An Oscar-Worthy Promotion

Over the holiday weekend I was one of the millions of movie-goers who patiently waited in line to see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Since I had been eagerly awaiting its release for months, I was all too happy to be consumed by all the pre-release hype... and there seemed to be no shortage of it. For the entire week leading up to its debut it was almost impossible to avoid Indy - reviews, sneak peeks, trailers, banner ads and countless appearances by the stars on every show from Good Morning America to SNL. It was obvious that Paramount was going to exhaust every possible marketing avenue and surprise, social media was no exception.

According to ClickZ, "Starting Wednesday morning, Paramount offered Facebook users a chance to send their friends a small digital version of Indy's iconic brown hat as a "virtual gift." While some gifts require a $1 fee, the Fedora was offered as a free sponsored gift from the studio. The Fedoras became available at 4:30am on Wednesday morning, the day before the movie hit theaters. By 3pm, all 250,000 had sold out."

And it didn't end there...

"Each Fedora gift provided a link to the movie's Facebook page, where fans could find local showings, read other users' reviews, post messages, download widgets and other applications, and view stills from the film's production. The page also included a space for users to upload videos and photos of their own, including an instructional video on "How to Crack a Whip Like Indy" and the infamous Annie Leibovitz Vanity Fair photos of Miley Cryus with a brown Fedora superimposed on her head. Paramount also ran a series of display ads on Facebook pointing users to the page. As of Thursday afternoon, the page had more than 62,000 fans."

Promoting movies on social networks is nothing new, but Paramount's campaign was impressive. They knew the buzz was building and did a great job cultivating it through the social networks with fairly straightforward viral tactics.

In my opinion, Indy came up a little short during this installment, but I still enjoyed seeing him crack his whip and make his trademark one-liners. Regardless, I have to commend Paramount on a great promotional performance. (Although I'm still waiting for my friend request from Indy to arrive.)

Struggling with measuring your online marketing initiatives?

In recent months, I've heard a number of marketers express frustration with the task of gathering solid and relevant metrics for measuring their online marketing initiatives. While it seems to be the most popular tool, Google Analytics is often times the target of our clients' ire. In a recent article in AdAge, Google's new 'Analytics Evangelist' offers up his own opinions about how marketers should be measuring their online programs. He's not shy about using the word "sucks" when referring to traditional measurement methods and he makes an interesting plea for marketers to focus more on the "why" of their online marketing campaigns. If you're one of the many who often find themselves cursing Google Analytics, it's worth the read.

The Future of Social Networking? Let's hear it for the ladies!

Pretty much everything you ever wanted to know about social networking (who uses it, why they use it and where the industry is headed) can be found in BusinessWeek's new special report on social networking. Perhaps the most interesting part of the report, is the article outlining social media's gender gap and how women are the driving force behind the increasing popularity of social networks. Quoting data from a Rapleaf study, the article states:

Among twentysomethings, women and men are just as likely to be members of social networks. Facebook, MySpace, and Flixster are extraordinarily popular. But we found that young women are much more active on these sites then young men. And men above 30—especially married men—aren't even joining social networks. With the notable exceptions of LinkedIn users and venture capitalists in the Bay Area "friending" everyone on Facebook, married men are not hanging out on social networks. Married women, however, are joining social networks in droves. In fact, women between ages 35 and 50 are the fastest-growing segment, especially on MySpace.

P.S. Don't forget to check out my favorite part of the report, the social media IQ quiz!

Reflecting on the Sabre Awards Dinner

As I traveled back from Manhattan, I had some time on the plane to write about some exciting GroundFloor Media news… GroundFloor Media is the “Best Boutique Agency to Work For,” and I was fortunate to accept this honor for the firm at the Holmes Report’s annual Sabre Awards dinner in NYC. Following a survey of close to 5,000 employees at approximately 80 of the leading public relations firms in the United States, four agencies were named the 2007 Best Agencies to Work For. We’re proud to be in the company of the best large agency, Fleishman-Hillard; the best midsize agency, Text 100; and the best small agency, Davies.

The press announcement from the Holmes Report cited GroundFloor Media’s low six percent attrition rate and high employee satisfaction, along with positive comments from our employees – who were surveyed for the award – stating that the atmosphere at GroundFloor Media is “very positive, empowering, supportive, flexible” and another citing “The people. GroundFloor Media has a team of only senior-level PR pros that respect each other, spend time with each other outside of work, encourage one another and deliver excellent client work.” It is truly an honor to receive such an award based on employee feedback, because GroundFloor Media strives to be THE agency top PR pros want to work for. Part of our culture is rooted in giving back to our community, so the fact that we won an Iron Sabre award for our Get Grounded community involvement program is also very exciting!

It was also an honor to meet other PR practitioners from agencies around the country and to hear about their best practices and challenges alike. I was fortunate to sit at a “winning” table with delightful colleagues from rbb Public Relations in Miami, 360 Public Relations in Boston and The Red Consultancy in San Francisco and New York. Each agency represented at our table won an award for their unique attributes, emphasizing how diverse the world of public relations has become. It was truly an inspiring event.

~Ramonna

Taking your investment cues from social media?

I attended the Finovate show a couple weeks ago (kind of a DEMO for innovative financial technology companies) and the main theme throughout every presentation was social media. Practically every company had figured out a way to incorporate some kind of social media element (e.g. blogging, social networking, widgets) into their product, although some did it much better than others. For many of the products, the integration of social media made sense, but I have to admit that I was a little puzzled when a few of the personal investment tools started evangelizing their own social networks. Even though I am a social media junkie, I am very cautious about where I gather my investment advice (probably because I don't have much money to actually invest with), so I tend to rely on the experts, namely my financial advisor and the guys at Barrons. Personally, I just don't feel super confident about taking stock advice from Joe Schmoe and his smiley face avatar, but apparently I'm one of the few.

An April 2008 survey by Cogent Research found that US investors are highly engaged in social media, and their investment decisions are influenced accordingly. The study found that 25% of US online adults are engaged in social media specifically related to personal finance and investing. Furthermore, almost two-thirds of high-net-worth investors - defined as those with $100,000 or more in investable assets - claimed online peer-generated content about personal investing and finance has an influence on their financial purchasing behaviors and decisions. You can read more about the study on eMarketer.

This might spell confusion for the likes of Chuck (i.e. Charles Schwab), but it definitely helps clear up my Finovate puzzlement. I guess I'm going to have to start paying closer attention to those recommendations from Joe and his smiley face after all.

A Wine Tasting for Two Outstanding Causes

On April 28, Morton’s in LoDo hosted its 5th Annual Wine Tasting to benefit Tennyson Center for Children, one of the Rocky Mountain region’s leading treatment centers for victims of child abuse, and the Third Way Center, one of Denver’s largest and most highly respected treatment centers for high-risk, homeless, mentally ill and disadvantaged youth.

The wine was flowing, the food was spectacular and some of Denver’s brightest stars were in attendance, including Bob and Claudia Beauprez, LaFawn Biddle, Bill and Julie Clark (of Baby Einstein fame), former first lady Frances Owens and her daughter Monica, and our very own Katherine Davis and Laura Love (see photo).

The event, which included both a silent and a live auction, featured fabulous wines from a dozen exclusive vintners along with Morton's premium fare. Items up for auction included a winery visit and tasting for four at the Joseph Phelps Vineyards, an in-home three-course dinner for eight prepared by Morton’s executive chef, a 3-liter bottle of wine autographed by Avalanche and Nuggets players, as well as jewelry, vacations, wines, spa packages and more.

The event raised more than $72,000 for the two centers. An outstanding sum, no doubt, but the organizations can always use more. With that in mind, here comes the unabashed plug for your support – please take a minute to visit their Web sites at http://www.childabuse.org/ and http://www.thirdwaycenter.org/.

The event coincided with National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April. But to make sure that Colorado’s kids are top priority every month of the year, check out the Children’s Action Agenda on Tennyson Center’s Web site – http://www.childabuse.org/ecm-caa.html. Tennyson Center and the Every Child Matters Education Fund have partnered to present this legislative agenda prepared by a coalition of children’s organizations and advocates. By signing it, you can help Colorado take a giant step toward improving the lives of all of its children.

Is your target audience using social media?

Most marketers I speak to are really excited by the prospect of using social media to create brand awareness or publicize a new product. The inherent viral nature that social media offers companies makes it impossible not to be excited, however, it's also important to know WHO you're hoping to reach with social media before you start tossing budget dollars at Facebook.

There is a great article in AdAge today that asks "Is your consumer using social media?". While this may seem like a natural question for marketers who are thinking about executing a social media campaign, you'd be surprised by how many neglect to ask themselves (or their marketing/PR firm) that simple question from the get-go. After all, if you're marketing the latest version of the Jitterbug phone (a cell phone designed specifically for seniors; my Nana loves hers), perhaps a Twitter campaign isn't the best use of your budget, right?

So if you have a few minutes, I'd encourage you to read AdAge's article. The author includes profiles of specific demographics (i.e. divorcees, stay-at-home moms, first-time home buyers, etc.) and how much they actually use social media. While your target audience may not be included in their list, don't be dismayed. Just take this as a friendly reminder to do a little of your own social media due diligence before you take that leap into social media marketing.

I admit it... I am a taco.

It's Cinco de Mayo and nearing lunch time, so it's the perfect time to come out of the closet and admit that I am a taco through and through. I'm conscientious and a perfectionist and sometimes I tend to take over projects (although I prefer the term "leading" to "taking over")... I can become pretty engrossed in my work - but that makes me an ideal worker, at least according to Dr. Alan Hirsch.

Together with Qdoba Mexican Grill, Dr. Hirsch completed a fun new study to help people realize their Q-dentity, also known as what your Mexican food preferences say about your personality. GroundFloor Media dreamed up the Q-dentity concept and worked together with Dr. Hirsch and our great clients at Qdoba to bring this fun concept to life. Wonder what your Q-dentity is? Simply follow this link and all will be revealed: www.qdoba.com/qdentity.

For the record, GroundFloor Media's office is filled with a blend of burritos (they crave excitement), quesadillas (dependable), chips & salsa (achievement oriented), taco salad (easy going), nachos (self sufficient) and us tacos. Be sure to ask your GroundFloor Media friends about their Q-dentity next time you talk to them! You'll be surprised how revealing their Mexican food personalities and yours can be!

Social Media for Non-Profits

Attention all non-profits... If you've ever wondered how you can harness the power of social media to help promote your cause, increase membership or aid fundraising, I highly recommend this article in yesterday's Chicago Tribune. The author, Wailin Wong, offers some great case studies that might get your own social media minds a-churning.