Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Sexism in Ads... Not Just for Women.

I think we're all pretty well-versed on the idea of sexism against women in the media, especially back in the day when the woman's place was in the kitchen (insert the woman jokes now please).  But as time moves forward, now men are becoming the subject of sexism in the media.  Whether they are being attributed to pigs (I think Jessie Spano a la "Saved by the Bell" may have wrote this one) buying Trojan condoms or just being a beer-guzzling idiot in commercials and printed advertisements.

In PR Junkie's "10 modern ads that are sexist toward men" they show these said ads, and surprisingly I had seen them all except for one or two.  It is interesting how when we see these ads, some of which are actually very old (maybe 5 years), and how at first I didn't think, "Oh, that's totally sexist against men."  I guess the times are a-changin'.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Holiday PR Trends

Tis the season!  The article "5 Holiday PR Trends You'll See This Year" by Mickie Kennedy informs us about what kind of PR trends we should expect this season from companies and organizations.

What's the most common you ask? Going online.  Most people hate the long lines, disheveled stores, cramped parking lots, and probably the people hounding you to buy something as soon as you step foot into their loud and heavily fragranced store.  Not to mention the people ready to kill you to get the hot-button item at Wal-Mart.
The crazies definitely come out during the holidays

It's not totally shocking since they've created a black friday for cyber shopping, but the numbers will probably be increased since most people will buy some of their holiday gifts online.

Don't you just love getting e-mails from your favorite stores telling you that you can get free shipping with a certain coupon code? Well, this season it will be very odd if any online retailer isn't offering free shipping with purchases.  Technically, from a marketing standpoint, it would be REALLY stupid of them not to because it will dramatically increase sales, even if the customers have to spend a certain amount to get it.  People, even me, are guilty of purchasing that extra little trinket to get the no-added cost at the end of the transaction.

Gift cards are the next trend.  People may think they're a cop-out gift for men who do last minute shopping, but retailers have learned that gift cards tend to lure customers back to their stores even after the cards are empty.  When I worked at Barnes and Noble, gift cards were our main revenue earners.  During the holiday season, we'd easily rake in a couple hundred thousand dollars in gift cards, and yes, it was from men, and yes it was the day before Christmas Eve. (Sorry!)

Even though the economy hasn't been really great lately, a surprising trend is toys!

Now that's what I call a Nerf Gun!
Toys will be placed at the store fronts and near registers in stores with the hopes of you picking up one for your kids or maybe even for yourself.  People really do try to make it "the best holidays ever!" in their kids' minds, so having the toys within eyesight will probably make us buy them.

Last but not least, and once again beating the dead horse, SOCIAL MEDIA! Yes, everyone is talking about social media, but it really is not a passing trend.  Retailers and companies want direct contact with their customers, and what is a better way than via Facebook or Twitter?  If you follow any companies, expect an influx of posts related to sales and promotions.  I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Some Non-political tips that us, PR people, can learn from the recent elections

In the article, "Five (Non-Political) Public Relations Lessons from Campaign 2010" written by DeVol, lets us know some tips that we can learn from this years election, even if the people you voted for didn't make it.



1. Nothing is off the record, ever.
Because of technology today, one little slip up of an F-bomb will pop up on youtube, twitter, facebook, or CNN.  Everything anyone says is relative to public scrutiny, so in other words, we need to give our clients media training.  That way, our clients can't do anything stupid.

2. Bloggers are just as important as reporters.
As DeVol says, "Blogging is word of mouth on steroids."  People are more likely to take business advice from a blog that they read on a daily basis than something they only read occasionally.  The biggest blogs get almost 2 MILLION hits a day...I repeat, 2 MILLION hits PER DAY.  That is outrageous!  I mean, bloggers today aren't what people once thought bloggers were, i.e. weirdos in their mom's basement.  They are just as, if not more, important as reporters.

3. Anyone not using social media is getting left behind.
Because social media is a big deal nowadays, politicians use it to promote their campaigns, just as regular people tell you A) who they voted for, B) how you should vote, and C) that they did indeed vote.  If you don't know how to use Twitter, Facebook, or anything else you are being left behind in the dust, because the rest of the world is sojourning on.  If you want to be able to promote yourself or business successfully, you need to know how to use social media, or hire someone that does! Easy as pie.

4.  Personal touches still matter.
Even if you know how to use all of the social media sites, if they're boring, no one will read it or visit it.  DeVol explains that these sites are like an easel and paintbrush, and adding your personal touches to them can make them outstanding and gain more attention.  For inspiration, think of what Bob Ross would do.


5.  Keep your political thoughts off of your social media sites.
No one enjoys the obnoxious campaign commercials we are bombarded with once September comes around, so don't tell everyone who you support.  Why? Because no one REALLY wants your opinion, and why would you want to alienate half of your potential customers?  Your sites should be about your company or organization and the company or organization's mission/value statements... not YOURS.  Ever heard someone ask another person who they voted for and they reply, "I don't need to tell you"?  Well, that's how it should be online too.  We are constantly told, "crazies vote for this person, blah blah blah" and we don't need it from you too.


Overall, I thought that this article was entertaining and great advice.  It's great because we are learning about social media releases and press releases, so having some realistic tips is always a good thing... and I enjoy putting my spin on what the writer said.  I mean, who else would incorporate Bob Ross into a PR blog article?