SmithGifford tackled the cold weather last Friday by hosting PJ day at the agency, Abt Associates adds Carol Bloomberg, and Adfero Group adds Sue Zoldak.

Citybizlist, a digital publisher of local business news and information in 11 major markets including Washington, DC, and Baltimore, more than tripled its monthly unique users during 2010, and begins 2011 as the next generation local business news, tools and networking platform.

Judging for the 2011 DC Ad Club ADDY Awards is set for Sat., Jan. 29. The ADDY competition recognizes and rewards creative excellence in advertising. The DC Ad Club ADDY Awards are the first step in the American Advertising Federation’s three-tiered national competition.

The "What’s Next DC" event was well attended earlier this week. According to Tod Plotkin, the event's organizer, “What’s Next DC” was "an energetic, informative and innovative experience that left participants with personalized solutions to their business needs, without the typical sleepy Q&A sessions and over self-promotion by sponsors.”

Lanham-based Vocus has released its "State of the Media Report 2011" study that covers the four traditional media segments - newspapers, magazines, television and radio - and finds that the media industry has revived in the last 12 months and it continues to experiment with new digital and mobile distribution models.

By: Stacey Price

Attendees did not expect a homework assignment when signed up for the Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) annual meeting luncheon. Keynote speaker, Shashi Bellamkonda, otherwise known as the Social Media “Swami” of Network Solutions, gave three action items: Google your name; set up Google Alerts for your name, your business and your children; and, finally,

Karen Riordan has resigned as president and managing partner of the DC office of Arnold Advertising - which is listed as the largest area ad agency, in terms of capitalized ad billings, in the 2011 Washington Business Journal's Book of Lists. Word on the street is that staff and clients have been told of her departure, which is set for the end of the month. She will not be replaced and Woody Kay,

Washington Women in Public Relations announced its 2011 board during its annual meeting at the National Association of Broadcasters building. The slate is as follows:

Is traditional media finished yet? Not so fast. Doom and gloom makes for good headlines but the media is healthier than you might think. Traditional media outlets are embracing new media just in time to stop their freefall. Explore this new turning point and find out how the industry’s leaders are merging old and new in this free Vocus State of the Media 2011 webinar hosted by Vocus’ expert Media Research Team.

Kick off 2011 with fresh thinking and new approaches to marketing and communication at What's Next DC - scheduled for Monday, January 24, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the Grand Ballroom of the Marvin Center in DC. It’s a day-long event that has been designed to cut the fat from the typical business conference.

The Council of Public Relations Firms posted a blog post today that said that PR firms saw significant increases in business in 2010. The full post is below:

The Washington Post has officially launched SocialCode, an agency aimed at helping organizations improve the effectiveness of their Facebook advertising and marketing campaigns. The Post actually started SocialCode -- which will operate as part of its Slate Group -- with a soft launch last July.

Hubbard Broadcasting is buying four Bonneville radio clusters, including stations in DC, Chicago, St. Louis, and Cincinnati. It will pay $505 million for a total of 17 stations - including top-rated all-newser WTOP (103.5, 103.9, and 107.7 FM) and federal news talker WFED (1500 and 820 AM).

Warschawski is working on a marketing campaign for what it calls “a revolutionary indoor cycling experience that combines cardio, strength training and yoga in a concise 45-minute class.” And, the Baltimore-based agency will launch the Velovoom company’s first studio in Bethesda later this month through an integrated marketing communications program.

SmithGifford just completed a new TV campaign for Lindsay Automotive Group. Building on the theme “Drive Right” the series of five spots show people who have outgrown their car and are ready for one that matches their current lifestyle.

Design Army has redesigned LAM, the Landscape Architecture Magazine. The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) collaborated with the firm to reimagine the century-old publication

To publicize February’s Date Nights DC, Destination DC has launched a $200,000 media campaign targeting regional residents and visitors. The campaign incorporates print, online, radio, transit and movie theater elements, as well as promotions and public relations initiatives.  The ad messages are designed to appeal to working parents, entire families, GLBT couples, young professionals, African-American audiences and regional residents utilizing major transit gateways, such as outlying Metro stations and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.  Messages also will run in movie theaters Read More »

RP3 Agency has added a number of accounts and staff from Brunner’s DC office. As a result of the account shifts, RP3 gains America’s Promise Alliance, American Nurses Association, Dewberry, Excella Consulting, Intelsat, Monument Realty and Southern Management Corporation.  In addition, the agency adds the following staff

By Karen Addis, APR

Whether you work for a corporation or a nonprofit organization, communicators in 2011, more than ever before, need to be strategically focused and show measurable results. “It’s always been out there, but organizations are finally waking up to this,” said Ben Long Read More »

PRWeb, a news release distribution service provided by Lanham-based Vocus, is partnering with the San Francisco Chronicle to sell press news releases designed for web-based distribution.  Like many news organizations, the Chronicle sells marketing services to the local community.  Web ads, search ads, pay-per-click ads, and the like will be bundled into a marketing package that includes PRWeb news releases, which the Chronicle will then sell under a division called GateList (after the digital edition of the newspaper SFGate.com) to allow business to gain more exposure
Read More »

The Design-Build Institute of America hired Environics Communications as its national public relations agency.

DC-based DBIA is a membership association of design and construction industry leaders, and public and private building and infrastructure owners, who use design-build project delivery for

MDB Communications has been selected as agency of record for the D.C. Lottery and Charitable Games Control Board. The five-year contract, worth up to $35MM during the term of the agreement, was awarded following a competitive review.

White+Partners hopes to hit the public’s funny bone with a campaign on behalf of The Washington Area New Auto Dealers Association (WANADA) in support of the 2011 Washington Auto Show® coming up later this month.  The multi-faceted “Cabin Fever” advertising campaign integrates traditional print, TV, radio and banner efforts with

After tripling revenues in 2010, Baltimore-based Millennial Media has raised an additional $27.5M in growth equity funding.  This new investment brings the company’s equity funding to more than $65M and will be used to fund an acceleration of the company’s 2011 global growth plan. The company plans to use the growth investment in part to build on its successful 2010 acquisition of TapMetrics, a mobile analytics company, with additional acquisitions in 2011.   Additional investments will be made in the company’s internat Read More »