Vertis Communications named Gerald "Jerry" Sokol, Jr., president and CEO ... Nashville-based McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations hired Devin O’Brien as director of the company’s D.C. office ...Bendure Communications added Samantha J. Villegas, APR, as vice president of client relations ...and the Public Relations Society of America announced it has elected nine PRSA members, including Ellyn Pollack of Potomac, to the prestigious PRSA College of Fellows.

With the looming debt crisis, The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare turned to crowdsourcing to launch their first advertising campaign in more than a decade. Working with GeniusRocket, the DC-based advertising firm, The National Committee launched the campaign to save what they consider essential public programs as Congress debates dramatic spending cuts.

Washington Women in Public Relations named Jennifer Mastin Giglio, Judy Lubin and Tara Silver winners of the 2011 Emerging Leaders Awards. The award honors rising stars, ages 21-35, in public relations and communications.

Gannett Co., Inc. announced the national launch of DealChicken, a new and unique daily deals business, which will be available in more than 50 markets across the U.S. by the end of 2011. DealChicken is now available in ten markets including Washington, DC; Cincinnati, OH; Detroit, MI; Indianapolis, IN; Knoxville, TN; Nashville, TN; Phoenix, AZ; Reno, NV; Rochester, NY; and, St. Louis, MO.

RP3 Agency enlisted Jay Selway to its creative team as art director and U/X designer ... Debra Goetz has been named vice president of marketing for Gannett Co ... Stratacomm adds Meghan Hughes< Read More »

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) has launched a public service campaign to underscore the direct connection between the work of federal employees and the quality of life in the country.

“From guarding our borders to safeguarding the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink, to administering the school lunch program so children do not go hungry, federal employees perform so many critical tasks

SmithGifford has been selected by the Washington Area New Auto Dealers Association (WANADA) to develop the marketing strategy to promote the 2012 Washington Auto Show. SmithGifford agency was selected after a short agency review.

Association TRENDS Executive Editor Jill Martineau Cornish, IOM, has decided to leave the publication, effective Aug. 31. Cornish, one of the paper’s founders, previously headed TRENDS as publisher under the Martineau Corp., before the publication was acquired by Columbia Books & Information Services in 2009.  “I never thought I would be able to walk away

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Attorneys for Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder have until Aug. 1 to submit a response to a D.C. Superior Court judge concerning the Washington City Paper’s motion to dismiss Snyder’s defamation lawsuit against it, reports The Washington Post.

Seven area women who have made a difference in our community will be honored at a luncheon this Fall hosted by ABC-7 News co-anchor Alison Starling. The women will be honored by ABC-7 and the Washington Area Toyota Dealers for making a dramatic difference in their workplace, community or home.

When it comes to the growing number of outlets for video on the web and mobile, you may have to produce a number of versions of your video to satisfy the unique needs and requirements of each of the outlets you want to reach. That was one of the conclusions of a panel of experts at Capitol Communicator’s “Beyond YouTube” sold-out event at the National Press Club  Read More »

Each year, Ad 2 DC, the young professionals division of the DC Ad Club, selects one local, non-profit organization to work with to create a full-service, integrated advertising campaign - complete with re-branding/identity creation, public and media relations, website production, media placement and TV production throughout the course of a nine-month period. Ad 2 DC is now looking for non-profit organizations that provide a valuable service to the DC, Northern Virginia and Southern Maryland communities and are in need of advertising, marketing and PR support.

Chris Alvanas, program director of CDIA’s DC campus, Vincent Ricardel, photography instructor of CDIA’s DC campus, and Rob Van Petten, program director of CDIA’s Waltham campus, are featured in Nikon World Magazine.

In Nikon World’s Spring 2011 issue,

The DC chapter of the American Marketing Association announced its 2011-12 board of directors line up, including experienced marketing and communications executives from the high tech, association, philanthropic, consulting, sports and e-learning/education arenas throughout the DC metro area.

According to AMADC’s newly-elected president, Mike Gardner

There's a new development in the lawsuit involving the Washington City Paper and Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder. According to a story on the WUSA-TVwebsite, the ACLU, along with WUSA and several others, have filed an Amicus Brief asking that Snyder either hurry up and prove his claims that a City Paper article about him is libelous and maliciously untrue, or that the case be dismissed. According to the website,

When Bethesda-based Honest Tea asked iStrategyLabs what they could do to bring their “Honest Cities” experiment to the social web, according to CEO Peter Corbett, they saw a world of opportunity. “Actually”, said Corbett, “we saw a map…of the good ol’ US-of-A. The details of what is one of the most intricate social experiential campaigns we have been a part of.”

According to iStrategyLabs, the campaign so far has included:

Darlene Snow has been appointed executive director of the Wind Energy Foundation ... Christine Deerin has been named vice president of D S Simon’s new D.C. office ... and, Michelle Marie Adams, CMP, joined Prestige Resorts & Destinations as regional director of sales for the mid-Atlantic and New York.

MAYA Advertising and Communications reports that it is bringing a little bit of Hollywood to Pepco's new energy conservation television campaign with an innovative animation approach this summer.

MAYA's new TV spot uses stop motion to deliver the energy conservation message aimed at Latinos in the Washington

Two staffers of MSLGroup’s Atlanta office were wounded in a shooting spree at an Atlanta parking lot on July 15 which left another young woman dead, reported O’Dwyers.

The report stated that a 22-year-old security guard was charged with one count of murder and two counts of aggravated assault, according to Atlanta police.

Burson-Marsteller appointed Esther Lee as chief marketing and new business officer. In this role, Lee will oversee the firm’s global marketing and new business efforts. She will also join the firm’s business operations team, which includes the firm’s most senior executives. Based in D.C., she will report to Worldwide CEO Mark Penn and will work closely with Burson-Marsteller’s senior management to lead and coordinate new business development globally.

By Sean Follin, new media strategist, Capitol Communicator

It came as no surprise that the AD 2 DC “Capital Advertising” panel discussion went straight to social media.

AD 2 DC, mostly the young, hip sector of the DC Ad Club, hosted a panel at the Artisphere in Arlington that was titled: Read More »

A mini documentary, produced by Greg Berger celebrating 25 years of the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA), has sparked a lot of interest among local DC musicians, promoters, managers and journalists. There is a collective interest in collaborating on a full-length documentary focusing on the DC music scene.

iMedia Connection selected Carousel30 for its 2011 “25 East Coast Agencies to Watch” list. Carousel30, the only D.C.-based agency to make the list, joins the likes of other industry giants such as Big Spaceship (Brooklyn), Arnold Worldwide (Boston) and Firstborn (NYC).

The iMedia 25 agency list recognizes

Vocus is hosting a free virtual conference on Thursday, July 28, from 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Welcome to the future of PR and marketing. It's tough. Customers aren't listening. Worried? Don't be. Get out there and re-connect. Be where your audiences are. Talk to them. Earn back your influence through social networks, the media, and the Web.Your mission:

Sports PR legend Charlie Brotman has been featured on ComcastSportsnNet. Brotman told Capitol Communicator that one of the producers at ComcastSportsNet heard about the memorabilia in Brotman’s basement

As media outlets around the world turned their attention to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first visit to the United States, Scott Circle Communications was front and center at one of the final events they attended. The agency reports it was hired to work with ServiceNation: Mission Serve to direct media logistics for the veteran job fair that the Duke and Duchess attended at Sony Pictures Studios on July 10.

Elevación, Ltd., is working to introduce brands to a targeted marketing campaign centered around their original concept of “Hispanicness.” The DC-based full-service communications agency hopes their audience will understand that by influencing (and being influenced by) mainstream America, Hispanics are no longer a tactical niche market, but a strategic part of the general market.

Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) has announced six finalists for its second annual Emerging Leaders Awards (ELA). The award honors rising stars, ages 21-35, in the PR and communications industry. A distinguished panel of judges made the selection based on the nominees’ demonstration of excellence and accomplishments in the communications field, as well as leadership qualities and high ethical standards.

WhatCounts, Inc., acquired Blue Sky Factory, Inc., a strategic email marketing service provider and consulting firm based in Baltimore.  The acquisition of Blue Sky Factory will add additional talent, technology, and client experiences to the growing portfolio of WhatCounts capabilities, said WhatCounts.

Brian Chambers, pictured above, joined Blue Advertising, a subsidiary of Edelman, as VP and senior strategist, social media advertising ... Gibraltar Associates added Veronica Brown as VP ... Scott Circle Communications added & Read More »