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Archive for the ‘Feature Stories’ Category

Still Buzzing – Do we really want to combine our email with updates from our social networks?

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

From Google Earth and Gmail to GOOG-411 and Nexus One it is clear that its wide range of products and service offerings have molded Google into one of the most dominant companies on the Web.  As if Google wasn’t already a huge threat, it developed Google Buzz.  As you’ve probably heard, or experienced, Google’s new development aims to combine the best features of different social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Picasa and YouTube, sending many of those sites scrambling to re-examine their features to make sure Google Buzz does not become a monopoly in the social media space next.

So, what supposedly makes Google Buzz more appealing than Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites? Well, according to an article in Channelweb, the top reasons are that Google Buzz:

  1. Integrates with Gmail
  2. Drowns out the noise
  3. Cuts out the hunting and pecking
  4. Works well with cell phones

Ok, so do you want to know what this really means?  To start, Gmail users will now have access to all of their status updates, photos, new comments and other content mixed in with their email.  Cool?  Not so much.  Do we social networking fanatics really want ALL of our updates mixed in with email?  I think this will make emailing and social networking more of a hassle.

Google claims Buzz will “drown out the noise,” by using algorithms and history to sift through unwanted status updates or photo uploads based on a user’s previous activity.  Yes, I do not want to know what Friend A is doing every second of the day, but that doesn’t mean that I never want to know what he’s up to.  Google Buzz also has an “auto-follow” feature where all of your previous Gmail contacts can automatically connect with you.  Imagine all of the people that you email:  your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, coworkers and children.  Is this option really preferable?  Well, if you are a fan of Google Buzz so far, AND if you are an Apple or Android user—don’t worry.  Google has developed mobile applications for the iPhone and Google Android.  Google is also developing an enterprise plan for Buzz.

Yes, Google Buzz compiles email and social networking content all into one program, but should this really make Facebook and Twitter that worried?  I would rather keep social networking separate from emailing.  It is quite clear that Google can do it all, but is Buzz really going to attract current Facebook and Twitter users?

Jenaleigh Landers is an intern with Griffin York & Krause.  She is currently a full-time Business Major at Saint Anselm College.

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Will You Pay For The Online News?

Monday, January 25th, 2010

It’s no secret that the newspaper industry has been suffering. Now that everyone has access to the Web where they can get the latest news with a click of a computer mouse or a fingertip touch on a smartphone, long ago are the days of waiting for your paper to find out what’s going on in the world.

But the newspapers are smartening up. Or are they?

Just as you have to pay your 50 cents per copy or a fixed rate for a subscription to your physical paper, some popular newspapers are charging, or will soon start charging, readers to pay to read the news… off their Web site. The latest medium to do this is the New York Times. Although the Times Co. has released few details of how they plan to charge readers, we do know that starting in 2011, the newspaper will offer a “metered plan” where viewers can look at a certain number of articles free before having to pay to continue to read more. The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times already have this practice in place.

It’s easy to draw the conclusion that media companies are doing this because advertising spending is not where it used to be. With production costs on the rise, and in order to keep some of these outlets afloat, now the cost burden needs to be shifted to the consumer. But will readership suffer as a result? Or will readers go to one of the thousands of competitors that is not charging a fee to view content? Then would the pay-to-read plan ultimately backfire?

Are you willing to pay for YOUR news?

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Crisis Communications: PSNH On Twitter

Monday, January 26th, 2009

Posted by David, Griffin York & Krause Public Relations

 

This is an interesting example of the use of Twitter by a company for communication but also in my opinion an example of how if a company is going to use social networking, it can’t and shouldn’t hide from the bad news.  I also want to note that PSNH is a subsidiary of a publicly traded company, which are often the most careful about how and what they communicate because of fears that bad news might affect the all-important stock value.

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Inspiration at Walter Reed

Monday, December 22nd, 2008

Posted by Travis, President of Griffin York & Krause

At GY&K we’re lucky to work with a number of health care clients and one of the many benefits of this work is that you in some way feel like you’re helping those who in a very real way are helping others.  Recently we began working with the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC).  DVBIC’s mission is to serve active duty military, their dependents and veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI).  The organization was mandated by Congress in 1991 and is funded through the Department of Defense.

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Making the most of a press opportunity

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

Posted by Kevin, Griffin York & Krause Public Relations

Kevin Flynn on Fox 25 Morning Show

Kevin (rt) on Fox 25 Morning Show

Though my day job is in public relations at GY&K, my nights are spent freelance writing.  Sometimes these two worlds come together, as was the case when I was asked to appear on the Fox 25 Morning Show to discuss my new book, Wicked Intentions.  In prepping for this interview, I took my own advice that I give clients in order to make the most of the exposure.

Anticipate what the main questions will be.  My book, a nonfiction account of a grizzly set of murders, has a strong main character in killer Sheila LaBarre.  Interviewers want to kick it off with a “who is she” kind of question, then ask for facts from her life.  (This guy actually jumps too far in to start, assuming every viewer knows the case.  I took the opportunity to go back and set up the story so viewers could follow along.)  Because I had the only media interview with her behind bars, everyone wants to know what that experience was like.  And they want my opinion on the results of the trial.  These are all questions for which I have practiced standard answers.  These tend to be the easiest part of the interview for me, as I can simply roll out these well-crafted sound bites. (more…)

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Liberal Media? … You decide.

Friday, October 31st, 2008

posted by Holly, Griffin York & Krause Public Relations

I’ve been hearing alot lately the phrase “there goes that liberal media again” and it makes me chuckle a bit. Here’s why: I used to work for a television station that was often accused of being anything but – Mostly we were accused of being “too conservative” as opposed to liberal. This was, of course, during the time we had a Democratic governor in office and, if a story ran that could at ALL be looked upon as negative towards that governor, then the phone calls would start. Of course, there’s going to be bias in the media no matter how you slice it; however, I believe a true, good journalist will hide that bias, letting the viewer, reader, or listener make his or her own decision.

Is the general public truly swayed by the slant of the media? If I was an undecided voter in this election, and I was watching, oh, Fox News for example (who many would say lean towards the right), would I completely turn to the Republican camp? And the same would go for watching Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey truly captures the Sarah Palin persona. But does it, of course, with sarcasm and humor, which can make Governor Palin look not-so-smart in some sketches. But would a person watching SNL immediately think, “Wow, that Governor Palin must not be very intelligent. I must vote for the Obama-Biden ticket!”…?

I don’t think the American people are given enough credit. I think we’re smart enough to make up our own minds – and no liberal OR conservative bias will easily sway us.

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Today, our in-flight video will be…

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008

posted by Mike, Griffin York & Krause Account Services

Building a brand at 30,000 feet can’t be easy, but JetBlue seems to be onto something with their complimentary in-flight TV service. Sure, as a marketer I might be biased, but you can’t tell me that if there’s something on a television screen less than a foot away from you, that you wouldn’t watch it, at least briefly.

Not only does this service hit a home-run (yes, I have play-off baseball on the brain) with passengers, it also does something that virtually all brands are struggling to do these days; capture the undivided attention of their consumers. So let’s break this down:

Once you board the plane, scope it out, make your way past that guy who is taking WAY too long to clear the aisle, find your seat, stow your carry on, turn your cell phone OFF (or to airplane mode if you’re that technically inclined), you can’t use any “approved electronic devices” yet, and so all you’re left to think about is if the plane will depart from the gate on time. So what better way to pass a few minutes than look at the 6” TV screen on the headrest in front of you. Just so happens that it’s looping a corporate branding video that’s telling you what “Jetting” is. If you’re already familiar with this term, well, consider it brand reinforcement.

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