Piracy, Pins and the President: What A Week!

January 20th, 2012 by Tami View Comments »

As Buzzcloud ends a crazy-busy week in PR land, Friday is feeling fabulous, and here are just a few reasons why.

SOPA IS DEAD. Lamar Smith, the chief sponsor of SOPA, said on Friday that he is pulling the bill “until there is wider agreement on a solution.”

Love this post on Pinterest and hot tips for brands.  It’s awesome to see a variety of brands (and media too) — West Elm, Whole Foods, The Travel Channel, The Today Show and more — already hopping on the pinning bandwagon.  The social networking/brand experience continues to evolve in powerful and creative ways.

Speaking of Pinterest, the art of curation is certainly the hottest web topic with so much content and so little time to filter and customize what is showing up in our news feeds and social streams. Check out this article about Twitter’s acquisition this week of Summify.  Interesting space to watch.

And, this truly gives us something to sing about. Go, Barry!

 

Happy Friday, all!

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SOPA AND PR: An Oxymoron?

January 19th, 2012 by Tami View Comments »

Clay Shirky, NYU Professor gave an “emergency” TED talk in New York on why SOPA is a bad idea…for everyone.

 

Because the biggest producers of content on the Internet are not Google and Yahoo — they’re us — we’re the ones getting policed,” he said. “The real threat to the enactment of PIPA and SOPA is our ability to share things with one another.”

We’ve come so far in the Digital Age, don’t let SOPA and PIPA force us to stop creating, communicating and sharing with each other. Stop “consumption-only” Internet.  STOP SOPA! Please contact your local representative and make your voice heard.

 

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Latest Buzz Obsession: TMG’s Cecilia Whang Jumps On The NYC Food Truck Wagon

December 14th, 2011 by Tami View Comments »

The inspiration for this post came straight out of one of our staff meetings, where I was not only reminded of just how lucky I am to work with such a talented group of people every day, but also how uniquely they each add so much to our brand experience discussions. (Yes, that is an agenda item.) Today’s post on the Food Truck Revolution comes from VP, Client Services, Cecilia Whang.  She is also our resident Culture Guru and keeps us all on our toes about where to eat, shop, and play in the Big Apple…our homebase and our playground. – Tami

Cecilia Whang, TMG's Culture Guru

By Cecilia Whang on December 14, 2011

It doesn’t take long upon meeting me to discover how much I enjoy food.  From finding new places to dine and exploring new cuisine, to watching cooking shows and tearing out recipes I’ll never make – if it has to do with food, I’m interested.  It’s no surprise then that nearly 40 percent of the brands I follow on Twitter are food-related.

 

Over the last 13 years – or roughly 3,120 lunches — that I’ve been working at TMG, to say that I’ve exhausted menu options within an 8-block radius of our NYC midtown office is an understatement.  So when I began hearing about gourmet food trucks hitting the NYC streets a few years ago, I was eager to see — rather taste — what it was all about.

A far cry from their “roach coach” forebears, gourmet food trucks, also known as “mobile dining,” offer high-quality food by budding and established restaurateurs in major U.S. cities and rural communities.  Food trucks are even Zagat-rated. This phenomenon has also infiltrated pop culture, with national shows like The Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race.

The rise of food trucks timed auspiciously with the social media boom.  Renegade chefs relied on social media to inform customers about their ever-changing menus and locations.

I was among those followers who eagerly awaited my lunch options. And NYC offered a rapidly growing variety of food trucks, the best of which I’ve chased down outside of work hours as well.  A few have come and gone over the years, but following is a list of my current favorites:

@KorillaBBQ: NYC’s first – and in my opinion, the best – Korean barbeque truck offering tacos, burritos and bowls with Korean grilled meats, vegetables, sauces and kimchi.  A great intro to Korean cuisine.

@RedHookLobster: the Brooklyn-based lobster pound serving lobster (directly from Maine), shrimp and crab rolls.  Perhaps a bit of a splurge for lunch, but well worth it, and reasonably priced as far as lobster rolls go.  Their winter menu includes hearty lobster mac ‘n cheese and chowder.

@SouvlakiTruck:  Never a souvlaki fan, I was converted once I had their chicken (also available in pork) souvlaki: charcoal-grilled meat, tomato, red onion, French fries and tzatziki sauce, wrapped in a warm pita.  All four food groups in one delicious $4.50 package.

@Frying_Dutchman: If you’re a fan of French fries, as we are at TMG, their sweet potato fries are a must-try.  TMG-test and approved, the Half/Half combo of crispy Belgian and sweet potato fries is the best of both worlds.

@BigGayIceCream: Soft serve ice cream like you’ve never had before, with unique toppings such as Wasabi Pea Dust, Ginger Syrup, Key Lime Curd and more.  Their truck is off the streets in the winter, but check out their newly opened bricks-and-mortar location at 125 E. 7th Street.

@KelvinSlush: Once you have an all-natural Kelvin Slush, a Slurpee will never satisfy again.  Choose from a slush base of Spicy Ginger, Tangy Citrus or Green & Black Tea, then add in real puréed fruit, fresh chopped mint and basil, and other natural mix-ins.  They are currently closed for the season, but nothing is more refreshing than a Kelvin Slush on those hot muggy NYC summer days.

Naturally, with their rise in popularity, gourmet food trucks are currently experiencing “success breeds contempt” backlash from midtown business owners who view them as a threat or nuisance.  This has necessitated food trucks to utilize social media less to announce their daily locations — to avoid tipping off the NYPD, who have taken to Twitter to track down and run off food trucks – and more to urge followers to rally around a Save NYC Food Trucks campaign.

As food trucks mature, their reliance on social media will continue to lessen. In fact, a recent National Restaurant Association survey found that only 13 percent of customers found food trucks through social media. The majority – 73 percent – just happened to see the trucks on the street.

While social media has helped drive the mobile food revolution, today’s best food truck chefs also use it to “spice up” their marketing efforts to help their businesses thrive.

Have you bought into the food truck craze?  Which ones do you like? What other ways do you see social media trends being adopted to help a cause like the Save NYC Food Truck campaign?

 

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3 Reasons Why Your Brand Needs A Tune-up Now

November 28th, 2011 by Tami View Comments »

The stakes in business today are high. But the cost of effectively marketing who you are and what you offer to your customers doesn’t have to be. The key may be to find nimble, experienced partners or specialists who can work with you in ways that create the most impact but don’t drain your energy or your resources. I call this the High Impact/Low Effort Ratio.  It’s a simple way to assess marketing initiatives, but it’s also a great framework for streamlining or planning new ones too.

As you look back at 2011, what were your marketing hits? What were the misses? What did your competition do effectively that not only surprised you, but made you wish you’d thought of that? Were there initiatives that sucked up a lot of your time and resources only to leave you scratching your head as to how to effectively measure their impact or value?

Now is a great time to assess your marketing efforts, and see where you and your team could work smarter. Chances are there are 3 primary reasons that contributed to marketing mis-haps or disappointments, meaning you didn’t achieve the results you wanted to:

 

#1 Lack of connection to your core customers

 

#2  Inability to make bold statements that resonated with your customers desires, wants or fears

 

#3 Insufficient development of your brand story leaving gaps for your competition to swoop in and woo your customers

 

The good news is that it’s easier than you think to fix any or all of these brand boo-boos, with a simple communications tune-up.  Demand for PR services is higher than ever, and experts believe that this is because of the value communications professionals are delivering to their clients in a tough business climate.

In looking over or drafting your 2012 Marketing Plan, be aware of communications trends like these, and look for opportunities to include these PR-Musts:

>Actionable steps to deliver your brand story as well as develop your brand voice with authority and authenticity

(You do have a clear, concise brand story, right?)

>Creative, surprising ways to appeal to your best customers and prospects, and let them know you’re in business to serve them

(Cause marketing can be an effective way to build deeper connections to consumers and not make it all about YOU.)

>A commitment to excellence that starts with a solid strategy, defined goals, a realistic tactical plan, and a spokesperson who can be the face that your customers get to know

(Keep it simple, but do keep communication flowing between you and your customers at all times. Use the insights that you learn regularly.)

>A best practice measurement program to evaluate your success!

(Remember, High Impact/Low Effort…and thankfully, in today’s high-tech world, there are many simple ways your marketing can be evaluated, even in real time which allow you to make adjustments along the way.)

At TMG, we’re celebrating over 17 years of best-practices in PR.  To see examples of our exceptional, award-winning work, visit www.TMGpr.com.

“I’ve been in PR for nearly 20 years, and love what I do. Throughout my career, I have helped lifestyle and media brands from Marie Claire and Redbook magazines to ABC-TV, Daytime, celebrities including William Shatner, and leading financial institutions such as Citi. Each day, I’m motivated by my passion to build a great story – one that connects with its intended audience offline and on, through traditional PR, outstanding events, or digital campaigns that go viral…and more often than not, this means a masterful mix of all these elements.” -Tami McCarthy

 

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BuzzFlash! Kraft Foods Paves The Way For 21st Century Marketing

November 7th, 2011 by Tami View Comments »

In the age of “making things happen,” it is nice to see this is manifesting itself in many boardrooms and conference rooms around the country, traditional brands and digital brands, and brands of all shapes and sizes are transforming the way they market.  Marketing leaders who are blazing new trails in the new paradigm deserve to be recognized in many ways.  Current times call for different perspectives, strong leadership, and solid partners to drive successful outcomes for any brand.  By partnerships, I am specifically talking about the client – agency dynamic.  That is why when I read Andrew McMains’ AdWeek piece on “The Agency Sea Change at Kraft Foods,” where the leading package goods company has recently added more than a half dozen smaller agencies to their marketing arsenal, and in particular, Kraft svp of marketing strategy and communications Dana Anderson’s comments on these new relationships, I thought it deserved a shout-out:

“Together we have to demonstrate something. We have to demonstrate that we’ll be great partners, that we’ll be clear in our strategic partnership, that we have clear visions for our brands that we can articulate and that we help them together—we generally do the strategy together—so that it’s inspiring. We also have to be good audiences and have open ears and hearts when they bring work. We try to make sure that we understand what it’s like to be their partners and actually spend time with it. … The new partners—we expect them to reach high and help us get there. Sometimes to be patient with us, sometimes not, if you know what I mean. To walk that line between courage and patience.” — Dana Anderson

Well, said. I love the openness, and the way this is articulated. In my experience,  it is this very type of collaborative, strategic dynamic that drives successful results for all. It’s also nice to see that smaller agencies who are taking a more holistic view and bringing an integrated approach to clients, as we do at TMG, continue to get these kinds of assignments. Marketing in the 21st century is upon us.  It’s exciting, and it calls for newer models, new ways of brands and agencies to work together. Kudos to Kraft and its partners! We’ll be watching and anticipating great stuff.

What new client perspectives are you seeing out there?


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The Perks of Making Your Life Work

November 1st, 2011 by Tami View Comments »
Occasionally, in the course of nurturing passion in my children, and being passionately engaged in marketing as a profession, this creates humorous moments at very random times.

Like today on a drive to school this morning. We were chatting about this and that before we each got into our day.  I have no idea why…but at some point, I referenced the Jolly Green Giant. When that happened, a dead silence kind of fell in the car.  My husband was driving.  I was in the passenger seat.  The three boys were in the back. I then immediately sang “In the Valley of the Jolly Green Giant…ho, ho, ho!” thinking that would surely be the best hint ever, but quickly realized “Oh! you guys have no idea who the Jolly Green Giant is, do you?”  Of course, I got the collective “Nope.”

No problem.  In savvy, resourceful Mom mode, I take out my iPhone, tap the YouTube app, search “Jolly Green Giant” and proceed to show them this commercial from the 1960s…


For some reason, You Tube has become “the most reliable source” to a kid.  So, they chuckled a bit, acknowledged how goofy ads were in the “old days” but didn’t say much else. The interesting bit for me, however, comes after the 90-second commercial on, ahem, canned corn and green beans. That was integrated marketing back then. A plug for the soft, huggable Jolly Green Giant ragdoll, which you could get by saving labels from the can, and checking for details in “this week’s TV Guide, or Sunday’s Comics.” Soooo vintage now.

My life and work are so integrated, that even my kids (ages 6, 11, and 13) know what branding is. I mean not in the way most kids articulate ‘who they are’ and ‘what they like’ much earlier  than I ever did kind-of-way… “I only wear cool Gap jeans, and Adidas F-50s on my feet” says my super-selective, consumer-minded 6-yr-old, or “I just ordered Fifa 12 for Wii, but I think it would be awesome to have it for my X-box 360, and Madden 12 for my 3DS” says my gamer 11-yr-old — or, “I love my white iPhone 4, and now with this latest OSX Lion update, I can sync all my content to my iPad and my MacBook, plus get my Reminders on ALL my devices!” shrieks my tech-and gadget-savvy 13-year-old.

I’m saying that my kids know what their mom does for a living, often participate in it, and with that comes a lot of perks that I cherish.  They organically have picked up on it in their own little lives in striking ways: they notice and point out great logos to me; they make and edit content on the fly, share it with me and my husband, and we happily comment on or discuss it; they will use their communication skills to shape behavior (once when we refused to buy our then 10-year-old the newly released iTouch, he was in a productive fit and focused on how he could get it, so I recorded a video of him on my iPhone talking about why he wanted it, how he would earn money to pay for it, and how he would recycle his old one to his younger brother — he executed his campaign, earned the money, and paid for it himself…his little brother was stoked). They turn their passions into output — whether it’s physical or creative. My 13-year-old has created his own production company complete with a logo, website, blog and marketing campaign…not to mention actual productions where he wrote or adapted scripts, cast actors, held rehearsals, and put on the play or filmed the movie. That spawned other websites he created on his own for other passions and causes, as well as productions of all types: he’s made animated and claymation shorts, reality TV segments (not good family moments) and invites his friends over where he will produce “cooking shows for the Food Network”…(my kids’ current show favorites are Restaurant Impossible, Sweet Genius, and Cupcake Wars – they act out and film their own versions of these too.) My 6-year-old knows every sport team, their team logo and colors, probably top stats and all the players. My 11-year-old knows the features, benefits and pricing of every game device, as well as key strategies for beating any game he is currently interested in, or actively working on. They are each wonderful storytellers.

I want to point out that I am not bragging in the least…but rather that what I have come to notice about my kids is they are not afraid to take risks with their creativity, their causes, their opinions, or finding solutions to problems on their own. By including them into the fabricate of what Mom does when she isn’t being Mom (something that kids think only happens if you are physically with them), they understand if you live life true to your passions and with purpose, that is a path to a happy, productive life.

Was this morning another marketing Mom’s teachable moment? Perhaps. I wonder if the kids were humming that little Jolly Green Giant jingle as they sauntered between classes, or will they have an extraordinary craving tonight for more vegetables with their dinner? Hmmmm. Until then, the lines of marketing, branding and life will creatively clash for me and my family. And that’s ok with us.

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Being Curious, Having Vision, Feeling Satisfied

August 25th, 2011 by Tami View Comments »

 

This summer, I have neglected my blog.  No excuses. While I enjoy writing and having the medium to color outside the lines, I realize that I have been so fully engaged in my work, that I haven’t looked up long enough to act on the long list of blog topics staring me in the face.  When you live a full life, as I do, with work and family smack at the center of it, it is a nice feeling to enjoy being truly present in each area.  That is what this summer has been like.  The thing that is so utterly different, I suppose, is the amount of intense satisfaction I am experiencing.  So when I was going through my morning news reading, these quotes from Steve Jobs, who is stepping down as Apple’s CEO due to his ailing health at the age of 56, I stopped dead in my tracks…and said yes! I know what this feels like.

Jobs (who is still alive as of writing this post) is/was an incredible visionary whose legacy will live on forever, but I hope he will be remembered, not for the hip, totally cool new gadgets he brought into our world, but for inspiring passion and purpose in those that he touched.  In fact, Jobs is a man who is blessed with a natural curiosity that never got squashed, and ultimately led him to finding great satisfaction in his life and in his work.  And as we all know this led to amassing success that not even he could’ve have imagined, but that isn’t what drove him.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do,” he told the Stanford grads.

“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.”

If you aren’t satisfied with your work or your life, what is holding you back from finding what really matters to you? Channel your inner child and awaken your curious self to set out on a journey that is filled with all things that catch your fancy, make you lose your sense of time, not worrying about deadlines or due dates, but instead make you feel alive. These last days of summer are the perfect time to let your mind go on vacation, taking snapshots of what jumps out at you, of what you want your future to be.

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INDUSTRY TRENDS: The Freedom To Go Small Leads To Big Results, Faster

June 22nd, 2011 by Tami View Comments »

 

Going small isn’t a new thing — I founded my agency on this principle 17 years ago.  In fact, one of today’s most influential business thinkers, Seth Godin who wrote more than 13 bestselling books like Tribes, Purple Cow and All Marketers Are Liars, articulated in his 2006 book small is the new big key insights that reflect how we operate at TMG and why this brings unmatched value to our clients:

 

Small is the new big because big has gone from a huge advantage to a liability.

Big used to matter.  Big meant economies of scale. (You never hear about “economies of tiny” do you?)  And then small happened.

Small means the founder is involved in a far greater percentage of customer interactions.  Small means the founder is close to the decisions that matter and can make them quickly.

A small law firm or ad agency is succeeding because they are good, not because they are big.” And finally, “small is the new big only when the person running the small thinks big.

 

Cut to 2011, and the only thing that has changed is just how much creative, strategic and operational clout a boutique — small — agency can bring to clients.  This week, Ad Age reports that Mike Polk, president-global foods, home and personal care at Unilever, hired a small newcomer, Roth Partners, to its agency roster.  The key reason: access to to top talent that could quickly and efficiently provide an integrated approach across a variety of channels. What I find so fascinating about this is that the article more than hints at the fact that big agencies *should* be able to deliver anything a client wants, but what ends up happening is that bigger agencies often can’t get out of their own way to respond to client needs fast enough.

The assignment isn’t a sign that existing agency or holding-company models are broken, Mr. Polk said, but that they don’t always work as they should.

The explosion of the web, access to sophisticated and affordable creative tools and entrepreneurial talent lets a boutique agency like ours compete with, and even surpass the capabilities of the large shops.  (Our work has been widely recognized by the industry as well, and the fact that we need more space to house all the top creative awards we’ve won over the years attests to that.)

What does the boutique model allow me to do as a marketing professional?  As TMG’s founder, I’m hands-on with clients every step of the way, I can be nimble and always work with the best. I avoid the kind of fixed costs that can force a traditional agency model into creating billable hours to cover expenses.  I can tailor the solutions to the holistic needs of my clients, not the capabilities of my staff.  And I can be a true marketing partner, constantly engaging in a dialogue with my clients that is focused on creatively and efficiently solving their marketing challenges.

What I find so exhilarating is that when you run a full-service boutique agency, you can truly focus on the Why, not the How or the What.  For me, the Why is what got me into this business.  I love what I do because I love to help solve tough marketing problems in innovative ways for clients.  I love being a long-term partner.  I love seeing my clients succeed. How we work and what we do is important, and ultimately differentiates us among a sea of sameness in the PR industry. We are committed to best practices in brand communications and the utmost in personalized service – which means our clients are never turned over to a junior staff, or have to deal with a revolving door of handlers.

But the key difference is I don’t have to get bogged down in the contraints of managing the Hows and the Whats that come with having a big agency.  As a result, very much like Roth Partners, and consistent with what Mike Polk articulated so well from his client perspective, I  deliver full-service capabilities, with world class talent, at a moment’s notice. We are forever mindful of the fact that we are brand storytellers. We have the freedom and flexibility to think creatively on multiple levels and ultimately generate big impact. If that sounds as exciting to you as it does to us, then we should work together!

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HOT TOPICS: This Week’s BeanCast Featuring Me (and 4 Other Smart Guys)

June 13th, 2011 by Tami View Comments »

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Bob Knorpp, host of one of the best — ok, arguably, THE BEST, marketing podcast anywhere — asks you to be a BeanCast panelist, you can’t say no. At least, I couldn’t resist. Bob does a thorough job of researching the hottest topics of the week, assembling a panel of brainy marketing folks (an endorsement this blonde doesn’t mind), and more than anything knows how to keep lively conversation flowing. This week’s show is a juicy mix of topics: Apple, iCloud news, mobile short codes, LinkedIn and the ROI debate, Facebook making commenting mandatory…and more.  I had the pleasure of joining cool-cat game-changers David Prager, Revision3, whose Internet Television company is changing how people watch TV programming, Aaron Strout, head of location-based marketing at WCG, and co-author of the upcoming book Location-Based Marketing For Dummies, and Faris Yakob, chief innovation officer at MDC Partners.

The experience was fun, insightful, and re-ignited my love for podcasts. So, give this one a listen, and subscribe to The BeanCast immediately. You will be glad you did.

BeanCast 156: Ball Bearing Action

You can also follow @TheBeanCast on Twitter.

What podcasts are on your playlist? I just may have to consider playing around with a Buzzcloud Podcast myself.

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A New Food Icon Is Born: From Pyramid to Plate

June 3rd, 2011 by Tami View Comments »

This week, Buzzcloud couldn’t help but notice how quickly word spread, not only in the news, but even my 6th grader came home talking about it too: The Food Pyramid was no more. Its replacement was announced in partnership with First Lady Michelle Obama and the United States Department of Agriculture that we have a new food icon, MyPlate. Icon aficionados take note:  If the Federal Government can change the traditional Food Pyramid, first introduced by the USDA in 1992, to a much easier to understand, modern aesthetic, should be a piece of cake (pun intended) for your next brand identity re-fresh, right?

Here, with the help of First Lady Michelle Obama, the goal was to make it easier for consumers to make healthier food choices, and the new icon is simple enough for even a 5-year-old to understand.

“This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that we’re eating and as a mom, I can already tell how much this is going to help parents across the country,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “When mom or dad comes home from a long day of work, we’re already asked to be a chef, a referee, a cleaning crew. So it’s tough to be a nutritionist, too. But we do have time to take a look at our kids’ plates. As long as they’re half full of fruits and vegetables, and paired with lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy, we’re golden. That’s how easy it is.”

This video explains the MyPlate effort:

 

 

What do you think? Does this make eating healthier any easier?

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