The Connection Between the Social Media Phenomenon and Media Relations

This past week, I read an interesting article  regarding media relations and consumption patterns of audiences.  While I am well aware that the industry has revamped the playing field, I was enlightened when I read about how to rekindle the spark of media relations.  In this article, the author suggests that “the increase in communication vehicles and the social media phenomenon are making media relations look more like integrated marketing communication.”  But what does that mean?

Media relations entails working directly with various media outlets that produce news and features to large audiences, like message boards, blogs, YouTube, podcasts etc.  Essentially, the objective is to capitalize on positive exposure without incorporating the added expense of advertising.  

The article chronicles much of media relations advancements and valuable suggestions. An important aspect that stood out to me pertained to public discourse.  PR professionals need to keep up with rapid changes in the industry while balancing ethical values, and credibility.  Understandably, the demand for quality content will continue to be an important factor but social media can assist with the advantage of building strong connections between consumers and producers. Presently, acclimation does not seem to be the primary problem.  Instead, finding the time and manpower to follow through with important tasks related to online content are the problems.  The article mentions that the demands on PR professionals have escalated to multidimensional.  With the expansion of social media, there are endless opportunities to connect with plenty of audience segments, but hardly enough employees or budget to enforce consistency.

In recognizing how rapidly the industry is changing, marketing and PR professionals need to take into consideration suggestions that can help the integration process for producers. Here are some from the article:

·         It’s not only about print converge or online content.  Social media tools will alter industry values and techniques. Segmentation objectives are crucial to implement.

·         Utilize media components to help promote and expose products/brands. Cater to consumer needs and wants. We are accustomed to having information at our fingertips.

·         Twitter, blogs, Facebook- they are all examined by reporters.  Engaging with reporters in different media realms could be an effective tactic.

Now, going back to my original question, editorial media is not as effective as it used to be years ago. The future of media will encompass the convergence of “print and online, PR and advertising.” Also known as the era of “and”, as cleverly suggested by the author.   This claim is inspiring, to say the least.  Who would have ever thought that the advent of technology would have made an astonishing impact on an industry that is set in their ways? PR, marketing and advertising tactics are known to consistently transform, depending on the circumstances, due to innovations. However, the core foundation developed over the years by professionals stand out as a quintessential platform for the industries.  In the communications industry, we prefer to differentiate communication vehicles in order to build independent values instead of overlapping industries. I think digital media convergence is extremely empowering and inspiring. Overtime, the quality of content and ease of access for consumers has proven to be an advantage.

Fashion

I think this week would be the prime opportunity for me to finally discuss fashion.  Yes, I think it’s time.

The fashion industry has taken a keen interest in technology and social media over the past couple of years.  Brands continue to embrace integrated marketing as their central principle to follow, in an effort to connect with customers. The rapid growth of social media has definitely shaped the way designers communicate with their shoppers.  Of course, designers and their team implement all elements of the “promotional mix” into their marketing techniques, but what I would like to unravel this week centers around the content that attracts attention.  How have preparation, creation and connection with consumers effect the entire package?

In this first video, Marc Gobe discusses how producers connect with consumers.  He points out that the information distributed on a daily basis in magazines, the internet and television is constantly pushed in our faces. Designers tend to forget to listen to what people want, which in turn makes them afraid of criticism.  I completely agree. The majority of companies dive in too fast, with no plan intact. How could that possibly help structure a brand or formulate a level of trust between consumer and producer? As a result, most buyers are dissatisfied because they are hardly acknowledged but expected to support the brand.  Gobe also suggests that communication is the best research for producers.  In light of this idea, with the advent of the internet, social media provides a unique set of tools to enable people to network and build connections online.  Rachel Roy , a designer, has been proactive in her marketing strategy by daily updating her Facebook page with stats changes, pictures taken throughout her daily routine, new designs etc. Presently, fashion retail sectors have become inspired by the innovative trends transmitted through social media networks.

A Discussion on Social Media

In the next video clip, Donna Karan related the movie industry to the fashion industry in regards to their promotional techniques.  She believes s that designers and their teams distribute too much information, throwing consumers into a “tizzy”.  Despite the intentions of most companies to educate their target audience about their merchandise, Donna thinks that the competition and excessive marketing strategies have gone overboard.  The fashion industry is not what it used to be and it will take years to bring back. We need to go back to a time when a sense of exclusivity existed.

Donna Karan

So how do we find a balance? The developments in the fashion business raise new questions about exclusivity. Have marketing professionals in the fashion realm created a monster with social media sites?

Social media expansion provides a foundation for designers to build upon in numerous ways.  Finally, the producers can interact with their customers on a whole new level.  Many companies are moving past print media and instead implement an interactive element to their marketing tactics. I welcome this idea, but I don’t think that we should lose sight of the core meaning of fashion means to each individual. Fostering consumer engagement is imperative to succeed in today’s evolving fashion industry.

Fashion's Night Out garnered tons of media attention this year.  For iPhone users gallivanting around NYC on September 10^th, they were able to utilize a fun new app. The official app for Fashion’s Night Out, LUSTR, was a helpful tool to navigate around the city that never sleeps.  The app gave people access to event information, search for events and post where a person is located at that given moment to Facebook or Twitter.  In addition to that, the application also gave a list of sales and fabulous deals in nearby areas. Check it out. http://mashable.com/2010/09/10/fashions-night-out/

Lets Talk About Integrated Marketing...

This week, I would like to focus on why companies should use social media and a networking technique for marketing purposes.  Over the past two weeks, I briefly touched on marketing and how it coincides with new communication formats.  After researching a little more about integrated marketing communications and the impact social media has consumers and producers, I came across a cohesive article that speaks to the subject of my blog. 

Integrated Marketing Communications, as described in the article, tries to synchronize and control the many elements of what they call the promotional mix.  This includes: public relations, advertising, direct marketing and sales promotion in an effort to create a “unified customer-focused message and, therefore, achieve various organizational objectives (Mangold &Faulds, 2009, p. 357).  Combining all of the promotional tools mentioned above and other elements of marketing directly impact consumers, while maximizing profit at a cheap price.  If it’s executed effectively, then the payoff will be beneficial.  Interestingly, I never thought of how companies utilize this mechanism and how it is repetitiously exhibited to us day-to-day.  The reading highlights word-of-mouth forums (discussion boards, chat rooms, blogs, moblogs and social networking sites) as an important element to successfully marketing products. Consumer generated media can help companies speak to their consumers through platforms that ignite reciprocation. A prime example of this would be when I interned at a publishing company for a magazine. In the publishing marketing arena, targeting audiences can be tricky.  Societal norms are constantly evolving, so companies need to build strategic plans that will generate not only profit but popularity of any form.  Along with that, credibility but that will be discussed in a couple weeks. Let me get back to the story. For one of my assignments my responsibility was to contact numerous media outlets about an upcoming event for the magazine. The most important outlet? Blogs. Any type of blog site that would attract their ideal audience.  Not only did we publicize on the radio but Facebook as well.  Our main concern was to make sure people actually came to the event. By utilizing Facebook, Friends of friends and people who “liked” their page were able to tell hundreds of other people about the event.  The instantaneous nature illustrates why many companies value the role that social media plays in their promotional efforts.

Connecting consumers with products and the organization is an important key point that the authors highlight in the article. They noted that in order for consumers to feel connected with a company, their voices should be heard by submit ting feedback (Mangold &Faulds, 2009). I completely agree with this notion as I feel that in order for a company to succeed they should take into consideration criticism and suggestions.  Setting up an area either on the main website for a blog or utilizing a Facebook page would be a strong component of an effective marketing strategy.  This would allow consumers to contribute their opinions and respond to current events in an open online environment.  Building a relationship between consumers and producers can definitely ensure brand advocacy in the long run.

Mangold, W., & Faulds, D. (2009). Social media: The new hybrid element of the promotion mix. Business Horizons, 52(4), 357-365. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2009.03.002.

Marketing Research + Facebook

Convergence has proven to be a controversial topic in the field of digital media.  More users are able to produce content, igniting a questionable overflow of information at our fingertips.

Companies are learning how to increase the flow of information across all delivery channels in order to boost revenue opportunities and reinforce consumer commitments. As social media networks have taken off, consumers have become experts in learning how to use these sites to their advantage by achieving control and interacting with others.

Let’s discuss how social media marketing can help increase activity for businesses. 

Social media expansion provides a foundation for businesses, while fostering a format for their core objective.  In light of this idea, targeting clients is just as crucial.  This past week, I interviewed Chris, Senior Project Manager of at Schlesinger Associates.  His responsibilities involves: running operations on projects; project budget & cost; and overseeing of online survey samples.  He described his responsibilities, regarding Facebook, as a form of recruitment for clients to acquire attention from consumers. Promotion is a crucial element of Schlesinger’s strategic plan, which is inclusive of: Advertising to their target audience (in their case, a wide range of people from different socioeconomic backgrounds); internet marketing, and database marketing (specifically for medical recruiting, they utilize DMD database of doctors).  A prime example of when his marketing responsibilities arise would involve a pharmaceutical company looking to brand one of their products differently.  The marketing research company would run a Facebook advertisement to get consumers to click on the link.  Banner advertisements are a known to be an effective marketing tactic but not for this particular company- their objective and mission is vastly different from other businesses.  In most cases, the advertisements pop up on a person’s Facebook page, because the search ads are relevant to what they are interested, also known as “likes”. He also discussed their choices, as a company to use search ads (per-click fee) where the amount paid is determined by the amount of clicks anytime the ad pops up.  

On the other hand, their Facebook page is strictly used to run advertisements.  As a marketing research company, there are two advantages of utilizing a Facebook page: Website traffic and exposure.  In terms of website traffic, the more people “like” the Schlesinger Facebook page, the more likely they may inquire about the company and go directly to the website. As a marketing research company, they are constantly looking for new people to add to the database. Secondly, exposure of the company and different research studies conducted within the area may spark an interest for people interested in participating in market research studies but hesitant or unaware of companies in their location.  Overall, Facebook has been a positive, dependable channel in which Schlesinger’s can promote their brand to a wide range of demographics.  Building a connection with a host of clients and consumers is a challenging task but with the help of Facebook, the company has established a sense of credibility that is evident through their marketing techniques.  

Week 1 - Intro

Hello Everyone!

The purpose of this blog is to better understand how social media and marketing coincide.  Social media has essentially taken over the digital world in many ways- positive and negative.   Integrated marketing includes advertising, sales promotion, internet marketing, direct marketing, public relations etc. Because my topic for this blog is so broad, I will try and focus on a particular industry every week.  I also plan on focusing on how companies utilize internet marketing in an effort to build a connection between the brand and consumer.   Oh, I am fascinated with pop culture and the entertainment industry.   I promise you that I will somehow correlate key concepts or discoveries into by blog.

                                                                                                                              

What is social media?

Social media is a way to construct relationships by interacting through a variety of online channels.  This two-way form of digital communication enables people to create and exchange user-generated content.  This is a term that is difficult to pinpoint, because of the different types of media that use web technologies.  Here are some top social media sources that you may already be aware of: Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, Flickr and Youtube- just to name a few.   If you haven’t already noticed, there is a social media network for anyone who may be interested in this type of communication.  Using social media as an outlet for marketing strategies embodies a host of challenges  for companies.  A lot of coordination is involved. 

 When I think about the connection between social media and integrated marketing, the first thing that comes to mind is, overload. I understand that companies use their marketing ideas and resources to make a strong impression on consumers, but most of the time when they use these social networks; it can be a lot to absorb.  Social media marketing seems to be the most effective way of communicating with the public. Many companies use Facebook, for instance to help promote their brand but sometimes, they hardly update the page.  In relation to this idea, here are two questions to consider:  what are the company’s values? Are they distributing information via the internet effectively? Ideally, their intentions should shine through their marketing efforts; however, sometimes they can be lost in translation. Additionally, originality, and honesty should transcend through the creation and exchange of information from the company.  Advertisements are distributed on many of these sites, but are they noticeable?   In my opinion, the number one challenge revolves around establishing a strong marketing plan and following through with key initiatives. I could be wrong, can’t wait to find out.

A strong cohesive brand-consumer relationship is imperative in order to succeed.  If at all possible, a company should formulate a strategy and study their audience.  Unfortunately, I think many companies fail to take the time and understand their consumers. Why should we market to that demographic? When is the right time? What would be the most appropriate approach in doing so?  The public, specifically users of social media site, are constantly evolving, which could be a challenge that may emerge in my interviews and observations in the following weeks.

Check out this video that I found on YouTube to give you a little bit of insight about Social Media and Integrated Marketing. The entire video is a comprehensive overview of what I plan to focus on weekly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gza8dvN8Hkc