Anyone who has attended a business meeting in the past decade has witnessed the word synergy being passed around the conference table like a collection basket at church. People just throw money at it. It’s one of those buzzwords that professionals rely on to sound informed, enlightened and compelling. It is also a word that represents a lucrative business strategy.

The savvy public is familiar with product placements and the idea of bundling multiple business resources and advertising assets to achieve a collective gravitational pull that people can’t resist. And that is exactly what Walgreens, the “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice,” Penn Jillet, Trace Adkins, Donald Trump and other business partners and celebrities are relying on to promote their causes: synergy.

And, if one is to go by social media chatter, it appears to be working. The collective sum of these disparate parts has the public going to Walgreens and testing which flavor they prefer, Jillet’s “Magic Swurtle” or Adkins’ “Maple Macadamia Mash Up.” Though the public may grow weary of contrived “reality” TV shows and stars such as Gary Busey (seriously though, how can you not watch that guy), it never seems to tire of charity and the way helping others makes people feel. And that’s a good thing.

Anyone out there try one of these ice cream flavors? Which do you prefer?

The public is evolving faster now than ever, and the public relations industry needs to keep pace. With the direct and instantaneous impact of digital technology and social media, the public receives information sooner, faster and in greater volume than it did mere years ago.

The public no longer religiously consumes the evening news, deposits checks during banking hours or eats according to the same routines. We’re simply different people than we used to be. These cultural shifts impact our behavior in many important ways, especially in regard to our eating habits and schedules. Breakfast isn’t just for breakfast anymore, thanks in part to the Egg McMuffin.

If you have ever heard a friend or family member say “McDonald’s should really serve breakfast all day” it is because the Egg McMuffin owns a space in our collective idea of breakfast that no other fast food product parallels. It’s the hamburger and fries of breakfast, and now it’s going to compete with those very products during afternoons and evenings.

Regardless of your personal opinions on the Egg McMuffin’s dietary limitations or the business practices of the McDonald’s empire, the brand’s recent decision to serve breakfast all day long makes sense. It’s been a customer favorite for 40 years.

Today’s public is dynamic, fluid and open to a new, 24/7-world that is no longer defined by the regiments of time zones. Global communications have erased the psychological boundaries and physical borders that once dictated our lives, so if you can hold a conference call via Skype with your Japanese clients at 2 AM, the idea of an Egg McMuffin at 4 PM doesn’t seem odd at all. Read more

RetailWeek: H&M Agrees to Bangladesh Safety Plan

The New York Times: Seth Meyers to Take over Jimmy Fallon’s Time Slot

Los Angeles Times: ABC to Offer Free Live Stream Via New App

Advertising Age: Oscar Meyer Escalates Hot Dog Wars with New Bacon Dog

Forbes: Public Flocks to ‘Great Gatsby’ on Opening Weekend

Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Allegedly Doesn’t Want Fat or Uncool Customers

Maker’s Mark Miracle: Best PR Disaster Ever Engineered

Mountain Dew Pulls ‘Racist’ Ad

Ad for Child-Abuse Hotline Uses Lenticular Printing to Send Children a Message

‘Great Gatsby’ Movie Promotions and Parties Capture Glamorous 1920s New York Lifestyle

It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday, but you already know that. We know that you know because you, like us, realize how important moms are to everything that is good in life.

In fact, Mother’s Day is so respected by our society that it’s one of the few holidays we haven’t savagely and unconscionably pimped out like a Las Vegas billboard. Do brands capitalize on Mother’s Day and leverage their marketing assets? Of course they do, and who can blame them. But let’s face it: Valentine’s Day is an abomination, Christmas is even worse—it’s an entire season of superficial marketing efforts—and you can’t even get through a President’s Day without someone trying to sell you a used car or mattress.

The public knows better than to reward brands that crassly attempt to exploit Mother’s Day. We don’t like it. There is something about using Mother’s Day to turn a profit that doesn’t sit well with the public. (Ok, Hallmark, you get a pass on this one.) Mother’s Day is a holiday we take personally. So that means any brands that dare to come near Mother’s Day must do so with reverence and a deft touch. Some do this better than others. We like the video above made by Google to honor moms across the globe. It’s touching and tactful. Well played, Google.

Any PR folks out there encounter outreach from brands that nailed it or were complete failures? Let us know.

And Happy Mother’s Day!

Advertising Age: BuzzFeed Trains Agencies in ‘Native Advertising’

The Washington Post: McDonald’s Drops Angus Third Pounder Burger from Menu

The New York Times: Google Reader to Disappear into the History Books

Chicago Tribune: YouTube Begins Paid Subscription Service with ‘Sesame Street’

Forbes: Microsoft Confronts Windows 8 Flop

The public is tired. We’re worn out. We’ve paid our dues and deserve a break. Year after year of scraping by, eating Ramen noodles and consoling our unemployed friends and loved ones has all led to this: The reward. The payback for hanging tough. The feeling of indulgence, if just for a little while.

Delta Airlines is here to help the public do exactly that. Yes, you read that correctly, a U.S.-based airline is stepping up to make customers actually feel good about air travel. The last time that happened passengers were actually living the Mad Men life and not watching it on AMC. Yes, it’s been quite a while since the public had a reason to smile about flying.

But now Delta, as evidenced by a $1.2 billion investment in Terminal 4 at New York’s JFK airport, is unveiling a new attitude toward industry operations, profitability and most importantly, customers. You and me. The public. Yes, Delta wants to be liked by us. After years of saturating the public with promises of low fares and no-frills travel experiences, Delta is investing in the public’s emerging need for a break from the tedium and madness of air travel.

The public has had enough of the long and cringe-worthy security lines, the worn carpets and tired terminal aesthetics, the cancelled flights and cattle-call explanations from overworked employees, and the predatory fees for carry-on baggage and schedule changes. We can have nice things when we fly. And we deserve them. Read more

Soccer isn’t very social. Plus, if you don’t like someone on the other team, you can do something about it. – Mia Hamm

M&C Saatchi PR will oversee the Cosmos’ much-anticipated gala on August 1, 2013, honoring the legendary soccer icon Pele and benefiting HELP USA.

M&C Saatchi PR pitched against a number of other agencies. SVP Sandra Carreon-John, along with Director Andrea Nirsimloo, will oversee strategy, outreach and execution for the Cosmos event, which is expected to draw luminaries from around the world.

Additional details on the Cosmos Gala to benefit HELP USA, including ways to purchase a table or tickets, will be announced soon. The NY Cosmos are a much-beloved franchise, renowned for stars, like Pele and Franz Beckenbauer. The 2013 team will take the field on August 3rd at Hofstra University.

It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it’s the grain of sand in your shoe. – Robert W. Service

Renowned Danish shoemaker ECCO has appointed Buffalo Communications its Lead Global PR Agency for ECCO Sport to grow international brand awareness and market share in the outdoor and running categories. Read more

Adweek: NBC Sets Premium Rate for Ads during ‘The Office’ Finale

Advertising Age: Coca-Cola Promises to Reduce Advertising to Children

Chicago Tribune: Fast Food Brands Fight for Budgeting Diners

The New York Times: Retail Clothing Surges to Forefront of Fair-Trade Movement

Business Insider: J.C. Penney Just Can’t Get Out of Its Own Way

PR industry experts are inundated with columns and advice about how clients should manage their personal brands. Much of that input is common sense: don’t get coked up and crash your Porsche, don’t beat your girlfriend and land in jail, don’t get drunk and start tweeting. Most of the public is able to avoid these situations. (Thanks, moms.)

Nevertheless, brands love spokespeople. Brands need spokespeople to provide that human element that connects with the complex psychology that is consumer behavior. From Donald Trump to Eva Longoria, personal branding is big business, and a dangerous one, because all humans are fallible. But if there were ever a control in the experiment of personal branding, it would be Tim Tebow. The guy is as clean as a bag of cotton balls.

In fact, Tim Tebow’s personal brand is so sterling that even without a job—he has yet to be picked up by an NFL team after being dropped by the New York Jets—his sponsors aren’t worried at all. ESPN, Nike, TiVo, FRS, Fox Sports and Jockey are all on board with whatever happens next in his career, even if it doesn’t include football. Those brands are even lining up to retain his services after he hangs up his cleats. That’s personal branding done well. But there is more to successful personal branding than avoiding mug shots and visiting children in the hospital.

There is authenticity. Tim Tebow lives according to the values he espouses regardless of what his handlers, agents and PR people do. Tim Tebow runs the Tim Tebow show (which is his life), and his fans adore him for it. In a parallel universe, Charlie Sheen fans feel the same way about his personal brand. For some reason, many PR experts struggle with this idea of authenticity. So do young celebrities like Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus; it’s hard to be authentic when you are still wrestling with who you are and the trappings of becoming an adult. Read more