A.wordsmith | Portland PR & Communications

3 examples of PR crises from well-intentioned brands

By Natalie O'Grady | Aug 29, 2017

Most brands understand the need for PR crisis plans, and build strategies around a number of scenarios; an employee goes rogue, a customer takes up a personal vendetta on social media, etc. What many don’t plan for, however, is their own well-intentioned ad campaigns turning against them. When launching a new ad strategy, many marketers’ […]

#TwitterIsDead – or is it?

By Natalie O'Grady | Aug 14, 2017

Since launching in 2006, Twitter has gone through several identity crises. Starting as an SMS-type messaging system, the platform has grown to be an emergency messaging tool, an engagement platform for live events, and apparently, the platform of choice for announcing domestic and foreign policies by the current President of the United States. With […]

Top Reaction Gifs for the format's 30th Anniversary

By Hailey Rae Swalley | Jun 16, 2017

In honor of the 30th anniversary of the GIF this week, Facebook has added a GIF button directly to the comment bar – making it easier than ever to interact visually on the platform. It’s hard to deny the impact that GIFs have had in recent years on modern social media culture, no matter what […]

The Difficult Relationship Between Brands & YouTube Creators

By Natalie O'Grady | Jun 15, 2017

Every day, YouTube users watch nearly 5 billion videos. Since its inception in 2005, YouTube has become a culture-shaping video mecca that has created a new category of “celebrity.” Brands have jumped into the YouTube pool with both feet, taking advantage of those 5 billion daily views with ad buys on the videos of popular […]

Customer Service on Snapchat

By Natalie O'Grady | May 25, 2017

In its short history, Snapchat has grown from a novelty app to a social media platform in which brands are eager to pioneer new styles of social media campaigns. From branded lens and geofilters, to influencer “story takeovers” and specialized in-app ads, there’s a multitude of ways for brands to utilize Snapchat. Users on Snapchat […]

Celebrity Endorsements: The Risk for Brands

By Natalie O'Grady | May 15, 2017

Celebrity endorsements have been used by brands since the 1760s, when a savvy pottery and chinaware company used endorsements from royalty to promote their products. In more recent decades, celebrity endorsement has become a staple for many large brands, like Michael Jordan’s partnership with Nike. As social media has grown into a part of everyday […]

Influencer Marketing for Small Businesses

By Natalie O'Grady | Mar 29, 2017

Influencer marketing is a priority for brands in 2017. In 2016, influencers emerged as a powerhouse for brands looking to reach millennials in the personalized, authentic way that they desire. Celebrity endorsements have always been a tool for marketers with the right budget, but influencer marketing takes this concept to the next level. It combines […]

Dark Social: Digital Word of Mouth

By Natalie O'Grady | Mar 10, 2017

“Dark social” isn’t as malicious as it sounds. The term was coined by Alexis Madrigal in an article for The Atlantic in 2012 to describe the sharing of information in emails and instant messengers – sharing that existed long before social media platforms were popular. Social media ROI is getting easier to measure, but dark […]

How to tie your social media strategy to your SEO

By Natalie O'Grady | Jan 30, 2017

Public relations and marketing professionals have learned over the last few years that they can’t exist in silos and get exceptional results for their brands. Integrated strategies are vital for success. PR and marketing live in different sandboxes, but they have to learn how to play well together. This is particularly clear with the relationship […]

Download our Social Analytics POV

By Natalie O'Grady | Jan 26, 2017

“Today, knowledge has power. It controls access to opportunity and advancement.” – Peter Drucker More than ever, public relations professionals are working to quantify PR’s value for their clients. This can be difficult for a number of public relations tactics, but social media is notoriously hard to pin down in terms of ROI. Executives and […]

Let it go: don't worry about control on social media

By Natalie O'Grady | Jan 9, 2017

Brands put a lot of work into fine tuning their voice, and can understandably be protective of their image. Companies want their audience to talk about them a certain way, and marketing, advertising, and public relations all work together in the hopes of achieving positive buzz and brand loyalty. However, brands often have trouble getting […]

#ThisHappened – 2016 in Twitter & YouTube

By Natalie O'Grady | Dec 7, 2016

Major social media platforms are truly a global community. If the Twitter Year in Review and YouTube’s 2016 Rewind video are any indication, this community connects on big issues like social change, elections, and human rights – but also undeniably fun carpool karaoke videos. 2016 has also shown just how powerful brands can be on social […]