becoming a trend at our meetings sometime last school year and has gotten even bigger now that more of our members are Twitter fiends (a.k.a. me).

 Our Temple University chapter meetings usually last about an hour. After a full day of classes, it seems like a long time to dedicate your full attention to. To keep members interested, engaged and active, encourage live tweeting!

Here are three tips on how you can incorporate live tweeting into your any type of programming or presentation:

1. Choose a hashtag that relates to your event specifically. For Temple University PRSSA meetings, we use #TemplePRSSA. If attendees consistently use the hastag, it will make it easier for others to recognize your organization or event.

2. If you have a speaker or presenter who is on Twitter, encourage your members or attendees to tag them in their live tweets.

4. Track the hashtag. See what your members or attendees are saying, and retweet them as encouragement, too.

With live tweeting, you never know the conversations that could be started. It is a great tool for getting an audience involved and egaged.

How do you use live tweetting? Let us know!

Americans Would Rather Fire Their Bosses Than Recieve a Raise

A survey conducted by psychologist Michelle McQuaid author of “Five Reasons to Tell Your Boss To Go F**k Themselves”, revealed that 65% of Americans would rather get rid of their bosses than receive a raise (and in this economy!?).

McQuid comments that the results reveal that Americans are unhappy in the workplace and 55% say they would be more successful if they got along better with their supervisor.

Although an unhappy workplace is comprised of more than just a horrible boss such as  co-works and job tasks, the survey also reveals that employees who dislike their bosses take an average of 15 more sick days per year than other workers which results in $360 billion dollars a year in lost productivity.

To be a good boss it takes time, effort and experience. Understanding your employees and efficiently utilizing their strengths is the best way to start a good relationship. As the Firm Director of PRowl, I am always looking for better ways to connect with my staff and gain their trust. After reading this article, I asked my staff to take an anonymous survey to help gain a better underatnding of how I can provide a safe work enviornmnet and be a better leader. The results will help me the determine the changes I need to make and provide an opportunity to listen to my staff.

 

Other statistics from the survey include:

• When asked about the impact a bad supervisor could have on their health. 73% of those in their 20s and 30s said their health is at stake, while only 40% of those 50 and older felt that way
• 31% of employees polled feel uninspired and unappreciated by their boss, and close to 15% feel downright miserable, bored and lonely.
• Only 36% of survey respondents say they are happy at their job.

How can your work environment be changed for the better? We want to know!