Awkward Families Everywhere

In June 2011 Embassy Suites teamed up with AOR Emenate agency and AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com to launch the Awkward Family Photo Contest campaign. The contest required people to send in their most awkward family photos in order to win a free 14 night stay at one of three Embassy Suites hotels in the U.S. At the end of the contest more than a hundred photos were sent in during the two month period.

I think this was a great campaign idea. Their angle behind the campaign was that everyone has awkward family moments and they were very right. Not only were all pictures put on AwkardFamilyPhotos.com for everyone to view and comment on during the contest, but the submissions were hilarious. Also, it seemed like they got a good mix of old photos from the 70's and 80's as well as photos from more recent, possibly showing that many different ages got involved.

http://tinyurl.com/6629ob5

Anonymous threatens to expose Mexico Drug Cartels

"Hacktivist" group, Anonymous has threatened to expose the identities and other personal information of members of the Los Zetas drug cartel. The threat came after one of Anonymous' members was allegedly kidnapped by the group during a protest. They have demanded that the person be returned unharmed or come November 5, Anonymous will attack.

Normally, Anonymous has been linked with a bad rep because the renegade persona that is associated with them. They are basically hackers who dance a thin line between black and white hat. They have attacked everything from illegal websites to wall street. It's funny because these are two groups that survive solely based the notion that they remain anonymous, and yet they have created a public image for themselves that we see everyday.

CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE.

Good Looks Not Important....REALLY??

BeautifulPeople.com, an online dating community exclusively for "good-looking" people launched their 90-second video, "REALLY?" in response to sustained assault on the site's concept since its launch in 2002. Since 2002 it has launched in over 190 countries with over 700,000 members worldwide, while 5.5 million people have been rejected.

Managing director Greg Hodge said, " We receive hundreds of emails each week from people who are furious with BeautifulPeople.com and we have experienced a continued media backlash."

"Watch 'REALLY?', Hodge continued, "and you'll agree that our critics are fooling themselves."

After watching the video I almost have to agree with the creators of this site. I think it's easy to perceive the concept of this website is shallow but the truth is, attraction is a big part of the beginning of any relationship. On the other side though everyone is attracted to something different and who's to say that someone is or isn't attractive.

Currently, an average of one in eight applicants is accepted. The majority of successful members come from USA, Canada and France and the countries with the highest rejections are the UK, Russia and Poland with the UK and Poland having the least attractive male applicants in the world.

The video is pretty hilarious too, check it out at:

http://www.multivu.com/mnr/50277-beautifulpeople-com-really-movie-good-looks-not-important-ugly-truth

NAA launches social media campaign for online newspaper

The Newspaper Association of America is launching a new "Smart is the New Sexy" campaign to revitalize consumer attitudes for newspapers. A series of ads will run for six weeks in over 1,000 newspapers to push readers to integrate their news intake with social networking.

The campaign aims to promote newspapers through social media and online avenues. The campaign urges readers to show their readership on Facebook and Twitter.

The campaign uses sex appeal by saying knowledge is attractive. It attempts to reinforce the idea that reading newspapers will make a person more attractive to others.

The NAA is hopeful for this campaign, as online newspapers have seen a 20% rise in traffic. The campaign hopes to maintain this and increase traffic while increasing online readership to sustain the newspaper as form of media.

Article: CNN

Sprint Makes iphone Deal with Apple

Sprint has agrreed to provide the iPhone for it's customers but without any profits for atleast four years. Sprint will spend over 15 billion over the next four years on apple's most popular devise.

Sprint believes that their customers in the long run will be more profitable than than their overall purchase.

This is good for Sprint considering that they are the last major mobile company to offer the iPhone for it's providers.

Perry clears up rumors

Texas Governor Rick Perry, retracted the "false" claims that he thinks Barack Obama is not an American citizen. According to Perry, he was 'having some fun with Donald Trump' and was not meant to be taken seriously.

There have been many alleged rumors that potential presidential candidates do not think that Obama is an American citizen. Every election year, whether it be on the presidential campaigns, or your local city council campaign - things get ugly. Things like this can be foreseen before the campaign trail begins, but this is a "new low" according to many journalists.

Although Perry had been quoted on saying that he doubted Obama's citizenship, his recent retraction is within question amongst the public eye. Is this yet another dirty campaign trick, or just a misunderstanding? Only Perry's closes campaign strategists and managers will know.

PETA files lawsuit against SeaWorld for slavery

http://news.yahoo.com/peta-lawsuit-seeks-expand-animal-rights-222219887.html

I first heard about this from a friend of mine at work. She is a huge animal rights advocate and thought that this lawsuit was a fantastic idea and was getting great coverage for PETA. I disagree.
I feel like this reads as a highly expensive publicity stunt that will likely fail. But, PETA is getting a great amount of free press while putting places like SeaWorld in a negative light, as well as in crisis mode.
Personally, I think that SeaWorld is handling the accusations and lawsuit quite well. They released a statement to the press essentially stating that they put animal welfare above all else, unlike other companies in similar businesses. Their crisis team was timely in responding to the allegations which helped them effectively have their voice heard in the media.

Warner Brothers Follows in Disney's Footsteps with Limited Release of Harry Potter DVDs

Warner Brothers announced this week that it will stop shipping all Harry Potter DVDs and Blu-Ray discs on December 29, 2011. The final Harry Potter movie is set to release November 11, just in time for the holidays. However, with this new limited release, fans will only have about two months to purchase the final installment.

Disney has seen great success with their limited release DVDs, but Disney began returning movies to its "Vault" when DVDs gained popularity, creating a demand for customers who either didn't have the movie or only owned the movie on VHS.

Harry Potter DVDs have been on the shelves for 10 years. I'm not so sure Warner Brothers will be able to create the demand for the series once the shelves run out (with the exception of the final installment). Warner Brothers' goal is "to limit supply of Potter DVDs and Blu-rays in order to maintain their financial and cultural value," which is smart, but I would have waited until the final DVD has been out longer to switch to the limited release.

See the full article here.

Top 10 Halloween Cars

Kelley Blue Book, provider of new and used car information, named the to 10 Halloween cars of 2011.
They picked out the top 10 cars that accentuate and complete this years most popular costumes. They state that the perfect costume is not complete without the perfect car to arrive in.
"Let's face it, if you dress as Donald Trump and arrive in a beat-up 1989 Yugo, it just won't make sense," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. "If, on the other hand, you pull up in a vehicle that delivers the perfect complement to your outfit, you will immediately vault to the top of the Halloween class. It's a further refinement of a grand Trick or Treat tradition!"

Some of their top 10 named cars are:
Costume 10: Super Mario- 2012 Fiat 500
Costume 9: Octoberfest Girl- 2012 Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Costume 8: Demented Clown- 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Black Turbo Edition
Costume 7: Sexy Whitch- 2012 Jaguar XK Convertible
Costume 6: Jersey Shore Guy- 2012 Cadillac Escalade

Ect....


http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kbbcom-names-top-10-halloween-cars-132512623.html

-Michelle Reed

Coke Launches Campaign to Save the Polar Bears

Coca-Cola has teamed up with the World Wildlife Fund to protect polar bears and their habitat as part of a new marketing campaign. San Francisco design firm Turner Duckworth has designed a new Coke can for the campaign that will be largely white in color and will be available nationally through the holiday season.

Coca-Cola has already launched a new website, arctichome.com, that reads: "Beginning this holiday season, the more we text, the more we can protect" and they plan to start launching new ads featuring real polar bears to appear in print, outdoors and online. This new campaign is especially appropriate since polar bears have been a staple in Coke's advertising since 1993.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204777904576651572048222338.html?mod=ITP_marketplace_1

Social Jobs Partnership

The United States Department of Labor is teaming up with Facebook to create the Social Jobs Partnership.

This new feature on Facebook will allow those looking for jobs and employers to connect more easily. With an audience of approximately 850 million people, employers will be able to get the word out to more people in less time.

The Department of Labor hopes to use this initiative not only to connect people with new job prospects, but to decrease unemployment rates by providing links to a variety of helpful websites and sources as well as encouraging participation in job training programs nationwide.

Other organizations involved in the partnership include the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the National Association of State Workforce Agencies and the DirectEmployers Association.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-tech/post/facebook-labor-launch-social-jobs-partnership/2011/10/20/gIQAxJIW0L_blog.html

https://www.facebook.com/socialjobs

Social Media and the Yearbook Industry

Yearbooks have been schools' ways to capture and document memories for more than a decade, but the popularity of social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, that allow a more intimate way for students to document their own experiences, are beginning to overshadow the long-standing tradition.Yearbook sales have been dropping 3-4% per year and a few universities have even stopped producing their yearbook programs because of not enough funding.

While to some people this is a threat to the industry, Ellen Siller from Entourage Yearbooks is excited about the new opportunities social media is bringing. She sees that yearbooks are evolving and instead of it being a project by a small group of students, they can include a lot more people in the making. 

The yearbook companies are adapting to these changes, like some schools are encouraging people to send in pictures to be included in the yearbooks. They have also begun implementing Facebook and Picasa onto their websites.

More Facebook friends causing big brain, or just a big head?

Recent research has proven that people with more connections on Facebook have larger amygdalae, the part of the brain measuring emotional reactions, than those with puny friend lists.

Ryota Kanai from the University College in London led a research study of 165 students between the ages of 19 and 28. Their MRI brain scans were then compared with the number of friends they had on Facebook and in the real world. They found a correlation between those with more friends having larger amygdalae.

So, should we start friend requesting every "Person you may know?"

Not necessarily, because researchers have also proven that being more social in general, probably thos

e with more Facebook friends, causes a larger amygdalae considering it is directly associated with emotion, social cues and memories.

"It's possible that Facebook changes the way our brains are wired," suggests Nidhi Subbaraman at Fast Company. "But the more likely explanation is that people who acquire more Facebook friends have brains that came equipped with better friend-making tools in the first place."

Okay, so maybe it's just a coincidence, however while many researchers are spending time trying to prove why the internet is bad for us and causing negative effects on our brains, it's nice to know some are out there trying to justify the good it could be doing.

Even though there is a slight correlation, don't worry about upping the friend list to try growing some brain power. Too many unnecessary Facebook "friends" will probably just lead to a long, boring news feed, and a big head.

Carolyn C

Story Source: Yahoo! News : "Does Facebook make yours brain bigger?"

By: The Week's Editorial Staff

Image Sources: Google Image Search

Neilslade

Technogram

Victoria's Secret Model to Wear $2.5 Million Bra

Miranda Kerr, Victoria's Secret runway model was chosen to wear the new Fantasy Treasure Bra, designed exclusively by London Jewelers for Victoria's Secret. She will be wearing it in the 2011 Victoria's Secret Christmas Dreams and Fantasies Catalogue.

The bra has more than 3400 gems in white and yellow diamonds, pearls, citrines and aquamarines, all of them in 18 karat white and yellow gold. Centerpiece tassel contains two white diamonds (over eight carats each and two yellow diamonds, over 14 carats each). The entire bra contains 142 carats of diamonds. All of the "bling bling" was embroidered onto Victoria's Secret Gorgeous Push-up Bra with custom scalloping. Over 10,000 stones from around the world were found to fit a perfect color, size and shape of gem and required inspection. Each of the gems were hand placed and crafted by master craftsmen in 500 hours of skilled workmanship.



Miranda Kerr and the $2.5 million Fantasy Treasure Bra by Londer Jewlers

Hands on the wheel!

Ford has created a new technology that will be installed in all new and some old vehicles. This technology will read messages from your phone, out loud, as you drive. This feature was created to reduce cell phone use while driving. It's part of the voice-activated technology, Sync, and is already installed in all 2012 Ford vehicles.

Using the bluetooth connection, it syncs the phone and alerts users of messages and email's they receive. It then reads them out loud and can send generic email or messages back.

Keeping the world connected even more, but at least it is safer!

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/18/tech/innovation/ford-vehicles-read-texts-mashable/index.html

Mobile phone trend continues to grow

I know mobile phones are the new "it" platform, but I didn't think about the implications until seeing this. I was actually really surprised because I thought Facebook would be the leader - not Pandora. However, it's not just about social media anymore, the mobile platform is expanding to e-commerce and searching. People really are using their phones like pocket sized mini computers.
Can you believe that eBay's mobile sales are at $4 billion? No wonder I keep seeing commercials showing women buying jeans and shoes from their phones. They are marketing this trend to the fullest because fairly soon it won't be just a trend - it will be the norm.
Amazon and Square are no slouches either with $2 Billion and $1Billion in sales, and PayPal reported $3 Billion in mobile transactions.
Just when it seems a mobile phone can do everything, they come up with something new. It makes me wonder what the next big thing is . . .
http://tinyurl.com/3nzytv6

Thats what Siri said...

Obviously by now, I would imagine everyone has heard and seen the new iPhone 4S and it's virtual personal assistant application, Siri.

Here’s how Siri is supposed to work: An iPhone 4S user holds down the device’s Home button until hearing a double beep sound. Then the user gives Siri a command—“Remind me about the boil I’m having lanced on Tuesday”—and it displays a response on the phone and utters one in a female voice. (via the blog)

I think that it is a helpful tool but I would probably use it more for fun than as a personal assistant. The blog "Sh*t Siri Says" cracks me up and makes me want this new iPhone just to gets those witty answers from her.



http://prdaily.com/socialmedia/Articles/9788.aspx

Good news: We might get hired

I don't think I'm alone when I say it feels like students are constantly being told how difficult it is to acquire a good job. It seems like almost every class, seminar and meeting about employment I attend is always surrounded by an ominous atmosphere. While I think it's good that we're aware of how difficult the job market can be, it can start to weigh you down after the umpteenth time of hearing about it.

As you can probably guess, I was happy to find this article by PR Daily. The article has a lot of positive content for public relations practitioners to get excited about. Here are some of the facts:

• 24 percent growth in PR jobs forecast by 2018;
• 93 percent increase in PR job listings (November 2009 through May 2011);
• 307 percent more "social media marketing" job listings (November 2009 through June 2011);
• 34 percent of PR professionals will reach retirement age in the next four to seven years.

It seems like things might just turn out alright for us in the future; provided we work hard and always continue developing our skills. Anyway, this article made me feel better, and I hope it helps you relax a little, too. How do you feel about the job market? Are you staying positive?

New social network, Chime.in

UberMedia has taken on a new from of social networking that combines Twitter, blogging and Reddit. The new website, Chime.in, has been described by UberMedia's CEO, Bill Gross, "as an interest network." Gross also says that Chime.in is different from Twitter and not designed to compete against them. The new website is distinguishing itself by tackling two problems within social networking: relevance and monetization. Instead of status updates the website has "chimes" which allow for a user to post a short article of up to 4,000 characters. Displayed within the chime is a headline, the first few sentences from the chime, your profile picture, a picture or video, interest tags, and options for liking, commenting and sharing. Threaded comments also include a Reddit-style up or downvote system for surfacing the best comments to the top of a chime. Chime.in also allows for users to choose the topic of chimes you receive from a certain person you follow. The other added feature that distinguishes itself from other social networking sites is the ability for users to gain revenue through the advertising on their profile page. Users are allowed to either sell the ad space themselves, and keep 100% of the profit, or Chime.in will sell the ads on your page and split the revenue 50-50. E! Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Bravo TV and Disney have made deals with UberMedia to participate with the launch of the website Tuesday.

Here are two articles about Chime.In:

http://mashable.com/2011/10/17/chime-in/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2011/10/17/ubermedias-chime-in-interest-network-says-its-different-from-twitter/

McTV

McDonald's launched its own television channel that plays in their restaurants for dine-in customers. It is one of the "most unusual twists in niche programming," according to LA Times. It has exclusive original content designed for customers eating in the restaurant. The programs are customized to specific communities of each McDonald's location (local news and entertainment features, such as spotlights on upcoming films, albums and TV shows).
The McDonald's channel is being rolled out slowly during the next few months and will soon be up in 800 McDonald's restaurants in Southern and Central California. The key factor is that the programming isn't all about McDonald's, it's supposed to be about the consumer.

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/9792.aspx

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-mcdonalds-channel-20111017,0,303650.story

Wendy's old catchphrase gets revamped

Wendy's, along with many other fast-food companies, have altered their marketing practices and images. Twenty-seven years ago, Wendy's asked consumers, "Where's the beef?" Now, the company has answered their own question, "Here's the beef."

With struggling sales and revenues for the past few years, Wendy's has had to change their campaign a few times.
Since Wendy's has launched a new line of burgers, the "Dave's Hot 'N Juicy Cheeseburger," reintroducing the "Where's the beef" campaign may have been the right move.

Wendy's has named Emil Brolick as president and CEO, who has decades of experience in the fast-food industry. With the expertise of Brolick and the new campaign, Wendy's might see success.

http://www.prweekus.com/wendys-old-catchphrase-gets-revamped/article/213018/

YouTube is now a store... Say what?

YouTube just announced a new feature on the website- the Merch Store. It will allow fans of bands to purchase tickets, downloads, meetups, t-shirts and more through the bands' page.

Senior Technical Account Manager Christian Weitenberner wrote about so many artists that have started their career on YouTube. Now, through the Merch Store, once you find an artist you like, you can purchase the merchandise through one site as oppose to have to travel through the web of sites.

Of course, music will still be offered on iTunes but will YouTube put a dent in the monster music company? Or will everyone still pay $1.29 for their favorite new artist?

Whirlpool helps wash away bullying

Whirlpool has recently joined the "It Gets Better" Campaign to fight against bullying in the LGBT youth community. The company has posted YouTube videos sharing their supportive messages, joining other prestigious names such as President Obama, Anne Hathaway and the staff of Google.

Whirlpool's involvement in the global advocacy project is an extension of its values and “every home, everywhere” tagline, said Chris Lacefield, communications specialist at the company.

I think it's a great opportunity for companies to get involved in campaigns like these to help fight violence and get involved in their communities. It's flat out just the right thing to do for powerful companies such as Whirlpool since they have the means to make a difference.

http://www.prweekus.com/whirlpool-joins-it-gets-better-lgbt-effort/article/214203/

Kmart boosts Hispanic outreach

After the advertising launching of its "Work What You Got" campaign, an effort to make women feel confident in their clothing, Kmart has begun creating Hispanic outreach strategies. One effort included adding Sophia Vergara's collection to Kmart and having Sophia herself meet with many Hispanic press outlets.

Iced Media, an online marketing firm, has also helped Kmart connect to its customers through social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Also, in May, Kmart launched its Latina Smart Blogger Community, connecting the company to the Latina demographic.

I think having a celebrity Hispanic woman representing their new collection, and the new blog site will both drastically help communicate to their target demographic. I also think it is perfect timing just after their latest campaign for women.

http://www.prweekus.com/kmart-boosts-hispanic-outreach/article/213766/

My Local Walmart gives customized communications to consumers

Walmart has joined the Facebook App world just in time for the holidays by launching its new "My Local Walmart"application. The application enables custom marketing communications for local deals and products only available in certain stores. This custom marketing would be available for all 3,600 U.S. locations.

Walmart has localized its marketing tactics by providing a place where many consumers already spend most of their time and allowing them to see what exactly is available to them without having to search through a Sunday circular or browse the website.

The end goals is that this new app will increase its site-to-store program and help it beco

me a separate marketing program altogether. Presently Walmart has 9.4 million Facebook fans from its 150 million monthly shoppers. But this new app is not expected to replace circulars or other traditional media marketing.

Walmart launched this program early because of the holidays. The app is accessible on smartphones and will allow users to download maps of their stores to their phones for discounted items during holiday sales.

The app will even allow this customized marketing communication to be tailored to customers based on trends in weather and major sporting or leisure events. Basically, anything that interests the certain type of demographic that patronizes Walmart in a given local area will have customized deals and ads. Local is the new large-scale.

China Closes 13 Wal-Marts Over False Sales of Organic Pork

Several Wal-Mart employees in Chongqing China are being detained for fraudulently selling regular prk marked as organic. Chinese authorities are holding an undisclosed number of employees who are suspicious of mislabeling regular pork for organic pork.

Pork, a staple of the Chinese diet, has been under particular scrutiny because of their souring prices up 52.3% from last year's prices.

Stores are expected to be closed until Oct. 25.

NBA cancels first two weeks of season

The first 100 games have been cancelled for the 2011-2012 NBA season. Last season garnered more media attention then ever with the formation of the New Look Miami Heat and defending champs, L.A. Lakers on a supposed collision course in the finals. Neither of which came to fruition, however, the Dallas Mavericks won their first NBA title. This season would have raised more questions, like "how far the Heat could go this year?" or "Does LA still have a shot now the Phil Jackson no longer helms the ship?" But no. Now we don't even get to see the season start becuase of pa disputes via the players salary and team salary caps preventing every team a shot a the title. I can't decide who looks worse in this situation the players or the owners? Also did anyone think about the thousands of jobs being lost and loss of ad revenue without an NBA season?

Click here for the article.

Samsung delays Nexus Prime after Jobs' passing

Although Samsung and Apple Inc. have been in a heated battle for the past few months; Samsung announced they will delay the release of their new phone named the "Nexus Prime," as the world mourns Steve Jobs' death.

Samsung and Apple are suing each other in 20 different cases involving copyright infringement

in many countries around the world, including, the United States, Italy and Australia to name a few. A day after Jobs' passing, Samsung raised the stakes by filing another lawsuit to ban the sale of iPhones in Australia, Italy, France and other places in Europe. Seeing the aftermath of Jobs' death, Samsung decided that now wasn't the right time as the wake of Jobs' passing is still being felt worldwide.

The Nexus Prime is heralded as the next "big thing" to hit the cell phone market. Many

people around the world are waiting in great anticipation for the phone to be released.

Consumers are once again left hanging as Samsung has not announced a specific date when

the phone will be released.

Kyle Sessions: Qwikster is no more!

After receving an email earlier this afternoon from Netflix I wanted to research some more. Netflix has announced that it will not be splitting its services into two companies any more. In a statement Netflix said that they had moved too fast and underestimated the appeal of having the two joined in one website and one subscription. I think this was a great PR move. Netflix listened to its customers and righted the wrong before it could really do any harm. Since it never officially started the company Qwikster they avoided completely plumetting their stock.


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Netflix-Abandons-Plan-to-Rent-nytimes-4287150265.html?x=0&.v=1

Fried Bubblegum

 

The State Fair of Texas hasn't always been famous for its creative (and often disgusting) fried food. Growing up in the Dallas area, I remember when corn dogs were the food of choice. Then, in 2004, fried twinkies were introduced, and the president of the State Fair knew they had caught on to something big. In 2005 the State Fair of Texas launched the Big Tex choice awards for most creative and best taste. Now Texans anxiously await the news of which new fried foods are going to be available at the fair, which has brought waves of publicity in the last few years.

"The 2011 judging drew 40 media entities, and coverage has extended around the world. Fried Bubblegum hit CNN, Huffington Post, and media sites in the U.K. Multiple-winner vendor Abel Gonzales has been on Rachael Ray, The Today Show, and The View. The Big Tex awards have made it into Jay Leno's monologue and been the subject of David Letterman's "Top 10" List."

I went to the fair this past weekend, and we tried an array of fried foods. Some, like fried pizza, fried cookie dough and fried oreos, were delicious in moderation. Others, like fried bubblegum and fried margaritas, were just a little too disgusting for my taste buds.

For more information on the history of fried foods at the fair, check out this article.