VirginiaMiddleton.ca

  • Contact Me
  • Hobbies
  • Publicity
  • Who am I?

Category Archives: Marketing

Mommy Musing Monday – There’s an ad for that

Posted on July 15, 2013 Posted in 2013, Baby, Facebook, Marketing, Miranda, Musing Monday, Parenting, Social Media .

 

Dear Facebook,

I get that your purpose is not to connect me with friends, family and long lost high school classmates.

No, no, your purpose is to sell advertising. You get money for ads that are created by companies who want to reach select target markets. This all happens on a social media platform that’s free of charge and I can access it 24/7 on lots of different types of technology.

It’s key to remember that you get what you pay for and if you haven’t paid for something, then you’re not really the important person in the relationship/business arrangement.

I understand, I really do. But it still bugs me when I see advertising like this…

    Way to play on a woman's self esteem Facebook!

Way to play on a woman’s self esteem Facebook!

It’s bad enough when there are Hollywood stars who have personal trainers and mounds and mounds of money so that they can afford to have the pounds melt away.

And even if a woman has a great metabolism, losing weight and getting back into your pre-pregnancy form isn’t always easy. You may have stretch marks, or some extra jiggily parts… but that’s OK, it’s all part of pregnancy and you shouldn’t worry about it.

Heck, there’s pressure enough to be the prefect mother and just getting a shower every few days can seem like a challenge (especially in those first few weeks!).

I don’t want to throw stones from my own glass house either. At the end of April, I returned to Weight Watchers (WW). I became a lifetime member back in 2009. I loved attending the meetings and found it to be a program that encouraged me to eat healthier and to exercise and move more at they’ll say in WW speak. I’ve lost almost 20 lbs, I’m really proud of my progress so far and I’ll write more about it later.

As a marketing and communications professional, I understand the drive behind advertising. But it doesn’t mean I have to like the approach that is sometime involved. So I’ll say what I’m thinking, “Not cool Facebook. Not cool at all.”

I’m on Facebook so that I can keep in touch with friends, family and even some professional contacts that have become friends whom I want to share more than the odd random interaction with every few months. I like to read the latest location and national news. I enjoy seeing photos of someone’s adorable dog, their vacation photos, or a cute child that deserves to have someone click the like button.

It’s too bad those advertising bots and their fancy algorithms can’t read this post to help refocus their ads for me.

At the end of the day, it’s nothing personal; it’s just business. But it still as frustrating as hell.

And that’s my rant for the week. ;)

Mommy freebies – Similac Mom and baby options

Posted on February 18, 2013 Posted in 2013, Baby, Marketing, Parenting, PR, Products .

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve signed away my soul to receive some free products as a soon-to-be mom.

Way back in September, I had something arrive from Similac Club.

20120924_214148.jpg

Continue reading →

Canadian Dance Moves [Video]

Posted on September 29, 2012 Posted in 2012, Marketing, Ontario, Random, Silly, Social Media, Toronto .

While I love sharing and posting videos, comics and interesting links on Facebook and Twitter, eventually those links get lost in your news feed and updates. I think I need to share some finds that I really enjoy here so that I can find them later for future LOL’s.

Have you seen this yet? It’s hilarious, catchy, and the lyrics are great too.

I loved Scrape the Windshield. So true!

Kudos to Twitter user @debannrobbins for the find.

http://twitter.com/debannrobbins

 

What’s your favourite Canadian dance move??

What’s your vagueness plan social media guru?

Posted on September 27, 2012 Posted in 2012, Comics/Images, Dilbert, Facebook, Marketing, PR, Social Media, technology, Twitter .

I’ve had colleagues, friends and family call me a social media guru, ninja, expert, etc. In fact, I’ve had a post/rant in draft form for months and was inspired by today’s Dilbert comic to finally move it from draft to publish.

Social Media Expert

 

Continue reading →

Mommy freebies – Shoppers v.i.b.

Posted on September 26, 2012 Posted in 2012, Baby, Marketing, Products .

Like a lot of first-time moms-to-be, I’ve already signed up for various samples and freebies that are available to me and my expected little one.

Years ago I worked at a small boutique PR agency in Toronto that sent lots of beauty products to journalists, beauty writers, and beauty bloggers… so I know that there’s a market out there for samples and the desire for brands to get their products in our homes and hopefully in regular home purchasing rotation.

I’m someone who enjoys the P&G Sampler through Costco, so why not sign up for things that are baby related?

As they arrive, I’ll give a run down on what I receive and thoughts around the marketing, the pitch for the products(s), and the product itself.

Something fun to do that can give other moms-to-be insight into what they’ll receive when they sign up.

Let’s get started with the Shoppers v.i.b. program. Continue reading →

I want to read about…

Been there, done that

Subscribe!

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Admin login

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
  • 1
  • 2
  • Next
© VirginiaMiddleton.ca