Archive for Social Media
16 major Twitter fails; 1 infographic
Posted by: | CommentsWe love lists. We love social media. We love infographics.
Check out the article and infographic (also pictured below) from Social Commerce Today that includes everything we love here. Any other Twitter #fails that are missing?
The Top Five Ways Millennials Are Revolutionizing PR
Posted by: | CommentsToday’s guest post is by Caitlin Veator, a junior at Dartmouth College and future PR star.
I remember writing in my (TOP SECRET!) diary that I was sad to see 1999 go.
Dear Diary, It is already 2000, can u believe it? It seems like it is gone very fast. But this new year has a lot of 0’s. That means I can draw smiley faces in them! So it will look like 2 
! Love, Caitlin
I’m part of the Millennial generation, and we’re just starting to enter the workforce. We’ve only just begun to make our mark, yet according to the L.A. Times, Millennials are more stressed out than other age groups. Furthermore, in an earlier blog post, Peppercomm co-founder Steve Cody addressed his experience with Millennials and their tendency to stick to their own age group rather than reach out to more experienced coworkers.
Yikes. We’re not looking so great right off the bat. But don’t worry, I think Millennials have plenty of skills necessary to revitalize business. Without further ado, here are the top five ways that Millennials are shaping today’s business practices:
- We’re social, and we know how to connect with exactly the right audiences. PR is becoming increasingly grassroots, and it takes someone that knows how to maneuver social
platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to get the word out and keep consumers and investors happy. At past internships, I have used Facebook to reach target audiences and generate buzz—social networking is the new frontier of marketing and PR, and Millennials love using it. - We’ll deliver. A long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away, PR used to rely on general perceptions, the “atmosphere” of positive buzz. More recently, new technology has let us use very exact metrics to measure people’s reactions to publicity. As a research assistant, I’ve learned about the ways that describing someone affects your perception of them. Seems like minutia, but even a single word can really affect audience reaction. We Millennials are used to measuring and comparing metrics, so we’ll deliver results.
- We think on our feet. There are all sorts of arguments about Twitter and short TV shows decreasing our attention spans, but the flip side is that we’re constantly thinking and adjusting. If you need interns to plan an event, don’t fret if something goes wrong. We’re on our toes, and we’ll fix it lickety-split.
- We’re connected. This goes hand-in-hand with our social networking—we’ve been connected via mobile and internet with nearly everyone we know since our preteen years. Need to get in touch with a journalist that specializes in corporate environmentalism? Hold on, I just saw on Facebook that my friend from high school is interning at The Washington Post, and she might know someone!
- We’re looking with fresh eyes. When you’ve worked months or even years on an account, it’s hard to look at it like the average member of the public. When I came to one internship, I was tasked with fixing up a current webpage—with one look, I knew that it wasn’t reaching the educators it was supposed to. With fresh eyes, I saw the value propositions as they needed to be seen, and wrote some new copy that I’m confident will drive web traffic. There’s a reason you’re the expert, but we’d love to help you out.
So what do you think? Have Millennials failed to meet your expectations, or are they blowing you away?
Mind Your Table(t) Manners
Posted by: | CommentsThis post originally ran on Peppercomm’s PepperDigital Blog.
My name is Laura and I’m a Foursquare addict.
Yes, I’ll admit it—I love Foursquare. I want to be “The Mayor” of all of my favorite spots (including the Peppercomm office, which is currently under an intense mayorship war). I love all of the different badges you can earn. While I don’t usually get addicted to these types of things, the gamification of how many times I go to the laundromat or the gym is so appealing and makes my boring day-to-day errands much more fun.
I know I’m not alone in my addiction. I see my coworkers and non-industry friends with smart phones doing the exact same thing. Some are also addicted to checking in on Facebook, tweeting exactly what comes in their heads (all the time) or instagramming everything from the chili they just cooked to a dead bird they saw on the side of the street.
But where does one draw the line?
When out with a client, I was at a new restaurant in a state I’ve never visited. I was excited to check-in and see if I would get a new badge. After being seated, I went to whip out my phone, but then remembered one big thing: common courtesy and table manners (OK, those are two big things). I always apologize if I receive a text or phone call when at dinner. So is it really appropriate to check-in all the time? No, it can be perceived as rudeness.
We’re at a point where we’re seemingly always connected via text, email and social media. That doesn’t seem necessary. In fact, if you’re checking all of these different communication channels, it could indicate to the other person that there is something more interesting in the social spheres than with the person you’re with. I think we can all have dinner or meet with friends/family without checking our phones for an hour or so.
Fight the addiction and don’t be a phone-checking maniac. If all else fails, you can try the phone stack challenge, but really, is it so hard to mind your table manners?
‘Mom, don’t make me tweet at you’ and other lessons
Posted by: | CommentsI was recently staying at my mom’s house which is excellent for many reasons, but mainly because she was making Christmas cookies.
Sadly, my mom figured out long ago that I am a real-life cookie monster and has started to count how many cookies she makes so I can’t eat any without her knowing.
This year is the first time she actually kept a very accurate cookie count and banned me from the kitchen. Immediately after this happened, I marched into the other room and tweeted about my experience:
It wasn’t even a good tweet—it was done out of “anger”. What happened next is a testament to the power of social media.
My mom walked into the room I was in and threw two cookies at me and said “I saw your tweet. I didn’t realize you were that sad about not getting a cookie”.
So what did I learn? Never underestimate what you say on social media, whether positive or negative because you never know who is listening.
I also learned that I can now tweet at my mom (or just say random things) and someone will respond. My next tweet: “Man, I hate doing laundry and would love a new car.” World, feel free to respond the way my mom did.
LOL’ing at the first time OMG was used
Posted by: | Comments
Millennials are oftentimes criticized and parodied for the use of abbreviations such as “O-M-G”, “B-F-F”, etc. (cue: that Cingular commercial). And while abbreviations such as these are useful when texting, tweeting, and the like, most (or at least I) assume it has derived from the youth of the past decade or so.
This language may have exploded with the popularity, accessibility and evolution of the internet and social media, but did you know that the popular, albeit overused “O-M-G” was first used (that we have proof of) by none other than Winston Churchill in 1917?
Don’t take our word for it; check out this article on Smithsonian.com for more details.
Women in PR — A Meme
Posted by: | CommentsToday’s post and fantastic meme creation is by Peppercom’s Dandy Stevenson. Enjoy.
The day I learned I have monstrous hands
Posted by: | CommentsToday’s post was originally published on Peppercom’s PepperDigital blog.
Every once-in-a-while a marketing/ad team just gets a new product so right. Consumers love the product, the messaging is fantastic and, overall, you wish you and your team had come up with the campaign.
This is not one of those times.
A few days ago I stumbled upon the Amazon.com page for a new writing product from BiC—Cristal for Her. Immediately I was intrigued, because how can a pen be “for her?” Apparently the colors have to be lighter and more sparkly, the weight of the pen must be noticeably lighter and the grip has to be, um, more ladylike.
For reasons I won’t completely bore you with, especially since if you’re above the age of 10, you can see the issue with the product itself. I was fuming just from reading the description of the product.
And I wasn’t alone.
One thing the marketing/ad/PR/apparently the whole company completely forgot about was not just the general public’s reaction to such a ridiculous product, was that, in the digital age, that reaction would get much attention and quickly.
Think about the firestorm you’re creating—you’re offending both men and women:
1) I personally can use a normal pen just fine and suspect a lightweight smaller grip will hinder my writing, not help. The natural conclusion for me is that if this pen is for women and I am a woman, then I must have monstrous hands. Also why do I need a pen “for her”?
2) Men with smaller hands or who like sparkly colors who could potentially want to use this product were just told that it’s a product for women.
And this is just the tip of the offensive iceberg—talk about alienating an entire consumer base.
But these same opinions and many more were mirrored on Twitter, on the Amazon.com reviews and pretty much anywhere an Internet goer can go and quickly.
BiC’s major error was not listening to its audience before creating the product. Peppercom’s go-to-market strategy has completely changed thanks, in large part, to Emily Yellin and her insistence that with new campaigns, etc. we listen to both the client and the client’s audience before implementing a plan. If BiC had done the same thing, they wouldn’t have to include sarcastic comment reviews titled “I’m writing this from the kitchen while making a sandwich for my husband” in their reports about the product. Though, I bet the reports would be pretty funny.
This was definitely not a good move for BiC and they should think about not just apologizing to women, but to the world for such a sexist marketing ploy. But a positive did come out of this; we were again reminded that for better or for worse, social media will spread our ideas (good or bad) in a matter of minutes. This is why marketing/ad/PR pros need to consider all ramifications of a new product or campaign. And, I’ll be completely honest, I would pay money to go back in time and sit in on the meeting to know who green lit this product’s campaign.
If you haven’t already, check out the reviews of this product. I’ll just go off with my monstrous hands and try to make it through the day knowing I’m using a pen designed for a man.
Be careful what you tweet for
Posted by: | CommentsSo working in this industry and being active in social media, I am very aware that whatever I put out through those social channels can be seen by EVERYONE. I never regret what I put out there. However, sometimes one can forget who exactly can see what you’re discussing.
If you follow me on Twitter, I tweet about articles I am reading, different ideas, cool things that are happening in the moment—basically, whatever is top of mind for me.
Last week I received a reply that I was certainly not expecting.
I had been listening to music while working and listened to some songs I haven’t heard in a while (think 1999-2003 era). Again, if you follow me on Twitter, or know me at all, I love jazz. I had just remembered a band that I used to listen to more frequently—the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.
After rediscovering them I tweeted: Oh hey, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, I forgot you existed.
In all honesty, I forgot about them until I was listening to that time period of music and thought about old CDs I have packed away somewhere. But I certainly remembered them when I looked in my reply section a day after I posted that tweet. I spotted it—a message from the verified Cherry Poppin’ Daddies account with simply “ 
.”
I’m definitely impressed that they responded and are actively paying attention to what is being said about them. On the flip side, I’m also definitely sad that they responded, because I actually like this band and they now think I forgot about them (which is somewhat true, but hopefully remembering counts).
The moral of this story? Remember that people are actively monitoring for their brands out in the social world and that anyone can see what you say and actively reply. Also, do not tweet that you forgot someone existed if you would be sad that you received a “ ” as the reply. CPD, please accept this as my formal apology.
What’s the deal with all the memes?
Posted by: | CommentsMemes and animated GIF blogs with clever taglines and phrases have been taking over the internet. It’s an interesting trend. You have a few funny breakout ones and then the knockoffs and less funny inside joke ones that follow suit.
What’s their purpose and how do they relate to the industry? Well, for starters, the funny ones can give you a chuckle during your break and help de-stress.
The second purpose? It’s a constant reminder of our need to stay on our toes and on top of the latest trends. The first innovative/funny memes hit the internet and everyone is taken aback at how clever it is. Then everyone and their mother are making memes for everything. It’s a good look at anything innovative we do. Are we one of the first memes or are we simply following the trend? It’s something good to think about and a path that anything new can potentially take.
Oh, do I have any favorites? I thought you’d never NOT ask (perfect use of a double negative):
- PR Meme (created by fellow Peppercommers)
- Texts from Hilary
- Funny or Die’s compilation of the 25 best Ron Swanson GIFs
- What Should We Call Me
So what do you love or hate about memes and animated GIF blogs? Have any favorites?
What’s the password?
Posted by: | CommentsA startling new trend has hit the interviewing world—asking job applicants for his or her Facebook username and password.
Speakeasies aren't the only ones asking for passwords.
While it’s certainly not uncommon or unreasonable for prospective employees to see what a candidate may be saying in a public-facing social media outlet, it is interesting that some employers find it acceptable to ask for such private information.
In this job market, many are reluctant to deny such a request. My question is: Would you work for a company that would ask for that information?
Personally, I am not embarrassed of anything on my Facebook page (though maybe I should be since anyone who is friends with me now knows my affinity for Meatloaf and Hall & Oates via my status updates). I am also connected to most of my coworkers and even managers—those who I am not, are those who have just not popped up on my list of recommended friends. I keep my profile private merely because I do not want the entire world to have immediate access to anything I am tagged in, including photos. Is that unreasonable? No. Is asking for a password? In my opinion, yes.
Requesting to see someone’s private profile is the equivalent of asking someone if you can go to their house and go through their closet and drawers. It’s unnecessary and an invasion of privacy. Perhaps there is a place for this type of behavior in different industries (i.e. whatever industry Jason Bourne works in—amazing spy/agent)—but this may be where employers have a strict social media policy which would require one to not be active in this sphere.
This is an unprecedented issue for the ever-evolving ways of social media. Check out the Boston Globe’s piece on this subject.
How would you react to a potential employer asking you for any username and password information? What are your feelings on this new trend?
