By Julie Russo Carpenter, Associate Vice President

It’s been a banner month for animals making news. 

Just last week, Lily the Black Bear had a baby. Newsworthy? Doesn’t seem like it. But a webcam was there to bring the event to the masses. And therein lies the news. It turns out black bears don’t usually give birth in such close proximity to a webcam. (Reality TV humans, please take a cue from black bears’ privacy mores.) Great PR for bears, especially after the beating their public image takes at the hands of Stephen Colbert. With nearly 63,000 fans on Facebook, Lily is another example of great content being the best way to draw attention. 

Earlier this month, Yun Zi, a panda cub at the San Diego Zoo made his public debut. A webcam had been a part of that news also - Panda Cam, to be specific. Oh, how I love Panda Cam. There is even a time-lapse feature, which comes in handy, given pandas aren’t notoriously vivacious. (Not to say they couldn’t be, but according to the news, they mostly “eat, nap, forage, repeat“.) 

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By Paul Vetter, Vice President

Apple is linking hot new hardware to the media subscription model.

On Wednesday, Steve Jobs will take the stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Performing Arts in the heart of San Francisco. It’s the same place he goes whenever he’s ready to unveil the latest game-changing technology. This week, he’s expected to unveil the long-anticipated tablet computer, which some have dubbed the “iPad.”

It’s expected to do for information – especially the written word – what the iPod did for music. As in revolutionize how we get news, read books, connect with our friends via Twitter and Facebook, and keep up with the essential updates on YouTube.

As The Independent of London asked over the weekend, “Can Apple Save the Written Word?”

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By Vince McMorrow, Senior Counselor

Leveraging PRSA can help prepare you for what’s next. 

I recently completed a year-long turn as president of the Central Ohio PRSA chapter. At the end of the term, my wife asked me what I was going to do next. I told her that one thing I discovered in leading the 350-member chapter was that I still have a lot to learn and that PRSA will be the catalyst to help me build new skills.

Everybody comes to PRSA with a different expectation, but almost all are looking to develop additional expertise to not only keep up, but take advantage of the changes in our profession. It’s no secret that communications has become more specialized in content, media outlets and manner of delivery. To stay on top, continual learning is mandatory and leveraging your local PRSA chapter can help you develop, shape and control the skills you use in the future. The following are what I plan to take advantage of in the coming months to continue to grow.

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By Lara Kretler, Associate Vice President

Before dismissing the Facebook color status meme as pointless, consider the results.

Last week, you may have noticed your Facebook status feed was overtaken by one-word color updates from approximately half of your contacts. The female half, to be precise.

It took most of us the better part of a day to figure out what was going on – and if you’re a guy, it may have taken longer to learn the secret.

The Facebook color status meme spread like wildfire via personal messages sent behind the scenes from one cluster of women or girls to the next. The message was simple: change your status to the color of your bra. Don’t tell any guys what’s up. Do this to raise awareness for breast cancer, and share this with all your women friends.

Quietly and with little fanfare (other than the occasional surprise – amidst generic-sounding status updates of “white,” “beige” and “black” – of startling “hot pink trimmed with maribou feathers” from your mother-in-law or a co-worker), this meme virtually took over Facebook. As more people began to catch on, there were small waves of backlash here and there — some female Facebook users refused to participate and dubbed it exploitative, while other Facebookers mocked the meme (some guys even facetiously played along).

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By Jenny Fuerst, Director, Corporate Communications

Neil Mortine and Kathy Cupper Obert

Fahlgren, Edward Howard to Join Public Relations Businesses

Alignment Forms Independent Powerhouse:

Largest Firm in Ohio and Top 30 Nationally 

The acquisition, which joins the capabilities of Fahlgren Mortine Public Relations and Edward Howard, is expected to close during the first quarter of 2010 although integration and coordinated new business and marketing efforts will begin immediately.

Check out more details of today’s exciting announcement in the news release.

By Liz Sidor, Account Associate

How to make a splash with a Twitter contest 

Twitter can be an intimidating place. With personalities like Oprah and Ashton Kutcher exceeding more than two million followers, how can businesses compete?

To mitigate the fear, set clear, reasonable expectations and interact in the space creatively. Developing a fun, creative strategy to initiate or reignite a company Twitter account can excite members of the organization and potential consumers/followers while garnering some momentum. 

How do you do that? Begin with some brainstorming combined with thoughtful planning (the social media best practice tips, outlined in an earlier post, are a good place to start). 

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By Kelly Malone, Account Supervisor

Five Social Media Resolutions Brand Managers Should Keep

Statistics show that only 46 percent of people who make resolutions are able to keep them six months into the New Year. Well, fellow marketing and PR folks, I challenge you to commit to the following resolutions to help your brand blossom in 2010. C’mon, there are only five.

1. I will not dilute my social media presence.
Many SM gurus are telling us to branch out and try the dozens of new social networks. I certainly agree with that if you’re experimenting on your own, but don’t subject your brand to it before you know what you’re signing up for. Be strategic about where your brand lives. Start with a strong hub – maybe that’s your blog – where most of your content originates. Then focus on pushing your content to your spokes – Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Choose your main social networking sites and stick to them. Enhance your presence and build a strong community on those platforms.

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By Ray Hancart, Account Director

You wouldn’t try to sell heavy coats in summer.

The presentation went well; the client is ready to move forward with the “new world” social media program you and the team recommended. Everyone works furiously to get the brand’s Facebook fan page built and Twitter handle ready to go. Momentum builds a little, but for some reason the message isn’t getting traction. You’re not gaining followers and the interaction levels are minimal. Sound familiar?

Due to the overwhelming surge of brands using social media vehicles as part of their marketing strategy, it’s a position many find themselves in. Your first instinct is to fix the message so you hammer away at it with complete confidence that if you fix the messaging all will be right. Ever consider your timing might be a little off?

The adage “timing is everything” holds just as true with new age social media as it does in regular old life. You wouldn’t try to sell heavy coats in summer so don’t try to tell someone about your great breakfast specials at two in the afternoon.

If you think timing might be the culprit dragging your social media outreach down, try these three solutions:

1. Think like your audience. How does your audience use social media vehicles in their daily lives? When is their high usage time period? Where are they when reading your latest tweet? Nothing less than a thorough understanding of your audience’s social media (and life) habits can hinder your outreach.

2. Not everyone lives in your time zone. While it’s a simple thing, it’s a mistake I see commonly made. Just because you live in the Eastern Time Zone, doesn’t mean squat to the 60% of your customers that live in California. This needs to be considered when choosing the right time to deliver a message.

3. Nine to five doesn’t always cut it. Customers don’t just cease to exist when you leave for the night. In fact, reaching them while you’re both on the couch watching Glee might be the time of the day when they’re most receptive. If your audience research agrees, consider shifting the daily timing of your program to prime time.

If the emphasis on timing seems familiar, it’s for good reason. It’s very similar to what marketers grappled with when first diving into e-mail communications. It worked quite well then for those who mastered it, and can do the same for your social media program now.

Photo Credit: Robbie73