Why Snapchat is Exploding
According to reports in TechCrunch, social media upstart Snapchat is looking to bring in more than $500 million in new investment. To that end, the company has been wooing groups that include Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and Saudi investor Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal. The amount they are seeking nearly matches the $648 million the company has already received to date. While the companies in question are not talking to reporters, Bloomberg reported that Alibaba has agreed to invest $200 million in Snapchat. A couple of interesting notes here. First, Alibaba, as an e-commerce company, has an opportunity to hedge its ‘net interests while also expanding them in what some have called the “uncertain” marketplace of social media. Further, Prince Alwaleed…
Read MoreA look at #GivingTuesday
Have you ever heard of #throwbackthursday? How about #womancrushwednesday? Chances are you’ve picked up on plenty of these catchy phrases. Our online lexicon has been inundated with meaningless hashtags, but a campaign with a cause has emerged in the last few years. #GivingTuesday was started in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan and the United Nations Foundation to garner support for charity and philanthropic organizations during the holiday season. Our economy is especially consumer driven after Thanksgiving. As an answer to that, GivingTuesday falls on the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday annually in an attempt to remind consumers to give back to those in need. The organizers hope that in time GivingTuesday will become a holiday…
Read MoreThe Browns have a Bright Orange PR Problem
Looks, it’s a cinch that football fans are not Cleveland Browns fans because of the uniforms. The Browns’ orange, brown and white scheme is only slightly less underwhelming than their cellar-dwelling on-field performances. The only disappointment more consistent than these duds is the Browns’ need for a quarterback. That dynamic led to a highly anticipated and widely marketed rebranding initiative. The campaign took two years to complete, and the Browns recently unveiled their new logo to replace the iconic but somewhat tired orange helmet … the new result? Wait for it (the fans did for two years) … another orange helmet. Essentially, the team went from orange peel orange to traffic cone orange. That’s pretty much it. Well, according to…
Read MorePR Winners and Losers at the Oscars
The 87th Academy Awards show is now a part of the history books. “Birdman” was the big winner of the night, taking home four wins in the nine categories that it was nominated for. While it is always fun to take a look at the winners and losers, it is even more interesting to see who were the biggest winners and losers in the public relations department. Every year has some presenters and winners who do amazing or head-scratching things while they have the spotlight, and this year was no different. Here is a look at the biggest PR winners and losers for this year’s Oscars. Winner – Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Even people who were outraged that “Boyhood” lost had…
Read MoreMarcus vs Jameis at the Combine
In the lead up to the NFL Scouting Combine, the prognosticators grew louder than ever. Which quarterback would emerge from the Combine with the best shot at being number one overall in the next NFL draft? While, in the past, some top prospects chose to forego the annual talent showcase, this season does not lend itself to that luxury. There are two quarterbacks in this draft who are widely considered to be all but equal in ability and intangibles. Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston have been endlessly compared, but the jury is still out on who is the best. Recently, Mariota was quoted as saying he doesn’t compare himself to other players. Well, if that’s the case, then he is…
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