Publicity Doll

#oscars Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 02:54:00 +0000

In my last post, I capitalized on the recent trend of “real-time marketing” and how Oreo has done an exceptional job using this technique in their social media platforms during cultural televised events, like the Superbowl and the Grammys, to connect directly with their audience, in real time.

Yet, in the words of PR Daily’s reporter, Kevin Allen, “this cookie has created a monster”. While nearly one billion people were tuned into the 2013 ceremony of the Oscars this past Sunday, millions of people were also tuned into Twitter to tweet about the host, the winners and the best dressed. A lot of brands saw this as an opportunity to jump on the “real-time marketing” bandwagon. JC Penney, Special K, Stella Artois, Sharpie, and Visa, were some of the brands that released on-the-fly executions with varying degrees of success. Some were good, most were a complete flop, showing little thought put into them.

Twitter users saw these brand’s executions, as a technique to not fall behind. Allen explains, “much more thought was put into being clever on the fly for the sake of being among many who were trying to be clever on the fly”. These executions were just an attempt to go viral, instead of a real marketing efforts to connect with fans. Yet, even the good executions, didn’t reach half the amount of retweets and buzz that the Oreo Superbowl blackout ad received. Twitter users were so fed up with the amount of brands using this technique, that for a short amount of time the hashtag, #oscarrtm (Oscar’s Real Time Marketing) was trending.

You all know I’m a big fan of “real-time marketing”, but if you’re going to use this technique brands need to be truly fast, connect the execution with the brand message, or provide further information for tweeter users. This is where most brands missed their opportunities.

Which brand had the best executions?

The Real Winners of the Superbowl

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:22:00 +0000

It’s no joke what social media has done to the Public Relations and overall communications industry. It has dramatically changed the way companies interact with its publics. It can either unite a community of followers to hate on your brand or it can create serious communication opportunities for the brand to be on top of things and engage in insightful conversations with its followers. This is called “real-time marketing”.

Many brands have been using real time marketing in social media to manage crisis. Yet, real-time marketing goes way beyond crisis management. Real-time marketing can be used to seize or create unseen opportunities to be creative and increase brand awareness. This is the case of Oreo.

During the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVII when a power outage at the New Orleans Superdome caused a blackout for thirty-four minutes, Oreo’s social media team jumped on this opportunity, tweeting an image of an Oreo and the caption, “You can still dunk in the dark.” The message was in instant success, getting more than 15,000 retweets and more than 20,000 likes on Facebook.

In an interview with Wired magazine, Sarah Hofstetter, president of digital marketing agency 360i, which handled game-day tweeting for Oreo, confessed that they had a social media team ready to respond to whatever happened online during the Super Bowl, whether it was an outstanding play or a blackout. The team consisted of copywriters, a strategist, and artists ready to react to any situation in ten minutes or less. Now, this is what I call being proactive.

Mrs. Hofstetter capitalized on their strategy saying “Once the blackout happened, no one was distracted — there was nothing going on. The combination of speed and cultural relevance propelled it the forefront”. Talk about capitalizing on an opportunity!

And since being an effective communicator involves jumping from one opportunity to the next, Oreo yet again proved their team is on top of things when they released another on-the-fly ad celebrating Justin Timberlake’s return to pop music at last night’s Grammy Awards. The ad, which didn’t cause that much commotion or steal the blackout ad’s spotlight, was very timely and clever.

In an time where advertisers spend millions to run an ad during the Superbowl or an important award show, having a brand engage with their users using real-time techniques on social media is a clever way to reach people on smartphones and computers. This said, companies have to stay on their toes on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media channels to stay relevant. And companies like Oreo keep reminding us that social media is here to stay and the key to scoring a publicity touchdown is being proactive and a little bit clever.

Oprah's Touch

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 19:30:00 +0000

You know it’s Christmas time when Oprah releases her Favorite Things List. Each Holiday season, the legendary talk-show host, Oprah Winfrey, handpicks and creates a list of her favorite items and gadgets of the year. If you’re lucky to create a product she loves, a mention on this list might skyrocket your success. The fortunate products that make it in this exclusive list, experience the Oprah effect: an instant increase in sales and prestige. That’s because Oprah is one of the most influential people of our time, and has secured a huge following over the years. Those big numbers translate into big sales for the products Oprah recommends. She is not only a pop-culture star, but she is also a star-maker.

We’ve seen many success stories of products that have been featured in her Favorite Things List or secured a mention in her show, and immediately see sales peak. Yet, you can’t fully understand the Oprah effect until you experience it firsthand. While working in Orlando-based advertising agency Push, I was given the task of collecting media clippings for one of our clients, Corkcicle.

Since it has been available to the public in early 2012, Corkcicle, the revolutionary product that chills wine from the inside, had experienced great sales success and fantastic media coverage that ranged from ESPN to The New York Times.

Nonetheless, after being mentioned in Oprah’s Favorite Things List 2012, the media buzz has been tremendous. In just three days, Corkcicle was featured in more than twenty media channels ranging from national TV shows such as Good Morning America and Forbes, to industry-specific publications like Food Republic. I really don’t know much about the sales of the product since Oprah fell in love with it, but I know about the Public Relations and branding effect Oprah has had on it. She turns no names into brand names, without the intervention of a publicist. Looking at this phenomenon from a Public Relations perspective, it’s safe to say that having Oprah mention your product is like placing an hour-long commercial during the Superbowl. She has become the crown jewel of media relations, and the most coveted media placement in the Public Relations world.

I think it’s time to review the famous saying of Mida’s touch and rename it Oprah’s touch, for everything she touches turns to gold.

Right of Publicity?

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 02:47:00 +0000

Among the major liabilities pertaining the Public Relations industry, we find that privacy laws have been continuously arising lawsuits and affecting the industry directly. Privacy laws vary from state to state and are encompassed in a grey area where the boundary between First Amendment protected speech and commercial speech is yet to be delineated. According to Don Pember (2008), author of Mass Media Law, there are four areas of privacy law: appropriation of name or likeness for commercial purposes, intrusion, publication of private information and publication of material that puts an individual in false light. For this particular discussion, I’ll focus on the first category, appropriation of someone’s name or likeness for commercial gain without permission.

It’s important to know that the appropriation tort is divided into two categories: the right to privacy and the right of publicity. The major difference between each other is that the “right to privacy protects an individual from the emotional damage that can occur when a name or likeness is used for a commercial or trade purpose” (Pember, 2008, p. 281), while the right of publicity intends to “remunerate individuals for the economic harm suffered when their name, picture, image, likeness, voice, etc. for commercial exploitation without compensation” (Pember, 2008, p. 281). Although it’s more common to see celebrities take legal action against companies claiming their right of publicity, average individuals can use these legal causes of action as well.

Gordon Firemark, lawyer and blogger for Entertainment Law Updates, does a great job using his podcasts explaining notorious cases regarding privacy laws, specifically Right of Publicity. As said before, an average person can file a suit regarding their Right of Publicity. This is the case of the lawsuit filed by three Facebook users against Facebook for using their name and likeness in Facebook’s sponsored stories. The claim that their names were being used to promote a brand without their consent made Facebook settle the suit by granting the plaintiffs ten million dollars. This case is a great reminder for all of us in the communications industry that we need to obtain consent from individuals before using their names and/or likeness in any kind of marketing tactic. When evaluating this case, Firemark points out a very important aspect: the need to revise contracts and incorporate waivers into them to reduce the company’s liability. Eventually Facebook changed the terms and agreements regarding sponsor stories, but they had to engage in this legal battle that could have been prevented with a clear privacy policy in their website.

In another podcast, Firemark and his college Tamera Bennet address the Right of Publicity topic by taking a look at a celebrity related case: Chuck Yeager vs. Cingular. This case was extremely interesting for me because it relates directly to the Public Relations industry. The well-known retired U.S. Army test-pilot Chuck Yeager, who is famous for becoming the first person to break the sound barrier, filed a suit again Cingular Wireless for the use of his name without consent in a press release. To announce the release of a new cell phone service, Cingular made an analogy to Yeager’s feat in breaking the sound barrier. Yeager claimed that his name and likeness was used in a commercial setting without his consent to create positive association between him and the brand. The writer of the press release later agreed with this last statement. For this and the mere fact that the court categorized press releases as commercial speech, it was inferred that Cingular had an economic motivation underlying the press release distribution. The court ruling favored Yeager, as it has on several other cases where Yeager has tried to monopolize the use of this historic achievement in any kind of medium without his consent.

This case is key for Public Relations professionals because, as Firemark states, it’s eye opening and it reinstates the importance of being careful with the language used in all forms of communication. Even when used in analogies, like the Yeager case, using proper names without consent can pose a great liability for Public Relations professionals. There are even certain jurisdictions that protect the Right of Publicity of deceased celebrities. In yet another podcast, Firemark presents several cases, such as the Marilyn Monroe one, that deal with this ongoing battle regarding Post-Mortem Right of Publicity.

Firemark’s comments and this further analysis comes to show, that we have to be extremely careful with the names and language we use because battles over the controversial privacy laws seem to be far from over. On the contrary, it seems that more jurisdictions will take the artist’s side and will grant amendments to the Right of Publicity laws.

Pember, Don. (2008) Mass Media Law. Chapter 7, pages 277-281.

Not - so - Fabulous Entertainment Public Relations

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 06:56:00 +0000

Being knowledgeable in legal terminology and precedents in our industry of choice is vital to maintain a successful business. This knowledge provides a laying foundation of what to expect if engaging in a legal battle.

We generally see entertainment public relations professionals in the midst of legal battles playing the role of firefighters, representing their clients as legislative public relations representatives, a sub segment of crisis management. Yet, the public relations industry, especially that related to the entertainment world, does have legal liabilities, and although not common, from time to time you'll see a public relations representative as one of the parties of a legal feud. These liabilities definitely make the industry seem less fabulous and more risky than Samantha Jone’s job in Sex and the City.

Working with public figures brings along certain legal aspects that the artist’s publicist must be aware of, such as their publicity and privacy rights. Needless to say, when artists engage in legal battles over their right of publicity and defamation, their publicists are directly involved as well.

Entertainment public relations professionals can be liable for their content they release directly to the public or that they create and distribute through their clients. This said, the public could sue publicists for releasing content that inflicts emotional distress. A good example of this situation is the recent lawsuit filed to Kim, Khloé and Kourtney Kardashian from David Goodson. Goodson, a Pennsylvania inmate, sued the Kardashian sisters, claiming that the “outrageous actions” exposed in their television show caused him extreme emotional distress. Yet, the appeals court stated that the sisters' alleged conduct was not sufficiently outrageous to sustain Goodson's claim. Although Kardashian’s publicist was not directly sued in this case, it’s important to understand that there is a possibility of the publicist being involved in cases like this, because after all, it’s the publicist who develops and markets an artist’s image. Publicists screen and to some extent develop the content that is going to be released, even in the Kardashian’s reality show. This said, their publicist becomes liable to some extent.

Another issue where publicists can become legally liable is when divulging private information or breaching a confidentially clause. The latest example of this situation is once again with Kim Kardashian. Shortly after Kardashian filed for divorce from Kris Humphries, her ex-publicist Jonathan Jaxson publicly claimed that the couple's marriage was a publicity stunt. Kardashian’s attorney sent a demand for arbitration claiming Jaxson had violated a confidentiality clause in his contract with Kim, and seeking a minimum $200,000 in damages. Jaxson, in return, said he never signed a confidentiality agreement. Even though they settled for a sum of money and a public apology, this lawsuit brings to our attention that a publicist must never release confidential information about their current or former clients and reiterates the importance of carefully reviewing contacts. While Jaxson’s actions are illegal in contracts with a confidentiality clause built into it, breaking a confidentially promise certainly isn’t considered ethical in the public relations world.

Along the same lines of the Kardashian v. Jaxson issue, a publicist should know the power of words. Therefore, they shouldn’t say anything that is going to portray their clients in a false light. This situation can be seen in the highly publicized lawsuit between the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes) and their former publicist Michael Russell. Russell alleged that the HFPA’s members were engaged in a "payola" scheme. The HFPA then filed a countersuit against Michael Russell, charging him and his firm with breach of contract and fraud. They sued Russell for breaching a confidentiality clause and for portraying the Association in false light without evidence. Again, this case demonstrates the legal liabilities that come along not only with dealing with entertainment related companies, but by having an unethical behavior towards your clients.

Other liabilities as publicists may be misrepresentation, libel or defamation, and wrongful interference. Our job is not only a very rewarding one, but also a very risky one. We have to be very careful with the clients we choose and the actions we take because one false move could destroy our clients’ careers and our professional reputation.

If you want to read more about a big liability in the entertainment public relations world click here.

Wanted: A PR for PR

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 05:02:00 +0000

In the past couple of years, there has been a growing interest to explore and expose the inner workings of the public relations industry. Although some movies and TV shows like The Spin Crowd, PoweR Girls and The City, positioned our industry in the spotlight, they haven’t exactly portrayed it in the best light. It’s a known fact that pop culture has overly glamorized the public relations industry. From Samantha in Sex and the City series to Whitney Port in The Hills, public relations professionals are portrayed as powerful ladies dressed head-to-toe in Gucci and Dior, who spend their nights in exclusive VIP parties. All in all, the PR industry is perceived as superficial and frivolous.

Kim Cattrall plays Samantha, a glamorous PR Executive
in Sex and the City.
Photo Credit

Although working in the entertainment PR industry has its perks (such as attending trendy parties – in which you have to work), the movie and television industry has failed to expose the realities that come along with choosing public relations as your field of work.

This is quite surprising, taking into consideration the drama that goes on behind the scenes of an event, the challenges that come along with representing an artist and how hard it is to make a name for yourself within the industry. With all this audience-attracting content (because we know how much audiences love drama) unexposed, I think there’s a great opportunity for a new kind of PR-based show: a reality TV series to give PR, good PR. It’s time to get rid of some of the myths and stereotypes that pop culture has inflicted upon our industry.

When developing this new entertainment product, it’s important to follow certain trends, which will guarantee a degree of success. Taking the biggest reality TV shows as reference, we can pinpoint some of these trends: having a competition element, having artists do cameos or special appearances, and incorporating a social networking element that will make the show transcend the once-a-week one hour time slot.

With that said, we should acknowledge that have untouched Play-Dough in our hands. It’s our job to demonstrate, through the development of a new kind of reality TV show, how creative PR professionals really are. Whoever tackles this market opportunity has a great responsibility in their hands, but a great opportunity for professional growth as well.

What better way of showcasing your abilities as a PR professional than by responding to a market opportunity, coming up with a creative pitch, and securing great media placement and good publicity for the industry you work in? Saying you’re the publicist for the public relations industry, that’s pretty impressive if you ask me.

Artist Manager (aka Jack-of-all-Trades)

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 04:29:00 +0000

Behind every great artist, there is a great manager. Everyone knows that in the entertainment industry, talent is simply not enough. To make it big in saturated markets, such as the music industry, artists need to portray a unique image, have access to the right contacts, and have a great support system. It’s the artist manager who provides those elements that complement the artist’s craft, and enable him/her to reach stardom.

After signing with an artist manager, the artist becomes a company, and the manager, its CEO. It’s the artist manager who oversees all aspects of the artist’s career and makes sure that the artist’s vision is articulated properly across all channels. Of course, like in all businesses, CEOs can’t do it all by themselves. While he is truly the personal representative of the artist, the artist manager has to assemble and manage a team of professionals that will help him achieve the artist’s career goals. It’s common knowledge that the artist needs a good lawyer, to protect his career against restrictive contracts or dangerous lawsuits, and an experienced accountant to manage the financial aspects. Traditionally, the manager will also bring a publicist and a booking agent on board. Yet, it has come to my attention that there’s an emerging trend, especially in the Puerto Rican market, where managers also act as the client’s publicists and booking agents.

This “jack-of-all-trades” management approach has certainly surprised me, due to the time consuming nature of Public Relations. It’s difficult for me to conceive that a manager can put in the necessary time and dedication to develop and execute an effective PR campaign, while dealing with all the other duties that artist management involves.

To further explain my apprehension to this management approach, I feel it’s important to explain the role of a PR professional in the development and progression of an artist’s career. Whether the artist is a veteran or relatively new to the music scene, hiring a publicist can prove to be beneficial because he/she can help the artist build an image, and help convey it to the right audience, through the right media channels. Essentially, the role of a publicist is to be the liaison between the media and the artist.

A good publicist will find the right angle to make a story newsworthy for media channels. It’s the publicist who is responsible for generating awareness, buzz and excitement for the artist’s milestones, and for generating crisis management strategies to protect the artist’s reputation and credibility. These media relations tactics, along with the press kit, personal appearance talking points and other communication pieces, reflect upon the artist’s image. In this sense, publicists safeguard the artist’s image, and assure message consistency in all markets and media channels.

Now, more than ever, the Internet and specifically social media, has become an invaluable promotion tool for artists. It helps foster a fan base and opens the door to two-way communication between the artists and their followers. A good publicist has to ensure that even on the artist’s personal Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms, the message remains consistent. And although communicating with fans over the Internet seems to be the norm nowadays, we can’t undermine the power and credibility value of traditional media. Therefore, a good PR effort in the 21^st century has to be effective in all media channels, traditional and non-traditional.

Just by taking a look at some of the PR duties mentioned before, it’s safe to say that they require extreme attention to detail, excellent communication skills, and specific educational requirements, among other skills. Even if the manager possesses the experience and educational background to practice Public Relations, it seems that trying to handle PR, management, and booking for an artist is a little bit too much. A manager that tries to take on the responsibilities of a publicist and a booking agent, will never deliver the same results as someone who is completely dedicated to that aspect of the business.

The reasons for the sudden popularity of this trend remain unknown. Maybe the managers are trying to secure a bigger profit or they’re trying to save their clients some money. Yet, I don’t think this is an effective way the way of achieving this. Saving pennies by sacrificing key members of the artist’s development team, will take its toll on the artist’s career in the long run.

Words or Numbers?

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 00:08:00 +0000

If you’re like me, getting out of high school and pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication meant not only following my dreams, but also saying goodbye forever to endless math homework and abstract mathematical concepts. That was true for the most part, because in order to meet the credits to graduate I only had to take one basic math class. Yet, when practicing public relations I’ve had to deal with numbers in a variety of ways. While I may never work with strange theorems, angles, and high-tech graphing calculators ever again, I still have found the need to understand the correlation between numbers, analyzing data and performing single math equations to fulfill adequately my tasks.

As public relations professionals, the art of storytelling plays a central role in our daily lives; and if you’re a seasoned PR specialist your ability to sway clients and your target market with your words should be astonishing. Nonetheless, we now live in an informational era, where each day our target market demands more and more information about topics and it’s our job as managers of our customer’s communication strategies to provide this information. Words are not cutting it for people anymore; they want detailed and precise information. This means numbers. Therefore, you need to know how to analyze data and come up with conclusions to include in our press releases and into our campaigns as a whole. We have to build the story with words and support it with data.

Even more importantly, we need to measure our communication efforts, and that’s performed through analytics. This is the biggest situation where math comes to play in the PR world. You need to read data to see if your communication efforts are being prosperous and calculate your client's return on investment. This used to apply only to analyzing exposure in traditional media, but now, with the incorporation of social media, we have more information than ever to audit our tactics and decide which provides the best results for each of our clients. As professionals, we can’t provide our clients assumptions as for what strategy will work best. We have to be able to deliver market research data and media analysis that will support our decisions.

Of course, creativity and storytelling are the heart of our profession because, after all, a well-written press release, buzz worthy public relations tactics and creative efforts, will have better public acceptance. Hence, showing numbers that reflect the campaign’s effectiveness and convey that the client’s message is being showcased through the right media channels.

Regardless of what kind of analysis you’re performing, it’s needless to say that analytics are not the most glamorous part of the public relations industry. Yet, public relations professionals that prove to have great communication skills as well as a strong command of analytics have the best shot of succeeding in the industry. Therefore, those math classes don’t go completely to waste. Instead, they provide us with a foundation to develop a competitive advantage in the industry because, after all, successful public relations campaigns are neither all about words nor all about numbers. It’s about finding the perfect synergy between both.

To discover more ways in which math creeps into the life of a PR professional, click here.

Career Kickstart

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 03:17:00 +0000

Kickstarter and other “crowdfunding” platforms have become extremely popular, taking the fundraising and social media scene by storm. This site is already even part of Time Magazine's Best Websites of 2011. That's because every week, thousands of people upload their creative projects to the website and pledge money with the hope of getting their dream project funded. The catch is that on Kickstarter, a project must reach its funding goal before its deadline or the money is not given to the user.

Image Retrieved from

The imminent benefit of using this platform is, of course, getting the necessary funds to kick-start projects. Yet, Kickstarter is about more than just money; I find this website to have a superb underlying public relations power. Kickstarter allows the user to share their stories, their hopes and dreams. Since most people love compelling stories that exhibit genuineness and passion, and feel good supporting a captivating cause, if it’s a good idea, communicated in an attractive fashion, it’ll spread exponentially. Therefore, the buzz-generating power of this platform is surreal.

Even if the project doesn’t get funded, the storytelling aspect of Kickstarter provides space for people to discover creative ideas, identify with the storyteller, and for the user to get free exposure. Ultimately, this is what publicists want.

As publicists, we usually have to spend months and months securing spots on national TV shows to get our clients the right exposure to the right audience. Now we have platforms like this, where exposure is at no cost and almost hassle free. Additionally, it lets the artist/user to connect directly with the people that ultimately will buy their products. In a world where fans value individuality and stories they can identify with, Kickstarter sounds like the ideal tool to incorporate into Public Relations campaigns.

Therefore, Kickstarter has not only financial potential but also it has great public relations potential. Kickstarter allows the user to showcase their work to prospective investors while building a fan or clientele base. It wouldn’t surprise me if the next big hit will be discovered through new platforms like Kickstarter instead of mainstream outlets such as reality TV shows or saturated channels like Youtube. I not only encourage managers, producers and talent seekers to be on the lookout for Kickstarter’s stars but also for public relations professionals to incorporate fundraising platforms like Kickstarter in their public relations campaigns. In the fast-paced world we live in, our client’s communication strategies have to fit in with the new sociocultural trends, be extremely cost effective and provide long lasting benefits. Seems like incorporating Kickstarter into their public relations campaigns guarantees this.

Joining the Club

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 02:04:00 +0000

While researching topics to write about in this blog, I found myself constantly going back to the website or social media sites of the Association for Public Relations Professionals of Puerto Rico for ideas. That’s when I realized the important role this professional association has in the daily life of public relations specialists or aspiring publicists in Puerto Rico.

This Association was created initially to establish ethic guidelines for the Public Relations industry in the Island and to establish a professional community for industry professionals. Yet, they have recently taken a much important role by serving as the official regulation committee for the industry in the Island. Since 2008, the Association and the Department of Labor of Puerto Rico joined together to establish the requirements to practice Public Relations in the Island and the Association for Public Relations Professionals of Puerto Rico was put in charge of deciding on those candidates that met the requirements to get certified as Public Relations professionals. In this sense, this Association is responsible for the future of aspiring Public Relations professionals like myself.

Not only the Association is a game changer because of their huge role in the regulation of the industry but also it’s the official Association for industry professionals in the island. They offer conferences and forums regarding recent PR campaigns, trending topics and new tools in the industry. These conferences, valuable and insightful information about the future of the PR industry, are streamed online for the convenience of all its members and offer. It’s great to have this tool in order to get information directly from the industry experts, even when you can’t attend the conferences personally. Additionally, they annually hold the Excel Awards, the only ceremony that gives recognition to outstanding PR campaigns and strategies in the Island. This award establishes a high standard for PR pieces and is a great motivator for all Public Relations professionals in the Island.

Finally, the Association serves as a great networking platform for current and aspiring Public Professionals. They even have Student Membership for young graduates like me that want to participate in their activities and get all the benefits even before graduating. Being part of the same community as Public Relations experts, gives you a chance to get your name out there, learn from them and establish professional relations. In the entertainment and media industry is not about what you know, it’s whom you know. We have to take advantage of all the opportunities we can to network, and joining an Association like this one, could give you the right tools and connections to skyrocket your career.

Touch that snake!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 03:29:00 +0000

We live in a world that tries to divide the creative people from the non-creative, where innovative ideas are looked upon with fear and in which humans have become creatures of habit. This explains why, in a recent study conducted by Adobe, the vast majority of people stated that they are not living up to their creative potential. Although they understand the importance of creativity in their workplace, they feel like time constraints and pressure from upper management makes them be productive instead of creative. When I came across this study titled “The Creativity Gap” a couple of weeks ago, I was so sad to see how this portrayed a gloomy panorama for all industries, especially the entertainment one, that feeds and evolves based on creative ideas.

Designer David Kelley

On the contrary, it was such a pleasant surprise coming across David Kelley’s speech on how to build creative confidence on TED.com. This inspiring speech is centered on the idea that everyone is naturally creative, they just need a situation or a trigger that will flourish that intrinsic creativity. In this short but well-rounded speech, he reinstates the importance of developing creative confidence in every job; even in those that society considers “non creative”. He states that being creative in a world like the one I described before is tough and requires people to get over their fear of being judged upon their ideas. Therefore, everybody is creative and they need to be able to bring forward their ideas without fear of having them rejected. That’s the key to building creative confidence.

This idea alone is inspiring for future entertainment professionals like me. Yet, David Kelley does an exceptional job integrating anecdotes and stories about his life to support his statement. The main story that supports his idea is a talk he had with the renowned psychologist Albert Bandura about getting over phobias, such as the fear of snakes. Bandura explained that once people finally face their fears (touching the snakes) they try harder in every aspect of their lives and are more resilient in the face of failure. In other words, they gain confidence. That’s precisely what Kelley hopes happens with everyone that hears this speech. He hopes that they put enough effort to get over their fear of being judged, and consequently they build creative confidence.

As a business student, society almost immediately categorizes us as non-creative. Nonetheless, this speech taught me that we need to stop seeing creativity as a God-like quality that can’t be attained by most. Even with time constraints and all the pressures we live with, every activity or task has creative potential. We should embrace our creativeness, not only in our workspace but also in every aspect of our lives. It’s our job as young professionals within the entertainment industry to build a culture in which innovations and new ideas are nurtured instead of being dismissed. We all have the potential to do great things we just have to let our ideas fly and… touch the snake.

Publicists are Celebrities’ Best Accessory

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:31:00 +0000

Mayweather vs. Cotto Official HBO Poster
Photo Retrieved From

For Puerto Ricans and worldwide boxing fanatics, this Cinco de Mayo was much more than eating tacos and drinking margaritas. At 11pm that day, the most anticipated HBO PPV boxing fight of 2012, Miguel Cotto vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr., took place. The Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto gave Mayweather a fight beyond expectation. It was a close fight and a tough match. Cotto trapped Floyd against the ropes throughout the fight and landed hard shots to the head that for the first time ever, drew blood from Mayweather’s nose. But, Cotto’s effort was not enough. It was Mayweather's ability to get his uppercuts and jabs in with enough regularity to take most of the fight. Mayweather triumphed in a unanimous decision and blew kisses to a booing and disproving crowd, while Cotto suffered the third loss of his career.

Although a controversial fight, it was a classic boxing match where at the end, one of the opponents wins. The curious thing about this fight, looking at it in a Public Relations standpoint, was what happened after it. In a regular sports competition of this caliber, the main event takes place, a space is allowed for a few informal interviews, and immediately after, a press conference is held with the former opponents. Nonetheless, after hearing the judge’s decision, Miguel Cotto left the boxing ring and headed down to his room without facing the media, refusing to attend the post-fight press conference. As stated by El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico’s most important newspaper, Miguel Cotto returned to Puerto Rico yesterday and even then, he didn’t talk to the media. The only public statement he gave was through his Twitter account.

That right there is a huge Public Relations mistake that could lead to a PR disaster. Comments in social media sites immediately shifted from people praising his boxing abilities, to comments tainting him as a sore loser. Everyone knows that refusing to face the media is one of the biggest mistakes any celebrity can make. Situations like these reinstate the prominence of a celebrity’s publicist and proper media training.

In Cotto’s case, his refusal to talk to the media is a reflection of his lack of media training because he doesn’t have a publicist. All of his media inquires are managed through his assistant, someone who is not properly trained in Public Relations. Any good publicist would have advised him to attend the post-fight press conference and face the media because even boxing experts were praising his abilities. Although he didn’t win the fight and didn’t agree with the judge’s decision, he should have faced this situation as the professional he is. Additionally, upon arriving to his hometown he should have given interviews because Puerto Ricans were really proud of him.

On the other hand, using one’s Twitter account to give statements is a great way to connect with fans and media outlets around the world, especially in the technological world we live in. Yet, giving informal statements through Twitter before formal interviews with the press or before an official media alert is released is an amateur move. Again, this reflects the absence of a trained media professional in his team. I hope that this PR mistake doesn’t escalate to a bigger PR problem because Miguel Cotto is a great boxer and hasn’t had altercations with the media in the past. Yet, this situation serves as a great lesson to everyone: not having a publicist and proper media guidance can lead to a PR disaster. This said, it’s safe to state that publicists are celebrities’ best accessory.

One of the best!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:41:00 +0000

I’m proud to say that the School of Communications of the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus is officially the first and only communications school outside of the United States that receives an accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). The Council visited the school this February and granted the accreditation today.

This is a great honor because it raises the prestige of the school and recognizes it as one of the top communications programs of the world. As alumni I’m extremely thrilled about this announcement. Congratulations to the faculty, current students and graduates of the school!

Out with the Old, In with the New

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Wed, 02 May 2012 03:46:00 +0000

We live in a world where communication is shifting towards the Internet and social media. We’ve seen how publicists and artists around the world have been benefiting from new tools like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. to create a more direct and long lasting relationship between their clients and their fan base.

Additionally, some renowned publicists have already made the new-age leap by offering digital press kits to media outlets in order to facilitate the information and the use of multimedia in journalistic articles. Yet, the vast majority of publicists still feel the need to incorporate traditional PR tools such as EPK’s, official press releases, press conferences and press kits. Although necessary, press kits handed out in hard copy, are becoming wasteful, expensive and basically outdated. With this in mind and a clear objective of providing new life to an old market, IndiAmbassador launched a powerful tool called Presskit.to.

This platform is built to offer an updated version of the press kit for artists and creative professionals that understand the importance of the usage of new media trends. Although it seems that this could be difficult for those who are not tech-savvy, it’s refreshing to see such a simple and user-friendly PR platform.

Presskit.to provides the user with all the tools to create a digital portfolio that features a sleek design while containing all of the artist’s videos, photos, documents, and notable accomplishments in just one page. Like any press kit, this platform has a “Contact” section, a calendar where the upcoming performances are displayed, and an “About me” section. On the other hand, Presskit.to has some unique features, such as the “Files” section where the user can upload downloadable digital content such as desktop screen savers and set lists for their fans.

Above all, the great aspect about Presskit.to, is the freedom it provides to have the artist’s portfolio ready, whenever and wherever, because it adapts to multiple mobile devices such as smartphones and Ipads. As stated by Ariel’s Publicty, each day mobile technology is much more important, so it’s fundamental that your press kit is viewable and functional on mobile devices.

Presskit.to is an excellent platform to look into if you’re a PR professional or an artist because it’s a great way to present yourself or your clients to media outlets and fans. It shows that not only you understand the vitality of digital presence but also that you’re open to change, willing to incorporate new media trends to your work. So, out with old-school press kits and in with Presskit.to!

Here's a video to further explain Presskit.to. Enjoy!

Welcome to the 10 Million Club

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 01:04:00 +0000

Congratulations to Real Madrid's player Kaká for becoming the first athlete to amass 10 million followers on his Twitter account!
He and his publicist must be very happy for he is now the ruler of the sports related Twitter world, followed by his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. He currently ranks number 17th on the overall list of most-followed tweeters according to twittercounter.com, where Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber rule the scoreboard with +20 million followers each.

Fashionably Responsible

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:11:00 +0000

In past recent years we have seen how companies and celebrities are teaming up to fight for a social cause. H&M stores are no different. This brand, originally from Europe, has made it big in the United States and it’s famous for carrying different styles of fashion under one roof. So they are using their affordability and power in the fashion industry to support a very controversial cause that affect millions of young people around the world, with their new line: Fashion Against AIDS that will be available on stores and online on April 26^th.

It’s really great that they are using their power to support a worthy cause while delivering a very modern and trendy fashion line, but lets take a look at this campaign from a Public Relations standpoint. What stands out the most on this campaign is the fact that a global fashion company is spending lots of money to put together a global campaign that is going to raise awareness and money towards HIV/AIDS projects. That alone is great for the reputation of the company. But there is another factor involved that makes this campaign stand out from the ones in the last four years and that makes it successful even before the fashion line has been released.

Weeks before the official release, H&M is engaging in the first stage of the campaign called "Make Out For A Cause". In this stage they encourage the young to upload a picture of them making out with someone. For each entry they donate a dollar to an HIV/AIDS project. Already, more than 11,000 photos have been uploaded from all over the world. The campaign has already reached awareness in social media sites and has become a trending topic in Twitter. Basically, they’ve already started collecting money for the cause while reaching the desired awareness in a fun and non-traditional way.

We’re only two days away from the release date and really hoping that the success of the first stage of the PR campaign permeates to the campaign as a whole, as it has been for the past four years. Nevertheless, it’s good to see how a global company like H&M has not only committed to helping this important cause every year but to see how they’ve evolved in their public relations tactics by integrating new media. It’s very refreshing to see how a well-thought PR campaign can also be a fashionable one. With high fashion pieces that feature bold colors, ethnic prints and artistic designs for an affordable price and a high social reward, who doesn’t want to be fashionably responsible?

Some of the pieces from the Fashion Against AIDS 2012 women's collection
Available April 26th on H&M stores and hm.com

Head Over Heels

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Doll) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:44:00 +0000

I thought I'd start this new blogger life writing a little bit about what got me here.

During my high school years I always wanted to be part of the creative team in an advertising agency. So as soon as I graduated, I entered the University of Puerto Rico to major in Advertising and Public Relations. I wasn't very happy about this because I'd always disliked Public Relations, but I had no choice. I did a couple of internships in global advertising agencies and was very sure that advertising was my correct career path.

By the first semester of my sophomore year, a law was passed in Puerto Rico stating that the Public Relations profession was going to be regulated and that in order to practice PR in the Island, all recent graduates had to have experience in the field and pass a test. That was the moment that I decided that since I was graduating from both Advertising and Public Relations, I should also engage in a PR Internship. So I landed an internship in a very prominent Entertainment PR Firm in Puerto Rico.

Two weeks as an intern was all it took for me to fall head over heels for the entertainment PR industry. I cherished each day the satisfaction of being part of the team that made either an event possible or an artist grow. In my year as an intern and then as a Jr. PR Executive, I got the opportunity to work with A-list celebrities such as Ricky Martin and Daddy Yankee, and assisted with the planning and execution of notorious events such as the Enrique Iglesia’s Euphoria Tour, Shakira’s Sun Comes Out Tour, the Mega Electronic Fest and Miss Universe Puerto Rico Pageant, among others. The amount of knowledge I acquired is astonishing and the lessons learned are invaluable. It polished my communication skills and taught me how to develop public relations strategies, pitch stories, coordinate logistics for special events and effectively write media releases. This internship was a great school for me; it made me grown personally, professionally and helped me realize my higher calling: to be a publicist.

With this said, this is my take on the Entertainment & Fashion PR world… Enjoy!

Above Left: Perfect Partners team (I'm the one in the far right) with Ricky Martin
Down Left: Me and a colleague with Enrique Iglesias
Right: Badges from some of the events I worked in