The Importance of Creative Thinking

In an increasingly competitive economy, it is vital for businesses to think creatively to grow and expand the reach of their brands. This is especially important in marketing efforts. Press releases, social media connections, standard promotions and advertisements are vital; but not enough. What to do? First: start thinking outside of the box.

Case in point, take the perfume company Fresh, who just released a set of fragrances and candles based on the best-selling novel Eat, Pray, Love, now a motion picture starring Julia Roberts which is set to be released next month. Fresh took the three sections of the book and made three scents inspired by three travel destinations in the book. The fragrances are set to release July 15^th.

Another interesting method of expanding a brand? Twilight Makeup. Yes, a makeup brand inspired entirely on the blockbuster film series. The premise behind the company’s two Twilight makeup lines: vampires and true love. Luna Twilight is designed to artistically capture the love between Edward and Bella. The mission behind this line is for ‘ everyone from the Twilight enthusiast to women looking to highlight their inner radiance.’ Their Volutri line, is a much more dramatic, darker line highlighting the vampire elements of the movies. The makeup has been featured in eight different magazines, such as Allure, Elle and Lucky between 2009 and 2010.

Both of these companies are perfect examples of expanding a brand beyond their targeted consumers—in both cases by harnessing the power of pup culture. Fresh, whose target consumer is women, really hit the jackpot by using this book as an inspiration for their new line because as a New York Times best-selling novel, the fan-base is enormous--and expanding, with the movie due in a few weeks. Twilight beauty is not just targeting the Twihearts, but also, consumers looking to buy makeup for all ages as seen with its placement in eight nationally read magazines.

The point: remember that inspiration can come from anything and, with creative marketing and good pitch, anything is possible.

CASE STUDY: StyleWeek Providence, launching an upscale fashion week in a depressed economy

The Client:

StyleWeek Providence, a start-up non-profit with the goal of launching New England's first Fashion Week to showcase upscale fashion designers to an audience of regional and national buyers and media.

The Goal:

To support the establishment of StyleWeek Providence as an annual event by creating brand awareness, buzz and strong public sentiment via editorial placements and media attendance at the inaugural event.

The Challenge:

To launch a high-end fashion week amid the worst economic conditions in decades; specifically in a state (Rhode Island) that has been among the nation's top 5 in unemployment stats for more than a year. Also, to create excitement about and put the national spotlight on fashion in a region (New England) that has long carried the reputation of being one of the country's most traditional, conservative and staid.

Our Work:

Miamore Communications came on to launch StyleWeek Providence's public relations and social media outreach in late 2009. Understanding the market and anticipating media resistance, we began our work by implementing a viral social media campaign, supplemented by a launch event for press in February. From January 2010 until April 2010, StyleWeek Providence's Facebook following grew by 500%. While we continued our traditional press outreach during this time, as expected, media placements were slow in coming and consisted of blog placements (18,000 impressions) and one local television outlet (approximately 150,000 impressions).

In May, 2010, we began an aggressive media outreach to earn both pre-event placements and media attendance at shows. We created a message that played upon the history of design in Providence, R.I.; and formulated the key message that fashion = business for a city with such a depressed economy. This message helped StyleWeek Providence earn the recognition of city and state officials, and we were able to organize a state-wide press conference in conjunction with Providence's mayor, David Cicilline.

The results:

From May 1, 2010 until June 15, 2010; StyleWeek Providence had more than 26 million impressions in print, broadcast and online media. This included two front-page articles in the state's largest newspaper, the Providence Journal, and a special daily column on their website, projo.com; a placement in Amtrak's onboard magazine, Arrive; mentions on usatoday.com and msnbc.com; daily coverage throughout StyleWeek Providence on the state's morning news show, the Rhode Show; articles in Rhode Island's premiere lifestyle magazines, Rhode Island Monthly, Providence Monthly and the Newport Mercury; a cover placement on New England's regional lifestyle magazine, Soco Magazine; and coverage by the top fashion bloggers in New York, Boston, Connecticut and Rhode Island. A breakdown of those numbers:

• 10.5 million broadcast/video impressions
• 12.1 million online (non-blog) impressions
• 100,000 impressions from blog coverage
• 2.4 million print (newspaper and magazine) impressions

The outcome:

Media coverage has helped secure both overwhelming public support and key financial sponsors. In 2011, StyleWeek Providence will be a twice-annual event.

How well do you know your own brand?

If you think the answer is a no-brainer, I challenge you to think again. I’ll go so far as to bet the real answer is: not even close to well enough.

I see it time and again… and, as a business owner, I can personally relate. When you are living the day-to-day, it is nearly impossible to have a clear view of what outsiders (a.k.a. potential customers) think of your company or your brand. The bad news: you are likely too close to possibly have an unbiased view. The good news: oft-times, the public’s view of your brand is far better than what you imagine.

I am thinking about this concept in large part because Miamore Communications just wrapped up StyleWeek Providence. For those in Rhode Island or New England, you already know what this event was: the biggest fashion week the region has ever seen. For those outside of the Northeast: StyleWeek Providence was a year-long labor of love. The StyleWeek concept was founded by Miamore’s Senior Vice President Rosanna Ortiz Sinel last spring. Sinel and I met sometime around July, 2009; she told me the basic idea; I fell in love, and off we went… on a dream and a prayer and, most importantly, faith.

The result was a 7-day event that occurred last week, with 14 fashion runway shows for buyers and the press, and nightly after parties for the public. Each show was packed to capacity. The media came out in droves… 2 front page stories in the Providence Journal in one week, daily coverage on the Rhode Show (Rhode Island’s version of “Good Morning America”), an evening news hit on the state’s largest network affiliate, coverage in the region’s premiere business newspaper, and endless blog entries from Rhode Island, Boston, New York, Connecticut, and beyond.

Am I fluffing our own feathers? Perhaps a bit, but that’s not the reason for this post. The point: every time, in the past year, I mentioned the idea to my New York friends, they unanimously responded with something to the effect of: “Perfect! Providence is such a fantastic little city. So much culture! Such a design legacy! Great food! Fabulous places to see!” Those thoughts are precisely why Rosanna (most recently a Bostonian) and me (a long-time New Yorker) knew Providence was the perfect spot for a fashion week. Locally, however, when initially approaching local “bigwigs” and the regional press, we found, well, alternately crickets and “in our state? No. Way” as a response.

In the past week, however, we’ve seen not only the media but—most gratifying—local skeptics reeling. One Rhode Island resident posted on StyleWeek’s Facebook page about how proud she was now to live and work in Providence. Good stuff! Would this fashion/design aficionado have said that a year ago? I doubt it. Why? Because she was too close to it and didn’t understand the power of her own “brand” (in this scenario: her city), so she didn’t quite believe her town (or: brand) was what she’d hoped it could be.

And, so, I return to my original point… do you know your own brand? Do you know what "outsiders" think of it? Or are you so caught up in the mundane that you lose perspective? I’d wager most small businesses trend toward the latter answer (I know I do). So, I offer the StyleWeek Providence example as evidence of the importance of stepping back, looking at yourself with fresh eyes, and listening to the perspective of “outsiders”. Had Rosanna and the team, as Providence “outsiders” a year ago, not understood the potential of this great little city, we’d likely have given in to skeptics, abandoned the dream, and StyleWeek would never have happened.

So… what are the “outsiders” in your realm thinking about your brand? Please: stop and think about it. Ask around. Because, more often than not, it takes on “outsider’s” voice to make you hear what you always knew about your brand, but didn’t really believe.

Are We There Yet: How To Recognize When Social Media Marketing Is Working For You

Clearly the staggering numbers of users logging into Facebook, Twitter and various other social networking sites (around 250 million daily and over 405 million registered and active) creates a virtually untapped marketing gold mine for small businesses. Unfortunately, because this new method of communication is still so young, there are still a lot of unknowns… the largest one for small businesses being: how to accurately measure what social media marketing is doing to improve your business.

The most efficient way to begin to measure social media ROI is to begin measuring engagement and retention. Engagement is the first—and probably most exciting—indicator of your social media success. Seeing people comment, request and “retweet” your material (or just take an interest in what’s going on with your page) not only shows you what’s working, it’s also indicative of what content to add or change. For example, a large reason for this particular blog entry (besides the fact that it’s a popular topic in public relations) is a Miamore Communications’ reader’s question on the subject in our last post. What I’m doing is both gauging what matters to Miamore’s audience, and showing that reader that her interest is important enough to us that we’re striving to provide relevant feedback. This sort of engagement and communication is the very POINT of social media, so to achieve the ROI you seek—don’t miss these opportunities where available. Which leads to my next topic… customer/subscriber retention.

See, once you have content that brings people in, your next—and more important task—is keeping them interested in what you have to say. You’ll know you’re on the right track when you start to see a positive trend in the number of CONSISTENT followers/commentators. Unlike traditional marketing, advertising and PR, social media is fundamentally built on conversation. And conversation is built on two emotions: varying levels of satisfaction, and various levels of dissatisfaction. This is the most basic way to plan and measure social media marketing strategy. (Note, while we’d all like to be discussed favorably, be aware of the opportunity that lies even in negative social media publicity—i.e. a bad product review. This affords you a chance to disprove any negative comment and, most importantly, show in the public arena your commitment to service and your customers’ needs/concerns).

In sum, social media success is not about numbers, but about communicating and engaging. Seeking hard numbers, or direct sales, to measure social media ROI will only leave you behind. Because the success of social media marketing isn’t all that much unlike measuring ROI for public relations, advertising or other marketing initiatives. In essence, it is measured by the recognition that comes back to you. Will that lead to sales? Of course. Can you gauge social media by dollar measurements? Not at all.

Think, for example, of the millions spent in television advertising; an equally difficult medium to measure ROI. The big indicators of “success” are not only spikes in sales immediately after the launch of an ad but, equally important, resulting water cooler conversation that keeps a brand front of mind (“Did you see the Budweiser commercial last night?!”) The same standards should be applied to your social media outlets—keeping in mind that the rule of thumb for social or any marketing strategy is patience. Plan to invest at least 6 months to give it time to breathe and grow.

A New Perspective

For almost a year now, readers have frequented this blog to learn about PR and social media best practices from Miamore Communications and its founder Carrie Soucy. Being a new team member at Miamore, I read through the blog posts and found myself hard pressed to discover a topic that wasn't already covered, or a new perspective to add to an already dynamic conversation. Honestly, in my frustration, I became distracted and wandered off to those very tools we’ve discuss here: Facebook and Twitter. That's when it hit me: I may be relatively new to PR and Miamore, but I’m a consumer who KNOWS Facebook and Twitter. Carrie regularly bridges the gap between you (the business owner) and me (the consumer/"social media shark"). So what better way to start my new relationship with Miamore Communications and you readers than by laying out my fundamental insight and perspective.

Me, I represent the 20-somethings out there; The Gen Y group. What may surprise you: my priorities are less phones, mp3's, and liquor; than apparel, accessories, vacations and items that have more than a simple monetary value. The basis of my Facebook/Twitter/social media usage? To be more "in touch" with those I may or may not see frequently, and to solidify relationships… be they with actual friends, or with brands I patronize.

Everyone has a website these days. And any business at all savvy has a Facebook. Many businesses have that presence to reach me (or, rather, those in my demographic). Yet, despite their presence, they continue to struggle to figure out how to connect with me and my peers. So, what is the magic formula? Not really magic… First, we need to feel some sense of exclusivity; otherwise its not worth the clutter on my page. With the same fervor I check my phone for tagged photos of my weekend with friends, I should be running to your page for advance material (i.e. pics of new merchandise, release/event dates, contests /promotions etc.) that hasn't yet hit your website. Or better still, exclusive promotions to those who “fan” your page… those loyal customers such as myself.

I can't tell you how many tickets I've won, or chance meetings I've had with some of my favorite celebrities all afforded me by simply following a Facebook or Twitter feed. And, in each instance, it has made me a more die-hard fan.

The point: this may be a digital age, but people never lose that primal need for a sense of belonging. So, to businesses out there: if I can offer one fundamental insight into reaching Gen Y… it is this: capitalize on that need and make me (or “us”) feel a part of the team. YOUR team. The more genuine you make this feel, the more I'll fall in love with your brand. In sum: think of social media as the key to my heart… and the hearts of everyone in my generation… a generation that holds the future of your brand in its hands.

Social Media isn't just for kids... but so what if it was?

I had the honor and privilege of speaking to a group of dynamic, enthusiastic retailers on Saturday morning at the RJO conference program in Savannah, Ga. I came to Savannah armed with all my tips on implementing a social media marketing strategy for business, along with a whole chunk of demographic data to disprove any of the common "but Facebook is for kids" questions and objectives. I was thrilled that attendees spoke with me afterwards, telling me they were inspired to amp up their social networking efforts.

I, meanwhile, left Georgia enlightened by the comment of one retailer who shared her own experience...

This retail jeweler said she had initially joined Facebook out of curiosity, wondering why her college-aged children were so enthusiastic about it. (And, okay, as parents everywhere can relate: maybe to keep an eye on them!) Flash forward a few years and those college kids are now professionals. So, where does that leave her? In short: with a slew of fans in their 20s... all beginning their careers, getting married, and experiencing all those life changes that call for jewelry. And, guess who they feel connected with and loyal to? You got it... this retailer who has been in their (Facebook) world all along.

I loved this simple example, albeit coincidental, of thinking outside the box and investing in long-term growth. Small businesses are often so consumed by the present and making this year's numbers, that we don't think long-term in our marketing strategies. But, as this example proves, when you look at any new marketing idea (and especially in the realm of social media, where who knows what is right around the corner), remember it pays off to consider tomorrow... not just today.

PR and ROI: what is the dollar value of a reputation?

Being a small business owner, I clearly understand the value and necessity of "ROI" measurement. When we invest in something, we want to understand the returns on what we spend. While that is a simple concept to explain and understand, as a public relations agency, ROI measurement is a source of unending frustration and argument. I've conducted extensive research on PR ROI, discussed it with various colleagues, and (sometimes amusingly) scrolled through pages and pages of arguments among PR pros on online public relations discussion boards... forever in search of a clear way to scientifically measure something that is, at essence, an art. The ever-elusive prey: a firm measurement of ROI for a public relations (or social media) campaign.

Unlike advertising (with its simple "I pay x and I see x" ROI measurement), public relations--especially in the social media age--is entirely not scientific. We craft a message; we communicate a message to influence-makers; and we push that message out via social networking. In essence, we put a brand message in the public's mind. We lay the groundwork and ripen the fruit for plucking when it's time for the sale. But, with much of public relations being a subconscious impact... while incredibly powerful, it is equally incredibly difficult to ascertain. And nearly impossible to attach a dollar value to. We try, by measuring returns versus goals or, at a most basic level, monetarily converting the space allocated to an editorial placement into the cost for that ad space in a particular media. Both, however, fall short.

As humans in the 21st Century, we receive so many messages via so many mediums, how does one break down the value of each? For instance... I drive a Saab. I've never owned or driven a Mercedes. I've never (to my recollection) even been a passenger in one. Thus, Mercedes as a vehicle is entirely out of my personal experience. Yet, if a friend shopping for a luxury vehicle asked me to recommend a brand, Mercedes would be one of the first I would mention. Why? Their advertisements? Their editorial mentions? Their sponsorships like New York Fashion Week? How can I possibly measure?! And, if my recommendation resulted in the sale of a Mercedes, how would Mercedes' PR or ad agency monetarily measure that PR ROI?

Obviously, Miamore Communications works on a much smaller scale than Mercedes. And, yet, is the brand recognition we create for our clients, within their target markets, any less valuable to the clients themselves? Absolutely not. Is it just as difficult to measure? Absolutely!

Interestingly, as I pondered and researched public relations/social media ROI this week, I had two clients enjoy the power of Miamore's efforts. First, Lori Carr, CEO of long-time Miamore client Tomgirl Tours, was at an event and heard a stranger say "I LOVE Tomgirl Tours!" Second, a Miamore intern overheard a random conversation about how exciting it was that Providence was holding a fashion week this spring. Neither Tomgirl Tours nor StyleWeek Providence has invested a penny in advertising. In both cases, those enthusiastic word-of-mouth recommendations seemingly resulted entirely from effective PR messaging. So, my question: what is the dollar value on that??

While businesses ask for detailed measurement of ROI, and Miamore Communications (along with every other PR agency out there) scrambles to find some way to report success monetarily... I look at these two examples, scratch my head and wonder: how can one possibly determine a dollar value--or a scientific formula to calculate the monetary value--for a strong reputation and positive word of mouth?