Now that the thanksgiving turkey has been fully digested and the decorations were pulled out of storage it is official… the holidays are here!! In the PR world this means it is time to get our clients name and products front and center to those who are looking for the perfect gift!

A great help in the task is social media. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube all provide fantastic options for getting the message across to your target consumers. The most important part of this is choosing the right channel where your customers are spending their time.

With more than 800 million users, Facebook is the largest social community online right now. The average user is 38 years old, which means that social media is no longer just for college kids! Many of them are linked to more than 80 pages, groups or events to help stay connected with the world around them. Facebook Pages provide an easy way for customers to get to build a relationship with your brand or product and get to know it a little better through asking questions or commenting on your posts.

The 100 million active users around the world on Twitter demand the latest information and are constantly inundated with new, updated information in 140 characters or less. With this group it pays to engage in the conversation and find out what people are really interested in and what they think about your product. The knowledge gained from listening and asking questions can prove to be invaluable.

On YouTube, over 3 billion videos are viewed a day by people ranging from 18-54 years old. Of those users, 17 million have connected their YouTube account to at least one other social media service helping to make videos become viral and reach a larger audience. If you have something that is funny, unique or interesting try creating a video to showcase everything your product has to offer.

What all this means is simple… research your customers, find out what they are talking about and where then join the conversation! It all boils down to that word-of-mouth recommendation, which social media can help provide.

And, be sure to follow Pollock PR on Twitter and Facebook!

Judging from the rapt attention paid to carbohydrate maven Joanne Slavin, PhD, RD, speaking to weight management nutritionists at this year’s American Dietetic Association(ADA) Food & Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) in San Diego in late September, many RDs simply do not think of including rice in their patient diet plans. While whole grain brown rice is generally given a pass, there are misconceptions about the nutritional benefits of enriched, fortified white rice.

In fact, according to Slavin, a professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, and a leading national expert on the role of carbohydrates in human health, “Whole grain brown and enriched, fortified white rice provide nutritional value as part of a calorie-controlled diet.”  She ought to know.  She served as chair of the Carbohydrates Subcommittee of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) Scientific Advisory Committee.  Her remarks to this influential group of RDs focused on emerging research showing that some carbohydrate-rich foods may enhance satiety and have other effects to help individuals lose and maintain a healthy weight.

To further support rice’s role in weight management, Slavin shared recent research showing that reduced-calorie diets result in clinically meaningful weight loss, regardless of which macronutrients are consumed.  She also pointed to research showing carbohydrate intake is associated with lower Body Mass Index (BMI).  She explained, “As 45-65% of calories should come from carbohydrates it’s important for nutrition professionals and consumers to understand that rice is a good grain choice for achieving recommended carbohydrate levels, as it promotes satiety.”

USA Rice Federation, which sponsored Slavin’s presentation, is encouraged about her current research to determine the effects of brown and white rice on satiety.  This human clinical trial is being funded by the Rice Foundation with results expected this year. “Emerging grains research suggests that carbohydrates may contain elements that aid satiety and the effect of undigested carbohydrate in the colon may hold important links to body weight,” Slavin explained.

Judging from the buzz during this session, attended by 25 influential Weight Management Dietetic Practice Group professionals, Slavin educated the group on the good nutrition profile of rice, and its role in the new USDA MyPlate recommendations, which for the first time address obesity.  The group learned that rice is low in calories, contains no saturated fat or sugars and combines well with other healthy foods, including fruits, veggies, lean proteins and beans and legumes.

An article based on research from Russell Research commissioned by Pollock Communications, “Overweight is the New Normal Weight”, by Julie Upton, MS, RD, was featured on FoxNews.com.

To read the complete article, click HERE.

As food and wellness experts, an article by Louise M. Pollock, President is featured in the 8/9/11 issue of CommPRO.biz.  In this news story, Obesity & Marketing:  How We Can Help America Tighten the Belt & Get Results, Louise shares insights, key learnings and tips from a recent Pollock Communications survey of weight perceptions in America.  The survey of 1,000 Americans by Russell Research was commissioned by Pollock Communications as part of its ongoing work to understand and translate key consumer health and nutrition trends for its clients.  The complete article is reprinted with permission by CommPRO.biz:

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

PR News recently featured our work to shift the perceptions about MSG safety for our clients, Ajinomoto Food Ingredients and The Glutamate Association, through a science and sensory event with Chef Danny Boome.  The article, published in the 8/1/11 issue of PR News highlights the success of Pollock Communications in creating awareness and education among key nutrition and media influencers about the positive attributes of umami (sodium glutamate – MSG) as a safe and effective food enhancer.

Taylor Caldron at Harney & Sons

Taylor Caldron, a masters student at the University of Michigan studying sustainable business and winner of the Tea Council of the U.S., “Sip of Success” internship, is in the last phase of his experience.  After hands-on adventure in the tea growing regions of Sri Lanka and Kenya, he now is learning the retail specialty tea business with venerable tea family, Harney & Sons, in their tea shop in the heart of New York’s SoHo.

At Harney & Sons, Taylor is learning about the endless varieties of teas sold at this unique specialty tea destination.