McDonald’s handled this by ultimately pulling the hashtag.  Rick Wion, McDonald’s social media director said:

“Within an hour, we saw that it wasn’t going as planned.  It was negative enough that we set about a change of course.”

But there is something to be learned from McDonald’s misfortune.  Social media marketing can be guided, but only to a certain extent.  This could have happened to anyone, as social media marketing depends so greatly on consumers, stakeholders and the company.  It is how you respond that will define your company.

While social media marketing can unveil consumer grievances, it also allows for a way to reach individual consumers to solve problems.  With Twitter, McDonalds had the opportunity to reach out to each person who complained using the hashtag.

A great example of using a company Twitter account to resolve consumer complaints is JetBlue airlines, explained in The New York Times article, “How to Fight Back When your Flight is Canceled.”  After suffering from constant flight cancellations, consumers turned to Twitter to express their frustration.  JetBlue offered support through social media and followed-up on specific consumer problems to make sure they were solved.  JetBlue used social media to reform what would have been poor consumer sentiment.

Maven Communications offers our insight and annual list of the top 11 news stories of 2011. These are the stories that captivated and fascinated the nation throughout the year.

#1. Gabrielle Gifford’s Resilience & Recovery (January 8, 2011)

#2. Arab Spring: A Path of Protests Throughout the Middle East (January 25, 2011)  

#4. Great Quake Shakes Japan (March 14, 2011) 

Undoubtedly the most well-known wedding of the year, the Royal Wedding garnered media attention around the world.  An estimated 2 billion people in more than 180 countries around the world were expected to see the Royal Wedding on April 29th.  The event was covered by more than 8,500 journalists in London alone. Facebook calculated that 2.8 million people in Britain and America alone had written status updates about the royal wedding in the 24 hours before the event began.

On May 1 at 11:35 pm, President Obama announced to world that the leader of Al Quada and Public Enemy #1, Osama Bin Ladin, had been killed. Even as traditional news outlets struggled to confirm the reports, the news became global instantaneously, bringing a surge of patriotism among Americans and an outpouring of global support.

—————————

#7. Casey Anthony Trial (July 5, 2011)

Young mother Casey Anthony was charged with first-degree murder when the remains of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee were found in a wooded area near her home in Orlando, Florida. A jury found her not guilty of killing her daughter in a Florida trial that attracted immense media attention and top billing on many year-end search engine rankings.

—————————

#8. 10 Years After 9/11 – Remember, Reflect & Never Forget (September 11, 2011)

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 10 years later, the country is still trying to make sense of it. On September 11, 2011 remembrance events were held across the country. It’s clear that we will ‘never forget’ but it’s also clear that we have and will continue to move on.

—————————

#9. The Occupy Movement Monopolizes Wall Street and Cities Across the US (September 17, 2011)

In the last quarter of the year protesters, beginning in New York and then spreading across the country, camped out (literally) in what was dubbed the Occupy Wall Street movement. While their message was foggy at best, the Occupiers maintained a nonpartisan focus on economic inequality and tried to connect a diversity of issues that impact the 99%. The target of their movement was at big banks, foreclosures, evictions, and housing. While they claim the movement is still alive, it’s on life support at best. Most camps have been evicted from their occupy spaces as cities cracked down on the protesters.

—————————

#10. iCon: Steve Jobs’ Legacy (October 5, 2011) 

On October 5, 2011, Steve Jobs passed away at the age of 56. Even a long life would seem too short to hold the sum of his successes.  However, with his passing the world recounted and relived his achievements and legacy. As founder of one of the world’s most valuable brands, he revolutionized technology, communications, media, music, education and more. An outpouring of emotion and condolences resounded throughout the media, social media, world leaders, celebrities and Jobs’ peers.

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.”

~ Steve Jobs, 2005

—————————

#11. Penn State Scandal: Litany of Trouble for Nittany Lions  (November 1, 2011)

This will be a story that we will see well into 2012. The allegations are that former Pennsylvania State University football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky sexually assaulted or had inappropriate contact with at least eight underage boys on or near university property. The story hit the media on November 4th and within two days both famed football coach Joe Paterno and University president Graham Spanier were both without jobs. As this shocking and sad story unfolds, we will undoubtedly see more victims emerge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MAVEN’S FAVORITES: Our favorite stories of 2011 that did not make the list, but made it into our hearts:

For my birthday my husband got me a book called We First: How Brands and Consumers use Social Media to Build a Better World. He’s well aware of my obsession with social media, and had just heard the author interviewed on NPR. This book was a quick read on a recent flight back from New Orleans and although I don’t feel like my eyes were really opened to any new concepts,  it definitely got me thinking.

The author spends a good amount of space upfront focusing on the failure of capitalism, using the most recent recession as his primary example, and informs the reader that this book will provide a new way of looking at capitalism. This is where his concept of “We First” comes in. It’s a counterpoint to the “Me First” mentality that currently leads most of corporate America in its self-interested behavior.  We First offers a solution to reengineer capitalism so that it serves the needs of all stakeholders and delivers prosperity to all.

Queue the scene where the sun is shining, birds are chirping and all races of the world are embraced in one big bear hug. But wait, but before that scene can happen we need to address what’s holding us back. According to Mainwaring, that would be our own selfish self-interests. His view for the future for corporate America (and the title of chapter 3) is that the future of profit is purpose.

We are slowly beginning to see a new category of socially mindful companies and entrepreneurs, like Seventh Generation and Toms Shoes, who are bucking the traditional models of corporate social responsibility and building a greater social purpose into their business models. This is the way that more and more corporations are going to lead, but it’s because of consumers that that will happen.

How will we make this happen? Through social media of course. The rise of social media gives consumers new leverage to persuade corporations to accept greater social responsibility for their behaviors. At the same time, social media offers corporations an opportunity to strengthen ties to their customers.  Through the power of social media, consumers are empowered to drive a major shift in corporate thinking and behavior.

The biggest difference in this new way that corporations are connecting with consumers is the change from push to pull marketing. The author suggests that push is not useful in a world that is no longer predictable, stable or constant. Corporations instead need to be more flexible, nimble and quick to respond to changes in markets and consumer needs. Instead, pull marketing is about accessing information, attracting people and achieving new levels of performance. Instead of companies pushing customers to buy, they need to move toward pulling them in by offering brands that make a meaningful contribution to the world.

The trend is catching on. Just this week the Clinton Global Initiative, started by former President Clinton to spur actionable solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, had their annual meeting and it has become apparent that the initiative has evolved into a launching pad for corporate social responsibility programs. At the meeting PepsiCo, Microsoft, and Procter & Gamble were among the dozens of companies that announced “commitments” to improve people’s lives.

Yes, in an ideal world corporations would work to build a better society above personal profit. But I just can’t get on board with the assumption that that is why this shift is happening. The author argues that we are “undeniably empathic creatures, and research shows that human nature is predisposed to the values of We First capitalism.” Perhaps that’s true, but in my experience once humans get a taste of personal wealth, it becomes less likely that they’ll put much else above it.

But does that really matter? Does is matter that corporations make this shift for the betterment of society rather than the  betterment of the bottom line? Doesn’t this new corporate social responsibility still work even if the promise is more profits for the company? Yes, I believe it does. As much as Mainwaring would like us to believe that corporations are making this shift because t’s good for their souls, it happening because it’s good for their wallets. But in the end, maybe that’s really the same thing. For the Microsoft’s of the world, one can assume that their commitment is not only to people, but also to the bottom line is. But really, there’s nothing wrong with that.

PR Lesson #1: Confront the crisis. How you handle your media exposure can make or break you. In April, everyone had royal wedding fever and the Royal family handled the big day with grace and composure as millions watched a fairytale come to life. Southwest Airlines was also a media target after a plane made an emergency landing. They tackled their media exposure right away, keeping their positive image intact and saving a plane full of people.

PR Lesson #2: Be careful what you tweet. Two months into my internship, it became clear that some social media users could use a class on social media etiquette. Social media is powerful so think twice before you post or tweet because one click and it is there forever, for anyone to see.

PR Lesson #3: Be truthful and genuine. As I watched eager students come in to interview for the fall internship, it quickly became clear who was enthusiastic and had done their research, and who did not. When interviewing for a job it is important to be honest about your qualifications and what you hope to gain from the job. Chances are the interviewers can tell if you are serious and they will do some follow up calls. Don’t be surprised if they call your previous employer or even your high school principal.

PR Lesson #4: Use resources wisely. There are more rules and tools used in public relations than I expected. From Constant Contact to Vocus to TweetDeck, there are dozens of tools. With practice I began to get the hang of how and when to use them depending on the client and the situation.

PR Lesson #5: Everyone is a reporter. After the East Coast was shaken up by an earthquake, and then flooded by Hurricane Irene, it became very clear that social media sites were the main provider of breaking news. Naturally, Maven took cover scrolling through Twitter for details surrounding the bizarre quake. I never really understood why people loved Twitter until I realized that people trust their followers, so they allow them to be their eyes and ears.

PR Lesson #6: Read the news, track the trends. Last year in one of my classes, my professor required the class to read the Philadelphia Inquirer.  At the end of the week, we were tested on the headlines. Sadly, many students did poorly and it seemed that reading the news was more painful than reading the textbook. Throughout my internship, I found myself reading a new variety of news sources, blogs and following a range of topics on Twitter. In public relations, the news is how you track trends and stay current. That way you can form a plan to ensure your clients are successful in any situation.

I could not have asked for a better place for a first internship. Public relations can be taught in the classroom to an extent, but without my internship, I could not have fully defined it. Thanks to the wonderful women at Maven these six months have laid a strong foundation of new experiences and I am ready to get back in the classroom and build upon it.

Last week I was the featured blogger for PRWeek, in a section they call PR Insider. In a three part series, I covered different aspects of the proposal writing process. From how much information to include in a proposal, to the importance of including a measurement section, to an argument for retainer fees versus per project fees, each blog entry touched on aspects of the proposal writing process that we regularly deal with here at Maven. From the comments, tweets and emails that I have received, it sounds  like they’re hot topics at other agencies too. If you missed the blogs, you can check them out by clicking here. Enjoy!

While it may not happen in a single 140-character line, Twitter can open the door for connecting with potential clients, building relationships, and  finding new employees.

Here are some facts about twitter that any business should consider adopting:

Timing is everything:

The best time to tweet highly depends on what time of day your particular set of followers are active on Twitter.  Recent evidence regarding Twitter usage patterns illustrates exactly how important it is to time your tweets so that you are reaching as large of an audience as possible.

• 97 percent of @ replies happen within the first hour of the original tweet being published
• 23 percent of tweets generate replies, while 6 percent generate retweets.
• Of all tweets that generated a reply, 85 percent have only one reply. Another 11 percent attracted a reply to the original reply – the conversation was two levels deep.
• Only 1.5 percent of Twitter conversations are three levels deep.
• The highest tweet day is Wednesday

Retweeting:

Retweeting is very important to keep the Twitter conversation going.  It allows twitter users to share the best links, tweets and information they find from other users on Twitter. 

• 92 percent of all retweets happen within the first hour of the original tweet being published. Thus, if your Tweet is not retweeted in the first hour after it is posted, it probably won’t be.
• Retweet days are Monday & Wednesday
• The highest number of retweets are from 2:15 PM to 3:30 PM EST
• 70% of retweets contain  a link
• Retweets with a hashtag are more likely to be retweeted

Here are some of the best web-based tools for tracking retweets:

Retweetradar: @retweetradar is a web tool for tracking the most retweeted and trending content on Twitter. It provides a tag cloud to see the most popular content from today, yesterday, and even what’s popular right now.

Retweetist: @retweetist is a tool that tracks the most popular links being retweeted on Twitter, just like Tweetmeme. Retweetist doesn’t stop there, however – it also lists the most retweeted accounts on Twitter.

Tweetmeme: @tweetmeme is an authority when it comes to retweeted URLs and stories. Tweetmeme tracks the most popular links on Twitter. Once a link receives enough retweets, it appears on the front page of Tweetmeme. Tweetmeme can also be broken down by categories (i.e. sports, entertainment, technology).

If you are managing multiple social media accounts, you may be interested in downloading Tweetdeck, Hootsuite or Cotweet.  All of these programs can help you organize your social media accounts and allow you to track and monitor what’s going on in the social world.

 Twitter Fun Facts:

• 75 percent of Twitter traffic comes from third-party applications
• The number one twitter city is London
• 60 percentof all tweets come from third-party apps
• There are over 100,000 Twitter applications
• 177 million tweets sent on March 11, 2011
• When Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009 there were 456 tweets per second (TPS)…a record at that time
• The current TPS record is 6,939 tweets per second set 4 seconds after midnight in Japan on New Year’s Day
• 572,000 is the number of new accounts created in one day (March 12, 2011)
• 182 percent is the increase in number of mobile users over the past year
• In March 2011 there are an estimated 225 million users
• 25 billion tweets sent on Twitter in 2010
• 100 million new accounts added on Twitter in 2010
• The first unassisted off-Earth Twitter message was posted from the International Space Station by NASA astronaut T. J. Creamer on January 22, 2010

Since many young lawyers are looking to make an impact on society and give back to the community in some meaningful way while simultaneously build their book of business, we thought a great topic of discussion would be to focus on How to Get on a Nonprofit Board and How it Can Drive Business.

The panel consisted of individuals who have a lot of experience with non-profit boards’ and know what director’s look for in valuable board members. Shareholders David Pudlin and Wendy Beetlestone from HASP brought their experience of being on non-profit boards to the group as well as Carla Ingram, Vice President of LEADERSHIP Philadelphia, a program that mobilizes and connects the talent of the private sector to serve the community.

Below are a few valuable highlights I took from the marketing boot camp:

What to consider before joining a board:

• Be able to clearly identify what your passion is
• Why do you want to serve?
• What do you have to offer?
• Do you have enough time and money to commit?

In this video, Vice President of LEADERSHIP Philadelphia Carla Ingram addresses the group on what a potential board member should look for in a non-profit while summarizing the LEADERSHIP Philadelphia program.

What is the best way to initially get involved with a non-profit board?

• Ask to join a board committee, which will give you a feel for the organization as well as give the board an opportunity to get to know you
• Explore Leadership Philadelphia, a program that mobilizes and connects the talent of the private sector to serve the community.

Here is a clip from the marketing boot camp where Shareholder David Pudlin addresses the audience about his experience with joining a non-profit board and what to look at before committing to a non-profit board.

How do you know when you are ready to serve on a non-profit board?
• You have a passion for something and are ready to commit time to it
• You realistically have time to dedicate to an organization and can fulfill or exceed their financial commitment

Here is a clip from the marketing boot camp where Shareholder Wendy Beetlestone shares her experiences about initially getting involved in non-profit work, which helped her understand American culture and bring in business for the firm.

DOS:
• Research the non-profit organization through its website and members (current and past)
• Talk to previous board members about their experiences
• Know why you want to serve on a board
• Focus on something you have a passion for
• Know how much you will be expected to commit financially
• Be a team player and expect your role to adapt to different situations

DON’TS:
• Don’t commit to a board if you do not have enough time to dedicate
• Don’t join solely for business purposes
• Don’t say yes to every organization that asks you to sit on their board
• Don’t be surprised if there are politics involved

Here is what I learned:

1. I had the impression that public relations is a service provided to businesses only in times of need. After five months of working with a wide variety of clients, I learned that public relations is an integral part of the day to day operations of any successful business.  A public relations is not the friend you call in a crisis, but the person you talk to everyday.

2. Public relations begins with effective communication. This may seem obvious, but my experience taught me that without effective communication, you cannot create a successful marketing campaign.   I have learned the importance of collaborating and cooperating with your client through the idea and campaign process. This starts with understanding your client and interpreting your client’s goals for the campaign from day one.

3. No client is the same. You must tailor your approach to fit the specific needs of each client. The classroom did not teach that there is no typical PR strategy because there is no typical client.  During my time at Maven, I had to privilege of working with a broad range of clients from a variety of different industries.

4.  Don’t let the public forget about you! While your clients are your first priority, you must also focus on your own public relations campaign. The classroom focuses on client relationships so much that it is easy to forget PR agencies also need PR.

5. Though you concentrate on building relationships with clients, you must build relationships with your co-workers.  My professors forgot to mention how building relationships within the workplace helps with brainstorming and creativity. Building relationships with the people in your office leads to great experiences–if you enjoy your work, you’ll probably be more successful.

Overall, my time at Maven allowed me to expand on the fundamentals I learned in the classroom. Through this experience I learned the true definition of public relations, which the classroom can only begin to provide. Though I don’t know where I’ll be after graduation, I know I won’t forgot the amazing experience I had and how much the women at Maven impacted my work ethic and life goals.

The @WhiteHouse – (yes, the White house) is even on twitter! Although American diplomacy isn’t a newcomer to social media outlets like Twitter, YouTube or Facebook, it has increased its online activity efforts over the past year. This is because social media networks now play an integral role in current events around the world; especially when it comes to receiving real-time information from the “insiders” of federal government.

That’s right – Phillip J. Crowley a.k.a. @PJCrowley, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, tweets 5-8 times per day, giving his 14,000 plus followers a behind the scenes look of what happens on a day to day basis at the U.S. State Department. Tweeting everything from sharp responses regarding Wiki Leaks, to a twitpic of him and Secretary Hilary Rodman Clinton on a plane to Afghanistan. His mission – to help people understand the importance of foreign policy, tweet by tweet.

Although 14,000 followers is not many compared to celebrities like @KimKardashian and @JustinBieber, both of whom currently have over 6 million twitter followers, the number of followers is not what is important – It’s who’s following him. If you take a quick look at who P.J. Crowley’s followers are, you will see that virtually all journalists, pundits, and analysts who deal with foreign policy, as well as ordinary citizens and foreign ministers of other countries are receiving and re-tweeting the information he shares.

As a former Pennsylvania Department of State employee, I appreciate the real-time media approach folks like PJ Crowley are taking to keep citizens like me informed on important, pressing issues. In fact, more than half of the nation’s State Departments are active on twitter, tweeting everything from real-time election results to up to date voter registration statistics.

With over 300,000 new users signing up per day on twitter, this communications tool is the number one place to receive up to the minute information from everything on what Ashton Kutcher had for lunch to Barack Obama’s views on healthcare.

The damning evidence against Sherrod surfaced on July 19, when conservative blogger and activist Andrew Breitbart posted a  2-minute video snippet of a speech Sherrod gave in 2009.  In the clip Sherrod, who is African American, recounts an incident in which Roger Spooner, a poor white farmer, approached her for help in saving his farm from foreclosure.  She says she handed him off to a white lawyer rather than devote the necessary time and resources to his case.   Of course we now know the clip was edited and posted out of context:  in the full version of the speech, Ms. Sherrod goes on to say she later helped save the Mr. Spooner’s farm after she saw the lawyer had been mishandling the farmer’s case.  Sherrod was using this episode to illustrate how it changed her views on race and poverty.

In today’s 24 hour newscycle, social media sourcing has become commonplace for reporters, bloggers and general consumers.  Social media has truly leveled the playing field, empowering the public to determine what is newsworthy.  However, just becuase it’s on the internet does not make it true.  More than ever, both the media and consumers need to check the facts to prevent the spread of misinformation.  Anyone can launch a blog or post a video that distorts information, trashes a competing company or spreads false rumors about a brand, product or individual.  Many companies have been burned by rumors started online, and the impact can be devasting to personal and corporate repulations alike. 

In this case, Breitbart’s post had further consequences than even he intended.  His real target was the NAACP, who just a week earlier had accused elements of the socially conservative tea party group of racism.  Sherrod was simply collateral damage, but the implications of his post extend far beyond one woman’s damaged reputation.  It’s a wake up call to ensure that all of us check our facts and do the research needed to make informed decisions. 

Robert Gibbs Apologizes to Former USDA employee Shirley Sherrod