No, PR Hasn't Killed Me (yet)

I didn't believe that anyone read my blog (except my mom of course) until I received a complaint that I had been neglecting it. So, here, for all three of you, is my post explaining where I've been and where I'm going (and taking you with me!).


This blog is coming at you from the Newsengine Associate at Euro RSCG Worldwide PR from my corner nook I like to call the 'Oasis'.


Yes, that means I completed my final job application with great success - totalling in with the recession application number of 150+. (My computer memory is thankful that that large folder will soon be purged from my desktop.)

As I begin my long, ever-changing career in the communications industry, I am thankful for the whirlwind the industry's in to keep things exciting as well as the constant that people will always want to communicate and will crave something bigger than themselves - in this case, the voice created by the collective, the media. (Yes, I studied anthropology too.)

I am part of an iniative created by Marian Salzman - top global trendspotter, current President of EURO PR and mastermind behind Porter Novelli's Jack + Bill (pop-up PR agency for Fashion Week) called Newsengine. This department is a compilation of working traditional and experimental social media - all done in real time. We are the go-to for to-the-minute brand strategy and communication. Yeah, it's a big title to carry around... but my team and I are thrilled to tackle the new territory.

Needless to say, there have already been lessons learned and late nights. Good thing motion sickness is only conducive to real rollarcoasters, because I am definitely on a figurative one.

Here are some things I've picked up and stored so far....

• You may make more money according to your contract but after NECESSARY health insurance and gym membership are taken care of, you basically make the same as the man you order a double-double from.
• Twitter is changing everything. It is the new first impression. Tread lightly.
• A hashtag (#) makes tracking a list on Twitter quick and reliable. I welcome the new media-monitoring.
• A TweetUp is the modern Satelite Media Tour (SMT) - Think online communication with a live broadcast found at a microsite.
• Internal clients are just as bothersome as outside clients (necessary evils at times) - just ask the art department dealing with us.
• Google Alerts is revolutionary, yet imperfect. Set up alerts for the same exact thing with two different accounts - you'll see what I mean.
• Blogging is the new Media (haven't I been banging this drum long enough already?) Cision (a media directory) now has zillions of bloggers listed as journalists (bc they are), whereas 2 years ago when I spent hours making media lists, they weren't an option.
• ReTweeting gives people credibility. Only make something you want to see bigger get bigger than it already is.

My brain is exploding with new concepts and ideas. It's nice to know that all of the blogs that I read and concepts I followed during my long, unpaid time off after school are paying off. I also love that social media is a job. What did the generations before me have to feel this way about?

I'll be back soon. I haven't died... I'm just busy (finally). Hope you're satiated for a while.

Social Media: A Success

Well, they may not be the first, but they have done it. Yes, IKEA and their Swedish agency F and B, are showing us that those Swedes have brilliant ideas other than delicious red fish.

While many brands have forged over the border into new media - social media - IKEA just used the medium with amazing success - during this fall of 2009. I have been leaning towards video clips and twitter thinking that they should be the favored social media children, but Facebook just caught me off guard.

Forsman and Bodenfors invented this priceless campaign, to engage customers and make them aware of the store's opening in Malmo, with simple steps and HUGE visibility:

1. Created a traditional facebook account for IKEA's store manager Gordon Gustavsson
2. Posted 12 pictures of showrooms (from IKEA of course) in his photo album
   
3. Used the concept of TAGGING PHOTOS - the most popular function on Facebook. (Think about it, you can tag photos that aren't even yours... that's how much people love it.) In fact, knowing this, they allowed 12 weeks to pass where others could tag themselves in the storeroom pictures.
4. Here's the engagement: The first person to tag themselves as each IKEA product was rewarded that product in return for their participation

(WATCH THE VIDEO ABOUT IT ALL POSTED HERE)

Why is this so genius? Why did it receive any recognition?

Well, FandB did what any good ad man does... they used what was innately already provided. A. People like participation - especially for a prize (People quickly started writing IKEA and engaging with the brand asking for them to post more showrooms and lengthen the tagging contest). AND B. When someone conducts activity on Facebook, an alert is shown on that person's wall and their friend's homepages.

Therefore, each time that someone tagged themselves in Gordon's photos, they not exposed themselves to IKEA products, they also exposed IKEA to their friends and their 'facebook friends' (we all have them, but would never invite them to dinner).

This simplistic act of brand engagement makes so much sense it's almost ingenious. I am not only personally inspired to find clever campaigns within this framework, I am excited to see what my peers find out too.

An early Christmas

Rockefeller Center's CHRISTMAS tree arrived yesterday and began the holiday season for all children, young and old. As we begin to see commercials and the aisles at grocery stores and convenience stores warp into red and green, our Xmas spirit tingles within. By Thanksgiving, we will be ready to BURST and explode with Christmas cheer that very next day.

But as we anticipate this coming holiday, there is someone who is celebrating sooner than most. Last weekend, 5-year-old Noah Biorkman received gifts and cards with family and friends. Why so soon? This Michigan child has been diagnosed with a fatal disease: stage IV neuroblastoma. He is currently in hospice and his family didn't want him to miss the holiday season.

Diagnosed when he was three, this may be his last Christmas. In order to make this sad truth more cheery, the family is welcoming xmas cards from the public to brighten his time. Cards may be sent to: Noah Biorkman, c/o 99.5 WYCD, 2201 Woodward Heights Blvd., Ferndale, MI 48220-151.

Everyone knows someone who has been touched by tragedy. There is no reason why this little boy should miss the magic of Christmas; please help.

Brands Have Feelings too

I've been doing a lot of thinking about social media and brands lately. This post will be a little bit of a stream of consciousness but I promise that within my clouded mind is a point:

First of all, social media (ie Twitter, Facebook, etc) is a NEW medium. It cannot be optional as it is the reason paper sources are becoming obsolete (that and our obsession with going green - when will those Metro paper guys get the message and realize that we are not taking their dirty papers because we enjoy checking our news online as we come to life with our Venti coffees in the AM??)

So, having accepted that this is NOT A TREND, I repeat social media is NOT a trend, we must examine its worth.

It is not just a way us wipper snappers chit chat with our peers and post pictures of epic weekends. Nor is it just a way for our parents to reconnect with the kids from fifth grade they didn't even talk to in the first place. It is a space to interact with information.

There are LOADS of informational sites about how to use social media to your advantage. Today, I clicked to this that and another thing and came across this list of 25 social media tips. Intrigued, I began to read to see if I knew what was up.

Number one on the list is what I've been screaming from my soap box, score one for me.

• Never forget that the groundswell is about person-to-person activity. You are not speaking as “the company”, but as a person. Most companies don’t know how to do this, and it takes a lot of practice to find that voice and feel comfortable with it.

The verdict is still out on whether or not social media belongs to PR or Advertising. But, while both arms of the industry are currently accepting ginormous checks from their clients to act on their behalf, they both need to know the lay of the land.

Social media allows people to CHOOSE to interact with brands, they click, follow, friend and become a fan all on their own. It's word of mouth, without oral words. So, if they are interacting with brands on a medium intended to connect people, then the brands must act as a person... much like the Progresso commercial where the woman thinks she is calling her PERSONAL grandmother.

Social media informs a consumer. It doesn't provide a coupon, sell something or shove information down an unassuming citizen's throat. They decided to be a part of the brand and now you are communicating with them on a personal level. Is it your 10th birthday? Celebrate. Don't offer a discount, just say it's your birthday and you've made a brand connection. You brand name has shown up on your consumers homepage or live feed (on thier computer, mobile phone, etc). You have not only appeared to them but to whoever is looking at their information. Simple, free, personal - the way brands began.

Now that you're speaking as a PERSON (not a corporation - You are not General Mills, you are the voice behind Tony the Tiger), remember you are just a person... you speak with one voice to one person at a time. Not everyone can be MLK Jr. Whoa there turbo. Make a personal connection - like in real life (that thing that happens when you're not starring at something that requires a power source). Be sincere, realistic, humble yet goal-oriented.

Now that you're human, remember, not only can you listen to criticism and praise (and adjust from there - yes the modern focus group is oh so free - *factor in the fact that people have a different voice when they type than they do when they talk to their mother or best friend*), you can now respond to critism.

Here is where the caution lies; you must remember that while you quack like a duck and look like a duck, you are not a duck (metaphor for human, duh). Instead, you are a brand and there is a LOT of money behind your mighty name. Do not respond in a pettty manner, sticks and stones blah blah blah. Get it together buddy. You have feelings and so does your brand. Protect your brand by responding as if you just did consumer research and respond by changing something within your brand, not wtih a response online.

There, no crisis communications specialist necessary... just don't mess up.

Social media is a TOOL just like everyother medium we've used in human history. PR pros will use it to tell a story (tell it like a story, not a pamphlet that noone wants to hear). Ad pros will use it for buzz to suppliment their campaign. Strategy is involved. It is a low-involvement commitment to whoever you choose to interact with
BUT
it is not low-involvement in term of perception and risk.

Strategy is necessary. Presenting your brand in a personable way is strategic, not lazy. Be smart. Don't hurt your brand's feelings.

Dear Santa,

Here is the letter I sent Santa (i.e. my family email contacts today)....


Dear Santa,

I've been a real good girl this year. I got good grades, I was a good friend, I graduated from college (yeah Santa, it's been a long run but I'm still a believer), I moved to NYC (like you always knew I would since you know my dreams), and now I'm working a big girl job and trying to land an even better one in the meanwhile. I brush my teeth and make my bed. I even save my pennies!

That's where you come in... All I've got is pennies and I'm living one of the coolest parts of my life! I'm already half blind without these contacts and one day I'm gonna be really old and just want proof of how cool my life is now. Yup, you probably guessed it big guy, all I want for Christmas this year is a camera! What's that you say, what happened to my other cameras over the years... they all broke... too much fun was had.

But, I'm a big girl now. I want MORE... videos, zoom, RED (you'll see), and confidence that comes from holding the coolest, most exquisite camera EVER. I know you're really busy and that kids have started asking for techno toys instead of stuffed bears and toy cars. So, to help out the elves I thought I'd give them a picture of what I wanted... save time with brainstorming and all.

You can find it right here you high-tech Christmas man: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1933520_1933522_1933477,00.html

I know you'll think it's expensive... good thing you live in the North Pole with all your lil workers! But, if you run out of time putting all the bells and whistles on this thing, I don't mind finishing the work... just have the print department print out a bunch of green bills (I'm in NYC Santa), and I'll find the rest on a money tree someday.

Thanks for helping me get closer to my dream Santa, I know everyone at home would be happy if I sent them some pictures sometimes.

Don't worry, the cookies at my house will be homemade... no break & bakes here!

Merry Christmas,

Gabrielle

My Top Website List

I was recently browsing Time Magazine 'Lists' and came across one about the 50 Top Sites of 2009. I'm not sure what the rhyme or reason is behind them or if someone just got a really fun assignment, but I found it interesting. I further googled other top lists and realized that if I were to make one, I'd have some necessary additions...

This is how it went:

TIME MAGAZINE's List:

Way to be creative guys... sites like Yelp, Flickr, Amazon, Netflix, Youtube, Twitter and Skype were included. These, to me, are givens. Anyone reading their Time magazine online and not in paper format knows these sites and wasted their precious time reading this flash article to find out things they already knew. We internet users want MORE, we crave the limitlessness of our technilogical world. Some interesting ones were:

• Popurls - a cornicopia of top news from social media and traditional media
• Academic Earth - free lectures from major universities... for lifelong learners, sorry no degree rewarded
• SuperCook - tell it what you have and it will tell you what you CAN have, goodbye chinese takeout
  

And ones I can live without: Delicious, California Coastline, Craiglook (they reorganized Craigslist and said it was basically ghetto... I happen to like the simplicity and peace sign of this digital market) and Get High Now.

Another list I found is a NY Times "Newsroom Navigator." This is actually helpful like it claims and not just fun/interesting... downside: not as interactive and pretty either. However, it lets you scroll or sort by category to get to useful, factual information FAST!

And now the GRAND FINALE! My top sites:

• Tastespotting: a digital potluck!
• Got Gabs: The internet's NUMBER ONE site for SUPER USEFUL information (wait, what?!)
• Weather.com: Yes, the weather man is hardly right but he's generally in the right ball park which makes all the difference when picking out the right outfit.
• Gmail.... who ever doesn't have this link, I want you to google it and invest a minute of your time to catch up with the rest of us.
• iTunes Store: it's online and it provides the means for me to say there is NO excuse for you to not have been watching MadMen
• Krop: portfolio website with creative job opps (check me out)
  

Like I said, Facebook/Twitter/etc are givens in this Al Gore created world.

What's your daily FAVE site?

PR Promo of the Day

Sometimes the best PR is from a citizen journalist, promoting from the heart... creating overflow PR efforts.
My cause today is Big Warm-Up. Give a coat, warm a heart.

The Big Warm Up is a Lands' End sponsored community outreach program that aims to provide coats for the homeless by asking able people to donate a coat at the Lands' End Shop at Sears as winter approaches.

This campaign was kicked off in Boston on November 2nd - where the Lands' End team has paired up with the Massachusetts Coalition for Homeless. It runs for the next 28 days nationally and needs your help! In Boston (Prudential Center), there is an installation with 786 figures representing those in the city without a coat. Imagine the number nationwide and worldwide. It may be easy to walk past someone asking for change, but try and ignore almost 1000 blank faces standing out in the cold.

Visit the interactive flash-site (link above) and you'll find heartbreaking photos but mostly statistics about people who are homeless in many different environments (the street, hospitals, recovery centers, etc.) If you need the facts in order to donate they are all there. Or, if you're going to get a new winter coat anyway, donate your old one and receive 20% off your purchase made at Lands' End Shop at Sears. (It's not JUST a marketing ploy... it will actually do some good.)

• Did you know that 3.5 Americans are homeless and 1/3 of that total is comprised of homeless FAMILIES?
• 1.3 million of our homeless are CHILDREN. (You can't tell me they all didn't try or have a drug problem... imagine if that had been you.)
  
• Today, 1,843 coats have been donated... not enough.
• Only 146 coats have been donated in the state of NY. There are enough people in NYC alone to give up an old coat to someone who will wear it everyday instead of the one day you will wear it to clothe all of NY's homeless.

Can't just give for the sake of giving? You'll get a unique code when you donate that can be traced back to where your coat was donated.

Also, promote the cause to friends by passing on word of mouth info, copying the link to people around the office or becoming a fan on Facebook. See social media IS the new media, and our slow but sure answer to world peace! (I may or may not have just watched Miss Congeniality.)

Fish and Wine?

Do you fall victim to the claim that red wine CANNOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE be mixed with fish?

I DON'T.

However, I thought that it was just something grandmas had passed down to grandmas over the years and was founded in nothing more than conspiracy. (Don't go swimming for 30 minutes after you eat... Your face is going to stick like that...etc) I happen to enjoy red wine and I happen to enjoy fish; why should I not be able to combine my joys?!

Well, according to The Wine Lovers Page I scientifically am WRONG and cannot mix my red wine and fish.

Why you ask? Well, they found that IRON levels determine pairing. ScienceDaily concluded: "The findings indicate that iron is the key factor in the fishy aftertaste of wine-seafood pairings, the researchers say, suggesting that low-iron red wines might be a good match with seafood."

Pinot with your salmon, go ahead! But don't you dare mix that Merlot with your cod tonight! Grandma's watching! Turn's out 'all wines naturally contain some iron from the soil - 30 milligrams per liter is typical, according to Emile Peynaud's Knowing and Making Wine'. But some iron levels don't create that fishy taste that people thought pairing all red wines with fish did.

The study was conducted by pairing Asian dried scallops with a variety of wines. (Design flaw? That's not exactly a forgiving flavor to compete with...). The article suggests redoing the experiment with a variety of seafood and fish ranging from delicate and mild to dark and oil.

So moral of this fishy story?
Jury's still out... while there is scientific speculation that iron levels determine pairing possibilities, it's all based in a maybe not so smart experiment. So drink that heavy red wine with your grouper... but if it's fishy, they warned you!

Picture Social Media

Social Media is something that hasn't been decided on yet...

You all know how I feel about that (ABSURD! It's NEW, not OPTIONAL).

Check out this picture that describes selling social media as part of a campaign to companies that are not willing to jump on board:So teach the dino that maybe he wouldn't be a dinosaur heading for extinction if he wasn't so stubborn!

Social Media Finds

I come to the interesting realization lately that some people in the 'progressive' industry of advertising are reluctant to admit that social media is a necessary media. It is not an optional addition to an integrated campaign; it is the most needed component. Social media is not for young, technology obsessed people; it is for the masses.

How many of your parents are on Facebook? Sending you tweets? Texting you? Forwarding Youtube videos around their office?

Exactly.

(Think I'm over-exaggerating? There was an 80 year old woman getting her touch, all-purpose phone fixed at Verizon yesterday while I was there. She was rude and felt entitled, yet she still had a better phone for social media than I do. She made the employees program her facebook notices, emails, aims, and speed dial for her. She couldn't fathom living without these notices on the go. And she's 80!)

And why are people social media obsessed? Because in an ever so fragmented society where individualism trumps social gathering (unless it is for the purpose of the self-interested act of networking), people are still people and cannot escape their internal craving for relationship and interaction. Social media not only connects people to their peers, coworkers and friends/family, but also creates relationships between individuals and the brands they support.

In a recent job interview, I was asked why I was so confident that alcohol companies would benefit by participating in social media. If not for the obvious answer that social media is a new media, not an optional one, then it is because people can choose to be a 'friend' or 'fan' of something without much commitment on Facebook, they can choose to 'follow' someone on Twitter with a single click of the mouse, they can watch a 30 second viral video for free while taking a mental break at work. Social media is commitment free, yet for anyone online (and we all are), the single decision of choosing to click on something you like (say gin if that's your thing), enables that brand to send you messages, updates on your homepages and more. You never have to click on them if you don't want but the repetition of that brand name may creep into your mind to help make a decision when the time comes.

A tweet is the modern jingle - repetitive inclusion of the brand's name into your everyday life. What company wouldn't want to be a part of that?

Older clients see social media as something for their grandchildren. It's not. Twitter and facebook can sell golf balls and whiskey just as well as skateboards and video games.

Some also think it's pointless or a risk. As I've been saying, social media is NEW MEDIA. Newspapers and magazines are dying. They have moved online. We don't need tangible things, we need interaction and experience. AKA Social Media.

Don't believe me? Look at this chart comparing advertising in 1980 to 2009:

And just for fun... check out the new social media workout plan - an affirmation that social media is enough a part of our daily lives to be the basis of our health (directions here):

You may not like it. You may think it's silly or petty. BUT, it's here and it's happening. Embrace it before your brand is left behind with the dinosaurs.

**Also, if you don't understand social media, hire someone that does. You can't ignore it. Actively learn it's benefits. Don't buy money scheming books like Social Media Marketing for DUMMIES. The medium changes DAILY and cannot be taught by a book, but only be experience.**

Consolidate Your Life (Online that Is)

Have you ever wished that you could go to one page when you signed online to see your shameless celeb gossip, the weather, top news (real news, not celebrity), sports scores, funny Youtube videos, real time updates of pop culture in general?

No, I'm not talking about the iGoogle page you think is so awesome or the 'top sites' option available on Safari or your ancient technique of using bookmarks. I'm not talking about Twitter either (although that could be close if you follow all the right people and they tweet in order).

I'm talking about a find that I'm not going to let slide... in fact, it's already my homepage.

Let me introduce you to your new online best friend:

THE DAILY BEAST.

You've heard of it already? Well, thanks a lot for sharing. As for the rest of you who have never fed the beast (you can suggest news stories if you find them first! Now that's street journalism combining with real journalism at it's best), ENJOY!

It's like setting the NYTimes as your homepage except that it comes complete with a 'cheat sheet' so you can 'read this, skip that' and leave home for the day or exit your office in the morning knowing all the top news, juicy gossip and essential pop culture talking points you could hope for in a jiffy. Ready to efficiently be obsessed with the web, click here!

Seriously, all the stories are true yet it's entertaining because it is such a good mix of information. How else would I have found out that they are putting a McDonald's inside of the Louvre? (Tacky much?)

Awesome Logo

I'm a big fan of logo design. I'm no graphic designer but I do 'get' logos. I think this one is SO unique and not quite cliche.

It's for NYC's FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL!!! (I wish I had the $50 to go!)

The integration of the subway system and the wine bottle are very clever and simplistically perfect. Notice the colors in the correct places too with just a subtle color difference to make the logo unique to the event.

Ad of the Day: Breast Cancer

Another "Ad of the Day" moment, and it's not for the lottery this time.

My new favorite ad is for the Breast Cancer Awareness magazine Pink Ribbon.

Grey Amsterdam created this PSA campaign for the publication that aims to support breast cancer awareness all year long, not just during breast cancer month. Unlike U.S. ads that are more body conscious and play it safe, these ads dart straight to the point.

The ads are brilliant because:

• They are relatable to women: We all have boobs. It also creates a sense of community and safety knowing that every woman thinks about/deals with this issue.
• They aren't scary, but rather are encouraging. A PSA shouldn't scare the consumer but present them with a convincing call to action.
• They play off nostalgia and the memories we link to our boobs: boys, clothing, growing up, etc.
• Possibly my favorite: Each boob presented has a name, just like how boys have a name for their junk. (Do we really do this though?)
• They don't feel corporate and so are approachable. The unique fonts for each ad supports individuality and creates a sense of calm when dealing with something fearful.

Here are the print ads:

While the ads promote sales of Pink Ribbon magazine, they also serve to promote breast cancer awareness. So even if the ads don't create new consumers for the publication, it may promote their worthy cause they hoped to communicate within their pages anyway.

Here is the effective TV spot that would do wonders in the USA if only we weren't so prude:

What Makes New York New York

Lately I've been trying to describe to people just what New York means to me, how it's changed from a fantasy from movies, to a place that always proved to be a whirlwind short stay to my HOME.

Then, I found this from my friend Nina:

"There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born there, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size, its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter - the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something.

Of these trembling cities the greatest is the last - the city of final destination, the city that is a goal. It is this third city that accounts for New York’s high strung disposition, its poetical deportment, its dedication to the arts, and its incomparable achievements. Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness, natives give it solidity and continuity, but the settlers give it passion. And whether it is a farmer arriving from a small town in Mississippi to escape the indignity of being observed by her neighbors, or a boy arriving from the Corn Belt with a manuscript in his suitcase and a pain in his heart, it makes no difference: each embraces New York with the intense excitement of first love, each absorbs New York with the fresh yes of an adventurer, each generates heat and light to dwarf the Consolidated Edison Company."

E.B. White, "Here is New York," 1948

I think that just about sums it up. New York is an expression of passion for me. It's home, and home so quickly, because it is a positive outlet of my dreams. A final destination (sorry Mom). And my adventure.

It may be a corny Tshirt but I HEART NY.

Unconventional

You know you love my commentary but let's pretend this blog's purpose is that of Twitter and just enjoy this link with my prediction that Microsoft's 'LOOKING GLASS' platform may be what makes social media MEASURABLE. Watch out, advertising is still alive and well.

ARTICLE HERE.

Ad of the Day: NYC's Lotto Campaign

As a new NYC subway rider, I am still amused by the constantly changing subway ads inside the cars (better than looking at the smelly weirdoes around you.)

Last week, Ted pointed out this ad - one I had looked over and not paid much attention to for two reasons:

1. It's very plain/basic - I prefer wit.
2. It's for the lottery, something I can't risk the only dollar I have on.

While the ad did nothing for me, his liking for it amused me and I became interested in it. Who is their target? Why 'SWEET MILLION'?

The SWEET MILLION is the name of the lotto game where you have 'the best chance to win a million for just a buck.'

When I saw the commercials, I became more interested. The concept is simplicity. One dollar. Easy commitment. That's sweet.

Here's DDB's commercial correlating with the one-dollar-lotto.

To me, this ad seems to be a 4 in the morning, laughable idea pitched to the NYC Lotto people who happen to be 80 year old grandmas who love their cats and their grandchildren's pet chicks. WHO CAME UP WITH THIS?!

Yes, while gaining a million dollars would be sweet... I hardly associate it with pigs in pajamas. Maybe they are hinting that their commercial is just as realistic as people actually winning anything from their dollar investment... just a thought.

Anyways, the campaign DID make me look it up. Maybe just because advertising intrigues me, or maybe many people are looking further into this Sweet Million. If that's the case, then I think this is a brilliant campaign. Their site, while it carries on the absurd cutesy pet thing, is modern/ delivers a clear message and has 'legs.'

The mini-site features:

• The logo on the top left.
• The tagline next to kittens sitting atop a dreamlike cloud.
• The motto of the campaign under in green.
• Link to the NY Lotto mainpage in the balloon on the right.
• Info about it with the bunnies. Last week's numbers with the chicks. And an option to become a fan on facebook or share on a number of other Social Media sites with the pup.

The ABOUT section is dreamlike and possibly appeals to off their rocker people or drugged lunatics. I'll admit, it is amusing.

Please notice the rainbow, flying dolphins holding the banner, the plethora of domesticated farm animals and the kitty who glides across the screen for each option you choose on the bottom bar.

I don't understand HOW on earth the creative team got from A. One dollar lotto with million dollar prize and B. "Sweet million is sweeter than sweet. Which is sweet." to Crazy animal themes campaign and print ads with floating, almost border-less dollars BUT they did.

And they are doing it well - with the integration of a strong tagline, a microsite and social media.

(I apologize for the multiple lotto posts, however, it is interesting to note how mainstream the ads are becoming - how commercial. Now that we are in an economic recession, the lottery is appealing to more than just the middle of the country farmer bumpkins... it's for the urban subway riders and indebted Americans. So go buy your lotto tickets if you're into the whole Sweet Pet thing.)

Ho Ho Ho, No Holiday Cheer

Don't worry, the title of this post may be a little more grim than is necessary, for us consumers anyway. For retailers on the other hand, it may not express their distress enough.

That's right, according to this trend-following article by AdWeek.com, holiday spending is estimated to raise exactly 0% from last year's numbers, the lowest recorded Holiday year since 1967 - down 2.4%.

So, I'm predicting no Tickle-Me-Elmo-like crazes or Jingle All the Way Turbo Man dramas. It's sad but true. Hopefully this means that noone will be stampeded down like the unfortunate event at Walmart a few years ago. And maybe mall parking won't resemble that of a border crossing jam. (Truthfully, this sounds like a cheerier version of Christmas to me...)

The sad truth of the matter, though, is not that we are becoming less materialistic or more humane, we are just poorer. With negative contributors to the situation like unemployment, foreclosures and unavailable credit, shoppers will have to find other ways to show their affection this season and keep putting the money towards bills and debts.

Maybe, the meaning of Christmas will resurface? Maybe more people will take the time to have a snowball fight, make decorations or appreciate their old ones rather than redo Holiday appearances for this year. Who knows.

However, advertisers are still hopeful. (Afterall, we have jobs to look after too.) Knowing about this TREND makes advertisers able to brace the coming consumer disaster and attack it from a knowledgeable stance.

The article suggests that marketers should hone in on online advertising this season - marketing to internet savvy consumers. Why? Internet savvy shoppers may have jobs and therefore be online more often to be exposed to media - AND have more means to spend. Social media butterflies are often, in this moment, younger and have an indispensable income (if that still exists). AND, the bonus of online shopping - less of a mental commitment is made when shoppers simply click and realize the money spent later on with the physical credit card bill, after the decision is already made.

My advice?

• SHOPPERS: Be aware on online marketing this season (Nov.-Jan.). They are coming after you in full force and will take advantage of quick-online decisions. Think about everything from a budgeted view point. If you have the money, buy it. Spread that Christmas cheers and boost our economy.
• MARKETERS: Embrace the knowledge and watch expenses. Save advertising for online clientele and limit in-store holiday staffing. Don't seem desperate, seem holiday-cheer filled and help consumers to forget their holiday stress.

Recession Holiday Season #2. Brace yourselves.

Love this AD!

Adfreak exposed me to this elegant Lottery ad.  Yes, I said it: elegant Lotto.  

I feel like most Lotto commercials are unoriginal and tell you that DUH, you can win money, and lots of it.  But, this one is different... it sells a feeling, a life, a dream even.  As I've said before an ad should connect with an innate human truth... this one does: it shows how childhood dreams come true - while also plugging the Lottery.

Check it out:

How can you not love an ad that has story-telling abilities and makes you say, AWE.  Also, it's in no way cheap or unoriginal.  It's frankly adorable.  I'm a fan.   

NYC Style

I spent another beautiful sunny afternoon in NYC doing what the unemployed do best: wander.  

First, my day was destined for greatness when I discovered something that could only exist in NYC... an ice-cream-type truck that sold gourmet cupcakes (on Lex and 86th):

Later, I continued a food-filled day with friends at NYC's version of the California classic, In-N-Out, called the SHAKE SHACK in Madison Square Park.  I noticed this place while passing a few days earlier because of its MASSIVE LINES!  I knew it had to be good.  So, I spent half an hour or so in line, getting insanely hungry, waiting to place my order for a Shack Burger (complete with secret sauce, patty, American cheese, onions, pickles, lettuce and tomato-YUM)

My favorite part of this place is its BRANDING (surprised?  you shouldn't be.)  They TOTALLY build a brand off of the fact that their lines are stupidly long and people actually wait in them!  This was a two hour-long lunch for me and it wasn't even at a restaurant... you order and then pick your food up at a window and seating is a free for all.  Anyways, they sell baby onsies that read "I waited 9 months; this line is nothing."  They also have a T-shirt, among many others, with the popular I HEART NYC arrangement.  However, where the heart normally sits, is instead a picture of the Shake Shack - complete with endlessly long line wrapping around the garment.  Hey, if you've got a flaw, flaunt it. 

Later, I walked down 10th, between 2nd and 3rd, (passing this cool sculpture on the right) and found an amazing flee market with quality stuff.  I picked up some much needed salt and pepper shakers for 2 bucks (one table down from a lady that tried selling me hers for 10 dollars!) and a "real" pearl choker necklace for $3.  The fabulous-looking older woman insisted that she had no use for her precious jewelry at her age and was selling it cheap because it had all been given to her by rich men when she was younger.  Even if those pearls aren't real, they sure provided me with some story-telling entertainment.  My favorite part of sorting through other people's junk/treasures was this band:       

After, I decided to walk home (I walked 40 blocks, gave up and rode the subway).  Along the way, I stopped to read (another joy of being unemployed) in Madison Sq. Park and admire this artwork:

and view:

I Love NYC.

NYC Style

Yesterday, along with the sad, gloomy skies, I too was sad and gloomy.  Realizing I had nowhere to habitually go in this big city (since I'm a newbie), I wandered the  streets letting my tears blend in with the drops from the clouds.  It's a very unsettling feeling to pass so many people and know noone and feel alone.  [I know it sounds dramatic but telling lies is much more dramatic.]  

Anyways, after finding more mom-and-pop convenience stores that I know what to do with and passing many swanky Upper East Siders, watching my first movie alone (Julie and Julia is a must), and reading a book I already purchased in the cafe at Barnes&Noble (Starbucks had no seats), I eventually ended up in a place only two blocks away from my house.  

THIS will be MY place: The park along the EAST RIVER.  It's gorgeous and the view changes with every position of the sun and moon.  I just stared and walked for at least an hour in awe of the gigantic beauty that buildings and nature, in harmony, produce.  THIS is why I love NYC, it's never all or nothing, it has something for everyone.  You just have to have the energy to find which part makes you happy.    

(Excuse the phone-quality pics and take in the content.)  

Ad of the Day: MTV's 2009 VMAs

I complained awhile back about the excessive 'tributes' that seemed to take advantage of the passing of the King of Pop (yes, MJ).  However, MTV has created something I can get behind.

Their newest ad for the 2009 MTV VMAs is clean, respectful, creative and delivers a clear message - something MTV is not notorious for.  Their ads are normally neon, haphazard and slightly offbeat in an effort to be 'cool.'  

Check it out: 

The end copy is still the tacky voice over that MTV always resorts too but the imagery has one upped all of the company's past ads.

While I love this raining MJ ad, I do hope the awards aren't solely about the King, leaving this year's fresh talent left out of the spotlight.           

More on Social Media

Is social media really advertising?  Or it is a partnership with brands?  Who has the upper-hand?  Is it an equal relationship where one contributes to the other and vice-versa or do advertisers still trickle into the minds of the masses and influence their purchase decisions?  

Well, for my sake, I hope advertisers still have a hand in the game.

Michael Ramah of Advertising Age says of the transition from marketing to marketing against social media: "The real value of the marketer now is to delve into the conversations and reams of information and build a strategic framework -- to discover how, in a medium dominated by navel-gazing narcissists, we can insert a brand in a meaningful way."  He says of the millions of all-age contributors to social media, "it's true that individuals are empowered to become marketers. By virtue of their online savvy and assertive personalities, they can put their stamp on a product or service and send their message of like or dislike far and wide, to the networks they've built from their living rooms."

Luckily, Ramah shares the same viewpoint with me:  People are contributing to media through online networks, but there is definitely room to create a strategy to purge this new over-sharing, crowded market and take advantage of the ears-wide-open, constantly engaged online audience.  

Ramah acknowledges that while the hype from certain networking sites might some-day die down (i.e. Facebook with the inclusion of parents), he says, "... The medium and the conversations and the personal influence as-powered-via-connectivity are here to stay."

He notices that since the introduction of sites like Facebook and Twitter, brands have 'scrambled' to secure fan pages and twitter accounts in order to seem 'young and nimble" and secure an audience in the social media world.  He says, "Indeed, most of them have succeeded in setting up their presence, branding it and starting conversations."  

That's where we (marketers ready to delve into the new medium) come in.  The space left for marketers (the real ones with degrees; not kids tweeting away about what they ate for breakfast giving Cheerios a  free plug) is a space that allows us to use our creative strategy skills and interact with a consumer to personally influence their brand decisions.  

Social media strategists can operate in this new field to conduct those 'conversations' that a brand's membership to online sites allows.  They will guide the exchange choosing what is said, how it's said and how the audience responds... thereby increasing their client's sales and thriving in the new realm.  

The challenge then is to evolve faster than the online media - choosing how to break through the consumers' noise and reign supreme.  This is where we stand now.  Will there be a formula to fall back on for social media marketing?  Something to teach in universities?  Or is marketing calling for true innovation and challenging its producers to truly shine?  I'm hoping for the challenging option... back to good ol'fashioned ingenious breakthroughs.    

Ad of the Day: Google Earth

Coincidentally synced up with the supposed release of Monopoly City Streets (a Google Earth/Hasbro baby meant to be a REAL WORLD monopoly experience shared by all citizens on one online game board), the Google Japan ad for Google Earth  (released 9-01-09) is making international ad news.

Meant to demonstrate how Google Earth works, the Wall-E type character takes street-view pics of a neighborhood and carefully works through the night ensuring every picture is safe for public view - protecting peoples' privacy by listening to public feedback and blurring license plates, etc.

In the end, he sends a little wave your way; how could you possibly be upset with such a cute technology?  

After all, he is only exposing your home to billions of people across the planet.         

NYC Style

This is what happens when you leave your bike outside overnight in NYC (even in the Upper East Side):

Missing parts: seat, wheels, tires, bike lights, shocks, handle bars...

Parts still there: LOCKED frame, rusty chain, pedals

Sorry Ted; lesson learned.  

Conspiracy Theory: Bike stores steal parts to make us NEED parts sooner.  HMPH. 

First Bite of the Big Apple

Let's preface this story with a picture:

Yes, that's a box-spring making its way up a fire-escape.

Now, back to the relocation story...  It all started along time ago in a place far, far away in Allston, MA on August 31st.  

Up bright and early with only a few items left to pack, Ted and Sean (the man of the other couple we moved alongside), set out to retrieve our BUDGET rental truck, a 16 footer.  Approximately 5 hours later, they called with the definite news that Budget had lost BOTH of their reservations and would not be able to give them ANY size truck.  Don't worry Budget, it's not like we aren't contractually obligated to get ALL of our stuff out of our houses by MIDNIGHT.  (If you know me, you can only image the worry and panic that I endured waiting for them to return.  If you don't know me, thanks for reading my blog and making me feel important.)

FINALLY, they arrived with a PESKE truck at 5PM and we were on the road (only forgetting one item after all of that) by 7PM paying about $100 more than was expected.  Oh, and this truck only had TWO seats so I was LUCKY enough to sit on a pile of seat cushions for the whole trek.    BUT, we were grateful for our truck and thought nothing could possibly go wrong after that DRAMA.  

Boy were we WRONG.

About 15 miles (MAYBE) into the drive, approaching the FIRST rest-stop of many on our 3-4 hour drive from Boston to NY, our rear tire POPPED.  Yep, that's right, we were forced to take a bathroom break before even opening our water bottles.  That's when we stopped at McDonald's for 3 hours and witnessed the paper shredding lady and killed time playing dollar lotto tickets.  The lotto tickets taught us that Ted is lucky and Sean and I are not.  Apparently it's one of our faults all of this was happening.  (The broken mirror I found in one of my boxes three days later landed the blame solely on me.)  When our truck was fixed, we set out AGAIN.        

We got to Ted's parents' house that night at 1:30AM to sleep in a place the truck could rest for free (a highlight in the process).  The next morning we drove into Manhattan without much traffic and got to the Upper East side to unload Ted and I.  We have about 3 times the amount of stuff as Sean and Zeny and were dreading the unpacking and walking up 5 flights of stairs for every item.  Thanks for Zeny's brother Zach, who helped out, we had everything in in under three hours.  Impressive and sweaty.

We then drove to Midtown (with two in the cargo and three crammed up front down narrow one-way streets) to get Zeny's FULL-SIZE fridge she bought from some weirdo living in a four story brownstone.  That was going to be the next challenge of the day, for sure.  

Once we arrived at Zeny's Lower East Side digs, we discovered that her 'four-story walk-up' was indeed a five story that she lived on the top floor of.  Lucky us, not.  The boys tackled the fridge first thinking it would be the BEAST of the day.  It was up a half-hour later and after taking a break on the ROOF DECK, we carried many heavy boxes (Sean doesn't know how to pack a card-board box very efficiently- :P )  Then, the mattress got up their square-ish spiral staircase.  Next was the box spring.  We thought it would be easy-as-pie considering Zach and I carried mine up, but we were oh so wrong!  After an hour up the first flight of stairs only to find out the second set was a new shape, they had two options: 1. Saw it in half and reassemble at the top. 2. Go up the fire-escape (not so smart for people without health insurance).  

Three hours passed.  The photo above was taken.  The result was blocking the sidewalk long enough to throw the box spring off the second floor into the trash.

It is at this point that a few hundred dollars paid to MOVERS would be completely worth it.  Is there a secret website that tells you the tricks of moving normal size items into Manhattan sized homes?  I should make one, make millions, and move into a normal size home.

Exhausted, Ted and I had to drive the truck back to Sleepy Hollow to unload extra items at his home.  After paying an 11 dollar toll to leave the city, we discovered that Sean had the keys to the back of the truck.  We drove from 125th street to 9th again.  Then, went back to Sleepy Hollow only to discover that the truck was now an hour too late to return.  Another night NOT slept in our apartment.

Finally, on Sept.2nd, I moved into my apartment.  (This is, of course, after loosing my wallet walking from the truck return station and getting it back just as the gas station man was taking my cash out of it. AND coming back to realize our bike tires had been stolen because we didn't get to come back as planned to put them inside.)

My luck can ONLY get better and has.  Welcome to NYC Gabrielle.         

Excuse me?

So, I moved last week from Boston to NYC (yay) and had to stop at a rest-stop on the way.  This is what I saw:

There are so many things wrong with this picture:

1. I witnessed this mess and realized that humans are the weirdest, most nonsensical living organisms on earth.
2. There is a woman shredding paper at a rest-stop (notice the McDonald's cup).
3. It was 11PM.
4. She was shredding many pieces of paper that come from the part of a notebook between the spirals and the sheet you tear out.

Basically, this just confuses me.  How am I going into a business that requires understanding how people think and behave when oddballs like this exist to throw off the curve?    

Oh and just an extra pic of things that confuse me....

There are no words... 

Actually this behavior is completely inexcusable.  What would Stacey and Clinton say?  Someone today actually told me CLOGS (no, he is not Dutch) are comfortable and therefor acceptable.  Does that mean socks and sandals are allowed?  The obvious answer is NO.  Maybe the solution to world peace is FASHION POLICE.  There is individuality and there is ugly.  

So, please weirdoes, sort yourselves out.