Jonathan Singer

🔈 Thursday Thoughts: Demystifying How to Pitch to Local Media I recently secured coverage with several major local San Francisco Bay Area-based media outlets. Here's what I observed: 💡 No RSVPs: Broadcast media, such as TV and radio, tend not to RSVP to events. They just show up! 💡 Relationships Matter: It's crucial to have direct contact with assignment editors and individual reporters. While this sounds like common sense, I often see many (especially tech PR specialists) pitching irrelevant news to random reporters. 💡 Early Risers: Pitches need to go out early in the morning—sometimes as early as 4 am—to capture the attention of assignment editors, especially in broadcast media. 💡 Be a Producer: Due to newsroom budget cuts, the cameraman may also act as the reporter onsite. As a PR pro, you need to act as a producer and help shape the story. Amateur PR specialists often just stand by and watch the interview happen. I've seen this many times. They should be able to line up interviewees and provide background information to help shape the story. 💡 Cultural Competency: I often see PR 'pros" treat journalists who are people of color like second-class citizens. The journalists notice and remember this treatment. I've had several off-the-record conversations with POC journalists in mainstream media who have declined pitches from major PR agencies because of their attitude. 💡 Kindness Matters: Thank everyone after the interview is done. I take care of my journalists when they're onsite—I make sure they are fed and hydrated. 💡 Mass Email: Good news! Local media is open to mass pitches. However, make sure you include the right reporters and conduct one-on-one follow-ups. Entertainment, political, and community press are okay with mass pitches. However, do NOT do this with the tech press—you will end up on the naughty list. 💡 Hire Local: Local media outlets are not fans of big national agencies pitching local stories. It can come across as inauthentic. I recommend bringing on a regional PR specialist to help you navigate the local nuances. #PR #MediaRelations #MediaStrategy

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This is a really interesting story and DOE does a good job of connecting the Great Oak (which looks a lot like the famous Angel Oak my mom was wowed by when my parents first moved to Charleston, SC!) to energy policy and the future. Love the Meditation Music Zone (search on Spotify if you don't know) music and the kind of ethereal feel around the tree that transitions into the policy component and the real people in the story. With that in mind, some gentle criticism: 1. Opening the video with nearly 30 seconds of text is not ideal, which is a nice way of putting it. I was here, WANTING to watch the video, and I nearly clicked out. Imagine if a less dedicated viewer than me was in the chair! If it's not Star Wars, I don't want to read at the start of a video. And while one may argue the text provides important context, context doesn't matter if you click out. 2. It's a little long. Some of the lingering shots are beautiful, but I found myself getting bored. This could definitely use some tightening up — could easily lose 60 seconds from this video and not lose much of the story. Trust the viewer to make the connections. 3. On that note, seal the deal more quickly — get to the real people, the why, faster. Coming out of the surreal architectural splendor of the oak and into the lives of real people involved with, and empowered by, DOE policy, was a really nice juxtaposition, going from the ethereal (I like that word) into the tangible. It just doesn't need to take that long. As a marketer for the USG, I love when I see cool USG marketing! And like I mentioned above, there is a lot that is very good here. In the words of Archie Bell & The Drells, or perhaps the Black Keys, just need to tighten up. #video #government #marketing

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Massive buy ... puts her on the same level as any wireless carrier... CPG product, or telecommunications company. Aviation executives - it would be best if you took note. Her problem is about as complicated as yours. You may or may not like her - that's not the point. Like many of you, she's trying to reach a largely balkanized market. She could have decided to go the route most of you choose, namely, hire more salespeople. Now in her case, they wouldn't call it that... it's called "GOTV" or "Get out the vote." But it's basically the same idea... hire people to go out, and convince people to vote for her. In your case, you go out and hire salespeople to beat the bushes and try and convince people to buy from you. Her advisers didn't do that. Instead, they will drop this massive media buy in the battleground states. The two solutions would probably have cost roughly the same, but they wouldn't have the same result. That's why the advisers chose the ads over the door knockers. Why? Spoiler alert - advertising works. Notice also that most of the advertising is going to be programmatic. This doesn't surprise me either. Allows the ads to be tailored, targeted, monitored, and basically chase people around everywhere they go. Programmatic now can be cross-platform as well, so you can start chasing people on their phone, get them again while they're at work on their desktop, and then chase them some more when they come home and are on their iPad or their smart TV, and in some cases, their actual TV (depending on who their provider is for television service.) For the past seven or so years, I have been battling politicians from August to November every two years in terms of programmatic budgets. They cause all kinds of distortions in my media buying habits. Over the past two years, it has been getting even worse as more money has flowed into the system. Then, after election day, it all falls off a cliff. So, whether you like her or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is looking at the tactic. The stakes for her are just as high as they are for you, and her advisers chose advertising - not sales. Why? Because they judged that tactic will give them the best chance of success. And they believe it in so much, they're going to bet over a quarter of a billion dollars and their futures on it. This probably is the largest media buy in the history of politics. It is roughly the entire size of what the George W. Bush campaign raised in 2004 (a campaign I participated in back in the day). So it's a massive buy ... to give people an idea as to the scope. I don't know if I agree with the statement that it's the largest digital influence campaign ever, but, it's probably true if you want to add the qualifier of "political." And why? Again, because advertising works.

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I’m a proud CA Valley native with deep roots in Visalia, California. 🌳 { Here’s how I would have rebranded this California town! LOVE! I hope you enjoy this reimagined Brand Identity System!} I grew up in Fresno, CA, but my weekends were spent in the city of Visalia, visiting my Grandmother and skipping over to Taylor Hot Dogs with every visit. My father grew up here, attending local schools and growing up on a farm off of Avenue 304 as his father was the Ranch Foreman. So when I saw that this vibrant central valley town recently went through a rebrand, I was taken back by the direction city officials took! 🥴 The original logo is cherished by the community. It has a traditional aesthetic that resonates with long-time residents, emphasizing the city’s history and the sense of community. But even in 2024, Community members agree that a Brand Refresh is needed to reflect what the city is today. The community, if anything, is not opposed to change and innovation. Unfortunately, what they got was a minimalist design, reducing the visual elements to basic shapes and colors. While modern, this approach may seem impersonal and abstract, losing the intricate storytelling that the original offered. Even worse, the responsible party responded with “🎶 Let’s give’em something to talk about…🎵” 😒 And as a Brand Strategist and Designer, that even made me upset! The discrepancy between Visalia’s original and rebranded logo underscores the critical importance of a strategic approach to branding. 💡Effective brand identity is not just about aesthetics; it’s about creating a visual representation that resonates deeply with the community’s values, history, and identity. ✨Rooting branding efforts in strategy ensures that the brand reflects the essence of the community, fostering pride and connection among its members!!! Happy to share BTS of my rebrand, the strategy behind the designs, and other use case mockups, and MORE! 👉🏾 Perhaps we can influence and change the fate of Visalia’s rebrand! Help me get this seen by City Official in and around the San Joaquin Valley, especially the City of Visalia!! LIKE COMMENT AND RESHARE WITH YOUR NETWORK. Thank you! @cityofvisalia #visalia #visalialogo #cityofvisalia

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Are you prepared to get fired? You should be. This week, here in the SF Bay Area, media watchers are buzzing about some high-profile sports radio announcers who got the axe, unexpectedly. Including a guy who’d been on the air for 28 years and, arguably, help build the station. The economics of legacy media are a $#!& show, so cuts are hardly a surprise. But when big-name talent with highly-rated shows aren’t safe, it’s a good reminder that the nobody has job security. Even if everything seems rosy with your current gig, you should take steps to prepare yourself for your next one. Four tips: → Get your site together. Regardless of what you do, you should have a “portfolio site.” More than a resume, it’s a site that collects achievements and shows your work. (Non-creative types, you should have site/portfolio, too!) Grab copies of your work, decks, and performance metrics NOW before you lose access to the server. Don’t wait until you need it; build now and maintain as you go. → Build your personal brand. (I know, it’s cringe. But it’s the way of the world.) You don’t have to be a prolific LinkedIn poster, but you need to consider who you are professionally and what value you bring to the table. Find avenues to demonstrate that value. Identify 3-4 ways a year you can “get out there” and show your stuff. Maybe that’s creating your own projects, sharing work on your social channels, writing an article, speaking at a conference, starting a side hustle. → ABCYN. Always Be Cultivating Your Network. You don’t have to do this in a sleazy sales-y sort of way, but you’re going to NEED the help of your connections at various points of your career. So make those connections. Grab coffee. Drop notes. Congratulate people when you see them do something awesome. Offer help to others. Be genuine, but make an effort to reach out. → Take the interview. Even if you love your job, you should always see what’s out there and keep your options open. It’s helps keep your interview chops sharp and it helps you understand your current value in the marketplace. You don’t have to lead ‘em on—if you’re not a serious candidate after the first meeting, you can withdraw your name. It's still worth it. “But I’m super busy with projects for my current employer. I don’t have time for all this.” YOUR career is at least as important as the work you’re doing for somebody else. Invest some time in yourself. Don’t wait for that unexpected meeting with your manager and HR to pop onto your calendar before you get your act together. P.S. Seriously, if you don't have an up-to-date portfolio site, do SOMETHING today to move the ball forward. Buy the URL. Write down the 2-3 projects you'd want to include. Pull the assets off the server that you'll need. Take a micro-step toward taking charge of your career. Do it!

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This was a fun one. Are you a B2B brand who is finding their space more competitive than ever? Is your sales team struggling to understand how to explain what makes you different? It might be time to revisit and more clearly define your value proposition. Grab a coffee and listen to Lisa MacNeil and Scott Dunlop explain why.

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Great information and advice for evaluating which events make sense for your company to exhibit at in the future. #marketing #eventmarketing

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This week's newsletter is a doozy! Subscribe now so you don't miss my thoughts on all the implications of this year's WWDC announcements for the Digital Marketing, Content Production, and Data Analysis industries! 🚀 #newsletter #WWDC #DigitalMarketing #ContentProduction #DataAnalysis

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Two big news items in this conversation with Jeff Baumgartner in Light Reading (link to story below) First, we are excited to launch with our newest partner, Ziply Fiber, who is investing a tremendous amount of capital to bring fiber to hundreds of thousands of homes in the Pacific Northwest. Our suite of tools is here to help them drive acquisition and fill up that fiber with happy customers! Speaking of suite of tools, we’re also thrilled to announce the launch of our next big product. The MyBundle Mobile App is now available to all consumers on iOS and Android, and it’s co-branded for our 100s of broadband partners. We all spend way too much time flipping around on our TV, going app to app, looking for something to watch when all we want to do is sit back and relax. And while the many different TV devices out there are trying to make discovery easier - it still doesn’t feel right. I can’t be the only one who gets “just pick something already!!!” from their significant other. We believe the phone in your pocket (or what you’re reading this on) is the solution. Not only is it a lot easier to navigate, type, etc., but it’s always with us on the go! I don’t know about you, but sitting in front of the TV at 11 o’clock at night is not when my friends tell me about the latest show they watched; it’s more likely at dinner, a BBQ, etc. Big thanks to Scott Barton, Danny Cohen, Sara H. and the entire team for putting this all together and tackling the many problems facing consumers in the new streaming age. Here are just a few features/uses: 1. Quickly discover what to watch next across all your services in one place BEFORE turning on the TV and create multiple watchlists anytime, for different moods or people you watch with. 2. Stream on your phone or tablet? The MyBundle app can be your content hub to jump into playback across any of your streaming apps. 3. Share and receive recommendations for shows and movies from your friends and family. 4. Easily track all your streaming services and costs in one place. Of course, the free MyBundle app not only helps consumers but also supports our broadband and streaming partners, who are more focused than ever on customer delight and retention. And, like everything else we do at MyBundle, there is a lot more to come! Don't forget to head over to the app store and download the MyBundle app today. https://lnkd.in/eqUzaNWJ

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Interesting read. I used to think the opposite before I began working with sustainable brands and saw the data first hand. For many, the biggest converting point isn't in sustainability alone. If you market/advertise sustainable brands, have you seen younger demographics have greater interest in your products? How do you convert wealthier people and make them care? What other value props do you pair into your messaging to find success? https://lnkd.in/gF6pupBa

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Another personal post... Our son, Miller, just spent two weeks playing Mark Cohen in Children's Musical Theater of San Jose's production of Rent. I'm not sure I've ever been so happy for him. It was the role of a lifetime and hopefully a stepping stone to his future career. I've been reflecting on this tour de force of a production and thinking about what it takes to be successful. Top of mind for me as we integrate our new organization is creating and nurturing a culture of trust so we can move faster and be successful. 🌟 Be open to notes. Miller, the entire cast, and the directorial team have to listen to each other to pull off a successful production. I want everyone on my team, especially junior team members, to open my eyes to what they think can be done more effectively. I also want to be able to mentor them in a way that helps them grow and builds them up. Their success drives the success of the organization. 🌟 No one succeeds alone. It takes an army of talent to pull off CMT productions. The kids on stage are supported by makeup and hair artists, costume designers (ask me about the time I was tasked with weaving a mechanism into Cinderella's dress so that her ball gown would "magically" appear as she spun in circles on stage... 😨), prop managers, musicians, directors, vocal coaches, caterers...there are just too many professionals to mention. These performances don't happen without a team of people who care about each other and the success of the group. #proudmom #teamwork #trust

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Climate positive trends in touring and events. The three key principles: Reduce, Reinvent and Restore. #tappit https://lnkd.in/dWCUZHDk

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I found the conversation interesting, but I didn't hear anyone mention the importance of the relationship or the quality of the product/service to the audience. It's much easier to "market" a product people need and value, especially if you understand how it might fit into their lives. If you have a brand that people like and identify with, it's an easy sell. Making a bad product famous doesn't make it better. Telling a story that doesn't match the experience destroys trust and expectations. To say it more simply, truly great products aren't hard to sell.

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How to Pick The Right Creator Partners Working with the right influencers can boost a brand’s credibility, increase visibility, and drive real engagement. When you’re trying to find influencers for your brand, picking the right creator isn’t as simple as just looking at their follower count. In this guide, Later dive into why partnering with influencers is so effective, how to find the perfect match for your campaign, and the best practices for reaching out and managing these valuable relationships. https://lnkd.in/dJB8P-XY

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If you ever struggled with any of these: - How to determine a good idea? - Defining clarity and simplicity in an idea? - What is a good creative brief? - Finding the right projects to work on? - How to find and hire good people? Have a listen.

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The concept of Westworld is not only here, but it's well funded and heavily commercialized. At #CES, a heavy portion of their content is devoted towards Age-tech, longevity, and frankly the pursuit of staving off death. We are so unprepared to navigate these current ethical and moral realities that are going to hit like a tsunami as technology gets better and given our increasingly aging population. https://lnkd.in/gKhzYBDz

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✨ Day 1's keynote at #AIMConf brought a master class on branding to the main stage. Shruti Buckley, Senior vice president and Brand Leader for Hampton by Hilton, delivered an insightful keynote on making a business case for brand investment. Some key takeaways: ☝🏻 Getting More $$ for Branding: To get your organization to invest more in marketing, know your stakeholders. Understand what KPIs matter to *them* and communicate your strategy in *their language.* 🌟 Branding Starts with Experience: Establish your brand as an experience, not just a transaction. Every detail, from lobby furniture to gym equipment, should be chosen based on data that supports your brand identity. 📋 Clear Brand Standards: Hold operations teams accountable for upholding brand standards, but you're responsible for making sure those standards are clear from the start. Hint: HAmpton's brand guide is 150+ pages 💡 Value Proposition: Determine what your guests want and what they're willing to pay for. Talk to your customers to find out, but remember that cleanliness, friendliness, and reliability are fundamental. 😊 Happy Employees, Happy Customers: Happy employees lead to well-maintained assets and happier customers. Invest in your people because it pays off. 📈 Show Economic Impact: When advocating for a specific amenity, demonstrate how it will positively impact economic performance. 🔍 Competitors & Market Position: Do your homework! Learn about your competitors' performance, brand strength, services, and property maintenance. Understand what they're doing better so you can set yourself apart. A huge thank you to Shruti Buckley for sharing these incredible insights at #AIMConf. Let's continue creating brands that inspire customer loyalty and drive growth!

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Calling everyone who's ever sat through an awkward creative presentation. Over the last decade, we’ve made a shift at Mortar that’s changed the game for our creative process. Instead of starting with "big ideas" and treating creative briefs as launching pads, we’ve adopted a framework focused on imagining what we want our target audience to say--that singular Aha moment of delight and surprise—and it’s paid off. I don’t remember one creative presentation that has missed its mark since we adopted this framework. The difference? Aha briefs aren’t about blasting off into the creative unknown. They’re landing zones. They’re about aligning the team and the client around a clear, shared vision of how we want customers to respond. This focus keeps the creative work sharp, purposeful, and, most importantly, effective. So, while big ideas can be exciting and captivating, we’ve found that aiming for that Aha moment—with a disciplined, collaborative approach—consistently delivers results that hit the bullseye. See www.mortaragency.com for more. #CreativeStrategy #AhaMoments #MarketingInnovation #ClientCollaboration #BreakthroughThinking #MarketingFramework #OriginalIdeas #TargetedCreativity #MarketingSuccess #BrandDevelopment

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👨‍💻 Dive into the replay where we uncover the intricacies of leveraging an Omni-Channel, Omni-Presence strategy for agencies and their clients. Stay ahead in the evolving digital landscape with actionable insights and strategies to keep your agency at the forefront of digital marketing. ♨ Special Guest: Jonathan Mast, a renowned subject matter expert, shares his knowledge and practical experiences. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting, Jonathan's insights are invaluable for anyone in the digital marketing realm. 🔶 Links and Resources for this episode and all of our MCOE content in the comments below! 🔶 #DigitalMarketing #OmniChannel #MarketingStrategy #MarketingMasterclass #AgencyLife #JonathanMast #LaneHouk #MarketingTips #MarketingInsights #DigitalTransformation

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