Marketing Minute — March 2024
Madness is the word of the month. And not just because of our favorite basketball tournament (Go Heels). So many events in March reinforced the need — and too often overlooked — core tenets of what we do: managing reputations. Whether proactive or reactive, promoting or protecting, a reputation must always be front and center. Tough to build, but easy to lose, reputation is built on transparency and authenticity. And so much of what we witnessed in March reinforced the need for partners who can help their clients see around corners.
As we wrap up the first quarter of 2024, here’s the March Marketing Minute.
1. Out With the Old, In With the New
Google changed its core algorithm yet again. Revisions were made to limit low-quality or unoriginal content being used to tip the scales of search rankings. This crackdown on automated content generation reinforces the need to continue to develop relevant, smart, original content. And a reminder that churning out unengaging, AI-driven repetitive content isn’t a recipe for findability. Quality > quantity.
2. Transparency is Queen
It’s not every day the Associated Press issues a “kill order.” Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, is the most recent offender. Whether or not she actually was the one to edit the image, little attention was paid to the inevitable canvassing of every pixel.
The Royal Family’s communications team should have seen the potential pitfalls then, worse, fumbled their response to this situation. Crises go from bad to worse when you’re not being truthful. A $25,720 investment in a communications assistant only reinforces the likelihood that further missteps are on the way.
3. The State of Journalism
MuckRack released its annual State of Journalism report, and one of the primary takeaways is that journalists value PR pros. More than 70% responded that they were “at least somewhat important” to their work. The other takeaway: you need strong, resourceful PR representatives to break through the noise. After all, half of all respondents said they receive at least six pitches each day, with 12: saying that they received 21 or more each day. Mining good stories, creating good, tailored pitches. Knowing your audience. Spraying and praying is, well, just that.
4. Social Disruption
There has been a lot of heated debate around the topic of social media this month. Facebook brought back the poke, X owner Elon Musk got into a tiff with former CNN anchor Don Lemon following a tense interview, and subsequently canceled the upcoming “Don Lemon Show.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis passed a social media bill barring accounts for children under 14. And the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill looking to remove TikTok from app stores nationwide unless it severs ties with its Chinese parent company, Bytedance. The EU may follow closely behind.
5. Spotlight on Women
Women’s History Month is the perfect time to recognize the increasing appetite for women’s sports. Local news channel NBC Sports Boston featured an all-female broadcast team during the Celtics vs. Pistons game. WNBA superstar, Sue Bird, stopped by SXSW to discuss “Togethxr,” a new media and commerce company designed to elevate women’s voices. Caitlin Clark became the all-time NCAA Division scorer for men’s and women’s basketball and has more than twice the name recognition of any other college basketball athletes — and four times the name recognition of the top men’s player. Of course, female athletes and broadcasters aren’t new, but momentum from their impact.
Chat with you in April.
