Category Archives: Marketing

Automotive TV Programming

Posted on by
2

Audi gets Modern -- ABC/Richard Foreman

What the heck! I thought I was watching television programs, however, as of late, I’ve been mistaken. What I thought were TV shows actually were full-sized car commercials.  And this practice is driving me crazy!

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve learned about Ford’s Lommel Proving Ground in Belgium by watching CBS’ “The Amazing Race.” I saw works of art created from Fiat 500 parts on Bravo TV’s “Work of Art.” I watched Bravo’s “Top Chef: Texas” contestants get to know each other better on a car trip in Toyota Siennas and on ABC’s “Modern Family,” the Audi A8 is the car that patriarch, Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill) drives.

Are car manufacturers getting smarter about advertising and/or television companies getting dumber about integrated content?

My answer to that question is car makers and TV companies both win in this new form of content integration. Consumers, as usual, are on the losing end.

Ford and "The Amazing Race" Segment of Fun

Do you think that those of us who watched Ford’s Mustang challenge on “The Amazing Race,” didn’t for one minute not realize what a great commercial that was? I have to admit it was an entertaining segment and it was interesting to see this exclusive test track…but the whole time I watched it I knew it was also a commercial message. A very clever and I suppose an expensive one too. Here’s a clip of it so you can see for yourself.

Two years ago the state of the American Auto Industry was dire. Now, it appears that the Industy has full wallets again and is rebounding nicely, so much so that they now own the TV airwaves! Talk about a 360 degree flip. It’s the media companies now who can’t bring in the dough that they used to due to new distribution platforms. They now NEED advertisers like car manufacturers to help them pay their bills.

Will it pay off? I guess the proof is at the dealerships.  Are more people buying Audi’s because they want the car Jay drives? Are people buying Fiat’s because they liked the car parts in “Work of Art?”

At the end of the day, it is all about eyeballs. And by a Toyota Sienna being seen on “Top Chef” episode is probably a larger audience that would see a regular commercial that gets played over and over and over that our minds just tune them out. For me personally, I am over that Prius holiday commerical-I’ve seen it too many times for my own good and I’m a Prius driver.

At the end of the day – WE’RE ON TO YOU TV COMPANIES AND CAR MAKERS! Let’s hope that this trend doesn’t continue for it will wreck great shows like BBC’s “Top Gear,” a true car show. I mean, after a while, they all will start to look the same.

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve noticed the uptick in TV car integration and what you think about it all.

Off to watch more Car TV Programming. How about you?

Cindy

Ford’s Social Game

Posted on by
Reply

Ford and Zynga partner to present the world's first social game for a product reveal

Attending the Los Angeles Auto Show as a member of the press, I thought that I was going to hear an earful about added horsepower, hemi engines and fuel-efficient cars. Never did I imagine I’d be learning about the world’s first social gaming initiative for a product reveal.

FORD AND ZYNGA PARTNER ON PRODUCT LAUNCH

In full disclosure, Ford Motor Corporation through Scott Monty offered me the opportunity to receive a press credential to cover the LA Auto Show.  That offer did indeed impact my desire to cover Ford’s press conference, but, even if I hadn’t been a guest of Ford, I’d cover this story for it’s game changing and absolutely brilliant. Ford is definitely breaking new marketing ground and thinking outside the box in connecting with consumers.

Ford has partnered with Zynga, the world’s largest social gaming developer. What? Yes Ford, one of the largest car manufacturers on the globe has partnered with Zynga’s Words with Friends game (think online Scrabble) to launch the all-new model of the Escape, the company’s newest sport utility vehicle which will arrive next year. This new model includes 11 new exclusive features, including an available hands-free power liftgate that allows quick and easy access to cargo with a kick of the foot.

Just a kick of the foot and your hatch can open! Pretty smart thinking Ford.

Yeah, this stuff is cool…but I can’t get over Ford’s brilliance in understanding the power behind social gaming, which a few years ago was known as casual gaming. According to a survey conducted last February for Popcap Games by Information Services Group, one hundred million people are playing social games and approximately $1 billion in revenue is expected this year. Did you see that figure – over 100 million people play social games.  So, if word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising, Ford is on to something marrying a launch of a product with a social game. What a brilliant move. Bravo Ford.

SOCIAL GAMING IS GOOD PR

I was able to videotape Jim Farley, Ford Motor Co.’s Group Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Service, as he announced the Zynga deal as well as their new reality web component called Escape Routes. Ford is teaming with Emmy award-winning reality producers to create an interactive web series and are going to send out six teams of two in a Ford Escape and embed a blogger in each car. The teams will be cast and the series should resemble CBS’ “Amazing Race.” To find out more or to learn about local casting calls, visit Escaperoutes.com.

Want to hear about Ford’s social gaming initiatives yourself. Check out the video of Jim Farley below from the company’s LA Auto Show Ford press conference.

Marketing Seasons

Posted on by
14

Lights are Great During The Holidays, But a Nuisance After Flickr Credit: Patti Haskins

I think you’ll agree with me that Christmas lights on homes in November and December are super cool. Christmas lights on houses in May and June are just wrong. Hence, the purpose of my post today is talk about marketing seasons and whether or not some top marketers are super cool in knowing the proper length of time to run their campaigns.

YUMMY RED CUPS

First up…the Starbucks Holiday cups. We all know them and when they are in our hands then it is in our heads that the holidays are upon us.  Guess what? The new holiday cups have already arrived and are being held hostage at your local Starbucks until November 1.

Starbucks Holiday Cups Hit the Stores November 1 -Flickr Credit: Mastemaq

Yes, that’s right. The day after Halloween Starbucks thinks its time to start getting ready for the holidays. With that, comes your favorite perennial drinks like Eggnog lattes and Peppermint While Chocolate Mocha (I can taste it now). But, don’t you think it might be a tad bit too early? I mean don’t you think Starbucks is short-changing fall and Thanksgiving a bit. I mean I love the Pumpkin Spice latte too, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the Peppermint Mocha. Do we ever get a breather from October through January 1? I mean we’ve got Halloween costumes to buy, then turkeys and pumpkin pies and after all that Christmas presents. It’s buy, buy, buy.

MONTH-LONG MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

On another note, I’d like to take a look at Month-long marketing celebrations like October being Breast Cancer Awareness month. This was a time that was personal to me and I did my best to bring attention to its importance and even turned this blog into pink hues to commemorate this campaign. There were newspaper features, TV news segments and movies of the week devoted to this cause at the start of the month. But as we end it…have you noticed it is petering out.  This weakening is making me feel that a month may be too long of a time to sustain a movement. I mean couldn’t it all have been just as worthwhile, marketingwise, if it was just a week!

LAST THOUGHT

If you are a marketer I hope that you carefully examine the length of your campaigns. It’s so important to stay in that sweet spot of effectiveness. If you ask me I’d tell you its a better practice to end an campaign on a high note, then extend one too long. Seasons are tricky so do your research. I don’t want you to lose the impact of your brilliant marketing campaigns, because you left your Christmas lights up too long.

Me. Well you’ve guessed it. I’ve taken down my “pink” breast cancer color with this post…I hope I did it before it became un-cool and come Tuesday, I’ll be in line for my Peppermint Mocha.

See ya online.

Cindy

Breast Cancer is Closer than You Think

Posted on by
10

Carol Ronzoni's Piece of Art

Breast cancer. I never thought those two words would enter my life. But they did last May when my 83-year-old mom was diagnosed with the disease.  She was one of the nearly 290,000 women in the U.S. who have tumors discovered in their breasts, according to the American Cancer Society.

EARLY DETECTION IS KEY

What causes this disease? There are many factors that are linked to cancer including family history, gene mutations and a women’s reproduction history. I can venture to say that almost everyone reading this article knows someone who has been affected by this disease for it is estimated that one out of every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes. One in eight…that’s a number too close to home.

The disease comes in many forms and has a variety of treatments. My mom was extremely fortunate that her lumps were found early in their first stages of cancer.  She initially was brought in for one breast tumor, but in a MRI it was discovered that the cancer was also present in the other.  As a result, she underwent a double mastectomy and is healing well. Thank you or all your prayers who have been a part of this with us. With that, I can’t emphasize the importance of having an annual mammogram for women over 40 or immediately after a lump is discovered. Early detection is key with this particular disease.

This post is dedicated to my greatest hero, my mom, and to every women, child, husband and family affected by this disease. I am sending you my support and encouragement to all those who are dealing with this disease in your household. I am sending you my best wishes and will happily pray for you if you let me know.

NFL AND BREAST AWARENESS - A GREAT CATCH

PINK IS ALWAYS APPROPRIATE

I appreciate all the attention that is drawn to this cancer every October with Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Some companies that doing their part are The NFL who is bringing recognition to the disease by having its teams accessorize in pink; Yoplait for its 13th year is  sponsoring “Save Lids Save Lives,” a campaign donating money to breast cancer outreach programs and Lifetime Network who has produced a TV movie about breast cancer, “5″, in support of bringing more attention to this disease.

The hospital, Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital (PIH), who treated my mom planned a special event for breast cancer survivors. The Hospital sponsored a special art show where breast cancer survivors decorated bras to tell the journey of their disease.  My mom participated in this project and it definitely assisted in helping to lift her spirits.

Her particular bra for the “Bra-Vo” contest was as a beautiful as she is…it’s a positive look at the cancer and I wanted to share her story with the world.  My mom does make this world a better place to live…and I hope that her story helps to inspire others.

Here’s my mom’s story.

YouTube Will Soon Give Cable a Run for its Money

Posted on by
2

Will TV Sets Be Put Out To The Pasture? Flickr Credit: Jonny Baker

“Honey, what’s on YouTube tonight?”

It’s hard to believe that question will soon be asked nightly in homes across the globe, isn’t it? Never in my day did I think another content platform would be born that allowed newcomers with the accessibility of something that normally only was available to those with extensive film pedigrees. But, now Google Inc’s. YouTube video service is taking on Hollywood and people are getting the chance to become mainstream or um webstream producers.

Should it Now be Called HollyTube?

In case you didn’t get a chance to read yesterday’s Wall St. Journal article on this matter, YouTube is investing more than $100 million in cash advances (glad someone has that kind of cash!) to have content produced exclusively for the video service.  One of the first content producers who has signed on is Tony Hawk, the skateboarding wunderkind. According to the article, deals are also being worked out with Warner Bros. and News Corp.’s ShineReveille Studio.

The goal for Google is to go after substancial advertising dollars for this fare. Advertisers in the past had been hesitant to sponsor YouTube videos due to the fact of how low quality they were produced and the content.  By YouTube producing “quality” content and building its own channels, the company hopes to take on the cable and broadcast TV industry.

That Darn Lag

No matter how many channels YouTube implements, the one thing that will absolutely keep me from watching is that darn lag time that I experience almost every time I watch something on YouTube via my computers.  You know what I mean? I can’t stand how it stops and starts as it renders. Ugh!

Now, if they invent something to get that fixed..then I might be in.  And soon may checking my local YouTube listings.

How about you? Will you watch YouTube’s soon to be released channels?

 

Simplifying Public Relations

Posted on by
14

The Salvation Army Knows How to Relate On All Fronts - That's Good PR. Flickr credit: Tojosan

Yesterday I was interviewed by at third-year college student for an assignment in one of her public relations classes.  I do about a dozen of these a year for various students and I love how each one is always different. This particular student wanted me to define what public relations is…and so I threw it back in her court to answer first. She gave a very intelligent long answer about like its caring for a brand and communicating messages effectively through the use of journalists. But I told her my answer was in the title. Public Relations is just that. Public – Relations.

KEEP PR SIMPLE

It’s all about how you relate to the public, the media, colleagues, companies…public relations is about relating in any form or fashion.  It’s really that simple.

Public relations professionals are only as good as their contacts and as good as their strategies for spreading a message.  And that’s why social media is the perfect complement to public relations. Success on that platform deals with how well a person can provide engaging content.

Sometimes when looking for an answer, its right in front of your face. PR people often forget that at the end of day that it is how well we are able to communicate to others how they should write about whatever we are representing.  Therefore, for anyone starting out in the PR field or for those who are responsible for that area in their job, they should heed these simple suggestions.

TIPS FOR PR SUCCESS

(1). Don’t ever assume people will write about your product. Great content will get covered if its story is told interestingly for coverage.

(2.) A press release on its own is never a good strategy for pick up. Distributing press releases over a wire will not garner top-notch results, because you need to send it to a targeted list of people whom you know that cover that sort of product. It’s a left-right punch.

(3.) Relationships are the key to any business. Therefore, build up your followers and fans so that when you need some help in starting a movement, you have a terrific base to start from and grow upon. Keep meeting people online and in person – every connection made does present some opportunity.

Yep, it’s that simple. If you know how to relate to others, then you are on your way being a success in public relations. That’s my PR tip for the day.

Cindy Keeps It Simple

Cindy Ronzoni is a public relations veteran who has been building media relationships her entire career. She often speaks to college students and provides seminars to train small business professionals. In all her efforts, she exhorts simplicity in all that she does.

 

How Not Improving Can Help Your Business

Posted on by
Reply

Why Mess With a Greatness

Did you happen to catch today’s Wall Street Journal front page feature on paper clips? Yes, I just wrote paper clips.

At first I thought this was an odd, boring choice for a story selection, and I pondered why this premier publication would devote prime real estate to such an ordinary product.  It didn’t take me long, a couple of sentences, to get its point.  I learned that a paper clip is rare because it has withstood its classic design for over 100 years. How many things can you say that about?

This thought led me to further thought about whether we should keep certain things that work well alone and stop slapping “new improved” stickers on just about everything that gets sold or consumed.

DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE NEW AND IMPROVED?

I mean we’ve all heard this statement before, if it ain’t broken don’t fix it.

I don’t like that statement – but, in this case it certainly applies. Paper clips are still as relevant today as they were the day they were introduced into the marketplace in 1903. Sure, you can add colors to them or designs or coat them in plastic. But at the end of the day is there any better tool to fix papers without leaving a mark, to un-clog glue bottles or clean under your finger nails in a pinch?

With that being said, are there things about your business or the work that you do that you shouldn’t improve upon because they work well?

A CLASSIC BUSINESS PLAN

Here’s what I would say about my PR business. No matter what new whiz-bang social media tool that comes out, I don’t want to lose personal connection and phone calls. My business success lies in having connections with real people, journalists, and I’ve built up those relationships through the years by having conversations with them over the phone or in-person. That’s really my business secret, my paper clip, if you will and one that I hope to never change.

 

Pages: 1 2

Cindy Ronzoni Authors Informational Brief on The Social Aspects of Communication

Posted on by
Reply

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    Contact: Steve Jones
July 27, 2011
(202) 222-2373 sjones@cablecommunicators.org

ACC Releases Informational Brief “The Social Aspects of Communication”
An Overview of Social Media Practices in Corporate Public Relations for Cable

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Association of Cable Communicators (ACC) released the July 2011 issue of ACCbriefs, “The Social Aspects of Communication” and posted the paper on the association’s Web site. The thrust of the publication is to provide a current overview of Social Media tools and techniques cable communicators are utilizing to enhance their overall communication effectiveness and meet their business objectives.

“The value of the July issue is that it lays out specific examples regarding how both cable operators and programming networks are utilizing the power of these social media tools,” said Steve Jones, executive director of ACC. “It goes on to site how these new technologies are used for customer engagement, media relations, issuing official statements, and responding to the always-on news cycle.”

The paper is authored by Cindy Ronzoni, founder and CEO of Social Spread Media, a digital public relations agency specializing in social and traditional media. She has over 20 years of public relations and corporate communications experience with senior positions at Fox Entertainment, Fox Cable, Game Show Network and Lifetime Networks.

The brief is available online at http://www.cablecommunicators.org/resources_briefs.php and is being distributed to ACC members via e-mail. ACCbriefs provide clarity on complex industry and communications issues and are designed for communications, public affairs, government relations, executive office and other staff members who need a clear, concise, subject-oriented guide from the cable perspective on industry topics.

## #

The Association of Cable Communicators (ACC) is the only national, professional organization specifically addressing the issues, needs and interests of the cable industry’s communications and public affairs professionals. The association’s mission is to develop and promote cable communications excellence through professional development to help achieve industry and corporate goals. ACC works to enhance each member’s status and influence through skill building and professional development. For more information on ACC, go to www.cablecommunicators.org.

Best Customer Service Practices Include the Human Touch

Posted on by
Reply

Clever Way for A Customer to Make A Point!

Are businesses ever allowed to provide mediocre customer service? Is it okay to leave customers hanging on a phone tree for more than five minutes? Are there industries that should provide excellent service more so than others?

The answer to all three questions above is a resounding NO-at least that’s my $0.02 worth. But, unfortunately, we all experience poor service on a daily basis as customers even from blue-chip enterprises to boot.

If you are a small business owner you are probably cringing at this thought because YOU know that your success lies in the quality of your customer service. So then why do we allow large conglomerates to do that to us all the time? Why do we still give these companies our precious dollars, especially when we expect more out of own business services?

Today I experienced such an experience. Unfortunately, I am dealing with medical issues associated with a loved one. As such, I had to wait for four hours in a hospital lobby while a family member had tests conducted. Since I was just sitting there I had hoped that I could log on to the Internet and quietly get some work completed. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they had a daily wi-fi access code, however, I soon found out that the system does not allow access to Apple devices only PCs. Say WHAT???

PHONE TREES DRIVE YOU UP A TREE!

I think I'll Skip This Place.

This wasn’t a life-threatening situation and I could do other work offline, but this example just got me thinking about all the other times that I’ve been frustrated by poor customer service. I attend dozens of small business connector meetings and each always stresses the importance of guest relations. So why is excellent customer service applicable to small owners and not large conglomerates?

A HUMAN VOICE GOES A LONG WAY IN CUSTOMER SERVICE

I would rather do anything than call my satellite provider, healthcare company or phone service. I know that when I call them I’ll be sitting there for a while. Phone trees that put you in sequence are annoying as are the companies that don’t provide any voice connection like Facebook. Most tech companies now provide email customer service and hide their main phone numbers. I don’t care how great you are in answering email support questions, yes I’m including Google, in this rant as well. There are times when a human voice is the best possible service a company can provide.

What companies drive you crazy with poor support and what companies do you think deserve some applause. Do tell.

Social Media Day What A Success!

Posted on by
Reply

Thank you Orange County Register for hosting a Mashable Social Media Day event.

How did you celebrate  #Mashable’s Social Media Day? I celebrated it with my local social media club, Social Media Mastermind of Orange County (SMMOC) at the Orange County Register. For those of you who know me, you know that I love to support journalists and their publications, therefore, it was a win-win for me to be at the OCRegister.

Kudos to everyone who was involved at this local gathering. Employees at the paper, like Kevin Sablan, did an amazing job of lining up speakers, equipment, parking access and food vendors. The content that was provided was definitely “remark-able” and hopefully, a good time was had by all.

YEAH FOR SOCIAL MEDIA DAY

To help give you a flavor of what our day was like, I put some pictures together and produced a short video. The best thing about this day is the fact if you couldn’t make it to any event – you could still participate by following on the dozens of twitter hashtags that cropped up representing social activities throughout the world. It’s now becoming one of my favorite days of the year.

Enjoy!