This past Sunday night was the Super Bowl for music lovers, and although the hype for commercials at the Grammy Awards is far less emphasized, there were a handful of heavy-hitters making a statement, and an impression.

For one, Chipotle. The title sponsor of the night’s festivities went big:

Once you enter the professional world of advertising and PR, you never view commercials the same way again. After spending the first 20 seconds or so intrigued by the story playing out, my mind went into business mode, clicking through and checking off boxes on what exactly made this commercial brilliant and effective:

• It was unusual and interesting – from the get-go, you weren’t really sure what it was advertising and what it was trying to say, but you knew it was…
• ….visually captivating! Kudos to the art directors.
• It was made with the audience in mind. It included elements that appeal directly to music lovers watching the Grammys (I’m guessing it took the average viewer 2.5 seconds to identify Willie Nelson covering Coldplay, and another 2.5 to Google the song)
• There was a clear brand message. We use natural ingredients. The end.
• The clear brand message was tied to a charitable cause.
• There was a clear call to action for that charitable cause. The end of the commercial featured the promise of something unique and unobtainable elsewhere – a download of the Willie Nelson cover, only available on iTunes, where 60% of the money earned by Chipotle and Willie would go to the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation.
• It was designed for social media integration. The commercial was meant to induce conversation, and they were ready to participate, with the commercial running on their YouTube channel and careful watching and responding to comments on Facebook and Twitter.

Going through this mental checklist as the commercial played on, it occurred to me that not only are these the rules we apply at MMI, they are each 100% scaleable to the task at hand. Large or small, campaigns with a message, means of sharing that message and a clear, concise call to action can go a long way to achieving the desired outcome. At MMI, it’s such a pleasure to be a part of this process for clients–never forgetting to draw from the world around us to see what new, magical experiences we can create next for our clients and the audiences they wish to reach.

Picking up right where 2010 ended, things are moving and shaking in the world of new business. While we may not be out of the woods yet in terms of the recession, the influx of new business opportunities throughout the first quarter of 2011 offers encouraging signs of a positive turn-around in the marcom world.

Across the board –whether it’s marketing, interactive, advertising, PR – proposals and RFPs are cycling through at a very quick pace. Companies in various industries are shifting their attention back to proactively positioning their products and services in the forefront of consumers’ minds. Continue reading →

In case you missed the year’s most talked about commercials, we’ve been sifting through the good, the bad and the ugly. Here are a few of my personal faves: Continue reading →

Journalists, PR and communications folks live, breathe, and most certainly write, by the omnipotent guidelines outlined in The Associated Press Stylebook. Now, for the first time, its 2010 edition now provides a separate section on social media information, policies, guidelines and definitions.

Perhaps as a sign of the times, although the AP Stylebook is just now making this inclusion of social media information, they’ve had a significant social media presence for some time. In addition to the official AP Facebook pages and Twitter account there are four separate groups on Facebook called “The AP Stylebook is my Bible”  and even a parody Twitter account that has 44,000 followers. Continue reading →

The Wall Street Journal recently posed the question: How Can Young Women Develop a Leadership Style? The article discusses how young women face unique challenges in developing a leadership style that works for them.  It’s often tricky for women to find the right balance, establishing a leadership style that is both motivating and assertive.

This is an important question to address for young women entering the PR profession since women now outnumber men in the industry. Fortunately, because of the gender shift, there are more female role models for young women to observe so they can start to cultivate a leadership style early on and find a style that best suits them. Continue reading →