As a leading registered dietitian with a PhD in exercise physiology, Jenna Bell, Senior Vice President and Director of Food & Wellness at Pollock Communications is often quoted in the media. Most recently, US News tapped her expertise in food and nutrition to help its readers understand How to Eat Vegan During Pregnancy. Check out the article and Jenna’s insights here…
https://health.usnews.com/wellness/family/slideshows/how-to-eat-vegan-during-pregnancy
Pollock Secures Ink for Cranberry Client
As part of our ongoing efforts to promote America’s Original Superfruit® – cranberries on behalf of the Cranberry Marketing Committee USA (CMC), Pollock Communications secured a byline article for Scott J. Soares, Executive Director of the CMC in the May issue of Produce Business. The article, “In Pursuit of a Paradigm Shift for Cranberry Sales,” discusses the challenges associated with a food tied to a particular season, and how the cranberry industry has attempted to overcome this marketing obstacle with unique and compelling communications programs. To read the full article click here and go to page 105.
Newsjacking the Big Game
On February 1, the Super Bowl launched more than American football fever. The event dominated news and social media, and consequently created one of the largest newsjacking opportunities for brands across the country. As the online arena heated up, social media became even more competitive than the players on the field. From big brands to local businesses, everyone could join in NFL-mania.
However, there is more to jumping on the news cycle than adding “#SB49” to the end of a post. Trending news stories can be an effective tool for getting a brand’s name out in social media, but it is important to remember that just because something is #trending, doesn’t mean strategy should be thrown out the window. In fact, “newsjacked” posts may be seen by a larger audience than usual and should be even more carefully crafted.
Some tips to keep in mind when marrying social media trends with brand strategies:
Keep it neutral
Remember that a brand probably has fans on both sides of any issue (or game). While a little good-natured competition can be humorous, especially in the sports world, be careful not to go too far. Without the benefit of tonality, the audience can easily misinterpret sarcasm and jokes for something more mean-spirited.
Keep your brand in mind
For a post to be most effective, it should be about the brand and the event. Find a connection and work with it. Clothing stores are not expected to share player stats, but go ahead and share some sketches of redesigned team outfits or styles. Even if the connection is simply being based in a certain city, be sure the brand’s image and tone are still present among the news.
Pick your moments
Your audience doesn’t need or expect a social media post after every touchdown, or even every game. Instead, choose your moment – one witty brand post will go farther than 10 bland ones.
Have fun!
Interact with consumers and get involved. Being a top-tier sponsor and creator of the beloved Clydesdale ads, Budweiser was sure to be a popular Twitter account during the Big Game. Still, they decided to add some extra excitement for the fans. They amplified their advertising with puppy and Clydesdale memes shared on Twitter, and responded to fans who were reacting in real-time to their commercial. It might have taken a little creativity and precise social media management, but Budweiser benefitted as fans shared the images and tweets across the internet – and the brand gained followers.
Newsjacking is one of the most advantageous brand opportunities that has arisen from the social media explosion. It allows brands the chance for exposure and audience growth that could typically take several months, or even years. Of course, this means the possibility of negative exposure grows as well, and many brands have seen the consequences of misinterpreted or mishandled posts. However, with a strong social media strategy and a little cleverness, brands can truly benefit from the instantaneous nature of social media and breaking news.
At Pollock Communications, we specialize in building awareness for food, health and wellness clients and we know that understanding how to use the right social media tools for a brand and maintaining a strong social media presence is crucial to delivering stellar results for our clients. For more information on how we can help build your social media strategy, contact us.
Selecting an Effective Celebrity Spokesperson Can Boost Your Brand
A celebrity spokesperson is an exciting addition to any public relations or marketing campaign. Celebrities can lend consumer experience to a brand, as well as personality, credibility and a good story. Finding the right spokesperson might be a challenge, but when you finally connect with the right one, the results can be worthwhile. A relevant and relatable spokesperson can build awareness, enhance the brand’s “rep”, and make for a very successful marketing campaign. However, a spokesperson can also backfire, if you aren’t careful to ensure proper media training and campaign execution.
Pollock Communications has successfully worked with many celebrity spokespeople to promote brand building and enhance our nutrition communications campaigns. Based on our experience, here are some tips for finding and working with an effective spokesperson.
1. Know your budget.
It’s important to always consider your budget when researching spokespeople. Not every campaign can support an A-list celebrity and not every campaign truly needs one. There are other celebrities and credible spokespeople out there to fit any campaign’s needs. It’s all about finding the right fit – someone who meshes well and is relevant to your campaign – and then work closely with them to reach your goals.
2. Like anything else, do your research.
Know your audience and your spokesperson. In order for a campaign to be a success, it is important that your spokesperson be the right fit. Are they relevant to your target audience? Can they relate to you product, brand or cause? If the answer is yes, then you are on the right track! For one of Pollock’s food PR campaigns, we were challenged by our client to reach a younger audience and educate them on the emerging science supporting the health benefits of their product, while also raising awareness about their support for educating America’s young. Pollock PR decided to launch a scholarship competition and partnered with a popular recording artist and American Idol runner-up, who was an avid consumer of our product. He also supported the client’s platform on educating young Americans, so he was a successful, relevant and relatable fit.
3. An interesting spokesperson-brand relationship.
It’s important that the relationship between your brand and your spokesperson is believable and interesting to media. In the campaign mentioned above, it was interesting that our spokesperson used our product to warm up before recording his songs. Not only was he liked by consumers, he had a natural connection with the product that made the partnership genuine.
4. Media training is crucial.
Although spokespeople are typically comfortable with being interviewed by media, it is essential that the spokesperson is on-board with a branded media training session. Reporters usually have limited time and might only want to talk to about a celebrity’s personal life, their latest book or the latest news scandal. It is important to work with your spokesperson prior to the interview to master how to flawlessly switch topics, deflect unrelated questions and accurately bring in your brand messaging in a credible manner!
5. Practice Patience.
Have patience throughout the process, not only it this important when selecting and working directly with the spokesperson, but also when working with the spokesperson’s team. What is priority for the brand, might not be for the spokesperson, so b clear, plan ahead and communicate often to avoid any conflicts. Remember that everything done well takes time.
At Pollock Communications, we specialize in food, health and wellness public relations and through our experience we know that choosing and working with the right spokesperson for a brand can be an extremely valuable tool to help reach our client’s goals. For more information on how we can help you find the right spokesperson and build your media relations strategy, contact us below.