DEANE, SMITH & PARTNERS

WordSmith › Twitter Breaks News Of Whitney Houston’s Death

Todd Smith — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:11:26 +0000

“Pithy PRognostications from a recovering journalist …”

Words of the Day

“Bittersweet memories, that’s all I’m taking with me.” – Whitney Houston’s hit “I Will Always Love You”

Tweet Scoops Mainstream Media Again

Twenty-seven minutes before mainstream media broke the news of Whitney Houston’s death on Saturday night, the story was on Twitter, reported by a man who tweeted the news out to his 14 followers.

A tweet — sent at 4:57 p.m. PT — from the Associated Press that confirmed Houston’s death by citing her publicist was retweeted more than 10,000 times, according to data from Topsy Labs. However, the first tweet to reveal the news was sent at 4:30 p.m. PT and was only retweeted once.

In a fast-paced, multi-media, plugged-in world, WordSmith increasingly tunes into social media to get the scoop. Today’s society hungers for breaking news – and when it happens, they go social to satiate their appetite.

::Golden Mic Award::

Each week, WordSmith will bestow a Golden Mic Award to the person, group or company in the court of public opinion that best exemplifies the tenets of solid PR, marketing and advertising – and those who don’t. Stay tuned … and step-up to the mic!

The WordSmith News Bureau is based at Deane, Smith & Partners, a full-service PR, marketing and advertising agency. Got PR? Need marketing strategy? Ad consulting? Message Wordsmithing? Creative & online initiatives? Reach the WordSmith at wordsmith@deanesmithmedia.com.

WordSmith › Super Bowl, Super Ads

Todd Smith — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:57:16 +0000

“Pithy PRognostications from a recovering journalist …”

Words of the Day

“Let’s do it.” – Tone-Loc’s 80’s Hit “Wild Thing”

Like The Game, Spots Were Up & Down

Super Bowl 46 was an incredible game between two superb teams – two prizefighters punching lights out until the final whistle. Eli Manning – and the rest of the New York Giants – are now legendary. Eli = Elite!

And just like the game, there were some priceless ad moments, and some that fell flat as a week old Dorito. WordSmith loved every minute of it, and here are my unabashed Top Super Bowl 46 spots:

1. Sketchers

The “Mr. Quiggly” mutt dons Sketchers and takes off past a pack of greyhounds, only to stop inches before the finish line to breakdance to victory! Priceless. “Let’s Do It.” Give the dog a new contract! Check it out!

2. Doritos Sling Baby

Grandma and toddler get even with a taunting brother.

3. Chrysler “It’s Halftime in America”

With all the humor, babies, dogs and other whimsical animals dominating the Super Bowl ads, Chrysler’s spot struck a much more somber and serious note. Arriving unannounced and unapologetic, this poignant ad featuring the acting performance of the night – and the unmistakable, raspy voice of Clint Eastwood was a reflective counterpoint to the circus of the halftime show.

4. Volkswagen “The Dog Strikes Back”

An obese pooch gets in shape and sports a svelte shape to chase down the new Volkswagen. Das Auto!

5. Fiat “Seduction”

One of the hottest spots of a sizzlin’ Super Bowl! You’ll never forget the first time you see one.

From comedy to drama, we all had favorite Super Bowl spots. Here are the Top 5 as rated by AdWeek. Enjoy!

::Golden Mic Award::

WordSmith › Super Bowl 46 … Got Hashtags?

Todd Smith — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:10:45 +0000

“Pithy PRognostications from a recovering journalist …”

Words of the Day

“Just Do It.” – Nike slogan

Ads Now Come With Their Own Twitter Hashtags

Between, #SoLongVampires and #GameDayPolarBears, call it the Hashtag Super Bowl!

The average cost of a 30-second Super Bowl spot is up this year from $3 million in 2011 to $3.5 million, which means advertisers are even more desperate to make those millions count. Even though 100 million people are expected to tune in live to the game, there are other eyeballs to grab.

According to Reuters, “Consumer research forecasts that 60 percent of fans watching the Super Bowl will also be tied into a second screen such as a smartphone or tablet.”

So, advertisers are drawing-up a diverse social media strategy for their playbook.

The Super Bowl elevates the act of people trying to sell you things into art or entertainment. Brands such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Audi and more are joining in direct conversation with the fans.

According to Reuters, Twitter hashtags are the obvious choice:

“Coca-Cola’s TV commercials, which will air during the first-and second-quarter breaks, will center around its computer-generated Arctic polar bears watching the game. The bears will then be brought to life on Twitter, Facebook and on a dedicated Website doing such things as responding to fans and commenting on the game. They will even have their own Twitter hashtag –#GameDayPolarBears — for fans to follow.”

Pepsi is taking it one step further with a commercial featuring “X Factor USA” winner Melanie Amaro singing “Respect.” Using the Shazam app, viewers of the commercial can download a free video of the performance onto their phone.

Volkwagen has also entered the hashtag red zone.

“This year, Volkswagen’s Audi is hoping to win more creative kudos with a spot that taps into the “Twilight” teen vampire pop culture phenomenon. The 60-second spot, which will air during the first break in the game, will highlight the new 2013 Audi S7 and its LED headlight technology, which has unfortunate consequences for a party of young vampires.

Audi hopes to continue the conversation about the ad via the Twitter hashtag #SoLongVampires.”

If the Occupy movement has taught us anything, it’s that you can try to institute a universal hashtag, but that doesn’t guarantee it’ll stick. Take Groupon’s unpopular Super Bowl spot last year, which featured Timothy Hutton segueing between the Tibetan people’s political struggles and $15 off at the Himalayan Restaurant in Chicago. Groupon might have gone with #GrouponSuperBowl, but most viewers went with #FAIL.

::Golden Mic Award::

WordSmith › Record TV Audience Expected For Super Bowl

Todd Smith — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:32:51 +0000

“Pithy PRognostications from a recovering journalist …”

Words of the Day

“This is like déjà vu all over again.” – Yogi Berra

173 Million Fans Ready For Some Football

According to a survey by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association conducted by BIGinsight, 173 million people will watch the New England Patriots square off against the New York Giants in the Super Bowl on Feb. 5, the most in the survey’s eight-year history and up from an estimated 171 million last year.

Consumer spending for the Super Bowl will reach an all-time high, too, with the average game-watcher expected to shell out $63.87 on related merchandise, apparel and snacks, up from $59.33 last year. Total Super Bowl spending is expected to reach $11 billion. According to the survey, grocery, apparel, electronics, sporting goods and home furnishing stores can expect to see their share of Super Bowl-related spending as sports fans head out to buy food and beverages (71.3 percent), team apparel or accessories (8.6 percent), decorations (6.4 percent), and furniture or a new entertainment center (2.4 percent).  Of those planning to watch the Patriots-Giants show down, nearly 63.6 million (27.1 percent) are planning to attend a party, up from last year’s 61.2 million, and another 35.9 million (15.3 percent) plan to throw a party, also up from the 34.9 million who said they would host a party in 2011.  After a better-than-expected holiday season, more good news is on the horizon for retailers planning promotions on televisions in the coming weeks.

The Retail Advertising and Marketing Association’s 2012 Super Bowl Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey was conducted by BIGinsight. The poll of 9,317 consumers was conducted from Jan.4-11 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent.   The Retail Advertising & Marketing Association, a division of the National Retail Federation, is a trade association of more than 1,500 retail marketing and advertising executives.   

::Golden Mic Award::

WordSmith › PRSA Unveils Top 12 PR Industry Predictions for 2012

Todd Smith — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:52:02 +0000

“Pithy PRognostications from a recovering journalist …”

Words of the Day

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” – Yogi Berra

Amplifed Voice, Convergence & Social Media Validation Drive Prognostications

The Public Relations Society of America was on the money in its industry predictions for 2011, which makes WordSmith even more eager for what’s in store for 2012.

If last year was about understanding what PR professionals are doing in new media, 2012 will be about understanding why they’re doing it. With increased emphasis on targeted content and using metrics to drive influence, it’s clear that PR professionals are getting smarter about social media marketing and public relations

Here’s an overview of PRSA’s predictions for 2012; visit the organization’s blog for full descriptions.

1. Business increases its voice in the digital space

2. Convergence continues

3. Organizations will be defined by communication

4. Wanted: great industry leadership

5. The rise of the “influence professional”

6. Social validation becomes the “holy grail”

7. Shifting metrics and integration drive digital pr

8. The consumerization of it changes PR from the inside, out

9. Economic realities reset the PR/media relationship

10. The rise of “brand journalism”

11. Solo PR pros make their mark

12. Talent acquisition goes social

::Golden Mic Award::

WordSmith › How Tweet It Is 2! Top Tweets of 2011 (Continued)

Todd Smith — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:34:47 +0000

“Pithy PRognostications from a recovering journalist …”

Words of the Day

“Necessity does everything well.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Twitter’s Top 10 Tweets of 2011

More than 100 million people around the world log in to Twitter every day to tweet about everything from their daily commutes to the meals they eat.

Here are the Top 5 most important tweets of 2011 as ranked by Twitter:

5. “Brooms up London!”
After riots in the U.K. dirtied the streets this August, people rallied on Facebook and Twitter to organize a massive clean-up effort in the affected areas. An account on Twitter called @riotcleanup gained over 70,000 followers and brought together those who wanted to help.

4. “This lockout is really boring..anybody playing flag football in Okc..I need to run around or something!”
“Twitter makes the world feel a lot smaller,” said Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter. That was definitely the case during the 2011 NBA lockout, when Oklahoma City Thunder player Kevin Durant tweeted, “This lockout is boring…anybody playing flag football in Okc…I need to run around or something!” A student at Oklahoma State saw the tweet and invited Durant to join him and his fraternity brothers in a game. A few hours later, Durant arrived, ready to play football with them at a local field.

3. “my daughter her name is sarah m. rivera”
Through Underheard in New York, an initiative to help homeless residents in New York City speak for themselves, Daniel Morales was able to use a prepaid cellphone to create a Twitter account and tweet, “my daughter her name is sarah m rivera.” He posted his cellphone number and a photo of her at age 16. Morales was reunited with his 27-year-old daughter, Sarah Rivera, when she called him the next day.

2. “Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event).”
A local man in Abbottabad, Pakistan unknowingly live-tweeted the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound before any news agency broke the story of the terrorist’s death on May 1.

1. “Welcome back Egypt #Jan25″
Wael Ghonim, a marketing manager at Google who became a symbol of the revolutionary movement, was held in captivity for nearly 12 days by the Egyptian government under Hosni Mubarak for organizing protests. When Ghonim was released, he told an Egyptian network to not focus the cameras on him. “I’m not a hero. The real heroes are the youth who are behind this revolution. By God’s will, we’re going to clean this country of this rubbish,” he said.

::Golden Mic Award::

WordSmith › How Tweet It Is! Top Tweets of 2011 (So Far)

Todd Smith — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:35:43 +0000

“Pithy PRognostications from a recovering journalist …”

Words of the Day

“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” – John Wooden, famous UCLA basketball coach

Twitter’s Top 10 Tweets of 2011

More than 100 million people around the world log in to Twitter every day to tweet about everything from their daily commutes to the meals they eat – but many have used the social networking tool this year for something much more important: share important events with people who could be thousands of miles away.

Every year, Twitter compiles a year-in-review to recap what the company believes were the most important tweets. They highlight the “best” according to the level of “impact, resonance, and relevance,” and take into account the big stories that first broke on Twitter — not by news agencies — but by people looking to share a photo, a thought, or a moment in time with people they may never meet.

Here is the bottom half of the Top 10 tweets of the year as ranked by Twitter:

10. “Hey @Mortons – can you meet me at the newark airport with a porthouse when I land in two hours? K, thanks. ”

On Aug. 17, Twitter proved it could not only connect people, but also grant wishes. Peter Shankman tweeted: “Hey @Mortons – can you meet me at Newark airport with a porterhouse when I land in two hours? K, thanks. .” When he landed at the airport, a tuxedo-clad Morton’s waiter was waiting for him with a steak, shrimp, a side of potatoes, bread, two napkins and silverware.

9. “Ercis central mosque behind the apartment building…”

After the earthquake in Van, Turkey, news anchor Okan Bayulgen sent relief and aftershock information via Twitter. One of his followers gave him an address where people might be trapped alive under the rubble. Bayulgen shared the address with a relief agency, and two hours later the agency rescued two people at the location.

8. “Subtitles are always so bad. England, America, Switzerland put one uv repeat Scrollingverfahren + = high quality!”

Julia Probst, a lip reader and soccer fan, reads the lips of soccer players and coaches during matches and tweets them, providing fans with a running dialogue that they would otherwise not be privy to. Her efforts extend beyond soccer to raise awareness for deaf and disabled people in politics and media. “It’s completely uncensored and you never get to see that unless you are on the playing field,” said Dorsey.

7. “Earthquake”

On March 11, when an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan many people used social media sites to make sure friends and family were safe and to publicize emergency response information. “You want to feel like you’re not alone in this massive, massive experience that is potentially very scary,” said Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. “To me it’s about being able to reach out instantly and know that others are with you and others are experiencing the same thing and others are out there supporting and that’s what you saw in Japan. You saw people reach out and say we’re in an earthquake right now and then all around the world you have all these replies coming in to these Japanese people saying we’re watching…it’s OK…are you there?”

6. “Here’s another Photo of the shuttle from my plane.”

In May, NASA launched the space shuttle Endeavour. Stefanie Gordon, aka @stefmara, took a photograph of the launch from a plane and tweeted it, capturing the launch from a new perspective.

Stay tuned for the Top 5 Tweets of 2011!

::Golden Mic Award::

WordSmith › Monday, Cyber Monday!

Todd Smith — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:45:00 +0000

“Pithy PRognostications from a recovering journalist …”

Words of the Day

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?” – Dr. Seuss, American Writer & Cartoonist

Mobile Social Media Boosts Cyber Monday Sales 33 Percent

Right on the heels of more than $800 million in Black Friday online sales, this week’s Cyber Monday spending proved to hit new eCommerce highs. According to IBM’s Cyber Monday Benchmark, Cyber Monday sales were up 33 percent over 2010 and up 29.3 percent over Black Friday. For marketers, this should be a sign that consumers are increasingly ready to spend online – and internet marketing efforts must encourage consumers to convert.

IBM reports that the average order value hit $198.26, demonstrating 2.6 percent growth over the average order of $193.24 on Cyber Monday 2010. Marketers already thinking ahead to next year (or planning holiday shopping promotions for later in the season) should know that shopping peaked at 2:05 p.m. EST. Additionally, mobile traffic to retailers’ sites is gaining ground, showing 3.9 percent growth over 2010. As such, brands should consider local SEO to foster discovery among on-the-go searchers.

In addition to optimizing website content marketing efforts for consumers, the Benchmark reveals that social media marketing is key to online holiday shopping. Traffic referred from social networks accounted for 0.56 percent of all online sales on Cyber Monday, with Facebook proving the top social referrer. As such, it’s clear that integrated marketing efforts that direct social users back to websites are key to online conversions.

And, Thanksgiving revelers weren’t the only things stuffed over the turkey day holiday – CyberMonday stuffed consumer e-mail inboxes across cyberspace.

According to Advertising Age, marketers use Cyber Monday as an opportunity to send out loads of promotional emails that offer discounts or free shipping. The magazine cited research from Experian’s CheetahMail, which marked a 18.4 percent rise in email volumes this year over 2010′s rate.

While the Black Friday/ Cyber Monday rush is over, marketers still have to prepare for Peak Week with multichannel content marketing efforts. As Brafton reported last year, the first week in December, known as Peak Week, is a prime online shopping time for many holiday shoppers. Last year’s Peak Week spending hit $17.5 billion.

::Golden Mic Award::

WordSmith › Hurricane Irene Whips Up Importance Of Leadership & Social Media

Todd Smith — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:57:20 +0000

“Pithy PRognostications from a recovering journalist …”

Words of the Day

“You only have to look at the weather maps to understand how big this storm is and how unique it is, and it’s heading basically for us.” – New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, ordering a transit shutdown and the evacuation of about 250,000 New Yorkers from low-lying areas during Hurricane Irene

Mother Nature Goes Viral In Real Time

As winds, waves and flooding washed over the East Coast of the United States, the use of social media by mayor, governors and aid organizations moved from a “nice to have” to a “must have.”

From Maine to South Carolina, citizens went looking for information online and guidance from official authorities. Twitter and Facebook did not replace television or radio broadcasts but instead as an important real-time channel where public safety officials could post links to evacuation maps, weather updates, shelter locations or applications. As with past natural disasters, the Internet was a platform for collective action, where citizens, family and friends could stay in touch with one another through mobile phones, even when the power went out for millions.

If last week’s earthquake cemented the role of social media in government crisis communications, Hurricane Irene stress tested the ability of public officials to keep up with the real-time flow of crisis data, including misinformation. In Washington, for instance, Mayor Vince Gray (@MayorVinceGray) refuted a tweet by a D.C. councilwoman half an hour after she incorrectly told her followers that the District would be under curfew. Mayor Gray’s office, while a relative latecomer to social media, appears to be convinced of its use after the past weekend: “clearly Twitter is becoming a key vehicle for emergency communications,” he tweeted last night.

The case for integrating crisis response with social media has been made and largely accepted at the highest levels of government. The Department of Homeland Security and White House now urge citizens to use social media, e-mail and text messaging to contact one another during disasters, given how cell networks can become overloaded.

Social media provides both a means for government to provide important information directly to the public and for the public to collectively share what they were seeing and experiencing in a way that connected public officials and emergency managers could see. The potential of a connected citizenry to help government in times of crisis has been long heralded in the emergency management community but has hit something of a tipping point since the disastrous earthquake in Haiti last January. Now, national leaders like FEMA administrator Craig Fugate (@CraigAtFEMA) use social media for situational awareness, said Fugate last year. “Social media’s biggest power, that I see, is to empower the public as a resource.”

The Red Cross (@RedCross) has been at the forefront of using social media in a time of need, both this weekend and over the past several years. As a new infographic from the Red Cross, embedded below, makes clear, the importance of emergency social data has only grown over the past year.

According to the Red Cross’s national survey:

The Internet is now the third most popular way for people to gather emergency information, after television and local radio
Nearly a fourth of the online population would use social media to let family and friends know they are safe
80 percent of the general public surveyed believe emergency response organizations should monitor social media
More than one third of those the Red Cross polled via telephone said they would expect help to arrive within an hour.

If you look at the New York Times state by state social media guide, compiled by Jennifer Preston (@NYT_JenPreston), the extent of government’s move to the social Web becomes clear. Given the high expectations that the general public now holds for government listening there, that shift has been timely. While some mayors and governors are still finding their footing with the conventions and best ways to use the various platforms, in August 2011, the conversation has largely shifted from whether they should use social media to how they can use it better.

For instance, in New York city, the administration of Mayor Bloomberg used both his personal account (@MikeBloomberg) and governance account (@NYCMayorsOffice) to keep citizens and media updated with the last information from city government. As NYC.gov buckled under the traffic of citizens looking for information, city government pivoted to the Internet to share Hurricane Irene resources, including social media channels. Those channels continued to share information before, during and after Irene passed. Following the storm, New York City is using a severe weather crisis map to further increase its situational awareness.

In New Jersey, Governor (@GovChristie) provided frequent updates about the risks to citizens there, particularly along the Jersey Shore. In one of the most memorable recent uses of plain language in government, Governor Christie tweeted that people should “get the hell off the beach” as the force of the storm bore down upon them.

While it’s difficult to know how much of an effect the tweet had in the real-time conversation swirling around the decision to evacuate or not, it is clear that the impact the declaration made online and in media reports about it greatly amplified his straightforward message. For today’s politicians, online influence is now part of their overall ability to be effective in their work.

The use of social media and Twitter by Newark mayor Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) continues to set an international standard for real-time engagement with citizens by a city executive, as dozens of articles have described over the years.
Despite the media attention devoted to potential impact upon the greater New York City region and its millions of residents, the heaviest impact of Hurricane Irene may well be inland flooding in Vermont and the Catskills. Governor Peter Shumlin (@VTGovernor) and Governor Cuomo (@NYCGovCuomo) are continuing their active use of social media today as state government, relief agencies and citizens work to help those affected by historic flooding.

As local, state and national government moves to assist those affected by Hurricane Irene, expect a connected citizens to watch, participate and hold government accountable for the quality and timeliness of that response in real-time.

Here’s more on the CBS What’s Trending report.

::Golden Mic Award::

WordSmith › Sometimes, You Have To Fire Your Client

Todd Smith — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:34:51 +0000

“Pithy PRognostications from a recovering journalist …”

Words of the Day

“Fish and guests stink in three days.” — Benjamin Franklin

Ad Agency Throws Captain D’s Overboard, Grabs Golden Mic

Earlier this week, advertising agency Zimmerman threw its Captain D’s restaurant account back into the sea, saying its staff is “clearly on a different page” from newly hired Captain D’s marketing chief Monte Jump.

Zimmerman, a unit of global ad group Omnicom — which was brought on board less than two years ago — has clearly cut bait with the seafood restaurant chain.
Michael Goldberg, the firm’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer, cites differences — strong ones, apparently — with Monte Jump, Captain D’s executive vice president of marketing, who came on board in April.

“It is unfortunate that Captain D’s has brought on a new CMO (chief marketing officer) that has a history of quick reviews and short stops on his resume. While we think there may be a correlation between those things, the ‘kiss my new ring’ game is one that we simply refuse to play – especially since we have had an unwavering mission to help the brand regain its focus on seafood and commitment to kitchen fresh quality. We are clearly on a different page than the CMO. It is our hope that our mission with Captain D’s will continue if the carnage is kept in control during this CMO’s stopover.”

Wow, can you say fried fish!

Zimmerman had made great waves in strengthening the Captain D’s brand in the marketplace and restoring luster to its image – through a laser focus on fresh seafood in its restaurants nationwide.

Good for Zimmerman, Omnicom and Goldberg for sticking to their guns, er, tackle box, and casting their strong reputation elsewhere! By holding their line to a higher standard, they are certain to reel in a bounty in the court of public opinion.

In doing so, WordSmith is proud to bestow its Golden Mic on Zimmerman, Omnicom and Goldberg!

Stay tuned to see if Captain D’s makes CMO Jump walk the plank – or whether they will continue to throw him the life preserver!