OUR EXPERTISE:

May 13 2010

Health Reform Makes Strange Bedfellows

May 13, 2010 – 7:00 am

Photo credit: Live Young with Jack LaLanne

By Jenn Riggle

Health care reform is changing the way we think of health care, causing people to take more responsibility for their health and wellness. And social media and the Internet are providing the platform to help make this happen.

According to Deloitte’s 2009 Survey of Health Care Consumers, 37 percent of those surveyed are interested in using online tools like Personal Health Records (PHR) to help them assess, monitor and manage their health. In addition, 64 percent would be interested in home/remote devices that include prompts & reminders to improve adherence to health improvement or treatment plan. 

Personal health records have the power to supercharge doctor visits, giving people the information they need to make the most of their 15 minutes with their doctor. People can access their medical record, see test results, renew prescriptions and schedule appointments from the comfort of their desktop.

According to a national survey from California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF), 7 percent of adults currently use personal health records – and credit PHRs for helping them take steps to improve their health.

Healthcare reform is making strange bedfellows. Organizations and caregivers across the “continuum of care” are partnering to help people improve their health. For example, UnitedHealth, Walgreens and the YMCA recently announced they’re working together on a diabetes prevention and control program. This program combines using claims data to flag people at risk of developing diabetes and invite them to a free, 16-session exercise and nutrition class at a local YMCA. Participants who already have diabetes will receive a 45-minute assessment and other health coaching sessions at Walgreens pharmacies.

There are also a number of social media initiatives to give people the tools to help them take control of their help.

· One of our clients, the Council for Responsible Nutrition has a consumer wellness program called “Life…supplemented” that helps people focus on the three pillars of health: healthy diet, supplements and exercise. People can take My Wellness Scorecard to discover whether you’re an AlphaWELL or an OhWELL — and receive tips on how you can move up the wellness scale.

· The Text4Baby is a free mobile education program that brings together the National Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies Coalition that provides pregnant women and new moms with health information. Pregnant women text “BABY” to 511411 to sign up for three text reminders a week on prenatal care and other health issues important to expectant mothers

· According to the Deloitte survey, Americans are open to the idea of using health coaches, who help people make lifestyle choices to improve health. Now there are health coaches on Twitter (here’s a listing of them) that can provide virtual encouragement.

· People can use social media to help encourage them to be fit. People can join in fitness tweet chats or fitness Tweetups, like the one held in Charlotte, N.C. in April. Others are using the #TwitFit or #Twit2Fit hashtags or joining Jason Falls’ Twit2Fit network to support and encourage others who are hoping to better themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

We’ve come a long way since the 1950s, when Jack LaLanne was alone waving the fitness banner and encouraging Americans to get off the couch. Now we have interactive resources that allow us to work together to be healthier.

So what’s stopping you from getting out from behind your computer and taking charge of your health?

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jenn Riggle | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (4)
May 12 2010

Networking – Online and Off!

May 12, 2010 – 10:00 am

Recently I took some vacation time and attended the annual International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference in Portland, OR. Yes, that’s how much of a food geek I am… I go to a culinary convention on my vacation! The association has a lofty name for a group of professional foodies from all areas of the industry. I’ve been associated with IACP for quite some time and every conference I attend I leave inspired by the passion of its members, their willingness to share knowledge, insights and contacts.

On my first day I slipped into a workshop called Pitch-o-Rama; journalists had the opportunity to pitch editors who offered feedback so they could hone their skills. The panel consisted of Silvana Nardone, Everyday With Rachel Ray, Joe Yonan, The Washington Post, Beverly von Biel, Bon Appetit, Laurie Buckle, Fine Cooking, and my old friend Martha Holmberg, former food editor at The Oregonian. The key take-away was simple for both journalists and public relations practitioners alike; always remember the cardinal rule of pitching “Know Thy Audience!”

One of the highlights was “The Death of Recipes?” workshop hosted by Amy Sherman recipe developer/food blogger whose guests, food writing celebrities Michael Ruhlman and the cookbook duo Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg went head to head on the topic of importance of taking the time to cook. Ruhlman’s “bullshit” outburst in response to Karen’s comment that people don’t have time to cook, hit Twitter as fast as digits can move. As I followed the flurry of tweets I realized that some of the folks I follow where in the room. A couple of quick direct messages resulted in an impromptu meet-up at the end of the session. It was so meaningful to actually meet both Jackie Church (@LDGourmet) and Susan Russo (@foodblogga) and chat “live” than just share 140 characters on a regular basis. And, a bonus is that our online world now feels more connected. I may never meet these ladies in person again however our online connection is stronger as a result of our “real” meeting. So to extend @Ruhlman’s much tweeted quote offline social interaction is “…vital to our humanity.”

Despite sharing tips, recipes and great articles with new friends on Twitter and staying in touch with far flung friends (sorry I don’t have the ego to call them “fans”) on Facebook,I still relish the opportunity to enjoy the company of like minds in person. So next year the IACP conference moves to Austin, Texas, will I see you there?

Technorati Tags: ,,,,,,,,,
Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Brona | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (0)
May 11 2010

Social Media Conspiracy Hounds Pampers

May 11, 2010 – 12:18 am

By Mike Mulvihill

A Facebook petition had the power to prompt SNL to invite Betty White to host the king of Saturday night programming this past weekend,  earning the show its best ratings since John McCain hosted.

And last week social media brought a series of diaper rash and blisters “…resembling chemical burns” to a crescendo of sorts. But both situations are reminders that social media’s power still plays second fiddle to traditional media when it comes to getting the attention of mainstream American consumers and business organizations.  Unlike the Mommy bloggers that caused Motrin to pull its short video aimed at young moms with baby-lugging back pain, this situation didn’t sneak up on Proctor & Gamble.  P&G has been monitoring social media about an issue with its new Pampers Dry Max diaper since late 2009, according to an Ad Age interview, but only cranked into high gear when traditional broadcast media started chasing the story at the end of last week. 

Here’s a glimpse at how things went down. On May 6, before conducting several media interviews on the topic, P&G issued a press release. In the release P&G said, “Pampers has been a subject of growing but completely false rumors fueled by social media that its new Dry Max diaper causes rashes and other skin irritations. These rumors are being perpetuated by a small number of parents, some of whom are unhappy that we replaced our older Cruisers and Swaddlers products while others support competitive products and the use of cloth diapers. Some have specifically sought to promote the myth that our product causes ‘chemical burns.’ We have comprehensively and thoroughly investigated these and other claims and have found no evidence whatsoever that the reported conditions were in any way caused by materials in our product. Independent physicians, highly respected in the field, have analyzed our data and have confirmed our conclusions. This week we have shared these findings, and other detailed safety information, with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and we welcome its involvement in reviewing these claims and helping to educate parents on the true causes of diaper rash.”

An ABC interview with P&G’s  Bryan McCleary produced the following fairly aggressive sound bite, “Diaper rash is one of the most common symptoms and things that babies experience.  The things that are being described, things like blisters, breaks in the skin, deep red rashes, this is part of what is experienced by babies all throughout the year. As hundreds of thousands of moms and babies are switching to the new Dry Max, it’s clear that they’re coincidentally developing diaper rashes and severe diaper rashes at the same time.”

P&G says it has received less than two complaints for every one million diapers sold, which they say is typical for a diaper. P&G’s Allen said that the company has turned over all of its findings to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC officials say they are investigating a handful of reports from parents who claim their children suffered persistent and severe rashes after wearing the diapers, including blisters similar to those caused by chemical burns.

P&G at least appears to have some basis for its conspiracy claims. The blog B4Tea reports that writer Anne Frankhudler was spreading false information about the situation at World Correspondents, along with a “spammer at the CNM News Network,” that there was a recall of Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max technology.  And a post in Cloth Diapering  (obviously not a manufactured diaper proponent) claims at least partial credit for bringing this all to light.

Perhaps less conspiratorial are the concerned parents – some 4,500 – who have formed a Facebook group dedicated to “Pampers bring back the OLD CRUISERS/SWADDLERS.” The page features many stories about babies with persistent blistering rashes that have frustrated parents – with dozens of claims that they only found relief after switching diaper brands

 A Google Blog Search on Pampers Cruisers Chemical Rash produced nearly 1,800 posts on the subject – and you can be sure that is only headed in one direction.

Stayed tuned – as we say in the PR business, this story has legs. Consumers purporting to be impacted have made good use of social media to raise the profile of their concerns.  P&G appears to have done a good job monitoring the situation and responding promptly (if not a tad aggressively) when the CPSC began an investigation which prompted major traditional media to follow the story. But regardless of where the story goes, the point is that traditional media still has a knack to bring a story to a head.  While social media sets the stage, it is traditional media that packs a punch when it comes to getting attention and ensuring action/reaction in general society – at least for now. 

Baby photo from Aender1977

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Mike Mulvihill | Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)
May 7 2010

Some Sobering Straight Up on Energy

May 7, 2010 – 11:08 am

by Mike Mulvihill

Tired of trying to distinguish objective energy usage/ impact/ alternatives/ costs, et al. info from crap hype and fear-mongering half-truths? Then Need To Know is what you need.

This website was created by The National Academies (specifically, the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council) to factually address our nation’s energy issues.

Here’s a little sampling of what they present:

Nearly 50 percent of all our electricity comes from coal. Another 20 percent from nuclear and natural gas, respectively, and finally about 5 percent each from hydroelectric and “other” sources (solar, wind, biomass and geothermal).

 While it is easy to point at coal CO2 emissions and call for an end to coal use, coal can’t just go away and increased reliance on other energy sources would dramatically increase the price we pay for electricity.  According to Need To Know, renewables are not going to replace coal. Projections from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), an agency within the Department of Energy (DOE) that provides policy-neutral data, forecast that for the next two decades renewable sources (such as solar, wind and geothermal) are unlikely to substantially change the mix of our energy supply.  (Editorial: In other words, 90 percent of our electricity will still come from coal, natural gas and nuclear 20 years from now.)

 From a cost standpoint, a million Btu of energy from coal carried a production price —i.e., the original price of the resource at its point of origin—of $1.60 in 2008, compared to $7.30 for natural gas. So just changing to a cleaner fossil fuel such as natural gas would be 350 percent more expensive. (Editorial: That would be a hard pill to swallow for most Americans.)

Nuclear has become less unpopular recently than is has been in many decades. But that’s not really saying much – not a single new nuclear plant has been built in the U.S. since 1996. Nuclear is clean and abundant. But fear of nuclear waste and, more recently, terrorism has stymied greater use in the U.S., but not abroad – France generates 80 percent of its electricity using nuclear. In the U.S., according to EIA  2009 estimates, output from nuclear power plants is expected to increase 10 percent by 2030. An America’s Energy Future (AEF) report suggests that a U.S. nuclear renaissance is possible (based on the number of nuclear plant design and construction permits submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the past year) with as many as five to nine new plants possibly built by 2020. New plants, combined with new capacity obtained by adding additional reactors at existing nuclear sites, could lead to as much as a 12 to 20 percent increase in U.S. nuclear capacity by 2020. And we had best add capacity because as much as 30 percent of the current U.S. nuclear capacity would be retired by 2035. (Editorial: So even at the high end of estimates above, nuclear could grow to, at best, 25 percent of all electricity generated in 2020 and may plateau at that level for 15 years.)

The sobering straight up is we are dependent on coal. Renewables won’t replace it. Natural gas can make a sizeable dent, but at considerable cost. And nuclear can, but it will be a long, hard road to get there – if ever.

 Therefore, and this is all editorial now, logic should compel Americans to focus on using coal more judiciously to generate electricity, like replacing the oldest coal burning plants with new technology coal-fired power plants that generate 30 percent less CO2 (and in some cases even better). This would be a far more useful pursuit that some current efforts to halt all new coal-fired power plant construction, especially given that energy consumption is predicted to go nowhere but up even if America suddenly gets religion about energy demand reduction practices.

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Mike Mulvihill | Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)
May 6 2010

Reports of Privacy’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

May 6, 2010 – 7:00 am

By Jenn Riggle

Facebook’s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg made news earlier this year when he announced that the age of privacy is over. But from all appearances, this is certainly not the case. In fact, the age of privacy may have just begun.

At last month’s f8 conference, Facebook unveiled its “instant personalization” program that automatically shares personal profile information with third parties and websites to create social experiences on sites like Pandora and Yelp. And according to Wired’s Epicenter blog, Facebook’s new “Like” button does a lot more than let you become a “fan.” It sends your personal information to Facebook’s Open Graph, which links your identity to the things you choose online. This information is then shared with the sites Facebook chooses – and to the sites you’ve allowed to access your profile.

The only way to opt out of Facebook’s privacy program is to venture deep into Facebook’s privacy control center. (If you’re interested, Matthew Ingram’s recent GigaOM post walks you through how to block the privacy changes.)

This scenario reminds me of the late 1990s when DoubleClick was using online profiling and online behavior to develop customized online ads. In 2000, the Senate held a number of hearings to investigate whether these practices violated people’s online privacy. The hearings resulted in the creation of the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) Principles that govern the behavior of online advertisers.

We’re entering similar territory now. Facebook’s new privacy program has already created a lot of excitement:

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, has asked the Federal Trade Commission to examine privacy disclosures of social networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter and MySpace to make sure they’re not failing to “fully disclose the extent to which they share information.”

Facebook’s ex privacy officer, Chris Kelly, who is running for California Attorney General, issued a statement criticizing Facebook’s privacy plans, saying that he was in favor of opt-in vs. an opt-out model.

Meanwhile, things are heating up at Facebook rival, MySpace. This week, it promoted its vice president of business and legal affairs Jennifer Mardosz, to the newly-created position of chief privacy officer.

According to the Social Times, Mardosz served as corporate counsel and chief privacy officer at Qwest Communications and is a certified information privacy professional with the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). That being said, it’s safe to say we should expect MySpace to roll out user privacy changes in the near future.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, it appears that the reports of privacy’s death have been greatly exaggerated.

Photo courtesy of rpongsaj

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jenn Riggle | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (1)
May 5 2010

Choosing a Celebrity to Go Social for Your Brand

May 5, 2010 – 1:18 pm

Last week, Justin Bieber, the 16 year old Canadian singer who has adolescent girls and their mothers in hysteria worldwide, tweeted about his experience on Air New Zealand, our client. More than 600 people retweeted his tweet, according to Twitter Search. And likely more than 100,000 people received the message that Air New Zealand is a great airline to fly. Rob Fyfe, Air New Zealand CEO, responded to the tweet, and the conversation was heard around the world.

Named Airline of the Year, Air New Zealand’s excellent customer service, not endorsement fees, gets the credit for this gift that keeps on giving. But there’s no question that celebrities can raise the profile of your brand rapidly in social circles.

Oh, we marketers dream of a world in which this endorsement is always free; in which photos are captured with famous people enjoying our wares and printed in People and Us; in which Ashton Kutcher and his 3.4 million Facebook “Likers” and Megan Fox and her 6.5 million fans have positive conversations about our client’s products and services.

But in the real world, we know that endorsement deals with A-List celebrities – the kind that have millions of followers and likers – are going to cost. How do you decide if the price to be famously social is worth it for your brand?

A celebrity certainly can raise your brand’s profile positively or negatively (Celebrity Endorsement Hits and Misses is a good primer ) very quickly in all mediums. But with social communities, the ability to connect to your brand through a celebrity on a more personal level provides great opportunities. Last year, for example, Shaquille O’Neal announced via Twitter his endorsement deal with Enlyten, an electrolyte strip brand. Instantly he started a conversation about the brand with 2+ million fans and followers who wanted to hear what he had to say.

Here are tips for wisely choosing a celebrity (or not) to represent your brand in social circles:

  1. Answer the Most Important Question: Does using a celebrity fit into the overall marketing and communications strategy? Does it fit into the company’s social media strategy? Your brand’s own personality and personalities (CEO) might better connect with the community. Your customers (yes – even the famous teen idols) might do a more credible job of evangelizing your brand than a celebrity. Or your company might have a cause marketing campaign that could benefit from the notoriety of the right celebrity.
  2. Find the Appeal: Research celebrities that are appealing to your customer. Spokesperson and celebrity placement firms can help round out your options and give you other ideas.
  3. Find the Connection: First and foremost, the celebrity you choose has to have a credible and authentic connection to your product or service; and he/she should be a good representative of your brand’s character. Paris Hilton promoting life insurance is a stretch; however, sometimes unexpected connections exist.
  4. Find the Communities: You know where your customers live in social communities. Does the celebrity you are considering participate actively? Do they have a good base of followers and fans?
  5. Listen and Learn: Does the celebrity have a genuine interaction with the community, or does he/she just market themselves? The biggest conversation killer in social circles is the one-way marketing message (Check out my product… blah blah blah). Does the celebrity participate in conversations you want your brand to be associated with? Knowing that the FTC Guidelines require celebrities to disclose that they are being paid for the endorsement, will the relationship be something the community will accept?

clip_image002

If you choose wisely, who knows? Your brand might be the subject of a case study on celebrity engagement in social communities. What brands do you think are using celebrity in social circles the best right now? Which brands are using them poorly?

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Marcy Walsh | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (3)
May 4 2010

Where did all these people come from?

May 4, 2010 – 3:57 pm
Human nature conditions us to love being part of a movement, sometimes even to the point of addition. The Foursquare swarm badge is a prime example of individual’s desire to be rewarded for a group action. Combined with the short time span of growth, the rewards are ethereal and have no tangible value by themselves. When backed by a clever association or promotion, like the AJ Bombers case study on using Foursquare to draw a crowd, shows the logistics of planning and building a group event of this caliber.

The key to attract the mob is to engage, build and create value and worth for attending. Using services like Foursquare are beginning to merge the line between real world business and virtual community. To build this kind of promotion, just keep in mind that has proven worth, has a lot of behind the scenes work:

  • Research the user-base to ensure they are Foursquare users – Duh!
  • Confirm Foursquare lists the venue properly
  • Communicate what to expect at the event via the appropriate networks
  • Record the event so that for use in post-event promotions
  • Use incentives to drive sales during the event
  • Live tweet/video stream the event
  • After it’s over – use all media created during the event to continue promotion

And because we all like video, here are some other examples of successful flash mobs in action:

H&M Kids Fashion Flash Mob in San Francisco

Frozen in Grand Central Station

Beyonce 100 Single Ladies Flash-Dance in Piccadilly Circus, London

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Dave McNamara | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (1)
May 3 2010

Why Steve Jobs Doesn’t Need Social Media to Sell Apples?

May 3, 2010 – 12:21 pm

By Priya Ramesh

I make it a point to emphasize to my clients at CRT-tanaka that social media is NOT for all and it’s not a mere check mark on the marketing plan.  There needs to be some strategic thinking behind engaging on social networks with a clearly thought out goals as noted PR metrics veterans Katie Paine and Shonali Burke would say. But let’s take two steps back before considering social media engagement and ask the following questions:

-       Do you have a product/service that you are confident of?

-       Are you willing to take both positive and constructive
        feedback and DO something about it?

-       Does your company believe in an open culture?

-       Does your company encourage employees to become company evangelists?

-       Are you committed to expanding community engagement efforts once you get their attention?

Apple probably has a roaring “YES” to the first question above and a “No” to the rest. They have been constantly criticized for not doing enough to engage with their community. John Batelle and Tim O’ Reilly, founders of Web 2.0 Summit recently sent an open letter to Apple asking them to do a better job of social engagement.

Are you serious? I think we need to look at “engagement” differently when it comes to Apple. Is Steve Jobs blogging about the upcoming release? Does Apple have a Facebook fan page? Is Apple’s customer support responding to customer complaints on Twitter? A big “No” to all of those and they don’t need to because they have focused all their efforts in doing just one thing and doing it right. Apple builds products that revolutionize how other companies do business. Their products define how customers should start communicating online, this is a paradigm shift. There are hundreds of mentions of Apple’s products online on a daily basis and almost all of them are user generated product reviews.

By staying focused on one goal which is to deliver a disruptive product that consumers fall in love with, Apple has reaped the benefits of third party validations online, something a lot of companies struggle to achieve.  A company’s products and services speak louder than their Facebook and Twitter updates. I understand not every company can be an Apple but my key point is that without a successful product that your customers find valuable, your social media engagement metrics may not look as appealing.

Like my mom would say to me growing up as a ten year old, “Let’s first ensure you develop a habit to keep your room clean before you start planning for sleepovers.” I think you get my point.

Chris Brogan, a social media realist did an excellent post on “The Building Blocks of Social Media for Business” that every company should think through. Don’t engage in social media just because everyone else is but if you do then let’s make sure we understand we are opening the doors to all kinds of feedback and be prepared to use that feedback to make positive changes.

As far as Apple is concerned, I don’t know about you but I think they ARE engaged in social media in a way that most companies aspire to. They have created a movement of followers who have created a perenial source of conversation both online and offline! What’s your take on that?

Image courtesy: http://onthebutton.files.wordpress.com.

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Priya Ramesh | Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (9)