By Annette Minkalis

A couple of years ago I met with a client from a prostate cancer nonprofit.  He said he wanted to target women with his message of check ups and prostate cancer screenings. Women?

By Doug Poretz

Enterprises are getting a world-class lesson in PR, courtesy of the TSA, in the wake of the pat-down controversy. To understand this lesson, it doesn’t really matter if you are a fan of pat-downs at U.S. airports or not, or even if you hate the idea but are willing to go through the process for the sake of a safer world. The core lesson is this: launching a PR campaign is a counter-productive distraction when trying to polish the image of what is a bad idea in the first place.

By Jeff Caporizzo

I walked into a Starbucks a few days ago around lunchtime.  Huge line.  Ok, I can handle a big line if it's moving pretty quickly.  This one wasn't.  So I left and went to

By Mariah Craven 

At Washington Area Women’s Foundation we have a saying: Share your time, talent or treasure with us and we’ll show you how to make a difference in your community. At The Women’s Foundation, communications professionals are learning first-hand how to use all three to change our region for the better.

In July 2010, Bob Evans Farms, the $1.7-billion restaurant and retail food products company which operates nearly 600 restaurants in 18 states and distributes a wide variety of refrigerated and frozen foods across the United States and Canada, set out to drive awareness of its Facebook Page

Unless you live in cave in the middle of nowhere, then you’ve probably heard of Foursquare, the geo-location social gaming platform. Geo-location is a term used to describe the capability to detect and record where you and other people are located, and to use the information to enhance the desktop using an internet-connected computer or device.

By Susan Waldman

When Apple announced the release of the first iPhone over three years ago, we were initially psyched and immediately cleared our calendars to join the throngs of people who waited in line on June 29, 2007  -

One of the trends in TV commercials is the shift towards shorter ads – specifically the 15-second spot, which was  common in the just-concluded political campaigns as politicians flooded the airwaves in advance of the elections. These quick-hit ads provided plenty of time for an attack that could be repeated and repeated again.

Millennial Media’s U.S. unique audience reach increased to 73.5M unique users; Millennial Media continues to reach more than 8 out of 10 Mobile web users. Advertisers are continuing to engage in a deeper mobile experience with consumers; over 12% incorporated rich media elements in their campaigns in Q3 2010.

By Patricia Cole

My family is from Chile, and despite the fact that I’ve never spent more than two weeks there at a time, when I am in Santiago or spending time in Viña del Mar surrounded by my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends, I really feel at home. Growing up, I always had to explain to friends that it’s pronounced "CHEE-Leh" not "Chili." And no, it is Read More »

Social media and networking platform Twitter will impact the course of the 2010 midterm elections, with campaigns increasingly relying on it to inform and motivate supporters, according to a survey we received. The study, “Top 10 House Races to Watch on Twitter,” profiles campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives in which Twitter is playing a key role.

By Susan Waldman

Call me a traditionalist - or a stick in the mud - or just plain boring. But I want my flight attendants focused on safety - not Lady GaGa!

Many of you may have seen the video virally making its way around the world featuring Cebu Pacific Airlines presenting safety instructions through a dance choreographed to Lady GaGa's Let's Dance. As a branding and marketing professional -- and as a passenger -- I really have to question the decision to position flight attendants as objects of entertainment as a brand strategy.

By Gary McCormick

Ethical standards, best practices and a drive to improve are hallmarks of public relations and communications practitioners. While the vast majority performs their jobs with an incredibly high standard of excellence that continues to enhance the value of public relations, not everyone has the training or sense of professionalism we’d hope for in our industry.

Use of social media for public relations and public affairs purposes by U.S. communication consulting firms has jumped12%-15% in the past year, according to the first survey on the subject by PR/PA agency mergers and acquisition consultants, StevensGouldPincus.

By Jeff Caporizzo, vice president, creative director at ZilYen

The spot opens with a few vehicles pulling up to a sun-kissed shoreline, I remember a jeep and a convertible of some kind. Young folks are jumping out of vehicles even before the cars come to a stop, like they can’t wait to start this AMAZING time they’re about to have together.

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.