ChapStick, how rude…

November 29, 2011

I remember reading about and seeing this ad last month when it first came out. I read the news stories, read the blogs and just thought, “Wow; that was really stupid.”

But then the other day, I was running at the gym reading my Us Weekly, and BAM, there it was. I actually hadn’t seen the ad in person but it brought back all the same emotions I felt when I saw the ad online. “Where do lost ChapSticks go?” Well…your ad is definitely hinting where! I know it’s not too big of a deal, but I’d like to talk to the head of marketing for ChapStick and ask “What were you thinking!” Of course, there would be backlash.

I wasn’t even aware that the ad was the first strike, but then ChapStick was deleting comments on its Facebook page from fans about the ad, which of course caused further outrage (and for good reason!). Strike two. Wow…let’s hope they don’t make the same mistake again. Yikes…

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Posted by Jackie

The final countdown

November 19, 2011

I haven’t blogged too much about grad school this past semester or what I have been working on. To catch you up, I’m in two classes; one is Health Care PR (which I will get into later in the post), the other is Strategic Marketing Management–a class that pairs PR grad students with MBA students and focuses on providing us with an overview of marketing in practice. You wouldn’t think pairing PR and MBA students would be challenging–boy, let me tell you. This class forced me to be outside of my comfort zone to try to, for lack of a better word, “Get on their level.” There were things we were studying that I had never heard of before. In contrast, we had several writing projects (case studies and one semester-long project) that I had to take under my wing because the MBA students were…(ahem)…not talented writers. Sure, they used the right business language, but grammar, sentence-structure, consistency and formatting are not really their thing. I was able to help and I know my team members were grateful…as was the professor.

Anyways, the class has been challenging, but I have learned a great deal from it. It also forced me to work with people I never met in my life as we were scattered across the country. Our final marketing plan and an executive summary PPT are due tomorrow and we are in the final editing stages. Hallelujah! I never thought it would end! For our semester-long project, three teams of four formed one consulting group and were assigned to create a sports/energy drink and launch it into a new market to a specific audience (all variables were up to us based on research findings). Each team was assigned a certain part of the paper, and luckily my group had the last leg of the project where I was able to fine-tune and clean-up everything, while also developing the integrated marketing communication tactics (media relations, PR, advertising–holla). The picture in this post is the final packaging we ended up creating for our product (LivRite™, designed specifically for female audiences). I have a really good feeling about our project and look forward to receiving the feedback from the professor.

Now that my marketing class is about done, I have one more to go; Health Care PR where I’ve been assigned to create, promote and launch a campaign designed around a new FDA-approved drug. I’m not going to divulge any insights yet, as this paper isn’t due until December 15, but I will be sure to share all my fabricated clinical trial results, product information and how I will promote it, at some point.

After December 15 I’m home-free and off to Fort Myers after Christmas. A nice two-week break before my last semester of graduate school is all I need.

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Posted by Jackie

RIP Steve Jobs

October 5, 2011
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”  - Steve Jobs.  A Legend.

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Posted by Jackie

Let’s face it – our world’s gone digital

October 1, 2011

Whether you work in public relations, advertising or marketing, it’s important to understand and keep up with current developments in the field. One of these ongoing evolutions is digital marketing.  At Borshoff, we understand digital marketing is about meeting customers where they are most—the Internet. Check out my post on Borshoff’s blog where I dive into this topic in greater detail.

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Posted by Jackie

The possibility of not graduating…

August 17, 2011

…was running through my head about four weeks ago.

They say bad things happen in threes. Well, I found out that the IU Masters in PR program director (and my adviser) was no longer with the school; I was not signed up for my fall Kelley School of Business class (unlike what I was previously told); and my other fall class was suddenly cancelled.

Oh NO they didn’t.

I’m on track to graduate next May and nothing is standing in my way. No communication was sent to any of the students. Being PR graduate students (and not just students, but professionals in the field), yes, it’s a little ironic and bothersome that no internal communication was delivered to us as a heads-up. I mean, come on…we PR people PRIDE ourselves on communication.  So…I took action and my cohort and I banded together to get answers. Just this evening, the new IUPUI School of Journalism (SOJ) Associate Dean (and my new adviser) and Bloomington’s SOJ Dean met with me and other graduate students at the University Place hotel to discuss business. Turns out IU Bloomington’s SOJ is expanding and growing the program in Indianapolis. Three hours of Q&A later, I now look forward to the changes that will take place and the opportunities that will come our way. Everything looks promising and a lot of great ideas are in the works.

Despite my worrisome weeks, it just took time for things to fall into place; in other words, I just encountered a little speed bump in my graduate journey. Through several email exchanges, I was able to enroll in my business class and my fall class was reinstated. I’m now a happy camper and was reassured I would still graduate next May.

Rule of thumb—time does heal. Yes, I might have had to get answers on my own and things were frustrating for a while, but everything worked out in the end.

With that said, fall classes start next week! My second to last semester is here. I’m taking two classes (confirmed!): PR Health Care and Strategic Marketing Management. I’m excited for the health care class as it will be the first class I take toward my concentration. It also is being taught by an employee of GSK out of Pennsylvania, so our classes are via video teleconference (sweet!) As for Strategic Marketing Management, I am sure it will beneficial, but it’s also an online business class, so we will see how that goes. It’s going to be a busy fall, that’s for sure.

Here goes nothing! Wish me luck…

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Posted by Jackie

10 marketing mistakes to avoid on Twitter

July 26, 2011

I recently became Borshoff’s Twitter manager at work. That’s right…it’s a real role. Role of a lifetime! I’m one of the masterminds behind the tweets (secret is out!) What this means is, not only am I responsible for my day-to-day account work, but I now HAVE to monitor my TweetDeck (I know…rough) every day, throughout the day, for tweets, RTs, Mentions, DMs, lists and more. I love it. It’s a great job for a Twitter lover.

Today, the @Borshoff account tweeted a link to an article published online by The Miami Herald that is definitely worth sharing. The article is aimed toward small businesses and helping them avoid making common Twitter marketing mistakes that may have consequences. However, after I read through the tips, I thought, “This is great information even for the average Twitter user!” Maybe not everyone cares, but it definitely is a nice guide to refer to for some of the “dos and don’ts” of Twitter. In essence, it’s proper Twitter mannerisms.

The first five mistakes to avoid are:

  1. Not following properly
  2. Not using direct messages correctly
  3. Not thanking followers personally
  4. Not properly maximizing your free Twitter real estate
  5. Not keeping it real (huge!)

These are tips I will aim to avoid not only from the @Borshoff account, but from my own as well. (@jkoumpouras…follow me!)

Check out these five tips and the remaining 10 from the original article, HERE. Props to The Miami Herald for the great advice!

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Posted by Jackie

PR folks better keep up with the Social Media train

October 6, 2010

Choo Choo!

One of my Borshoff coworkers shared this Bulldog Reporter article with me today about the growing influence of social media (it’s always growing if you ask me) and need for PR practitioners to keep up. It’s a lengthy article, but she summed it up with three takeaways worth sharing with you:

  1. The use of social media at public relations and public affairs firms has jumped 12%-15% in the past year. Currently, the total percentage of work devoted by firms to social media as opposed to traditional media is 30% overall, and next year, the percentage will increase to an average of 42%. In a year or two, the percentage will be over 50%.
  2. PR practitioners — and firms in particular — must get increasingly up to speed to know what the online dynamic is all about and how to use it. They will need new skills because mastering this space is a lot more than just setting up a Facebook account — PR people need to know how to create online advocacy programs that address issues, marketing support initiatives that help to push products, and surveys that keep customers and others involved in what their clients do. Most important, they have to understand the need to create a strategic plan, not just throw stuff up helter-skelter like it is being done now by many firms.
  3. Some people are interpreting our prediction of the dominance of social media as an outright replacement of traditional media — that won’t necessarily happen, but social media will become the primary focus of PR efforts in the next few years, overtaking traditional media as the dominant focus.

I guess I better stay up-to-speed on my social media knowledge!

See the full article here.

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Posted by Jackie

In some cases, it’s good to be a follower

May 27, 2010

Two years ago, I thought Twitter was the dumbest thing in the whole world. “Here we go again, just another social networking site for people to stalk others and creep around.  A site of constant status updates for people to know what you’re doing at all times. Boy, was I naive. 

Then out of the blue one day I thought to myself, “Well, you’re in PR, maybe check it out to see what all the fuss is about.” 

I haven’t stopped tweeting since—and here’s why:

Twitter keeps me “with the times”|   Twitter offers me a daily dose of current events.  Instant global news, scrolling through my TweetDeck application, provides a gratification I don’t receive from traditional news sources. Journalists are already writing news stories and updating their tweets simultaneously. 

Microblogging can be a company’s friend|   Regardless the industry, businesses are using the benefits of Twitter to increase awareness and communicate to audiences.  From hospitals to news media to restaurants, businesses are taking full advantage of microblogging. Twitter can enhance an organization’s PR strategy by facilitating endorsement and ability to reach target publics with ease. It also poses risks, but that’s a WHOLE other blog post, my friends.

Social media is not the new PR|   Through my professional experience, one thing is certain—though effective, microblogging is just one strategy of a larger PR campaign—it is not the only strategy. Effective public relations begins with planning, and integrates multiple strategies—media relations, crisis communications, internal com, research AND social media. 

Twitter is powerful. Not only is it a communication maximizer, it brands the individual. With that said, think before you tweet, add value, be interesting and transparent—all in 140 characters or less—and my friend, you’ve gained yourself a follower!

 Tweet on.

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Posted by Jackie

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