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P.A.N.: Practical Advice Now
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A Blended Approach to Media
By Joel Richman, Director, Social Media
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 In readying this piece, I came across an article on Minneapolis/St. Paul’s Startribune.com about the uncertainty of the news industry’s future. The story’s subject paints a picture which could easily become a reality for most cities. He says, "What happens if we lose one of the newspapers? What happens if we lose both of the newspapers? What happens if the television and cable news sources find that their economic models work better with controversy than with trying to provide depth in news stories?" It reminded me how important it has become for agencies to understand the changing media climate. It’s not all shiny new tools; firms need to understand what’s behind traditional media’s current upheaval and how the web fits into this new landscape.
Traditional media’s near-collapse has given just about anyone the ability to build an audience. And although not everyone has one, this new media expansion and democratization is arguably a good thing for companies employing a mix of advertising, marketing and PR. There are more channels through which to reach people, quicker ways of getting their attention, and no hurdles to engage with them through social media.
But over the past couple of years, a lot of agencies have stepped in it trying to force clients into social media initiatives. Unfortunately for the marketing and PR communities, we’re often reminded of rushed, sloppy work. In fact, marketers and PR folks are anxious to expose gaffes by firms that haven’t properly vet opportunities afforded by social media tools. Part of this is self-policing; marketers and PR pros don’t want their reputations to erode with lousy work. The other part is competitive; social media tools put the power to publish into everyone’s hands, and there are plenty of people willing to exploit the uncertainty this causes in marketing departments.
That’s why it’s vital to carefully vet vendors’ experience with social media marketing before entrusting them with their brand. It takes just one tweet, off-point blog pitch, faked comment or anonymous post to undo years of work. Social media is a fantastic way to quickly and cost-efficiently reach multiple targeted audiences, but it’s just as good at amplifying mistakes, too.
PAN began preparing for today’s social media marketing realities in 2004, when blogs went from novel, high tech diaries to more prominent, audience and advertising-generating destination sites. It wasn’t hard to see a new attention economy was forming which would soon siphon advertising revenue away from traditional outlets—it was just a matter of time.
Since then we’ve enhanced PAN’s practice by blending social media with our award-winning mainstream PR programs. We’ve found a silo approach—either all social media or all traditional outreach—isn’t effective, so we use this blended philosophy to design campaigns which generate powerful, targeted results that feed other elements of the program and achieve an economy of scale. For instance, a successful mainstream media placement is great content for client-generated blog posts around a particular industry segment, which is then broadcast to and through a number of branded social media vehicles and properties (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) that reach niche audiences where they live online. This enhances the value of the original placement, and gives the client’s site more of a long tail on the web, which goes on to help organic search engine optimization, visibility and lead generation.
As this cycle closes in and the lines between online visibility tactics become more blurred, we’ve expanded our PR services in response to client and market needs to include organic and paid search engine programs through our partner WakeFly, which provides a full suite of online marketing services. As is the case with our social and traditional PR programs, PAN’s work complements that of WakeFly’s, and vice versa. We’re excited about this partnership because it brings simplicity to our clients looking for a single point of contact and control for all of their traditional and online visibility needs.
We live what we preach when we say anyone can build an audience, too. We’ve nurtured a number of effective Twitter audiences for our clients, and pulled in different technology platforms to help our clients fill gaps in market coverage where the mainstream media has pulled back. Our Industry Portal program is catching on, and has become a key thought leadership tool for forward leaning companies willing to define and own a space. The beauty of these platforms is they’re easily built, quickly populated with fresh content updated by the minute, and are fast to generate traffic, audience and engagement.
The collapse of the mainstream media industry has been difficult to watch for all the obvious reasons, but social media’s rise brings many more opportunities for savvy marketers today than there were even a couple of years ago. Companies looking for publicity, or that use advertising and PR for lead generation and to communicate have even more options and more—not less—control over how they’re perceived because there’s now a place for them in the conversation going on around their brands. But, using social media to correctly bring a voice into that conversation takes practice and experience, which PAN brings to its programs every day. Talk to us if you want to learn more about how social media can enhance everything you’re already doing, and open new doors, too.
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PANformative Case Study
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Since 1998, Merchant Warehouse has set the standard for credit card processing companies by delivering competitive pricing on merchant account services and equipment while providing industry leading customer service. Over 100,000 merchants later, the company continues to lead the industry with groundbreaking technology initiatives. Merchant Warehouse has been named the ETA 2009 ISO of the Year, Business Solutions’ Best Channel Vendor for 2009 and is a two-time recipient of the Boston Business Journal Pacesetter Award. Merchant Warehouse co-CEO, Henry Helgeson, was also named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 for New England.
The Challenge:
Merchant Warehouse had come up with the next evolution in mobile applications. The company was getting ready to announce its next generation mobile application for BlackBerry® smart phones. Called MerchantWARE Mobile, the free application runs on BlackBerry’s Pearl, Storm, Curve or Bold and offers the enhanced capability to use a highly secure Bluetooth swipe device that brings ease of use, lower processing costs and security to “on the go” businesses. A pizza delivery person, landscaper or window cleaner can swipe a card at delivery or after a service is provided and payment is made in real time, with no need to invoice.
Securing coverage in a new market wasn’t going to be easy. Mobile device blogs and websites were not a regular focus for Merchant Warehouse, as they didn’t have a solution aimed at the mobile marketplace. In order to make this launch a successful one, the Merchant Warehouse and PAN teams wanted to make sure that they were getting in front of the key mobile device and smart phone influencers and communities.
The Strategy:
The PAN team worked on a plan and pre-pitched the news to generate interest for two weeks before the launch. The team at PAN focused on BlackBerry and mobile blogs first, later expanding to its traditional media contacts. Blogs were prioritized based on potential SEO benefits and authority within the BlackBerry community. Of the blogs, Crackberry.com was identified as a top priority since the blog touts itself as ‘The #1 Site for BlackBerry Users and Abusers’ and the team wanted to get in front of those users that were continuously commenting on and directing other users to the new Merchant Warehouse application. PAN was also looking to start the overall discussion on mobile payment processing so that those BlackBerry users that own their business, had something to try out for their staff on the streets.
PAN then turned its attention to the mobile reporters with whom Merchant Warehouse had no prior relationships. In order to successfully penetrate a new audience, the PAN team had to be creative with their pitch, closely monitoring targeted blogs and websites to see how they could capture the bloggers’ and writers’ attention while keeping the Merchant Warehouse message clear and concise.
Once the reporters began to understand the technology, they were impressed by what opportunities it could provide the mobile workforce. With a handful of mobile influencers on the team’s radar, PAN and Merchant Warehouse also sent out early releases of the application and card swipe device to those contacts for pre-release product reviews. By engaging the blogs and reporters early on, the team was able to secure coverage issued the day and week of the BlackBerry application launch, ranging from news briefs to full reviews.
The Results:
The launch of MerchantWare Mobile was a great success and the coverage which resulted both before the launch and after, was very impressive. Merchant Warehouse accomplished their top objective of securing a review on Crackberry.com, which on its own brought 573 unique visits to their website, along with 60 ‘hot’ leads to its sales pipeline. The client was thrilled with the great comments in the piece, as well as how quickly the review was written.
Additional coverage was also secured in SmartphoneCool.com, BlackberryCool.com, Blackberry Sites, Ecran Mobile, Telecom Paper, iPhone.TMCnet.com, Topix.net, Mobile Newz, The Green Sheet, VSR Magazine, Digital Transactions and ISO&Agent.
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PANformative Case Study
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Redplum.com (Parent company is Valassis – one of the nation's leading media and marketing services companies) is a single destination for special offers, great deals, valuable product information and coupons for products and services that are local and relevant to their customers. Redplum.com searches for the best offers, deals and products to feature in one place, so that customers can easily enjoy the savings, splurge on fun things and spend more time doing the things that matter.
The Challenge:
Redplum.com wanted to develop strong relationships with the coupon blogging community and was preparing to launch their “Cheap and Chic Gift Guide – 30 Great Gifts Under $30.” The challenge for PAN was two-fold:
1. Unveil the RedPlum Holiday Gift Guide to key influential bloggers and create buzz before the holidays around how RedPlum.com can help consumers save money.
2. Showcase tips for “entertaining for less” and partner with outside experts to help share ideas that will ultimately drive the value lifestyle brand to the key media and bloggers attending the event.
The guide is just one example of how RedPlum.com strives to offer resources and tools to help consumers find value in all aspects of their lives. In order to create buzz, they needed to identify and target the appropriate audience and involve them in a fun and interactive way. The team had less than one month to come up with a unique launch idea, implement an effective strategy to introduce the holiday gift guide while creating buzz and garnering great coverage. Also, as part of an ongoing strategy, PAN needed to qualify targeted bloggers to work with on an ongoing basis with a focus on savings, coupons and smart living.
The Strategy:
With less than a month to plan, the team quickly developed the “Blogger Blitz” concept. PAN targeted seven key markets throughout the country, and coined the event “My Frugalicious Holiday.” The idea was to reach out to different demographics and build relationships with mom, lifestyle, coupon and savings-minded bloggers from all over the country.
The PAN team went to work and began researching relevant blogs in each of the seven cities, which included: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Seattle. Once the team had a list, they reached out to each individual with an invitation to a fabulous night out.
The overall theme for the evening was that you can have a spectacular and stylish holiday and still be frugal. At each venue, the 30 gifts under $30 were displayed so the bloggers would get a feel for the type of products recommended, and spread the word in hopes of strengthening the RedPlum name and increasing traffic to the website. PAN worked with IKEA who agreed to participate in the events in various cities by providing beautiful tablescapes under $200. The team also put together wines which retail under $20 and displayed them at each venue.
In order to build on the blogger relationships RedPlum had established, a follow-up email was sent to each attendee, post-event, thanking them and giving them links to download high resolution images of the RedPlum gift guide items and a "Where to Buy" link to direct them to online sites that carry each item. For the economy-conscious shoppers seeking savings, also included in the follow-up email was a link to RedPlum’s Coupon Booklet and the Black Friday/Cyber Monday Holiday Survival Guide. Since Thanksgiving was one week away at the time, the PAN team also attached “Thanksgiving Tips” by Lisa Reynolds, RedPlum’s “Mom Saver-in-Chief,” with suggestions about food preparation, decorations, and party planning. After each event, the PAN team placed photos from the events to Flickr, and the email included login information so they could view photos from the fun events.
The Results:
The seven events were a great success. Held at posh venues (including The Liberty Hotel in Boston, W Buckhead - Atlanta, W Tuscany - NYC, W City Center - Chicago, SLS Beverly Hills, The Continental - Philadelphia and Vessle – Seattle), with amazing food and drinks (including signature RedPlumtinis), not only were the events a place where bloggers could network and connect with fellow writers, but it was also an excuse for a fun night out!
Bloggers mingled with other fellow bloggers and RedPlum employees, including Lisa Reynolds, RedPlum’s Mom Saver-in-Chief. Bloggers were eager to ask questions and offer feedback about what they and their readers are interested in. Attendees were able to use laptops to navigate their way around the RedPlum website. Everyone was very excited about the gifts under $30 – and they were even more excited when they found many of the gift items in their swag bags!
To date, the Blogger Blitz has resulted in over 40 pieces of coverage. Perhaps more importantly however is the solid foundation of blogger relationships that were formed. We have already gone back to these key thought leaders and polled them on their thoughts for ongoing programs and outreach.
A sampling of the coverage that was received follows:
The Coupon Goddess – 11-12-09
http://thecoupongoddess.blogspot.com/
The Mommy Insider – 11-18-09
http://themommyinsider.com/2009/11/redplum-cheap-chic-holiday-gift-guide/
The Recessionista – 11-18-09
http://therecessionista.blogspot.com
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PANegram: Client Perspective
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Simon Chernin
Marketing Director, Advertise.com
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Simon is Advertise.com's innovative communicator. Since 2004, he has been responsible for creative marketing, design, PR communication and has been a main stay in the architecture of the Advertise.com advertiser system.
Why did you choose PAN as your PR agency?
We felt the abilities of the PAN team were complementary to our goals. We’d done our research and noted PAN’s expertise and previous achievements with other clients in the online search marketing industry. We wanted to work with a team that understands our business. That's huge for us – the need for our PR agency to understand our space.
What are some of the PR challenges with the industry you play in?
Information travels fast as we all know. There are many industry occurrences that Advertise.com needs to stay on top of. We also need to stay visible in this fast-moving arena.
How has PAN helped Advertise.com overcome some of these challenges?
The team’s competitive reports on industry news help keep us informed. The team monitors Twitter to see what’s trending. In terms of gaining visibility, PAN helped engineer our recent partnership with SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization) to launch a survey of marketing professionals. What was surprising is that 46.3% believe that remarketing, or retargeting, is the most underutilized online marketing tool. We were successful in getting coverage in outlets that are significant for Advertise.com.
What do you find most appealing about working with the PAN team?
What I like most is how easily I'm able to be understood by the team. There's no disconnect. We can get on with things quickly. Clear communications are very important to me as is the team’s persistence in working toward our goals.
How has PAN been able to enhance your PR initiatives in the last 60 days? How have the results impacted your business?
PAN turned our Advertise-SEMPO survey results (referenced above) into a news announcement and then hammered away with media outreach that most definitely increased our exposure in the marketplace.
What are your PR goals for 2010?
We’re eager to partner with PAN to secure continued exposure for the company and for our CEO. Our goal is for Advertise.com to be viewed as a thought leader in the marketplace through such initiatives as speaking engagements and byline columns.
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Life at PAN
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Our Employees Make Us Shine!
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PAN Welcomes Annie Perkins and Meghan Welborn, both Account Managers to the team! So you may get to know them better, we asked them to tell us about a typical day at PAN, what their hobbies are and much more!
What do you like best about PR?
Meghan: It’s never easy, always a challenge, and never the same day twice... AMEN!
Annie: I love the immediacy of Public Relations. You can have a great idea for your client on a Monday and see it in print on a Tuesday.
What is a typical day like for you at PAN?
Meghan: Nothing is typical here... If I HAD to say what is the most consistent, reminiscent of “typical,” it would be that I have no idea where the time goes! I get here, I look at the clock, and it is 6 PM…That is VERY typical.
Annie: I try to get in before my teams so that I have a few minutes to read up on the clients, check the overnight news and set a plan of attack for the day. Then it is off to the races. We meet throughout the week to make sure we are delivering results to the client. Quick brainstorming meetings can result in great coverage for the clients.
What do you do for fun outside of work?
Meghan: My husband and I belong to CPYC, in Winthrop MA, and we sail our Cape Dory Typhoon Senior all summer- sometimes with our dog, Lilly, and anyone else brave enough for the adventure! Once the winter sets in, we enjoy skiing. If we are knocking around the house, I am the queen of “projects,” and really enjoy cooking.
Annie: I have a large and extended family and cherish my time with all of them. We can be found hiking, biking or playing tennis. My husband and I are huge fans of the trips to nowhere. We drive up and down the coast looking for undiscovered treasures.
What was your last 'technology' purchase?
Meghan: A Garmin for the boat- Now it’s like cheating!
Annie: I am actually currently undergoing the iPhone or Blackberry decision.
What do you like most about working at PAN?
Meghan: I can’t express how wonderful it feels to be working with such a talented group- I have never worked at an agency before and to have this concentration of people with the skills, industry expertise, passion, resourcefulness, and dedication to the practice is overwhelming! I still pinch myself sometimes!
Annie: I love the energy of the teams. It is great to have so many people supporting all of your efforts. Additionally, the feedback and direction I receive from the clients really inspires the creative process. Our clients represent the best of the best and we are able to share in the success of their growth and achievement.
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Social Media having a deeper impact on PR Chiefs
I was reading a great article in Advertising Age a while back about the expanding role of chief communications officers (CCO) within corporate marketing departments (“Growth of Social Media Shifts PR Chiefs toward Center of Marketing Departments”). Several CCOs were interviewed and they talked extensively about PR driving sales and leading marketing integration efforts. With that, some companies feel that advertising and communications are like first cousins – very closely linked. Many chief marketing officers (CMOs) and CCOs now work closely together - a trend which continues to grow.
How has this come to be? How are CCOs and CMOs playing in the same sandbox when they used to be considered two completely different roles? The answer is social media. Advertising and communications are integrating, and as advertising budgets continue to decrease, companies have to think about how they’re spending advertising dollars – PR has the ability to take those dollars much farther within the world of social media.
PR now leads many creative social media initiatives – initiatives that bring quick results and make a deep impact in shaping a company’s image. Companies are using mediums such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, to name a few, to talk to their customers; and they’re engaging in conversations and listening to what consumers have to say. This is a top priority now that companies gain knowledge from consumers and shape their marketing plans accordingly. Not only are companies talking to consumers and listening, but they’re reaching their target audiences scores more than advertising ever did. The social media universe equals endless communication, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s powerful, and it’s only going to strengthen. In a recent Anderson Analytics survey conducted in May 2009, titled “Social Network Marketing Expands,” 5000 people (in the US) were asked about their social network and internet usage and:
52% of social network users became a fan or follower of a company/brand
46% said something positive about a brand/company on a social networking website
The impact that social media has on a brand is astounding, isn’t it?
We’ve been working on building our social media practice for five years now – we knew this area was going to be a hot one, so we took the time to educate ourselves and learn about the different tools and ways to communicate as each was born. We named Joel Richman our Director of Social Media in 2008; he insures each team has a social media component to every program. PAN has been growing with social media and as new things are brought to life, we easily pick them up, assess them and implement them to clients as we feel necessary.
There are so many great examples of work we’ve been doing at PAN, and they span all sorts of different activities. At a recent staff meeting, Joel asked 3 of our Account Managers to talk about recent social media initiatives as a best practice. I’d like to describe these three initiatives:
1. We created an industry portal for our client, Airwide Solutions which has proven to be a great tool to establish thought leadership, engage partners in the public relations campaign, and attract analysts and bloggers to cover topics important to Airwide (mobile security, messaging, etc.) See portal here: www.mobilemessaging2.com (MM2).
Last April, at the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) semiannual trade show in Las Vegas, PAN developed and implemented an innovative and successful on-site, exclusive roundtable for Airwide to host which we used to help promote the portal. The event paved the way for Airwide to partner with top-tier mobile publications and establish its mobile messaging site and blog as a leading source for CTIA show news. PAN dedicated a special section on MM2 to cover CTIA news and developments and to accept live blog content directly from the roundtable. PAN also syndicated feeds from other industry sources and promoted the collection in the portal as an all-access channel for anything and everything CTIA-related. With bloggers and mobile reporters linking to MM2, and content from the live blogging from the roundtable, MM2 shot to the top of Google search results for CTIA-related news. This momentum has helped establish MM2 as a leading industry source for mobile messaging and mobile news while also promoting Airwide as a forward-thinking mobile messaging company.
2. PAN recently organized a 7-city blogger blitz for our client RedPlum/Valassis. RedPlum, a single destination for special offers, great deals, valuable product information and coupons for products and services that are local and relevant to their customers was readying to launch their holiday gift guide and wanted to create buzz not only to build brand identity, but to increase traffic to their site. PAN organized the entire thing – from venue selection and event coordination to creation of blogger lists to outreach. We targeted Mom and Lifestyle bloggers which were the perfect fit for RedPlum. The events proved to be a great success.
3. Social media played a significant role in a recent campaign for PAN client Advertise.com. The online ad platform for search, display and cost-per-action (CPA) marketing conducted a joint survey of online marketers with SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization). A surprising number of respondents (46.3%) believed that retargeting, or remarketing, is the #1 underutilized online marketing technology. Retargeting is the practice of targeting website visitors who left the site or abandoned a shopping cart. Through a simple visitor tagging technique, advertisers can go back to these visitors with highly customized offers. The PAN team created a news release highlighting the survey results. The team posted the news on the Advertise.com blog and Facebook pages and also tweeted it out on Twitter. Press coverage rolled in from several important media outlets for Advertise.com including MediaPost, WebProNews, SearchEngineWatch and Adotas. As these outlets tweeted the stories, Twitter activity was brisk with over 100 retweets. PAN also retweeted the coverage and posted links on the Advertise.com blog and Facebook pages.
We’re having fun and working hard with social media. But we’re also seeing the results which are astounding – clients are thrilled! And what’s more reassuring is that their marketing dollars are taking them to new levels.
I’ll leave you with a quote that pretty much sums it up: “Social Media and public relations are inseparable,” Mark Pritchard, Global Brand Building & Marketing Officer, Procter & Gamble Co.
If you have any questions about our social media offerings or services, please feel free to contact Joel or myself.
Wishing you all the best in 2010!
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PANtastic! Promotions, New Employees, and More!
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Promotions:
Congratulations to George Thomas, who was promoted from Junior Associate to Associate!
New Employees:
PAN welcomes three new employees!
Annie Perkins and Meghan Welborn join as Account Managers and Jamison Coyle joins as a Junior Associate.
Employee PANniversaries:
Happy PANniversary to our wonderful employees!
October:
Jennifer Meyer – 12 Years
Tim Munroe – 5 Years
Becki Parkhurst – 4 Years
Kim Spiller – 3 Years
Mike Sullivan – 3 Years
Pam Woodford – 3 Years
December:
George Thomas – 2 years
Client PANniversaries:
Happy PANniversary to our fabulous clients!
October
Knoa - 3 years
Advertise.com - 2 years
Pluris - 2 years
Novell - 1 year
November:
Acsis - 3 years
December:
Airwide Solutions - 2 Years
Lieberman - 1 Year
Tangoe - 1 year
Happy Birthday to Our Employees!
October:
Linda Miller
Joel Richman
Tim Munroe
Erica Burns
A.J. Gosselin
Amy Morris
November:
Philip A. Nardone, Jr.
Michael O’Connell
Emily Held
Jessica Cascio
December:
Gene Carozza
George Thomas
Charlie Magliato
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PAN News & Recent Events
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PAN Halloween Party!
On Thursday, October 30, PAN held their annual Halloween party. Spooky, yet tasty treats and drinks were enjoyed by all!
A Day Of Volunteering
In preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday, 15 PAN employees volunteered in Community Servings' kitchen on Saturday, November 21st. Community Servings provides free, nutritious, home-delivered meals to individuals and families battling HIV/AIDS, cancer, lupus, MS and other acute, life-threatening illnesses. Each PAN employee baked pies and prepped thanksgiving dinners for the 725 clients that Community Servings serves across Eastern Massachusetts every day.
New Baby!
Senior Associate Emily Trevallion and her husband Glenn welcomed their new baby boy Jamison into the world on the morning of November 2nd. Congratulations!
On October 29th, Gary Torpey, PAN’s Director of Finance, challenged Tim Munroe, PAN’s Director of Business Development to a 100 meter dash. The challenger was the lucky winner – congrats Gary!
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