This Wednesday, Robert Martin from MM2 PR spoke to our class about Marketing Communications and how integrated marketing is changing the practice of PR. It was a relief to hear from someone that PR is actually becoming more valuable in the business world. It is largely due to the importance and use of social media in marketing today. Consumers today more than ever want their experience with companies to be an interaction. It's not just about a company preaching to their consumers anymore - it's about the 2-way communication and the relationship they want to form with a company.
The thing that stood out to me in the hour we spent with Mr. Martin was the idea that marketing and PR today is about getting out there. It's about going out on the streets and interesting with consumers. It's about making them feel like they are a part of the brand, company, or product.
Wheat Thins recently started a very successful campaign where they are going out to people's homes or offices where they have tweeted or mentioned Wheat Thins in any type of social media and have been making surprise deliveries to these people. They have then used the footage to create commercials and a youtube site specifically for the campaign. To me, this is one of the best ideas I've seen so far. They are not only getting people involved but they are randomly rewarding those who do mention them and at the same time are making it a surprise! Brilliant. I hope someday I'll be able to think of something this clever for a campaign.
Mr. Martin mentioned, "Instead of just talking about yourself as a company, get out and do something." This is exactly the type of thing Wheat Thins has done and many other companies are doing today to attract their consumers and create a relationship with them. Because social media is so huge today, it's going to be the main way to reach consumers and what better way to reach them than by getting out there and taking it to the streets.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
The Evidence-Based Approach
Looking back now on Dr. Kirk's Research class for my Communication Studies major, it's somewhat comical to me how completely and entirely freaked out I was to do "research" in the way that Dr. Kirk was instructing us to do. I had never in my life had to create such an extensive reference list, and to be honest, I had barely even used EBSO or any other library search engine, for that matter. I remember thinking: "When am I EVER going to use this in real life. What's the point? This is wasting precious hours of my life that I could be using to actually create my own work." ... Little did I know, I would soon come to realize research was the most important step in any type of communication. You have to do your research before you can even begin to express your opinion and convey a message to your audience.
This week, Mr. Mike Lake, Chair, U.S. Public Affairs Practice and Southwest Region for Burson-Marsteller, came and talked to us about the importance of research in a campaign and the method B-M sells to it's clients called the "evidence-based approach." B-M is a huge believer in quantitative research and prides itself in being able to provide extensive research to their clients with facts and numbers, not just focus groups and opinions. Mr. Lake told us, "If you want to go out and bill a client, you've got to back it up with data and research." In Dr. Kirk's class, our entire semester was about doing research in order to present a campaign idea to our client. A lot of times what firms do is they research and present what the client already knows about themselves. B-M takes this a step further in that they offer something to the clients that they don't already know.
Mr. Lake talked about a recent campaign B-M is working on in the online gaming industry. In order to best serve their client, they knew they were going to have to do extensive research. They were strategic, however, in how they chose their targets for the research. By choosing the correct targets, B-M was able to provide the very best research results for their client.
In a world where it is increasingly becoming more about the "I want it now" and "high-tech, high-speed outcomes," it's refreshing to hear that good old fashioned research is still one of, if not, the most important step in producing results that work for a client. It's also a relief to know that my countless hours spent sifting through research article after research article will pay off one day when I will hopefully get a client of my own that wants to try an evidence-based approach to communication.
This week, Mr. Mike Lake, Chair, U.S. Public Affairs Practice and Southwest Region for Burson-Marsteller, came and talked to us about the importance of research in a campaign and the method B-M sells to it's clients called the "evidence-based approach." B-M is a huge believer in quantitative research and prides itself in being able to provide extensive research to their clients with facts and numbers, not just focus groups and opinions. Mr. Lake told us, "If you want to go out and bill a client, you've got to back it up with data and research." In Dr. Kirk's class, our entire semester was about doing research in order to present a campaign idea to our client. A lot of times what firms do is they research and present what the client already knows about themselves. B-M takes this a step further in that they offer something to the clients that they don't already know.
Mr. Lake talked about a recent campaign B-M is working on in the online gaming industry. In order to best serve their client, they knew they were going to have to do extensive research. They were strategic, however, in how they chose their targets for the research. By choosing the correct targets, B-M was able to provide the very best research results for their client.
In a world where it is increasingly becoming more about the "I want it now" and "high-tech, high-speed outcomes," it's refreshing to hear that good old fashioned research is still one of, if not, the most important step in producing results that work for a client. It's also a relief to know that my countless hours spent sifting through research article after research article will pay off one day when I will hopefully get a client of my own that wants to try an evidence-based approach to communication.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Agency PR
When I sit down and actually try and think of what it is that I want to do with my life after I graduate from college, so many things come to my mind, I couldn't possibly pick just one. Sometimes I feel like I am five years old again writing down everything I want to be what I grow up. Then the very next day, it all changes.
One of the things that Jennifer Little and Ashley Maddocks from Edelman pointed out as they shared their advice and expertise with us this Wednesday night was that one of the advantages to being at an agency is the opportunity you have to switch around. You can discover your passion after trying out many different options and have the freedom to be able to move around within the company.
I have always been a little afraid of agencies. They have always seemed so big and scary. But after listening to Jennifer and Ashley, I have a brand new interest in agencies and what they might have to offer as I try to find my place after graduating.
Jennifer highlighted this concept perfectly when she said, "If you want a really well-rounded base, an agency's the way to go." I am beginning to agree with her after listening how many opportunities are available to employees within an agency like Edelman. Ashley followed by saying, "Opportunities when you grow as a student and professional will present themselves to you, and they may change what you want." This is exactly what I was looking for. I already change what I want on a regular basis so why not spend my first few years exploring all there is to learn in an agency with a lot of variety and experience.
Maybe an agency wouldn't be as intimidating as I thought. It could be just the place for me! Jennifer and Ashley really did a great job of showing our class just how much exciting agencies can be by pointing out the endless amount of opportunities available. I really enjoyed listening to their stories and advice, and I feel like I'm slowing beginning to put the puzzle pieces of my life after graduation together.
One of the things that Jennifer Little and Ashley Maddocks from Edelman pointed out as they shared their advice and expertise with us this Wednesday night was that one of the advantages to being at an agency is the opportunity you have to switch around. You can discover your passion after trying out many different options and have the freedom to be able to move around within the company.
I have always been a little afraid of agencies. They have always seemed so big and scary. But after listening to Jennifer and Ashley, I have a brand new interest in agencies and what they might have to offer as I try to find my place after graduating.
Jennifer highlighted this concept perfectly when she said, "If you want a really well-rounded base, an agency's the way to go." I am beginning to agree with her after listening how many opportunities are available to employees within an agency like Edelman. Ashley followed by saying, "Opportunities when you grow as a student and professional will present themselves to you, and they may change what you want." This is exactly what I was looking for. I already change what I want on a regular basis so why not spend my first few years exploring all there is to learn in an agency with a lot of variety and experience.
Maybe an agency wouldn't be as intimidating as I thought. It could be just the place for me! Jennifer and Ashley really did a great job of showing our class just how much exciting agencies can be by pointing out the endless amount of opportunities available. I really enjoyed listening to their stories and advice, and I feel like I'm slowing beginning to put the puzzle pieces of my life after graduation together.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)