Shout Out of the Week

October 22nd, 2009 | by: Deanna Killackey

I may not have an iPhone, but one thing is for sure – the variety of applications amazes me everyday. Take for example the recent applications created by paint companies Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore. With the tap of a key, both applications let you snap a picture of any color inspiration, anywhere in the world, and instantly match it to one of the thousands of hues that comprise their color spectrum.

Ad Age recently reported that Sherwin-Williams beat Benjamin Moore to the market with its application by one week; however, it was the Benjamin Moore brand that reached media first via public relations. By focusing on the top lifestyle print and online media, Benjamin Moore was able to position their “Ben Color Capture” application as intuitive and easy-to-use. Since its launch earlier this year, the application has been featured in The New York Times as well as top style and lifestyle blogs. Kudos to the power of PR!

Makes me wonder … Should I paint my living room walls to match the color of the flowers I saw on the way to work today?

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Shout Out of the Week

October 5th, 2009 | by: Deanna Killackey

Men’s Health executive editor may have said it best when he said that the MH brand “wants to be part of their readers’ lives more than just showing up in the mailbox once a month.”

This week’s Shout Out goes to all the print magazines that have realized the power of Twitter in reaching their readers. From PeoplePets.com to InStyle.com and Self.com, magazines across all categories are capitalizing on an audience that is eager to learn. Tweets go beyond traditional promotional news and delve deeper into magazine partnerships with celebrities, hot news stories and even interactive Q&A to provide their followers with relevant and valuable information.

I found the latest print magazine Twitter stats, as reported on MinOnline, interesting. What do you think?

min Twitter Account Snapshot (September 22, 2009) We did our monthly Twitter check on Tuesday, September 22 to see how the consumer magazine Web sites listed in our Digital Media Boxscores in last week’s September 21 min fared in their quest for Twitter followers. Below are min’s top 15 magazine Twitter accounts, ranked by highest % of new followers (with a minimum of 10,000 followers) in September compared to August, of the 100 Web sites in our digital charts that have Twitter accounts.
	Title/Publisher	Followers (9/22)	Followers (8/19)	% of increase
1.	Rolling Stone/Wenner	39,342	29,774	32.14
2.	Seventeen/Hearst	44,871	34,385	30.50
3.	Health/Time Inc.	875,318	683,642	28.04
4.	Teen Vogue/CondéNet	35,659	27,969	27.49
5.	Self/CondéNet	10,619	8,547	24.24
6.	InStyle/Time Inc.	1,120,069	903,256	24.00
7.	Men’s Health/Rodale	15,736	12,691	23.99
8.	Food Network	13,408	10,865	23.41
9.	Elle/Hachette Filipacchi	37,330	30,268	23.33
10.	Entertainment Weekly/Time Inc.	950,015	770,343	23.32
11.	Vanity Fair/CondéNet	32,899	26,796	22.78
12.	Women’s Health/Rodale	18,700	15,234	22.75
13.	Lucky/CondéNet	16,496	13,554	21.71
14.	People/Time Inc.	1,397,392	1,154,937	20.99
15.	OK!	24,220	20,100	20.50

Tags: Twitter
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Livin' and Learnin' About Concept Stores

June 17th, 2009 | by: Deanna Killackey

Last month, Brandweek reported about Wal-Mart’s new Hispanic concept stores – Supermercado de Walmart - aimed primarily at the needs of Hispanic consumers. It was during a recent trip to Phoenix that I had the opportunity to preview one of the stores and found the experience satisfying. Families were enjoying the shopping experience together, purchasing a selection of fresh and authentic foods from Mexico and the United States. They relaxed and dined together at the in-store cocina and browsed specialty meats at a large meat market, designed to meet the specific preferences of Hispanic customers. While I would never purchase beef heart, tongue or chicken feet, the selections were not intended to cater to my taste preferences, but rather those of the Hispanic shoppers.

Located in Phoenix and Houston because of their large, multigenerational Hispanic populations with considerable spending power, the Supermercado de Walmart stores have hard-to-find products and brands that remind customers of “home.” From the pastel paint colors on the walls to the authentic grocery selections and pinatas hanging in place of helium balloons, the variety of items was impressive.

It was one of the few times that I felt a store was blatently catering to the needs of its shoppers. It gave me a new perspective on Wal-Mart shopping and made me wish the Wal-Mart store in my community offered a similar “authentic” and “family” shopping experience.

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Livin’ and Learnin’ About Ad Jingles

June 4th, 2009 | by: Deanna Killackey

Earlier this week, I was asked to brainstorm new program concepts on behalf of some clients. After reviewing the creative briefs, I found myself singing jingles from ads that run during the 80s and 90s. From candy bars to pet fod companies, the jingles are catchy and fun and always make me think of Jesse (Jon Stamos) from “Full House.” Why? Because he was the jingle guy!

Here are some of my favorite ad jingles. What are your’s?

“See you in the U.S.A in your Chevrolet” (GM)
“Give me a break, Give me a break, break me off a piece of that Kit-Kat Bar” (The Hershey Company)
“What would ya’ dooo-ooo for a Klondike Bar?” (Unilever)
“Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don’t.” (Peter Paul/The Hershey Company)
“My bologna has a first name … ” (Oscar Meyer)
“Be All That You Can Be” (U.S. Army)
“I want my baby back, baby back, baby back, baby back … ribs” (Chili’s)

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Livin' and Learnin' About Ad Jingles

June 4th, 2009 | by: Deanna Killackey

Here are some of my favorite ad jingles. What are your’s?

“See you in the U.S.A in your Chevrolet” (GM)
“Give me a break, Give me a break, break me off a piece of that Kit-Kat Bar” (The Hershey Company)
“What would ya’ dooo-ooo for a Klondike Bar?” (Unilever)
“Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don’t.” (Peter Paul/The Hershey Company)
“My bologna has a first name … ” (Oscar Meyer)
“Be All That You Can Be” (U.S. Army)
“I want my baby back, baby back, baby back, baby back … ribs” (Chili’s)

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Livin’ and Learnin’ about Getting More Zzzz’s

May 19th, 2009 | by: Deanna Killackey

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How often do you find yourself trying to count sheep in order to fall asleep? If you’re like me, when your head hits the pillow all you want to do is wander off into a non-interrupted night of sleep, but a creak in the floor or a honk of a car horn makes your sleep journey near impossible.

According to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 33 percent of men ages 30 to 44 log less than 6 hours of sleep a night (scientists recommend 7 to 8 hours). And the National Sleep Foundation reports that more than half of American women say they sleep well only a few nights a week. Sound familiar?

Rather than get caught up participating in a society-wide experiment in sleep deprivation, I have committed myself to exercising better sleep habits. Whether through yoga, no TV before bed or earlier dinners, I’m exploring new strategies every night. Check out these articles I came across on MSNBC today. If you don’t find any good tips there, perhaps one of the more than 3.7 million consumers who is a fan of the “I ? Sleep” Facebook page can offer some advise.

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