When the holiday season approaches, so does the buzz of seasonal treats at popular stores like Trader Joe’s, which has an almost cult-like following. But how does this retail giant create so much excitement around their seasonal items? Let’s delve into some key brand and marketing strategies that you can implement to foster excitement around your brand any time of year.

Build Anticipation

Trader Joe’s has mastered the art of building anticipation by teasing the arrival of their seasonal items, creating a sense of eager anticipation among their customers. To apply this strategy to your brand, try using social media teasers and sneak peeks to generate excitement about upcoming or most-liked products or services. Offering customers a glimpse of what’s to come can create a buzz that has them counting down the days until they get your product!

Foster a Sense of Community

Trader Joe’s seasonal items not only satisfy taste buds but also foster a sense of community. Customers share their latest finds and favorite products on social media, creating community and camaraderie. Foster a community around your brand by encouraging your customers to share their experiences with your products or services and leverage your social media presence to amplify their voices. 

Prioritize Consistency

For your brand, it is essential that you meet and exceed your customer’s expectations every time. Consistency builds trust, and trust is the foundation of lasting customer relationships. Ensure your customers can rely on your brand to deliver, whether it’s a seasonal release or everyday product, a press release, or anything else. Consistency in quality and service will keep customers coming back and help enhance your brand’s reputation. 

These strategies are adaptable to businesses of any size and industry, so consider implementing one or more to make your brand stand out any time of year.

Say the word ‘Thanksgiving’ out loud and the image of a beautifully glazed turkey might immediately come to mind. It’s hard to mark the occasion without it – even though some in the buffet line will whisper, as if admitting to a crime, that it’s not their favorite part of the meal. No, those folks have their sights set on something else.

For them, it’s all about the fixins.

Whether it’s Grandma’s stuffing (or dressing, if you’re of that persuasion), dad’s mashed potatoes, or mom’s broccoli casserole, these are the dishes that make the entire meal worth preparing. Much like preparing a Thanksgiving dinner, digging into video production can be a time-consuming and sometimes costly endeavor. So how can you make the most of it?

Let’s ride this metaphor – we’ll call Thanksgiving the day of your video shoot. The focus (the turkey) will be a 2-minute overview video you’d like to have produced to feature on your website or maybe to showcase at your non-profit’s big yearly fundraiser. You’ve got employees signed up for interviews, the workplace is immaculate and ready for the spotlight, and you’ve cleared a whole day to ensure everything goes smoothly. While the primary focus will be putting together that longer prestige piece, keep the fixins in mind.

By fixins, I’m talking about the side pieces – the quick interview soundbites that you can break down into smaller, bite-sized pieces to sprinkle throughout social media. For Facebook, consider a 30-second clip of an employee talking about why they love the company. On TikTok, go for something fun and quick – a “how it’s made” snippet or a quirky piece of information about your company/employees. For Instagram, share some picturesque sunrise/sunset videos of your headquarters. By doing some of those things, you’ll maximize your investment.

As someone who’s painstakingly cooked turkeys for the past few actual Thanksgivings, I take great pride in making sure it’s prepared just right – the same kind of care NPS+ puts into all of our client video work. But the fact of the matter is that not everyone will stop scrolling to take in 120 seconds of content – just as not everyone will be looking forward to your turkey (even if it’s as juicy as mine).

But the fixins could have a better chance of stopping people in their tracks and bringing them back for more. So, invest the same care in your fixins – those bite-sized video delights – to maximize your investment and transform your online presence into a feast for the eyes.

In order to prepare the next generation of communications professionals, it is important to create inspiring opportunities for budding journalists or PR students to consider careers in our field. By highlighting exciting opportunities, the power of storytelling, use of creativity, and more, we work to motivate high school and college students to pursue meaningful careers in communication fields. Here are several ways an NP Strategy internship prepares and inspires students to pursue a career in strategic communications.

Guiding Growth Through Internships

Mentorship and internships play a pivotal role in shaping aspiring professionals in any field. Communications internship programs like NP Strategy’s provide invaluable guidance and hands-on experience, bridging the gap between classroom learning and real-world application. By helping solve everyday business challenges, students and young professionals are empowered to apply their skills in meaningful ways with the support of a network of experts.

Harness Tech-Savvy Skills

The digital age has created a new era of communication, offering innovative storytelling methods such as podcasts, interactive multimedia, virtual reality, and social media campaigns. Having grown up during the advent of social media, emerging pros today hold an innate knowledge of technology and can harness their unique skills to help reach broader audiences and drive meaningful change. Often, NP Strategy interns have the opportunity to plan or support client social media campaigns, gaining experience in the full range of research, planning, implementation, and evaluation.

Cultivating Innovation through a Culture of Curiosity

Fostering a culture that values curiosity, critical analysis and truth-seeking is a core pillar of our values at NP Strategy, and is essential for inspiring future pros to become change makers. Encouraging emerging practitioners to question, analyze and seek the “why” behind the “what” equips them with skills to challenge the status quo. Cultivating an environment that nurtures intellectual curiosity ensures a continuous flow of innovation and new perspectives.

NP Strategy believes strongly in the role our team can play in showcasing the impact and reach of our profession. By exposing students to our field, we aim to create an inclusive environment that nurtures the talents of the next generation.

In the realm of brand development, public relations (PR) and marketing are two essential elements that serve distinct purposes. At times, some mistakenly conflate marketing as an all-encompassing role, leading to the misconception that marketing alone can effectively fulfill the responsibilities of PR, or vice versa, assuming that PR can handle all the aspects typically assigned to marketing. These two fields often intertwine, causing some confusion. Let’s untangle the differences. 

Public Relations

Public relations serves as the protector of a brand’s image. PR focuses on creating and upholding a positive reputation for your brand through targeted messaging. When you need to ensure your brand is portrayed in the best possible light and effectively manage unexpected crises, PR is the solution. It’s like a reliable shield safeguarding your brand’s image.

PR helps an organization foster authentic relationships with the media, industry influencers, and other stakeholders, making it an invaluable asset for connecting with opinion leaders and shaping public perception. Through carefully crafted thought leadership, outreach events, and crisis management, PR ensures that your brand maintains its integrity and trustworthiness even during challenging times.

Marketing

Marketing is all about strategically promoting and positioning your brand. Marketing harnesses methods such as advertising, social media campaigns, and sales strategies to enhance brand visibility and appeal. Marketing is the skilled storyteller who can persuade consumers that your brand is an essential part of their lives and compel them to buy your products or services.

Marketing dives deep into market research and consumer behavior analysis, helping your brand understand its audience and tailor messages that resonate with their desires and needs. Whether it’s creating memorable ad campaigns or identifying the right distribution channels, marketing plays a vital role in building brand recognition and profitability while guiding your brand’s journey in a competitive market.

Understanding the Distinction

Sometimes, the roles of PR and marketing can overlap, leading some to believe that a marketing team can handle all communications aspects. However, it’s vital to recognize that while they often complement each other to support an organization, PR and marketing functions require unique strategies and expertise, and have different focuses and functions in leading company growth.

The Verdict

If you’re facing reputation management challenges or aiming to maintain a positive image, harness PR tactics to respond and rebuild trust. If your objectives revolve around boosting brand recognition, driving sales, and creating a buzz, marketing takes the lead. You can even opt for an integrated blend of both.

Ultimately, your brand’s journey is determined by the choices you make. Whether you lean towards PR, marketing, or a combination of both, you hold the power to shape your brand’s narrative. The key is to understand the distinctive strengths of each discipline and utilize them to your brand’s advantage.

Artificial intelligence is all anyone can talk about in the technology world today, but how can it be used in the public relations industry? AI applications are not meant to replace PR practitioners but rather to enhance the content and productivity of communications. Here are four ways AI can be harnessed in PR:

1) Monitor Media

With the assistance of AI, tracking mentions of a certain brand or topic becomes easy. Brands can be monitored across various social media platforms and news sources in real time to give you measurable and up-to-date data. Using an AI device to monitor media ensures that multiple topics and brands are meticulously tracked.

2) Perform Sentiment Analysis

Once the media monitoring data is collected, AI can be used to understand the emotions and opinions expressed in each individual mention. This data can be organized to decipher which content provoked what emotions, whether positive, negative, or neutral.

3) Predict Potential Crises

Utilizing monitored media and sentiment analysis data, AI can help determine the overall reputation of a company. Understanding how the public perceives a company at any given moment is crucial in predicting crises. Managing a problem before it becomes a crisis is a key part in maintaining the image of a brand.

4) Spark Content Inspiration

Initial ideas for press releases and content can be stimulated by the use of AI. It complements the brainstorming portion of a campaign by providing research or concepts that can be expanded on to produce a final product. AI can also provide new perspectives that could target different audiences. However, AI is used to strengthen the messages, not make them. The majority of content should still be unique and personalized by a PR professional.

 AI can be a useful tool in bolstering existing PR efforts, whether you’re looking for ideas on how to approach that new campaign, tracking the effectiveness of it through earned and social media, or trying to show its value through sentiment analysis.

The field of Public Relations is in a constant state of flux, shaped by the evolving landscape of technology, communication, and societal values. To stay relevant and effective, PR professionals must adapt to these changes. Here are four current key trends and how they’re shaping the future.

1) The Digital Transformation:

One of the most significant trends in PR is the continued integration of digital technology into communication strategies. From social media engagement to data-driven decision-making, PR professionals are leveraging digital tools to reach their target audiences more effectively. Social media monitoring and analytics are invaluable in understanding audience sentiments and behaviors, allowing PR experts to refine their strategies and messages. Right now, the industry is being transformed by data analytics and AI, but we predict holographic press conferences to be right around the corner! The days of virtual reality are here, and it’s only a matter of time before this tool becomes a staple in your toolbox.

2) Storytelling through Visual and Interactive Content:

In the era of information overload, captivating your audience’s attention is no small feat. Storytelling remains at the heart of PR, but the medium through which stories are told is evolving. Visual content, such as videos, infographics, and interactive web experiences, is gaining precedence. PR experts are focusing on creating multimedia narratives that engage, inform, and entertain audiences, recognizing that people remember stories better than facts and figures. Drone technology will continue to pave the way for new and different content opportunities. Drones can help us PR pros with visual content but also produce an interactive and live visual for product launches and engagement with our audience.

3) Authenticity and Transparency:

Consumers today demand authenticity and transparency from brands and organizations. This trend has placed a premium on ethical and open communication. PR professionals must guide their clients toward honest, accountable, and socially responsible practices. Building and maintaining trust in the age of skepticism and misinformation has become a fundamental aspect of PR strategies. If consumers demand authenticity, will we see a rise in robots or AI-generated spokespeople for the media? AI-generated content seems to be accepted – will the same remain true for visual content? We will also see the rise of emotional analysis software, software that can gauge public sentiment and provide collective feedback on how the internet will respond to your story or message.

4) Crisis Management and Reputation Building:

The digital age has amplified the speed at which crises can occur and spread. PR professionals now not only need to manage crises effectively but also proactively build and maintain a positive brand reputation. The ability to respond swiftly, transparently, and compassionately is essential. Crisis management plans and reputation-building strategies are no longer just components of PR; they are critical lifelines. But how do we manage a crisis in the era of viral memes? Viral memes can turn a minor hiccup into a full-blown hurricane of hashtags. Who needs crisis management consultants when you can hire a ‘meme curator’ to ensure your PR faux pas turns into a viral sensation?

As PR professionals navigate these trends, they must also remember the core principles of PR: building relationships, telling compelling stories, and managing reputations. The successful PR practitioner of the future will combine their understanding of the latest trends, technologies, and the ever-changing expectations of their audience with good old fashioned human charm and creativity. After all, PR is not just about crafting messages but about crafting experiences, even if that extends to virtual reality.