Instagram Has Helped Make Shopping Easier

If you are like me, you spend half of your days scrolling through your Instagram feed double tapping on different posts and watching funny videos or memes. Again if you are anything like me, we also follow way too many clothing brands and cosmetic companies that continuously post new items. When I first had Instagram, you would have to write down what the item was you were interested in and look it up separately on the internet. Now? You can just tap once on the post and a link pops up that you can click on and it will take you directly to the product page and website. How convenient is this?!

Being able to shop on Instagram makes it much easier for shoppers the buy items. Shoppers like me who have no will power when it comes to online shopping! It is also gives companies an opportunity to grow their brand awareness and open up areas for more revenue. If you are advertising the product you might as well sell the product in the same place right?

Instagram is still for watching fun videos and seeing cute posts of your friends, but branching out into a new area can be a big step in a new direction. What do you think social medias will do next to make shopping even easier for the consumer??

Written by LeAnn Frank - Intern at Rebecca Adele PR and Events

Covid-19 Effects on Businesses Worldwide

Covid-19 has caused chaos all throughout the world since it first appeared in late 2019. Now, over five months later, there are lasting effects that the novel corona virus has caused. Not looking at the virus itself, the corona virus has caused many businesses to stop operations and some to close for good. What can we do to help support these businesses that are closing due to the stay at home order and the fact that they do not fall under the essential business market?

Some of the ways we can help is by supporting our local businesses. Small, family owned businesses are especially hurting during these trying times. They have had to cut staff, move to curbside only pickup, and reduce store hours and operations to follow proper CDC guidelines. One way my family is helping our local businesses, is by ordering dinner to go at least once a week from a local restaurant around us that remains open for curbside ordering. If everyone bought a meal from a local restaurant once a week, it would significantly help these businesses out. We can also continue to donate goods to our healthcare workers on the front line. Donating masks, cleaning products, meals, etc. are just some ideas of donations. We're all in this together, so let's make it count!

On a positive note, covid-19 has caused greenhouse gas emissions and CO2 emissions to decline greatly due to the shutdown of factories worldwide. Will this last? Probably not. We are already seeing an increase within different areas and countries with factories and large companies opening back up for production and business. Hopefully, the economy will bounce back, taking into account the proper precautions to help keep greenhouse emissions to a minimum.

Written by: LeAnn Frank, Intern at Rebecca Adele PR & Events

What’s All the Excitement with Pokémon Go?

For the past few years, most avid social media users have gotten very good at multitasking. Walking down the street while checking Twitter, Facebook and Instagram is now a piece of cake because we know when to look up and around for people passing by. However, starting on July 6^th, people started walking around aimlessly and getting lost because they are trying to catch... Pokémon. Yes, you heard me, Pokémon.

Pokémon GO was developed by the company Niantic and published by The Pokémon Company as part of the Pokémon franchise. The game uses GPS and allows players to battle, capture and train virtual Pokémon who appear in the real world around them. Only an amazing 24 hours after its release, Pokémon GO topped the U.S. App Store's "Free” and “Top Grossing” charts.

However, the game has been receiving negative reactions and attention due to accidents and public annoyances related with it. Users of the app have reported falling, running into things, getting sunburned and even putting themselves at risk of car accidents while driving.

Even though there has been some negativity associated with the new game, most users are absolutely loving it. Not only are people that used to play “old school” Pokémon reliving their glory days, but younger users that are less familiar with the game are having fun with it, too! 

Unlike most social media platforms, Pokémon GO gets people off of their couches and into the real world. It is getting people to walk around their cities (even at obscure times of the night) where they might even meet other users out walking as well. Even if you still think the game sounds odd, download it and try it out! Just remember to watch where you’re walking (and maybe wear some elbow pads). Happy catching!

Written by Caitlin Homcy of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Pinterest Button Changes to Save

If you’re one of the 100 million active Pinterest users, there’s a chance you’re constantly switching between your work and your beloved Pinterest account, where you’re always noticing new outfit ideas, recipes and so much more! You also might have noticed something different in the last week: the iconic “Pin It” button that you’re always clicking on now says “Save.”

This red button is not only visible on Pinterest, but also on other websites, and allows users to pin content that they like, such as videos and photos, on boards for their followers to see. According to Pinterest’s product manager Steven Walling, more than half of Pinterest users are from outside of the U.S., so they are constantly working to make sure the website and app is easy for everyone to use. Unfortunately, the idea of “Pinning” photos and videos does not make sense in all languages around the world, so they decided to test a change with its users by swapping the “Pin It” button with a common word, “Save,” instead!

“We have a lot of love for out Pin It button, which has served us well for so long,” said Walling. “But the most important thing is for Pinterest to feel welcoming to everyone, and that’s why ultimately we went with the more understandable Save.”

After the change, Pinterest users have saved an astonishing 10% more with the button saying “Save” rather than “Pin It.” There are also now around 150 million “Save” buttons on the internet…definitely a successful change to celebrate!

Written by Caitlin Homcy of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Top Social Media Fails

What a wonderful tool social media can be for a company, when done right. When done wrong, it can leave a lot of heads shaking in disbelief. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have grown in popularity with companies of all sizes. It is now common to see social media managers who control the operations of these accounts. When a social media post takes a turn for the worst, we can’t help but wonder what was going on in the minds of these social media savvy pros. These top social media fails will make you scream, “Come on, what were you thinking!?”

US Airways Twitter Fail

US Airways took a different approach to, “the customer is always right” when they replied back to a customer’s complaint with a not-so-kid friendly picture. It's so bad, we don't even feel comfortable describing it, but if you really want to find it, a simple Google search will bring it up.

Many people have had a slip of their finger and accidently posted something that wasn’t meant for their followers. That is exactly what happened to the US Airways twitter, but instead of instantly removing the inappropriate graphic, the post stayed up for an hour before removal. An apology followed the removal, but that didn’t stop the tweet from going viral, making it very hard for the person behind the account to forget and move on from their mistake.

Now US Airways has merged with American Airlines and it is safe to say that their social media accounts are now in different hands. You are safe to follow them again!

IHOP’s social media strategy isn’t one to follow

This social media fail is a little different, because IHOP was well aware what was happening on their social media accounts. They clearly didn’t think about the reactions that could possibly come from mixing their social media strategy with 6^th grade humor. You all remember jokes like, “butter face” or simply insulting a women’s figure. That is what IHOP did, but instead of talking about an actual woman, they included a picture of pancakes. Many people still didn’t find that very funny.

These tweets stayed up for about an hour until a lot of criticism came tweeting IHOP’s way. These finally made the business think, “Hmm, maybe this wasn’t a very funny joke”.

You now have seen how social media can do some harm to a company when not done right. With social media having such a large presence in a brands identity, it is very important to double-check what it is about to be posted or in these cases, give it a triple-check.

Written by Mimi Rosenberg of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Social Media and its Impact on the Fashion Industry

Social media is changing the way the world does business, specifically in the fashion industry. Aside from the obvious, where we can buy an adorable pair of boots in our pajamas from home, its impact has a HUGE reach and impact on the consumer and industry today. 

In today's tech-age, designers have a huge advantage with social media to communicate with their target customers. Whether it's a quick Facebook post, or a tweet to massive amounts of followers, the impact is astounding! For the public, customers also love being able to see their favorite designers' new line as soon as it is out, something that couldn't be done before. From browsing through their website, to seeing their designs on Vogue.com, or their favorite fashion blog, the customer can give the designer immediate feedback through their social media outlets. What's great about social media, is instead of a top down society like what use to dominate the fashion industry, the average fashion blogger can now influence a designer, as much as his own team using through the simple use of social media outlets.

Another great aspect of social media, is designers can utilize the tool as a polling medium. Never before, designers can now get realtime feedback on their newest designs. This includes, but is not limited to pulling inspiration from customer feedback, street style, and bloggers. With the addition of visual sites like Facebook and Pinterest, inspiration is literally just a click away!

Another new trend is the impact that social media has on Fashion Week. By creating an open conversation online with designers and the public, this creates community involvement from celebrities to the cashier at the grocery store. Customers can see all the greatest designs straight from the runway through various mediums including bloggers and celebrities posting their favorite looks on their social media pages. New to the scene, even Snapchat stories. This popular medium even has a specific feed for fashion week coverage! 

In addition, to the typical social mediums, every fashion show during Fashion Week is also recorded and posted online. Many times these shows are also fed live and streamed into the designers' stores as the shows are happening!

With the world of technology constantly changing, social media will constantly be changing as well. This innovative industry goes hand-in-hand with the world of fashion, a fast forward, fast moving innovative industry in its own right. What better way to share that message then with an outlet that is just as innovative as the industry itself?!

Written by Sarah Orlando of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Kiss Me, I'm Irish! Okay, not really, but for one day I am!

Most people know St. Patrick’s Day as the weekend of green clothes and dark brews, but it is actually a religious celebration of the death of St. Valentine that has been celebrated for over 1,000 years. Even though this Christian holiday falls during Lent, restrictions on diet were lifted in celebration. People would dance, drink, and eat the day away.

St. Patrick’s Day weekend is home to countless parades and pub-crawls all over the world. For most the drinking starts early in the morning and the green beer and Guinness are free flowing throughout the day. We all know the dangers of drinking and driving, but what about those who don’t have a cool bar within walking distance? Do they have to miss out on all of the fun? The answer is NO! Invite over your friends and throw yourself an Irish celebration with a few of these easy ideas. 

Food

Other than traditional party favorites like wings, pizza, and burgers, the key ingredient to fun and festive food for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration is green food coloring. The next time you are at the grocery store, stop by the baking aisle and pick up some food coloring. Food coloring can be added to just about any recipe to at a little whimsy to your meals. 

To prepare for a long day of celebrating, it is important to have a good breakfast. Try adding food coloring to pancake batter for some green half dollar stacks! This is a big hit for both kids and adults.

You can continue the theme all day, adding in a little bit of your green food coloring to snacks like cookies, Rice Krispy treats, cupcakes, and chocolate covered pretzels.  

For a healthier option, consider slicing up some kiwi and celery for the food table.  You can also set out a bowl of green grapes for people to munch on.

Decorations

Decorations are a really simple way to set a theme for your party. In the case of St. Patrick’s Day, a great resource for decorations is your local dollar store. It is often overlooked for more expensive places like Party City, but for a one day per year event, your local dollar store is a great place to go!

Green party streamers, metallic shamrocks, St. Patrick’s Day bunting, and flags are all easy to hang around your living room. The dollar store is also a great place to find St. Patrick’s Day party favors to hand out to your guests!

Activities

One of the best parties I ever went to had a photo booth with silly costumes you could dress up in and get your picture taken. Professional photo booths cost hundreds of dollars to rent for a party, but you can create your own at your house for a fraction of the cost!

First, decorate one of your walls with green streamers, tinsel, or confetti. Next you can place fun glasses and hats you found at the dollar store on a table outside of the shot for people to dress up. You can set up your camera on a tripod, or designate someone as the photographer for a few hours. You can then upload the photos on a slideshow and email them to all of your party attendees a few days later!

One other fun idea for a party would be to set up a mixed drinks station with green themed mixers. Whether it’s mint liqueur, lime juice, or Sour Apple Schnapps, creating your own drinks can be really fun! It’s also a good alternative for your guests who aren’t fond of beer.