Almost every day for the past month, as we walk to and from the Peak office on Robson Street in Vancouver, we are greeted by long line ups of people excitedly waiting to get a taste of our newest neighbor, Ladurée Paris. This is not new to us Robson Street dwellers, as we have also recently witnessed the overnight Tesla line ups as well as the many line ups for Kanye West shoes. But, never have we seen it for a month straight. So, what makes Ladurée so appealing that people are willing to wait for hours day after day?
Consider these four reasons:
It starts with a story
It all starts with a strong story: one which not only shares the vision of the brand but is relatable to the audience. This is followed by a commitment to maintain and enhance that story with all other public relations efforts. The Ladurée brand story is intertwined with Parisian history and refinement, and through that story they invite the audience into their world of French luxury and elegance.
The ‘je ne sais quoi’ factor
An important question to ask once the story is defined is, “what makes your product more unique than similar products also on the market?” Ladurée has been able to differentiate themselves through the idea of authenticity, elegance and sophistication, and by being an active part of the definition of Parisian haute couture over the years through partnerships with high fashion houses and like-minded celebrities.
Old world meets new world
For any brand to be strong, it must be an important part of modern culture while still holding true to its own story and uniqueness. This is done in different ways, but most commonly through celebrity endorsement, social media, word of mouth reviews and of course, PR. From a brief sweep of the 20+ official Ladurée Instagram accounts, it is apparent that they have managed to keep the old French sophistication at the forefront, while still being culturally relevant – from creating decadent macarons based on Disney’s Frozen, to featuring celebrities such as Pharrell and Blake Lively, to partnering with Vogue magazine.
Ladurée is also the first of its kind to open in Canada, and with its choice to be on Robson Street, a street known for having high class designer shops and restaurants, it is also culturally positioning itself in Canada as being more than just another macaron shop, but a standalone designer store.
Personality always wins
The product has to appeal to their target audience and allow them to be drawn into the world the brand has created. At this point three questions must be answered – Is the brand appealing? Will I purchase it? And if so, why? In addition to a strong product, Ladurée has surpassed all expectations on this by answering all three questions. Ladurée has created an experience that is not only appealing to a wide range of people, but is an experience people are willing to pay money for in order to gain something they cannot get anywhere else. Macarons can be bought in many places, but curated Parisian culture and art cannot.
From the pretty pastels, fine china and floral patterns to the visually appealing deserts, the brand has curated a story that the public wants to not only buy into, but to share with their friends and on social media. As a result, Ladurée and other brands with similar buzz are not only accessible, but they create an experience worth coming back to, again and again.
Did you know: the average Instagram user only sees 30 per cent of their newsfeed? As social media continues to evolve as a business tool, Instagram (conveniently owned by Facebook) is likewise making large strides to adopt the business-minded algorithm that Facebook newsfeeds adopted years back. With this in mind, here’s why the new algorithm is going to affect you and your brand a little more than you think it might:
You’re going to have to try a little harder
Any savvy Instagrammer that you currently follow – businesses and brands included – will be battling it out to be categorized in the aforementioned elite 30 per cent. How do you do this? The answer’s never as straightforward as you’d like, but the bottom line is that you simply need to generate more appealing content so you don’t get buried in the other 70 per cent. ‘Likes’ and comments matter now more than ever.
So how does this affect the once-authentic (and chronological) nature of this image-based platform? Plenty if you ask John Mayer…
Turning post notifications on may not be the answer
If you haven’t been living under a rock the past week, you’ll have definitely come across brands begging their followers to turn post notifications on in light of the new algorithm changes. But, as a business, is this really your best and smartest option?
Asking followers to turn notifications on is a big ask and it puts the pressure on you to deliver. If people start to get flooded with too many notifications, the quick fix is – you guessed it – to turn those notifications off.
The short answer to keeping people engaged with your page is simply to create engaging content that entices people to ‘like’ and comment on. Unfortunately for content creators, this probably means extra brainstorming hours, but if you keep people coming back despite the new algorithms, you’re golden. Just remember: quality > quantity.
The “Golden Age of Advertising” is now
Advertising on social media doesn’t carry the same stigma now that it did when it was first introduced on Facebook, then Twitter. There’s a reason you’re starting to see more sponsored posts on Instagram these days – it pays off.
And, thanks to the new Instagram algorithms, you’re seeing ads from businesses that are deemed interesting and relevant to you based on the people you follow and things you like on Instagram and Facebook.
As a business, considering advertising buys on Instagram isn’t a sign of defeat. It’s a means of generating engagement from an audience that is hand-picked to fit your target market. The ads are also unobtrusive meaning they look just like any other shared image or video. So, while you may be seeing less organic reach in the future, you’ll at least be seeing more lasting engagement.
So, for now, we’re saying goodbye to the chronological Instagram newsfeed users have come to know and love and embracing (or at least trying to) its new algorithms. Above all, keep calm and don’t turn on post notifications…just yet, anyways.
Oil and Gas, Real Estate, Arts and Culture, Technology
Career background
Previously I have worked for various festivals and a museum in a communications capacity, as well as in corporate communications
Education
BA in Communications from the University of Calgary, Public Relations certificate from Simon Fraser University
Volunteer experience
I have volunteered for multiple years with UNICEF, The Calgary International Film Festival and Free the Children on its ‘We Day’ programs
Favourite part of Peak life
Definitely the people, and how open and supportive of an environment Peak is. That and bagel Wednesday!
Career highlight
Creating a speech and presentation with the VP of the Oil Company I used to work for on his keynote at a major conference. It was very exciting to see 800 people give a standing ovation at the end
Favourite B.C. pastime
Hiking, trying new restaurants and biking along the sea wall
Languages
English and French
Furthest flung place you’ve lived?
Dehra Dun, India
Random fact
I once sat next to a nun on the plane and she gave me a piece of Mother Theresa’s dress for helping her translate her documents
Looking back on nearly two decades of public relations work following a 30-year career as a news reporter provides an opportunity to reflect on how PR and the media interact in 2016. The new reality for the news media is there are now fewer people employed to do what, in many cases, is much more work.
Television news that once was confined to slots at noon, supper hour and late newscasts is now delivered 24 hours a day in back to back ‘news wheel’ formats that stretch reporters, editors and videographers to new limits.
A new media frontier
The power of the internet continues to grow, with bloggers having as much or more impact than reporters for mainstream media.
So how does this impact the ability of companies, organizations and public relations professionals to get the message out in the media?
Simply put, the media landscape may have changed dramatically but there are more opportunities and channels than ever for publicity.
Everybody is talking about Donald Trump
Love him or hate him, Trump is a publicity machine. He is getting more media attention than anyone else on earth with radio, television, newspapers and social channels featuring what seems to be a play-by-play of Trump’s latest antics in the Republican presidential candidate race.
Getting noticed still makes or breaks reputations, makes the cash register ring and brings people to the door.
And so, getting your message out with ‘earned’ media – otherwise known as public relations – is still one of the best ways to become known. Although the number of reporters may be contracting, newspapers and television are still hungry for content. The number of social channels grows every day. Trade magazines also abound and every industry is supported by at least one that’s looking for stories.
Do-it-yourself
If you can’t get the media to tell your story through positive news coverage, do it yourself. Have videos produced and tell the story of your own company, your product or your services with words and pictures that matter to your brand. Then, feature it on your website.
Do something amazing and put it on the web via Youtube, Vimeo or Instagram. Send this to everyone you know. If your story goes viral, everyone will know what you want to get across and good things can happen.
Navitas is a leading global education provider that offers an extensive range of educational services through three major Divisions to students and professionals including university programs, creative media education, professional education, English language training and settlement services.The objective of this public relations campaign was to strengthen the reputation of its two Canadian Colleges by earning positive media coverage.
the goals
Educate existing and potential Navitas partners on the company’s mission and operations in Canada and, in turn, create wider community acceptance.
Position Navitas and its Canadian colleges as caring education providers that help international students achieve social and academic success.
Showcase the economic impact Navitas and its pathway programs have at a local, provincial, and national level.
Highlight student-success stories
the campaign
Peak worked with Navitas for more than two years promoting Fraser International College in Burnaby, B.C. and the International College of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The media coverage focused attention on the college’s key messages, including:
Students studying at Navitas colleges achieve academic success
Navitas helps students integrate into their new communities
International students contribute to the Canadian/provincial economy
the key results
Peak generated 91 piece of media coverage and an estimated 18,849,483 impressions for both colleges between October 2013 and January 2015
Winnipeg Free Press coverage and a segment on CTV Manitoba about students from the International College of Manitoba experiencing winter for the first time
Social media is central to many of our campaigns at Peak. We consume news about the impact these channels have and apply our learnings to client projects.
If you’re still struggling to get buy-in on social media, this list of 30 facts provides useful need-to-knows on why engagement is important.
Did You Know?
Over 75 percent of all internet users use social media (source: Makeuseof)
71 per cent of women use social media compared to 62 percent of men (source: SearchEngineJournal)
91 percent of brand mentions on social media come from people with fewer than 500 followers and 94 percent of those mentions are positive (source: Business2Community)
21 percent of consumers will unfollow brands that post repetitive or boring content (source: Social Times)
89 percent of 18-29 year age group use social media (source: smallbusinesscan) and 84 percent of C-level/VP execs use social media to support purchase decisions (source: smallbusinesscan)
Facebook:
Facebook accounts for 21 percent of all social media referral traffic globally (source: TechCrunch)
Facebook drives 23 percent of all traffic across the internet! (source: Shareaholic)
189 million of Facebook’s users are ‘smartphone only’ (source: wersm)
23 percent of users check their accounts at least five times a day (source: SearchEngineJournal)
Pinterest:
80% of pins are actually re-pins (source: Mashable)
Shoppers referred to a site from Pinterest are 10 percent more likely to buy (source: Socialmediatoday)
Pinterest referrals spend 70 percent more money than visitors referred from non-social channels (source: Socialmediatoday)
Pins with a call to action increase engagement by 80 percent (source: Socialmediatoday)
80 percent of Pinterest users are women; 50% of all users have children (source: Socialmediatoday)
Twitter:
The fastest growing group of new users on Twitter are aged between 55 and 64 years (source: wersm)
65 percent of users expect a response on Twitter in less than two hours (source: SearchEngineJournal)
88 percent of Twitter users are on mobile and 500 million tweets are posted each day (source: Jeff Bullas)
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn has nearly a quarter of a billion users (source: smallbusinesscan)
Only 20 percent of LinkedIn users are under the age of 30 (source: SearchEngineJournal)
40 percent of B2B buyers say LinkedIn is important when researching technology and services to purchase and 65 percent of B2B companies have acquired a customer through this channel (source: business2community)
Instagram:
More than 70 million photos and videos are sent daily (source: Hootsuite)
53 percent of internet users aged 18-29 use Instagram (source: Jeff Bullas)
Instagram is considered the most important social network by 32 percent of American teens (source: Hootsuite)
Among top brands Instagram has been adopted by 85 percent (source: Hootsuite)
Brands on Instagram are seeing a per follower engagement rate of 4.21 percent – that’s statistically 58 times higher than Facebook and 120 times higher than Twitter (source: Hootsuite)
Still photos are more popular on Instagram than videos – generating 36 percent more likes (source: Hootsuite)
Posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6 percent more engagement and posts tagged with a location receive 79 percent higher engagement (source: Hootsuite)
Google+:
18 percent of marketers plan to increase efforts on Google+ this year (source: SearchEngineJournal)
The +1 button is hit 5 billion times per day (source: Jeff Bullas)
Google+ has more than 2.5 billion users but only 10 percent are active (source: smallbusinesscan)
The lights, the decorations and the Christmas music are in full swing anywhere you go in the city these days. From big shopping extravanganzas to ‘stuff-a-bus’ campaigns to tree lighting ceremonies to the Starbucks red cup fiasco of 2015, it seems that the holiday season is always the time of year business after business tries to out-do each other for the PR spotlight. Case in point with WestJet’s admittedly impressive stunt in 2013.
This Christmas, forget the large-scale, consumer-focused, out-of-this-world PR campaigns to promote your brand and services. Because, let’s be honest, not many businesses have quite the PR/marketing budget that WestJet has.
Few things give people the warm fuzzies more than a simple heartfelt – and sometimes awkward – Christmas card in the mail. As the holiday season approaches, take this opportunity to send out festive cards (bonus points for snail mail!) to clients and business partners to nurture existing business relationships and to tip the scales in your favour for potential new business relationships in the new year.
In PR, we always talk about the importance of key messages. Don’t miss an opportunity to incorporate these in a company Christmas card! More than just wishing ‘Happy Holidays’ or saying ‘thank you’ via email or social media, use your card as a way to remind clients, past and present, of what makes your business unique and the value you can bring to help them meet their business goals. Think about the big themes that give your company its character and charm and use them as the foundation of your card.
Maybe all your employees are big advocates of health and fitness. Or maybe everyone at the office is an obsessive coffee drinker with an unusual love for cats. It doesn’t have to be big and it doesn’t have to be flashy, but utilize your creativity to incorporate your company’s voice, personality and character into a holiday card without just relying on your company logo and tagline to do the talking.
From the message, to the wackiness of your graphic design, this is the perfect opportunity to capture your brand’s values and personality in a non-invasive, feel-good way. Be classy about it – no one needs to see your website URL in bold 20-point Arial font across the front – but use this card as a PR tool to reinforce your brand values and keep your business at the forefront of people’s minds.
Great River Fishing Adventures (GRFA) wanted to publicize a record sturgeon catch. The goal was to highlight the unbelievable size of the prehistoric monster fish, the excitement of the catch would attract more business as a result. Great River Fishing wanted to express their underlying passion to see that the Great White Sturgeon population is preserved and maintained by the catch and release and tagging program.
Campaign
Peak worked with Great River Fishing Adventures when an elderly British couple caught a 12 foot – 4 inch long Great White Sturgeon on the Fraser River in July 2012. Peak Communicators worked quickly to have media interview the visiting tourists aboard a Great River Fishing boat with hand-out visuals provided. With dozens of TV, radio and print stories that resulted, the story had International media coverage.
Every time a huge sturgeon is caught, Peak has turned on the publicity machine. It’s worked every time.
September 2012 – A Kamloops accounting firm doing a 30 person team-building
Paul caught a 10 foot – 10 inch long sturgeon
June 2014 – 19-year-old Paul Jarvis and his dad from Atlanta on their first fishing trip together
The firm owner caught an 11 foot – 8 inch sturgeon
June 2015 – A nine year old boy and his dad from Atlantic City, NJ dreamed of catching a big sturgeon
The 4 foot tall boy pulled in a 10 foot – 1 inch long sturgeon
Key Results
Over a four year period, Peak and GRFA’s marketing man have worked effortlessly together. We secured hundreds of online articles and traditional media hits. In the process their business has grown and they are industry leaders. They are acknowledged by Trip Advisor as the #1 boat tour and water sports company in Chilliwack and they’ve attracted fishing TV series from all over the world to do episodes and segments on their company.
F-Pacific Optical Communications Co. Ltd. announced the establishment of their North American headquarters in Vancouver and plans to open a new manufacturing plant in Surrey that would create 200 jobs. The campaign resulted in over 50 pieces of coverage, equating to over 47 million impressions.
