By Carrie Jones, Jones Public Affairs, Inc.

Research shows that despite the explosion of news sources available online, most original reporting still comes from traditional media - newspapers, television and radio. That means getting a journalist to cover your organization is still one of the best ways to distribute your message to key audiences.

By Susan Waldman, partner and director of strategic services at ZilYen

While leisurely catching up on old online versions of the Sunday New York Times over a colorful plate of scrambled eggs prepared by my 12-year-old daughter, my attention was piqued to a stage of high alert at the notice of a headline for Bono's OpEd column on the Rebranding of America

How do you build influence? Create, post or share relevant content – that’s what 739 respondents to the survey “What makes an influencer?” said. Vocus and Brian Solis partnered to conduct the survey and have published the findings in a report titled, “Influencer grudge match: Lady Gaga versus Bono.”

Shaun Quigley VP, Interactive Practice Director at Brunner, says that brands know how to make a strong impression online, but where exactly? (This question was addressed by Shaun in Agency Spy, Sept. 23.) Here's Shaun's comments:

Despite the fact that 

Millennial Media’s Mobile Reach & Quick Stats:

Nearly 30% of mobile subscribers accessing retail content on their phones cannot be reached online or offline (in-store). For advertisers this means there is a NEW retail audience, finds a new report by Millennial Media. 

By Carol Clurman, Senior Editor USA Weekend

Who's smarter, Mark Zuckerberg, the 26-year-old billionaire who founded Facebook in his dorm room, or Aaron Sorkin, the guy who wrote the new movie, The Social Network, about him? And who knew that a bunch of smug Harvard undergrads could be as enthralling as your first crush? Or - and here's the kicker - that computers and nerds could be as nail-bit Read More »

This U.S. Scorecard for Mobile Advertising Reach and Targeting (S.M.A.R.T.^TM) report compiled between 6/1/10 to 6/30/10 by Millennial Media looks at the top-ten mobile advertising verticals ranked by spend – Q2 2010

Most marketers believe that “astroturfing” of online reviews occurs, that the practice is wrong, and may stop buying from a brand if they learned that the brand was doing it, according to a recent survey by R2integrated (R2i), a leading Internet marketing and technology company.

By Tracy Schario, APR. 

The much-anticipated launch of the local news Web site TBD.com has arrived.  The concept of the integrated TV and Web reporting borrows from the success of Politico, another successful reinvention of news delivery by owner Allbritton Communications.

By Dan Rosenthal

Every year, researchers discover that consumers don't trust ads, no matter where they appear, but instead they trust their peers' opinions when it comes to buying things.  And every year it's a big revelation.

This U.S. Scorecard for Mobile Advertising Reach and Targeting (S.M.A.R.T.^TM) report compiled between 6/1/10 to 6/30/10 by Millennial Media looks at the Entertainment vertical. Advertisers in this space are highly innovative and consistently lead the way in driving new mobile advertising ideas.

The Oriella PR Network has issued their 2010 Digital Journalism Study. The survey consisted of 770 journalists across 15 countries, and is used to find out how digital media has changed the nature of news-gathering. In reviewing this study, I naturally paid the most attention to those items that directly affect public relations and media relations practitioners. 

It can happen to almost all brands at some point in time, but some are forced to deal with it more often than others. I’m talking about the love/hate relationship that can occur between your brand and your consumer.

The Air Guard, a reserve component of the United States Air Force, has kicked off a 34-stop experiential marketing tour that uses augmented reality technology to give potential recruits a sense of what it’s like to perform real Air Guard missions.

By Phil Rabin, Capitol Communicator editor

We raised the question in our weekly e-newsletter of whether the Washington Redskins should be referred to as “is” or “are” – Read More »

By Dan Rosenthal

There's a peculiar RFP going around right now, for a major local advertiser.  Sadly, I've seen this request before. In what I suppose is an attempt by the marketer to "see how the agency thinks," the RFP supplies no boundaries.  None.

Jones Public Affairs sent out an interesting item about phony press releases sharing fake news about real people and organizations. These releases have traveled over respected newswires and rippled through social media networks like Twitter, stated Jones Public Affairs. To some, it might appear to be a mere annoyance but, in reality, it could have devastating effects on the name and brand you've worked so hard to build.  

By Pum Lefebure, creative director of DESIGN ARMY.  Wedding etiquette dictates many do's and don'ts for the happy couple. But no prenuptial protocol is more important than

By Greg Kihlström, chief creative officer and founder,  Carousel30 Interactive.  About a year ago, I wrote an article with guidelines on writing a website design and development Request for Proposal (RFP), which received a great response.

By Tracy Schario, APR

The profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal in Rolling Stone magazine is instructive for anyone trying to manage his or her media image. The lesson chief among the takeaways is that denigrating

To help writers, editors, and content creators write effectively for the Web, Yahoo! is publishing "The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World," which, says Yahoo!, is the first guide of its kind to focus on the specific issues associated with developing content for the online medium.

Two-out-of-three Americans consider a general lack of civility to be a major problem for the nation and 72 percent think that poor behavior has gotten worse in recent years, according to a new poll released today by Weber Shandwick and Powell Tate in partnership with KRC Research. 

By Demetrius Goosbey II.  Recently, I spent a few hours in a dark room under interrogation spotlights reviewing student portfolios.  Most needed a great deal of work

In the past two Newsweek issues, Daniel Lyons, who writes about technology, has focused on Facebook and privacy issues.  In the first of these pieces, he opens with “the latest trend among hipster techies: quitting Facebook. 

By Cheryl Dickison

How many times have you received an e-mail solicitation for an event that reads “only a few seats remain” and you think to yourself, “yeah right, I’m not falling for that trick?” That is exactly what happened to me

By Mike Carberry 

Call me old-fashioned, but I think some big agencies and advertisers might be taking their eyes off the ball when promoting their

By Amanda Gardner, and reprinted from HealthDay News:

Alcohol companies are increasingly using the latest new media technologies -- including cell phones, social networking sites, YouTube and other features of the expanding digital universe -- to reach young drinkers, a new report contends.

By Tracy Schario, APR

Anniversary stories often are not exciting. In fact, I’ve had reporters emphatically tell me, “I don’t write about anniversaries.”

The proverbial “Year of Mobile” came and went, reports Millennial Media. There was no cataclysmic tipping point that shocked industry-watchers into acknowledging mobile as a highly effective and efficient advertising medium. While some were taking a wait-and-see approach, according to Millennial Media, innovative advertisers were in market with creative, relevant and impactful mobile campaigns. They were building mobile sites and branded apps, and they were implementing longer-term mobile strategies.

By Barbara I. Berschler, Esquire

A recently decided case by the 11^th Circuit offers professional photographers a primer on what to do and what not to do in order to protect their copyright interests in their photographs.  While the case involved some well-known players—Kawasaki Motors and Roaring Toyz—and the unveiling of the ZX-14 sports motorcycle at the Daytona Bike Week