Marina Maher Communications

Back in February I shared my thoughts on how Pinterest became a game-changer as the next major social media platform embraced by brands and consumers alike. Since then, Pinterest has continued to inspire, becoming the No. 3 social media network in the US, but now individual brands are taking a page from Pinterest’s bookmarking smarts, creating their own unique platforms for consumers to categorize their favorite products and trends.

Don’t get me wrong, we certainly aren’t questioning Pinterest’s staying power. In fact, USA Today reported Pinterest hit ten million monthly unique visitors faster than any other website. While the number of consumers signing up for Pinterest has slowed slightly, brands are exploring the digital bookmarking space in their own ways. Here are a few examples of those that have taken the power of the bookmark and applied it to their own networks.

• Stylecaster’s Homepage of Style: Previously, if you typed www.stylecaster.com into your web browser, their traditional homepage, complete with the hottest trend stories would pop up for readers. Now, readers are presented with inspiration boards where they have the option to hit the “love” button on various articles and products that resonate with them. Readers are encouraged to sign up on the website so they can join in on the “loving” of their favorite things.
• Polyvore’s Picture Clipper: Already an established shopping destination/aspirational bookmarking site for fashionistas, Polyvore now allows its users to pull in pictures of its must-have beauty products. Birchbox’s blog and WWD revealed details around the “Polyvore Clipper,” which allows you to crop images from external sites and paste them into collages that help to easily organize your beauty wish lists. Users are also just one click away from purchasing their must-have items.
• My Gloss’ Conversation Cloud Homepage: My Gloss’ upgraded homepage now features a conversation cloud of the website’s trending topics ranging from “accessories” and “bargains” to “shopping” and “women’s health.” By clicking on the topic of your choice you’re directed to a Pinterest-like screen where featured stories are teased and can be clicked on to retrieve the full article.

So, which way will digital bookmarking go? Will brands continue to build Pinterest inspiration boards or develop their own versions for their social media platforms? Either way, it’s clear that the hype surrounding digital inspiration boards won’t be dying down anytime soon.

Yesterday MMC hosted an event with Pat McGrath, Global Creative Design Director of Procter & Gamble Cosmetics to share the top beauty trends from the Autumn/Winter ’12 Fashion Week runways with print and online beauty media. Media were able to experience new runway beauty trends firsthand via makeup sessions where they were replicated using COVERGIRL products.

MMC encouraged media attendees to use hashtag #covergirltrends to share their experience with their followers in real time and poll them for questions to ask Pat during the Q&A portion of the event. Follow @COVERGIRL and “like” the COVERGIRL facebook page to get all the latest beauty updates from backstage at Fashion Week.

MMC and client Head & Shoulders won a Silver SABRE award for a viral video series. The three videos were created to support the creative platform “Get Legendary Hair,” a play on the legendary hair of H&S spokesperson All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers. By distributing the videos via multiple social channels, they swept through the online and sports world like wildfire with over 3.2 million YouTube views, broke through the online clutter and captured the attention of both the media and our target. Considering the topic – dandruff – and the fact that less than 4% of YouTube videos ever exceed 100,000 views, we were delighted that the conversation about Head & Shoulders stayed top of mind and relevant during the entire 2011 football season.

In addition to winning the Silver SABRE, MMC and client Secret Deodorant are finalists for a cause-related marketing SABRE for our Secret “Mean Stinks” program, a purpose-driven campaign developed to give young women courage to stand up to bullying, while showcasing Secret’s mission and benefit.

Last year was a great one for MMC.  We became a member of the Omnicom family, worked on some truly groundbreaking campaigns, enjoyed healthy growth and won several prestigious awards.

Today we have another reason to celebrate.  And it’s a big one.  AdAge has recognized MMC as a Best Place to Work in Marketing and Media! MMC is number 11 on the list of 40 and the first-ranked PR Agency out of only four PR agencies honored!

This is a momentous honor for us because we have worked hard to differentiate MMC from competitors large and small by creating the kind of culture that allows world class talent to flourish.  And that effort hasn’t gone unnoticed:  during 2011 we were recognized by both the Holmes Report and PR News as a best place to work.

The culture at MMC was developed to meet the needs of today’s generation and ensure excellence in the work and service we deliver to clients.  Today’s workforce craves opportunity.  They want their contributions to be meaningful and recognized.  They flourish in a flexible and supportive environment where they are valued enough to work autonomously. So we encourage them to pursue their passions and work beyond their job description.  And in return, our staff approaches everything with a “can do” spirit, always delivering more than what is asked.

There’s so much more we could say about how we nurture MMC talent:  our open-door policy, mentoring, job swapping and Master’s training programs, annual awards and a liberal time-off policy.  But it’s never just about the work; down time is essential for energy and creativity.  So during any given week you might see a team seeking inspiration from a new movie, a pop-up store premier or even a group manicure.  And, while this is just a guess, I think our staff has collectively traveled to every major city on the planet.

And then sometimes we’re just known for throwing great parties.  From Halloween to Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo…if there’s a holiday, there’s a celebration. Which is exactly what we’ll be doing tonight.  We will raise a glass to Marina for creating and cultivating the agency’s spirit, to our staff for keeping that spirit in hyperdrive and to our wonderful clients, for their support.

We look forward to continuing to make MMC a place that fosters opportunity, growth and fun as we work together on the marketing campaigns of the future.

Photo credit: Northwestern University

Today’s New York Times published an article that concerned me. The topic was the potentially declining relevance of annual doctor visits for women because new national cancer screening guidelines recommend less frequent screening for breast and cervical cancer. When you add that to reduced use of menopause hormones and longer acting birth control pills that don’t necessarily mandate yearly health check-ups, women may actually now end up seeing their doctor once every two or three years.

I can’t argue with the wealth of data that experts analyzed to arrive at the screening guidelines (except to say maybe we need more specific screens). And if women no longer need yearly scripts for hormone replacement or birth control, I get that too.

What concerns me is that I only get one chance a year, for 15 minutes if I’m lucky, to assess my health with a doctor. She is the only person I see each year who is both concerned and knowledgeable about my health.  She asks me about my physical – and mental – health in general, checks my vital signs and draws blood. Last year the blood tests uncovered a pretty severe vitamin D deficiency, but that is not what led me to the doctor. She reminds me to take calcium, exercise 40 minutes a day and get my second vaccination for Hepatitis B. And like many women, hearing that advice from her carries a lot more influence than anyone else.

It occurred to me that my financial advisor and accountant spend up to an hour with me every year. My car mechanic probably spends a similar amount of time on my car. Doesn’t it sound a little peculiar that your car and your finances require yearly attention, but now your health….doesn’t?

So I’m going to keep scheduling those annual exams. I’ll accept fewer cancer screens, but I still want a medical professional looking after my health every year, even if her diagnosis is peace of mind.

MMC founder and CEO Marina Maher was featured on ClaudiaChan.com, a website launched today that celebrates today’s most inspirational women. Marina’s profile is included along with those of other successful, high-profile women, including Christy Turlington, Donna Karan and Lisa Oz.  You can see Marina’s interview here, where she shares life lessons, business advice and personal experiences.

Award winning actress Kirstie Alley has landed a new role as the Poise Fairy. And she’s on a mission to break down the stigmas associated with Light Bladder Leakage (LBL). While Kirstie does not have LBL, she has taken on the role of the Poise Fairy as a light-hearted way to help bring awareness to women about the condition. Alley follows in the footsteps of comedienne, Whoopi Goldberg and reality star, Kris Jenner, who portrayed “Great Women in History” to help educate women about LBL. In the new TV advertisements and online creative, Kirstie appears as the Poise Fairy to show the millions of women with LBL that the Poise brand can help them stay fresh and dry from the little leaks they might experience while chatting at a party, working at the office or running at the gym. To help launch the program, MMC orchestrated a media day for Kirstie yesterday that landed all network national entertainment shows. Check out Kirstie on Access Hollywood, Advertising Age and The Insider.

And make sure you head to the Poise YouTube page to watch exclusive outtakes of Kirstie from the shoot.