Score one for ‘Old’ Media: The Vanity Fair cover featuring Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, may have broken the Internet last week. Yet Jenner’s choice of vehicle for the big reveal is another indicator that the death of print media has been greatly exaggerated. After Caitlyn came out in a television interview as a trans woman in April, she tapped a well-known print magazine, whose origins date to 1913, to show off her new self. Jenner’s strategy also demonstrates to communications professionals that media messaging doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: The Vanity Fair cover shot was shared first on Caitlyn’s new Twitter handle, @Caitlyn_Jenner, which broke the record for the fastest ever to reach 1 million followers (formerly set by President Obama).
The Popularity of PR (Among Interns, at Least): A new survey should warm the cockles of communications managers who do the hiring and are concerned about pipeline. InternMatch recently released a survey showing PR and Marketing as the top industry for internships, (35 percent). The survey of 50,000 students and recent grads found a higher percentage of female students who want to get into PR compared with male students (see chart). As they recruit interns, the onus is on PR managers to educate newbies that marketing communications increasingly is about tying PR to corporate goals and financial objectives, and event planning and social media are just one of many facets of the profession.
Pinning Your Hopes on Monetizing Social Media: This was inevitable, of course, but we’re surprised it took this long when you consider the wild popularity of Pinterest (72.8 million users). The digital-scrapbooking site last week rolled out its “Buyable Pins” feature, which will enable shoppers to purchase products directly off Pinterest by tapping a blue “Buy It” button and using Apple Pay or a credit card. Users will be able to choose from among 2 million “pinned” products, which will display the new button alongside the red “Pin It” button. A total of 93 percent of active Pinners said they use Pinterest to plan for purchases; 87 percent said they’ve purchased something because of Pinterest, according to digital research firm Millward Brown. As the site tries to make it easier for brands and organizations to monetize their Pinterest pages, PR execs are presented with another opportunity to enhance their value. Not only can they play a key role in producing great visuals, but they can surround the pictures with killer copy that might spell the difference between consumers admiring pictures of a company’s products and/or services and paying for them.
Nothing like a logo refresh to juice up your brand: The restaurant chain synonymous with a hot plate of flapjacks and eggs, IHOP, has a new logo after more than 20 years with the old one. The old logo looks like a frown, Kirk Thompson, the company’s VP of marketing, told BuzzFeed. With the frown upside down, IHOP is using its logo as a springboard for a PR and marketing campaign. Its “Summer of Smiles” will include a series of events and programs in the next few months to celebrate those who, “like IHOP restaurants, help bring smiles to communities though their efforts to make a positive difference in the lives of others,” the company said.
People Moves: Ogilvy & Mather Japan appointed Abi Sekimitsu as Content Director. Prior to joining Ogilvy, Abi was a journalist and editor at Reuters for 25 years. Meanwhile, Ogilvy Public Relations has brought on Robyn Massey as global CCO, a newly created position. Prior to joining Ogilvy & Mather, Massey was VP of corporate communications and head of external relations and partnerships at Ketchum, a London-based gig…Edelman tapped Esther Busscher as general manager, Edelman Brussels. Busscher joins Edelman from FleishmanHillard, where she was senior VP and director, of the Brussels office.
Score one for ‘Old’ Media: The Vanity Fair cover featuring Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, may have broken the Internet last week. Yet Jenner’s choice of vehicle for the big reveal is another indicator that the death of print media has been greatly exaggerated. After Caitlyn came out in a television interview as a trans woman in April, she tapped a well-known print magazine, whose origins date to 1913, to show off her new self. Jenner’s strategy also demonstrates to communications professionals that media messaging doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: The Vanity Fair cover shot was shared first on Caitlyn’s new Twitter handle, @Caitlyn_Jenner, which broke the record for the fastest ever to reach 1 million followers (formerly set by President Obama).
Nothing like a logo refresh to juice up your brand: The restaurant chain synonymous with a hot plate of flapjacks and eggs, IHOP, has a new logo after more than 20 years with the old one. The old logo looks like a frown, Kirk Thompson, the company’s VP of marketing, told BuzzFeed. With the frown upside down, IHOP is using its logo as a springboard for a PR and marketing campaign. Its “Summer of Smiles” will include a series of events and programs in the next few months to celebrate those who, “like IHOP restaurants, help bring smiles to communities though their efforts to make a positive difference in the lives of others,” the company said.
People Moves: Ogilvy & Mather Japan appointed Abi Sekimitsu as Content Director. Prior to joining Ogilvy, Abi was a journalist and editor at Reuters for 25 years. Meanwhile, Ogilvy Public Relations has brought on Robyn Massey as global CCO, a newly created position. Prior to joining Ogilvy & Mather, Massey was VP of corporate communications and head of external relations and partnerships at Ketchum, a London-based gig…Edelman tapped Esther Busscher as general manager, Edelman Brussels. Busscher joins Edelman from FleishmanHillard, where she was senior VP and director, of the Brussels office.
