Author: Margot Horgan

The Return of Blue: Trending Now

Margot HorganBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Fashion, , ,

We make it our business to keep up on all of the latest style trends, and today our intern Carly (more on this rising PR superstar coming soon!) is reporting on one of this season’s hottest – or should we say coolest – colors. 

Ever since colored jeans became a hot trend, blue seems to have taken a back seat in the fashion industry. However, this season our favorite cool color tone is making a big comeback in the dramatically fashionable hue, indigo.

Fashion designer Tracy Reese says her customers are always drawn to the moody, yet beautiful, color because “it looks good on everyone.” You can pair indigo with any color palette, whether it is bold and striking or soft and dreamy. To stand out, add a bright accessory and matching heels to an indigo outfit, or add an indigo scarf atop cream-colored blouses to enhance an otherwise simple outfit.

Indigo inspiration from Tracy Reese
Indigo inspiration from designer, Tracy Reese

The color trend continues in home décor this season, as well. Elle Décor flaunts tie dyed indigo patterns on wallpapers, wall coverings, throw pillows and rugs, and draws design inspiration from  the dreamy blue-accented Grecian villages along the Mediterranean Sea. Anthropologie boasts an entire line this spring called Everything Indigo in which the color is found in anything from shift dresses to accessories, including iPhone cases, dishes and vases. North Carolina-based tablewear and home decor company Vietri is also on-trend this season with its new collection, Maremisto. The assorted dishware features deep indigo hues accented with pops of color and nautical designs.

The Maremisto Collection by Vietri
The Maremisto Collection by Vietri

So, there’s no reason to feel blue this season as indigo pops up everywhere like budding springtime flowers. Whether it is gracing the runways of top clothing designers, accenting trendy pieces of furniture, or sprinkled in the designs of fine china, indigo is a dominating color this season. The Spring 2014 Pantone Fashion Color Report says so.

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Activating PR after the Super Bowl

Margot HorganBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Marketing, , , , , 1 Comment on Activating PR after the Super Bowl

Today’s guest post is written by NCPRSA board member, Robert Carver.

You know the drill – create a super fantastic Doritos TV ad, send it to Doritos, get it viewed online by like a zillion people who vote for – YOU – then see your handiwork aired during the Super Bowl.  In the process, you take home a million bucks and, along with a second lucky winner, get to work on the new movie “Marvel’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

Too easy.

Hold on, Mr. DeMille.  You’re not quite ready for your close-up.  Many have tried and failed to win the coveted contest – witness the WaPo blogger with the North Carolina-connected husband who’s spent countless hours and, presumably, a Doritos delivery vanload of money trying to secure his star on the cheesy snack’s walk of fame. “Crash the Super Bowl VIII” has been no different.

Now, after the zillion views and votes, “Time Machine” has won, beating out the dog-riding kid wrangler, wrongly-accused ostrich, nacho cheese-covered office guy and the – insert collective “ewwwwww!” here – finger-cleaning glory hole (one wonders what videos the producers of this one were watching during the creative process), what do the gurus at Doritos do to continue riding the bow wave of PR and marketing success?

Clearly, the Doritos brand has positioned itself as a fun American stalwart. People just like these tasty triangles and the lifestyle they represent. Though the earned media coverage enjoyed in conjunction with the Super Bowl itself will likely ebb in the days following the big game, the brand team needs to continue to capitalize on the worldwide and interactive conversation it’s started with its customers.

So, how to keep them engaged? Some possibilities in no particular order.

1. Doritos “Crash” Studio – Doritos holds another contest. To enter, you submit an entry number found on the inside of Doritos bags online at a contest web site.  Winners attend a “crash” course in video production taught by the two guys who did the online tips video. Winners also get the latest laptop outfitted with video editing software and a suitable video camera with accessories. The best student projects get posted online and voted on by like the same zillion folks and millions more of their friends with the winner winning more big bucks and having their ad air in a national campaign.

2. Cheesiest “Crash” Video – Hold, yeah, another contest. This time for the cheesiest “Crash” videos. Online voting, online conversation about, you get the picture.

3. Behind-The-Scenes at “Marvel’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron” – Follow the winners of the “Crash” contest around, maybe a live stream of some elements, with attendant online chats with the winners who relate their experiences. Post a completed behind-the-scenes video to YouTube and invite people to the conversation.

4. You at the Zoo – Since a good percentage of the finalist ads had animals in them, how about a photo contest with customers sending in pictures of themselves with animals – and, of course, Doritos.

5. “Crash” Diet – Doritos and fitness. Doritos can encourage a healthy lifestyle focused on responsible eating in a campaign to help fight obesity and its associated conditions and illnesses.

Just some thoughts. The possibilities are endless! Let the creative juices “crash” into one another and churn out the best ideas. Oh, and pop open a bag of Doritos as you enjoy the juice! If you were hired, what would you do?

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Is a creative spark just a Tweet away?

Margot HorganBlog, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , 1 Comment on Is a creative spark just a Tweet away?

Have you ever turned to social media to overcome a writer’s block or creative drought? And, no, we’re not talking about aimlessly scrolling through Pinterest or photo stalking your Facebook pictures from eight years ago. We’re talking about taking the vast amount of knowledge and ideas that are available through social media and using them to create something amazing. As professionals in an industry where it literally pays to be creative, it’s important to always be looking for our next creative spark. As you’ll see below, our intern Sam is using Twitter to surround herself with a creativity brain trust of sorts to keep her mind in the know and her creative juices flowing. 

As public relations professionals, it’s our job to be creative.

Briefly, public relations is all about communicating the right message to the right people at the right time through the right medium. On the surface, it sounds as if it could become a bit formulaic. But, if we do it correctly, it won’t. Yes, all good PR plans have discernable goals, objectives, strategies and tactics. But, in true one-size-does-not-fit-all form, one PR pro’s trash has the potential to be another’s treasure; creativity can make all of the difference.

It takes a creative mind to come up with a message. It takes a creative mind to figure out how to move people to care or to act. And, it takes a creative mind to leverage the right medium in the right way. Oh, and at the risk of sounding redundant, it also takes creativity to pitch those stories that don’t exactly draw media in; to handle sticky client situations; and to win new client accounts.

Now that we’ve got the important buzzword of “creativity” out on the table, where can you go to find that creative spark? Most recently, I’ve turned to Twitter.

In a world where we’re on the go, yet still need to be in the know, knowledge in the form of 140 characters can be the perfect inspirational spark. Follow current events, academics, think tanks, industry leaders, inspirational speakers, tech news, communication news, trend reports and more.

Here are some of my favorites to get you started, though you can check out my ever-changing list here:

  1.  @medium — Everyone’s stories and ideas.
  2. @upworthy — Things that matter. Pass ’em on.
  3. @trendwatching — Trendwatching.com is an independent consumer trends firm, relying on two thousand spotters worldwide.
  4. @contagious — Contagious is the global authority on the intersection of marketing communications, consumer culture and emerging technology.
  5. @WarcAmericas — Warc is a knowledge service giving access to the best thinking, the best research, and the best practices globally.
  6. @mintelnews — Mintel is an independent award-winning provider of world-leading market intelligence, delivering robust information, analysis and critical recommendations.
  7. @springwise — Springwise scans the globe for smart new business ideas, delivering instant inspiration to entrepreneurial minds.
  8. @coolhunting — Cool Hunting is a daily update on ideas and products in the intersection of art, design, culture and technology.
  9. @PSFK — Inspiring creative business.
  10. @PRdailynews — The Best Daily Public Relations and Corporate Communications News. Knowledge hub for smart comm pros in a digital age.
  11. @PRDaily — Official feed for http://www.PRDaily.com . Your one-stop shop for news on PR, marketing, social media & more.
  12. @FastCompany — Official Twitter feed for the Fast Company business media brand; inspiring readers to think beyond traditional boundaries & create the future of business.
  13. @mashable — News, resources, inspiration and fun for the connected generation.
  14. @TheThinkTankPR — PR Team at The Think Tank, integrated marketing and PR agency in Clerkenwell, London – http://www.thinktank.org.uk.
  15. @TED — The OFFICIAL feed for the daily TED Talk. Only new talks are posted here.

And so, I challenge you to cultivate a library of brains to virtually surround you. I promise, you’ll be better (and more creative) for it.

Where do you look for creative inspiration? Any Twitter handles I should add to my list?

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Researchers Predict Facebook Lifespan

Margot HorganBlog, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , , 2 Comments on Researchers Predict Facebook Lifespan

With flu season in full swing, it’s only fitting that researchers have extended epidemiological models of the disease outbreak to the tech world. And if you’re one of the 1.3 billion individuals addicted to Facebook, you better get your tissues ready.

Claiming that social networks are similar to infectious diseases, a recent study from Princeton University posits that Facebook will lose 80 percent of its peak user base between 2015 and 2017. Specifically, the study states that Facebook has already reached the peak of its popularity, and it has now entered into a decline phase (remember, just a few months ago, Facebook admitted to losing its hold over the teen segment). Note: popularity is measured according to search engine queries.

According to the study, “Ideas, like diseases, have been shown to spread infectiously between people before eventually dying out, and have been successfully described with epidemiological model… Idea manifesters ultimately lose interest with the idea and no longer manifest the idea, which can be thought of as the gain of “immunity” to the idea.” 

Screen Shot 2014-01-24 at 9.57.30 AM

Of course, much of the study’s argument is built on the case study of MySpace’s decline in popularity. And while MySpace may certainly be considered a relative of Facebook, I’m not entirely convinced that the two are twins. With continuous innovations in mobile and cross-platform integration, Facebook has rooted itself deeply in its users’ lives.

So, should we mourn the death of Facebook? No, not yet.

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TRW features Top Menu Trends

Margot HorganBlog, In Our Community, Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR, , , , , , , , 3 Comments on TRW features Top Menu Trends

If you’re a foodie living in the Raleigh-Durham metro area, you’re excited for what this week has in store. Triangle Restaurant Week is back and area restaurants are serving up delicious menus – many of which feature some of 2014’s hottest food trends.

Labeled, “a celebration of culinary excellence,” Triangle Restaurant Week is a weeklong event with participating restaurants offering special three-course and five course-course lunch and dinner menu options and wallet-friendly fixed pricing.

With more than 70 top restaurants from Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill and the surrounding areas partaking in this twice-yearly epicurean event, it’s no surprise that they are featuring delectable fare as well as offerings that have been dubbed some of the hottest menu trends for 2014.

Each year, the National Restaurant Association surveys chefs from across the country on which foods, cuisines, beverages and culinary themes will be the upcoming year’s biggest menu trends. The 2014 What’s Hot culinary forecast surveyed nearly 1,300 professional chefs from the American Culinary Federation, asking participants to label more than 250 items as a “hot trend,” “yesterday’s news” or “perennial favorite.”

What the National Restaurant Association found is that, “the top restaurant menu trends for 2014 focus on local sourcing, environmental sustainability and nutrition.” Locally sourced meats and seafood, locally grown produce and environmental sustainability are the highest-ranking trends, and can be found in a number of Triangle Restaurant Week menus.

via National Restaurant Association
via National Restaurant Association

Raleigh’s 18 Seaboard focuses of North Carolina ingredients, and nearly all of its Triangle Restaurant Week menu offerings include locally sourced products. At Local 22 Kitchen and Bar in Durham, everything served is sourced within 30 miles of its location. Other on-trend Triangle Restaurant Week participants include, Battistellas, Mia Francesca Trattori, Piedmont Restaurant, Lucky 32, Little Hen and more.

 

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