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.”

If you remember anything at all, I’m betting it was a story.  No big surprise.  Stories are more entertaining, informative and memorable than facts, figures and philosophical diatribes.  Anybody that’s had any training in public speaking knows that.  Just ask any Toastmasters Club honcho.  Or, take a Dale Carnegie course.

In his book, What’s Your Point, Bob Boylan, author and consultant in the field of effective presentations, urges presenters to, “Tell stories.  They grab the audience.  You will be real when you tell your own stories.  They build on the feeling of ‘trust me.’  People love to hear stories, especially personal ones, and your familiarity with the story makes the words come more easily and believably.”

In advertising, I believe stories are critical to snagging and holding attention – whether we’re dealing with a YouTube video or a primetime television spot.  They are imperative when developing and strengthening brand awareness and preference.

The TV spot hailed as the best of the past century, Apple’s “1984,” told a riveting story, as do many of the most memorable Super Bowl spots over the years.  Remember the classic “Mean Joe Green” Coke spot from 1980? I still do, and I have a spotty memory.  Remember the pint-sized Darth Vader VW spot last year?

I believe the value of today’s highfalutin’ technology will be greatly minimized unless we learn how to apply the time-proven art of storytelling to it.  But it’s not an easy task in this time-crunched, media-overloaded society.

That fact is reflected in this comment by James Clunie, a judge for the prestigious 2011 Communication Arts Advertising Annual.  He is quoted in the Editor’s Column of that issue as saying, “I’m always surprised at how much time people expect you to engage with their brand.  I don’t have time up upload a picture of my face to a Web site so I can see what I look like sitting behind the wheel of a Jetta or on an American Standard toilet or whatever.”

Randal Rothenburg, president/CEO of the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau), noted in a recent Advertising Age article, “New technology does not change the human desire for sense-making narrative or the need for us to understand the world through tales well told.  But the technology does change how we learn stories, how we tell stories, and who hears them.”

“We are concerned our industry is more concentrated on counting likes and clickthroughs than forming deep relationships with people, and that subsequently consumer interaction with brands is largely limited to likes, short comments, and critiques.  From this angle, interactive media is in its infancy.”

That relates directly to Richter7’s foundational belief that human beings are big bundles of feelings, and that emotional impulses drive behavior, brand relationships and product loyalty.

It’s up to us to figure out how to be better at storytelling within these technological confines.  What is clear is this — if you tell a story well, it will get passed on, and commented on positively, via multiple technological tools (think Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) at a speed and depth like never before.  And that’s the best kind of advertising — because it’s free.

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.

According to a recent tweet, AP Stylebook will now include such terms as end user, geolocation, geotagging, link shortener, stream and unfollow.

Luckily, with today’s technology, it’s easy (and even fun) to keep up via apps, Twitter feeds and the like. No more lugging that 1-pound, 1.6 ounce paperback around with no search functionality but your weary, opposable thumbs (don’t tell the printers that we suggested it).

If you didn’t join the conversation with @APStylebook on Twitter today, familiarize your inner journalist with the bible of the newspaper industry by searching hashtag #APStyleChat for tips and refreshers to improve your writing.

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.

BUT, you can’t develop this strategy without first listening to how your consumers are talking about you and your competitors online.

Do consumers talk about you predominantly in a negative or positive way? Are they letting their social graph know when they are on the way to your location or that they just finished eating your pizza? Do they want their friends to know they attended your event or are they complaining about lost luggage? And, are they doing this on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare or through forums, blogs etc.? Once you have a strong understanding of this, your social strategy can develop into something that will help effectively engage with and serve your customers and increase dialogue about your brand.

There are a number of monitoring tools out there that help facilitate this process. Programs like Radian6, Collective Intellect, Alterian and others aggregate mentions of your brand across online platforms including blogs, forums, Facebook, twitter, aggregators, etc. This is critical for a number of reasons:

1. Helps you gain a better understanding of how consumers feel about your brand;
2. Gives a quantitative understanding of the reach and influence your marketing initiatives are having; and
3. Increases your understanding of what platforms your brand and competitors are being talked about on which could influence your marketing strategy in terms of where you are advertising or platforms you may want to interact on.

Advertisers run focus groups and do research before presenting new brand messaging and the same should be done through social media. Listening gives you real-time, ongoing and trustworthy feedback on your company, product, offering, general sentiment, competitor comparisons and more.

Whether you listen through a paid service or have a team culling social media platforms through search engines, it’s an opportunity that can’t and shouldn’t be missed.

The web application uses Google Maps to estimate the visitors closest airport, the flight time from departure and destination, and the drive time to Park City. The results page displays a Google map showing the travel path.

Thank you to the Richter7 team who concepted and developed this tool: Frank Imler, interactive art director; Gary Sume, writer; Dave Newbold, executive creative director; Brett Winklesky, technologist, Teri Gibson, account supervisor and Evin Catlett, social media director.

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.

1. We’ve all been watching the growth of online advertising, and while it still may be significantly less than that of traditional media, online advertising revenues jumped almost 15% in this year’s first quarter (albeit, slightly lower than Q4 of ’09 due to AOL’s struggles.) Below is a chart that shows the growth of online advertising since the beginning of 2009. This lends even more strength to the case for integrated marketing strategies, something we have been pushing at Richter7 for some time now. With online ads taking an increased share-of-voice, and consumers’ time online only increasing, we need to continue thinking of ways to integrate online, traditional, social and pr strategies to see the greatest results. For more info, check out TechCrunch’s article: http://tcrn.ch/arBy8v
   

   Image Courtesy of TechCrunch

2. Something we’ll want to stay tuned for (no pun intended…) in the upcoming weeks is Google’s entrance into the television arena, which should be announced at their developer event in San Fran on May 19th and 20th. There, it’s expected that Google will unveil their Android-based television software. For the WSJ’s full article, visit: http://bit.ly/cX8bpQ
3. A common debate is how much CEO’s and other high-level execs should be involved in social media, something that often can only be determined on a case-by-case basis. Slate.com brought up the question yesterday of judge’s involvement in the social space. In fact, they point out that the judiciary is the only branch of the federal government that has virtually no social media presence. At the heart of the argument is that every contribution on social platforms could be reviewed for hints of bias, corruption, favoritism, etc. For some more compelling arguments from those in the legal profession, check out: http://bit.ly/bgTNBY
4. Lastly, this week’s winner for the most pointless new app goes to the “Magic Window.” This new app for the iPad allows users to choose from 10 scenic vistas that include sunsets, mountains, ocean, etc., helping turn a drab office space into something more inspirational. While I’m sure the graphics are stunning in person, it’s still reminiscent of the “Christmas Yule Log” DVD you can put on your TV to replicate a roaring fire, complete with crackling and popping. If you’re still interested, see more at: http://bit.ly/aoTsvs
   

   Image Courtesy of Mashable

That’s all for this week!