By Amy Kossoff Smith, President Write Ideas, Inc. and Power Hour Editing, and Editor/Founder of PRCG Powerlines
PRConsultants Group has prided itself on geographic diversity, a PR pro in virtually every market, or as we like to say, “boots on the ground.” This year, I’m dubbing it “flip flops on the ground,” as 43 members ventured to beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico, for our 21st annual conference, “Livin’ La Vida,” hosted by Puerto Rico member Bernardo Fiol-Costa of The Big Think Group.
The night before the conference, PRCs Paul Larrabee, APR, of Corning Place Communications, and our conference host Bernardo, conducted a mentoring opportunity.... ⇢ read more
Read enough crisis communications plans and you’ll see a host of contingencies for communicating with journalists, lawmakers, shareholders and customers. You’ll also see a variety of templated news releases, dark websites and proposed hashtags. Rarely, however, will you see any strategies and tactics directed at one of the most important audiences in any crisis: the employees who work for the organization at the center of the incident.
Why are employees so often overlooked? Maybe it’s because communicating with them is a routine matter at most organizations. Maybe it’s because employee communications lacks the glamor of media relations and executive communications. Or... ⇢ read more
Community Relations: Lessons Learned from Airbnb
Airbnb, formerly a big, bad corporate bully, has found a way to endear itself to local communities. What it’s done serves as a modern model for excellent community relations and earns five stars from this public relations consultant.
In 2013 the company launched its Open Homes Program, a disaster response initiative that makes it easy for Airbnb hosts to provide space for people in need when disasters strike. As far as I can tell, Airbnb receives no financial gain from doing this.
Recent floods in Northern California prompted Airbnb to activate the program in February and then... ⇢ read more
As public relations counselors, we’re used to preparing our clients for how to deal with bad news. But, this past September 2018, our client experienced the opposite issue – how to avoid being overwhelmed by good news!
United Food Bank of Mesa, Arizona, learned that it would receive an abundance of USDA bonus food, along with trade mitigation foods resulting from U.S. trade renegotiations. In all, the food bank would receive about 3 million additional pounds of food, most of it requiring refrigeration.
For a food bank, 3 million pounds... ⇢ read more
By Amy Kossoff Smith, Founder/Editor of PRCG Powerlines and Founder/President of Write Ideas, Inc. and Power Hour Editing
It was time to “plug into PRCG” with business development and community service in Tempe, Arizona, for PRConsultants Group’s 15th Annual Conference. Some 42 members attended, representing 40 markets, for education, networking, and strategizing how to capitalize on public relations opportunities in 2018.
The State of the Network revealed a robust combination of ongoing development, growth potential, and an unprecedented amount of intra-group collaboration. Next, members enjoyed a hands-on “Embracing Your Creativity” workshop with Many-to-One’s Dennis Skinner. This 17-year creativity veteran outlined the barriers... ⇢ read more
“I will contribute to Puerto Rico’s recovery by not becoming an unemployment statistic.”
That statement became my mantra as soon as I knew my family, friends and employees were safe after Hurricane Maria wiped out Puerto Rico’s power, telecom, and basic needs infrastructure.
Yes, we have helped in volunteer efforts and community building initiatives, but making sure that my clients were properly served and that we kept our jobs became a top priority, especially the first days after the storm.
This is how we “Ricanstructed” our business during the first 72 hours after Hurricane Maria:
Knock, Knock. It’s me.
As all wireless telecom systems collapsed... ⇢ read more
By Jenny Smith, Acuity PR
Our nation’s birthday is a great time to reflect on our founding principles. In today’s climate of alternative facts, fake news and ADHD reporting, it’s important to ask ourselves: How can we practice truly patriotic public relations?
1. Practice the Four-Way Test
When business executive and Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor set out to save the Club Aluminum Products distribution company from bankruptcy, he created policies to reflect his faith and his standards.
Taylor wrote The Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do. Today, The Four-Way Test is used by Rotary International as a moral code for their personal and business... ⇢ read more
Since 2000, teamworks communication management has worked closely with a group of incredibly talented communication professionals from all across North America who collectively form PRConsultants Group. Starting with our first multi-market project for Barnes & Noble.com, and continuing through other national campaigns for organizations such as Cold Stone Creamery and Make-A-Wish America, we continue to be impressed with the breadth and depth of communication expertise these colleagues bring, along with geographic reach for feet-on-the-street execution.
Recently, some 50 members of PRConsultants Group gathered in Houston for the network’s annual conference. This event changes locales each year, providing members from throughout the... ⇢ read more
We're always on the hunt for PR genius to serve clients. I found ‘ducky’ inspiration during a recent trip to South Africa. The entire country is breathtaking. So is its Cape Winelands region, located about a half hour northeast of Cape Town.
Near Stellenbosch, we visited the Vergenoegd Wine Estate, one of more than 500 ‘temples to the grape’ that dot the area.
In 1696, Dutch settler Pieter de Vos bought a fertile piece of land near the town. After looking it over, he declared his property vergenoegd: “I’m satisfied with this place. It’s good enough. It’s far enough.”
Pronouncing the word is a challenge. Understanding de Vos’ passion... ⇢ read more
By Solveig Raftery, The Firm Public Relations & Marketing
It's a turning point many companies and organizations eventually reach: After establishing a promising product or service, you decide to hire a PR agency to promote your valuable efforts. You conduct due diligence, research PR companies, and find one that offers the services you seek and that understands your vision and goals. You sign a contract.
Now what?
Hiring a PR agency is a significant investment, and of course you want to ensure this investment is effective. Fortunately, when an organization and a PR firm collaborate well, they can reap very satisfying results.
Listed below... ⇢ read more
By Solveig Raftery, The Firm Public Relations & Marketing
It's a turning point many companies and organizations eventually reach: After establishing a promising product or service, you decide to hire a PR agency to promote your valuable efforts. You conduct due diligence, research PR companies, and find one that offers the services you seek and that understands your vision and goals. You sign a contract.
Now what?
Hiring a PR agency is a significant investment, and of course you want to ensure this investment is effective. Fortunately, when an organization and a PR firm collaborate well, they can reap very satisfying results.
Listed below... ⇢ read more
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