Although I’m never surprised by the PR prowess of Apple, I find it quite hard to believe that they would drop a bomb like this so far in advance of the traditional iPhone update launch in June. If we were a few weeks out, it might make sense to get the PR machine rolling with a “leak”, but even then sheerly not of this magnitude. Apple is a master at throttling information to build an image exactly the way they want to: in a controlled manner. This latest seems to be anything but controlled.

So I say to those who see this as Apple’s latest stab at PR brilliance, not even the most controlling organizations are always in control. Which in an of itself, could be PR brilliance.

So often we’re on the other side of contests, charged with planning and orchestrating the details, which means it wouldn’t exactly be fair if we were to participate and, by some stroke of luck, win the very contest we were running. What fun it is to finally be on the other side! Just last week, Crystal won a piece of jewelry from Bailey’s Jewelry here in Raleigh. I’ve won professional help with home décor and our wedding registry from “The Bride and Bloom” magazine. (Trust me, we need it. I nearly had a fit trying to register for China.) And Carla has a renewed faith that she, too, can win something!

But social media has done so much more for me and planning our wedding, like helping me tackle the big question: where can I find a traditional gluten-free wedding cake? And this power is not something that has gone unnoticed. In addition to the leagues of wedding sites providing guidance on how to use social media in planning your wedding, Josh Catone, editor of Mashable.com, wrote “HOW TO: Plan a DIY Wedding Using Social Media” in September of 2009. And every day I see more and more people Tweeting under handles that immediately declare they’re status as “Engaged” or “Bride-to-Be.”

According to Wikipedia, the wedding industry has grown to an empire of 40 billion dollars per year and the average American wedding reception in 2008 was $21,810, which dwindles when compared to 2007 weddings, which ran $28,730 on average. Looking at these numbers, it’s no wonder social media outlets are saturated with wedding vendors and bloggers eager to share their offerings and abilities with brides trying to decide how to spend their slices of that $40 billion industry pie.

My fiancé and I have already made most of the large decisions going into our wedding. We’ve been very diligent and thoughtful in deciding how we’re going to spend our slice (albeit a very small slice) of that wedding industry pie. But even still, whenever I feel I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for, like my most recent challenge of finding the perfect invitations, I turn to Twitter and Facebook. It still shocks me to see that within minutes, I have names of people in the Raleigh, NC area that can give me what I was looking for along side a glowing recommendation. And, if I happen to win a Mojuba Wedding Kit from @my_mojuba while I’m searching for information relevant to me or *gasp* doing client work, then that’s fantastic. But if not, I’m probably going to buy one myself just because of how abundantly clear the need for the kit has been made on Twitter.

Targeted Audience and Real-Time Campaign Updates Put Brand’s Efficiency Ahead of the Industry Curve

I don’t know about you, but I love Dave Grohl and LOVE Josh Homme. I could not be any more stoked about their new band trio Them Crooked Vultures with John Paul Jones. Josh Homme is probably the only person I would ever cry all over if I were lucky enough to meet him. Dave Grohl is arguably one of the most talented people in the music industry today – I was floored when I learned he recorded nearly the entire Foo Fighters’ debut album on his own. And John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin… enough said.

Little girl excitement aside, I am intrigued lately by the methods of promotion Them Crooked Vultures are employing to build buzz around their startup and super secret tour.

Once the rumors were confirmed and the band was public, they fired up their social media/viral WOM campaign and the fan frustration ensued. The guys created accounts on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and now YouTube to help keep fans informed of any updates. It was evident that the band would be performing only a select few venues in the beginning. The confusing part is how long it takes fans to figure out where they would be playing next, even with all the “updates” the band has been posting for the fans.

So far, this has been the process in no particular order:

1. Post a link to a specific set of coordinates and distance on Google Earth. – Gets people guessing.
2. Post another link to set of coordinates, but closer in distance to the target location. –Builds anticipation.
3. Post a link to a YouTube clip of 30 seconds of previously unheard music. – People want MORE!
4. More Google Earth links, but still not a specific location. – Madness ensues.
5. Post a link to a single picture from the concert. – People go crazy for more music clips.
6. Post a tweet linking to their Facebook profile, update their Facebook status with a link to their Twitter page. – People are basically sheep at this point and the band can do whatever they want.

But even with all its ambiguity, the campaign seems to be paying off for the band. They have over 21,000 Facebook fans, nearly 9,500 followers on Twitter and over 297,000 MySpace profile hits. The band’s debut performance was a recent surprise show in Chicago, which of course sold out online after only 3 minutes. They later did a show in Melkweg with box office only tickets, which were sold in groups and required a photo ID to prevent scalping. And the reason for the secret shows and poor quality live fan-made videos? Cameras are prohibited from the shows, meaning the majority of online videos are those posted by the guys themselves. MORE MORE MORE!!! The band is completely in control over what is posted online and what bones are thrown to the fans.

Crystal Archbell, Program Manager

On my way home from Seattle last week, I picked up a copy of the latest Real
Simple, my favorite way to pass the 6-hour plane ride back to the East coast. Two things in the issue caught my eye and made me laugh. Next to the header, “Newly Coined” they have the term Social Notworking: the act of playing around on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites when you should be working. Also, on another page, a reader wrote in to say that her guilty pleasure is checking and updating her Facebook status several times a day.

Although I suppose this viewpoint holds true for many people out there, it reminded me how differently blast! PR, and the majority of the online marketing/technology industry, views social networking. Not as a guilty pleasure or an escape from work, but in fact, an integral part of our work day and client strategy. If I don’t update my Twitter status, even my personal account, I get a note from my boss (via Twitter) reminding me to do so!

We have always strived to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to social media and PR 2.0, and we know that for many of our clients, establishing a Twitter presence, building and updating fan pages on Facebook and generally joining the real time conversations with their peers, prospects, clients and industry influencers social media provides is an essential piece of the brand (and credibility) building puzzle. In order to provide the best recommendations and stay on top of trends, all of us at blast! PR have been assigned the responsibility to test, know, use, love and experience first-hand the latest and greatest social outlets and applications.

So for everyone out there worried about Social Notworking, know that there are those of us who are working hard to be social every day. It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it!

Carla Vicens, Senior PR Specialist

July 31, 2009
iMedia Connection
8 Social Media Sins to Avoid
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July 30, 2009
NY Times
Ads Follow Web Users, and Get More Personal
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June 28, 2009
Adweek
Connect the Thoughts
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June 25, 2009
TechCrunch
Vyoom: A Social Network Built From The Ground Up Around Real-Time
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June 23, 2009
San Francisco Chronicle
A world of gadgets for your pet
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July 23, 2009
Forbes
Click Fraud’s New Asian Connection
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May 21, 2009
ClickZ
Yahoo Opens Smart Ads to Third Party Vendors
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May 12, 2009
NY Times
Pay-Per-Click Web Advertisers Combat Costly Fraud
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In President Obama’s visit to Raleigh last week, he made several references to cupcakes after the owner of The Cupcake Shoppe, Sara Coleman, introduced him to the audience. These references were used to explain how the stimulus packages allow Americans to buy things they want, like cupcakes, as well as to prod Sara for not bringing some of the treats. Oh, he also made a quip that cupcakes are healthy when healthcare came up. From this teasing, it’s not a far stretch to assume that Obama believes cupcakes are not a necessity of American life, like, say, apple pie.

Well, I strongly disagree! As we struggle through this turbulent economy, we learn to appreciate the value of little treats in our daily lives. And our clients are getting these treats, too. While many companies are dropping entire programs from their budgets, the clients that we work with have begun to enjoy the little treats we bring to them. Be it an interview with a great publication or a speaking engagement they’re excited to participate in, their decision to indulge in a treat, which, admittedly, PR is often considered, brings a new level of joy to their daily business routines, not to mention bragging rights among friends and foes alike.

Erika Golden, Sr. PR Specialist