April 12, 2013 in PR Agencies, Public Relations by Mike Drago
IDEA GROVE NEWS: Idea Grove Wins AMA Marketer of the Year Award

shutterstock_132102878Idea Grove has been recognized by the American Marketing Association for a public relations campaign undertaken last year on behalf of our client ShopSavvy. The Marketer of the Year Awards were handed out Thursday night at the Westin Galleria Dallas hotel by the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the American Marketing Association. Idea Grove was among the 16 finalists that included other Dallas marketing firms and some familiar Dallas-area corporations.

Idea Grove won in the Public Relations category for our work for ShopSavvy, the leading mobile shopping application. The team included Idea Grove President Scott Baradell, Senior Account Executive Stephanie Fedler and Chief Content Officer Clay Zeigler.

Scott put together a public relations program leveraging news releases, media pitches and video. Stephanie worked to implement the program, focusing especially on media relations. It all culminated during retailing’s most-visible period: the kickoff of the holiday shopping season well known to consumers as Black Friday.

Continue Reading

 
0
March 26, 2013 in PR Agencies, Public Relations by Clay Zeigler
IDEA GROVE NEWS: Idea Grove Is a Finalist for Marketer of the Year Award

Screen shot 2013-03-25 at 5.44.20 PMIdea Grove is a finalist for a big award, the Marketer of the Year Award from the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the American Marketing Association. The 16 finalists include other Dallas marketing firms and some familiar names in Dallas-area business circles.

The Marketer of the Year will be announced next month along with the Collegiate Marketer of the Year and the CMO of the Year. Kent Huffman of BearCom Wireless, an Idea Grove client, is one of two Chief Marketing Officer finalists. Idea Grove is a finalist alongside other agencies and the likes of Alcatel-Lucent, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers.

Idea Grove’s nomination was for its work for ShopSavvy, the leading mobile shopping application. Idea Grove President Scott Baradell put together a public relations program leveraging news releases, media pitches and video and culminating during retailing’s most-visible period: the kickoff of the holiday shopping season well known to consumers as Black Friday.

Continue Reading

 
0
March 15, 2013 in Media Orchard, Media Relations, Public Relations by Stephanie Fedler
ADVICE: What Makes Your Story News? 3 Tests to Predict Media Interest

shutterstock_105032324Most companies that invest in public relations and marketing services are passionate about their businesses, but that excitement can blur the line between what is newsworthy and what isn’t. As an account manager specializing in technology public relations, I help clients identify which announcements warrant a press release or media pitch – and which don’t – and develop compelling story angles around them. I’ve learned that as excited as you are about your company’s decision to begin targeting a new vertical, that doesn’t necessarily mean the media cares. Three tests will help you determine whether your company’s story belongs in the newsroom or in the break room.

Continue Reading

 
0
February 4, 2013 in Media Relations, Public Relations by Scott Baradell
HEADS UP: Why an Outplacement Service Is News Before the Super Bowl

Screen shot 2013-02-04 at 12.57.21 PMI have this thing about challenges; I love them. And I certainly got one in early 2011, when our Dallas marketing firm was asked to find a way to use the Super Bowl to get attention for a client that is an outplacement services company. The campaign we put together is an annual reminder that media relations efforts still are extremely valuable when they convey ideas that are new, timely and interesting.

Sanjay Sathe is the CEO at RiseSmart, which helps get laid-off workers into their next jobs as quickly as possible. He gets the credit for suggesting tying the company to a Super Bowl angle. In thinking about RiseSmart’s role in combating unemployment, we wondered whether there was a correlation between jobless rates and the Super Bowl. Sure enough, we found a study by an economist from the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago that uncovered an unexpectedly strong correlation: In four out of five Super Bowls during the period studied, the victors were from the city whose metropolitan area had the lower unemployment rate.

Continue Reading

 
0
December 7, 2012 in Media Relations, Public Relations by Clay Zeigler
ADVICE: Wal-Mart Shows Us How Not to Handle Negative Media Coverage

The mainstream media has been a punching bag for the American public since back when newspapers cost a penny. For more than 200 years, people and organizations of all kinds have found sympathetic audiences for their complaints about unfair news coverage. Still, it’s difficult to understand the thinking behind the recent move by Wal-Mart Stores not to respond to questions from the Huffington Post. The good news for the rest of us is this is a perfect test case for what not to do in the face of negative media coverage.

Mistake No. 1 – Banning a Publication

According to a Washington Post story, Wal-Mart won’t any longer respond to questions to the Huffington Post because of a pattern of problems over facts and perspectives. While there may be issues – perhaps legitimate ones – it doesn’t seem to make sense to deny access to an entire organization all the time.

Continue Reading

 
3