In the 1970s and 1980s, Folgers ran an advertising campaign that had hidden cameras showing diners enjoying coffee in high-end restaurants.

The catch? The coffee was actually Folgers and not some hoity toity brand you’d expect in a white tablecloth restaurant.

Many other companies have replicated the campaign, including Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Coke, Pepsi, and now Marie Callender’s.

Last month, ConAgra, the company that owns the brand, and Ketchum, their PR firm, invited food and mom bloggers to a night out with “Ultimate Cake Off” host George Duran and (my favorite) food analyst Phil Lempert. The invitation was to an underground NYC restaurant, Sotto Terra, where they were told they’d enjoy a “delicious four-course meal,” the celebrity chef’s “one-of-a-kind sangria,” and learn about food trends. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Jeanine Black.

Gini Dietrich recently wrote about the pros and cons of working for a large or a boutique agency. It made me think about the same arguments for agency vs. corporate sides.

There is green grass on both sides; deciding which side you like best is key.

I have worked at a small marketing/PR firm, as a freelance writer and consultant, and now as the only in-house marketing professional for a CPA firm with 70 employees. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Alicia Kan.  She is presenting next week’s Spin Sucks Pro webinar on crisis communications. You’ll find more information below.

From BP to Kenneth Cole to Mattel, there is no lack of disasters that we, as communications professionals, can analyze and learn from. These examples add to the growing body of guides on how to survive a corporate crisis played out in social media.

Each case prescribes the best practices we know are elemental in handling a tough situation: Take ownership, use all channels to share and reiterate key messages, actively engage with customers, reply to critics quickly and factually, explain what you are doing to resolve the situation, and be transparent.

In all these cases however, one thing is curiously missing. No one ever talks about the forgotten stakeholders: Employees.

Across the company spectrum, from rank-and-file staff to even senior executives, very few crisis communications plans are designed to keep employees top-of-mind. Continue Reading »

On the radio yesterday, they did an interview with Daniel Kibblesmith, a 27-year-old comedy writer for Groupon.

Rumor has it he’s one of Chicago’s most eligible bachelors.

And, apparently last night, he was the guy date on The Millionaire Matchmaker. I’ve never seen the show, but I’ve heard the guys who are typically on there are douchebags.

But that’s neither here nor there. Continue Reading »

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you some news.

I’m writing a book.

With Geoff Livingston.

Yes, the guy who dresses in drag.

But he only does it for charity, so he can’t be all that bad. Right?

The problem?  Continue Reading »

I’m going to be frank. Between two speaking engagements, an earthquake, an airport evacuation, sitting on the tarmac for three hours, and missing my bike ride two days in a row, I’m grouchy, tired, and I look like poop.

So instead of Facebook question of the week (clap, clap, clap or long whistle as John Trader does), I’m going to post the video I did with Steve Farnsworth in Baltimore a couple of months ago.

We talk about the key to starting a successful blogger outreach campaign. It’s not very long, but you’ll notice after he does his fancy ending, there are still a few seconds left on the video. Continue Reading »

Today’s post is written by Lisa Gerber.

Last week Marijean Jaggers invited me to guest blog about A Day in the Life of a Chief Content Officer. I mentioned our editorial calendar spreadsheet which is pivotal to any content marketing strategy, and thus, my job. It drew a lot of questions, the most popular being, “Can I see your spreadsheet?”

Well, every situation is different, so showing you our Excel spreadsheet won’t necessarily help, but let’s talk about how to develop your editorial calendar. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Neicole Crepeau.

Recently, Gini Dietrich wrote about Achieving Workplace Equality that referenced an article  “A Rant About Women” in which the author said that women would go further if they were more self-promotional. Gini isn’t so sure we women need to be self-promotional, but I’ve found that tooting my own horn is an important and necessary part of doing business.

I learned that lesson during my 13 years at Microsoft.

Don’t get me wrong; I was raised not to brag. My parents brought me up to let my work speak for itself. I don’t like to gloat and to this day I tend to be a bit embarrassed when people praise me. Nevertheless, during the years at Microsoft, I learned to regularly note and promote my achievements. While my work is the main reason that I got great reviews and was considered a star performer, I have no doubt that my efforts to get that work noticed helped significantly. Continue Reading »

A couple of weeks ago, I was driving to work and I heard an ad on the radio that the day marked the beginning of Shark Week.

Actually, I didn’t really pay attention to the ad; I’m sure I was flipping stations. But a few minutes later I heard THE BEST Shark Week PR.

I have no idea if Discovery Channel actually sent this to the radio stations. If they did, it seriously is the best PR ever.

There are 20 things that are more likely to kill you than sharks.

Are you ready? Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Laura Click.

In the past few weeks, I’ve been asked by a number of PR and marketing professionals for advice on their job search in this tough market.

Although the economy has made finding a job difficult, there are number ways to give yourself the edge and help you land an awesome PR job. Continue Reading »