Archives for November 2011

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!

Attention shoppers! Supermarket dietitians have created tips and tools to help families prepare a great tasting, healthy Thanksgiving feast. Check out these delicious resources:

• A&P Family of Supermarkets dietitian Jacqueline Gomes, RD, MBA, provided an autumn inspired Thanksgiving feast with five recipes that use popular fall foods. Check out her meal and other recipes by clicking here.
• Giant Eagle is providing consumers with a glimpse inside a dietitian’s Thanksgiving created with the new MyPlate guidelines. Click here for the complete menu, which includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.
• ShopRite’s Culinary Workshop chefs are providing expert advice to home cooks this Thanksgiving, which was started in 2008, as a resource for customers seeking help, recipes and home-cooking tips. To talk live with a ShopRite Culinary Workshop Chef Instructor, customers can call the grocer’s Customer Care Center at 1-800-ShopRite (746-7748) and request the “Chef on Call.”

There are also many articles on the best ways to include cranberries as more than just a side. The Bellingham Herald’s website has some great tips for preparing cranberries this season. Check out their recipes here.

Check out the PCI Health Buzz for Check Out with Lara Flanagan!

Pollock Communications proudly works with the Cranberry Institute – an organization dedicated to supporting research and increasing the awareness about the health benefits of cranberries. In an effort to provide readers with the most-up-to-date scientific information, the Cranberry Institute has launched a Cranberry Health Research Library. The research library provides complete references and scientific abstracts from human, animal, in–vitro and reviews in the following areas:

• Cranberry and Human Health Research Reviews
• Urinary Tract Health and Antibacterial Benefits
• Cardiovascular Health and Anti-Inflammatory Benefits
• Glycemic Response and Type II Diabetes
• Drug Interactions
• Oncology/Anti-Cancer

Click here to visit the Cranberry Health Research Library

Consumers have an insatiable appetite for information about health and wellness. And, fortunately, consumers are listening to the best sources for better-for-you guidance: Registered Dietitians (RD).  It’s no surprise since the ADA “Nutrition and You: Trends” survey reported back in 2008 that 78% of consumers consider dietitians to be the most credible source of nutrition information.

It’s good news that consumers are listening to RDs for health and wellness guidance, but it isn’t in the dietitian’s office that consumers form their eating habits.  Consumers are now looking to the RD in the supermarket to help guide them through the aisles at their local grocery store and to help them make their purchase decisions!

According to the 2009 Grocery Manufacturers Association consumer survey, 62% of shoppers listed nutritional and other health information as a key purchase decision.  A National Grocers’ Association survey also found that 77% of shoppers would like for their store to offer in-store dietitian services.  Supermarkets have taken note, and are hiring RDs to conduct supermarket tours, cooking demos, and develop monthly health newsletters and FSI’s to reach customers.

According to the article Dietitians in Supermarkets: The New Age of Nutrition, written by Hy-Vee Dietitian Greta Farley, “Supermarkets started to hire dietitians about ten years ago when they realized there is a connection between consumer supermarket shopping and healthy food choices. Many customers do not know what to look for in a healthy food item when they go grocery shopping. Customers need someone credible who can answer these questions when they are in the store.”

Supermarket RDs are an excellent way to reach consumers when they make their purchase decisions, to guide them to making healthier choices for themselves and their families.  So next time you head to the market, see if you can find tips and services by the Supermarket RD to help you have a healthier grocery experience!

PCI Health Buzz for Check Out with Lara Flanagan!

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.