Posts Tagged ‘Coles Marketing’

Ok, as PR professionals, we all at one point or another have pitched an idea, story or concept to a member of the media. But as Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound, points out in her blog post, the next time you pitch a journalist, remember that what you DON’T say is just as important as what you DO say.

According to Stewart, Mickie Kennedy of eReleases.com explains why journalists hate hearing these three phrases (and, I bet you’ve used one of them … right?):

1. “Never seen anything like this.”
2. “When can we expect this to go up?”
3. “I know this isn’t your area, but…”

Haven’t used these, huh? Well, how about these? (Complete with possible media remarks, per Stewart.):

4. “Can you send me 10 copies of the article as soon as it’s printed?”
[No, I can’t. I’m not a clerk. I’m a reporter. And I’m too busy. If you want copies, buy them yourself by calling our circulation department.]
5. “Can you let me know as soon as the article is printed?”
[Nope, can’t do that either, for the reasons mentioned above. Either hire someone to pay attention to the paper, or do it yourself.]
6. “If I give you a good tip and you write the story, can you promise me you’ll give it good play?”
[No. Reporters don’t decide where stories appear in newspapers or magazines. That’s an editor’s job.]
7. “Can you please not use my name?”
[Why didn’t you tell me that 20 minutes ago when we started the interview? Technically, since you were talking to me on the record, I have every right to use your name. But you’re such a pain in the neck, and you’ll probably raise such a stink after the story is printed along with your name, that I’d rather just not use your comments. Instead, I’ll simply make a mental note never to talk to you again. In other words, I’m blacklisting you.]

So, take heed! Don’t make the mistake of turning off the media before turning them on to your pitch!

Every now and then I see something that really “entertains” me. Sometimes it’s the little things that I just happen to witness, other times it’s the more standard movie, TV show, book, concert, joke, friend, etc. It’s rare that a TV show impresses me …mostly because they can’t like a good film because of the huge difference in budgets.

I enjoy Vince Gilligan’s “Breaking Bad” on AMC. Vince worked on dozens of “X-Files” episodes and has since created, written, directed and produced all the episodes of “Breaking Bad,” which is in it’s 4th season on AMC.

The show is funny and dark at the same time – usually hard to pull off.

Click on the thumbnail to watch a karaoke video of one of the sub-characters on the show. The karaoke video surfaced during a homicide investigation – yes, Gale was murdered.

Watch the video – caution you may find the video: funny, werid, disturbing, puzzling, etc. Just remember it’s part of really “entertaining” TV.

It’s all about the story.

Here at Coles Marketing Communications, our clients are all great! We consider ourselves partners in their business and want to be involved in every aspect to help them achieve their goals.

After meeting with a couple potential clients this week, an artcile posted on the Council of Public Relations Firms’ blog on how to be a great client seemed appropriate. Ron Culp, the author, includes the following five tips from Jon Harris, SVP of Global Communications at Sara Lee:  

1. Direction is key. The best clients are the ones who are able to effectively communicate their goals and objectives.

2. Don’t wait until it is too late. The sooner you bring in your partners into the process, the better they can shine.

3. Be realistic about measurement and timing. Every strong relationship is built on candor and honesty.  Make sure that you provide your partner with enough information about expectations and measurement.  And be sure to listen to their counsel.

4. Listen to the advice given. Wayne Callaway, former CEO of PepsiCo had a great line that I have used often in my career.  “God gave you two ears and one mouth and they should be used in that proportion.”

5. Know your strengths and opportunities of improvement. Make sure to listen to the advice given.

Click here to read the entire article.

Kevin Kennedy Associates, an expert consulting service located in Indianapolis, unveiled the firm’s new campaign ad at the Indianapolis Bar Foundation Golf Tournament at the Hillcrest Country Club. According to Director of Business Development and Legal Affairs Tanya Stohler, who attended the tournament, “Our Experts Got An Early Start,” showcases the Kevin Kennedy Associates’ (KKA) highly qualified scientific and technical experts who have the depth of experience attorneys need in the courtroom or in researching a case.

“Expertise is about more than diplomas, credentials and pedigrees,” said Chief Executive Officer Sharon Kennedy who leads the Indianapolis-based global consulting firm. “It’s about people. It’s about their integrity, their knowledge, and their experience.”

Consultants at KKA are leaders in their industries and disciplines. This valuable combination of knowledge and experience makes them more effective as expert witnesses and enables them to address real-world challenges in process development, failure analysis, forensic investigation, patent infringement, and manufacturing.

“We understand that attorneys prefer to work with experts whom they know or are known to their colleagues. Because we share that preference, we don’t just blindly forward resumes. Our approach is to carefully select the right expert from our proprietary 600-plus network to best match the needs of our clients. Kevin Kennedy put his name and reputation on his business, so we ensure that our experts meet his standards for integrity, quality and excellence for our clients – in advance,” CEO Kennedy added.

Indianapolis-based Coles Marketing Communications was selected to develop the new campaign. Business owner and President Barbara Coles leads a team of professionals who provide expertise in public relations, creative, word of mouth and videography for clients who come from a diverse array of industries from real estate to technology to legal.

We recently designed a billboard for our client, Eastgate Chrysler, and it just went up! Check it out …

Summer is great time to cookout with friends, family and colleagues. Yeah, I said it… colleagues. From time to time, during the summer, the staff at Coles Marketing enjoys cookouts by the lake at the Precedent Office Park. We invite clients, family members and friends.  Today was one of those days.

A former boss once told me, “if you’re not having fun at work, you’re just not having fun.” Does it make sense? I am not sure.  But it sure does make for a good excuse to have a cookout at work.

Take a look at some of the photos below.

 

One common question among friends, colleagues and potential clients is “what do you do?” You would think it’s an easy answer, and in some cases it is. For instance, “I am a plumber” or “I am an electrician” are pretty self explanatory.  But, what about “I am in marketing” or “I am in marketing communications”?  It’s sometimes hard to boil our type of business down to one or two sentences. In 1985, Coles Marketing started out as a public relations firm.  As growth occurred and client requests changed, we adapted and grew. Along the way, we added media buying services and a creative department. Recently, I ran across a term that will give you a better understanding of how our business has changed in recent years.

A definition of content marketing is below from Wikipedia.

“Content marketing is an umbrella term encompassing all marketing formats that involve the creation or sharing of content for the purpose of engaging current and potential consumer bases. Content marketing subscribes to the notion that delivering high-quality, relevant and valuable information to prospects and customers drives profitable consumer action. Content marketing has benefits in terms of retaining reader attention and improving brand loyalty.”

Wikipedia continues with the following information.

“Many content marketers choose to create new information and share it via any and all media. Content marketing products frequently take the form of custom magazines, print or online newsletters, digital content, websites or microsites, white papers, webcasts/webinars, podcasts, video portals or series, in-person roadshows, roundtables, interactive online, email, events.”

So while we maintain our roots as a traditional public relations and advertising firm, gaining credibility and reach for our clients.  We also realize the importance of maintaining and/or retaining brand loyalty. At Coles Marketing, we continue to stay on top of the latest marketing trends and adapt and grow with our clients. And in this ever adapting world, we don’t mind adding a couple more sentences to our “what we do” explanation.

 

The Indiana Region of Huntington Bank showcases local non profits monthly on WISH TV.

Click on the logo  to see stories and videos on these special organizations serving our local community:

 Follow Indy’s Morton’s The SteakHouse on Twitter to enjoy local news, recipes and events.

 http://twitter.com/#!/mortonsindy

 This week on mortonsindy, get the recipe for Morton’s Skynny Blood Orange Cosmo.

 Click here to follow mortonsindy: http://twitter.com/#!/mortonsindy

 

 

Click on the graphic to the left to listen to and watch patients who have undergone successful bariatric surgery at the Columbus Regional Hospital Bariatric Center.  For more information, visit www.columbusbariatrics.com    Video stories produced by the Coles Marketing team.