By Patricia Wilson, founder of BrandCottage

Yeah, the Super Bowl is cool. But as a media strategist, I can’t wait to weigh in on the most important kickoff of all — the sponsors of the greatest game on turf.

A Sneak Preview

Everyone understands the humongous advertising reach gained by a 30-second Super Bowl spot (106 million viewers last year) even if there is debate on the wisdom of spending so much money in one day. In the advertising industry, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media channels have been alive — for weeks — with discussions and pre-game anticipation and early predictions on winners and losers.

In fact, all the social media discussion around Super Bowl ads has become an important channel in its own right — expanding the already huge Super Bowl viewing audience with millions of additional online impressions. This allowed unprecedented integration of traditional and digital media.

But here’s what’s new. Advertisers are not only stirring the pot of excitement about the debut of their ads on Super Bowl Sunday, they are even providing sneak previews, via social channels.

Brands such as Audi, Best Buy, Budweiser, CareerBuilder, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, E*Trade, GoDaddy, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Snickers, Teleflora, 20th Century Fox and Volkswagen “are all over social media trying to drum up interest in the commercials they plan to run during Super Bowl XLV on Fox on Sunday,” according to The New York Times (Before Sunday, a Taste of the Bowl).

The advertising industry  is also capitalizing on the Super Bowl advertising frenzy. Check out Brand Bowl 2011, from Mullen and Radian6. The site, in short, tracks Twitter conversations to determine real-time audience reaction to the spots.

You can certainly expect Tweets from me at @BrandCottage. And I look forward, as I do every year, to engaging with other marketers and ad enthusiasts. You can follow the conversation on twitter and join in the fun with hashtag #brandbowl.

Oh, and good luck Packers and Steelers.

Patricia Wilson is the founder of BrandCottage, a media marketing company with offices in New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

By Barry Lawrence


BrandCottage is pleased to announce that one of its clients, Johnston & Murphy, is maintaining its long-standing tradition as shoemaker to the presidents. Johnston & Murphy recently presented President Barack Obama with a custom pair of dress shoes and boots.


We think this is a creative and remarkable service and marketing campaign, emphasizing Johnston & Murphy’s commitment to style and craftsmanship.


The Obama boots are especially interesting, inspired by a pair that Johnston & Murphy custom-made for President Lincoln in 1861. The company has handcrafted footwear for every American president since Millard Fillmore in 1850.


Johnston & Murphy created www.shoesofthepresidents.com to commemorate its 160-year tradition.


Barry Lawrence is a BrandCottage partner in charge of public relations and social media relations.

By Barry Lawrence


What do you think about the future of social media spending in 2010? Please take our simple poll on this really cool Twitter-friendly application: twtpoll.


Click here to take the poll.


As a long-time public relations professional, I have always promoted the use of surveys and polls to create news that is reflective of a company’s brand. This is a great way to make news that reporters actually care about and to establish companies as thought leaders in their respective industries.


Now, with tools such as twtpoll, you can make news and engage your community. LinkedIn also has a nice social media application for polling. SurveyMonkey does a nice job with more in-depth online surveys. The trick is to have your survey questions designed by a professional so that questions and answer choices are unbiased, complete, easy to understand and not too long. Tougher than you think.


The important thing to remember is to be honest about the source of your data when sharing with reporters. Some media outlets, such as the Wall Street Journal, are persnickety about online polls. Others are OK with online poll data as long as they can be clear about how the results were derived.


Barry Lawrence is a BrandCottage partner in charge of public relations and social media relations.

By Barry Lawrence


We have all heard of the “4 Ps of Marketing:” Product, Price, Placement and Promotion (many would also add Positioning to this mix). BrandCottage would like to suggest the “7 Ps of Social Media Relations.”


More on each of these 7 Ps of Social Media Relations in the weeks ahead:


Participate: Old media relations meant sending out a press release — a top-down message that the company controlled — and hoping for the best: positive news coverage that gets the word out. Today’s public relations, including social media, means dynamically collaborating with and exchanging ideas with customers. It’s a two-way conversation environment and today’s customers place more value on other consumer comments than on top-down driven company messages.


Pamper: Social media relations is the greatest customer relations tool ever invented, yet few companies are taking advantage of its power. Encourage customers to provide feedback on products and services, give them tools to develop new product features — even marketing strategies. Respond promptly to customer questions, comments and concerns. And reward customers who participate.


Platform: Most of the company social media content we see is only about the company and products and services. In short, boring. While this is important, the most successful social media communities are built around platform or themes that are more attractive to generating audiences and keeping them coming back for more. Support a bigger issue or cause — related to your products and services, of course — if you want to take your social media program to the next level.


Pollinate: Don’t get stuck in the quiet car on the social media train. Social media is also the greatest networking tool ever invented. Reach out to blogs and link to related community content on other social media sites as often as possible. Grow your sphere of influence.


Prime with PR: Media relations isn’t dead. It’s just changed dramatically over the last decade. Media hits are still valuable goals — providing third-party testimonials and serving as powerful vehicles that encourage audiences to seek out more information about your company. Search spiders love media stories that link people to your company Web site and social media properties.


Promote: That’s right, promotion is not a bad word when it comes to social media. Promotion combined with engaging content are powerful duos. In fact, your customer audience will expect promotional rewards in return for their dedicated social media community participation. Of course, promotions should not outweigh the community’s purpose. Strike a good balance.


Prompt: Lack of consistently updated content is a social media killer. As a PR consultant, I’ve talked with many companies who have done a great job of starting a social media program, but somewhere along the line they lost steam and (thank you) they call BrandCottage for help. Social media requires a lot of planning and perseverance. (Two additional Ps, perhaps?).


What Ps do you think are important for a successful social media relations program?


Barry Lawrence is a BrandCottage partner in charge of public relations and social media relations.