Scottsdale Fashion Week selects A&P for 2010 event

Allison & Partners announced the addition of Scottsdale Fashion Week 2010 to its client roster. The account will be managed by the Allison & Partners’ Phoenix office.

Now in its fifth year, Scottsdale Fashion Week is Arizona’s ultimate ‘see-and-be-seen’ event, a fashion celebration that attracts visitors from across the nation. Held at Scottsdale Fashion Square Drive in Downtown Scottsdale the event will feature two dozen runway shows by both up-and-coming designers and renowned names. Half of the proceeds from VIP ticket sales will support The Junior League of Phoenix’s mission, which includes early childhood education and development, nonprofit & leadership training, promoting voluntarism in the Valley and much more.

The agency will work with Scottsdale Fashion Week’s organizers to promote the event to designers, models and consumers through media relations, partnerships, social media and community relations activities. The Scottsdale Fashion Week 2010 is expected to attract up to 10,000 attendees from in-state and out-of-town.

Scottsdale Fashion Week 2010 will take place Nov. 4–6 at the Scottsdale Fashion Square Drive (North of Barneys). The Saturday evening line-up will be brought to attendees by Scottsdale Fashion Square. Scottsdale Fashion Week proudly supports charities and is pleased to work in cooperation with the Junior League of Phoenix.

Hsieh says no need to put effort into PR

It seems like everyone is reading the Tony Hsieh book these days, myself included. The CEO of Zappos.com is the new sage of culture, and I must admit after finishing the book last night I admire his style and…well…gonads! The guy had no fear and was willing to bet his entire fortune on an Internet shoe company, which on the surface seems crazy but 10 years later and after a $1.2 billion dollar buyout by Amazon looks prescient.

The book is full of great stories and advice about company culture, but one quote stood out for me:

“You don’t need to put a lot of effort into reaching out to the press if your company naturally creates interesting stories as a by-product of delivering a great product or experience.”

Our own Dan Wool has been saying something similar for years: the best PR is good product. Hsieh’s concept is similar, but there is a nuanced difference. Dan says that if the the product/service is good, the pitch sells itself. Hsieh is saying not to bother pitching because if you have a good story the press will find you. Holy crap! If that’s true, are we wasting our time pitching?

The answer is maybe. I have to admit there’s nothing worse than pitching an iffy product. And Dan is right when he says the best PR is good product because if you’ve ever pitched something that you knew was a good story you know it’s much easier. But Hsieh’s point is well taken too. The media is always on the lookout for good stories and one way or another the best stories seem to find their way to them…either through good reporting or the buzz of the business world.

But don’t give up on pitching just because Tony Hsieh says it’s overrated. The true lesson here is to spend the time on your business making it stand out. When you become the next Zappos you will get press without much effort. Of course, how to do that is the rub. Hsieh certainly has some quality advice, and while this is not a book review it is an endorsement. The book is a great read!

By the way, Hsieh is scheduled to be the guest speaker at a Nov. 2 Phoenix AMA event. Stay tuned for details.

Phoenix PR Agency Successes

• The Lavidge Company, a Phoenix advertising agency earned a coveted spot on the 4^th Annual Inc. Magazine 500/5000 Rankings.  Lavidge joined top AZ companies, including two Lavidge clients LifeLock, an identify protection firm in the Top 10, and CCS Presentation Systems, an A/V integration company.  Other Arizona companies making the lists include Tag Employer Services, GPS Insight, JLab Audio, Flexprint and Spellbinders Paper Arts. Thank you to Joseph Valdez, Account Supervisor at Lavidge for sharing. Great to see locally-based companies showing strong revenue growth.

• HMA Public Relations, a Phoenix marketing, communications and public relations agency has been selected to battle damage done by the recent immigration law. This the first time HMA has worked with the Arizona Office for Tourism. The contract is for $100,000 and according to the Phoenix Business Journal and HMA Vice President and General Manager Abbie Fink “…the firm will develop a series of communication strategies and efforts that will use both traditional media and grassroots communication to develop a strong message for Arizona’s tourist offerings.”

Bowl with new pros

It’s time for the September Phoenix PRSA New Pros Happy Hour.  This time, the format is a little different – we’ll be kicking off the fall 2010 mentor program with ASU PRSSA.  Mentors and mentees – get ready to have a great time while getting to know each other.

Just a note: You don’t have to be a PRSA member, a new pro, a mentor or mentee to attend.  You don’t even have to like bowling!  Everyone is invited to join us for some fun at the lanes.

Date: Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010

Time: Arrive at 5:30 p.m. for shoe rental and lane set up, bowling starts at 6 p.m.

Location: AMF Squaw Peak Lanes, 3049 East Indian School Road, Phoenix

Cost: Plan on $15 for a few games and shoes, plus additional for food/drinks

Please RSVP by Friday, September 3 to Sommer Caraway at sommercaraway@yahoo.com.

For the most up-to-date Phoenix PRSA New Pros information, make sure to become a fan on Facebook.

Book review: Social Media Marketing

Maybe you’re sick to death of social media.   Jackie Wright of Rainmaker Communications told me awhile back over coffee, “We get what it is – we just want to hear case studies now about how to apply it.” 

I’ve found there are 3 types of social media books – the high level, extremely theoretical (which has its value), the ones whose covers promise a lot but turn out to be mostly platitudes and not much practical advice, and a 3rd category that covers the topic comprehensively with a theoretical point of view and a detailed roadmap point of view.

Anyone writing a book on social media will have a tough time in their book proposal explaining how their book on strategy could possibly be different from Liana Evans’ new book, “Social Media Marketing,” or how it would advance the knowledge available on the topic.  She has really created a thorough piece of work, and it’s also the first book I’ve seen that includes a critical section on the importance of involving your legal team from the very beginning.    As I’ve blogged before, the legal dept. can be an unwitting roadblock to your communication efforts unless you partner with them.

I think Li explains best in her introduction what the goal of the book is about:  “I’ve written this book to give any marketer, novice, or expert a deeper look into the realm of social media marketing. So much has been touted, preached, and hoisted up on a pedestal as things marketers or companies should be doing, it’s hard to believe what’s true and what isn’t. This book can be your guide from beginning to end in understanding what’s hype and what’s not. For making the case of whether or not you should be actively engaging in social media, to putting the pieces together to plan a successful social media marketing strategy.”

It’s a helpful book in determining whether a particular client of yours should implement social media as part of their marketing strategy, as well as a guide to how you should roll it out. It’s a very strategic book, but it includes the tactical how-to and background information as well.

One of her mantras is knowing your audience and doing research on the demographic, and finding out where your audience is. I’m working with a client now to convince them that the upfront research is critical. Their default opinion is just to use social media and press releases as broadcast tools, without really knowing whether their targeted customers are on a particular social network. I will be using Li’s book as validation of my instincts and as printed reference to build my case (if it’s in print, it must be true – or at least, it carries a lot of clout!  tongue-in-cheek). 

She spends a good deal of time explaining why it’s a mistake to think you can avoid negative things by staying out of social media. We all know we need to be aware of the conversations so we can address them, and Li explains it very articulately. When you come to the community, too, she says, be prepared to add value. Community members want a conversation about the brands they love, not to listen to the same messages they get in brochures and TV.  Social communities are a niche, and people choose to be there. Therefore, your approach must be unique to that community – this is exactly what I tell my clients. Just because a customer knows your history does not mean they know your brand.  Lots of good quotable assertions are in this book.

As I write this, I’m looking at “Guerilla Marketing Excellence” on my bookshelf in my office. Written by Jay Conrad Levinson, it was one of THE books about marketing in the 90s. Times have changed. While I’m sure it contains a lot of advice that is still germane,  if you want to be relevant today, you and your clients need to understand a practical roadmap to how social media should be integrated with your marketing.

I think I also liked the book also because she was one of the few people who agrees with me about Seth Godin.    (see p. 243!).   As you probably know, he does not allow comments on his blog, thus she doesn’t feel it’s a true conversation. He is just broadcasting information which too many people seem to scoop up, turn around and offer their own followers.     (The last is my take, not her phrasing).  I don’t want to slam him (I’m sure he’d be great to have coffee with) and I know he has explained on his site why he doesn’t take comments, but still….the one-way dialogue hits me the wrong way…

The only pushback I have on the author are the occasional references – not very complimentary – to PR agencies.   To wit, “On a general level, most marketing firms or PR agencies tend to look at social media sites as marketing tactics instead of parts of an entire social media strategy… they think it’s about pushing out another press release, commercial on YouTube, or free coupon to try your product.”  Another — ” If you’re working with classic public relations firms, their idea of social media might be e-mailing your press release to a bunch of bloggers or journalists with the hope that someone will care.”   Li, Li, come back to us!   Come to Phoenix!   We have a pretty good group here of enlightened agencies.

Thanks to Que Publishing’s publicity team for bringing this book to my attention.  From time to time I receive pitches from book publicity agents, and I was dubious about this one because it seemed like a broad topic that had already been done to death.  I was wrong!

Now@9 and Smart Family launch on ABC 15

Many stations have been beefing up their local news programming in the mornings. FOX 10 begins at 4:30 a.m. and runs until 10 a.m. Channel 3’s “Good Morning Arizona” expanded to 10 a.m., probably to compete with FOX 10’s popular hour. Lifestyle show, “Sonoran Living” on ABC 15 moved from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. earlier this year.

And now there will be more new programming and changes on ABC 15 in the coming weeks. Beginning August 30th, Now@9, an interactive news program will air weekdays at 9 a.m. and will not only air on ABC 15, but also streamed live at www.abc15.com. Viewers can follow Now@9 on Twitter using the hashtag #now15 and on Facebook. Get a feel for how the newscast will look this week during real-time show rehearsals via a live stream at abc15.com, over the air on ABC15 digital channel 15.2 and Cox cable digital channel 95, starting at 9 a.m.

“Smart Family“ seems to have branched out from the popular “Smart Shopper“ segments hosted by Daphne Munro. This new show will air at 3:30 p.m starting Monday, September 6th on ABC 15. Producer Quita Jackson asks,

“Do you live your life Smart and Simple? Meaning are you a saver? How do you manage your families life without feeling overwhelmed? How do you keep it all together? If you have an answer I’d love to hear from you. Email me… smartfamily@abc15.com.”

It will be interesting to see how these shows do. Valley Dish, hosted by Tram Mai will move to the 3:30 p.m. time slot on Ch 12 starting the week of September 12th. Who will win out?

I watched the Now@9 show online yesterday. It definitely is different from what we see at 9 a.m. currently in news. I enjoyed the fast-paced aspect of it and how it went from asking about a topic to showing viewer’s answers on Facebook and Twitter. These concepts were first seen on the 9 p.m. news with Beverly Kidd on 3TV more than a year ago. Now all the channels have jumped on the social media interaction bus and integrate viewer opinions into newscasts.

What do you think of all these changes? Are we starting to see more opportunities again for PR professionals to pitch story ideas, or will the content come from the viewers?

Kindle? Nook? iPad? Find out August 30th

Photo credit: Veronica Belmont, Creative Commons License

Valley PR Blog’s Len Gutman is one of the featured speakers August 30th at an “e-reader bakeoff” hosted by Arizona Book Publishing Association.  (Disclosure – I am on their board of directors).

Ebooks and ereaders are exploding.   How do you know which device to choose? Should it be a Kindle?  A Nook?  An iPad?  Last month, Amazon announced that its Kindle sales outnumbered its hardcover sales. This month, Bloomberg Businessweek reports that the elderly are drawn to the iPad because of its ease of use, and prefer it as their news and entertainment source.  As authors, would-be authors, or PR pros who have authors as clients, should we be considering a dedicated device like a Nook on which to publish, or should we be moving toward a multipurpose device like an iPad?  If we just like to have mobility for our personal book reading, what are the pros and cons of each ereader? 

For more information and to register for this event, visit www.azbookpub.com.  I will be moderating the panel, which features Len Gutman, Tyler Hurst, and Jennie Oleksak, director of the Information Commons at Brophy College Prep.

Pullen duo launch public relations firm The NestAZ

Full-service public relations consultancy firm The NestAZ, run by Michael and Jolinda Pullen, launched this week. The firm says it will specialize in Arizona-grown businesses and will offer local businesses and organizations a place to “foster impressions with support on existing and new marketing campaigns.”

Jolinda will manage day-to-day operations and client relations for The NestAZ. Previously she worked with other Valley agencies, including: HMA Public Relations, R&R Partners and Barclay Communications. Her specialties include strategic planning, crisis communications, government relations, media training and event planning. She has served on the Public Relations Society of America Phoenix Chapter Board of Directors and currently serves on the Xavier College Preparatory Alumni Board.

Michael will manage the financial operations and digital content for The NestAZ. His experience includes working in communications and investor relations for ASML, as well as Account Executive with Christensen IR and Director of Marketing at Saffer Investments. His specialties include social media, internal communications, event planning and finance. Michael has a bachelors of science in marketing and a masters of business administrations, both from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

More information is available at www.thenestaz.com or by phone at (602) 347-8218.

Local communication pros discuss social media

I made a special point of attending this morning’s Enterprise Network social media panel, which was moderated by Patrick O’Grady and featured four local communication pros from the tech community.

The panelists were Kathy Sacks from Infusionsoft, Cindy Kim from JDA Software, Al Maag from Avnet, and Ed Brice from Lumension.   They offered us some insights on what motivated them to include social media as part of their overall branding strategy. A few highlights:

Ed - Lumension didn’t have a marketing budget like a giant company such as McAfee, and decided to pursue social media as part of their strategy. It’s no longer the traditional buying cycle, he said. We have to have a dialogue and show thought leadership.

Al - it’s not easy to convince a company to engage in social media, he admitted. Our brand is imperative to be successful. I just know we should be doing something. I’m a big believer in video, and we started a portal. We figured that if we can get our customers to market faster with helpful content, we can get the jump balls (nice basketball analogy!).

Cindy – social media is having an impact on B2B companies.  It’s helpful in order to build thought leadership. At Lumension (where she previously worked), they saw a 55% increase in business media coverage because of the blog. The intent of the blog was to establish relationships, and this was a nice outcome.  At JDA, she created a framework to get the C-level buy in, and conducted quite a bit of research to shed light on how the landscape is shifting. Content in social media needs to be objective, informative, and educational, she emphasized.

Kathy - we are therapists, because we need to listen as part of social media, and we are publishers, because we are creating meaningful content for our community. We have 20,000 users, 5000 small businesses, who are a loud, vocal bunch.  It’s a core part of our marketing strategy. Social media allows us to level the playing field. But it requires a headcount — someone internal to engage and monitor it.

___________

One of the best tips of all that I heard during the panel was from Ed Brice. He said, “At some point, get out of the ROI discussion.  You have to decide if you want to be there. Don’t use social media as a lead generation tool.”  I thought this was a great insight and one not commonly reinforced. Those at the C-level with whom we deal often equate public relations and social media as tools for lead generation, and that’s not really the goal. As Chris Heuer once pointed out, it’s a conversation with someone, not to someone.   Ed continued that “people don’t want to be sold to. Honesty is what it’s about. It’s a content-centric world in B2 B. The number one source of trust is the peer of the person you’re trying to sell to. You don’t control your brand, your customers do. People believe in their peers.”

This, of course, is the mantra of social media.  We need more panels like this to get the word out.  

Enterprise Network knows how to put on a good meeting, and the networking environment this morning was superb. Keep them in mind for future events – check them out at www.en.org. 

And kudos to Kathy and Cindy for dealing with the open talk show format — the panelists were up on a stage with four chairs and no table in front, which needless to say is difficult to maneuver when you’re wearing heels and a dress.

Photo courtesy of Laird Brown Photography

McMurry hires Tanabe as account coordinator

McMurry has hired Jennifer Tanabe as account coordinator, where she will expand her role with the team to directly manage accounts and initiatives for both public relations and internet marketing.

Tanabe started at McMurry in September 2009 as a PR intern. In her new position, she will continue her focus on public relations, which includes media writing, media outreach and strategic communications. However, her role will expand to include internet marketing initiatives, including content and social media management.

Tanabe received her bachelor of science degree in Business Administration and majored in marketing at the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona.