How You Can Utilize the Celebrity PR Angle

February 15, 2012 Leave a Comment

When it comes to PR, business owners and entrepreneurs generally think of the obvious.  An owner of a hair salon will think of stories that have to do with hair care.  On optician will think of stories that have to do with eyewear, a florist will think of stories that have to do with flowers.  That all makes sense, right?  Yep.  And that’s a start, but if you really want to get your story covered in magazines, newspapers and TV segments, you need to be a bit more creative than that.  For example, if you do own a hair salon, come up with the top ten best celebrity hairstyles and explain why, or maybe give the worst celebrity hairstyles.  You don’t have to be the hairstylist who worked on the celebrities, but you can be the one to comment and position yourself as a hairstyling expert.  If you’re an optician, develop a story on why glasses are really jewelry for the face and then come up with a list of celebrities that illustrate why glasses are a beauty item.  If you’re a florist, come up with a pitch based on flower arrangements used at celebrity events, political events, or any event that is featured in the news.  Comment on why the floral arrangements worked or didn’t work and what you would suggest in the future.

The best way to launch a successful media campaign is to give the press options.  You have a story that you want to tell through the media.  Chances are you have one or two main angles or story ideas that you want covered.  Those are where your focus lies, they are you primary objectives.  But don’t stop there.  Broaden your approach.  For good or bad (and I think I know which one it is) we live in a celebrity-based culture.  The media loves celebrity-oriented stories, so brainstorm a bit and see how you can tie your story into a pitch that offers a celebrity angle.  This might be the furthest thing from your mind and that type of story might very well bore you to tears, but don’t let your personal bias, keep you from presenting a story angle that the media will pick up.  Have fun with it.  Think out of the box.

This celebrity-oriented approach can often be the way to prime the pump and get your media relations campaign off the ground.  From there you can broaden into a more comprehensive campaign.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

James. “Celebrity News”.  Photo. Celebrity Cheeze. 02 Feb 2012. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://celebritycheeze.com/the-history-of-celebrities/>

Filed under Entertainment, Lifestyle PR Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lady Gaga & Her Little Monsters

February 9, 2012 1 Comment

Lady Gaga rules Twitter.  With roughly 19 million followers, she leaves others in the dust.  Lady Gaga was also the first to top one billion YouTube video views.  So what is the obvious next step for the Queen of YouTube and Twitter?  Start your own social network!  And that’s what Gaga has done.  Little Monsters is an invite-only (exclusive, eh? Kinda like getting let in by the doorman at a club) the site which is currently in beta test, is built around her fan base.  Think of a traditional fan club on steroids.  According to media accounts the site will be similar to Pinterest, the mobile app that has users “pin” where they go, what they do and what they like.  It will also be somewhat similar to Digg in that users will be encouraged to share and post content from other sites.

The site is developed by a company named Backplane where (surprise) Troy Carter, Lady Gaga’s manager is one of the founders.  But here’s the question, for now followers and viewers who visit and join Lady Gaga on other sites are coming from a large pool.  They are also not defining themselves so specifically as Lady Gaga fans as they would be by joining a social network build exclusively around her and her fan base.  Few rocks stars have true staying power and if the fame starts to wane, you have the very real potential of a mass exodus.  To rely on a fan base to fuel a social media site can be a gamble.

That’s where it becomes a PR gamble.  Initially it makes for great media.  Any and every pop culture outlet will react to the Little Monster media relations and publicity blitz.  You’ll see and read about it everywhere.  It’s a sure slam dunk at first, not unlike Michael Jordon launching his own brand of athletic shoes.  What will be interesting is to see where Little Monsters is in a year or two.  If fortunes turn, could it suddenly be uncool to be on the site?  It’s hard to know at this point.  As time goes on it could be important to begin to minimize the Lady Gaga presence on the site and focus on fully branding Little Monsters as a stand alone entity.  But one thing is for sure, up to this point Lady Gaga has been a PR Monster, so who knows how far her army of Little Monsters can take her.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

MiKael. “The hand used on various official T-Shirts.” Photo. wikia. 09 Feb. 2012. <http://ladygaga.wikia.com/wiki/Little_Monsters>

 

Filed under Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Square Hits a PR Grand Slam

February 3, 2012 Leave a Comment

What could be a better PR coup than having both the Republican and the Democrats using your device in the race for the White House?  Either way you win, even with the loser.  And that’s exactly what Square has accomplished.  One of the newest technologies to be adopted by the Obama and the Romney campaign is called Square, a mobile payment card reading device.  Members of both campaigns are being equipped with this device that enables the campaigns to accept donations on various devices including Androids, Iphone, Ipads, etc.

To quote a Square spokesperson: “Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, running for president or local assembly, Square makes it easier than ever for candidates, organizations and volunteers to fundraise for their cause.”

Square makes fundraising easy which makes candidates and their teams happier.  Generally a campaign needed to solicit checks or cash.  There were always credit cards but the paperwork and tracking could be a fundraiser nightmare.

Square makes donating and receiving easy.  Donations are immodestly processed and the company sends receipts via SMS or email.  Political fundraisers can’t escape the reporting requirements and processing fees, but overall Square offers them a fundraising dream.

The special app for accepting Square payments for the Obama campaign will soon be available to the public and then the game is on. The Obama campaign reportedly raised $42 million in the last quarter of 2011.  As the campaign goes into full gear, that number is sure to rise, add the Republican race to that and Square is going to be seeing quite a bit of money flow through its system.

The capital Square will take in by working with both parties is significant, since the company is basically a start up.  But even more significant in the long run are the PR and marketing opportunities that are now afforded them.  Their media relations and publicity efforts are in full swing (or at least they should be).

Companies pay celebrities big bucks to endorse their products or services.  In this case Square’s clients are being afforded the biggest spotlight there is and some of that spotlight falls directly on Square.  Public relations, particularly media relations can benefit quite a bit with the help of celebrity names.  Think of designers or make up companies that tie their brands to those of specific celebrities.  If a celebrity uses a product and word hits the media, sales of that product generally soar.  Seldom is a company afforded the type of media exposure that Square can now command.   It will be interesting to see how they utilize this opportunity.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Pinoytutorial. “Square app”. Photo. Techtorial. 25 May 2011. 03 Feb. 2012. <http://pinoytutorial.com/techtorial/square-pay-with-your-name-review-how-to-guide-and-tutorial/>

Flacy, Mike. “Obama Square App”. Photo. Digital Trends. 31 Jan 2012. 03 Feb. 2012. <http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/will-mobile-campaign-donations-be-a-game-changer-for-politicians/>

Filed under Marketing, Politics Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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