2013 Paragon Awards–An impressive display of PR Prowess!

The majestic Empire Room at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center was THE place to be on Tuesday, May 21, as we celebrated the 2013 Paragon Awards and more than 50 area communications professionals were honored.

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Laughlin Constable was honored with the Best in Show award for the agency’s work with the Wisconsin Department of Tourism (even the Governor tweeted his congratulations). The Best in Show award-winning submission – “Travel Wisconsin Helps Keep Wisconsinites Warm with ‘The Big Bundle Up’” – served to promote the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s annual community relations campaign to collect warm clothing items for needy families. The campaign – spearheaded by Lisa Todd of Laughlin Constable and Danielle Johnson of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism – utilized multiple communications platforms resulting in a 550 percent year-over-year increase in the total number of items collected. Judges, comprised of a panel of PR experts from around the country, were impressed with the project’s excellent results on a relatively small budget and its solid, measurable objectives. 

 “We had many outstanding submissions this year,” said Don Klein, chapter president. “It’s truly a testament to the quality of communications work going on in the region.”

This year’s Communicator of the Year is Jeff Sherman, president and co-owner of OnMilwaukee.com. A vital part of OnMilwaukee.com since 2000, Jeff uses his love of sports, community building and all things Milwaukee to bring colorful stories and content to the site, which has become a Wisconsin institution over the last 15 years.

This year’s winner of the Dorothy Thomas Black award is Dale Brown, APR. Dale led the firm Brown and Martin for more than 30 years before his recent retirement. His use of ventriloquism as a serious communications tool has gained him national attention. Dale is a past president of the chapter and brought out his dummy for a truly memorable acceptance speech.

So who else received awards for their hard work? Lots of people, lots of agencies. Far too many to name here (you don’t want to read a blog post that long, trust me)! 

Congratulations to ALL the award winners. We’re so proud of the Chapter’s members’ accomplishments. And a special thank you to all those who worked diligently behind the scenes to get this event happen. Excellent job! 

We’re looking for event planners to help with next year’s Paragon Awards–great experience and a terrific way to give back to the Chapter. If you’re interested, please contact President-Elect Samantha Andrews, APR at saandrew@froedterthealth.org. 

See a few photos from the event in the PRSA Facebook gallery.

Show us your Paragons!

The 2013 Paragon Awards are less than two weeks away! As they approach we thought it would be fun to share some winning entries from previous years.

Here’s where you come in.

If you have an award winning case study from a previous year that you are proud of (and why wouldn’t you be) please send it to us and we will share it with the world!

Show everyone what you’ve got and submit your winning case studies to bryangmichaels@gmail.com now!

The Southeastern Wisconsin chapter of PRSA’s annual Paragon Awards luncheon is at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 21 at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center.

Eager to Mentor

Like many folks, I sometimes wish I had the ability to travel back in time so I could give some friendly advice to the younger version of myself. Of course, there are the obvious tips that I’d try to pass along: study harder…eat healthier…get more sleep…say hello to THAT girl. But, there’s also something less obvious that could have benefited me tremendously – connecting with a professional mentor.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been fortunate to have worked with some incredibly talented professionals through the years. Many of these people helped “show me the ropes” and offered critically important career guidance when it was needed. But, I never had a formal mentor relationship and would have enjoyed having access to an industry veteran to discuss PR best practices, career growth, and the countless other challenges young pros often encounter.

Unfortunately, I can’t jump into a time-traveling DeLorean and magically produce a mentor for the younger version of myself. But, I can help today’s young PR pros avoid this same regret. That’s why I’m participating as a mentor in the PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter’s new mentor program.

Through this program, I’m eager to give back to the PR profession while helping to shape the future of the industry. I’m also thankful for the opportunity to potentially enhance my own coaching and leadership skills. And, most importantly, I look forward to building a new and mutually-beneficial relationship with a young and talented PR practitioner.

For more details about our chapter’s new mentor program – or to join me as a program participant – simply email jackieh@celticinc.com.

–Bill Bussler

mentor 2

Free skating lessons at upcoming luncheon?

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Rumor has it that the speakers at the March 20 luncheon (Milwaukee Admirals marketing gurus) will be giving ice skating lessons to all who attend. Better register now! http://bit.ly/ECTMm

Well, maybe the “Dynamic Duo”  of Jon Greenburg, president of the Milwaukee Admirals, and Mike Wojchiechowski, vice president of business development, won’t be donning skates for their presentation, but these marketing magicians will reveal their secrets of Integrated marketing, promotions and publicity. Find out how the Admirals use these tools to build their brand, create a fun fan experience, and, most importantly, increase sales. You’re sure to learn tips to apply to your own clients and brands. Register NOW!  http://bit.ly/ECTMm

Want Your Videos to Go Viral? The Packard Brothers Show You How

Getting Viral With The Packard Brothers

Getting Viral With The Packard Brothers

On an unassuming Wednesday afternoon in February, two young men stood before a room of PR pros and demonstrated how to use shock, awe, humor and above all, creativity, to help online videos go viral.

Jack and Nick Packard of Packard Brothers, a Milwaukee-area video production agency, shared their knowledge, experience and examples of creating Web videos that get noticed and passed along.

Here are a few takeaways from the presentation:

The most successful videos on the Web tend to be one of these three types:

  • Craft (DIY instruction)
  • Co-op (leveraging existing entities, i.e. making a real-life Angry Birds game)
  • Idiocy (self explanatory)

Successful online videos need:

  • Simple premise
  • Catchy music synched with action
  • Short length (2 min or less is ideal)
  • Relatable format (viewer says “I could have shot that!”)
  • Great editing

Successful videos (for brands) should be built with:
A clear call-to-action (give the viewer something to DO after viewing)

Measuring online videos’ success:

  • YouTube Analytics
  • Google Analytics
  • Unique visitors to the site your video pointed them
  • Offer redemption if the video led to a coupon/promotion

How many views will a successful comedy video have? The Packards believe the number is 100,000. (Real/organic views – not purchased)

Advice to brands/clients/businesses/executives:

  • Be willing to take risks
  • Have patience – success doesn’t come overnight
  • Good creative ideas trump production quality, every time

Everyone hopes their clever videos go viral, but a communications strategy that sounds like “We will produce a viral video …” is absurd and a recipe for disaster. Jack Packard demonstrated that point with perhaps the most salient advice of the presentation by saying, “Calling a video on the web a viral video is like calling anyone with legs a marathoner.”

Videos Will Rule at the Feb. 20 PRSA SEW Meeting

Jack and Nick Packard

These Brothers Know Viral Videos

Have you ever watched an internet video that had gone truly viral and thought to yourself… How do they come up with this stuff? And how did it get so popular? And how can I do that?? Then register to attend the Feb. 20, 2013 PRSA Southeast Wisconsin Chapter’s next luncheon to learn the secrets of creating and marketing viral videos (www.prsawis.org).

Coming up with a great video involves more than just thinking you are funny or have a clever idea. It is all about how it is shot, when it is released, quality of the content, and most importantly: What does the video give the viewer?

As business professionals we see these seemingly simple videos get millions of views and want to translate that into views to our companies. Unfortunately it isn’t that simple. The two biggest reasons why is because, 1. Viewers are smart and can spot a commercial a mile away. 2. Businesses are afraid to take risks and want to follow brand guidelines.

The Packard Brothers are Milwaukee-based writers and video producers that specialize in Viral Marketing. They are the creative force behind numerous viral video hits and have grown an international audience because of their out of the box ideas and ability to connect with their audience.

See their work: https://vimeo.com/57968411

Each of the brothers has their unique expertise, one in Business and Marketing and the other in Internet and Video. They are hosting this special PRSA lunch to talk about Viral Videos, how to make them, how to market them, and how to not look stupid… by looking stupid. High Five! 

Register now, or regret it later! www.prsawis.org

PR Palooza: You have to be there!

There are networking events. And then there is PR Palooza! Join us from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, at Fred’s Pub in the Miller Coors Complex. Cheers!

PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin networking opportunity on Dec. 4, 2012.

New Social Media Platforms: Should you be (P)interested?

Seasoned social media veterans and those interested in learning about the latest and greatest social media trends are invited to attend SE Wisconsin PRSA’s presentation New Social Media Platforms: Should you be (P)interested? The luncheon will be held March 21 at 11:30 a.m. at the Pfister Hotel.

Presenters include Dennis Jenders, Vice President, Digital + Communications Strategy at Laughlin Constable, Katie Klein-Murphy, Social Media Strategist at Boelter + Lincoln, Carol Voss, PR & Marketing Director at Independence First and Tim Cigelske, Senior Communications Specialist at Marquette University.

Click here to register by March 19.

I recently caught up with Tim Cigelske for a quick question and answer session about his life and what you might expect to learn about his presentation.

Tell me a little about yourself.

I’m married (to Jess) with an almost 2-year-old daughter (Clara) and a beagle (Bella). I work at Marquette where I handle the main university social media accounts. On the side I sell used T-shirts at Teecycle.org and blog about beer and running — yes, both together — at DRAFTMag.com. I’ve been running and drinking beer every day for 528 consecutive days.

What is your favorite aspect of working in social media?

The constant innovation is mind-blowing. It feels like you get the chance to be on the cutting edge of history and get to help author one of the first chapters of these technologies. But it’s not all fun and games — the challenge is then how do you harness new media to deliver your message in a creative, lasting and meaningful way.

How do you identify a new social media platform as having PR potential?

In a nutshell, it has to meet three criteria: 1) It has to show significant growth and growth potential — not just a fly-by-night platform. 2) Our audience has to be there and want us to be there. 3) It has to be doing something new or innovative. If those criteria are met, we devise a plan of how we fit in and deliver what our audience wants.

Let’s focus on Pinterest. Why should PR pros take note of this platform in particular?

Let’s start with the fact that it’s the fastest growing website in history. That’s good reason to take notice. Beyond those numbers, its ability to generate traffic back to your website at an increasing rate makes it worthwhile. How could you NOT want to help people showcase their favorite things about your brand on their Pinterest boards?

What key takeaways will attendees gather from the presentation on March 21?

I know that social media fatigue is a real thing, and people often don’t want to hear about the new new thing because they’re content with the status quo. But a little education goes a long way. Those who don’t know about the powerful next wave of social media tools are missing out on opportunities to beat their competition — or they’ll get beaten by their competition. So come and learn how Facebook, Timeline, Pinterest, Tumblr and other platforms can help your clients or businesses win.

By Bryan Michaels

Bottling lightning: How to build a winning campaign

The basic elements of winning at any sport are preparation, execution and a little bit of luck.

Turns out, those are largely the same components that go into a marketing, PR and social media campaign that capitalizes on sentiment around these successes. It’s how a brand can bottle lightning.

Bottling lightning: 1) Capturing something powerful and elusive and then being able to hold it and show it to the world. 2) Performing a rare feat. 3) A moment of creative brilliance. 

At yesterday’s PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin luncheon, Jockey and Hanson Dodge explained how a huge amount of hard work and planning, a plan to follow through and a bit of serendipity raised the profile of their brands when opportunities presented themselves.

Jockey and Tim Tebow

Jockey's website campaign

Mo Moorman, public relations director for Jockey International, shared the wild ride that was Tim Tebow-mania, who the company sponsored starting when he was a relative unknown. But that changed suddenly and dramatically.

During the Broncos quarterback’s rise to stardom and playoff run, Jockey’s numbers included:

  • 700 media placements with 500 million impressions
  • A Tebow ad that went viral and was covered by national media
  • 14,000 new Facebook likes
  • More than 100,000 views on YouTube
  • A Twitter campaign that benefited from a topic that saw the most tweets-per-second in Twitter history.

Those a just a few statistics that translated to more than buzz. It resulted in 21,000 new customers opting in for marketing, the second most single-day visits to the site ever, and increase in key brand metrics, such as “Jockey is for someone like me.”

Wilson Sporting Goods

While phenomenons like Tebow don’t happen every day, some major events like the Super Bowl occur on a more predictable schedule. But they still require planning and coordination to take advantage of the buzz for the purpose of a specific brand.

Dave Racine, director of social media and PR at Hanson Dodge Creative, explained how Wilson told its story with the “More Win” campaign and behind-the-scenes mini documentaries of a small town football-making factory. This requires a more pro-active initiative than focusing on responding to a spontaneous event like Tebow-mania.

When no community exists, Racine explained, build one. And build one they did, through user-generated videos as well as media placements through the Wall Street Journal, CBS and others.

At the same time, they jumped at the chance to hitch their star to Derrick Wilson during his quest for NBA MVP. In the same way as their longer-term campaigns, media placements and community-based crowdsourcing helped raise the profile of the Wilson brand basketball.

Hanson Dodge Olympic Sponsorship

In another example at Hanson Dodge, Social Media Strategist Mike Wisniewski saw a quirky opportunity to sponsor a potential Olympic athlete with a temporary tattoo of their company on his arm. London Olympic Games hopefully Nick Symmonds was offering up the opportunity via an eBay auction.

There were many questions and unknowns — not to mention a ticking auction clock — but the agency decided to move quickly and decisively on the opportunity. As Hanson Dodge Partner and Director of Marketing Al Krueger shared, they won the auction, flew to Oregon to organized a press conference, and publicized the move via their website and social media.

To tell their larger story, Hanson Dodge positioned Symmonds on a new active lifestyle advisory board to complement their goals with all brands, beyond running. Results included their top three biggest website traffic days “by a long shot,” as well as major placements including Sports Illustrated and Runner’s World.

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One key takeaway from all three speakers is that “hard work goes hand-in-hand with opportunity.” You have to put in the hours and move quickly when an unexpected or high-caliber chance arises to move the needle. You don’t know when something similar will come along again.

How can you bottle lightning?

View the slides for the Jockey, Wilson and Symmonds presentations on Scribd.  

— By Tim Cigelske