Wednesday, November 29, 2006
PR Class Success
Loyalist College PR students raise ovr $2400 for Quinte United Way in just 6 hours! Though it's not a national campaign, this one is special to all in our class. The long hours, hard work, sweat, laughter, and teamwork paid off. In under 6 hours, in one day, in a population of 2600 we raised $2400! It's amazing what our Mission Possible, Mystery Envolope campaign was able to accomplish for the United Way. We smashed the previous year's total, hell, we even smashed our predicted total. We were able to get coverage on no less then three local radio stations, two newspapers, and even a lead story on a Kingston T.V. news program. What is even more amazing is that we did it all with a limited budget, how about $0, and with only one certified PR practitioner (Thanks Kerry). I can only wish next year's class luck, because there is no way that they're going to touch us, unless they give away a car or something. We are the example that small business should look towards, we are the studnets that agencies should employ, we are the next brightest PR practitioner, and best of all, we had fun.
Old Spice, Dance off? Sounds Like Grandpa's Polka-ing tonight!
One of the cooler events that I noticed while seaching for campaigns was one put on by Old Spice (OS). Research showed that the Males, 18-34 were the hardest target to reach, also that this same group loved to dance and go out to bars (actually it seems like they were targeting women...) To appeal to this audience, OS planned an event-driven campaign to reach these cynical, and apparently, very metrosexual men. The premis of the campaign was to stage dance offs, at many popular clubs and across Canada, to crown the best after hours dancer in the country. The dancers would compete on a branded dance floor and the best examples would be filmed and streamed online on the company website. Product trial was also a determining factor in the PR process; the PR agency leveraged nightclubs to place the product in restrooms during the night's events. Music scene heavyhitter MuchMusic was brought onside to cast some credibility on the judging end during the final event. Results were tracked and the numbers were staggering; sales were up 65%, over 38 000 votes were cast online, and 52 000 hits were generated on OS's website. Not only were the numbers good, but the awards came grooving in as well.
Pucks of Cheese
Would you pay $5.6 million to watch a hockey game? Well, 79 million PR impressions and 2.2 million viewers say that Kraft Hockeyville is worth it. What better way to go nationwide is there than getting communities from coast to coast to boast how they're Canada's Hockeyville? Kraft and the NHL teamed with CBC to showcase how each town is the best hockey community in Canada. the winner of the contest got renovations to their arena and the chance to host a televised NHL game. How is this PR you ask? Well, was the backbone to this campaign, that also included radio, tv, and print ads. The PR came in the form of celebrity endorsement (NHL game) and a seven episode series featured in primetime on CBC. Who could have thought that Kraft was actually hosting the event? I for one totally forgot that Kraft was the reason that this campaign was even launched, but I was subject to their brand repeatedly. That is what makes PR so effective, that consumers don't necessarily equate a brand's name with paid advertising while the company is running an event of this nature.
PR and Bad Drivers
When was the last time you yelled at someone while driving? Do you think that you've got roadrage, or are they just that bad? Well chances are, if they're that bad they're a contestant on Canada's Worst Driver. The campaign won a bronze in this year's Marketing Mag awards annual under the PR catagory. The campaign consisted of banged up cars being towed around major Toronto traffic areas. The joint venture between Discovery Channel, inhouse PR and Abrams Towing was conicdered a "Smash" hit with the audience. Actually, this PR event helped increase the audience by 156% over the previous year's debut, 42% above expectation. so if you see a bad driver on the road, thank the inroad PR for the plug, bad drivers everywhere are looking for the limelight these days. This case is proof that PR can work better than pure old fashioned Advertising.
Wendy's is Kickin it Large!
Imagine kicking for $1 million Canadian. Actually, it's not that hard to imagine, if you're a patron of Wendy's. This year Wendy's Kick for a Million PR stunt was a major success. You see, Wendy's is a major sponsor of the CFL, also a large chain in Canada. wendy's was looking to gain some awareness and make one lucky person a millionaire in the process. Along with some minor prizes, Wendy's was offering $1 million to a randomly drawn contestent woh could kick a 50 yard field goal at half time of a live CFL game. The event brought in over 20000 entries from across Canada, audience numbers for the game were up 27%, and over $30 million of PR was generated. The hours and hours of negotiating, planning, logistics and prizing paid off when Wendy's won a Silver Medal in Marketing Mag's awards annual. Oh yeah, the contest provided a winner too, Brian Diesbourg was able to shoehorn one through the uprights. Wendy's PR department couldn't have asked for a better finish to their campaign.
Extra, Extra: Flying Parade? Nope, Just Sky Parade!
Who: Air Canada
What: New Air Passes
When: November 2006Where: Marketing Magazine
Why: Silver Medal in the Newspaper category of the annual awards publication
How: It was a PR case that didn’t need a resolution
Air Canada used PR to garner free air time in Canada, a significant amount too; over $1.2 million worth to be exact! Air Canada partnered with CanWest Media and delivered paid advertorial on a limited edition National Post to hype the Sky Parade. Air Canada went so in depth that they even got old fashioned paperboys to hawk the paper as an extra, reminiscent of the 1940’s. This campaign is an excellent case to study; creativity was awarded with record sales following the event, as well as the silver award in the newspaper category of the awards annual. I like seeing stories like this, as opposed to reactionary public relations for mishaps. The work that Air Canada had cannot be considered a trend, and that in itself is what makes it stand apart from the clutter.
What: New Air Passes
When: November 2006Where: Marketing Magazine
Why: Silver Medal in the Newspaper category of the annual awards publication
How: It was a PR case that didn’t need a resolution
Air Canada used PR to garner free air time in Canada, a significant amount too; over $1.2 million worth to be exact! Air Canada partnered with CanWest Media and delivered paid advertorial on a limited edition National Post to hype the Sky Parade. Air Canada went so in depth that they even got old fashioned paperboys to hawk the paper as an extra, reminiscent of the 1940’s. This campaign is an excellent case to study; creativity was awarded with record sales following the event, as well as the silver award in the newspaper category of the awards annual. I like seeing stories like this, as opposed to reactionary public relations for mishaps. The work that Air Canada had cannot be considered a trend, and that in itself is what makes it stand apart from the clutter.
Myspace to Blogger!
Technology and youth, the rise of Blogs, social networks and Public Relations.
Who: All Marketers that focus on youth
What: Social Marketing and the growing trend towards it
When: November 2006
Where: North American urban areas, Marketing Magazine
Why: This case is important because there is a changing landscape for marketers and the PR practitioners.
How: There is no resolution for this case; it is the change that is being focused on.
This case is the trend for the future of Public Relations. There is a growing focus on social networks throughout North America. This shift from “real” life to a virtual world is stemmed from youth and technology. Youth are driving the future of marketing and PR, and social networks; such as Myspace and YouTube are the vehicle. This trend doesn’t fall into the established PR case ideology, but rather the possible future of PR and its audience. If PR practices also use vehicles like Myspace they will be able to grab a much larger audience. These avenues are with being explored by PR agencies, as marketers have already jumped on board. I feel that this case is valid because it explores the change in demographic reach. PR first explored the change from traditional marketing because the audience was growing cynical. This case is doing the same as PR when it was first pioneered, only in another realm
Who: All Marketers that focus on youth
What: Social Marketing and the growing trend towards it
When: November 2006
Where: North American urban areas, Marketing Magazine
Why: This case is important because there is a changing landscape for marketers and the PR practitioners.
How: There is no resolution for this case; it is the change that is being focused on.
This case is the trend for the future of Public Relations. There is a growing focus on social networks throughout North America. This shift from “real” life to a virtual world is stemmed from youth and technology. Youth are driving the future of marketing and PR, and social networks; such as Myspace and YouTube are the vehicle. This trend doesn’t fall into the established PR case ideology, but rather the possible future of PR and its audience. If PR practices also use vehicles like Myspace they will be able to grab a much larger audience. These avenues are with being explored by PR agencies, as marketers have already jumped on board. I feel that this case is valid because it explores the change in demographic reach. PR first explored the change from traditional marketing because the audience was growing cynical. This case is doing the same as PR when it was first pioneered, only in another realm
Wal-Mart Blogging? Not this one...
Who: Wal-Mart
What: Wal-Mart’s participation in blogs regarding their corporate information
When: March 2006 and on going
Where: North American locations, read on New York Times website
Why: This case is significant because Wal-Mart is breaking the code of ethics in Public Realtions.
How: Wal-Mart has sent invitations to bloggers to attend media events
This is not a trend, and only a one time event that Wal-Mart has sorted out. I know that this issue is older, but our recent involvement with Wal-Mart has piqued my interest in the topic. This is news worthy because Wal-Mart’s PR department is the focus of this PR case. It seems as though the PR department has forgotten the code of ethics that practitioners are supposed to make, or perhaps Wal-Mart simply has no ethics. The PR workers for the corporation were sending email of corporate information to trusted bloggers to assist in creating a good feel for the company among consumers. The issue is that Wal-Mart denied paying these bloggers and stated that they were writing their own opinion of the brand. It was found that Wal-Mart was feeding the information to the bloggers, and that most blogs mirrored corporate email word for word. The credibility of Wal-Mart seems to be wishy-washy. I’m sure that Wal-Mart wouldn’t be as supportive of trusted bloggers who don’t have the corporation’s best interest in mind. Wal-Mart went so far to actually search out bloggers who took them on and sent them positive information, trying to build the brand. This is unacceptable behavior for any corporation, especially one with a dedicated PR department.
Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/07/technology/07blog.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=ae7585374bf280b9&ex=1299387600
What: Wal-Mart’s participation in blogs regarding their corporate information
When: March 2006 and on going
Where: North American locations, read on New York Times website
Why: This case is significant because Wal-Mart is breaking the code of ethics in Public Realtions.
How: Wal-Mart has sent invitations to bloggers to attend media events
This is not a trend, and only a one time event that Wal-Mart has sorted out. I know that this issue is older, but our recent involvement with Wal-Mart has piqued my interest in the topic. This is news worthy because Wal-Mart’s PR department is the focus of this PR case. It seems as though the PR department has forgotten the code of ethics that practitioners are supposed to make, or perhaps Wal-Mart simply has no ethics. The PR workers for the corporation were sending email of corporate information to trusted bloggers to assist in creating a good feel for the company among consumers. The issue is that Wal-Mart denied paying these bloggers and stated that they were writing their own opinion of the brand. It was found that Wal-Mart was feeding the information to the bloggers, and that most blogs mirrored corporate email word for word. The credibility of Wal-Mart seems to be wishy-washy. I’m sure that Wal-Mart wouldn’t be as supportive of trusted bloggers who don’t have the corporation’s best interest in mind. Wal-Mart went so far to actually search out bloggers who took them on and sent them positive information, trying to build the brand. This is unacceptable behavior for any corporation, especially one with a dedicated PR department.
Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/07/technology/07blog.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=ae7585374bf280b9&ex=1299387600
Virgin Fuel? P.T. Barnum a Brit?
Who: Sir Richard Branson, and his family of Virgin Companies.
What: Global warming issues. Virgin is a contributor and Branson wants to use his resources to help stop that trend. Branson wishes to get into the clean fuel business.
When: This PR issue has been brewing for a long while, but came to a head in early October 2006. Global warming has been an issue since the invention of coal burning machinery so this issue is old; it’s just recently that global warming has become a major issue in most people’s minds.
Where: This case takes place in Virgin’s home of England, but Virgin is a worldwide company and will take this idea to the corners of the globe.
Why: This case is significant because it is an issue that affects everyone globally. It’s also PR worthy because Virgin is branching into an industry that has nothing to do with his original business (record sales), this is a trend that Virgin has been successful with in the past.
How: This is an ongoing PR case. This case won’t be done until Virgin Fuels succeeds and changes the industry standard, or fails and becomes another PR case.
This case doesn’t fit into any niche trend in the Public Relations world, but it does appeal to the masses, and that’s what makes it news worthy. I’ve always liked the Virgin story and the events that have surrounds Sir Richard Branson’s life. It seems natural that Branson would branch his company into an industry that seems totally removed from its core values. The fact that Virgin is contributing to earth’s betterment is great, and that is what makes this case appealing to me. There is a great quote in the story as well, “What we love about Branson is that he's part Warren Buffett, part P.T. Barnum.” What makes this quote significant is that there is a mention of P.T. Barnum, perhaps the world’s first PR practitioner. It would appear as though Branson has bridged the gap between business tycoon and people friendly PR guy. Most CEO’s would rather build the bottom line then care about the people that they serve, but Branson knows that the people that Virgin serves are the reason that his bottom line grows.
Link:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/08/01/8382250/index.htm?postversion=2006100211
What: Global warming issues. Virgin is a contributor and Branson wants to use his resources to help stop that trend. Branson wishes to get into the clean fuel business.
When: This PR issue has been brewing for a long while, but came to a head in early October 2006. Global warming has been an issue since the invention of coal burning machinery so this issue is old; it’s just recently that global warming has become a major issue in most people’s minds.
Where: This case takes place in Virgin’s home of England, but Virgin is a worldwide company and will take this idea to the corners of the globe.
Why: This case is significant because it is an issue that affects everyone globally. It’s also PR worthy because Virgin is branching into an industry that has nothing to do with his original business (record sales), this is a trend that Virgin has been successful with in the past.
How: This is an ongoing PR case. This case won’t be done until Virgin Fuels succeeds and changes the industry standard, or fails and becomes another PR case.
This case doesn’t fit into any niche trend in the Public Relations world, but it does appeal to the masses, and that’s what makes it news worthy. I’ve always liked the Virgin story and the events that have surrounds Sir Richard Branson’s life. It seems natural that Branson would branch his company into an industry that seems totally removed from its core values. The fact that Virgin is contributing to earth’s betterment is great, and that is what makes this case appealing to me. There is a great quote in the story as well, “What we love about Branson is that he's part Warren Buffett, part P.T. Barnum.” What makes this quote significant is that there is a mention of P.T. Barnum, perhaps the world’s first PR practitioner. It would appear as though Branson has bridged the gap between business tycoon and people friendly PR guy. Most CEO’s would rather build the bottom line then care about the people that they serve, but Branson knows that the people that Virgin serves are the reason that his bottom line grows.
Link:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/08/01/8382250/index.htm?postversion=2006100211
$500 Million to AIDS Awareness
Gate Foundation donates $500 Million to AIDS
Who: Bill and Melinda Gates.
What: Bill Gates donates $500 million to Global AIDS Foundations
Where: Globally but specifically in Toronto for the International AIDS Conference.
When: August 13, 2006
Why: AIDS is a multi-national killer. The Gates Foundation is helping to raise awareness for the cause, and is to find a cure.
How: This is a case without resolve. There is only one end to the AIDS pandemic, a cure. Raising awareness for the cause is the best start that any fundraising organization could ask for, especially from such a high profile, third party endorser.
There is a media trend that revolves around the AIDS pandemic. AIDS has affected 40 million people world-wide and is only growing each day. Bill Gates is among the richest in the world, and as such has leverage in persuading more people to get involved. This is an initial step in getting more people involved. The AIDS Foundation is now represented by Gates and Bill Clinton. This was the largest AIDS convention to date which has brought in over 24 000 delegates and over 3000 journalists. I would say that the sheer number of journalists would make this a major PR issue.
Link to article:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/13/health/main1890429.shtml
Who: Bill and Melinda Gates.
What: Bill Gates donates $500 million to Global AIDS Foundations
Where: Globally but specifically in Toronto for the International AIDS Conference.
When: August 13, 2006
Why: AIDS is a multi-national killer. The Gates Foundation is helping to raise awareness for the cause, and is to find a cure.
How: This is a case without resolve. There is only one end to the AIDS pandemic, a cure. Raising awareness for the cause is the best start that any fundraising organization could ask for, especially from such a high profile, third party endorser.
There is a media trend that revolves around the AIDS pandemic. AIDS has affected 40 million people world-wide and is only growing each day. Bill Gates is among the richest in the world, and as such has leverage in persuading more people to get involved. This is an initial step in getting more people involved. The AIDS Foundation is now represented by Gates and Bill Clinton. This was the largest AIDS convention to date which has brought in over 24 000 delegates and over 3000 journalists. I would say that the sheer number of journalists would make this a major PR issue.
Link to article:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/13/health/main1890429.shtml
Firsties...
My First Blog on this site. I've deemed my other blog to unprofessional to submit to a professor, so I've created this blog in the very last minute and pasted all previous entries here. For the record, this is a class project and will have to be updated in the future as such. If anyone would like to comment on any issue please do so. There are 10 posts to follow, then more in the future.
If my posts seem disjointed it's because I wrote them in the wrong fashion. I'm now converting them into this format!
Cheers!
If my posts seem disjointed it's because I wrote them in the wrong fashion. I'm now converting them into this format!
Cheers!
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