Original Thoughts - Public Relations

So you want to enter the world of Public Relations? Figuring out how to get there is the first step.

noreply@zionandzion.com (Ashley) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 04:26:00 -0700

In our backyard is one of the nation's top journalism schools, the Walter Cronkite School at Arizona State, filled with hungry students trying to get their feet in the door of this competitive industry. Nevertheless, a top notch educational background is not the only thing that marketing and public relations firms, when looking to hire, will demand from candidates–especially these days.
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Guest lecturing at the ASU Walter Cronkite School

noreply@zionandzion.com (Aric) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 07:01:17 -0700

This past Thursday I guest lectured to a public relations class at ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. I thought that I'd share an interesting question that came from one of the students who currently has an internship with one of the very large PR firms in town. Her question was about how to measure the results of Social Media and PR campaigns.
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Spreading the pain is no way to grow a business

noreply@zionandzion.com (Aric) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:42:06 -0700

Have you ever wondered why it seems harder, not easier, to get good service in the current down economy? It seems strange doesn't it? People are out of work, resources for hire are abundant, and revenue is scarcer for many companies. So, why isn't service better in general, instead of worse?
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Leveraging B2B PR for B2C purposes

noreply@zionandzion.com (Aric) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:46:00 -0700

When people think of PR, they often think of consumer media attention, however, we encourage broader thinking. It is often the case that trade (or B2B) media attention can be leveraged to advantage with our clients' consumers.
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Social Media -- Don't be fooled by agency hype

noreply@zionandzion.com (DuGue) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:16:00 -0700

Everyone's talking about social media, and many large companies are using is effectively, but many agencies try to pull a bait and switch when it comes to how social media can help a small or medium sized local business or a business that does not have an incredibly strong brand.
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Email marketing -- Beyond the hype

noreply@zionandzion.com (Aric) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:55:29 -0700

Email marketing seems cool, doesn't it? But when it comes right down to it, if you aren't an online retailer that can track sales back to an email campaign in a disciplined way, then how do you justify email marketing if you're not seeing the phone ring the moment you hit send?
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McDonald's -- Small oversight, big impact

noreply@zionandzion.com (Aric) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:47:57 -0700

Drive up to a McDonald's today and you're likely to be asked "What can I make for you?" Somewhere along the way, McDonald's marketing department and market researchers obviously told them that their food would seem fresher if their drive-through personnel said this, instead of "What can I get for you?".

Sounds reasonable right? But here's what we found to be the case...
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Social Media isn't for everyone, Or is it?

noreply@zionandzion.com (Tanner) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:10:00 -0700

The buzz around social media is understandable. Every time a new medium to reach the consumer makes its appearance on the scene, whether it be the introduction of the radio, the television, or the internet, marketers see an opportunity--as well they should. However, most companies just can't seem to figure out what to do with social media. So a pressing question arises--"Is social media for everyone"?

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Event sponsorship -- Should you go it alone?

noreply@zionandzion.com (Nick) — Wed, 23 May 2007 07:48:21 -0700

You're trying to decide whether to sponsor an event. You've already considered cost, ROI, and who the other sponsors are; but how important is it that you be the sole sponsor, and is that always better?
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Getting the most out of your customer relationship investments

noreply@zionandzion.com (Aric) — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:57:32 -0700

It's no surprise that companies frequently make investments in their relationships with customers and business partners and that sometimes these investments aren't financial. For example, a business might let a customer use a coupon that's already expired, give a customer a complimentary gift, provide free advice, or go above and beyond the call of duty.

However, customers often devalue these relationship investments over time--i.e. as more time passes since the relationship investment was made, customers come to think of the original action as having less value than they originally thought.

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How should you schedule customer communications?

noreply@zionandzion.com (DuGue) — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:41:02 -0700

For many companies, communicating with customers can be an expensive proposition. Whether it's via direct mail, email marketing, PR, social media or in person, all customer communication comes at a price. So, an important question is, how do you get the biggest bang for your buck?
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