This year, despite the many weddings I’m a bridesmaid for, I couldn’t help but think about the upcoming royal nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The event, and everything leading up to it, has caused an international media frenzy, similar to the last royal wedding in 1981 when William’s parents (Charles and Diana) were wed. Back then, the public relied solely on traditional media: TV, radio, newspapers. Now, with the Internet, social media and smartphones, things have ramped up several notches. Audiences are much more engaged; the media is faster and more pervasive; and, companies are more aggressive, clever and informed to market to a captive audience. (more…)

I recently had the pleasure of attending and speaking at Mediabistro’s Socialize: Monetizing Social Media – EAST conference, held in New York. As part of the Sysomos team, I was there to present some use cases on what social media data can be used for, from a business perspective. Aside from the insight that we brought to the table, I also learned a great deal, particularly with regards to where social media is headed.  (more…)

More and more companies have set money aside in their 2011 budgets for social media, and social media press releases (SMPRs) are increasingly included in that mix. Many communications professionals are also beginning to send out social media press releases in place of more “traditional” releases, expecting their release to go viral and soar to the top of the Google results page. The outcome is an increasing number of disappointed PR professionals who misunderstand the role that an SMPR plays in the optimization and distribution of content. (more…)

I was interested to see the social media world from a different perspective – across the ocean at Social Media World Forum Europe (SMWF).  The surprising thing is, it doesn’t appear to be much different than the social media world in North America and I can probably surmise that it won’t be much different in Australia or Asia either. This global phenomenon, connecting individuals across continents, presents the same challenges and opportunities to companies regardless of geography or language. Packed with panels and presentations, the conference was a source of thought-provoking discussions, many of which strived to answer that one elusive question: (more…)

Anyone who has recently traveled internationally will no doubt have noticed a well-placed McDonald’s restaurant, no matter the country. Iconic US brands are expanding rapidly around the world, some experiencing more success abroad than at home. To ensure the success of these expansion efforts, US-based marketing and PR teams need to work with their local counterparts as much as possible to tap into their expertise, knowledge and familiarity with that particular environment.

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On a rainy Tuesday in April, I had the rare pleasure of a guided tour through the Manhattan office of Bloomberg, one of the largest organizations in the world that provides business and financial news, data and analytics. In spite of the calming river carp swimming throughout the office walls, I haven’t seen any organization more obsessed with speed since my trip to NASCAR’s Charlotte Speedway. (more…)

Throughout my career I’ve attended more tradeshows than I can count: as an attendee, a service provider and a speaker.  After my most recent trip to Blogwell in NYC, I was reminded of a few key points to remember when attending a tradeshow. (more…)