• 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.

The thrust of the article was that after the recession hit, many legal Top Gunners dropped their price to $990. Thankfully many of those top shelf lawyers are now charging as much as $1,250 a bottle. Wow, talk about a hangover.

My studio has had the (sincere) pleasure of working with some of the top attorneys in Phoenix. So this post bears no reflection on them. It actually has nothing to do with lawyers at all. Hell, who among us wouldn’t charge $20 a minute if we could get away with it? More on that in a few weeks.

I’m actually poking fun at the clients. Let me get this straight. During the stormiest economic climate anyone on this planet has ever faced, top tier executives at Fortune 500 companies like GE and DuPont were ok with retaining counsel for $990, but heaven forbid, not $1,000? Hmmm, if you move that decimal doesn’t $990 look suspiciously like 99 cents, as in the STORE?

We all know that people allow themselves to be seduced by arbitrary numbers and shiny price tags. Hence the timeless .99 phenomenon that stretches from candy bars and oil changes to big screen TV’s and cars. I don’t know about you, but I have heard many times over the years that “just because you know B-C marketing doesn’t mean you can do B-B.” There is an undeniable hint of condescension attached to that theory as if selling professional services is any harder than clothes, coffee or fitness club memberships. It’s not.

Whoever makes major purchases while wearing a tie or pantyhose has a reputation, salary, bonus, mortgage, family (and ego) to protect. You think only facts drive those career decisions? What salesperson will deny that the personal relationship is central to the sale. That whining and dining still works.  How many deals are cut out on golf courses and in strip clubs? That’s why stadium luxury boxes were invented.

People have always bought with their hearts and brains and they always will. Great marketing is about appealing to both organs. A $990 lawyer proves that.

I find myself saying “seriously” quite often these days. Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler regularly lampooned the term so I don’t claim to have invented it.

But still, what word better conveys the sudden, staggering state of disbelief you feel when a client makes that last second request?  Or when a prospect thinks the creative for an ad campaign should cost $2,000? And the infamous intern who didn’t like sorting the highlighters? Not to mention the geyser of venom spraying from our elected officials.

Writing is how I process all which defies logic, reason, common sense or basic human empathy.  My goal is to evoke thought, discussion and change. To rattle the gilded cages of those who want nothing more than to keep people who think, look or love differently than them, out of their cage.

Everything in the world relates to marketing — and all the specialties, strategies, disciplines, tools and tactics we  fill our days with.  Sometimes you might think a post isn’t relevant to you. Look closer, it’s in there. The Mona Lisa is nice, but I’m more of a Jackson Pollock guy. There won’t be any guardrails like, “the reason this matters if you’re in PR is…”

• While maniacal about verbal grammar, in print I have no AP Style whatsoever. That’s one of the many reasons I surround myself with smart Cronkite alumni.

• Life is about perspective. I have been the client much longer than the client services provider.  I was another brick in the wall much longer than I’ve been the owner.

• People should always come before profit. Sam Alpert and I have walked that walk at DSPR for the last five years. I will challenge every boss in town to hop on the treadmill and sacrifice your $200 rounds of golf so you don’t have to lay someone off.

• I think the word boss is repugnant and, contrary to popular opinion, all millennials are not self-entitled slackers. I have dozens of case studies to support both views.

• 80% of my life, career and education has been spent outside Arizona. The Grand Canyon is beautiful. But if you profess that it’s the most beautiful place in the world and you’ve never been east of the Rockies or south of Rocky Point, I’m gonna call you on a major parochial violation.

• Humor is the greatest gift there is. When, not if, my words piss you off, remember that other readers at that moment are laughing — hopefully anyway.

• We all need to do a better job of sharing our oxygen, whether you think the climate is changing or not.  You can believe in whatever you want as long as you don’t believe you have the divine  right to extinguish mine.

• Life is too short to eat vanilla because you’re afraid what people might think if you like Phish Food.

• A positive attitude is nice but not when it’s delusional. As Arizona prepares to celebrate its 100th birthday isn’t it time we stop acting like we’re in our terrible two’s? Last I checked, horses stopped galloping down Central Ave decades ago.

• People in Phoenix are mostly nice — except behind the wheel. Our highways are more toxic than the roads of Istanbul, Boston and Bangkok.

• Agencies like Ogilvy and Edelman would have offices in Phoenix if they saw us as a viable investment, in other words, a world-class city. That requires a sophisticated economy with a highly educated work force and socially progressive culture.  Who’s starting that creative brief?

At the end of the day, most of us marketing communications professionals just sell stuff, services and space.  It’s the teachers, public servants and ace reporters at TMZ who make the world a better place, not us.

So laugh more. Enjoy the ride. It’s the only one you get.

That’s my perspective. Seriously.

D

This question was brought up to me last night when talking about Downtown Phoenix. It’s a valid concern, and timely in the light of the recent blog post in the New Times about the LGO Public House pulling out.  I hear mixed opinions about Cityscape’s opening, especially from downtowners.

Some people say it’s going to bring more life downtown, more business, boost the economy- it’s great.  Others say the price point of the retail shops and restaurants is too high for the people that live downtown, and aren’t just there to visit. I guess that begs the question: Do they want more visitors, residents, or both? Should malls like Cityscape and the Arizona Center be built first in order to increase downtown home sales? Or should the homes themselves be built first in order to attract people to the malls?

Since that question probably has many answers and opinions- let me divert this entry a little bit to something that I can lend some insight to. This same question can also be applied in the agency world. When it comes to an agency, is it better to build up or out?

This is something I’ve been thinking about since beginning work at a PR agency. Is is better to expand our client list or to instead maybe jump on additional services we can provide to them? For example; talk an existing advertising client into adding a PR retainer, asking a PR client to add on social media services, or maybe advising a client who has all three to use us for SEO services- instead of an outside company. OR what if we asked a client to add VIDEO services to a PR CAMPAIGN. Imagine that! Maybe expanding  services  (for more money of course), rather than expanding the number of clients would actually be better for the bottom-line. This concept (along with the concept of serving a wide-range of clients) is something I hope to learn more about as I move forward in PR.

As far as Cityscape goes- the only thing I can say is, if we criticize something over and over (Downtown Phoenix) and want it to change, then we need to support that change when we finally see it. In marketing, we know that nothing is as powerful as word of mouth.  Instead of bashing Cityscape right away… saying it’s too this or not enough that, I hope people will give it a chance. Then maybe the next time around Downtown Phoenix will be what they want it to be.  Kind of like that Ghandi quote.

Phoenix Startup Digest is here to solve that very problem, dubbing itself the “insider’s guide to the startup world.”

Curated by Francine Hardaway, the Phoenix Startup Digest is a curated email detailing new companies, events and the people behind them. For those who don’t hang out in the tech circles, it’s a fantastic resource to keep up to date with what’s going on, and an even better opportunity to pitch stories and gain new clients.

The sign up process allows you to choose different US cities, international cities, universities, and tech verticals to receive information about, so if you’re interested in China, Berkeley and Phoenix, personalizing your newsletter is a few clicks away.

What makes Startup Digest different from most newsletters of its type is the cultivation aspect, as area leaders and experts are in charge of each bit of info that goes out. Blanket releases submitted by form won’t make it onto a list like this, as local rep Francine makes sure of that.

Jobs by location are also an option, so PR pros looking to be information sources for their clients can help keep up to date with just about any openings around the US.

Oh, and it’s free.

You’ve probably seen how some cities (like this and this) have attempted to rein in local dollars and boost their economies with campaigns for buying local. We have our own push here with Local First Arizona, a non-profit group promoting your support of locally owned businesses throughout the state.

But apart from this move to nurture small businesses such as nurseries, nail parlors and ethnic restaurants, there is a lot of money moving out in terms of … advertising. Park & Co have put together a microsite featuring nine agencies (apart from Park&Co), with a push that urges companies to rethink where they s(p)end their dollars.

“You buy local produce, seek out locally owned stores, and drink local wines. So why go to other markets like L.A. for your advertising? Phoenix agencies offer a wealth of talent, from brand strategy and development to internationally award-winning creative, as well as innovative interactive campaigns and Hollywood-caliber film and video production. And you don’t have to look far.”

As Time magazine once put it, the buy-local trend “enhances the ‘velocity’ of money.” But most people only think of products, not services, says Park Howell, who says that it is time to focus on buying local business services, specifically advertising, creative and communications. “We’re promoting our competition because we’re big believers in a rising tide lifts all boats. There’s plenty of business to go around, so keep it local.”

Whether you’re looking to brush up on some WordPress skills, would like tips to give to clients or just need to connect with local freelancers to help with content creation, site design or troubleshooting, the entry fee of a mere $35 is well spent.

The five days of instruction includes:

-Design/Dev Speed Meet
Meet designers and developers you can hire for yourself or for clients at the Co+Hoots Design/Dev Speed Meet. Fantastic way to be introduced to professionals who can get what you need done.

-Beginner’s class at SkySong
Taught by April Holle, this all-day session is for complete beginners who want to how WordPress works from the ground up. Holle promises that attendees will walk away with all the knowledge they need to make their own WordPress site.

-Free intro to WordPress Multisite
Perfect for anyone looking to manage multiple client sites. Boone Gorges will throw enough knowledge at attendees that they’ll be managing new WordPress installs with ease.

-Design Reception with Light Rail Pub Crawl
Meet, greet and throw back a few with talented Valley designers on the eve of WordCamp at the Co+Hoots Design Reception and Light Rail Pub Crawl. See award-winning talent and visit a few locally owned restaurants that are off the beaten path.

-Main Event at Chandler Center for the Arts
An entire Saturday of presentations, genius sessions and sponsor awesomeness await registered attendees on Saturday, January 29. Attend sessions from one particular track or jump around if you like, we don’t care, as long as you’re learnin’. Be sure to join everyone at San Tan Brewery afterwards.

-Developer Day Unconference at Gangplank
Gain insight into how WordPress REALLY works by checking out developers hard at work making cool stuff for WordPress users. If developing scares you, here’s your chance to at least see how scary it really is.

There’s more, but you’re going to have to find that our for yourself. There are less than 100 tickets left (85 at 9pm last night), so be sure to buy yours today.

Dave and Busters
2000 E. Rio Salado Pkwy
Tempe, AZ 85281

$35 members/$45 non members (members may bring one guest for the member price. Price includes food and 2 drinks, billiards and shuffleboard.) For more information on this event, please contact Holiday Party chair Jan Vaughn.

It is part of a series of ‘Revolution Tour workshops, by Infusionsoft, a Gilbert-AZ based company you may be familiar with. It has been taken to Los Angeles, Chicago, Columbus, New York, San Diego, Austin, San Francisco and Orlando.

You’ll also get to hear Lon Safko, author of  The Social Media Bible. I’ve thumbed through the book, and have to say that while there are yards of books on social media crying out for attention, this one packs a lot. (It’s in its second edition.) Clate Mask Co-Founder and CEO of Infusionsoft, will also speak.

WHERE: Infusionsoft Headquarters: 2065 W. Obispo Ave, Suite 103, Gilbert, AZ 85233

WHY ATTEND: You’ll get practical training on new-marketing concepts that drive business growth.

COST: Free!

REGISTRATION: Limited to the first 100 attendees. Register here.

Hurry and register before the long weekend!

Drop off entries on WED., DECEMBER 8
Entries need to be delivered to the ADDYS® drop off location at McMurry, 1010 E. Missouri Ave., Phoenix. The site will be open to receive your packages from NOON to 6:00 PM only. Entries WILL NOT be accepted after this date.

The awards dinner will be held Saturday, March 5 at the Hotel Valley Ho.