TeamMancini

Team Mancini x The Stoop

admin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:48:39 +0000

I’ve always had a love for community work and giving back since my days of high school. My good friend and community organizer Sallome introduced me to a wonderful group of teens last Fall and asked if I would offer my time to speak about my journey. The group is called The “Stoop” who meet every Saturday to speak to creative professionals about their careers. I was so intrigued by this group of outgoing teenagers who all have their head on their shoulders but just need some guidance on what to do career wise.

I spoke to them about my many challenges growing up and how a social program just like this saved my life. I was what the Board of Education would classify as an “at Risk Youth” who was running the streets in search of acceptance. My life changed when my mother made me attend a summer career program at The National Council of Negro Women. This program gave me basic life and career skills that I still use to this day.

I thought it was key that I practice an exercise that included critical thinking skills. I made the kids produce a viral marketing video that challenged them to think about what they want to be or aspire to be. The Stoop Kids produced and co-directed in conjunction with Team Mancini and 211 Collective, kudos!

P.S. I’ve recently challenged them to challenge themselves by having them record their Goals and explaining how their going to achieve them. I’m periodically checking up on them to make sure their own point.

“One of things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people”. ~Dick Gregory

Check out the video below!

Michael “Mancini” McConnell

NOT Oprah’s Book Club

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:56:12 +0000

“NOT ~~Oprah’s~~ Book Club”

The book I currently have on my radar is NY Times best seller “Trust Agents” by social media savvy Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. I read some random tweet and stumbled across his page just like everything is discovered now-a-days, hence why I need to read this book. The subject matter seems pretty engaging to a marketer like myself who is always trying to monetize and make sense of Social media for my clients and agency.

I heard the audio version is currently available now so happy clicking kids;)

Check out the description we snatched below from AMAZON

Product Description

How to tap the power of social software and networks to build your business.

In Trust Agents, two social media rock star’s show you how to tap into the power of social networks to build your brand’s influence, reputation, and, of course, profits. Today’s online influencers are web natives who trade in trust, reputation, and relationships, using social media to accrue the influence that builds up or brings down businesses online.

The book shows how people use online social tools to build networks of influence and how you can use those networks to positively impact your business. Because trust is key to building online reputations,, those who traffic in it are “trust agents,” the key people your business needs on its side.

CLICK TO PURCHASE

Article by Michael “Mancini” McConnell

Should I follow up?

admin — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:27:24 +0000

Should I follow up?

Following up with people that you meet is critical even if there doesn’t seem to be an immediate need to reach out. I honestly believe everyone is worth knowing at some point in time. I recently met a gentleman who is the CEO of a toiletry company, servicing huge corporations. Needless to say I didn’t see a direct connection between his business and mine, but after looking at his business card a few times I figured “what the hell!” and shot him an email with my Media Kit & Website. His response was that “He liked the brands that we managed and will keep an open ear for anyone who might require my services.” Though this didn’t result in a new client or immediate financial opportunity for me, I still managed to make my presence known.

So now the possibility has increased ten-fold that he may actually reach out to me. If at some point he does have a lead that requires my services, he’ll think back to the email I sent him and feel comfortable enough to contact me. In this case, I managed to make a connection with a CEO who is well-connected and has Team Mancini on his radar. The moral of the story is, YOU JUST NEVER KNOW. The next big thing can come from the least expected places – discounting people can be a huge mistake!

Image courtesy of Proven Models

Article by Mike “Mancini” McConnell

Team Mancini Founder to speak at M.E.C. at Florida A&M University

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:28:57 +0000

Team Mancini Lifestyle Inc is happy to announce Michael “Mancini” McConnell’s attendance and involvement in Florida A&M Universites (FAMU) Lyceum Series which will host a Media and Entertainment Conference on Friday, November 13, and Saturday, November 14 on FAMU’s campus. McConnell is excited to be apart of this amazing event and is honored to be on the same panel as some of his peers. Please check out the full program below.

Media and Entertainment Conference
On November 13th-14th, 2009, The Florida A&M Lyceum Series will host the Media & Entertainment Conference on their campus located in Tallahassee, Florida. Open to all college students, this conference will bring together various top media and entertainment industry executives into one to provide guidance, educational tips and knowledge to college students looking to have a career in media, entertainment, sports, business and law.

To purchase tickets, register or for more information call (850) 599-3413.

Click Here to Register

Website

Who’s in Your Count? Network Where Most Americans Hang Out…

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:13:24 +0000

The U.S. population clocks at 307,692,329. At the snap of one’s fingers, that number will increase just as the number of members increases on the social network giant Facebook.

If Face-book were a country, it would rank the third most populated in the world after China and India. Communities are being created instantly and newcomers are finding their way around quickly. For many, Facebook and other social network channels such as Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn are now the popular social hangouts where people go to share what they know about themselves and others. Most importantly, these social network channels are places where connections matter. Named more of a lifestyle play, social networking is changing the behavior of Americans. They can connect or reconnect with others without making a long-distance phone call, any time and any place. They can share photos and videos and have memorable experiences that make them laugh out loud. Using a virtual wall or twitting throughout the day, friends stay connected and communicate their life experiences.

A prevalent setting of present-day marketing communication is social networking. But how can social networking be an effective marketing communication tool for a company?

Creating a profile to spawn product or service awareness and wishing on a limb that someone will add you as a friend or fan is not exactly the best approach. Or even generating a massive amount of news feeds all about business and what you are trying to sell will creep in aggravation that leads to a friend delete. Sign out and log in again!

This time think of social networking as a way to engage others as you broadcast your thoughts and feelings about life in general. Begin sharing first-hand information about any number of topics unrelated to the whatchamacallit you are trying to promote. Form a balance between being you and promoting your company. It’s OK to occasionally mention your company’s promotions but remember people really want to get to know the person behind the face of the brand.

Take for example, the president and other public figures that use social networking to interact with the American people. President Obama uses Facebook to assure that Americans are informed on the progress for health care reform and asks for their feedback and support. Actress Sanaa Lathan shares her star experiences with fans and speaks out about Facebook and Twitter imposters. The legendary Tyler Perry used Facebook to excite fans about his new film, “I Can Do Bad All By Myself.” He posted before and after his interviews and acknowledged that he was reading everyone’s comments. As a result, the film dominated the weekend box office as number one.

The rule of thumb for social networking is to “just socialize and be you.” Be consistent with posting messages and tweets on a regular basis; in other words, don’t make lengthy departures. Start a conversation and be sure to respond to comments. Fully embrace the social networking experience and have fun while doing it.

Billion of minutes are spent social networking each day worldwide, meaning chances are high that an attentive number of eyes will land on your messages.

In today’s tough economy, for the purpose of an image boost, be the face of your company, your brand, and jump on the social network bandwagon. More than ever, social networking is very relevant to people’s lives and in order to reach them and create a widespread network of contacts, go casual and gather where they hang out.

Written by: Charlette Murphy

Charlette@teammancini.com

Charlette Murphy is head of Public Relations for Team Mancini Lifestyle Inc

All Hail the Brand Ambassador!

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:13:00 +0000

What the hell is a Brand Ambassador?

“Brand Ambassadors are the face and fingers of the brand; everything they touch, the brand is touching. Brand Ambassadors form the public image of brands and are the humans companies use to deliver their message to the public” (according to Wikipedia).

This is pretty much accurate and in recent years, it has become popular for companies to even hire celebrities and athletes to become the face of their brands. Major Brands such as Subways built an entire campaign around popular consumers like Jared who lost a gazillion pounds, and holds up a pair of size 52 pants to display how much weight he lost in their national commercial campaigns, just by eating Subway sandwiches. You’re neither a celebrity nor an athlete, but someone who has been hired to break a brand into a specific market segment. In my journey as a brand professional, I’ve met many Brand Ambassadors and honestly look for a few attributes when speaking with them.

Energy: Does this person posses the right energy for the particular brand? Obviously, if you’re representing a high end wine brand you’re not going to be overly-animated but rather you would have the sophistication, knowledge and coolness that represents the lifestyle of a Vino connoisseur. If your aura is negative, then that will manifest itself, during your course of promotion. Nobody likes a negative person…even if you’re selling guns!

Art of Selling: The art of selling without selling should look effortless. The Brand Ambassador should make me want to buy into the brand through sufficient product knowledge, brand history and charm. I despise being oversold and under-educated, when it comes to new products or features. Why is it the best? I appreciate a Brand Ambassador letting me experience it on my own while walking me through the process. The salesman rap should be left for Canal street bootleggers and people selling comedy show tickets, in Times Square.

Network: What kind of network does this person have? Can this person throw an event and bring out tastemakers? At the same time, recruit new consumers who will be loyal to the brand. The tastemakers will spread the word while the consumers will be the result of direct sales. You should be constantly networking and building your database.

Dream Makers: Can the Brand Ambassador provide memorable experiences that will emotionally tie me to the brand? So, everytime I think about your brand I automatically teleport back to the time I had, while using your brand. This is where event marketing and personal touch combine forces. You should work with your marketing team to help you create these dream-like experiences, that will create a lifestyle around the brand or some sort of memorable benchmark. This is usually gained through event marketing and should be taken very seriously.

Product Placement: Let the product go, but make sure it falls into the right group of hands. I’ve done product placement for the last five years and have placed goods into the hands of superstars like Neyo, Lebron James, Ving Rhames and more. I have two rules when servicing people who want product: GET A PICTURE or VIDEO of person interacting with your brand. I remember when Team Mancini facilitated providing shoes and belts for a national Lebron James commercial, from one of my past client’s, Mezlan Shoes. We gave thousands of dollars of products to him to keep, but only required that his stylist take a picture with Lebron wearing Mezlan Shoes. Luckily, the shoot was in Beverly Hills, not too far from Mezlan headquarters-and we personally took the shoes to his stylist, making the process smooth and easy for all parties. We were also able to obtain an image of Lebron wearing the shoes, and used that image to send to our key accounts and uploaded it to our blog. A celebrity endorsement can translate to huge dollars for the brand, as re-purposing those photos online VIA social networks, website, etc.

Social media Savvy: Social media has given brands a huge advantage by using multiple online channels to promote/cross-promote to very, specific online communities. If you are a Brand Ambassador and don’t have a Facebook or twitter account, then you need a good hazing. Following certain people or friending them online, allows you to feel closer to the ambassador’s lifestyle, which ultimately can influence your lifestyle choices. Wow, you were at a party with Ashton Kutcher last night? Folks can live vicariously through you and with the drop of a hat, thousands of people can read your messages, view pictures or watch videos.

Vision & Mission: The most important quality, and I’ve combined them because you can’t have one without the other. What is your vision for your brand? Is there a clear vision that everyone on the marketing/promotions/PR team get? It’s your job to convey Vision & Mission so that your team is collectively working towards the same goals. I’ve met various reps from liquor brands, and they all tell me a different strategy on breaking into new markets. This is an example of not having a shared vision and mission, as I honestly believe in pounding V&M in my colleagues’ heads, like the mantra in Full Metal Jacket “This is my gun, there are many like it but this one is mine…”:

The Brand Ambassador may have a tough job and many variables to consider on their journey, but it’s like raising a human being frrom infancy to adulthood. I honestly would like to call child services on a lot of you, and only return your baby back until you have fully digested the above attributes. You can’t treat your position like a regular 9 to 5, as your hard work and effort ultimately dictates the careers of the rest of the people in the company. There is a certain responsibility with having that much control, as you will sometimes clash with Sales, Accounting, Higher-ups who don’t quite understand why you’re doing a celebrity swag suite or sponsoring certain events. Stay on the right track and develop a keen sense for BS, while becoming a master at your craft. When you’re developing a brand, people watch your every move. Ultimately, all your hard work should translate to a direct sale, new customers and brand loyalty.

Article by:Michael “Mancini” McConnell
McConnell is CEO of Team Mancini Lifestyle Inc, A marketing/brand management agency in Dumbo, Brooklyn.