Are you still a person or have you become a brand?

The likes of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogs, Flickr (and the rest!) have made us into real exhibitionists – it’s so easy to self publish now – and free of course, that we’ve all got quite used to being in the limelight – and we’re enjoying it more and more.

The latest change to Facebook saw the introduction of the timeline – a complete history of your life according to team Zuckerberg.  It’s got people frantically deleting those public breakups, darker days and hideous photos.

If you write a blog, one day you’ll look back at that instead of a diary and recall the celebrations that took place when you got that promotion, the arrival of your first child, and second, and even third…

The more we say, the more attention we want.  The more attention we get, the more recognition we want.  And so it goes on – and you find that people have sponsors and advertisers.  They have become ambassadors or affiliates.  They are little brands in their own right.  People have realised that they can be influential, inspirational and that others might like to be a teeny bit like them.

If you’re someone who uses social media tools like the ones mentioned above, do you see yourself as an individual online, or have things escalated – are you promoting ‘brand you’?

I’m not actually sure how you would differentiate the two entirely, so here’s what we came up with in the office.  Let us know if you’re more of a person or a product of your own success online.

You’re still a person….	You’ve become a brand…
You have your Facebook security settings on as tight as they will go so only your immediate and small group of close friends can see your occasional updates.	You have no privacy settings at all and you regularly check in to places on Facebook and tag people with you.  You have your account linked to your Twitter, blog and Pinterest pages.
You have a Filofax and you had no idea that you could add an event to Facebook.	You arrange a curry night with friends, add an event to Facebook, design a logo for the occasion, post the menu online, check up on who’s coming on Twitter and afterwards post photos on Facebook and Flickr as well as a video on YouTube.
You have a Twitter account but you only tweeted once saying ‘really don’t get this Twitter stuff’	You’ve been on Twitter for years, you post at least a dozen times a day and you always tell people what you’re doing and where.  You talk about the clothes you buy, places you eat and music you listen to.
You can’t recall ever using the hashtag key on the keyboard.  What’s it actually for?!	You tweet with brands and they tweet back to you.  You use hashtags to make your content more visible and it’s all about trending topics.
You kept a diary as a teen, now the closest you come to writing about your life is a letter to Aunty Sybil at Christmas because your mum still tells you that you have to.	You’ve written a blog for yonks and you regularly review products as well as posting photos of yourself at different events.  People advertise on your side bar, you’re sponsored by brands to talk about their products and you guest blog for cash.
You have your photographs in frames on the mantelpiece.  You have a few albums on Facebook but no interest whatsoever in posting photos anywhere else online.  Who would see them?!	You share photo albums online via Facebook, Flickr, Pinterest, Google+ and other places; mainly of different places you’ve been with interesting people and done interesting things.
You use YouTube to look at music videos and find cats doing crazy things.	Your YouTube channel is like a mini documentary of your adult life.  You have videos on YouTube that you’ve entered into various competitions and again, show the interesting places you’ve been and people you’ve met.
Your boss suggested you have a LinkedIn profile but really, what’s the point?	It’s on your weekly checklist to update and refresh your LinkedIn page and check for potential new connections.
You’re annoyed that Google are now hell-bent on launching a social networking platform, what’s the point, Facebook have it in the bag?!	You have a Google+ profile and although sceptical, you’re excited about adding another platform to your repertoire and seeing what opportunities it might bring.

A recent article in the Evening Standard  titled ‘How I trumped the timeline’ asked why you would have a public profile on Facebook unless you were a celebrity, but these days, more and more so we all feel that we have an inner celebrity within us I think.

We all Google potential employees, customers, clients (don’t we?!); and some even Google those who’ve purchased from them on Ebay – so if you’ve become a personal brand online, what does your personal blog for example reflect onto your professional life?  Worth thinking about…

And if this lot makes you nervous, imagine how the average teenager appears online these days…

Image courtesy of Kathie Melocco

BMW feel the chill with latest PR stunt

Unfortunately in PR there are many things that you simply cannot predict.  This is true of day-to-day life also.

And one thing that is unpredictable in both PR and life is the weather.

BMW thought they had come up with the mother of all plans when they negotiated an agreement to sponsor the recent high pressure weather system in Germany and name it ‘Cooper’ after the Mini Cooper Roadster.

The plan was that every time someone discussed the weather, there would be an instant association with the brand.  ”Gosh this cold ‘Cooper’ snap is going on a while isn’t it?!” or “Let’s go and play in the ‘Cooper’ snow!”.  You catch our drift (excuse the pun).

But the plan has backfired in spectacular fashion after more than 70 people tragically died when temperatures plummeted to -38 in Poland and the Ukraine when the cold front from Siberia spread over central and south Eastern Europe.

The company had also planned to sponsor the low pressure area, calling it ‘Minnie’ later this year but we wonder whether they’ll have a rethink first.

In Germany this practice is allowed and BMW thought they had bagged a bargain with the ‘mini’ €299 price tag.

The moral of the story – more often than not, the Met Office even gets the weather wrong.  Stay away from cold fronts and don’t sponsor anything with an unpredictable outcome.

 

Image courtesy of hell0-julie Flickr Creative Commons

Win a three course meal for two with the Publicity Oxford Birthday #twitpools

So, you didn’t win the £45million Euro Millions Jackpot then?  Mortgage still needs paying.  Petrol prices still hacking you off.

Never fear – the Twitter Pools are here!  It’s our fourth birthday this week so, to celebrate we’re offering you the chance to win a super prize! We have a fantastic three course meal for two* at Fallowfields Country House Hotel in Oxfordshire up for grabs!!  If you’re local you’ll know the amazing reputation of the fine dining here and if you’re not, it is well worth a trip out if you’re the lucky winner.  With a Michelin-starred chef, kitchen garden and meat straight from the hotel’s farm, browse the menu online for a taste of what’s in store.

It’s simple:

- Each week starting on Monday 13th February we’ll choose five people at random who tweet with us to add to our Twitter Pools.

- By the end of March we’ll have 35 people on our board of potential winners.

- Follow #twitpools to keep up with all the action!

- During the first week of April we’ll pick a winner at random.

Want to join in?  Just follow @publicityoxford and start tweeting with us.  Simple!

Good luck!

Image courtesy of Oskay on Flickr Creative Commons

* Voucher valid for a three course lunch for two people.  Full terms and conditions available from Fallowfields.