After combing the floor for two full days, our teams identified several stand outs.  Check them out below and let us know your thoughts!

1. Caterpillar Phones – Ruggedized Android smartphones from one of the world’s most recognizable brands.  Caterpillar licensed the brand to Bullitt Mobile to execute on the vision.  We’re eager to test one out!
2. Sonostar Smartwatch – Sonostar has developed a beautifully designed smartwatch that looks as good as many designer brands.  The e-Paper display allows for a curved touchscreen and displays all the important data and notifications via Bluetooth from your smartphone.  Take calls, control your music, access your contacts and much more from this beauty.
3. Damson Audio Twist – Not your average Bluetooth speaker!  The Twist fits in the palm of your hand, comes in 4 great colors and literally delivers some of the best sound we’ve heard coming out of something that size.  The audio overpowered a trade show floor, all through an iPhone.  The battery lasts 9 hours on a single charge and, without a doubt, will quickly become your go-to portable audio sound system.
4. Mrked – These guys are not just another case company, they are looking to Leave-A-Mrk.  While they do design fashion forward cases, the main play here is their profit-sharing partnership with Room to Read®.  Room to Read is non-profit organization that works tirelessly to help provide education for young girls in Asia and Africa.  We love the cause!
5. Stick-n-Find – With a device the size of a quarter, we’re all now able to keep track of the things we misplace.  Attach it to your wallet, your keys, your dog…whatever.  Through their custom designed App, you can locate lost items or even set up a ‘virtual leash’ that alarms you when something has left a designated proximity limit.  Get a two pack for only $50 US.
6. 6.       MCE Systems – The global leader in repair and return avoidance for mobile retailers. Transfer data between devices onsite and repair up to 80% of smart phone errors in-store.
7. CallSnap – Can’t get to your phone when it rings? Let your caller know what you’re doing by answering with a picture or voice memo instead of hitting decline and sending them straight to voice mail.
8. BillFloat – Need to collect from customers? Accelerate cash flow, reduce collection costs, and lower customer churn. Need to pay your bills but life has sent you a curve ball? Avoid late charges and overdrafts. BillFloat gives you extra time to pay your cable, car note, insurance premium, telephone bill, utility company…you name it!

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May was host to the Google I/O, put together by a little company called Google. You may have heard of them? They pretty much run the World Wide Web. Must be why this year they extended their annual Google I/O to be three days instead of two. It is their biggest event of the year, after all.

But just what is Google I/O?  An annual developer-focused conference held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco that started in 2008,  Google I/O (or “Innovation in the Open”) features highly technical, in-depth sessions that are solely focused on building web, mobile, and enterprise applications with Google and open web technologies such as Android, Chrome, Chrome OS, Google API’s, App engine, and more. Keynote speakers give a first glimpse of the latest products and platform innovations at Google. Participants have the opportunity to join code labs to get deeply encoded as well as the ultimate 3-day inspiration hub featuring techmakers sessions, tech talks, startup panels, and introductions to Google’s latest innovations. As if that weren’t enough they also give you an insight as to how YOU can be a part of it. The developer sandbox featured over 100 innovators who have built or are building great products with Google technologies. Sounds tiring, we know. Lucky for attendees then that Google I/O had an afterhours, which was filled with hyper-visual and hands-on interactive experiences of “sophisticated recreation”  like virtual golf, heightened reality-type arcade games, and live musical performances like no other.

Want to see what you missed? Check out CNET’s roundup of Google I/O 2013 – http://news.cnet.com/google-io/

Wave goodbye to May and hello to June, which isn’t just the start of summer or hurricane season. It’s one of the busiest months of the year for social media, technology, and PR. That means lots of events, conferences, summits, and whatever else you call an all-day getaway filled with nothing but knowledge. If anyone knows how to put together an event, it’s tech-geeks. Technology makes the world go round, and all those who act as its backbone in the form of social media, PR, and marketing, well, we’re not too far behind.

It doesn’t hurt either that the goodie bags, giveaways, sponsors, and attendees at these events are typically global names, so if you ever get an invite to a tech event, summit, conference, or a simple party be sure to RSVP, attend, and walk away with something in hand other than business cards. Granted, some of these are expensive, some are invite-only, and some are filled months in advance, so it’s important to know about them from now to increase your chances of attending next year. Like Google I/O 2014.  After all, it’s for work – networking, seeing what others are doing (and not doing for that matter), as well as showing off yourself, your product and your company is business 101 – but you probably already knew that.

So let’s skip the small talk – save that for the events – and go straight to business. Here are some of the top tech events for the month of June.

eMetrics Summit Chicago –  June 10- June 13

This three-day summit taking place from June 10^th to June 13^th combines your company’s website, social media, ecommerce, web intelligence, data strategy, audience research into one. Responsible for any of the aforementioned for your company? Then you ought to be at the Hyatt Regency at McCormick Place along with senior level executives at this leading digital analytics. Learn what tools and techniques to use in order to optimize successful digital marketing programs and have your company work for you. Speakers from leading companies AOL, American Airlines, NUY, United Airlines, and the hosting Hyatt come together at this conference in Chi-Town. And hey, it’s summer, which means it’s a great time to visit the windy city.

SCOTLANDS TECHNOLOGY SHOW – June 11

Thousands of technology professionals will gather at Scotland’s Technology Show 2013 – STS 2013 – to network, learn, and get inspired. The free event gives you access to suppliers, customer, funding courses and industry leaders with a focus on health and care technologies, smart cities and communities, the future of technology, and big data, cloud, and data security.  With demo zones that encompass the show’s four themes, technology connection zones designed to make the right connections, workshops with speakers from some of the largest and fastest growing technology companies, and a keynote area run by Rene Carayol (one of the world’s gurus in leadership), it’s a wonder that this tech exhibition event is free. Although flights to Scotland don’t exactly come cheap, especially for those like us who reside in the US.

Glimpse: The Social Discovery Conference – June 12

As Mark Zuckerberg best knows, social media is the way of the future. Glimpse is a daylong conference dedicated to the next face in social interaction: social discovery.  Companies operating on these frequencies are looking to connect with new people, places, products, and technology that they will enjoy. This is based on their existing interests and current way of interacting social via the World Wide Web. Held in San Francisco and sponsored by VentureBeat, Glimpse 2013 brings together industry experts in social to discuss the future of how social interactions affect the way which we live, decide, and buy.

Led by influential journalists and hosted by CNET’s Casey Newton, Glimpse 2013 past participants include Mike Isaa of AllThingsD, Shyandi Raice from the Wall Street Journal, and Doug MacMillan of Bloomberg Businessweek. As if this weren’t enough a select number of one-on-one keynotes are held with top CEO’s.

Content Summit for PR, Social Media, and Marketing Professionals – June 24- June 26

Tech brands would be nowhere without impactful and strong PR, social media, and marketing. We in the PR, social media, and marketing world know this, but what about the rest of the world? They just read content without thinking about where that content comes from, which again leads us back to strong and impactful PR, social media, and marketing. So how do you master the most critical element – content – for your product and to reach your public? You attend the Content Summit at the Gleacher Center in Chicago, held from June 24-26. Seventeen speakers will discuss the ROI of developing irresistible content, and how to get your staff excited about writing narratives.  Attendees will be able to walk away having learned tricks to get employees to adopt new media quicker and easier, and understanding of how to use an editorial calendar and see it’s benefits, tips to integrate social media into your PR, marketing, and sales, and the three mistakes to avoid when jumping into content marketing.

START – June 26

From the team behind F.ounders and dubbed as “one of the hottest events in tech” by CNN and “the best conference ever attended” by Mashable, START launched in New York on March 15^th. The event combined incredible early-stage startups with speakers like Troy Ctayer of Atom Factory and Dave MacClure of 500Startups.  F.ounders brings together 150 of the world’s leading tech company founders for an intimate annual gathering where the motto here is it’s who’s in the room that matters. Guests at F.ounders have included Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, Skype’s Miklas Zennstrom, and YouTube’s Chad Hurley. Even Bono’s stopped by. With or without him, the event would still be worthy. With all these people and much more in attendance in one room, imagine the connections one could make. Did you know that seven Nobel Prize winners for physics found themselves together in a room, presumably at some sort of science conference, before any of them won the Nobel Prize in physics?

With that said, now it’s time for the next chapter – START San Francisco will take place on June 26^th. The best from the West Coast and beyond will meet in Silicon Valley where today’s most compelling and exciting voices will mix, connect, and learn from one another. The catch? It’s a private event, by invitation-only. The best events always are.

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Public Relations is all about making meaningful connections and building lasting relationships with the media. While the value of human-to-human contact should never be underestimated, the very nature of how we communicate is changing. People email, they text and they tweet. Good PR professionals are using these mediums to send their client’s messages to the media, great PR pros are using them to build relationships. Here are some tips from Max Borges Agency’s award winning technology PR + Social Media team on how to use social media to start a conversation and build a lasting relationship with the media.

Find Your Media Online

The simplest way to find a reporter on social media is to read their content online. Nine times out of ten, you will find their social media information included with the article. You can also try simply searching the web for their name + “Twitter.”If you don’t know exactly who you’re looking for, sites like PressPass and Muck Rack can help you find journalists on Twitter through organizing them by beat, media outlet, and region.

Listen First, Act Later

Once you’ve identified your media targets, start following them on Twitter and listen to what they’re saying. Did they say something funny or interesting? Retweet or favorite their Tweet. This acts as a digital nod to show you’re listening and engaged. You can create private Twitter lists for each publication, beat or industry you follow for simplified monitoring and engagement. Monitoring these lists is important to know what the media is covering as well as learn personal details about your target media which will make for stronger relationships down the line. Monitoring media on twitter is also a great source for fielding queries as many reporters post calls for products and pitches on twitter.

Start a Conversation

Would you kick-off a media lunch with a pitch? Chances are you’d say hello first. Resist the urge to pitch a reporter on social media right away and let your first interactions be non-promotional. It’s also important to consider that not all journalists like being pitched on Twitter, so be sure to ask. For example, try tweeting, “Hi @name, loved your story on new adventure gear! I work w/ @company + have something you might like, what’s the best way 2 connect w/you?” They will appreciate that you took the time to ask and will be on the lookout for your pitch. If they give you the green light, following up emails and phone calls via Twitter is a great way to prompt media to your pitch.

The Takeaway

Once you’ve made the connection, maintain the relationship and continue to communicate on a regular basis—even if you don’t have a story. Try to take a genuine interest in their updates and if their Tweet of a funny cat video makes you LOL, let them know! Take the basic principles of offline communication and transfer them online for successful media relationships in the digital age.

For additional information on the leading technology PR and social media firm, please visit www.maxborgesagency.com, like us on Facebook or Follows us on twitter.

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Selling that “Eureka!” Moment: Turning a Great Concept into a Reality

Brilliant ideas can happen at the most unexpected times.

Every now and then we all experience that “Eureka!” moment where a thought so powerful, innovative, and life-changing comes charging into our minds.  Often times, that idea is fleeting, and we rarely take any action.  But, sometimes we run with it– all the way to the store shelves.

App developer and Los Angeles native, Dotan Saguy, crafted his idea, the Smarter Stand, while eating breakfast, and desperately trying to prop up his iPad against a jar of jelly for a comfortable viewing angle.  The Smarter Stand, two clips that adjust the existing Apple Smart Cover to create new angles, grabbed the attention of Kickstarter, and has raised more than $138,000.

Kickstarter, a crowd-funding website, encourages entrepreneurs and everyday folks to introduce those “Eureka” ideas to the public with the hopes it will attract pledges towards the product production.  So, what elements make up an effective Kickstarter campaign?  We spoke with several Kickstarter alumni to find out their secrets to success.

Define your project with a clear set of expectations and goals

“Have a plan to success which means manufacturers, sourcing, and marketing,” says Steve Calle, creator of Aqua Tek S, a Kickstarter campaign that earned more than $164,000.  “Always communicate that to your customers.”

Kickstarter supporters are more inclined to pledge if they can visualize the product, and peruse a well-established timeline of deliverables.  This includes the work that has been done leading up to the campaign, and the next steps over the following two-to-three months.

“The Kickstarter community wants to know where their support is going, and what they can expect in the coming days or weeks,” says Saguy.  “Without a concrete plan of action laid out on your pledge page, your idea is nothing more than just that…an idea.  Progress is essential, and updates throughout the campaign are vital.  It’s all about conceptualizing and executing.”

Exude passion for your campaign, Interact with the Kickstarter community often

This may seem like common sense, but if you do not demonstrate passion for your own idea, then it is impossible to convince others to get excited. Keeping your Kickstarter supporters abreast regularly is a tactic that is surprisingly underused.  On the Kickstarter campaign page, there is a tab labeled “Updates.”  Use it.  Use it often.

Additionally, keep a very close eye on the “Comments” tab.  The commentators are your potential customers so you should treat them with respect.

“Engage early and often,” says Geoffrey Litwack, developer of Hone, a Kickstarter campaign that brought in more than $85,000.  “I can’t remember the number of times I would answer a question, and the response would be a pledge.  Treat everyone like they’re rock stars.”

“Your customers will also let you know how good the product will do or offer suggestions to make it better,” adds Calle.

Develop, script, and produce a sincere video

It’s all about the visuals.

Marrying stunning imagery and descriptive audio into an upbeat, exciting video is a critical element to most successful Kickstarter campaigns.  Keep in mind, you’re selling an idea, and most times there are no samples or prototypes available for people to experience.  That means, you must rely heavily on other forms of description and communication to entice your audience, and convince them to take a chance with your product.

“My advice to other Kickstarter projects is to come up with an original video that does not insult the backer,” says Jay Johnson, founder of CordCruncher.  He earned more than $66,000 for his revolutionary headphones.  “Reach into your bag of tricks and come up with a presentation that is every bit creative as your product or concept.”

Understandably, most small businesses, entrepreneurs, and that random guy from Montana do not have a camera crew readily available to produce a professional video.  However, sincerity and passion do come through on-screen.  When describing your product, include your own personal story succinctly.  Let your potential backers get a sense of your good intentions and desire.  Trust me, it is contagious.  Make sure to include some upbeat music under your audio tracks to help push the video along, and, of course, be sure to use a lot of attention-grabbing photos and lifestyle imagery.  Backers want to see people engaging with your product in everyday situations.

“Our video wasn’t great,” says Calle.”  But, we portrayed the product and company well.  We believe we could’ve done even better with a good video.”

Proudly display good reviews on your Kickstarter page

It is undeniable; Kickstarter has enraptured industry bloggers and journalists, alike, since its inception.  So, take advantage of their interests and positive reviews.  Aggressively reach out to those who are the mouthpiece of whatever industry you’re aiming for.

Create target lists of industry influencers, and send personal emails introducing your product or idea.  Be sure to include plenty of images, pricing, and descriptions.  After securing a feature on an industry website, use it again, and again, and again.  Upload a link to the article on your Facebook account, Twitter account, and even post a positive quote directly on your Kickstarter page.  Johnson says he noticed that most people will “look at reviews even before they understand your product.”

Good luck and get started!

If the crowd-funding website is utilized properly, the possibilities are endless for anyone with a phenomenal idea.  Sometimes all it takes is one everyday problem, one creative solution, and, for some like Saguy, a jar of jelly.

The post 4 Secrets to a Successful Kickstarter Campaign appeared first on Max Borges Agency.

Facebook is a tremendously powerful marketing and PR tool that, if fully utilized, can help a business to realize its true potential.

Here are the top 12 critical elements of a successful Facebook advertising campaign:

• Establish a Facebook page for your company and hire a successful web developer to make it as appealing as possible. A lot can be gleaned about the overall tone of your business from its Facebook page and this is best left to a professional. This investment gives large returns. Besides – aren’t you too busy running your business?
• The beginning of any successful social media campaign is to identify the target audience for your company and brand. Most of your efforts will be directed at this audience, and having a solid understanding of this group crucial.
• Use Facebook as a data collection tool. Social media is a powerful platform for customer acquisition, generation of leads, and stats about your customers. E-mail addresses collected from social media campaigns can be used to maintain connection with customers and increase brand loyalty.
• Facebook has extensive opportunities for paid media, usually in the form of advertisements. With the ability to target customers by interests, advertisements on Facebook have greater impact and higher returns.
• The coup of Facebook is the opportunity for earned media – mentions and promotions made by users, customers, or fans. Any Facebook campaign should have the goal of increasing social mentions via Facebook, other social media sites, blogs, and news articles. Targeting social media influencers and using their reach to expand the brand’s exposure helps achieve increased mentions and social media presence.
• Advocacy campaigns, like #hashtag or “double like,” increase social mentions and the breadth of social media power. Including the customer in the promotion process has multiple benefits, including creating an “organic” advocate, a larger social media presence, and greater brand loyalty.
• Facebook is the ideal platform for managing and promoting all owned media – the websites, blogs, and social networks that are wholly managed by your company. By promoting and disseminating owned media, your company is able to send out a message and tone that you can entirely control. Because social media is dominated by opinions of individuals, it is important to throw your voice into the mix.
• Keep your content as fresh as possible. Facebook users typically check the site multiple times throughout the day, with some logging in at first light and working through a stream of news throughout the day. The public does not want to view the same reviews of the same products more than once. Keep it fresh and you’ll invite both new viewers and repeat viewers to the page.
• Keep the conversation going by creating dialogue on your page. Ask questions, seek opinions, and encourage users to add their input. This helps keep your page fresh and current, while making customers feel included and part of the brand family. Break down the image of an unapproachable, big business and replace it with the idea that everyone’s voice is integral to building the business.
• Facebook is ideal for new brand amplification – creating a wider reach for the good press about your company and brand. Use social media to spread the news quickly to targeted users, especially those likely to repost or blog about the press. This will increase traffic toward the positive news and reviews of the company and brand.
• Diligent and continual management of brand reputation and image is imperative for a successful Facebook presence. One of the fundamental drivers behind social media is that is gives a voice to all. Anyone can be heard. Your social media manager must be skilled at not only responding to online praise, but also immediately addressing negative remarks and suspicious postings. Negativity can spread just as virally as positive remarks.
• Lastly – highly encourage cross-platform subscription. Social media is not only limited to Facebook, and it has the potential to make or break a company. Host multiple social media sites, and encourage your customers to participate in them all. Increase loyalty, exposure, and revenue by engaging new and returning customers on multiple social media platforms.

A Facebook advertising campaign managed by an experienced firm has the potential to generate more traffic, better public exposure, and a more succinct overall message. Facebook is a medium that can create immense public interest, yet also have the potential to quickly spread negativity about a product, company, or service. An experienced marketing or PR firm will maintain brand reputation, manage exposure, and ensure that your next Facebook advertising campaign drives your business to greater heights.

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You Must Connect With Your Public To Build Trust in The Brand

PR firms know that if a brand is to evolve into a trusted name with consumers, the brand has to stand for something. Whether PR teams position their soft drink maker client as a brand “for the people” or the next compact car as the “globally conscious choice,” customers must connect to the company and envision how the brand can integrate with their lives. Some brands just cannot seem to succeed in establishing consistent and positive public relations and have received some seriously bad press.

While certain brands can point to one isolated incident that turned into a PR nightmare, others have delivered a legacy of isolating the public and turning consumers into critics. The following, in no particular order, are ten brands that are truly on PR life support due to decisions made by leaders at all levels in their organizations:

1. Chick-fil-A: Sure, a company CEO or Board of Directors can certainly have their opinions. Making concrete statements about social issues and invoking the wrath of nearly half the nation is a bold move. By openly making anti-gay statements the Chick-fil-A CEO alienated patrons and earned a firestorm of negative press. Yes, customers with similar views did come out to support the company, but this massive PR blunder served to draw attention away from Chick-fil-A’s core business and introduced harmful images of bigotry and hate.

2. Exxon: With minimal investment in pro-actively repairing and maintaining its aging network of pipelines (some of which run right through suburbs and populated areas), Exxon is always placed on the reactionary side of any crisis. Looking like the bad guys while trying to explain why they didn’t foresee a sixty year old pipe rupturing, Exxon has been accused of insufficient reaction to spills and other moments of crisis.

3. Whole Foods: Whole Foods leadership has strongly supported political stances that stray far from the natural inclinations of the majority of their customers. Ignoring requests from shareholders and the press regarding genetically modified organisms in their food offerings, and toxins in baby bottles, has done little to promote their open and healthy living message.

4. JP Morgan: In a post-recession America, banks are fighting an uphill public relations battle. Banking giant JP Morgan is losing this battle. Receiving a huge TARP bailout, insensitive and improper foreclosure procedures, and an out-of-touch CEO in Jamie Dimon are key characteristics of a financial conglomerate that has a hard time connecting with their public and has earned a tarnished reputation.

5. BP: The Deep Water Horizon debacle killed 11, spilled 206 million gallons of crude into sensitive oceans, and caused share prices to drop from $60 to $27.
Regardless of what “truly” happened – publically it appeared that BP was “asked” to setup a $20 billion fund to cover costs. By not getting ahead of this crisis and offering help, before “asked” – BP lost a chance to earn back public opinion.

6. American Apparel/Gap: Public relations experts know the importance of capitalizing on current events. The problem is, you don’t offer sales and discounts to those who are currently affected by life-threatening weather events – all with a tongue-in-cheek marketing message that trivializes the experiences of those affected. American Apparel’s ad during the crisis of Hurricane Sandy negatively effected the reputation of this power brand.

7. Netflix: Once the “coolest idea” in the movie watching experience, the Netflix CEO decided to axe the business right down the middle and created two separate and unnecessary entities. This was a prime example of fixing something that wasn’t broken. Major branding issues emerged and the bleeding of customers ensued – 800,000 of them left after the announcement of this change.

8. McDonalds: While McDonalds already has an image as the “cheapest meal in town,” inviting customers to comment on their experience via Twitter was an exercise in risk. This backfired dramatically, with 68%+ of respondents leaving negative remarks on the hash tag promo. The company failed to anticipate the flood of comments, and reacted harshly to those that did leave negative remarks.

9. Citigroup: The loss of confidence in the banking industry should have banks doing everything they can to shed their image of cold, bloated institutions of exploitation. However, Citigroup fired 11,000 workers right before Christmas. The biggest American bank couldn’t wait until a less insensitive time? This bad press, on top of generalized “bad blood” for banks, was a major PR hit for this mega-bank.

10. Sears: Sometimes one has to admit that there just isn’t room anymore for slow-moving, behemoth retailers like Sears. With desperate attempts at improving public relations through product assortment refreshing, social media integration, and store revamps, Sears is failing. A 60% stock price drop and a seemingly disgruntled employee base doesn’t bode well for one of America’s oldest retailers.

The brands listed above do not encapsulate all of the companies that are failing at connecting to the public. They are, however, some of the highest profile organizations that have alienated part of their base. They have failed to recognize the power of positive press and have communicated via a shroud of mystery. Clear and consistent communication is vital in our world today, and these organization need to rethink their PR positions to ensure continued relevance and future performance.

The post Top Ten Brands That Are On PR-Life Support! appeared first on Max Borges Agency.

PR Firms Know the Importance of Public Relations for Brand Adoption

Public relations firms know when a brand has made it. The public reacts with enthusiasm to merely seeing the logo, and uses the brand’s message or tagline in everyday speech – think “Just Do It!” They mold their buying habits around the lifestyle that these brands portray, and they feel good moving through life with specific brands in tow. Public relations is one key driver of massive brand recognition and adoption, and can marry effectively with advertising plans and quality product offerings to create a brand that truly dominates.

Some Brands Know How to Reach the Public

There are key similarities between brands that truly know how to utilize PR to reach their targeted audience. All of these brands utilize PR firms that understand the importance of:

• Knowing your public and what gathers attention
• Knowing which channels generate the traffic necessary to provide brand awareness
• Understanding the impact of specific branding characteristics
• Developing a strategy to maintain growth and support through a product’s lifespan

Powerhouse brands that excel, in terms of PR, are massive companies with national and even worldwide recognition. The following are ten brands that are truly PR giants.

1. Southwest Airlines: Southwest is a PR leader in the airline field in because of their crisis management (it grounded its entire fleet of planes when one showed a structural flaw, exceeding the expectations of federal regulators and the public alike), customer focused rewards programs, and much-publicized, environmentally conscious practices. With the airline industry suffering from negative public opinion – Southwest Airlines’ PR efforts have increased profits and brand recognition.

2. USAA Credit Union: Serving the needs of military members, military spouses, and dependents for decades, USAA gives support and stability to these proud members of the Armed forces. Campaigns aimed at establishing a financial partnership for life, coupled with a staunch support for those in uniform, lends credibility and public support to this organization.

3. Coca-Cola Corp: Coke means “Classic Americana,” and they haven’t strayed from this campaign strategy in decades. Coke has emerged as an organization that elegantly combines old-school trust and quality with cutting edge technological advances in PR. Digitally reaching out to the public, Coco-Cola Corp quarterly conference calls with the Chief Executive team are available to all as a podcast. Including their customers creates lasting loyalty to the brand.

4. General Electric: GE is a legacy brand across the world. This mega brand understands that we all are interconnected and interdependent. GE, a company with a massive carbon footprint, has led the “green” movement understands that the environment is a common cause for all. With firm roots in the “green energy” field and utilizing the iconology of “protector of our planet”, GE has built trust in generations of consumers.

5. Disney Corp: One of the largest brands in the world, Disney manages images. Images of their products, their movie stars, their movies, and their theme parks – all adding up to a wholesome image that parents can wholeheartedly endorse and support. This image of safety and wholesomeness means consumers will buy more films, more merchandise, and take more trips to Disney-themed destinations. Deftly defusing detractors or critics, the PR team for Disney protects the brand, at all costs.

6. Honda Motor Company: Harnessing the power of social media – Honda has launched Pinterest and Twitter-based campaigns that have been wildly successful and cost very little. With PR campaigns aimed at emerging power-consumers, Honda has captured a new loyal base of customers who feel personal call-to-action and recognize the benefits of Honda products.

7. Nike: Nike is all about innovative partnerships, seductive marketing (see any of the “first-person player” World Cup-based short films), and massive social media involvement. Blending publicity and celebrity – Nike harnesses star power to strengthen their brand. Major press involvement is normal for the launch of a new pair of shoes, and getting your own line of shoes is considered a benchmark of stardom for an athlete.

8. Apple: Apple isn’t shy about realizing the power of its brand. Apple can be relatively quiet as an organization, until time to launch a new product. Then, the normal PR game of press releases, tech journal write-ups, and social media frenzy takes over. Apple has always garnered good PR by stressing the lifestyle benefits of its products versus tech talk.

9. Red Bull – Its founder famously scoffed at the notion that 50% of taste-testers found the drink revolting, and launched a PR campaign to convert the world. With a full one-third of its revenues allocated to events and sponsorships, Red Bull is the lifestyle brand for those engaged in extreme sports.

10. Microsoft: Experiencing a public relations renaissance – Microsoft managed to escape their public image of an evil-empire of bloated corporate excess. Microsoft has endeared itself to the public by promoting a softer, less businesslike image. The extensive charity work and generosity for CEO Bill Gates has generated extensive positive press for Microsoft.

While these companies may shift in and out of the top ten lists each year, they all have done an admirable job of capturing the public’s desire for an enhanced and fuller life experience. These companies aim to make people happy, to integrate into consumer’s lives seamlessly, and to support a particular image that many of us attempt to portray. Whether classic in design or cutting edge, the products put out by these organizations are an integral part of our lives.

The post Top Ten Brands That Dominate at PR appeared first on Max Borges Agency.

Gangnam Style – An Unlikely Phenomenom

At some point, the phrase “Gangnam Style” will have entered our vernacular in such a way that those of all ages will know that it means “irreverent,” “catchy,” “fun,” and most of all – “viral.” Gangnam Style was carefully crafted and engineered to appeal to a wide audience, yet still managed to remain true to the irreverent nature and offbeat overtone that made it unique. The Gangnam Style video, from South Korean pop star Psy, combines several elements that most businesses can use to increase their odds of a viral increase in recognition. The public is constantly searching for products, services, and causes that are accessible, human, and relatable. Using the Gangnam Style video as framework, the core elements of using PR to cause a business to “go viral” will be examined.

What’s So Cool About Your Brand?

So, PSY is not exactly what you’d expect from a music label that has churned out trendy and cool South Korean pop stars for years. Psy is baby-faced and hardly athletic (though his dance moves belie these factors), dressed in conservative clothes, and is beyond his years in terms of the average age of a contemporary pop star. This makes him more relatable to the masses, and allows us to root for someone who breaks the mold in terms of the traditional dance/pop star. From a PR standpoint, pitting your product against the traditional leaders in the industry may invoke the same level of disbelief in terms of ability and may have the audience rooting for the underdog. Similarly, your brand doesn’t have to be traditionally cool to allow for a cool PR launch. Think about the Old Spice campaigns of the last few years with the “Man your man could smell like” line. Deodorant is pretty uncool, to say the least, but Old Spice used some of the basic PR fundamentals of:

• Knowing your audience and whom you want to eventually target. Old Spice was not a deodorant that most young men reached for, but the aforementioned campaign went viral and has provided a substantial lift in the younger demographics. Also, many women do the shopping in the household, and the entire campaign speaks equally to women with the idea of improving your man through better products.
• Understanding that your brand doesn’t have to be cool to have a cool campaign. Psy is decidedly “quasi-cool” at best and has the most video views of all time on YouTube.
• Establishing the human connection to make the interaction accessible. For instance, Dodge launched the “God Made a Farmer” commercial during the 2013 SuperBowl. This video was stark, simple, and touched a chord among viewers of all ages. It has been viewed over 15 million times on YouTube over the past eight weeks.

Get The Celebs to Endorse Via Social Media, and Viral Recognition Begins

Celebrities have commented on, endorsed, and shed light on their interest in the Gangnam Style video since it debuted. As the video gained traction, it was interesting to note the spike in views right after a celebrity comment. It is important for any business to get product in the hands of those that are most influential in our society. While the percentage of these folks is miniscule compared to the size of the buying public, the impact of one good or bad review is incalculable. Take any book on Oprah’s list, any shoe design worn by the next hot young starlet, or the next cause endorsed by a celebrity. While a celebrity endorsement is not always necessary to cause your company to go viral, the PR of having a top star drinking your brand of water, wearing your running shoes, or getting actively involved in your charitable cause is a surefire way to increase your business’ odds of going viral.

Star Wars Versus Gangnam Style

We seek to promote brand awareness in a world that has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Businesses have the ability to promote products and services in ways that were only dreamed of twenty years ago. The ability to rapidly increase public awareness is real, and the interactive manner in which a brand identity can be formed means that any savvy company must know how to reach people today. Take the comparison between the original Star Wars movie released in 1977 and the Gangnam Style video. Since 1977, 163 million tickets to the theatrical release have been purchased, with somewhere in the neighborhood of 50-100 million copies of the movie purchased for home viewing. That took 35 years. In just nine months, Gangnam Style passed the 1.4 billion-view mark. This doesn’t take into account how many times two, three, or even ten people were watching the video together. Companies must take advantage of the social media outlets available today to ensure a viral launch to their new business, product, or service.

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13 tips to help you survive the world’s largest consumer technology show    

International CES 2013 is weeks away and we are pretty excited about it! This is the 8^th year we’ve attended the event so we’ve amassed some pretty useful (sometimes obvious but overlooked) tips to maximize your time in Vegas.  Read below to make sure you’re ready for battle!

1.  Plan Ahead – Develop a schedule in advance and prioritize the sessions, booth visits and meetings that are most important.  The show is over 1,870,000 square feet of booth space so planning meetings by halls will save you hours of time and true agony on your feet.

2.  Resist all that is Vegas – it’s easy to want to relive your buddy’s bachelor party and take advantage of all the free booze and parties.  Trust us, don’t do it.  A 9am meeting with a marquee prospect followed by 8 hours on the show floor after you ‘rocked the mic like a vandal’ until 3am isn’t fun.  The dehydration caused by the drinks and the desert air will feel make you feel like your head is in a vice.

3.  Go Easy on Your Shoulders – Pack light and bring a roller briefcase, you’ll leave with several product brochures, magazines, USB flash drives, and samples that will weigh you down quickly.  We call the roller bags ‘nerd packs’ and you will roll over a few toes, but hanging anything off a shoulder or in a backpack will leave you with some seriously sore traps.

4.  CES App – Build your schedule and access booth information on the go: www.cesweb.org/cesmobile.

5.  Murphy’s Law – Anything that can go and will go wrong. Always have a contingency plan: back up files, program cell phone numbers, add extra time between meetings, etc.  The cab lines will truly amaze you.  That hotel just across the street is actually a 30 minute walk.  Did we mention your feet?

6.  Network! Network! Network! – Bring plenty of business cards and a pen to take notes of everyone you meet at the show, at breakfast, in the elevator, wherever.  You will never remember the takeaways from all your meetings if you don’t take notes.  It’ll make follow up that much easier.

7.  Back-Up Batteries – Power is in short supply at CES and the crowds lead to constant roaming which will chew up your tablet and smartphone batteries. Bring a backup battery and keep it on you at all times.

 8.  Mobile Hot Spots – As we mentioned, internet connectivity and cell reception is hard to come by at the show. To ensure you don’t get stuck without it, bring your own mobile hot spot. ­

 9.  Monorail/CES Shuttle Services – Did we mention the cab lines?  Figure out the public transport and remember the shuttle number for your hotel.  The CES Shuttles line up right outside of Central Hall and get you back to your hotel or meeting spot with much more ease.

10.  Shoes – spend the money on some good ones.  Cole Haans with Nike soles are the best we’ve found.  We’d even get a few pairs and switch them out on a daily basis.  Whatever you do, don’t be the suit and sneakers guy/gal.

11. Hydrate – Train for CES like it’s triathlon.  Spend the days leading up to the show over hydrating and always keep a bottle on you during the show.  You need more than you think.

12.  Sanitize – Believe it or not, many people leave the show seriously under the weather.  Improve your chances of staying healthy with hand sanitizer.   It’s a networking event with over 200,000 attendees, stuff gets passed around.

 13.  Dress for the Weather – It can be 80 degrees during the day and 30 degrees at night.  Dress accordingly.

 Max Borges Agency has over 55 clients attending the show who will be on display in the North, Central, and South Halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center as well as hotels like the Venetian, Bellagio and Aria.  To help make planning your schedule even easer we have released the official Max Borges Agency 2013 CES Media Planner that outlines essential information like company profiles, booth locations, as well as media contacts.

Good luck at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show!

For additional information on the leading technology PR and social media firm, please visit www.maxborgesagency.com, like us on Facebook or Follows us on twitter.

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