Imagine your favorite restaurant said, “Thanks, loyal customers! We’re raising prices 20%! You’re awesome!”

You’d be pretty peeved, right?

That’s exactly what popular DVD/Blu-Ray/video game rental service redbox did for their entire DVD catalog, effective nearly immediately. DVD daily rental prices would rise from $1 to $1.20.

True, twenty cents is not a lot, but the percentage increase is quite staggering.

The increase was announced in a plain-speak email sent to their customers this week, explaining that prices were rising and that this was first price adjustment in eight years. The letter also linked to a comprehensive “FAQ” style page outlining all of the changes and the reasoning behind it. It even used your IP address to show how the price increase affects you in your state, due to local taxes.

Redbox did a great job here communicating with customers via a succinct email explaining the changes and then providing a space where they answered every question most users would have asked anyway. At the end of the day, users should feel that the brand communicated with them openly and appropriately.

With that being said, I haven’t heard or seen much outrage from customers over the past few days. The learning lesson here is that if you provide a unique service, provide great value and treat customers fairly, they will stick with you during a potentially-challenging time.

While some brands lose customers over price increases, a well-structured communications plan can make customers feel like you are only increasing prices because you HAVE to. Price increases may not initially win you new customers, but a properly executed, simple PR plan can make sure it doesn’t cost you any business.

I think I talk about superheroes.

Last year, we came up with a Justice League of Communications.  And the year before that, we assembled your PR Ninja Turtles!

Just last week, I outlined (on our new brother/sister site, The Fatherhood Guide) all the reasons I want my future children to love Superman.

So this may or may not come as a total shock to you: I’m a Superman Geek.

The character just clicks with me.  so please forgive my minor obsession, as it continues here today.

Superman debuted in 1938, as the Great Depression was giving way to World War II.  Americans needed a champion of justice more than ever, as mass-media, through newspapers, motion pictures, radio and magazines permeated the culture.

Two young artistic talents, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, had toyed with the “Superman” name and character for quite some time before Action Comics #1 hit the stands.

The final version of the character was an alien from the planet Krypton who stood for truth, justice and the American Way.  Hey, he may have been BORN on another planet, but the United States was his home.

Over the decades, the character has evolved and expanded into all forms of media and licensing.

Through it all, he has remained the standard-bearer, the beacon of goodness and a symbol of hope.  Not too bad for a fictional character.

But the key to the story is that all of us can be a Superman.  Or Superwoman.

And in the social media world, there are just three basic super powers to achieving that goal.  Don’t get me wrong: Its much more complicated than just1-2-3, but keeping these abilities in mind will help you be faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.  Metaphorically-speaking, of course.

1) Super Listening – In order to promote something – anything – you MUST be able to listen and understand the needs at hand.  There is no way you can come up with a plan, or execute one, without really, truly grasping who your client is and what they are trying to accomplish.

2) Custom Utility Belt – You need to assemble the tools and tricks and Batarangs that your client needs.  This requires some amount of magic, science and luck.  Yep, luck.  Ask any social media professional and they’ll (perhaps reluctantly) admit that luck is part of it.  But without the right tools in the right strategy, luck means nothing.

3) Super Speed – Social media is all about NOW.  Work quickly, but accurately.  Be creative, but precise.  Networks do take time to build, but good content can start instantly.  What are you waiting for???

What other super powers does a social media Superman need?

Don't you want me at YOUR New Year's party?

Happy (almost) New Year!  And greetings from Austin, Texas, where I will be ringing in the New Year for my first-ever Central Timezone celebration.

Thinking back on 2010, it was one of the best years of my life.  Personally (as a newlywed), professionally (joining the iostudio team) and more.  I got the opportunity to speak at some fantastic conferences and talk marketing and social media on a daily basis with a tremendous group of people.  That, of course, includes you, reading this post.

#SportsPRChat came back from the dead, providing a platform to discuss the business side of sports.

I greatly appreciate the time you have invested in reading this blog and then participating in the ongoing discussion.  Maybe we’ve broken new ground, maybe we’re just having a good time.  Either way, I think I’m just fine with that.

Looking ahead, 2011 should be even more incredible.  There is a top-secret project I’ve been working on that I can share with you shortly.  I’m beyond excited to pull back that curtain…you have NO idea.

Let’s close out the year on The Buzz with my Top 5 Posts of 2010.  Consider this the Director’s Cut… they are the ones I am most proud of.

Here they are, in no particular order:

#1 – Barney Stinson, My PR Role Model – You can find inspiration in the oddest places…

#2 – Are You Social Media Awesome? – Be the best you can be to create social media success!

#3 – Justice League of Communications – Didn’t you know you can be a PR superhero?

#4 – Thanks For The Memories – It was so much fun to look back at the first phase of my career.

#5 – Social Media, Put Some Damn Pants On – Apparently, this one upset a lot of people.  Good.

In the marketing, advertising and PR world, we do a lot of difficult things.  And before you make a Mad Men joke

about 4 drink lunches and hyper-loaded expense accounts, let me just quash that.  It may have happened in the 1950s, but if it exists on a normal basis in 2010, please point me in that direction!

One of the hardest things to do, though, is separate yourself from your audience.

Basically, you are not your audience.

You, Mr./Ms. Communicator, are hyper-sensitive to your brand, your industry and your marketing channels.

You pay more attention to most everything associated with your company that any current or potential customer.

You have access to studies and seminars and surveys on why Ad X or Press Release Y WILL work.

You also tend to base your campaigns on how YOU feel about it or how it makes YOU feel.

You probably live somewhere else, eat different things and have a different overall lifestyle than your consumers.

We all do it…it’s human nature, to wish that everyone viewed the world the same way we do.

That means the secret to an effective campaign is removing yourself from the equation.  Think like your audience, think about what motivates them, think about how your brand REALLY fits into their life.

In the new digital age, it is even more important to act this way, because the marketing world can be several months ahead of where people are.

Case in point: Geo-Location.  Despite it being a hot marketing vehicle, only 4% of Americans have ever used FourSquare, GoWalla or a similar service.  Also, a whopping 84% of Americans had never even HEARD of such a thing.  Yes, this will grow, but how much time and effort should marketers be spending on a medium that 4/5 of the country has never even heard of?  Each marketer will have to do their own calculus to figure out if it’s worth their time.

I am going to venture to say that the 16% of the people who know of Geo-Location are mostly techies or communicators.  In this case, we are WAAAAAY ahead of the curve.

My best advice for you, my marketing friends, is to get to know your customer as much as possible.  Know who they are, where they come from, what they respond to, and then build programs and initiatives that impact them.  And, as hard as it may be, remove yourself from the equation.

The year was 1960.  The Cold War was in full effect, Neil Armstrong hadn’t yet touched the moon and Dwight D. Eisenhower was President of the United States.  Heck, The Beatles hadn’t appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show yet!

However, a comic book came out, issue #28 of The Brave and the Bold.  It featured the first-ever team-up of seven of the greatest and most powerful superheroes of all-time!  Over the years, dozens of characters spent time as members of the Justice League of America (not to mention it’s popular off-shoot groups!).  Each grouping of heroes had something in common – the whole was greater than the sum of it’s parts.  Everyone working together had much more of an impact than if each hero had their own agenda.  They didn’t always get along, but they worked as a team.  Sound familiar, Communications Pros?

Don’t we all want to be a superhero?  Check out which member of the Justice League of Communications you are most like!

Code Name: Superman

Powers and Abilities: Ummm…everything…he’s frickin’ Superman! Every communications team has a Superman (or woman)…and if they don’t, they may be in trouble.  Your Superman may seem like he’s from another planet.  His skills are top-flight in just about every area.  He may not be THE best at EVERYTHING, but when you need EVERYTHING, he’s the best. He’s a natural leader, and not just because of his powers.  Leadership and respect are earned, and this fella has done just about everything to earn every ounce of it.  Deep down, you hate him.  And even deeper down, you wish you were him.  But it’s cool, the burden of being Superman isn’t for everyone.

Code Name: Batman

Powers and Abilities: Top-flight athlete, master strategist, genius inventor

The Dark Knight strikes fear into the hearts of evil-doers everywhere.  He strikes from nowhere and everywhere at once.  He knows you better than you know yourself – and while his methods are suspect, nobody gets the job done as consistently as he does.

On your team, there is probably a person you don’t like or trust.  They keep to themselves, possess a mysterious past and speak grimly about the future.  However, the one thing you know about them is that their work is second-to-none.  You don’t know HOW they get the job done, and frankly, you are probably better off not knowing.  But at the end of the day, your Batman is on your side

Code Name: Wonder Woman

Powers and Abilities: God-level strength, speed, flight, lasso of truth

If you think Wonder Woman is just a female version of Superman, you are selling her far short.  The champion

of the Amazons has the requisite superpowers needed to get the job done, but her ability to look at the bigger picture is what’s really important.  She has conversed with the Gods and has greater vision than anyone else on the team.  Being able to see  how everything fits together (or how it should) is critical on a communications team.  You are not acting in a vacuum – there are many moving parts here, even for small companies, so you have to be able to understand the greater plan.

The other notable Wonder Woman trait is empathy.  Someone as smart and talented as she is could be horrible to work with.  However, she understands that not everyone views the world as she does and works to open eyes instead of punishing people.  She ain’t a “den mom,” though, so don’t take advantage of her.

Code Name: Green Lantern

Powers and Abilities: No fear, alien power ring that turns your will power into hard energy

Test pilot Hal Jordan was given a power ring from a dying alien that made him one of the most powerful entities in the entire universe.  He just didn’t really know it at the time.  Green Lantern started as a smart-alecky fly-boy who chases the ladies, parties hard and makes it to work on time (ish) and get the job done.  His will to succeed allows him to overcome some sloppiness.

On your team now, you have someone who’s maturing.  They are living life, making some mistakes, and, despite some major faults, able to save the day.  It’s a constant juggling act and if they don’t start making some progress soon, you’ll have to reevaluate their status, even knowing how good they are.  Can you take that risk?

Code Name: Flash

Powers and Abilities: Superspeed

The Flash has one skill: speed.  And he has mastered it.  He has used his speed to break the time barrier, travel todifferent dimensions, clean up dangerous debris, deflect explosions, save people from would-be-tragic falls and more.  But he is NOT a one-trick-pony.

This person on your team became known for one particular skill.  It was something you needed at the time: writing, proofreading, pitching, whatever.  But over time, they became more than just that one skill.  They proved to everyone that their mastery of one area translated to another part of the team.  Perhaps someone who’s great at calling reporters also became the person who sold ideas up the flagpole?  Or a great strategist showed aptitude at dealing with clients.  That’s The Flash.  One ability doesn’t just mean one role.

Code Name: Aquaman

Powers and Abilities: Lives underwater, swims like a fish, ruler of the seas

Arthur Curry is a conflicted man: he is a man of two worlds.  He is the King of the Seas – ruling 70% of the planet, a daunting task for anyone.  But he is half-human, as well.  So while he must represent the 70% on dry land, his prime loyalty is to his Kingdom.

Everyone is a little bit Aquaman.  Be it your family, your house, your dream side gig, we all feel the pull from another important aspect of our life on a daily basis.  The key is to manage it properly.  Unlike any other superhero, Aquaman sets limits and boundaries.  When someone goes wrong at “home,” he checks out immediately.  He may seem aloof and jaded by peers and observers, but he sleeps soundly at night knowing he is comfortable with his priority scale.  The team is important to him, but not THE most important thing.

What other heroes belong on your Justice League of Communications?

All I Need to Know I Learned Through Twitter.

Guest Post by Lauren Sandelin

My professors would cringe if they heard that question come out of my mouth.  Perhaps because a tiny bit of them

Image via Flickr Creative Commons

knows that this is true.  Now let me back up a second here – we all need that foundation we build through coursework, I’m certainly not arguing otherwise.  But in a field that is based so much around learning on the job and from actual experiences in the industry, textbooks and class assignments can only take an upcoming PR graduate so far.  Those textbooks I speak of?  Constantly changing.  New editions come out left and right as those in the academic world struggle to keep up with the newest industry rules and trends.  Want proof?  The AP Stylebook is the only book I’ve ever reused in more than one class, but even that gets the occasional facelift.

We work in a field that is always changing based upon the latest trends.  There is no guarantee that what’s working for you now will still have the same level of success six months down the road.  So how do we cope?

The jury may still be out on that one, but with social networking sites this has become much easier.  Not only that, but it has given me the hands-on education required for PR.  The things professors and textbooks can only speak of, Twitter does.  So what are these things and why are they so important?  Read on, my friend.

Networking. Now I’m not saying fill your Rolodex to capacity and call it a day.  Absolutely not.  We’ve all heard this before – “quality over quantity.”  Sure, that may be the overused phrase of the day – but let’s be honest, it’s true.  It’s not about the size of your network, but rather who’s in it.

You don’t follow people on Twitter that don’t add value, do you?  Nope.  You follow those that bring something to the table.  People that share information, provide industry updates, or post links to relevant content.  If all you ever Tweet is what you had for lunch, what song you’re currently listening to on Grooveshark, or you’re exact location while sipping on a coffee, I could probably do without your updates filling my Twitter stream.  Don’t get me wrong, this is all okay in moderation (I want to get a feel for you personally, also) but if you’re not adding much value, say goodbye to your space on my Twitter stream.  But remember, others are evaluating your value as well…and it’s not just on Twitter.

Building Relationships. Open up that Rolodex and blindly pick a name, any random name.  When was the last time you communicated with one another?  The last time you reached out to either provide something or ask for something?  Relationships are all about the give and take, requiring an equal effort from both parties.  In any industry, you need those relationships and PR is no exception.  So build, build, build.

You Are What You Tweet. As professional communicators, we are only as good as our word – and that word better be pretty darn good.  On Twitter, your value is what you tweet.  Sure, a 140-character limit doesn’t give you much room to get your point across, but all the more reason to make each of those characters count.  We’re taught throughout college to write concisely – get to the point, support your point, and get out.  Easier said than done, but Twitter forces us to do just that.

Instant Information. Yep, it’s no surprise that we’ve become a society that demands to know about things as they happen.  Thanks to the Internet and the evolution of social networking sites such as Twitter, this has shifted from being only a possibility to becoming a reality.  Admit it – we’re spoiled.  We are provided with up-to-the-minute news, often before a story’s even fully developed.  With a few taps of the keyboard and a quick click of the mouse, the story goes viral.  Oh, and some of those sources of information?  Well, let’s just say they’re not so reliable.

It’s no surprise that all PR professionals must keep this in mind.  Use what you can to your advantage, but be wary of what you find.  Sure, it can become a challenge – but armed with the right knowledge and a little social media savvy, this becomes yet another asset to benefit from.

Become an Extrovert. Twitter is all about engagement, and you can’t engage by keeping your mouth shut.  Luckily, this forces us all to become extroverts whether we want to or not.  As communications folks, we like to think that our social skills are up to par (and I’m sure for many, this is indeed true).  We want to share ideas; we want to expand our networks; we want to get to know other people, learning from them and about them.  To put it simply, this all relates back to relationship-building.  No shocker here.  Welcome, once again, to one of the major foundations of PR (and social media platforms).

A Little Help, Please? I’ve always considered myself an optimist.  You know, that annoying “glass is always half full” and “everything will work out” kind of attitude.  So why is it that I was so shocked by the generosity of those in the Twitterverse?  People want to help.  People like to help.  People will help.  It didn’t take much time to realize that this wasn’t just a quality unique to Tweeps.  I can’t speak for other industries, but the PR pros I’ve spoken with are always up for sharing their knowledge and expertise.  I’m sure this is not unusual – in fact, I’m confident this is the case across the board, in most (if not all) other career fields.  The key to advancing any profession is learning from one another and growing as a group.  Seems pretty obvious, right?

So there you have it.  Those are the teachings of Twitter as I’ve chosen to apply them to PR and the professional world in general.  Yeah, it’s probably only the tip of the iceberg and I’m sure I’ve missed quite a few.  Think of any others (or do I need to reference the value of sharing ideas again)?  Come on.  Go for it, I’m all ears.

Lauren Sandelin is a senior at Miami University (Ohio), where she currently serves as the PR Director for the university’s PRSSA chapter.  She will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations.  Connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn, or visit her blog.