thetattoolady's posterous http://thetattoolady.posterous.com Most recent posts at thetattoolady's posterous posterous.com Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:57:32 -0700 Shakira and Dora team up for new book http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/shakira-and-dora-team-up-for-new-book http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/shakira-and-dora-team-up-for-new-book
20101102161937enprnprn7-nickel

Nickelodeon announces the release of a new Dora the Explorer book featuring a cartoon-version of the popular Latina singer Shakira.  In celebration of Dora’s 10th anniversary, the story is called World School Day Adventure, and will follow Dora, Boots and Shakira as they celebrate World School Day with children from around the world. After some school supplies go missing, Dora makes some special deliveries to school children worldwide. A portion of the proceeds will go towards Shakira’s non-profit agency, The Barefoot Foundation, that is dedicated to childhood education.

The part of the release that caught my eye was that they used a major celebrity in the title, so it seemed to lend some credibility to the story. Name recognition is huge in catching my attention and the attention of reporters, and they were smart to mention Shakira in the title. The other characteristic about this release that was a little unique was that it has three separate boilerplates at the bottom. This seems excessive to me, because the ‘about’ sections are longer than the actual story. It also makes it seem like the focus isn’t about a new book being released, but a bunch of different organizations singing their own praises.

 

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Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:15:50 -0700 Record-breaking pumpkins on display http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/record-breaking-pumpkins-on-display http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/record-breaking-pumpkins-on-display
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The three largest pumpkins in the country, including a new world record breaker, will be on display at the New York Botanical Garden through Halloween. The enormous pumpkins each weigh over 1,600 pounds with the new record holder weighing over 1,800 pounds. Scott Scully, who holds the record for carving the world’s largest pumpkin, will attempt to break his record on October 29th. This showcase of pumpkins will serve as the main attraction for the event Halloween Hoorah and other autumn attractions at the Botanical Garden.

This was a very timely press release, and I was attracted to it because I’m in the Halloween mood. It was smart to send out a release about a holiday event, because news organizations are always looking for stories about the holidays, and especially fun, family-friendly stories. Some releases I’ve seen don’t have pictures, and sometimes it’s unnecessary. However, this is one example of a story that really requires a picture to go along, because words alone can’t describe the awe of these pumpkins. 

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Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:33:43 -0700 Hersheys fails for child labor http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/hersheys-fails-for-child-labor http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/hersheys-fails-for-child-labor
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Parents are urged not to buy candy from major chocolate maker Hershey this year for Halloween candy. Hershey has been cited with the lowest score among candy makers for its failure to end child trafficking and labor in third world countries. They offer ways to hold Hershey’s accountable for their actions and to give out fair trade candy to trick or treaters this Halloween. The press release was issued by Green America, an organization that works to create a socially just and environmentally stable society.

I found this press release really interesting because unlike the others I frequently see on the site, this release carried a social message and their primary goal wasn’t to sell any products. It reminded me that press releases are good for more than just trying to get your product some free media attention, and that they can bring social messages to media as well. At first, I was interested as to who exactly was sending the release, because I thought it might be a competitor trying to discredit the candy giant. However, it gave it more credibility when I found out that it was an environmental/social justice group whose primary concern is the welfare of the children working in Africa for Hershey.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/is-there-child-slave-labor-in-your-childs-halloween-candy-105256258.html

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Wed, 13 Oct 2010 20:54:15 -0700 Scene It? Horror App http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/scene-it-horror-app http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/scene-it-horror-app

The creators of Scene It?, the popular culture trivia game, is coming out with Scene It?, Horror as an iphone app just in time for Halloween. The new game features trivia from some of the most notorious horror films of all time, including Friday the 13th, Psycho, and Shutter Island. Unlike trivia board games, Scene It? uses video clips and sound bites of movies as an interactive, group gaming experience. The IPad and IPhone are perfectly suited for this game, because it combines a combination of video and music into one platform.

The reason this stood out to me was because I’m familiar with the game, and I thought it was funny that it’s being turned into an app. Its seems like nearly everything had been made into an app, and it would be a great way to reinvent the board game industry. Making them more engaging by including video and music could make the younger generation more interested in playing board games and make them relevant again. 

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Tue, 05 Oct 2010 08:34:40 -0700 Master of the Mix http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/master-of-the-mix http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/master-of-the-mix
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Smirnoff vodka announces the launch of a new reality show called Master of the Mix, a contest to find the best DJ in the world. Hosted by grammy-nominated producer DJ Just Blaze, the show will have the world’s most famous DJ’s compete against each other in a head to head competition for the title of world’s best DJ and $250,000. GTM, a 360 degree marketing agency, is the creator and executive producer of the show.

This release stood out to me because it was just a blatant example of marketing disguised as entertainment. It was created by the marketing agency of Smirnoff, not by tv executives. While some releases I’ve seen briefly mention the brand but focus on the actual event, this release is just drenched with the brand at every stage. There’s two long paragraphs at the end that talk “about Smirnoff” and give media contact information for TaylorPR, the agency for Smirnoff. The show seems to take a backseat to trying to promote the brand Smirnoff, and makes me wonder if they forgot the purpose of the release.

 http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smirnoff-mixes-it-up-with-a-new-reality-television-show-104286368.html

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Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:17:27 -0700 Selling Obesity to Kids http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/selling-obesity-to-kids http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/selling-obesity-to-kids
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The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Land Use Committee will vote today on an ordinance to limit toys in children’s meals with excessive fat and calories. It would be the first city in the nation to consider such action, in an effort to address the high instances of childhood obesity and juvenile type-2 diabetes. McDonalds and its competitors spend millions of dollars each year on toy promotions to encourage kids to eat children’s meals full of fat and calories.

The overall message of the release is that advertising to children using toys as an incentive is an example of predatory advertising practices, and more cities should join San Francisco in enacting ordinances of this nature. It uses quotes from doctors and health care professionals to give their claims more authority, and most of the release talks about the health effects of fast food rather than the news of the ordinance.

It’s a fairly effective release because it uses its sources well to give credentials to the claims it makes. It gets the reader on board with the message so they have no choice but to agree that toys in children’s meals contributes heavily to childhood obesity. It uses lots of facts and statistics to give even more credibility to its claims and makes a great argument for getting the ordinance passed and encouraging other cities to do the same.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/corporate-accountability-international-sf-considers-voting-toys-out-of-unhealthy-meals-103871138.html

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Tue, 21 Sep 2010 10:03:21 -0700 Wat-Ahh! for kids http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/wat-ahh-for-kids http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/wat-ahh-for-kids
Wataah

Wat-Aah!, the first bottled water aimed specifically at kids, has been approved for use in schools nation wide. As of September 2010, 10 states will distribute the water in school systems, hoping the cool name and colorful logo will temp kids into making healthier drink choices. According to the press release, 9 out of 10 kids chose Wat-Aah! over popular beverages like soda, juice and sports drinks.


My first reaction to this press release is that I can’t imagine kids would choose bottled water over sugary drinks, no matter how cool the packaging is. It makes me wonder about the accuracy of the study, and whether Wat-Aah! funded it themselves.  I also have to question the ethical issue of marketing water to children.  There’s been a debate for years over the waste created by water bottles and inflating the price of water based entirely on its brand name, and I think this product will teach children to be salves to branding even more than they already are.


This release was effective in my opinion because the first word is an all-caps, interesting name of the product, immediately getting my attention. It also has an anti-childhood obesity message that makes it seem like it’s not just about selling the water, but bringing attention to a bigger cause.


http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wat-aah-the-first-functional-bottled-water-aimed-at-kids-is-now-available-in-schools-nationwide-103281589.html

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Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:51:02 -0700 Undie Party at Desigual http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/undie-party-at-desigual http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/undie-party-at-desigual
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Desigual, a Spanish apparel company located in New York City, is announcing a unique new promotion; be one of the first 100 people to arrive in your underwear on September 23rd and receive a free outfit. The line will start at 7 am, and the doors will open at 10 am, allowing an hour for the first 100 people to go on a shopping spree with the store to themselves. They also announced that everyone will receive 50% off for the rest of the day.

 

This press release has a very young, party message. It has deemed its promotion an “undie party!” to get young people excited about it. It ignores the social stigma of being caught in your underwear in public and celebrates it, like you should be proud to run around the streets of New York and be gawked at. This press release was very effective in my opinion, because it got me excited about it, and I’m in their key demographic. The idea was very unique, and the release mentioned all the pertinent information necessary to participate in this promotion. Time: 7 am. Place: 594 Broadway @ Houston, NYC 10012. Apparel…. None.

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Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:38:08 -0700 MissNowMrs blog http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/missnowmrs-blog-0 http://thetattoolady.posterous.com/missnowmrs-blog-0
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A press release for the MissNowMrs website announced on September 2nd the addition of a blog for newlyweds. In addition to its resources for women changing their names after marriage, the website will now offer tips and advice to newlyweds on post-wedding life. This press release is trying to gain awareness for the site’s new features and to let users know that its uses are expanding, as it can be used for more than just name changes now. It also is trying to promote their sponsorships by highlighting just one of the many companies that will be doing giveaways on the site.

 

To me, the reason this press release stood out if because the idea was unique. I have never heard of a website catering to the newly married, only to brides in the process of wedding planning. One thing that I found to be annoying was the obviously made-up quote and shameless plug for a sponsor that obviously is paying a lot of money to be featured on the site. The quote from a ADORN spokesman seemed cookie-cutter and like something the author probably made up themselves (we’ve all done that!). Overall, I think the press release informed me of their new blog and told me some its features, which is what it needed to do in order to get me to check it out.

 

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/for-newlyweds-the-missnowmrs-blog-is-a-much-needed-resource-102064278.html

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