Monthly Archives: May 2014

May 27, 2014

Making Social, Social Again

What do you think of when you hear the word “social”? The definition has certainly changed greatly over the last decade, immediately bringing to mind Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media outlets. It’s hard to believe that not that long ago, social activity meant being physically out and about, mingling with other humans in real time.

The TGI Fridays restaurant group is hoping to bring back that traditional kind of social, having announced plans to turn their once red and white striped, kitsch-walled locations into casual, neighborhood bar themed gathering spots.

In a recent New York Times article, the company’s marketing director was quoted as saying that the overhaul program was launched last year, and is internally called T.B.C.B.T – The Best Corner Bar In Town. Program highlights include the redesigns of 190 of the company’s 540 locations in the United States during this year, with the rest to follow. Every detail has been reexamined, right down to updated menus replacing the longstanding laminated version, and fresh ingredients replacing frozen in the kitchen.

To spread the word about TGI Fridays’ relaunch, a “Summer of Fridays” food truck will be dispatched to music and art festivals throughout the country over the next few months. A Tumblr page has been set up to document the Summer of Fridays tour, including profiles of unique personalities and craftspeople the crew meets along the way.

In hitting the road, and engaging social media, TGI Fridays is hoping to reach the demographic needed to keep their revenues strong enough to remain competitive in the casual restaurant industry. The Times quotes Technomic, a restaurant consulting and market research firm, as reporting a 4.7 percent drop in revenue for the chain during 2013, compared to some newer casual restaurant chains reporting revernue increases between between 17 and 26 percent during the same timeframe.

Where do your target customers gather?

By taking their new brand on the road, specifically promoting at events which draw the crucial 21- to 35-year-old demographic, TGI Fridays is engaging an efficient PR strategy: Know who you want to reach, know where they will most likely be, and go there. This demographic isn’t reading the Sunday paper on the living room floor or catching TV spots while watching the evening news; but there’s a good chance they will attend a cultural event.

How can you reach the target customers who aren’t there?

While music and art festivals draw large crowds, they are no match for the reach of social media. By incorporating a Tumblr account, TGI Fridays has included a vehicle to share the physical Summer of Fridays experience in a virtual way. Additionally, they have devised a method for keeping the content fresh and interesting by incorporating a human interest element. Profiling unique individuals along the way makes journal entries compelling, thus encouraging repeat visits to the Tumblr site.

By September, the hope is that the Summer of Fridays fling will turn into a real relationship, with customers trying out the revamped gathering spots and having a positive enough experience to return, hopefully with more friends. That will depend on the quality of the food and service, which have also been reworked as part of the plan. If all falls into place, TGI Fridays could be on an upswing – away from suspenders and potato skins and toward chill and hip.

If your brand could use a boost, or a complete overhaul, we’d love to hear from you. The marketplace today is too competitive to stick with ideas that aren’t working. At Kovak-Likly we pride ourselves on bringing expertise and a comprehensive, targeted approach to every campaign we develop and execute. Let’s see what we can make happen together.

– BML

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May 21, 2014

The Power of Virtual Communities

“We’re rare, but we’re everywhere.”

Wow, did those words resonate. At a recent healthcare communications conference, members of our team had the good fortune of listening to a panel discussion entitled “The Connected Patient.” Among the participants were a three-time cancer survivor and breast cancer support group Twitter host, a young woman and author who has dealt with chronic illness her whole life, and a self-described “e-Parent” who made the above statement when referring to her own unique circumstances (more on that in a minute).

The gathering was a discussion on the ways in which social media and online communities can truly connect and support those who may have been left to their own limited devices in the pre-internet era. The first panelist was able to best articulate that evolution, having battled her first bout with cancer – lymphoma – in the early 1990’s, and then successfully beating breast cancer in 2004 and 2007. The glaring difference between the two decades, in terms of taking proactive steps to seek out reliable health information? “Google!” she said.

The internet proved even more crucial for the e-Parent on the panel, a highly educated, multi-degreed professional who found herself swirling when she became the mother of a “medically complex” child – a term she described as meaning there is something wrong, but a team of specialists and geneticists were unable to pinpoint it.

In her case, the journey led to an introduction to the CHARGE syndrome community, a group focused on an extremely perplexing genetic birth defect with widely varying characteristics. With such a limited population, the odds of finding a family with similar challenges would have been nearly impossible prior to the social media wave. Today, the CHARGE Facebook page has over 4400 members, many of whom meet in person once a year to share information, ideas, and life-changing friendship.

The author and speaker discussing chronic illness had a similar story; having been misdiagnosed from birth to her early 20’s, she had lived her childhood in hospitals more than she was out of them. An eventual diagnosis of PCD – Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia – made her one of approximately 25,000 people worldwide with the disease; she estimated that less than 1,000 of those were accurately diagnosed. Imagine her difficulty in finding those with shared experience without the reach of the internet. Today, she is linked to fellow PCD patients all around the world, able to offer emotional support to those just joining the community, and able to gather the intellectual support she seeks as a person maintaining her health.

Healthcare is about the patient. Patients are social beings.

The takeaway from the discussion couldn’t have been clearer. The power of social media is beyond measure when it comes to those seeking healthcare information, particularly those who have farther to look. Whether frightened by a new diagnosis, investigating treatment options, or researching for a loved one, we immediately jump online to not only find information, but to hopefully find it from those with real life experience. There is simply no substitute for finding that person – across the country or the globe – who can say to us “I’ve been there too.”

Let them lead the discussion.

This mindset blends into the way in which we plan PR campaigns as well. Think about it from a personal perspective. If you have been recommended for knee surgery, are you paying more attention to the print ad you saw about the surgical center in your area? Or are you asking friends, neighbors, and coworkers to find someone who has had knee surgery there, and to gather details about their experience?

When it comes to healthcare PR, it is crucial to recognize that care is no longer entirely driven by the caregiver. Messages are relationship driven, with the patient often at center stage. An ad touting the superiority of a medical center’s capabilities will make some headway from a marketing perspective, but conversations between patients discussing their first-hand experiences there will reach far beyond the normal scope.

Whether you want to connect physicians to potential patients, encourage patient discussion around a new medication, or open a forum for collaborative patient support, we can help you to shape the social media strategy which is best for you. At Kovak-Likly, we know healthcare, and we know communities. Let’s build some together.

-BML

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May 12, 2014

When to Swerve…and When to Pin It

If you’ve been reading our blog from the beginning you’ll know we wrote about Tesla a few months ago.  We’re a fan of their cars and their CEO’s flair for public relations.  I ask for your forgiveness as we write about them again because anyone who has seen a Tesla in person doesn’t soon forget it. The sleek lines, the unmistakable presence of style and innovation…and if you’ve been lucky enough to watch it cover zero to sixty in 5.4 seconds, well, you might just need a moment to catch your breath.

I sat in a friend’s Tesla recently – and even drove it about three feet. I heard how he had taken it from Connecticut to Baltimore and back without buying a drop of gas, stopping only once at a Tesla super charging station to power up on the way. No worries, he said, he used the recharge time to stretch his legs and have a cup of coffee.

But behind the power and glamour, there still lies a car company very much in building mode. A recent CNNMoney report said that in a letter to shareholders, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk reported increased revenues in the most recent quarter, but a large drop in profit. A close to $29 million drop, to be exact.

While this may have investors shifting in their seats, CNN reported that Musk followed up the announcement with plans for increased spending, with investments this year of up to $850 million focused mainly on research and development around the new Model X, set to go to market next year, and on planned expansion into China and Europe.

Musk is also continuing to move forward with the construction of a $5 billion lithium-ion battery “Gigafactory,” the location of which has yet to be determined as five states vie for the contract.

Long story short, Musk could have succumbed to the pressure of bearing bad investor news by downshifting. He could have eased concerns by cutting back, reassuring the skittish, or at the very least, spinning the numbers into a blur.

Instead, he chose to gun it.

Yes, profits are down, he said, but here’s why we’re going to spend more. Invest more. Expand more. As if that wasn’t enough, he reiterated his goal of delivering 35,000 cars around the globe this year, which would represent a 55% increase over 2013. The guy has chutzpah, you’ve got to give him that.

From a PR perspective, Musk’s approach presents an interesting dichotomy. On the one hand, there’s the negative financial news to which we’ve all become so accustomed, particularly within the automotive industry. An announcement like this could easily trigger a media feeding frenzy around the rush to write Tesla’s preemptive obit.

But from the public’s perspective, Musk’s forth righteousness is refreshing; we almost can’t help but root for Tesla against all odds. Musk is committed to going big or going home. What can we, as PR professionals, take away from this?

1) Please Don’t Feed the Cynics

With today’s unlimited access to information, readers and viewers are more informed than ever before. Research can be performed in minutes, leading to a nearly instant ability to discredit whatever diluted story has been approved for distribution. Add that to a morbid fascination with bad news, especially in corporate America, and you’ve got yourself a nation of harsh critics waiting to pounce. The decision to bare all and spin nothing can be an instant diffuser, allowing the attention to shift to where your client wants it to be.

2) Position Yourself: Failure or Underdog?

Once the truth is out, and the flame of negativity has been denied oxygen, your client has the floor. From here, smart positioning will not only erase the bad news as an indicator of failure, it will move it to the background. Coming to the forefront will be the story of the underdog, surging onward, taking on challenges in the name of innovation. We hit a snag, your client says, but what greatness was ever achieved without some strife along the way? By guiding PR efforts around this message, you can not only silence critics, but enlist fans.

When it comes to strategic – even seemingly risky – messaging decisions, there are more vital opinions to be considered than just those in an agency conference room. Millions of them, in fact. At Kovak-Likly, we are dedicated to keeping our finger on the collective pulse of the public you want to reach, so that your message can be honed and presented in the best light possible for the greatest response. What are your PR challenges for 2014? We’d love to hear from you and help find the best approach.

As for Tesla Motors, I am rooting for them in a big way. Despite a significant drop in profit, they still beat the expectations of most industry analysts, which tells me there are likely more surprises in store. Personally I hope one of them is an all wheel drive version for the snow with better battery life…and perhaps a tad lower purchase price.

– BML

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May 7, 2014

Global Re-imaging? Or Midlife Crisis?

Ronald McDonald's New Look. Image Courtesy: Huffington Post

Ronald McDonald’s New Look. Image Courtesy: Huffington Post

Everyone loves a good makeover story, often for different reasons. The ultimate “reveal” we eagerly anticipate can be a source of awe or of awkwardness, depending on the subject. Target of admiration or butt of jokes – it’s still a story, right?

When the McDonald’s Corporation announced last week that a newly hip and updated Ronald McDonald was ready to take the promotional and social media world by storm, I have to admit I cringed. The promotional photos, taken to show off Ronald 2014’s new wardrobe – rugby shirt, vest, and cargo pants to replace his trademark yellow jumpsuit – proved the old “lipstick on a pig” adage, except in this case, we see that you can put trendy pants on a clown…but he’s still a clown. (Incidentally, the big red shoes and matching hair remain intact.)

This raises two questions.

1) Who are they trying to reach?

In 1966, when Ronald McDonald first became the company’s national spokesman, clowns and kids went together like, well, burgers and fries. But in all honesty, when was the last time your child asked to have a clown at his or her birthday party? Or ran up to one at an event just busting to get a hug? This week I saw a clown portrayed in a child’s art project at one of our local schools; part of an assignment for a French class, the clown stood next to a child whose thought bubble proclaimed “J’ai peur!” (I’m scared!)

Not to beat up the clown industry. It’s just that for a national chain of restaurants which has put several makeover strategies in play in recent years, it seemed an odd move, sentimentality aside. Will Ronald be hocking the McCafe Coffees to urban professionals as well?

2) How does this fit into the company’s brand?

Since 2011, McDonald’s has made bold moves to shift their stores toward a more upscale, cafe-style atmosphere. Earth tones replacing primary colors, faux leather chairs in place, even an occasional fireplace welcoming customers to sit and relax for awhile. At the time of the campaign’s launch, the McDonald’s Corporation described the makeover as a billion-dollar undertaking. Just three years later, Ronald’s redux seems misplaced within this vision, seemingly aimed at the ball-pit crowd more than the java & laptop customers they have been targeting in recent years.

Not that Ronald should disappear. After coming under fire for using child-targeted marketing to push unhealthy food not long ago, the McDonald’s Corporation had limited the character to supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities, a phenomenal organization which helps more than seven million families per year who are dealing with pediatric illnesses. Helping children feel better by keeping families together seems like a perfect fit for the Ronald McDonald character, especially when the charity arm of the company is so branded with the name.

And yet, here he is at 51 years old, hitting the promotional and social media circuit sporting a new look which includes a “whimsical red blazer” for particularly spiffy occasions. Yes, that wording comes directly from the company’s announcement, along with the fact that Ronald’s new duds were designed by Tony Award winning theatrical designer Ann Hould-Ward of “Beauty and the Beast” fame. They’ve certainly put a lot into this campaign.

It’s a gamble, to be sure. How will midlife crisis Ronald fit in with the overall branding proposition? It will be interesting to gauge response, starting with this week’s bi-annual worldwide convention for McDonald’s franchisees, at which the company will introduce the new concept.

At Kovak-Likly, we know that it truly is all about the brand. Marketing strategies need to be built on a solid platform so that its pieces make sense and fit together. We work with our clients to determine exactly what that platform needs to be, and then walk through the steps that follow, giving each the focus and attention it needs to keep the brand in play.

If you would like to talk to us about how you can best determine your brand and share it with your target customers in a way that is both impactful and consistent, we’d love to talk to you. No big red shoes required.

-BML

 

 

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