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Feb 28 2011

New Research: Search Marketing Vs. Social Media or Search + Social Media?

February 28, 2011 – 11:50 am

By Priya Ramesh (@newpr)

Consumers Increasingly Use Search + Social to Make Buying Decisions

seearch-sociallA new report from GroupM and comScore indicates that search engine marketing and social media combined has a huge impact on consumers’ purchasing decision online. It’s worth reading the entire report to understand how SEO and social are interdependent in driving conversion rates. GroupM and comScore looked at consumer behavior associated with purchase decisions in the electronics/telecommunications and consumer packaged goods categories. While a whopping 86 percent of consumers say search engines are very important in their buying process, social media plays an equally critical role in influencing their decision.

Some key findings from the report that you might want to consider include:

  • Forty percent of consumers who use search in their path to purchase are motivated to use social media to further their decision making process.
  • More than a quarter of those surveyed (28 percent) said sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter help them learn about new brands and products.
  • Thirty percent said they used social media to eliminate brands from contention.
  • Two most important influentials in social media affecting purchases are user reviews and category blogs, rather than Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Picture-41-500x305Observations on search vs. social and the combination of the two:

  • Fifty one percent of consumers use search alone in their buying process
  • Forty eight percent combine search and social in the buying process
  • Only one percent of conversions are made purely through social media without search. This suggests that social media is not yet a stand-alone conduit for consumer’s decision-making process.
  • Another key observation is that only 24 percent started their buying with a brand site.

Likelihood of consumers to follow brands via social media

  • 64 percent of consumers are likely to follow a brand after a purchase.
  • Furthermore, 74 percent of consumers use a Facebook brand page as the desired format for following a brand for future engagement.
  • Consumers prefer to stay engaged with content in the form of videos and tweets about and from the brand.
  • Earned social media (user reviews, blog comments) plays an important role in the effort for brands to foster consumer loyalty.

The study validates the complimentary relationship between search and social in affecting buying behavior and it’s important to note that while consumers use  Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to FIND information, they rely heavily on earned media, user reviews to BUY.

Here’s a really good post from ClickZ on “Search Marketing and Social Media the Perfect Couple,” that offers practical tips on how to inetgrate social media efforts with SEO.

Tell us about how you are combining search and social in your marketing efforts.

[Image courtesy: Top Rank Blog and GroupM.]

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Priya Ramesh | Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (5)
Feb 25 2011

Food Communications Legend, Anita Fial, Turns the Page

February 25, 2011 – 10:41 am

For decades there has been a distinctive voice in food communications. That will be changing next week, as my boss and mentor, Anita Fial, retires and begins the next chapter in her life. Her legacy will continue through all of the people she has inspired to work hard, follow through on your commitments and never stop learning.

Anita and Avanelle in the Test KitchenAnita’s career began in the test kitchens at Lewis & Neale, where she put her home economist degree to good use working for clients such as the American Spice Trade Association and American Mushroom Institute among other food industries. Her interest always went beyond the test kitchen, and so did her career. She eagerly became the “runner” making food press deliveries to editors throughout New York where she developed relationships and built trust. This led to travel around the country, meeting with newspaper editors and making television appearances for clients. She has always been a people person, and relished opportunities to get out of the kitchen. She worked for Avanelle Day at the time, but it was really Nancy Webb who helped mentor her, as Anita looked to what’s next. As she puts it, “I wanted to drive my own buggy” and that meant account work. She excelled at that, and worked her way up through the ranks to eventually become president and sole owner of Lewis & Neale, opting to keep the name she helped build into a leader in food marketing.

Anita‘s drive for perfection,, unrelenting dedication, passion and integrity have been admired and appreciated by colleagues, clients and journalists alike.. She will be thought of every time we fire up the test kitchen, learn about a new productProsecco Event- 2005 Cipriani, 23rd and 5th 016 or meet with a long-time client to discuss what’s next. Her passion for servicing the client first is evident when you look at those that we have had the pleasure to work with for over 10 years. Always operating with the utmost integrity, she is disturbed by the unethical behavior that can occur in our industry. Anita has always preached “you must believe in what you are promoting” to the point where she has walked away from clients who wanted her to sacrifice her integrity. It is no wonder she is beloved and respected in the industry.

A pioneer for the professional mother, Anita continues to be an inspiration and mentor for young mothers in our office who find a balance between work and family. Raising two children while rising to the top of the corporate world is not unusual today, though still not as common as Anita would like to see, but it was unheard of then. Of course Anita has never been one to shy away from something just because it is difficult. Her advice for young people in the industry: “Get out to conferences, conventions, meetings, anywhere that you get a chance to interact with others in the industry. What you learn and the relationships you build there cannot be done sitting behind a desk.”

Anita at 3 years oldIt was 1954 when Anita joined Lewis & Neale as a test kitchen assistant. She may tell you she was 3 at the time. In fact it was then Bernard L. Lewis, Inc., formerly Publicity Associates, founded by Amy Vanderbilt. In 1956, Marshall Neale became a partner and the name changed. Fifty-five years later, Lewis & Neale continues to focus on food communications, education and promotion as the food/nutrition practice of CRT/tanaka. When Lewis & Neale began, it was not typical for an agency to have home economists on staff and a test kitchen in the office. Today, we continue to distinguish ourselves with a newly built testing and demonstration kitchen and our staff RD and senior vice president, Ruth Lowenberg, who will take the reins of the Lewis & Neale food division.

It was nearly 12 years ago that I began my career in food marketing, hired by Anita who saw potential in a newly graduated politics major who used to cook for his dinners in college. Much like Anita’s career at Lewis & Neale, I began at the entry level. She has always honored her beginnings by mentoring numerous young people who worked for her as well as chefs, writers and personalities who she believed in long before the country knew them. Those of us who have had the privilege to know her can all honor her impactful and memorable career by always nurturing and encouraging those around us to bigger and better things. At CRT/tanaka, we call that WhatCanBe, and in that spirit, the agency is establishing a scholarship in Anita’s honor to support continuing education and professional development. It will be administered through the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC), an organization Anita has been involved with her entire career. If you are interested in finding out more about it, or how to contribute, please email me at Jason@lewis-neale.com.

Best wishes Anita as you see the world and find time to do all those things you put off over the years to serve your clients and the industry. We look forward to your ongoing guidance and mentorship as you continue to provide good counsel. You didn’t think she’d completely retire, did you?

Please share your favorite Anita story in the comments.

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jason Stemm | Posted in PR Industry Trends, Wine, Food & Nutrition | Tagged , , , , | Comments (35)
Feb 24 2011

Is your social media policy leaving employees out in the cold?

February 24, 2011 – 11:24 am

By April Sciacchitano (@aprilcs)

Join us on Facebook…  unless you work here.

Companies are instituting social media policies to create an open environment, but with a few parameters.  Hospitals, on the other hand, are afraid to allow access to social networks from within the hospital.  The message is loud and clear: Employees can’t be trusted.

To be fair, there’s more at risk for hospitals. Patient privacy and malpractice suits are chief concerns related to social media access. But health care has its own system of checks and balances to improve the situation.  Lee Aase describes the trifecta of people who can stop or delay social media in health care: IT, Legal and Marketing.

                                                   

These three can create an open and trusting environment or keep social media stuck in a Bermuda Triangle of policy.  Here are the steps marketing professionals can take to bridge the gap:

Speak Foreign Languages
Search for common ground with the legal department and work together to create an open, but iron-clad social media policy. We know HIPAA violations aren’t exactly running rampant, and social media isn’t always the culprit.  The Department of Health and Human Services recently levied Cignet Health with a $4.3M penalty for denying patient access to medical records goes to show that hospitals should err on the side of access.

Conversely, to get IT’s attention, you may have to wax poetic about bandwidth.      

                                                                                                                                             
Elevate the Issue
Social media creates an environment where issues and interests bubble up from a small, but passionate group of people.  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for social media policy and access.  It’s a top-down decision, and CEOs can break down roadblocks to access. If the executive team doesn’t “get it,” it’s up to PR to educate them.  Only then will it be a priority.

                                                                                                                 
Align with Human Resources 
There is concern that social media access will result in decreased productivity among hospital staff.  But it’s time to trust employees.  With specific guidelines for use established, HR can address any abuse.   

 Legal and IT can set up roadblocks, but ultimately, marketing owns social media. What’s your next move?

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By April Sciacchitano | Posted in Healthcare | Comments (2)
Feb 23 2011

Has Facebook made your Website Obsolete?

February 23, 2011 – 1:02 pm

THE BOOZE BIN

By Pia Mara Finkell (@piamara)

9_843-apple-macintoshIf you follow the idiom “fish where the fish are,” it might be tempting to focus all your marketing eggs in the Facebook basket with over 600 million users and growing. But the question that naturally follows is: with pools of fish (read: customers) swimming in the Facebook virtual hot tub, why am I still wading in the kiddie pool (translation: has my website become as obsolete as my Apple 2GS)? If a new client or brand is starting out on a limited budget, do they still need a website or can they just skip ahead with a tricked-out Facebook fan page?

Spoiler alert: you probably still need both, but here are the pros and cons for each, and if your marketing budget is limited, some good news.

FACEBOOK FANS

· All the Cool Kids are Doing It: According to a Reuters article, “more than 80 percent of 109 grape growers, distributors, retailers and other wine experts in the California who were questioned in a survey by the Wine Industry Financial Symposium Group and the University of California-Davis Graduate School of Management said they were using Facebook in their business, up from 46 percent in 2009.” If usage nearly doubled in a year’s time among a marketing savvy group, it’s probably no longer a fad.

facebook superman · Engaged Audience and Customer Feedback: Websites can be a one-way street, offering brands a great way to put out their message, but receive nothing in return from customers. Facebook, and social media in general, are exactly the opposite, opening the flood gates to feedback (positive and negative) and engagement. According to InsideFacebook.com, 8 million users become fans of pages each day. While only a percentage of these will find and fan your page, engagement in this platform is overwhelmingly simpler (and cheaper!) than the advertising, SEO and promotion involved in getting a few thousand people to visit your website every month.

· Consolidate and Customize: Not only can you incorporate all of your social media activities onto your Facebook fan page, but you can create fan-only pages or tabs (depending on what version you have), opening up the possibility of traceable promotions, incentives, coupon codes, etc. Here’s another piece of good news for the budget conscious. With various other integrated social mediums as part of your marketing mix, your website doesn’t have to be as elaborate with a million built-in features. Instead, it should now serve more as a well-designed and easy navigable home base for key information.

WINNING WEBSITES

· Brand Legitimacy: As described above, social media is key to engaging your customer, and much of your online presence can be consolidated onto your Facebook page. A well-designed and simple to navigate website, however, is still necessary to show you are a trustworthy and legitimate brand. While websites are an investment, it still serves as your home base to demonstrate to customers that you mean business. Literally.

· Ownership: While it offers amazing bells and whistles, allowing branding, customization and engagement, Facebook owns Facebook (I’m blowing your mind right now, I know). There will always be limitations on how you communicate your message, particularly as a beverage alcohol brand, winery, brewery, etc. You have to play by their rules and can’t control how and when they change the platform design and functionality. Your website may be an investment, but at the end of the day, it’s yours.

google-v-facebook-21 · SEO, SEO, SEO: One cannot discount Google in this debate. They are the #1 way customers will find your brand and Facebook alone would be a challenge to get you to the top of the page. Social media is a great way to engage existing customers, but when potential customers search for your offering, website SEO is a priority. A well-optimized website with keyword rich content and structure combined with a solid link building strategy are reliable ways to help build stronger page rank.

Photos courtesy of Business Week, Salty Waffle and Big Search Blog.

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Pia Mara Finkell | Posted in Digital Marketing, Wine, Food & Nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (2)
Feb 22 2011

Budget Fight Bodes Ill for Energy

February 22, 2011 – 7:00 am

By Mike Mulvihill

imagesCA6Z9KM2

President Obama unveiled his proposed budget last Monday calling for $1.1 trillion in budget cuts over the next 10 years. But, it also included a 12 percent increase in funding for the Department of Energy for research and deployment of renewable energy, electric cars, biofuel, energy efficiency and nuclear technologies. But it’s not likely to happen.

Republicans want to see $61 billion in cuts now and both sides are playing out the melodrama of a potential federal shutdown a week from Friday in order to get their way. This game of chicken is not likely to shut the government down, but it is likely to further retard the development of new energy technologies that will boost the U.S. economy and provide environmental benefits while reducing reliance upon federal subsidies to make renewable energy affordable.

The proposed Obama budget includes $550 million to fund early-stage clean energy projects; $3.2 billion for renewable energy and energy efficiency programs; $300 million in credit subsidies to provide to back up to $4 billion in loan guarantees for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects; and the authority to provide $36 billion in loan guarantees for nuclear power projects.  These budget items address long-tern Administration energy goals like cutting the cost of solar electricity by about 75 percent to roughly $0.06 per kilowatt-hour, or $1 per watt. At $0.06 per kilowatt-hour, this would make solar electricity cost competitive with traditional fossil fuel sources without the need for government subsidies.

The Administration wants to promote nuclear power in a big way, and the DOE wants to be able to offer $36 billion in loan guarantees which, combined with its existing ability to provide $18.5 billion in loan guarantees for nuclear, would fund six to eight nuclear power projects. The DOE is also $64 million for offshore wind, $50 million for geothermal, and $97 million for small nuclear reactors.

To help fund these initiatives, cuts were proposed in other areas.  The federal hydrogen program would see a 41 percent budget cut, or a nearly $70 million reduction. The fossil energy program would see its budget slashed by 45 percent, or $418 million. The DOE would also shutter parts of certain national labs and cut administrative costs by nearly 13 percent, or close to $48 million, across the board.

Outside of DOE cuts, Obama also wants to cut tax subsidies for oil, coal and gas industries.

As I have noted in earlier posts, while multiple subsidies for fossil fuels have been written as permanent provisions in the tax code, subsidies for renewable energy are time-limited.  This means renewal energy policy must be constantly re-ratified by a fickle Congress, which adds such a high level of uncertainty that it inhibits private investment in renewable energy technology development.    

Some estimates indicate that between 2002 and 2008, tax breaks and funding to aid fossil fuel companies has totaled over $70.2 billion. Meanwhile, during the past decade, the five biggest oil companies – BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and Shell – have enjoyed profits of almost one trillion dollars. 

It is time for our government funding to focus on an energy policy that stimulates new and emerging technology development that will drive our economy while creating affordable, cleaner energy.  But, that would require politics to take a back seat to practicality and vision.

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Mike Mulvihill | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)
Feb 21 2011

Communication Advice from Press Secretaries: President’s Trusted Mouthpiece

February 21, 2011 – 2:24 pm

By Priya Ramesh (@newpr)

White+House+Press+Secretary+Robert+Gibbs+Discusses+2_f_Y66V8C4lAs we celebrate Presidents Day today, I thought of dedicating this post to the nation’s Chief Communication Officer who serves a dual role in providing information to the media, the nation as well as acting as the President’s mouthpiece. Ari Fleischer, former White House Press Secretary to George W. Bush (2001-2003) in his book, ‘Taking the Heat: The President, the Press and My Years in the White House, says, “Serving as the White House press secretary was the most rewarding, engaging, exciting, enjoyable job I could ever imagine holding. It also was the toughest, hardest, most grinding and grueling job I could ever imagine holding. By definition the job was paradoxical. To this day, I don’t know how I could love so much something that seemed so hard to do.”

In my last seven or more years in communications and PR, the greatest joy to this day is to see a PR representative in the boardroom providing sound counsel to key decision-makers. PR is NOT just about writing releases, attending community events and scheduling media interviews. The true zenith for a PR pro is when he/she is perceived as the voice of the public and the face of the organization acting like a bridge between the two. But this takes certain leadership and communication traits and here are some tips we could try to imbibe from our former press secretaries:

1. Communicate clearly and effectively: Sounds very basic right? Now picture a crisis situation when the chances are you the PR pro has been invited for the very first time to draft messaging for the President of your company. This is no time for training on the go. The ability to first of all rally your management to see through the customers’ eyes or in a crisis situation, the victims’ eyes and then draft official responses that doesn’t compromise your company’s reputation but at the same time offer a transparent report of the situation demands a high level of clear and effective communication. Every successful leader by default has to be an effective communicator which stems from clear thinking. Now if you want to be in boardroom or the Oval room, trying to provide counsel to your leadership, just multiply the level of your communication effficiency by ten. Former Clinton press secretary, Dee Dee Myers elaborates on this during a speech to Elon University.

2. Learn how to collaborate: The second most important C-letter word after “communication” in order to be considered a trusted counsel for your organization is “Collaboration.” You cannot operate in a vaccum or practice a cowboy management style that doesn’t require a group approach to making decisions. Sometimes a good leader also does a great job of shepherding the team to arrive at the best decision. From a press secretary’s perspective, a collaborative style both within and with the media is what the job demands. Pay careful attention to the choice of words used by William Daley, Chief of Staff in his email announcing the appointment of Jay Carney as President Obama’s new press secretary: “He will bring greater clarity to our structure and roles and will enhance coordination and collaboration among us.”

3. Stay ahead of the 24/7 news cycle: Dana Perino, former press secretary for President George W. Bush makes a good point Scott Mcduring her talk at the George Washington University which was covered by New York Times in a story titled, “Secrets of the White House Press Secretaries. She said, “The worst thing that could happen was to be surprised at the podium.” Thanks to the 24/7 news cycle and social networks like Facebook and Twitter becoming the birthplace of people’s movements (recently witnessed in Egypt), communications officers are now required to stay ahead of the ever changing news cycles and constantly prepare for unexpected twists and turns the media might take on a given topic or situation that has possible implications to your company’s image.

4.  Walk the line between lying and withholding information: Time and again on a daily basis, the press secretary’s number one responsibility is to provide the right information to the media but in matters pertaining to national security or other serious issues, the press secretary is also forced to withhold information. Is this borderline lying? Are you fulfilling your role as the Chief Communication Officer if you withhold information from your key constituents? This is probably a haunting question that every  press secretary deals with especially in crisis situations. Good advice on this dilema comes from Michael McCurry who was Bill Clinton’s press secretary who reflects on his tenure and says, ” it was acceptable at times to “tell the truth slowly,” and that there were times when disclosure “might put someone’s life in jeopardy” or violate “political or diplomatic protocols, but you can never lie,” because doing so would destroy the press secretary’s credibility.”

I like how Michael McCurry sums up the role of the nation’s spokesperson which is applicable to pretty much any communications officer’s role in the boardroom, “I’m generally in favor of lowering the temperature in the [briefing] room, you don’t have to win every argument. It’s a place where you have to get your information across and develop long-term relationships… But it’s also so different than it was 15 years ago when I was doing it. It’s much less about substance and so much more about the daily battle on TV.”

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Priya Ramesh | Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)
Feb 18 2011

With 51% of men saying they are chief grocery shoppers, why are marketers still ignoring us?

February 18, 2011 – 9:14 am

man shopper

By Jeff Wilson, APR (@wilson0507)

I love to cook. I would never describe myself as a “foodie,” but I enjoy cooking. I find it mildly therapeutic.  After a long and stressful day at work, I enjoy going home and whipping up a tasty meal. On weekends, when I have more time, I enjoy cracking open a few cookbooks and planning out a few meals, then heading down to my favorite grocery store for my weekly shopping.

In these belt-tightening economic times, cooking is more than a hobby, it’s a necessity.

 To reiterate, I’m a guy. I like to cook. And I like to grocery shop. And apparently, I’m not alone.

A Yahoo! study I read about a few weeks ago found that 51 percent of men surveyed now identify themselves as the primary grocery shoppers in their households. The study – based on interviews of 2,400 U.S. men ages 18 to 64 – contends that dads in particular are roaming the aisles of America’s grocery stores, with about 60 percent of them identifying themselves as their household’s decision maker on packaged goods, health, pet and clothing purchases.

The Yahoo! study also indicates that men are avid information seekers, and they conduct much of their product research online. For men, product review sites and ads were the top two online resources for finding out about products and services. And much of the information men researched online related closely to home life.

According to a June 2010 Kelton Research study, the top three topics men research online are technology (60 percent), food or cooking (55 percent) and how to build, repair or care for things in the home (53 percent).

For decades, conventional marketing wisdom has relied on the fact that grocery stores and most other shopping destinations are the domains of women. But men’s changing roles in society may be calling some of that conventional wisdom into question.

“The Great Recession has thrown millions of men in construction, manufacturing and other traditionally male occupations out of work and by extension into more domestic duties. At the same time, gender roles were already changing anyway, with Gen X and millennial men in particular more likely to take an active role in parenting and household duties,” according to an Ad Age article.

Anecdotally, I know tons of Gen X and millennial dads who see themselves as equal partners with their wives when it comes to taking care of household duties and childrearing. Couple that with the number of single men, who are taking longer to get married, and divorced men, who must now take care of households on their own, it’s no wonder more than half of men surveyed consider themselves the primary grocery shoppers.

With so many men professing to be their household’s primary grocery shopper, why do marketers continue to marginalize us? According to Yahoo!, only 22-24 percent of men surveyed felt that advertising in packaged goods, pet supplies or clothing speaks to them.

For marketers, some of it is out of habit. Some of it is laziness. The Monday following the Super Bowl, the “Today Show” had advertising executive Donny Deutsch on reviewing the advertising winners and losers from the Big Game. In an almost throwaway comment, he mentioned how some of the ads continue to portray men – particularly young men – as hapless buffoons or the punch line.

Perhaps it’s because marketers may not be buying that men are spending more time in supermarkets and department stores, or perhaps men weren’t completely truthful in the survey when it comes to their roles in the home.

Lauren Weinberg, director-research and insights for Yahoo!, acknowledges that could be possible. But she said the fact that so many men now see themselves as primary grocery shoppers not only reflects real societal shifts but also means any stigma once attached to men as shoppers is fading fast.

In the immortal words of Bob Dylan, “The times they are a-changin’.” It’s time for marketers to change too.

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jeff Wilson | Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends, Wine, Food & Nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)
Feb 17 2011

Food Deserts: Time to Create an Oasis

February 17, 2011 – 9:00 am

We’re excited to have today’s guest post written by Rishabh Mehrotra, who blogs regularly at WellNation.net.

deandelucastore

Photo courtesy of the HappyUrbanist

In the land of plenty, access to fresh, healthy foods for millions of low-income Americans remains a mirage. While supermarkets in affluent suburbs compete to build the next smoothie bar, people in low-income neighborhoods need to hitch rides, spend hours using public transportation to get to the supermarket or settle for fast food or packaged food at a convenience store. It’s no surprise that obesity and diabetes are rampant in low-income inner cities. The question we need to ask ourselves is why and what can we do to reverse this trend and build a WellNation.

Food economies drive food deserts: the Food Desert Ratio

The average American family of four grocery budget of $700 per month is 3.5 times the monthly food budget of families in low-income neighborhoods. In Jefferson County, Ky., there is, on average, one grocery store per 6,100 people. But in West Louisville, an urban community home to 80,000 residents where 38 percent live below the poverty line (including 27,000 children) the average is one store per 20,000 people. Store density in the more affluent neighborhoods is about 3.5:1 higher than West Louisville. I call that the “Food Desert Ratio.”

From a supermarket’s standpoint, where margins are thin and the size of the store standard, you need many more people in lower income neighborhoods to justify a store. In his book Closing the Food Gap, Mark Winne states that prices are between 6 percent to 21 percent higher in lower income neighborhoods due to the inability to use standard trucking and processes. This means that not only is it more difficult to buy but you also get less for your money.

Filling the gap

So if I can’t get to a grocery store, where and what should I eat? Unfortunately, while fast food does little to fill the healthy food gap, the burger chains and their colleagues do a great job at bridging the convenience gap. In Louisville there is a three-mile stretch of Broadway Street, a main artery running between downtown and West Louisville, which is home to 24 fast food restaurants. Think of any fast food chain, Broadway has one; and you won’t have to walk more than a one-tenth of a mile either way, on average, to find a cholesterol-packed, high sodium entree with a super-sized cola for lunch or dinner. The economies of fast food are undeniable; for $200 a month you can make it on a fast food diet and not even walk two blocks.

Shepherd Market by Mr. T In DC

Photo courtesy of The Social Lens

In case you are wondering why fast food chains can afford to provide such low cost food, they have done so with process standardization, smaller store footprints and with the help of food subsidies. As I’ll be writing in more detail on my own blog (www.wellnation.net) in the next few weeks, subsidizing crops that help drive down the cost of pre-packaged snacks, ready-to-eat meals and fast food has incented farmers to ignore growing fruits, vegetables and healthier grains. This has created an artificially large gap between the cost of high sugar, high-fat foods and nutritionally sound food. If we’re going to subsidize agriculture, at least we can subsidize healthy crops. 

From desert to oasis

Clearly, our current course is unsustainable – from subsidized corn to low cost fast food to rising chronic conditions to subsidized Medicaid. Ignoring the 23.5 million Americans, including 6.5 million children who live in low-income areas defined as food deserts, is not the solution.

Creating a new type of food entrepreneur at the grassroots level is critical to creating a new oasis. And we can learn from the fast food industry. By creating dramatically smaller footprints than traditional supermarkets, entrepreneurial fast food chains have filled the void created by the “Food Desert Ratio.” Interestingly, in poor countries a different model of innovation has worked, namely the traveling food cart. Ideas for innovation can span from mobile food courts to smaller footprint community co-ops and community gardens. To create a WellNation in our lower income inner cities, we need to apply equal parts entrepreneurialism, investment and forward thinking. Regulators, entrepreneurs and investors take note: the opportunity for innovation and building a WellNation may be right in front of you.

I’m certain there are more examples from where you live, and I’d love to hear about them, as well as your new ideas on how we can eliminate food deserts throughout all of our communities.

Rishabh Mehrotra is president and CEO of SHPS, Inc., an integrated health solutions provider headquartered in Louisville, Ky., and holding company for Carewise Health, Inc.

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jenn Riggle | Posted in Healthcare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (9)
Feb 16 2011

NYC Supper Clubs: The Epitome of Unique User Experience

February 16, 2011 – 9:30 am

THE BOOZE BIN

By Cassandra Bianco (@cnbianco)

Photo courtesy Les Salonnieres

Photo courtesy Les Salonnieres

In the last year, pop up supper clubs have sprung onto the New York scene. From The Noble Rot’s traveling wine saloon, to Les Salonnieres’ “underground club of artists,” I’ve found these events not only great fun, but the intriguing concept is quite indicative of New York’s current restaurant landscape, and how word-of-mouth marketing comes into major play.

I had a recent discussion about this with Jenny Miller, Assistant Food Editor at New York Magazine, about how white tablecloth dining is no longer in large demand, but much more so the restaurants offering an intimate setting with casual fine dining. This in turn translates to the current supper club phenomenon, which one could argue is the epicenter of a unique user experience. Super club hosts thoughtfully plan the venue, theme, menu and special guests, and have the only goal of creating a memorable experience.

Some supper clubs can be very intimate. At last week’s Social Media Week Eats + Apps event, I had the pleasure of meeting  Tamy and Felipe, a delightful couple who cook together and experiment in finding the most “flavorful experience.” They cook for no more than 6 guests in a small one bedroom apartment in Tribeca. Their unending hospitality and joyful spirits certainly left an impression (and I’ve been told by food editors that the meals are quite excellent too.)

Tamy & Felipe, the Worth Kitchen

On the larger scale, The Noble Rot is a moveable feast for wine lovers. Hosts Brian Quinn and Jonny Cigar approach wine education with enthusiasm and flair. The theatrical tastings have included champagne tastings at the Waldorf Astoria to Williamsburg lofts complete with a bluegrass jazz band.

Photo courtesy, The Noble Rot

Photo courtesy, The Noble Rot

Here are 3 key supper club takeaways that marketers can learn from:

  1. Team collaboration and comradery. Supper clubs partner with sponsors, bloggers, artists and actors. The eclectic mindset gels well, and allows for unique idea generation leading to successful events. This is key during marketing brainstorms. If the brainstorm is for a tech client, invite the IT department. If you can tap all your resources, the synergy grows quickly.
  2. Focus on creating content that engages. Each event element should be handpicked so that it relates to the overall theme. Similar to PR, The Noble Rot and other supper clubs are all about openness, as opposed to private speakeasies. Elitism does not allow for growth.
  3. Take an organic approach to networking. If anything, I’ve learned networking at these events comes so natural. Foodie universe is one where entertaining is the religion, and enjoying oneself is a plutonic notion that this is the way it ought to be. Cheers to that.
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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Cassandra Bianco | Posted in PR Industry Trends, Wine, Food & Nutrition | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (5)
Feb 14 2011

Facebook Page Redesign: Why Should Brand Marketers Care?

February 14, 2011 – 12:54 pm

By Priya Ramesh (@newpr)

FacebookButtonFacebook just announced the new Pages redesign last week that offers more engagement opportunities for your brand in the coming months. The beta version will go live on March 10th when Facebook automatically will update every page to the new design. If you are serious about your Facebook marketing in 2011, here’s how the new redesign offers increased engagement opportunities for your brand to be more “likeable” :

fb-pages-redesign-640

Your Brand Page will Look and Function more like an Individual Profile: Brand owners can now browse Facebook “as” their Page. In other words, comment on other people’s pages, “Like” things, etc. You can increase your brand’s visibility by liking relevant posts or articles, contributing to discussions. The new layout has a link on the right for each page you administer so it’s easy to switch on and off between different page. You can also have photos for your pages which can be stored in albums, much like you can do for your individual profile. Suzanne Vera from Social Media Brief Daily has a great summary post on the new layout.

Add More Personality to Your Brand: The ability to post on other pages’ walls, to comment and share as your brand is a huge plus. With the new design, community managers can now log-in with their own profile into the page and engage more effectively as a real person interacting for the brand, with its following on Facebook. For e.g. Joe Smith who is the Social Media Director for P&G can now log-in as Joe to interact as P&G versus a logo. This also enables brands to converse with other brands to increase cross-promotions. For e.g. BMW dealer in Washington D.C. can cross-post on BMW Corporate’s page and vice versa to cross-promote events, share information that’s meaningful to both audiences.

Say Goodbye to Tabs and Shift the Spotlight to Photos: The new layout will feature all the tabs the profile picture on the left versus under the photos up top. This is very close to how the news feed works right now. This calls for a cleaner look for your page and the key thing to remember is that without the tabs, your photos will be front and center. Remember to show off your most recent and best photos that convey your brand messages. This area will show the most recent photos you’ve posted, or photos you tag your Page in. This area will not include any photos posted by people who like your Page.

Finding Information Made Easier with “Everyone” Filter: The other update Facebook is adding is an “Everyone” filter that brings the most interesting and engaging posts from a page’s community to the top of the page. This makes it easier for users and admins to easily find the most “liked” and commented conversations on a particular page.

A quick summary of the new Facebook Page redesign layout includes:

  • Photos at the top: The most recent photos that you post to the Wall of a Page you admin, or photos you tag your Page in, will appear here. This area will not include any photos posted by people who like your Page.
  • Use Facebook as your Page: You will be able to receive notifications for your Page, view a News Feed for your Page, and like and post on other Pages as your Page.
  • Wall filters: Pages now have two publicly visible Wall filters-”Posts by Page” and “Everyone.” Page admins will be able to view additional filters-”Most Recent” and “Hidden Posts.”
  • Email notifications: You can opt to receive notifications when people post or comment on your Page.
  • Featured Pages and admins: You can feature other Pages your Page likes, or admins of your Page, in the new “Likes” and “Page Owners” sections on the left side of your Page.
  • Mutual connections: When people visit your Page, they will be able to view friends who also like your Page, as well as other Pages that both they and your Page like.
  • Navigation: The content that you formerly accessed by clicking the tabs at the top of your Page can now be found in the column underneath your Page profile picture. The text in the box that used to appear in the box underneath your Page profile picture will now appear in the Info tab.
  • Profile picture size: The profile picture size for Pages has been adjusted from 200×600 to 180×540.

Here’s a Page Tour and a manual to explain the new Facebook design. Tell us about what you think of the new layout and functionality.

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Priya Ramesh | Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (6)