PR Squared: "Goin' Places"

TN-335247_IMAGE2 I try to make this blog about PR & Social Media in general, with minimal attempts at aggrandizement, but every now and then I gotta shout from the rooftops.

Today I can announce at least one of our recent victories here at SHIFT. We were recently tapped as agency-of-record for Travelocity’s two emerging brands, IgoUgo and LastMinute.com.

IgoUgo is a leading online travel community. Its members offer “thousands of opinions on destinations across the globe, plus suggestions and photos for everything from cheap eats and luxury accommodations to must-see attractions and worthwhile day trips.” (Note to shutterbugs: check out IgoUgo’s new “photo feud” contest for a chance to win some cool stuff.)

“lastminute.com U.S. is a leading online travel and leisure player specializing in last second deals. Users can locate unsold airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars and other travel products and services available for online purchase up to hours before departure. lastminute.com also offers … unique lifestyle options, such as tickets to events, DVD rentals, restaurant reservations and gifts.” (This is a cool place to go if your weekend plans for flag-football fall through and you refuse to stay in the house. You can even book yourself a genuine adventure!)

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For our release today, Travelocity’s spokesman was kind enough to say…

"We looked for a highly creative agency that could handle traditional media relations, and also had a compelling set of experiences in the social media space," said Dan Toporek of Travelocity. "SHIFT showed deep knowledge in both areas, and we're eager to work with them to help lastminute.com U.S. and IgoUgo take flight."

This one’s gonna be fun.

Comments

Are these "emerging" brands really "leading," or is that just the typical news release lingo squeezing itself into the writing?

If you had used "leading" to describe SHIFT's role as a PR firm for the new-media world, I'd buy it. But then again, I wouldn't buy it if I didn't already know it was true because the word "leading" is abused to hell and back in marketing and PR writing.

Posted by: Mike Keliher | May 14, 2007 02:28 PM

Mike - First, thanks for the compliments about SHIFT (a "leading PR firm for the new-media world" - neato)!

I cut&pasted that language from the release (i.e., their boilerplate). I agree in principle that "leading" is overused, though!

However, to be clear, these Travelocity brands are formally part of its "Emerging Brands" group.

Posted by: Todd Defren | May 14, 2007 03:35 PM