Do you have a great mom? Tell the world how much you love her by nominating her as “America’s Favorite Mom.” The top 25 moms will be featured on NBC’s “Today” show the week leading up to Mother’s Day. The audiences will vote, and the top five winners will be the focus of a prime time… Read More
Promotions
Corporate sponsor needed to fund college ‘care package’
Patricia Hudak of Jersey City, New Jersey writes: “I am a young entrepreneur and recent college graduate. I started my company, Real World 101, to help graduating college seniors transition from college to the real world. “I’ve created an informational care package for college seniors that covers all of the topics they will face such… Read More
Newseum, the news industry museum, to open April 11
The Newseum, an interactive, state-of-the-art museum about the news industry, will announce today that it plans to open April 11, about six months later than originally planned. An article in the Washington Post says admission will be free for everyone on April 11. The article also explains how schools can take advantage of lower admission prices. I’m not traveling… Read More
‘Pink products’ media event helps you meet journalists
Do you have a “pink product” that supports breast cancer research and that you’d like journalists to see in time for their October 2008 coverage of Breast Cancer Awareness Month? The first “Think Pink Media Event” will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, at the New York Marriott Marquis Times… Read More
Green marketing: 5 simple rules to follow
If your product isn’t environmentally friendly, or the marketing message for your green product is poorly planned, consumer groups will be all over you, like they were when they targeted Home Depot for sustainable harvested wood, Nike for child labor practices, and McDonald’s for Styrofoam clamshells and obesity. This article by Jacquelyn Ottman of J. Ottman Consulting, Inc., featured in The Navigator… Read More
How are you generating publicity from the primaries?
How are Publicity Hounds generating publicity by piggybacking onto the presidential primaries? Bloggers, how are you tying into the campaign to pull traffic to your blog? Speech coaches, are you critiquing the candidate debates? Leadership experts, are you commenting on Barack Obama’s appeal? Did Hillary Clinton lose or gain points when she almost cried this… Read More
Dirty hotel glasses: Fodder for more TV I-team stories
More Publicity Hounds have responded to the items you’ve read here and here, about the Atlanta TV station’s I-team report on dirty hotel glasses, than any other item in recently memory. An observation: I half-expected the PR departments at Embassy Suites, Sheraton Suites and the Holiday Inn in Atlanta to email me and explain improvements they’ve made… Read More
New Year’s resolutions: Don’t make them on Jan. 1
Several years ago, I saw the same psychiatrist interviewed for a story about New Year’s resolutions almost everywhere I looked. He was quoted as saying that Jan. 1 is the worst day of the year to make them. That’s because most of us are stressed out from the holidays. We’ve overspent and overeaten. We’re tired. We’re cranky. And we’re… Read More
Help promote ‘donations instead of gifts’ campaign
Harry Hoover of Charlotte, North Carolina writes: “I’d like to tap into the collective brains of Publicity Hounds. Since 2002, I have promoted a project each holiday season called Holiday For Charity. It encourages people to ask for charitable donations in their name in lieu of gifts. I’ve gotten solid local coverage of this program,… Read More
Black Friday can be like gold for Publicity Hounds
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is aptly named as the day when retailers shift into profitability or move “into the black.” But it can be like gold for Publicity Hounds. Here’s why: First, the media are often working with skeleton staffs. Second, PR people and even some publicists take the day off. That means less competition for your… Read More