Hard work is a wonderful thing. Many times though, it takes more than hard work.
It takes a good plan and strong financing. Funding if a four letter word these days for brands looking to start out, but time and again we’re seeing ideas and launches die because resources were devoted to product development and not product marketing. While a killer product can help, it is almost essential that you have a strong marketing campaign to back it up (and your nephew, the recent grad and ‘social media expert’ doesn’t count).

We heard this story on the WSJ This Morning podcast the other day and wanted to share as it’s something we’re seeing a lot these days… the lack of capital when it comes to a new launch.

Many brands can succeed and do thrive by bootstrapping their marketing programs and putting their all into it. Often though, that’s not enough. The competition either has too great a lead, regardless of how innovative your brand or product is, and the fight for consumer mind-share too great to break through.

When SouthWest started to focus on Denver, they hit the town hard with paid marketing efforts. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Now we are definitely not saying that you need the funding of SouthWest to succeed with a new launch. We’ve had numerous clients and friends grow through hard work and innovation. BUT, if you’re looking to be a leader sooner than later, you’re going to need to set aside significant funding for your marketing campaigns (PR, advertising, social media, outdoor or whatever is right for your brand) to help get the word out.

It paid off for SouthWest and will probably pay off for you too.

Check out the full article online here (note, it may have been password protected by the time you’ve read this).

Since we work in the tech world, we often deal with tech media, from the consumery
orientated mainstream guys to the influencers/mavens/tastemakers/other-hot-buzzword journalists and outlets that focus on the latest and greatest before it’s even available.

Lately we’ve been working with LockerGnome on some features and this morning in their daily video, they called out BlackBerry. Specifically, they called out that they may not review  the BlackBerry Z10.

Skip to about 5:00 to get a handle on what we’re referencing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RBAmLEdafQ&feature=share&list=SPjDx5u-G_1Sji8FGkjjxsbQKr-xq4bmvT

Perhaps LockerGnome is just trying to get a rise out of their BlackBerry using audience. Or maybe they’re serious and just aren’t into the new releases. Only time will tell.

Unfortunately, this is a reality in PR and media relations – sometimes the media just aren’t into your product or story.

This is one of the reasons we (and other reputable PR practitioners) will tell you clients in the upfront that coverage is not guaranteed. We have a pretty good relationship with LockerGnome, but we can’t dictate their coverage or coverage tone. Any firm that guarantees you visibility for your retainer (without a money-back guarantee) is either lying or selling you advertising.

Wired.com just did a piece on the Twitter response to the tragedy that just happened during the Boston Marathon.

Every now and again, we hear that social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) is replacing ‘real’ news media as sources of information. While we love social media, it’s still way too soon to discount the journalists and editors that are looking to report facts vs. those quick with the keystrokes looking to simply report or be heard.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Boston and all those affected in the attack.

You can read the Wired piece below.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/04/twitter-tragedy-response/

For potential clients, we’re always asked about our ‘lists’ and who is on these ‘lists’. While it’s great to have relationships with journalists in a key segment, no one has them with everyone. It’s probably impossible. Similarly, editors and reporters change beats and employment regularly. You simply can’t rely on these lists or the ones you purchase through a third party (which can be helpful though).

What you can rely upon in the PR world is creative and targeted outreach. In the past we’ve scored coverage of robotic innovations on CNN and a professional skateboarder in Field & Stream.

Both times, the contacts we approached were new to us. But that didn’t stop us from approaching them with story ideas that were appropriate for their audiences.

We’re not saying that we don’t have great lists of contacts, because we do. But just because CNN, Field & Stream, Maxim, Women’s Health, CoolHunting or HypeBeast featured one client, that does not guarantee they’ll feature another. Don’t be misguided.

A better way to judge a firm’s media-savvy would be to ask about creative pitches or projects they worked on that had less than tier-A media appeal.

For more of our thoughts on the infamous PR ‘lists’ and ways to conduct media outreach, check out these other blog posts (blatant plug) that we have on the Remedy site:

http://remedycomm.com/2012/04/why-your-press-releases-dont-get-you-coverage/

http://remedycomm.com/2011/04/pr-lessons-from-a-journalist/

Media Bistro’s PR Newser has an article on Coke’s announcement that social media buzz doesn’t produce short term sales vs. print ads, which also happen to trump broadcast.

WHAT??? That’s a pretty crazy statement, especially since they have more than 61 million Facebook Fans and probably know a thing or two about social media. In the story, Eric Schmidt, senior manager-marketing strategy and insights at Coca-Cola, also goes on to say that they’re not giving up on social. Far from it. he makes a point to say that this is one study for a particular brand and product category.

Our inflammatory blog headline aside, the reason we’re posting this is two-fold. If you read the Media Bistro and AdAge articles about the announcement, you should pick up on two things:

1. Measurement is difficult and time consuming. We’re often asked if we can provide results in terms of influence on sales for clients because of our efforts and unfortunately, we cannot. Most of our clients simply don’t have the resources in place to track how PR, social media, traditional advertising, word-of-mouth, etc. affect sales. It takes a lot of effort and resources.

2. What works, or doesn’t work, for one brand may not matter to your brand. From Pinterest to skywriting, there are more options than ever before for engaging consumers with your message. Before you decide you need to be on one format or another, take a look at your resources and customer, then choose wisely.

You can read the full article on Media Bistro here and AdAge here.

If you read the action sports industry trade sites Shop-Eat-Surf or TransWorld Business, you already know that the CEO of Skullcandy isleaving for a new venture. There’s an interview with Jeremy Andrus on his departure on the Executive Edition of Shop-Eat-Surf now (http://www.shop-eat-surf.com/news-item/4622/jeremy-andrus-on-why-he-is/-).

What we wanted to point out from the article is the important of networking. Jeremy’s new job is with Tag Romney, son of Mitt. He’s connected to Tag partially because of his volunteer efforts during previous political campaigns. Is that the only way Jeremy knows Tag? We don’t know… could have met him at a keg party too, but it bodes well that the Romney party knows Jeremy for more than his hypothetical ability to hold a Solo cup. Please note that we don’t know Jeremy, work with Skullcandy or have ever heard of anyone there drinking a beer. This is just a hypothetical example use to help make our point.

Getting back to it, Jeremy knows the Romney family through his volunteer efforts and for lack of a better word, networking. He took the time to get himself connected to others. It’s something we all should do more of, both when we’re successful and when we need a lead, job recommendation, etc.

While the lovely San Diego weather makes it tough for the team at Remedy PR to want to do things outside of work that involve ‘work’, we know it’s important for growing our business. That’s why we’ve 6 Degrees San Diego and are making an effort to attend their events and be active members. We first discovered 6 Degrees via Ian Campbell, who funny enough, knows Bill from a local watering hole where the two would share stories about New York and new business. After years of bumping into each other here and there, Bill connected with Ian one-on-one to find out about how this upstate New York transplant has plugged himself so well into San Diego. Among other ways, Ian told Bill it was through networking at the 6 Degrees events.

Now Bill and Todd are both members of 6 Degrees and are making it a priority to attend both evening and early morning events to become more connected. We know 6 Degrees may not be right for everyone, but that’s not an excuse for you not to network. If you’re in college, join a club tied to your major or what you think you want to do when you graduate. If you’re in the workforce, contribute. You may not have the funds for a paid networking group, but there are other ways you can get involved. Post answers to questions and become more active on LinkedIn. Make time to volunteer. Go the extra effort to put your name and face out there, but remember to be active about it.

An often butchered quote by Woody Allen goes along the lines of “90 percent of life is just showing up.” Unfortunately, that 90 percent that show up don’t get the killer new job, fabulous client, raise, second interview for their dream job post college, etc.

There’s nothing wrong with being the 90 percent, but then don’t become shocked when the success you want doesn’t come as you had hoped.  Don’t just show up, contribute!

BTW – Did you see our blog post about Solo’s PR efforts? If not, here it is.

We got a great chuckle out of this Saturday Night Live, especially at about 1:32 when ‘Kourtney Barnes’ says ‘That’s the beauty of social media, everyone’s opinion is equal.’

While we think we see a decline on LinkedIn and elsewhere about ‘social media experts’, it’s still a term thrown around quite a bit. From a marketer’s standpoint though, one of the great things about social media is it’s relatively easy to measure, or at the least, you can measure clicks (of course, if a Website posts something to their Facebook page and that page has one million Fans, you still don’t know how many actually saw the post, but you can tell where your own site’s traffic comes from).

When going with a company that has ‘social media experts’ (FYI – Bill does have an advanced certificate in it from the University of San Francisco and Todd has had a hand in some very successful Twitter campaigns locally), ask to see some case studies and results, not just capabilities presentations. While metrics themselves are a great way to judge results, keep in mind that they shouldn’t be the end all because what worked last year, or last week, may not work again. The social media landscape changes rapidly and similar to traditional media relations/PR what’s hot and trending can shift rapidly from one day to the next. Approach social media executions with optimism, creativity but also with a healthy amount of caution if a big spend is on the line.

If you didn’t click the link above yet, here it is again.

Anyone notice that Facebook has been encouraging people to post about Halloween today? Here’s screen shot from Bill’s account, but other times we’ve logged in it’s asked us different, yet similar questions about costumes, memories, etc.

We feel this is simple, almost a no-brainer, yet still very important. When it comes to engagement, you can let your community interact organically, but it definitely helps to poke things along.

For more on this, check out Inside Facebook. And while we don’t push our own Facebook presence out there, you can find Remedy’s page here.

It’s safe to say most people in the US are familiar with the brand Solo Cup, but if not, they’re the leader in the red, disposable party cups used at BBQ’s, for beer pong and other activities where you want a decent-sized, disposable cup to aid in the consumption of a beverage.

Not too long ago, Facebook and email inboxes lit up everywhere because it was discovered that the indentations on Solo Cups actually denote units of measurement, presumably for pouring beer, wine, liquor, etc. Solo could have done a few different things in this situation, including deny or simply not respond.

Instead, Solo decided to issue their own fun infographic, explaining that while the measurement lines are accurate, but they have applications for other liquids as well, not just those served at keggers and July 4th beach volleyball games.

Great work Solo, you turned a story with some not-so-great connotations (namely over consumption of alcohol) into a positive piece and extended your media exposure through a little bit of creativity.

If you’re reading the mainstream business and tech news, then you already know GM is going to stop advertising on Facebook. Does this mean Facebook isn’t right for your brand’s marketing strategy? No more so than saying a Super Bowl ad, radio campaign or regional event series isn’t right either. It’s too grand a statement to make without looking at all of the details, including what’s going on at the brand and how it’s been leveraging new and not-so-new media.

The reason we’re drawn to this news isn’t because we’re eagerly awaiting the Facebook IPO. It’s because the Remedy team prides itself on looking at why past communications programs didn’t work, before taking on new ones for potential clients. That’s why we have the PR Checkup (<– click the link, you’ll be glad you did!), so we can take a deep look at why potential clients are unhappy with their previous communications programs and to ensure we’re going to be a good resource for them. Sometimes, we may tell a potential client they’re getting great results for what they have to offer. Others, it may turn out it’s the patient (client) and not the physician’s (previous firm’s) fault.

GM’s social media strategy was not working for them in regards to Facebook. Perhaps it was their execution, the number of agencies involved, the strategy itself, how they engaged or maybe Facebook isn’t where they should be. We haven’t done a deep dive into it and since GM hasn’t filled out the PR Checkup, it’s unlikely we’re going to spend too much time dwelling on it.

In the end, while some would blame Facebook, it’s important to look at the social media and PR programs they have there as well. What was the goal of their social media policy, did it tie back to non-social initiatives and in the end, was the execution appropriate? Let’s face it, it’s not rare for many in the public relations world (San Diego and on a global scale) to sell themselves as  a social media consultant these days. Even one of our directors, Bill Byrne, has an ‘advanced certificate’ in the craft. That being said, Bill and many others will tell you that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to social media and the same goes for PR in general.

Perhaps the audience GM was trying to reach wasn’t on Facebook? Tie it back to something else that’s massive in reach, such as the Super Bowl. We’ve done a lot of work in the action sports world, but we don’t necessarilly believe that a Super Bowl ad is right for our clients in that space. But then again, if you’re someone like Quiksilver (who Bill has worked with in a former life) then maybe a 30 second spot for your NFL licensed board shorts would be right for your brand.

If you’re looking for another article on Facebook and GM, check out the WSJ’s story here. And thanks to these guys for the logo we used in the header for this post.