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Happy 10th Anniversary, GPS!

I was recently flipping through the latest issue of Fast Company when I noticed the short write-up from Erica Westly (find her on Twitter, @westlyer) about the 10^th anniversary of GPS’s nonmilitary expansion. It’s hard to believe that May 2 marked a decade since the military-designed satellite network was massively opened up, allowing civilians to use GPS technologies and companies like TomTom and Garmin to turn into billion-dollar empires.

And while the time may go by fast, I’m fascinated with how quickly our society can adapt and harness the power of new technologies. Just think in the past 10 years not only have we utilized GPS technology to get us from one place to the next but now we are using it to find restaurants, the cheapest gas stations, map trails, connect in social media via millions of mobile and desktop applications, the article even states that you can use GPS technology to track lost pets, and have you seen that Verizon Wireless commercial about the mom mapping where her daughter is in the mall? Not only do I now have the capability to know where I am, I also have the power to find out where my friends, family members and pet cat, fluffy are! Is it sad that I can’t remember the last time I looked at a traditional paper map?

Tying GPS technologies into social media, this week there was an article in the New York Times about Foursquare, a location-based social network, and how brands are using this tool to further connect with customers to provide them with information and deals they want. As the article states, through smartphones that signal someone’s location, stores and brands are getting live information about when and where people are shopping.  Allowing companies to turn  Foursquare into a virtual loyalty marketing program or create a location based application that offers customers discounts or other rewards for shopping.

It is amazing how a technology like GPS can be taken a step further and allow businesses to directly connect with and open communication with customers, no matter where they are located.

If you’re interested in reading either of these articles, find Erica’s Fast Company write-up here, http://bit.ly/aCmS2T and the New York Times article here, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/business/media/29adco.html?ref=media.

Have you used Foursquare or any other location based social media applications? What are your thoughts?

By Carrie Crabill

2010 PR Predictions

In a recent submission to Media Bistro, Trevelino/Keller responded with its agency and industry predictions for 2010.

1) In 2010, I expect my business to be up/down/flat, and here's why.

We expect our business to be up considerably in 2010 ... along with many agencies who experienced a decline in 2009.  With that said, we believe those firms with the strongest reputations as specialists, be it skill (vs generalist firms) or industry, will see the biggest rebounds.

For Trevelino/Keller, we are receiving a great response for our ability to integrate social media and public relations strategies into a cohesive brand and sales-driven platform.  Practice specialists in those industries that saw declines in 2009 -- food/beverage/restaurants in particular -- will see stronger lifts.  We are already anticipating a strong January start with new food/beverage clients.  Pure green business or green-related business will be strong in 2010 in part as a result of stimulus dollars and incentives.  And technology, particularly early stage companies, will deliver increased revenue opportunities.  We hit the ground running in January with two new tech clients.

2) In 2010, I expect there to be more/less acquisitions in the PR industry, and here's why.

We expect to see more acquisitions.  The country is scattered with once strong small firms who have been weakened by the economic fallout.  Many will remain weak and vulnerable into 2010 and rather than go under or become freelancers again, we see an increased openness to selling.
Larger agencies will see it as an opportunity to increase their numbers, geographies, skill sets and talent.

3) The biggest PR story of 2010 will be...

I'm afraid the biggest "PR" story as it relates to media coverage will be the return of Tiger Woods ... the good, bad and ugly of it.  Who ever steps into the role of PR consultant or agency to manage that story will at least fall into the top 10 of most covered stories.

More important, the biggest business story in the industry isn't a new story but continues to be the integration of social media and public relations into the business mainstream.  There remains a debate as to who owns social media.  We believe PR owns it and that will become increasingly clearer in 2010.

By Dean Trevelino

Twitter Addict?

 

I was faced with a harsh reality this morning when I went to log on to Twitter and the page was "not found". What's going on I asked myself? So I tried Twhirl (desktop application for Twitter)... "no updates".
 
All of a sudden a lump formed in my throat, my mouth went dry, and knees started sweating.
 
But what are people saying? What are people doing? Why is this happening? If it was any other problem I would be all over Twitter getting my intellectual insight.
 
Once Twitter was finally back up the updates were flying back and forth about reasons for the outage. I got a kick out of these two from Mashable:
 
2 hrs ago: @mashable Facebook Down. Twitter Down. Social Media Meltdown - http://bit.ly/8t4WY
1 hr ago: @mashable TIP: Whenever Twitter goes down, we post updates to our Facebook page.  Follow us there too: http://bit.ly/qCnUE
 
So... if I’m comparing those two posts… what if Facebook goes down? Does that mean I actually have to check the website on a regular basis? I don't understand.
 
When I take a step back (and breath) for a second, I do find it interesting how quickly we adapt to the fast paced lifestyle that social media tools allow us to live. I'm a digital girl and this is a digital world. I want my Twitter updates with a side of Facebook. Give me my morning coffee and then just hook me up to an IV of Diet Coke... I'm set for the day!
 
Did you feel the impact of the Twitter outage or am I over analyzing? 

By Carrie Crabill

Win Them Over with a Smile… Or a Tweet…

Twitter is all the rage right now. If it were 1990, Twitter would be the Zack Morris of its time (please excuse the Saved By The Bell reference - ever since Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s appearance on Jimmy Fallon Live I can’t seem to get Zack and the rest of the Bayside High School clan out of my head!).

Back to my point… to say there have been a lot of articles regarding Twitter recently is the understatement of a lifetime. However, the articles I’ve been most interested in are the ones that have shown how companies and brands have found Twitter useful as a customer service tool. What a great idea -- a free platform that allows you to track customers’ comments on your brand and start a two-way conversation with them whenever appropriate.

Well, it wasn’t until this week that I personally realized the true value of Twitter as a customer service vehicle.

I’m getting ready to move into a new house and working my way down my checklist of things to do before the big day. Yesterday’s daunting task: call Comcast. Quite possibly the worst one on the list (and yes, that includes cleaning the oven). During my frustrating conversation with the Comcast sales “professional” I updated my Twitter status to relay my frustrations to the world.

A few moments later I received a reply from @ComcastBonnie who asks if she could help me with anything. I was speechless. “Comcast is tracking complaints on Twitter?” I thought to myself. How fantastic. Then I only felt a minor pang of guilt for blasting that I hate there services all over Twitter.

I share this because not only is it a great example of how Twitter can be used, but also because I want to thank @ComcastBonnie for her courage in responding to what I can only imagine to be the thousands of unhappy Comcast Tweeters out there. Here’s to you, @ComcastBonnie.

What’s your favorite aspect of Twitter? Have you had similar experience?

By Carrie Crabill

“Help me, help you.” Jerry McGuire

I’m not a big fan of that movie (the female lead character seemed so weak to me – desperate to have her man and to follow him anywhere), but that line keeps resonating over and over in my head lately.  It’s something I wish I could say to companies and non-profits that I work with re: their reluctance to dive into a social media strategy.  I’m tired of hearing otherwise smart, successful businesspeople and fellow marketers say they don’t “have time for social media applications.”  Or, worst yet, that “it’s just a fad.”  

On second thought, maybe I don’t feel like Tom Cruise in Jerry McGuire, maybe it’s really more Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future (now that’s a good movie). It’s like I’ve hopped in my DeLorean and gone back in time to 1995 when I heard the same thing (“I don’t have time for email.” Or “Why do I need a website? Isn’t the Internet a fad?”)  Remember that?

Wake up, folks! We are smack dab in the middle of another fundamental shift happening in how we do business.  In 2006, Time Magazine’s Person of the Year was “You.”  Get it? YOU. In other words, they recognized that online communities were fundamentally reshaping our world.  That was over three years ago and I’m still hearing people talk about how they think this social media phenomenon is a “fad” that will pass.  

Companies and non-profits must get in the game.  Your audiences are online, I promise, and they aren’t just hunting for websites anymore. Every day folks are looking for your thoughts on blogs, looking for other consumers’ thoughts about your product or service on sites like Yelp and NextStop. People of the same profession or interest are organizing themselves into valuable, content-rich online communities on Ning.  Twitter has become a mainstream word, even if many of us are still working out how best to use it as a business tool.  

I understand that it’s difficult.  It’s more than just a shift in the tools we use to communicate. We’re also experiencing a real change in what we say, how we say it and how transparent we need to be.  CEOs and CMOs generally aren’t clamoring to have less control over their message (at least by perception). So they think if they stay out of the social media world they’ll be closed off from uncontrolled criticism.  However, the reality is this: somewhere online right now it’s likely people are talking about your brand.  And if you don’t participate in those conversations (transparently, of course), you are missing a great brand building and customer service opportunity.  

Will all of these new applications be around next year?  Probably not? And those that are around probably won’t look the same as they do today. But this culture shift is real, the tools are just working themselves out -- with consumers driving the way. To ignore our new business world is tantamount to ignoring the rise of using email as a communication tool vs. faxing over 10 years ago.  There is a new way to communicate with your customers, partners and each other and if you’re not playing in that arena you are going to soon be left alone in the bleachers crying “Show me the money!” while everyone else is down on the field already playing the game.

By Kira Perdue

Lost in Social Media Land?

The social media movement has taken over the lives of more than 60 percent of Americans, according to the recent Cone Business in Social Media Study. More importantly, the survey also found that 93 percent of social media users believe a company should have a presence in social media, with 85 percent who agree a company should not only be present but also interact with its consumers via social media. Now, how is that for a sign your company should be social networking?!

We all get that Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, MeetUp, Digg, Flickr, Del.icio.us, Linkedin and on and on can be very overwhelming for companies choosing to dive in! The fact is, using these sites and many more can be a very effective, low cost way to market your company. Whether you are B2C, B2B or Not for Profit, there is something out there for everyone. 

At Trevelino/Keller, we believe that weaving your way through the social media world can be painless…and even as easy as a game. You see, we have created SocialStatus^TK, a platform designed to take a game board approach to introducing companies to the world of social media. SocialStatus^TK makes social media easy to comprehend and seamless to implement. All you need is a starting point and a glossary of social media terms and you are on your way.

With help from The Content Factor, Bemyad.com, Mobile Media Enterprises and Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP Trevelino/Keller is hosting a social status seminar, sponsored by Marketing Mine, where attendees can expect an initiation into the social media landscape from bloggers and social networks to user-generated content platforms, mobile messaging campaigns and virtual worlds and essentially any viral communications environment. The seminar draws from each partner company’s fields of expertise which includes public relations and social media (Trevelino/Keller), content creation (The Content Factor), web video ad promotions (Bemyad.com), mobile marketing (Mobile Media Enterprises) and legal implications (Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP). For the seminar, we have selected EARTH University Foundation as the working brand for SocialStatusTK game board experience.

Seminar cost is $25 per person. The event begins at 8:15 a.m. at Market in the W Hotel Buckhead and will conclude around 10:30 a.m. For additional details just shoot me a comment below and I will get back to you with more information.

 

Happy social networking and we hope to see you there!

Social Media Trends in 2009

As we close out 2008, we reflect on the dramatic changes seen this year in how companies, including our clients, participate in social media. Going forward, many industry experts agree that we’ll see social media tools and communities continue to take shape in 2009, with companies pursuing the most effective way to increase customer loyalty from online networks, technologies and applications. 

Some of the general trends that industry pundits suggest we’ll see in 2009 include:

·         Increased interest in social media measurement and accountability (companies like Vitrue and their Social Media Index will become necessities for any social media strategy).

·         Social media-based human resources and recruiting – Monster is out. LinkedIn is in.

·         Innovation in wireless networks and products will continue to drive the growth of key social media applications – with higher speed networks like Verizon Wireless and phones like the Blackberry Storm. Social networks are gaining increasing real estate on mobile devices in the U.S.

·         Niche video driven communities will take off – such as Charleston, SC-based BenefitFocus’ ICYOU, a user-generated health video community rapidly becoming one of the most diverse libraries of online healthcare videos.

There is no shortage of experts weighing in on trends to watch for in 2009.  Fast Company has boiled the top 2009 list down to Six primary social media trends, which they say will drive much of the change in 2009.  And that’s just one example. Just Google “social media trends” and you’ll find many more pundits, experts and bloggers willing to tell you what we can expect.

Well, we here at TKCG are experts too, of course.  We are qualified experts at branding, social media, PR, media relations to name a few.  And, perhaps sometimes most importantly, we are experts in not taking ourselves too seriously.

Here are our Five (Tongue-in-Cheek) Social Media Trends we believe we’ll see in 2009:

1. Mommy Bloggers Unionize, Hold Madison Ave. Hostage:  The collective advertising and influencer power of the so-called Mommy Bloggers will continue to grow until Dooce, Motherhood Uncensored, Because I Said So, Mighty Girl, FinSlippy and others form an official union, demanding vacation time from daily blog entries and free sleep aides as part of an overall health plan. Madison Avenue will be forced to cough up more money for these bloggers to keep pace with the truly hypnotic influence these writers have on their readers.  Hey, we’ve seen what they can do to Target and Motrin . . .

2. Twitter Figures Out How to Make Money:  Twitter has seized the attention of the tech industry at a phenomenal rate.  Sure they aren’t making money now, but so what? What they have going for them is this: people are obsessed with Twitter.  They will figure out how to cash in on that consumer obsession . . . they have publicly stated they plan to unveil their revenue model the first half of 2009.  Perhaps we’ll get charged a nominal every time we use Twitter as a verb?

3. “De-Friending” on Facebook Becomes Hip:  Living the simple life is now in fashion.  Americans are vowing to live with less in 2009 from both an economical and an environmental standpoint. The same will hold true for online social communities. The rush to prove your social worth with how many friends you have on Facebook becomes passé. In 2009, Facebook trend-setters will begin cleaning house and paring down their Friend List.  The “new black” will become how many people you can de-friend and still have enough online acquaintances to warrant the occasional sheep-throwing SuperPoke.

4. Second Lifers Swarm Bankruptcy Court, Realize They’ve Been Spending Real Money on Pretend Luxury Items:  Forget the Big 3. Forget the sub-prime banking industry mess. The next biggest hit on the economy are the folks who have spent their life savings on pretend, virtual luxury goods they can’t afford in real life.  They will realize that their animated Mercedes, mansions and Dolce Cabana are not real and all these pretend luxury goods will go up in a puff of virtual smoke when their real-life bank accounts go dry.  However, we DO believe businesses in 2009 finally will find uses for Second Life (medical training, company meetings, Army recruiting) and the site will find its second wind.

5. Obama Uses LinkedIn to Finalize Cabinet Seats:  President-elect Barak Obama will begin the new year in a quandary . . . he’s run out of former campaign rivals to add to his staff and needs some recruitment help.  He’ll hit the links on LinkedIn to round out his cabinet and advisors.

Obviously, these are just a few social media trends that we believe will occur in 2009. There are many more out there that we can discuss. What do you see as some of the top trends in social media for 2009?

We want to wish you Happy Holidays and hope 2009 will bring you success!   

Best,

Kira Perdue and Dana Mark

Change You Can Believe In

The world of social media is changing at a rapid fire pace.  This constant evolution and the breakneck speed at which things spread, not to mention the sheer volume of tools and outlets, can be overwhelming.  It can be enough to make marketers wonder – is it even worth it?  Well, you don’t have to look any farther than the recent presidential election to see the dynamic influence and ROI of social media. President-elect Barack Obama has been garnering high praise recently for his technology savvy campaign. Recent press coverage has highlighted the following:

•  During the election Obama posted over 2000 videos on his website barackobama.com
• He has four times as many friends on MySpace than John McCain
• He emailed over 10 million people
• He has over three million friends on Facebook

As president, it is clear Obama plans to utilize his massive technology infrastructure. Change.gov, his transition website, was up and running a mere 24 hours after he was elected.  It’s fairly bare bones right now, but there is more in the works.  Currently, visitors to the site can apply for jobs in the Obama administration and are encouraged to share their experiences from the election. In the past, presidents only utilized presidential addresses and/or press conferences to communicate with the American people. Already, there is talk of Obama posting videos on Youtube similar to Roosevelt’s fire side chats. In addition, he has promised to open non-emergency legislation to a five-day comment period where people can discuss the new legislation.  It will be interesting to see how he harnesses his vast online community over the next four years.

Change we can believe in. That was Barack Obama’s slogan in the final stages of the presidential election. He promised to be a different kind of president, a president who will change the way things are done in Washington. The type of president Mr. Obama will actually turn out to be is unclear – what is clear is that Obama ran a very different presidential campaign that harnessed the power of social media and that, at the very least, should forever change how we relate to our government.

By Robert Clarke and Kate Jay