LaChapelle Communications

The Writing Process

Writing Process Timeline

Early Riser

Before I had children, I used to be an early riser. Well, I shouldn’t say that. I still am an early riser, but rather than using that time to read the newspaper, go for a run or tackle a few ‘to do’ list tasks, I now spend that time fighting with my oldest to get up for school and with my youngest to actually get out of his pajamas, followed by the dreaded toothpaste battle and the race to make breakfast for two kids determined to just eat lollipops.

I miss the ‘free time’ I used to have when I got up, all by  myself, at 5:30 a.m. I got so much accomplished, whether it was work or exercise.

Peter Shankman of HARO had a post recently on the importance of rising early - he even provides some how to tips on how to get it done. As a lifelong early riser, and one who wishes she could even now wake up even earlier to read, tackle tasks, work out or just have some me time, it’s a great post.

If you’ve ever said “I just don’t have the time for that”, waking up early will rid you of that excuse. Heck, you  may even become more successful - or more fit.

Viral Marketing

I’m fascinated by viral marketing, and my favorite commercials are the Apple ads and the new Old Spice ads. So, I personally got a kick out of this video – viral marketing blended with Old Spice. Entertaining!

Gap’s Logo PR Disaster

Gap has received alot of flak for quietly uploading a new logo to its website; so much flak that, in fact, they have since taken the new logo down and reverted to their old one.

As all of us know, the costs for rebranding with a new logo are astronomical. Can you imagine the amount of flak it took for them to make the decision to say, “oops!”?

Gap quietly uploaded the new logo about a week ago. Fans objected in force, posting comments to Twitter, FaceBook and on tech blogs. Initially, Gap insisted the new logo would stay, and would be rolled out in advertising and in stores next month.  However, Gap soon changed its tune and listened to its customers, releasing the following statement on its FaceBook page: “We’ve heard loud and clear that you don’t like the new logo. We’ve learned a lot from the feedback. We only want what’s best for the brand and our customers”. The new logo was removed from its website today.

The thought behind the new logo was that it better reflected Gap’s updated image and more modern clothing designs.

What did they do wrong? They didn’t take into account the emotional attachment their customers had to their logo. On top of that, they ‘introduced’ the new logo without fanfare or even explanation. Plus (and I know I often stand alone on this), if you have something that works, and works well, why change it? Their logo was iconic - you can’t beat that PR! Finally, a big criticism they faced was that Gap didn’t ask their customers to weigh in on the new logo before choosing it.

What did they do right? They admitted a mistake, and swifly corrected it. Doing so endeared them to their customers, and allowed their customers to feel as if their opinion mattered and as if the Gap was listening. Doing so cut short what could have been an even larger PR disaster, and provided an opportunity to turn their current crisis into a positive experience for the company and its customers.

This post is a repeat of a post I wrote for PRSA-MD’s blog.

Mad Men Genius

As someone who started her career working at advertising agencies, you can no doubt guess that I am a fan of the TV show “Mad Men”. The 1960’s ad game isn’t that much different - well, apart from the drinking and sexual harassment - from today’s. The basic roles are the same, and the frenzy to gain and keep business is the same.

I enjoy seeing the ad campaigns Draper and his crew put together. Draper seems to have a stroke of genius in practically every episode, and the October 10 episode was no different. Though his partners, staff and indusry competitors reviled him for it, I think his open letter renouncing tobacco was genius.

The letter made him and the agency in charge - or at least gave everyone else the appearance that they were which, in the ad game, is just as important. The letter is a PR gamble, spinning the truth from Sterling Cooper Draper  Price being fired by Lucky Strike to the opposite, that Sterling Cooper Draper Price had fired Lucky Strike. By saying he and the agency were unavailable, it triggers the whole ‘want what you can’t have’ mentality - an attaction for new business. 

On the flip side, in the episode, the letter’s critics say the letter was a temper tantrum on Don’s part, and that it will make all their clients worry that the agency will drop them on a whim as well.

What do you think?

Increase in PR and Advertising Jobs

There seems to be some proof that the recession is turning around - both locally and nationally.

Locally, Joanna Sullivan of the Baltimore Business Journal interviewed 10 ad agency heads and described some of them as “downright giddy.” They are hiring and pitching new business, and their clients are spending more.

Nationally, a Council of Public Relations Firms (CPRF) survey reports similar news. Interesting stats from the survey are:

• Compared to the first half 2009, 74% of firms have seen an increase in revenues so far in 2010 (Q2 survey)
• 82% of firms expect to see the demand for digital and social media services increase in 2010 (according to a Q4 2009 survey)
• According to the following percentage of Council members, Consumer (56%), Healthcare (46%), and Technology (37%) had the most new business activity during Q1 2010

It appears that the PR and advertising fields are being revived by crises and social media!

#NewTwitter

Have you tried the New Twitter? While it’s slated to become active as a preview over the next several weeks, you are able to toggle between the two versions until the New Twitter becomes, well, Twitter.

What does the New Twitter have that Old Twitter doesn’t? The list includes @mentions, retweets, searches, and lists above your timeline on the left of the screen, and Twitter partnerships with DailyBooth, DeviantART, Etsy, Flickr, Justin.TV, Kickstarter, Kiva, Photozou, Plixi, Twitgoo, TwitPic, TwitVid, USTREAM, Vimeo, yfrog and YouTube that allow you to embed photos and videos.

In addition, additional info is shown when you click a Tweet, including @replies, other Tweets by that same user and a map of where a geotagged Tweet was sent from. Plus, a mini profile pops up when you click a @username so you don’t have to navigate away from the page.

Here’s what people have to say:

• morgan2303: How do you reply to tweets on the #newtwitter? Way to confusing for my liking.
• JEBowman: Love the #newtwitter!!!
• zhartley: Mixed feelings about #newtwitter. There are interesting features, but it definitely needs some refinement. Feels off.
• missbeasley52: I actually kind of like the #newtwitter. makes things easier with all the riveting stuff I have to say. :/

What do you have to say? Are you looking forward to the #NewTwitter?

(This is a repeat of the post I wrote on PRSA-MD’s blog, ‘More Than PR Basics’.)

Hilarous Marketer-Bashing Video

I honestly think this video is the brainchild of someone in either sales or legal - classic marketer “enemies”. Hilarious stuff - I particularly enjoyed the buzzwords pepperred throughout (yes, I have a deep, deep, DEEP hatred of buzzwords). Unfortunately, with all humor is a kernel of truth, and this video touches upon all the stereotypes of the qualities of a bad marketer.

10 Major Rebranding Disasters

I came across this great article from Business Insider titled 10 Major Branding Disasters and What You Should Learn From Them. Great article, going through some of the more recent rebranding disasters we’ve all noticed and wondered about (SyFy/Science Fiction Channel, Tropicana’s new ‘generic’  packaging, Radio Shack/The Shack, boring Capital One logo, the new Pepsi logo [did you even know they had one? I didn't!], Xfinity/Comcast [I've been bellyaching about this one! Love the FIOS rebuttals],  and AOL. [though I'm biased on this one, as my husband works there], to name a few).

Twitter Fortune 500

Is Twitter best for small business, big business, or for personal use? We’ll likely continue that debate, but new findings from the Society for New Communications Research (yes, there is such a thing!) as reported in the March 8 issue of PRnews found that Fortune 500 companies have takent to Twitter in a  big way.

According to the study:

• 35% of Fortune 500 companies have had an active Twitter account in the last year, with four of the top five corporations posting consistently.
• The most active industry using Twitter within the Fortune 500 companies was insurance - 13 companies actively tweet.
• Of the top 100 companies, 47 have active Twitter accounts, while the bottom 100 have 33.

Twarketing has a list of the Twitter accounts of Fortune 500 companies. Granted, they’re using the 2008 Fortune 500 list, and their post was originally posted in September of 2008, but it’s still a great resource.