Weekly Round Up: March

Never has the adage ‘In Like A Lion, Out like A Lamb’ been more applicable than to March 2018, which has served up a roaring flurry of unique news stories and bizarre instances. Take something as simple as the weather for example. We’ve officially bid adieu to Winter and welcomed the first day of Spring with the arrival of the Equinox yesterday. And while our colleagues on the East Coast are bracing themselves for a four’easter, here in California we’re fist bumping the weather gods for bringing us “Miracle March” in the Sierras.

The weather isn’t the only paradox this month. So too, has March Madness lived up to its name and presented unbelievable outcomes. If you’re like the rest of our team members, you may be hanging your head over your busted bracket.

And let’s not ignore the lion in the room. Social media platforms are facing their own modern day Ides of March. Between Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, Snapchat’s automated ad-buying platform fail, and Twitter’s announcement last month that it will no longer permit simultaneous tweets containing identical content across multiple accounts – well, there’s a lot of social shake-ups that could effect marketers, publicists and social media managers.

While we patiently anticipate the first signs of daffodils in Central Park, (or chase those last powder days in Tahoe) here are a few other stories we’ve been discussing ‘round the water cooler lately.

• Facebook had a case of the Mondays, to say the least. We’re keeping our eyes peeled on how users and brands are responding to the data breach.
• As TechCrunch suggests, we reacted to Uber’s bad behavior by deleting the app. Is it time to #deletefacebook?
• We all know the appeal of the celebrity endorsement, especially as it relates to the brands we represent, but how about the power of the celebrity dis?
• Our staff appreciated the thoughtful commentary and point of view about Emotional Intelligence and the art of the email pitch. A good reminder for all of us before hitting send on behalf of our clients.
• We speak with our clients often about the impact of an authentic collaboration and how it can strengthen a message. Well, the internet is going crazy (and shedding theatrical, Broadway-sized tears) this week over this recent collaboration.
• And just for fun. The only person that can steal the spotlight from Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Made us smile.