Life will always have many unanswered questions. Where is the ChapStick? Why did Charlie bite my finger? What is the evolution of dance? And it’s questions like these that help lead us closer to modern-day communications Holy Grail: getting a video to go viral.
The truth is no one can make a video viral - that is up to the public. What you can do is take a lesson from these videos and include their basic elements to increase viewership. Recently, Puget Sound Starts Here solicited Frause’s expertise in social marketing; the use of marketing techniques used to bring about social change as opposed to a physical product. They needed a new way to teach residents about the negative effects pet waste has on the Puget Sound, particularly dog poop left by owners. What was our recommended fix? A comprehensive and interactive social media campaign centered around a dog poop rap video. Seriously. Check out Scooppoop.org and just try not to sing along!
We worked with video production company Seedwell to create a spoof video that has already taken on a life of its own—since launching last week, it has already garnered over 15,000 hits.
Here at Frause, when it comes to social marketing, we know that telling someone what to do won’t necessarily get them to do it. With the scoop poop campaign, we simply take a fun approach to change people’s awareness and behavior. My prediction is that in the weeks and months ahead, it will be an enormous success.
Just remember: the next time your dog drops a deuce, do the dog doogity and scoop it up!
-Emily Nauseda
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
The Lions Roar, "PR!"
Last week I spent much of my free time daydreaming of Cannes, France. This city is known to be the pinnacle of luxury, yet if I had one wish it would not be to sip champagne on one of the many yachts surrounding the city, basking in my own perceived glory. My wish would be to attend the annual International Festival of Creativity, also known as the Cannes Lions, which ended Saturday. Every summer thousands of delegates representing communications firms from over 90 countries head to Cannes for this seven-day festival, which includes sessions with thought-leaders, seminars, galas and the illustrious Lion awards, given to firms for their work exhibiting creativity in both idea and execution.
The Cannes Lions became even more exciting in 2009, when the festival announced the addition of the PR Lions awards. This enhancement recognized the shift we are seeing in the communications field. In today’s culture of media clutter, communications firms cannot rely on the success of one-time campaigns to capture audiences. Public Relations provide a consistent voice, rather than one sound bite in a sea of advertising.
Categories for the PR Lions include campaigns ranging from entertainment to financial services, as well as technique awards for best practices in social media, media relations and live events. This year, creative firm Clemenger BBDO of Melbourne, Australia won the ultimate honor of the Grand Prix PR Lion for their campaign, “Break Up” for National Australia Bank.
Although Frause is 5,431.131 miles away from Cannes (to be precise), I see the same Lion-worthy PR practices here on a daily basis. The Frause team not only preserves client reputation, but builds it through creativity and effective strategy. A quick look at Frause’s website makes that clear: “If the approach or action isn’t improving the client’s bottom line or furthering the
company’s goals, we challenge the value. We’re not afraid to rock the boat, but we’ll see you through waters both rough and calm.” Although I may not be on my yacht at Cannes yet, I’m enjoying my time sailing with Frause.
-Emily Nauseda
The Cannes Lions became even more exciting in 2009, when the festival announced the addition of the PR Lions awards. This enhancement recognized the shift we are seeing in the communications field. In today’s culture of media clutter, communications firms cannot rely on the success of one-time campaigns to capture audiences. Public Relations provide a consistent voice, rather than one sound bite in a sea of advertising.
Categories for the PR Lions include campaigns ranging from entertainment to financial services, as well as technique awards for best practices in social media, media relations and live events. This year, creative firm Clemenger BBDO of Melbourne, Australia won the ultimate honor of the Grand Prix PR Lion for their campaign, “Break Up” for National Australia Bank.
Although Frause is 5,431.131 miles away from Cannes (to be precise), I see the same Lion-worthy PR practices here on a daily basis. The Frause team not only preserves client reputation, but builds it through creativity and effective strategy. A quick look at Frause’s website makes that clear: “If the approach or action isn’t improving the client’s bottom line or furthering the
company’s goals, we challenge the value. We’re not afraid to rock the boat, but we’ll see you through waters both rough and calm.” Although I may not be on my yacht at Cannes yet, I’m enjoying my time sailing with Frause.
-Emily Nauseda
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
To Do: Internship
Hi there! I’m Emily Nauseda, Frause’s newest summer intern. I currently attend Seattle University, majoring in Strategic Communications with a minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Besides the obligatory personal background (my favorite color is green, I’m from Santa Cruz, California, and my sign is Aries), I thought I would share one interesting fact that has shaped my life in a massive way: I am obsessed with lists. You will never find a blank sticky note in my house, and to further my addiction, I color code everything with my trusty multi-colored pen.
I have already received a few questions about my color system and ever-present Swiss Army-style writing implement here at Frause. Checklists and color coding are important to me because they remind me of my goals, and what it takes to reach them. Checking a task off of my list is my ultimate form of euphoria, so you can only imagine how happy I was when last month I crossed a few big red words off of my master list: “get an internship at Frause.”
Frause’s internship program has been on my master list for two years now. I discovered Frause when I met Richard Kendall through Seattle University’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter. Upon touring the Frause office, it was clear where I wanted to end up as an intern. And after countless networking events, meetings, club tours and visits to Frause’s website, I am proud to be the new fly on the wall in Frause’s office. My internship has already been full of the unexpected.
Nothing here is mundane, which makes it perfect for my list addiction. Every morning I come into the office, and even before our morning meetings, I have at least five things to do. By the end of the day, my list is transformed into a beautiful, multicolored work of art, although I doubt anyone would want to buy it. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, here are some excerpts from my list yesterday:
• Meeting 1, meeting 2, meeting 3, meeting 4
• Get watch (things move fast around here)
• Research client’s restaurant
• Attend video shoot about picking up dog poop
• Call Facebook (sounds a lot easier than it is)
• Write press release
• Create media list
• Brainstorm blog post
I felt like a pig in Angry Birds getting all of these tasks hurled at me, but it was exhilarating. To me, lists like the ones I am creating at Frause are the breeding ground for innovation. They enable you to generate ideas, get them out of your head, on paper and into the world, all while saving your sanity. A menial checklist may not seem like it holds much power, but it is the key to accomplishing goals. Frause’s aptly named blog, “Write This Down,” reiterates this. During my time here, I hope to not only check many tasks off my list, but add new ideas to it as well. Stay tuned for more highlights of my master list here at Frause!
-Emily Nauseda
I have already received a few questions about my color system and ever-present Swiss Army-style writing implement here at Frause. Checklists and color coding are important to me because they remind me of my goals, and what it takes to reach them. Checking a task off of my list is my ultimate form of euphoria, so you can only imagine how happy I was when last month I crossed a few big red words off of my master list: “get an internship at Frause.”
Frause’s internship program has been on my master list for two years now. I discovered Frause when I met Richard Kendall through Seattle University’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter. Upon touring the Frause office, it was clear where I wanted to end up as an intern. And after countless networking events, meetings, club tours and visits to Frause’s website, I am proud to be the new fly on the wall in Frause’s office. My internship has already been full of the unexpected.
Nothing here is mundane, which makes it perfect for my list addiction. Every morning I come into the office, and even before our morning meetings, I have at least five things to do. By the end of the day, my list is transformed into a beautiful, multicolored work of art, although I doubt anyone would want to buy it. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, here are some excerpts from my list yesterday:
• Meeting 1, meeting 2, meeting 3, meeting 4
• Get watch (things move fast around here)
• Research client’s restaurant
• Attend video shoot about picking up dog poop
• Call Facebook (sounds a lot easier than it is)
• Write press release
• Create media list
• Brainstorm blog post
I felt like a pig in Angry Birds getting all of these tasks hurled at me, but it was exhilarating. To me, lists like the ones I am creating at Frause are the breeding ground for innovation. They enable you to generate ideas, get them out of your head, on paper and into the world, all while saving your sanity. A menial checklist may not seem like it holds much power, but it is the key to accomplishing goals. Frause’s aptly named blog, “Write This Down,” reiterates this. During my time here, I hope to not only check many tasks off my list, but add new ideas to it as well. Stay tuned for more highlights of my master list here at Frause!
-Emily Nauseda
Friday, June 10, 2011
Parting Words.
When I began my Frause internship back in April, I was told it would be shorter than the standard term, but I didn’t expect it would go by this quickly.
During my time here, I learned important PR tools and practices. I built media lists, wrote pitches, and drafted social media content. I also got to join a meeting with a freelance writer to pitch story ideas, participate in a product marketing brainstorm session, and conduct preliminary research for a future Frause publication. Throughout all of this, I received a firsthand understanding of the fast-paced inner-workings of an agency.
Beyond the PR realm, I gained significant practice in how to manage my time, both inside and outside the firm. Rather than simply clocking in and out, I was responsible for keeping track of my time spent on each client and project, holding myself accountable for every quarter-hour. This allowed me to see exactly how much time I was spending on a particular assignment. I discovered that if it was taking hours to finish something, typically this was because I was over-thinking it and in fact the task was much simpler than I had imagined. When giving advice to future Frause interns, every intern stresses the importance and value of asking questions. I certainly echo this; you’ll save yourself a lot of time in the long run!
Fitting both a full class schedule and 20 hours a week at Frause into the five-day work week was one of the biggest struggles I encountered over the quarter. There were days when I had class in the morning, immediately followed by work, with meetings and a night class to round out my evening. Having only the weekend and an occasional evening to complete my coursework, I learned to make the most of the little time I had available.
The best part of my internship at Frause has been the experience and understanding I’ve gained through working alongside such an amazing team. I’ve especially appreciated the supportive, cohesive and fun environment Frause provides in addition to the wealth of PR knowledge available within these walls.
While I am sad to be leaving Frause, I am about to embark on a new adventure! Less than two weeks from today, I will have traveled nearly 7,000 miles across a time difference of nine hours to spend my summer vacationing in Israel. When I return in August, I will have the opportunity to reconnect with the Frause team at the company picnic—so this isn’t goodbye just yet!
-Emily Levine
During my time here, I learned important PR tools and practices. I built media lists, wrote pitches, and drafted social media content. I also got to join a meeting with a freelance writer to pitch story ideas, participate in a product marketing brainstorm session, and conduct preliminary research for a future Frause publication. Throughout all of this, I received a firsthand understanding of the fast-paced inner-workings of an agency.
Beyond the PR realm, I gained significant practice in how to manage my time, both inside and outside the firm. Rather than simply clocking in and out, I was responsible for keeping track of my time spent on each client and project, holding myself accountable for every quarter-hour. This allowed me to see exactly how much time I was spending on a particular assignment. I discovered that if it was taking hours to finish something, typically this was because I was over-thinking it and in fact the task was much simpler than I had imagined. When giving advice to future Frause interns, every intern stresses the importance and value of asking questions. I certainly echo this; you’ll save yourself a lot of time in the long run!
Fitting both a full class schedule and 20 hours a week at Frause into the five-day work week was one of the biggest struggles I encountered over the quarter. There were days when I had class in the morning, immediately followed by work, with meetings and a night class to round out my evening. Having only the weekend and an occasional evening to complete my coursework, I learned to make the most of the little time I had available.
The best part of my internship at Frause has been the experience and understanding I’ve gained through working alongside such an amazing team. I’ve especially appreciated the supportive, cohesive and fun environment Frause provides in addition to the wealth of PR knowledge available within these walls.
While I am sad to be leaving Frause, I am about to embark on a new adventure! Less than two weeks from today, I will have traveled nearly 7,000 miles across a time difference of nine hours to spend my summer vacationing in Israel. When I return in August, I will have the opportunity to reconnect with the Frause team at the company picnic—so this isn’t goodbye just yet!
-Emily Levine
Monday, June 6, 2011
Getting into the weeds at Frause
Even though the environment here is often frenetic, with account teams constantly juggling multiple projects, I’m not talking about those kinds of weeds. I’m talking about a recent experience where I worked alongside some of the Frause team outside the office. We participated in Seattle Works Day, an annual event organized by Seattle Works that links volunteers to various community service projects throughout Seattle. In one single Saturday afternoon, Seattle Works brought together 1,500 volunteers for a combined 5,000 hours of service!
Nicole served as team leader for “Team Volunteer Park” which included Amy, Brook, Nathan and me. Our project was to remove ivy and other stubborn weeds from a section of Volunteer Park between the greenhouse and the playground. This particular area was completely overgrown with underground networks of ivy roots and thorny weeds half my height. Over the course of the three and a half hour event, our team of 23 was able to clear the area, cover the ground with wood chips, and even continue to pull up additional weeds well beyond our designated section.
This event was just one example of Frause’s dedication to Corporate Social Responsibility. CSR is a company’s policy of taking responsibility for its actions and encouraging a positive impact on the environment, communities, and across the public sphere. Frause not only exercises CSR in its business practices, the company’s employees are encouraged to become involved in the greater community as individuals. In fact, Frause job descriptions include a required portion of time spent in community development, with this time increasing alongside seniority. Account Executives and Supervisors are also expected to be active in at least one organization and serve on at least one committee.
Nicole has been involved with Seattle Works for the last three years, using her knowledge of social media to benefit the organization as both a volunteer and committee member. As a team leader for Seattle Works Day, she was responsible for putting together a team of at least 10 people, many of whom ended up being her fellow Frausties. I am proud to be part of a team of people who dedicate so much of their free time to the greater community, and who continually support one another in their work outside of the office.
Before and After:
-Emily Levine
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