How To Effectively Use Twitter

Twitter is one of the best ways to connect to consumers over the internet. It’s a simple medium that allows a business or organization to post a 140 character  message to their followers, and the rest of the world. There can be pictures, videos and graphics, but the key to keeping followers around and being retweeted is what you do with those 140 characters. It’s a tough feat to be able to say something both informative and funny at the same time, especially when you’re struggling to cut the characters down. Here is a list of how to be successful on Twitter. Much of this information comes from the practices of Oreo.

Be Timely

Oreo was able to tweet a very simple message during the blackout that occurred at the Super Bowl. They sent out a simple tweet with a simple picture that said “You can still dunk in the dark.” This tweet not only got nods for being creative, but also posted in a timely fashion that made the tweet an instant success. In order to be relevant, post info that is relevant to things that are going on in the world. The sooner the better. CAUTION: Do not post anything offensive. Timely does not mean you can post whatever you want. Avoid crisis and war situations.

Be Funny

Oreo is constantly getting raves from PR professionals for their ability to post tweet that are hilarious. Not only are the tweets funny, but their also informative, and make you wanted to run and get the Oreos from the store. A good funny tweet shouldn’t just be funny, but should cause the reader to respond. If there is not a response then the tweet was not effective. Attempt to get some laughs, but really attempt to have people purchase your product.

Be Simple

Oreo does not overdo it with their tweets. They simply post funny, informative and interesting tweets. Have a simple message that you want to get across to your followers. Don’t over complicate it. There is a reason why twitter only allows 140 characters. Abide by those rules and make the tweets simple. 

Images taken from http://blog.zogdigital.com/2013/03/14/oreo-the-tasty-voice-of-the-twitter-generation/

Advertising Success: AT&T

I am somewhat of a television commercial connoisseur. I love watching commercials and judging them on their effectiveness to relay a message, their ability to persuade a consumer to act and the interest level. This year, there have been many different commercials that I found to be humorous or interesting, many commercials that have done a good job of convincing consumers to purchase their item. But not many that have been able to do all three. AT&T has a group of commercial out right now that will make you rethink what you thought a commercial could be.

What do they do?

They take a group of four children and ask them simple questions and wait to get a response. The innocence of the children is hilarious, as they answer with very funny answers that make sense to them. Although silly answers, they are very true responses that come deep within the hearts of the kids. They then relate the question, i.e. “Who thinks more is better than less?” back to their product at AT&T.

Why is the commerical effective?ic

It’s simple. The simplicity of the children’s’ responses to the simple questions that can relate back to the brand. The question posed above is “Is more better than less?” Now all AT&T has to do is say that more is better than less, and how they supply more. They use humor, cute kids and a simple message to make this commercial very effective. I am an avid Verizon user, and these commercials have made me reconsider, because they are so darn well done.

What can an advertiser learn from AT&T? 

Is more better than less? YES. But, sometimes less is more. In this instance, just having a few kids asking simple questions, with simple answers and a simple message works. Make advertisements easy to understand and fun to watch in order to be effective. People are going to remember the simple things an advertisement says over the really long important details.

Admit it, these commercials are awesome! 🙂

The Next Big Social Network Site

Chirpify is the next big thing. You heard it hear first.

What does Chirpify do?

You’re probably asking yourself- what is this Chirpify website that you speak of? Well guys, I’ll tell you.

This network boasts that you can buy, sell, donate, fundraise and pay.

This gives companies the ability to sell products at an incredibly fast and innovated rate. You’re trying to sell a pair of shoes or a T-shirt? Just put a picture of the product on the website, it distributes the picture through social media. Then, all consumers have to do is type buy.

It’s that easy.

Why should you be on it?

For PR specialists, this offers the ability to literally sell an item at the click of a button. You put the product you want to sell on the Chirpify site that sends the product through social networking site. Then, literally all a person has to do is type “buy”.

This is a super fast way to communicate messages to consumers through social media, and for it to be an immediate purchase after viewing the product. This will increase impulse buys and due to the ease of the purchase, the amount of people who buy products will also increase.

According to PR Daily, Adidas has begun selling products on Twitter through Chirpify.

 

Here’s an example from the Chirpify website that explains better how the site works.

Top 3 Reasons Why Your Company Should Be on Pinterest

Pinterest is an up-and-coming social network outlet that allows its users to post a wide variety of pictures, recipes, crafts and more to share with the world. Others can then pin this information on their boards in order to show it to the people who follow them. As Pinterest to continues to grow in, it is key that YOUR company is involved. Here are the top 3 reasons why your company needs to be on Pinterest.

1. It’s interactive

Pinterest allows you to interact with your consumers in a multitude of different ways. People can follow your boards and the things that you pin. Because of this, you can release very fun and interesting information that is interactive with your brand. Oreo does a good job of this when they release different types of recipes that you can make with Oreos. This interactive way of encouraging people to purchase your product gives consumers ideas about how to use the product in creative ways.

 

 

2. It’s Free

Pinterest doesn’t cost your company anything. Posting pictures and recipes is simple and easy, and most of the time very fun! This is a much easier way to reach people, and it isn’t going to cost you anything to do it. Take advantage of Pinterest to save some money in your advertising. Spend that money in other ways you may not have been able to!

3. It’s Addicting

People spend hours on this social network site. According to my Social Media Design class, Pinterest users spend over an hour a day on Pinterest. People get on expecting to not spend that much time, and get carried away with looking at the pictures and recipes. Use this to your advantage. Not only do people want to spend time on the site, but they want interesting ways to use different products, and are willing to wait and look for it. This is such an easy way to reach consumers.

So, companies, if you’re not on Pinterest- WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Did We Get Milk Because of Got Milk?

got milk? Just do it.

There are many campaigns that are super catchy, campaigns that have essentially become iconic in our culture. These are the campaigns that create catchy slogans that you will never forget, even if you want to.

The question is not whether these ads are catchy or memorable. The question is are they effective? Are people flocking to the stores now to purchase milk and Nike? Or are the slogans just a saying that people will remember forget forever? Do these iconic phrases affect a person’s attitude toward a brand?

The answer is YES and NO.

Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign was effective and helped create a brand image that it had not already established. The campaign made people “just do it.” People began to want to buy the clothes so that they would be athletic, so that they could go out and be active. People just wanted to do it.

The second thing the campaign did, was convince people to “just do it” by just purchasing Nike products. People were convinced. They just needed to go to the store and grab some Nike garb. And they did just that.

I do not think this is necessarily the case for “got milk?”, however. People purchase milk when they need to purchase milk. People are not running to go purchase milk…it’s nearly a necessity.

With that said, I think “got milk?” is just a slogan that people enjoy. I do not think that the milk brand is growing because of these ads.

It seems as though commodities, or everyday items do not need to be advertised, because people are going to purchase them anyways. It’s not like there is one ad for all toilet paper. You don’t have to convince people to buy toilet paper. They’re going to buy it. I can understand if there is a specific brand of milk or a specific brand of toilet paper brand, but the good as a whole does not need to be advertised. 

The First Ad I Remember Falling Victim To

I was watching television when the ad of all ads comes on my television. “You’re on a mission to get Nickelodeon Magazine,” the ad correctly asserted Yes. Yes I was. I quickly responded to this advertisement. I had to have the magazine.

As the boys and girls on the television taunt me with celebrity interviews, great things to collect, and awesome recipes, I begin to pick up my phone to call the number. Then, to my horror, the children tell me only an adult can purchase it.

Only an adult? Only and adult? What crazy world was I living in? There was no chance my parents were going to get me a subscription to this magazine. I began to look for a loophole in the system when the kids began telling me how I can get my parents to purchase the magazine. BINGO.

Obviously I could put a ringing phone on a fishing pole and swing it over to my mother. That would work. She couldn’t avoid the phone call that way. Unfortunately the scam failed. And I moved on.

Next, they gave me an idea to mow my lawn saying “Nickelodeon Magazine please,” even though I had never mown a lawn in my life. I tried to start the lawn mower…failure. How was I going to be able to read the articles, make a slime cake, or work on the puzzles? I had to work harder.

So, I told my cute little sister to go ask mom for the magazine. She had the cute factor that was sure to win her over. And of course, it worked.

This ad was great for kids, because it worked at the disadvantage of the adults. Basically, it just told you to cheat and beg your way into forcing your parents to purchase the magazine. Way to go Nickelodeon!

But once I received my first few issues, I realized the magazine wasn’t all that great. Sure, it was great to read about recipes I would never create, look at interviews of celebrities I had never heard of and try to figure out puzzles I could never saw.

I was disappointed to say the least.

So congrats Nickelodeon for being super successful at scamming kids and parents to purchase your magazine. I pretended like I enjoyed it for several years, because I refused to admit it wasn’t the greatest thing ever…

That is until I saw Sport’s Illustrated Kids at the supermarket. And so the story goes…

 

Blog Comments

1. “How We Communicate” blog, February 15th

“I really liked this post. I am very extroverted, and most of my close friends are introverted. I feel like for me, personality opposites attract. I think as a team, I am able to do things more effectively when I’m doing them with a group that has both introverts and extroverts. This does, however, come with a necessity to really be conscientious about other people’s traits in order to be successful.”

2. Young Life leader blog, February 14th

“I have heard every single one of these excuses…and probably more! Usually I just give up and feel defeated. These are awesome ways to combat the excuses that kids come up with to not go to camp. Thanks for this post!!”

3. Cassie Bogdan’s blog, Febraury 13th

“Cassie, I love this so much. I think it’s so easy to get caught up in things that are good and make them your ultimate. I find myself constantly getting caught up in experiences, blessings, and people that are Christ-centered and then end up losing sight of Christ along the way. God wants us to experience awesome things, but Satan uses our natural tendencies to make things idols in order to pull us away from Christ. It’s super great to be reminded that Christ is my ultimate and I don’t need anything else. Jesus Plus Nothing Equals Everything.”

4.  PR Daily Article (using WordPress), February 7th

“Just starting out in AP Style, I am super convicted by this with my wordiness and use of cliches. I very much enjoyed reading this list of no-no’s and hope to continue to enrich my copy without these phrases! It’s going to be tough.”

5. PR Daily Article (using WordPress), April 4th

“This post is great. I am learning about Pinterest in my Strategic Media Design class at Ohio State, and I find the rise of Pinterest in marketing fascinating.
I really liked the idea to ask people to repin your pins, to help the pin go viral. I had never thought about that.”

6. PR Daily Article, April 6th

“As a prospective PR professional, I’m happy to know that I may just be cut out for the PR world. I am very interested in breaking news, and am able to take criticism like a pro.”

7. Sports Blog, April 7th

“Although a Buckeye fan, I think it’s going to be hard for Louisville to pull of a win. Michigan has been strong throughout the tournament, and Louisville didn’t look great against Wichita State. We’ll just have to see what happens. My vote: Go Louisville!”

8. YoungLife leader Blog , April 10th 

“This is an awesome idea. My team plans on doing this during our next club in Columbus, OH.

9. PR Daily Article, April 11th

“I have started looking for jobs in the PR field in order to get an internship. “I’m a people person” is one of the things that I think is a good thing to say when I am in an interview. I did not see this as something as a flaw. I think I disagree that the phrase is not a good point in an interview. If you can explain yourself effectively, and give examples as to how you are a people person, I think this quality could be a strength in an interview.”

10. Peas and Cougars WordPress, April 12th

“This is awesome…isn’t it funny that this actually happens in real life sometime? Not that people will tell a judge if they get divorced about a soda jinx, but that things actually do escalate this quickly sometimes? Ha! :)”

Google Homepage Campaigns

I always love looking at the Google homepage. There are always some really cool campaigns, videos, and graphics to look at to engage further into the company.

Over the last few years, I have especially loved the Valentine’s Day campaigns.

This year’s campaign was a Ferris Wheel. When you click the heart in the middle, the Ferris wheels in the background spin and land on two animals. It then proceeds to show the viewer comics of the two animals falling in love with each other. It’s simple, it’s cool, and it makes me want to spend all day on Google. Check out this campaign!

Last years, campaign was just as cool. It was a video of a guy trying to win affection of a young girl. He continues to go to Google to find the answer to win over the girl, but later joins the girl jumping rope and they live happily ever after! Check it out below.

What do you guys think about these Google campaigns?

5 Traits a PR Professional Needs

I just read this awesome article on PRDaily about the traits a PR professional needs. 

The five given traits were:

1. Thick skin
2. Resiliency
3. Attention to detail
4. Creativity
5. Relationship builder

I have categorized all of these words into one adjective. A PR professional needs to be persistent. One who works in PR must have the ability to not get discourage when faced with criticism and just keep going. 

They also must be persistent when making edits to their work. On top of this, persistent in understanding how the world is ever changing, and thus is PR. One day PR professionals may be focused on Twitter. Next year, PR might be almost solely based on other social network sites. Persistence to change is key.

Professionals also must be persistent in building relationships and having connections. As the article says, in the world of PR, connections are key. Be persistent. Put yourself out there.

Super Bowl Commercials

As a Strategic Communications student, I am constantly analyzing the advertising campaigns I see on the television and online. Super Bowl Sunday was this past weekend. Viewers were able to see some very interesting, fun commercials that were effective, and some….not so much.

Here is my favorite and least favorite commercial from the Super Bowl.

FAVORITE

I love Gangam Style. I hate Pistachios. But, this commercial made me want to run the grocery store to grab some. Well done pistachios, well done.

 

LEAST FAVORITE

I mean, why? This commercial just made me feel really uncomfortable. I don’t know anything about GoDaddy.com and now I never do. The concept, the sound effects, the vision of those two making out was just too much. Try again Go Daddy!