digital marketing Archives

11 Jan 2017

Sticky Post By rockorange Posted in Blog Permalink

RockOrange Looks Back at the Highs and Highs of 2016

Sticky Post By rockorange On January 11, 2017

It’s finally here: 2017 has landed and those of us at RockOrange are filled with a renewed sense of hope, optimism and eager anticipation for what promises to be our biggest year yet!

But we aren’t exactly glad to see 2016 go—although a lot of people are. For us, it was a formative year. We capped off 2016 being named a Top Place to Work in PR by PRNews, which was a huge recognition (even though we’ve known it for years). We also won honors from Bulldog Reporter who awarded us Bronze in the category of ‘Best Use of Digital/Social for Cause/Advocacy/Corporate Social Responsibility’ for the digital work we executed on behalf of Miami’s Zoological Wildlife Foundation (ZWF) and from PR News, who awarded our campaign that launched the Thalia Sodi fashion line at Macy’s top spot in the ‘Facebook PR Campaign’ category in the publication’s annual Social Media Awards. We were also recognized as part of the team behind the award-winning McWhopper campaign at the 2016 Cannes Lions Festival.

Beyond the hardware, we bolstered our business last year by working with some inspiring new client partners, including launching Bloomin’ Brands Dine Rewards and the new American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora. We creatively introduced multiple Kitchen Aid products to Latin America, and elevated brands such as Red Robin Gourmet Burgers & Brews, Millennium Hotels & Resorts, Casa de Campo, Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen, Planet Fitness, XtendBarre and Capillus.

We’ve also expanded our scope of work with our friends over at Driven Brands, Maaco, Meineke and Restaurant Services International, and have continued our longstanding relationship with Burger King. These client partners, new and old, have put their faith in us, and we’re excited to continue our great work together.

What else were we up to in 2016? Oh, not much… Only opening our own 17,000 square foot creative campus in the heart of Little Havana!

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With a buzzing mezzanine chock full of hardworking RockStars, to the authentic Cuban coffee/espresso machine in our new cafeteria, to the impromptu creative sessions being held throughout our open-concept flexible floor plan, we finally feel like we are “at home”. So if you’re ever nearby, don’t hesitate to drop in!

And finally, what would a killer creative campus be without creatives to fill it? This year, we added a slew of new RockStars to the team, headlined by creative director Sam Rodriguez, who has already made his mark on the agency’s aesthetic and attitude. We also brought on marketing ninja Louise Finlay, digital guru Rafael Aguirre, accounts superstar Frances Ramos and editorial specialist Jessica Pereda. We also proudly promoted two of our RockStars-in-Training, Elise Rodriguez and Carolina Vigoya, to account positions.

All told, it was a year of challenges met and conquered for our powerhouse agency that seems to get bigger and work bolder every year. Our goal in 2017 is to continue to empower and evolve. We know that when our history is written, 2016 will be an important chapter. This is the start of a new chapter, wherein we are emboldened to do really big things for our awesome clients, to help drive their brands with innovative, fresh thinking, and together, help achieve their dreams.

We can’t wait to get started.

Happy New Year!

—RockOrange

31 Oct 2016

Sticky Post By rockorange Posted in Blog Permalink

The Holidays Are Coming and It’s Time to Up the (Digital) Ante

Sticky Post By rockorange On October 31, 2016

Today is Halloween which, as well as meaning I’m dressed as a skeleton in the office, means that there are only 54 days left to Christmas. And only 25 till Black Friday which, for brands, is the real start of the Holiday season.

Two facts that holiday marketers need to have top of mind at this point in time are that firstly, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF), 40 percent of consumers will have already started their holiday shopping by Halloween, and secondly, according to eMarketer, total retail holiday season sales this year will only increase 1.8 percent. That means this year, brand marketers must up the ante when it comes to their holiday marketing initiatives if they want to maximize share of wallet.

So how, especially this late in the game, can they do that?

Simply put, right now, brand marketers need to put all their efforts into fishing where there are fish. And by that we mean focus on digital. Your digital channels must be at the center of all your holiday marketing initiatives from this point on. Why? Because, almost half of holiday shopping (46 percent) will be done online and 21.4 percent of smartphone owners will use their device to purchase holiday merchandise this year, the highest seen since NRF first asked in 2011.

And when thinking about digital don’t limit your thinking to your website. Over half (55 percent) of respondents in a recent survey said a brand’s social media presence has at least some influence on their decision-making process when deciding where to buy during the holiday season and that Facebook and Pinterest influenced 69 percent of respondents for shopping ideas and inspiration.

Similarly email should be integrated into your communication efforts with eight in 10 consumers who sign up for a brands’ email will make a purchase based on what they receive in their inbox. In fact, brands who sent out two mailings in a day last holiday season saw an 88 percent increase in email revenue.

The best thing about a digital first approach is that you don’t have to blow your budget to make a significant impact. For example, last year RockOrange implemented an ‘on-a-shoestring’ digital campaign that saw online retailer Zappos own back-to-school. The integrated campaign earned a robust 8,189 online mentions, representing a 2.6% share of voice out of the total 2015 Zappos brand mentions of 314,016. You can find out more in this blog post – How to Make the Most of Limited Back-to-School Marketing Budgets.

How are you planning on using digital marketing this holiday season? Let us know in a comment.

10 Oct 2016

Sticky Post By rockorange Posted in Press Release Permalink

Bulldog Reporter Awards RockOrange Bronze for Miami Zoological Wildlife Foundation Digital Campaign

Sticky Post By rockorange On October 10, 2016

We’re thrilled to announce that RockOrange has been awarded Bronze in the category of ‘Best Use of Digital/Social for Cause/Advocacy/Corporate Social Responsibility’ for the digital work we executed on behalf of Miami’s Zoological Wildlife Foundation (ZWF) in this year’s Bulldog Reporter Digital/Social PR Awards.

RockOrange was hired as the Agency of Record by ZWF in 2015 to help the brand find its voice, increase brand awareness and drive visits to the property. Through a series of content-driven digital strategies, we helped ZWF increase its online presence increased by 343 percent. Website traffic increased by 63 percent and the brand’s social media following shot up 67 percent.

The increased digital presence and media coverage resulted in their ranking on TripAdvisor as the #5 Best Thing to Do in Miami, #9 Best Zoo in the World, and #4 Best Zoo in the U.S. Brand sentiment increased from 92 percent positive to 98 percent positive and brand negativity decreased 67 percent.

RockOrange’s bronze is one of 48 honors awarded to companies who have made amazing strides in the world of digital and social media public relations and communications. Bulldog’s Digital/Social awards were by working and award-winning journalists from a number of different media outlets including The Washington Post, USA Today and The Oregonian. Scoring for agencies is based on the following criteria: creativity and originality, strategic and tactical brilliance, breakthrough communications approaches and of course the results of all efforts.

15 Sep 2016

Sticky Post By rockorange Posted in Blog Permalink

A Wild Tale of Helping a Foundation Brand Find Its Voice

Sticky Post By rockorange On September 15, 2016

Miami has a not-so-well-kept secret that, for those who visit, is a unique, memorable and totally Instagrammable experience.

The Zoological Wildlife Foundation (ZWF Miami) is home to nearly 200 exotic animals including lions, leopards, camels, otters, baboons, monkeys, anteaters and more. The mission of the foundation is to provide a safe haven and better quality of life for these animals that come from all parts of the world and even at time have been rescued from at-risk situations, such as canned hunting.

ZWF raises funds to continue to provide a better way of life for the animals by offering tours and one-of-a-kind personal animal encounters for members of the public with a focus on educating visitors on wildlife conservation.

The Job

RockOrange was hired as the Agency of Record by the foundation in 2015 to help the brand find its voice, increase brand awareness and drive visits to the property.

RockOrange set out to launch a content driven omni-marketing campaign showcasing ZWF’s exceptional, upscale experience as well as their commitment to their animals.

The Fresh Ideas

We started by honing the brand’s voice. Focusing on the animals and their experience in the zoo, the goal was to showcase the commitment and respect ZWF has for their animals. This also provided the opportunity to keep the tone light and imbued with the animals’ fun personalities.

All digital properties, including the website, social channels, and user-review sites, such as Trip Advisor, were updated with the new voice, and an SEO campaign was launched that helped raise the client’s Google page ranking from one to three.

Snackable, shareable content in the form of photos, videos and blog posts was produced demonstrating the relationship between the animals and ZWF’s team and shared via a social media strategy with a focus on consistency.

Private tours and animal encounters were arranged with local and national influencers who were encouraged to amplify awareness of the foundation by sharing images and videos of their visits with their established social communities.

ZWF, its founders and brand ambassadors were weaved into the conversation by keeping a close eye on trends in wildlife conversation and a relationship was built with key media through media tours, FAMS and sharing of newsworthy content.

The Solid Results

ZWF’s online presence increased by 343 percent. Website traffic increased by 63 percent, the brand’s social media following shot up 67 percent and a 13.41 percent engagement with ZWF’s Facebook community was maintained.

The increased digital presence and media coverage resulted in their ranking on TripAdvisor as the #5 Best Thing to Do in Miami, #9 Best Zoo in the World, and #4 Best Zoo in the U.S. Brand sentiment increased from 92 percent positive to 98 percent positive and brand negativity decreased 67 percent.

ZWF was mentioned on Good Morning America, Today Show, Inside Edition, Associated Press, Reuters News Service, CBS Miami, USA Today, Yahoo!, The Miami Herald, NBC 6 in and thousands of other broadcast and internet publications.

Influencers including Kate Upton, Kourtney Kardashian, Jonathan Cheban, Adrienne and Chris Bosh, Adriana Lima, Lele Pons, and Dan Le Batard all visited the property and shared content on their social media channels.

Relationships were forged on behalf of ZWF with Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Gilt Groupe, St. Jude Research Hospital, South Florida Concierge Association, Amigos for Kids, HBO, and New York University.

Additionally, RockOrange secured the filming of HBO’s hit series Ballers, which stars celebrity Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Overall, the content driven approach proved successful in increasing revenue for the foundation by 217 percent in the first year of the campaign.

10 Aug 2016

Sticky Post By rockorange Posted in Blog Permalink

Snapchat or Instagram?

Sticky Post By rockorange On August 10, 2016

A few weeks ago we asked our RockStars – Why Snapchat? As reports came out stating that Snapchat was sitting second only to Facebook in the amount of time users spend in social apps beating out Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger among others it seemed that the newest social network on the block was unstoppable.

But now with Instagram launching it’s (look-a-like) ‘Instagram Stories’ feature, we asked our RockStars what they think the new feature means for Snapchat’s audience. Which social network will reign supreme when it comes to instantaneous storytelling?

Watch our video to find out what they had to say.

09 Aug 2016

Sticky Post By rockorange Posted in Blog Permalink

RockOrange Playlist: Creative Pulse

Sticky Post By rockorange On August 9, 2016

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Music is Power. Start off your day by switching gears in your creative thinking!

Research shows that listening to music you find pleasant can increase your productivity and boost your creative thoughts. Contrary to popular belief, listening to Mozart and Beethoven doesn’t always amount to an increased level of focus (unless, that’s your genre of preference). Instead, it’s all about finding a smooth tempo (between 60 to 80 bpm), and listening at a low to mid-level volume. The key is to listen to different genres of music to find out which one helps you increase your productivity.

We curated this playlist to help you find your creative pulse, so put on some headphones and get in your zone.

Rock on!

04 Aug 2016

Sticky Post By rockorange Posted in Blog Permalink

How Can Non-Sponsoring Brands Leverage the Olympics Using Social?

Sticky Post By rockorange On August 4, 2016

The 2016 Olympics are going to be consumed digitally with 64% of people planning to watch the Games on a mobile device, two-thirds likely to look for news on Facebook and Instagram and around 80 percent expected to check out relevant news feeds on Twitter.

Clearly the online audience generated by the Olympics is going to be huge. And brands are going to want to leverage the Games to reach that audience. But, according to a stern warning sent out by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), if you’re not an official sponsor you’re not allowed to use the official hashtags like #Rio2016 or #TeamUSA and you’re not allowed to post video of photos of the Games.

Now while that is going to be hard to police, non-sponsoring brands wanting to stay on the good side of the IOC need to find different ways to reach those consumers.

That’s why this week we’ve tapping our RockStars for their best backdoor marketing ideas as we ask – How can non-sponsoring brands leverage the Olympics using social?

02 Aug 2016

Sticky Post By rockorange Posted in Blog Permalink

How to Make the Most of Limited Back-to-School Marketing Budgets

Sticky Post By rockorange On August 2, 2016

Believe it or not, it’s not too late to start your Back-to-School (BTS) marketing. By August 13 last year, more than half (63 percent) of consumers had yet to complete their shopping, while in 2014 MasterCard research told us that August 29 was the heaviest shopping day of the BTS season. And you don’t need a huge budget to make your campaign a success. As long as you think digital-first, that is.

That’s what we did with online retail giant Zappos in 2015.

With a limited project budget, Zappos challenged RockOrange to build a compelling, memorable, effective back-to-school campaign that could be rolled out via digital and social media channels, showcasing the retailer’s collection of kids and young adult apparel and shoes.

The objectives of the campaign were to:

Increase existing customer visits to Zappos.com while increasing engagement and purchases for kids products.
Attract new customers by connecting the Zappos brand with key stakeholders and influencers.
Generate positive media coverage for the brand.

To achieve these objectives, we identified a number of influential bloggers in the spaces of fashion, parenting and shopping including The Fashion Poet, Mom Trends, Mom Blog Society and Shopping Mama among others who would be appropriate and receptive targets to be evangelists for the Zappos brand.

Once we’d analyzed the reach and influence of each blogger, we facilitated the publishing of a series of posts, including the PS Beauty Blog titled “Top 5 Fashion Trends For Kids,” that positioned Zappos as a destination for kids apparel and back-to-school shopping. Our top influencer blog post came in the form of an apparel unboxing video, garnering some 87,671 views.

Overall, we engaged with 20 influential bloggers and experts, forging brand-to-blog relationships and gaining placement or coverage throughout the blogosphere. And it worked. We owned back-to-school in 2015, earning a robust 8,189 mentions, representing a 2.6% share of voice out of the total 2015 Zappos brand mentions of 314,016. During this timeframe, we had activated content and outreach that catered to moms looking for back-to-school trends for their kids.

August was far and away the most active month with significant blogger participation around BTS. The Mama Maven contest for BTS accounted for 58% of total mentions around “Zappos” and “Back-to-School” in a two-day period. With active blogger outreach, we were able to feature Zappos products in a relatable way that provided product recommendations and suggestions.

The top performing Facebook posts and Pinterest pins were focused around shoes, specifically trendy sneakers and fall boots. These posts featured products that spoke to those who had an intent to purchase. The three top performing Facebook posts earned approximately 500 likes. The total potential impressions in 2015 (as of October 31) were almost one million impressions higher than those in 2014. The Back to School campaign made a significant impact with 14.8% of the overall Zappos conversation.

And beyond the number, social listening tools showed that the Zappos audience had a positive sentiment towards the brand and all BTS conversation with drivers such as love, great, thank, cool, etc thanks to the relatable, relevant content mix featuring real people, inspirational type photos and product shots.

So if you’ve not yet started, or launched your BTS campaigns remember these three things:

You don’t need a big budget to make a big impact,
Make sure your content is relevant to your target audience, and
Leverage digital as the quickest way to get your message to your target audience.

29 Jul 2016

Sticky Post By rockorange Posted in Blog Permalink

Tales of a RockStar Intern

Sticky Post By rockorange On July 29, 2016

By Nicole Cil

We’ve all heard stories of those horrible internships where you:

A) Do absolutely nothing

B) Get coffee for your boss/clean the dirty bathrooms

C) Never actually learn the tips and tricks of your particular field

D)Being referred to as “the intern”

E) Or, quite possibly, all of the above

I was finishing up my freshman year as a double major in public relations and modern languages at the University of Miami and started thinking about applying for internships. While I’ve heard these terrible, terrible tales about family and friends’ internships, I still decided to hand in my resume and hope for the best. Sure enough, shortly after sending over my resume, I got a call that I’d been accepted to join the RockStar internship program and that they would be expecting my arrival at the beginning of May.

My first day, I arrived at the agency promptly and was introduced to everyone. Right off the bat, I was included in a meeting and given a project to lead and complete within a week. Excited, I came home and told my family and friends all about my first day and how busy and interesting it was.

The next couple of days, weeks, and months were the same. My second week at RockOrange, they hosted a Team Building Event at one of our client’s super cool locations – Zoological Wildlife Foundation Miami – where we got to play with tiger cubs and find out about my teammates through some fun challenges. Tt was then that I thought this internship exceeded everything I had hoped to accomplish during my time here.

I got to really know everyone in the office and make friends. I wasn’t just “the intern,” I was Nicole and sometimes even “Coco.” RockOrange is a family, not just a company. I was included in meetings, e-mail threads, and important conversations. I was kept in the loop and always had something to do, which never happened to just be “clean the bathroom” or “go get me some coffee.” I learned more than I could imagine learning in just three-and-a-half short months. Though I had spent two semesters of studying public relations at the University of Miami, I learned the tricks of the trade very quickly here at RockOrange. Pitching, press releases, and media lists became daily tasks, not just a far away tale of something they taught us at school that we may or may not have to do when we actually enter the field of PR.

“Frances, people in PR actually use Gantt Charts?” I remember asking my immediate supervisor. “I had thought these were just things they have to teach us in school, I didn’t know they were actually useful.”

I felt so accomplished using my knowledge from my class and putting it to use here with an actual, real life client.

I’m very grateful to say that I had an excellent internship experience this summer. I’m sad to see my time come to an end at RockOrange, but I’ll always remember what I’ve learned here and the people I met here. I can’t wait to come visit again soon.

They say the view from the top is the best, but the view from the bottom can be pretty good too.

14 Jul 2016

Sticky Post By rockorange Posted in Blog Permalink

How Can Brands Capitalize on Pokémon GO?

Sticky Post By rockorange On July 14, 2016

The Pokémon GO craze is real. So far around 7.5 million people in the U.S. have downloaded the app and players are already spending more time with the game than they are on Snapchat, Twitter and even Facebook.

But what’s the opportunity for brand marketers and how can they capitalize on those highly engaged users who just gotta catch ‘em all? We asked our RockStars to share their thoughts.

Oh, and if you know where a Pikachu is let us know!

digital marketing

RockOrange Looks Back at the Highs and Highs of 2016

The Holidays Are Coming and It’s Time to Up the (Digital) Ante

Snapchat or Instagram?

RockOrange Playlist: Creative Pulse

Tales of a RockStar Intern

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