Marina Maher Communications

Photo credit:  Racked NY

Good afternoon, all!  With Robert out of the office, Valeria Vidri and I have hijacked this week’s edition of “Five for Friday” and have decided to dedicate it to the wonder that is New York Fashion Week (#NYFW), or as I like to call it, “The Big Show.”

Fresh off of Fashion’s Night Out (#FNO) last night – the brainchild of Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour, in an effort to bolster the economy – we have stories to share from around the Web that had us buzzing in delight and curiosity all week long.

Lucky Magazine hosted its second annual Fashion and Beauty Blog Conference (FABB) this Wednesday.  FABB gave fashion and beauty influencers from around the blogosphere the opportunity to gather and learn from the biggest innovators in their field, including Rachel Roy, Essie Weingarten and the Kardashian Sisters.  Those who were in attendance live-tweeted the day’s presentations and memorial moments.  We were lucky enough to follow-along via live-stream.  (Source: Lucky.com)

Fashion Designer and CFDA President Diane Von Furstenberg used the power of Twitter to help promote her new perfume, Diane, which isn’t available to consumers until September 22^nd.  DVF purchased a Promoted Trend and several Promoted Tweets around Fashion’s Night Out search terms in an effort to pique interest from consumers looking for information around the event.  She also bought search terms related to the location of her flagship store in the Meatpacking District.  Each hour, DVF sent a Direct Message to a consumer follower, inviting them to pick-up a free bottle of the fragrance at her store.  Who could resist that?  (Source:  Mashable)

Longtime style icon, Barbie (yes, the doll), made appearances all over Manhattan on Fashion’s Night Out.  Mattel enabled flocks of Barbie fans to “shop” her closet and take a double-decker bus around the city for a Social Scavenger Hunt.  Barbie was on display in miniature Alice + Olivia, Alexis Bittar, Tracy Reese and Rogan outfits at each of its stores.  Consumers were encouraged to scan a QR code on her box that directed them to barbielovesfno.com for a chance to win her favorite Fall looks.  (Source: Betty Confidential)

Speaking of dolls…the highly anticipated Missoni for Target line made its debut via a pop-up store during Fashion’s Night Out.  Prior to its grand unveiling (with the longest line we’ve ever seen in our lives), the brand started a Tumblr page, with news about the collaboration and insights from the brand.  This week we learned that the author of this page, Marina, was be a 25-foot tall mannequin, decked out in a Missoni for Target dress.  Marina is making appearances all over New York this week and Tweeting her hijinks from @MarinaWithStyle.  Strategically released images of the collection, plus the chance to converse with Marina via Tumblr and Twitter, helped create buzz for the brand that we anticipate will help it fly off shelves in no time.  (Multiple Sources)

Not in New York?  No sweat!  Milk Studios partnered with Refinery 29 to live-stream its shows from New York Fashion Week, so there’s no need to skip a second.   And for those who can’t wait to get their hands on the hottest looks, check out Lyst, a new tool that will notify you when runway looks arrive in-store.  (Source: Mashable)

What are some of your favorite stories from Fashion’s Night Out and Fashion Week so far?

Photo from The Pioneer Woman

The Pioneer Woman, written by Ree Drummond, can be described as a recipe site with a “Little House on the Prairie” twist, but it’s so much more than that.  Ree started The Pioneer Woman as a way to document her transition from city gal to domestic country wife.  Her posts are filled with humor, directions on how to cook country-favorites, tips for homeschooling and musings from her four children (five, if you count Basset Hound, Charlie).

Ree is just one example of an online influencer (we like to refer to bloggers as online influencers because they do more than just blog – they vlog, tweet, tumble, etc.) whose influence has extended beyond her site.  Ree will be starring in her own show, debuting on The Food Network this Saturday, and we hear it will involve more butter than Paula’s Home Cooking.   Ree’s already authored a cookbook and children’s book and her life is to be made into a movie, starring Reese Witherspoon.  Not bad for a pet project!

As we celebrate Ree and the premiere of her new show this weekend, we’d like to call out some other influencers who have gone “beyond the blog” to influence the masses within their respective fields, including beauty, food, tech and fitness:

• Cosmopolitan recently profiled eleven influential, up-and-coming influencers in its September issue, and included our friends Amber Katz from Beauty Blogging Junkie, Shyema Azam of Beauty and the Feast, Katy Atlas of Sugar Laws and Jenn Walters and Erin Whitehead of Fit Bottomed Girls.  These ladies have been dubbed the “Beauty, Brains and Blogs” network and they’ll be contributing content to Cosmo.com
  • Several other beauty magazines have enlisted bloggers to produce content for them in similar collitions, like Glamour and Lucky.  See my earlier post for more details on these partnerships
  • Lisa Lillien, better known as Hungry Girl, started writing a daily email newsletter with tips on snacks for hungry girls.  She’s branched out and has now written six books, authors a weekly column on WeightWatchers.com and Yahoo!, is a regular contributor to Redbook and has been featured on the Rachael Ray Show.  Her TV show launched earlier this year on The Cooking Channel
  • Jeannine Morris of Beauty Sweet Spot regularly appears on television, talking about her favorite beauty and lifestyle products.  On September 20th, she’ll be making her debut on the TODAY Show with Kathy Lee and Hoda
  • Audrey McClelland of Mom Generations (who we profiled a while back here), co-wrote The Digital Mom Handbook, with fellow blogger, Colleen Padilla of Classy Mommy.  The book offers tips and tricks for moms to help them find their passion and start typing
  • Former Engadget.com Editor-in-Chief, Joshua Topolsky, is now the resident tech expert on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  Watching the two of them talk tech is like seeing two kids on a sugar high at a candy shop
  • Perhaps one of the first bloggers, Julie Powell of the Julie/Julia Project, who cooked her way through Julia Childs’ Mastering the Art of French Cooking, had her life first turned into a New York Times Best Selling book, followed by a movie with Oscar Winner, Meryl Streep

Think blogging is just a passing fad for young people with time on their hands?  Think again!  If you’re not already working with online influencers, you should be.  They’re smart, savvy and experts in their fields.  We predict that the blogosphere is the next “pool” of media darlings, a la Rachael Ray, Anderson Cooper and Ellen DeGeneres.  Their influence extends far and wide and we can’t wait to see what’s next.

Who are some of your favorite online influencers and what are they up to?

We’re live-blogging from the 2011 #140 Character Conference (or #140Conf) in New York City today. It’s expected to be the largest worldwide gathering of people interested in the effects of real-time Internet on both business and individuals. We’ll continuously update the below stream of posts and share a recap at the end of the first day. Enjoy!

8:45: Jeff Pulver welcomes the group and discusses why it’s important to connect in person as our lives become more technical. Said ROI should be thought of as a “reminder of innovation.”

8:57: “number of followers is bullshit” – in other words, what do you do with those followers? Remember to connect and treat them as friends.

9:09: “Curation is our attempt to recombine things and make new meaning of them.”. – John Borthwick, CEO, beta works

9:29: “The reason you’re checking your email and Twitter in the middle of the night is because there’s too much information on the web.”. People are no longer calling themselves “bloggers” or “tweeters,” they’re “curators” of information across multiple social platforms. We need them to sort through all the information.

9:44: Glenn Manishin, LLC is talking about “who owns this social media stuff anyway?”. Good question for those of us who work in marketing. With so many digital agencies, PR agencies and more, there’s a lot of confusion around this topic.

9:49: “If you post something on the Internet and it gets shared by a third party, you no longer own it.”

9:59: “Becoming a mayor is completely meaningless…who cares if you get a badge, anyway?” – Peter Corbett, CEO of iStrategyLabs. I agree, I initially thought foursquare was really interesting, but am looking forward to seeing its next iteration. When you sign in, you should receive a physical item – free yogurt, or maybe the chance to name a new flavor.

10:40: “Find new followers by following a few key people and seeing who they’re conversing with.”. This is how Andy Carvin from NPR unveiled a lot of key information in Egypt.

10:48: AOL’s Tim Armstrong is talking about how amazing things are happening in all of our communities and how that led to the idea and backing for AOL’s Patch.com. Patch is expected to replace/enhance the hometown newspaper.

10:59: Craig Newmark of Craigslist says that Benjamin Franklin and Johan Gutenberg were both “bloggers” in their own times, as their goals were social change.

11:47: “We spend more time with the people we work with than the people with our families. Get to know people as people.” – Robert LoCascio, LivePerson. I think that’s how we should think both online and off.

12:00: “Twitter helps me be a better Mayor and a better server.” – Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, NJ. Let’s think about how we can all be better thanks to the Internet. At the very least, it’s a great tool for listening to your audience.

12:10: Ann Curry is talking about her mom making fun of her hair. I can relate.

12:12: “We’re going somewhere no other generation has been before when it comes to the internet.” – Ann Curry. She’s talking about how we all just want our lives to matter, and that’s what people are doing with the web.

12:20: Ann is talking about how deep in Facebook and Twitter is the wish for us all to do good… to leave a legacy.

3:02: A real-time news panel discusses the reporting of Rep. Gabriel Gifford’s shooting earlier this year. There was so much misinformation flying around and it was difficult to cull through the clutter. When we report news we should think first.

3:15: “The future of storytelling is a treasure hunt.” – Geo Geller. We need to re-learn how to tell our stories on new online mediums.

3:32: “We use Foursquare check-ins to determine the best restaurants and hot spots in a given area.” – Dennis Crowly, Foursquare. We’re going to see the site evolve into a curation tool in the future.

3:46: “This is the second generation of entrepreneurs. If you’re looking to try something new, seek out a mentor who can help.”

4:02: According to “original Mad Man,” Hank Wasiak, Open book branding is the future. Consumers and people matter today, we can’t have any secrets.

4:08: “CEO should no longer stand for Chief Marketing Officer, they should be Chief Movement Officers.”

4:45: We need to stop sending automatic messages and start getting to know the people within our networks. Stop letting spambots handle your online communications.

5:14: “We’ve turned eating into a spectator sport. Today we’ve forgotten how to enjoy it,” says Theresa Albert of My Friend in Food. Twitter gives us a forum to better understand and interact with food. We can learn from each other and influence others to eat well.

6:16: “Look at your own connections and use them as a platform for people who don’t have a voice,” Peter Davidson, Our Man in Shaghai. I think this is a powerful statement. We all have the power to make a difference.

The #140 Character Conference was inspiring, educational and thought provoking. Attendees are leaving today’s presentation filled with questions, passion and hope. Overall, I feel it’s reminded me to “treat people the way you want to be treated” both when it comes to marketing and connecting with others online.

What did you think of the conference? Share your thoughts in the comments.

MMC recently executed two Twitter Parties for clients that both have a heavy focus on marketing to women.  Twitter Parties (or online get-togethers of consumers with common interests) are a great way to quickly build brand buzz and awareness amongst a female audience.  Here are some essential components for planning a successful online event:

• Align with the Right “Host”
  • Your brand doesn’t need to be on Twitter to have a Twitter Party, but you do need to partner with a credible spokesperson or media outlet to host the chat with a built-in audience of followers who care about your topic.  For example, one of our beauty clients partnered with two mom influencers – Audrey McClelland from Mom Generations and Vera Sweeney from Lady in the Blog – who frequently provide attainable beauty and fashion tips on Twitter for moms, making them natural fits to host the conversation
• Giveaways Keep the Conversation Flowing
  • To keep consumers actively participating in the conversation, your host should engage followers with a giveaway every 15 to 20 minutes.  Mix up the giveaways, so you’re not just offering your product. One of our campaigns, which focused on how moms can talk to their daughters about sensitive female issues,  gave away gift cards to restaurants, providing a neutral venue to have the conversation.
• Include Disclosure
  • When you’re working with a third party to host your Twitter Party, remind your host to disclose that she’s being sponsored in every Tweet and in all Party correspondence, including any blog posts or Facebook updates to their followers.  Since participants may come and go, you need to have the #spon hashtag included in each Tweet, so there’s no confusion from consumers about what the host’s role is.  With the latest FTC guidelines, it’s better to be safe than sorry

Sofia adds Easy, Breezy, Beautiful to her list of credentials.   Today, live from the set of her ad shoot, Sofia Vergara shared her exciting new role as a COVERGIRL directly with her fans through her Twitter handle and Facebook page, as part of MMC’s strategy to make the announcement in real-time with Sofia’s fans and followers first. Immediately following Sofia’s announcement, interview features with the beautiful, talented comedic actress ran on People.com and PeopleenEspanol.com.  Following these high-profile exclusives, a robust social media plan to spread the news will be activated, which also includes leveraging COVERGIRL’s followers.

This is Vergara’s first beauty contract, and her ads will debut in January 2012. Visit facebook.com/covergirl and follow the brand (@COVERGIRL) on Twitter to learn more.

In our latest installment of MMC’s “Meet the Media,” we’ll get an inside look at the popular parenting site, Macaroni Kid.  Macaroni Kid’s hyperlocal and niche editions provide real-time tips for busy moms and dads that are looking for friendly and helpful advice on activities in their neighborhood and must-try new products and services.

Macaroni Kid provides a fun, inspiring atmosphere for parents to connect and discuss topics relevant to them.  Below you’ll find our interview with Macaroni Kid’s cofounder, Joyce Shulman (no relation to this author), who shares some of her inspiration and how she manages it all in a 24 hour day.
Q:  What was your inspiration for creating Macaroni Kid?

A:  My husband and business partner had been working hard on another business in the out-of-home and alternative media space.  But I’d been watching the rise of e-newsletters with great interest.  And, I had always believed that if you could find a way to harness the incredible talent of under-employed moms — moms who want to focus on their families, but also want to work in some capacity — it would be a win-win.  One day I realized that, even as an involved mom fortunate to live in a community with lots of great programming for kids, I would often miss things.  And all of those ideas come together into Macaroni Kid.

Q:  How do you select the Macaroni Kid Publisher Moms?

A:  The Macaroni Kid Publishers Moms are an incredibly diverse group of women who bring all sorts of talents and interests to the Macaroni Kid community.  The key factor to being a Publisher Mom is the desire to connect with, and enrich, her community.  And some top-notch organizational skills help too!

Q:  Can you explain how the Publisher Moms interact with each other and their readers?

A:  Wow, the Macaroni Kid Publisher Moms connect in a myriad of ways.  We have a private forum just for the Publishers Moms that is buzzing all the time with ideas, encouragement, different things that have worked, questions, etc.  In addition, there are many informal, regional meet ups that go on all year long.  And then the highlight of the year is our Annual Publisher Mom Meet Up, where the Publishers gather for three days of workshops, team-building and lots and lots of fun.  It’s also an ideal opportunity to connect the Publisher Mom community with products and sponsors.

Q:  Are there any trends that you’re sick of hearing about?

A:  I think the phrase “starting the conversation” is a bit overdone.

Q:  What topics still excite you?

A:  Empowering moms, empowering communities.  Macaroni Kid has touched so many people in so many ways … the stories that really excite me are when I hear how becoming a Macaroni Kid Publisher Mom has enabled a woman to reconnect with a part of herself that she may have misplaced when the kids became her primary focus.  I’m one of those crazy people that believes that you can have it all, though the package might not look exactly the way it does on TV (as I sit at my desk in my gym clothes with a huge pile of laundry in the middle of my living room and my business partner runs out in the middle of the day for a PTO meeting)

Q:  When parents visit a Macaroni Kid site, what do you think they’re looking for in terms of content?

A:  The hyper-local nature of our local sites enables parents to find out what is happening in their community in a very current way.  I’m fond of saying that Macaroni Kid answers the question “mommy, what are we going to do today” in 360 communities across the country.  And then our national publications are very niche, for military families,  families that love travel or want to stay abreast of safety issues.

Q:  What do you think drives consumers to purchase products that are endorsed on Macaroni Kid?

A:  Macaroni Kid Publisher Moms have a very unique relationship with their subscribers.  This is not some anonymous huge company, this is a mother who you know from school, or who you’ve met at an event.  When these moms share an idea or a product with you, it has a personal connection and meaning.  And, of course, when our Publishers invite the community in for house parties or provide product samples, the engagement is even higher.

Q:  How to you balance managing Macaroni Kid, being a mom to two busy kids (three if you count your dog)?

A:  Balance?  Hah.  No seriously, I once heard that a working mother has to look for balance not on a day-to-day basis, or even by week, but you have to take a longer view of it.  Some weeks are 70/30 business/family and some weeks are 70/30 family to business.  Because my office is only a 1/4 mile from my house, it makes it easy to bounce between the two.  This morning, I snuck into the office at 6:00, worked until 7:15 and then went home to make the kids breakfast and put them on the bus.  It’s crazy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Clairol Natural Instincts and MMC hosted an online influencer event yesterday at the Marie Robinson Salon to share news of two new product launches: the Week 2 Color Refresher, a color revitalizer now found in each box and the Vibrant Collection, a new line of permanent shades. The goal of the event was to educate the media about at-home hair color and incent trial among a group that has access to the most glamorous salons in New York City.

After experiencing the product first-hand with the help of Clairol Color Director, Marie Robinson, influencers credited the event with demystifying the fears associated with DIY color. Anne Fritz from Jet Set Girls tweeted “Clairol colorist Marie Robinson says to choose a color based on the photos on the back of the box, not model on the front.”

Immediate coverage from the event resulted in 11 tweets, reaching 12,000+ followers. Influencers were thrilled with their color results, as well. Fritz shared her “after” photo (see above), telling her followers it looked even better in person.