Emanate Deepens Corporate Capabilities with Addition of Vice President

Posted on May 18, 2012 by

Agency Grows Expertise in Corporate Social Responsibility

May 18, 2012 – Emanate announces the addition of Talley Summerlin as Vice President in the New York office.  Summerlin will oversee corporate reputation management for Philips and provide strategic counsel and account management for the Legacy Asset Servicing division of Bank of America.

Summerlin brings 12 years of experience in areas such as corporate social responsibility and sustainability, event management, and experiential and program marketing.

Summerlin joins Emanate from EnviroMedia Social Marketing in Austin where he served as Director working with clients such as the Texas Department of State Health Services and car2go.  Prior to that, Summerlin was a Vice President at GCI Group leading programs for brands such as Dell, Seventh Generation, and Whole Foods Market.

“Building strong brand reputation is at the heart of all that we do at Emanate,” said Kiersten Zweibaum, Managing Director.  “Talley’s corporate and social responsibility background is a great asset to our team.  We’re truly excited to have Talley on board helping build campaigns that create positive impact on consumers, strengthen client reputation, and solidify brand loyalty.”

“What distinguishes reputable brands is the ability to engage audiences in a relevant, meaningful way,” said Summerlin.  “Emanate’s ‘Relevance Marketing’ approach is all about delivering the shortest path to success for clients and I look forward to working with the team to further our brands’ business goals through this strategic approach.”

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About Emanate

Emanate is a full-service, mid-sized public relations agency with expertise in integrated communications, consumer marketing, health and reputation management. The 100-person agency specializes in creating powerful calls to action that move our clients’ business. Founded in 2006, Emanate operates on three key principles: to uncover and leverage emotional insights that are at the heart of brand engagement; to provide dedicated teams for every client that are flat and feature senior staff leading every aspect of the work; and to integrate with other marketing disciplines to harness the full power of PR. In 2010, Emanate was named PRWeek’s Agency of the Year and Bulldog Reporter’s Mid-Size Agency of the Year. An Omnicom DAS company, Emanate has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, London and Munich.  Follow the Emanate team on Twitter @EmanatePR or check out www.emanatepr.com

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Keep Our Consumerization of IT in Check

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

Sometimes, conferences call or video chats just aren’t enough for that feeling of achievement after a meeting.

Communications technologies like video chats and high-quality audio speakers for conference calls have proved their worth, allowing long distance job interviews, customer meetings, partner meetings, and so much more. Fairchild Semiconductor (a client) even developed chips for mobile devices, which provide louder, better sound in a small form factor while protecting the speakers from damage. The iPhone 4s has one of the most advanced camera lenses on the market for a mobile device, and a MacBook Pro is equipped for HD Facetime.

So why does this MediaPost article say its survey respondents, specifically management-level executives, still prefer face to face communication? Continue reading →

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Relevance Marketing in the Age of Information Overload

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

“Be relevant” has long been the marketer’s mantra, and with the marketing technology and tools we have today, it seems there are no longer any excuses for being irrelevant.

Marketing automation solutions, e-Commerce platforms, behavioral targeting and analytics technologies are tracking our every move online, whether we’re reading a news article, shopping for a Mother’s Day gift, spending time on Facebook or Twitter, or watching videos on YouTube.  Marketers know what we’re doing, what we’re buying and which brands we fan and follow, so why do we still get irrelevant emails and ads served to us when we’re online?

There are a number of reasons, but a recent article in Mediapost’s SearchBlog gets to the heart of one of the biggest challenges marketers face today: data overload.  There’s so much information coming in from multiple channels that marketers are having trouble aggregating and analyzing the data into an accurate, 360 degree profile of you, the consumer.  That’s why you still get served Viagra, credit card and mani-pedi emails and offers all during one browsing experience.

The good news is that attribution tools and technologies are emerging that allow marketers to get a view into the ads and offers that are engaging consumers and then using automation to prioritize the top performers by offer and channel.  With these insights, marketers can then determine the most profitable channels and offers and optimize their campaigns.  More accurate attribution and targeting will make for a better consumer experience online.

The Mediapost piece also touches on a point that’s important for all communications professionals to keep top of mind – strategy.  Having access to all of this data, attribution and prioritized channels is a huge step.  Developing a strategy for getting the most out of your communications efforts takes it to the next level.  It’s crucial to remember that strategy comes first, and then you select the tools, technologies and approaches that lead to successful execution.

Every year ClickZ recognizes the best interactive marketing campaigns with their Connected Marketing Awards.  If you have a winning campaign, they’ll be opening nominations for the 2012 awards in mid-May.  Past winners include brands such as Dell, KFC, The National Hockey League and OpenTable.  You should check out the past winners as great examples of best practices.  You can also check out an article Ad Age ran at the end of 2011 ranking the top viral advertising campaigns of the year, featuring campaigns for Volkswagen, Apple and Old Spice.

What are some of your favorites and “best of” online marketing campaigns?

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Have You Heard of Summit Series?

Posted on May 7, 2012 by

At a luncheon a few months back I met a gentleman who, like many fathers would, began talking about his son. I asked what his son did for a living and he said well…it’s an interesting story and actually, Men’s Health just profiled him. 

Ok – you have my attention.

Josh Zabar is a leader of Summit Series. Described as “a hipper Davos,” this group engages the world’s most dynamic dreamers and doers through events and initiatives designed to make the world a better place.

A team of 20-somethings work to drive global change by inspiring the millennial generation to redefine what success looks like in business. Their events are focused on brainstorming and implementing new business ideas and solutions for global issues.

While I think it’s a great organization, and I admire them for their ambition and aspiration, there are also lessons that communicators can take from their approach.

First, a mix of diverse backgrounds can create extraordinary thinking. Summit Series’ guest lists spans the gamut of artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, activists, philanthropists and musicians – from Bill Clinton to Richard Branson, Russell Simons, to Imogene Heap and Sophia Bush. Leaders from all walks of life come together to collaborate, bringing their own unique experience to the discussion.

As PR practitioners, we work to create the next big thing for our clients. We should keep in mind that bringing together an unexpected mix of different backgrounds can be the perfect recipe for a great idea. Find interesting people outside of your own walls for your next brainstorm.

Second, changing your environment can inspire creativity. Summit Series uses environmental and physical activity to ignite creativity and offer new perspectives. Take their annual meetings for example – their 2011 event was ‘Summit at Sea’ where more than 1,000 millennial entrepreneurs set sail for three days in the Bahamas to collaborate and embark on group activities.

So next time you have writer’s block, get out of the office. Walk to the Ford Foundation with your laptop and sit in the midst of that greenery. Or take your team to the park on the corner of Tudor City Place and East 43rd Street for your next planning meetings. Wherever you are, find a place to go. The best ideas don’t always happen in a conference room.

The team at Summit Series reminds us that unconventional approaches can make a big difference and help us arrive at new ideas. In their case, they want to find new ways to do business that make everyone more responsible for positive change around the world. What do you want to do for your clients? For the place you work?

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How Much Do You Trust Google?

Posted on May 7, 2012 by

Recently, the Federal Trade Commission escalated its antitrust case against Google by hiring an outside litigator to investigate whether the company is using its search engine to promote its own products over its competition.

The case is just one of many image problems the tech giant is currently facing, including recently changing its privacy policies and its terms of service to allow it to unlock an individual’s web search history and use it for its own purposes.

The problems have resulted in scores of articles and blog post questioning Google’s motives, as well as its unofficial, but highly publicized, mission statement to “do no evil.”

If this is true, Google’s current problems are going to require much more than a quick fix because they cut at the very heart of the company’s identity.

For more than a decade, Google gained the trust of its users and increased its reputation as one of the greatest brands on the planet by delivering a product that seemed to put the user’s interest ahead of its own. Now for the first time, Google’s users may not feel so trusting.

Any time a company is viewed as operating in contravention to its mission statement, particularly one that has been so highly publicized, audience trust dissipates.

The question yet to be answered now isn’t if Google can do what it wants but rather, at what expense to its reputation.

As communications professionals, we know a company’s reputation isn’t created in the board room or based just on how much money it’s making— it’s a reflection of how the public, its employees, its investors and the like, view it.

In the constantly changing tech industry, it’s even more important to keep close tabs on reputation because it’s relatively easy to regain a loss in profit but exceedingly difficult to revive a reputation. Google should remember that its reputation may have more influence on its longevity that its market position.

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Effective Video Strategies

Posted on April 30, 2012 by

With the rapid proliferation of digital devices, consumers have drastically changed how they view content whether at home, at work or on the go.  Video has quickly emerged as a dominant communication channel – one that brands can not only use to reach their target audience directly but also influence and drive their behavior.  According to a recent study by comScore and Expo, while professionally-produced videos can be effective, they are even more potent when used in combination with  authentic, user-generated videos.  The study examined a campaign that used both in tandem and found that the result was a higher level sales and satisfaction.

To understand why the combination is so successful, consider what each video aims to achieve.  The branded video conveys key messages – the product benefits as the company would have the consumer believe.  The customer testimonial brings those benefits to life by providing an emotional connection and authenticity that reinforces the reasons to believe.  As a result, consumers feel more confident in their product choice and view the brand overall more favorably.  Furthermore, they are more likely to make additional purchases and recommendations.

These findings underscore what it takes for any video campaign to succeed.  First, your content must engage the audience, fulfilling a need or purpose in their life.  Second, you must communicate in a way that resonates, delivering a clear message that is in a language – and voice – the consumer understands.  Third, your video needs to have weight, influencing perceptions of the brand and driving behavior.  Finally, you need a roadmap for distribution, fundamentally understanding what outlets your audience consumers, how often, when and how to get there.   By understanding the audience on a deep level, marketers can implement a video strategy with content that is most relevant to their audience.

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Emanate Wins Big at the MCV Industry Excellence Awards

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

Emanate were crowned winners at the MCV Industry Excellence Awards 2012 last night.  The annual awards ceremony, held at the Lancaster Gate Hotel, honours the achievements of the UK games industry across fields including publishing, sales, marketing, PR and retail.  Emanate were nominated as part of Ubisoft’s entry in the ‘PR Team’ category and beat other nominees including Nintendo/Bell Pottinger and SEGA/Mischief PR.  The award was voted for by 100 UK games journalists and symbolises the fantastic work Ubisoft and Emanate has achieved over the last 12 months.

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