I first discovered People’s Revolution founder Kelly Cutrone years ago on some reality hairstylist show where she was reading a newbie stylist the riot act for not knowing what a chignon was (it’s essentially a low bun, for all you non-fashionistas out there). The outspoken and often unabashed publicist scared me then, but I have uber respect for her now, especially after watching her in action on the MTV reality show “The City.” (I admit it! The show is one of my guilty pleasures.)
So when I heard about Cutrone’s new show, “Kell on Earth,” I was very excited. As a PR person in Denver, I’m far from the LA and New York fashion industry, which Cutrone’s company services. But the PR process is still the same – just twice or three times as intense – which absolutely fascinates me. Plus I’m a girl who loves fashion, so the industry itself is more than intriguing.
I haven’t yet seen “Kell on Earth,” the first episode was February 1, but I plan to watch religiously and buy her new book, “If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You.” The perspective her show and book provide on the PR industry is surely different from my day-to-day experience, but that’s what makes it so interesting. There have only been a couple reality shows about the PR/publicity world, so this should be fun. Who’s going to watch with me?
29
Jan
10
It’s an iPad. Of course it will.
One of our countries most respected innovators, Steve Jobs introduced the iPad on Tuesday and, as usual, the rumors started immediately about the potential for success. Here at Weise Communications, we (and a lot of other people) had a good laugh about the name and wondered if that would impact sales.
For nearly a year, speculation and rumors about the product were rampant. All sorts of ideas were out there and included what the name should be (the iTablet was the most accepted name, and we still think it might have been a better choice)…and photos were speculative too….from the badly photoshopped, 
enlarged iphone to the relatively believable photo of what turned out to be pretty close to the actual iPad.
The biggest questions I heard right after the announcement were of the usual vain from Apple doubters:
- Will it sell?
- Why this version of a computer?
- Does it have a future?
- Why this instead of the iPhone or laptop?
- Do I need to buy another backpack with a space for the iPad?
My first thoughts are these.
- Of course it will sell.
- Of course this version is viable.
- Of course it has a future.
- Of course this work in harmony with my iPhone and laptop.
- Of course my backpack will already accomodate the iPad.
Lisa, our Operations Manager, has never used a Apple before. She wants one.
It’s an Apple. Of course she wants one.
Its an Apple. Of course it will be successful. Of course people will love it. People will even love the name (eventually).
I’m jumping on the “Are there any women in Apple marketing?” bandwagon that Brooke Hammerling (@bhammerling) started yesterday in regard to the iPad. (Yes. I realize I’m a little late, but this was the earliest I could sit down and write this!)
I have no idea what Apple was thinking when they named their latest product, but they clearly didn’t run it by any focus groups that included women. If they had, I imagine the feedback would have been negative.
But now that the iPad is out, we can enjoy humorous comments like the following on PR Newser:
“All I know is that if I can buy it from a vending machine in the washroom, it’ll be damn convenient.”- nankevans
Funny stuff!
But in all seriousness, I’m a big fan of Apple products and I have no doubt that the iPad will be a big hit. We’ll all probably get used to the name and it won’t be such a hoot in the near future.
However, the lesson to be learned here is that Apple, being the huge corporation that it is with a good reputation for putting out quality products, can get over a silly naming gaffe. But other businesses may not be so lucky. A situation such as this could cause smaller, lesser know companies to fall flat on their faces, no matter how awesome their product. Take note when the big guys stumble to ensure you don’t make the same mistake.
How does your advertising drive decisions?
I had an early morning yesterday. Looming over my head was a deadline to get some new ad copy written and a marketing strategy I needed to finish. I put coffee on and began working before my family started to wake. An hour into research and writing I got up for some fresh coffee and I stopped to eat birthday cake for breakfast. (Oh, don’t criticize – you have done it too!)
For me, this is a bit out of character – I don’t really like cake. I don’t like sugar for breakfast. I am currently in training mode, so I am watching what I eat. Birthday cake for breakfast just doesn’t fit into my world right now.
Chalk it up to stress? Not so fast….
On the way to my first meeting of the day, I heard a compelling story on NPR, “Will Power and The Slacker Brain.” (listen to the story here!)
The story is about a research project that is also reviewed in the Wall Street Journal and in the book “How We Decide.” It is the story of how people make good and bad decisions. This is an excerpt from the Wall Street Journal:
In one experiment, led by Baba Shiv at Stanford University, several dozen undergraduates were divided into two groups. One group was given a two-digit number to remember, while the second group was given a seven-digit number. Then they were told to walk down the hall, where they were presented with two different snack options: a slice of chocolate cake or a bowl of fruit salad.
Here’s where the results get weird. The students with seven digits to remember were nearly twice as likely to choose the cake as students given two digits. The reason, according to Prof. Shiv, is that those extra numbers took up valuable space in the brain—they were a “cognitive load”—making it that much harder to resist a decadent dessert. In other words, willpower is so weak, and the prefrontal cortex is so overtaxed, that all it takes is five extra bits of information before the brain starts to give in to temptation.
AHA! Now we know why I ate cake for breakfast!
Is this good news for marketers of sweet treats and alcoholic beverages? If your audience is already in-store, can you over stimulate the brain to breakdown willpower and encourage excess purchases? What about moving people to action whom you are targeting to purchase a gym membership or make an appointment for a cardiac score? At the point of purchase “de-clutter” the messages they hear and see. Keep things simple so they can make the right, healthy decisions.
What do you think? What experience do you have making decisions or purchases when your willpower was broken down? How can you parlay this information about the working mind into your marketing plan?
This week’s news from the LA Times about Royal Caribbean cruise lines is twofold. First, they are pledging at least a million dollars to help earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Second, they are continuing a port of call for their cruise ship passengers 65 miles north of Port-au-Prince, where rescue workers are still searching through wreckage for victims.
It’s a mixed PR story that seems to waiver between good and bad. While Royal Caribbean is pushing their (albeit good) messages that include the delivery of pallets of food, handing off extra mattresses and lounge chairs for makeshift hospitals, and donating all proceeds from excursions on the island to the relief efforts, these messages are mixed in with stays at the private island being protected by armed guards and passengers feeling uncomfortable drinking frozen island drinks just up the road from starving and homeless quake survivors.
I think we should give Royal Caribbean credit for almost doing the right thing. Unfortunately their message is getting muddled. Buried at the end a story in the Guardian, this reference was made:
“The company said yesterday that U.S. coastguards have assessed the jetty and decided it could not be used for cargo ships.”
This is probably an important message that should have been more apparent. Cargo ships can’t access this private port, which is a great reason for the cruise ships to be docking and bringing supplies.
And the message about what is being delivered is good, too. I even think the message about “helping the local economy” is right. The problem is the repeated message of zip line tours and jet skiing. Royal Caribbean should have scaled back excursions for a few weeks. I realize that the local economy needs the infusion of American tourist dollars, but the grim reality of holiday merrymakers frolicking in the sun amidst so much anguish is just incomprehensible.
Clearly the executives at Royal Caribbean are working this story for as much PR exposure as they can get. And that’s fine. As a PR professional, I don’t begrudge them this opportunity. But wouldn’t it have made more sense to send a boat full of supplies instead of passengers? The fact that delivering the supplies is just “part of the schedule” reduces what could have been a bigger and better story. Send the staff down to re-build houses. Carry medical personnel to Haiti. Provide free transportation to the American families that are adopting orphans… now that would build a bigger PR story.
What do you think? Should Royal Caribbean be docking in Haiti? Fill out the survey below or respond with your comments.
The latest on how social media can make a big difference.
A story in the Wall Street Journal, by Susan Davis, gives great support for Scott Brown’s social media strategy, specifically his use of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, being more effective and making a big difference in the outcome of the Senate Race in Massachusetts yesterday (1/19/10).
Atwitter in Mass.: Brown’s Social Media Strategy Tops Coakley’s
Below is an excerpt from the WSJ story:
A study conducted by the Emerging Media Research Council out today found that Brown had a more effective strategy of using social networking tools including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to promote his campaign and connect with supporters.
Here’s a look at the numbers:
Facebook Posts since Jan. 1: Brown (128), Coakley (58)
Facebook Fans: Brown (70,800), Coakley (13,529)
Tweets since Jan. 1: Brown (142), Coakley (144)
Twitter Followers: Brown (9,679), Coakley (3,385)
YouTube Videos: Brown (57), Coakley (52)
YouTube Video Views: Brown (578,271), Coakley (51,173)
What are your thoughts? Do you think that social media really had an effect on the outcome? What have you seen? What are your experiences? We all know social media can make a difference in an election, but do you think social media changing the election process?
