The power of suggestion is alive and well on the Internet. A new survey offers some level of legitimate proof that “likes” on social media platforms such as Facebook do, in fact, encourage more “likes.” The same can’t be said for “dislikes.”

It appears haters just do not have the same digital clout as positive people. And that’s probably a good thing. We all know some people like to rant online when in a foul mood. Others just have terrible attitudes every day of their lives—and the Internet has been their dumping grounds for far too long. It appears the public is well aware of this, and that has to make us feel good about being in public relations. We’ve known all along that deep inside the public is all about good mojo. Read more

Yahoo hired CEO Marissa Meyer to lead the company into a brave new world of changing technologies and evolving consumer habits—all during a prolonged and crippling global recession. So the public wants her, and the company, to do well. We just do. These have been tough times, and we’re all in the mood for a success story.

However, most the news the public has heard about Yahoo’s resurrection have been on relatively unimpressive issues such as not allowing Yahoo employees to telecommute. For many in the public, Yahoo’s next move had to be substantive, innovative and sweeping in scope. A prolonged and much ballyhooed logo change just doesn’t cut it. Sorry Yahoo.

Yes, as PR experts we understand how critical logos are and how obsessed people in our industry can be about logos, but the truth is logos by themselves are just that: logos, symbols of values and belief systems. Without penetrating and dramatic internal changes, Yahoo—which hasn’t changed its logo since the company was founded 18 years ago—is simply hoping the public will believe in the power of suggestion. Read more

Google is being criticized by the attorneys general of Oklahoma and Nebraska for allegedly profiting from ads associated with YouTube videos that promote illicit activities.

Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt sent a letter (PDF) to Google general counsel Kent Walker, asking him how much money the company generates from ads related to illegal sales of prescription drugs and counterfeit merchandise, and requesting detailed information as to the steps it is taking to curb the practice.

The letter reads in part: “As we understand the process, video producers are asked prior to posting whether they will allow YouTube to host advertising with the video and, for those who consent, the advertising revenue is shared between the producer and Google. While this practice itself is not troubling, we were disappointed to learn that many such monetized videos posted to YouTube depict or even promote dangerous or illegal activities.”

Specific examples given in the letter include ads for “pharmacies” that promote the illegal sale of drugs like oxycontin and percocet without a prescription, videos providing how-to guidelines for the forging of drivers licenses and passports, and videos promoting the sale of counterfeit merchandise.

“Not only are the activities depicted or promoted in the above-described videos illegal in and of themselves, but in the case of document forgery,” the letter states, “the how-to guide could be instrumental in the commission of other crimes ranging from under-age drinking to acts of terrorism.”

The letter asks that Google respond within 30 days with detailed information about the monetization of such ads, and warns that although both attorneys general hope to work collaboratively with the web giant to find a mutually agreeable solution, they “take these issues very seriously, and are prepared to take appropriate action to safeguard [their] citizens.” Read more

Think all moms can be lumped into a “mommy category” when it comes to marketing demographics? Think that young mothers are too busy balancing home-life, career and baby to interact with people (and brands) on social media? On both counts, you’d better think again.

New research done by Weber Shandwick shows that “Millennial Moms” (mothers born between 1978 and 1994) are both highly connected and highly influential on social media, and yet marketers have thus far failed to fully tap into this potentially potent demographic.

These women, who account for 22 percent of North American mothers, use an average of 3.4 social media accounts, compared to 2.6 by other moms. They also spend 17.4 hours per week on social networks, which is four more than mothers of other generations, the study says.

Millennial Moms are also more likely to share information about goods and services, and do so both digitally and offline. Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of Millennial Moms say they are sought out more often than other friends for advice on a wide range of topics. They are also more likely than the average mom to provide recommendations online. In an average month, Millennial Moms “like” or recommend products or services online 10.4 times, while the average mom only does so 7.7 times.

“Because Millennial moms are digital natives and grew up with the Internet more so than older generations, they have become accustomed to sharing more,” said Liz Rizzo, SVP at Weber and a lead developer on the research. And yet, despite their potential power, Rizzo also pointed out that this group of women — of which there are 9 million in North America — feels “overlooked by marketers.” Read more

By now you’ve likely seen the musical, pseudo-philosophical, and now-viral three-minute video announcing Samsung‘s new partnership with Jay-Z, which first aired during the 2013 NBA Finals Game 5. The deal, which cost Samsung $5 million, allows the first million Galaxy and Note mobile device-users who download the corresponding app to access the rapper’s latest album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, for free, three days before the record drops on July 4.

At first glance, the $5 million price tag may seem like a major marketing risk, especially considering that promotions like this don’t usually generate a major sales increase due to the fact that most cell phone users are locked into two-year contracts. Factor in the unthinkable possibility that not every Samsung user is also necessarily an avid Jay-Z fan, and one might wonder whether the tech company could possibly see a decent return on its investment.

But if we instead assume that the goal of this collaboration is media attention and visibility for the brand, rather than a spike in sales, the idea suddenly appears like a match made in marketing heaven. Read more

In case you weren’t aware that Myspace does actually exist outside the nostalgic realm of late 90′s pre-teendom (because we weren’t), the reinvented social media site has launched a $20 million campaign to enlighten you.

The reincarnated Myspace, owned in part by Mr. Suit and Tie himself — Justin Timberlake, is now a fully operational social discovery service for musicians, artists, and other creatives, and is celebrating its relaunch with a new iPhone app, radio and digital advertising, and its first-ever TV commercials.

You can watch the full 90-second spot below, shortened versions of which began airing on channels like Comedy Central, MTV and ESPN last night. Myspace owner Specific Media, which developed the commercial, is also having the celebrities who appear in the ad distribute the video via their social feeds. Though Timberlake does not appear in the ad, the spot features plenty of fresh-faced and excited young artists to grab your attention, including Pharrell, Ciara, Mac Miller, Riff Raff, Erin Wasson and Chance The Rapper.

Relaunching a long-out-of-favor brand is always complicated and risky, and while it is far too soon to tell whether the new Myspace will succeed, we think having J.T. at the helm is at the very least a good omen — if anyone can lead the transition from 90′s relic to current success, we’d put our money on Timberlake.

Facebook has vowed to take action after feminist activists — upset about Facebook’s failure to ban and/or remove misogynous content from its site — sent more than 5,000 e-mails to Facebook’s advertisers and garnered more than 60,000 posts on Twitter, prompting advertisers like Nissan to say that they would withdraw advertising from the site.

Although women’s groups have complained to Facebook about misogynous content in the past, the issue heated up least week when a collective led by Women, Action and the Media; Laura Bates of the Everyday Sexism Project; and Soraya Chemaly, a writer and activist, published an open letter asking Facebook executives to “ban gender-based hate speech on your site.” The letter cited Facebook pages with names like “Violently Raping Your Friend Just for Laughs”, “Kicking your Girlfriend in the Fanny because she won’t make you a Sandwich,” and other pages that featured graphic descriptions and imagery of women being abused.

In what could prove an industry-wide reminder of the power of advertisers (which actually demonstrates the power of consumers), over a dozen of the companies contacted by the activists — including automotive giant Nissan — agreed to pull their ads from Facebook until appropriate action was taken to rectify the situation. David Reuter, a spokesman for Nissan, said on Tuesday that his company has stopped all Nissan advertising on Facebook until it can be sure its ads will not appear on pages with offensive content.

“We thought that advertisers would be the most effective way of getting Facebook’s attention,” said Jaclyn Friedman, the executive director of Women, Action and the Media. “We had no idea that it would blow up this big. I think people have been frustrated with this issue for so long and feeling like that had no way for Facebook to pay attention to them. As consumers we do have a lot of power.”

In response to the upheaval, Facebook published a blog post on Tuesday, admitting its own shortcomings and laying out a plan for improvement. The post read in part:

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New Yorkers have often heard about Mayor Michael Bloomberg traveling domestically and overseas to meet with city leaders to compare notes on urban innovation projects. On Monday during the first day of Internet Week, representatives from a dozen cities around the globe, including New York, convened on the Mayor’s home turf.

The officials appeared at the symposium to describe their initiatives for improving their residents’ lives using digital technology. These represent quality of life and business issues rather than the most pressing urban problems. Each speaker was allotted only ninety seconds, so here’s a brief snapshot:

New York City: Last year the Big Apple launched its Made in NY website to promote local entrepreneurship. Since then they’ve expanded the effort with increased access to workspaces, partnerships with academic institutions as well as other programs and competitions to assist startups.

Boston: launched its Street Bump app, a citizen enabled sensing device for potholes. This project was introduced following extensive road construction, including the Big Dig tunnel project that lasted several years and took its toll on locals’ automobiles.

Philadelphia: The PHL program is a social enterprise partnership with funding from Michael Bloomberg. The civic challenge asks entrepreneurs to identify, select and pilot new programs that solve a host of local issues.

Chicago: Mayor Emmanuel’s ‘Broadband Challenge’ is aimed at improving the city’s fiber network by offering free wi-fi and low cost connectivity. The process even involved updating the sewer network infrastructure.

Quebec City: The Canadian city has its own social network and also has the capability for residents to send personal text messages to help with snow removal. That way they don’t ended up stranded in their cars during snowstorms.

Ottawa: The Canadian city encourages citizen engagement and government transparency. Through an open source website, the public has access to all data. The Apps4 Ottawa open data contest rewards developers who create the most valuable uses and visualizations of the open source data.

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Amtrak has had an uneasy relationship with the American public. Anyone who has ever traveled in countries with high-speed trains such as the Shinkansen in Japan knows that trains are capable of so much more than what is offered in the United States. And though there are plenty of technical excuses and political complexities to explain this national underachievement, the truth is at some point the public simply became apathetic about Amtrak.

To quote a generation: Whatever. We’d given up on trains. Trains were inefficient and clunky, but also the best option for people who wanted something more upscale than a bus but not as cost prohibitive as air travel. Train travel was the purgatory of movement. It’s where people ended up who didn’t commit to any other means of transportation. Then something happened.

Air travel became increasingly exasperating as perplexing security measures, delayed flights, lost luggage, hidden fees and overworked employees became the face of air travel. Airports were places where one could inadvertently end up for the weekend, and on the local news holding a cot. Rising fuel prices also conspired against travel by car, and snarling traffic around major hubs could delay travel plans for hours. And then came Wi-Fi. Glory. Glory. Read more

“Social listening” — the practice of brands tuning in to what customers are saying to them and about them on social media — is a hot topic, and we’ve talked a lot about the increasing importance of brand responsiveness. While many companies are working to increase and improve their ability to address consumer questions, comments, and concerns via networks like Twitter, some brands are already way ahead of the pack when it comes to engaging their digital followers, and have made great strides of late.

According to Socialbakers, which has been measuring brand responsiveness on Twitter since the fourth quarter of 2012, companies in the finance, airline, and telecom industries dominate the Twitterverse with respect to effective and quick responses (we wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that these industries often make us want to tear our hair out, and therefore have much to gain by providing excellent customer care). While the latest stats prove that these businesses continue to lead the charge, some under-performing industries like retail have recently shown notable improvement.

In fact, every industry studied has shown at least some improvement in their Twitter response rates, demonstrating that brands are recognizing the importance of social media interactions.

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