Google Steps up During Times of Disaster

By Courtney Carey

Yesterday, a devastating earthquake hit the historic town of Christchurch in New Zealand. As of this morning, officials stated that 75 people were killed and 300 are reported missing. Among all of the tragedy, there is some positive news. At least 120 survivors were pulled from the wreckage and many people are stepping up to help. One household name that is making a huge impact is Google.

Google helps individuals sort through billions of bits of information for its users every day. Now, the company is expanding and using their immense database for an incredible cause. Google launched a Person Finder web page that will attempt to reunite missing friends and families. The Person Finder site was created along with the U.S. Department of State after a devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in January, 2010. Google’s person Finder sites were also used in response to earthquakes in Chile and China.

The website allows users to search for a missing person by entering an individual’s name into a user-created database. If a match is not found, the user can leave information and a message about the person. Users can also leave information about themselves in case others are trying to locate them. As of late last night, more than 6,500 records were created on the site.

Google is also working on crisis response pages that would include lists of helpful resources, emergency contact numbers and real-time updates from popular social media sites, such as Twitter and YouTube.

Google is setting an incredible example of how modern technology can be used to truly impact the world and make a real difference in peoples’ lives. Thanks to Google, people have a chance to be reconnected with their family and friends after going through an unimaginable disaster. I really admire what they are doing and I hope that the People Finder web page continues to successfully reconnect loved ones.

Courtney Carey is Manager of Social Media at Maroon PR. Contact her at Courtney@MaroonPR.com

Facebook’s Latest ... Innovation?

By Pete Deluca

Last night, in front of a packed crowd at Facebook Headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., the popular social networking site revealed their latest innovation – “Places.”

The goal, as President and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, is to take the virtual relationships created through Facebook and bring them into the physical world. The application will allow Facebook users to "check in" to various locations to show their online friends where they are in real time.

For example, when you visit a Dunkin Donuts, you could "check in" using an iPhone, which will in return post a message on your friends’ news feeds telling them where you're stopping to get your morning cup of coffee. Another feature of the application lets you see other Facebook users that are currently at that Dunkin Donuts, and which of your friends were there in the past.

If the service sounds familiar it is because the concept is eerily similar to Foursquare – the location-based application that attracted over a million users since March of 2009. But Foursquare, unlike “Places,” allows visitors to earn virtual badges and titles for frequenting an establishment – a feature that Foursquare believes distinguishes the two products enough and still gives them a competitive advantage.

The news of Facebook’s latest “innovation” received criticism as another blatant rip off by the company. To some, “Places” is seen as Facebook’s latest bullet on a long list of “copy-cat” features taken from other websites; wall messages (MySpace), photo albums (Flickr), video uploads (YouTube), status updates (Twitter).

As of this morning criticisms of “Places” is limited to personal blogs – which is a good sign for Zuckerberg, whose lack of business ethics have long been rumored. He is currently being sued by New York web designer and former employer Paul Ceglia for allegedly stealing his social network concept and a movie about the birth of Facebook is due out this fall with the tag line “You Don’t Make 500 Million Friends Without Making a Few Enemies.”

The saying is that “imitation is the greatest form of flattery.” But I cannot imagine how I would feel if my idea was tweaked and distributed to 500 million people as a company’s new “innovation.”

I am sure that Foursquare creator Dennis Crowley doesn’t feel very flattered.

Pete Deluca is an Associate Account Executive. Contact him at pete@maroonpr.com.

Old Spice's Successful Social Media Campaign

By Elizabeth Dow

I’ll never forget the first time I used my boyfriend’s bathroom. Among the messy clutter, I spotted the same red container of Old Spice that my grandfather had used.

Most women wouldn’t be too pleased if their men smelled like their grandfathers, so it seems impossible that Proctor & Gamble could rebrand their 71-year-old line of deodorants and antiperspirants into the hottest trend for college-aged men.

But P & G showed us that all you need to work some marketing magic is an attractive man in a towel and a little bit of social media.

Last week, the Old Spice brand launched an intensive two-day social media campaign. In nothing but a towel, former NFL star Isaiah Mustafa spent July 13 -14 in the bathroom, recording video responses to questions from fans.

During those two days, the Old Spice Man posted nearly 200 direct video responses to Facebook questions and tweets via the Old Spice YouTube channel. Even Good Morning America anchor George Stephanopoulos took part in the fun, asking the Old Spice Man a political question, tweeting, “President’s lost some female support. How does WH get those women voters back?”

The videos, which have garnered Old Spice’s Youtube Channel more than 8 million views and over 130,000 subscribers, are entertaining, witty and just plain funny. His responses were personalized, yet appealing to all.

The viral effect of the videos is remarkable. The Old Spice Man has singlehandedly conquered both my Twitter and Facebook feed this week, as social media users buzzed about his cool charm.

This campaign further proves that social media has the power to re-brand and gain attention, even on the national level.

Elizabeth Dow is a Maroon PR intern. Contact her at edow@maroonpr.com.

Robert Ehrlich Effectively using Social Media in Political Campaign

By Mitchell Schmale

Back on June 14, 2010, I blogged about the 2010 gubernatorial race in Maryland and how both candidates are planning to use social media platforms, such as FaceBook and Twitter, to share their political views and deliver their campaign messages directly to voters.

On July 1, the simmering social media campaign kicked into high-gear as Republican candidate Robert Ehrlich made the long awaited announcement of his running mate in former Maryland Secretary of State Mary Kane. Ehrlich’s choice for his Lieutenant Governor may not have surprised many political analysts, but the way he made the announcement certainly did.

Ehrlich did not make the announcement at a press conference outside the State House in Annapolis or standing in front of his campaign headquarters or some other traditional campaign spot we have all come to expect in political races. Instead, he made the announcement via a You Tube video posted on his FaceBook page at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, June 30.

The timing and method of his announcement had political pundits buzzing and also re-examining the possibilities and strategies behind the use of social media in the campaign. By using FaceBook as his chosen outlet to share his news, Ehrlich made his supporters in his social media network feel connected and important to their candidate. They were getting the news first and saw a real benefit to being connected to Ehrlich via Facebook. It also provided Ehrlich an inexpensive forum to share his campaign announcement and receive initial grassroots feedback to plan for next steps.

The announcement helped pump up fans on Ehrlich’s Facebook early in the race and build a greater network for future announcements and campaigning. Since the June 30 announcement, Ehrlich has grown his fans on Facebook by roughly 6,000 people to nearly 33,000 compared to his rival Governor Martin O’Malley’s more than 12,000.

Finally, the timing at 10 p.m. on a Wednesday night was carefully orchestrated to make the announcement breaking news for 11 p.m. TV news networks across the state that night, as well as the top story the next morning during drive time.

I am sure we will see more announcements, as well as direct responses to various future campaign ads on both sides shared via social media forums as the race plays out through the coming months. Additionally, supporters and undecided voters alike will also see the benefit of following one or both candidates online to receive unedited and unfiltered campaign messages as they make their choice in November. The race is on…

Mitchell Schmale is the Vice President of Maroon PR's Corporate Division. Contact him at mitchell@maroonpr.com.

Incorporating Social Media Marketing into Proposals

Author: John Maroon

Date: Monday, February 8, 2010

Let me start out by saying that I was one of those people who doubted the value of social media. I am 44 years old and just didn’t get it.

That has changed.

Over the last several months we have aggressively dived into the social media pool and discovered that it is not only valuable… but very effective. We have also discovered that it is still a relatively scary area for many of our clients, as they may not be as familiar with social media’s power as we are.

Not long ago, thanks in large part to very own Abby Draper, we have made social media marketing a large part of what we do for clients and a big part of our proposals made to potential new clients.

We’ve already seen incredible results for current and new clients, which include…

Existing Clients… Many of our existing clients were either not partaking in social media, or doing it poorly. We have essentially taken over their social media outreach and established wonderful lines of communication with them so there is a steady flow of information that allows us to update the SMM sites regularly. This has helped us learn a lot more about what they are doing and has made our firm an invaluable, and hence, irreplaceable part of their team.

Potential New Clients … We have demonstrated the work that we have done for other clients and when creating a proposal for new clients; we always stress how essential social media is today and will be going forward. Ten years ago some businesses had them and some didn’t…now it is not an option but a vital marketing tool. Sometimes we hear that they just don’t have the time for multiple daily updates. Perfect. We do it for our clients and become even more entrenched with them as a valuable part of their team.

Social media is a real tool and while some platforms may evolve and change in the years to come, the concept of social media is here to stay.

Wow, I guess you can teach an old dog a new trick.

John Maroon is the President of Maroon PR. Contact him at john@maroonpr.com.