From Cars to Cupcakes: Etiquette and Advice

This afternoon I was fortunate enough to hear Heather Saffer, the “head cupcake” from Dollop Gourmet Cupcake Creations and Eric Miltsch, director of product strategy for DrivingSales and co-creator of CarZar speak about their success in using social media in their very different businesses.

(Big thanks to both Eric and Heather for the great event and inspiration!)

What sticks out to me most from this event is that, yes, social media is a way to connect to consumers. And, yes, social media helps a business’ search engine optimization efforts.

But, more importantly, social media is a way to tell a story to a mass of people that wouldn’t otherwise hear it.

Pacquiao sucker punched by the media

I absolutely love Trending Topics on Twitter. Obviously, they let people see what has the most buzz surrounding it at any given point. What I don’t like, however, is when I see an intriguing trending topic, but can’t figure out what has actually occurred by reading the tweets associated with the topic.

For example, this afternoon I saw that  ”Manny Pacquiao” was trending. Now, as much as I am not a fan of boxing, it caught my eye and I was wondering what the athlete did to generate so much conversation. From the massive list of tweets I was confronted with, I was unable to figure out exactly what that was. So, I went ahead and did the work that I usually look for someone else to have already done.

I investigated.

Can Twitterships be as effective as relationships?

For a long time, I have been a huge advocate of using online, social media platforms to make connections with professionals in one’s given field of choice. Specifically, I think it’s a great tool for students and young professionals who haven’t found the best fitting job for them yet.

To name a few, Twitter makes connecting easy because following does not need to be mutual. In other words, you don’t have to be accepted by a person in order to follow them.

Conversely, LinkedIn, known as the professional social

network, is great for connecting because connections on the site are generally only made between people who actually do have a legitimate offline relationship. In other words, it’s more authentic.

I want to clarify this a bit further, though.

Captain Morgan steps into the Black

I recently saw a commercial that I just had to put a little spotlight on. It’s for a new Captain Morgan product - Captain Morgan Black.

Down with the King! … And the rest of the company.

I have to be honest for a second. Burger King’s entire strategy when it comes to marketing  has always really bothered me. It seems like this company repeatedly makes very questionable decisions.

 

Remember this thing?

Burger King used this King mascot from 2003 to 2011, and it was featured in plenty of ads.

Warning: do not attempt drinking without Tweeting!

I have a Marketing professor that talks a lot about influences on demand. In other words, why we buy the products that we buy on a daily basis. One of the things that this guy says repeatedly is that alcohol is marketed in a social manner. If you haven’t noticed, all alcohol commercials feature friends hanging out and having a good time together. Dr. Weaver once said,

“I don’t drink my Budweiser at home by myself, folks. If I did… well, I would have a pretty significant problem on my hands!”

The man has a point – drinking is usually something we do with friends in social settings.

Start Spreading the News

On March 25, Delta Airlines began it’s new flight schedule that boasted non-stop service from Rochester International to Laguardia. As a guy that lives around Rochester, I think it’s an awesome addition and something that Delta can definitely capitalize on. Some of the advertising that Delta used to kick-off the new service really caught my eye as well.

This is an ad that ran in Rochester’s Democrat and Chronicle a few weeks before the service began.

Social Media Playbook: M&M’s

** This is the second part of a series. Click here to read the first part!                                “Social media Playbook: Jim Beam.”

It’s not a secret that businesses and brands are using social media sites as a new way to market their products and services to customers. Some, however, clearly do it better than others. My goal in my Social Media Playbook series is to identify some of the best (and some of the worst) users of the social environment and explain what makes their presence so progressive and opportunistic (or tragic and disgusting).

I recently stumbled upon a few of M&M’s social spaces, and I knew right away that I would have to write about the brand. Twitter, YouTube and even Pandora are all utilized by the popular candy, but I want to start with the Facebook page – the hub of the social scene.

College organizations compete for sidewalk real estate

Chalk isn't only a children's toy.

As a college student, I’ve been exposed to an interesting communication tactic while at Brockport. Many clubs and on-campus organizations use sidewalk chalk to get the word out about their events and causes. But is the tactic effective?

Inspired, Integrated Ideas are Only the Beginning

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to take a tour of Dixon Schwabl with about 8 of my classmates. The full-service advertising, public relations and digital media agency is well known in the Rochester area for its extensive, wide variety of clients and projects.

Dixon is also well known for its consistent place on lists of best places to work in America. After spending some time inside the agency’s walls, it’s not hard to see why.