What is Google+?

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Justin Hastings

Google+

“You don’t even know what the thing is yet.” – Sean Parker, “The Social Network”

Much like Justin Timberlake’s line from the 2010 film, “The Social Network,” this Google+ “thing” has yet to find an identity since its launch in June of last year – and that’s okay.

The platform offers some of the same things as other major players Twitter and Facebook:

  • follow other users’ news streams,
  • share interesting content via text, links, photos, and videos, and
  • comment on others’ posts.

However, there are two unique offerings that help separate Google+ as its own platform.

The power of search

As we all know, Google dominates the search market. Google+ offers users and businesses the added bonus of search traffic to their accounts. Now, your bio, content, and posts are all searchable content. In fact, Google created controversy with their recent announcement regarding Google+ content appearing in Google searches.

Businesses can heighten their brand awareness efforts with engaging content on their Google+ pages that will accompany searches about their brand, product, or service.

Let’s hang out

The second unique feature comes from Google’s take on video chats. They’re called Hangouts, or impromptu video chats with dozens of people.

With a few simple clicks, you can invite certain people to private chats for collaboration and communication, or offer a public forum for topical discussion. I see great potential in Hangouts for businesses. Companies can offer previously impossible direct contact with their customers to provide support and recommendations in the hopes of extending the customer’s relationship with a brand.

Only six months into its life, Google+ sits in prime position to grow in 2012. Will you grow with it?

Posted in Business, Content Marketing, Hart-Boillot, Social Media | Leave a comment

Social media is mainstream media

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Justin Hastings

During the recent AFC Championship game (go Pats!), Dr. Pepper ran an ad for its “I’m a…” campaign. At the end of the commercial, the logo was accompanied not by a tag line or web site, but by a Twitter hashtag (#ImA).

In a few short years, Twitter (and other social media outlets) drastically shifted strategy in the world of advertising. Ads, both print and digital, now push consumers to Facebook profiles, Twitter handles, Google+ pages… or even Twitter hashtags! Dr. Pepper wants users to contribute to a discussion that may or may not have anything to do with their brand… but more importantly, continues the story.

Shifting directly to consumers

Dr. Pepper kicked off their campaign with a major investment in a 60-second commercial. However, their consumers will help them build the rest of the campaign through their own words. If they’re smart, the beverage company will:

  • keep a constant eye on the #ImA hashtag in the coming weeks and highlight specific tweets on their other social media outlets,
  • engage with these select tweets and re-introduce their products as free giveaways, and
  • let their customers do the heavy lifting.

In short, that’s content marketing – repurposing content for additional opportunities to engage with consumers.

Social capital

In the end, Dr. Pepper’s advertising/social media/content marketing experiment results in true consumer research. The company learns of their customers’ creativity, drive, and buying potential.

Consumer research goes mainstream.

Posted in Advertising, Content Marketing, Hart-Boillot, Social Media, Video | Leave a comment

Is content marketing part of your story?

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Justin Hastings

We’re using the term “content” around HB much more. Creating compelling content is something we’ve always delivered to clients, but we’re digging much deeper into the content universe these days. Content marketing, branded content, brand journalism – you might hear all these terms in your marketing conversations.

Since we’re storytellers at HB, we recognize that individual pieces of content – video, landing page, white paper, print piece, even this blog entry – mean nothing if not delivered within the context of

  • recognition of client marketing and business goals, and
  • an engaging way to use content to reach those goals.

Oh, and the content needs to be creative, repeatable, shareable, interesting and honest.

Mark O’Toole, our new managing director of public relations and content marketing, penned this article for Boston.com, sharing his forecast on content trends for 2012. Mark touches upon the controversial, like who “owns” the content strategy, the rise of curation and the decline of TV, the rejuvenation of print marketing and more. Give it a read.

And let us know your thinking on content marketing. Did Mark miss trends? Hit the nail on the head? What’s working in your organization?

We’d love to know.

Posted in Content Marketing, Hart-Boillot, Public Relations, Social Media | Leave a comment

Resolutions

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Molly Delaney

Resolutions

Most of us like to start the new year with resolutions, based in part on the successful and unsuccessful during the prior year.

Dr. Todd Thomas, Associate Professor for the DeVos Graduate School of Management, Northwood University, asked 50 CEOs nationwide, “As you look ahead to 2012, what kind of New Year’s Resolution will you be making?” for his report, ‘CEO Resolutions for the New year – A Focus on the Future.’ Recognize the familiar face on pages 4 and 9?

In the report, some common themes emerge:

  • Don’t allow technology to take the “human-ness” out of business
  • Grow the business and focus on the core offerings
  • Open up to taking more risks
  • Establish a better life balance for self and employees
  • Re-establish focus on personal and professional development
  • Improve organizational development and collaboration
  • Leverage social media
  • Improve communication
  • Give more back to the community

It’s reassuring to see a variety of business leaders focused on expanding business in 2012, but also investing time towards making both work and personal life more rewarding for themselves and their employees. I hope some of the CEOs Dr. Thomas mentions here will read the report and think about their own 2012 resolutions.

Posted in Business, Culture, Hart-Boillot | Leave a comment

Ubiquitous Carbon

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Justin Hastings

Carbon

Earlier this month, the United Nations met in Durban, South Africa to discuss the soon-to-expire Kyoto Protocol.

Delegates from around the world discussed the idea of a carbon tax with the hope that it will help reduce emissions over the next 10 years. Under the current agreement, richer countries must follow regulations while poorer countries contribute voluntarily.

As noted by The Huffington Post, The Protocol debates escalated throughout the meetings, with the United States’ support for business outweighing its support for the environment.

The United States, whose Congress is generally seen as hostile on the climate issue, is concerned about conceding any competitive business advantage to China.

As an American, and one who greatly values our environment, I’m frustrated by the US delegates’ protectionism of the country’s economic power over all else (mirrored by China and India). Can a temporary decrease in GDP — which many argue would not happen anyway — be so bad if it helps guarantee a hospitable planet for another thousand years?

Update: Participating nations stayed an extra day and a half, and it looks like some good came of it.

Posted in Clean Tech, Current Affairs, Green Living/Working | Leave a comment

If you’re happy and you know it…

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Amanda Jayachandran

Growing up, my mother cooked dinner while watching the daily news. I would say, “Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a news channel that only showed happy news?”

An engineering student at Northwestern University created a Happiness Club. The group spreads joy around campus, helping students smile and laugh during stressful times. From blowing bubbles to handing out temporary tattoos during exam week, the club lifts student spirit on campus. Through the help of Happiness Club, Northwestern builds comaradie, rapport and a successful environment.

In the workplace, laughter and smiling increases effectiveness and reduces stress. At HB, we listen to Pandora (we decided today it was time for Christmas tunes), enjoy fresh baked cookies, have a beer, throw a football and laugh when someone busts a move. These simple tactics alter the collective mood and develop a creative, team-based environment with increased project discussion and team feedback.

So… Smile. Laugh. Giggle. Dance.

Posted in Hart-Boillot, Higher Education, Work | Leave a comment

Moving towards simplicity: It’s not that simple

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Susan Young

In our complex and confusing world, more and more of us strive for simplicity. It may not look that way on the surface, as we scramble to buy “stuff” (both in stores and online) for our homes: electronics, collectibles, furniture, books, and kitchen gadgets. However, we stroll to the mailbox to find a copy of Real Simple magazine.

Don’t you find that ironic?

Simple Marketing

At HB, we create simplicity. This can be an interesting process when working with high tech, clean-tech and healthcare. My colleagues on the “creative” side distill messaging for websites and promotional content. On the public relations side, we create news opportunities and media coverage with snappy sound bites.

Most of our technology clients are deeply entrenched in Big Data. We work side-by-side with them to tell the story of simplifying business processes. Structured and unstructured data. Industry folks use words such as optimization, streamline, and scalability. Translation: Simplify.

Simple Social Media

In social media, the new buzz is content curation.  Because of information overload, we gravitate towards online newsletters where a team of writers and thought-leaders curate relevant content into one publication with what they deem important.

On Twitter, it’s simple: 140 characters or bust. There’s no place for verbosity.

Simple Lifestyle

Hans Hofmann was an abstract expressionist painter (1880-1966). He said: “The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”

How many times have you heard of people and families who decided to shun their “stuff” and lifestyle? Their destination: A 500 square foot cabin.

Following the terrorist attacks on 9/11, several people I know who worked in lower Manhattan and experienced the horror of that day quit their corporate jobs. The commute and pressure of being in the city was too much. A few started their own business, on their own terms. Others decided to spend more time with their young children. Each yearned for a simpler way of life. 

Occasionally my husband Andrew and I (briefly) contemplate packing a few bags and going to Idaho, or some other faraway land that seems a lot simpler. The conversation doesn’t last very long. Cell phones start making funny noises, our kids rant about school or the iPad, and an automated telemarketer is on the phone.

Simplicity is a beautiful thing.

Posted in Business, Culture, Hart-Boillot, Work | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Gratitude, the domino effect

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Perrin McCormick

I do great work on my spin bike. Not only do I burn calories and make my heart healthier, I reflect on my day and do some creative thinking. Yesterday, I dedicated my spin session to crafting a haiku that expressed my gratitude for access to healthcare. And I learned to bring a pen to spin class…as I can’t remember the haiku.

A recent health scare sparked this gratitude. Earlier this year I experienced odd neck, back, and arm pain that included tingling. After consulting Dr. Google, I narrowed down my diagnosis to a neurological disease. Next stop, the doctor. To make a long story short, after three doctor visits and an MRI, the diagnosis was, “all looks great, rest your back.” I did that and three weeks later, I was fine.

Throughout the entire experience, I considered how differently things would have played out if I didn’t have insurance. Access to medical imaging.

While that haiku left my mind, the gratitude remains.

Posted in Hart-Boillot, Medical Devices | Tagged | Leave a comment

Green Muting – 24-hour news cycles and jaded audiences keep us quiet

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Nicolas Boillot

Green MutingAs an increasing number of businesses recognize the importance of being green(er) and the marketing value of green messages, we have seen the rise of both “green washing” and “green muting.” The Greenwashing Index defines green washing as “when a company or organization spends more time and money claiming to be ‘green’ through advertising and marketing than actually implementing business practices that minimize environmental impact. It’s whitewashing, but with a green brush.”

Green-muting, on the other hand, is when businesses don’t talk about the positive environmental choices they are making. Joel Makower introduced me to both concepts in a presentation he gave a few years ago. I continue to encounter both in my personal and professional lives, most recently during a client meeting.

In this case, we spent the day with Ocean Thermal Energy Corporation (OTE Corp), discussing what’s next in marketing and PR as the company works to make a serious mark on the global energy landscape, starting in the Bahamas. As we discussed Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Clean Tech, Green Living/Working, Hart-Boillot, Public Relations | Leave a comment

Stop. Collaborate and Listen.

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Molly Delaney

The way we collaborate has changed dramatically in recent years, mostly due to innovations in technology. We now have computers, mobile phones, tablets, email, various forms of social media and countless other capabilities that allow us to collaborate with people not only in our immediate surroundings, but around the world.

With social media you can connect with someone you’ve never met, from a place you’ve never visited, almost instantly, something that was unheard of not too long ago.

But has technology only had a positive effect on the way we collaborate? Are we becoming too reliant on technology and losing the physical, human aspect in the way we work together?

We want you to tell us what you think. Two heads are better than one but does technology help enhance this theory? Take this quick survey and share how you collaborate with us.

Posted in B2B Technology, Social Media, Web/Tech | Leave a comment