By Julie Russo Carpenter, Associate Vice President

The most unexpected cause-related campaign I’ve ever worked on launches this week.

When I say that Fahlgren Mortine PR is working with Lifeline of Ohio to reach out to motorcycle enthusiasts about organ donation, people are surprised. Actually, I suspect they think I’m crazy.

But it’s that juxtaposition that’s appealing about the “Live On. Ride On.” campaign. “Organ donor” has long been a derogatory term thrown at motorcyclists, especially those who ride without helmets. It seems an unlikely audience/message combo, right?

Well, not when you dig in. Motorcyclists are known for being a tight-knit community, and for being there for each other when a brother or sister is in need. If you Google “motorcycle events” you’ll be amazed at all the charity runs that are hosted. That’s why when the agency’s resident motorcyclist/free spirit/social media buff suggested motorcyclists as an affinity audience to reach out to on behalf of Lifeline of Ohio, we instantly fell in love with the idea.

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By Ellen Van Etten, Account Director

Remote working…mobile teleworking…telecommuting…e-lancing.

No matter how you slice or dice it, we all know that working remotely has become a major trend in the U.S. work force.  According to a Yankee Group survey of 178 U.S. businesses with 20 - 99 employees, 79% had mobile workers, with an average of 11 mobile workers per company.

This trend is growing…and fast.

In 2003, there were 4.4 million U.S. employees working at home with broadband.  By 2004, the number soared to 8.1 million, an 84% increase (Source: 2004 American Interactive Consumer Survey conducted by The Dieringer Research Group).  In fact, there is even a Telework Advisory Group for World at Work, who attributes the rising trend to a combination of factors, including the proliferation of high speed/broadband (which has made it both less expensive and more productive to work remotely) and the willingness of more employers to embrace both flexibility and work-life balance.

So, what are the pros and cons?  As a public relations professional who has worked remotely for more than five years, I can tell you there are plenty of both.  The benefits include the most convenient commute available (walking across the hall), being able to do a job that you love with the conveniences of your own home surrounding you, and basically having the freedom to live wherever you desire.  

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By Dennis Brown, Vice President

This post is part two in a series about white papers.

In a previous post I relayed some information from the InformationWeek Business Technology Network on white paper best practices.

In this post, I want to explore the process of white paper development. Specifically how do you get started and what are the questions you should ask at the front end of the development process.

Getting Started

Whether you are looking to add white papers to your marketing toolkit or refresh your current library with new content, you’re likely facing one of these situations:

1. You need to identify a topic suitable for a white paper, or
2. You have more topics than you can pursue and need to prioritize.

In either case, it’s best to start with the audience.

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By Dave Chlastosz, Account Executive

The importance of social media monitoring

If you are up on your news, you probably remember that last month, two employees of a national pizza chain videotaped themselves mishandling food (an admittedly extreme understatement) and posted the evidence on YouTube. Within 72 hours, nearly one million people had viewed the video before a formal response from the company was issued - resulting in an unprecedented groundswell of public outcry and irreparably tarnishing the company’s brand.

Coincidentally, around the same time, Susan Boyle - the product of a little-known British reality show - became a worldwide sensation overnight when her audition video went viral on YouTube, sending her “brand” into the stratosphere and boosting the program’s ratings to record highs.

Though these are obviously hyperbolic examples, they nonetheless drive home an important lesson: If don’t know what the social media community is saying about you, your product and your competitors right now, you may be exposing your brand to unimaginable risk and missing valuable opportunities to engage your customers. Fortunately, while the social media universe can be intimidating to the uninitiated, new resources are available that enable you to monitor what YouTubers, bloggers and the Twitterverse are saying about your brand, products or competitors in real time via an easy to navigate dashboard.

Social media listening posts (like this one) enable companies to identify upticks in chatter, whether good or “not so good,” and respond accordingly before it reaches the proverbial tipping point. These resources also help to keep companies in tune with the latest industry trends and influencers, enabling them to remain well-informed and consistently ahead of the curve in their field. 

In the immortal words of Ferris Bueller: “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and take a look around once and a while you might miss it.”  If this pre-Web 2.0 credo still holds true, than life in today’s the social media-rich world must certainly move like a full-tilt, runaway freight train. And if you can’t hear it coming, well…

What are you doing to monitor social media? Do you use a listening post?

photo credit: Jesse Michael Nix

By Amanda Bibbee, Senior Account Executive

Winning isn’t everything, but we enjoy it.

Last month, we had the pleasure of attending the Central Ohio PRSA PRism Award luncheon. The annual awards ceremony recognizes the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the crème de la crème among central Ohio public relations firms and professionals. (Think of it as the Academy Awards, only without the red carpet, paparazzi or Brad and Angelina.)

Overall, it was a record breaking year for the chapter, with 171 entries from 33 central Ohio companies and organizations, which goes to show that even in a recession, award programs are important. Not only do these awards showcase the best and the brightest programs (awards are great PR for your company!), they’re an opportunity for the staff as a whole to reflect on a year of hard work and success. As our fearless leader noted in an earlier post, the pressure to develop and implement programs that are on-time, on-budget and achieve award-winning, measurable results can be intense at times, so it’s important to have a little fun once in a while. At Fahlgren Mortine, PRism Award day is a day for the agency to let loose and celebrate with an ice cream social and annual kickball game. (Trash talking has already begun for 2010’s match.)

This year, we were honored to win 17 PRisms and 21 Awards of Excellence on behalf of 18 different clients. Our awards ran the gamut across 26 different public relations and social media categories, including PRisms for Emerson Network Power’s YouTube channel, the Ohio Tourism Division media relations program and even our own blog.

Also, major props are due to one of our own young professionals - Amanda DeCastro - who received the chapter’s Rising Star award. The award recognizes an individual with three or fewer years of experience who has demonstrated commitment to the public relations profession and community involvement. Amanda is our eighth Rising Star winner in the past 10 years. Congrats Amanda!

Last but certainly not least, a huge thanks to all of our clients who continue to believe in the value of PR and allow us to develop award-winning campaigns and programs on your behalf. We couldn’t do it without you.

By Marty McDonald, Associate Vice President

There’s nothing here.

Amid all the discussion and chatter about the decline in traditional advertising, it makes an even more powerful statement lately when a print ad stops me in my tracks.

This happened a couple of days ago when I was flipping through a recent issue of Budget Travel. I was looking for a specific article when I came across this new ad from Montana Tourism, emblazoned with the headline “There’s Nothing Here.”

Well, I suppose that’s one way to put it. I have to say, it actually made me laugh out loud, refreshed by the head-on acknowledgement of stereotypes about the state. I compare it to a scenario in which you’d meet someone for the first time and they’d boldly say, “Yes, I know I have an enormous mole on my face. And now that that’s out of the way, can we just get on with it?”

Of course I had to keep reading - curious about where the ad was going. It went on say:

There is nothing here. Nothing but grizzlies and wolves and bison and trout. Nothing but fresh huckleberry pie for breakfast-with a friendly conversation on the side. And nothing but the growing embers of the evening’s campfire to remind you that “we get to do it all over again tomorrow.” Montana. You just never know.

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By Paul Vetter, Vice President

Happy Mother’s Day.

As Hartley Mikus noted in a recent post, we’ve launched a new mentoring program here at Fahlgren Mortine. I’m excited about participating as a mentor, perhaps because I’ve been fortunate to have had some excellent advisors and guides over my 25-year career.

Since we didn’t have such a formal approach “back in the day,” most of them probably didn’t realize they were mentors. Still, their advice really stuck, and I’m grateful to them.

Of course, much of it was delivered in such colorful terms at such high decibels, who could forget?

But with Mother’s Day coming up, I thought it appropriate to acknowledge my all-time best mentor - my mom. She gave me the bedrock values that help with navigating the most challenging circumstances.

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By Hartley Mikus, Account Executive

The search is on…for the perfect mentor

 As a junior pro, the importance of a strong mentor is increasingly evident each day. The true value of a person who’s “been there, done that” is priceless in the world of public relations - possibly the most valuable tool in a professional’s utility belt. Mentors are there to calm your nerves before an important presentation and available to offer guidance before embarking on the unchartered waters of a new project. We all recognize their value, but what many of us still struggle with is how to actually select a mentor for ourselves.

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match!

I recommend searching around your office, community or professional groups for people with similar styles. Identify people you admire and the reasons you admire them. A senior-level colleague of mine suggests finding someone whose work style resembles yours. If you strive to emulate their styles, they might be an appropriate choice. These are just some ways to informally identify a mentor. Formal programs may also exist within your company. At Fahlgren Mortine Public Relations, we are in the process of launching such a program in which more senior level employees are paired with junior level associates. If your company has something similar, I strongly encourage you to participate.

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