PR Pros Could Learn a Thing or Two from Colbert and Stewart

Comedy Central funny men, Stephen Colbert and John Stewart held their Rally to Restore Sanity/Fear yesterday in Washington D.C. The rallies were announced only a month ago and over the past 30 days have managed to gather quite a large following. How did they do this over such a short amount of time? Besides their television shows being widely popular, Colbert and Stewart perfected their social media campaigns and as a result the rallies have generated a number of mini-web campaigns bringing awareness to the event.

Along with their public relations and digital media teams, Colbert and Stephens penetrated the social media world in almost every way. The web sites for the rallies have ways to engage the visitors. Fans can find updates about the event, merchandise, and interactive activities to up the users engagement with the site. On Stewart's site, people can browse rally signs and vote on whether they are sane or not. On Colbert's site, people can upload pictures of themselves dressed up as their worst fears and vote on the best pictures. Both sites give opportunities for people to donate to their individual charities.

The hosts not only did an wonderful job engaging people on their web sites, but they also offered information about the events via Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare. The goal for using social media was obviously to promote the rallies, but it was also to help people feel like they were participating in the rallies even if they could not attend.

Public relations professionals trying to develop social media strategies for their companies should look at this campaign and take away some helpful tips on how to develop a successful campaign. Colbert and Stewart made information about their event available to many different audiences by reaching out to several different social media outlets. They provided all the information a user would want to know and created ways to actually engage the users through interactive activities and open communication between them and their audiences via live Twitter and Facebook chats and a live stream through their respective shows' website.

I think they planned and executed their social media strategy very well and I think they saw the results from all their hard work through the attendance at the rallies, the donations made, and the basic awareness and chatter their efforts created. If a PR professional is struggling with developing and/or carrying out a social media plan, they should definitely take a few pointers from these two.

Mashable Article

Get a Job Using YouTube

Most of us will be graduating soon and the pressures to find a job are becoming more intense as graduation approaches. We are all aware that certain social media tools, like LinkedIn and Twitter, are excellent tools to engage in while looking for a job. There are over 500 public relations jobs listed on LinkedIn and I get at least 20 tweets a day about PR job openings on my Twitter feed. But one social media tool many of us might not think about using to find a job is YouTube.

There are numerous creative ways you can present yourself on YouTube and appeal to potential employers. YouTube is one social media tool that is not just for our generation. Professionals of all ages can use web video to expand their reach and seek out new clients or employees. Mashable.com suggested the 5 following ways to get a job using YouTube:

1. Promote Yourself: it is a free way to market your strengths and creativity; it is instantly accessible and more creative than a plan paper resume.

2. Post and Hope: Perfect example, Justin Bieber. Now while we are trying to get public relations jobs, not be a famous pop start, the same concept can be applied to us. Post videos of something public relations related that you excel in. If you excel in developing crisis communication, post a video explaining what you think a company should do in a specific crisis. Or if you excel in developing social media strategies, post a video with a strategy you created.

3. Build It: This tactic is more for people who are not comfortable putting their face on camera. As students aspiring to land jobs in a field where being the spokesperson for a company is very plausible, most of us probably don't have a problem being in front of people or a camera. This tactic is meant to showcase your online capabilities. If you are really good at build web sites or creating online content, this avenue is meant to make a video showcasing those talents.

4. Be Creative: Show potential employers that you can think outside of the box and come up with unique ideas that would be an asset to their company. Creating a YouTube video showcasing your talents is way more creative than sending in a cover letter and resume. Creating a video also shows employers that you know how to use social media tools and might add to their interest in hiring you.

5. Enter Online Contests: Online contests are huge in social media right now. YouTube has an entire page dedicated solely to online contests. Take a peek at the page and if there is a company offering a contest that is at all related to public relations, enter it! This will show companies that you are proactive, creative, and willing to participate. All of these qualities are appealing to employers and if they like what they see in your entry, you might even get offered a job!

Using social media to find jobs can produce endless opportunities. When deciding what social media tools to engage in, consider the advantages and opportunities YouTube can provide. Using YouTube to market yourself could end up getting you a great job.

http://mashable.com/2010/10/23/youtube-job/

Gap Asks Facebook Fans for Alternative Designs to Derided New Logo

Gap recently unveiled their new logo for their clothing store. The Vice President of Corporate Communications, Bill Chandler, describes the logo as "a more contemporary, modern expression." The launch was unsuccessful. Gap was flooded with messages of disappointment regarding the new logo design from fans, designers, and the online community. Gap seems to be taking the negative reaction to heart.

The same night that the logo was launched, took to their Facebook to subtly address the situation. The company's Facebook status was updated asking fans of the store to share their logo design ideas. The page, which still displays the old logo as its profile picture, read "We love our version, but we'd like to see other ideas."

From a PR perspective, this was a good move for Gap. By launching this logo project, it has turned a situation that created some negative backlash into an opportunity to engage with their consumers and strengthen the relationships they have. It also gives Gap the chance to connect with some new potential customers by making a place for them to express their ideas and thoughts regarding the logo. A logo is the staple of a company. Allowing customers to be apart of such an important part of the company's image will most likely leave a good taste in people's mouths. This logo project show customers and potential customers that Gap really does listen and care about what people think about their brand. Reaching out via social media outlets allows Gap to reach more people at one time. Even though they experienced negative backlash from their new logo design, they did not let the situation set them back. Instead, they turn the situation around and gave their fans an opportunity to be part of the planning process that most companies don't allow their customers to be a part of. They turned a situation around that could have potentially lost customers because of such a drastic change. This campaign opened the door for potential and current customers alike to become closer to the company and create some positive buzz about their brand.

Way to go Gap.

Gap Asks Facebook Fans for Alternative Designs to Derided New Logo