• by Bob Garfield , Featured Columnist, November 20, 2012

The Aloft unit of Starwood Hotels asks PR agencies to respond to an RFP via Twitter. Marketer seeks creative solutions from agencies who can quickly get to the point. –News item

To: Marketing team, North America

From: Your CMO

Subject: Leveraging “social” “media”

Since I took over mid-Q2, you have heard me ask more than once how we as a company and as a corporate brand can leverage the dominant platforms in the social space. As I’ve mentioned, it’s all about the “conversation.” We must organically grow authentic connections, and in some ways we have made strides. The Facebook page is looking very good, IMHO, thanks to the incremental growth in Likes during our successful “’Like’ Us and we’ll send you $100 in cash” promotion.

The entire team was very responsive to my June 3 group-wide email “Tell me about Pinterest” and my June 4 follow-up, “No, seriously, what the hell is Pinterest?”

And I am flattered to see so many LinkedIn endorsements from folks throughout the organization! If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to find me another job! The reason for this memo, however, is to ask the team to take it to the next level, such as the gang over at Aloft hotels (see attached news clipping).

An RFP via Twitter! That’s what I call taking it up a notch. Bam! I am reaching out today to remind you that we must constantly push the envelope in these ways. It is critical that as an organization we are aligned on this going forward. Why should it take another brand in another category to leverage Twitter so ingeniously?

Anyone can seek PR help by sending out an RFP through the usual channels and reviewing detailed proposals in an environment of deliberation and non-disclosure. It takes vision to reduce the process to 140 characters or less -- including spaces displayed in public for competitors, and the entire world, to see. I have no doubt that the skills associated with creating an eye-catching tweet are fully aligned with the job of building out a PR apparatus, including publicity, crisis communications, marketing communications, etc. 

My kids “tweet out” their whole lives, so….

Some internal voices have stubbornly insisted that social is a matter of painstakingly forging and cultivating genuine relationships based on shared values and interests, just like in actual “life.” But frankly, that doesn’t sound too buzzworthy to me. We have some hot new technologies here, and we should have some sizzling hot leveraging going on 24-7. It’s a team effort, but the purpose of this communication is to “prime the pump.” So here are some “conversation starters” from the 31^st floor:

*  RFP for new PR agency via Instagram

*  SlideShare bomb! We send out our 2013 strategic-plan deck till it trends

*  Q1 “Follow us and we’ll send you $100 in cash” SlideShare promotion

*  Tweet Q4 SEC filings

*  “Viral” lobby security-cam feed

*  Start a Tumblr tracking and documenting our social media

*  Recall email: “What the hell is a Tumblr?”