Topaz Partners

In this episode of PRobecast, Ann Dalrymple, Sam Friedman and Josh DeStefano join me in talking about which brands Patriots fans and Giants fans love, Rio de Janeiro’s infrastructure problems, Target’s complaints about online shopping, and RIM’s new CEO.

Rio Building Collapse: Will Brazil be ready for the Olympics? – Brazil’s buildings have suffered from poor structure for decades, and now that the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics are on the horizon, this could potentially be a disaster for these global events. Over the past year, there have been manhole explosions which injure people, and new buildings and highways already have cracks in them due to poor design. Rio is known for being one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and these infrastructure and housing problems aren’t doing them any favors for tourism. Do you think the Olympics or the World Cup organizations should be doing their part to help Rio out? Will these problems deter tourism for the events?

Giants Fans Dig Hip Hop; Patriots Fans Dream on Steven Tyler – Social media analytics firm Colligent has completed a survey on which brands Patriots fans and Giants fan love most. New England fans are notorious for their allegiance, so don’t get in the way of our Dunkin Donuts and Harpoon craft beer, and we’ll stay away from Giants’ Bruce Springsteen and Reebok!

Showdown Over ‘Showrooming’ – Target is tired of being used as a showroom for sites like eBay and Amazon. Last week, in an urgent letter to vendors, the Minneapolis-based chain suggested that suppliers create special products that would set it apart from competitors and shield it from the price comparisons that have become so easy for shoppers to perform on their computers and smartphones. Where special products aren’t possible, Target asked the suppliers to help it match rivals’ prices. It also said it might create a subscription service that would give shoppers a discount on regularly purchased merchandise. “The traditional retailers are still doing business the old way while Amazon has reinvented the model,” says Sucharita Mulpuru, retail analyst at Forrester Research. “Wal-Mart and Target are willing to sell a few things at a loss. Amazon’s whole business is a loss leader.”

RIM’s new CEO Wants to Focus More on Consumers – Thorsten Heins, wants the company to improve its product development while also becoming better at marketing, he said during a conference call on Monday. At first, Heins will focus on improving the company’s marketing efforts, which include hiring a new chief marketing officer as soon as possible, and the way it develops products. “We need to be more marketing driven, and we need to be more consumer-oriented because that is where a lot of our growth is coming from,” said Heins. Another of Heins’ main challenges will also be to help RIM regain some of former glory in the U.S. The company watched its market share drop from 24 percent in the third quarter of 2010 to just 9 percent in the same period last year, according to Canalys. However, the picture for RIM in other parts of the world is more positive. The Middle East and Africa and Southeast Asia were particular bright spots during the third quarter, Canalys said. “There are a number of markets where BlackBerries are still selling really well, but the problem RIM has that everyone is focused on the U.S. market, and that is where is has taken a real beating,” said Cunningham. It is likely to get worse before its gets better for RIM. Just like vendors such as Sony Ericsson, Motorola Mobility and HTC RIM struggled during the fourth quarter. RIM has its BlackBerry World conference coming up at the beginning of May. That will be one of the first opportunities for Heins to present his vision for the company, and bring back some excitement.

Now it’s time for the PRobecast PR Power Ranking – which is when we go around the room and pick the story that we think ranks the highest PR-wise – meaning any aspects of PR could be the reasoning behind the pick. Is it the story itself, good data that was used, what’s getting the most pickup, was it a good PR move the company made, etc.

This week, we chose Target as the Power Ranker of the Week. We felt that online shopping is growing more and more, so kudos to Target for reaching out to vendors and making the attempt to stay on the front foot. It’s not easy competing with Amazon or eBay, so good luck, Target!