For the most part, social media still feels like the Wild West. Agencies and brands are challenged to come up with the next big thing, and brands need to create programs that are new and different. Because of this, the PR industry follows the social tenet, “one size does not fit all,” and in most cases, that is the correct philosophy. Yet, sometimes standardization is a must for not only protecting a brand’s reputation but for the sake of internal organization, especially in the social space.

According to a study by Nielsen, the amount of time Americans spend watching television is on the decline, but viewing actually is growing as people use tablets and smartphones. Partly as a result of this research, Nielson predicts the rise of what they call the “Zero-TV” household.

Editors and reporters receive hundreds of product pitches every week, making it difficult to cut through the clutter and make your product stand out. Media mailers can be an effective way to get your product in the media’s hands, and with a little creativity, you can reach them in an innovative way that will ultimately drive brand awareness through media coverage.

Our industry has changed dramatically in the past decade. It’s become increasingly important to be quick, nimble, opportunistic and take chances. Look at some of the most talked about campaigns and you’ll see brands that took these behaviors to heart. In fact, in most cases they’re not campaigns or big ideas at all, but quick-hit engagements. These brands have found the right formula for what many people today are calling real-time marketing.

With the 24/7 nature of news reporting, we constantly see breaking news alerts on our smartphones and online, and according to a new study, we’re commenting about news a lot more frequently than we used to. 

March 2013 marks the 40^th anniversary of National Nutrition Month, a nutrition education and information campaign led annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association). National Nutrition Month focuses on the “importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.” 

We’ve all been at the award dinner wondering why campaign “X” just won it all, which we, as marketers and public relations experts, have never heard of. It just doesn’t make sense… or does it? Award-winning work doesn’t rest solely on the project; it has a great deal to do with the award entry itself. Key word: ENTRY. 

In the midst of Facebook’s announcement today on major overhauls to the newsfeed, another policy change related to news feed images and sponsored stories is also taking hold. What’s interesting is that Facebook is now trying to solve a problem it created.

Senior Vice President Mark Malinowski recently shared his perspective on brand mascots as the comeback kid –that the right mascot can position a brand for continued pop culture relevance, especially with the power of today’s social media landscape. Brands are eager, and rightly so, to leverage these loveable personalities across all owned media channels.