Today, MMC and Merck launched a U.S. consumer awareness campaign to support Merck for Mothers, Merck’s ongoing program to reduce the rates of maternal mortality around the globe. The campaign, “Once Upon a Birth,” invites moms (and grandparents, fathers, family members and friends) to share their favorite birth memories to recognize the untold stories of the 800 women who die each day due to complications related to pregnancy and childbirth.
Actress and mother of three Melissa Joan Hart kicked off the campaign with the birth announcement of her new son Tucker, resulting in exclusive coverage on Yahoo! OMG, US Weekly and CNN. You can check out Melissa Joan Hart’s adorable story of her new baby boy, Tucker, on the new Merck for Mothers Facebook page and submit a story of the day someone you love was born. For every story shared, Merck makes a donation to Join My Village, a program from CARE that empowers women and girls and supports safe pregnancies and deliveries.
To learn more about Merck for Mothers and the “Once Upon a Birth” camapign , visit www.Facebook.com/MerckforMothers.
MMC for a Cause and its holiday initiatives were featured by PRWeek as part of its “12+ Ways of Giving Back” feature series. This year, MMC is supporting Covenant House, Toys for Tots and New York Cares through toy and coat drives. Since 2007, MMC has been giving back through a variety of programs including creating journal kits for hospitalized children and revitalizing a local elementary school. Read more about MMC for a Cause here.
This week MMC worked with American Express to announce its partnership with Mercedes-Benz to launch co-branded credit cards that deliver unparalleled value and customer service to existing and prospective drivers. The Mercedes-Benz Credit Card from American Express and the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Mercedes-Benz combine the best of both brands: the Membership Rewards program from American Express and exclusive annual benefits from Mercedes-Benz. Last week MMC hosted a press event at New York City’s new Mercedes-Benz flagship dealership for luxury, finance and automobile press, giving influential journalists an (embargoed) sneak preview of the exceptional benefits these cards offer.
Visit Luxury Daily Online to see live interviews from last week’s media preview and learn more about the partnership. For more information, check out Forbes, WSJ Driver’s Seat or USA Today’s Boarding Area.
Image courtesy of local4traffic.wordpress.com
The New York Times Business Section recently reported on a national trend that we media specialists have been dealing with: In stations across the country the hole left in the syndication schedule by Oprah’s exit has largely been filled by local news. This is particularly apparent for us here in NYC, as our local ABC affiliate, WABC-TV, expanded the local newscast to start at 4PM after our beloved “O” said her final farewell. Our media team is sent into a Pavlovian panic each day because we associate the local news opener (yes, we watch the news while we work!) with a sort-of a five o’clock alarm – usually meaning the day is almost done and our to-do lists are not. It’s taken some time to get used to, but the 4PM newscast is the new norm and we like it!
It’s not just the time slot vacated by Lady O that’s changing the news. News stations from NYC to St. Louis are expanding their local newscasts from early in the morning to late at night with some broadcasting up to six and a half hours of local news per day. This represents a huge opportunity for our clients. Local news may be increasing, but a majority of stations still have to produce shows on a shoestring budget with a skeleton staff. (the Times article cites a study by the FCC completed earlier this year that found local outlets were still depending largely on smaller than needed staff). TV producers will have a greater need for PR people to help do the legwork traditionally done by media gatekeepers because the gatekeepers simply don’t have the time to do it. Delivering a readymade segment with thoughtful assets that make sense for a local audience has never been more welcome by local news producers.
Here’s the formula we think works for local producers, for us and for our clients:
- A big idea with a comprehensive media strategy that resonates with audiences on a local level
- A news angle that helps the producer tell a story without their piece sounding overly commercial
- The right spokesperson
- An engaging call-to-action
- Baked-in organic messaging
- Interactive online components and assets
Of particular note, pay special attention to your social media strategy when thinking about your local news approach. Really? YES! “What’s #Trending” and “Hot on the Web” segments have become the norm, so don’t forget that your social media program has television legs beyond online. And increasingly, having a blog is more than enough credibility to be an “expert” so partnering with an Online Influencer as your spokesperson, or simply supplying influencers who routinely appear on TV with product and message are both great approaches.
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.
Today, Head & Shoulders is hitting it out of the park at the 19th Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) World Series, a youth outreach program designed to drive interest in baseball. Minnesota Twins’ and Head & Shoulders’ mane man Joe Mauer warmed up with RBI players prior to the August 10th Twins vs. Red Sox game at Target Field as a #hatsoff to MLB’s charitable efforts. Off the field, Joe continues to lead the brand’s #HatsOff Twitter movement – an H&S sponsored program that celebrates moments in baseball that “just deserve a tip of the hat” via specific team hashtags, which can be found on the H&S for Men Facebook page. The team with the most #hatsoff mentions on August 31st will receive a donation directly to the local RBI chapter. Check out Joe talking about this social media movement and how you can help the RBI on ESPN’s Scott van Pelt Show this afternoon – http://es.pn/pvbWpK.
Flavors of food and wine entwined last night when Food Network and California’s Wente Vineyards celebrated the launch of their new wine collection, entwine. Through a tasting of the four wine varietals with delectable bites from Food Network Kitchens, members of online and broadcast media were invited to sip and savor the wines which have just hit stores. Food Network television personality, Anne Burrell, worked the room, plating some of her entwine-inspired recipe pairings and Fifth Generation Winemaker Karl Wente discussed the food-friendliness of the portfolio which includes Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
To watch a clip of Anne Burrell discussing her personal experience with wine at last night’s event, visit Daily Food & Wine’s Facebook page.
