A lot of musicians think that blogs and online publications are an “outdated” way of finding music, but I tend to disagree with that. As a PR professional and a musician myself, I use public relations to help boost engagement with potential fans. When you google my name, you see tons of interviews and reviews of my music from the past four years. These are in the form of podcasts, news coverage, blog posts, and social media content. It’s what we call being “social proof.”
Social proof is “the idea that consumers will adapt their behavior according to what other people are doing.”
Here are some key examples of how you can attain “social proof.”
A musician without public relations is the same as an author without an agent – an absolute nobody. If the general public doesn’t know you exist, how do you expect to get results?
In 2022, musicians need to be both talented and business savvy. It’s a harsh reality, but if you put even half as much effort into your marketing and PR as you do into your next single, you will be making it easier for yourself to branch out to a broader audience. That’s the reward you’re looking for.
Welcome to your monthly round-up for busy MarCom professionals. Each month, we share the latest news, strategies, tools and trends affecting the industry landscape. Check-in for the latest updates from all over the web.
Google reimagines search beyond ’10 blue links’
At its Marketing Live event, the tech giant expressed a desire to steer digital advertising toward more interactive features, including AR shopping ads in search results. The digital boom of the pandemic is showing signs of slowing, but tech companies are still priming themselves for a future where habits adopted over the period stick around. At its annual Marketing Live event Tuesday, Google addressed the emergence of what it calls “omnibuyers”: consumers who more intensively research and browse on their shopping journeys both online and in-store.Read more…
NFTs are taking off on Instagram
Non-fungible tokens are finding their place on the social media network. But are marketers taking advantage? With influencers and digital artists leading the way, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are taking Meta’s Instagram by storm.
Data from influencer marketing platform HypeAuditor shows:
Over 20,00 accounts with “NFT” in the bio, most (over 40%) U.S.-based.
Over 900 million followers for those accounts.
Over 100,000 posts monthly using the hashtag #NFT. Read more…
Is Google Analytics going away? What marketers need to know
Universal Analytics will be retired on July 1, 2023. What does that mean for you? Here’s what you need to know about getting your website ready for the brave new world. Third-party cookies are going the way of the dodo. The looming cookieless world has many marketers more than a little nervous. With Universal Analytics sunsetting and the rise of what’s being called Google Analytics 4 in its place, digital marketing analytics can be a confusing place, so let’s make things clear… and know that I even got some input from Google digital marketing evangelist Avinash Kaushik too! Read more…
2022: the year micro-influencer marketing meets big data
With companies looking to build meaningful relationships with longer-term customers before and after transaction, micro-influencers look set to become a permanent fixture of their communications strategies long into 2022 and beyond. Ryan Dean, head of PR strategy at Jaywing, is seeing big brands seek to work with micro-influencers in the name of effectiveness.
With a greater focus than ever on customer loyalty, effectiveness and ROI, how can brands leverage data to better plan, execute and – most importantly – measure the success of their micro-influencer campaigns? Read more…
Creating New Audiences and Building Community With Creators
The importance and market momentum of creators is growing by the day.
Their ability to engage and create moments with audiences can be used by marketers to leverage these masters of the social space and their unprecedented connections with their followers.
Meta’s vp, Americas, global business group, Nada Stirratt, and Adore Me’s founder and CEO, Morgan Hermand, joined Adweek’s Social Media Week for a fireside chat about how brands can use creators to attract new audiences, break down barriers and engage with their communities in more personal ways. Read more…
Marriott launches hospitality industry’s first media network
Marriott International launched the Marriott Media Network, an omnichannel cross-platform ad solution for marketers, according to a press release. The network will initially target travelers in the U.S. and Canada before expanding globally to encompass more than 164 million members of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.
Once fully deployed, the network will carry inventory that spans Marriott’s owned channels, including display, mobile, video, email and digital out-of-home, the latter of which features in-room television and digital screens. The Marriott Media Network is a full-stack collaboration that leverages Yahoo’s sell-side platform (SSP) and demand-side platform (DSP).
The launch, which Marriott claims is a first for the hospitality industry, follows explosive growth in the retail media space as advertisers look to better target and track consumers amid a tightening of data privacy rules on other digital platforms. Read more…
Well, another Super Bowl has come and gone, and while I might offer my opinion on the game itself, I’m more qualified to comment on the commercials that support the broadcast.
Some quick background: I’ve been in advertising for fifty-two years, a creative director for the last forty, and I worship at the feet of Bill Bernbach. For those who don’t know who Bernbach is, Google him. If you’re in the advertising business and don’t know him, you really should discover everything about him. And fast.
Now before you assume that I’m some old creative dinosaur stuck in the brilliance of the groundbreaking advertising of the 1960s and 70s, know this: I am. Well, sort of. You see, I have managed to stay current and enjoy most of the technological, sociological, and cultural changes that have happened in my lifetime. But I still believe advertising – aside from being creative – should inform us about what the advertiser is selling and interest us enough to want to know more. In my opinion, too much recent advertising – while being creative and brilliantly produced – left me wondering who the advertiser was or what they were selling. If your target doesn’t know who you are and what you do, all that creativity has gone to waste. Not to mention the client’s money.
Most Super Bowl advertising is produced to raise awareness, make a statement, and create a buzz for the advertiser’s brand. Advertisers invest millions ($6.5 million for a thirty-second spot this year, plus millions more for production) on this once-a-year opportunity to reach zillions of consumers, so their commercial better be memorable and informative. That means consumers better understand what the advertiser’s commercial taught them about its brand, more than they remember how much jewelry Snoop Dogg wore during the halftime show.
So, here’s my top five of this year’s thirty and sixty-second multi-million-dollar productions that kept us glued to the tv in between passes, interceptions, and punts:
FTX – Larry David is perfectly cast as the naysayer, who throughout history is wrong about everything new – from the wheel to the lightbulb and now, FTX. Will Larry be wrong about this product that claims to be the safe, secure way to get into crypto? Only time will tell, but the odds favor FTX.
CHEVY SILVERADO – A brilliant recreation of the Sopranos opening, featuring Meadow – not Tony – in the driver’s seat of a new Chevy Silverado. With all the Sopranos content floating around the social media universe, this spot will resonate with the new generation of Sopranos fans…and truck purchasers.
E-TRADE – The talking baby returns! The original campaign was a Super Bowl favorite, and e-trade brings the baby back to remind investors they can get better advice from them than “… getting investment advice from memes.”
UBER EATS – Excellent execution of strategy: To inform us that Uber Eats delivers more than food. Great use of celebrities not understanding why they can’t eat the aluminum foil, diapers, and other non-edible items delivered by Uber Eats.
SQUARESPACE – Great concept. Great copy. Actually, very sweet while being very informative. This well-produced spot featuring Zendaya should score well with today’s new generation of marketers.
The rest of the commercials ranged from very good, to so-so, to awful, but I chose to compliment the great ones rather than criticize the not-so-great ones. I realize there will be those who will disagree with my choices, but advertising is so subjective, and I may be more analytical than the average commercial viewer, and that’s ok. Hopefully, my colleagues will produce even better work for future Super Bowls, so, as they say in sports, “I can’t wait until next year!”
Image courtesy of the European Commission, Joint Research Centre
Given the rise in polarization and misinformation across society, a refined understanding of values is more meaningful than ever before. There’s minimal confusion about the fact that how we interact with the world is driven by what we value and identify with. But, it’s important to realize that because values also trigger appreciation of certain behaviors and distaste for others, an awareness of them can be an effective tool in helping organizations solidify relationships with key stakeholders.
“Values are a blend of biological and evolutionary factors coupled with individual and societal histories. Values are highly stable at the individual level and are mostly shaped by life conditions during childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood through the influence of parents, neighbors, friends, and schools.”
“Personal identity is based on a person’s values, experiences and knowledge, and is mostly perceived to be unique. The relevance of personal identity for policymaking comes from the argument that values are at its core, therefore, when one’s values are threatened, it is also true that the sense of self is threatened.”
“Social identification can shift a person’s behavior to align with the group by ascribing characteristics, values and qualities of the group to the self and depersonalizing one’s personal identity. Identification of oneself and others into various social groups is human nature. Belonging to a group is a source of self-esteem and distinctiveness. The identification with a group can be an advantage for working together but can also be to the exclusion of others, as seen in many political conflicts of our time. The identification with one group often leads to a reduced willingness to interact and share with others and to perceive others as less positive.”
Understanding values and identities enables us to shape research and the gathering of information; accurately assess situations; check assumptions about publics and perceptions; and identify, prioritize, and understand key publics well beyond traditional demographics, geography, and identifiers. Communicators and marketers can utilize this research to develop more targeted messaging, while selecting a spokesperson who will be most appropriate for achieving desired outcomes. And, speaking even more broadly, a full awareness of values and identities can lead to the creation of increasingly effective communication goals and strategies.
Views on vaccine also impactful, says nationwide, online survey of 1,500 adults
WHIPPANY, NJ (Oct. 20, 2021) – A nationwide survey of 1,500 adults indicates that 84.03% of respondents are willing to accept lower financial compensation to work for a company with a stellar reputation. A similar number – 79.59% – say it’s important to have an employer who shares their views. These results – from an SCG Advertising + Public Relations survey – seem to indicate that businesses and other employers ignore employees’ values and perspectives at their own peril.
Completed on October 12, 2021, the online poll also looks at vaccine policies, finding that 74.19% of respondents favor a position with a fair salary and vaccine policies they agree with, versus a higher salary and a vaccine policy in contrast to their own beliefs.
Full, sortable data from the survey is available here. Also included is a free, interactive white paper that features a downloadable infographic, as well as a “LISTEN” acrostic that can serve as a strong, visual reminder of the value of listening.
“It’s crucial that employers consider whether their organization’s beliefs align with those of current and prospective employees,” says Michael Cherenson, executive vice president for SCG Advertising + Public Relations. “The results of our poll are intriguing, and should be particularly resonant at a time when so many companies are struggling to attract and retain talent.”
Indicative of how serious workers are about being content with and comfortable in their employment is the most recent JOLTS (Job Opening and Labor Turnover Survey) report, which shows that a record 4.3 million Americans quit their jobs during August. It’s a striking figure – which is equivalent to 2.9% of the entire U.S. workforce – and is made even more so by separate, recent research indicating that the actual cost to an organization related to an employee resigning may be as much as 50% of that individual’s annual salary.
Click Here For Your Copy Of Our Interactive White Paper
Another example of how important it can be to embrace positions valued by employees is United Airline’s recent decision to require all workers to be vaccinated. The move was extremely popular with candidates for employment, as evidenced by the airline having received 20,000 applications for 2,000 open flight attendant positions. For United, this represents a decidedly accelerated application rate, versus its typical, pre-pandemic ratio.
This said, Cherenson also notes that along with employees, business leaders must also assess the perspectives and values of other key stakeholders.
“While the survey data indicates the value of aligning policies with employees, organizations also need to be in sync with where their customers, clients, and society at-large stand on core issues,” Cherenson explains. “When there’s any sort of misalignment, an organization needs to work harder and smarter. To be clear, this survey’s results don’t suggest an organization should shrink from its larger obligation related to vaccines and the public health infrastructure, which a majority of Americans support. Rather, it indicates the advisability of organizations communicating as strategically and proactively as possible with their various publics.”
Viewing the poll results from a somewhat different perspective, only 7% of those surveyed said they would consistently choose the higher salary in response to all three questions. In other words, more than six in 10 would consistently follow their gut, versus unquestionably choosing the higher salary.
Of further note, in August 2001, SCG Advertising + Public Relations conducted a similar survey. It asked whether those polled would accept a lower level of compensation to work for a company with an excellent reputation. Fully 78% of respondents indicated they would.
“That initial survey’s results are in line with this latest poll, but it’s intriguing to see what’s changed in 20 years,” says Cherenson. “Back in 2001, 78% of those surveyed indicated a willingness to forgo a higher salary to be connected with a well-regarded organization. Today, in response to the same question, six percent more people express a preference for the company with a stellar reputation. View side-by-side, the 2001 and 2021 results appear to indicate an ongoing, societal shift – one that should substantially impact how businesses and other organizations present and define themselves.”
About SCG Advertising + Public Relations
Headquartered in Whippany, NJ, SCG Advertising + Public Relations has organizational roots dating to 1958. The agency provides comprehensive communication services for a broad range of clients. Its satellite offices are located in the metropolitan areas of Philadelphia, Atlanta, San Diego, and Tampa.
The nation was waiting in anticipation of great numbers when the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the latest jobs report on Friday, April 2. However, the announcement that total non-farm payroll employment rose by 916,000 in March exceeded even the most optimistic experts. The public and private education sector was one of the big job creation winners for Educational Services Jobs in March as in-person learning begins to spread across the nation.
Here are the growth numbers in the March 2021 report.
Local government education 76,000
State government education 50,000
Private education 64,000
Compare those numbers with the losses since February 2020 in the following:
Local government education -594,000
State government education -270,000
Private education -310,000
Let’s take a deeper look at the Educational Services jobs sector (NAICS 611) of the economy. This includes elementary and secondary schools, junior colleges, colleges/universities and business school and computer training, technical and trade school, and educational support services.
Month Employees (In thousands)
March 2019 3722.1
March 2020 3696.3
March 2021 3469.0
Month Unemployment Rate
March 2019 2.8%
March 2020 4.4%
March 2021 4.1%
With all of these promising numbers being reported, the Educational Services job market is undoubtedly beginning to heat up. The competition for top talent is certainly tightening. If you are recruiting in this sector, are you ready to face the competition? To start the conversation, e-mail Mike Mangan mmangan@scgadv.com or contact your Account Executive at (973) 992-7800.
It is unlikely anyone would challenge the belief that strong and open communication is essential in building a client-agency relationship. And, if done artfully and regularly, great communication can yield many benefits. Here are a few that are top of mind:
Gives Direction
Reduces uncertainty
Builds relationships
Creates meaning
Increases collaboration
That is a powerful list of benefits. And with the unending stream of improvements offered by technology your opportunity to become a master communicator is more accessible than ever before.
There was a time when client relationships were built on the phone, in face-to-face business meetings, and through the mail. Now, each of these communication options are faster, more efficient, and less expensive than in decades gone by.
Of course, there are a plethora of tools out there that had not even been dreamed of decades ago which are now mainstream. Just think of a business world without:
E-mail
Text
Chat
Online Collaboration
Virtual Meetings
So many choices!! However, no matter what tools you choose as appropriate for developing each individual agency/client relationship remember to mix your methods of communication. There are times where a well-timed phone call can clear up misunderstandings that crop up in e-mail. Also, you must communicate regularly and be responsive to messages that you receive.
Let’s start communicating today. For clients, our focus is always on navigating the entire P.E.S.O. (Paid /Earned / Shared / Owned) media spectrum. We create and direct programs and campaigns with a truly 360-degree perspective, helping organizations break down internal silos and strategically improve engagement and relationships – all with a goal of achieving your objectives.
Parsippany-based agency captures multiple 2020 NJ Ad Club “Jersey Awards”
SCG Advertising + Public Relations wins pair of firsts, plus a second and third, during 52nd annual event
PARSIPPANY, NJ (Nov. 19, 2020) – For the communication professionals at SCG Advertising + Public relations, it’s quite a haul.
The ongoing pandemic forced this year’s 52nd annual edition of the NJ Ad Club “Jersey Awards” to be held virtually, but there was still plenty of talent on display across a total of 138 distinct categories. SCG – which was established in 1957 – was recognized with a pair of first-place awards, along with one for second-place and another for third. Specifically, these were:
First place “Sell Sheets, Any Number of Colors” (for Michaels of Brooklyn)
First place “Logo, B2B” (for Film Hunterdon)
Second place “Trade, Any Size/ Number of Colors” (for Meridian Aircraft Management)
Third place “Consumer Campaign, 3 or More Elements” (for General Plumbing Supply)
“The level of advertising creativity in New Jersey is stunning,” says Tom Marguccio, SCG’s vice president/creative director, and a 2016 Advertising Hall of Fame of New Jersey inductee. “That our agency was recognized to this degree is an honor, and I’m so proud of my colleagues and also the clients who are our partners in these efforts. And, because just a few months ago we lost our long-time president, Glenn Gershaw … well, I think all of us at SCG see these awards as a tribute to his leadership and support.”
About SCG Advertising + Public Relations
Founded more than half a century ago, SCG (Success Communications Group) provides 21st-century communication services highlighted by creativity, passion, and innovation. With specific expertise in advertising, marketing, public relations, social media, digital marketing, and recruitment, SCG is headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, with regional offices in the metro areas of Philadelphia, Atlanta, San Diego, and Tampa.
Just when it looked like more and more colleges were finding ways to provide a face-to-face learning experience during the continuing pandemic, West Chester University (right in my backyard) announced that virtual learning was being extended into the spring 2021 semester. That’s right…Spring 2021. As this was being announced, WCU’s local school district was moving into hybrid.
That was quite a wake-up call for me and, I would assume, for thousands of students who are in or in the process of entering the higher education system. Sounds like it’s time for a gap year while all this gets sorted out.
Trends and predictions on the effect this on-going pandemic is having on our colleges and universities have been released since we last broached the subject in our July 2020 blog. This includes a significant study from the National Student Clearinghouse whose mission is to provide data, services and insights to the K-20 and workforce continuum.
For Fall 2020 enrollment the impact of the pandemic differs – sometimes significantly – by degree and institution type. Here’s a small snapshot of what we have learned from NSC’s data as of September 24, 2020:
First-Time Beginning Students
This group showed an incredible 16.1% drop in enrollments which compares to a slim 0.4% drop last fall.
69% of all undergraduate enrollment losses come from First Time Beginning Students
Undergraduates
Undergraduate enrollment is down 4% across all institution types in comparison to last year
Private for-profit colleges are up 3.0%
Public 2-year colleges taking a huge hit – down 9.4%
Only 5 states are showing an increase in enrollments – Vermont, New Hampshire, West Virginia, Nebraska, and Utah
11.2% drop in international students
Graduate Students
Graduate school enrollments are up 2.7%.
Private 4-year colleges are up 9.3%
Public 4-year colleges are up in the same period by 4.0%
Enrollment is up in 38 states
All Students
Total enrollment is down 3.0% in comparison to the same period last year.
Only 6 states show an increase in all enrollments including Vermont, New Hampshire, West Virginia, Nebraska, Utah and Arizona
Not sure when things will return to normal – if ever. If you are an Admissions professional, SCG would like to continue the discussion with you.
The pandemic changed a lot of things for everyone.
Consumers are not only living differently with COVID-19 health concerns, they are also working differently and shopping differently. That is if they can find what they are shopping for. This is affecting CPGs in a major way.
Consumers have been faced with panic when looking for toilet paper, paper towels, disinfectant cleaner, and wipes among other things. Consumers are working from home and doing more cooking than ever. With the hysteria of news reports urging people to have a 30-day supply of food in their homes at the beginning of the pandemic, consumers started shopping for items such as yeast, flour, and other baking items in addition to meat due to an impending shortage. Shopping for these items quickly became like trying to purchase that Cabbage Patch Kid back in the 80s!
All of this had consumers literally buying whatever they could get their hands on, including a lot of private labels and some other off brands that they had never heard of. They were even shopping at different retailers for these items, such as office supply stores like Staples for their paper goods and the corner convenience store for some disinfectant wipes if they could find them there. More than ever consumers are having to be creative in their shopping. All of this in addition to those consumers who would only shop online increasing the need for better e-commerce technology for retailers and manufacturers to handle the increased demand. Without a doubt, brand loyalty was impacted. See this article from Supermarket News which details the increase in store-brand sales due to the pandemic.
Again, 2020 really changed a lot of things for everyone. With consumers having to shop in erratic ways and forced to try other brands and private labels, it is increasingly important to communicate the unique features and benefits of brands and provide incentives to get them back. Advertising and promotion are more important than ever as things are slowly getting back to a “new normal”.
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A lot of musicians think that blogs and online publications are an “outdated” way of finding music, but I tend to disagree with that. As a PR professional and a musician myself, I use public relations to help boost engagement with potential fans. When you google my name, you see tons of interviews and reviews of my music from the past four years. These are in the form of podcasts, news coverage, blog posts, and social media content. It’s what we call being “social proof.”
Just when it looked like more and more colleges were finding ways to provide a face-to-face learning experience during the continuing pandemic, West Chester University (right in my backyard) announced that virtual learning was being extended into the spring 2021 semester. That’s right…Spring 2021. As this was being announced, WCU’s local school district was moving into hybrid.
