Regular blog readers know that here at Curve Communications we are big on measuring the results of marketing campaigns for live performances.  With this in mind, we wanted to share an interesting article with you from the New York Times’ Arts Beat Blog.  The post, written by journalist Jason Zinoman, discusses the tricky definition of what constitutes a “hit” in commercial theatre and how this definition may not, in fact, be the best measurement for theatrical success:

Theater Talkback: How Do You Measure a Hit?

By JASON ZINOMAN

For the sake of argument, let’s say that “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” the massive Julie Taymor musical opening in the fall, defies its doubters by earning glowing reviews, blockbuster word of mouth and a rise to the top tier of the box office charts. Not on the level of “Wicked,” exactly, but more like “Billy Elliot.” In other words, it’s consistently grossing somewhere in the ballpark of $1.1 million a week. Does that make it a hit?

That depends on what you mean by hit. If you use the standard measuring stick of the commercial theater – which is to say, whether it recouped the investment it took to bring it to the stage — then the reportedly $50 million musical could stay hot until next year’s Tony Awards and easily not qualify. In fact, it could remain a popular show for two or three years, maybe more, and still never see a profit.

“Spider-Man” may be an extreme case. But “Legally Blonde” ran for 595 performances and never recouped before closing on Broadway (though it continues to tour the country and make money on the road.) “Race,” however,” ran for only 320 performances and did recoup. So is it fair to call David Mamet’s intimate play a hit and “Legally Blonde” a flop? Of course not. However, that’s exactly what happens.

Producers now regularly roll out announcements of their show recouping and then turning a profit, which the press treats as news, as it should. But what kind of news is it? Popularity has something to do with making a profit, but so does whether a producer negotiated salaries effectively. Reports about cost, however, are less reliable and well known than that of grosses, so one half of the accounting ledger often gets overlooked. The numbers about profit don’t lie, but they tell only part of the story.

This matters because in the theater, perception often dictates reality. If a show is considered a hit, then it’s more likely to get produced again and the careers of its artists will receive a boost. Even if recouping your investment on Broadway isn’t a perfect metric, it’s unclear if there is a better one. Good reviews? Fat chance. Word of mouth and cultural impact are hard to quantify. And judging by how long a show runs is also problematic for the same reason that profit is. Surely part of the secret of the success of the revival of “Chicago,” for instance, is that the bare bones show is not terribly expensive to produce.

So how do you think we should measure success? What exactly is a hit?

Here at Curve we have the privilege of working with a very diverse pool of clients: from arts and culture to products and services to not-for-profits to major corporations.  Each of the businesses we work with have a unique story to tell and it is our job as their PR company to share that story with the world.

Today our amazing client, Libre, who makes portable tea glasses for loose leaf tea, was featured in the Toronto Star’s “IT” – a section of the paper that highlights cool products. The week prior, Libre was in the Calgary Herald, also highlighting the tea glass as a trendy and useful ‘must-have’ for tea lovers.

Libre in the Toronto Star

Libre in the Calgary Herald

We work hard to develop a cohesive media relations strategy were thrilled when the two newspapers were so excited by Libre’s product and story that they chose to write about it immediately.  With their eagerness these publications confirmed what we already knew – that Libre has a fantastic, unique and newsworthy product.

Stay tuned for the upcoming local coverage on Libre and founder Wendy Weir, and keep an eye out for Libre’s tea glass in holiday gift guides!

Curve Communications is hiring! Note, our deadline for application is Friday August 27.

Do you tweet and use Facebook every day, all day? Is building social communities so ingrained you just can’t stop? Are you constantly reading up on the newest online trend, tool or social network? Are you interested in working in a dynamic and fast-paced agency environment where you’ll be doing a wide variety of tasks?

ABOUT US:

We are an integrated marketing and public relations agency seeking a highly a motivated individual with experience and passion for social media, SEO and online marketing, as well as experience in public relations and traditional marketing. Our clients base is very diverse,  ranging from arts & culture, to non-profit,  to products or services, to major corporations.  Take a moment to learn about us, what we do, and who we’ve done it for.

ABOUT YOU:

Our ideal candidate has a bachelor’s or associates degree in communications, advertising, marketing, English, or related. We’re looking for someone who is able to work effectively without close supervision; thrive in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment; can juggle tasks and deadlines for multiple clients; and possess superior oral and written communication skills

Note: We are particularly interested in a candidate that is passionate about sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle and is regularly following news and updates about this growing trend.

ROLES:

ONLINE COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT/SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT:

A)    REQUIREMENTS:

1. Familiarity with online communities and social networking sites (Such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, etc.) and how to use them for marketing, community development, and brand awareness generation.
2. Ability to develop and execute online marketing strategies using the latest tools and technologies.
3. Ability to manage multiple accounts and profiles on various social media networks is essential.
4. Experience writing industry-appropriate, keyword rich blog content
5. Knowledge of blogging platforms (particularly WordPress) and the use of plugins to optimize.
6. Possesses functional knowledge or some experience with HTML/CSS

B)    TASKS

1. Manage various existing social network profiles simultaneously, create new accounts as needed.
2. Create Facebook fan pages (using FBML customizable tags); Create Twitter Profiles (including designing background layout); Create e-newsletters (knowledge of email marketing platforms, HTML & CSS).
3. Stay up-to-date with new and emerging online tools, technologies and social sharing
4. Research and write regular industry-appropriate blog content (for various client blogs), changing tone to suit the clients’ brand; write regular content for the agency’s blog
5. Design, write and publish e-newsletters as needed by clients
6. Track, evaluate and report on the agency and client’s visibility and influence online
7. Attend social media networking events (tweetups) and connect with influencers
8. Develop targeted strategies using social media networks as channels for reaching determined objectives (i.e. if the client is seeking to generate brand awareness vs. manage customer relations)

ONLINE MARKETING AND SEO:

A.)  REQUIREMENTS:

1. An understanding of integrated organic optimization (SEO), social media optimization (SMO) and paid placement (PPC).
2. The ability to review various websites and identify areas of improvement for organic search engine discoverability.
3. Demonstrated ability in planning integrated online marketing strategies that include SEO, SEM, SMM, and SMO .
4. Strong research and analytical skills relating to keyword research and competitive analysis.

B.)  TASKS:

1. Perform site audits (both visible content and back-end meta-data, permalinks, etc.) to identify areas of improvement for organic search engine visibility.
2. Develop strategies that integrate SEO, SEM, SMM and SMO to improve the visibility and traffic of the clients’ online presences.
3. Perform competitive analysis of clients’ competitors keywords and SEO efforts.
4. Perform keyword research
5. Analyse campaigns and translate anecdotal or qualitative data into recommendations and plans for revising the online marketing campaigns.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

A.)  REQUIREMENTS

1. Excellent written and oral communication skills (Examples Required).
2. Ability to manage multiple projects and demands at a time.
3. Excellent writing skills, with a high level of attention to detail.
4. Previous PR experience will be a considerable asset

B.)  TASKS:

1. Develop creative story ideas, pr stunt ideas and pitches
2. Pitch to media and garner hits; Establish, develop and maintain relationships with media contacts
3. Write compelling press releases, pitches and media kit materials
4. Identify main target audiences and determine the best way to reach them.
5. Communicate and liaise with media professionals, providing press materials in order to facilitate media coverage for the client.

If you’ve read through the requirements and roles and are interested in learning more, please send a cover letter telling us about yourself and resume (in PDF) to jobs(at)curvecommunications.com by August 27, 2010.

Please note that due to the volume of applications received, only those who we wish to interview will be contacted.

As an integrated marketing and public relations company, we firmly believe in the importance of combining social media and online marketing with public relations to create cohesive and complete communications strategies that span as many information channels as possible.

Elena Verlee, who is the mastermind behind PR In Your Pajamas wrote an excellent blog post about how to begin to plan a social media PR strategy. Using the following statistics she notes that the amount of time people spend online means that online marketing cannot be ignored:

Four out of every 10 Americans read blogs, according to a study by Synovate/MarketingDaily;

There are 500 million Facebook accounts;

An estimated 75 million users are on Twitter, with 10 – 15 million actively using the service.

Based on these statistics she argues:

Social media has become a very powerful frontier for PR–one that is easier, faster and cheaper to permeate than traditional media.

That said, figuring out social media, getting involved, building and sustaining relationships sure can take up a lot of our time. Too much time, in fact, especially when we get into it without a strategy.

Her blog post continues with seven very insightful questions that need to be asked when creating a social media strategy. We suggest copying these questions to a blank sheet of paper and answering them like a worksheet:

1. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?

Begin with the end goal in mind. At the end of the day, what specific results and ultimate outcomes would you like to accomplish? Once you know your destination, then you can create your map.

2. WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE AND WHERE ARE THEY ONLINE?

Having a clear idea and understanding of your target audience is key to a successful marketing plan. Same thing with your social media PR plan. You won’t be able to reach every blog and social networking site. Knowing whom you’re trying to reach will help you set priorities and focus your efforts on those sites that will bring significant results.

3. WHO ARE THE INFLUENCERS?

These are specific people, groups or institutions that reach your target audience and influence their attitudes. Consider them the shortcut to your target audience’s heart and head. They’re also your second target audiences.

4. WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?

Find out what your target audiences and their influencers are saying about your industry, product or your competition’s products. There are many benefits to having this knowledge, the first of which is so you can participate in the conversation.

5. HOW WILL YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION ALIGN?

Now that you know what your target customers are saying, you can evaluate how your own value proposition or offering aligns with their needs and desires. Are you offering something unique and relevant? Or is your message getting lost in a cacophony of voices saying more of the same?

6. HOW CAN YOU DELIVER AND CONTRIBUTE?

This is where you decide how you’re going to attract your target audience, engage with their influencers, and deliver your value proposition. Will you maintain a high-quality blog with fresh posts every day? Will you make special reports available for free to your subcribers? Will you create a Facebook fan page and share awesome resources there? There are many options available and, once again, your target audience and their preferences will shape your choices.

7. WHAT RESOURCES ARE YOU WILLING TO INVEST?

Each of us has a limited amount of time, energy and money to invest in PR. Even if social media is often free, it can cost many hours in a week. Do you have the time? Or can you hire a virtual assistant to do some of the work with you? How many minutes exactly can you devote each day to interact and participate in social networks?

These questions will help you to craft a social media PR strategy that suits your business, supports your goals, and is realistic, given what you are able to do.

As with traditional PR, nobody can guarantee you instant results with social media PR. As I like to say, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. With sustained and consistent effort, you will see results in time.

Can you think of any other questions to add to Elena’s? Once you take the time to answer these questions you may find some illuminating information about your company’s mission and goals.

More than 4,500 doctors travelled to Vancouver this week for the XXIII International Congress of The Transplantation Society, held at the new Vancouver Convention Centre.

Targeting a young demographic with your marketing campaign is all about gaining an appreciation for the way they perceive the world, consume media, and exchange information.  Even those of us in our mid-to-late twenties sometimes take it for granted that individuals who were born as recently as 1988, grew up in a completely different world from us.

Every year Beloit College in Wisconsin puts together a list of cultural references and truisms for its professors, to help them remember the world that their students, born mostly in 1992, have always lived in and so that they don’t elicit a room of blank stares by making a Gorbachev reference.)

We find the list to be a humourous and refreshing reminder for marketers as well, and thought we would share it with you here:

1. The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about as scary as the student union.
2. They have known only two presidents.
3. For most of their lives, major U.S. airlines have been bankrupt.
4. Manuel Noriega has always been in jail in the U.S.
5. They have grown up getting lost in “big boxes.”
6. There has always been only one Germany.
7. They have never heard anyone actually “ring it up” on a cash register.
8. They are wireless, yet always connected.
9. A stained blue dress is as famous to their generation as a third-rate burglary was to their parents’.
10. Thanks to pervasive headphones in the back seat, parents have always been able to speak freely in the front.
11. A coffee has always taken longer to make than a milkshake.
12. Smoking has never been permitted on U.S. airlines.
13. Faux fur has always been a necessary element of style.
14. The Moral Majority has never needed an organization.
15. They have never had to distinguish between the St. Louis Cardinals baseball and football teams.
16. DNA fingerprinting has always been admissible evidence in court.
17. They grew up pushing their own miniature shopping carts in the supermarket.
18. They grew up with and have outgrown faxing as a means of communication.
19. “Google” has always been a verb.
20. Text messaging is their email.
21. Milli Vanilli has never had anything to say.
22. Mr. Rogers, not Walter Cronkite, has always been the most trusted man in America.
23. Bar codes have always been on everything, from library cards and snail mail to retail items.
24. Madden has always been a game, not a Superbowl-winning coach.
25. Phantom of the Opera has always been on Broadway.
26. “Boogers” candy has always been a favorite for grossing out parents.
27. There has never been a “skyhook” in the NBA.
28. Carbon copies are oddities found in their grandparents’ attics.
29. Computerized player pianos have always been tinkling in the lobby.
30. Non-denominational mega-churches have always been the fastest growing religious organizations in the U.S.
31. They grew up in mini-vans.
32. Reality shows have always been on television.
33. They have no idea why we needed to ask “…can we all get along?”
34. They have always known that “In the criminal justice system the people have been represented by two separate yet equally important groups.”
35. Young women’s fashions have never been concerned with where the waist is.
36. They have rarely mailed anything using a stamp.
37. Brides have always worn white for a first, second, or third wedding.
38. Being techno-savvy has always been inversely proportional to age.
39. “So” as in “Sooooo New York,” has always been a drawn-out adjective modifying a proper noun, which in turn modifies something else
40. Affluent troubled teens in Southern California have always been the subjects of television series.
41. They have always been able to watch wars and revolutions live on television.
42. Ken Burns has always been producing very long documentaries on PBS.
43. They are not aware that “flock of seagulls hair” has nothing to do with birds flying into it.
44. Retin-A has always made America look less wrinkled.
45. Green tea has always been marketed for health purposes.
46. Public school officials have always had the right to censor school newspapers.
47. Small white holiday lights have always been in style.
48. Most of them never had the chance to eat bad airline food.
49. They have always been searching for “Waldo.”
50. The really rich have regularly expressed exuberance with outlandish birthday parties.
51. Michael Moore has always been showing up uninvited.
52. They never played the game of state license plates in the car.
53. They have always preferred going out in groups as opposed to dating.
54. There have always been live organ donors.
55. They have always had access to their own credit cards.
56. They have never put their money in a “Savings & Loan.”
57. Sara Lee has always made underwear.
58. Bad behavior has always been getting captured on amateur videos.
59. Disneyland has always been in Europe and Asia.
60. They never saw Bernard Shaw on CNN.
61. Beach volleyball has always been a recognized sport.
62. Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti have always been luxury cars of choice.
63. Television stations have never concluded the broadcast day with the national anthem.
64. LoJack transmitters have always been finding lost cars.
65. Diane Sawyer has always been live in Prime Time.
66. Dolphin-free canned tuna has always been on sale.
67. Disposable contact lenses have always been available.
68. “Outing” has always been a threat.
69. Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss has always been the perfect graduation gift.
70. They have always “dissed” what they don’t like.
71. The U.S. has always been studying global warming to confirm its existence.
72. Richard M. Daley has always been the Mayor of Chicago.
73. They grew up with virtual pets to feed, water, and play games with, lest they die.
74. Ringo Starr has always been clean and sober.
75. Professional athletes have always competed in the Olympics.

One of the many great things about the internet is the access to resources it provides – you can ‘google’ just about anything. We’ve put together a roundup of some of our favourite resources and tools for online marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimization, and search engine marketing. Some of these are well known, others are hidden gems. The list runs the gamut of basic to advanced knowledge, and is by no means comprehensive:

Online Marketing, SEO & SEM

• SEOMoz’s Toolbox - Everything to help with search engine optimization, including keyword research, website crawlability, competitive analysis, rank checking and keyword difficulty.
• SearchBliss – Some more fantastic tools plus a glossary of SEO terms defined, in case you’re new and haven’t learned all of the lingo.
• Link-Building Fundamentals – An excellent post on SEOWizardry’s blog (which is a great resource as a whole).
• SpyFu.com - Learn what keywords your competitors are buying for their paid search campaigns. Discover who’s getting the best search results for specific keywords.
• Google Keywords Tool – Want to know how many searches were done on a specific keyword last month? Want to know whether similar or related terms are searched more often? The Google Keywords Tool lets you search on specific terms and compare their popularity with other terms. It’s also useful for showing alternative terms you could consider using on your site.
• Google Webmaster Tools (visit) – The ultimate authority on how Google sees your site is — Google. Learn what the world’s most popular search engine sees when it visits your website. Discover who’s linking to your site, which search queries are bringing people to it, and more.
• Google Analytics – Discover the characteristics of people visiting your website, how they got there, what they look at once they arrive and where they are when they leave the site. Measure the results of your advertising efforts, and get the data you need to improve. For a tutorial on using Google Analytics, see Crash Course in Google Analytics.
• AboutUs.org – The Online Visibility Audit offers a quick, easy-to-understand snapshot of how search engines “see” a specific website’s home page. Covers basics such as the web page’s title, H1 heading, keywords and important tags, and offers tips on improving these to make a site more visible to search engines. Find the Online Visibility Audit at the bottom of each AboutUs.org domain page (for example, www.aboutus.org/AnyWebsite.com).
• Quirk SearchStatus – Download the free, unobtrusive SearchStatus tool for the Firefox or SeaMonkey web browser, and you can get information about any web page you’re visiting: its Google PageRank, keyword density, rankings at Alexa and Compete.com, SEOmoz rank and more. Try it out for every page on your website, and on your competitors’ sites.
• SEOQuake.com – An extension for Firefox, SEOQuake allows you view lots of information about a website, including how many pages different search engines have indexed, how it’s rated at Delicious and Technorati and more. Want to discover something about websites that SEOQuake hasn’t defined for you? Go ahead, set your own custom parameters.

Social Media & Online Community Management

• BrandYourself.com – They have a section for Social Media Marketing that has a wealth of valuable information on strategy, best practices and tools.
• BlogPulse - This is an excellent search engine for blogs. If you’re writing a post and want to refer to other bloggers that are industry experts on what you’re writing, here’s where you’ll find them. It also offers some great analytical data on popular keywords, blog post trending topics, etc.
• 30 Social Media Case Studies – A great post over at Penn Olsen’s blog, with 30 excellent case studies of businesses using and benefiting from social media.
• Threadsy – A tool that pulls together all your social media profiles and presences into one manageable dashboard.
• 170+ Must Have Tools for the Beginner Blogger – Over at EliteByDesign is a fantastic library of tools for blogging – from hosting, to setting up, to design and even optimization.
• The 39 Social Media Tools I’ll Use In One Day - A great round up and snapshot of the typical tools used for managing social media, written by Jay Baer on his blog, Convince and Convert.
• Evernote and Instapaper – These are both remote bookmarking sites. When you read something interesting, just use their bookmark on your toolbar and it’ll save the page (and any notes you want to include with it) so you can access later from anywhere.
• 100+ Blogging Ideas - If you write a blog, you’ve probably already experienced the dreaded writer’s block. Have a look at all these great suggestions.
• Wolfram Alpha - This is the future of search – and excellent if you need instant information.
• 8 Powerful Ways to Use Facebook Landing Tabs – An excellent post from Social Media Examiner.
• PostRank – Track your social media engagement

What are some of your favourite resources and tools?

With Twitter’s user base experiencing rapid, daily growth, it is important for social media marketers to have an appreciation of its demographic make-up.  The people at HubSpot recognized this and dedicated a good deal of time to conducting research on it.  Their findings? Although men have been on Twitter longer and hold more accounts- women have more influence.

Check the stats below, and feel free to tweet any that you find interesting: it may spark an interesting conversation with your tweeple!

Men vs. Women On Twitter

1) Men have an average of 643 followers on Twitter whereas women have 1717. [tweet]

2) Men follow an average of 287 users on Twitter – women 381. [tweet]

3) Men have Tweeted an average of 698 times – women 1542. [tweet]

4) Men have been on Twitter for an average of 502 days – women 496. [tweet]

5) There are over ten times as many men that have “verified” Twitter accounts as women. [tweet]

What I was most surprised by in looking at the data that despite there being many more men than women on Twitter, the average “Twitter tenure” is the same.  What do you think?

Note:  Though the sample size is relatively large at 200,000+ users — the data is currently skewed towards users in English-speaking countries.

What do you think about these stats? When you think about the people you follow and who stands out on your home feed as influential- are they male or female? How might this affect the marketing techniques you employ on Twitter?

One of the highlights of working at Curve Communications is the opportunity to work with a variety of not-for-profit and charitable causes. We pride ourselves on working with clients who contribute positively to their community and the world, and work with values similar to our own.

Goldfish Pacific Kitchen and Joe Fortes’ certainly live up to this description, and more. The restaurants – co-owned by Budd and Dotty Kanke – continuously contribute to the Vancouver community through their luxurious fundraising events that always combine culinary treasures with philanthropy! Check out our previous blog posts about Goldfish’s recent Summer Splash, or Joe Fortes’ Slurp & Swirl to find out more.

In addition to their special event fundraising, however, the co-owners have been working hard behind the scenes to further benefit the less fortunate in Vancouver. In particular, Dotty Kanke has been working closely with the Vancouver Native Health Society (which the money raised at Summer Splash went to). Not only will the society’s kitchen be renovated as a result of the restaurant’s fundraising, but once a month chefs from the premier restaurant will serve lunch to the local community there.

Unsurprisingly, the Kankes’ good work has been profiled in some of Vancouver’s most well-read publications including the Vancouver Sun and 24 Hours.

Curve Communications looks forward to continuing to work with Goldfish Pacific Kitchen and Joe Fortes’, not only to let even more Canadians know about the exquisite food and atmospheres of the restaurants, but to help raise further amounts for valuable community initiatives in the city.

Regular readers of the Curve blog will know that our team keeps continuously up-to-date with the latest developments, trends, and happenings in the social media world of Twitter.  As a PR and marketing company with a cutting edge social media department, it’s essential for us to understand and implement the most progressive changes in the technology industry. In the past we’ve brought you news about Twitter’s plans to introduce advertising to the service, and given advice as to how best to interact with your followers when you have some good news.

As such fans, it’s no surprise that we were particularly delighted to see Twitter’s new recruiting video that takes its cue from the 1998 cult-classic Rushmore, directed by the idolized Wes Anderson. This is a clever piece of advertising, not only because it gives a glimpse of a company full of ‘cool’ people in engaging environments (in a similar vein to Apple or Google and similar young tech companies), but because the theme is recognizable by those in the optimum age range for Twitter’s recruitment.

We suggest you enjoy the video before watching the original opening credits from Rushmore to see just how similar the two are.