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Blowfish: A Private Life in Public Relations – “Some Will Die” (Episode IV)
A serialized business noir story- By Steve Lundin
Recap: Jack Vance, the colorful CEO of Blowfish Communications, has just secured a $150,000 retainer for the publicity launch of VGlobe a new online video network. Vance has returned to his offices in the Hancock Building to inform his team of the new client. He is about to explain the campaign to his staff after revealing the name: “Some Will Die.”Vance lived for moments like these: A roomful of people hanging on his every word. He enjoyed teasing his little crowd, coaxing an intellectual orgasm out of the experience. Standing at the head of his War Room’s table, as erect as possible with a booze and alcohol jellied spine, the only thing keeping Vance awake was a fire hose of adrenaline flushing unconsciousness out of his system.
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Want to Get Hired? Cut Profanity and Typos from Social Media – a New Survey and Infographic
The Hiring Hub… By Marie Raperto, CIM Search
Recruiting by social media leads to spikes in candidate quantity/quality and an increase in employee referrals and social knowledge according to a new survey by Jobvite. New applicant tracking software and knowledge of social media is helping recruiters use this medium more and more. Here are some interesting facts from the Jobvite 2012 Social Recruiting Survey: – 92% of recruiters plan to use social media for sourcing candidates
-93% plan to use Linked-in -66% Facebook and -54% Twitter -49% of respondents saw an increase in quantity of candidates since using social media
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Get Your Summer Reading On! 5 Best Books for PR and Marketing Pros
Public Relations… By Gini Dietrich, CEO, Arment Dietrich, Author, Spin Sucks, Co-author, Marketing In the Round
It’s the season of book publishing, which means we have a new crop of books to consider for our summer reading. But there are also some classics not everyone has read that keep topping the list of the best-of for communications professionals. While fiction, in the number five spot, is cheating a little bit, it’s included because all work makes for a very boring person. So, as you’re heading out for your vacations before the kids go back to school, consider taking (or downloading) the following books to read while you sip your Mai Tais:
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Buying Stock on Social Media Now Possible: New Platform Converts Loyal Customers into Loyal Shareholders on the Web and Social Media
IR Therefore I Am… By Gene Marbach, Makovsky + Company
Fees are paid by the companies and amount to $10 per shareholder annually and the platform has been vetted by the proper authorities such as the SEC. The CSOP is based on the regulatory framework of a traditional Direct Stock Purchase Plan (DSPP); however, it is far easier for the customers to use. According to Barry Schneider, LOYAL3′s CEO, “CSOPs provide access for the 82% of Americans who are not directly invested in companies. Our platform seeks to democratize the markets, making stock ownership possible for tens of millions of everyday people.
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Pinterest Best Practices: 10 Steps to Optimize Your Pinterest Account
By ZOG Digital for the Digital Visibility Channel
Pinterest has quickly become a powerful referral tool for eCommerce businesses. In fact, With an average of 1.36 million users daily users,* Pinterest has surpassed Twitter; and Google+, YouTube, and LinkedIn combined in referral traffic.**
This new social platform is an important tool for online retailers; and Pinterest marketing, when optimized correctly, can become an effective traffic driver to your site; also increasing brand awareness, engagement, sentiment, and most importantly- sales. This infoposter will walk you through 10 steps to best optimize your Pinterest account.
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Use Your Phone to Monitor Your Home and Brand with Lowe’s and Critical Mention
By Critical Mention for the Critical Now Channel
Lowe’s has recently partnered with U.K.-based monitoring company AlertMe for the home innovation of the year: remote alerts, monitoring, and control of your entire home from your mobile phone or tablet. The companies disclosed today the Iris, a new cloud-based home-monitoring and security system. The Iris is meant to let homeowners monitor and control ALL devices in the home – including heating and cooling, home alarm systems, or appliances – using a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Sound familiar?
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Engineering Happiness – Where Does Business Fit In?
By Rakesh Sarin and Manel Baucells for CSRwire’s Corporate Social Responsibility Channel
Ninety-five years ago, B.C. Forbes asked in the first issue of his magazine (Forbes): “Business was originated to produce happiness. Are we in danger of forgetting this?” To be happy is a basic human desire. Happy people tend to be healthier, live longer, and have better social relationships. Happy employees tend to be more productive and happy customers are likely to be more loyal and to buy more. So the question: how do we become happier?
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Ecuador’s Embassy Hires PR Firm Brown Lloyd James: WP Says Firm “Flacked” for Syria, Libya and Other “Bad Guy” Governments
Washington Post
Are you a foreign government with a stubborn image problem? Wondering how to spin those crackdowns on free speech or your propensity for jailing your critics? We might have the PR firm for you! New York-based Brown Lloyd James just picked up the Washington embassy of Ecuador as a client, to the tune of $30,000 a month, which was noted in the PR industry bible O’Dwyers. Brown Lloyd James sounds like a good fit for the job. It has experience, after all, in repping bad-guy governments whose reputation could use more than a little spit and polish. It was Brown Lloyd James that fearlessly flacked for Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad, pitching American media stories–like the profile of Assad to Vogue magazine–even as her husband’s government was siccing its military on dissidents. It also once helped promote the regime of now-deceased Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi! The head of the Public Relations Society of America called the work for Syria and Libya “distinctly against the ethical tenets of modern public relations.”
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Microsoft’s PR Coup: Burson-Marsteller CEO Mark Penn Exits for Microsoft
MarketWatch
Microsoft Corp. today announced that Mark Penn will join the company as Corporate Vice President, Strategic and Special Projects, with an emphasis on key consumer initiatives for the company. Penn will lead a small interdisciplinary team and report to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Penn, 58, is currently the worldwide CEO of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller and CEO of the polling firm Penn Schoen Berland LLC. He has been active in national and international politics at the highest levels and has served as strategic consultant to top Fortune 500 companies, including Ford Motor Company, Merck & Co. Inc., Intel Corp. and McDonald’s. He has consulted with Microsoft since 1998. In addition, Penn is the author of “Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes.” …
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Capital One to Pay $210M Settlement for Deceptive Marketing
Ad Age Digital Next
A year after the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau began operating as an independent agency, it brought its first enforcement case: a $210 million settlement with Capital One Financial Corp. for deceptive marketing. The McLean, Virginia-based company didn’t admit or deny wrongdoing. “Today’s action puts $140 million back in the pockets of two million Capital One customers who were pressured or misled into buying credit card products they didn’t understand, didn’t want, or in some cases, couldn’t even use,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray, referring to the refund amount in the consumer bureau’s settlement. “We are putting companies on notice that these deceptive practices are against the law and will not be tolerated.” Noting that other companies market similar products with similar tactics, he promised in the interview that enforcement actions would now come “at a fairly steady clip.” …
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Olympic Marketing Survey: Over 40% of U.S. Adults Will Live-Stream the Games on Their Smartphones and on Their Tablets
MarketWatch
Velti shared the results of a nationwide poll showing 40 percent of those who plan to follow the Olympics this summer will do so on two or more devices. The results also revealed that 35 percent of U.S. adults will turn to their tablet for news and coverage, while 27 percent will use their smartphone. The study was commissioned by Velti and conducted online by Harris Interactive(R) in June among 2,088 U.S. adults. Among those turning to smartphones or tablets to track the games, online browsers trump application usage on both devices. Of those using a smartphone who will follow the Olympics, 77 percent will tune in using a browser (reading articles/blogs, viewing video clips, streaming live coverage or via social networking sites) while 63 percent will use an app (specifically designed for Olympics coverage, general news app or social networking app) for updates. Among tablet users, 80 percent will use a browser and only 58 percent will utilize apps …
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Discovery-Corp and Robert Waters Mutually Terminate Investor Relations Agreement
MarketWatch
Discovery-Corp Enterprises announced that Robert Waters and the Company have mutually agreed to terminate their investor relations agreement effective today. The 120,000 stock options granted to Mr. Waters will be cancelled. This release has been prepared by Management. The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This document contains certain forward looking statements which involve known and unknown risks, delays, and uncertainties not under the corporations control which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the corporation to be materially different from the results, performance or expectation implied by these forward looking statements …
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Google Investor Relations Gets A Google+ Page
TechCrunch
Investors and analysts have a new way to get updates from Google: a Google+ page for investor relations. The company’s executives mentioned the page during the company’s earnings call this afternoon, saying that it launched about an hour ago. There’s not much on the page right now, aside from a couple of images, a link to the earnings webcast, and (be still my heart) some legal boilerplate warning about forward-looking statements. The page also asks visitors to “hit the follow button above to receive Google-related product updates and the latest company news,” so maybe it will be fleshed out in the future. Perhaps it was inevitable that Google would launch something like this. It Google is trying to encourage businesses to build a presence on Google+, then it’s going to make sure all of its departments are on there too …
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Heineken Names Edelman PR Agency of Record for Corporate Communications and Dos Equis Brand
MarketWatch
Heineken, the nation’s leading upscale beer importer, today announced Edelman as the public relations agency of record (AOR) for Corporate Communications and Dos Equis brand. Edelman’s responsibilities for both Corporate and Dos Equis will include PR campaign leadership, reputation management, employee engagement counsel and day-to-day media relations activities. Edelman will immediately assume responsibility for public relations efforts on Dos Equis and HEINEKEN USA’s corporate business …
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Ogilvy Public Relations Appoints Kevin Slagle as SVP
Business Journals
Ogilvy Public Relations announced that Kevin Slagle joins the agency’s corporate communications practice as senior vice president. Based in Sacramento, Slagle will provide council to clients in the corporate, government and non-profit sectors. With 17 years of public affairs and issues management experience, Slagle has led strategic efforts for clients across stakeholder and public education, corporate communications, grassroots outreach, community relations, earned media and crisis communications. He has a recognized expertise in land use policy, environmental advocacy and legislative affairs. Slagle has partnered with clients to overcome challenges in industries including mining, energy, land use and residential and commercial development …
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Global Digital Ad Forecast To Hit $99 Billion
Mediapost
GroupM estimates positive growth for digital media. The company released a digital spend media forecast as part of its biannual worldwide report. It forecast growth in measured digital media investments will rise between 16% and 18% to approximately $99 billion globally in 2012, compared with a previous 16% forecast. The figure represents 20% of the 2012 measured ad spend. Internet advertising budgets continue to grow in every country. The GroupM report forecast a 22% spending uptick in 2013, as digital spending trends continue an upward trend globally, irrespective of local economic conditions. In the United States, GroupM estimates search engine marketing will reach $18 billion in 2013, up from $16 billion in 2012, and $15 billion in 2011. Not the same story for all ad spending. GroupM revised global ad spending in general downward, estimating 5.1% growth to $506 billion for global media spend in 2012, down from 6.3% projected late last year …
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Facebook Ad Rates Grow by 58%
Technorati
Twitter appeared to be coming out on top after reports emerged that they were doing very well out of mobile advertising, whilst Facebook appeared to be struggling. New data reveals however that the average cost per thousand impressions (CPM) of a Facebook advert has increased by 58% in the second quarter of this year. This rise was not consistent across the world however. America saw a rise of 25%, Canada saw a rise of 21%, but the UK saw ad prices go up by just 7%. This data comes from a study into Facebook advertising by TBG Digital, in conjunction with the University of Cambridge. They analyzed over 406 billion ad impressions in over 190 countries when compiling their report. In further encouraging news for Facebook, click through rate on ads also increased, rising 11% in the last quarter, compared to a fall of 6% in the first quarter of the year. These click through rates however mean the cost per click of Facebook ads has risen above the dollar mark in America for the first time, a rise of 9% in the last quarter …
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