The Public Relations Blog

Background

Charlie Lubin’s decision to utilize the power of public relations in promoting his baking company, Sara Lee, is perhaps one of the best examples of how a PR agency’s creativity can turn a small startup into a nationally recognized, multi-million-dollar corporation. Founded in 1949, Sara Lee’s unique concept lay in creating cheesecakes with real butter and extra eggs, a stark contrast to the typical industry practice of the day. Charging 79 cents per cake, Lubin had customers paying more than double the price of his competition. Chicagoans didn't mind, it seemed, as Sara Lee's cakes increasingly became a city-wide sensation. Seeing the full potential of his cakes, Lubin decided to implement a national expansion. His only roadblock was his financial inability to pay for a costly advertising campaign.

Anticipating a specific public relations crisis isn’t always possible. Unanticipated crises pop up on social media so often (and spread so fast) that companies can find themselves in deep trouble even when they did the right thing.

Background

For much of its history, bourbon has suffered the negative reputation of being an excessively strong and harsh spirit, an unpalatable quality for drinkers desiring something they could sip and enjoy. Distilleries, as a result, would see sales plummet and would have no choice but to close. It was within this atmosphere of a decaying industry that Bill Samuels Sr. founded Maker’s Mark, a bourbon promising to deliver a softer taste that could be savored. Despite the potential of being a popular and marketable product, Maker’s Mark did not sell and failed to live up to Bill’s vision of success. Even the addition of a visitors’ center at the Kentucky distillery did little to improve the startup’s fortunes. For the company to become profitable, the Samuels family would have to reverse the public’s perception of bourbon being a “working toughman’s” spirit.

Is your website easy to read? The best practice for website readability, according to www.Webaim.org, is to use fonts with styles of letters that are "friendly."

Defining Social Media - Is It The Next Marketing Gold Rush?

Regardless of which business sector you're in, it's hard to escape the news - and hype - about social media. Is it the next marketing gold rush? No, it's just another element that may fit into your sales-building marketing plan.

Public Relations Innovation The Nordstrom Way

As companies rebound from the economy, it's time to re-think and re-innovate your public relations. Whether you're in the business-to-business or business-to-consumer sectors, "personal connection-oriented marketing" still works.

A well organized social media strategy gets your name, story and ideals in front of potential customers with every post. When they come to you, greet them with a gold-standard experience of a lifetime and they'll stay with you. Superior customer service will make all the difference to your company's brand experience.

Kotkin Enterprises is still in business, but a crisis last December nearly cost owner David Kotkin everything. The launch of a much-anticipated new product was crushed, his and his company’s reputation was severely damaged, and Kotkin Enterprises’ very survival was threatened.

One of the most common questions potential clients of our public relations firm ask when they call us is, “How much does public relations cost?” This is a difficult question to answer, and we’ll do our best to explain some PR investment guidelines.

Investing in professional public relations is a lot like buying a new car. With so many different models and options available, the costs vary considerably. A four-door Chevrolet sedan costs less than a similar Mercedes, and even the price of the Chevrolet can almost double when you add leather seats, a premium stereo, alloy wheels, power windows, power door locks, GPS, a DVD player, a rear-view camera, a sunroof, seat warmers, hybrid capabilities and other optional upgrades.

Long ago, savvy webmasters learned that more backlinks connected to a website correlated to a higher listing on natural search engine results pages.