Publicity Club of New England

Ok I’ve been getting quite a bit of grief for not posting lately…so I wanted to be sure to jump on good ole’ WordPress and give a hollerrrr to world wide web…

Happy first day of Spring and good riddance Winter!!  As I sprinted from my apartment this morning I was not so happy to find that the temp was in the teens…but my carefree happiness returned when I found out I get my iced coffees from Dunks free today (amazing). So yay for Spring, pastel colors, sandels and iced coffee!

I blame my lack o’ blogging almost entirely on Comcast and my up again, down again Internet service in Southie, but I guess considering I sit in front of a computer screen all day Monday-Friday I’ll take a very small amount of blame.  Regardless, Spring is a time of growth and renewal and colors and all things warm and fuzzy..so I think it’s only right for me to make a vow today to start blogging again!!

On another note, on the Boston PR front I’m going to an event on Monday that should be interesting:

Saying it loud and clear!

Using word of mouth, viral, buzz and blog marketing

Word of mouth is a pre-existing phenomenon that marketers are only now learning how to harness, amplify, and improve. Word of mouth marketing isn’t about creating word of mouth — it’s learning how to make it work within a marketing and public relations objective. Word of mouth marketing empowers people to share their experiences. It’s harnessing the voice of the customer for the good of the brand. And it’s acknowledging that the unsatisfied customer is equally powerful. Learn from the experts at this exciting panel discussion.

Moderated by Laura Tomasetti, managing partner of 360 Public Relations, the panel will include:

Dave Balter, Founder & CEO, BzzAgent

Walter J. Carl, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Department of Communication Studies, Northeastern University

Jim Nail, Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer, Cymfony

Just added: Lois Kelly of Foghound and author of Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word of Mouth Marketing,

First 50 registrations will receive a copy of “Grapevine: The New Art of Word-of-Mouth Marketing” co-authored by Dave Balter.

Monday, March 26
The Library at Hotel 140
140 Clarendon Street, Boston

6 pm Light Dinner
7 pm Panel Discussion

To Register
Please register by credit card go to www.pubclub.org and click on the link on our home page. To pay by check, please email kelly@pubclub.org to reserve your spot and then promptly mail your check to The Publicity Club of New England, PO Box 514, Rowley, MA 01969.

If you’re into blogging, or public relations, or social gatherings, or even better–all 3…come join me for a cocktail!!

More later:).

SCANDELOUS! According to Boston.com “A Brazilian website [Glamurama] reported yesterday that Tom Brady’s girlfriend Gisele Bundchen may be pregnant and, if so, the Pats QB is the father.”

Tom has been lucky to keep up a fairly good image with the media after his ex Bridget Moynahan announced that she was pregnant.  Now another pregant girlfriend could be disastrous for Brady’s “family guy” image.

 Ummm, will someone please sit down with Tommy and have a long talk about SAFE SEX??  Is she really pregnant? Someone, anyone, FILL ME IN.

 

Jenn Abelson from the Globe (Boston.com) reported today that a New England firm, working with an MIT-trained rocket scientist, unveiled inserts that supposedly make high heels almost as easy to wear as sensible shoes.

Maybe this isn’t a huge deal for everyone…but frankly, I’m 5′2 (actually more like 5′1 and 1/2–but let’s call it 5′2) and high heels give me a confident boost—so humor me . 

What’s perhaps most intriguing to me about this article is the fact that rocket scientists are taking time out of their day to work on making… comfortable high heels? With all due respect (and I do truly respect this creation), there have to be a gazillion other things more significant than comfortable shoes that a rocket scientist could be working on.  Am I right or am I right?

Anyway, back to the shoe inserts…the Globe reports that the company, HBN Shoe LLC of Salem, N.H., which markets products under the Insolia brand, “is now selling $9.99 weight-shifting inserts in CVS stores and will roll them out to other outlets this year.”

So there yah go–go get em’ girls!  I basically live in heels.  Short may in fact be the new tall–but 5′2 is a bit too short for my liking.

I’ll wear heels anywhere–even when it’s not the most appropriate or rational choice…my favorite is the cobblestone area in Fanueil Hall where your stilleto heals get stuck constantly…Even better is spikey heels during a full day of strolling around the streets of NYC window shopping.  I always insist, in the name of fashion, that my feet feel great, and I’m only hobbeling along slowely to be sure “I take it all in.” Yah right.

Well now the days of discomfort are coming an end–Halleluiah.

Strangely enough, bringing comfort to high heels  is legitimately rocket science.

Ok I’m such a girl…growing up I admittedly only watched the Superbowl for the commericals and the half time show.  Sad, I know.  The only time I really paid attention was when the Pats were in it. Man did I ever love Drew Bledsoe…

I have since forced myself into enjoying a sport where men run around throwing a strangely shaped ball and giving eachother concussions–especially if that mans name is Tom Brady0–but the commercials are still my favorite part (I’m not really into Prince).

So did anyone else think the Snickers commerical was a little over the top?  I personally think Bud blows everyone out of the water every year, and I don’t even like Bud products!  Remember the frog commercials a few years back?  Now, that was brilliant

 I guess this is their Superbowl ad that didn’t make it this year:

Last night around 3:30 PM the unthinkable happened…our office’s Internet went down! 

Even worse…it was not back up until 5:15 PM!!

OK , so I’m purposely making this out to be much more dramatic than it actually was, but the reaction to the Internet being down was almost comical. Suddenly we were all confused and angry, scurrying around the office like chickens running in circles with our heads cut off.

Man, did I feel bad for IT.

 Anyway, the humorous display led me to think about our professions (PR that is) dependence on the Internet.  We are so reliant on the Web that we actually cannot function without it.  It made me realize that I never pick up the phone to pitch a reporter without my basic Web material in front of me… unless their contact information is right in front of me in Vocus, and their most recent article is open, and all the while I’m able to be checking my gmail, my outlook, and responding to a dozen IM’s then I’m rendered useless.  How sad is that?

I know it’s seen as a vice typically if one is unable to multi-task but c’mon…this is out of control.

Now, I was never part of the working world prior to the Web and to be honest, I can’t even fathom it? 

 Are will still at a point where we are progressing and making our lives more simple because of the web, or are we driving ourselves deeper and deeper into information overload?

Ok I promise not all of my posts will mention weight issues–but this new “Fat Chance” campaign really interests me.  As the Globe reports: “One billboard shows an overweight child’s lower legs and feet on a scale next to the words, “Fat Chance,” along with a list of the health risks of obesity.” Another ad I saw on the morning news again read “Fat Chance” and showed an obese boys back. 

Now, these ads are not making fun of the fat kids…obviously.  And in my opinion, these ads would have little to no effect on kids anyway.  I mean, honestly, how many 8 year old kids are really thinking about their chance of getting diabetes?  Realistically, most kids won’t need think about their health unless, god forbid, their sick. 

Excuse my rambling–this is irrelevant because these ads are really not aimed at the kids, they’re aimed at parents, and are attempting to stress how serious the health effects of childhood obesity can be.  

Of course, these ads were immediately controversial and people seem to think they’re over the top and upsetting.  My response to that: 1) They were obviously meant to be a little controversial.  If they werent controversial, they wouldn’t be getting all this attention. 2) They have to be a bit “over the top.”  People have been talking about the health effects of childhood obesity for years, but the “obesity problem” remains. 3) Maybe everyone simply needs to eat more peanut butter .

Well according to About.com, good ole’ PB&J may actually help you lose weight: “Research has shown that snacking on peanut butter is an effective way to control hunger without weight gain.” I’ll let my eyes glaze over the need for moderation and plan on eating a jar of PB for lunch.  First article I read today, and great one!

I’m starting my Tuesday morning by already looking forward to the weekend.  Anything new and exciting happening in Beantown??  I know the Boston Wine Expo is coming up soon.  That should be a blast. 

PS–for the PR folks/enthusiasts– I landed my first noteworthy broadcast hit in January at CES.  Not all tech clients are broadcast-worthy so it’s always exciting when a good segment comes out.  Joel at PAN blogged about the NBC hit for our client iCache in PAN’s blog PR Speak.  The clip spread across the NBC affiliates (120 +) and spread like wildfire across the Blogosphere. It always amazes me how quickly bloggers jump on breaking news.

 Check it out if you have a minute–it actually is an exciting technology:

Time for work, more later…

So I’m taking the big leap into the wild world of Web 2.0. It’s 4:50 PM on a Monday night, and I can declare officially that I am now an active member of the interactive Web.  A big thanks to Mr. David Parmet for coming to my agency and so eloquently teaching us the ways of the Web.  Dave–I know that sounds sarcastic but it’s really not!

More on me later…but for a good laugh today, courtesy of You Tube check this out: