The PR Warrior

Is This the Boldest PR Campaign Ever?

I'm a sucker for simple PR ideas brilliantly executed, and if the idea is a creative one, if it's bold and daring but still strategically sound, then so much the better.

But every now and then you get a campaign that not only ticks all the above boxes but then takes the concept of 'bold' - sticks it in an innovation blender and out pops something that really is uniquely 'crazy-sexy-cool'.

Let's face it, most major brands and organisations are pretty conservative and for whom the definition of 'bold' means a slight change in the PMS colour of their logo. 

All of which puts this campaign for Slovakia's Union Insurance into a box marked 'Extra Special'.

It cut through with the public and media alike and generated tremendous buzz which, for a low interest product such as insurance, is no mean feat. 

The Brief: To launch Union Insurance as the tenth car insurance company on the market of mandatory car insurance.

The Challenge: Engage people and attract their attention towards the brand while being in a low involvement category in which the price of the product is the main differentiator.

The Execution: First part of the campaign was the creation of a 'secret organization' that took justice on the roads into its own hands - the 'The Pink Squad' was a movement against irresponsibility on the road. Within no time The Pink Squad and its actions became known nationwide; it was at this point the organization was connected with Union Insurance and its products. 

Oh, by the way, this PR campaign was devised by an ad agency - WiktorLeoBurnett.

BELOW: Case study featuring results from The Pink Squad campaign - click to enlarge.

Thanks For Being a Fan

This is a very cool (marketing) act by rock act Blink 182.

It shows yet again that when a brand works with its fans rather than against them, when it respects the people who buy its products rather than treats them as if they are the enemy, then really cool things can happen for both parties!

Here's the band's spiel on YouTube - says it all really:

To launch our first single in eight years, AT&T helped us search YouTube for every instance of fans using our music without our permission. And then we rewarded them for it. This film is made out of clips from all those videos. Thanks for being a fan. 

 Hat-tip Mack Collier. 

Standing Up for Your Brand's Beliefs - Even if it Means Annoying Your Customers

One of the key things in business we don't want to do and that is deliberately antagonize the customer.

This is especially the case in today's hyper-connected marketplace where a displeased customer can easily snipe about a negative brand experience to hundreds, if not thousands, of their 'closest' friends on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

Company executives fear a customer rant might snowball into something larger and all of a sudden they have full-scale consumer negativity on their hands. That's why it takes real courage for a brand to do what it thinks is right, even if that means upsetting its customers.

Brands that attract strong, cult-like followings will often have a clear set of principles or beliefs they convey at every given chance.

Intelligentsia Coffee is one such brand that stands by what it believes in.

 

Espresso, Intelligentsia from Department of the 4th Dimension on Vimeo.

In 2008 Intelligentsia made the controversial decision to stop serving 20-ounce coffee and espresso beverages in its stores.

Here's how the Chicago Tribune reported it - 'Small. Medium. Gone.'

According to Wikipedia: (Founder, Doug) Zell stated that the proportions are altered at such large quantities and certain drinks become watered-down, arguing that 20-ounce drinks end up "masking and adulterating the pure, intense flavors we work hard to source, roast and produce. We don't want this to just be a caffeine delivery device."

Food for thought isn't it? Sometimes it can be quite a powerful marketing strategy to zig while everyone else zags. What about your brand?

• Does it live by its principles?
• Are you willing to lose customers by sticking by your core brand beliefs?

About Intelligensia Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, colloquially known as Intelligentsia, is a coffee roasting company and retailer with its headquarters at 1850 W. Fulton Street in Chicago. Intelligentsia has several cafe retail locations throughout the Chicago area.

The company was founded in 1995 by Doug Zell and Emily Mange. They supply coffee to various Chicago-area cafes and restaurants, as well as other locations in the US and Canada. They generally buy their beans directly from growers in Central America, South America, East Africa, and Ethiopia. They use vintage German roasters to roast their beans daily.

SOURCE: Wikipedia

MORE READING: Interview with Doug Zell (Chicago Tribune)

File Under 'Cool Idea': Bureau of Stats Gets Personal for Census Night

Tonight is 'Census Night' in Australia - millions of Aussies will sit down (if they haven't already done so) to complete the myriad  2011 Census of Population and Housing questions put forth by the Bureau of Statistics.

A pretty dry topic in many (most?) people's eyes - a grudge task at best.

However, in order to shed some light on "what kind of a story Census data can tell you about you", the good folk at the ABS have created a website (called 'Spotlight') where people can create their own infographic - a "personalised snapshot of your own numbers that you can share with friends".

The Spotlight website takes some of the data from the last Census - conducted in 2006 - and turns it into a simple interactive movie showing a few "interesting things that the Census can tell us about Australia's people and population".

This is a really cool idea.

Not only does it help bring the Census to life by giving us a better idea what statistics are gathered (and what they're used for) but it serves as great content people can share with their personal networks.

Of course, all this gets people thinking and talking about statistics generally and the Census in particular. No mean feat!

While you're at it, check out the official Census Twitter feed - it's great to see some fun and quirky tweets emanating from a government organisation!

Hat-tip to Danny Bishop for putting me on to this website - below is Danny's personal infographic he posted on Twitter.

Four Important Things I Have Learned in Four Years of Blogging

The PR Warrior turned four last month. 

Boiled down, that's over 365 posts (roughly eight a month for four years) and 640+ comments from readers.

When I first started blogging in 2007, it was to experience one of the 'wonders of the new media landscape' in an effort to better understand it and in turn be able to talk with a modicum of expertise with my clients in the PR space about what a blog was, how it worked and whether it was something they needed to worry about.

As it turned out, for me at least, blogging set me on a path that led all the way into the heart of the emerging social web, and I've been fully immersed ever since (which in turn has vastly increased my circle of friends and professional acquaintances).

So I can safely say, hand on heart, blogging has helped change my life in many significant ways.

So what have I learned in four years of blogging?

(i)    Blogging is best learnt by 'getting in the trenches'

I was reading and researching blogs (and the art of blogging) for a couple of years before I created PR Warrior. And you know what? I reckon I learned more in my first 4-6 weeks of writing a blog than I did in all that time researching.

While I think it's very important to do your research and become familiar with the space, nothing beats getting down and dirty in the trenches if you want to learn more about this blogging caper.

While you learn heaps about the technology side of things simply by doing it, for me it was the experience of going through the writing process that really resonated.

The fact you're putting yourself 'out there' on the world wide web for others to pat you on the back or potentially shoot you down in a hail of virtual bullets was a real learning experience but it really does ready you for life on the social web.

The PR Warrior in the blogging trenches

(ii)    Blogging forms an ideal 'base' for your personal brand

Whether you're an individual ('personal brand') or a company wanting to leverage your blog to build credibility and perhaps use as a lead generation tool, think of your blog as the 'beating heart' of your brand.

Most companies (indeed, many individuals nowadays) have their own dedicated website. However, many websites don't often change on a regular basis. A blog on the other hand is (should be) undergoing constant change in the form of fresh content (new posts, videos, podcasts etc) being added regularly.

This is important for a couple of reasons:

One, fresh content gives people a reason to return to your site - by having an opinion, sharing ideas and posing questions you are attracting people to your blog who otherwise wouldn't have a reason to check out your website on an ongoing basis.

Two, search engines love quality new content - if you want to figure in Google searches, then there are worse things you can do than have a vibrant blog presence (a second shopfront for your brand, as it were).

(iii)    Blogging helps you find your 'voice'

I love this gem by Tom Peters:

“My first post was in August of 2004 … no single thing in the last 15 years professionally has been more important to my life than blogging. It has changed my life, it has changed my perspective, it has changed my intellectual outlook, it’s changed my emotional outlook … it’s the best damn marketing tool by an order of magnitude I’ve ever had…and it’s free.”

What I take out of this terrific comment by Peters is the act of blogging can have a dramatic effect on one's outlook on life. It's not the blog per se but the act of thinking things through, forming an opinion about a particular subject and researching a topic with a view to publishing content on your blog.

If you're a subject matter expert, this process is incredibly important.

Sure, you might form those opinions as a matter of course in your work or as a result of following your passion (hobby) but there's nothing quite like pushing the 'Publish' button on your blog to bring clarity in terms of forming and expressing a view that is uniquely 'you'.

The PR Warrior has found his individual voice through blogging

(iv)    Blogging builds credibility and leads to interesting opportunities

It's no surprise that many (most?) avid bloggers are also highly connected on the social web - they're generally active on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ etc which in turn helps them to build their online presence and with it, their credibility in the respective space/s they operate in.

I've run my own consulting business for many years. I also speak professionally and collaborate with others on various projects that are of interest to me. My blog has acted as an efficient means of getting my thoughts out into the community as well as attracting attention to the fact I exist and have the ability to do interesting stuff.

Credibility + visibility = opportunity.

Here's an example of the opportunities that came my way during a recent two-week period. 

• Appeared on Channel Seven's Morning Show to comment on a story relating to Twitter and a court case in the UK.
• Participated in a video series for the PR industry's peak professional body, the PRIA.
• Invited to pitch on three new business leads in my role as a PR consultant.
• Presented at events run for small businesses by two Melbourne councils (and received an invitation for a third speaking engagement).
• Invited to attend a Business Chicks event featuring Sir Richard Branson.
• Received an interview opportunity with a business magazine.

Now I understand these opportunities weren't all directly due to my blog but PR Warrior has formed the backbone of my brand for many years and opportunities in the business world often come down to brand reputation.

It comes back down to having a voice and being prepared to put your opinion out there, to develop some degree of thought leadership by sparking conversation about topics that are of interest to you and that you're passionate about, whether professionally or personally.

Bottom line: it's about becoming involved and blogging is a terrific way to do just that.

FURTHER READING:

• BlogHUB Australia - a sideline PR Warrior project that celebrates and promotes blogging (and bloggers) in Australia.
• Three Years on Twitter, What Have I Learned? (PR Warrior post).