Marketing Archives - Page 6 of 9

September 19, 2016

Living a Conscious Life

Most people that complete New Year’s resolutions decide and implement them on New Year’s Day. Not me. I have always completed this process on my birthday. I choose one. Just one. One thing that will make my life journey happier; easier; more joyful etc. The resolution may have multiple branches but the goal is a simple, single commitment to myself to tackle for 12 months.

In July of this year, I chose, “Live a Conscious Life.”

I started to notice that my days were turning into months without my being aware and everything was just flying by. I was not living my life, it was living me. I get caught up in “busy” and time just slips away.

Today, I am 90 days in to this resolution, and the change to my life has been profound. Overall, the goal is simple. Be in the moment. Be aware. Choose your actions, live in the moment- don’t just roll from one minute to the next. Some things have been more challenging than others for me to change.

1) I don’t jump in the car anymore and just rush to work. I stop, and acknowledge I am in the car, and drive. That’s it. No planning my day; no thinking of things I may be dreading, I just drive. I am very easily frustrated by traffic and bad drivers. I still slip once in a while 😉 but when I do, I try and catch myself and remember to enjoy these few minutes of peace that this ride provides me.

2) I consciously cut down on my multi-tasking. I turn off my phone, ignore email for 2 hours and focus only the job at hand. What have I noticed? The quality of my work has dramatically improved and the work takes less time. I am absorbing the information better, my creativity soars and I love learning about new things again.

3) I am trying to be more conscious that I not responsible for everyone. I don’t have to fix anyone else’s personal problems. I can listen, and leave it at the table. I don’t have to carry negativity away with me. So, I allow myself to get all wrapped up in it while I am in the conversation, provide 100% of my attention, but when I get up and walk away, I leave it at the table.

4) I am consciously protecting my personal time. I used to discover that I had a free hour and would instantly fill it with work. I now treat those hours like candy. Mine. Mine. Mine. When I plan for a project to take 5 hours and it takes 3, I do a little happy dance. I don’t create work that doesn’t exist.

All of this is still a work in progress, but the benefits to my mental and emotional well-being, have been pretty amazing. So far, this seems to be a great way to manage my work-alcoholic; multi-tasking; obsessive personality. I sleep better; I play better; I listen better and I work better. I notice I am calmer, happier and more tolerant. I am trying very hard to become aware of every single day that I live and end each one knowing that I actually lived it and didn’t just fill the time with “busy” but not quality hours. I find that I do slip but the benefits have been so effective, it is easy for me to get back on track.

I am eager for this effort evolve over the next 9 months and see what changes may come.

betsybestheadshot -Betsy McCloskey | Principal/Partner

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September 12, 2016

Facebook Pixel – The Greatest Tool You Might Not Have Known Existed

If you’re involved in advertising on social media at all, you are likely well aware that Facebook offers some of the most advanced and user-friendly targeting. If you’ve just dabbled in Facebook advertising, you might not know about the potential within the Facebook pixel. The Facebook pixel is a piece of Javascript code that can be placed into your website. The pixel then communicates extremely valuable information to your ad account, resulting in enriched targeting. Here are just a few things you can do with a Facebook pixel.

Using a Facebook pixel allows you to optimize ads to convert.

Basically, instead of setting your Facebook ads goal of getting website clicks or impressions, you can optimize your ads to achieve conversions. These conversions can be defined however you choose, ranging from actual purchases on your website to simply searching on your website.

For example, you can identify a sale as a conversion. Then Facebook ads can target your ads towards people who are most likely to convert, or purchase, rather than just targeting someone who will click. The pixel can do this by using information collected in previous campaigns on people who have clicked but have also purchased. Your ads are more likely to result in your actual goals when using the pixel , however you define them. Learn more about conversion tracking here.

Facebook pixel makes remarketing a breeze.

Have you ever wondered how Amazon pretty much stalks you after you check out a link they shared? The pixel can compose a list of Facebook user IDs that come to your website, allowing you to retarget them later. You can even exclude audience members who have already purchased from you. This is a great way to keep your brand top of mind for the right potential consumers and push them further into the sales process.

The pixel helps you create extremely useful custom audiences.

The pixel is constantly gathering information about the people who visit and convert on your website. When creating a new Facebook ad, you can create a custom audience that targets people similar to those who have already shown interest in your content.

Overall, this is just brushing the surface of all that the Facebook pixel can do. If you are looking to truly optimize your ads, the pixel is an excellent option. Are you interested in implementing the Facebook pixel? Check out detailed instructions here or give Plaid Swan a call!

Plaid Swan 120 – Maggie Weldin │ New Media Strategist

September 5, 2016

Strategy Matters. It Really Does.

“Failure to plan, is planning to fail.” – Alan Lakein

Everyone talks about strategy.

Unfortunately, the word strategy has become the one step in any give marketing effort that most organizations translate to “money and time.” To that I would say, “Yes” to both. For marketing firms, when a potential client will not go through the planning process, it is a big RED FLAG!

One Example – I had a potential client in my office, who was adamant that he did not want to waste time going through a business brief process with my team as he wanted to launch his new product, “right now.” Even after explaining that our firm did not know anything about his product; his vision; his competitors; his goals; and so on, he still just wanted us to move forward with implementation and go to market. I said, “No.”

I appreciate his frustration. He had been through a couple of other firms and what they had recommended and implemented had not resulted in any sales and he had spent most of his marketing budget with no results. When I asked if they had required a formal strategy process, the answer, as expected was “No.” Now, here he is in my office venting anger about their incompetency and what a waste of money and time they were and here is exactly where I make my point.

What is at stake in this conversation is the brand of MY company. I would venture to say that most credible marketing firms would say the same. We grow our business by proving what we do for others, works. Period.

When a potential client asks us to skip steps in our process, what we hear is “Please risk your reputation to save me some money.” And, while we would love to work with their product, the price for us is simply too high. You as a client should expect and even demand that your marketing partner get to know your product, service and business almost as well as you do. Without a formal plan, you have no way of holding your firm accountable for results and they have no way to measure what is working and what is not. It is like driving at high speed with no car insurance, texting and eating pizza.

It is simply the most reckless and dangerous thing you can do to your business. Take time to plan, hold your firm accountable to the plan, and measure, measure, measure results.

betsybestheadshot -Betsy McCloskey | Principal/Partner

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August 29, 2016

The Million Dollar Statement

I think we can all agree it has been a rough week for Ryan Lochte.

When you think of Ryan Lochte, what comes to mind? An Olympian, sure. But, I’m sure you also think about the recent cover-up scandal from the Rio Olympics.

On August 14, Ryan Lochte told NBC’s the “Today Show,” “We got pulled over in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing- just a police badge and they pulled us over. They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground — they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn’t do anything wrong, so — I’m not getting down on the ground.”

Shortly after that statement, officials revealed that the early Saturday-morning incident was quite different in fact.
Lochte and three of his teammates vandalized a gas station, urinated on the premises, and then tried to pay for the damages when the armed guards confronted them.

Ryan seems to be swimming further and further up the well known “S” creek without a paddle (pun intended).

Serious Crisis Management

In comes PR professional Matthew Hiltzik. Hiltzik is a veteran PR consultant that has helped celebrities including Justin Bieber (where does a PR consultant even start with the Biebs??) and troubled athletes including MLB star Ryan Braun (what athlete doesn’t use performance enhancing drugs) and NFL’s Manti Te’o (people lie about made-up girlfriends every day, right).

Following the plan from Hiltzik, Lochte gave two back to back interviews on August 20th (which is an unusual PR strategy), but he needed to reach two different audiences. Lochte spoke with NBC’s Matt Lauer to apologize to the general public in the United States, as well as Globo’s Felipe Santana, to speak to the people of Brazil.

“I was immature, and I made a stupid mistake,” Lochte said in the interview with Lauer. “I’m human. I’ll definitely learn from this. I’m just really sorry.”

This statement and interview came only after 3 other teammates had been interrogated and blocked from leaving the country; two of which were actually pulled out of the plane.

It appears Lochte was being sincere, but the damning video footage evidence seem to have forced the apology. Many people in the PR community agree. Lochte is using the interviews to state his apology, when he should be using the interviews to help rebuild the public’s trust in him. Lochte should be proving the incident was a lapse in judgement vs. character.

Lochte’s four endorsement companies he had secured while entering the Olympics, must also agree it was a lapse in character, as all four cut him on Monday, August 22. Reports say those endorsements will cost Lochte $1 million. Speedo was the first to cut ties with the swimmer by cutting his contract, but managed a positive PR spin by donating a $50,000 fee to Save The Children, a global charity partner of Speedo USA’s parent company. Later that same day, Ralph Lauren, Syneron-Candela (the parent company of Gentle Hair Removal), and Airweave (a mattress company) all said they were parting ways with the Olympian.

Can he recover?

Will we see him in the 2020 Olympics? Well, we have seen other athletes recover from scandals. Remember Tiger Woods and his extramarital relations scandal? He is still a top ranked golfer with about $40 million in endorsement deals this year, Michal Vick still plays for the NFL after being convicted of dog fitting, and we’ve even seen past Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps, compete again after a drug scandal. All of these athletes were able to bounce back with the help of effective public relations to rebuild their image.

What should Lochte do from here?

One thing that all of the above athletes did to help repair the damage was admit their mistakes and accept responsibility for their actions in a timely manner. They also expressed shame in their actions and promised the public they would improve themselves as individuals. We still haven’t heard the latter part from Lochte. Promises like that can easily be made and broken, but he needs to come up with a way to show the public he’s serious. Examples: Phelps agreed to more random drug tests to prove his dedication and Vick pledged to work with the Humane Society to show his.

Lochte also needs to take some space from the media, pledge to change and emphasize positive involvement in the community. He needs to show the public that he is striving to improve himself and prove to the public it’s the last time he will be involved in a situation such as what happed in Rio. Only time will tell how this scandal will affect the future of the decorated Olympian Ryan Lochte, but I will be following this story closely to see how it unfolds.

-Brittani Wilson │ Public Relations Specialist

August 22, 2016

If You’re Not Split Testing, You Should Be

Are we digital marketers or are we digital marketing scientists? I would probably say the latter. Split testing is another tool in our scientific tool box that you should be using if you are running any paid social campaigns.

What is split testing?

A/B Test Example by AdEspresso

Split testing is a method of optimizing ads by determining the most effective photos, headlines, copy, and ad formats by testing them. Split testing is also sometimes referred to as A/B testing. Split testing/ A/B testing is also commonly used for website testing and other display ad testing. Overall, A/B testing is a tool used to ensure you are running the strongest ads possible.

Why should I be A/B testing?

Luckily, some ad platforms, such as Facebook, automatically do some sort of A/B testing. Facebook determines which of your ads are performing best, and then shows it more often, but then you are still left wondering why it is performing better than others. A/B testing allows you to identify best practices, including which ad formats work best with your audience. It also saves a lot of money during the actual campaign, especially if the campaign is a relatively high spend. As you can see above in the example from AdEspresso, the ad on the left outperformed the ad on the right.

How do I A/B test?

A/B Test Flowchart by AdEspresso

A/B testing can be time consuming, or not, depending on how many variables you want to test. The photo from AdEspresso demonstrates how three images quickly becomes 100 test ads. Instead, you can choose to test only a few variables. For example, if you know your objective is to drive people to your website, there is no need to test campaign formats because you will just choose the website click format.

So, let’s say you want to test three phots and three sets of copy. You would set up three ads with the different copy for each photo, resulting in a total of nine ads. If you have a much larger amount of testing, tools exist to make the process less time consuming, like AdEspresso. Note that since Facebook automatically chooses which ad to show most within an ad set, A/B testing in Facebook needs to be done in two separate ad sets in order to maintain an even budget distribution.

What variables should I be testing?

First, keep in mind that it is always best to start A/B testing with the largest variables, such as photos or ad formats followed by demographic targeting, etc. A study conducted by AdEspresso found that within ad targeting, the most important variables are country, gender, interests, and age. You likely know your audience’s country and gender, so spend a little time optimizing the Interests targeting. Rather than entering a bunch of interests, only use one because Facebook will target anyone who has ONE of the interests listed, not all of them.

A/B testing also tests ad design. This includes the graphic, title, call to action, placement, landing page, link description, and copy. Additionally, ad targeting should be tested. This includes demographic and psychographics such as age, gender, behaviors, location, income, workplace, job title, relationship status, plus so many more options.

Conclusion

Overall, A/B testing is a great way to ensure you are running the best ads that will result in as many results as possible. Have you A/B tested before? What were the most important variables to test for you campaign? Let us know in the comments.

Plaid Swan 120 -Maggie Weldin │ New Media Strategist

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August 15, 2016

How to Survive Your First Year

I was invited to speak at a coffee event this morning. The audience was made up of new start-up entrepreneurs. Plaid Swan just celebrated our 5-year anniversary this month, and some people that were just starting out wanted to know how they too, may be able beat the odds.

I wish I could have given them some complicated, NASA level insight, but in the end, it is simply, excellent customer service and time management. They looked at me like I was going to be one big waste of their time, but when I asked each of them to share a situation where they had experienced poor customer service by a small business, they all became quite animated.

Once every one had taken a turn, I asked each of them, “Will you ever go back?” 100% said, “No.” And THAT is why companies go out of business in their first year.

It is the simplest of things. Not returning a phone call for 2 days; not responding to emails in a timely fashion, not showing up on time, failing to deliver your product as promised, making excuses for delays etc. Simple, simple things.
The greatest challenge faced by most that are self-employed people, is time management. I am truly convinced that you are either wired to be self-managed or you are not. It is not easy to have control over every minute of your day. You have to be very committed to keeping an accurate calendar of appointments as well as managing your time well.

“Flexibility” seems to be the reason most state for wanting to be self-employed or do freelance work, but that flexibility has to work both ways. You may be able to take the afternoon off to attend an event with family, but if you are not willing to make that time up the next day by working 12-16 hours, I doubt you will be successful.

My own example was a handyman that did work around our office. Young guy, good at what he does. BUT, he is very undependable. After the first time I used him at work, I hired him to do work at the house. I really liked him, his rates were fair, but he could never show up on time. Sometimes, he was days late. This ended up costing him two very good clients. My personal business and my company’s business. I have to believe that losing an average of $500 a month when you are starting out, hurts. Add to that, losing someone (me) that made a point to refer him to others. That spigot has been turned off as well. The lack of a simple time management process will be the death of his business.

If you are just starting out, make sure that you are not spending your hard earned dollars and valuable time to chase new business and then dropping the ball at implementation. You will likely only get one opportunity for someone to take a chance on you. Treat every single opportunity like the gold nugget that it is.

betsybestheadshot – Betsy McCloskey | Principal/Partner

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August 8, 2016

Hire Me, Please

Entering my senior year of college has me thinking about the “real world.” Am I ready? The classroom gives students a basic idea of what to expect once we hit the real world. What is even better is when we get to experience it first-hand. Yes, every business is different, but as I continue with my second internship, here are a few reasons why businesses should hire interns.

Take a Test Drive with a Potential Employee

What better way of seeing how someone contributes to your business than seeing it first-hand. Hiring an intern is like hiring an employee, but doesn’t have to include the long-term commitment. My first internship was created for one semester. During those 12 weeks, I helped set up a new website, create more of a social media presence, and create a quarterly newsletter. My boss was able to see my capabilities and what I had to offer to her business while I was able to learn in a hands-on environment. More and more employers are asking for job candidates with experience. Using internships as a way to train candidates for essentially any position in a company not only helps the student, but provides the experience that employers are looking for.

You’re Working for Who?

Interns serve as walking billboards for businesses. While I know how great the business I am interning for is, many of my family and friends have not heard of Plaid Swan. I have my elevator speech ready when I go home and people ask me, “So what are you are up to this summer?” After I inform them what Plaid Swan is and what we do with a list of some of our clients, their reactions are all the same. “Wow, sounds like a great place to be!” Word of mouth is a great way to create buzz for businesses. It can also improve social media following so the people the intern knows can see what he or she is up to. Their loyal followers are now the business’.

So, You Don’t Have the Money?

It seems like businesses are hesitant to hire interns because they “just don’t have the money.” Don’t let money be the deciding factor in deciding to hire an intern or not. Back to my first internship example, my compensation was funded through the Great Lakes Career Ready Internship grant. There are different opportunities to make it easier for the business to offer a paid internship position. Although students are lucky to be offered an internship for a business regardless of pay or not, offering some type of pay is attractive to a student on a “college budget.” Contact a local university or college to see if they have any connections or programs set up. Either way, interns usually come at a lower price and are capable of producing quality work if given the chance.

Remember, We are Learning

Having an intern can be challenging for both parties. The classic problems are that there is not enough work (or the opposite and it’s hard to keep up), not enough direction, or not enough feedback on work. At my current internship It was made clear early on that everyone contributes to our overall success. I can honestly say that there is never a shortage on tasks and even when they are left wide open, feedback from my co-workers help steer me in the right way. The trick is to ask questions for help, but know when it’s appropriate. That was my biggest problem when I started because I was used to always resorting to questions, but as I become more accustomed to the company, my confidence grows. As my confidence grows, the more independent I am and my work gets better. Even though I would love to be the best right from the start, everything gets better after time, right?

Share your experiences with interns in our comment section! And don’t for get to subscribe to the Plaid Swan blog here.

– Rachel Moser │ Public Relations & Event Intern

August 1, 2016

Plaid Swan Turns Five

Today, on August 1st, Plaid Swan celebrates their five year anniversary! Within five years, Plaid Swan has accomplished so much. Plaid Swan began as a startup created by two empowered female entrepreneurs, Betsy and Vicki. Now, Plaid Swan is a thriving integrated marketing communications firm.

Within five years, the Plaid Swan team has continued to grow and has been working in a multitude of industries. Plaid Swan looks forward to many more years of growth and innovation. Here is what founders Betsy and Vicki have to say about the past and future of Plaid Swan.

Brittani Wilson: So, let’s get started. Tell me why you both wanted to be entrepreneurs?

Vicki Dirksen: For me, it was all about the flexibility. I have two young daughters and I really wanted to be able to attend all the things they are involved in. At least as much as possible. A traditional job just wasn’t allowing me that flexibility.

Betsy McCloskey: I always knew I wanted to be self-employed, from a very young age. I have never liked my destiny to be in someone else’s hands. I like to drive the bus.

Brittani Wilson: Why did you jump off the bridge during such a slump in the economy? 2011 seems as though it would have been the worst year to open a business.

Betsy: I don’t remember even thinking about the economy, which is a big admission for a marketing person. I had just hit a cross road. I knew that I had no desire to stay where I was in my career. So, for me it was look for another traditional job or jump in to this. A lot of things weighed in to my decision. Did I want to move? My age (now or never and all that); friends telling me that it was time. A perfect storm really.

Vicki: My husband has a good job in Dubuque and he is happy. My kids like school also. But I wasn’t happy. I knew that unlike Betsy who can just up and move, my options were limited. If I wanted to work and have a career that I loved, I would have to build it here. We both also knew there was a better business model than the traditional ad agency and we wanted to see it come to life.

Brittani Wilson: Let’s discuss the business model. It is unique, but a lot of things about Plaid Swan are unusual. Somehow it all just works.

Betsy: Being marketers and following trends, we knew the up and coming Millennials had a different vision for work. And as families became busier with two working parents, flexibility was becoming more and more important for Gen X as well. The question had to be asked. “Why do we care where people work?”

Vicki: It all just evolved from there. Once we mapped out the flexible model, everything blew wide open. We were able to hire talent from across the country and let them live where they wanted. The caliber of people that came forward was just jaw dropping. Especially in the creative arena. We have been approached by, and work with some of the best designers in the country.

Betsy: I agree. They aren’t moving to the Midwest, and why did we need them to? That simply increases rent; capital expenses and all the other massive expenses that go with housing a core team. We have media buyers, public relations people and marketing/account management people in our office, but the designers, photographers, etc. live where they live.

Vicki: Add to that the Millennials who don’t want to work at 8AM and want freedom in their schedule and this simply works for everyone. Maggie Weldin, our Media Strategist came to Dubuque to go to school at Loras College. She wanted to move back home to Florida to be closer to family. We just said, “So? Just move!” It works great for all of us.

Betsy: We are very dependent on technology for meetings. We use a cloud based project management system, so as long as we have internet, all is good!

Brittani Wilson: So, it has been 5 years. Congratulations! What would you have done differently?

Vicki: Know how to open a business. (laughing) There were so many surprises. Taxes, insurance, partnership agreements and all that crazy stuff. No idea. Really, no idea..

Betsy: I would have hired support staff earlier. Vicki and I were working 80+ hours a week for over 2 years. We were writing marketing plans on Christmas Eve for two years in a row. So sad. (laughing)

Brittani Wilson: What is your favorite memory?

Betsy: The day, about 18 months in when I realized that people were calling us because they had heard we did good work from someone they knew. We were getting referrals! It was a Thursday and I suddenly realized that our last 4 clients called us, I didn’t hunt them. That left me a little emotional.

Vicki: Getting my first vacation in 3 years! No, not really. I think it is when we found our office. I thought “This place is in pretty rough shape.” and Betsy saying, “We can fix this.” I knew we were really in business then. Betsy kept me out until the remodel was finished. I walked in to beautiful wood floors, gorgeous walls and it was ours. Something about having your own space that you can call home. Plaid Swan became a living thing to me after that.

Brittani Wilson: What is your philosophy on building a team?

Betsy: Go slow! Pick the right people that you can work WITH. That means more to me that skill. Skill is something we can train.

Vicki: Finding people that are passionate about their field. People coming on board here just to get the flexibility or culture, won’t last. You have to love what you do because we work a lot of hours and we are very busy. You have to love this to do it.

Brittani Wilson: So, after 5 years, you two still seem like very good friends. Most business partnerships don’t make it.

Vicki: We care about very different things. We rarely tread on each other. We really split our skills sets down the middle and went our own way. We get together on decisions that effect the foundation of the company such as goals; staffing levels; budgets etc., but as for the work products, we really have our own clients.

Betsy: Agreed. I am very social. I am the networker, the marketer. Vicki loves data. She can crunch numbers and strategize media all day. We are relieved to have the other one do the part of the work we don’t enjoy as much.

Brittani Wilson: How did you come up with the name?

Vicki: That is the number one question we are asked! Plaid represents our business model. Marketing is the pulling together of many unique fabrics or skills to create something that when it comes together creates another unique, beautiful pattern, just like plaid fabrics. Swan represents that we are female owned and operated. We both love the feminine lines of that particular bird.

Brittani Wilson: I also love the logo.

Betsy: When you look at our logo, you see two things. A swan’s wing and a woman’s eye. Female consumers are the driving force in the USA today. We understand how to reach them.

Brittani Wilson: Well, the entire business model fascinates me. Job well done, ladies. Cheers to a very successful future as Plaid Swan continues to grow!

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July 25, 2016

The Pokémon Go Effect

Since its launch on July 6, 2016, Pokémon Go has been a huge sensation in our society. Everywhere you look, you see a band of people walking around glued to their phone screens seeking the nearest Pokémon. You also see articles about the affects the game has on a person, tips and tricks, or even how it’s causing violence. We see games and applications come and go, but how has Pokémon Go managed to be an overnight sensation capturing even more active users in one week than Twitter managed to gain in 10 years? What’s crazy is that Pokémon Go has over 9.5 million people playing daily.

It creates connections; personal, social and emotional. Pokémon Go creates an Pokemon 1 emotional connection with its participants. Some of you may not realize this, but Pokémon Go is not the original. When the original Pokémon game debuted twenty years ago, it was a hit similar to the current version. The game was played for years before sizzling out. I remember getting off the bus as a child and my brother would break out his Gameboy to play for hours. Whether you played the game as a child or know someone who did, you have a personal connection to that memory. When the new game debuted this summer, it brought people back to their childhood, but added real life, present surroundings. Working with Google Maps allows the game to see your geographic location and puts the beloved Pokémon in your everyday surroundings.

Additionally, the game creates giant social networks. Even if you’re avoidi Pokemon 2 ng the game, you undoubtedly notice that it brings people together. Let’s face it, I bet you can’t go one day without overhearing a conversation about Pokémon Go or seeing groups of people play the game. For instance, my roommates decided to drive around one Wednesday night to try to catch a Pikachu (which we found at University of Dubuque), and let me tell you, we weren’t the only ones. It was amazing how many people were
inhibiting the Dubuque Riverwalk at a time when it’s usually quiet. There had to have been at least 100 hundred people walking around, flocking to the Pokestops. You could even hear a few shrieks when someone would catch a rare Pokémon. In addition to Pokémon Go’s social implications, it’s creating a common interest among strangers. As groups would pass one another on the Riverwalk, they would share tips of what’s ahead in the advanced levels. There are similar occurrences happening all over the United States, including recently at Millennium Park in Chicago. Thousands of people gathered around The Bean to catch Pokémon and collaborate with other gamers.

Lastly, it creates an emotional connection because it’s addicting; it keeps you coming back to play. You never know Pokemon 3 where you’ll be when a Pokémon pops up. Better yet, where is Pikachu going to be? The game gives you hints on the bottom right corner as to where a nearby Pokémon may be. “Three more steps”, so you think to yourself, “Three steps straight or is that three steps down the hill?” You’re constantly on the look-out to catch new ones.

Coming from a person who did not play the original Pokémon game as a child and finally gave into this new game, I can see why millions are downloading Pokémon Go. It’s creating connections like most applications and games can’t. Will the Pokémon Go craze stick around or phase out sooner than we think?

Leave your comments below!

Rachel_Headshot – Rachel Moser │ Public Relations and Event Intern

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July 20, 2016

Trump vs. Plagiarism

Whether you are following the political debates this election year or not, I’m sure you have heard clips of Donald Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, speak on the evening of July 18, 2016 at the Republican National Convention. Her speech had VERY similar phrases from a speech, First Lady, Michelle Obama gave in 2008 at the Democratic National Convention and while the entire speech was not copied word for word, it was more than just one compelling phrase or similar words, it was multiple. This in turn, has become a newsworthy topic of debate for many influential stations from CNN, Washington Post, and USA Today, just to name a few.

To catch you up to speed, here is what is under scrutiny:

Here’s the excerpt from Michelle Obama in 2008:

“And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them.”

“And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and to pass them on to the next generation. Because we want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

Here’s the passage from Melania Trump’s remarks Monday night that came under scrutiny:

“From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise, that you treat people with respect.

They taught and showed me values and morals in their daily lives. That is a lesson that I continue to pass along to our son. And we need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow. Because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “plagiarism” is defined as: “the act of using another person’s words or ideas without giving credit to that person,” and from the above phrases, you can see why others are calling her speech an act of plagiarism. As of Tuesday, July 19, 2016, no one on Trump’s campaign staff is being fired or reprimanded over the plagiarism of the speech, which leaves a question to be answered. Who is to be held accountable for this? Melania Trump or her staff writers?

Because this has become a huge topic of conversation overnight, as a public relations professional, I can’t help but ask myself if this is hurting our professional community. Are people, and more importantly clients, questioning if the words we submit on their behalf are plagiarized? While I certainly can’t speak on behalf of other public relations professionals on their ways to combat and ensure against this topic of discussion, this is what you can expect from us at Plaid Swan:

Due Diligence

Here at Plaid Swan, we complete our due diligence to fact check and cross-examine all documents before they are sent to clients, as well as the press. We ensure the work we submit is original and not stolen from other thoughts or ideas. This holds true when we represent our clients, as well as ourselves.

Privacy

All staff members of Plaid Swan must sign confidentiality agreements before their first day of employment. Employees’ ideas and plans submitted for a client will not be used for client’s competitors. Clients can rest assured that their marketing tactics will stay confidential between their business and Plaid Swan.

Citations

When conducting research briefs, we may be experts in our field, but we certainly may not be experts in our client’s business when we first begin working with them. When beginning our research briefs, we’ll research our clients business, industry, as well as competitors. As the final document is presented, clients will notice we cite our sources used to gather information.

As the Public Relations Specialist for Plaid Swan, it is my job to make sure content is not only accurate, but original. In the end, we hold ourselves accountable. I will be following this story in the next few days as more details arise. What are your thoughts? Do you think Melania Trump’s speech was plagiarized from Michelle Obama’s?

Note: In an article about plagiarism, it seems wise to credit the USA Today regarding the paragraphs on the two speeches being referenced.

-Brittani Vanderweerd | PR Specialist