Last Wednesday you may have seen an unusual number of people not wearing shoes—or, to be more specific, going without shoes in unusual places like the office, school or walking down the street… Where did they all come from? And where did their shoes go?
If your day was like mine, you had to ask someone, “What are you doing barefoot in the mall?” Unbeknownst to me, that was exactly what shoe designer, TOMS wanted me to do as a part of its One Day without Shoes campaign.
The shoe designer behind the barefoot frenzy had one message: A lot of people all over the world go without shoes every day, and we have the power to change that (by purchasing TOMS shoes).
With a message so simple, it was easy for TOMS to rely on consumers to deliver it. The delivery went something like this:
TOMS used barefoot people to create a buzz of curiosity and to get the public talking about their brand. In the end, their goal was to get first time customers to buy a pair or two of shoesand become emotionally connected to the brand.
So how does this relate to writing effectively?
Let’s break it down. A more simplified version of TOMS’ marketing plan looks like this:
Since we can’t run around barefoot everyday to get people to read our blogs and press releases, we need to use headlines and titles to grab attention. More often than not, reporters and producers won’t get past the headline in a press release. The same goes for most internet users and blog posts. So, if a title is boring or sounds like everything else on the web or in reporter’s inbox, it’s not going to get much attention.
However, be careful that your creative titles are backed up with quality content. No one likes to feel tricked, so follow through with valuable information.
Engage in conversation
The second thing we can learn from this campaign is to be engaged in the conversation about your company, product, service or whatever it is you do. In fact, TOMS went a step further. Instead of just being a part of the conversation about their product or brand, they crafted a scenario in which a lot of loyal consumers had amble opportunities to tell other people about the brand. (And feel good about themselves for promoting a worthy cause).
The lesson here is to direct the conversation rather than be tossed and carried by the waves of chance. By being a thought leader in your industry, you earn the right to direct the tone of the conversation. Even better if you can get your customers to do it for you.
Make sure it all relates to your business goals
This is key. As we saw in the TOMS campaign, engaging consumers, while incredibly valuable, shouldn’t be the end goal. Instead, it should be a tactic for reaching other business goals. That might look like calling consumers to action—such as donating to a worthy cause, purchasing your company’s products or recommending your services. Or, it could be more subtle, such as fostering trust between your company and the consumer.
Overall, both the marketing process and the writing process require a little creativity and a lot of focus on where you are headed, and we applaud TOMS successful campaign. At GCJPR we are experts in creating content and outlets for engagement at all audience levels. For your business barefoot people may not be the right path, but we can help you develop and guide ideas that work for your business from conception to launch.
Today’s blog is a little different than most of our posts—We wanted to take a break from our normal communication strategy and media related topics to talk about something that has become an important cause for all of us here at GCJPR.
Since taking Childhelp® on as a client in February of 2007, our staff has become more aware of the prevalence of child abuse in our nation and even in our own state. It is a tragedy that the world we live in requires such an organization to protect children from people who would otherwise hurt them. However, we are thankful that in light of the circumstances of the world, there are people like the employees and volunteers of Childhelp who have taken a stand against child abuse and neglect.
Today is the National Day of Hope, which commemorates victims of child abuse in addition to celebrating the hope we have that one day child abuse will be eradicated. Throughout the day, people across the country will light a five wick candle and observe five minutes of silence in recognition of the now nearly five children who die each day as a result of abuse and neglect in the home and the millions of others who suffer.
This year’s Day of Hope comes alongside a campaign to bring new members and supporters into the fold at Childhelp. In other words, to invite others to become “Childhelpers.”
At GCJPR we are proud to work alongside Childhelp in their efforts to protect the children of our communities and nation, and we hope you will consider becoming a Childhelper as well.
Photo featured on Sokoblovsky Farms' Web site, www.petitelapgiraffe.com
Today at 12:30 p.m. my officemate Ashleigh Allen announces her desire for a Petite Lap Giraffe (PLG).
At 12:31 p.m. I crush her dream, “It’s not real.”
“No, look at this… they have a Webcam,” persuades Ashleigh. “I saw him earlier.”
Him being “Vladimir” the PLG breeder’s prized Bull. Ashleigh flips around the Web site and shows me photos of the long-limbed miniatures.
Ashleigh points to different parts of the site, “Mallory, the breeder is in Russia, listen…” she puts on an accent and reads a sentence out loud, “..‘Our customers always supreme happy with the babies. So much so they send photographs and even commercials.’ They’re so cute!”
“There is no possible way that those are real,” I laugh, although I’m starting to teeter on the verge of denial as well. “Ashleigh! Go back to the Webcam, I guarantee Vladimir will be doing the exact same thing he was doing early… because it’s fake!”
As I walk back to my desk a wash of slight unease shades my officemate’s side of the room. Her white flag waves as she laughs, “But I still want one!”
DIRECTV: 1. Ashleigh:0.
For the record Ashleigh Allen is an intelligent, highly efficient professional. But that doesn’t mean she is resistant to the charm of miniature animals or a well devised advertising campaign.
Sokoblovsky Farms, Russia’s Finest Purveyors of Petite Lap Giraffes, has taken a funny television commercial to a viral level. The fantastical breeder’s site does not make reference or advertise DIRECTV services. However, it does host commercials “I am Epic Win” and “Opulence, I has it,” under the guise that the featured PLG, Ivanka, was born on the Sokoblovsky Farm.
As of the moment which Ashleigh fell in love with this tiny version of the Serengeti giant, 351,638 were also intrigued enough to click on the “I want Giraffe, clicking here” button of the fake Web site.
DIRECTV is generating awesome brand recognition without even using its name! Any large business that is clamoring to strike the elusive achievement of going viral must take note. Rather than trying to hawk services, DIRECTV is taking a moment to laugh with its existing and potential customers.
If the phase “go viral” has passed through the lips of someone at your conference table, review what DIRECTV is doing with Ivanka. It is a great case study in what viral marketing actually is.
Working at Gordon C James Public Relations has been a great experience thus far.
Everyone is uber friendly, extremely helpful and inviting. This is my third internship in my public relations career, and the experience I’m gaining now before graduation is vital if I want to be hired at any firm post graduation. With that being said, there are few things that every new prospect should know.
These are the top three tips that I think are most important to become acquainted with. Read them, learn them and use them!
1. Always get a business card. With social media taking over the world, you would think that business cards are a blast from the past. But the truth is that they are just as important today as they were 20 years ago. Each business card you have in hand is one more connection, contact or future employer. After any interview, conference or meeting, ALWAYS ask for a business card. With the business card, write on the back where you met that person and the date you met with them. Six months later, when you are looking for a internship or job, you can whip out the business card, know who the person was (in case you forgot) and when you met with them. You can them email them and start the conversation out like this: “Good morning Jim Johnson- I met you July 3rd at the PRSA conference in Phoenix….” When he sees that 1) You know his name, occupation and contact info and 2) you remember the date you met, he will be more than impressed. This is just a simple way to gain a possible gig in the future.
2. Learn how to use social media efficiently. We all know how update our status and send a tweet. But do you know the right times of day to tweet or how to gain more followers? Companies are looking for fresh, young talent, and social media is HUGE. Your future employer wants you to know how to use social media and be able to do it in such a way that gains positive feedback for their company. So take a few minutes every day to learn something new related to social media. Whether it be learning how to re-tweet, how to use bit.ly or learning what a hash tag is, it’ll be 5 minutes well spent.
3. Communicate. Seems like a no brainer, right? Some people think communication is easy, but it can really make or break a relationship. It is vital to learn how to communicate with your fellow co-workers. If there is no communication within the company, then communication with a client is out of the question. My philosophy on communication is this: I would rather over communicate than under communicate. Getting 2 emails verifying the address of any event is better than not getting the email at all. And if you are still unsure about something, pick up the phone and ask. We are all so tied up in our laptops and email that we forget that an old-fashion phone call can sometimes be the best. Once the communication is solid within your company, then you can have effective communication with your clients.
Learning is a life long journey. I am still learning what the public relations world has to offer everyday that I am in the office. Even the most respected and experienced PR pros are tackling new objectives daily. What are some helpful hints that you have learned throughout your career?
Thanks for reading… Keep your eye out for more from The Intern Chronicles in the coming weeks.
The internet is one big tool box for socializing. We can update close friends, find old friends, meet new friends- it is almost limitless!
Recently, GCJPR had a group of over 300 friends that it needed to distribute photos to. As much as we loved running the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and Half Marathon with them, burning even a dozen DVDs and distributing them to team leaders would take too much time.
Of course our solution was on the internet. We went to Flickr to make the photos available to all of the 2011 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Mayor’s Run participants and charities partners.
Flickr is a social media world heavy weight and can supplement an organization’s Web site, blog, etc. In the case of the BCBSAZ Mayor’s Run, Flickr is a great solution to sharing information to hundreds. Check out our photos on Flickr!
There are many thoughts and recommendations about how to make a Facebook page work for your business. Ultimately it comes down to knowing how to engage with people on a digital, yet still very personal, level.
For example, Shea Homes Arizona found Facebook success by asking its audience to post photos of their pets and vote on the “cutest” photo. The photo with the most “likes” won a gift certificate to PetSmart. But in the world of social media the real winner was Shea, as its Facebook page interaction went through the roof.
Shea is increasing and engaging its audience by tapping the desire to share and incentivizing that action by offering a prize. The homebuilder is now upping the ante with its Home Is Where the Heart Is photo contest in which participants are entered to win a $1,000 gift certificate to Schmitt Jewelers! To qualify for the contest, Facebook users must visit the Shea Homes Arizona Facebook page and post a photo of a favorite spot in their home with a heart in it.
