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Pepsi & Whose Accountability?

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I wrote recently about Pepsi and Waste Management’s big thrust into kiosk recycling with points awarded to those who deposit their trash. My post was on the strength of the media relations results I saw supporting the launch strategy; impressive. This week’s newly designed and jam-packed Bloomberg BusinessWeek also boasted a story hit for the partnership’s new recycling program – another huge win for public relations.

On the flip side, my blog post sparked a comment that Pepsi was contributing to obesity in the U.S.; the writer was none too happy with my “good job, Pepsi marketing public relations kudos.”

He got me thinking.

Via Fast Company, April; "Made to Stick" Courtesy of New York City Health Department

When I saw the April Fast Company “Made to Stick” column written by Dan Heath and Chip Heath, it was time to put these brain spurts into a semblance of something. The Heaths suggested soda pop may be the next venue for health wars. Gotta love Fast Company headlines that tell the whole story, “After seeing a strikingly effective ad campaign, (the Heaths) wonder whether sodas will be the next cigarettes.”

Back in my Chicago agency days, I represented the National Association of Concessionaires when the Center for Science in the Public Interest attacked the food chain one fat gram after another. The NAC was targeted for theater popcorn – the highly salted, loaded-with-butter, heart-attack-waiting-to-happen snack. Chinese food was next in line.

Where’s  corporate responsibility in this world? Is it a company’s mission to ensure the products it manufactures are healthy, low-fat, low-sugar and contribute to the overall wellness of the nation? Or, isn’t it?

How about the other factor in this equation = you + me. What we place in our mouth has a lot to do with choice. Whether we elect to live life on the couch is all about self-accountability. Is it a corporation’s business to ensure my healthy future or should I be accountable, too?

(P.S. In my late-night reading, I tore from the May Scientific American a Perspectives column, “Underage, Overweight; The federal government needs to halt the marketing of unhealthy foods to kids.”

It’s a can of worms, Folks; you be the judge.

(Thanks to Michelle Hellyar for her low- calorie, low- sugar, low-fat  brain power on this.)

Storytelling and Dolls

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Photo by Jamie Chung, Fast Company

A story in the April Fast Company has me thinking three ways:

When Mattel’s Barbie celebrated her 40th birthday, and my colleague and I represented the American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons as its public relations firm for three years, the opportunity was too good to pass up.

My idea was to issue a press release on PR Newswire blasting Barbie for still wearing high heels every day through her fourth decade. The podiatric surgeons were none too pleased the media preferred to invite comments about Barbie’s footgear over their technologically advanced titanium implants.

Because my daughter was an early adopter of all things Bratz (those too sexy dolls that rivaled Barbie), and I followed progress of the legal battle between the two companies for intellectual property rights (Mattel won), I was eager to learn more about the new Liv dolls by Spin Master Toys.

I tore the Fast Company story for future reference. Upon a second glance at the headline, I was struck — “Watch Your Back, Barbie!!! How Spin Master Toys created the hit Liv dolls, a thoroughly modern marriage of tech, storytelling and 21st-century marketing that has industry giant Mattel looking over its shoulder.” (And, that’s just the headline.)

Storytelling! Forget about Barbie’s high heels and Bratz. Storytelling!

Spin Master Toys offers a perfect example of the role storytelling plays in brand development prior to product launch.

The new team hired by Spin Master developed a narrative for the four dolls in the collection BEFORE the dolls had a name. The team created an imaginary high school, and characteristics for each girl doll were inspired from teen behavior observed at surf shops, malls and frozen yogurt stands. Diversity was added to the story (rather than just in the skin tone and facial features of the dolls themselves) which directly aligned with toy industry trends about how little girls play. The back story for each Liv doll was a critical component of the go-to-market strategy.

Enter media relations.

With storytelling on the marketing and brand side of things aimed at the end user, public relations can pick up and add that rich flavor to content we develop to tell a story to a middle gatekeeper of news (in essence, we’re selling the story with a pitch).

Seeing this reference to storytelling prominently in the headline of a major business publication is a thoughtful exercise in looking at products differently. While public relations may not engage in consumer storytelling when pitching the media, you can bet we will engage in consumer storytelling within the realm of social media.

What examples might you have about how storytelling impacted a product launch, media relations situation, or social media opportunity? While you’re thinking, I’m going to take another look at Liv dolls at Target today.

PepsiCo And Its Earth Day Trifecta

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Had another post all ready to go, and then I opened today’s Wall Street Journal which changed everything.

PepsiCo (and Waste Management) announced yesterday a recycling program called Dream Machine with kiosks that reward users. I didn’t know this until just now. Back track to earlier this morning when I was scanning the morning paper:

Full-Page Advertisement

PepsiCo announced a new recycling program today that I first learned about in a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal in section one.

  • The ad appealed to me because our family voraciously recycles down to a worry about #4 plastics and how we can properly dispose of them.
  • I wondered how I could participate, get a dream machine for me, and whether I had to drink Pepsi to be on board (no pop consumed in my home).
  • The ad piqued my interest on the first viewing; great stats for ROI.

Social Media

The link in the ad referred me to the Dream Machine Facebook page. I tore the page to reference the url later. (I just visited the page and became a fan; 355 members to date — not too many, but enough, considering the program launched April 21. The page is incredibly well done with multi-media.)

Media Relations

Jump to Wall Street Journal in  “Corporate News.” Here’s the light bulb…PepsiCo in Recycling Push, a corner, above the fold story about the Fortune 50 company (along with NYSE: WM), announcing its new Dream Machine program.

  • “Up to 3,000 kiosks are to be put in high-traffic places this year, with incentives for consumers,” says the story call out.
  • “Every time you recycle with a PepsiCo dream machine, we’ll make a donation to help disabled veterans start their own businesses,” says the full-page advertisement.

Why is this significant? Take a look at timing with Earth Day. Look at the integrated marketing strategy with the blending of advertising, public relations, media relations, social media and thought leadership, among many others I’ve not discovered.

I applaud the marketing, advertising, public relations teams (corporate and agency) for their integrated and highly strategic work to launch what impresses me as a campaign exactly right for the time. Review its audiences (disabled vets, eco-conscious consumers, future consumers, Facebookers, corporate partners, stakeholders, and so many more). There’s something in this campaign that resonates with a plethora of audiences.

Nicely done, PepsiCo; nicely done.

Word-of-Mouth, Toyota and Me

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I did a bit of word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing yesterday asking my tweet stream for opinions in re my Toyota dilemma — buy my Toyota Highlander off lease, turn it in, buy another Toyota, or purchase a new brand altogether?

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal pushed me one step closer to the latter. I’m a fiercely brand loyal consumer; yet, all the news of voluntary recalls across the spectrum of Toyota vehicles has me increasingly nervous. In Toyota’s defense, my 2007 vehicle escaped floor mat and brake pedal recall, although the engine did rev while in park in the driveway.

A Twitter pal suggested I look at the Ford Freestyle and Volvo 90. So, I did and was impressed with both from the looks of Web marketing collateral. A family member has suggested the Chevy Traverse.

Then, I read McKinsey Quarterly: The Online Journal April 2010 article, “A New Way to Measure Word-of-Mouth Marketing,” and it got me thinking. Several statements are worth noting:

  • “WOM is the primary factor behind 20 to 25 percent of all purchasing decisions. Its influence is greatest when consumers are buying a product for the first time or when products are relatively expensive.”
  • “Consumers are overloaded and skeptical about traditional company-driven marketing and advertising and increasingly prefer to make purchasing decisions largely independent of what companies tell them.”

For anyone engaged in WOM marketing, Toyota owners (me included) are a classic audience for this channel of communication. I’ve already engaged with reliable sources within social media, and as a blogger, I’m asking for other opinions from readers which I’ll weigh and consider heavily. My trust in Toyota is waning, sadly, which means I’m seeking new information during a lengthy research phase that will influence my purchase.

Was Toyota transparent? No. Did it used to be trustworthy? Yes. Is it now? No. Does it deserve another chance? Not sure, and that’s where WOM comes in to play.

How has WOM affected your purchasing decisions of late? Is this truly a form of viable marketing, or is it just another label for something we consumers have been doing for years? Please, join the conversation!

Happy Anniversary, Terracom!

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In the ’90s, I was president of the Publicity Club of Chicago. I served on its board of directors six years, served on and chaired nearly every committee, won distinguished service awards and a Silver Trumpet, and met some amazing colleagues who are now friends.

One of these dear women is Christine Esposito, founder of Terracom Public Relations in Chicago.

Because I can, right here in my treasured space, I am blowing a Golden Trumpet in honor of Terracom’s 20th year in environmental public relations. As Earth Day hits 40 this month, Christine hits 20 green years. Happy Anniversary, Lady!

Christine is one of the most vibrant women and consummate professionals within our trade. Why she impresses me has much to do with her moxie in self-promotion. As a SMB, marketing is a challenging task we all love to hate; Christine makes it go as smooth as silk.

  • She’s been pitching stories about herself to Chicago media; I even flagged her mention in U.S. News & World Report as a spokesperson on green, recently.
  • She launched a Facebook fan page I encourage you to join.
  • She became a Twitter pal, and we are frequently connected.
  • She just launched her latest installment in celebratory marketing with a video (accessible on Facebook with link above) — putting herself in front of a camera to wax poetic about the founding and growth of her business over 20 years.

Today, I gift unto you deserved recognition, Ms. Esposito, for your two decades as a successfully green and sustainable womenpreneur, colleague and friend. Congrats!

Terracom Public Relations advances the goals of nonprofit organizations, government agencies and small to mid-sized companies through strategic public relations and marketing communications. Christine Esposito, President