Two weeks ago, I had a triumphant victory over my Canon Digital Rebel XT. I learned to shoot photos in manual mode. Determined, I dressed my daughter in her new red dress, set my camera to take an optimal photo in the living room, and began chasing my daughter around the house snapping photos (while trying to stop her from putting the lens cap back on the camera.) I wanted a picture for a Christmas card.
I downloaded the photos to my laptop and found the perfect shot – my daughter hugging her teddy bear. I visited the Photo Center on walgreens.com and began searching for an appropriate Christmas card design (which was no easy task, most of the designs do not say “Merry Christmas” these days.)
Saturday, I picked up my photos, and to my horror, they were bright red – except for my daughter’s red hair, which looked bright orange.
This is when I learned two lessons. The first is that for printing photos, you should first calibrate your computer monitor and then you should calibrate Adobe Photoshop to your computer monitor, otherwise your photos may print differently than they looked on the monitor. The next thing I learned is that the Walgreens Photo Center has an exceptional customer service policy.
With several people waiting in line, the young woman working in the photo shop took the time to try to color correct my photo. Then, she reprinted my card and didn’t charge me any additional money, even though the Kool-Aid-colored photo was my fault. This is Walgreens policy: 100% satisfaction guaranteed. See it on their Web site.
Congratulations, Walgreens Photo Center. Your are my PR Winner of the Week for your outstanding customer service policy and the excellent service provided by your employees.
Taking pictures in manual mode: check.
My next challenge: mastering monitor color calibration.
The cup sitting next to my desk (far enough from my computer to be out of the danger zone) is filled with ice and water, my beverage of choice. Dr. Pepper was my favorite soft drink throughout grade school and college, but today that prized status is wide open to competition. I still find the occasional Dr. Pepper to be a pleasant surprise to my taste buds, but as I only indulge every couple of years, I would hardly call that product loyalty.
Digital twin? I thought. Cool! I have heard everyone has a twin somewhere in the world, and Coke Zero has developed an application, available through Facebook, to help you find her (or him.) I had to try the application immediately. Here were my results (close, except for the eyes): http://bit.ly/6ZvINU.
Coke Zero, you have my attention.
It has been four days since I first used the facial profiler (yes, I will experiment again.) I still have not tasted the beverage, but that has more to do with the fact that I have been unofficially soft-drink free for days, even weeks now. But will I try Coke Zero? You bet. Maybe. I prefer drinks that do not use artificial sweeteners. But to the Coke brand, you are on my mind. Oh, and the Coke Zero commercial about suing yourself, that was hilarious!
Congratulations, Coke Zero, you are my PR Winner of the week. And as soon as I break my soft-drink fast, a Coke will be in my cup.
I like to talk about my favorite brands. I’ve been known to do it for free. That’s why I’m promoting the Just Say No to Pay Per Tweets on Twitter campaign.
Sure, it would be nice if Chick-fil-A (I’m a fan on Facebook) or Lenny’s (@knoxvillelennys) or Mimis Cafe (@mimis_cafe) or New Balance Shoes or any other brand I’ve mentioned for free would offer me a few bucks, but that defeats not only my intent but also the purpose of branding and great public relations. Implementing great public relations is my day job. Talking about brands I catch in the act of a great campaign is what I do for fun. (You would not be the first person to call me a geek.)
The formula to get me talking about your brand is simple. It reverts back to the earliest form of public relations: provide a quality product or service with good customer service at a reasonable price.
From being closed on Sundays to the Chick-fil-A cows, Chick-fil-A’s entire concept revolves around first-class PR.
Chick-fil-A has great (Christian) values, and the company does not compromise these values to make a few extra dollars. The fast food chain serves a great product, including the best french fries. Period. It does not serve any beef. The chain is closed on Sundays. Chick-fil-A is one-of-a-kind.
When I eat fast food (approximately six times a year) I always choose Chick-fil-A. The food is tasty and the sweet tea is sweet and fresh-brewed. Each Sunday on my way to church, I pass the restaurant and think, “Chick-fil-A sounds good, too bad it’s closed today.” So, when I need to choose a fast food restaurant any other day of the week, Chick-fil-A is already on my mind. On my last vacation, my travel plan incorporated rest stops only at Chick-fil-A.
The Chick-fil-A cows and the “Eat Mor Chikin” campaign are brilliant. Every time my husband sees a group of three cows, he says, “Look! It’s the Chick-fil-A cows.” We live in the country, so this actually happens quite a bit.
I am not a fan of billboards because they distract me when I am driving. Luckily, my husband does most of the driving, and it gives me the opportunity to see the latest Chick-fil-A billboards posted along I-40 in Knoxville. I look forward to these billboards. I crack up when I read the jokes on chicken, and I really love the misspelled words.
Congratulations, Chick-fil-A, you are my first PR Winner of the Week. You are a branding role model. I love the 12 Days of Christmas billboard, and I look forward to tasting your Peppermint Chocolate Chip milkshake!
I see good examples of public relations almost everywhere I look (even when I think I’m not looking.) With so many brands fighting for my attention, I want to celebrate brands that I think deliver great public relations.
So what is great public relations?
1) A brand that gets my attention.
2) A brand that I connect with – I remember it for either a positive or negative reason. Yes, even a negative experience can be great public relations if it causes me to remember the brand. Too many brands are forgettable.
3) A brand that compels me to talk about it – for free!
In the spirit of great PR, I will announce a PR Winner of the Week and tell you what I think that brand got right. I hope you will join me in celebrating great PR each week. Look for the KandiKreatives PR Approved checkmark.
Avoiding Facebook for more than two years has been pretty simple. I started by not joining Facebook, even when I got those tempting emails letting me know which of my friends (whom I have live contact with) had invited me to join. Next, I didn’t search Facebook to see if people I wanted to (re) connect with were members. Call me old fashioned, but I like having relationships with people, not computers.
On November 15, 2009, I stopped avoiding Facebook.
I was at a social networking seminar a couple of weeks ago and someone said that if you don’t find Facebook, it will find you. That person knew what he was talking about. As a public relations professional, I believe that credibility includes a proven track record in delivering messages to appropriate audiences through appropriate media. In PR, experience always outweighs education. Telling clients that I know how to use Facebook and understand its value is not nearly as effective as showing them. So, I joined.
Find me on Facebook and become a KandiKreatives fan.
KandiKreatives.com is a professional presentation resource for you in your professional or personal life. Visit Kandi’s Korner often for tips and information on Web Site Design and Development, Social Media, Writing, Newsletters for print or the Web, Web Technologies, and any other subject that strikes my fancy. As a wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, avid reader, writer, dancer, and consumer, pretty much any subject is fair game.
Two weeks ago, I had a triumphant victory over my Canon Digital Rebel XT. I learned to shoot photos in manual mode. Determined, I dressed my daughter in her new red dress, set my camera to take an optimal photo in the living room, and began chasing my daughter around the house snapping photos (while trying to stop her from putting the lens cap back on the camera.) I wanted a picture for a Christmas card.![[del.icio.us]](http://www.kandikreatives.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
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