As healthcare PR professionals, we are all watching how pharma is evolving in social media: from Facebook walls to Twitter accounts and the first pharmaceutical branded Tweet, the industry is taking important first steps into the space. MMC works with social media influencers 24/7 and we know how important it is to build communities and relationships with our clients’ key customers.

In preparation for the peak melasma season this summer, our long-term partners at Galderma charged us with increasing awareness of melasma and Tri-Luma, the only FDA approved, triple-combination cream for the treatment of melasma as well as driving traffic to the brand web site.

Based on our experience in engaging online influencers, we knew we had to overcome the inability to sample the product (Tri-Luma is prescription) with personally tailored engagement and access to resources and thought leaders.

We targeted online beauty influencers that focused on skin care, dermatology-focused sites and African American, Asian and Hispanic online influencers because melasma disproportionately affects these demographics. Even though these online targets are based all across the country, we were able to offer them face-to-face interaction with leading dermatologist and media darling Dr. Jeanine Downie through virtual desksides conducted via Skype.

Keys to our success:

- Work with someone the media know and love. Dr. Downie was the perfect spokesperson – not only does she suffer from melasma and use Tri-Luma herself but she was a recognizable name and face to our target who could also discuss the emotional effect of melasma.

- Customization and flexibility. We allowed each online influencer to conduct the interview in the most convenient way for them: whether being phone, Skype or e-mail.

This outreach resulted in strong relationships with important online influencers and in-depth media coverage containing key brand messages. Some examples of coverage include FutureDerm, Hot Mama Daily, Daily Beauty Break and MakeUpForLife.

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As a communications professional, I am usually fairly adept at making myself understood. Words are my friends, and I’ve been using them effectively for years. So, I was a bit taken aback on a recent trip to Turkey, when my ability to converse was compromised because I didn’t speak Turkish. The best I could do was hope that the taxi drivers, hotel staff and waiters I came into contact with spoke a little English, or that they would know what I meant with the few Turkish words in my vocabulary that I strung together.

To think how carefully I choose my words for the e-mails I write or the memos I send, and how I go over key message documents multiple times before landing on the perfect flow… and here I was just looking for a few main words either in English or Turkish to ask if there was a place to get lunch at Topkapi Palace! Once you find yourself in a foreign country struggling to convey something as simple as where you want to go, or what you want to eat, it makes you realize that what we communicate to each other on a daily basis in our own countries is quite complex compared to that!

My various exchanges with the people in Turkey were a good reminder to me about the basic principles of communication. Whether you are trying to tell a cab driver in Istanbul that you want to be dropped off at the rear end of the Grand Bazaar, or you’re coaching a client on how to do an interview on CNBC, there are a few basic guidelines that hold true for both situations:
• The shorter and more concise your messages are, the better
• Repeat your main points until you’re sure they resonate
• Don’t be afraid to gesture to drive the point home!

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I live and breathe Social Media every day, but this past weekend I had a Social Media first of my own. I partnered with friends to create a video for a consumer contest and got a hands-on lesson on user-generated content.

At MMC, we educate our clients to understand the relationship between what you’re asking consumers to create and the amount of entries you’ll receive. An essay contest or photograph competition will get you more entries than a video contest. A requirement of a 30-second video will get you more content than a 4-minute choreographed dance routine video, and so on.

The prize or opportunity (aka incentive) that comes with winning a user-generated contest is also important. If you’re asking for hours of time from your consumers to devote to your brand or cause, what’s the light at the end of the tunnel for them? What experience are you able to provide them with that no other company or entity can own?

In our case, there was recognition at stake that you couldn’t put a price on. That once-in-a-lifetime chance encouraged us to spend an entire day (and night if you count editing/uploading to YouTube) putting together our submission.

While we weren’t setting out to create a video that had the potential to be passed along or “go viral,” I used my Social Media savvy to advise my friends on many key elements we had to keep in mind for an attention-getting final product.
• Clear storyline
• Be compelling
• Exposure/endorsement of the entity hosting the contest
• Emotional connection between video content and viewers
As I sit and wait to see if our submission gets any attention, I’d love to hear about any of your experiences with creating content. Please share them in the comments below.
PS If you’re an amateur who needs to learn how to edit videos ASAP, I’d totally recommend looking into One True Media. It was a lifesaver for us!

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As a working mother of three, I don’t get to spend much quality time with my children so most weekends are spent at pools, play dates and trips to grandmas. But this weekend my husband and I treated ourselves to a night out on the town, Jersey-style! I know you’re probably picturing a schmancy Italian restaurant with big hair, bubbies and guys in guinea tees with “Born to Run” tattoos. But believe it or not, you can have a very cool, classy evening in the Garden State. Here is my story:

First stop: Dinner. After several unsuccessful attempts to get a reservation at Culinariane, Top Chef Semi-finalist Ariane Duarte’s very popular Montclair, NJ restaurant we finally got in and it did not disappoint. My Sashimi Tuna Flower appetizer was delicious, inventive and functional (the “petals” were crispy wontons used to scoop up the tuna, cucumber and crème fraise). My hubby had a cheddar cheese pierogi of braised rabbit in a whimsical carrot juice reduction. It was amazing, as were the main dishes and simple, elegant atmosphere and service. Chef Ariane was a true pro: she personally made sure we were happy and satisfied with our meals. It was hands down the best dining experience we’ve ever had in Montclair, which is known for its culinary diversity. We left the restaurant feeling satisfied and ready for more fun!

Next stop: Drinks. Our favorite pub is Egan’s, a stylish upscale Irish pub with great cosmos. As soon as we walked in and bellied up to the bar, I spotted one of our most famous local residents: Bobbi Brown; makeup artist to the stars and founder of her own cosmetics line . She was really flying under the radar without a stitch of makeup (), dark rimmed glasses, t-shirt and jeans. But being a well trained MMC’er; I recognized her immediately and respected her privacy by keeping our distance – while subtly observing her and her hubby from afar. Of course we were secretly hoping for some “Housewives of NJ” drama, but alas they were simply enjoying a relaxing night out, just like us.

Final stop: Home sweet home. At 11 pm we turned into pumpkins and headed home to pay the babysitter and get some sleep before the usual Sunday morning wakeup call: the girls, Bridget and Genny, singing a chorus of the alphabet song while practicing their crib jumping moves and Griffin wandering the halls making Godzilla impersonations. Ah kids. But first, we HAD to Google Montclair celebs and found a ton of them

In summary, we had a few key learning’s from this evening:

1. Spending quality 1:1 time with your significant other is SO important in the constant battle to balance your life!
2. Ariane should NOT have been voted off the show before Leah because her food rocks
3. New Jersey has it all: beautiful old homes, quaint artistic communities, great restaurants and plenty of our own celebrities.

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Yesterday afternoon, the news of the sudden death of Michael Jackson stopped me in my tracks.

To rewind:
I was a newspaper arts editor in Toronto when Kurt Cobain died one April Friday in 1994. I vividly remember that day’s somber staff meeting: we changed our entire editorial layout to create a Kurt retrospective. I spent two days writing and re-writing a heartfelt lead op-ed column, discussing the loss with other grieving friends and listening to all my Nirvana CDs.

(I went on to a career in PR and marketing for the Sony Music label in Canada, and I worked on the release of Michael Jackson’s “Invincible”. Although Jackson had become all too vincible by then, shaking that gloved hand for the first time ranks among my all-time most memorable career moments.)

15 years later, my paper’s days-late coverage of Cobain’s death seems so antiquated it borders on absurd, especially compared to the way the whole world was talking within 15 minutes of the death of Michael Jackson. The current seismic tilt in favor of social media is most powerfully on display in moments of grief like these.

The human instinct to gather together to grieve is universal, and spans all centuries and cultures, but how we do it in virtual communities today is frankly fascinating. By now, we all know that texts and photos from EMTs were circulated via hundreds of social media sites minutes after their response to the 911 call from Jackson’s home, and that blog and Twitter conversation proliferated exponentially. TMZ.com reported Jackson’s death several minutes before any traditional media outlet did; within the hour, celebrities by the dozen elected to use blogs and Twitter to express their official condolences.

One of my first calls Thursday night was to my colleague Robert (the head of MMC’s social media department) to compare notes on what we were seeing unfold, and what our profession might glean in the way of insights.

Here are a few things we discussed:

Opinion’s infinite capacity to expand online. This truly is an unprecedented time of public self-expression. The future for PR is about joining and influencing conversation; the days of “managing” it are clearly gone.

Who are the fire-starters? The Michael story was a profound case study of leaders and followers in today’s pop culture social media landscape. Weeks from now, I predict we’ll be talking as much about who said what, and when, as we will about Michael himself.

Trying authenticity on for size. I was moved to tears and laughter more than once on Thursday night by statements from celebrities and industry execs who knew Michael. People talked about how brilliant, reclusive, sincere, totally weird, and unpredictable he was, how he was an iconic artist and a pop culture freak and a plastic surgery addict. Sure, the dead can’t talk back, but I loved how people didn’t feel the need to morph Michael into a saint in order to honor him.

So, over to you… what is this sad Michael Jackson news cycle making you think about?

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I’m working on a number of projects for my clients right now to introduce “new news” to media influencers. New-ness is the lifeblood of a lot of public relations work: new products, new scientific studies, new insights, new trends, and new expert talents all make a talk-worthy debut in our discipline with the right strategy and executional planning. The opportunity to figure out how share new news feeds some of the most creative and rewarding moments in my day. (The delight that lurks in the task to make old news become new again is a topic I’ll save for another post ;)

I’ve been thinking a lot these past few months about the allure of the new as I introduced a new friend and neighbor to the attractions of our shared Manhattan neighborhood. I’m a textbook influential :finding the perfect ‘hood hangout for brunch (in my case, Ze Café) is only truly sweet if there’s a friend with whom to share your discovery. A laugh-out-loud movie (in my case recently, The Hangover) or memoir (I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti) gets a second lifespan of enjoyment when it’s passed along.

Speaking of textbooks, any good bookstore’s business section shelves are groaning under the weight of shiny tomes that promise to reveal the winning strategies of successful influencer marketing and driving word of mouth ~ and yet still, getting it right remains an art, not a science.

So, I’m curious: what was the last time you told someone: “you’ve got to watch/read/see/visit/buy this?” And what moved you from a “get it” to a “gotta share it” mindset?

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I, like most PR professionals, am a planner. I was confident that five years of planning events for my clients would prepare me for planning my wedding in Israel (fiancée is Israeli). I’ve made key dates, I’ve updated my production schedule and have everyone’s travel itinerary organized in an Excel spreadsheet. Yet, the wedding is three weeks away and not all RSVP’s are in and the food and flowers still need to be chosen.

Going with the flow and accepting the last-minute style of Israeli wedding planning is just one of the many lessons I’ve learned during this process. I’ve learned to embrace the differences though, and enjoy them, helping me to gain a greater understanding and love for the culture I’m marrying into. Here are a few more of the differences I’ve embraced:

1. The more, the merrier: 550 guests? No problem. No such thing as RSVP cards in Israel? Still not a problem, as people only sit down for a few minutes to eat and then get right back to the dancing.

2. The bigger the show, the better the wedding: Confetti falling from the ceiling, disco-like lighting grids and dance/musical performers are just par for the course in Israel. Needless to say, I’ve had to compromise and give in on the confetti.

3. Comfort is key: Forget tuxedos – no one but the groom wears a suit to weddings there! Proper attire for men is jeans and a button-down and a sun-dress is considered dressy for women.

4. Wedding etiquette doesn’t translate: Thankfully, thank-you notes aren’t custom in Israel, so I’ve saved myself a few hand cramps. Also, since there are so many tables and very little sitting time, it’s not necessary to visit every one. Maybe I’ll get a chance to taste the food?

I’ll be sure to report back with pictures post-wedding. As they say in Israel – L’Hitraot (see you later)!

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