IntegratePR | Houston Public Relations and Social Media Agency

Pizza Hut is offering free pizza for life to anyone who is able to ask President Obama or Mitt Romney if they prefer sausage or pepperoni pizza. People will have the opportunity to ask the question during the town-hall style debate on October 16^th. Pizza for life means a $520 gift card every year for up to 30 years; full information about the promotion is available via their official press release. 

As far as Pizza Hut’s public relations is concerned, this promotion is already getting editorial coverage in major news outlets. While the overall tone of the campaign is lighthearted, given that the audacious question would most likely make a mockery of the debate, many who will be watching will be on the edge of their seats waiting to see if anyone asks the questions at hand. A good campaign spreads an idea and Pizza Hut has certainly made people aware of their brand through this unique promotion.

While we admire the creativity of this stunt, we do still want to think about the ramifications of using this method to get a message out. Although this is an effective way of promoting their business, people may begin to perceive Pizza Hut as a brand that does not take the debates or the election seriously. If they are in fact, able to convince someone to ask this question on live television, it is quite possible that many people will be upset that this has taken up precious debate time.

 Do you think that this marketing ploy was a good or a bad idea? Will your answer depend on if someone is able to successfully ask the question during the debate? Send us your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter. 

As a companion to yesterday’s blog post about non-traditional brand interaction, we wanted to follow up with another story of two brands coming together. However, this case is different because it was actually one big prank. A costumed man walked into a McDonald’s restaurant in Rome, Georgia, dressed as the Burger King “King”. The man in question ended up handing out free hamburgers on the premise of fundraising before he left the restaurant.

The stunt was actually produced by a local comedy troupe called “Woodcreek Faction,” and not Burger King – who officially retired the King mascot in August 2011. However as previously discussed, it would have been great for either brand to mention the stunt, if not in a formal press release, than on their respective social media channels. It’s probable that these corporations are too busy to answer every mention of their restaurant. However, responding to a stunt like this shows off a broader spectrum of the brand’s personality – their ability to take a joke. Additionally, it would show that they are completely self-aware, even if they mentioned even small instances that were getting attention online. While this wouldn’t necessarily be labeled a fail on the part of either company, there was potential for a larger conversation to be had surrounding the stunt.

If you were the social media manager at Burger King or McDonald’s what would you say? Tweet or Facebook us your answer!

Although invisible to the naked eye, there’s a food war going on in the streets of Houston. Food trucks are not allowed in downtown Houston because the city regulations, which state that, propane-operated trucks cannot be parked on the street.  However, when you take to the web, it is easy to see the #SLGT foodie scene is in an uproar. The dispute lies in the industry changes that food truck vendors would like to see, which include:

• Eliminating the rule stipulating that trucks must be a 60-foot distance away from each other
• Having the ability to park next to existing seating
• Being able to provide their own seating, limited to 3 tables and 6 chairs
• Allowing up to 40lbs of propane on private property

The food trucks of Houston have banded together to form the Mobile Food Unit Houston who define themselves as: “A collective of micro-entrepreneurs looking to further increase our city’s unique and affordable food options and business successes.”

If you would like to support these proposed changes to make it easier for food trucks to operate in the downtown area, you can do so here by signing the petition.

What’s your take on the food truck fight? Do you think that there is true competition between food trucks and the restaurant industry? Let us know on our Twitter or Facebook.

Yesterday on Twitter, one of our favorite followers, @zacharywright showed us a hilarious interaction between two brands on Twitter. In the same vein as the OldSpice vs. Taco Bell tweets that gained a significant amount of attention, @AMCTheatres and @Oreo were able to take playful jabs at one another.

While these tweets may seem playful, there is a great brand lesson to learn here. In the same way that monitoring Google alerts is important, monitoring Twitter and tweets about your brand is vital to showing your brand’s character and making sure it is portrayed in the most positive of light. The ability to show company culture and personality is the name of the game on social media. While pundits believe it to be invasive, as marketers we know that it is important to capitalize on these opportunities. AMC Theaters and Oreo might not be involved in a traditional marketing alliance, but their ability to communicate with each other allows them both to be seen as companies that do not need a monetary incentive to play nice. Who knows, this interaction could even lead to an eventual partnership further down the road.

What is your favorite example of non-traditional brand interaction? Let us know on our Twitter or Facebook.

Professional athletes are known for their speed and athleticism. However, as with many entertainment industries, widespread media coverage has allowed fans to get a more intimate view of their favorite players.  Niles Paul is a tight end for the Washington Redskins, who mentioned during this year’s training camp that he loved Capri Sun juice, but never wanted to bring his favorite flavor to the locker room, out of fear that his teammates would drink them all.

CapriSun responded by sending Paul a case of his favorite flavor, with all of the straws removed, and a foolproof method for keeping his juice safe: In place of the individual yellow plastic straws, they sent the unique silver version above. When Paul received the box full of his beloved of Capri Sun, one of his teammates actually did attempt to swipe a pouch, but was unable to enjoy the drink because of the lack of the signature straw!

A good marketer is always on the lookout for opportunities to keep their brand relevant. At IntegratePR, we recommend monitoring your brand through Google Alerts. By keeping constant vigilance where your brand and how it is perceived by consumers and the media, you are more likely to find opportunities similar to this Capri Sun example. Additionally, you can prevent potential poor product placement by becoming aware of a situation at the very moment it occurs. Whether you end up finding the perfect place to insert your brand over another or avert a potentially harmful situation, monitoring always helps!

To once again quote Shakespeare, that which we laugh at in any other form would be as funny. While the topic of memes is discussed frequently in our office, some of us struggle with the definition. You may have seen some of our favorite funny images on our Facebook and Twitter but in reality, a meme is more than just a picture with text. A good colloquial definition that we have found is “an idea, behavior, style or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.” While Richard Dawkins first coined the word “meme” in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene, we believe that our above definition lends itself to many ideas and behaviors, particularly in the field of marketing. One of the earliest memes that comes to mind is the “Uncle Sam – I want you” which first made its appearance in J. M. Flagg’s 1917 poster. Nowadays, as communicators have harnessed the Internet as a force to spread their messages, memes have followed suit. Old memes have gotten an update (as seen below) and technology has allowed for more memes to be generated at a rapid pace.

As professionals now have a larger audience to communicate with, their messages can be broadcast to outside cultures, broadening an organization’s sphere of influence. When taking the example of the above political meme, we would like to highlight two very interesting memes that we have come across regarding the upcoming presidential election.

The meme above is a message that has been circulating since December of 2011 when then hopeful presidential candidate Mitt Romney used the phrase “Keep America America” during several public appearances. Both the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post incorrectly reported this to be Romney’s campaign slogan, and established that this was eerily similar to the slogan once used by the Ku Klux Klan, “Keep America American.” The Republican National candidate’s official campaign slogan, which was announced in April 2011, is “Believe in America.” While both outlets provided a retraction shortly afterwards, the meme has once again risen in popularity following the Republican National Convention.

The second meme that we have seen while browsing the interwebz is an image proclaiming the message that “life jackets should be banned.” The meme was conceived following the recent statements made by Republican Senator Todd Akin regarding abortion. An online petition is currently being circulated and the image is being shared through popular community forums such as Reddit, Pinterest and Cafemom.  Although the image has spurred many conversations in the blogosphere, this is not an official message from the Democratic National Party.

As previously stated, a meme is not necessarily a picture; it can be an idea or message. Both of these examples portray the fact that memes can allow individuals to be champions for an organization’s cause. While memes can be used to generate interest, this is a double-edged sword: an independent representative may convolute your message, leading to confusion within your audience as to which ideals you, or your brand, truly stand for.

With the continual shift of PR and marketing to incorporate more online conversations, utilizing a meme as a tool could help communicators who are attempting to push out a message. The key part of the definition the idea that it spreads quickly throughout a culture, keeping the messaging interesting is important to ensure that you grab the attention of the public. The ability to create something intriguing without losing the message is the mark of a good communicator.

One of my favorite guerilla marketing stunts happened at Austin City Limits in 2008. With imported lager Heineken as the festival’s alcohol sponsor, local favorite and domestic beer Shiner Bock was unable to sell their product. The innovative McGarrah Jessee firm decided to hand out thousands of koozies with their logo, transforming the brews without breaking violating the terms of sponsorship.

The Olympic opening ceremonies will air in less than two days and one of the hotly debated topics in our industry are the terms of sponsorships. The only fried potato products – excluding the ubiquitous British national dish of fish and chips – allowed to be sold at the 800 food retailers at the 40 Olympic venues across the nation are from the golden arches themselves: mega-sponsor McDonald’s has a firm stronghold on all chips or French fries served at the event. If you’re looking for a cold Carlsberg or Mullholland, you will have to look elsewhere during the two week Olympic series, as Heineken (they’re everywhere!) is the only beer allowed to be sold in the Olympic perimeter.

However, the question comes into play if any of these competing brands will be attempting a Shiner-esque guerilla marketing tactic for the games. Unfortunately, their ideas have already been curtailed as the chairman of the International Olympic Committee and Olympics minister have agreed that large groups coming in together wearing clearly visible branding and marketing are forbidden. While individual shirts would not be banned (for example, the lone Pepsi shirt above would not trigger ejection due to Coca-Cola’s sponsorship) the committee has presumably learned from examples such as the 2010 World cup when 40 women attempted to promote Bavaria beer clad in orange shirts.

Is it fair to ban these creative tactics or is a pre-emptive ban necessary to protect sponsors who have paid good money to be placed at the front lines of spectator events? Make sure to share your opinions below, on our Facebook or Twitter.

Marketers know that it is extremely important to be culturally sensitive, which is why the ultra-conservative Middle East remains a tough market to reach. However, while many may see their traditional views as a barrier to new technologies, it may be surprising to see that this year many brands are putting a social media spin on the month long celebration of Ramadan.

While the Islamic celebration itself is a month of corporal fasting which reaps many sawab (rewards), the following social media campaigns have managed to successfully intermingle the characteristics of Ramadan with new media techniques.

Renault and the Gulf Cooperation Council are currently sponsoring a Facebook campaign to give away a Renault Duster for the photo that bestcaptures the spirit of Ramadan.

du is the second largest telecommunications provide in the UAE. Last year their campaign celebrating Ramadan generated 15,000+ unique Facebook fans, which they hope to surpass in the coming season. By embracing religion – something that many American brands shy away from – they are able to generate a significant amount of traction to the page, as in the example below.

Ramadan is typically a time of heavy religious programming through which Islamic scholars broadcast their messages. It is impressive to see communicators who are doing the double duty of maintaining cultural relevance while at the same time promoting their brand.

Have you seen any examples of excellent social media use during Ramadan make sure to discuss with us on our Facebook or Twitter.

While you may not describe the new Taco Bell Doritos Locos Tacos or the Danny’s Grand Slam as the pinnacle of American culinary offerings, they are at the pinnacle of current American restaurant marketing. What do these two offerings have in common besides a dangerously high calorie count? Both have applied mass marketing techniques that have managed to catch the attention of a nationwide audience that lives in a 3 minute messaging world.

Doritos Locos Tacos have produced the most successful product launch in Taco Bell’s 50-year history, selling 100 million tacos in just 10 weeks while it took rival fast food chain McDonald’s 18 years to sell 100 million burgers. While the numbers may be attributed to the growing number of actual fast food consumers, IntegratePR is willing to bet that their savvy marketing strategies have also aided in propelling the taco to the top. Thousands of tweets have been generated from the #doritoslocostacos hashtag and more popular tweets have been featured in their commercials including one claiming that eating a taco is “like kissing a unicorn on a pot of gold.” You can’t buy this type of marketing, which is solid gold to any type of business.

Denny’s has been serving up Grand Slams for over 50 years and is a breakfast icon in the United States. They have recently begun promoting their mobile app which will allow you to check-in at each of their restaurant locations. They are launching an entire marketing campaign based on the premise of checking in to Denny’s location all around the country. While we’re not sure that creating another check-in based application is the way to go instead of utilizing the already popular FourSquare or SCVNGR, it has gained a lot of initial attention and we’ll be interested to see how it all plays out.

While these campaigns are noteworthy for their popularity as well as social media usage, the question of corporate social responsibility does come to mind. As you may have seen us post on our Facebook page recently, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City has recently proposed a ban on the sale of any sugary beverage over 16 ounces in any of the city’s restaurants, delis, movie theaters or street carts. While some may feel that the government may not have the right to intervene in issues of public consumption, should a marketing, advertising or PR company back down just because a product is deemed unhealthy? Should 100 million Doritos Locos Taco have been sold to a nation of rapidly increasing waistlines? Is promoting the idea of going to not only one Denny’s restaurant but to 50, wise?

Any promotion comes down to the product. In our opinion, promotional efforts can reinforce the idea of enjoying any product, but the messaging must reverberate with the fact that these items should be enjoyed in moderation. Although marketers, advertisers and PR professionals would like to believe that the public understands moderation, we believe it is always important to act responsibly across campaigns.

What do you think? Post your thoughts and comments below, on our Facebook or Twitter!

Nationally franchised, Dallas based Pizza Patrón produced a 2007 marketing stunt “Pizza por Pesos,” a campaign that allowed patrons to pay with Mexican pesos for a limited time. The stunt produced both negative and positive response but five years later, Andrew Gamm, Pizza Patrón’s brand director, has developed a new series of campaigns for the year that will continue to capitalize on the brand’s target audience’s Hispanic culture. The current initiative will offer a free pizza to anyone who asks for one in Spanish on June 5^th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. during which time Gamm expects to give away 80,000 pizzas. Critics of the promotion have come from both the Spanish speaking and non-Spanish speaking community, who have loudly voiced their opinions that the promotion seems discriminatory.

From a marketing perspective, it appears that Pizza Patrón has done the right thing in catering to their target demographic. While pundits of the campaign criticize the fact that it discriminates against non-Spanish speakers, we feel the campaign does nothing of the sort. It invites consumers to participate in the culture of the company, which caters to a Spanish speaking audience. They do not only sell to people who speak Spanish but are offering a deal to someone who asks for pie in a language that the brand’s audience is comfortable with. For anyone who is so upset about having to broaden their horizons by learning one sentence in a different language, we recommend Google Translate.

How do you feel about this pizza promotion? Let us know in the comments below or our Facebook and Twitter.