In an age where choice is vast, access is immediate and communication is never more than a smartphone away, what can be done to define your company and bring it out of the shadows? In the past your customer base were consumers and consumers alone, now with mobile technology and social media they are brand ambassadors, producers, writers, photographers and editors of content  that carry your message!

Half an hour of muzak and more options than a Chinese take away are no longer the prerequisite for consumer interaction, we’ve already taken the edge off of our hard exterior, put a face to the brand and even become “friends” with our customers asking them to “LIKE US”, but are we current, topical and talking about the latest issues at hand? If you restrict ourselves purely to pre planned campaigns and activities we  may remain relevant, but we are no longer topical and risk leaving the door wide open for another brand with a more open and creative mind to entice your customers.  

If the rest of your marketing and pr campaigns remain regimented you run the risk of becoming stale and looking like the Dad at the school disco! You think you look the part and know all of the right moves, but lets face it you are behind the times, covered in cobwebs and the distinct reek of mothballs follows you around.

This is the same if you are working with a PR agency. Yes of course, you need some structure and plans to your pre booked campaigns, but you and the agency should be working to interact and engage with the issues of the moment through Social PR and if done correctly empower the consumers to spread the message, bringing it to live outside of its originally intended media.

Putting this to practice, with the latest horse meat scandal, consumers quickly got into the act with viral's such as the very funny “ Where's My Mum” Tesco horse.
Brands including car manufacturer Mini displayed brilliant use of the ability to react quickly to grab the attention of potential consumers, playing on the connotations associated with the words beef and horse when used in context with cars and masculinity, they ran with the strapline “BEEF. WITH A LOT OF HORSES HIDDEN IN IT”.

Whilst adding a wry smile to the reader, it also does a good job of playing on the brands playful and quirky image, enforcing their brand ethos. It wasn’t long before the advert left the back pages of the national press, went viral, and delivered their true desire, acres of positive coverage without additional spend.

Specsavers also played a blinder recently, with Eden Hazard's 'kick' at Swansea City ball boy Charlie Morgan, which created  more column inches and conversations than you can shake a stick at.
A word of warning: As much as responsive marketing and Social PR can gain you positive brand exposure, you have to be careful not to delve too close into areas of bad taste and keep in mind your corporate image and your audience. Don’t try to be funny or “get down with the kidz”, if you are unsure of territory then ask someone that is and that you trust. After all, you don’t want to drive your business into the welcoming arms of your competitors through disdain or poor judgement do you?