CaliberPulse

When it comes to the NFL’s biggest game of the year, it’s an opportunity for many businesses, especially grocery stores, to promote big sales for the game-day party. However, using the trademark-protected words ‘Super Bowl’ could land you in hot water.

The way we do business has changed significantly in the digital age. Every aspect including lead generation, customer service and retention, branding and marketing has shifted into overdrive as customers are more empowered and informed than ever before with research tools at their fingertips. Reputation management is more challenging as customer touchpoints continuously emerge and […]

Recent changes to the Associated Press Stylebook have surprised the industry it governs. Much to the dismay of many traditional journalistic writers and grammar purists, last month the Associated Press declared that “over” is now an acceptable substitute for “more than” when indicating greater numerical value. Apparently the AP had more change in store. Effective […]

Successfully pitching a story to the media and achieving the coverage you hoped for is tough. Even the seasoned public relations pro know there’s no guarantee their pitch will make it to print or television. Reporters are bombarded with story ideas and, along with their editors; they must sift through the story suggestions (not to mention cover the stories that are banging at their doors) and find the ones newsworthy enough to follow.

Nearly 90 percent of U.S. households have access to the Internet. Two-thirds of homes with Internet access have Wi-Fi network. More than half of Americans 12 years and older have a Facebook page. These are just some of the highlights that Arbitron, a radio rating and media research company, and Edison Research released in the results of their recent survey, Navigating Digital Platforms. The survey combines a cross section of previous research spanning thirteen years of inquiries into traditional, new, and digital media preferences and user habits. Here are the three top takeaway trends, discoveries, and significant implications that will affect marketing decisions today and tomorrow.

It will come as no surprise to those of us paying attention to trends that advertisers are asking more of their audiences than ever before. In previous years, the modus operandi has been for advertisers to show pictures, play music, and try to impress while target consumers relax on the couch. Relax no more, audiences. In 2011 and beyond, advertisers will be putting audiences to work. The new rule of engagement is, in fact, “engagement”. New online ads will require the audience to “click” for the full story or experience that will drive a message home. It is predicted that online ads will, more and more, link an end-user directly to the point of purchase, cutting out any waffling a consumer may feel while considering a buying decision. The engagement revolution is not exclusive to online ads. Print and TV ads are, increasingly, requiring that audiences scan a code to find a hidden message or receive the chance to win some coveted opportunity that only those “in the know” get to access. The end goal of these more complex processes is to create loyalty through participation and to turn that loyalty, ultimately, into sales and evangelism.

Has the daily job of sifting through Google alerts or the local media for company or product mentions turned into a time and resource drain? If you’ve been tasked with gathering media mentions and evaluating results from a variety of national and international sources, a paid media monitoring service is the best tool for the task. Sifting through the options to find the right service can be intimidating at the onset. Several reputable companies offer media monitoring tools that can save time and effort and help deliver comprehensive reports to stakeholders and the executive team. We’ve recently had the opportunity to evaluate several of the products on the market and will share our findings here.

Even though it is difficult for me to get out of the office for a few days, each year I attend professional conferences to stay on top of the latest consumer trends and new media technologies. This year I attended the Public Relations Society of America’s International Conference Oct.16-19 in Washington D.C. My education started the minute I landed at Reagan National Airport and continued throughout the conference, at the workshops and during the networking sessions, where I interacted with respected peers and educators throughout the world. Here’s a summary of the top ten trends I learned — or confirmed — this year at the PRSA Conference that I hope you will find valuable as you prepare your strategic plans for 2011:

Are you sliding along the scale between traditional and digital marketing? Perhaps you are among the businesses still using only traditional forms of advertising that have been around for decades, such as outdoor, print, television and radio. Watch any Mad Men episode and you will hear these familiar tactics discussed. Traditional media were used back then, and remain the basis for many organizations’ marketing efforts. But there are many new tools at your disposal to help you reach your audience and garner results. If you haven’t already, start learning about and integrating new digital tactics into your marketing mix. We are not advocating abandoning traditional forms of advertising. Wise marketers are learning how to use all the new tools and including them when assessing what mediums will be used to reach a particular audience or to brand a specific product or service. Balancing the marketing options As with any marketing program, one size does not fit all. Each marketing mix needs to be tailored to the goals and objectives of the client. Don’t feel overwhelmed: You can start in small ways to integrate these new technologies into your marketing. Here are a few examples.

Imagine a reporter is interviewing you on a topic of your expertise, whether print, broadcast or online. You’re having a robust, yet friendly discussion that wanders from the original topic into area that is more sensitive. The reporter is engaging and disarming. You’re comfortable with the reporter and begin a sentence: “Off the record …” You feel deceived and a bit hurt when your “off the record” words are in ink and blasted all over the Internet the next day.

Shifting emphasis to local news and embracing a broad scope and portfolio of news, information and advertising products enabled Lee Enterprises, parent company of Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, to report at its annual meeting in February improved revenue trends and projections that advertising revenue would continue on a positive track. “The business is financially healthy,” said Mary Junck, chairman and chief executive officer of Lee Enterprises. Lee has outperformed the industry every quarter throughout this recession and back to 2003, she said.

Last week’s launch of The Tucson Sentinel illustrates two news and information delivery trends: the inkless, paperless “newspaper” and the nonprofit business model. Dylan Smith and a handful of former staffers from the Tucson Citizen, the 138-year-old newspaper paper that ceased print publication in May, launched TucsonSentinel.com in the wake of newspapers and media outlets nationwide slashing staffs and shutting their doors. Tucson Sentinel content and format resembles online versions of traditional print newspapers. Professional reporters and editors and a cadre correspondents will cover local topics and promote community conversations on issues that affect Tucson, according to TucsonSentinel.com. It also has national and international news services.