New Facebook Questions: Yes or No?

Most of you have probably noticed something new in your Facebook news feed... a query, a cute little bar chart, a couple options to choose from and your friend's thumbnails. What is Facebook up to now?

As frequent Facebookers know, the cronies and comrades of Mark Zuckerberg are always trying to improve the social network of our generation. This new application is simply called "Questions." It allows anyone to type up and ask a question to the entire Facebook nation. The service is supposed to act as a resource for everyone, from students to businesses.

Why should I care about Questions?
Questions are informative; as Facebook puts it, "learn from your friends." Whether we admit it or not, we care about what other people think. Where is the best place to eat in San Diego? Are you going to the Lady Gaga concert? NorCal or SoCal? Everyone wants to know what everyone else is doing, saying, liking, etc. I mean, isn't that why we are on Facebook so much in the first place?

What makes Questions different than other Q&A sites?
Unlike other websites like Yahoo! Answers and Quora, Facebook Questions is not open-ended. Answers are definitive and can be suggested through a drop-down menu suggesting existing Facebook pages.

What does this mean for marketing and public relations?
Informal research just got a lot easier. Businesses and organizations can now speak directly to consumers and publics. They can make better informed and appropriate decisions by simply asking a question they would like answered. What's your favorite flavor at Yogurtland? Who do you want to see in concert this summer? Where is your favorite place to go shopping?

My next question is, will you be using Facebook Questions?

What Makes a Celebrity Icon?

Is it a pretty face?

great body?

pure talent?

Or, do some people just have that certain "something"? As more and more articles popped up surrounding Elizabeth Taylor's passing I began wondering not just how, by why she had lasted in Hollywood as long as she did... which was basically her entire life. She was in countless movies, prom

otions and ad campaigns. Her performance deb

ut came at the ripe age of three when she performed ballet before the Queen. She first appeared in film at age ten and her last motion picture was just a f

ew years back. She had 8 husbands, a love affair with expensive jewelry and food, and was always on the brim of eloquently having a double chin. However, she was at one time regarded as the most beautiful woman in the world. Would that happen in this day and age? She wasn't a stick, she didn't have a personal trainer and hadn't had plastic surgery like the Hollywood stars of today.

The truth was that she had a remarkable symmetrical face, which has been pro

ven time and again to equal beauty. Taylor

therefore didn't have a bad angle and had men and women alike swooning ov

er her.

Back to my question... why did she become such an iconic figure? Perhaps it was natural talent. She had very little professional training and was able to play a wide range of roles. For a good part of her career on the silver stage, all you had to do was cast her name in a movie and it was a hit.

Maybe it was elegant beauty, her face could sell almost anything and she never had lack of activity in her love live. Her eyes and smile sold shampoo, fragrances, boxes of chocolates, and even carpet flooring. Ad Week's blog, Ad Freak, takes it as far as to call her a "marketing pioneer" - she w

as the first celebrity to launch her own line of perfume in 1991, which is now commonplace practice.

Ms. Elizabeth Taylor was able to have a 7-decade long career in an industry known for loving the young and beautiful, and passing on the older and already viewed. She beat the odds. She wasn't supper

thin, and she had flaws she allowed the world to see. Taylor captured the heart of America and is rightfully placed in the same category as Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, and Grace Kelly.

Who will be our generation's iconic Liz Taylor or Marilyn Monroe?

Why them the

m? Why Liz Taylor? What creates and preserves and icon?

~Sadie

Professional Association Involvement: A PR Must!

As a Bailey Gardiner PR intern and the president of San Diego State's Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter, I am a huge advocate for professional associations and the benefits that come with participation.

The public relations world is small and the quickest way to jump in and familiarize yourself with the community is to join PRSA (if you're a professional) or PRSSA (if you're a student).

PRSSA is the largest organization for students interested in public relations. There are over 300 chapters and 10,000 members in the United States. If your college or university doesn't have a chapter, PRSSA National offers an affiliate program that connects you with the closest PRSA chapter and professionals. PRSSA supports the advancement of the public relations field and the professional development of future practitioners. Every year they hold a national conference, national assembly and regional activities.

Another option is to join the Public Relations Society of America San Diego Imperial Counties. PRSA SDIC holds networking events, socials and workshops for local professionals. There is even a NewPros committee to help introduce us newbies into the professional world.

Personally, I've seen my professional association involvement pay off tenfold. I've met some of my best friends, grown as a professional, expanded my network and learned a lot about public relations. But most importantly, I've built relationships and isn't that what PR is all about? Not to mention I've done a bit of traveling with PRSSA, which wasn't too bad... :)

I encourage fellow interns and students out there to get involved and see what kind of benefits they reap. Hopefully I'll see you at a few events coming up in the near future.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, let me know!

Best,
Robin

Little Italy, Home Sweet Home

Hello World,

Not only have I had a blast spending the last few months getting to know the staff and goings-on at Bailey Gardiner, but I've also had the opportunity to further acquaint myself with Downtown San Diego, an area I previously refused to drive around in (one-way streets have never been my thing).

Just before I started in January, the office picked up and relocated from Hillcrest, a move many at BG were excited about. I'm here to say that the enthusiasm for the new digs is still goin' strong, as I received many a chipper response to a recent inquiry of mine. Since I am going to be interning here until June (yay!), I thought I'd send some love to BG's new(ish) Little Italy neighbors and share the responses from my question: "What is your favorite thing about Little Italy?"

Drumroll please...

• Melina Cazimero: 1. Filipis 2. Bon Appetito 3. dog friendly

• Anne Cornetta: Mexican Fiesta is legit..so what if its not Italian or really legal....

• Erika DiProfio: I love my new running path- straight through Little Italy, down to the Embarcadero and through Seaport Village. Makes my runs go by a lot faster.

• Callan Green: MEXICAN FIESTA.

• Katy Harrison: It's a great place to go for a run - we can just make our way down to the harbor. As for eats, I love Spicy PickleFormaggi's for lunch and InFlux is great for coffee meetings with clients, friends or colleagues.

• Katie Levien: The fabulous running route along the embarcadero. Woot!

• Theresa Schell: My favorite thing in Italy is kinda nerdy but I'm not ashamed- Blick's Art SupplyLandini's.

• Carrie Shields: Windows. Lots of windows. Designated parking spots and fewer homeless. And access to so many great restaurants and boutiques.
  

• Alex Tuthill: Does Mexican Fiesta count?? JK I love how clean and beautiful it is.

• Maya Wasserman: Mexican Fiesta.

• Lizzie Younkin: Everyone boasts about Mexican Fiesta (YUM) but you can cut the line by going to Taco Express. Just as good but way quicker! I'm a secret fan of the frozen yogurt place. And there's nothing better than jogging along the bay, past the Star of India and through Seaport Village. We get a nice workout on the Convention Center stairs too. :)
  

As we can see I think there are two real contenders here...at very opposite ends of the spectrum. Running vs. Mexican Fiesta...hmmm...

Regardless of the true winner, (though I believe Callan and Maya's simplistic answers show true dedication to their decision) I think I'll have to make it a personal goal of mine to visit/try out all of the things on this list.

Thanks guys!

- Elli

PS - I'm getting much better at the one-way streets thing for those of you who were concerned. :)

Tweet-TV or Tweet-V?

What should we call this new phenomena?
Gone are the days of waiting to chat with your friends at lunch about the latest Gossip Girl (GG) or football game. Now we can share with our friends, followers and readership instantly. With a few strikes of a keyboard and a click or two of a mouse our ideas race off across the web for the world to see. Responses can come just as quickly. We can direct our messages to a small audience or send them out onto the ever-growing stage of social media to see who joins the show. This instant interaction has proven to be infectious.
Real time chatter about favorite programs, award shows, and game highlights is a blessing or a curse, depending on your side of the conversation or outlook on social media vs face-time. The leading platforms for the real time chit-chat are Facebook and Twitter, which is obvious to those interested or involved in social media. Because of this new buzz around instantly sharing thoughts and opinions regarding live broadcast, networks are racing to find new ways to engage the younger crowd in real time.

Social Media and Commercials

To really make an impression, a TV spot doesn't cut it. Now-a-days consumers need it all. We need a Youtube clip, Facebook page and Twitter profile we can interact with. Oh, and it all has to be easily relatable - no one wants to work to understand the connection between platforms.

The goal of using social media in a ad campaign is to build buzz among the audience and consumers before, during and after the program airs. The Super Bowl, Grammys, and most recently the Oscars all had mixed media campaigns that fell along side them. Twitter has become an amazing resource in tracking the interactions of consumers to the TV program and more notably the response the Ads that premier during the program itself.

Eminem vs. MnMs

The Super Bowl:

Equals, the biggest day for ads all years! Companies pay $3,000,000 to play their ad during the big game. It's one of very few times during the year that people actually tune in for the commercials. To capitalize on this, a "Brand Bowl" was created to track the twitter responses of ads aired during the game. The scores were tracked with the help of the #brandbowl hashtag. The winner was Chrysler featuring Eminem.

Oscars:

During the Oscars the MnM "Hostage" commercial captured the strongest brand association among Oscar viewers. Mars Inc. has a firm grip on the idea that social media has become part of today's culture. They know they need to be everywhere and interacting with their consumers on their website, Facebook, in the bloggosphere and on Twitter.

~ Sadie

P.S. I'm becoming a pro scanner/emailer/copier - the job is tougher than you'd think.