PRobecast 132: Blackberry Offering Free Apps, Dr. Pepper Ten’s Controversy, Lindsay Lohan
October 20th, 2011 by Alison Raymond
In this episode of PRobecast, Renatta Siewert and Caitlin Smith join me in talking about free blackberry apps, Dr. Pepper Ten and Lindsay Lohan’s trouble with the law.
Blackberry to give free apps to compensate for outages– Last week we discussed the Blackberry outages that effected users worldwide. Now, the company is offering users select premium applications free of charge that are supposedly worth over $100, along with one month free technical support to the company’s enterprise users. Is this enough for users to forget about the outage that was heard across the world?
Dr. Pepper’s ‘Manly’ Drink – So a new advertising campaign for Dr. Pepper Ten is causing quite the stir over the internet. Many are saying the campaign is sexist. The ad starts out with a man in fight/war gear running through a jungle shooting laser guns, saying that the new beverage is “10 manly calories” and is not for women. This ad was developed after research found not many men opted for diet beverages. Do you think the way Dr. Pepper went about advertising this was wrong?”
Lindsay Lohan might be going to jail – Lindsay Lohan is, once again, in trouble with the law. This time her probation is being revoked and she will be forced to complete 16 hours of community service at the morgue. Apparently, this spawned from her being kicked out of the Women’s Center for not showing up 9 times. The judge also said that she doubted Lindsay had visited her shrink once a week – something she was required to do. If you were Lindsay’s PR rep, what would you have her do. Can she save her image?
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 Blackberry won. I mean, they tried. We don’t necessarily think their peace offering was effective, but they did try putting themselves in a better light by offering a few premium applications to users.
Who do you think should have won this week?
Category: Marketing, Messaging & Positioning, Mobile, News & Commentary, PR, PRobecast, video, Web | No Comments »
PRobecast 124: Cigarette Labels, Mobile Apps Saving $$, Whitey Bulger
June 24th, 2011 by Alison Raymond
In this episode of PRobecast, Justin Martell and Renatta Siewart join me in talking about the new graphic cigarette labels, mobile apps being used to save money, the capture of Whitey Bulger and a little pup with 4 prosthetic legs.
New Cigarette Warnings – Starting in September 2012, the Food and Drug Administration is going to start pushing out graphic warnings that will be required to be placed on the packages of cigarettes. Graphics include: dead bodies, decaying teeth with cancer of the mouth, etc. What do you think of this campaign? Will this get people to stop smoking?
Mobile apps are helping people save money – Putnam Investments recently launched an application for iPhones that can scan bar codes to compare prices at other stores. Once the prices come up, it will reflect which purchase is better for your savings in the long run. The article on USA Today, also says that other programs such as UPromise and one from PNC Bank also help consumers save money. What do you think of these types of applications?
Whitey Bulger arrested – The big news of the week is that Whitey Bulger has finally been caught and arrested after being found in Santa Monica. Now 81, Whitey has been on the run for 15 years, after he was tipped by an FBI agent that he was about to be indicted. In 1995, Bulger was indicted for racketeering and for 19 murders. This capture was just after one day of a newly launched campaign by the FBI, trying to locate Bulger and his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Elizabeth Greig.
Dog with 4 prosthetic paws – At just over 5 weeks, a puppy named Naki’o – and his brothers and sisters – were abandoned after their family’s house was foreclosed on in Nebraska. Fortunately the puppy survived through the winter, however, his paws were deformed into rounded stumps after being stuck in an icy puddle. According to Incrediblefeatures.com, Veterinary technician Christie Tomlinson “organized a fundraiser to pay for Naki’o to have his two back legs fitted with prosthetics.” He is now the first dog to have a set of four prosthetic paws. It’s amazing what technology can do!
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.
While the Whitey Bulger story is huge, Renatta and I chose the new cigarette labels as this week’s winner. When it comes to younger kids choosing to smoke – seeing it as being ‘cool’ – we think these labels can really change their minds before taking their first drag. While some adults are just used to their routine, this campaign could be very effective in encouraging younger kids and teenagers to live a healthier lifestyle.
Do you agree?
Category: Marketing, Mobile, PR, Predictions, PRobecast, Tech, video | No Comments »
PRobecast 118: YouTube’s On-demand Videos, Local Media and a Prom Proposal Gone Wrong
May 13th, 2011 by Alison Raymond
In this episode of PRobecast, Sarah Thomas and Justin Martell join me in talking about You Tube adding on-demand movies, what ‘local media’ is and the teen that was banned from prom.
YouTube is adding on-demand movie rentals – Monday, Youtube is adding on-demand movie rentals that will make this service be in direct competition to Netflix, Hulu, etc. Not sure how much YouTube will charge – but do you think this will effect the other services?
There’s no such thing as ‘local media’ – An article on PRWeek talks about how there is no such thing as ‘local media’ coverage. It goes on to say how since more and more smaller publications are going online – it is an opportunity for more eyes to see every article as they are spread through the internet and different social media channels. An article running in you’re hometown publication, still offers clients an opportunity to be spread further than just the print circulation of subscribers
Teen banned from prom after prom proposal – James Tate, a New Shelton, CT senior, thought has was being creative and sincere when asking his potential date to the prom. He cute out letters out of cardboard and stuck it to the side of the school. However, school officials didn’t think so. He was slapped with a one-day in-house suspension for trespassing and posing a safety risk. Because of this suspension he is now also unable to attend prom. People are now turning to social media asking the school officials to take back the punishment. Are you on #teamtate?
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 the story about the teen being banned from his high school prom and the social media tactics taking place trying to support him to get the punishment evoked. This just goes to show the power of social media – and how social media can be used in so many ways.
Category: Media Relations, News & Commentary, PRobecast, Social Media, Social Networks, video | No Comments »
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