Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, announced it has adopted the Barcelona Declaration of Measurement Principles as guidelines for performance metrics. MMC is an active partner of Worldcom.
The Barcelona Principles were formally published at the second annual European Summit on Measurement and have since been endorsed by the Global Alliance, the Institute for Public Relations, the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC), the International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). The seven principles present a standardized set of metrics that support qualitative and quantitative measurement to define meaningful PR measurement for the industry. Worldcom Group is the first global marketing and communications business group to formally adopt these principles for active use by its partners. Read more here.
August 1, 2011
Today, Caltrate® announced a partnership with Dana Delany, a multi-award winning American film, stage and television actress and lead star in ABC drama series, Body of Proof to celebrate women and their amazing contributions in Caltrate’s “Women Move the World” initiative. As part of the celebration, Caltrate® has also become a national sponsor of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in a partnership through March 2012. As a woman who moves the world physically and emotionally, Dana is inviting women to share their own inspiring stories at Facebook.com/Caltrate. The winner will have a chance to appear in next year’s Caltrate® advertising campaign. In addition, Race for the Cure attendees can stop by the Caltrate® booth at local races to share their stories and read other women’s stories.
Be sure to check out Dana Delany talking about how she moves the world on The View at http://theview.abc.go.com/
Caltrate® is the #1 selling brand of calcium and vitamin D supplements. For proper calcium absorption, calcium should be taken in conjunction with vitamin D.
Light Bladder Leakage (LBL) is a topic that most women associate with stigma, shame and an admission of growing old. But after last night’s episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, perhaps a few more women will be willing to address a condition that affects 1 in 3 women.
Kris, a spokesperson for MMC client Poise pads, was featured this year in a Poise campaign as Rosie the Riveter, an American cultural icon who represents millions of women who also may have dealt with life’s little leaks but didn’t let that hold them back from doing great things.
Sunday’s episode of KUWTK showed how the benefits of working with a spokesperson who embraces a topic can pay off. Although Poise did not sponsor the show, much of the episode focused on how Kris, the business-savvy mom of the famous Kardashian sisters, embraced her condition by turning it into a business opportunity. After being teased by her daughters about LBL as she experienced its multiple triggers – jumping, laughing and hugging, Kris negotiated her relationship with Poise (referred to as a pad for “light leakage.”) The final scenes included a clip from Kris’ Rosie the Riveter video shoot.
The episode was watched by over 750,000 people and in true Kardashian fashion put LBL back in the headlines in online media including The Hollywood Gossip, Hollywood life and Cafemom The Stir.
Check out a clip from last night’s episode here.
The California Milk Processor Board recently pulled the plug on its premenstrual syndrome (PMS)-themed marketing campaign after a storm of social media backlash. While this is not the first time milk processers have marketed milk for PMS symptoms (they ran television ads of a similar nature in 2005), the July 2011 version of the campaign took the humorous focus a step further with a dedicated microsite for men affected by PMS, called everythingidoiswrong.org.
Reflecting on a campaign that some called funny, and others labeled a #FAIL, we can see the effects of public opinion (both welcome and unwelcome) are inescapable in today’s digital world – and can have a far reaching and costly impact to brands. Though it’s never failsafe and sometimes risks are worth taking, here are a few things to keep in mind when executing a controversial campaign, particularly one ultimately targeted to women:
- Know your audience: while the milk campaign was aimed at men, women are both a direct and secondary target audience, given the topic of conversation. Don’t overlook how communications affect both sexes. Hint: Women don’t like to be talked about behind our backs.
- Be prepared for criticism: The New York Times reported that Jeff Goodby, the co-chairman of the ad agency behind the campaign, “said he was ‘surprised’ by the firestorm the campaign produced. ‘It’s certainly more controversial than we expected it to be.’” The instantaneous nature of social media allows thousands (or millions!) of people to connect with the click of a mouse, which makes it easier than ever to find others who are just as passionate about a topic. Don’t underestimate the power of impassioned people—and work with your communications experts to be prepared with a response statement and plan.
- Don’t ignore negativity: Instead of ignoring the negative backlash, the California Milk Processor Board did a great job of highlighting all the feedback (the good, the bad, and the ugly) on its microsite, turning it into a discussion board where people could share their thoughts. They even drove consumers to their Facebook page to “join the conversation.”
- Ask yourself, are we getting our messaging across? The website for the marketing campaign, everythingidoiswrong.org, was intended to be humorous. But it lacked an educational component about milk and PMS. From a female perspective, I’m left with lots of unanswered questions: How does this help my PMS? Why is it better than other remedies? How much milk is needed to help with symptoms of PMS? Instead, the campaign targeted men, with a microsite that generates “preapproved apologies” from men to the women in their lives with PMS. This seems like a missed opportunity.
Their campaign was undoubtedly a risk, and in the end cut through the clutter of a crowded beverage industry. Whether it would have actually sold more milk is a question for which we’ll probably never have an answer.
What did you think of the California Milk Processor Board marketing campaign, as a man or a woman?
Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the latest installment of Five for Friday!
This week – and after months of testing – Google gave some more users a taste of Google+. The latest attempt by the search giant to go head-to-toe with Facebook, Google+ aggregates status updates and photos from friends and lets users organize their Google contacts into easy-to-view “Circles.” Another a neat feature – “Hangouts” – enables video chatting with up to 10 people. We were among the 10 million users to give it a whirl and we like it; Forbes, not so much… (Source: Various).
The reigning queen of YouTube, Lady Gaga, had her account suspended this week “due to multiple or severe violations” of the portal’s copyright policy. According to Time Out Tokyo, Gaga’s account was shuttered because she posted footage from her recent appearance on the popular Japanese show SMAP x SMAP without the proper permissions. At the request of the owners of the content, the widely-circulated clip was removed and her channel has since been restored… (Source: CNET News).
Reaction to a proposed price hike sent thousands of Netflix’ 22.3 million US customers off on a Social Media tirade this week. Faced with having to pay for separate streaming and DVD plans, more than 4,800 consumers attacked the decision on the brand’s blog, while nearly 30,000 took their ire to the brand’s Facebook wall. In the time since Tuesday’s announcement, a new Facebook page – Cancel Netflix – has emerged, proposing a movement to cancel services en masse on September 1, when the pricing change is scheduled to go into effect… (Source: Various).
In an attempt to detect, counter and conduct propaganda campaigns on the Social Web, the Pentagon unveiled a program aimed at helping the military understand what’s really being said, particularly in areas where our troops are deployed. Recognizing that Social Media can help propagate a notorious mix of rumor, gossip and just plain misinformation, the organization plans to build a tool that “finds, classifies, measures and tracks the formation, development and spread of ideas; recognizes persuasion campaign structures; identifies participants and intent; measures the effects; and provides counter messaging.” With some obvious modifications, this sounds like something a brand might kill for… (Source: Wired).
If you’re among those who think Facebook is leaving the world a cold and desolate place devoid of any human interaction, think again. Every time you upload a photo or update your status, all of that content is being seen and read by hundreds, if not thousands, of people. In How Facebook Saved My Son’s Life, one Mom explains the benefits of sharing: on Mother’s Day, she awoke to find her son feverish and suffering from a rash. Like any concerned parent, she took him a care center where he was tested for strep. When tests came back negative, the doctor decided to treat for strep anyway. The next morning her son’s condition had worsened: not only did he have the rash, but now he was also swollen. Within minutes of posting a photo and message on Facebook, she received calls and direct messages from a former neighbor, a pediatrician friend and her pediatric oncologist cousin. All suggested a strange diagnosis that ultimately saved her little boy’s life: Kawasaki Disease… (Source: Various).
Have a story that caught your eye this week? Let us know!
Image courtesy of healthcareos.com
Yesterday I attended the Social Communications and Healthcare Conference with other members of MMC’s Health & Well-Being Group and Social Media Team. I wanted to share a few key take-aways:
- CSR: A Great Place to Test the Waters: Pharmaceutical companies may be hesitant to use social media platforms and tactics for branded programs because of regulatory reasons, but many companies are starting to use corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives as a way to engage consumers via social media. Two examples highlighted at the conference were Johnson & Johnson’s Sustainability Program and Shire Pharmaceuticals’ partnership with Philabundance, a local Philadelphia food bank, for “The Great Food Fight.” CSR programs are a great way to build a company’s reputation and voice through social media platforms, without having to worry about the legal/regulatory ramifications of doing this for branded or even disease-awareness unbranded programs.
- Reframing ROI in Social Media as “Return on Engagement”: Most of the experts agreed – there is no easy way to measure impact and demonstrate ROI when it comes to social media tactics, but intuitively we know it’s valuable. We can think about it more as a “Return on Engagement,” or being there when consumers/physicians are looking for information online, and interacting with them to build trust.
- A Multi-Channel Approach Forges Deeper Connections: The beauty of social media is that it’s possible to link between properties, and offer more or less information to consumers/physicians, depending on the channel. Tailoring information for each channel (e.g., Twitter, YouTube, etc.) and maximizing your presence across channels is key. One organization who is doing this well is North Shore-LIJ Health Systems. One particularly interesting application was the use of QR codes in print newsletters that drive consumers/physicians to online videos and information.
- If Your Brands Can’t Say Anything in Social Media, Inspire Others to Talk for You: Concern over FDA regulations may limit the way some pharmaceutical brands/companies participate in social media. But, you can inspire patients/consumers to speak for you in social media and build buzz online with innovative programs. To create programs that really resonate, don’t think about the social media channel first, like “I need a Facebook page.” Great programs are grounded in insights about the target audience. Think about content that will create an emotional connection and then build out the social media channels that make sense for this content. One particularly inspiring program was Bristol Myers Squibb’s “Fight HIV Your Way” user-generated photo essay contest sponsored by the Reyataz brand, a protease inhibitor. The contest was built on the insight that HIV patients feel stigma living with the disease and want to connect with each other and express emotions as a way of coping.
- The Cocktail Party Analogy: No one likes to talk to someone who only talks about themselves, and this applies to social media as well. Constantly pushing out self-serving content on social media platforms is not a good way to engage consumers. This point came across loud and clear yesterday. MMC typically advises our clients to apply the 80/20 rule; providing non-branded information, tips, 80% of the time and sharing brand/company updates 20% of the time.
- Don’t Forget about the Docs: While many physicians are wary of using consumer social media channels like Facebook and Twitter for professional/privacy reasons, they are embracing institution-lead, protected forums where they can engage with some of the top opinion leaders. Examples include forums operated by the Mayo Clinic and American College of Gastroenterology.
Marina Maher was quoted in the Council of PR firms blog on developing successful communication programs for “unmentionable” topics. According to the Council, their blog was inspired by Marina’s blog post on “Breaking Barriers in Marketing to Women” after Poise and Kotex won the Silver Anvil Award of Excellence. You can read the blog here.
And check out the video of MMC’s EVP Susan Bean, who was interviewed by Doug Simon of D S Simon productions on our Influence-Her survey and the implications for PR and marketing professionals in reaching the elusive female consumer.
