Now & Then: A Millennial’s Look Back at Tech

 

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Some of my most vivid memories from childhood are from lengthy trips to the public library. When I was a kid, writing a paper on Sir Francis Drake or endangered rhino required spending a full roll of quarters and a couple hours at the local library photocopying pages from Encyclopedia Britannica.

 

Nowadays though, information is readily available at our fingertips, making trips to the library practically obsolete. Between Google, Wikipedia, seemingly endless social media platforms and the prominence of mobile technology, we’re able to seek out more information than ever before without even leaving our homes.

 

The evolution of technology over the past 25 years is, to put it simply, pretty mind blowing, and like most things, it’s not until we look back at where we started that we realize how far we’ve come. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite reminders that show us just how far technology has come.

 

The Floppy Disk

 floppy discs

Nowadays Floppy Disc’s are solely reserved for the “Save” icon on Microsoft Word, but Floppy Disk’s were once the cornerstone of 90’s kid tech evolution. These things used to only hold 1.44 MB’s, now we have USB drives capable of holding up to 1GB.

 

The Original iMac

imac

Remember when computers came in an assortment of colors? Enter the iMac G3, which was primarily responsible for Apple’s turnaround in the late 90’s. Kids today would gasp in shock at the pure size of Apple’s then innovative design, so let’s all give thanks for how far we’ve come.

 

The Sony Discman

Discman

There was nothing truly portable about the Sony Discman and skipping tracks was always an issue.

 

Blockbuster

Blockbuster

Friday night trips to Blockbuster were one of my family’s celebrated traditions. Now, we can easily stream movies and catch-up on any TV shows we may have missed through streaming services such as Netflix and OnDemand. Be kind, but there’s no need to rewind.

 

Planning for a Product Announcement

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A brand can make a media announcement as often as every couple of weeks or as seldom as every few years, but each one is just as significant as the other. Although a client announcement or launch takes place over the course of a day, the work of an agency begins weeks in advance. Being prepared and planning methodically will be the difference between a successful or unsuccessful effort, and these tips and insights can help you get started:

  1. Communication With The Client: You’ve spent countless hours of drafting, revising and finally receiving an approval on your press release, but do you and your client have a mutual understanding of who’s at the receiving end of the news? Bypass a potentially stressful situation for the agency by working with your client’s marketing team to identify their top targets. Make these publications a priority while continuing to saturate the entire media market to maximize coverage
  2. Building New Media Relations: Clicking send on an email distribution can be easy, but the anonymity of this process negates the role of a public relations representative and does not ensure the best results for a launch. This is especially true for a media market you may be unaccustomed to working with. Take the time to introduce yourself to new contacts in advance of the launch and then they will be familiar with you and the company you represent.
  3. Pre-Launch Outreach: Embargoed news can really help with the success of a launch. Notifying your personal contacts ahead of time will give them time to ask questions and fully prepare the news for the day of the launch. This will help generate a slew of great press, providing your client with the coverage their announcement deserves.

The ultimate goal of an announcement or launch will depend on the nature of news you are conveying to the media. Whether it is a new product launch or an announcement of your client’s goal on a crowdfunding platform, maximizing every possible press opportunity will help your client succeed.

The 7 One Hit Wonders of the Tech Past

In honor of One Hit Wonder Day the GRS team decided to compile a list of our favorite products that rose to glory and faded reluctantly into darkness. Take a trip down memory lane with us and hit the comments with any classics we missed. We definitely didn’t mean to skip-it!

1. Tamagotchi – Because pets weren’t allowed in school

Tommagatchi

2.  Zune – Thumbs up to Microsoft for trying to keep up with Apple. #DeadInTheWater

    3.  Hit Clips – Because you really only need one minute of  your favorite 90’s songs to get the party started!

Hit Clips

4. Teddy Ruxpin – Siri, who?

Teddy Ruxpin

5.  Talk Boy – Because of course PR professionals love hearing the sound of their own voices!

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7. Nintendo Power Pad – Who says you can’t work up a sweat playing video games?

The Evolution of a Startup: Steps to Growing up as a Brand

the evolution of a start up- steps to

Defining a startup can be challenging; is it based on company size, yearly or quarterly growth or projected income? While most people define a startup as a company in the early stages of its operation, there are no hard and fast rules of the definition.

We see a lot of startups in the consumer goods industry; everything from the small 2 man operation to larger teams with well over 100+ employees.  While there is a place and time to be defined as a startup, as public relations professionals and brand consultants, there comes a time when we have to encourage the companies we support to evolve.

We know growth can be tough, especially for companies, but eventually every company will be faced with pertinent decisions about their future. To prepare for those moments, we have a few tips to prime your company for the transition from startup to the growth phase and ultimately transform into an established company.

Media Programs

Of course, this is our agency’s bread and butter. By developing core media programs that include company profiles and executive interviews that not only demonstrate thought leadership, but company growth, can be a determining factor when legitimizing a business or organization. The media not only creates a framework for discussion, but provides a platform for a brands’ message to be told to a wider, interested body of consumers and investors. The agency shapes and molds the message with the media to help accelerate a company into the forefront of consumer’s attention.

Effective media relations also give companies the chance to be seen by retailers and buyers. The agency pinpoints publications with readerships in key retail markets ensuring the product is seen by decision makers and buyers.  Not only do retail partnerships create a steady stream of income, but provide a wider distribution of messaging which can help accelerate a company on all fronts.

Creative Assets

Media relations isn’t the be-all and end-all for transitioning a company from startup to established. It takes a holistic approach. Everything from the look and feel of the company website to formal headshots and expertly crafted executive bios, no detail should be overlooked when entering the competitive space of Corporate America. Adding a creative edge with polished assets can create the perception of an established company even if the startup hasn’t quite reached established level yet.

Guidance

Your PR representative should not only be a brand ambassador with the media, but provide guidance and direction during the entire growth process. PR representatives should seek and cultivate opportunities for brand growth by encouraging participation in mentor or accelerator programs, panel discussions and speaking engagements. Further, PR representatives should provide continuous brand counsel during these programs ensuring the brand’s message is being formed effectively and appropriately.

With the knowledge and know how from your public relations team, the agency can be a driving force for brand growth. Sam Cooke said it best, “It’s been a long time coming, but I know a change gon’ come”, and if executed properly, those changes can effectively move a company from startup to established.

Persuasion in a (Mis)guided World

I think it was the Blockbuster hit best movie ever, Field of Dreams, that once said “If you build it, he will come”, but any entrepreneur, heck any business owner, knows that isn’t always the case. We build, destroy, strategize and rebuild again before finally landing upon the perfect business model or product that not only appeals to the masses but to funders and investors. However, without an effective communication plan, even the best idea can fall short.

That’s where we come in. Like you, we understand there is no magic formula – anyone remember Pepsi’s fail “Crystal Pepsi”? Like I was saying, the public relations, marketing, social media and communication strategists fly in like the Marvel Comics to advise and provide media strategy in hopes of making the needle move out of the red and into the GREEN. We are an integral part of the brands’ team working directly with the company to make an unforgettable campaign.

While there might not be a secret formula, we’re willing to tell you one of our secrets. The foundation of everything we do; our most valuable tool. The one we cannot live without is rhetoric. Yes, old fashioned, debate club, rhetoric. By definition, rhetoric is the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing which has an effect on its audience.

This skill is what makes our campaigns and strategic communication plans go from good to great. It is how we effectively tell stories, communicate concepts and move the needle with knock-em-dead media coverage.  The short and sweet of rhetoric is three elements: logos – logic, reason, proof; ethos – credibility trust; pathos – emotions, values.

Rhetoric is an invaluable tool that must be taken into consideration with any business or communication plan – from the beginning stages of product development to strategic public relation campaigns. If we could offer one piece of advice for startups or companies looking to build a brand, rebrand or create a product with the help of a public relations agency we suggest asking if the perspective agency can define the three elements of rhetoric. If not, call us.

Public Relations & ROI

While some public relations agencies shy away from correlating PR with return on investment, it’s a topic we relish in. Let’s not beat around the bush, virtually every brand hires a PR agency to help reach customers with the ultimate goal of having them purchase services or goods. So how can an agency attach a measurable, financial result to their work?

The most obvious way is to report the comparative advertising value for press coverage that has been generated. Essentially, how much would it cost a brand to advertise during a TV show or appear in a magazine, website or newspaper. The majority of PR agencies provide an inflated “PR value” which is generally three times the ad value. But let’s face it, that’s a fairly subjective measurement – what if the article was negative or if the incorrect URL was published? There is no doubt that PR coverage is typically more valuable than advertising, but we feel its best to provide clients with solid data rather than a debatable, inflated value for press coverage.

The question remains,  “what did a piece of coverage really mean to a client’s bottom line?”

Analyzing web analytics is an extremely useful way to directly correlate the ROI of media coverage. With analytic tools, not only are we able to measure the number of visitors that visited our client’s website but we also see how many of those visitors made a purchase decision. For example, we recently secured a placement on The Today Show and were able to view in real-time the number of visitors and purchases made throughout the morning as the segment aired in all time zones. Watching Google Analytics Real-Time Traffic Data is a guilty pleasure of ours – few things are as gratifying as watching thousands of new customers flood a client’s website!

By the end of the day the client sold thousands of units and was able to attribute all of those sales to our efforts (and to our good friends at The Today Show). Not to mention, all of those customers are now in the client’s database for direct marketing purposes and many have subscribed to their social channels, providing an opportunity to make them customers for life and transform them into brand advocates.

There are a number of ways to connect PR efforts with ROI, but it starts with the mindset of being accountable for sales and marketing goals. Generating mass media exposure is great, but producing tangible dollars from that exposure is ultimately what most brands are looking for.

Mastering the Art of Live-Tweeting During Events

In this day and age, businesses want to be part of relevant conversations that help create awareness, drive traffic and build a community where engagement between a brand and its audience is celebrated and meaningful.  So it’s no surprise that live-tweeting has become a focal point of many brands that try engaging relevant audiences by participating in conversations around live events as they happen.

But what exactly is live-tweeting and how does it differ from common/day-to-day tweeting? It’s actually pretty simple, and is the act of tweeting around a live event as it happens.

There isn’t a single correct way to live-tweet; at its core, live-tweeting is supposed to be organic, conversational and in real-time but there are tips that will help facilitate live-tweeting as a company.

  1.  Use the correct hashtag in the conversation.  Many live events broadcasted by major channels create a hashtag specifically for the event.  Make sure you are reaching the right groups of people by using these hashtags.  If there is more than one hashtag you can use them, but don’t go hashtag crazy and use a different hashtag for every tweet you put out.  If you’re hosting the live-tweet, make sure you let your followers know ahead of time the hashtag you will be using to facilitate the conversation so they know what hashtag they should be using.
  2. Tag the people and companies that are relevant to the event in your tweets when you mention them.  Who knows, you might get a retweet, mention or follow from that person.  Remember, live-tweeting is all about engagement!
  3. Don’t go to Twitter jail.  There is such a thing as being locked out of Twitter for over-tweeting.  The rules of not landing in Twitter jail are: don’t go over 100 tweets an hour (this includes retweets), 1,000 tweets a day or more than 250 Direct Messages a day. Over-tweeting can also overwhelm your followers.  If you find yourself locked up with the blue bird, it can take an hour or more before you can tweet again.  Time is everything during live events, so be mindful of how often you are tweeting so you don’t miss out on the conversation.
  4. Engage, engage, engage.  The real magic of live-tweeting is that it allows you  to connect with people who might share a similar interest, so make sure you monitor the hashtag you are live-tweeting about and start relevant conversations with others around the topic being discussed.
  5. Track your conversations.  Using social measurement tools (like Co-Tweet or Bit.ly) help you keep track of any relevant hashtags and also keep track of click-throughs to any links you might have tweeted during the event.

Live-tweeting is a great way for brands to connect with consumers and if done right can be a great way to get new followers, and expose your brand to new customers.  Remember to have fun, put some thought into your tweets and interact with people having the same discussion to get the most out of your live-tweets!

Key Ingredients for Lasting Client Relationships

On a daily basis, PR professionals spend their time cultivating relationships with media members to ensure their clients receive the best possible press for their products or services. Getting wrapped up in core PR activities can, at times, manage to get in the way of strengthening relationships with clients, relationships that go beyond the business. Providing exceptional results for your clients is what every PR professional hopes for, but how can you achieve this without knowing who your clients are outside of his/her email signature?

Sometimes, the smallest gestures can build a personal relationship with your client. These are a couple of ways to start connecting with your client:

1)      Conveying Your Excitement – Whether you are releasing a new product, or kicking off a new partnership with a client, it’s exciting! Some people can get mired in a “professional” mentality that can temper their enthusiasm. Avoid that at all costs! Your passion shows them that you are invested in their brand, and will demonstrate that you’re worthy of representing their brand to the media.

2)      Pick Up The Phone – Building relationships and getting to know someone takes time. Take a break from pecking at the keyboard, and get on the phone with your client to update them and share your latest developments. This is also a great opportunity to dig deeper into their businesses and ask them about their sales, web traffic, and new product ideas. You can also take this time to provide them with media feedback. This gives them a sense of media sentiment and often spurs ideas for improvements on existing products and new products. This will open up the line of communication, make future conversations more fluid, and your client won’t associate a phone call with bad news!

3)      Communication Sync – Another critical aspect is communicating with your client in their preferred way. Although most are accustomed to email and phone, some clients prefer to chat through text or Facebook. Once you’ve determined their preferred method of communication, you should take into consideration how they prefer to receive it. Some clients want concise reports of your progress, while others like to receive detailed accounts of all pertinent information. Everyone has a different communication style and finding which one works best for your client is key!

By taking the time to get to know your client, you and your colleagues can gain a better understanding of who your client is and the best possible way to represent their brand. Not only will you provide better service, but you will solidify your personal relationship, paving the way for a long and fruitful partnership.