PounceNow

2010-03-09 Twitter Updates for @DaveyArmon

Dave Armon — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:02:00 +0000

Blinded by sun glare at desk in @contextoptional NY. Is that secret of startups in Seattle & garages — no sun? #
NYT: Location-based status updates are coming soon to a Facebook newsfeed near you. http://nyti.ms/dhl0Io #socialmedia #
@LiveNation At 16, Pink Floyd & Supertramp were overplayed on our pirate radio station in attic of Peter Cooke's house in Rochester NY #
NYC high school graduation rate hits record high after bake sales, soda, cell phones outlawed. Coincidence? http://bit.ly/aw7yNV #
If Twitter's all Greek to you, @speaklike has a 25 cent solution that just scored a nice hit in @TheEconomist http://bit.ly/b0VM9T #

2010-03-05 Twitter Updates for @DaveyArmon

Dave Armon — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:02:00 +0000

Don't despair, @benjaminstrong, Shamrock Shake is back in Chicago market. McRib can't be far behind. #
Heading to @chicagoIMA MobileMadness. Planning to ask @cherfoli how Porche how it keeps its accelerator pedals from sticking. #
Agenda for @chicagoIMA MobileMadness event tonight http://bit.ly/bHsFbE #
Mini tweet-up at Lou Mitchell's, famous for gifting Chicago diners w/ Milk Duds. Gonna meet @hriefs #
@woodlandalyssa If you reconsider, post on the Missed Connections Facebook page to locate your hobo friend. in reply to woodlandalyssa #

2010-03-04 Twitter Updates for @DaveyArmon

Dave Armon — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:02:00 +0000

Kid gave takeoff instrux to @jetblue, other air traffic at JFK. Poor judgment by dad & tower supervisor http://bit.ly/9XrYz0 #fb #
@gregmitch Congratulations on your new job. I hope you'll stay active in social media, too. #
Jumping through hoops (6 of them) can yield NYC press credentials for bloggers, says @bulldogreporter http://bit.ly/aM24cV #fb #
How Bing is harvesting traffic from Farmville. $GOOG is loser in $MSFT's crafty use of Facebook. http://bit.ly/axC5Ug #
Tnx to @WOMMA staff in Chicago for warm welcome to @ContextOptional today. Einstein bagels were a nice (delicious) touch. #
Cherry & whipped cream give Shamrock Shake Italian flag colors. Irish won't be lovin' it, @McDonalds #fb http://twitpic.com/16mh3k #

2010-03-03 Twitter Updates for @DaveyArmon

Dave Armon — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:02:00 +0000

Hoping Naomi Campbell isn't on my flight to MDW. TSA shud copy TLC (Taxi & Limo Authority) and add her to watch list. #
News from #pr distro space other than price hikes: @PitchEngine inks deal w/ @Technorati & @MyMediaInfo http://ow.ly/1drtf #
Even @MarketingProfs misspells P&G's name as Proctor. http://bit.ly/cCETd4 #
@hriefs Happy to be in your town, a safe distance from Naomi Campbell. If agency life is boring, hop aboard http://bit.ly/dzYoPy #
@marketingprofs Back at @prnewswire in Ohio, we customized spell check so proctor was flagged. Really common error. #
Contrasting #socialmedia response to Chile and Haiti. Who's the Chilean @Wyclef? http://bit.ly/cgxPnq #
To stain black shirt with powdered sugar from jelly doughnut or spill latte on white shirt. Dressing decisions. #WaffleWeDDs #
@prnewswire Gmorn to you, too, Richard Scarry. I'm visiting Daleytown. http://bit.ly/bbJfwz #
@rickmurray After @TiimHortons, finish off your Toronto gourmet experience by dialing 967-1111 to order lunch. #
@hriefs Saw Amtrak that in ur LinkedIn profile so thought you'd get a chuckle. One plus, they just added FREE wifi to Acela #
@bradinman Yes, but is he/she a model real estate agent? #
‘Miracle on Hudson’ pilot calls it a career after 30 yrs (and one amazing landing) http://bit.ly/bk2fND (via @mikespataro) #
http://twitpic.com/16g3qz – This Chicago menu item should be called the Dayenu sandwich. Any 1 ingredient would have been enough. #
NasdaqOMX loses corp comm chief, Bethany Sherman, to Dow Jones. She deserves better than Murdoch. http://bit.ly/aEUFJx #pr #

2010-03-02 Twitter Updates for @DaveyArmon

Dave Armon — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:02:00 +0000

@bgershon Dunkin' Donuts fills its (news) hole. in reply to bgershon #
@bgershon Gray Lady runs on Dunkin'. in reply to bgershon #
@bgershon All the news that's fit to dunk. in reply to bgershon #
We had one of these 1950s TVs in my garage when I was a kid. Wished I had saved it. Now this… http://bit.ly/aAhOHW #fb #
Dear White Hen Pantry, Ann Sather's, Intelligentsia, green-dyed river & Ditka: I'm on my way to the City That Works. #
Congrats to CoTweet team on today's acquisition by ExactTarget. http://tcrn.ch/btL3DV #socialmedia #

2010-03-01 Twitter Updates for @DaveyArmon

Dave Armon — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:02:00 +0000

Gotta love the iMaxi case for Apple's new iPad. http://bit.ly/9L1Sht (via @JeffJarvis) #
When your colleague uses jargon during a meeting w/ Facebook, hold your tongue. http://bit.ly/9hghQi #socialmedia #fb #li #pr #
@brianbaumley Glad I could get your Monday off to a good start, Brian. Now go get a bagel that you like. #

2010-02-28 Twitter Updates for @DaveyArmon

Dave Armon — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 23:02:00 +0000

First the spicy chicken wing and now this? What will those crafty Buffalo folks think up next? http://bit.ly/agRWXc #fb #
New PounceNow post: "You say iteration, I say social optimization." http://bit.ly/9hghQi #socialmedia #pr #

You say iteration, I say social optimization

Dave Armon — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:13:25 +0000

During the dress rehearsal for a meeting with Facebook executives, one of my colleagues took some ribbing for her use of iteration when talking about the reason a Fortune 100 company’s social marketing program worked so well.

Getting called out for use of Web 2.0 jargon was funny, but the joke was on us an hour later when the Facebook honcho leading the session used that very word.

Also called successive approximation, mathematicians refer to iteration as a problem-solving or computational method in which a succession of approximations, each building on the one preceding, is used to achieve a desired degree of accuracy.

For public relations and marketing pros who have spent most of their careers winning and retaining business on the strength of their creative ideas and execution, the word might be defined as extinction unless they can quickly adapt and begin to incorporate science alongside their art.

The point was made again in a brochure promoting the Public Relations Society of America’s “Digital Impact” conference on May 6-7. One of the sessions features Gabriel Stricker, director of Global Communication and Public Affairs for Google Inc., the company famous for training its employees to say “Data shows…” rather than “I think…”

“Google has a strong innovation culture of ‘launching and iterating’ – that is, making products and features available for public use, and refining them over time,” reads the PRSA brochure blurb. “Google’s public relations team uses the same approach of Beta testing, then polishing, communications tool.”

One of the allures of social media – particularly on the Facebook platform — is the relative ease for a brand to gather information about how its fans are behaving (or not!). That stream of data gets even deeper when brands start inviting their fans to use applications.

There are relatively easy stats like growth of a fan base during a sweepstakes or product giveaway. Then there are subtler findings that fall under the category of “social optimization.” Examples:

One tab name or app design – launched at exactly the same time and served up randomly to 50% of users — attracts X% more fan interaction than another

Users are willing to share something with a friend X% more when they are not compelled to first become a fan

Walls with brand participation in the discussion X or more times a day achieve X% more fanning up and sharing versus those with less interaction

Whether the word is iterate or optimize or just improve, the concept is the same: an organization that blends creativity with strong data analysis skills will be able to demonstrate their online marketing successes better than any time in history. That you can share with a friend.

(Image credit: samyakonline)

Word-of-mouth Olympics: Einstein wins gold, Aveda silver

Dave Armon — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:18:45 +0000

Hats off to two retailers for getting creative giving freebies to consumers in February. Neither had a damn thing to do with the Vancouver Winter Olympics, but Americans have medals on their minds this morning. (Sorry, lame attempt at SEO boost.)

Beauty school and products operator Aveda set up six-spigot water fountains in front of a half dozen of its Manhattan stores to give away, drumroll please, New York City tap water. Tying into Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Aveda partnered with the city’s Department of Environmental Protection to use fire hydrant water and branded water fountains to diss bottled drinking water. Despite the fact that no one used the Fifth Avenue fountain while I stood by last week, I applaud Aveda for being creative. Next time, they should design the fountains so they don’t look like autopsy tables. They win silver!

Of course, gold goes to those smart purveyors of bagels at Einstein Bros. and their West Coast sister chain, Noah’s. Starting with a Facebook fan count of 4,000, the company launched a “Schmear Campaign” application that first rewarded legacy fans and then new fans with coupons redeemable for a free bagel and cream cheese.

Einstein Bros. not only saw its fan base surge past 400,000 last week, the publicly traded company also benefited from earned media coverage. Anyone who doubts the PR value of social media should just shut up and eat a toasted everything bagel with lox spread.

Sprinting into social CRM

Dave Armon — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:24:22 +0000

Underdogs are often in the best position to do things right.

That’s what I’ve been seeing at Spring Nextel, the beleaguered wireless player in a space dominated by AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.

Despite having retail stores that resemble 1970s-era bus depots, iffy network coverage in rural areas and a lack of sexy gadgets like the iPhone, Sprint Nextel is getting a few things right:

Pre-paid businesses that operate on the Sprint network, like Boost and Virgin, are going strong

Adoption of Google Android-ready devices offer a welcome alternative to those who have not pledged their lives to RIM or Apple

Customers actually have a voice thanks to Sprint’s commitment to social platforms

Led by Dan Hesse — a CEO known for accessibility to employees and partners, and for starring in the brand’s TV spots — Sprint has attracted a large Facebook following of 165,000+ fans, with whom the company engages using tools like a vanity video upload tool. Fan posts and comments are plentiful, and Sprint quickly enters the dialog to when queries are lobbed in its direction.

The latest social media extension for Sprint is the creation of a Twitter feed — @sprintcare — that acts as a giant fire extinguisher for smoldering service issues. Richard Pesce, who manages social media and digital communications, for Sprint Nextel, chatted with me at a recent BDI event about how the company is successfully using Twitter.

Along with brands like @jetBlue, @southwestair, @comcastcares and @americanexpress, Sprint has made it convenient for customers who would prefer to be a VIP in social media rather than calller number 652,985 in a queue at a generic call center. Social customer relationship management is in its infancy, but efforts like these are important first steps.