ZB Group

Debbie Bayes

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Giving Back With The “Three T’s”

Fall for Comedy Show and Gift RaffleAny marketer is familiar with the four P’s: product, price, place and promotion but how about the three T’s? A friend of mine holds leadership roles at various local nonprofits and recently said that when it comes to philanthropic endeavors there’s three things we can offer – our time, talent or treasure (i.e.$).

I hadn’t heard that before and was glad to read about the first ever “Giving Tuesday” held on November 27, 2012. The campaign encourages ways to give back and volunteer kicking-off at the start of the annual holiday season. Word spread on Twitter with the hashtag #GivingTuesday.

The idea started with New York’s 92 Y along with its co-creator the United Nations Foundation. They got other influential founding partners involved which in turn motivated more than 2,000 nonprofits, companies and individual stores to participate.

This year I personally gave of my time and talent to help a nonprofit that I’m a member of by planning, chairing and helping to publicize an event that was open to members and the public. My friend Doug is a professional comic and I had seen him perform a very funny routine at a local coffeehouse so I suggested we plan a comedy night in the fall. Everyone loved the idea. We hoped to make a profit to off-set the comedy night’s costs and help fund activities we hold to aid needy families in central New Jersey.

I named the event “Fall for Comedy” Show & Gift Raffle to resonate with prospective ticket buyers and the media. Our planning began over the summer. The show featured Doug and two other fellow comics, Harris and Robin, who regularly perform at comedy clubs in the New York metropolitan area. We kept the cost relatively low at $25 per person in advance and $30 at the door, including dessert; and also organized a gift raffle featuring prizes donated by two dozen local businesses and organizations.

A dedicated, talented group of volunteers stepped-up to solicit donations and raffle prizes, design the flyer, buy decorations and refreshments, send email blasts, garner publicity, set-up the room prior to the event, work at the event and do many other tasks. Lucky for us, the volunteer who designed the attractive flyer above is the Creative Director of an Ivy League university in town.

Considering that the event was held in mid-November in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, I was relieved and glad we obtained print and online media coverage, all went smoothly and it was a success. Everyone had a great time and we made a nice profit.

Here’s to a joyful and meaningful holiday season and Happy New Year for you and your families.

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10 Tips for Glowing Media Coverage

Halloween Jack-o'-lanternsA favorite Halloween pastime for many families is carving out pumpkins and illuminating them to create beautiful, unusual Jack-o’-lanterns.

We’ve done some carving of a different sort by crafting 10 tips marketers can use to help tell their brand’s story so it glows and engages their audiences.

Just as Jack-o’-lanterns are one aspect of Halloween fun in addition to costume parties and trick-or-treating, garnering media coverage is one effective “tool” in a marketer’s toolbox to reach influencers and consumers. The tips listed below comprise a brief guide.  Each one has to be considered in conjunction with the strategy and objectives of the specific communications program.

 

  • Identify the media spokesperson and make sure they are prepared for the interviews. Options include: the CEO or company founder, a company expert, a celebrity, an author, chef or lifestyle guru.
  • Think like a journalist and answer why should his or her readers/viewers/listeners care? Communicate what’s newsworthy, special or beneficial about your brand’s story.
  • Consider partnering with a nonprofit on a cause-related program that helps those in need.
  • Inquire if satisfied customers who have benefited from your brand or service would agree to discuss their experience during media interviews.
  • If given a choice, pick an optimal location for the interview. Will it be conducted in an office, at a trade show, an event, or in a studio? Perhaps there’s another setting that would provide the best visuals, authenticity and news value.
  • Communicate how the product or service will benefit consumers, the environment, the education system or another important social sector.
  • Find out what trends are happening in your space to which your product or service contributes.
  • Align your brand or service with an upcoming holiday, season or annual community event.  
  • Research and investigate prospective speaking opportunities for the spokespeople at events where the media will be invited.
  • Produce and provide video or images to supplement interviews designed for different platforms such as TV, the internet or mobile devices.

In the case studies section of our website you’ll find several examples of media coverage we’ve arranged on behalf of clients which illustrate the points made above.

Do you have any other tips to add?  We’d love to hear from you!

{Image by Daniel Troutman; iStock photo}

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Social Consciousness = Good Business for 2013

As summer turns into fall and you focus on business planning for 2013, are programs that help the communities in which you do business included? If not, they should be.

According to a recent Nielsen study when a company becomes socially conscious it helps the bottom line. Almost half of global online consumers who responded to the survey said they’d be willing to pay more for goods and services from companies that are giving back. You can read about it here.

This is not a new concept. The Body Shop, Starbucks Coffee and Kenneth Cole are just a few examples of companies which have successfully incorporated social responsibility into their culture.

We’ve worked on many cause marketing types of projects over the years. The thing is that now more than ever, socially responsible products resonate with consumers both young and older. People are opting for brands and services that are making a difference and are also choosing to work at firms that give back.  As explained in this AP story, more baby boomers aspire to careers that provide meaningful work or they are including a social purpose into their own entrepreneurial companies.

I’ve recently read about two new interesting initiatives scheduled for this month and next which are designed to engage consumers and do good on the local level. They are highlighted below:

One new initiative to help feed hungry Americans this fall is Run 10 Feed 10. The partners are Unilever, Women’s Health magazine, The FEED Foundation and Crowdrise as reported in The New York Times this summer.  Each person who registers to run in races to be held in New York and 10 other cities from September 23 through October 13, will help feed those in need in the runner’s local community.

Another is from the American clothing retailer Eileen Fisher which is committed to social purpose and invests in women’s issues by supporting various nonprofits. This weekend, on Saturday, September 15, Eileen Fisher will hold a LIVE LIFE LOCAL event at 175 local specialty stores with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Girl Talk, a national peer-to-peer mentoring program.

So by working up a sweat during a 10K or with the purchase of a new fall sweater we can help others thanks to these worthwhile partnerships – it’s all good!

 

{image by Ben Hung; iStockphoto}

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Shopping Online, at Stores or Both

A retail store is open for business.You can’t beat shopping online for the convenience it offers busy consumers. However, savvy retailers are now finding ways to integrate their online operations with their brick-and-mortar outlets. The opposite is also true with some online businesses opening physical stores. These changes are giving consumers more opportunities to save time and money along with the advantage of buying exactly what they need.

A recent article by Stephanie Clifford of The New York Times, discussed the growing integration of the online and offline experience offered by retailers so they are profitable while remaining relevant for shoppers. Since the Internet has become an integral part of everyday life it has increased our desire for immediacy. Realizing this fact, Walmart, the Container Store, Sears, Apple, and Nordstrom, allow items purchased online to be picked up at their local outlets. With this option, customers avoid shipping fees and the time incurred between making a purchase and redeeming it.

Transformations affecting retail businesses abound to keep up with consumers’ desires. Those which were online-only for years have augmented their operations with physical outlets and other brands found in mass retail outlets are introducing company-owned stores.

An example of each is below:

The popular Greek-style yogurt, Chobani, which is sold at grocers in the U.S., just opened its first retail location in New York City’s trendy Soho area, stocking items in addition to yogurt and giving the brand its own unique presence.

Athleta, Gap Inc.’s line of stylish athletic wear catering to active time-pressed women, began as a catalogue and online business in 1998. Its first retail store opened in San Francisco last year and then added 20 outlets where classes in yoga, Pilates, running, plus others are offered. Athleta plans to double the number of stores in the near future expanding along with the increasing desire for active woman to remain fit and embrace sports as discussed in this Wall Street Journal story.

Retailers are fulfilling consumers’ desires whenever possible. Whether it’s during a 2 a.m. online search for a little black dress or while browsing at the mall for an espresso machine, factors such as the online and offline shopping experience, the buyers’ values and the products’ features, are all important considerations for today’s marketers.

{Image by londoneye, iStockphoto}

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5 Reasons Media Relations is Effective in Promoting Brands and Services

First off, let’s start with a brief background. Person reading Newsweek on an ipadMainstream news organizations are no longer the gate-keepers of news and information they once were. Consumers interact directly with companies online forming communities and offering both praise and gripes. The popularity of social networking websites, online video, photo sharing sites and blogs now allow people to produce and post news and videos themselves.

News outlets have appeared or taken on many forms to keep relevant. Some were born as internet newspapers and blogs like The Huffington Post , Newsweek merged with The Daily Beast website to stay viable, while others are reinventing themselves and growing their digital capabilities such as Forbes. General interest magazines have created vibrant websites to complement their print editions and this summer, New York magazine is expanding its fashion-focused blog The Cut.

Many large and small news outlets are becoming digital-only platforms ending their print editions entirely such as SmartMoney Magazine and the New York State Hudson Valley Business Journal. One major TV network, FOX Broadcasting Company, has recently launched a new digital lifestyle magazine.

However, even with these transformations, I believe that the practice of media relations which includes designing newsworthy programs and events to pique journalists’ interest in an organization’s products, services, issues or ideas, remains relevant. The skills required to work with professional journalists to help meet their needs are still necessary even as the media outlets and formats change.

What is a placement?

A placement, as used within the context of media relations, is another term for a story or mention about a client arranged by a public relations practitioner but written or produced by professional journalists at print, broadcast or digital media outlets. Unlike an ad, the client does not pay for the space or the airtime given to featuring their product/service/event/issue nor does the client or the PR professional control the final outcome. Two important aspects of a PR practitioner’s job are to understand which journalists and outlets are the right fit for his or her client’s story and then knowing how to craft a pitch accordingly.

Below are 5 ways that placements can help promote brands and services:

  1. Provide credibility. When a brand, service or event is featured within the confines of news outlets inherently trusted by an individual, this is commonly known as third-party editorial endorsement.
  2. Create awareness, understanding and word-of-mouth among consumers both online and offline.
  3. Support and complement other communications campaigns such as advertising, marketing, promotional or social media programs.
  4. Increase SEO for an organization’s website, products and services. Stories that appear in media outlets will also appear in Internet search engines as part of an organic search. This helps provide inbound links to a company’s website.
  5. Provide interesting content. News and feature stories can be linked to on social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and others to showcase news about a company. They in turn may be re-tweeted, emailed, viewed and “Liked” by many other friends and followers.

A future post will discuss tips for obtaining effective media placement results. Please stay tuned.

{Image by Yunus Arakon, iStockphoto}