At Costa DeVault, we’re happy to support XL 106.7 and the City of Orlando’s PinkTober initiative for breast cancer awareness. To see last year’s photo, click here.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of guest presenting at Jennifer Wakefield’s PUR3100 class at UCF. Using my most recent blog post (Writing for the (Social Media) Medium) as a guide, I discussed traditional writing fundamentals and how they often overlap with the nontraditional. We also talked about our favorite brands that use social media (for me, Southwest Air and DKNY) and tried our hand at making an Ocean Spray Facebook update a tweet and a McDonald’s advertisement a short, compelling post.

Thank you to Jen for hosting me – and to her students for the thoughtful questions and discussion. Here’s a link to the presentation:

As most of us know, the Hispanic population is the second largest and fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, currently consisting of 50.5 million people. I read an article in the St. Petersburg Times this summer that discusses how Hispanic Americans originate from many different countries and backgrounds. Although the universal language for this group is Spanish, it doesn’t mean their tastes and cultures are the same – so we shouldn’t take a “one-size-fits-all” approach when targeting them in marketing and public relations efforts. For instance, you wouldn’t necessarily use the same marketing strategies when launching a new product in America as you would in England just because people in both countries speak English.

Here are some examples of how Hispanic countries differ among themselves:

• Culture – Although many people assume Cinco de Mayo is a Hispanic holiday, it’s actually Mexican – not Puerto Rican, Colombian or Venezuelan. Dia de los Muertos is also a Mexican holiday that many other Hispanic countries observe. However, Mexicans celebrate this holiday by visiting cemeteries where their loved ones are buried, while Guatemalans set themselves apart by constructing and flying giant, decorated kites, traditionally believed to guide souls back to life.

• Language – While most people know that the Spanish word for “friend” is “amigo,” the slang term in some areas of South America is “parcero” or “pana,” and in Central America it can be “pasiero” or “vato.”

• Other – Baseball is a popular sport in Cuba and Venezuela, but not in Bolivia and Argentina, where soccer is preferred.

I’m from Brazil, the only Portuguese-speaking country in South America, and while we are often categorized as a part of the “Hispanic” population, we are actually classified as “Latinos” due to our language differences and historical background. So remember: before launching a major marketing or public relations campaign – or even prior to sending out a press release – faça sua pesquisa (do your research).

Are you aware of any other cultural differences among the Hispanic population that you feel PR and marketing professionals should be aware of?

Vanessa is Costa DeVault’s newest PR team member. She’s from Brazil and will be bringing some Latin “flavor” to the table – and our department.

When I “like” a company … I really like a company – which is why, often times, I’m a fan on Facebook and a follower on Twitter. My feeling is that if they take the time to engage on both platforms, I want to support them as much as I can. But when an organization’s Facebook feed is a mirror image of its Twitter – or vice versa – it makes me rethink my social media loyalty. Maybe it’s the social media nerd enthusiast in me … or perhaps it’s just the PR professional. Let me explain.

As professional communicators, we’re taught to “write for the medium.” Tone, style and format change drastically from one context to the next, so the same should be true for social media. You wouldn’t take web copy and just drop it into a client’s letterhead and call it a press release – so how can a tweet double as a Facebook post?

@’s and #’s mean nothing to a non-Twitter savvy Facebook user … and tweets with more than 140 characters that require a click-through to see the rest? No thanks. This is social media 101 – but all the talk about “integration across platforms” has been misunderstood as a shortcut, rather than an opportunity for brand consistency. (And I’m not alone in this notion – a recent study found that Facebook pages that automatically push tweets receive an average of 70% fewer likes and comments.)

Sure, there’s something to be said for a company that, in theory, wants to engage on both platforms, but simply doesn’t have the manpower or time. But for them, I share a quote that’s more ingrained in me than “write for the medium” – and that is “it is better to be master of one thing than mediocre at many things.”

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Jenni is an account executive at Costa DeVault and lover of all things social media. She’ll like your Facebook page and follow you on Twitter … as long as the content is fresh and different.

When Google unveiled its new platform, Google+, many were quick to point out the reasons why it’s the “next big thing” in social networking. Over the past week, millions of people anxiously awaited invitations to try the new network and all its features. But, not me. Instead, I’m (sort of) longing for the simple days of dial-up Internet and bare-bones AOL.

While I’m often accused of being “stuck in the 90s” regarding my music and movie choices, it’s not a fondness for the bygone era of chat rooms and online zines that fuels my hesitation to join Google+ – it’s that I’m suffering from social media overload. I realize that a fully connected world has several benefits, but I struggle to see the advantages of managing another social network for several reasons:

Facebook does it all. Anytime a new social media platform enters the scene, I picture Mark Zuckerberg sitting at his computer, singing “Anything You Can Do” from Annie Get Your Gun while he plots his next move. Sure enough, when Google+ launched with video conferencing, Zuckerberg announced Facebook will feature Skype video chat. From geotags to status updates to professional information, Facebook has a knack for incorporating other platforms’ functionalities into its 750 million-strong user community. And – as I asked in December – why bother trying to manage several different accounts when you can get everything you need in one place?

Learning a new platform is daunting. Although I’ve logged onto Google+ a couple of times, I quickly retreated after feeling overwhelmed by trying to figure out an entirely new platform. Facebook has evolved over time and we’ve had an opportunity to grow along with it, slowly learning different features and functionalities. And other social media networks – such as Twitter and Foursquare – focus on very specific, streamlined applications that make them fairly easy to navigate. Google+ has a lot to offer, but trying to figure out a new network loaded with bells and whistles takes a lot of time and effort.

Growing a new network is a lot of work. As a Facebook user since early 2005, I have spent several years building my network on the site. I’ve managed to rekindle friendships I thought were long-lost and use the site as my primary means through which to store pictures. True, I’ve recently started to “trim the fat” a bit – removing friends who are merely acquaintances, hiding news feed updates from overzealous posters and tweaking my privacy settings – but I still don’t want to create an entirely new profile and friends list.

Maybe I’m missing the boat and not giving Google+ a fair shot. What do you think? Is Google+ worth a second look or am I right in thinking that the social media world has become way too overwhelming?

Kenneth Gronbach, a noted demographer and author of the book “The Age Curve,” recently spoke at PRSA Orlando about trends in demographics and how changes in our population translate into value for your business.

He shared an interesting example about work he did with a motorcycle maker in 1979 relating to demographics. Business was booming for them and all of sudden … splat! Sales bottomed out – dropping 80 percent over the next five years, to be exact. The product hadn’t changed, advertising and other communication was steady and customers were happy with the product. So, what happened to cause such a dramatic dip in sales?

Here’s a question: Who buys fast, flashy motorcycles? Men ages 16-24. When the now 78.2 million Baby Boomers were in that age range, motorcycle sales were sky high. But once these men approached their mid- to late-twenties (and “sold their bike to buy a ring,” claims Gronbach), the motorcycle market was left with a tremendous void that Generation X just could not fill.

As communicators, we’re always looking for the next trend. Gronbach’s advice is to get in front of the market that’s coming – not the one that’s shrinking away from you. Take a look for yourself and think about the industries you or your clients are in. What does this mean for you?

Subway’s “Jared” ad campaign

Advertising agencies are known for creativity and “big ideas.” But good ad agencies place just as much emphasis on listening and researching. Effective ad campaigns usually aren’t based on luck or productive brainstorming sessions — there’s a foundation of understanding the company that fosters creative cultivation.

In 1983, when advertising mogul David Ogilvy wrote the book Ogilvy on Advertising, he paid homage to the tedious studying involved before launching successful ad campaigns. He wrote:

“When I got the Rolls-Royce account, I spent three weeks reading about the car and came across a statement that ‘at sixty miles an hour, the loudest noise comes from the electric clock.’ This became the [print advertisement] headline.”

Later, Ogilvy landed the Mercedes account and sent a team to the company’s headquarters for three weeks to tape interviews with the engineers. That launched a campaign of in-depth, factual advertisements, which helped triple Mercedes sales in the U.S.

Along the same line, listening is equally important. In the book Made to Stick, authors Dan and Chip Heath point to the example of how a Subway franchise owner took notice of a loyal customer who ate Subway sandwiches every day and lost a lot of weight. The owner suggested that Subway’s Chicago ad agency look into the idea. Luckily, they listened because the suggestion was the foundation for the hugely successful Jared campaign.

These examples demonstrate that ideas aren’t always born within ad agencies’ walls. It takes rolling up your sleeves, customer and competitive research, and listening to everyone.

So although inspiration is a big part of the idea process, don’t overlook the perspiration involved. Advertising agencies like to hang their hats on creativity — not sweat — but don’t be fooled.