I'm a Little Bit Country

This time around I will be dedicating a little attention to the event planner in me (and a lot of other PR and marketing pros). Events can be one of the most personal and elaborate ways to connect to very important publics. It’s a face-to-face connection, an immediate 2-way form of communication, a way to say thanks or congratulations. Often, it is the ultimate way to tie together in a neat little package allllll the other channels we use to reach out and inspire action. When done well, it is also one of the most fun parts of industry.

Now, I wouldn’t consider myself a country fan by first nature, but I have a couple of the local stations programmed in my car. And, I did happen to be home this past Wednesday, and by happenstance tuned in to the 2010 CMA Awards pretty much from start to finish. This is an impressive feat when it comes to most award shows with all the pomp and circumstance, the over-the-top mega stars, lame host commentary, etc. Unfortunately, few shows of that length hold the attention of many viewers for the duration. This one was different.

Even as someone who is not a country music “fan”, this show (and the entire marketing package that accompanied it) felt like the year’s biggest party, and I was invited! The CMA show was an example of consumer buy-in at its best. Year after year in country music, the same great names are recognizable. The family unity between the artists themselves is evidence to the millions of true country music fans. Who needs competition? These fans are fans of the genre, the industry as a whole and if they like one artist, chances are they like all of them.

The country music industry as a brand is seamless and was beautifully celebrated and demonstrated by the CMA in this show. Not to mention, in the website, blog and social media, e-newsletter and slew of other tactics used in the creation of this event, all of which you can check out at the link above.

I guess I’m a little more country than I thought y’all.

I Feel Used!

Last week, some co-workers told me that this October was the first in 823 to have 5 full weekends. Having no reason to doubt who I view as intelligent colleagues, I thought to myself, “Wow, isn’t that interesting.” I didn’t give it much thought after that and seemingly heard it around a few other places, as well. So, as any person (especially in a profession so tuned into the “news”) tends to do, I proceeded to pass along the information to friends and family. I got through a few people in circle with no push back. However, when I relayed my interesting tidbit to a certain friend, he happily informed me that this was impossible!

Needless to say after a short conversation and little thought, it didn’t take much convincing at all for me to realize that my friend was right. A quick internet search confirmed that I had been duped by an internet experiment testing how easily we believe what we read on the internet and in my case (even more embarrassing) what our friends read on the internet. EGadds!

What a wake-up call. While I do feel foolish, this little experiment reminded me how easy it is to forget the pitfalls of the internet. We rely on it so heavily, and in the PR and marketing industry it often acts the end-all be-all resource. It is easy to forget that not all web is controlled by truthful sources like ourselves. 

Media Day Hooray!

This Tuesday I attended my very first PRSA Media Day. For this entry, I just wanted to give a quick kudos to all parties involved in making the Cincinnati Media Day possible. The PRSA commitee, the panelists and speakers, and local media who attended were all excellent. I especially enjoyed both the YouTwitFace panel discussion and the Toyota presentation.

 It was great getting some face time with local editors and reporters who can help us do our jobs better.  I think it is safe to say that now knowing there is a 1:4 journalist to PR guy ratio, everyone will find use for the the great tips for pitching the media generously shared.

Kudos Cincinnati PRSA!

Props for Coca-Cola

Interbrand released its list of 2010's Top 100 Brands this week. No surprise, Coca-cola came out on top for the 11th consecutive year, despite efforts to boost the Pepsi brand, number 23 on the list, through CSR programs like refresh. The unmatched dedication to the top brands around the world exists for reasons unknown to many of their most loyal followers.

The brand is an immensely important and, at times, difficultly defined concept. In our personal lives, many of us fumble and falter for years (decades even) to answer the question, who am I? An even more complicated quest when mixed with who do I want to be and how do I go about being it? A concept that the branding leg of marketing asks businesses to determine with a questionnaire or short exercise, and all in time to get the website launched next month. EGadds!

From this perspective, I can see why some clients take 8 months to approve something like a business card. But, the marketing pro knows that the beautiful thing about the brand is that it can always be reinvented, and should be. The most lasting brands are both timeless and modern, must remain consistent, yet evolving. Not an easy feat, but something to aspire to.

So, hats off to Coca-Cola for 11 years and counting of seamless reinvention of the brand that the entire world loves! (Except Pepsi drinkers, of course)

Product Placement on TV: Genius or Pure Evil?

The death of the commercial has been like a dream for millions of TV viewers. No interruptions to favorite shows. No balancing act between two shows to avoid the breaks. Practice and tools like DVR have allowed us this luxury, but is it starting to backfire?
The U.S. saw the only dip in branded entertainment spending in 2008 but, the PQ Global Media report predicted that spending on branded entertainment in the U.S. will show bounce back in 2010, increasing by 5.3 percent from last year and rising by a compounded annual growth rate of 9.2 through 2014. This would appear to be an accurate prediction to me.
The dwindling effectiveness of traditional advertising, like TV commercials, has led the industry to a source of infiltration that is growing and can't be stopped. Product placement in TV shows is not a new concept, but is it just me or is it getting worse?

More and more, frequent and obnoxious product placements in TV shows are becoming the norm. And the ever popular term "product integration" is a new breed. These are not the shameless plugs of products past. These fully integrated advertisements are inseparable from the show. No more generic cola or beer cans or made up cereal brands. Now, I'm left wondering if that awful MGD 64 is really the drink of choice for the svelte stars of Burn Notice. Is the Modern Family, a Mac-using one? Should I be a Mac user?

EGadds, Its working!

As an avid TV watcher, this new wave of integration between product and show is a distraction I'm not sure I can get used to. However, as a professional in the marketing industry, the advertising plan of the new world is one that I will have to submit to, or be swallowed by.