Airfoil Public Relations

Airfoil Awarded IABC Detroit Renaissance Awards for Parrot, Faurecia

A few of us ’Foilers attended an awards ceremony last week on the behalf of the agency and were honored with the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Detroit’s 2010 Renaissance Award for media relations in the communications management division for Parrot and in the multi-audience communication category for Faurecia.

It was a great night with great people and promising to see so much innovation and creative thinking happening in metro Detroit.

Airfoil received the Award of Excellence for an integrated campaign conducted on behalf of Parrot and the launch of its AR.Drone, a quadricopter controlled by an iPod touch or an iPhone, at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Airfoil’s work with Faurecia also earned an Award of Merit in the multi-audience communication category for Faurecia Clean - The 2009 LA Auto Show. Airfoil developed the press kit content highlighting Faurecia’s “clean” approach to vehicle innovation and conducted press outreach surrounding the show.

Focusing on technology public relations, with an emphasis on software marketing, we at Airfoil have a goal of lifting our clients’ brands with Higher Thinking.

Congratulations to all of the honorees and we look forward to learning and hearing more from all of you.

—Tonja Deegan

What’s Your Twitter Footprint?

Whether it’s for business, a hobby or personal use, your Twitter stream is making an impact. Your tweets can possibly influence a brand, score you an upgraded hotel room or even transform you into an amateur news reporter. The fate of countless products, services and trends now rest in the hands of us, the everyday consumers.

Curious how your tweets stack up? Below are six interesting (and free) Twitter analytic tools to help uncover your Twitter footprint:

• Twitalyzer: Are you a Sun, Spider or Source? Based on multiple factors, including number of followers, unique mentions and activity level, quickly discover your impact score and influencer type by searching your username.

• TwitGraph:This tool provides a quality assessment of your Twitter profile with colorful pie charts. 

• TweetStats: With user-friendly and colorful graphs, TweetStats will show your tweet timeline by the month, day and hour. You can also gain insight on who is Retweeting and how frequently.

• TwitterCounter: Not only does this provide charts of your followers, it also predicts the future volume of followers over time.

• TweetTronics: Although this is only free during the 30-day trial period, TweetTronics opens up a world of Twitter analyzing possibilities. From follower relations to your tweet sentiment and reach, this interactive tool seems to do it all.

• Klout: Receive your “Klout Score” and learn who and what influences you. Depending on your score, you may even be eligible for free Virgin America flights!

Is your Twitter footprint not what you expected? Here are five ways to increase your influence.

--Lauren Irwin

 

 

First Week On the Job: An Intern’s Report

Starting a new job isn’t the easiest thing, particularly when you realize that years of lawn mowing and babysitting won’t necessarily transfer to the fast-paced world of PR.  So I figured I could use a little advice and catch up on my career perspective before starting my summer tenure at Airfoil Public Relations. With a little help from my literary friends Shrunk and White and some advice from a college buddy with past intern exposure, I received some tips on how to make the most out of my work experience. 

I am very happy to find myself working for Airfoil Public Relations as I’ve now started to really appreciate the unbelievable opportunities sitting right on my doorstep.  In addition to providing me with endless new information and knowledge in media monitoring and brand recognition, Airfoil has also set an excellent foundation for my future. 

My first day started exceptionally well.  I drove to work in the sunshine, my iPod blaring my favorite mix, wearing a freshly pressed shirt, and basically beaming from ear to ear for the entire 35-minute drive. When I arrived at the Airfoil office my desk was ready for me. Normally, a first-time intern would walk in not knowing anyone but hoping to impress everyone, running around frantically trying to fill out paperwork, and scrambling to get to their next meeting or training session, praying they wouldn’t be late. But considering the circumstances, with the stakes continuing to rise, I knew I had to focus and efficiently complete tasks, distress free.

I talked with multiple people from HR and administration to learn about the business of the firm. I spent the latter half of the day in computer training, learning new things like our billing systems, firm directory (this is going to be extra useful this summer) and our email server.  As the day dwindled to an end, it was exactly the action-packed, training-focused first day I originally envisioned.  I took off that evening and headed home from what I know will be one of the best experiences of my life. 

The client solutions team is slowly beginning to familiarize me with research techniques and tips to more efficiently monitor. Midweek, I began research on behalf of a client, and it was quite satisfying contributing relevant information to the team and receiving positive feedback. I think that’s why everyone loves it here. 

I learned a lot about the firm and received some of the best advice from CEO Lisa Vallee-Smith in a teleconference call:

• Show up on time

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions

• Walk around the office and get to know everyone

Now this one was easy, especially when the weekly team meetings feature personal recaps from everyone on staff. Not only did this allow me to learn more about everyone’s specific responsibilities and specialties, but the welcoming greetings I received on my first day certainly helped ease the transition.  A project for Thursday was to research and uncover 10 national publications on a specific innovational focus and create a word cloud based on my results. Concentrating on social media and screen-based innovation of the past decade, my focal point was to give a formal approach and provide the management team with some food for thought.  I found this exercise to be extremely beneficial, broadening my horizon to the world of technology and innovation and keeping me up to date with the newest software and gadgets.  

In summary, my first week went well and my summer is definitely taking off!  Thanks to everyone at Airfoil for ensuring my first few days have gone smoothly and for including me in pieces of their projects during my first week on the job. 

-- Nicholas Sterr

Social Media’s Big Three

Being a metro-Detroit native, I’ve always known the “Big Three” to signify one thing: the domestic auto all-stars Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.  I’ve heard Detroit and the “Big Three” term touted countless times across the country in passing conversations.

However, moving to Silicon Valley and studying new media has given me a different perspective. Do we have a new “Big Three” in our midst?

In following along with the conversations about social media, I’m finding that there are three tools that are consistently thrown around as must-have accounts for consumers and businesses: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.  Don’t get me wrong, these are definitely the most influential social networking channels available, but what makes them stand out from the endless number of other accounts, widgets and applications?

A recent story in Forbes elaborates on this. The author presents a great business strategy perspective, highlighting that these three are the most widely adopted tools for good reason and they should not be abandoned for the newest fad.  As the writer explains, “To be successful at establishing your brand, you need a comprehensive social media plan in place before diving in.”

 A comprehensive social media strategy should be multi-faceted and more in depth than blasting out updates via the “Big Three.”  Instead, try to integrate the use of pictures, video, podcasts, customer testimonials, geo-location, wikis, mobile, augmented reality, gaming, and the constantly growing list of other options. 

In summary, tweet, Facebook it and connect away, but remember that’s only utilizing a small fraction of the possibilities.

-- Heather Arft

Geolocation: Is it valuable or just another social media fad?

After attending a recent San Francisco Social Media Club event, I realized that geolocation has a place, and the technology is equally as exciting to consumers as it is to businesses.

For instance, remember thinking when you first started micro-blogging/using Facebook/using social status updates, who’s going to care that I’m headed to the grocery store to stock up on cookie dough? That thought can be dissected to identify all of the different people who will, in fact, care. 

First, your local grocery store is going to want to know where you’re going and what factors impacted your decision so they can entice you to keep coming back. Secondly, the corporate supermarkets want to know if the local grocery stores are offering a better price. Next, the cookie dough manufacturers are eager to learn if you have brand loyalty and which kind you plan to bake.  Lastly, how about your friend’s who want to know which book you consulted for the recipe? The list goes on and on…

The point is, lots of people are interested in your consumption patterns and most of them are offering incentives for you to divulge this information. Given the state of the economy, customer loyalty is more important now than ever before. Companies have turned to this feature to gather insights and offer incentives based on this newly acquired data, helping them to keep their existing customers and attract new ones.

To illustrate geo-location at its best, just this week Twitter announced that it is partnering with Foursquare and Gowalla on a new geolocation feature called “Places” which allows consumers to see messages from other users who have also visited that location.  This technology is redefining social networking by giving local businesses the opportunity to connect with consumers on a more intimate basis.  And the best part?  Your consumption patterns prove you’ll be interested in what they offer!  This same type of feature is found with tools like Google Tags and Yelp, which give consumers the ability to rate a business based on their services.

To jump into geolocation, take advice from Social Media Club panelist Louis Gray of Paladin Advisors Group: Spend five minutes with your favorite geo-location feature and search the terms “super swarms” and “Indonesia.”  You’ll be amazed at the possibilities.

-- Heather Arft

Redefining public relations through content creation

If there’s one lesson I learned during my trip to New Orleans last week, it was this: do not wear pants to Louisiana in June. Saying it was hot would be an understatement.

But if there’s another lesson to be learned from my time in the Big Easy, it’s that we are standing on the precipice of the future of public relations; a fundamental shift in how we will spend our budgets and manpower. Soon, our profession will rely more on the creation of our own content for consumption than it will pitching an interview to a reporter, crossing our fingers, and praying for the best result. (We see an example of this on Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference video page.)

It was for this reason alone that I hopped on a plane to spend some time with Microsoft’s newest IT Investigation unit: Point & Click.

Recently, we’ve been able to leverage a fantastic relationship with the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association due to their creative work in the IT space with Microsoft’s customer relationship management software, Dynamics CRM. Since the guys were already in New Orleans for TechEd, we figured we would be remiss if we didn’t at least ask the Hornets if we could shoot some video with their team to discuss how they’re using the CRM technology.  As we’ve come to find out, the team was more than willing to accommodate our request, even going so far as to give us access to the Hornets’ team locker room for the shoot. (Lesson #3: Before you discount an idea, ask. You’d be surprised how willing people are to help.)   

Now, learning that Chris Paul has three lockers to himself aside, the coolest part of the trip was digging in and gaining a working understanding of how this tactic is going to change the way we work in PR.  As I mentioned above, traditional PR has, for so long, relied on pitching stories to reporters, knowing full well that it’s ultimately not up to us how the story will turn out.  But what if we’re now able to control the entire message, and distribute that message on our branded sites, in exactly the way we want it to look? It certainly makes us more valuable to our stakeholders, does it not?

We are never going to stop doing PR in the traditional sense, of course. But as newsrooms shrink and our budgets get tighter, ultimately, it’s up to us to decide how to get the best bang for our buck. And whether it’s through pitching reporters our stories, or creating videocasts and podcasts that tell the same story, well, that’s up to you. But if it means spending half a day in an NBA locker room? Well, that’s one initiative I can support.

(Disclosure: Microsoft is an Airfoil client.)

-- Brad Marley

To be or not to be: PRSA’s APR requirement boosts profession but limits volunteer participation

Last Thursday, I received a survey from the board of directors of the Detroit chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). The board is seeking the input of chapter members to help determine whether it should take a position on a proposal to repeal of a national bylaw requiring that national PRSA officers and board members be Accredited in Public Relations (APR).  The rationale behind the proposal argues that because 80 percent of PRSA members do not hold APR status, national leadership is not truly representative of the membership.

On a normal day, I wouldn’t have taken much note of this survey or the argument behind the petition. However, as the chair elect for the society’s technology section I had spent the previous weekend at my first PRSA Leadership Rally in New York, where discussion of the APR bylaw was prevalent.  I had seen my share of the bylaw discussions online, the arguments for and against, but, as is often the case with written communications, the passion within this debate was lost on me.  I was unaware of the degree of polarity on the issue and how long the debate has been active and, dare I say, controversial.

Accreditation is the PR industry’s version of certification or licensure, although the nature of the profession does not allow for APR to be looked upon in the same way as the accounting industry views a CPA.  

The process to become APR can be understood as a three-step process: the first requires one to submit answers to a number of questions to a panel of APRs charged with gauging your understanding of fundamental concepts, theory and program design; the second is to elaborate on those answers and to demonstrate your understanding through presentation to the panel; assuming the panelists deem you ready to sit for the test, the third step is to pass a rigorous computer exam. 

Once you’ve earned accreditation, ongoing maintenance through continued professional development is required by the accrediting organization, the Universal Accreditation Board, and requires you file every three years.

For my part, I earned my APR (I do not use the word “earned” lightly here, as I dedicated many hours of study over the course of six months to ensure I passed the accreditation) a number of years ago.  In the beginning, I did not aspire to become APR out of anything more than a competitive spirit; I’m fairly competitive by nature and I work for a company lead by a number of professionals who also are APR.  Anything you can do, I can do… 

However, going through the process illuminated areas I was deficient in and allowed me to take steps to improve.  Becoming APR improved my ability to develop strategy and made me a better professional.  I believe that investment accelerated my career.  I believe my organization’s investment and cultural support of APR has made us a stronger company, allowed us to grow faster and attract some of the technology industry’s brightest companies as clients.

As for the debate within PRSA, I think there are more worthwhile professional endeavors than arguing this topic. That said, here’s my two cents: the bylaw hasn’t encouraged more of us in our industry to achieve APR and doesn’t serve the organization’s interests. PRSA is an entity that depends upon the volunteer service from its membership to help it drive the profession forward. 

In my experience, APR will not create more time to volunteer nor make you a better or more dedicated board member, so the APR requirement merely serves to limit the potential contributions from the organization’s body.  

The APR process does makes you a better practitioner and is the only mark of differentiation and competency the profession has, so if you aspire to leadership within PRSA at the national level, you should be APR. True leaders set an example for others to follow and like many of the efforts we champion, most of the APR’s value is in the journey, not the end result. 

-- Kevin Sangsland

Content farms: Candy Land for page view journalism

Welcome to the bottom of the barrel. Just last week, I wrote about the growing influence of “page views” on the quality reporting and storytelling skills that have defined the journalism industry for decades.

Yet, as alarming as that story was to me as a communications professional, the subjects raised in this recent article - appropriately titled “Mediocrity is King” – takes my frustration to a whole new level. 

Once you dig past The Huffington Post advertising example, the author sheds light on the real crux of the issue:

The growing influence that Content Farms, such as Demand Media and Associated Content, are having on the stories we find online.

Like field hands working on a farm, these content-driven organizations utilize a vast network of low-cost, freelance contributors – people who have the means to churn out written and video stories on a scale no news organization will ever be able to duplicate.

Next, by focusing on search terms and what competitors are saying, this “content assembly-line” feeds consumers stories to support a particular brand message or point-of-view.

While no one can argue against the importance of content in the digital age, I’d counter again that once we go down the path where volume trumps quality, what are we really proving here? 

Isn’t it time we recognize the use of Content Farms for what it truly is – paid advertising (poorly paid in fact) … and for what it’s not – quality journalism.

-- Janet Tyler

Millennials Take Charge of Their Online Reputations

According to a recent study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, millennials are becoming more savvy about their online reputations.  With recent uproars against Facebook and security, it is no surprise that more consumers are becoming educated about how much information is available about them online.

 

Reputation management is now top of mind for many younger individuals. What you put on the Web shapes your brand whether you are a huge corporation, small business or an individual.  As more people become more conscious of this fact, many Internet users are being more cautious about how they project themselves online, what information they are sharing, and who they are sharing that information with.

 

Interesting stats from the study:

·         More than half (57 percent) of adult internet users say they have used a search engine to look up their name and see what information was available about them online.

·         More than two-thirds (71 percent) of social networking users ages 18-29 have changed the privacy settings on their profile to limit what they share with others online.

·         More than 30 percent of all Internet users ages 18 to 64 were worried about the amount of information available about them on the Web.

·         27 percent of employed internet users now work for an employer that has policies about how they present themselves online—such as what they can post on blogs and websites or what information they can share about themselves.

·         31 percent of employed internet users have searched online for information about co-workers, professional colleagues or business competitors, up from 23 percent in 2006.

·         44 percent of online adults have searched for information about someone whose services or advice they seek in a professional capacity.

As people become more aware of their online reputation, they are also taking steps to use this space to promote themselves. After all, you are building a personal brand, right? There are certainly good reasons individuals should be more vigilant. Employers, friends, family and even neighbors are searching the Web for information about people and having creating a strong online reputation can lead to things like job opportunities, new business leads, etc. 

 

It’s great to see that more individuals are taking an active role in managing their online reputations. As the social media and the Internet continue to grow everyone needs to be more savvy about what your personal brand is saying about you.

 

-- Deana Goodrich

Airfoil Wins PRSA Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for Parrot AR.Drone Launch

Airfoil has been award a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) at its annual event in New York. Our integrated campaign with Parrot for the launch of the company’s AR.Drone, a quadricopter controlled by an iPod touch or an iPhone, at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was recognized in the marketing consumer products/technology category.

It’s a cliché in the press release world but yes, we are truly thrilled, excited and honored! Being a finalist and then winning from a field of 823 entries across all categories reinforces our team’s talent for strategically planned and remarkably executed media relations campaigns.

Appropriately titled “Out of Nowhere,” our submission showcased the disruptive and buzz-building impact the campaign had at CES. The Airfoil team created a strategic marketing communications program to build mystery and drive consumer demand for the AR.Drone. The launch drove more than 100 media briefings, 600 media mentions, more than 3,000 new Twitter followers, and was the most-viewed video on YouTube during the opening day of CES. The Parrot website also received a nine-fold increase of website visitors and received five Best of CES Awards from publications and industry groups such as WIRED and Popular Science.

In addition, Airfoil was awarded the 2010 Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation for the same campaign. The Bronze Anvil competition drew 697 entries. Of those, only 78 organizations were selected as Award of Commendation winners. Airfoil also recently received the platinum Hermes Creative Award for the same campaign.

-- Janet Tyler