Posts Tagged ‘Indianapolis public relations’

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.

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.

As a public relations professional, I send several news releases a week; and I always wonder — Will my news be used? Will the release make it into the hands of the right writer? Will the news be interesting enough to our local television producers to make air? Or does the release fly out into the news release abyss and never return?

Kevin Allen has an article highlighting some of the top reasons a reporter will delete your press release. According to Allen, here are a few ways to guarantee that a reporter will absolutely not read your press release, or discard it quickly:

• Send it to their personal email. You don’t want to be bothered at home and neither do reporters. Sending them messages through their personal account is like calling their home phone or knocking on their front door. It’s intrusive and annoying — don’t do it. (Unless, of course, the reporter has instructed you to contact him in this manner; then by all means do it.)
• Include the phrase ‘For Immediate Release.’ [which I do! Uh oh!] I delete any messages that have the phrase “For Immediate Release,” because I’ve simply never read a good press release that includes it. If you disagree with this, by all means, let me know — just don’t use my personal email.
• Fail to personalize it. If you don’t want a reporter to read your press release, just send the text of the release as the body of the email. At the very least, PR pros should acknowledge that they know the reporter’s name and his or her work and that they sent the press release because they had read the journalist’s stuff and know what he or she covers.
• Include a ton of copy and don’t hyperlink. I’ve seen several press releases that, instead of having hyperlinked phrases, include full, clunky URLs. This makes you look as though you don’t know what you’re doing and that you have trouble using email. Also, good pitches needn’t take up a full page. Pare it to the essentials, and I’ll know right away whether it’s something I would cover. Don’t make me read through a bunch of boilerplate nonsense before I get to your point.
• Include a typo. As soon as I come across a typo in a press release, I discard it. End of story. If you can’t bother to spell-check or proofread your pitch, how can I assume you’ll get the facts straight?

I’m sure there are countless more tips on how to attract — and annoy — today’s reporter, producer or other intended audience with your news release. But, with so much information out there to gather and absorb, you might as well start making some changes to make sure your release gets released.

Coles Marketing Communications welcomes Christopher Lloyd to its award-winning staff of marketers, media specialists and public relations experts.

As Senior Copywriter and Editor, Lloyd’s role is to be a writer, idea man and make products and communications shine. He joined the company April 6.

Lloyd has more than 15 years of experience as an editor, reporter, broadcaster and blogger, winning nearly 30 journalism awards. He previously worked at The Indianapolis Star as an arts and entertainment editor and reporter, and held a similar role at a New York Times-owned daily newspaper in Ocala, Fla.

A graduate of the Medill School of Journalism master’s program at Northwestern University, Lloyd also has a bachelor’s degree in cinema from New York University. Lloyd is a respected movie critic and founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association.

“Christopher is a media veteran who knows the ins and outs of print, web and airwaves,” said Barbara Coles, president of Coles Marketing Communications. “His distinguished career in journalism further bolsters an already outstanding team of communications experts.”

Welcome, Christopher!!

Managed Health Services (MHS) is partnering with the Indiana Minority Health Coalition (IMHC) to develop an innovative in-person education network for those Indiana families who are MHS members.

The MHS Family Education Network (FEN) is being created through the IMHC and the organization’s 25 local minority health coalitions serving 29 counties across the State of Indiana. The Network will work to provide specialized education to Hoosier Healthwise and Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) members on a variety of topics, such as the scope of health plan benefits, how to access care, as well as an overview of MHS programs and members’ rights and responsibilities.

“MHS is excited to announce the innovative platform of our Family Education Network,” said MHS CEO Patrick Rooney. “In this partnership with IMHC, we will continue to expand Hoosier Healthwise and Healthy Indiana Plan awareness and education in our ongoing efforts to better serve our MHS members.”

IMHC will designate staff to comprise the Network. These individuals will be trained to develop in-depth knowledge of the Hoosier Healthwise program and Healthy Indiana Plan, including but not limited to overall program benefits, choosing a PMP and the importance of preventative services and building a medical home. The Network team will work with individual members and groups to help clarify how plans work, how to take full advantage of plan benefits and how members can meet the plan’s financial, healthy behavior and personal responsibility requirements.

“IMHC is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for minorities through education, advocacy and quality healthcare services,” said IMHC Vice President/COO Carl Ellison. “We are certainly looking forward to this partnership with MHS to offer a new way for families throughout Indiana to learn more about the high-quality healthcare plans and benefits available to them.”

MHS will first direct its members to the IMHC corporate offices in Indianapolis, who will then assign each member to the appropriate IMHC local office to schedule and conduct the education and assistance sessions.

For more, visit MHS online at mhsindiana.com.

Indianapolis Home & Flower Show attendees are getting the chance to take on the uprights at Lucas Oil Stadium while raising funds for an upright cause.

“Kick It for Charity” takes place throughout the 3-day Indianapolis Home & Flower Show, coming to Lucas Oil Stadium Friday, March 4 through Sunday, March 6. For a $2 donation, each individual gets two chances to kick a field goal — and all proceeds go straight to three local charities.

• Friday, March 4, 12 p.m. – 7 p.m., Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis
• Saturday, March 5, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., American Cancer Society
• Saturday, March 5, 1 p.m. – 8 p.m., Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis
• Sunday, March 6, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Ronald McDonald House of Indiana

In addition, Indianapolis Colts Linebacker Philip Wheeler will be on hand to sign autographs for Home & Flower Show attendees on Saturday, March 5 from 1-2:30 p.m.

The Indianapolis Home & Flower Show is produced by Marketplace Events, the same company that produces the Indianapolis Home Show. The international exhibition company was selected by Lucas Oil Stadium to organize the Home & Flower Show as the first consumer show of its kind and the only annual spring home and flower show at the stadium.

A large area for feature flowers and gardens will be the Home & Flower Show’s centerpiece, which will be enhanced by the surroundings of Lucas Oil Stadium. Both shows are endorsed by Marketplace Events’ Spokesperson Ty Pennington, host of ABC-TV’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

For more information, call the Indianapolis Home & Flower Show office at 317-705-8719 or visit http://www.indyhomeandflowershow.com.

During March, Brain Balance Achievement Centers in Indianapolis will hold a free parent lecture as well as an open house for those wanting to learn more about the Brain Balance Program®, a 12-week afterschool program for children with neurobehavioral and learning difficulties.

The open house and parent lecture will be held at the Brain Balance Center facility in Indianapolis at 9510 N. Meridian Street, Suite D. The events are scheduled at the following dates and times:

• Parent Lecture: Tuesday, March 1, at 7 p.m.
• Open House: Saturday, March 19, 12 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Individuals will have the opportunity to tour the new Indianapolis Brain Balance facility during the open house as well as meet and speak with some of the Brain Balance representatives. Children and families are welcome.

To register for a parent lecture, please call 317-843-9200 and ask for Julie Peterson. Educators and professionals, such as occupational therapists, psychologists and pediatricians, are also encouraged to attend.

Brain Balance Achievement Centers offer the Brain Balance Program in 38 nationwide locations. This non-medical program has been successful in helping hundreds of children who suffer from ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, Tourette’s, Asperger’s and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

For more information about Brain Balance Achievement Centers and the Brain Balance Program®, please visit www.brainbalancecenters.com. Find Brain Balance Centers Indianapolis at www.brainbalanceindy.com as well as on Facebook and Twitter at @BrainBalanceIN.

Coles Marketing Communications has been selected by one of central Indiana’s oldest and most experienced senior services agencies to lead its communications, marketing, creative and social media activities.

Alliance Home Health Care provides skilled home nursing, therapy and non-medical companion services to seniors in Marion, Hamilton, Boone, Hendricks, Hancock and Johnson counties. The company offers home-care nursing; geriatric care management; occupational, speech and physical therapy; and non-medical, personal home care and senior companion services on an hourly, 24-hour, private duty, full-time, part-time and intermittent basis.

Through coordinated care and support for seniors and their families, Alliance enables people to remain in the safety and comfort of their home as long as possible. The company also helps seniors make a successful transition from assisted-living facilities, hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities back to their homes.

“Alliance Home Health Care has been a force in providing critical support to seniors throughout central Indiana for nearly 20 years,” said Barbara L. Coles, APR, president of Coles Marketing Communications. “We look forward to a close and long-lasting partnership with Alliance to help them reach more central Indiana residents in need of their vast array of services and support and to help the company help individuals and families coping with the health and welfare of their older loved ones.”

Established in 1991, Alliance is led by CEO/Administrator Jan Roberts and located at 9615 N. College Ave. in Indianapolis. Recently, Roberts was featured on Indianapolis Business Journal’s “Leading Questions” video spotlight.

One of Indianapolis’ most experienced CPA and accounting firms has tapped Indianapolis-based Coles Marketing Communications to create and lead its communications, marketing, creative and online business development strategies.

Sponsel CPA Group, launched in September 2009 by managing partner Tom Sponsel, consists of experienced business advisors, financial planners, CPAs, forensic accountants, bookkeepers, HR professionals and IT experts. The firm manages entrepreneurial services; tax services; auditing and assurance services; valuation and litigation services; employee benefit plan services; mergers and acquisitions; financial planning; and technology services.

The firm recently moved offices to 251 N. Illinois St. in downtown Indianapolis. Sponsel CPA Group’s four partners and 16 employees now occupy about 10,000 square feet of new office space in the Capital Center’s North Tower.

“Tom Sponsel has a proven track record of success in providing unmatched, quality CPA services and leading successful and progressive CPA firms,” said Barbara L. Coles, APR, president of Coles Marketing Communications. “Our agency knows the accounting industry well and looks forward to working with Tom and his team to build awareness of his firm and share Tom’s wealth of industry knowledge, commentary and best practices.”

For more about Sponsel CPA Group, visit www.sponselcpagroup.com.

The Indianapolis Home Show is offering a great 2 for 1 deal.  Offer is valid until December 25, 2010.

Click below to order now.