With Mother’s Day still fresh on our minds we decided to post a salute to all of the hard working mommy bloggers who are constantly balancing writing a blog, raising a family and keeping up on all the latest trends.

Mommy bloggers (and Daddy bloggers) make for great partnerships with brands looking to reach the parenting community. Mommy bloggers typically have loyal readers and friendships throughout their vast social media channels. Readers feel as though they are a part of their life and can trust the different products or promotions they are writing about. However, with this trust comes responsibility, which is why many bloggers are very particular with whom they will work with.

A recent study conducted in 2011 by The Social Studies Group shed some light on what is it like working with a mommy blogger:
• Two-thirds of bloggers reject at least half the pitches they get from brands
• Social good matters to bloggers. Trust levels increase 56 percent for campaigns that include an element of social good
• More than 40 percent of influential bloggers have never been approached by brands, in some cases because brand reps simply don’t know they exist
• The majority of women bloggers want long-term, deeper relationships with a few special brands

The study also found that mommy bloggers rarely decide to stay home and raise children because they don’t have any other choices. Instead, they most often opt for the chance to do so. They are mostly a well-educated group, with a large percentage holding bachelor’s degrees and/or some post-graduate study.

The most popular topics they blog about include family and parenting, lifestyle, crafts/do-it-yourself, food, and product reviews. When pitching them remember that they need compelling and relevant information about the brand/product to make their decision.

Also, keep in mind that when working with a mommy blogger or even calling your own mom for Mother’s Day or any other holiday the most important thing to do is listen! Find out what interests them and respond with something they can’t resist!

With the explosion of the Web and its global reach, Pollock Communications understands how to leverage this important tool to provide legs for a PR event in order to extend its life and impact. The current issue of PR News includes an article by Marcie Klein, SVP of Pollock, offering tips on how to maximize a PR stunt in the digital world. The article can be found under brand marketing “How To” on page two, reprinted here with permission from PR News:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL ARTICLE

Pollock Communications prides itself on keeping pace with new tools and technologies that can help maximize its clients’ public relations efforts. Marcie Klein, SVP of Pollock, is featured in a recent issue of the respected trade publication, PR News, providing insights and tips on how Pollock utilizes social media to amplify its communications and campaigns. The article can be found under “Charting the Industry” on page two of the 2/27/12 issue, reprinted here with permission from PR News:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL ARTICLE

It seems every time you turn around there is a new social media website or platform. One of the latest to become popular is Pinterest. Pinterest is an online scrapbook site that allows you to organize and share all types of things you find fascinating. Users create “pinboards” to save their favorite images, recipes, or videos and share them with their friends and followers.
While Pinterest is a great tool to use if you’re planning a party, wedding, or decorating a new home, it is also a great way for brands to engage their consumers. Perhaps the most useful part of the platform is the potential of its viral effect. Because Pinterest automatically links to users’ Facebook and Twitter accounts, everything uploaded is tweeted and posted on Facebook (as long as privacy settings allow), making the potential reach for brands to be bigger than ever.
A few companies that are maximizing this new social networking site include:
1. Popchips: The brand of healthy chips has created boards on Pinterest that include recipes and images of their products.
2. Chobani: The brand offers “Simple Swaps” with ideas on what ingredients you can replace with Chobani, recipes and images of the company’s traveling “CHOmobile.”
3. Williams-Sonoma: In addition to images of store events and great gift ideas, the boards of this brand are filled with pins of their most popular products and different ways to use them.
With over seven million unique visitors per month, Pinterest is a great way to promote your brand. You can tell your story visually by creating a company board to share brand news, new products, recipe ideas, tips and more. By tracking how many people “repin” or “like” the pins on your boards, companies can also measure the reach of their Pinterest account and interest in specific posts.
A great new way to connect companies with individuals …
Happy pinning!

-The Nation’s Leading Nutrition Experts Weigh-In on Diet Trends for 2012:
Go Green with Fresh, Sustainable Foods & Spice it Up with Exotic Flavors-

December 21, 2011, New York, NY – Looking for the hot new diet trends to follow in 2012? Who better to ask for help than the nation’s top nutrition experts? In a survey by Pollock Communications, a full-service public relations agency with long-standing relationships in the food and wellness industry, responses from more than 200 RDs in their network were tallied to identify the top 2012 nutrition trends for consumers and food companies. The survey revealed five nutrition trends that will make news and affect your choices in the coming year:

1. Go Green & Add Some Spice!
Unprocessed, natural foods will be the biggest consumer nutrition trend in 2012
Most RDs (72%) predict that consumers will continue to demand more local, organic, sustainable, fresh, minimally processed foods. With consumers returning to the table and cooking at home, they will become more aware of where their food is coming from and what it contains. RDs also agree (46%) that simplifying the ingredient list, (39%) sodium reduction and (37%) eliminating high fructose corn syrup, will play key roles in dietary modifications in the coming year. In addition, consumers will look to spice things up with exotic and ethnically diverse flavors and cuisines.

2. Diet Trifecta: Vitamins, Minerals
Eat more antioxidants and phytonutrients…and get more fiber
Of the 204 responses, almost all RDs (96%) emphasize more antioxidants and phytonutrients in the diet, and many (59%) say consumers need more vitamins and minerals. While most agree that consumers are already consuming enough protein, carbohydrates and fats, RDs say Americans are lacking sufficient amounts of fiber from whole grains and fruits and vegetables.

3. ‘Tis the Season!
Seasonal and local fruits and vegetables rise to the top
Almost all RDs (94%) agree that in the coming year there will be a bigger push for Americans to consume more fruits and vegetables. Eating seasonal and local plant based foods that are organically grown will be a big trend in the coming year, as well.

4. How Low Can You Go?
Go low with trans and saturated fat, sugar and sodium
The majority of RDs (78%) name trans fats as the most harmful nutrient in the diet, followed by added sugars (68%), saturated fat (58%) and sodium (52%). In 2012, we will see a greater emphasis on reducing these harmful dietary hazards.

5. Make Your Plate Look Like MyPlate!
Use USDA’s MyPlate as your guide
Many (69%) RDs are using MyPlate to counsel patients and it will continue to play a role in diet recommendations through 2012. MyPlate recommends half the plate consist of vegetables and fruit, with the other half made up mostly of whole grains and a small portion of lean protein.

“As RDs, we are at the forefront of nutrition issues, consumers’ perceptions and diet and lifestyle behaviors,” says Julie Upton, MS, RD. “It’s our goal to help provide our expertise to debunk the common myths and misperceptions and provide our insights with consumers and food and beverage manufacturers.”
When it comes to diet and nutrition, RDs know best. Louise Pollock, founder and President of Pollock Communications, adds, “As key influencers in food and nutrition, RDs shape consumer food shopping decisions, affect health policy, impact nutrition trends in the media and promote evidence-based recommendations. At Pollock, we always seek their expertise when advising our food clients.”

About Pollock Communications

Pollock Communications is an independent, full-service health and wellness New York City-based communications firm launched in 1991. They create innovative partnerships that link brands to health and wellness platforms, and have experience in communicating the taste, health and lifestyle benefits of brands and commodities to consumer, retail and business audiences.
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According to a piece in National Mortgage News, the sales of smart phones are expected to surpass sales of standard computers this year. Therefore, retailers are taking advantage and developing smart phone applications to reach their consumers. The ultimate goal is to equip shoppers with product information and purchasing power in the palm of their hand. Without skipping a beat, grocery stores across America are revamping and creating personalized mobile apps for their shopper.

Leading supermarkets across the country are giving shoppers apps that provide tools for shopping and information specific to their local store. Hy-Vee launched their mobile app last month to provide shoppers access to weekly ads, coupons, shopping list functions, recipes and even find items while in the store. Winn-Dixie’s app could replace the hand-written shopping list and helps consumers locate the closest Winn-Dixie store, view advertisements and learn about local sales promotions. Giant Eagle’s app lets shoppers enjoy similar tools for shopping and also check fuel discount balances.

Food companies are adding supermarket functions to their apps as well. With a sponsorship from ConAgra, Phil Lempert, the Supermarket Guru, launched a smart phone app for consumers called “Smarter Shopping with Phil Lempert”. The app includes Lempert’s Tip of the Week to give consumers ideas for shopping and saving money. The app’s Smart Substitutes function offers tips for making food substitutions in recipes for general health, allergies or weight control.

Be sure to check your local grocery retailer’s website to see if they have a smart phone app that may help make shopping easier – or at least more high-tech!