Marketers Salute Michael Jackson

Here's a great YouTube Video done by prisoners as a tribute to MJ. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK25cfzdTTg

Like everyone else in the world I'm writing about Michael Jackson today - his passing is a loss for all. His music spanned decades and generations - recently my nine year-old daughter heard "I'll be There," and I explained to her that this was Michael Jackson when he was close to her age - that he had a long history with music. She knew who he was but had no idea of his history - to her he was just an MTV star.

Despite all his troubles, Jackson was a brilliant marketer. He put MTV on the map with Thriller which sold hundreds of millions of records and was a staple at every teen party throughout the 1980s. Kids sat and watched the video a 100 times, copied his moves and danced to his songs.

One of the smartest things he ever did, which evidently kept him afloat as he continued to bleed money, was buy the rights to a couple hundred songs by the Beatles. Although the price tag was $47 million plus he knew that the value of that music was priceless. He understood the music business and what would sell.

What made Michael Jackson an amazing marketer was his creativity - his penchant for changing styles, for experimentation, for taking chances and getting them right. Like Madonna who is also of his era and not much older, he made choreography and dance a staple in the music business and brought it to the stage. There would have been no Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Paula Abdul and hundreds of other performers who used dance to enhance their shows without Michael Jackson. Rock and roll was just a band before he upped the ante.

As a dancer, I have always admired his courage and the freshness of his work - it's mastery really - he doesn't just sing and put on a show - he marketed a concept, a feeling, a way of thinking about the world that's crystal clear. More power to him.

Of course, the pedophile accusation was dreadful for his career, but I read that he was about to make a comeback with a series of sold-out shows in London. The Europeans are much more forgiving, particularly when you are found innocent. I do think he was a bit wacko (not an original thought) but beyond that I just don't know. I wasn't there.

Traveling and don't want to stay on too long but that's my thought for the day.

Why Do Most PR People Play it Safe?

Always good for me to go to DC Ad Club event – it’s so hard to find really creative people in this market. New York was flush with them but DC is so cautious, much of the PR is words like effective, appropriate – PR people are into consultant speak.

I put out a call for designers recently and the stuff I saw was not just boring, it wasn’t creative. Stock photos, dull headlines, a tribute to safeness.

Come on people – we live in a world of clutter. If you want to cut through you have to think no I will not say “outside of the box.” You just have to think.

Don’t people know the difference between good and bad design? Good writing and fluff? Don’t they care?

Anyway went to a lunch to see this year’s DC area Addy award winners and it was an eye opener. The grand prize winner was a real breath of fresh air.

Glorified Spies

The grand prize winner was the Redhead Companies, and two young, enthusiastic redheads presented. They did a campaign for the Spy Museum, sort of a take-off on the Cold War but with modern day imaging, bold colors and very striking.

Their creative plan of attack was very simple “Be conspicuous.” They created “Metro Station Domination.” When you got off the train at the Spy Museum’s metro stop you couldn’t miss them. The ads were everywhere. Some of the best headlines:

Most Museums Contain Donated Treasures – Most of Ours are Stolen

This is the Only Museum that Requires a Fake ID to Get In

An actual CIA spy called and asked for posters of the ads. Ticket sales were up 18%. Web traffic was up 57%. And what happened? They got canned.

Fun of Playing the Lottery

Another winner was Smith Gifford which did a series of “Dodge Ball” ads for the Virginia lottery. The idea was to get across the fun of playing but not the fun of winning – which was a departure from the traditional lottery ads which push “You’ve Gotta Be in It to Win It.”

When they presented the creative a scientists stood up and said “Technically you win when you don’t get hit.” That provided some inspiration, they realized it was not about hitting but about watching someone else get hit. Favorability ratings shot up.

National Train Day

This campaign was done by Arnold Advertising for Amtrak and it was clear that they spent a fortune creating National Train Day. Seven different artists created materials in four different cities: NY, DC, Chicago and LA. Thousands of man hours were expended. They gave away a week on a train on Wheel of Fortune. Ninety three stations across the country held train station events.

Some of the results – 140 stories in 28 markets, more than 70 videos on YouTube, yada, yada, yada. If you give me a couple million bucks for a campaign I can make a big splash too.

Twitter is Boring or is it just Celebrities?

Don't you just love my Twitter bird?

Nobody mocks Twitter better than the late night comedians. Conan O'Brien, in his first week as host of the Tonight Show, demonstrated just how mundane and ridiculous it can be.

Do I really need to know that my high school boyfriend's wife, who we both went to school with, is off to get her car cleaned? Or that an acquaintance has taken some bogus quiz defining what wild animal they would be? Or that a friend is in a hotel room listening to the couple next door have sex? Will this enrich my life? I don't think so.

Most of my Twittering is pretty boring too but I try to keep it business related. What am I working on - what is the big question of the day - what frustrates me - in just a few characters it's hard to rant. That's for blogging.

Anyway this clip is about celebrity Twittering and if you didn't know that they were just like you and me you will soon. The trouble is I have to question who is really Twittering for them - some publicists intern perhaps? Does Miley Cyrus really wait in line for a latte or is just her PR reps way of showing she's a regular teen? Does Ashton Kutcher go to the supermarket to shop for salad fixings - and would he tell the world about it?

Enjoy this - it's very funny.

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=112277475489&h=hh57_&u=LJGx3&ref=nf">

And this just in from the Online Examiner:

"Faced with complaints about impersonators, Twitter said this weekend on its blog that it intends to launch a verification system to identify the real celebrities on the site.

The company intends to test the service this summer, but beyond that, many details aren't yet known. Such a program might help the site -- but might also expose it to further liability. One critical detail that's still unclear is whether Twitter intends to charge for the service."

Does that mean the publicists will have to pay?

Media Coverage during the Apocalypse – How it's Changed

Over the last 18 months I have become a student of media – a witness to the apocalypse of traditional media – print, broadcast, radio – and a student of the new. When it comes to pitching today's media - we are all just babies - figuring it out as we go along. Maybe with more crying on our end.

In my areas of expertise – healthcare, education and science – I’ve seen entire departments in the world’s most prestigious organizations – the Washington Post, the New York Times, Business Week, Forbes, Fortune, AP, Reuters, CNBC, the networks - all have all shrunk their ranks dramatically.

If you think that the online versions of name brand media have remained well staffed while the others have shrunk – you are wrong. Online is where much of the new staffing went – the reporters, producers, editors, etc. – were young, dynamic and expendable. Many of those departments are decimated - it's all gone to freelancers who they try to portray as on staff. The bad part for PR people - finding them is really hard and 99% of the stuff you send doesn't get passed on.

Here’s some of the things I’ve learned about the new media reality:

Regional newspapers, though hard hit, have kept beat reporters to maintain reporting on important local issues – the Chicago Tribune is much less likely to let a healthcare reporter go than is USA Today. These are a great source of potential hits – if you can find a local angle. And these days anything that appears in print also shows up online.

Blogs are the best resource for those who want quick and widespread coverage. Blog reporters have winnowed down to two types – the seasoned journalist and the newbie who is trying to make a mark for herself. Both have to fill a lot of space. And be provocative - the goal is to stimulate debate.

Story pitches have gotten really simple – If you thought story pitches were getting simplistic before – now they’re a reality TV show title. Editors and producers want quick, hard hitting, why now and why should I care. In the length of a tweet. The days of page long story packages with explanations of why this trend is important or why this product is the newest and greated should be covered are dead and gone. No one cares. Go to HARO and PR Newswire to see what people are covering. Very instructive. Also follow reporters on Twitter.

Scrap your long media releases. If it can't be said in under 600 words you shouldn't be saying it. And the long quotes make the client happy but the reporter could care less. Your headline and first paragraph are key word sources - but don't sacrifice content. Better to include a second quote or name with the story pitch of someone who can validate it and has no apparent vested interest in doing so. If you don't know what I mean, you're in the wrong business.

The economy is the story and will be for awhile to come. Something that saves money, creates jobs, shows teamwork, helps others in need are all good stories. If you can make them come out of a human interest story or adversity – more the better.

Entrepreneurship is back. If someone is starting a business in this new economy turn it into a story. Figure out how it links to today’s market, come up with a human interest angle and you’ve got something salable. Saw recently a query from a Nightly Business Report producer on HARO looking for a small business in New York City that is struggling in this economy. The producer had to post that? People aren’t doing their jobs if she didn’t have a stack of possibilities.

You have to pick up the phone. The days of email pitching are over. Oh you may get lucky – I have in the last few weeks – but you have to hit someone you know is hungry and young with a good story. But otherwise you must be persistent. And have patience. And not a pest. And don’t put kids who don’t know what they are doing on the phone to pitch as most PR shops do. They will piss off anyone over 25 if they don't know the subject cold.

Social media cannot replace traditional - There are alot of pricey consultants running around selling social media policy work, integration, setting up pages, strategy, etc. Well the word media is overrated. Unless you are Ashton Kutcher with his one million plus followers on Twitter your reach in social is pretty limited. You need to be in that space and to post things there. But traditional media still brings in the mass numbers.

How to Get Your News Release Picked Up By Everyone

I haven't blogged in a week or so and am feeling guilty - what's the point in starting if you just drop the ball? So this will be a brief reminder to all about how to get your press release picked up.

My secrets:

A Provocative Headline - Think like a reporter not like a client. Assume, unless you've got a very savvy media client, that their headline will suck. Remember the headline is also the title of your email message so it's what journalists and producers see in their in-box. If you spend 50% of your time on the headline and the rest writing the release consider it time well spent.

Some of the ones I've written that have worked really well:

For AAAS' Science Inside Alcohol Project

Use Science to Convince Teens a Sober Prom is Better, AAAS Says - What's good about this? It says read this now because it's the right time of year. It challenges the reporter to read the rest so they can understand it. Everyone loves prom - except those like me who were way to cool to go.

When ‘Just Say No’ Isn’t Enough: Try Science - We all remember Nancy Reagan's slogan and many of us thought it was ridiculous. But this also says - here's a new way of looking at an age-old problem. That's why it did well.

For Healthcare Blue Book

Healthcarebluebook.com: Consider Prices Before You Receive a Test, Treatment or Surgery - This was a little long but the media loved it. Why? Because all of the reporting is about people getting shocking bills after they've had the healthcare procedure performed. This is counter intuitive and reporters like that.

Healthcarebluebook.com: New Web Site Teaches How to Price Shop - OK so this was a launch which is easier but you should note that in both these headlines the name of the company is in them. Why? SEO plain and simple. If you want to get widespread exposure for a client put their name in the title. It will search far higher and helps people remember the brand.

A few more tips:

Whatever search terms you use to collect info on your client in Google Alerts should be in your releases. Use them as much as you can without sounding forced. I recently looked at a web site for a firm that uses SEO. Their site had way too much text because they were trying to search higher. A better writer could have accomplished the same with a lot less text. Use your keywords but don't sacrifice content and graphics for them.

Use a distribution service for news releases.In these days of cutting costs many companies distribute only to their media lists. But your firm isn't going to make it through many of the spam filters. The news services know how to do it and they have deals with many media outlets to pick up their releases based on keywords used. There are cheaper ways to use these services - do your local market which also picks up web and write short because you pay by the word. I know it's easier said than done but it's worth it.

Put your release in the body of the email - Never ever, ever send out a news release as an attachment to an email. Most of the better media outlets immediately send it to spam and some of them just dump it completely. That's what the filters look for. Put your info in the body of the email and keep it as short and sweet as possible. If the client insists on endless words then write a couple of bullets at the front of the release that tell the journalist why they should read it.

TV is Still the Best Brand Marketer to the Young

Guess what? Youth are still watching TV, and using it to determine their brand choices, says a new study from MTV. The music video giant polled 8,000 12-24 year-olds around the world in late 2008. Yes it’s very self-serving, but there’s also a lot of good information in here.

The study, “A Beta Life Youth,” reports that one in four young people first see or hear of brands or products from TV ads. This is mostly true for technology items – like personal electronics – but apparel choices are also heavily influenced by the tube.

The concept of a “brand” has different meanings around the world. 50% saw a brand as an image for a product.

The study found that young people are most likely to have favorite brands, but the brand love only goes so far and most are also open to changing their preferences.

Young people trust TV advertising more than you might think. And they tune in to favorite channels on a regular basis. The data: 80% in US, 73% in UK, 70% in Germany and 88% in India. The Japanese evidently don't love their TV channels - only 38% of them said they have a TV channel they care about.

The vast majority of young people (69%) now research all purchases before they buy anything, the study found.


71% of study participants agreed that the Internet makes choosing a brand easier, while blogs, review sites and social networking sites are increasingly important in affecting brand decisions.

87% of youth in India research purchases before they buy, as do 80% of young people in Germany. A smaller number, 2 in 3, do so in the UK and US.

So it's critical for advertisers to integrate TV ads with online media.

Only one in five respondents said celebrity endorsement plays a part in brand choice.

62% of the respondents across the five markets agree that they watch more of a TV channel if the channel has a Web site that enables them to catch up on shows and that they prefer to see it from a TV channel’s Web site.

Millenial Marketers - Change Your Messages Already

I think it's about time that all of those Generation Y (Millenial) firms that are teaching people like me how to deal with 20 somethings updated their material. Saw a presentation at the recent ASAE Marketing and Membership Conference by one of the better ones (she wore jeans and had no PowerPoint just gushed for an hour about how different we are). And the year before I bet she said exactly the same thing.

Guess what - the world of the millenials is more like the world I graduated and came out into the world in. It's the beginning of the 1980s or at least the 1990s. It's called recession. Think back to when teens got a kick out of being portrayed as all powerful mutant turtles. Blink and you're there.

This is the real world not the hyper inflated Wall Street one that crashed. There are no jobs, inflation is rampant, and they cannot afford an apartment so going back home to mom and dad is a dreaded option. Does it matter than Gen Y folks were coddled, raised in a world where everyone was a winner and job hopped each year? Not anymore - welcome to the real world. Yet our overpaid consultant with the unkept hair continued to harp on about the same socio/cultural issues and how we must mentor not instruct them.

First off - all the info the "Gen Y Experts" spew about the millenials is about the older ones - those born from 1980 - 1990. There is an entire generation behind them of those born from 1990-2000 who will not think they are entitled to everything because their parents are struggling. Who will not win at everything. Who will have to take jobs at McDonalds with a college degree and beat out senior citizens for them. Tell me about that group. I have two in my home - and they are not spoiled rotten that I can tell you.

Here's something else we've found in our research. While Gen Y may have grown up in social media they don't know how to use it to further their own careers. Posted a question on LinkedIn asking "For those under 30, how are you using social media to enhance your career?" The majority of answers that I got were from people in their 40s and 50s saying "Don't discount us." The 8-10 responses from the Gen Yers were different.

You would think it's a given that these kids would be all over online to find new jobs and network. Here's what we learned:

It’s Not That Simple -

Facebook is for friends not business

YouTube is what we did last night online

Don’t know how to use LinkedIn, Plaxo, etc.

I posted on about a dozen groups that I belonged too and got back some very telling responses - here are a few.

From International Association of Business Communicators.

"I haven't seen much use for any of them, professionally. I am still using Facebook as a social network to keep in touch with friends and family."

From Emarketing.

"I tried using LinkedIn as a way to better position myself. I also cleaned up my MySpace and Facebook accounts. But I haven’t really marketed myself online yet."

"I am using social networks for my career but the results are not that satisfying, I am not sure where I am lagging behind. Can you help me out?"

The first answer comes from someone with a degree in communications and the other two are working in Electronic Marketing but don't know how to transfer what they are doing for products and services to themselves.

So what's my point? I have two:

First, all of these pricey consultants who are teaching us how to use social media and how to work with the 20 somethings need a reality check. If you want to reach young professionals you have to be creative to do it. Offer them information that they need to know - particularly in regard to their careers. Teach them how to interview and network - skills they haven't developed with all the typing and texting. And at this point, with all of the online tools, still nothing can replace time tested networking (Face to face that is).

Second, look at the demographics of those who come to your social media pages. Again the pricey consultants couldn't tell me how Gen Yers use these sites for business because they don't study that. They look at the fans or group members as one audience. The baby boomers were two distinctive generations. So are the millenials.

Facebook now has tools so you can look at your audience demographically. You need to segment the market even in social media. Because if you don't someone else (maybe a marketer with grey hair who doesn't think targeting was invented yesterday) will do it first.

Don't mean to come down on the younger generation. They are the future and all of us would love to retire. But marketing wasn't invented yesterday even though it's now done in a brand new form of media. And we need to adapt the time tested marketing principals to new media - the same way it's been done as every form of new media has come along.