Posts Tagged ‘Branding’

Change is inevitable, we’re told. Gone are the days of shouldering boomboxes while grooving down the street. That boombox fits in your pocket now and plays straight into only your ears, so no one has to know that you’re rocking out to Call Me Maybe on your way to meeting that big client. While it’s easier to adapt to the times as an individual, many big companies are starting to catch on. Add Gannett, via the USA Today, to that list.

To celebrate its 30th birthday, America’s second-most circulated newspaper has fully revamped its hard-copy and digital layout. The first new edition was published today.

It starts with the new logo. Gone is the globe with wind trails behind it from back when illustrating motion was cutting edge technology. This old globe is now a solid blue dot. It shows that today you can get your news from any city, at any time.

A new beta website, which will stream live coverage at times, is launching this weekend. The full website will launch later this fall, and a new mobile and tablet app is also on the way. You, the reader, will now have your own page called “Your Say”, where your Facebook and Twitter commentary will contribute to the editorial and opinion sections.

Synergy seems to be the goal here. There will be an emphasis on making the newspaper’s print layout read like it were a website. Parent company Gannet’s local publications will also have a stronger presence in the national spotlight when big stories break in their regions. Print reporters are also being given videographer duties, and live news reports will at times broadcast through the USA Today site.

There’s been a lot of concern about the end of the newspaper industry thanks to technology. But I’ve long believed that the industry wasn’t so much dying, it just needed to process how to adjust to the times. Once it figured out how to use technology to its advantage, it would again prosper. While this remodeling is certainly not the final solution, USA Today’s push towards multi-platform integration is certainly a step in the right direction.

So what do you think of the bold move? Will it keep the paper in print for another 30 years or is it staving off the inevitable? Share in the comments and be sure to check out what people are saying on Twitter at #newusatoday, and be sure to tweet us your thoughts at @ProsekPR! End of Story

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3 comments Written on September 14th, 2012 by
Categories: Branding, From the News, Marketing
Tags: , , , ,

One would think a sporting event dating back to 1896 would have lost some of its luster over the years; however the Olympics continue to shimmer as golden as the medals its participants receive. With 20 million spectators making the journey to London, over 21,000 media members broadcasting The Games and a world of “social participants,” all eyes have focused in on Her Majesty’s kingdom. Here’s a roundup of the latest from around the web…

  • The Daily Dog examines how “Ambush Marketers” are impacting this year’s Olympic Games.
  • PR News’ Bill Miltenberg looks at the social guidelines Olympians need to follow at this year’s games.
  • AdAge’s Natalie Zmuda (Twitter) spotlights Coca-Cola’s global TV Series created especially for the Olympics.
  • Luisa Yen (Twitter) of Digital Park shares her guide to enjoying the Olympics for busy professionals.
  • HyperText reveals NBC’s (Twitter) desire for the 2012 Olympics to "go digital.”
  • EverythingPR examine how P&G (Twitter) is using the Olympics to promote brand ambassadors.
  • TwoFourSeven's Julio Romo (Twitter) examines the battle ground being drawn between social media and the 2012 Olympics.
  • Mark Borkowski (Twitter) ponders the extent marketers go to enforce their sponsorships at this year’s Olympics.
  • Mashable’s Lance Ulanoff (Twitter) discusses the hacking that occurred during this year’s Olympic opening ceremony.

 

Author’s Note: The Roundup is a recurring column that spotlights the voices and opinions of PR professionals, marketers, branding experts and others across cyberspace. Have an article or topic you think should be included in the next Roundup? We’d love to see it. Please send it to UnboxedThoughts@prosek.com.

Michael Bogardus is an intern at Prosek Partners. End of Story

 

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In his book Great by Choice, Jim Collins talks about "good luck” and “bad luck” moments.  All individuals and companies have them, but great leaders know how to max out a good luck moment and how to take a bad luck moment and transform it.

Our good luck/bad luck moment came as a result of a “happy problem.” Over time, our business has grown in the U.S. and internationally.  Forty percent of our clients engage us inside and outside the U.S. and 20 percent are non-U.S.-based clients. We needed a name we could own around the world. When we found out CJP was not available in all the places we do business, it seemed like a bad luck moment.

So with inspiration by Collins, we decided to take this bad luck moment and make it a good luck moment. Renaming the firm (along with a new logo, website and visual identity) gave us a great opportunity to scream loudly about who we are, why we’re different and why we’re growing.

Preparing for this good luck moment took us a whole year as we decided to treat ourselves like a client.  We engaged in internal and external research, we considered our SEO and digital strategy, and we contemplated all kinds of names and identities.  And in the end, the answer was under our nose.  CJP would become ProsekPartners.

So today, Friday the 13th, we look to maximize this good luck moment and to thank our clients, friends and our "Army of Entrepreneurs" for making the firm what it is today, and what it will be tomorrow.  The date seems fitting, as we are out to prove - as Collins believes - that a bad luck moment can sometimes be a good luck moment in disguise. End of Story

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Parliamentary officials announced on Tuesday that the London Clock Tower, which houses Big Ben, will be re-named the Elizabeth Tower later this year.  Big Ben, although not its official name, but the nickname given to the 13-ton bell housed within the tower of Westminster, has been a British landmark for hundreds of years.  However, following a British campaign, which had the backing of all three major political parties, has pushed forward a rebrand for Clock Tower in the wake of Queen Elizabeth’s 60 years on the throne.

So how do the people of London feel about the re-brand? According to a poll last month, the public wasn’t so taken by the new name, with 44 percent of those surveyed opposing the name change and only 30 percent accepting it.  Several people have taken to Twitter to rant about the decision to rename such an iconic part of the London skyscraper by referring to Clock Tower as Big Betty and Large Liz.

The outrage may not just come from Londoners’ resistance to change, but also from their political feelings toward the monarchy. But not all rebrands have been met with such resistance. ValueJet’s rebranding to AirTran after the 1996 crash in the Florida Everglades wasn’t just a name change it was an attitude change.  Rebranding can be a good exercise because it forces introspection and self-assessment of values and assumptions.

Read the rest of this entry »

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With media consumption patterns’ rapidly changing, it is becoming ever more apparent that social media is a pivotal aspect of today’s media landscape. While this fact may not be new to us in the PR world, many outlets and blogs have recently taken notice of social media’s global impact. Here’s a roundup of the latest from around the web…

  • The Holmes Report argues that the number of social media “followers” one has is a meaningless metric.
  • Mashable’s Samantha Murphy (Twitter) spotlights why Facebook’s new facial-recognition software raises privacy concerns.
  • PR News looks at Facebook’s desire to cash in on its new payment options.
  • AdAge’s Bradley Johnson (Twitter) ponders how Google became a $2 billion advertising behemoth.
  • Business Insider’s Owen Thomas (Twitter) looks at Facebook’s newest potential employee, 17 year old Nive Jayasekar.
  • AdAge’s Jack Neff (Twitter) opens up about how Unilever utilized Facebook to provide safe drinking water to 500 million people around the world.
  • The Daily Dog examines how Pinterest morphed into a Marketing Powerhouse.
  • Prakkypedia discusses seven great ways for journalists to use social media.
  • PR Daily explores 20 hot button topics for PR people to tweet about.
  • Stuart Bruce (Twitter) shares an interesting infographic that spotlights the recent surge of Facebook use in the Middle East and also looks at social network use around the world.
  • Brian Solis (Twitter) weighs in on the new Facebook Action Links and discusses how they will change social media as we know it!

Author’s Note: The Roundup is a new column that will spotlight the voices and opinions of PR professionals, marketers, branding experts and others across cyberspace. Our goal is to continue to provide you, our Unboxed Thoughts readers, with insights and reactions to today’s biggest stories for communicators. But more importantly, we want to hear your thoughts and reactions to these stories. No matter what your viewpoint, whether you find these stories interesting and accurate or shocking and off base, we want to know. Sound-off in the comments or email us directly. Why? Because there is always another side.

Have an article or topic you think should be included in the next Roundup? Email it to UnboxedThoughts@cjpcom.com. CJP

Michael Bogardus is an intern at CJP Communications

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