Posts Tagged ‘viral messaging’

The excitement of the front page

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Aside from the front page disappointing news on Maine voting against equal rights and the tons of stories on assessing Obama’s performance so far (has it really been a year??), there is a certain excitement reading the front page every morning, either online or in print.   That’s the feeling the public gets.

When PR people read and scan front page stories they go to work to understand the news beat for the day, the week, the month, even the beat for year sometimes.  With publishing in such crisis, truly grasping the editorial dynamic as it shifts to the unpredictable is a matter of survival.  I was so delighted to see that one of the clients I work with as part of a fabulous PR team of pros, the new Hotel Chocolat on Newbury St. made it to the front page of the Boston Globe today with an interesting business story about international merchants coming to the US.  

Helping the media write great stories with smart angles takes time, but the right relationships yield stories that will start conversations and create a viral component to the strategic message.  Reading the front page sometimes can be a most rewarding experience!

Is there real PR value in TripAdvisor?

Friday, June 5th, 2009

Ever popular,TripAdvisor reviews or on a PR persons checklist every couple of days.  With reviews posted several times a day, TripAdvisor is so valued by hotel guests, and future guests shopping for a good hotel.

Seeking real advice and feedback from those who have already experienced a property, travelers put a lot of stock on what they read on the site.  But, how can TripAdvisor be leveraged as a true PR tool?

The most common question asked… are the reviews accurate?  That is one factor that impacts the credibility of an anonymous review.  What if it is the competitor down the street writing a nasty review?  What if it is your extended family writing glowing reviews about a hotel they haven’t actually stayed in? 

While TripAdvisor does all it can to scan reviews and seperate the fake ones from the real ones, it’s nearly impossible to always tell the difference.  From a PR standpoint, the value and perception of the hotel increases when the property is in the top five of the area.  Conversely, a bad review needs to be addressed with the proper management response, which is a good communications tool that TripAdvisor allows to be fair.   

As well, the annual awards which TripAdvisor announces is a great recognition for hotels and destinations that is certainly worth a lot of PR value.  Placing updated photos and posting current information should also be part of your checklist.