Welcome to the PRobecast, Episode 29 of Topaz Partners’ weekly PR-related podcast.

Rob Capra, Adam Zand and Todd Van Hoosear discuss:

1. The Skype shut down and related corporate communication problems: Blame Microsoft (or maybe not).

2. Businesses frown on Facebook; PR pros and journalists smile; but is bacn good for you?

3. Spies Like Us and need social networks too.

4. The Monster.com security breach and its (and bacn’s) implications on privacy.

5. Are social networks good for your health (and even better research about AC-DC and decision making)?

6. Some slow progress on the Internet radio fee story?

7. What not to watch on TV: Anchorwoman tanks in the ratings. Reality TV in China is a hit but Big Brother is watching.

8. Chocolate Rain goes 8-bit – Our new theme song? (Only if we don’t have to pay royalties HEYNOW!) You be the judge!

9. Upcoming events: Social Media Breakfast August 29, Social Media Club with Dan Lyons and Wal-Mart on September 20.

Comments? Suggestions? Send an email to bmoc@topazpartners.com, or leave a message at +1-781-404-2419, or Skype doug.haslam (but wait till Monday when he’s back).

PRobecast is available online at www.probecast.com, and in RSS form at http://topazpartners.hipcast.com/rss/probecast.xml . Have a great weekend, and we’ll be back next week!


MP3 File

Technorati Tags: PRobecast, TopazPartners, Media, Public+Relations, PR, PRobecast, Skype, Facebook, spies, Monster, AC-DC, Anchorwoman, Royalties, RIAA, ChocolateRain, SocialMediaClub, SMCBoston, socialmedia, bacn

It’s not that I hear voices when I rip open a pack of Splenda for my morning coffee. But those bright yellow packets speak. They speak in fortune cookie, childrens’ rhyme wisdom and I’m sure I’m not the only one listening.

“Find a packet, pick it up, and all day long you’ll have good luck.”

“A car in every garage and a packet in every cup.”

“Every sweet deed you do will be repaid to you tenfold.”

My Splenda packets are inspirational and filled with sweetness. My Splenda packets are in line with that form of marketing that requires consumer attention to be grabbed and stimulated. Momentary amusement has become a product differentiator… Other sweeteners don’t talk to me.

This amusement factor is hardly new. In fact, it’s a line out of Snapple’s playbook. Flip-the-cap factoids became such a part of Snapple’s branding and image that the Snapple website includes a section devoted to Real Facts!

It’s easy to see how momentary amusement can be a product differentiator in food products–eat the ice cream off the stick and solve the riddle, Splenda packets, Snapple lids, Taco Bell sauce packets… Point being, food doesn’t last that long. A momentary differentiator is all you need.

Can momentary amusement be a product differentiator in tech, without the product itself becoming momentary amusement?

Facebook immediately comes to mind. All those new Facebook apps that people tried and gave up on or joined then promptly forgot about were a form of momentary amusement. But those two day fads aren’t a reason to keep coming back to the site. Facebook, like most products in the tech or wireless space, is a lot more involved than a packet of sugar.

Technorati Tags: splenda, Facebook, marketing, snapple, product+differentiation

Trend-jacking, issue-driven media relations, opportunistic PR — there are many terms that describe the way PR folk can use breaking news and marketplace trends as a springboard for media outreach. But one thing is for certain, this is an area that is getting increasing attention — at least around Topaz.

The days of waiting on product announcements, customer stories and editorial opportunities are long gone — and the smart PR person will look for ways to align media pitches with topical issues and news. Done right, this is a good thing for our clients (more media coverage), for the media (stories that are more relevant and of more interest to readers), and for news consumers. a good example is a story that appeared on AP earlier this week, looking at the dangers of uncontrolled electronic employee communications.

Topaz client Orchestria is a major player in this arena, and we used recent issues related to internal security breaches — with Whole Foods and Boeing — to call attention to this trend and to introduce Orchestria. AP reporter Brian Bergstein saw the story here and the rest is history.