Why Certified Angus Beef Values User Experience Over Numbers on Instagram
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February 20, 2017 Issue 7 prnewsonline.com CONTENTS EDITOR’S NOTE: Social Media ................1,2,3 Please join PR News in beautiful Huntington Beach, CA, Feb. 23- CSR ...............................1,4 24 for our Digital Summit and Crisis Management Boot Camp. What’s Trending in PR .........2 You’ll get a chance to learn from top communicators at TOMS, Events Calendar .................2 Yelp, Northrop Grumman, Certified Angus Beef, eHarmony, The Crisis Management .........5,6 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UC Berkeley, Boingo Wireless, DocuSign and Monterey Bay Aquarium. For more information Data Dive ..........................7 visit: prnewsonline.com The Week in PR ..................8 2 SOCIAL MEDIA Meaty Advice: Why Certified Angus Beef Values User Experience Over Numbers on Instagram To look at the news about Instagram last week you’d be for- ally sees. The photo’s lighting is spotty, Minaj isn’t centered given if you didn’t think it also is a tool for business, particu- and the bed is disheveled. Still, it’s a very effective photo. larly suited to small communications shops. The rapper Nicki Clad in six-inch heels with tassels, wraparound shades, bikini Minaj, who hinted all week she was about to do something bottom and nothing else, Minaj makes an arresting subject. big, posted a photo of her sitting on a small bed in what Quickly the post had in excess of 10,000 comments and appears to be a tiny bedroom. True to Instagram’s accep- thousands of likes. tance of informality, the photo seems far from the highly styl- Actually there’s a link between the Minaj photo and how ized, professional picture of a celebrity that the public usu- communicators can use Instagram to humanize brands. And Continued on page 2 CSR BY JON SULLIVAN, DIRECTOR, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS, AFLAC Getting Better at Doing Good: How Aflac Transformed its CSR Program As someone old enough to remember the 1980s, I pondered scope not only on your ability to a question while organizing my thoughts before putting figu- deliver quality products and ser- rative pen to paper to write this article: In our age of social vices, but on the quality of your media, would today’s youth be able to comprehend J.R. Ewing heart, your soul and your ability of the old Dallas series? (Hint: Think Billy the Kid in a board to empathize. In short, they want room, only less ethical.) to know not only that you are a great company, but a good So much has changed in 30-plus years. What was accept- one, too. able behavior—or at least tolerated, before Enron and Bernie People want ethics and at Aflac we are proud to consis- Madoff made Ewing, the fictional king of the dirty deal, look tently be on the World’s Most Ethical Companies, the Best like Mother Teresa—is far from what consumers and inves- Companies to Work For and Most Admired Companies lists. tors will stomach today. As we know, it’s a new age: Cus- These are great honors, but until recently, there was a ques- tomers and business partners place the metaphorical micro- tion of why we were included on these lists. It wasn’t be- Continued on page 4 ©2017 Access Intelligence LLC. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction by any means and imposes fines of up to $100,000 for violations. BY LARISSA VON LOCKNER, WHAT’S TRENDING IN PR PR & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER, PwC Vol. 74 ISSN 1546-0193 Editor, Seth Arenstein, [email protected] How to Deploy Brand Editorial Director, Steve Goldstein, [email protected] Graphic Designer, Tara Bekman, Advocates When Promotions [email protected] Senior Content Manager, Jerry Ascierto, [email protected] Are Crowding Social Media Content Manager, Sophie Maerowitz, [email protected] Managing Editor, Guidebooks, Ian Wright, [email protected] [Editor’s Note: This regular feature asks commu- this theory holds Director of Marketing, Laura Snitkovskiy, nicators to spot trends and discuss their reac- true: In our modern [email protected] Marketing Manager, tions to them. In this edition we hear from La- day, information that comes authentically from Jessica Placencia, [email protected] rissa von Lockner, PR & social media manager, the heart of a trusted source is content that will Sr. Dir., Market Development, Laurie Hofmann, [email protected] PwC.] be readily consumed and engaged with. VP of Marketing, Amy Jefferies, [email protected] The Trend: We’ve all been there. You’re scrolling So, how do you make sure that you’re trust- Publisher, Michael Grebb through your social feeds wondering what your ed? How do you establish that voice? [email protected] SVP/Group Publisher, Diane Schwartz, friends and family are up to and you just can’t The key is authenticity. Train your people. [email protected] escape the those targeted ads. Those shoes Even more important, empower them. Establish Chief Operating Officer, Heather Farley President & CEO, Don Pazour you found last week during your lunch break— a strict social media and communications policy, the ones you added to your shopping bag but then make sure that your staff receive the train- Group Subscriptions — Laurie M. Hofmann, [email protected] never bought—they’re haunting you! ing and education that is needed. Additional Copies & Article Reprints — Contact Wright’s Media, 877-652-5295; So, naturally, you ditch that social platform Once people understand what they can and [email protected] and vow to never buy the shoes out of pure can’t say, and you are comfortable having them spite. Instagram is supposed to be a sacred at the forefront of your brand strategy, they’ll space, after all! start sharing key messaging in their own voices. All jokes aside, this scenario is not an un- I agree with Carmen Collins who wrote in PR common one. While many brand advertisers be- News Pro last week about the payback a brand Published weekly by Access Intelligence, LLC lieve that their targeted promotions will lead to a receives when it empowers employees to act as 9211 Corporate Blvd, 4th Floor Rockville, MD 20850 higher sales number or an increased following, ambassadors on social media and speak in their Client Services: the reality is that this world of inescapable pro- own voices (PRNP, Feb. 13). And let me tell you, Phone: 888.707.5814 • Fax: 301.309.3847 motion proves frustrating to consumers. the voices, videos and photos of your employees e-mail: [email protected] How then, you ask, can a brand effectively always are going to be funnier, more genuine and New York Editorial Office: 40 Wall Street, 50th floor, New York, NY 10005 market itself in an environment where paid cam- more relatable than those of a faceless brand. Phone: 212.621.4890 • Fax: 212.621.4879 paigns aren’t what they used to be? Just remember: Less is more when you’re For subscribers only: full access to PR News article archives at running promotions. People turn to social to be www.prnewsonline.com The Reaction: Don’t spam your followers. In- social, after all. And when they see other people stead, be selective with your campaigns and in- speaking positively about your product—even UPCOMING vest in developing brand advocates. if those people are your employees—they’ll re- That’s right, focus on your most powerful and spond more positively than if you toot your own EVENTS AND most valuable asset: your people. Whether you horn and spam their favorite channels. WEBINARS work at a firm that spans the globe and has thousands of employees, or you’re a tiny non- CONTACT: [email protected] WEBINAR: BUILD A profit working out of a garage with a force of five, BRAND NEWSROOM Continued from page 1 THAT PUTS YOUR ORGANIZATION INTO how they can do so without the services of fa- Kiko uses Instagram Ana- THE MEDIA MIX mous rappers sprawling nearly au naturel in a lytics and Iconosquare “to get FEB. 21, 2017 post. Also: what’s the best way for brands to an even better understanding 1:30-3:00PM ET measure engagement on Instagram? We asked of what’s going on from day to DIGITAL SUMMIT & communicators at Certified Angus Beef, LLC. day and week to week. We also CRISIS MANAGEMENT “We are unusual in that we’re not directly sell- use [listening tools] Nuvi and BOOT CAMP ing a product,” says Jennifer Kiko, online com- Jennifer Kiko Falcon to see other mentions FEB. 23-24, 2017 munity manager for the brand, founded in 1978. Online Community [of the brand], track trends and Certified Angus Beef is a not-for-profit marketing Manager, CERTIFIED follow what’s happening on all HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA ANGUS BEEF arm of the American Angus Association. “[On of our platforms.” THE SOCIAL SHAKE-UP Instagram] we’re trying to be interactive and en- Adds Margaret Coleman, digital platforms di- MAY 22-24, 2017 gaging, talking with our customers, but also talk- rector, “Brands are different when it comes to ATLANTA, GA ing with our partners’ customers.” measurement…each one has to determine how Continued to page 3 2 prnewsonline.com • 2.20.17 Continued from page 2 Segment Your Audience, Know What Works Best they want to measure and what means the most to them.” previous week. 30-45 seconds Followers are tracked, but “for us, sometimes, success might of it includes coverage of social be a comment or a call that one of our sales team members media, such as mentioning the receives and gets to tell us, “Hey, because X saw the [Ins- above phone call. The video is tagram] post about [a celebrated chef using Certified Angus done simply, via a mobile phone Beef], it wants to work withus.” Coleman adds, “Maybe that camera.