Facebook growing up fast

Marketers, sit up and take notice -- people ages 26-44 now account for 41% of American Facebook users! Women over 55 remain the fastest-growing demographic in the last three months, hitting 1.5 million.

People ages 18 to 25 still make up the biggest subdemographic of users, at 35%. Facebook first started offering the service to college students at select schools, and then expanded gradually until it was open to everyone.

"In recent months, marketers have started to explore more opportunities to engage new audiences via Facebook beyond its traditional base of teens and college students, though the site still offers a lot of value in terms of that audience," said Art Sindlinger, vice president and social activation director at Starcom USA. But really the fastest growth has been international -- 70% of Facebook users are outside the U.S.

Read the full article here.

-Adrianne (@msfener)

Social networks as a source of information

Check out this article in MediaPost, "You Should Be Caught Using Twitter At Work," that explains some ways you can use Twitter, Digg and other social network sites to get information you can't find with Google. Searching for information on social networks can yield better results because while Google uses an algorithm to decide what's relevant to your topic, social sites categorize information based on feedback from humans. Social sites can also be great resources for product feedback without paying for focus groups or market research. Read the full article here.

-Adrianne (@msfener)

Branded new media applications II: The rise of mobile app-compatible phones

Last week, we wrote about using branded new media applications for marketing. Today, InStat released new research that projects the number of mobile application-compatible devices will grow to about 140 million by 2013, creating a vast new market for advertisers.

Newer app stores -- Google's Android Market and RIM's forthcoming BlackBerry App World -- will challenge the Apple App Store's domination of the marketplace.

As with other emerging formats, one of the hurdles for marketers is the lack of standard metrics to gauge campaign performance of branded applications. Companies like AdMob, Medialets and Zumobi are now trying to develop was to measure the branding and marketing impact of mobile apps to help the category gain greater legitimacy.

Depending on what advertisers want to track, it may be possibleto customize the app itself to measure performance.

"You can put some feedback tools right in the app to track things like how many minutes, how many times somebody used it, and whether they passed it on," said David Chamberlain, an In-Stat analyst. "That kind of information is available if marketers want to use it."

-Adrianne (@msfener)

#journchat

Heard of it? #journchat is a conversation between journalists, bloggers and PR folks conducted over the microblogging service Twitter. The conversation happens every Monday from 9 PM to midnight PST. The moderator, a publicist named Sarah Evans, poses a new question every 30 minutes. Some example questions: What is the best way to pitch assignment editors? Tips? Is the press release dead/dying? If yes, then what? What's next? What do journs and bloggers think about the social media release? What is the biggest myth about your profession? You can see how such a dialogue would be helpful for publicists to follow! The work of journalists and publicist is intertwined, and it's valuable to have an anonymous dialogue where all can freely post questions and answers. Constructive criticism and “brutal facts” are encouraged! Want to participate? Log into Twitter at 9PM on Monday and check out Twitter.com/journchat to find out the night's questions. Then go to search.twitter.com and search #journchat. If you'd like to add to the discussion, you can tweet your comment and write #journchat to tag it so that others can read it.

-Adrianne (@msfener)

Branded new media applications

"Branded applications" are fun gimmicks that new media users pass around to their friends (hopefully). Branded apps are programs for gadgets like the iPhone and social media sites like Facebook that typically don't have any sales conversion. The Audi driving challenge above, created for the iPhone, is nothing more than a basic driving game you might find in an arcade. How useful these apps actually are is up for debate. The Audi driving challenge probably didn't inspire anyone to buy an Audi. On the one hand, creating a nifty app that people love can't hurt. The Audi driving challenge got 370,000 downloads in its first week. 370,000 eyeballs is nothing to sneer at, especially when you can design your app to reinforce your brand with beautiful photos of sleek, sporty cars. Another problem with branded apps is that recent research by Pinch Media showed that only 20% of users who download a free app will use it again after the first day, and only 30% of users who pay a price (usually in the range of $1) will use the app again. And you can't guarantee that your app will be a hit -- Facebook has more than 33,000 applications and the iPhone has more than 25,000. The vast majority of those apps are flops with only a handful of users. So make sure you've got a brilliant marketing team like Campbell Consulting to help you come up with a killer idea ;) For a good example, we can look to Burger King, who created the Whopper Sacrifice application for Facebook. The app encouraged users to delete their Facebook friends in exchange for a coupon. "Now is the time to put your fair-weather Web friendships to the test," the Whopper Sacrifice site explains. "Install Whopper Sacrifice on your Facebook profile, and we'll reward you with a free flame-broiled Whopper when you sacrifice ten of your friends."

The funniest part: The "sacrifices" show up in your activity feed: for example, "Judy sacrificed Renee for a free Whopper." The app was shut down by Facebook but it had a good run -- it destroyed more than 233,000 Facebook friendships and got covered by CNET, AdWeek, The New York Times, ABC News, etc. Check out this article at Ubercool.com to read about more creative branded apps.

-Adrianne (@msfener)

Poken: The New Business Card?

What is it? It's a Poken. How does it work? Straight from the Poken website, "The poken hand pulls out of the body, revealing a USB connector. Insert the USB connector into any computer with web access to easily upload your new contacts to the Poken web database." Pokens are being referred to as the new business card, but for professionals or students? They transfer social media information that include Facebook, MySpace, twitter, Readit, LinkedIn, Stumble Upon, etc. by connecting the 'hands' of the Pokens to each other. The fun, yet interesting choices, for the designs of the Pokens seem to lessen the desire for professionals to stop printing business cards. It's a great idea, but let's just wait and see when they decide to target a new, more mature audience. To read more about the Poken, check out this blog, or the link above for the Poken website.

-Jacq (@jacqsmith)

How not to pitch a reporter -- 3 basic mistakes publicists make when pitching journalists

Anyone who has worked in public relations will tell you that reporters aren't always receptive to pitches from publicists. When I worked as a reporter, I was often curt and sometimes even rude to publicists who solicited me. So how can a publicist avoid getting on a journalist's bad side? Well, here's a list of three basic mistakes that publicists make that can seriously sour relations with reporters. 1. Not doing your homework. Research the outlet you are pitching. Sending an off-topic pitch is a guaranteed waste of your time and the reporter's. Most media outlets have a strict idea of what kind of topics they cover and in what way. Know who their audience is, geographically and demographically. They will nix any story ideas that don't appeal to their readers or viewers. 2. Relying on buzz words. You want your pitch to be clear and understandable. Rely on content rather than buzz words -- they usually just confuse and slow down the reader. Don't start your pitch by touting the new WizZillyGig2020™ and the patented PunchNPlay™ process. Example: "Eco Precast™ has announced the manufacture of Urbanslabs™ now available for a variety of residential, commercial and hospitality surface applications. Crafted by hand, Urbanslabs™ consist of 50% recycled, post-consumer glass containers..." Fancy buzz words just make a reporter's eyes glaze over, which is no good since your goal is to catch their interest quickly. Get to the point by minimizing the jargon! 3. Buying reporters lunch instead of giving them something they can use. When I worked as a business reporter at a daily newspaper, we used to groan every time someone from a bank or city office called with a lunch invitation. It's good to be on friendly terms with reporters, but the universal way to win a reporter's heart is to give her a good story. You want the reporter to see you as a valuable source of information, not a source of free lunch. You want her to call you on a slow news day and say, "Got anything for me?" or "Can your client comment on this story?" not, "Want to have lunch?" My favorite publicist never invited me out to lunch. Our relationship began when he invited me to an economic forum I didn't know about it. I got a great story out of it. A few weeks later he emailed me to ask if I wanted to write about a local high school girl who was training to be an Olympic wrestler. Another great story. Pretty soon, I was calling him: "Hey Jay, how's it going? Anything going on with your clients?" These three mistakes are easy to make, especially for publicists who have never seen the inside of a newsroom. The lesson: Good publicists are a valuable resource for journalists. Make yourself valuable to the reporter and you will make yourself valuable to your clients.

-Adrianne (@msfener)

What a concept for a PR campaign!

At Campbell Consulting Group, the announcement made in January for "Best Job in The World" was of immediate interest to us! The job title is Island Caretaker and is located on Hamilton Island, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Talk about a great PR concept! Apparently, more than 1 million applicants felt the same way. A woman from Connecticut, Sandi, is ranked 21/50 of the 1 million+ applicants. We wish Sandi the best of luck, and will keep our fingers crossed that she is taken to her paradise! To view the most recent update for The Best Job in The World, click here.

-Jacq (@jacqsmith)

What's on your customer's minds? Using Twitter to find out.

Want to really listen to your customers? Social networks are a great way to stay in touch. It personalizes the brand and shows appreciation for the people you appreciate most -- your clientele. This weekend, Campbell Consulting did some market research for Oregon Chai on Twitter. Check out some of the lovely things people are saying: http://twitter.com/OregonChai/favorites. We're also using Twitter to engage Oregon Chai's customers in a direct dialogue. If you go to http://twitter.com/oregonchai, you'll see some of the conversations we're having ;) Want to know if people are talking about you? You can search for your brand on Twitter and find out what people are really saying about your product in real time. It's better than waiting for your nose to itch, right?

-Adrianne (@msfener)

DaVinci Gourmet and the 2009 U.S. Barista Championship

If you’re not familiar, the U.S. Barista Championship is like the Superbowl of the caffeinated arts. Our client, DaVinci Gourmet is the official Host and Travel Sponsor for the U.S. Barista Championship this year. DaVinci makes flavored syrups, sauces and tea concentrates – essential stuff for pro baristas. Baristas from all over the country flocked to Portland, Oregon to show off their best espresso and signature drinks. The city is certainly buzzing with excitement – and maybe one too many espressos – for today was the last day of the competition. The winner will go on to represent the United States at the World Barista Championship!

-Adrianne (@msfener)

We're all interns these days...

Sunny Saturday morning, reading the paper, and ran across an article about Lois Draegin, 55, who just lost her big editor job at TV Guide. What's she doing now? Serving as an unpaid intern at wowOwow.com, an interactive website that targets accomplished women older than 40. She's doing what so many of us are doing these days: polishing her new media and social media marketing skills. Her compensation, as opposed to monetary, is the wealth of new skills she's adding to her impressive 30-year resume. At Campbell Consulting we've added two bright 20-somethings to our team, and while they learn public relations and communications from us, we're learning a ton from them about how to navigate in the new digital world. Co-mentors? Perhaps. Right now, it's fun to be hunter-gatherers of all things digital. Our clients appear to like it, and we're having a great time on our journey!

-Judy (@judycampbell)