Still want Moore?

There’s still time to enter our “Give You Moore” contest! Post a comment on our Facebook wall by June 30 telling us why you want to see the Moore in America exhibit, what you’re planning for your summer vacation, or what you love about c21, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win one of five pairs of tickets to use between now and October to see the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s blockbuster Moore in America exhibit. Good luck!

Facebook Announces Vanity URLs

Ready, set, go! On Saturday, June 13, Facebook pages with more than 1,000 fans as of May 31, 2009, will be able to create a vanity URL. What's this mean? You can protect your brand and better identify your business page, making it easier for fans to find you. Instead of a long string of letters and numbers, your URL can reflect your company (www.facebook.com/name). Check out this Ad Age article for details, or read Facebook's note.



This brings up the point that if you have a well known brand or your company has a common name, it's a good idea to reserve a spot now on social networking channels like Twitter and YouTube, even if you don't currently have a presence. You want to keep your options open for future outreach - and claim your brand name before others do.

Facebook Promotion Creates Buzz for Student Housing Developer

c21 just completed a really fun project – a Facebook contest for a national student housing developer, University House (UH). Many of the communities have established their own Facebook pages and profiles, but UH needed a page that provided information to both current residents and non-residents about the company as a whole without duplicating the efforts of the individual properties. c21i, our dedicated interactive practice area, had just the solution.

We developed the UH Facebook page and launched it in conjunction with a contest to generate fans. Playing off the popular talent contests that air each season on TV, including America’s Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance, we created the UH Best in Show contest. College students were encouraged to become fans of the new UH page and upload videos of their best talent, or vote for their favorite by posting to the wall. The grand prize winner received a $500 VISA gift card, and a randomly selected winner from those who voted received a $250 VISA gift card.

To generate activity and spread the word about the contest, we worked with the UH community managers, called “mavericks.” They were eligible to enter the contest, and used their already established social networks to encourage both residents and non-residents to do the same. Those who submitted videos spread the word virally to generate votes. The result? The contest, which only lasted a little more than two weeks, resulted in growing the fans from 0 to over 800, with almost 600 votes for the various video entries. There were some pretty hilarious stunts – check them out on the page – but kids, don’t try some of these at home.

c21 Gives You Moore!

Want to see the biggest art exhibit in Atlanta? Enter our “Give You Moore” Facebook contest for the chance to win one of five pairs of tickets to the Moore in America exhibit, which is on display now through October at Atlanta Botanical Garden. Just post a comment on our Facebook Wall telling us why you want to see the Moore in America exhibit, what you’re planning for your summer vacation, or what you love about c21. Check out our Facebook page for more details.

Fewer Outlets = Better Pitches?

By now, it’s common knowledge traditional media outlets are suffering. Advertising sales are way down, which means print publications are closing their doors at an alarming rate, from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to the Ann Arbor News. This ever-shifting media landscape means it’s even more important for PR pros to stay on top of who’s still out there and what they’re looking to cover. In light of this, here are some tips on pitching both local and national media - everyone can use a refresher every now and then.

Know the publication or online outlet. Understand its format, target audience, frequency and reporting style, and what beat a reporter covers. Read articles previously written by the reporter you are contacting.

Target the pitch specifically for that media outlet. For example, we’re pitching a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) communication kit to national media on behalf of the Arthritis Foundation. For publications like Good Housekeeping and Cosmo, we’ll focus our pitches on how RA affects women and offer interviews with women who have RA. For the Associated Press and the evening TV news programs, we’ll focus on breaking RA news (like new study results) and offer the toolkit as a free resource for those with the disease.

Be cognizant of breaking news and whether your pitch is relevant at that moment in time.  For example, don’t pitch to local media in a city just hit by tornadoes unless your story is about helping with the clean-up, housing the victims or donating supplies. The same goes for national daily news.

Keep these tips in mind, and check out HARO (Help a Reporter Out) - beneficial for journalists and PR pros alike. You’ll receive three e-mails a day with queries from reporters who are looking for something specific. For example – one of my clients, Kevin Rej of Raise Studio, has an amazing vintage lunchbox collection. A few weeks ago, a writer for a magazine in San Francisco was looking to speak with a lunchbox collector. I pitched Kevin, they did the interview, and the article is scheduled for the magazine’s July issue. It’s like having a constantly updated editorial calendar delivered to your inbox! It’s important to note that Peter Shankman, the HARO facilitator, is serious about on-target pitches. He’s been known to blacklist PR people if reporters/journalists report off topic submissions.

The bottom line - the competition for editorial coverage has gotten tighter, so we have to work smarter by taking time to do our research before picking up the phone or sending an e-mail. The pitch has to be succinct and relevant in order for the news to turn into a story. Use news sites and social media to stay on top of the changing media landscape and constantly update your list with media on the way out, and new outlets appearing on the scene.

Vote for HandsOn Network

Nonprofits - those organizations whose sole focus is to improve people's lives - are struggling in this economy. However, innovative partnerships can help nonprofits to raise the money they need to continue their good work. Target, which gives five percent of its income to communities — over $3 million every week, is putting the power of the people to work. From May 10 - 25, you can go online to Facebook and vote for the charity you would like to see receive $3 million (or a portion of that).

As a friend and longtime supporter of HandsOn Network, all of us at communications 21 hope you will vote for them. The money raised through your vote will go to HandsOn's work in schools across the country. You can vote once a day until May 25 - so click here.

Moore Scoop on Going Green!

Yesterday, we helped the Atlanta Botanical Garden reach a major milestone—they introduced media to Moore in America and the $55 million Green Expansion, highlighted by the Garden’s new green-built Hardin Visitor Center. So what’s all the fuss about?

Well, when you see it for yourself, you’ll understand moore (yes-pun intended) than the words can ever portray on a blog, but suffice it to say that the Garden’s Visitor Center is a hallmark of modern technology, ecologic design and beauty. Gardeners, hold your shovels and get ready for my description. From rooftops that showcase growing expanses of sedum juxtaposed against the backdrop of Atlanta’s downtown skyline, the view just couldn’t get any better than this. Frothy lamb’s ear dance against the lawn perpendicular to osmanthus trees that look 50 years old, but have recently been planted. Elated for the Garden over its eco-friendly efforts, I resolved to make some changes in my own “green plan.” What could c21 or I do differently to help sustain the planet?

Then, I read this inspiring article by Paul Hoffman that offers 10 tips for a greener business that provide immediate results for this new resolve. These are ideas we all can implement today. Check back with us in the future and see how we have put these tips into action to make our “gardens” greener.