Social Media Buzz

My recent interview with Cougar Town star and comedic actress Busy Philipps has generated a lot of social media PR buzz for both, PR.com  and for Busy.

During my interview with Busy for PR.com on February 2, 2012, Busy Philipps discusses her love of Twitter as a means of controlling her own voice on the Internet and setting the record straight about her work and her life. During our chat I asked Busy who convinced her co-star Courteney Cox to finally join Twitter, and Busy told me it was her and Cougar Town‘s creator Bill Lawrence, along with Cougar Town fans who finally convinced Courteney to start Tweeting.

Using PR.com’s strong online presence in teh search engines and our media contacts within the online entertainment space, PR.com gained public relations media coverage at the following entertainment news blogs for this celebrity story:

http://www.contactmusic.com/news/busy-philipps-pestered-cox-to-join-twitter_1290512

http://www.busy-philipps.org/tag/busy-philipps

http://culdesaccrew.net/ – scroll through

http://www.new-magazine.co.uk/latestnews/view/38155/Philipps-pestered-Cox-to-join-Twitter/

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/300659/Philipps-pestered-Cox-to-join-Twitter/

http://www.star-magazine.co.uk/breakingnews/view/37513/Philipps-pestered-Cox-to-join-Twitter/

The actress even tweeted about her interview with PR.com, emphatically stating, “Allright dudes- Read this: http://www.pr.com/article/1197 THAT is basically who I am.”

This story was brought to you by Allison Dawn PR

According to multiple reports, Rachel Uchitel married her younger boyfriend, businessman Matt Hahn, in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Little White Wedding Chapel. As reported by the New York Post, “Matt Hahn, 26, is a San Francisco businessman and former Penn State football player. Uchitel launched her career as a private detective in March.”

Uchitel and Hahn have been living together in his home city of San Francisco,CA, and have been seen in numerous amorous entanglements, romping on the beach in recent weeks. They look very much in love!

After tragically losing her fiance, Andy O’Grady, in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Rachel Uchitel admitted to feeling lost for quite a long time. Uchitel wound up entangling herself in two illicet affairs, with television actor, David Boreanez, and most famously, as Tiger Woods’ number one mistress. She then did a stint on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew for what she described as “love addiction.”

Uchitel, 36, told US Weekly, “”We are really happy and feel extremely fortunate to have one another,” describing her whirlwind romance with Hahn. Rachel Uchitel posted, “Thank you to all the well wishers! Xoxo” on her Twitter feed earlier today, with an earlier post stating that she and new husband, Hahn were boarding a flight from Las Vegas back to their new joint home in San Francisco.

We wish Rachel and Matt the best. She deserves to find happiness!

Where do I even begin?

According to CNN, Tiger Woods is set to make a big announcement to air on The Golf Channel today, July 11, 2011 at 11 am ET, on The Golf Channel. The press conference was announced via The Golf Channel’s Twitter account, stating, “Monday 11am ET: Special announcement concerning Tiger Woods on Golf Channel.”

There were no specific details offered up by The Golf Channel, which could be a public relations ploy to add to the drama and intrigue of the televised announcement, particularly after some alleged steroid use by Woods had recently surfaced. Many think Tiger Woods’ announcement will have to do with his leg injury and his lack of ability to bring 100% to his golf game. It’s no secret that the disgraced former golf great has been a dissappointment since the breakdown of his marriage last year.

Still recovering from injuries to his left leg, Tiger Woods recently said, “As I stated at the AT&T National, I am only going to come back when I’m 100% ready as I do not want to risk further injury,” going on to express, “I’m being smarter this time,” in response to questioning regarding his participation in pro golf during past injuries.

Woods described his regret over playing with injuries in the past, citing how it affected his golf game and disappointed golf fans and corporate sponsors as the reason for his reluctance to get back onto the golf course too soon.

Some at Yahoo Sports News are speculating that Woods’ impromtu press conference for The Golf Channel could include some of the following admissions:

Tiger Woods will bow out of golf for the remainder of 2011; Woods needs to have surgery on his knee and Achilles; Woods may offer up a detailed statement on his alleged relationship with Dr. Anthony Gallea, a Canadian “physician” who was recently indicted for transporting illegal drugs across the border for a number of professional athletes; and/ or possibly a specific date when Tiger Woods will, in fact, return to professional golf.

Let’s tune in at 11 ET. Bets anyone?

July 11, 2011 12:38 PM ET – and after all the hoopla, here is the big announcement that had the sports world on edge… Tiger Woods changes managers. Really?? Tiger Woods switches from longtime management IMG to Excel Sports Management.

Allison Dawn Public Relations

Public Relations grassroots campaigns rooted in blogging, SEO (search engine optimization), press release distribution and generation of relevant incoming links are an amazing tool for building a groundswell of recognition and support  for your business.

So many people are in a rush to obtain magazine, radio and television coverage for their business, while neglecting the public relations benefits of online social media and online social networking. In this case I have to credit one of my public relations clients for teaching me this valuable PR lesson.

Not too long ago, I began running a public relations campaign for a new niche social networking and micro-blogging website and after some strategy meetings we collectively, if apprehensively came to the conclusion that the right approach for us would be to first build a thriving online community and a groundswell of buzz before venturing into the traditional media.

Long story short, we vigorously pursued a presence on Facebook, FriendFeed, Xanga and Twitter and then began contacting social networking, dating, relationship and other types of high profile blogs that fell into the site’s proper demographic. Well our efforts paid off, and our greatest public relations advocates became Internet users, who began linking to the site, Tweeting about the site and posting excerpts from the site and our viral reach was outstanding.

Radio soon came calling and there has been radio coverage of the site on an ongoing basis almost since launch. We are now taking all of this incredible grassroots public relations ammunition that we have accrued over the past two months and beginning to approach televison and magazines.

The definition of public relations is changing, and although glossy magazines have prestige they don’t offer groundswell public relations like the blogs do, and nothing else in our modern history does either.

Online social media marketing is public relations 2.0. Gone forever are the days where a company or organization could set about pursuing a traditional media campaign where magazine, newspaper, radio and television coverage are the sole focus. Reason being, the average person now spends more time online then they spend on traditional periodicals and broadcast media, combined. The crowd has moved to a different venue and you have to move with them. Traditional media is still very much ingrained into our collective psyche as having the most cache (though we are likely the last generation to think this way), but prestige aside, the practicality is no longer there.

Nowadays most every business, product, service or organization has an online presence where their goods and services are sold and marketed. If you want to make a sale and turn press into sales conversion do you want someone to read about your product in a magazine and file your information away in their memory to hopefully be retrieved at a later date, or do you want that person to read about you, become interested in what you are selling and be able to access your product at the click of a button?

Online social media and online marketing encompasses many things, all of which equal high quality, targeted traffic to whatever you are promoting. For my company, it means creating a long chain of online information that work in conjunction with each other to raise a client’s overall profile online to raise them above their competition. Virtually every industry is saturated at this point, and the ones that are not become so rather quickly. To raise above the fray, i insist that my clients agree to a combination of online social media, online marketing, search engine optimization and online viral marketing in addition to any traditional public relations efforts we put forth.

Online social media and online SEO marketing should be consistent with traditional marketing and media relations in that it should stay on message, offer information, use targeted keywords, create relevent incoming links, and establish the client as an expert in their field.

I will go more in-depth with online marketing, online social media and online media marketing in my next few blog postings.

According to an interview posted to media industry newswire, FlashNews with social media expert and “friend” peddler Leon Hill, “there is plenty of evidence to suggest that celebs and world leaders are increasing their online fanbase by ‘artificial means’”.

Hill, who owns uSocial.net, makes a business out of “selling Twitter followers and Facebook friends to businesses so they can increase their marketing and popularity online,” explains the FlashNews report.

uSocial.net owner, Leon Hill, even goes so far as to claim that out of the top 100 power players on Twitter, that “at least 15 of those top 100 tweeters are augmenting their following” with purchased followers from databases like his own.

The way Twitter and Facebook friend purchasing works is typically in packages of large numbers that could range from as little as 1,000 followers to as much as 100,000 followers that are screened and vetted to be sure that these followers are at least somewhat interested in what the Twitter or Facebook account is trying to promote.

Indeed, upon researching Leon’s website uSocial.net, his company claims that, “with uSocial’s Twitter marketing services, we can deliver you up to 100,000 real, targeted people interested in your product or service.”

With companies like this one and others like it, it does seem reasonable to believe that public relations, marketing, and social media professionals who manage public figures would take advantage of this type of social media service that can effortlessly augment their client’s following on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. It would not only be to market that public figure more effectively, but to give the illusion of more clout and influence than the celebrity or politician may actually have.

The FlashNews article even goes so far as to call out President Obama, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, questioning the authenticity of their Facebook and Twitter followings, stating, “President Obama, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber may seem popular on Twitter, but they’re faking it.” That’s a pretty bold statement for a news story to make. What do you think about buying Twitter and Facebook followers to grow your popularity online?

Former Hillary Clinton intern, Sammie Spades, reveals to TMZ that in a financial pinch, she decided to bag her legal and political dreams for a lucrative career in the XXX porn industry. Sammie Spades had apparantely snagged the coveted internship in 2006 for a then Senator Hillary Clinton at Clinton’s Buffalo, New York office.

Spades confessed to TMZ that she had hoped to continue to pursue a career in the legal field and eventually transition into a career in the political arena, but that financial straits forced her into a career in porn (uh, waitressing?) adding, “I don’t think Hillary would be too happy.”

Uh… ya think? There are pictures all over the Internet of a then New York Senator, Hillary Clinton posing with then-intern Sammie Spades. Why do sex scandals always seem to swirl around the Clintons? For some odd reason Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton tend to attract all things sex, which I personally think is hilarious.

Remember my interview with porn queen Jenna Jameson when she exclusively revealed to me in a 2007 PR.com interview that she was endorsing Hillary Clinton’s then-campaign for President? Porn chicks love Hillary, and Bill for that matter.

But let’s be honest, I think the real story here is how someone from a community college landed an internship with Hillary Clinton, one of the most famous and powerful politicians in the world. How the f*** did this Sammie Spades manage to swing that? She may have thrown away any glimmer of hope for a future career in law or politics with her decision to do porn for cash, but she can’t be that dumb if she managed to parlay a stint in community college into an internship for Hillary Clinton.

And according to TMZ, this Sammie Spades is now reveling in her newfound “fame” like a pig rolling around in a pile of its own poo. She tweeted, “Well, it’s definitely been an interesting morning! Check out the story on TMZ if you don’t know y [sic].” Spades punctuated her proud tweet with a smily face, and continued, “Look! Someone thinks I’m interesting today.”

Ok. Good luck with that.

Would you go from Congress to the offices of Hustler Magazine?

Would you go from Congress to the Beverly Hills offices of Hustler Magazine if you were Anthony Weiner? According to his blog at The Huffington Post, Hustler founder Larry Flynt sure hopes so. Flynt took to his Huffington Post blog yesterday to issue an open letter to disgraced soon-to-be-fomer Congressman Anthony Weiner to offer him a high paying executive position within Larry Flynt Publications and the Hustler empire, pleading to Weiner that “this offer is not made in jest.” The pornography king even offered to pay Anthony Weiner “20% more than your former Congressional salary,” and is offering Weiner a kushy relocation package to relocate to Beverly Hills, California for the position.

So, is this a well crafted public relations and media stunt by Larry Flynt (it’s been effective), or does Flynt truly want Anthony Weiner as part of the Hustler brand? Just the name alone gives Weiner some credibility in the porn industry, wouldn’t you say?

Larry Flynt goes on to plead, “I cannot emphasize enough the genuineness of this offer.”

Larry Flynt fancies himself something of a political activist, after going several rounds with the United States Supreme Court to defend his rights to freedom of speech under the 1st amendment of the American constitution. In this open letter posted on Huffington Post, Larry Flynt goes on to draw a commonality between the values of the Hustler corporation and Anthony Weiner’s political work, citing, “We are a serious corporation, which as you know, has been heavily involved in the political environment of this country for over thirty-five years.”

If you were a married politician who was caught on Twitter with your pants down in a political scandal, completely humiliated, and compelled to resign from Congress, would a move out to LA LA Land and a high paying position at Hustler be your next move?

Public Relations and Social Media Marketing: How Much Social Media Is Necessary for Public Relations Success? This is a question I have often asked myself since the public relations industry has changed so dramatically over the past ten years with the advent of online social media. Nowadays celebrities are using Twitter as their own personal press release distribution in real time and in brief succinct announcements that get their pr message across in 140 characters or less. So why would they even need to employ a public relations firm to write up traditional press releases for them? Facebook allows entrepreneurs, public figures, politicians and large companies to interact with their “fanbase” personally and directly, so why go through a spokesperson any longer?

The above questions are valid to ponder when deciding whether or not to hire a public relations professional or a large public relations agency, BUT, the wild card remains in navigating the still mostly uncharted and sometimes choppy waters of online networking and social media. How much information sharing with your public is too much? Are you creating the right image for yourself and your brand? Are you confident in your writing ability? Do you undersatand the fundamentals of SEO – search engine optimization? Do you have a comprehensive understanding of what your audience wants to see and what may turn them off or actually work against generating more sales? Now, in addition to pursuing traditional media appearances and media placements for my public relations clients, I am more than ever, helping clients to create and to maintain their online social media image, their social media message and I am monitoring and directing my clients’ relationship with their audience and consumer base. I have spent countless hours learning from some of he best and brightest in online media marketing and I share that knowledge with my clients.

While social media may look off the cuff, spontaneous and casual from afar, it is actually anything but, especially where household named brands are concerend. Every tweet, every Facebook posting, every blog entry, every posted video and posted picture is carefully thought out and timed to perfection by their PR and marketing team, and we have all seen what can happen when it isn’t. Just look at the news to see how many public figures and well known brands have gotten themselves into hot water when they get a little too liberal with their keyboards. That is where public relations professionals are still of vital importance; we help you to navigate these murky waters with grace and public relations success.