Jun 02

Not All Social Networks Are Created Equally

On Friday IPG Media Lab and 140 Proof published a report about how people manage their social profiles across multiple channels. There were several important findings we as marketers should understand.

At a high level, the research finds that a majority of US adults are active on multiple networks, but they use each one with a different purpose and a different audience. Based on that, we should pay attention to each channel audience and their particular interests separately. Content should be created with the specific channel audience in mind, and not just post the same content on all social networks.

People Use Multiple Social Platforms

Number of Social Platforms Used by Multi-Platform Users

A majority (52%) of U.S. adults use two or more social networks. Of the 107 million U.S. adults who use multiple social platforms, more than half use four or more. We can expect this number to continue to increase with specific use case platforms. As marketers, we need to make sure the content we create fits the channel and the particular use case.

People Don’t Treat All Networks the Same

Using multiple platforms requires social hygiene

With a majority of people managing multiple social platforms, many of them participate in “social hygiene,” meaning that they are intentional and conscious of how they engage and where. People align specific networks to particular interests. 72% of those surveyed agree that certain platforms are better suited to different interests. In addition to specifying some networks for specific interests, they also engage with different audiences on various channels. 60% of those surveyed agree they connect with different types of people, media and brands on different social platforms.

Based on this, brands can’t treat all social networks the same either. The same content shouldn’t be posted across all social channels. Doing this misses a big opportunity to adapt or customize the content to that specific audience and channel. The message or tone of voice shouldn’t necessarily change, but the content should be tailored to tell a story across all platforms.

Different Platforms for Different Interests

Percentageof Platform Users Engaging with Each Topic Area

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest aren’t the same thing. How people use them is distinct. When people want to talk about or learn more about a particular topic, they will select the right platform for that subject. If users want images, inspiration and how-to tips for home décor, fashion or hobbies, they’ll go to Pinterest. If they want to keep up on celebrities and gossip, Twitter is the top platform. Marketers should pay attention to how people use each platform and what topics are the focus.

Distinct Audiences for Different Platforms

Percentage of platform users connecting with different types of accounts

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that people engage with different people based on the social network. By design, LinkedIn is more focused on business contacts and industry experts. Twitter is an easy way for people to follow their favorite celebrities and cultural figures. What marketers should pay attention to is the multi-audience on Facebook. It is overwhelmingly where people connect with their family and friends, but it is also where they like to engage with brands. Facebook is a more personal channel, so marketers should be more personable and create more genuine content.

Likes Don’t Always Last

Likes and Follows aren't forever

Another part of “social hygiene” means that people don’t like or follow a brand then forget it. People are always culling their lists and getting rid of anything that isn’t valuable to them anymore. 61% of adults surveyed have unliked or unfollowed a brand. That percentage goes up to 69% when you look at the 18-34 year old demographic. The top reasons sited for unlike/unfollow are loss of relevance, switch to a new brand, and contest ended. While contests and gimmicks may get a quick follow or like, it won’t last if you’re bringing in the wrong audience or you aren’t giving them valuable content. If all you want to do is “sell, sell, sell!” – they will leave!

If You Collect Social Data, Use It

Currently, many targeted ads are based on previous browsing history. Survey respondents said they would prefer ads targeted to their specific interests. It turns out a majority (67%) of people are comfortable signing in with their social accounts, which provides valuable audience information. If you collect that data, make sure users get value in return. Also, make sure you are using the data and social accounts for good, not evil. Apps that post to your account without permission or pester your friends to play Candy Crush are annoying and will get unconnected quickly.

 

Overall, we need to be smart marketers and not work on autopilot. Consider each channel and audience separately. Create an overall strategy that tells a story across all platforms, each in a distinct way. Learn exactly who your audience is and what they care about so you can better connect with them. Consider using a social CRM to capture info about your customers across all social networks for a more complete picture.

You can read the full report here: A Network for Every Interest – How People Actively Manage their Social Profiles Across Multiple Platforms

 

 

Apr 29

Was #myNYPD a Fail? What Can Brands Learn?

 

Screen Shot 2014-04-29 at 11.43.25 AMLast Tuesday, the NYPD tweeted, “Do you have a photo w/ a member of the NYPD? Tweet us & tag it #myNYPD. It may be featured on our Facebook.” The image they posted in the tweet is an example of the type of photos they wanted to see. For the first hour, most of the responses were positive and shared photos of happy people posing with police officers.

However, less than an hour and a half later, an Occupy Wall Street Twitter account got involved and encouraged followers to share their own police photos. From there the hashtag became about police brutality and violence. The conversation didn’t stay on just New York City. It moved across the United States to #myLAPD, #mySPD, #mySFPD, #myOPD, #myAPD, #myDPD and worldwide.

Screen Shot 2014-04-29 at 4.07.15 PM

 

Why Did It Go Wrong?

Many of the marketers and reporters who have analyzed this campaign have said it should’ve been obvious this would fail. Why is that and what can other brands learn from this experience?

Once a hashtag is created, the original creator has no control over the conversation or content. That coupled with the fact that Twitter is an audience full of cynical people who have been known to hashtag hijack in the past, it does seem the NYPD should have at least considered the possibility this would happen. Many other hashtags have been hijacked including #McDstories, #AskJPM and even #AskRKelly, plenty of opportunities for the NYPD to learn from past mistakes. In each of these cases, as is true with the police, their reputation isn’t spotless. It’s dangerous to tread into social media, especially when asking for user generated content, if your reputation isn’t pristine. You’re inviting anyone who disagrees with your brand to engage in take over the conversation you’re starting.

By asking for photos, the NYPD gave their opposition a perfect opportunity to share the many photos of police brutality. Since this has been an issue in New York City and around the globe there is plenty of content. Even if the photos capture something completely legal and not necessarily brutal, there is often little or no context to explain the scene. Even NYPD Commissioner, Bill Bratton, said sometimes police work isn’t pretty.

Another misstep here is that the NYPD asked people to share their photos on Twitter with the hashtag, which means they are immediately public. There is no way to curate and only share the photos the NYPD wanted to receive. They did get some of happy people posing with friendly police officers, but they were far outnumbered with the negative images.

While the NYPD are a bit of a tourist attraction in New York City, most people’s direct experience with police isn’t positive. People normally only interact with the police if they have committed a crime, are accused of committing a crime or are the victim of a crime. These aren’t the best circumstances to bond with your friendly police officer and snap a photo.

The NYPD and Social Media

The NYPD’s ultimate goal in this campaign isn’t completely clear. Was it get engagement on Twitter? Increase buzz around the NYPD and #myNYPD? To gain new followers? If it was any of these things, then this campaign may have met their goals. The hashtag became the number one trending topic on Twitter and had over 50,000 tweets on Tuesday alone. The NYPD also gained 4,000 new followers. However, if their goal was to generate positive PR or highlight positive community interactions, they failed.

The NYPD seems to be considering this experiment a success. NYPD Deputy Chief, Kim Y. Royster, released a statement that says, “Twitter provides an open forum for an uncensored exchange and this is an open dialogue good for our city.” NYPD Commissioner Bratton seems pleased as well. He said, “I kind of welcome the attention. We really broke the numbers yesterday.”

If the NYPD’s goal was to start a conversation about police force and actions with the public, this might’ve been a good start. But so far, it doesn’t seem that the NYPD is doing anything to engage that conversation. Commissioner Bratton said, “Most of the pictures I looked at, they’re old news.” With this he is brushing off any criticism and not facilitating an open, honest conversation about the police department’s past, present and future. He had the opportunity here to show how open and communicative the NYPD wants to be under his leadership, but instead the department shared the photos they liked and ignored any backlash.

Commissioner Bratton said social media is a top priority for him at NYPD. While Twitter and other channels could be a good way to communicate with the public and keep a pulse of the community, it’s important that the NYPD fully understands social media, what works and the audience they’re trying to reach. If the NYPD wants to be successful on social media, they need to be genuine and truly open to hearing and responding to criticism.

Some police departments have found Twitter to be a useful tool to communicate with people and build community relations. Boston Police Department used Twitter very effectively to communicate information during the Boston Marathon bombing and manhunt last year. They continue to use the channel to update more than 276,000 followers on community news, missing persons, safety tips and police department initiatives. The Seattle Police Department has been active on Twitter for several years and has gained national attention for their creative campaigns like Tweets-by-beat, tweet-alongs (the Twitter version of a ride-along) and genuine two-way communication, even on the topic of marijuana.

It isn’t that the NYPD shouldn’t be on Twitter, or other social media channels, but they need to understand the benefits, risks and best practices. It’s alarming that no one saw any red flags when this campaign was proposed. There should’ve been a strategy for how to manage the campaign as well as a detailed crisis plan to handle any backlash. The negative responses should have been anticipated and an internal discussion of how to handle them long before the hashtag went live.

Tips for Other Brands:

What can other brands learn from this experience? Here are a few tips and best practices to consider before starting your own hashtag conversation or asking for user-generated content.

  • Have a Strategy

First and foremost, know exactly what you’re going to do, why you’re doing it, how you will measure success and what you will do when problems arise. All of this needs to be outlined and determined before the initiative begins.

 

  • Know Your Reputation

Be honest and thoughtful about the perception of your brand in the general public. If you aren’t the most loved person or company in the world and no one has a beef with you (and I honestly can’t think of anyone who fits this), you will likely get some backlash on social media. It might not be a lot, or it could take over the whole conversation like #myNYPD. If you aren’t sure what people think of your brand, do some social listening. If you’re reputation isn’t good or your products suck, social media won’t help. Fix that first.

 

  • Be Aware of Current Events

A couple years ago we did a campaign with Wells Fargo for the anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge. Because we were paying attention to current events and conversations on social media, we knew Occupy SF was planning to march across the Golden Gate Bridge on the day we planned to start our campaign. We knew this meant our campaign might get hijacked so we delayed the start and made sure we had a crisis plan in place for the duration of the initiative. You must pay attention to events that could impact your campaign.

 

  • Plan for the Worst

You likely will get some criticism or negative responses in social media. People on the Internet are cynical and like to complain. Think about the responses you might get ahead of time and make a plan for when and how you will respond. It isn’t necessary, or even advisable, to respond to every hater, but it’s important to have a crisis plan in place to handle any backlash.

 

  • You Don’t Control the Conversation

Once you’ve published that tweet, created the hashtag and asked the Internet to respond – you don’t own it anymore. Where it goes isn’t in your control. If this scares you or you think this might spell disaster for your brand, don’t do it!

 

  • Submit Content for Review

Rather than creating an open conversation on Twitter, where anyone can lead the discussion down a different path, use a more moderated approach. Consider a moderated Q&A where people send questions ahead of time for selection. Or give people an opportunity to submit their content and review it before it’s published. Back to the Wells Fargo Golden Gate Bridge campaign, we created a Tumblr where people could share their stories and content for review before anything was posted.

 

  • Have a BS Detector

Before you go live with any campaign, run it by someone or a team who can help you see what might go wrong. Sometimes we get rose-colored classes when it comes to our own company or brand. We might not see the flaws or negative side that may arise. It can be helpful to bring in fresh eyes to help identify any potential issues.

What tips would you recommend to other companies thinking of doing a similar campaign?

Sep 30

A Case of the Mondays – Quit Your Job

Come on, everyone. Quit right now! Nah, I’m just kidding but if you don’t love what you do, Mondays really do suck. Luckily, I love my job!

Marina Shifrin quit her job in this epic video that’s making the rounds today. Her point, that content is king, is important and one I hope her former employers will take to heart.

Sep 27

A Whole New SMC

I attended my first Social Media Club New York event last week. I’ve been active in the SMC Seattle chapter for four years, so I was eager to get involved here and meet some new folks. The event was held at the PR Newswire offices and as I arrived I saw a familiar scene of a table with hors d’oeuvres and many professionals mingling with wine and beer in their hands. A woman greeted me and it turns out this wasn’t actually the SMC event. I made my way back to a small conference room where the SMC event was being held.

There were about 15 people sitting around a conference table and a few snacks, beers, sodas and a bottle of wine or two on a table in the back. I was a bit surprised because this was so different from the huge, sold-out SMC events back in Seattle. But I sat down and got ready to meet some new people and learn something.

Stephanie Grayson, @critiques4geeks, presenting at #SMCNYC

Stephanie Grayson, @critiques4geeks, presenting at #SMCNYC

The speaker for the event was Stephanie Grayson, Social Media Editor at Yahoo! Finance. She talked with us about real-time social media response, which is a topic I have experience with and have written about recently. I was interested to hear what Stephanie would have to say on this subject.

One of the benefits of a smaller group is the ability to make it more of a conversation, rather than a lecture. Stephanie lead us in a discussion about the risks and rewards businesses must weigh when deciding whether or not to respond to a trending topic or event. For example Stephanie asked us, how different would the story have been for Oreo if the blackout at the Super Bowl turned out to be related to a terrorist attack?

@Mr_McFly: Risks include: Insensitivity, wrong info, brand damage, backlash, public safety, financial, legal, etc. #SMCNYC

What I really loved was what we did next. We broke into two groups and we were each asked to “create” a company, one B2C and one B2B. We needed to determine our company name, what products or services we sell, and our competitors. This was just the first step so we could get to a real-time marketing situation simulation, but I loved how into it everyone got! There were some super smart marketers in that room who started to build a business plan. There was discussion and debate about our bestselling product, our name, our specific value proposition… it was so detailed I was pretty sure we were all going into business together as soon as the event was over!

After each team established their fictional company, Stephanie gave us our real-time marketing situation. It happened to be Talk Like a Pirate Day, so that fit well for this purpose. Of course, this example goes back to what I’ve said before that you need to be prepared.  But there will always be things we miss; special days or events that we forgot to plan in our brand’s editorial calendar. These things will happen, so it is good to be prepared for what you will do.

I won’t retell every part of the simulation, but it was definitely a fun and educational experience. If you want, you can read more in this recap of the event. I did want to share my key takeaways from the night, which go along with my earlier post on real-time marketing.

@PRNTech: Opportunities for rewards in social response can be anytime, don't limit yourself to specific perennial events #SMCNYC ^KL

Key Takeaways:

  • Create a calendar of events and special days that relate to your brand.
  • Create a process to get approval quickly when last minute and after-hours events occur. Who do you call? Who gives the final approval before you publish?
  • Keep an eye out for opportunities to engage in trending topics and events. Pay attention to the trending hashtags on Twitter, but make sure you know what it’s about BEFORE you jump in
  • Build a process to work quickly – time is of the essence with trending topics!
  • Stick to you brand voice and keep it related to your business
  • Think it through – what are the possible outcomes and how will you address them?
  • Do what you can in the time you have. You might not have time to create a full video or even a static image. If so, then craft the best damn copy you can for a text-only post.

Overall, it was a terrific night with some savvy professionals. I actually really appreciated the size of the group which allowed us to be more interactive and engage with one another. I’m definitely looking forward to the next Social Media Club NYC event.

What tips do you have for real-time marketing? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Sep 18

Everything I Know About Marketing I Learned by Teaching 3rd Grade

Ms. Stinson in her classroom

Me in my classroom

Five years ago, I resigned my teaching position and moved away from my career as an elementary teacher. It was a difficult decision, made even tougher as we entered a recession and jobs were scarce, but I have never regretted it. Every day I am more certain I made the right choice for me, going back to my first love of marketing and communications.

I’ve often had people ask me about my diverse background. With my mix of experience in marketing, social work and education, I understand why it’s a question. At first glance, it can seem as though these positions have nothing in common. How did I go from communications to teaching elementary school, and what brought me back?

When I graduated from college, I planned to do public relations for high tech companies. I had some connections at agencies, and I planned to follow in their footsteps. Unfortunately, my timing was not ideal and due to the dot.com bubble burst, most of those agencies weren’t hiring. I did land a job doing marketing for an internet-based learning startup, which was an amazing experience. But sadly the company was not able to survive the crash and closed down leaving me wondering what to do next.

I spent some time doing the typical jobs recent college grads do when they are trying to figure out their next steps. I was a waitress at The Spaghetti Factory. I was a temp employee. I worked in customer service at Mt. Bachelor ski resort. And I bartended at a few different bars. I could actually write separate blog posts on how all of these different experiences make me a better marketer, but that’s for another time.

The farther I got away from college and my plan to work in public relations, the more I started to question if it was what I really wanted to do. Did I really have a passion for communications, or was I just following that path because that’s what my friends were doing? I questioned if I wanted to work for Corporate America. I was feeling a bit lost and without direction.

All my life I’ve had a desire to help others and I’ve always loved kids. It’s the reason I almost majored in Education in college, before I decided on Communications. So when I was trying to figure out what to do next, I was drawn to The Children’s Farm Home, a psychiatric treatment center. The two years I spent there were probably some of the most exhausting, heartbreaking and rewarding of my life. When it was time to move on from The Children’s Farm Home, I decided working with kids in a public school would have the rewards of a psychiatric treatment center, you know, without me getting punched, kicked and bit daily at work.

I received my Masters of Teaching from Pacific University and started teaching in Auburn, Washington. I loved my students! I enjoyed building lesson plans and designing new, creative ways to teach them. I adored thinking of fun ways to use emerging technology to help my students learn. I took over the school yearbook and taught my students basic design skills. I built a community in my classroom where students felt supported, encouraged and safe to speak their minds. There were many things I loved about being a teacher, and in many ways I excelled, but I felt something just wasn’t right. I like to think ahead and plan where I’m going, and when I asked myself where I wanted to be in 5 years, I didn’t really see myself still in the classroom.

As I was beginning to ask myself some tough questions, I happened to be in a leadership training course through Seattle Works. I learned a few things about myself as part of that course and the personality assessments. I learned that I’m driven by achievements, titles and promotions. I learned that I actually do want to be part of Corporate America, and I want to succeed and excel there. I’m competitive and driven, and that’s okay. I don’t know why I had resisted and tried to suppress those parts of my personality, but I couldn’t do it anymore. It was time to find a career where I could combine all my talents and traits.

When I resigned from my teaching position that August, I didn’t have a full time job. But I had some experience doing pro bono PR and marketing work for Seattle Works, an event planning contract position with another non-profit, and I was enrolled in the University of Washington’s public relations professional certification program. Over the last five years I’ve had the opportunity to work with some super smart professionals at fantastic agencies. I’ve learned so much. It hasn’t been an easy road at all, but I know I made the right decision for me because I love what I do. I love helping my clients succeed. It makes me so giddy to help build a thriving, healthy online community for a brand. I enjoy explaining what my clients do that makes them special, to reporters, bloggers, the general community or even my family. I know this is the right career for me. I can feel it every time I get to flex my muscles with creativity or writing. It just feels right when I can advise brands on the latest trends and tactics.

Since I made the big decision to go back to communications/marketing, I’ve realized it was always what I wanted. I even found old papers from high school where I talked about wanting to work in PR and marketing. I’m not sure why I started questioning that or thinking it wasn’t my path and I was just following along. One look at my history of running for student council nearly every year in high school and college, working on the high school newspaper, anchoring the college news program, and my lifelong love of writing would make a career in marketing an obvious choice. While there are times I kick myself for not believing in myself, I don’t regret my winding path. My diverse background has given me a broader perspective, more patience and the ability to quiet down a room of 30+ 8 year olds. 🙂

Every fall I do get a pang where I miss my students. I miss setting up my classroom and greeting them every morning. I will always love kids and want to see them succeed. But now that my career is a better fit for me, I’m not so drained and burnt out. Now I can spend time mentoring kids and supporting their growth in a way that gives me energy. Spring Creek Group has a long relationship volunteering with the Technology Access Foundation in Seattle, which was an incredible experience. Now that I’m in New York City, I’m looking for a new opportunity.

They say to be happy in life, follow your passion. My passion is helping people connect and learn. I’m a lifelong learner, always striving to better myself and the world around me. PR, marketing, social media… all of these give individuals around the world an opportunity to meet people, learn new things and connect with the brands they love. This is my passion. I took a winding road, but I grew my skills and experience along the way. And now I’m exactly where I was meant to be.

Jul 22

Real-Time Marketing Tips

Did you hear a baby was born today?

One of the great things about social media is how immediate it is. You can share what is happening at that moment with your audience. This provides exciting, and sometimes challenging, opportunities for brands to get involved in a conversation happening right now. But sometimes the larger brands struggle with how to get in on real-time marketing with their established review and approval process.

Brands can be part of the latest news, but this doesn’t happen by accident. It takes planning and coordination, long before the lights go out at the Super Bowl or the United Kingdom announces the birth of their future king. Here are some steps that can help your brand tackle real-time marketing.

One caveat, this is more focused on pop culture events. There are definitely things brands can and SHOULD do during national and global disasters, but my colleague Kim Ervin covered this topic well on the Spring Creek Group blog.

1.       Plan for events you know are coming

We’ve known for nearly nine months that William and Kate were expecting a child. That is plenty of time for you and your marketing team to brainstorm ideas for the birth announcement. But what if it isn’t a pregnancy when you know the approximate time to expect something? You’ll want to plan ahead for large cultural events, such as the Super Bowl or the Oscars. Even if you don’t know exactly what will happen, brainstorm with your team about how that event ties to your brand and how you can incorporate it into your social marketing efforts.

2.       Prepare creative ahead of time

If possible, work with your creative team to pull together some possible images. For example, with today’s announcement of the Royal Baby, I’m guessing most brands did those images earlier and just waited to see whether they should post the baby boy or baby girl image. While it might not be “real-time” marketing in the strictest sense, I think it’s good sense to plan ahead. Having a few sample images to work with will give you a head start during pop culture events.

3.       Set up a strategy room with your team and/or agency

If you want to move fast and be involved in real-time conversations, you can’t have all the back and forth, reviews and approvals you might normally have. To help facilitate a fast turnaround, consider setting up a strategy room for key decision makers and content creators. If you work with an agency, bring them in to sit with your team. If that isn’t possible, at least set up a conference call so you can get as close as possible to being in the same room. Make sure you include the creative folks who can draft stellar images, the copywriters who can write fantastic posts, and the top decision maker so you don’t have to wait for approval. I’ve done this with clients before, and it’s fun and exciting to see the whole team working together and producing excellent content.

4.       Consider brand voice and audience

Everyone wants to jump on the trending topic, but if it doesn’t fit your brand it will just look like a desperate attempt to newsjack. When deciding on the pop culture topics and events your company wants to pay attention to and plan for, make sure you consider your brand voice and audience. If you’re a sporting goods store, the Super Bowl is a perfect fit for your brand. The royal baby, however, might not be a topic of interest to your fans. Consumer products like Oreo, Starbucks and Charmin all have established brand voices and they each had a different take on the Royal Baby. Make sure your posts stay in your brand’s voice and always consider who will be reading the post and if it will be of importance to them.

5.       Get creative!

One of the most exciting things about real-time marketing is that you can get creative with your posts. Have fun with it and join the conversation. But don’t forget tip #4. If your brand is never fun or silly, posting a joke out of the blue will be odd and might turn your audience off.

Successful Examples from the Royal Baby announcement:

https://twitter.com/Oreo/status/359398137267376129 Oreo is known as the leader in real-time marketing. After their lights out Super Bowl tweet, they are the brand to watch during pop culture events. This is an example of a graphic that was likely created before today, but Oreo was on it and was one of the first brands to acknowledge the birth.

 https://twitter.com/Charmin/status/359398178228940801

Charmin has done a fantastic job establishing a brand voice that is fun, a bit silly and family friendly. This post is definitely in the Charmin voice and connects the birth to their product.

https://twitter.com/StarbucksUK/status/359401066380537857 Starbucks social focuses on their cups out in the wild, so this is a cute way to relate to the birth announcement. Also, this was posted from the UK account, so you know the audience is interested.

Right now, real-time marketing is the next big thing. When a pop culture event happens and brands respond, it is still enough to get people to notice. But I predict it will become the norm and an expectation soon. So look at the events coming up in 2013 and into 2014. Which make sense for your brand? How will you keep track of the conversation and be ready to jump in?

Brand managers: what are you doing now for real-time marketing?

May 22

Bright Lights Will Inspire You

I have some very exciting news to share! As of July 1st, I will be relocating to be part of Spring Creek Group’s New York office!!!

New York Skyline at Night

New York Skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge

For some time now I’ve been craving a change. I bought some new clothes. I cut my hair. But these small changes didn’t satisfy my desire for change. I needed a bigger change.

Then the perfect prospect presented itself. Spring Creek Group offered me a fantastic opportunity to move to New York City and work on new accounts back east. At first I thought there was no way I would do it. I consider myself a West Coast kind of girl, a PNWer through and through. I’ve never lived outside of Oregon and Washington and most of my family is here.

I went out to New York for a week to try it out and give it a chance. I really didn’t expect it, but I fell in love! In love with the city. In love with the energy and the pace. In love with the lights and the skyline. I fell in love with it all.

I’m thrilled for this opportunity to continue to grow my career with Spring Creek Group, a company I’ve loved being part of for the past two years. I’m excited to expand my experience with new clients, as well as build relationships with our agency partners in IPG Mediabrands and Interpublic Group out in New York.

It is scary to leave my family, friends and the amazing community of Seattle, but I’m so lucky that I already know some incredible people in New York who have welcomed me with open arms! I think it’s time for me to take a risk and shake things up in my life. I can’t wait for the adventures it brings!

“Start spreading the news…

I’m leaving today (Well, end of June, but you get the idea…)

I want to be a part of it,

New York, New York!”

nson on the Brooklyn Bridge

Nov 07

A Muppets’ Case of the Mondays

I am a child of the 80s. I grew up on The Muppet Show and watching The Muppet Christmas Carol is a holiday tradition for me. So I’m thrilled for the new Muppet movie, opening this Thanksgiving.

Today Google+ opened up for businesses, but even more exciting for me is the fact that the Muppets will be doing a Google+ Hangout  at 4:30pm PST today!

The Muppets have been taking over social media channels, like Facebook, to promote the new movie. So far, the campaign seems to be generating a lot of buzz. We’ll see how they do when the movie opens. My guess is it will open in the number one spot for the weekend. But I’m probably biased. I love The Muppets!

What do you think of the Google+ Hangout and the Facebook Fan-a-thon campaign? Do you plan to see The Muppets?

Oct 31

A Case of the Mondays Spooktacular

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! I love getting dressed up and pretending to be someone else for a day. It makes me happy to see how excited my nephews get about their costumes and trick-or-treating. I’m impressed with the creative and unique costumes with pop culture references, like the Allstate Mayhem guy or Lego Batman.

What I don’t love is being scared. I’m the biggest scaredy cat about horror movies. For reals. I mean, even episodes of Buffy gave me nightmares! So yeah, the Take This Lollipop thing kinda freaked me out. If you haven’t done it yet, go do it now before you read further. I’ll wait…

I’ll just look at this cute LOLcat while you do that.

 

Are you done watching it? Creepy, right? I think it might just give me nightmares! Someone is out to get me, you guys!!!

But seriously, this is both genius and creepy. The integration of your Facebook profile and photos is very well done. For me it even picked out a picture of me with a friend’s one year old son, and I got scared for him for a minute and forgot that this was all fake.

On the other hand, it shows just how much information we share with the world online. Sure, most of us probably don’t have some gruesome stalker out there… but if I did, there are plenty of photos and information available online. I’m certainly not saying we should go off the grid, but it does remind us all to think about all that we share on the web.

Are you a scaredy cat like me? What did you think of Take This Lollipop?

Have a Happy Halloween! 

Oct 24

A Case of the Mondays – Every Monday I’m Shufflin’

I first heard Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO at karaoke, when my friend Woo rocked it with dance moves and all. Since then, this song has been EVERYWHERE… but it still makes me dance in my chair. So, to cure your case of the Mondays today, I offer you several creative versions of this ultimate earworm! Enjoy!

Every Halloween I’m Shufflin’

Every Game I’m Shufflin’

And one of my favorites…

Everyday I’m Snufflin’

Every Day I'm Snufflin'

Have you seen any other fun examples? Which is your favorite?

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