Overall, we think the evening proved that the Salt Lake market is teeming with creative thinking and individuals who aren’t just chasing “shiny objects” but looking at the digital arena as a critical component of any marketing strategy. As Craig said: “It shouldn’t be ‘digital’ or ‘new media’ anymore. It’s about engagement and integrated media strategy.”

We’ve heard it countless times, but strategies shouldn’t (can’t!) be silo-ed anymore. Think of some of the most memorable campaigns you’ve seen recently; The Old Spice “Man Your Man Could Be” comes to mind (though now slightly tainted by the long locks of Fabio…) This campaign originally aired during the Superbowl but then was posted to YouTube where it received tens of millions of page views. Following that and the overwhelming buzz (particularly on Twitter) the commercial began to receive, they took it one step further – directly responding to tweets via YouTube.

The results were phenomenal. The company saw a 107% sales increase and had a combined 135 million YouTube views. Individual products that were slipping in sales even saw spikes after being shown in the spots.

Another interesting topic was the evolution of the traditional marketing funnel – with social media, we’ve seen a new approach: awareness building –> favorability –> likelihood to recommend –> intent to purchase. Studies have also shown that consumers exposed to a brand through social media and paid search are more likely to search for the brand later and fall lower in this funnel to begin with.

As we develop marketing strategies for clients, it’s no longer individual departments (advertising, digital and PR) meeting separately and coming together with multiple ideas at the end to see if everything fits together. We now approach things from an integrated stance from the very beginning. This applies to in-house marketing departments as well. To promote a new product launch, store opening, company milestone, etc. sit all departments down in one room and brainstorm how it can be promoted across all platforms. Should a Facebook page be created for your new product, supported by paid search on certain terms and a TV or print campaign that drives people to connect on the Facebook page? Would a social media hub on your website help generate excitement and drive consumers to platforms where they can talk about your offering with other like-minded individuals? How can you build an army of advocates?

The possibilities are endless but should operate as a cohesive effort rather than individual tactics. This way, you will be hitting your target audience from multiple angles and ultimately see the greatest return on your investment.

As a first-time contributor to this blog, I thought it would be best to start out with a little introduction about myself. My name is Kylee Snelgrove and I am a Public Relations Intern at Richter7.  I graduate TOMORROW with a bachelor’s degree in strategic communication from the University of Utah. (Go Utes!) Outside of this fabulous world of PR, I love to spend my time dancing, shopping and spending anytime I can out in the sun.

I could make a list a mile long of all the things I have already learned from my internship, but for the sake of blog writing I will shorten my list to my top three.

1. I can always improve my writing.
2. Give 100 percent to every project.
3. Busy is better!

In the PR world, you write a lot! Whether it is for a press release or blog post, I find myself writing every day.  After I write something, I take it to get edited. When it comes back with red marks all over the page, I realize that extra set of eyes makes a huge difference. Improving my writing is one of the goals I set for myself when I started this internship, and it will be one of my goals until I finish because it is a constant learning process.

The next thing I have learned is that I have to give 100 percent into every single project. PR is client- driven and therefore, you have to do your best to impress each client by going above and beyond for them.

I became a PR intern in December 2010 and have already gotten a feel for the fast-paced agency life, and I love it. As I leave each day, I always think there are projects I could keep working on. I have had the opportunity to work on so many different things, such as media training, press conferences and school presentations. Every day is different and every day is busy!

Over the next few months, I know I will keep gaining a greater knowledge of what it will take for me to become a successful PR professional. I’m learning from the best and know they will help me become my best.

Who would’ve guessed that just two days later, we’re hearing about this 10-year-long manhunt coming to an end? The media has shifted and is now riddled with stories regarding the compound where bin Laden stayed, and how his death triggered a spread of computer viruses, affecting millions. What does this mean for the social media world around us? How long will this stay in the news? How many videos will be released regarding this event? It is an exciting time to share information and learn about this event in its entirety from the comfort of your home.

One thing is for sure: information is often emotionally charged. And that kind of information, spread through so many traditional and social media platforms, can affect the world. The morning after I heard the news about Osama, I was heading over to a conference. While entering a building, a man held open the door for me, wearing a giant American flag t-shirt, just beaming. He motioned me in and said, “It’s a great day to be an American!” It truly is a great time to be an American when strangers become friends, and all can rejoice together as patriots. But possibly the greatest celebration took place at the First Lawn of the White House. Read more details about the celebration here.

So stay tuned, contribute your two cents, and enjoy this victory we’ve won. As a side note, I predict there’ll be a Hollywood movie out recapping this bin Laden saga within one year from today.

Old Spice goes beyond hot-man-in-towel commercials

Men really do want to smell like Mr. Old Spice himself. Especially when Old Spice’s ad agency created customized video responses for their clients. Worked on me. http://bit.ly/deZyow

New York gets Wi-Fi in subways

This should make 8 million people happy. Now New Yorkers can soon stay connected 100 stories up or moving 55 mph underground. There goes bonding with your neighbor on the subway! http://bit.ly/9Ud0q5

Good Relationships = Good Health?

And lest we all forget, while we’re moving at warp speed with our social media networking, a research study in the news this week reminds us that honest-to-goodness social relationships – the face-to-face kind – are key to longer lives and good health. “People with greater social relationships are 50 percent more likely to live longer than reclusive peers.” Do you agree? http://bit.ly/dzvSki

1. Like a swarm of killer bees, this South African instrument – previously unknown to many – dominated the news, our ears and was a popular Twitter hashtag. Articles even popped up on how to remove the Vuvuzela sound from your audio by muting certain frequencies on your equalizer – http://bit.ly/bviXut – and Twitter’s fail whale was a semi-constant.

2. Meanwhile, Mr. Jobs’ latest creation is estimated to have sold 1.5 million on its first day, according to Oppenheimer’s Yair Reiner. http://bit.ly/crMoFi

3. However, complaints are already starting to pop up – especially regarding yellow distortions on screen and poor reception. From a PR perspective, it seems that Steve Jobs may need a bit of media training after responding to a customer’s email regarding reception issues by saying “Just don’t hold it that way.” Should he have responded the way he did? Apple is seen as a worldwide innovator and yet their solution to the problem is somewhat pathetic…http://bit.ly/91jI22

4. Lastly, (in non-World Cup and iPhone news) a recent marketing research study reveals a few things about online advertisements that might not come as a huge surprise. Content being “targeted” in any intelligent manner gets a much higher response rate. Likewise, obtrusive ads that do crazy things such as make noise, play music, or roll over the page on a  mouse-over are also extremely effective. However, when an ad was both targeted and obtrusive… people get a bit creeped out and the ads effectiveness falls pretty dramatically. Why? Apparently it begins to call too much attention to the fact that big brother is watching. How do you feel about these types of ads? http://bit.ly/czKpsC

Introducing: KELLEN KNOWLES, Public Relations Intern

Life as an intern at Richter7 is nothing like what I had previously imagined.  It’s a fast paced and detail oriented industry.  The transition has been relatively speed bump free and I’m starting to find my niche.  This is largely due to the fantastic PR team at Richter7.  They’ve made me feel like a part of the team since day one.   I’m expected to contribute to projects and they value my input as well.

My days are filled with “real PR work.”  I’ve gained valuable hands-on experience over the past month, reaffirming why I chose PR as a career path.  One instance in particular was the June Dairy Month media tour.  I accompanied Amanda Sanchez and the Utah Dairy Ambassadors to several radio morning shows, followed by an appearance on KSL Studio 5.  Later that day, we made a visit to Shriners Hospital to distribute ice cream to patients and staff.  The hospital visit is by far the highlight of the summer thus far.  It was a great experience to take a few hours and brighten the days of those who are living with unfortunate health restrictions.

One thing I have come to appreciate is the diversity in my daily work.  I’m never doing the same thing two days in a row.  I am able to work out of the office, as with the dairy tour, or combine heads with talented individuals to better serve our clients at Richter7 headquarters.  I look forward to many more opportunities like these before my internship comes to a close.

Don’t get me wrong, I totally get the possibilities of companies being able to connect with customers on a level no one ever thought possible in the era of waiting till 10 pm to see what happened that day.

We get our news (and entertainment) whenever we want it.

Popular bloggers change the policies of corporate behemoths.

Technically savvy customers help other customers. For free.

It’s cool. And kind of crazy.

Actually, it’s this craziness I take issue with. The hysteria surrounding something new sometimes overwhelms common sense. (If you don’t believe it, try hanging out around an Apple store on the morning of a new product release.)

Newness should never overwhelm logic, whether you’re thinking about camping out for an iPad or the best way to reach your audience.

Translation: If your customers don’t have Twitter accounts, tweeting them isn’t going to be the right approach.

“Well, duh,” you say?

“I’ve seen it,” I say. Too many times to count.

So, by all means, lets all embrace the new media. Let’s blog and create killer Facebook apps and [fill in the blank here] to our hearts content. Let’s just use a little common sense while we’re doing it.

But I also do not believe this is new territory for anyone. Reviewing AdAge’s recent “80 Years of Ideas,” it’s amazing how far we have come during this past century. Perhaps change is happening at a faster pace than it used to, but nonetheless, we should all be used to things constantly changing.

But there is still resistance. Perhaps part of the reason for this is because we are unsure how to keep up. How do we (all of us in this industry) embrace the constant change?

In the grand scheme of things, I am a newbie. I have been doing advertising a mere 10 years. But already, I can look back at the beginning of my career and am shocked about how different my role and the work I contribute to is today. If that much has changed in 10 years, what will happen in 20?

So, I’d like to share my opinions on how to keep up. These are merely a few ideas that I “try” to practice to be sure I am on the cutting-edge and not falling behind.

• You are never too old to learn new things (whatever your age). Do not sit back and hope something will fade away. You do not want to be one of those people who have lost sight of what is going on.
• If you hear of something new – investigate and dive in with both feet. If people are using a new social media website, don’t just peruse it. Sign up and use it. Having a Facebook or Twitter account, but not actively using it does not count. You cannot sell it or market on it, if you do not understand its idiosyncrasies.
• Set aside at least 30 minutes a day to read up on what is going on. Use Twitter, RSS Feeds, Mashable, Blogs or whatever you would like. Just keep up on the latest news and trends. This can be an enjoyable break from your regular responsibilities.
• Don’t forget to watch TV, listen to the radio and read magazines/newspapers. You need to see what’s popular and what other advertisers are doing.
• Take time to listen to the younger associate’s (or young people in general) at your company. They are likely into current trends and can contribute great ideas.
• Listen to your consumers. Don’t settle for the tactics you have always used to reach them. Speak their language and find where they are.
• If a project comes along that involves something new, volunteer to work on it. Take every advantage to work on projects that involve a new media, technology or process that you do not yet understand.
• Become a futurist. Think big and develop ideas someone hasn’t thought of yet. It’s the fun part of our job.
• Constantly look for ways to make things better. Look to make changes in the way you work. This will help you embrace other types of change that will inevitable come your way.
• Finally, don’t get frustrated. It’s hard to keep up. But keep at it and don’t lose traction.

Image courtesy of NYTimes.com

Since the 1800s, when Maria Taglioni was the first dancer to go en pointe, ballet dancers (both men and women) have worked to cultivate an aloofness, an ethereal air, showing that what they were doing was effortless. Believe me – it’s far from effortless.

Now, professional dancers at New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and others are airing the dirt and showing the human side of dance, blisters, broken toes and all.

Ashley Bouder, a principal dancer at NYCB, is one of the dancers featured in the article and makes a great point as to why Twitter is helping attract new audiences to ballet. Ashley tweets about her injuries, during intermission, between Acts, and even criticizes aspects of her own performance (something those of us watching would likely never have even noticed). She says that “her tactic is not to make followers feel bad about what they can’t see, but to show them how to look more closely.”

Another great point she makes is: “We don’t have celebrity status like actors in magazines…that’s the main reason people get interested in something – you get all the dirt, you get to know someone and you become attached…”

The word “engagement” is so frequently used when discussing social media strategy with our clients.

• What are the best ways to engage with your target audience?
• What purpose will engagement really serve? Do you want to open yourself up for criticism?
• Can engagement go beyond more than a customer service tool?

If tweeting ballerinas tells us anything, it’s that engaging and humanizing yourself can attract a larger audience than you ever imagined. By allowing people glimpses into the inner workings of your brand and those running the company, you are allowing people to become attached and invested in you, with the end result being loyalty.