Blog Haitus

So, I’m way ahead on my listening but way behind on my writing and it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to catch up for a while. So while the listening project forges ahead, the writing project is going dark, for now. Thanks for reading and following. Keep listening.

 

Tiger Woods?

That’s really all I can say.

Social media’s newsworthiness: trend or paradigm?

Adam Singer from TopRank’s Online Marketing Blog makes a case for social media in PR strategy.An interesting idea he presents:

PR has changed – pull is now more effective
Pull PR is superior to push, there is no escaping this. A (not so) secret part of media is this: media report on media. It’s so simple, yet so overlooked. By becoming media you embrace a pull strategy naturally and will attract attention from all other types of media – both professional and amateur.

And I believe it.  Just as Zara gets burn from its just-in-time business model, organizations are currently seeing earned media results from social media innovations. But, the contrarian in me how to wonder: is this stractical or  simply novelty? That is to say, if social media is a trendy topic in mass or otherwise credible media right now, what happens when it becomes old news? Is this argument for social media right or right now?

Time to ReBrand?

Take a few minutes to think about your brand and get inspired by the best in re-branding efforts in 2009 from the ReBrand 100 Global Awards.

Besides the benefits of refreshing the look of your product or company, re-branding can be used to underscore change or advancement for your brand in the mind of the media. Why the change? What’s different? Where are you going? If you can answer those questions in a meaningful and newsworthy way, with splashy new creative to supplement as visuals, you just might have built yourself strategic media campaign. 

Back when I worked in corporate communications for a major ad firm, we’d call this “pitching around the creative.” It’s a tactic that you should pull out of your bag of tricks only once in a while (because no one cares that you changed your bus ads again, necessarily) but can be used effectively. The greatest example of “pitching around creative” is the spectacle that is Super Bowl ads. While the astronomical prices of Super Bowl airtime reflect the viewership during the Big Game (sorry, “Super Bowl” is a registered trademark of the powers-that-be) it’s the collateral press coverage that Super Bowl ads gain that truly justify the return on investment. 

Have thoughts on when and when not to “pitch around the creative” for brands, products and organizations? Please leave a comment.

Apologies for Hiatus

Once again, so many apologies for the seemingly endless hiatus Stractical is on. Rest assured, we will be back, posting more regularly in 2009. So keep your Google Reader revved.

Tim Russert passes

Tim Russert, one of the most influential political journalists and host of NBC’s Meet the Press passed away from a heart attack today while at work taping segments. Great media relations relies on great media and Russert was one of the best.

Stractihalt

As regular readers will have already noticed, the pace of posts here at Stractical has ground to a halt recently. The realities of the day job are keeping this humble editor from contributing as much as he’d like to. I’m hoping a summer slowdown will allow me to return to regular posting and coordinate some guest posting opportunities.