The only things talked about more than the Super Bowl itself are the commercials that air. The expectation has been built that some fans anticipate the spots more than the game itself. This makes everyone an ad critic. But, everyone isn’t an ad critic. Viewers of Super Bowl ads don’t judge the spots on the value of being effective to the target audience; they judge the spots as if they were reviewing a movie. Did they laugh? Did they cry? Were they moved?

The real value in Super Bowl ads – the part that makes it worth the $3.5 million price tag – is the value of being talked about, and in turn, the viral nature in which the ads can be viewed millions more times, if they earn it.

In today’s real-time world, the funnier you are or the more you’re talked about, the more impressions you’ll get as your spot goes viral, as evidenced by the tens of millions of YouTube hits some brands, like Honda and Acura, are already racking up.

I thought this was a good year for Super Bowl ads, which went back to basics and fell into one of three categories:

• Funny – dogs, babies and silliness consistently win with the S.B. audience.
• Dramatic – two words: Clint Eastwood.
• Effective – Chevy’s “end of the world” spots were a direct hit to Ford.

Here were my favorite spots this year:

• Doritos Sling Baby and Man’s Best Friend: Doritos’ popular crowdsourced spots are back, and they still work.
• Volkswagen The Dog Strikes Back: following VW’s success last year with “the Darth Vader kid,” they stuck with the Star Wars theme. Many brands have success bringing familiar characters into their ads. It’s comforting to audiences to connect with characters they already know.
• Bud Light Rescue Dog: a nice tie-in to a social responsibility matter that you might not expect from a beer brand.
• M&Ms Just My Shell: very clever route for the beloved candy.

What were your favorite Super Bowl ads?

photo credit: Peter McCarthy

Five tips to build trust with journalists

Back in November, I began contacting editors I’ve worked with through the years to inquire about opportunities for clients in the New Year. Even though some editorial calendar opportunities were three or more months out, I began outreach to get a jump on the competition.

A funny thing happened … editors emailed/called me back with similar responses. “Don’t worry about the editorial calendar; just send me your best story ideas; use your best judgment and send me byline ideas that mirror industry trends. I’ll find a home for it; I’ll use what you send me … I trust you.”

Building trust with the media starts with building a relationship

After working with editors, producers, freelancers, reporters, bloggers and any other journalistic job title you care to use, I’ve developed a few tips that have helped me create better media relationships.

1. Understand their needs. It is almost as important as knowing your own needs when building editorial relationships. Be familiar with the publication or site of course, but also their readership and the type of writing style the medium employs. Read their articles, blog and Twitter posts to know what they value as news.

2. Use their general lack of time as an opportunity. Editors and journalists are often on deadline or juggling multiple projects; they’re busy just like everyone else, so being efficient in your dealings with them gains their trust. Also, jump at the chance to do them a favor. If they are on deadline and need a quick quote or image, make it happen.

3. Deliver exactly what you promised. Making good on your promises ahead of the deadline builds credibility. It also creates a favorable image for your client as a well-prepared, professional organization.

4. Go the extra mile. Don’t wait for them to ask for images. Offer supporting graphs, photos and links, with captions, along with the submission.

5. Stay in touch. Continuing the relationship with the media involves contacting them on an ongoing basis with newsworthy information and different ideas for them to consider. In some instances, it won’t involve your client, but still serves to build the relationship. A couple of IT media editorial heavy hitters send me notes throughout the college football season to discuss Ohio State’s lack of wide receivers or their team’s spotty defense.

Seeing your hard work published in a magazine or online is a thrill that drives many of us. Another pleasure I get from working with the media is when they take time to send a sincere thank you after receiving your submission. A nice pat on the back from a third party is vindication that you are not just sending information via a mass email, but developing strong media relationships.

Do you have any good stories or tips concerning how to best build bridges with the media? We’d like to hear about them.

photo credit: Piano Piano!

Storytelling appeals to audiences of all ages

I recently made a 230-mile detour to deliver birthday presents to my four-year-old niece, Halle. She loved the special markers she could use to custom color her new washable stuffed horse. 

Only a few minutes passed, however, before she discarded the horse, hopped onto the couch and thrust her new book into my lap for me to read. During the next 15 minutes, we traveled to a land of castles and royalty where a young princess could not attend the queen’s ball without help from her friends.    

People want good stories 

Fortunately, stories are not just for kids. Even we adults—who are bombarded by thousands of messages each day—are still lured by a good story. Here are a few nuggets I took away from the speakers at PRSA’s 2011 International Conference.

“Humans have always been connected to stories,” Soledad O’Brien, award-winning  journalist and host of CNN’s “In America” documentaries, told listeners during her keynote address at last year’s conference. “Storytelling is more than just a compelling fact.”   

Johna Burke, senior vice president, marketing and communications, BurrellesLuce, emphasized storytelling as a primary tactic to connect with targeted audiences. 

“Storytelling is the core competency in the public relations profession, next to great writing,” she said, adding that storytelling is no longer limited to library readings, festivals and other analog channels. 

“We now have multimedia hypertext, social media and user-generated broadcast. PR professionals must leverage the art form—make your story compelling, make it stand out.” 

It’s all about the audience 

Burke warned that blasting our message to the masses is not effective, citing the following as the most important considerations: 

• Audience – Target the story through the proper channels
• What matters – Understand your community and what they want
• Sustainability – Channel your resources so you aren’t wasting time and money talking where no one is listening  

She referenced Walt Disney as one of the premier storytellers of all time: “he knew who his audience was. He knew that kids were his primary market, yet he recognized his secondary market was the parents (using allusions above the kids’ heads to amuse the adults). He also didn’t forget there’s always a tertiary market — audiences we may not have originally anticipated but who still matter and who take an interest in our stories…” 

Suitable for most mediums 

Storytelling has the ability to captivate almost any audience using nearly any communications medium. Marriott International, Inc. engages hotel guests by placing a black and white booklet entitled “Spirit to Serve, Our Stories” on the nightstand in every room. This small but powerful publication stresses the chain’s commitment to customer service by sharing staff member anecdotes—from vice presidents and general managers to a kitchen assistant. 

J.W. Marriott, Jr., Marriott chairman and CEO, authored the foreword, explaining why Marriott chose an ensemble of employee tales to communicate its corporate message. 

“When I first began speaking at business conferences, I asked for some advice from the best speechmaker I knew: my dad. I wanted him to give me tips to help prepare for all the questions I was getting about the company’s strategy and performance. Instead, he waved me off with a simple answer: “Bill, that stuff doesn’t matter to people. All they’ll remember are the stories.” 

We can all learn from the great storytellers of our times. Weave a story the next time you want to engage readers and cut through the clutter. 

Who are your favorite storytellers?

photo credit: Funky Tee

When you returned to the office this week after a few days off for the holiday break, did you know if any surprises would be waiting for you on your social media profiles?

At Fahlgren Mortine, we recommend that social media should ideally be monitored at all times as part of a responsible online reputation management program. This includes at least a cursory glance at monitoring dashboards, Google alerts or social network profiles on weekends and holidays.

Social media never stops – it is 24/7, 365 days a year. A reputational crisis can strike at any time and spread virally through social media. Many social media users are not only active during non-working hours, but actually more active then. This is why businesses who understand the power of social media are implementing monitoring solutions that can be quickly and easily reviewed during the hours between close of business Friday and start of business Monday (or on holidays, etc.).

That said, when it comes to this issue, the jury is still out as far as what’s reasonable or customary. One social media pro notes it’s unrealistic to expect companies to be listening and responding 24/7, but admits he nonetheless does have that expectation.

A differing POV: this blogger feels social media does not necessarily need to be monitored 24/7. In the poll at the bottom of his post, however, 46.5% of people polled disagree with him and feel it does need to be monitored at all times. Another 34.9% of those responding agreed that it does not need to be monitored 24/7.

Here’s a post from someone who is not sure where he stands on the issue, so he queried his Twitter following and shared his findings about whether companies should be listening and responding to social media 24/7.

In general, most social media experts believe that social media monitoring only needs to be 24/7 if it feeds some 24/7 business process, such as responding to customer service issues. However, a look at infamous social media crises faced by brands such as Motrin and Domino’s, shows us that reputational problems can crop up on weekends and escalate quickly if they are not managed swiftly.

If processes and teams are not in place at an organization to monitor social media – at least cursorily – on weekends and holidays, then care should be taken to resume monitoring as early as possible on the next business day. These steps will allow maximum time for an expeditious response should an issue pop up that requires immediate attention and response.

What do you think? Do you monitor your brand’s social presence during evenings, weekends and holidays? Why or why not? Take our poll on Facebook.

Click the image above to view the AFP Video

The Central Ohio Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) recently named Fahlgren Mortine its 2011 Outstanding Small Corporation. Check out the great video AFP produced for the event, featuring our CEO, Neil Mortine, and Dee Anders of Ronald McDonald House Charities, who nominated us for the award.

What better time of year for AFP to schedule their awards ceremony than at the start of the holiday season, a time when generosity is at the forefront of many of our minds. It’s heartwarming to see the bell ringers, fundraising galas, and people giving donations in lieu of gifts in December, but non-profits need help all year (I know this firsthand; I worked at one before coming to Fahlgren Mortine!) and the holidays can serve as a good reminder of what we should keep doing the other 11 months of the year.

As Neil mentions in the clip, Fahlgren Mortine doesn’t choose one overarching cause to which to devote our charitable resources; instead, it has been our policy to use our time and our strengths in marketing and communications to benefit a variety of organizations that may not have the budget or the expertise to effectively get their messages out there.

Whether “giving” means pro bono work or donations of our associates’ time and resources, this policy has allowed us to contribute to non-profits that are close to the hearts of our clients and staff including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation, United Way of Central Ohio, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, Dayton YWCA, Clothes That Work, Dayton’s Human Race Theatre, Homefull, Ohio Historical Society, Franklin Park Conservatory, Lifeline of Ohio, Charity Newsies, Ronald McDonald House Charities, The Buckeye Ranch, Columbus Symphony, Public Relations Society of America, American Advertising Federation, and many others.

Throughout 2011, we were also recognized for our philanthropic efforts by Columbus Business First (as a finalist for its Corporate Caring award) and Leadership Columbus (with their Corporate Angel Award). While we were honored to receive recognition for our efforts, awards pale in comparison to the ability to know that we are making a difference in the communities in which we live and work. We pledge to keep making a difference in 2012 and beyond.

Happy holidays from Fahlgren Mortine!

It’s been almost two months since I joined the Fahlgren Mortine team, and I can confidently say that these short two months already rank at the top of my best work experiences. From my first day, I knew I was embarking on an exceptional journey into the working world. I came to Fahlgren Mortine to begin my career in advertising, bringing with me all that I learned at two undergraduate internships at MSLGroup in Washington, D.C. and W Magazine/Women’s Wear Daily in New York. I gathered diverse public relations and editorial experience at each of my internships, and along the way, learned that what really interests me is the way changes in media and technology allow companies like Fahlgren Mortine to offer an approach that integrates advertising, PR and digital.

I was fortunate enough to join the advertising account management team as account associate, working with clients in the healthcare and higher education fields. Fahlgren Mortine’s clients in these industries include MedStar Health in the Washington D.C./Baltimore area, Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, St. Elizabeth Healthcare in northern Kentucky, EMH Healthcare near Cleveland and WVU Healthcare in West Virginia.

Like most of us, I was a little nervous beginning a new job. How much training would I receive? What if I was thrown into things with no guidance? I learned right from the beginning, however, that is not the case at Fahlgren Mortine. My first couple weeks were booked with client meetings and one-on-one discussions with someone from every department. Everyone was (and still is) so helpful and respectful of each other, regardless of title, experience or seniority. In addition to being trained well, I was trusted with assignments from the start, such as the completion of a competitive analysis of small universities in Ohio. It was rewarding to contribute from the beginning.

Saying that I feel welcome here is an understatement. In my second week, I, along with other new hires, had a news release written about me and a professional and ‘personality’ head shot taken. Some other really cool things I’ve experienced since then are traveling for client meetings, attending a voiceover recording (which, by the way, gives you a whole new respect for the making of TV commercials; given everything that goes into them), and I can’t forget to mention our festive office gatherings. We work hard at Fahlgren Mortine, but we also use holidays and milestones to recharge, rest our brains, hang out and eat great food.

To put it simply, Fahlgren Mortine is an awesome place to work. And no, it’s not because it’s located in Easton, the shopping capital of Columbus (although that surely doesn’t hurt!) It’s because of the people that define the agency – the sense of community they create and atmosphere of support they foster for new people like me. It’s because of everyone’s very different, individual past experiences that are blended together to offer clients integrated marketing and communications work that yields results. And it’s because of everyone’s unique personalities. At the end of the day, you don’t just feel like you’re leaving work, but leaving friends that, luckily, you get to come back to work (and laugh) with the next day.

I am gradually gaining a foothold here, learning the lingo, soaking up the experiences of others and diving in wherever I am needed. There’s still so much to learn, and I am ready to embrace all the challenges that lie ahead.

In October, I had the privilege of attending the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Mixx Conference in New York. The theme of the conference was “What’s The Story?” I can’t say that this concept of storytelling is new or cutting edge. Actually, about four years ago, Fahlgren Mortine’s own tagline was “What’s Your Story?” and, we’ve blogged in the past (including here and here) about the value a great story can bring your brand. That being said, storytelling is more relevant now than ever in this digital world. Consumers are in control; they know what they like and what they dislike, and their voices are louder through the amplifier of social media.

So, how do you build a lasting relationship with your consumer; the kind of relationship that makes them want to tell their friends, family, co-workers and the whole world about how great your brand is?

The short answer is: storytelling (or, in marketing terms, creating shareable or buzzworthy content).

Sounds easy, right? Not so fast. Consumers are smart. They are able to spot marketing ploys and cheesy gimmicks. They don’t want to be de-friended for posting your company’s spam. They want content that gives them something in return, content that is relevant to them, that makes their life easier or that is funny enough to share with friends.

I listened to one brilliant speaker after another as they presented successful campaigns from the world’s leading companies and, unfortunately, I still don’t have the secret recipe for creating shareable content, but I do know that the following are required:

• Research—know your audience; figure out their interests and how to tap into them
• Creativity—one of my favorite quotes from the conference was from Jonathan Mildenhall from The Coca-Cola Company: “Creativity is about seeing what everybody else has seen and thinking what nobody has thought”
• Guts—being successful means taking some risks
• Patience—not every campaign is wildly successful; trial and error and learning from your mistakes are a must

Here are links to some of my favorite examples of great ideas; hopefully they will inspire new ones:

Based on the theory that dogs look like their owners, Pedigree created a site (Doggelganger) that allows you to upload a picture of your face and find the rescue dog that looks most like you.

ESPN used the X-games to create Human Twitter, bringing online content offline.

Volkswagen tested their “Fun Theory” with piano stairs and a bottomless bin—a great example of using offline tactics to generate online buzz.

And of course, it has been impossible to ignore the Old Spice campaign. We are all familiar with the original campaign, but the results of the response campaign on YouTube are unbelievable.

What are some of your favorite examples of brands that have successfully used storytelling to build lasting relationships?

The cast and crew of Fahlgren Mortine’s Cleveland office may not include Betty White or Valerie Bertinelli, but they sure are “Hot in Cleveland” these days! I’m proud to report that Fahlgren Mortine was one of the most recognized companies today at the annual PRSA Cleveland Rocks Awards luncheon.

Our team earned 12 awards on behalf of eight different clients representing associations, and business-to-business, consumer products, non-profit and technology organizations. Awards were received in the following categories:

• Public Service and Public Affairs – Government/Associations/Nonprofit Organizations
• Marketing Business to Business
• Internal Communications – Business Products and Services
• Integrated Communications – Government/Associations/Nonprofit Organizations
• Brand & Reputation Management – Business Products and Services
• Media Relations – Business Products and Services
• Brochures – Government/Associations/Nonprofit Organizations
• Special Publications – Business Products and Services
• Audio and Video Programs – Business Products and Services
• Audio and Video Programs – Government/Associations/Nonprofit Organizations
• Social Media
• Research/Evaluation

Fahlgren Mortine was the presenting sponsor of the 2011 Cleveland Rocks awards. As part of its sponsorship, Fahlgren Mortine made a financial contribution to the PRSA Cleveland Scholarship Fund that supports public relations students hailing from or studying in northeast Ohio.

I spent last Thursday at the 2011 Midwest Social Media Summit, where I listened to a number of social media strategists and thought leaders. I came ready to learn, and quickly became energized by the creative ideas and general Internet marketing energy in the room.

So, what insights and ideas did this “l33t” group of Internet socialites share with me? My bottom line takeaway is that, despite the rapid pace and growth of social media, for the most part, it’s still about the basics. See what you think:

Getting started with social media – listen, then strategize: Where to begin? That’s the biggest question of social media, isn’t it? With so much going on, so quickly and on so many different platforms, where do you start? Social media can be intimidating because it’s so timely and ubiquitous. Don’t let it be. Break it down. As always, start by making a commitment to listening to your audiences. Establish a monitoring program. Fahlgren Mortine has helped many of our clients set up listening dashboards to monitor the social media space before diving in. If that’s all you can do at first, then that’s enough.

If you decide to take the plunge into social media, formulate a strategy and have a plan before you jump. Be realistic. Focus on what you can do. If you don’t have the resources, skill or knowledge, get help! (There are probably good reasons why some people don’t do their own taxes, right?)

No matter who owns social media, it’s still all about content: If you’re looking for help, where should you turn – public relations or marketing experts? To say the lines are blurred is an understatement. Even the Summit group couldn’t agree on social media’s home. However, the one thing they did agree on was the importance of content. Many social media users are simply looking to consume information,while more active participants seek to share or promote information. So, to be successful, be sure to bring value to your audiences with great content. Paul Roetzer, author of The Marketing Agency Blueprint, even went so far as to say that mediocre content hurts your business.

A new position popping up at some of the more social media savvy companies is that of a content curator. It makes a lot of sense. If a curator is the keeper of an institution’s collections, a content curator is the owner of a business or organization’s information.  

Social media can benefit your company: Social media is not a means to an end. It should be part of an overall strategy. Joe Pulizzi, of Z Squared Media, gave this analogy: social media is like butter. You’d never eat it on its own, but used right, it makes everything better.

Used correctly, how can social media really help? Engagement. Use social media to humanize your company and build relationships with your stakeholders. Use social media to share your voice. Be transparent to build trust. Create a deep connection. Leverage the direct pipeline social media provides to your fan base. Have fun. Make people want to follow you. 

To sum up my learnings at the Summit, social media is evolving so quickly, there’s no magic formula. As Dan Carbone @ideaengineinc said, “You gotta find your own social media mojo.”

If you like what you read here, you can find other nuggets in the conference Twitter feed. Pick through the conversation on Twitter by searching #MWSMS.

Have you attended any great social media conferences lately?

It’s not often that you get to go camping with your colleagues, much less your clients. But a few weeks ago, four of us from Fahlgren Mortine did just that. For two days, we joined our clients from St. Elizabeth Healthcare at Camp Joy in Clarksville, Ohio. The initial idea of camping was met with some reluctance by a few of our team members, but we went into the two-day retreat with open minds.

About 24 of us spent some great time together talking about the upcoming year, and how we could help be a great agency partner to St. Elizabeth, and I can’t think of a much better way to kick off a relationship. After all, how often do you get out of the office in jeans and sweatshirts and learn how to fully trust your teammates to catch you when you fall? How often do you really delve into your Myers-Briggs personality type (I’m an ENFJ), or put yourself in a harness and take on the challenge of a ropes course with a pretty stiff fall breeze blowing you around?

A lot can be accomplished in a beautiful rural setting without the constant pressure of phones and email (well, almost). It’s always an eye-opening experience to engage in teambuilding experiences with a new client. There are no preconceived notions to set aside – it’s a clean slate. Through facilitated leadership sessions, we learned a great deal about our new client, a little bit about one another as co-workers, and, most importantly, how we could all come together and effectively support one another.

We learned a great deal about how differences in approaches can make or break a team, and we got valuable insight into communication styles and team structure. We also had great discussions about the client’s strategic plan and provided our perspective early on in the process – which is so valuable to us, working in a consultative capacity. Best of all, we got to figure out how we were going to hoist and propel 24 of us up and over a 20’ wall. It was no easy task, but we learned how to do it together and we had the bruises to show for it.

It’s amazing how time around a campfire, s’mores and sharing a cabin can enlighten your perspective and open your eyes to new ideas. Whether it’s camping, traveling, going to lunch outside of the office or meeting at a new venue, I think the agencies and clients that have fun together are more likely to stay together. And achieve together.

Thank you to everyone who voted for Fahlgren Mortine in Columbus CEO’s annual Best of Business issue, which hit newsstands this week. For the fourth year in a row, Fahlgren Mortine has been named to the top spot in the PR firm category (in 2008, the first year of voting, Fahlgren Mortine tied for the first-place spot). We also scored second place in the Ad Agency category this year.

The issue highlights Columbus residents’ favorites in more than 70 categories, ranging in everything from professional services to food, to non-profits. Look for photos next week on our Facebook page of Columbus CEO’s Best of Business reception!

The importance of empathy in media relations

Recently, I was sitting with my thumb knuckles wrapped in masking tape, surrounded by strangers playing with PVC pipe, popsicle sticks and Play-Doh, and it made me think about media relations.

(Writing tip No. 33: Never question the source of your inspiration. It’s like a no-hitter or Fight Club. You don’t talk about it. Have you ever had a cat that disappears for days until you start to wonder if it’s ever coming home? The wife is calling animal shelters and the kids are crying at every Friskies commercial, and just then, as casually as if emerging from a nap under the bed, the cat returns. The emotion isn’t so much happiness as it is relief. Now imagine that cat is delivering your paycheck. This is the life of a writer.)

Where was I? Ah yes, thumb knuckles and Play-Doh. The occasion was a breakout session at Innovate Columbus, a fantastic event organized and hosted by one of our clients, TechColumbus. The theme of the breakout was “Innovation Through Empathy,” and the focus was on the importance of empathy for end-users in the early stages of the technology design process. Still not seeing the connection to media relations? Bear with me. 

Reade Harpham, the session leader and a design engineer in Battelle’s Health and Life Sciences business, asked those of us in the breakout to design a rudimentary insulin delivery device using the pipe, Play-Doh, Styrofoam balls and other assorted odds and ends. The catch? We had to design it so someone with severe arthritis in their hands could operate it. The taped knuckles helped us understand the difficulty this type of patient might have in using a device requiring a great deal of finger and thumb dexterity. 

It was an interesting exercise, and enlightening beyond just medical device design. If we apply the same emphasis on end-user empathy to our approach to other things—like pitching reporters and editors—would it change our behavior? Maybe. 

We’ve always been taught to think about ways to make our pitches stand out, which is undeniably important, but we often spend too much time trying to make them different and not enough making them easily accessible, understandable and usable. If you’re a busy editor receiving dozens of pitches every day, wouldn’t you appreciate easy and usable more than well-written and requiring a lot of work? With that in mind, try some of these tips: 

• Whenever possible, include high-resolution images and captions, informational links, names of potential interview subjects (rather than just unnamed executives), suggested secondary sources (with contact information), and even clever headline recommendations with your pitch. 
• If you’re pitching a byline, go beyond abstract and author bio and take the time to send the first 500 words of the proposed piece.  
• If you’re pitching a source for a TV interview, send along links to previous broadcast appearances by that source as well as short-notice scheduling assurances and contact information.  
• Whoever you’re pitching, always—I repeat, always—consider schedules and deadlines. Just meeting the editorial calendar deadline isn’t enough; how do you feel about those last-second requests when you’re on the receiving end (and don’t get me started on requesting extensions… )? 

Bottom line: Before you pitch, put yourself in the editor’s shoes (not literally; empathy has its limits), and consider things from that perspective … not your client’s.

photo credit: ella novak