Remember when the Academy was against social media and forced YouTube to pull thousands of clips from the awards show in 2007? Well, guess what? The Academy is finally getting with the times and embracing social media for the Oscars.

In 2008, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences created its own YouTube Channel offering behind the scenes footage, interviews, highlights and more. So, did this help? Well according to an article in AdAge, last year’s Oscars was the among the lowest-rated broadcast in its televised history. Ouch.

One reason this might have failed is because social media is about  strategy, and not just the tools.  Anyone can throw up a Facebook Page, YoubTube Channel or Twitter handle, but without a strategy tying these to a traditional marketing campaign, you’re likely set up for failure.

Third time’s a charm, right? The Academy is back with a new social media strategy for the 2010 Oscars. A Facebook Page for the Oscars was created with shiny features like a live stream and a chat on which they streamed the nominees. Taking note of the fact that people love to guess who will take home golden statues that evening, the Academy released an iPhone app allowing fans to make their own predictions to compare against other fans.

Is this a recipe for success? We’ll find out soon enough.

*This post is part of Bailey Gardiner’s Public Relations Tactics series, which highlights tools and best practices to ensure a successful public relations campaign. The series will run weekly.

If you work for a public relations firm, why wouldn’t you do your own PR and practice what you preach?

A while back, Jennifer from our advertising team blogged about Bailey Gardiner’s ad in USA Today. But like she mentioned in her post, advertising is only part of the strategy in branding yourself and working with the types of clients you want to represent. Creating an integrated strategy by adding public relations and social media to the mix is like the one-two punch. Ready? And go.

Here are just a few ways to PR your agency’s work:

Share Agency News

You’re proud of the work you do, right? Announce new hires and share your agency wins with PR trades like PRWeek and Bulldog Reporter as well as local business publications and online. PitchEngine is great service that makes it easy to create a social media news release and your own social media newsroom.

Utilize Social Media Platforms

Whether it’s creating mobile video or doing industry-specific public relations,  showcase your agency’s brilliant thinking on platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook, or make it easy for people to find you with a Twitter handle or Twitter hashtag.

Position Key Staff as Experts

Another way you can use PR to promote your agency. Pitch senior staff as experts available for interview and for speaking opportunities.

*This post is part of Bailey Gardiner’s Public Relations Tactics series, which highlights tools and best practices to ensure a successful public relations campaign. The series will run weekly.

Media relations and writing successful pitches are two skills that get better with practice, much like how wine and cheese get better with age – two of my other favorite things, in addition to public relations. My first successful pitches were written during my days as a PR intern at Bailey Gardiner, and I’ve since learned a few tips on writing pitches that work and deliver results, like one to LA Times’ Brand X for Electra Bicycle Company.

Electra bikes featured in LA Times' Brand X

• Consider starting with a question and keep the intro brief. I started this pitch by asking, “Are you familiar with Electra Bicycle Company?” Then, I summarized what the company is known for in one sentence. Reporters are people. Have a conversation.
• If what you’re pitching isn’t new, make it sound new. It’s all in the delivery and how you phrase your sentences.  Are you pitching a story angle the publication has not yet covered? Can you offer the reporter an idea of what’s to come next from your client and when?
• Pick one angle and stick to the point. Electra has four bike lines and more than 200 different styles of bikes. Where to start? I picked three bikes and explained in three bullet points why readers would want these specific bikes.
• Be specific in your ask. Instead of closing with something general like, “Please feel free to contact me with questions or more information,” try closing your pitch with something more specific. Offer photos or an interview.

Now, it’s about landing the PR hit by following up and calling the reporter. What other tips do you have for writing successful public relations pitches?

I spent a good hour and a half with my friend last night in American Apparel lost in some sort of glorious, shiny spandex heaven. Which got me thinking… do I need to incorporate shiny high-waist hot shorts into my wardrobe? Not sure society is quite ready to embrace that. Working  at Bailey Gardiner in San Diego and doing public relations for a bicycle company, I’ve certainly noticed the reverse -  biking apparel has become more fashionable. Interbike brought back its Urban Legend Fashion Show (check out BikePortland’s fantastic bike fashion slideshow) in which girls rocked the runway in skirts and dresses. Love it. But what about the opposite? Is everyday apparel turning more bike-y?

Shebeest makes great women’s cycling apparel that’s functional and sustainable. Even though I’m not a bike commuter, I’d wear this green jersey on casual rides. The racing stripes would make me look fast.  I give founder Claudia Ried props for  creating the first women’s only bicycle apparel brand.

Earlier in ‘09 Topshop partnered with Cyclodelic to make its line of cyclingwear for women. Hey, if Kate Moss chooses to design padded bike shorts, too then count me IN.

And finally, let’s talk tweed. SF Tweed regularly puts on tweed rides in San Francisco. Um, I need to be there. Next on my shopping list: tweed, an Electra Amsterdam Royal 8i in Pearl White (or Ticino in Creme Fraiche) and a plane ticket to San Francisco!

We’re the PR firm for Electra Bicycle Company. You might know that by now. Two weeks ago, we wrote about how doing PR for a consumer product is pretty much dictated by a magazine’s schedule, but if you’re wondering what else it takes to market a bicycle brand, here’s a peek at what else it entails:

• Following news and current events – Rising gas prices, holidays and even things like the winter thaw are important to us.

• Paying attention to several industries – These include fitness, fashion and the bicycling industry – all which have their own cycle. For example, we’re in the middle of Spring Fashion Week right now. Next week, it’s off to Interbike where Electra will debut its new Ticino line. We’ve placed Electra in everything from Fitness and Style.com to Bicycle Retailer.

• Knowing your audience – We use different communication styles for sales reps, bike dealers, consumers and media. Different levels of bike language, if you may.

• Being on celebrity watch – One of my favorite parts. Electra bikes are loved by celebrities. Recent celebs seen with Electras include Queen Latifah and Kelly Osbourne. An Electra Amsterdam was included as one of Ivanka Trump’s favorite things for fall. We have our sources, but we also stay on top of celebrity news.

• Reading everything – We’ve said this before, but I can’t stress how important it is for PR professionals to know the publications they’re pitching. Bicycle Retailer has become my Bible for the bicycle industry, and I also keep up with publications and blogs like W, Us Weekly, Shape, Men’s Health, BikeRumor.com, and more.

Call us crazy, but we love bikes and we love what we do.

Lately I’ve met with quite a few people who want to talk to me about how I got into PR and how I landed a position at marketing agency Bailey Gardiner. Flattered that so many people want my job…I mean Bailey Gardiner is a pretty cool place to work. Outside networking and job hunting 2.0, I share with you, aspiring publicists, a few practices that worked for me:

•  Do your research. Learn about the PR/marketing industry, the agency for which you want to work and its clients, and get familiar with other agencies in the area.

• Read and watch everything. As PR professionals, we spend a good chunk of the day talking with media. So, we need to know what’s happening in the news. For me, this includes watching everything from Good Morning San Diego on KUSI and Good Morning America to Extra TV and E! News, and reading anything I can get my hands and eyeballs on from blogs, the New York Times and USA Today to Us Weekly and InStyle.

• Find an internship or schedule an informational interview. An internship is the easiest way to test the waters and see if public relations is the right industry for you. I had two PR internships before landing a full time position, and I’m grateful for those experiences. If there aren’t internship opportunities available, see if you can schedule an informational interview at an agency you’re interested in.

• Maintain your professional connections. I’ve kept in touch with marketing professors, past colleagues and former bosses. Whether it’s a friendly e-mail or lunch date, find a way to stay connected.

Anyone else have tips? Good luck, job hunters!

I last blogged on my favorite brand reinventions, and I’d like to add another to that list: Bravo TV. Lauren Zalaznick, president of NBCU’s women’s & lifestyle entertainment networks, is my hero. Lauren took a simple concept  – Reality TV: great if you’re watching it, horrible if you’re living it – and ran with it. She’s transformed the network and built quite the brand -  look at the success of shows like “Project Runway,” “Top Chef,” “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” and all the Real Housewives series. And “NYC Prep,” “The Rachel Zoe Project,” “Make Me a Supermodel,” “Millionaire Matchmaker,” and “The Fashion Show?” I watch(ed) and love them all. It’s pretty safe to say Bravo TV would not be where it is today without Lauren.

Her latest project? An art-world reality TV show produced by Sarah Jessica Parker. The show, which doesn’t have a name or air date yet, will feature undiscovered talent competing for a gallery show, a cash prize and a sponsored national museum tour.  As reported by the New York Times this weekend, more than 400 people auditioned. I have a good feeling about this show.

Word on the street is they haven’t chosen which museums are participating yet… Being part of the art world as Bailey Gardiner reps The San Diego Museum of Art – can’t wait to watch what happens!

Michael Jackson reinvented himself 42 times, so how about we pay homage to the King of Pop on the day of his memorial by looking at brands that have reinvented themselves?Here’s to lookin’ at you, MJ:

Jon talked about brand makeovers a while back, but let’s look at two of my favorite reinvented brands:

• Apple – We at Bailey Gardiner are creative people. What would we do without our Macs? Apple started a revolution in the 70’s when it first launched its brand. Skip past a few years of failed reinvention attempts… fast forward through the launch of the iMac … which takes us to present day in which Apple has a unique reputation for creating shiny products with an aesthetically-pleasing design, like the iPhone, iPod and Macbook.  I like the shiny.

• Gucci – Tom Ford joined Gucci in 1990 when the company was on the brink of liquidation. As the company’s creative director, Tom Ford transformed and saved the brand. He revived the double G logo and added gloss and glamour to change fashion history.

Now it’s your turn. What are your favorite brands that have reinvented themselves?

In-flight magazines may slowly be heading down the same path as free airline meals and checking your luggage for free.  In its place? Say hello to the cooler, new kid on the block: in-flight Wi-Fi entertainment.

For now, in-flight Wi-Fi offers airline passengers Internet and e-mail access, but according to a recent NY Times article, airlines are looking at using Wi-Fi for enhanced in-flight entertainment.

As a traveler who frequents the 3 1/2 hour flight to Minneapolis, this was great news! In another sense, the decline of in-flight magazines was bad news to me as PR professional for  a creative agency.  Securing a hit in an in-flight magazine is like gold for publicists. Think about their monthly readership.  Millions. Not to mention many are business travelers (think affluent audience), and the fact you have a built-in, dedicated audience for at least half an hour, usually longer.

So with more exciting options like Wi-Fi on airplanes, I think in-flight magazines are destined to lose their prestige, in print form anyway. There may be a chance we’ll be reading our in-flight magazines on a fancy panel on the seatback in front of us. What do you think?

 Dear Audi,

I thought you were so bold when you came up with this:

Until BMW came out with this:

Audi … FAIL. Well, at least outdoor advertising isn’t hurting in Santa Monica.

Thanks for sharing, @MayaBY!