Anderson and the Holograms

It's wild! It's crazy! Will.i.am hologramed in to chat with Anderson Cooper last night on CNN. Holograms are the coolest thing since sliced cinnamon raisin bagels. Really, really neat.

Satelite media tours were so last year, soon we'll be beaming clients in to interviews. Technology never ceases to amaze me.

Beam me up, Anderson.

PR Jobs vs. Journalism Jobs

Last week, the Bad Pitch Blog had an interesting interview with Brian Morrissey, Adweek's Digital Editor. Morrissey is the fellow known for calling out bad PR pitches on Twitter. It's best to stay off his naughty list.

One of Morrissey's answers brought up the fact that while traditional media is cutting back, the public relations industry is growing:

Recognize that media organizations are shrinking while PR is growing. The ratio of PR people to reporters is probably like 75:1. This is profoundly bizarre to me.

What does this mean? Basically, there's way more PR people than journalists (and a lot of e-mails in editor inboxes).

Nicholar Carr's blog, Rough Type, has followed the cutbacks plaguing news rooms across America. Check out his article here.

Chew on this: As we all know, journalism isn't the most secure job choice these days. According to the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), between 2001-2004 newsroom jobs were slashed by 4 percent. That's about 2,300 jobs held by reporters, editors, photographers and artists. Another study by the ASNE found that an additional 600 newsroom jobs were cut in 2006.

On the other hand, the PR industry, in recent years, has grown (a lot). The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics (try saying that one 5 times fast) expects a 18% increase in PR jobs from 2006 to 2016. According to Alan Gottesman's article "From Boom to Bust" the entire marketing sector, by 2007, had climbed by 12%. Impressively, PR alone has risen by 44% since 1990.

I know the above statistics are from multiple sources but, here's a side-by-side comparison from our helpful friends at the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics: In 2006, there were 67,000 traditional media jobs (news analysts, reporters and correspondents) and 243,000 PR jobs. That's a 3:1 ratio. Not quite Morrissey's 75:1 ratio--but, then again if we just looked at assignment editors and producers, he's probably dead on.

When it comes to the media relations side of PR, these statistics prove the need to pitch well and pitch wisely. Just as people are overwhelmed with information overload, journalists and news folks are too. Help journalists cut through the clutter. Connect, relate and be relevant.

Eggceptional Advertising

McDonald's has done it again.

First, there was the sundial billboard, highlighting a different breakfast food each morning hour in Chicago.

Then, there was the billboard that promoted McDonald's fresh salads by growing lettuce.

But, the billboard fun doesn't stop there! McDonald's AOR, Leo Burnett Chicago, has created several wild, eye-catching and innovative outdoors ads for the fast food giant. From a 1,600 gallon coffee cup in Times Square to its newest execution: a 21 ft. tall hatching egg.

Built to promote McDonald's fresh eggs for breakfast, the enormous egg sits near Wrigley Field in Chicago, where it hatches every morning between 6:30 - 10:00 a.m.

While the egg most likely proved a costly venture for McDonald's, it will undoubtedly generate some great ROI for the fast food chain. Boy, would I like to handle the PR for this project. Who doesn't want to cover a giant egg? Launched just last week, the live action billboard has been featured in several blog posts and won a mention in the Chicago Sun-Times, as well. I'm sure media mentions will continue to grow as news spreads. For once a positive story about the fast food industry. Leo Burnett Chicago deserves an award for this one.

Mobile Marketing in 2008

82 percent of cellphone owners say they never use text messaging, according to research by Ipos MediaCT, published in the New York Times.

With more than 253 million mobile subscribers in the United States, that's a large percentage of folks who aren't leveraging their T9 input function.

What does this mean for mobile marketers hoping to send out a few SMS solicitations? Probably nothing. Consumers interested in mobile content, will come find it, you just need to produce it (please produce cleverly).

Mobile marketing is an emerging trend in the U.S. Many touted 2007 as the year of the mobile marketer. Then 2008 came around. While I don't think mobile marketers can claim 2008 just yet, strides and advances in the mobile marketing sector are being made everyday.

With iPhone hysteria sweeping the nation and a multitude of other smartphone options available to U.S. consumers, it's now a better time than ever to engage consumers with your brand via the mobile platform.

The critical part of mobile marketing is to create content that is appropriately targeted and wanted by the consumer. Content must be relevant, pertinent and desired by end users. Please remember: many people still pay for data usage plans, unsolicited text messages and offers can piss off a potential customer. Pissed off customers can promptly text message other friends to complain about their experience and about how much they hate you. You don't want that. Make sure they opt-in to your messages.

As technology increases and the cost of mobile phone plans decrease, the opportunity for text message advertising increases. With advancement in GPS , imagine how great it would be if GAP sent you a $10 coupon SMS, just for walking into the store? Walking down the soda aisle in the grocery store? Your 25% coupon is in your inbox! But, keep in mind: Mobile marketers must walk a fine line of not being intrusive.

Text messaging is only the tip of the mobile marketing ice burg. With software like Myxer, consumers and brands can generate content that is easily distributed to the masses. For those who saw Obama Girl's Youtube video and wanted "I'm in love with Obama" to play every time their mom called, I suggest you head over to Myxer.

While mobile marketing in the U.S. is still considered by some to be 'experimental', companies in Europe and Asia are at the forefront of mobile marketing trends. From interactive games in Japan, to innovative mobile campaigns in Europe, companies abroad are using mobile to interact with and entertain consumers. In fact, more than 100 million SMS advertisements are sent to Europeans every month.

While our global neighbors have adopted mobile marketing at a quicker pace, the U.S. continues to produce some great, exciting and noteworthy mobile campaigns. For instance, JC Penny is using a 60-second long mobile video to support its new back-to-school ad campaign. Verizon created the first mobile phone producer by allowing Timbaland to release tracks exclusively to Verizon mobile consumers.

Mobile marketing presents a tremendous opportunity for marketers across a variety of industries. After all, we live in a country where some people are using their phone so much, they develop "cellphone elbow." Click the link. I don't lie. I'll be following the leaps and bounds of mobile marketing as the year progresses.

Using Social Media for Society

Everyone's using social media these days. Moms are blogging. Teenagers are Myspace-ing. Dads are flickring. Grandma has the new Family Tree app for Facebook. And an astute Grandpa keeps up with the whole family via FriendFeed. Even governmental agencies are using social media these days. The point is: People are using the WWW to stay connected more than ever.

To honor the 4th of July holiday weekend, I wanted to look into how the U.S. government is using social media to communicate with America. I dug around the internet and found some interesting tidbits.

Landing at the top of my search results was USA.gov's Gov Gab, a blog highlighting how consumers can use government resources to make their every day lives better, easier and more fun. Neat concept, right? The blog is maintained by employees in the Office of Citizen Services & Communications within the U.S. General Services Administration. It offers visitors a slew of information, from the dangers of 4th of July fireworks to fun and safe Web sites for boys and girls.

Gov Gab has also posted a terrific powerpoint on how Government can use Social Media. Very informative. I think many of the concepts can be used for non-governmental agencies, as well. You can find it here.

Two thumbs up to my home state. Virginia has hopped on the social media bandwagon by creating a YouTube channel, found here. Virginia's YouTube channel hosts PSAs, public meeting snippets and an array of other content available to users around the clock. This is great content for bloggers and journalists with a local focus on Va. It also serves as a terrific outlet for the Governor to communicate his thoughts and reasonings behind certain legislation. Scratching your head over the increase in speeding tickets fees--log on to YouTube for the Governor's response! Unfortunately, videos don't allow for comments, a needed feature if Virginia trully wants to allow for two-way communication.

The United Kingdom's British Monarchy also sports its own YouTube channel. Missed Queen Elizabeth's speech at the French state banquet? Check it out on The Royal Channel. Again, The Royal Channel doesn't allow viewers to comment on videos either.

Guess who podcasts? President Bush! All of the President's podcasts can be found and downloaded here. Don't feel like listening to ABBA's Greatest Hits in preparation for the Mamma Mia! movie release on your drive to your summer vacation residence?--Try a George Bush radio address, instead!

People are embracing social media like never before. I'm glad the government is taking notice and joining in on the conversation. Still, I think there's room for improvement (isn't there always?).

I'd like to see a U.S. government sponsored YouTube channel. The content is available, post it at a site where users are visiting. Also, offering citizens the ability to voice their opinions in comment boxes is also very important. It's the essence of social media: open communication.

In a homage to FDR, I'd like to see fireside-esque chats with our next president, via the blogosphere. Heck, with the ease of streaming video, the President-to-be can host fireside chats with not just sound but, video as well--He could just whip out his Flip Video for a quick recording!

I'm excited to see the progression of social media and how the government (and it's people!) will leverage it. Here's to the great U.S.A.!

Finally, how do you know you're an American? When you can not only vote for your favorite Presidential candidate but, you can also be his or her friend on Facebook!

Don't be Twittish: It's time to Twitter!

Danielle’s going to be late to the meeting, she’s got Twitterrhea. Say what?

Twitterrhea is just another example of the popularity surrounding the micro blogging phenomenon known as Twitter. It’s so popular that it’s starting to gain its own vernacular. Check it out here: http://twitter.pbwiki.com/Twitter+Glossary#A

Whatever you do, no drunktwittering. And if you become a tweetaholic, you better admit yourself to the Betty Ford clinic.

Geno Church writes a nice Twitter roundup for Tactics in the July 2008 issue, titled “To tweet or not to tweet: How and when to use Twitter in PR efforts.” Read article here.

The take home point: “Used effectively, Twitter is another word-of-mouth marketing tool that engages users in open communication.”

Twitter can be a great resource for PR professionals, when used effectively. Its real-time, 140 character limit, allows for quick and succinct communication. No flowery, or jargon-laden sentences in a tweet—well, as long as they’re not over 140 characters.

Church highlights Twitter successes across a variety of organizations from Barack Obama to CNN’s iReport. Do you really think Barack twitters for himself though? Be careful Barack: It’ll be a bad day when your intern ghost tweets for you and says you’re in West Virginia when you’re really in Colorado.

Church’s article got me thinking about ways I can use Twitter in my life and ways others can use Twitter, as well. Let’s face it, Twitter isn’t the end-all-be-all of communications, it’s simply an additional resource in communicating and engaging with your audiences.

Here’s a brief rundown of how I think Twitter can (and cannot) be used:

A great tool for students to discuss classroom curriculum. Have a question about tonight's homework? Tweet it to your classmates. Include a Twitter app in Blackboard and college kids would be set. It's study groups 2.0!

I love how corporations have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, from Zappos.com to Comcast. On the other hand, I never want to see someone sending Tweets about their Mylanta usage.

Movie promotions: Fans of High School Musical would be logged on to Twitter 24 hours a day if Zack Efron was twittering about day-to-day production.

For agency folks, like myself, Twitter could be a great method in accounting for client work. Writing down time, in 15 minutes increments, isn’t everyone’s strong suit. Maybe it’s time to start twittering?

Of course, these are just Twitter suggestions from a non-twitterer. Have any of your own? Feel free to leave em’ in the comment box!

As my dip into the social media world continues, I plan to create a Twitter account, so I can send Twitticisms (witty tweets) in real time and find even more uses for the micro blogging juggernaut. Until then, tweet, baby, tweet.

Obligatory First Post

The maiden voyage into the blogosphere is upon me. I'm here!

After several months of procrastinating and a additional 20 minutes devoted to choosing a blog layout and color, Cammunications is created. Just in time for the start of National Unassisted Homebirth Week, no less.

My first post is landing in the great WWW on July 1. Apparently, July 1 has been a pretty important date throughout history. For instance, Sony introduced the Walkman on July 1, 1979 (Without it, I could've never been a mobile Ace of Base enthusiast as a 9 year old). 1991 proved another great year for the good ol' July 1: The Warsaw Pact was dissolved in Prague! Other than those two monumental events, I don't have much else for you.

I could never be this knowledgeable without Wikipedia. Thank you July 1 wiki contributors. Your work is greatly appreciated.

Blogging is not foreign to me. I've been an avid reader of several blogs for the past couple years. Writing and contributing to them, on the other hand, is a different story. I've been toying with the idea of creating a blog for sometime now. Ideas ran through my head and even more flew out my mouth. What did I have to say? And what would people want to read?

Well, I can't conclusively determine what people want to read--Well, I could, but that would take costly and lengthy focus groups, which would put me over my July 1 deadline. So, instead, I'll give you posts that are chock full of personal experiences regarding the ever-changing public relations and marketing worlds. Plus, if I'm going to be an 'expert' on social media I figure participating in it, might be a helpful.

So, here goes...