From Angels and Motown to Grandma and Some Reckless Reindeer

Posted on 24. Nov, 2011 by

If you have ever been put on hold for any amount of time, you may have noticed that there are random songs that are played. From time to time, we ask the associates what their favorite tune is at that time, and then we load up the iPod and hook it up to the phone system. This year for the holidays, we figured we would change up the tunes once again. Here’s what you’ll hear if you are on hold and why that song was chosen:

Elizabeth Hagwood, Account Executive – DIFFICULT.  My favorite holiday songs are “serious” according to Alicia, like “O Holy Night” and “Angels We Have Heard On High” (both by Josh Groban – the JG version of Angels We Have Heard On High is SO GOOD with Brian McKnight) because they were always may favorite carols to play on the piano (nerd alert – I played for 9 years), and were always played at midnight services – which I prefer much more over Christmas morning mass/service.

Josh Groban’s “Believe” is a good one too – from Polar Express.  It’s a book we grew up with, turned into a great movie (what movie with Tom Hanks isn’t good?) and it has a good message behind it – “believe in what your heart is saying”.

Ken Liatsos, Partner – I don’t really listen to holiday music, but when I do it tends to be classical. I choose Handel’s Messiah – Halleluiah Chorus. This is just such a classic.

Alicia DeMartini, Account Executive – For my favorite holiday song, I’d say “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” by Elvis Presley. My mom has had this CD for as long as I can remember (Elvis’ Christmas album), and above all the rest, I remember this song being played during the holiday season as we decorated the tree, wrapped presents, opened presents, etc. – and true to its lyrics, it simply reminds me of being home!

Michael Joseph, Assistant Account Executive  – My favorite holiday song is “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” by John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir.  I like this song because rather than focusing on Santa or presents, it is all about kindness and peace while looking ahead to a new year.

Kristena Morse, Account Executive – “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Michael Bublé is my favorite holiday song. No special reason, really. For as long as I can remember, this has been a favorite of mine. And I LOVE Michael Bublé. :)

Tom Kupfer, Account Supervisor – “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” always takes me back to my childhood whenever I hear it. It conjures up memories of decorating my house for Christmas when I was little. And the age-old question still remains unanswered – “Should they open up Grandma’s presents or send them back?”

Julia Lyon, Assistant Account Executive – My favorite holiday song is Stevie Wonder’s “What Christmas Means to Me”. Motown music is a favorite of my mom’s so listening to Stevie Wonder’s Christmas songs have awesome memories, not to mention that this song practically forces you to dance.

Nicole Ravlin, Partner – I love old holiday songs, like Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Burl Ives and Nat King Cole. These guys remind me of baking cookies and cooking for holidays with my mom. She always had the radio on and would hum or sing under her breath as she worked in the kitchen. If I can only choose one, it would with out a doubt be “Ave Maria”. Such a classic. BUT – in the interest of this playlist, I choose “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams – it is, after all, the hap-happiest season of all with marshmallows for toasting and all that jazz, no matter what you celebrate!

Oh – and if you love what we’re spinning, leave a comment below letting us know what your favorite holiday song is and why. We’ll choose one at random and send you an iTunes gift card with our tunes – and yours by December 15.

Happy holidays from all of us at PMG!

Don’t Let Your Brand Go Dark

Posted on 23. Dec, 2010 by

Heading out of the office for the holidays? Have you planned for your social channels to still have something happening?

You should have. Even though you are not working, your customers are still engaging online and with your brand. If you do not have a community manager watching the channels and engaging with your communities (which is the ideal), you may still want to have posts happening while you are out of the office. Here’s three simple things you can do to maintain in your absence:

  1. Set up auto-tweets using socialoomph. Here, you set it and forget it. You can write/craft your tweet and then choose a date and time you want it to tweet out. It appears as if you are tweeting from the Twitter website. Socialoomph also lets you manage multiple twitter accounts from one dashboard. I have found it to be very reliable. It is free, though with the upgrade to professional, you have MUCH more functionality – including timing Facebook status updates.
  2. Don’t forget about your blog! Most blogs have a “publish later” feature which allows you to set a date and time for a post to be published in the future. This is a great feature to use for those of us who have some blogs written and squirreled away (ha! – this is NOT me!!). If you are scrambling to think about what to post, consider posting a year in review listing the top five highlights or lessons learned in your business. And in preparation of the new year, maybe you want to share your hopes for your business or industry to be published on 1/1/11.
  3. Post a “happy holidays” message on Facebook before you leave. You might want to consider letting your fans know that the team is taking some time off and will return. Perhaps you can ask what THEY are most looking forward to in the new year, or make a prediction about your business or product.

When you return to the office, you should do the following to catch up:

  1. Respond to all posts on Facebook from fans.
  2. Respond to those who tweeted at you/the brand while you were away.
  3. Answer and/or respond to comments on your blog.
  4. Visit socialmention and see who has been talking about your brand and/or products. Post accordingly.

Most of all, enjoy your time off!

In the Spirit of Giving

Posted on 02. Dec, 2010 by

‘Tis the season, right? Holiday deals flood your email box. Non-profit year end solicitations come in the mail with return envelopes. Red kettles can be seen at many turns accompanied by people ringing bells. It is the season of giving, sharing, and spending.

I have heard it a few times from friends and acquaintances this year: money and time is tight, how can I give more? It certainly is a question that I wrestle with.

I think that we often lose sight that many things we can give to and share with others does not have to cost a lot of time or take much, or any money. I was recently moved by a woman I saw who stopped at an off ramp of the highway to deliver a man some coffee and a bagel. The man was holding a sign saying that “Will work for small money. Times are tough.” Though I am not advising people to approach strangers, I do think that exhibiting this sort of kindness in these times, during this season, is essential.

In addition to the regular donations that my family will make this month, here’s three things I am going to try and do in the next few weeks:

1. Bake extra cookies or holiday treats of some sort and deliver to a few people I know who are down on their luck.
2. Call the nursing home down the road and see if there is anyone there without family and go visit them.
3. Cleaning, packaging and then donating some toys of my sons that are in amazing condition (some are new, and never played with) to a few local charities who help children and families. (woman’s shelters, Ronald McDonald House, homeless shelters are all good places to start)

Sure, these efforts are not going to move mountains, but they will have some small impact. And if I am not alone in my efforts (which I know I will not be!), then together we can give that mountain a good, hard nudge.

If you can do just three acts of kindness for someone less fortunate between now and December 31, 2010 what will you do?

And if you have just a few dollars that you want to donate, please consider donating to Spectrum. They are trying to raise $1,500 so that all of the children in their program wake up on Christmas morning to one gift. I think together that is one mountain we can move.