Diva's Night by X-Factor ladies  

Always maintain relationships while negotiating!

In the entertainment industry negotiations can make or break you especially in the field of Public Relations where relationships are everything. Almost everyday a PR rep deals with negotiations whether it is with a client, other PR reps, or the media. Mari Ortiz gave me some insight dealing with negotiations in public relations. She is a well known PR rep who has worked in the industry for about 5 years dealing with musicians and various talents in the entertainment industry.

1. Always be prepared and do your homework!

One major important fact while negotiating is to be prepared and do your homework. She stressed this during our interview which was interesting because one would think that anyone would always do their homework but that is not the case. Sadly, she has seen this happen and experienced this herself. “Nothing is worse than not being prepared for a meeting or a negotiation.”

2. Be knowledgeable

One would think that this is common sense but Mari stressed that this has happened with her personally. She described an instance where she wanted a client being featured in the magazine and she had sent them information prior to the meeting but they failed to look at it. The magazine rep had to excuse themselves at the beginning of the meeting to look over the information which should have been done prior. This unfortunately sets the tone and makes the person feel that their entire business transaction will not be taken seriously.

3. Don’t use dirty tactics while negotiating

Mari stressed this as one of the main points with negotiating. “Even if the other side uses dirty tactics, one of the most important things with Public Relations is keeping relationships.” Keeping relationships is key and vital for a PR rep and is the main reason a PR rep is successful.  

Any PR rep should always remember these three main points while negotiating! 

Good luck 

-Sara 

Finding the Perfect Fit

Finding Public Relations specialists that will perfectly fit your needs can be overwhelming. Important factors to consider are budget, time, ideas, and media connections. Understanding what will be included in your package is extremely important. Anyone can find a public relations specialist, but one needs to know what he or she is looking. When searching it is imperative to thoroughly consider these factors so you are able to obtain a public relations specialist that matches your needs.

Budget is an extremely important factor and crucial element to consider when looking for a public relations specialist. A common response from business professionals is that they cannot afford a public relations specialist. However, there are many agencies and specialists available that the average person is unaware of. Normally the high-end PR firms can charge anywhere from $20,000 per month and $1,000 for a single press release. However, the level of service one will receive is included in the price, but the big question is who will be working on your project?

Usually there are different levels of specialists; Interns/Junior Executives can cost $75 per hour (Very little experience), Account Executives can cost $100-$125 per hour (1-3 years of experience), Senior Account Executives can cost $125-$200 per hour (Multiple years of professional experience).

There are some PR firms that can offer a one-time press release at an affordable price. But what quality of service are you going to get? Press releases will range from $300-$500 dollars but they send it and hope it delivers it is really low cost but really risky with no guarantee. This is affordable but one must ask is it worth it? Is it what you are looking for?

There are many PR specialists that have worked at high-end firms that now own their own boutique agency. These PR specialists are the hidden gems in the industry; they have the media contacts, the experience and usually can work with any budget. They usually charge per hour or for project itself which can range anywhere from $50-$100 per hour. Not only will the budget work but they will have the media contacts and provide amazing customer service throughout the project.

When finding a PR specialist key factors to remember;

Do they understand what you are looking for?

Do they have media connections to make this successful?

What is the time frame designated for this project?

Goodluck!

-Sara 

New Age of Marketing for the Big Game

The Super Bowl is the biggest game of the year! The one game that sports fans wait anxiously for and marketers spend the entire year in preparation. The main reasons why people love the Super Bowl are; the big game, the halftime show, and the infamous commercials during the game. It is a great year for the Super Bowl, the 2007 Rematch New England Patriots and New York Giants and the amazing line up for the halftime show featuring Madonna with special guests Nicki Minaj, M.I.A and LMAFO. Then of course, are the commercials. Which commercial will be talked about come Monday? Personally my favorite Super Bowl commercials have been Budweiser with the frogs and Coca-Cola with the polar bears.

A few years ago marketers for big companies would spend a majority of their time preparing for the big commercial for championship game and not to mention the money that is spent for a 60 second commercial. Today the average for a 30 second commercial during the Super Bowl on the NBC network is $3.5 million dollars with an average of 70 commercials during the game. The competition is fierce with over 111 million viewers glued to their television sets not wanting to miss a second. A few years ago marketers would focus on just the commercial, knowing that everyone would return to work the next day talking about the game.

That was then and this is now, marketers are now promoting the ad itself rather than the product. A few of the top companies participating in promoting the ad for the Super Bowl have been Coca-Cola, Honda, Kia, and Volkswagen. These companies have been promoting their big advertisements for Super Bowl Sunday mainly through various social media sites.

Volkswagen used social media sites such as YouTube and Facebook for their promotion outlet. The teaser ad debuted on January 18^th and has received more than 10 million views on YouTube with over 676,000 shares on Facebook. This has become the new trend and why not when you’re spending a few million dollars for a 60 second commercial. With clutter being the big problem in advertising, social media provides a different platform for marketers to stand out from the competition.

What song are the dogs singing?

 Coca-Cola is heavily promoting the come back of the polar bears. They have created a website dedicated for the come back of the polar bears. The website includes a count down clock and the teasers for the big upcoming commercial. Coca-Cola encourages visitors to RSVP to the main day event and by doing this the visitors assist Coca-Cola with meeting their goal. They have set a goal of reaching so many RSVP’s and once the goal is reached they donate 100,000 to the arctic home project which distributes funds for the polar bears of the arctic. They have already surpassed their goal with four days left before the big day and currently have already donated  $165,667 dollars to the fund. It will be interesting to see if these companies are the ones talked about on Monday. 

"The world is changing, We needed to come to the party with something new and different." - Pio Schunker, Coca Cola's Vice President 

It will be interesting to see if these companies are the ones talked about on Monday. I don’t know about you but I can’t wait for Super Bowl Sunday!

-Sara 

We live in a Karaoke World 

A designer, recording artist and a manager his name is Malcolm McLaren who is commonly credited for the rise of punk rock. He was born on January 22^nd 1946 in London, England and was raised by his grandmother. The lecture is an hour long and focuses on the topic of How Does One Find Authentic Creativity? The lecture starts with his upbringing while casually filling in inspirational quotes that were taught to him which inspired him thorough out his career.  In the beginning of the lecture he stated that he lived in a time of necessity but he goes on to say,

“We live in a culture of desires… the desire to become famous overnight.”

Which stood out to me because if you would take a look at what is on television it is filled with reality TV people trying to get their fifteen minutes of fame, take The American Idol, X-Factor, The Bachelor, The Kardashians for example.

He also pointed out the consequence of this ideology, which is that it is harmful for children because you are teaching them the desire to be famous and wanting success overnight without the struggle. If you think about it is almost like false advertising. Most people that become successful happen over time not over night.

He then goes on to discuss the two different meanings of struggle, which is the main topic of his lecture, Authenticity and karaoke.  He believes that a majority of us live in a karaoke world. A world free from any real responsibility, and anyone and anything can be for sale. This world struggles to find anything authentic. While Authenticity is the exact opposite it is discovering something that is real that can only be achieved through a struggle.

I found this speech overall very intriguing and I didn’t know what to expect. If the audience was feeling the same way as I was feeling through out they were focused on every word that he said. You almost had to focus because of his think accent but it was more than that. His story that he told was truly moving and inspiring. Sometimes it is hard to be authentic in today’s society and it is almost better to be common like everyone else to fit into the popular mold. But his story proves and illustrates the best way to live ones life is only by truly being authentic and being true to oneself. 

The speech is a MUST see check it out! 

The American Marketing Association 

The American Marketing Association also known as the AMA, is an association for marketing professionals and students. The association is primarily focused on teaching, practicing and the development of marketing. Their principal roles for the organization are connecting, informing and advancing their members in the marketing field. The association stands behind their ethical norms and values, which all marketers should obey by; honesty, responsibility, fairness, respect, transparency and citizenship.

The association offers numerous publications and services that will benefit and enhance their members throughout their career by providing strategic thinking and practical solutions to common marketing challenges. Their publications consist of marketing news, magazines, journals and newsletters. They also offer numerous services for their members that focus on important marketing concepts such as direct marketing services, customer satisfaction firms and marketing consultants and consulting services.  AMA also offers their members perk partners where members can take advantage of specials and savings with featured businesses with the organization.

AMA Board of Directors consists of a variety of successful marketers in different concentrations. They provide guidance and direction to the organization and to the members.  The Board of Directors changes yearly to maximize exposure of knowledge and different concentrations within marketing.

AMA offers their members numerous media opportunities to help them connect with their target market such as media kits in print, podcasts, webcasts, magazine and journals schedule and rates, sponsorship opportunities at events and assistance with recruitment for staffing job positions. There are many event opportunities for their members each month across the country. The events specialize in key topics and marketing trends that are affecting the industry with important guest speakers. They also offer webcasts and podcasts of key events for members who can’t attend the events.

The AMA is great association for any marketing professional and has a wide range of different concentrations within the industry.  Within each concentration discusses any upcoming changes and news relating to that specific area.  When joining the organization you are asked to pick top three areas of focus within your profession. For instance my top three areas of focus I chose within the AMA are event management marketing, public relations and brand management. 

I plan on keeping up to date with the publications with the association so I am current with the industry and have an understanding of any industry changes. I also plan on participating in webinars and hopefully will be able to attend an event sometime this year.  With technology and trends changing all the time in marketing especially the music industry, an association like this is really important for marketers. The AMA aids members with information and many different opportunities with a wide range of marketing professionals in different fields. 

Anyone interested in the American Marketing Association should check out the website http://www.marketingpower.com/Pages/default.aspx

Barbz doll just in time for the holidays

Nicki Minaj Pink Friday album cover

There is no question this year is Nicki Minaj’s year especially with the success of her debut album Pink Friday. In just one year, the album has earned her over 30 nominations and 13 awards including Favorite Hip-Hop artist and Favorite Hip-Hop album surpassing Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and Kanye West. Recently, Billboard music held an event honoring women in the industry and named her the Billboard Rising Star of the year. Her acceptance speech was a heartfelt thank you to her barbz who she calls her fans. She gave them the much-deserved credit and is known for always giving credit to her barbz.

Nicki Minaj at Women in Billboard Music event

She is always connecting with her fans every chance she gets. Just look at her twitter account that currently stands at around 7.5 million followers with over 9,000 tweets. Nicki Minaj has a powerful impact and influence in today’s music and culture. Her ability to cross over to many genres from rap, hip-hop, r&b, and pop is her secret weapon. She recently just finished the Femme Fatal tour with Britney Spears, which gave her more exposure and the ability to branch out in a different niche market. It’s no question that Nicki Minaj is an extremely marketable artist stemming from her influence and impact that she has achieved all within this year.

Sophia Grace and Rosie meeting and singing with Nicki Minaj

On December 2^nd it was announced that Nicki Minaj had joined the toy maker giant Mattel to make a one of a kind Barbz doll. All proceeds will benefit the Project Angel Food foundation, which provides food for woman, children, and men that are affected from HIV and AIDS. The doll will be available on charitybuzz.com website on Wednesday December 7^th and will be showcased at a five-day gala event in Los Angles, California. This doll is only for auction with all bids starting at a mere $1000.00 dollars.

I think this is a great idea but I see some problems with this idea. First, who has $1000 dollars in this economy during Christmas season to spend on a Nicki Minaj doll? Second, what about her barbz? How are they going to participate when all the bids start at $1000.00 dollars? Instead I think they should have thrown the charity auction event months ago with the one of a kind doll and make another Barbz doll for her fan base for the holiday season. The proceeds from the holiday doll would still go to the charity foundation. I think that this would have been more effective because her barbz wouldn’t have felt left out. Take her biggest fans Sophia and Rosie for an example; do you see their parents spending at least a $1000 dollars for a bid or how about spending $100 for a Christmas gift?

Barbz Doll