Access Communications

Intuit Sings a New Tune: Tommy Silk and The Jingle Generator

Web 2.0 has quickly ushered in PR 2.0, challenging PR practitioners to re-evaluate how we communicate with all of our clients' constituencies. While traditional PR tools are well known, the technologies and tools of social media are evolving and changing daily, enabling us to create campaigns that are unique, irreverent, and most importantly, non-formulaic.

Access client Intuit has been an early corporate proponent of the value and impact of PR 2.0. They tasked us with helping them develop a social media campaign to drive awareness for the company's Quickbooks Accounting software with younger demographics who get most of their news, information and third party validation from online sources. Access' dedicated Web 2.0 team worked with our Intuit Small Business account team to clearly define program objectives, target audience, influencer channels and expected outcomes, to ensure unimpeachable credibility and maximum ROI.

The collaborative effort gave birth to "The Jingle Generator" – a fun, interactive web experience where a fictional character (legendary rock producer Tommy Silk) "produces" free jingles for small businesses. The jingle was generated on top of a music bed to the song "Your Love" by The Outfield ("I don't wanna lose your love toniiight"), with lyrics customizable for 20 different business types. Users could customize the jingles to play business name, address, etc (e.g. if you are a restaurant owner, the jingle would sing, "I just wanna make your food toniiight…" – including your restaurant’s name and address).

The Access team leveraged the humor of this satiric interactive video with a tongue-in-cheek PR campaign strongly leveraging key, relevant social media and networking vehicles. The team first introduced Tommy via a clever series of tweets on Twitter and followed that with personalized messages from Tommy for the media, commercials and jingles on YouTube, a Tommy Silk Fan Page and profiles on Facebook and MySpace.

The campaign was successful because it harnessed the power of social media networks to grab the attention of a Generation Y audience that wasn't yet fully aware of Intuit and its products. This audience makes up the fastest growing demographic of small business owners (Intuit's lifeblood) and relies heavily on peer networks to help validate ideas and make decisions.

The efforts drove heavy awareness of Intuit's QuickBooks brand, generating over 150 media stories over the course of a few months on big hitting blogs such as USA Today's Pop Candy, LA Times 2.0 Blog, and GigaOm. In addition, social networking efforts created huge word-of-mouth buzz, driving traffic to the Jingle Generator website to spark additional media stories.

PayPal: Can’t Buy Me Love

Access client PayPal tasked us with a big challenge: help position the company as more than just an eBay payment method, introduce the company to consumer media and bring the PayPal brand to top-of-mind with consumers. PayPal was looking to infiltrate the consumer market to increase off-eBay brand recognition, eliminate negative connotation associated with the brand and educate consumers on PayPal’s value proposition. With no real news expected for Q1, Access had to be creative and generate a campaign that would make online payments compelling and consumer media worthy. Access researched and evaluated seasonal and industry trends around the Q1 timeframe.

With Valentine’s Day approaching, PayPal developed a “Can’t Buy Me Love” survey utilizing a third party spokesperson with expertise in couples and financial management. Access coordinated the execution of the survey, worked closely with spokesperson Carmen Wong Ulrich to develop messaging and compiled the results to reach a wide net of consumer and personal finance reporters.

A month before Valentine’s Day, Access sent personal finance reporters details on what statistics and information the “Can’t Buy Me Love” survey would net. In addition, Access went out to long lead women’s magazines in New York and booked a media tour to talk about couples and financial management. As it got closer to February 14th, Access worked with Carmen to develop tips on how to effectively manage online spending, incorporating the survey tips and plugging PayPal. All this information was then pushed out to hundreds of personal finance reporters and long lead magazines whom PayPal briefed on tour.

Google: Gaining mindshare, traction and results in a new space

When Access first started working with Google in 2006, the firm was asked to build a communications plan to support a new initiative to engage more small business advertisers. To accomplish this we needed to position Google as having expertise in small business marketing, establishing the intimacy and comfort essential to earning the trust of the small business community. The plan was simple but highly effective: Access media-trained and then scheduled a New York media tour for executives from Google’s online sales organization, highlighted by a visit with Fortune Small Business. It was there that we seeded the concept of Google’s participation in FSB’s monthly small business makeover stories. After nearly a year of consistent follow-up with the reporter, brainstorming around who would be the most objective, impactful and informative marketing expert within the organization and then media training the selected Google business consultant, the result was high profile inclusion in this cover story, featuring an in-depth look at the consultant’s counsel with a Reno small business.

Acting Fast to Catch a Breaking News Story

When Access client CREDO Mobile informed us that they would be helping organize protests in San Francisco during the Olympic torch procession, time was in short supply. The Access team determined that CREDO’s participation in the event would yield a great opportunity to further position the company as an expert in supporting action-oriented social causes. Our goal was simple – land an interview for a CREDO executive on broadcast television to discuss CREDO’s vision. Given all the noise surrounding the torch procession, we knew it wouldn’t be easy.

The Access team developed a targeted pitch to local media outlets. We then hit the phones to garner interest among the Bay Area’s broadcast outlets in interviewing CREDO’s political director, Becky Bond. We piqued the interest of KGO (ABC-7) veteran reporter David Louie by pitching him on a broader story about corporate social responsibility (CSR).

We persuaded David to come to CREDO Mobile’s headquarters and interview Becky about the company’s actions surrounding the Olympic Torch protest as well as all the other efforts CREDO undertakes as one of the country’s most socially responsible brands. Becky eloquently explained the company’s actions regarding the protest and told the story of CREDO’s founding principles and progressive political agenda.

Just hours later, Becky’s interview aired on ABC 7’s Evening News, with CREDO branded posters and signs abundantly noticeable throughout the story’s duration. The coverage provided tremendous positive visibility for the client and the Access team proved that, once again, composure and poise under pressure can lead to great results.