In this episode of PRobecast, Renatta Siewert and Caitlin Smith join me in discussing Milwaukee Health Department’s new co-sleeping ad campaign, O.co reverting back to Overstock.com and Justin Bieber’s paternity suit being dropped.

Milwaukee’s Co-Sleeping Ad Controversy – The city of Milwaukee’s Health Department is under scrutiny after its recent ad campaign warning parents about the dangers of co-sleeping. Their advertisement shows a baby sleeping next to a knife – not the normal picture you get in your head when thinking about an infant dozing off. The Commissioner of Health says that while the image is shocking, what is more shocking is the fact that 30 developed and underdeveloped countries have better infant death rates than the city. However, some parents are outraged and think that co-parenting is a good bonding ritual between mothers and their child. Is Milwaukee in a PR-mess that it can handle? How should the city move forward?

Overstock Backs Off O.co Name Change – About six months ago, Overstock.com started branding it O.co – in online ad, tv ads and during sporting events. They’re reverting their branding and bringing back their Overstock.com messaging because a “good portion” of those watching to o.co ads, started going to o.com. Obviously, that is a problem. Some experts are saying that by going back to Overstock.com branding, for the time being, is going to cost a lot of brand confusion with their customers. What do you think?

Justin Bieber’s Baby Drama– Looks like Justin Bieber might not have as much baby mamma drama going on as he has had in recent weeks. Mariah Yeater, the 20-yr old that accused Biebs of fathering her 4 month year old child, has quietly dropped her lawsuit. According to Yeater’s lawyer, his client was receiving death threats and decided to pursue privately. How do you think Bieber’s PR camp handled the allegations? Is this girl just looking for 15 minutes of fame?

Now it’s time for the PRobecast PR Power Ranking – which is when we go around the room and pick the story that we think ranks the highest PR-wise – meaning any aspects of PR could be the reasoning behind the pick. Is it the story itself, good data that was used, what’s getting the most pickup, was it a good PR move the company made, etc.

This week’s winner was Overstock. Too often brands have messaging that doesn’t work, and instead of addressing the problem – the messaging is never altered. While Overstock is still keeping O.co, they are addressing the problem by bringing back the more well-known Overstock.com URL. It’s a win-win for them. People know it and now consumers can get to their site.

Who do you think should have won?

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Technorati Tags: Justin Bieber's baby, milwaukee's co-sleeping campaign, o.co, Overstock.com

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In this episode of PRobecast, Renatta Siewert joins me in talking about the idea of voting via smartphone, Disney and YouTube’s $10M deal and social media not being one-size fits all.

Voting with a Smartphone – Did you vote on Election Day? A Mashable writer suggested that many people don’t vote because voting is inconvenient. There’s the time limit, the specific locations as to where you can vote – all these things can often be roadblocks and the reasoning behind people not voting. He suggests the idea that smartphones could change all that. With all the apps available, a secure application could be created allowing people to vote directly from their mobile device. With people now being able to purchase things via their smartphones, why not vote?

Disney’s Deal with YouTube – Disney and YouTube have put together a deal to produce co-branded video content. Disney is trying to attract a bigger audience by teaming up with the video giant. On the other hand, YouTube is trying to better their reputation with parents by teaming up with this family-friendly company. Is this a good move for both players? Will we see more companies trying to partner with YouTube?

Social media: Every Channel Doesn’t Need to be Tapped – An article in PRWeek discusses how when it comes to social media, don’t jump in blindly. Companies need to be strategic as to which forms of social channels they decide to join – and have a plan as to what their ultimate goal is. Having a twitter account that isn’t geared towards your target audience is not going to help your presence. Being on Facebook, but not having any information about your company isn’t going to grow your “like”ers. When it comes to social media, brands need to be smart.

Now it’s time for the PRobecast PR Power Ranking – which is when we go around the room and pick the story that we think ranks the highest PR-wise – meaning any aspects of PR could be the reasoning behind the pick. Is it the story itself, good data that was used, what’s getting the most pickup, was it a good PR move the company made, etc.

This week we chose the Disney/YouTube deal as the story that comes out on top. This deal makes perfect sense for both parties, bettering the images of both parties. Disney needs to expand their audience and seem “cooler,” whereas YouTube wants to better its sometimes explicit image with parents concerned about what their children are viewing.

Who do you think should have won?

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Technorati Tags: Disney and YouTube deal, How to use Social Media, Voting via Smartphone

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In this episode of PRobecast, Justin Martell, Caitlin Smith and Avi Aronson join me in discussing the Gmail iOS app that is no more, plus how brands are using social media to monitor customer discussions about Black Friday. If you got up at 2 am to shop, wouldn’t you want your favorite brand to have fully-stocked items?? We also couldn’t avoid a rant or two about Kim Kardashian’s extremely short-lived “marriage”, plus Justin Bieber’s chance at Daddy of the Year.

Google yanks Gmail iOS app – Google’s much-delayed iOS app became available yesterday, but was pulled soon after due to bugs with the app. Why would Google publish an app with obvious problems? Did you download it, only to be disappointed?

Social media presents opportunities and dilemmas for retailers – If you woke up at 2 am for Black Friday mob shopping, wouldn’t you want your favorite brands to have a full selection of items available? We would here at Topaz! It’s up to the brand to monitor their social media channels, and if they’re not paying attention for the yearly craziness also known as Black Friday, it’s their loss with disappointed customers.

We also couldn’t help ranting a bit on Kim Kardashian’s “wedding” and “marriage”, along with The Biebs and his paternity test. We’re dying to know the results.

Have a great weekend!

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Technorati Tags: Black Friday, Gmail, iOS, Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, PRobecast, rant

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