Twitter has taken the first step towards monetizing the micro-blogging site. It’s called Twitter 101 and it features a collection of Web pages and a downloadable slideshow that explain Twitter to businesses and how they can use it, along with case studies of companies using Twitter. “The case studies cover well-known companies like JetBlue and Dell … and small businesses like Teusner Wines and CoffeeGroundz,” Claire Cain Miller wrote for The New York Times. “Twitter will likely roll out a bundle of paid services later this year for businesses to use to do things like verify their accounts and analyze traffic to their Twitter profiles, [Mr. Anamitra Banerji, manager of commercial products at Twitter] said.”
So your brand isn’t on a social network. No need to sweat it, a recent study has shown. WorkPlace Media conducted a poll of office workers and found that social networks have little effect on the way people perceive brands. According to the study, “96 percent of respondents said their opinion of a product brand did not change if that brand had no presence on a social networking site, and only 11 percent of social networking users reported following any major brand through a social networking site, and just 12 percent of respondents said their opinion of a brand changes if that brand maintains a social networking presence.”
In December 2008, David Mann was laid off from his position as director of corporate communications for 24 Hour Fitness, a health club chain. This morning, the 40-year-old California resident has a guest blog post on The Wall Street Journal Web site about being unemployed and how to maintain one’s dignity during the job search. “I’ll admit that my confidence and dignity took a hit because I felt like I was at the top of my game professionally when I was laid off,” Mann wrote. “I had taken an organization with no communications function, built it up and it was performing really well. I guess I felt infallible. And my dignity took a hit because initially, being laid off felt very personal, like I was targeted. As the days and weeks went on I came to realize it wasn’t personal and truly a sign of the times."
Quest Diagnostics is hiring a director of external communications. This position is accountable to develop and implement world class external communications strategies, messaging and programs to support the company’s business objectives; influence key external audiences, including consumers, investors, the media, customers and others; and measure and report on progress.
RedEye columnist Kyra Kyles thinks this press release is really bad. (RedEye is a free commuter daily published by the Chicago Tribune.) And her beef is legit; this press releaseis weird. It announces the winner of a video contest that the company Webtel.mobi launched in the spring. The winner was a (bad) rap video featuring two overweight white guys. In its press release, Webtel.mobi talks—repeatedly—about how surprised they are that white people can rap. "We never expected two white rappers to win the overall prize in our company's competition,” a spokesperson for the company said. Kyles had some advice for the PR pro behind this. “Whoever wrote this release,” she said, “kill yourself, figuratively, of course.”
President Obama should have avoided that last question during his press conference Wednesday about the hot button case involving a black Harvard professor—the president’s friend—who was arrested in his own home. “Sorry, Mr. President, but if you were trying to address racial tensions or sell your health care overhaul, you blew it,” wrote communicator Ari Badler on the blog Here Comes Later.
Punch Communications, a boutique PR Agency in England, identified five reasons why companies should embrace public relations during the current recession. Here’s no. 1: “Audiences still consume information through the media, regardless of economy—the economy isn’t going to stop people reading the media.”
Wonder how the proponents of the PR Blackout will feel about this move. “Procter & Gamble is sponsoring a pre-event on Thursday before the BlogHer 2009 conference in Chicago to roll out its updated Swiffer Wet Jet cleaning mop,” Pradnya Joshi wrote for The New York Times. “The company is the main sponsor of the Swiffer SocialLuxe Lounge, a pampering party before the convention.” Joshi cited P&G’s move as part of a growing trend in the PR industry.
Omnicom Group, an advertising and communications company, earned $233.4 million, or 75 cents a share, in the second quarter—down 24 percent from its $307 million, or 95 cents a share, in the same quarter of 2008. Good news for Omnicom is that it beat estimates by a penny a share. PRWeeksaid that Omnicom reported an 18.5 percent decrease in its second quarter PR revenues. “Year-to-date, PR revenue fell 18 percent to $531.8 million from $627.5 million year-over-year,” wrote PRWeek’s Tonya Garcia. Omnicom agencies include Fleishman-Hillard, Ketchum and Porter Novelli.
There’s plenty of advice on what you should do with Twitter, wrote marketer Lee Odden, but based on increasing gaffes there should also be a list of how not to fail. Odden's blog features a list of 50 “don’ts” for Twitter. Ten of those items are from Odden, while the other 40 come from fellow Twitter members. Here’s my favorite so far: “Don’t repost the same tweet more than three times. We saw it.”
After the death of Walter Cronkite, a new poll by Time magazine has found that a majority of Americans believe comedian and Daily Show host Jon Stewart is now “America’s most trusted man,” a title that belonged to Cronkite. Stewart grabbed 44 percent of the vote, NBC anchor Brian Williams took 29 percent, Charlie Gibson 19 percent and Katie Couric a mere 7 percent—which is odd considering Cronkite’s voice introduces Couric. Related PR Junkie My boss, Mark Ragan, dubbed Stewart America’s most trusted man lat June.
You never know. A poorly-written e-mail might sink a business deal or partnership. To help prevent such a thing, The Better Business Writing Advantage has five rules for business e-mails.
You know the tweet. Someone posts a message that's so self-congratulatory or maybe an obnoxious quote and you've had enough. Sorry, pal, you're unfollowed. What kind of tweets make you unfollow someone?
Graduation season is over, which means college grads are either in the workforce or looking for work (or maybe none of the above). What advice do you have for budding communicators in today's harsh hiring landscape?
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