A recent episode of Fresh Air featured renowned conductor James Levine, who has led the Metropolitan Opera since 1971. During this interview, Levine revealed that conducting is something he actively tries not to do; his job is merely to provide the players with subtle cues and allow them to make their own beautiful music with his support.

PR is something like this, or at least it should be. Professionals work tirelessly behind the scenes to hit all the right notes, securing press coverage, social media mentions and positive public awareness. They make hundreds of connections a day with a variety of people, spinning a broad web of possibilities, just as an orchestra’s many instruments come together to create a broad, multi-faceted sound.

There are plenty of cases in which a PR pro, entrusted with a clients’ high-profile brand, uses it for personal gain. These people are so desperate to make a splash for themselves that they sometimes forget the real music comes from spreading their clients’ message and not from their own wild gesticulations.

As the person behind the curtain pulling the strings, it’s a PR pro’s job to not overshadow their clients’ needs with their own posturing. It’s not about them. PR is, essentially, about allowing clients – and their brand, services and products to shine.

“There is no second to market, there’s only first,” Ian Schrager

Those words come from the co-founder of the iconic Studio 54, who later became the pioneer of the boutique hotel business. As an innovator, Ian Schrager was the first to discover that travelers wanted more from their hotels than a bed and bathroom. Schrager was the first hotelier to focus on the aesthetics by creating beautiful common spaces for his guest to relax, enjoy and been seen in.

Being the first proved to be crucial to Schrager in building his hotel empire.

Another opportunity for today’s business leaders to be first is upon us and the wise people to spot this will enjoy riding the wave.

That opportunity in using text messages or “mobile messaging” to get your business or product in front of your market.

Opt-in mobile messaging is still in its infancy but has huge growth potential. The statistics are mind boggling; the Mobile Marketing Association reports:

• More than 2 billion text messages are sent in the United States every day.
• 3-4 times more text messages are sent than mobile phone calls made daily.
• There are more than 270 million mobile devises in the US for a 90 percent saturation rate.

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, most cell phone owners use only two of the main functions on their phones: taking pictures and text messaging. Other popular uses are for going online, sending email, playing games, listening to music and recording videos.

It would seem cell phones are used for just about everything, except talking.

The businesses that recognize these analytics and how they can leverage their messages to a highly targeted audience will reap the rewards of being a pioneer.

What makes mobile messaging so impressive?

• Opt-In/Permission based — your prospect says he wants to hear your message.
• Instant and timely — important for the “we want it now” society we live in.
• 95 percent read rate — show me another medium with those types of numbers.

Contact a firm that specializes in helping businesses get their message out via mobile messaging. Be one of the first to market and recognize the impact that mobile messaging can bring to your business.

Remember; “If you’re not the lead dog, the scenery never changes!”

I never took physics, though I’m familiar with Newton’s Third Law of Motion: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” But is such the case with Twitter?

Morgan Freeman is known internationally for his authoritative speaking voice. I bet even with the mere mention of his name you could hear this blog narrated in his comforting voice. There are Facebook pages with millions of fans dedicated solely to Freeman’s voice. It is a huge part of his personal brand and identity.

With corporations popping up on social media sites daily, it would be easy to get caught up in an identity crisis. The evolution of social media is one factor that has led the general public to become more critical of the corporate voice. People want to feel like they are communicating with someone personally. They don’t want corporate marketing driven posts but rather a conversation.

To maintain a sense of consistency and brand awareness, companies need to find a voice. Many factors can go into deciding which style is right for a brand. A voice can range from humorous to formal, first person to third person or even personal to general. The audience should be a driving force in deciding which voice is right to use, but not the deciding factor. The voice must be authentic. Social media shouldn’t change an entire corporate culture. It would be painfully obvious to the public if a brand tries to sound like a different organization. Freeman himself has had problems with voice doubles or imitators.

Specifying and managing a voice will help lead to brand recognition and sharable content. The content itself will determine how successful a social media campaign will be (but we will leave that for another blog). Corporations have to keep in mind the possibility of losing their voice. If accounts are left to one employee, what is the back up plan? Is the account passed on to someone else? Do they let their social media connections know?

This is where the professionals come in. Agencies can take this burden off the corporation or give them the tools to create a backup plan necessary for situations such as these. Even Freeman has an agent to handle his gigs. Whether or not an agency handles the account, its important to be identifiable, authentic and have a plan.

This post was written by M3 intern and Michigan State University student Veronica Kieffer.

Television ads interest me more than most people; I sometimes even “shush” people during commercials, rather than the actual program. Now that I work in advertising, I find myself digging even deeper into commercials to locate the strategies and techniques used to sell products. I am fully capable of removing myself from the audience in order to dissect a regular TV advertisement, but when it comes to the infomercial, I am powerless.

Here is a short list of items I own due to watching infomercials:

• Shake Weight



• P90x Video set
• Ab circle
• ShamWow
• Bottle tops
• Snuggie
• Plaque attack
• Swivel Sweeper
• Wen Hair care
• Proactive
• Shark Vacuum and Steam Cleaner
• Spacebags
• Peticure Petite

I took it upon myself to locate the three tactics that (I believe) are accountable for my illogical spending on infomercial products.

The Attention-Grabbing Introduction

For the most part, a direct question is raised such as, “Are you tired of going through the pain and torture of shaving?” Accompanied by footage of individuals massively struggling with life prior to owning that particular product.

The personal questions and relatable footage sparks a connection between the infomercial and its viewer. The product now has the viewer’s full attention.

Length of Advertisement

Regular TV advertisements are typically five, 10, 15 or 30 seconds. An infomercial, on the other hand, can range anywhere from two minutes to hours on end. At first I thought the ShamWow was just a fancy paper towel, but after two minutes I was completely sold. The ShamWow picked up what the ordinary paper towel left behind, dried dishes, pets, clothes, a boat, a car and removed Coca-Cola from white carpet! I also learned that the ShamWow holds 12 times its own weight in liquid. WOW! With the time allotted, the advertisement demonstrated many of the reasons in which the ShamWow is way more useful than a stupid paper towel.

Incentives

Because infomercials require the audience to take an action, such as pick up the phone or order online, they use incentives to put people in motion. For example, if you order your Perfect Fit Buttons in the next 20 minutes you will receive another set absolutely free! And that’s not all, if you order now they will also throw in a bonus Shoes Under (a shoe container that fits perfectly under your bed). What do Perfect Fit Buttons and shoe storage have in common? Nothing, but it allows the audience to feel as though they are getting a bargain! Leaving no time to stop and think about the actual purchase.

These three strategies add up to be what I consider the killer combo. A combo I plan to put into action … right after these very important messages …