Posted by Elena del Valle on May 1, 2014
Spin Sucks
Photos: Arment Dietrich, Inc.
Communicating responsibly, honestly, openly and authentically rather than by “spinning” is the best long term approach to public relations, says Gini Dietrich, chief executive officer, Arment Dietrich, a marketing and communications company. In Spin Sucks: Communication and Reputation Management in the Digital Age (Que, $19.99), a 154-page softcover book published this year, she explains the reasons she advocates such a communication approach. Prior to this book, she co-authored Marketing in the Round with Geoff Livingston in 2012.
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Spin Sucks is targeted toward business leaders who hire PR firms or communicators for their internal teams. Many business leaders understand they need PR, they know – instinctively – if it’s working, but they don’t really understand how it works. This book is meant to help them understand what we do, how to hold their teams accountable, and what kinds of metrics they can expect. That said, most of the readers so far are communicators,” the author said by email in reply to a question about the target audience and the reason she wrote her book. “I wrote Spin Sucks because there is a really bad perception people have about our industry. We are not liars or spin doctors. The big, big vision is to change the perception.”
Gini Dietrich, author, Spin Sucks
The book is divided into ten chapters and four sections: Tell Your Story Without Sex or Extortion; Scammers, Liars and Beggars; Your Brand; Your Customers; and Spin Sucks. A brand is controlled by customers in the outside world, she says in the book. Customers have a voice and they are not afraid to use it.
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This is a marathon, not a sprint. Lots of business leaders think they can hire a PR firm and 90 days later, they’re famous and on every cover of every media outlet and their product or service is sold out. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing media relations, social media, content, lead generation, reputation management, or advertising, it takes time. Just like you can’t go out and run 26.2 miles without training, you have to prepare for success over a long period,” she said. “The very best thing you can do is always be ethical in how you handle yourself. Don’t take shortcuts. Don’t cheat. Don’t lie.”
In the last section, the author turns her attention toward the future speculating that communications will play a bigger role in customer service. She says it is essential to understand how customers want to interact with brands.
Click to buy Spin Sucks
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Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on May 1, 2014
Information provided by Event Partner
PRSA 2014 Sunshine District Conference
July 10-12, 2014
Hilton Naples, Florida
Florida’s premier public relations conference
July 10-12, 2014, Hilton Naples
Get ready to soak in some PR Paradise at the 2014 Sunshine District Conference in Naples. The premier event attracts top public relations professionals throughout Florida for the best networking and professional development around.
Presenters include national leaders in the public relations industry, and leading experts in media relations, social media, crisis communications, and more.
About the Conference
PRSA’s Sunshine District Conference is best known for its nationally recognized speakers and exceptional networking opportunities. At the conference, you will get insight into award-winning campaigns from nationally renowned speakers in public relations.
You will learn strategies and tactics used at McDonalds, Wells Fargo, Ringling Brothers, and top public relations firms.
You will also hear about lessons learned from U.S. Anti-Doping Agency case on Lance Armstrong, Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy, and the Casey Anthony trial.
Topics will include social media, content marketing, crisis communications, generational marketing, multicultural relations, reputation management, strategic communications, and much more.
Discover what Naples has to offer
Hilton Naples
5111 Tamiami Trail North
Naples, FL 34103
Naples has everything: courses that are a golfer’s dream, beautiful beaches for relaxation in a tropical paradise, shopping areas with the perfect blend of culture and luxury, and fine dining venues that are truly unique.
For more information on planning your time in PR Paradise, visit the Explore Naples tab on the PRSA Sunshine District Conference website http://www.prsasunshine.com/.
Posted by Elena del Valle on April 21, 2014
Kristen Schiele, Ph.D., assistant marketing professor, Woodbury University
Photo: Kristen Schiele, Ph.D.
A podcast interview with Kristen Schiele, Ph.D., assistant marketing professor, Woodbury University, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, she discusses how companies can utilize online reviews with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
Kristen’s research focuses on Marketing Technology such as Online Review Analysis and Big Data Analytics, the Experience and Behaviors of Digital Consumers, and Consumer Culture. Prior to becoming an assistant professor at Woodbury University, she was an adjunct professor at California State University, Fullerton; California Polytechnic University of Pomona; and Vanguard University.
Kristen has over nine years of prior industry experience at The Irvine Company, Susan’s Healthy Gourmet, and as an independent marketing consultant. She is the former chief marketing officer of Fit for Green.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Kristen Schiele, Ph.D.” and click on the play button below or download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the April 2014 section of the podcast archive.
Posted by Elena del Valle on April 11, 2014
Changing the Sales Conversation
Photos: Sharon Wolmuth
As the market has shifted with social media and technological advances so have consumers. Selling requires a new approach and an increased awareness of client needs and likes, according to some experts. In Changing the Sales Conversation: Connect, Collaborate, and Close (McGraw Hill, $22) Linda Richardson, founder, Richardson, a sales performance company, discusses the issues she considers relevant to the changing sales environment for a target audience of salespeople and sales managers primarily in business to business sales.
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I introduced Consultative Selling several decades ago and while the tenants of Consultative Selling remain relevant, buyers’ buying habits have dramatically changed and I wrote Changing the Sales Conversation to extend the concepts of
Consultative Selling to foster a new dynamic dialogue for the new sales landscape. The internet and emerging technologies have changed the face of selling so much so that many of the tried and true sales methodologies of just a short time ago are obsolete and some can actually hurt sales,” she said by email in response to a question on why she wrote a book about sales.
The 162-page hardcover book was published this year. It is divided into: Introduction, Futuring: Meta-Preparation, Heat-Mapping: Anticipating Client Need, Value-Tracking: Shaping Solutions, Phasing: Controlling the Process, Linking: Connecting Emotionally, and Opening into the Future. The author explained she wrote it to provide insight into the changes and give models and tools to help salespeople and sales managers succeed in the new world of selling.
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The key to selling to customers today is to insure that they have a higher level of expertise and skill and having access to resources, research, and tools. Salespeople must have industry, company, and stakeholder knowledge and use tools and research to understand the individuals they are selling to including their cultures and values. I cover this in the chapter on Futuring which is a higher level of preparation. Sales organizations must support salespeople with knowledge sharing, training, and tools,” Richardson said in reply to a question about dealing with diversity in an increasingly global marketplace when trying to build trust.
Linda Richardson, author, Changing the Sales Conversation
“One of the key challenges is to get ahead of the opportunity by brin(g)ing ideas to customers. It is important for salespeople to understand what their clients already know because clients are doing research, using social media, and turning to peers and can be half way through the buying cycle before talking to a salesperson. The real challenge I see is having the knowledge and insight to bring ideas to clients rather than get involved late in the sale when the client is advanced and be in heavy competition,” she said in response to a question about the biggest challenge in getting to know a client in today’s environment.
The consultant believes clients expect sales people to be prepared and informed. In the book, she explains that clients are able to tell quickly whether a salesperson is able to create value for them, and that by being informed about a client’s industry, company and stakeholders a salesperson will be competitive. Using tools such as social media, paying attention to their client’s trusted sources and listening to clients to learn about their needs and environment can be important in increasing productivity; and preparing in advance is necessary to succeed, she says.
Richardson teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Her previous book, Perfect Selling, was a The New York Times bestseller.
Click to buy Changing the Sales Conversation
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Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on April 2, 2014
2014 Relative Population & Households with Children – click to enlarge
In the United States, two thirds of Millennials have never been married, according to Marketing to Millennials US February 2014 Executive Summary, a Mintel report. Those who got hitched are in their late twenties. The median age for first marriage is about 29 for men and 27 for women. Thirty-two percent of households with children are Millenial households. At the same time, 43 percent of Millenial households include children.
Although 25 percent of Millenials 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree and 9.5 percent have a graduate degree compared to 11.1 percent of all adults, unemployment among that market segment is higher than for the national average. At the time of the report, 10.3 percent of Millennials between 20 and 24 years old, and 6.8 percent of Millennials aged between 25 and 34 were unemployed. The national unemployment average is 6.5 percent.
There’s a notable difference in household income between younger and older Millenials. While Younger Millennials, those under 25 years of age, have a median household income of $30,604, the median income of Older Millennials, those 25 and older, is about $51,381. The former may be still be studying or in an entry-level job, whereas Older Millennials may be working full-time and more advanced in their career. Mintel researchers believe the 2008 financial crisis caused median income for those aged 15-24 to decline 13 percent between 2007 and 2012, and decline 9 percent for adults aged 25-34.
At the same time, annual spending for Younger Millennials is 40 percent less than for all adults, while among Older Millennials, average expenditures are about 4 percent less. Younger members of the market segment spend less on everything except education. Older Millennials spend a good deal more than all adults on alcoholic beverages and apparel and services, and significantly less on healthcare.
Posted by Elena del Valle on March 28, 2014
What Makes Olga Run
Photos: Jennifer Williams, Henry Holt and Company
Geriatric runners have become a common site in urban marathons but ninety year old sprinters are exceptional, says Bruce Grierson. In What Makes Olga Run The Mystery of the 90-Something Track Star and What She Can Teach Us About Living Longer, Happier Lives (Henry Holt and Company, $25), the author explores what makes Olga Kotelko, a 91 year old sprinter who held 26 world records in 2009, exceptional.
At five feet and half an inch tall and weighing 130 pounds she is, he explains, extraordinarily strong. As of the publication of the book this year she was the holder of 600 medals.
“I think two types of readers are in the sweet spot:
The first are people who’ve been lifelong exercisers who are now suddenly burning out or breaking down or both. Having to figure out how to mix things up so as to mitigate the damage and rekindle the interest.
The second group is middle-aged couch potatoes. Their takeaway message is that it’s never too late,” he said by email in response to a question about the target audience for the book. “The science is telling us that you can make massive gains even deep into life. The trick is to get started. It’s hard to start. Olga says that a lot: ‘Don’t stop, cuz it’s hard to get started again.'”
The 231-page softcover book is divided into Prologue, Coda and 12 chapters. In addition to Kotelko, Grierson interviewed dozens of masters athletes and closes the book with nine tips for readers who want to emulate the high performing older athletes.
Bruce Grierson, author, What Makes Olga Run?
When asked what the hardest part of the book project was he said: “Getting the running shorts over my pot belly. No, seriously, the difficult part was trying to run a narrative through the all the science without getting bogged down in detail but still getting the facts right. The physiology of aging is a fascinating area that’s changing almost by the day. A challenge to stay on top of.”
The most rewarding or surprising aspect? “Getting to know Olga as a person, not just as a scientific anomaly or a story ‘subject.’ We spent a lot of time together. It helped that we were simpatico. She’s taught me a lot, and most of it has nothing to do with ‘fitness,’ per se.”
Asked if there was third party funding or sponsorships for the book project he said: ”
No. The scientists involved did the testing for free. In McGill’s case, the scientists specifically got their own funding to conduct the muscle physiology tests on Olga, as part of an ongoing investigation on aging athletes. The small stuff I paid for. Olga got the guinea pig’s discount (i.e. free).”
Grierson, a freelance writer, is author of U-Turn: What If You Woke Up One Morning and Realized You Were Living the Wrong Life? He lives in North Vancouver, Canada.
Click to buy What Makes Olga Run?
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Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on March 20, 2014
U.S. Population by Generation Percent – 2014 – click to enlarge image
In 2014, there were 78.3 million Americans aged 20 to 37. This market segment, often described as Millennials, represents a quarter of the country’s population. Almost one in five (19.4 percent) Millennials is Hispanic, 14.8 percent is Black, and 5.2 percent is Asian, making the group among the most diverse, according to Marketing to Millennials US February 2014 Executive Summary, a Mintel report.
While Baby Boomers protect their private data, 60 percent of Millennials who responded to Mintel questions said they would be willing to provide details about their personal preferences and habits to marketers. Even for private information these young adults are open minded. Among respondents to the Mintel questions, 30 percent of Millennials said they would share personal information in exchange for a financial incentive such as a $10 discount. Only 13 percent of Baby Boomers who answered the question said they would be willing to do the same.
“Millennials are predisposed to share their personal habits and contact information with marketers, but they do so only when the perceived benefits outweigh the risks. Given that their generation accounts for nearly a quarter of the population, the implications for businesses are tremendous, because as Millennials go, so goes the US economy,” said Fiona O’Donnell, category manager, retail, multicultural, lifestyles and leisure, Mintel, in a press release.
Millennials said they are more likely to share cell numbers and social media profiles with companies than Baby Boomers (30 percent compared to 14 percent and 27 percent compared to 10 percent, respectively). Baby Boomers said they were more willing to share a mailing address, 40 percent versus 38 percent of Millennials. For the most private information, credit scores, 17 percent of Millennials and 8 percent of Baby Boomers were willing to provide the information.
The generational groups represented in the Mintel report are Baby Boomers (23.6 percent), Emerging (9 percent), Gen-X (15.4 percent), iGeneration (16.9 percent), Millenials, Swing (10.5 percent). Baby Boomers are aged 50 to 68, Emerging are under seven years old, Gen-X is 38 to 49, iGeneration is seven to 19, and Swing are 69 and older.
Posted by Elena del Valle on March 14, 2014
Be Bold and Win the Sale
Photos: McGraw Hill, Jeff Shore
Taking action despite fear and discomfort without being manipulative or obnoxious when others would back away is what Jeff Shore advises when it comes to sales. In Be Bold and Win the Sale Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Boost Your Performance (McGraw Hill, $20) he emphasizes that winning should reward all parties involved, and that a sale is about helping customers improve their lives.
At the end of the chapters, he features Expert Interviews in which he illustrates the point of that chapter with feedback or quotes from someone he considers an expert. For example, in the chapter on discomfort he quotes Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Pink points to a study from the University of Pennsylvania that suggests the best sales people are neither completely introverted nor extroverted but rather in the middle of the spectrum.
He also recommends finding experts who stand out when it comes to picking up and understanding the perspectives of others. Serving, by improving someone’s life, Pink believes, is lacking the most in today’s sales world.
The 261-page softcover book published this year is divided into three parts and 15 chapters. Part One, Dealing with Discomfort, features: “Well, This is Awkward,” Getting Your Inner Boldness On, That Nagging Squirminess, Story Time, and The Gut Check.
Part Two, Developing Boldness, features: Let’s Do This Thing!, The Boldness Network, Retraining Your Brain, Big Problems in Little Packages, Handling the “Gotchas,” The Advanced Course, and Go! Part Three, Putting It All to Work, features: The Customer’s Mission, The Customer’s Mission, The Customer’s Mission, and Putting It All Together.
Jeff Shore, author, Be Bold and Win the Sale
Shore, founder and president, Shore Consulting, Inc., is fellow of the National Speakers Association’s Million Dollar Roundtable.
Click to buy Be Bold and Win the Sale
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Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on March 6, 2014
Bear Grylls
Video, photos: Discovery en Español
Targeting an adult audience between 25 and 49 years of age Discovery en Español will release the six-part series Bear Grylls: Escape from Hell (Escape del Infierno con Bear Grylls) as part of a new programming block dedicated to human adventure and survival shows Thursday nights. The programs will be dubbed into Spanish from the original English language production. The first 60-minute segment will air at 9 p.m. ET/PT March 6, 2014 and the final episode will air April 9 of the same year. Scroll down to watch a promotional video in Spanish.
According to a press release, Escape del Infierno con Bear Grylls reveals true stories and first person accounts of people who escaped death in some of the most desolate and hostile places on the planet. Each episode presents three real life incidents in places such as the heart of the Amazon Jungle or California’s Sierra Nevada. Grylls traces back the steps taken by survivors, analyzing their life-saving techniques, mistakes made, and the ways they could have adverted danger.
A scene from Vivir para Contarlo
Some of the stories described in the program include: Eric Le Marque, who endured eight days in below zero temperatures in California’s Sierra Nevada. Even after falling in the freezing waters of a river, he kept walking until he was rescued; the French explorers Loic Pillois y Guilhem Nayral, who each lost more than 45 pounds after roaming the heart of Amazon for seven weeks; Polish natives Maciej Tarasin end Tomek Jedrys, who became lost in the Raudal del Tiburon Canyon in Colombia; Italy’s Mauro Prosperi, a contestant in a race in the Sahara Desert who went astray and had to face the highest temperatures on the planet for nine days without water.
The Bear Grylls series, produced by betty (an English production house owned by Discovery Communications Inc.) for Discovery Networks International in English, was completed and aired in the United States and abroad in 2013. Sarah T Davies is executive producer for Discovery Networks International. Neil Smith is the executive producer for betty.
A scene from Supervivencia – click to enlarge
Other survival shows to be featured as part of the Thursday night block include a new season of Vivir para Contarlo Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The original series highlights stories from Latin America. A weekly program Supervivencia al Desnudo will air Thursdays at 10 p.m.ET/PT. It will showcases a new pair of total strangers, one man and one woman, stranded in and exposed to some of the world’s most extreme weather environments in a remote location, for 21 days, without food, water, or clothing.
