Highlight:
Experts are saying that these moms have created a marketing phenomenon, and more companies are catching on.

“They really create trends, drive issues and have a real community around them. It’s been very effective,” said Alex Koritz of Sprout Marketing.

ABC 4 News: Mommy bloggers create frenzy at local jeweler
http://www.abc4.com/content/news/state/story/Mommy-bloggers-create-frenzy-at-local-jeweler/Q2YBfFocykGoWVoQUjPlfw.cspx

PROVO, Utah (ABC 4 News) It was a surprise that took Goldsmith Jewelers of Provo by storm, as well as the bloggers who made this “Mothers Day Promotion” one of the biggest, according to the jeweler.

Amber Passey is a mommy blogger. Her blogspot, “Because Babies Grow Up,” was one of thirty popular mommy blog sites chosen by Sprout Marketing for a Goldsmith Jewelers Promotion.

Fora free dinner, she and the other bloggers allowed them to post a coupon, for a free strand of pearls, on their blogs which are normally dedicated to raising kids and family life.

Passey says, “It’s a way we can get out and socialize without disrupting the rest of our live and our children’s lives.

Experts are saying that these moms have created a marketing phenomenon, and more companies are catching on.

“They really create trends, drive issues and have a real community around them. It’s been very effective,” said Alex Koritz of Sprout Marketing.

In all three thousand coupons were printed from the mommy bloggers. Goldsmith Jewelers says it ended up being a costly promotion but not one that is regretted.

They believe that this promotion has created relationships that will last with its customers.

Bloggers say that’s what they’re all about, creating relationships.

I give this book 2 out of 5 stars. It’s full of redundant, rambling political philosophy with a timeline that jumps all over the place.  While some of the antidotal stories are interesting, and the inner-workings of the White House communications office certainly interests me, there wasn’t near enough of this. It was a fight to finish this book.

I’ve come across more pay-to-play opportunities in the last few months than I’ve seen in years. Combing holiday gift guide opportunities, at least half have been pay-oriented. This is driving PR people crazy, and serious journalists as well.  Press coverage is powerful because of its third-party credibility with readers, who when they read assume that editors are bringing an objective mindset to articles and are not influenced
by advertising.

The public already has a deep distrust in the media, this isn’t going to help, folks.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Olympic Committee, for the first time, required all of its 596 Olympians to attend a two-day course on the host country’s culture. A Chinese-trained teacher instructed the athletes on social customs such as the “Chinese do not hug”, and “Do not spear the food with your chopsticks”) and drinking habits “Chinese don’t really drink, except at banquets”

Lessons learned from Bode Miller?

Fast Company’s Francisco Dao is using a Digg-like site to rate pitches he receives from PR people. Check out the Fast Company Buzz pitch portal. Very cool.

Newsweek’s recent written cover story, “The Rise of the Rest” was extremely thought provoking. It discussed a post-American dominated world, not because of the decline of American power, but because of the rise of the rest. The author, Fareed Zakaria, makes some very interesting points. A point I’d like to focus on is this: The world is in better shape than it ever has been. However; because of 24-hour news and the Internet, it doesn’t appear that way. The news covers every bomb going off, every assassination attempt, every earthquake, etc., giving the appearance that the world is going to Hell and fast. The media has not figured out yet how to put things into perspective. Zakaria:

“Why do we think we live in scary times? Part of the problem is that as violence has been ebbing, information has been exploding. The last 20 years have produced an information revolution that brings us news and, most crucially, images from around the world all the time. The immediacy of the images and the intensity of the 24-hour news cycle combine to produce constant hype. Every weather disturbance is the “storm of the decade.” Every bomb that explodes is BREAKING NEWS. Because the information revolution is so new, we—reporters, writers, readers, viewers—are all just now figuring out how to put everything in context.”

The media has enormous influence on how we perceive the world. Politics feeds off of this, end-of-world fears are what got George W. Bush elected, McCain is using the same tactics. And the democrats are using economy fears to garner support. So, let’s use the latter as an example. Zakaria makes this point:
“It [the American economy] has enjoyed unusually robust growth, low unemployment and inflation, and received hundreds of billions of dollars in investment. These are not signs of economic collapse. Its companies have entered new countries and industries with great success, using global supply chains and technology to stay in the vanguard of efficiency. U.S. exports and manufacturing have actually held their ground and services have boomed.

“The United States is currently ranked as the globe’s most competitive economy by the World Economic Forum. It remains dominant in many industries of the future like nanotechnology, biotechnology, and dozens of smaller high-tech fields. Its universities are the finest in the world, making up 8 of the top ten and 37 of the top fifty, according to a prominent ranking produced by Shanghai Jiao Tong University.”
A recession is based on consumer spending habits, which is greatly influenced by the media. When CNN mentions a possible recession every 20 minutes, of course we’re not going to spend and thus stimulate the economy. A vicious cycle. If we do descend into a recession, I think we have only the media to blame and the politicians that jumped on their bandwagon. And, of course, our gullible selves.

The old adage rings true, ‘don’t believe everything you read.’ (tough for a PR guy to swallow)

Mike Deaver, a PR and White House legend, passed away this month. He was most recently Vice Chairman of Edelman International. Edelman’s website has a nice tribute to him, saying among other things: “His professional career spanned five decades, on behalf of heads of state and captains of industry around the world. He will be remembered for countless contributions to the art of communications, and for his years of service to our country in the stead of his longtime friend and boss, President Ronald Reagan, whom he started working with shortly after Reagan was elected California governor in 1966.”

Mike was also heavily involved in outreach and PR for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Apparently Mike was a driving force behind Gordon B. Hinckley’s (LDS Church President) interview on 60 Minutes several years ago, and other major PR initiatives for the Church. President Hinckley arose through the publicity ranks in the Church and has arguably initiated more public outreach than any other President in the Church’s history. Mike Deaver and President Hinckley made a great team.

As a member of the LDS Church and, of course, a PR professional, this connection has always interested me. The PR field has lost a giant.

CEOs are in the spotlight everyday. With trigger-happy board members, demanding customers and a cynical media, they need to be careful of their behavior. And thanks to YouTube, corporate settings are no longer safe (ask Mr. Ballmer).

However, good behavior is not enough. CEOs can no longer have their heads buried in the sand. They need to be constantly engaged with the media. In many cases that includes the blogosphere. It’s too late to begin building relationships with the media during a crisis; that needs to be done beforehand.

What does that mean for PR people? Our responsibility is greater than ever to help our executives communicate clearly with stakeholders. I’ve had the opportunity to work with media savy executives from large corporations such as 3Com and Burger King to hot start-ups such as Control4 and RemedyMD. It’s very rewarding to see media training in action and know that you’ve helped facilitate a key message to the public. Today’s business climate calls for PR pros to take a larger leadership role.