http://www.populate.net/ Articles at Populate.NET en-us http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/pr-new-york-professionals-take-notice.html http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/pr-new-york-professionals-take-notice.html Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:46:26 -0700 The explosion of social media has created another weapon in the marketing arsenal and has emerged as an ideal tool for marketing in a broad range of industries. Beyond marketing products, the use of social media can help build corporate reputation.

Technology companies, rightfully so, have been among the early adopters (after all, you do have to walk it like you talk it) as these companies succeed and thrive based on how innovative they are, not just in the technologies, applications and services they produce, but also in the tools they use to communicate that innovation to the world. However, other industries are discovering the benefits of social media and the world of PR New York has always known is rapidly moving to adapt the fundamental changes in the way news and information is disseminated and corporate reputations burnished.

Let’s step back a bit… The first generation of media was about one-way communications and mass markets. The social media era is about completely decentralized bi-directional and many-to-many dialog; individuals, niche markets, microcasting. Not as a replacement for the traditional press - but in addition to it.

Since the advent of the Internet in the middle of the last decade, the dynamic has changed quite dramatically. People aren't just passively consuming media. They're participating and contributing in a global conversation just about everything. The public now has unprecedented access to information gathering, tagging, aggregating and publishing tools. Free. And they're using them.

Companies are waking up to the fact that social media can influence buyers and shape a company’s reputation, as already known by the leaders of PR New York City is home to. While technology companies are capitalizing on the increasing use of social media by consumers to promote their brands to their target audiences, other industries, particularly financial services companies, are beginning to recognize that they can no longer simply issue information to the media in hopes that their stories will be covered. They are working with communications experts – again those PR New York professionals – to assist them in telling their stories directly to the public and to engage in conversations with their customers, which the social media does better than any other medium.

A comprehensive social media strategy for public relations should be shaped by the fact that the media revolution has already transformed the way people obtain information. Public relations outlets are being used to communicate corporate and brand messages simultaneously to customers and the media as press releases are posted on search engine news sites as well as on blogs, becoming materials which are marketed directly to the customer. Visual versions often wind up on Facebook or YouTube.

People are often placing greater credibility on social media and user-generated content than professionally written editorial reviews and information and that’s where public relations practitioners can put social media to use. Peers are considered the most respected source of information, according to many studies. A recent white paper from the Council of Public Relations Firms entitled, “Creating Value: Public Relations and the New Brand Strategy” notes “Winning companies are increasing eschewing advertising and instead deploying social and conventional media in ways designed to enhance the perceived value they deliver to customers.” The Council’s white paper also states: “…many believe its (advertising’s) constant, repetitive presence actually corrupts the brand experience and erodes value.”

Not all news or information passes the 'mass market' test of the journalist, but it might be perfect for an important and influential group of bloggers, or it could even reach your target audience directly. Social media opens up opportunities for a return to the fundamental objectives of public relations: Help people who actively care to find you and locate content of interest; provide users and enthusiasts with materials they need to help spread the word to others; tell the story in your own words; and to educate, inform, persuade. After all, isn’t that what public relations – New York PR and beyond – is all about?

]]> http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/the-art-and-concept-of-in-film-marketing.html http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/the-art-and-concept-of-in-film-marketing.html Fri, 13 Feb 2009 01:54:58 -0800
People generally tend to confuse the two terms “Film Marketing” & “In Film Marketing”, and in most cases they assume them to be the same, which isn't correct. Film Marketing is generally a practice undertaken by most film studios by investing in expensive marketing campaigns such as paid trailers on television & radio, snapshots and promos of the film are also shown during the premiere of an equally anticipated release. In Film marketing is done basically to bring the product to the eyes of maximum viewers. When a big budget movie assembling of the top stars in the Film Industry releases, the hype it creates prior to its release will ensure it gets a grand opening. Most importantly if it is declared a pre-release hit then product owners could use the film as a platform to market its product. Incase it is a product from the garment industry, then the lead actor could be shown wearing garments from that particular company, if it is automobiles the actors could be projected as using them through out the film.

The idea is simple. Celebrities are trendsetters in terms of fashion and lifestyle that they project on screen. To have them endorse the products in a successful film where you have millions of viewers will make the commodity a household name and in the process boost up their sales. Other then In Film marketing other modes of marketing opts for the services of advertising agencies and public relation agencies, wherein the product to be launched is promoted by these organizations by reaching out to the general customer. ]]> http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/how-to-get-good-pr-without-the-big-retainers.html http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/how-to-get-good-pr-without-the-big-retainers.html Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:01:33 -0800
It's called Pay-For-Performance PR. There are only a handful of agencies that operate on this fee basis amongst the tens of thousands of PR firms throughout the entire U.S. Most of them offer the same service, if not better, than the big retainer-based agencies, but at a fraction of the cost. They're driven to perform because they only get paid for what they deliver while retainer-based agencies charge for their time and their overhead, but are not accountable for results. If they get media placements, that's great, but if they don't, you're still left holding the tab.

Here's how it works. When a company engages a retainer-based agency, they are charged a flat monthly fee based on the number of hours they estimate they need to work in order to get the job done. $10,000 a month is an average fee, but it can go as high as $20,000 or even $30,000 a month.

Once the retainer is established, the money is divvied up amongst the team in billable hours, much the same way a law firm or accounting firm handles its business. The executive who brought in the business bills for “managing” the account, which is usually about 10 hours per month, costing the client as much as $350 per hour, or $3,500 of a $10,000 retainer. The executive sets assignments, approves press releases and written materials as well as handles communication with the client but never pitches the press. In these large retainer based agencies, the executives are used as sales people and compensated for the amount of business they generate for the company. But, unbeknownst to the client, that executive who closed the deal is the person with the most PR experience, yet does the least amount of work on their campaign.

The rest of the retainer is split up among a few junior associates who do the writing, the pitching, the calling and the tracking. The staff assistants get into the action by billing $75 per hour for activities such as phoning, faxing and organizing documents. They may even charge to create the client's bill at the end of the month, compiling out of pocket expenses like shipping together with the hourly billing as tracked by the team members. The top executive massages the numbers so they fit the retainer, and it then takes the assistant as long as two hours to compile the bill. A retainer-based agency may charge clients as much as $125 per month just to assemble their bill.

This is a huge difference with how Pay-for-performance PR works. Most firms that operate in this manner set a simple fee for each media placement the firm obtains and the client signs up for a campaign with a specific budget in place. Then, one by one, the placements are made, confirmed and executed and the client is billed weekly or monthly against their agreed-upon budget. The campaign never goes over budget, and every client dollar is counted against a real media placement rather than for “best efforts.”

As marketing budgets are shrinking, companies are pinching pennies and seeking a more quantifiable return on their PR investment. Pay-for-Performance PR not only reduces risk and costs the client less, but more importantly, these firms bring home the PR bacon for clients, or they don't get paid. ]]> http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/spin-your-dwindling-advertising-budget-into-a-pr-dynamo.html http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/spin-your-dwindling-advertising-budget-into-a-pr-dynamo.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:05:45 -0800
-- Bill Gates

Tampa, FL- As unlikely as it is that Bill Gates would ever be down to his last million dollars, let alone a single George Washington, the fact remains that it's a powerful endorsement of the power of PR.

Still, when the economy is tight and corporations yank hard to get their belts down to that last notch, PR is usually one of the first few items on the budget that's frozen or cut completely. To bean counters, it's an easy choice. Because it's impossible to track the impact of PR in strict accounting terms they consider it difficult to quantify PR expenditures. To the numbers guys, if something fails to leave a footprint on the spreadsheet, it is expendable.

However, the usual result of a cut in PR is an “inexplicable” drop in sales and sales leads which can make a company practically invisible to consumers and business-to-business customers alike. Add to that the fact that the print and broadcast coverage almost always comes with an online media counterpart repurposing their stories, PR delivers the double-whammy of free press AND search engine fodder. So, when you cut the PR budget along with the advertising budget, it's like tossing the baby, the bathwater and the bathtub.

Even in lean times, public relations still provides the highest value and greater return on investment than any other marketing tactic, including promotions and advertising. To increase that value, there are a number of “performance-based” PR agencies that mitigate the risk of their clients and only get paid when they deliver solid placements. Retainer-based firms operate on the principle of making their “best efforts” to get your company press. With these firms, you're paying more for their time than for press. With performance-based agencies, you actually pay only for press, not for intangibles like time and effort. They deliver for you, or they don't get paid.

Part of the issue facing corporations is the lack of understanding of the difference between PR and advertising. If the soul of advertising is repetition – which generally cost into the tens of thousands to run an effective campaign – the heart of PR is that clients will likely pay one-tenth or less of the cost of an advertising campaign.

Further, the PR delivers a larger punch because it focuses on the placement of articles and broadcast spots in free media. Moreover, these placements carry the third-party verification factor of being in the news sections (not advertising) of the outlets in which they appear. This means that readers and viewers respect the placements more than advertising because they carry the tacit credibility of the outlets that carry them. In other words, if the editors of these outlets deem the company or client worthy of news coverage, then there must be something special about them.

Gates was one of the few software geniuses of his era who also understood the differences between advertising and public relations, and was able to maximize both to his company's favor. But with performance-based PR agencies, companies don't need a Gates-sized bankroll to capitalize on the power of PR. In fact, they can start with about $3,500 for a standard national radio campaign.

At the end of the day, companies can't survive the lean times without a steady stream of customers coming to their doorsteps, and PR can deliver them without busting the bank. ]]> http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/media-relations-and-brand-awareness-helpful-hints.html http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/media-relations-and-brand-awareness-helpful-hints.html Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/how-to-use-media-calendars-for-free-publicity.html http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/how-to-use-media-calendars-for-free-publicity.html Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/10-keys-to-getting-free-publicity.html http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/10-keys-to-getting-free-publicity.html Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/namifiers-llc-donates-to-raise-breast-cancer-awareness.html http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/namifiers-llc-donates-to-raise-breast-cancer-awareness.html Sat, 04 Oct 2008 19:41:44 -0700
The Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer is a 10 to 30-mile walk across Atlanta. Over 1,200 members of the community and individuals from out-of-state will come to participate in the 6th annual walk. To date, the Atlanta 2-Day Walk has raised $4 million and awarded 85 grants for programs that range from breast cancer awareness and education to early detection and support activities.

Sponsorship for the 2-Day Walk is one of the many diverse events that Namifiers has chosen to support each year. They also make annual contributions to several charities including the Susan G. Komen Foundation. This year, Namifiers is starting a Pink Campaign, where they are offering discounts on all pink merchandise ordered during the month of October.
Brad Gasaway, the Vice President of Marketing at Namifiers, LLC, loves being involved with the community and is proud that Namifiers, LLC, donated money to such an important cause.

“Our company exists on the premise that positive things happen when people unify to further a cause,” said Gasaway. “Winning the fight against breast cancer is among the noblest of prospects, and it is one that we will continue to support until a cure is found. We encourage citizens everywhere to find a way, whether great or small, to show your support in the bout against breast cancer. It affects the human family, therefore, it affects you and me.”

Namifiers.com ]]> http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/environmental-marketing-tips-for-small-businesses.html http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/environmental-marketing-tips-for-small-businesses.html Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/your-5-day-marketing-plan.html http://www.populate.net/Marketing/Public_Relations/your-5-day-marketing-plan.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700