By Dennis Brown, Vice President

In search of the perfect acronym.

I just finished listening to Buzz Marketing for Technology’s podcast interview with Bob Buday, co-founder of the Bloom Group and co-author of the book, Thoughts on Thought Leadership-Insights on Creating Demand for Professional Services.

In the podcast, Buday does a nice job speaking about the different levels of writing required to develop the various marketing content an organization requires, putting the “developmental” skills required for thought leadership at the top of the hierarchy.

He also outlines seven hallmarks of great thought leadership, which I found particularly interesting because I had just spent some time last week trying to summarize the attributes of effective thought leadership for a new business presentation. Stumbling on Buday’s seven hallmarks gave me a chance to test my own thinking against one of the leading experts in the field.

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By Jennifer McQuiston, Senior Account Executive

Last weekend, representatives from local non-profit agencies got one - and something much more valuable.

On Saturday, Fahlgren Mortine hosted its first-ever Free PR Advice Day. Representatives from United Way-affiliated community groups were invited to meet with FMPR staffers to receive free counsel on PR tools and strategies that they can leverage on behalf of their organizations, even in tough economic times.

While nearly every school, business and social group has been affected by the economy, philanthropic organizations are particularly feeling the strain. That’s why we invited these organizations to join members of our team for confidential, hour-long strategic counseling sessions, plus educational seminars on media relations, social media and effective writing.

The activities generated an active dialogue and some great ideas for how the organizations could use Twitter, YouTube, editorials and other PR and social media tools to engage volunteers and give their fundraising efforts a boost. You can see how the day progressed by reading our live Tweet stream, tagged #FMPRday, on Twitter.

I guess the day wasn’t really “free,” because by the end, our guests had given our staff a great deal. They challenged us to work through scenarios and situations that we don’t encounter daily with our own clients, and gave us an outlet to flex our creative muscles. We found it to be so engaging for both our staff and the organizations involved that we hope to hold future events for additional charitable organizations in the future. Stay tuned here to learn about our next “free” lunch.

In the meantime, what free PR advice would you offer a non-profit these days?

photo credit: perago89

By Paul Vetter, Vice President

The deathwatch for traditional media has reached full frenzy.

From ongoing “media is dying” posts on Twitter to the cover of this week’s Time magazine to the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, concern about mainstream media grows.  For a broad overview of issues and potential solutions, check out Battle Plans for Newspapers, published this week by the New York Times.

As a PR pro, of course, I’m sorting through what all this means for me and my clients. I’m concerned for the many talented journalists who face wrenching changes in both the near term and long term. 

I’m confident that quality news organizations — premiere brands — will survive. Last October, Google CEO Eric Schmidt told a group of magazine editors that ultimately readers will turn to established, trusted brands as a way to cope with the “cesspool” (yes, that’s the word he used) of false information on the Internet.

But is there a sustainable business model?

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By Ray Hancart, Account Director

His next steps are critical.

Alex Rodriguez took performance-enhancing drugs from 2001-2003. We know this because either by his own choice, or at the urging of those close to him, he followed a golden rule of crisis communication and tackled the situation with transparency (even if it did lack sincerity).

Rodriguez learned from the mistakes of the sports stars that came before him, namely Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, and therefore won’t have to sit before Congress or fight his battle in the court of public opinion for years to come.

Despite all the negative publicity he’s currently enduring and the jeering from opposing fans (and some from the home team; it is NY after all), Rodriguez has an opportunity to turn this into a career-altering positive by continuing to go on the attack.

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By Marty McDonald, Associate Vice President

Tourism and Leisure Trends for 2009

Just before the holidays, the U.S. Travel Association  (formerly Travel Industry Association) hosted an industry-wide conference call to offer some insight into the travel and tourism landscape for the upcoming year.  

According to this group and others, the message for tourism is really no different that what we’re hearing in other industries. Tourism is expected to be down between 2 and 6 percent this year. Unlike a few years ago when the aftermath and fear from Sept. 11 kept travelers from scheduling trips, these new pressures are economic. There’s no question that travel will continue, but the types of trips will look a little different. Just as in other industries, consumer and business travelers are looking for value and the “quest for deals” mentality is stronger than ever.

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By Lara Kretler, Associate Vice President

Do you follow?

If you’re a fan of Twitter, the unique one-to-many microblogging service, then you know that Twitter people (aka Tweeple) are fond of lists. There are lists of journalists on Twitter, lists of Twitter-related resources, even lists of Twitter users in particular geographic areas, like central Ohio. Here’s a list we love of Twitter users in Columbus representing restaurants, entertainment destinations and shopping hot spots.

Now, we’ve put together our own Twitter list. Here are all of the Fahlgren Mortine staffers who Tweet - some more often than others - about public relations and social media agency best practices, PR industry news and trends, client contests and events, and more. Feel free to follow us - we follow back.

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By Jacey Jenkins, Account Associate

Blogs can be a great launching pad for social media contests and campaigns. To demonstrate this, here’s information about a new Twitter contest we’re launching for our client, Morton’s The Steakhouse Columbus (@Mortons_Cols on Twitter) for Valentine’s Day. This is more than just a contest - it’s a way for you to win a dream Valentine’s Day package for you and your love.

The contest gives you a chance to “Tweet” your sweetheart to a Steak & Seafood for Two dinner at Morton’s The Steakhouse, complimentary valet parking, and roses from Connells Maple Lee Flowers and Gifts on Valentine’s Day. To be eligible to win, Tweet about why you want to take your significant other to Morton’s Columbus on Valentine’s Day in 140 characters or less. You must follow these rules:

• Participants must live in Central Ohio
• Participants need to include this hash tag in the tweet: #MVDAY
• The words “Morton’s Columbus” must be included in the Tweet (exactly as written, but without the quotes)
• Participants can enter multiple times as long as the Tweet is unique every time and the above rules are followed.

The contest will run from Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009 to noon on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009. At noon on Feb. 12, a winner will be randomly drawn from all the qualifying Tweets. Therefore, the more you Tweet, the better chance you will have to win roses, complimentary valet parking and a Steak & Seafood for Two dinner at Morton’s The Steakhouse on Valentine’s Day.

The winner will be notified via Twitter immediately after the drawing. Please contact @jaceyj or jacey.jenkins@fahlgren.com with any questions.

Feeling lucky? Hurry over to Twitter and see if you can win the best Valentine’s Day ever, courtesy of Morton’s The Steakhouse Columbus.

By Melissa Dykstra, Vice President

Dive in! Or at least put your toe in the water.

Over the past several years, there has been much debate over how “social” employee communications should be. Several best practices and even failures later, we are seeing several applications for social media techniques that can bolster the employee communicator’s toolkit.

Sure wikis and Yammer facilitate collaboration among teams of employees and help work get done more efficiently and effectively, but what about tools that help companies communicate strategy, vision, programs and important business events to employees throughout the organization? Here are some emerging trends we’re seeing.

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