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All Gave Some, Some Gave All
As we get ready for our Memorial Day cookouts, take a minute to reflect on those who have served our country, especially those who gave all. Freedom has its price, and we are forever thankful for all the troops, families, friends, non-profits and companies who support our brave men and women.
In memory of my husband’s friends who he had the privilege to serve with, we will never forget their courage and dedication to our country:
Capt Phillip Dykeman, USMC
Capt John Maloney, USMC
1st Lt Joshua Palmer, USMC
SSG Kyle Wehrly, USA
SSgt Joshua Cullins, USMC
Sgt Garrett Misener, USMC
Sgt Michael Roy, USMC
Sgt Joshua Frazier, USMC
Sgt Joseph Bovia, USMC
Sgt Frank R. Zaehringer III, USMC
HM3 James Swink II, USMC
Cpl Carlos Gilorozco, USMC
Cpl Brett Lundstorm, USMC
SPC Daniel Sesker, USA
Cpl Joshua Synder, USMC
Cpl John Bishop, USMC
Cpl Stephen Sockalosky, USMC
Cpl Jacob Tate, USMC
LCpl Joseph Giese, USMC
LCpl Maung Htaik, USMC
LCpl Terry Honeycutt Jr., USMC
LCpl Dakota Huse, USMC
LCpl Michael Geary, USMC
LCpl Timothy Jackson, USMC
LCpl Joshua Twigg, USMC
LCpl Kyle Brown, USMC
LCpl Joshua Scott, USMC
Tide’s 1st Bilingual Commercial Gets Mixed Reviews
This morning I saw Tide’s new bilingual commercial for the first time, and was interested to see how the Hispanic community was responding to it. The commercial has been airing since September 2012, yet continues to receive feedback on YouTube.
Comments from Tide’s YouTube page include:
“After seeing this commercial, I will never purchase the product again.”
“Just get to the point in English.”
“I LOVE this spot (no pun intended). This is a fact of life. Join the 21st Century and understand that the world is changing.”
“These are awesome! Nevermind the racist bafoons who think “America” means white. It’s about damn time major advertisers started bothering to treat more Americans like humans.”
A recent post on LatinoRebels.com agrees the ad was well done.
“… it totally reflects a true bilingual and bicultural family. The abuela is also a bit hip, and come on, how many of you remember having to translate for your family?”
The ad is certainly soliciting feedback among consumers, but I’m sure Tide did its homework with its target audience to ensure it was well received among all Americans. After all, if people are talking about the ad, Tide did its job.
Think Seniors Are Not Online? Think Again!
The baby boomer and senior marketplace is online. They are emailing, using smart phones and tablets, purchasing products online and using social media. Here’s the proof:
• One-third of the 195.3 million Internet users in the U.S., adults aged 50+ represent the Web’s largest constituency (Jupiter Research).
• Two-thirds of Americans 50+ buy from e-retailers online (Pew).
• 89% of seniors 65+ have personal email and use it regularly (Nielsen).
• 72% of baby boomers have broadband Internet in their homes (ThirdAge and JWT Boom).
• 36% of adults 50+ own a smartphone (Pew).
• 44% of smartphone owners age 50+ access the Internet or check email daily from their device (Pew).
• Adults 45+ account for 34.7% of current tablet users (comScore TabLens).
• From 2004 – 2009, the number of seniors age 65+ actively using the Internet increased more than 55% (Nielsen).
• 27.4 million people age 55 and over engaged in social networking with nearly 19 million of those people using Facebook (comScore).
• Adults 50+ spend an average of $7 billion online annually (SeniorNet).
• 72% of adults 55-63 and even 47% age 73+ shop online (Forrester).
• 41% of Internet users 50-64 and 27% age 65+ say they watch videos online (Pew).
• The Internet is the most important source of information for baby boomers when they make major market purchases, such as automobiles or appliances (Zoomerang).
• 42% of all travel industry purchases happen online, and adults 50+ account for 80% of all luxury travel spending (Pew Internet and American Life Project).
• 82% of adults aged 50+ who use the Internet to research health and wellness information online (Pew Internet and American Life Project).
• The top four online websites for people over 60 are Google, Facebook, Yahoo and YouTube (AARP).
Consider how you can use the web, mobile and social media to reach this influential market.
Should Bloggers Disclose When a Tweet, Facebook Post or Pin is “Sponsored”?
There is no doubt about it that blogs/bloggers continue to be influential, and blogger relations should be considered as part of a company’s marketing/public relations plan. There is also no doubt about it that blogger relations continues to be the Wild West.
Many bloggers have made blogging a full time job. They are looking to secure advertising dollars for not only digital ads, but also product reviews, Facebook posts, Twitter posts and Pinterest posts. Companies see the value in bloggers writing/posting
tweeting/pinning about their products and services and are willing to pay for coverage.
While the FTC did update its guidelines in 2009 requiring bloggers to be transparent when being paid or given product for reviews, this hasn’t really cleared up the blogger transparency issue. And as more social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.) are added to the mix, the lines continue to get blurred.
So while you are seeing “sponsored posts” on Facebook and “promoted” Twitter posts, users and hashtags, this doesn’t incorporate when bloggers are tweeting, pinning or posting sponsored content.
Having a journalism degree and having it ingrained in my head that advertising and editorial are always kept separate (although we can debate that too), there is a very interesting ethical discussion all us PR and marketing practitioners should be having with bloggers about this.
While journalists pride themselves on the separation of editorial and advertising, bloggers have a different motive, and in the end it’s the consumer that will likely suffer.
Should You Jump on the Viral Video Bandwagon (e.g. the Harlem Shake)?
Similar to the Gangam Style video, the Harlem Shake video has gone viral. And everyone and their brother is jumping on the bandwagon to develop their own rendition.
University of Georgia Men’s Swim and Dive Team
Pepsi
SeaWorld
As of last Thursday, the number of Harlem Shake videos was at a whooping 40,000, and those videos collectively had secured 175 million views!
So is it worth the time to respond quickly to potential YouTube sensations for your brand? Below are 6 quick questions to help vet the opportunity.
1. Does this support your marketing goals? If so, how?
2. What end result do you want to achieve by the potential exposure (e.g brand exposure, impressions, product sales, etc.)?
3. Will the video really, truly help you achieve your goals and meet your expectations?
4. What metrics can you put in place to track the results?
5. Can you really organize your employees to respond immediately?
6. Is there something, someone or a unique location you can use in the video that will stand out from others? Think Jeff Gordon, Sea World animals or underwater.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Manocchio
President, Sweeney
jennifer@sweeneypr.com
Jennifer Manocchio is the president of Sweeney. Jennifer joined the agency in 2002 after serving with Edelman at its headquarters in Chicago. In 2004, she opened the agency’s full-service office in Wilmington, NC.
A goal-oriented marketing professional, Jennifer is always pushing the limits of campaigns, media, bloggers, vendors, results, staff and herself. She is always prepared and ready for the next big challenge – whether she is running a campaign or a marathon.
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