the d.brief with b.dunn

Blogging has become an incredibly important social media tool. Used by professionals to directly engage consumers, it provides an informal forum for high-level executives to provide a more casual, "off the record" opinion and insight into their company. While some use it effectively, others do not.

Below, a recently developed social media campaign from Best Buy is a prime example of to maintain a successful corporate blog...take a look:
** analysis dictated by principles of PESTLE, SWOT, and POST

 

  the D.Brief

Brian Dunn, Chief Operating Officer of Best Buy, provides consumers with an excellent example of effective blogging from an executive perspective. His blog is creatively titled “the D.Brief”.

He updates the blog frequently and presents it in a creative and unique format.

Each entry is concise and captures the readers attention for the entire duration.

His most recent entry is titled “Give a Little and Get Back”. It is a prime example of his most effective tactics of communication. The post's strengths include:

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  Personally relatable
  
  
  
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  Promotes product
  
  
  
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  Engages consumers
  
  
  

Dunn begins the blog with a personal anecdote. He makes reference to his own family which immediately engages viewers, places him on their level, and verify that he is actually the one writing the blog.

Dunn uses the anecdote with his son to segway into a subtle mentioning of one of Best Buy’s social responsibility campaigns. This is a very effective way to show the practicality of Best Buy products and engage consumers to contribute.

Dunn’s blog is also a strong example of 2-way communication. There is an application where readers can anonymously input their questions and comments.

** This is a direct channel to the CEO of a large company and unique chance for readers to provide their feedback.

Dunn also poses a question at the bottom of the blog to provoke debate and discussion. He is using this opportunity engaging consumers and making them feel as if he cares which is a brilliant strategic move.

The D-Brief is a prime example of extremely effective blogging—it is relevant, engaging, and informative.

Well done Brian!

the graffiti cannot be erased.

It feels like just yesterday that Chris Brown and Rihanna mysteriously pulled out of the Grammys, mere hours before their hyped performance.
I, for one, was crushed.
Rumours immediately swarmed about an incident of abuse but I refused to believe it.
It couldn’t be. They were the golden couple of pop music. Beautiful. Talented. But more than anything, international role models.

When the picture of Rihanna’s bruised and battered face surfaced, it was official. Chris Brown had pleaded guilty to assaulting his beloved and was hit with many hours of community service.

His camp was immediately concerned with how his career would be affected. The public was furious but Rihanna kept her silence

Kudos to Brown’s PR team for effectively dealing with what seemed to be an impossible situation. He was kept from the limelight, openly accepted responsibility and pledged to get help.
On one hand, what more could you ask. On the other, would the public ever forgive him? I cannot.
Today is an important day in the life of Chris Brown, as it marks the release of his new album Graffiti. The looming question is, can he make a comeback?

I feel guilty every time I find myself humming along to his hits. I cannot reconcile the handsome popstar on television with the abuser picking up garbage on the side of the highway.

But the public has been known to forgive worse. Bill came back after Monica, MJ is immortalized as an icon, and R.Kelly is popping out chart toppers like it’s nobody’s business.

81% of people polled said that they would not be adding copies of Graffiti to their music collections but the album currently sits comfortably at #2 on the Billboard Charts. Reconcile that.

wanna be startin' something.

Well, it's safe to say the legend lives on. On every billboard, radio station and movie theatre, a glimpse of the glove and a thurst of moonwalk is evident.

When I first heard this song as a bat-mitzvah girl drowning in taffeta, I couldn't resist running to the dance floor. The talent of Michael Jackson lives on in his music and the many ways in which it is interpreted. Though his style is imitated by many, his talent is surpassed by no one. Pushing all his quirks and scandals aside, the man is, and will forever be an American icon. In tribute to his talent, here are two interpretations of one of his greatest hits.

I simply can't decide which one I like better...

X FACTOR



AKON

"Lift Your Head Up High

And Scream Out To The World

I Know I Am Someone

And Let The Truth Unfurl

Wanna be startin' something..."

and you thought online dating was progressive!?!

So this is a good one. As I'm sure you've heard, actress Emmy Rossum and the lead singer of the Counting Crows are dating. What you may not have heard is how this little love affair began...

Of places...twitter.

"I was on tour with the band this summer. They invited me actually on Twitter," Rossum said Thursday on the radio show Valentine in the Morning. "That's how we met – on a dare. They dared me to come sing with them a song that I'd never sung before ... So I ended up on tour with the band, and it was very, very fun."

I was just beginning to wrap my mind around online dating but this has reached a whole new level. Is that what our generation is turning to?

Twitter is interesting in that you can direct access to anyone on the network. Whether this power will be used for good evil or even romance is up to us.

Choose wisely...and start looking out for Cupid's tweets!

staggering statistics.

Social media maven and established entrepreneur Mark Walmsley put together a really impressive slideshow on the evolution of our means of communication. Took a look, it's amazing:

Social Media, Social Influence Marketing and Super Peers

View more presentations from Mark Walmsley.

a hilarious hoax.

Amidst all the buzz about the ultimate Twilight couple, there is one photo that has set the rumor mill on fire. Spotted leaving the Charles De Gaulle airport, superstars Robert "R.Patz" Pattinson and Kristen "K.Stew" Stewart were...wait for it....holding hands. It has now been confirmed, from this photo alone, that they are in fact a couple.

As a result of the many means of social media, this picture has been seen by the masses. It has been re-posted and dissected down to how many fingers are intertwined. Comments have been made and hearts have been broken [myself included].

To highlight the absurdity of the conclusions drawn, two other Twilight superstars made a statement of their own and publicized it via Twitter. Instantly, the picture received a ton of media attention and landed its own article on people.com. 

This is PR at its finest. Instead of making formal statements to respond to all the rumors, the cast has embraced it and shown the world how ridiculous they are without outright saying it. PR requires creativity and at times, a little bit of humor.

  Well done boys.

back to basics.

When reading one of my favourite PR blogs, I came across this posting-- 9 rules that a kindergarten class compiled. It really struck a chord within me. Incorporating these fundamental messages into our daily practices will help as both public relations professionals and  human beings. I miss the days of scheduled napping and the times when I would carelessly eat as many cookies as I could digest for snack. We are so easily swept into the 21st century monster but in taking a step back, my perspective has been refreshed. I'll have to thank Mrs. Weisberg...take a look and pay tribute to story time, play-doh, and macaroni necklaces.

9 PR Rules Learned in Kindergarten: 

1. Say please
2. Say I'm sorry
3. Be friendly
4. Share
5. Play fair
6. Don't litter
7. Never hurt others
8. Say excuse me
9. Listen to others

1. Say please - This rule speaks to a sense of decency and politeness. Some days we get so caught up in our work and we forget to be thoughtful with our co-workers, clients, and unfortunately, other members in our community. Forgetting this rule can cause tragic disconnections that are sometimes difficult to mend.

2. Say I'm sorry - If you screw up, own up to it. The sooner, the better. This is true for individuals as well as organizations when things go wrong. Your community will be more likely to forgive mistakes and missteps if you can express honest remorse when needed.

3. Be friendly - Public relations professionals had better like people. I don't mean the "I'm a people-person" platitudes that so easily get thrown around. I mean PR people need to have others' interests in mind when planning, preparing, and implementing in order to be the stewards of information and counsel our community expects us to be.

4. Share - I appreciate this rule for the facets it represents in the professional life of a PR person. Sharing is another word for communicating. Being effective communicators is in my opinion the basis for the work we do. The share rule can be the difference in being a part of a community and being apart from the community.

5. Play fair - The PRSA Code of Ethics includes fairness as part of the core values: "We deal fairly with clients, employers, competitors, peers, vendors, the media, and the general public. We respect all opinions and support the right of free expression."

6. Don't Litter - I'll be honest, I wasn't exactly sure at first how I was going to fit in this rule as a relevant rule for public relations. However, then I thought about what litter was: trash. So for PR people, this rule is simply to not leave your garbage lying around. Clean up after yourselves. If you make a mess of things, clean it up. Not every idea is a winner. That's ok. If your idea gets turned down, learn from it. That's how we grow.

7. Never hurt others - You might think that this is just an extension of being friendly and saying your sorry. In reality, this rule is different. Hurting others takes a certain level of intention. What this rule is saying is never proceed with plans that you know will do widespread harm.

8. Say excuse me - In addition to fairness, PR people should be held to a standard of advocacy: "We serve the public interest by acting as responsible advocates for those we represent. We provide a voice in the marketplace of ideas, facts, and viewpoints to aid informed public debate." Sometimes I think we need to add the word polite to this notion of public debate. Being civil is never out of style.

9. Listen to others - There is an interesting duality to this rule.
A.) You don't know all there is to know about public relations. You need to continue to learn and hone your skills through discussion, research, and professional development. PR is an ever-evolving field and being able to adapt and change is what will make you stand out.
B.) You don't know all there is to know about your organization or clients. Active listening within your work environment, on behalf of your organization and through monitoring will mean the difference between taking shots in the dark and making educated and informed communication decisions.

[By: Richie Escovedo
http://nextcommunications.blogspot.com/2009/09/9-pr-rules-my-daughter-learned-in.html]