They say all good things must come to an end and thus it is with a bittersweet heart I announce that today is the final post for Valley PR Blog. I know, don’t cry.

Valley PR Blog has been a true labor of love for us over these past 4 1/2 years, but truth be told we’ve all moved on to new jobs, new families and new priorities and we seem to have lost the spark. Our first post was actually on Dec. 10, 2006 about some new hires at a local PR agency, and over the years I think we’ve been pretty true to our mission, which was to “bring us all together.” In that time we’ve had 1,943 posts and you’ve made 4,992 comments!

The original team was myself, Dan Wool, Charlotte Risch and Angelo Fernando. Soon after Linda VandeVrede joined us and our little quintet had a nice run. We’ve had a lot of great guest bloggers over the years, from Barry Kluger to Abbie Fink, Tyler Hurst and David Eichler. And there were many more.

Thanks to everyone who made Valley PR Blog a part of their life. Maybe one of you will pick up the flag and carry on?

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Blufish Design Studio

“We are seeing an influx of small and medium-sized businesses starting to increase their marketing dollars, and they are focusing on putting their money toward an online strategy with companies focusing on going social,’ said Matt Hasher, principal of Blufish Design Studio. “By expanding our offering to managing Social Media campaigns we are looking to capitalize, particularly among small businesses, who are in need of a partner to fully manage and execute year-long campaigns.”

Bluefish’s new team members are:

• Daniel Moran, Jr., social media and communication manager—joining the Blufish team as a seasoned PR, marketing and social media professional, Daniel will be spearheading Blufish’s marketing and manage select client’s development and execution of their social media campaigns.
• Renee Griffith, junior designer—the Valley’s latest Phoenician, Renee joins the agency as its newest designer. Renee will be leveraging her background to develop eye catching designs to help brand and promote Blufish’s clients within their respected market.
• Stephanie Childers, office manager—the heart of the Blufish operations, Stephanie is the Operations Manager and manages day-to-day activities to keep the group organized and operating efficiently.

For more information about Blufish Design Studio visit www.blufishdesign.com.

Daniel Moran, Jr.

Renee Griffith

Stephanie Childers

“With the support of our loyal team and long-time clients, we can confidently say that we’ve built one of the best creative agencies in the Southwest,” said Eichler.
Some of David and Sam PR’s highlights include:

• Re-launching Dunkin’ Donuts in Phoenix in late-2008, creating buzz for more than 40 store openings with marketing, social media and public relations campaigns.
• Being recognized as a 2011 OBIE Awards finalist by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) for My Sister’s Attic’s “One Night Stand” billboards, a continuation of the brands iconic “Sell Your Sole” campaign for My Sister’s Closet.
• Development and launch of a Facebook application, Digeez’s Vacation, for Cox Communications Arizona aimed at building more personal engagement from customers. The local Cox division is leading the way in social media for the national brand.
• The creation and build-out of its signature “Treehouse” office space in Phoenix, which has become recognized as one of the city’s most dynamic work environments.

Nice work guys!

Bill Kircos

The 2011 IABC Phoenix Copper Quill Awards banquet and ceremony will be held Wednesday, May 18, 2011 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Desert Botanical Garden.

The keynote address will be by Bill Kircos, General Manager, Marketing at Intel. Bill Kircos manages the marketing efforts for Intel Corporation’s Netbook and Tablet Group, overseeing customer sales and support, product feature planning and introductions and communications worldwide.  He has been with Intel for almost 15 years, and has more than 20 years of experience in the marketing and communications fields.  Kircos was a lead communications manager for the company’s initial social media foray in 2004, and managed that effort until assuming his current role.
 
Kircos will share case studies and talk about how Intel has shifted its marketing, employee communications and public relations efforts to focus more around innovation and technology leadership, versus just a specific product during his keynote presentation.  He will walk through how Intel created a marketing theme and built what the company calls 360 degree, integrated communications plans to ensure every audience – from employees and financial analysts to consumers and customers – receives a consistent message about the Intel brand promise, which then “lifts” its product portfolio.

For full details, pricing and to reserve your seat visit www.iabcphoenix.com.

The event is Thursday, April 28. Information is available online and you can register here.

Through this blog I’ll be sharing my thoughts on movies, music and literature…and perhaps some other similar topics. I may provide a review, or perhaps just a quick mention of something I’d like to pass along. I’ll do my best to provide links to the things I blog about so you can get more information, and when I can I’ll embed a song or a clip as well. I hope you’ll offer your opinions too, since I get most of my best recommendations from my friends who also like movies, music and books. And of course, whether you agree or disagree with me, I hope you’ll feel free to tell me what’s on your mind.

The big hook is that beginning this weekend I will be watching and reviewing in order, all of AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies! If you are a film fan you might find this interesting.

So, I invite you over to take a look and please consider bookmarking the site or even better signing up for the e-mail subscription. And if you have friends who share my passion for movies, music and literature by all means send them a link!

In five days, my campaign drove 30 clicks and 5 leads via contact form for $19.39. By comparison, a Match membership costs $34.99 per month (with no guarantee of traffic or leads).

Five qualified leads from women who live near him and who have similar interests. The women who clicked on the ad were taken to a custom landing page where Matt did his best to prove he wasn’t a complete nut and at the same time provided more detail about what he was looking for in a date. You might think this is creepy, but frankly how is it any more creepy than randomly “winking” at women on Match.com? By testing various keywords he was able to target his ads to women who fit his profile. Why sit back and wait for a date when you can actively seek one?

When you read through Matt’s explanation on his blog it makes sense. I can’t relate since I haven’t been “out there” in 20 years, but I know from talking with my single friends that dating is a bitch and online dating is a lot of work. Matt used his experience in marketing to market Matt, a product at least you can say he believed in.

What do you think of this approach from a marketing perspective? I don’t want to know if you’d date Matt, just whether or not you think he might have stumbled into a whole new business concept. I gotta tell you…I think it’s brilliant.

Name: Christine K. Bailey
Title: Freelance Writer
Outlet: I’m a freelance writer for print and online publications such as Meetings Arizona, Arizona Bride, PHOENIX Magazine, The Arizona Republic and South Mountain District News, as well as a regular contributor to SheKnows.com. The 2nd edition of my book – Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sedona & Central Arizona, A Great Destination was recently released by Country Man Press, a division of W.W. Norton & Company. I am also the author of various iPhone travel apps, including Sedona’s Scenic Red Rocks and the narrative author of upcoming book Phoenix, Arizona: A Photographic Portrait with photographs by Paul Scharff.
Email: christine@christinekbailey.com
Website: christinekbailey.com

1. What are your main daily duties?
I am continually revising both the Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sedona & Central Arizona, A Great Destination guidebook and my iPhone apps. I have a new one due out soon called, Dining Arizona, and I will be writing about must-try restaurants in Greater Phoenix and Scottsdale. In addition, I’m regularly pitching story ideas featuring the little known gems that local residents would recommend to their own family and friends. I also blog, yelp, tweet and write articles about all the amazing things to do and see here, so I am continuously looking for ideas that will help me share all the exciting and adventurous outdoor activities, events, hotels, restaurants etc. that make Arizona and the Valley so special.

2. What kinds of stories are you looking for?
I am always looking for Valley PR professionals to ‘pitch me’ on what’s happening at their clients’ hotels, restaurants and unique Arizona events for inclusion in upcoming editions and articles. Specifically, I am looking for unique travel, entertainment, and adventure story angles on the Valley and Arizona. I love living in the Valley, and I am passionate about food, fun, and family friendly places and activities and I like to feature local businesses.

3. What’s the best way to approach you with a pitch?
Email me at: christine@christinekbailey.com

4. What recommendations do you have for PR professionals?
The earlier the better! I’m often getting pitches one or two weeks before an event, it’s barely enough time to research and get it into a blog, let alone pitch the idea for an online or print publication. Typically, magazines are looking for 6-9 months of lead time. It’s really important for me to know what’s happening that far out instead of what’s happening this week or what has already happened.
Shoot me an email introduction! I’m always open to new ideas, so let me know what’s happening in your part of the Valley or state.

5. What’s the strangest/weirdest pitch you’ve ever received?
I can’t think of any in particular, but I have had a couple of pitches for events a few days before they took place. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything with them.

• How attractions and destinations are leveraging social media
• How to extend your brand experience on the web
• How to drive repeat sales and customer engagement via social media channels

The event includes the panel discussion, a mixer and tickets to that night’s game vs the Minnesota Timberwolves is April 11 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at US Airways Center. Registration is available online and more information is available by contacting Mandy Medsker at mmedsker@suns.com.

I have never hunted, but I did handle public relations for the International Sportsmen’s Expo for a few years and I learned a lot about hunting. For example, elephant hunting in African countries like Zimbabwe is strictly regulated and part of wildlife management programs that are vital to the protection of both humans and animals. There are quotas and, in fact, elephant populations are growing in Africa. Additionally, the costs associated to go on these elephant hunts are enormous so Mr. Parsons likely paid tens of thousands of dollars for the right to go on the hunt — money that has become a critical component to the economies of these countries. And, as I mentioned above, most of the elephants become food for an entire village once they are killed. It may not be your taste, but hey, some folks consider cow meat to be disgusting. To each his own.

Why do so many people think it’s wrong to hunt one animal but not another? We eat salmon but would never eat dolphin — too cute huh? Well, surprise surprise…some cultures do eat dolphin. And monkeys. And insects. Hey, I don’t eat meat beyond a little seafood here and there, but that’s my choice. I don’t begrudge you your hamburger.

Parsons does indeed have an image to uphold and hunting an elephant is not out of character. I’d have more sympathy for you if you boycotted Go Daddy because of its sexist advertising campaigns. You shouldn’t be surprised Parsons shot an elephant — you should be surprised he didn’t shoot one sooner.

If you’re not convinced on the merits of hunting, check out the Politically Incorrect Guide to Hunting by Frank Miniter. You’ll learn a few things, like:

• Hunters do more for conservation than environmentalists
• Professional hunters keep our airport runways safe
• Hunters have saved deer, elk, bear and waterfowl from extinction
• Hunters are major suppliers of meat to feed the homeless

Hunting may not be your cup of tea — it ain’t mine — but it’s part of who we are as a species.