New York Public Relations

Nolcha Fashion Week: New York Spring/Summer 2012 Recap

2011-09-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

Nolcha Fashion Week kicked off with Fashion’s Night Out on September 8th, 2011. This year, Nolcha produced an Independent Pop Up Shop at the Opia Lounge on 57th Street. The event was hosted by The New York Post, Ricardo Ralph Lopez, Farasha Boutique, and Globalfashionbrands.com.

Seventeen fashion brands were presented at FNO; including several eco friendly brands. Press and Industry personnel had the opportunity to browse the different collections; visit the Kroma Makeup and Kiss Nails beauty bar; and sample cocktails provided by Don Q Rum. The first 100 shoppers who attended received gift bags with goodies from vitabath and LypSyl among others.

Nolcha Fashion Week continued on Monday September 12th at The Metropolitan Pavilion. The event featured 3 runway shows, and an all day Apparel and Accessories Exhibition. Visitors had the opportunity to browse the various collections at the exhibit or visit the bar for refreshments from Vitamin Water and DonQ Rum. The runway shows were scheduled at 1pm, 4pm and 7pm and featured 12 different collections.

Nolcha Fashion Week officially concluded on Wednesday the 14th with the closing party presented by Kiss Nails at The Sanctuary Hotel on West 47th Street.

Overall, Nolcha Fashion Week was a hit! If you didn't get a chance to attend; here are some links to videos of the collections: Amber Patton, Daisy & Elizabeth, and Elizabeth Kosich New York.

If you are interested in New York Public Relations, please contact AMP3 Public Relations at 646-827-9594 or info@amp3pr.com.

646-827-9594 or

Nolcha Fashion Week Hits NYC

2011-02-21T18:52:00.000-08:00

Fall 2011 Nolcha Fashion Week kicked off on February 10th at the Empire Hotel in NYC. It began with a pop-up showroom at the Empire Hotel's rooftop lounge where 19 independent fashion brands from all over the world showed their collections to a select group of buyers, editors, and industry VIP's. Celebrity stylist Jess Zaino of Style Network & Glamour.com gave style tours of the showroom and an onsite Beauty Oasis was provided so that guests could partake in hair touch ups by Paul Mitchell and nails and lashes by Kiss.

The good times continued that evening with an invite only Cocktail Party to celebrate Nolcha Fashion Week. The following evening Nolcha celebrated the launch of their new e-commerce platform: www.GlobalFashionBrands.com, with a party at the Dream Hotel's Ava Lounge in Midtown, Manhattan.

NYC based PR agency AMP3 Public Relations handled the PR for Nolcha Fashion Week 2011. If you are looking for a NYC PR agency , please contact AMP3 PR at 646-827-9594 or email: info@amp3pr.com.

Express Fashion Show On The Streets of NYC

2010-10-22T12:04:00.001-07:00

In a clever PR move, Express staged a live fashion show on the streets of the Flat Iron District last night. A 70 foot long runway was erected on Broadway and passersby were invited to come watch the show. With noted Fashion models (Erin Heatherton!! Jessica Hart!!) and photographers (Dan Lecca!! Greg Kadel!!), it was the read deal on the streets of New York. So yes, walking home from work and stumbling upon and being invited to a fashion show is cool. Even cooler is the fact that while photographer Dan Lecca was there shooting the runway show, Greg Kadel was there for an entirely other purpose. He was shooting the runway show...AS THE SPRING AD CAMPAIGN FOR EXPRESS...LIVE!!! That's huge, and the first time it's ever been done, an ad campaign, shot live on the runway, with an audience. Clever, clever, clever.

Adding a little social media angle, audience members were encouraged to upload pictures of themselves at the show, the first 15 people won a $100 Express gift card and 2 exclusive tickets to the after party at Don Hill's in Tribeca (featuring a performance by The Pretty Reckless).

The show and campaign shoot were such a hit that Express plans to hold a similar show in Miami next month to continue shooting the campaign.

If you are a company based in or around New York City and are interested in PR services, please contact AMP3 Public Relations at 646-827-9594 or info@amp3pr.com.

Trey Morgans "30 Deeds, 30 Days"

2010-09-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

AMP3 PR client and national radio personality Trey Morgan (best known in NYC as the "voice of now" on Z100) has spent the month of September committing himself to volunteering and boy is he tired. It's all part of his 30 Deeds, 30 Days project wherein he is attempting to volunteer each day of September with a different charitable organization (30 total), all while holding down his 'day job' and sustaining his relationship with his wife.

Each day, Trey blogs/vlogs on his website www.30Deeds30Days.com about the experience so that he can share with and inspire others to get involved in their communities as well. The idea for 30 Deeds, 30 Days was born out of Trey's own desire to get involved and somehow make a difference. In the past, Trey had thought up getting out there and volunteering before, but like so many of us, he was consumed with his his job, his personal commitments, basically his already full and busy life. It's so easy to get swept up in your own thing that you forget that other's are not as fortunate and could use a hand. Instead of once more thinking about doing some good, and the sweeping the idea under the rug for another day, Trey decided to dive in head first.

To say that he's been busy is an understatement. Trey has spent each day of September volunteering for at least a half a day (and many times the whole day) and then heading over to the radio station for his radio job at night. Exhausting!!! On top of that, as a newlywed, he's trying to be a present husband for his wife and hopefully work in some time for his own personal enjoyment & exercise. Who knew there were that many hours in the day...but you never know until you try. Trey is only about 1 week away from completing 30 Deeds, 30 Days and the experience seems to have been incredibly moving and inspiring. Trey actually plans to take the experience and write a book, somewhat of a "how to" for others that may be looking to get off their butts and get involved. Proceeds from the book will go back to the organizations that he worked with throughout the month of September. Trey is also already talking about pursuing the project again next year and potentially creating his own community service based organization modeled after 30 Deeds, 30 Days.

Trey has even gone so far as to get some of his celebrity friends involved. On September 22nd Disney darling Selena Gomez acted as the wish that Trey granted when he worked with the Make A Wish Foundation. On September 30th R&B star Jason Derulo will be volunteering with Trey at The American Cancer Society and Joel & Benji Madden were unable to volunteer but made a video endorsing the 30 Deeds, 30 Days mission and the need for young people to get involved.

New York really needs more people like Trey Morgan. It has been truly inspiring to watch him commit himself in such a complete way.

If you are interested in obtaining PR representation, please contact AMP3 Public Relations at info@amp3pr.com or 646-827-9594.

MTA May Limit Monthly Metro Cards, Potential PR Nightmare? I Think So

2010-07-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

The MTA is considering imposing a limit on monthly unlimited MetroCards to 90 rides per month (and 21 rides for weekly cards). For every day commuters this may not be an issue (2 rides a day= 62 rides a month) but for many New Yorkers who are more frequent users (working parents, students, dancers, messengers, etc.) they will be very affected and very unhappy.

On top of wanting to cut the number of rides you can take on a monthly card, the MTA is also proposing a fare increase from $89 a month to $99 a month.

That's a lot of change for New Yorkers who are already paying a fortune to get around the city. These ideas will be proposed next Monday, July 26th and if passed could go into effect as early as next year.

These changes could mean a PR nightmare for the MTA which many New Yorkers already blame for mismanaging finances and the already inept MTA system. This would just be one more slap in the face for already frustrated riders. First of all, there would no longer be an unlimited ride card, with a cap that no longer exists. Secondly, the price would be drastically raised and people would get less for that money. Basically the MTA just wants to take a lot away and give nothing back. It would seem that the MTA should have a little more consideration for it's riders and be a little less presumptuous about the needs of those same people. They could certainly do a little more research on their riders. While everyone knows that the MTA is financially strapped, how much can New Yorkers be expected to tolerate. Someone/something should be in place to be managing these situations from a publicity perspective, perhaps a PR team! Funnily enough, the MTA has a huge marketing/pr department, I wonder what they're doing?

If you are based in or around NYC and are looking for PR assistance, please contact AMP3 Public relations at 646-827-9594 or info@amp3pr.com.

New York Knicks Break Out Clever PR Moves to Sign LeBron James

2010-06-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

The New York Knicks are breaking out the big guns in a run to sign soon to be free agent LeBron James for the the coming NBA season. By big guns, I mean all of the New York Knicks celebrity fans that they can get their hands on.

The recruiting effort/sales pitch for the coming draft pick will include celebrity endorsements from the likes of Donald Trump, Alec Baldwin, Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, and a slew of other well known New Yorkers all speaking about how much they love the city.

It's a clever PR move from the Knicks. At 25, LeBron James has his pick of NBA teams, but in the past he has mentioned that he would love to play in NYC. The Knicks could certainly use LeBrons magic as well, as they haven't qualified for the playoffs in over a decade. LeBron would be both very loved in New York (where there would be quite a bit of opportunity here in in business and leisure for him to thrive) and in great company with all of the renowned New Yorkers who reside her from the areas of sport, film, business and beyond.

Even Mayor Michael Bloomberg has gotten on board with a plea to LeBron to join us is this great city saying, "I love living in New York, my kids love living in New York, I think LeBron James would love living in New York and it is the world’s greatest stage.”

Time will tell if this ploy works out, but it certainly can't hurt to have the best of the best pleading the case for the city of New York and it will most definitely create quite a bit of buzz. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

If you are interested in PR in NYC, please contact AMP3 Public Relations at 646-827-9594 or info@amp3pr.com.

NYC Musician Dion Roy Debuts NEW EP "The Nearest Light"

2010-06-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

NYC based singer-songwriter Dion Roy debuted his NEW EP "The Nearest Light" yesterday, June 23rd. The new EP debuted at #16 on the iTunes singer-songwriter album chart yesterday morning and has moved up to #9 today.

In celebration of the new EP, a release party was held last night at The Living Room on the lower east side of Manhattan. Dion, with backing from a full band (including Peter Roessler on guitar, Ed Marshall on bass, and special guest Boots Factor of Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers on drums), played a set for the packed house full of friends, family, and adoring fans. Dion and the band took the stage at a little past 7pm and played a full hour of live music including tracks from the new EP.

"The Nearest Light" was produced by Dion Roy and Peter Roessler and mixed by Scott Reibling of Weezer, Cobra Starship and Fallout Boy Fame.

Dion Roy will be touring the U.S. this summer, for more information visit www.dionroy.com.

If you are looking for PR representation in the NYC area, please contact AMP3 Public Relations at 646-827-9594 or info@amp3pr.com.

Dunkin Donuts Reveals "Street Art" Billboard in Times Square

2010-06-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

In Consumer Product PR news, Dunkin Donuts unveiled their new Times Square billboard today which took a decidedly "fresh" approach. Dunkin Donuts turned to local street artists to creatte "a unique design inspired by the urban art of the New York City streets." This new billboard may very well be Dunkin Donuts' most prominent advertising to date.

To create this billboard, Dunkin' Donuts enlisted renowned street artist Robb Buono and his team of artists including UrbanMedium, TazRoc and Steven Lopez.

In another "fresh" move, over the past six weeks while the artists were finalizing the design, Dunkin' Donuts used its billboard space for a secret teaser campaign that featured no brand identification or imagery, inviting passersby to visit www.missionfresh.com to submit a guess as to who was behind the secret campaign. One winner was randomly selected from everyone who submitted a guess to receive $5,000 and an all-expense paid New York City theater weekend for two.

John Costello, Chief Global Customer and Marketing Officer at Dunkin' Brands said, "The unveiling of our Times Square billboard gives the brand incredible visibility in one of the most recognizable locations in the world and reinforces Dunkin' Donuts' position as the nation's coffee leader," he said. "Using this prominent space to create one of the world's largest pieces of street art is yet one more way Dunkin' Donuts stands out from other brands."

It's been estimated that a sign in Times Square receives 1.5 million impressions per day, with a number like that, Dunkin Donuts (one of the world's most recognized consumer products) is choosing to make quite a statement.

Watch the making of the largest one-piece canvas in America

If you are interested in PR in NYC or Consumer PR, contact info@amp3pr.com or call 646-827-9594.

Yantra Mat by Yantra Way Launches New Black Mat

2010-05-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

The long awaited BLACK mat from Yantra Way is finally here. The new black mat launches today and can be purchased at www.yantraway.com. Though the mat's are all fundamentally the same, the new color is aimed specifically at a male audience who was finding the original purple and green mat's too feminine looking.

The new black Yantra Mat is $49 + an additional 20% off when you use the code "RELAX".

The Yantra Mat, a gentler version of the ancient Indian nail bed, is studded with 8,800 non-toxic ABS plastic spikes. The spikes feel sharp, but with your body's weight distributed evenly over the mat, an intense sensation quickly gives way to a comforting rush of heat. This natural response to acupressure comes from increased circulation, which lowers blood pressure and soothes aches and pains. Within minutes, this improved blood flow triggers a deep sense of relaxation.

If you have any questions or are interested in finding out more about Public Relations, please contact AMP3 Public Relations at 646-827-9594 or email info@amp3pr.com.

-Ashley for AMP3 Public Relations

Another Recall for Johnson & Johnson

2010-05-06T14:34:00.001-07:00

There was a broad recall of J&J products last Friday after the FDA found thick dust, grime and contaminated ingredients as well as a slew of other problems at a Pennsylvania J&J plant that produces Children's Tylenol and other products. They are urging consumers to stop using liquid Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, Children's Tylenol and Zyrtec for children and infants and instead to use private label products.

According to FDA reports, there were 46 consumer complaints about dark material in the liquid products between June 2009 and April 2010, and J&J chose not to take action. On top of that this is not the first recall of the year, J&J has actually issued four major product recalls in the last year. What it comes down to is that J&J has a potential Consumer PR nightmare on their hands.

J&J stated that the quality problems at the plant "are unacceptable to us" and that it would continue to work closely with the FDA to fix them. The company has since suspended production at the plant. "We will not restart operations until we have taken the necessary corrective actions and can assure the quality of products made there," said a statement from J&J's McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit.

Many in the PR world know that J&J survived a massive recall of intentionally contaminated Tylenol products in the 1980s and its handling of the matter is widely studied as as a model business and public relations case.

Branding expert Robert Passikoff says that so far the company has done everything right in handling the latest recall."There's no way to excuse it and J&J isn't. What they're looking to do is fix whatever the problems are,and that goes a long way."

Do you agree with Robert Passikoff? Even in lite of all of the new knowledge that has been presented?

I personally agree with Pasikoff in that since the FDA reports, J&J does seem to be taking all of the proper crisis management steps including closing down the factory, issuing the recalls, and sending out the message that "this is unacceptable". Of course the other side of me still screams that these issues were easily avoidable if not totally manageable before the crisis point we're now at. The factories should have been kept clean of dust and grime, there should not have been pipes duct taped together, and there should never have been any areas where raw ingredients were being contaminated. So yes, the crisis is being managed, but could it have been managed better, earlier? What are your thoughts?

Read the full Reuters article here.

-Ashley for AMP3 Public Relations

6th Street Live Tonight at Kenny's Castaways

2010-04-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles based electro-pop duo 6th Street will be performing LIVE tonight at Kenny's Castaways. There is no cover and the show starts at 8pm. Kenny's Castaways, a piece of New York rock & roll history and well known as the place where Bruce Springsteen played his first NYC show, is located at 157 Bleecker Street.

If you can't catch them tonight, you'll have another chance. 6th Street will be performing again on Saturday night at Arlene's Grocery. The show starts at 8pm and there is a $10 cover at the door. Arlene's Grocery is located at 95 Stanton Street.

6th Street, a duo who have known each other since childhood, were recently showcased at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas. Their sound is most often compared to Owl City and Postal Service with hints of Matt Nathanson and they offer both catchy melodies and moving ballads.

To win 2 free tickets to Saturday night's show at Arlene's Grocery, check out this post on You Sing, I Write.

For more information about 6th Street, please contact AMP3 Public Relations at 646-827-9594 or email info@amp3pr.com.

-Ashley for AMP3 Public Relations

AMP3 PR Adds 6th Street to Their Roster

2010-04-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

AMP3 Public Relations has recently added 6th Street to their growing music pr roster. 6th Street, a Los Angeles based group, is made up of band members Grant Cook and Mike Miller. Just back from a 2 night appearance performing at Bob Woody’s Shakespeare’s on Sixth Street at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX, it was much like a home coming for the University of Texas graduates. The local crowd was delighted to hear a set list that included new EP material like "Try and Stop Love", a song with a young electronica pop vibe, and the soulful "Angels Falling."

A recent blog post described their sound this way, "So let's say if The Postal Service and Owl City consumated and had a baby with Chris Martin's voice, then they made the baby eat violins for breakfast and it only spoke in lyrics in the caliber of say, John Mayer, then that is what 6th Street would sound like."

I don't know about you, but I love The Postal Service and Owl City. I think Chris Martin has an incredibly hot voice. And no matter how shocked and appalled I am by the things that come out of John Mayers mouth during interviews, I'm still constantly moved by his lyrics. To be clear, what I'm trying to say is that I don't know about you, but I don't think I have ever heard a more intriguing description of a bands sound.

I can't wait to give 6th Street a listen and speaking of, they actually have 2 upcoming NYC shows so I may just be hearing them live sooner than I even imagined. They'll be performing at Kenny's Castaways on April 27th at 8pm and at Arlene's Grocery on May 1st, time TBD.

In my opinion 6th Street is definitely a band to watch for...

If you are interested in music pr and representation, please contact AMP3 Public Relations at info(at)amp3pr.com.

-Ashley for AMP3 Public Relations

Tigers Top 6....Biggest PR Blunders

2010-04-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

If there has been one hot topic in crisis communications of late, it's golfer Tiger Woods. Now there's no need to rehash the aspects of what got Tiger into his predicament, but there has been a lot of water cooler talk regarding how his PR team handled the fallout from the very start. Public Relations Society of America's most recent post came yesterday with an excerpt from a Newsweek article by Matthew Phillips. The article discussed Tiger's press conference this past Monday at Augusta National for his first major appearance at the 2010 Masters. PRSA called the press conference his best attempt yet at damage control and then went on to state what Phillips considers Tigers 6 biggest mistakes over the last few months.

1. Deafening silence- The first rule in any crisis is to get out in front of the story early, but for four months, Tiger was mute — and the longer he went without speaking, the more people wanted to know why. Surely, not all of the gossip is true, but with nothing from Tiger, we’re left to assume it is.

2. Refusal to meet with police- For two days police came to Tiger’s house to interview him, and he refused to let them in — smacking of preferential treatment and fueling speculation that something really shady was going on.

3. Castigating the media- Before the scandal broke, Tiger owed his fortune as much to the media’s gushing, hands-off depiction of him as to his talents as a golfer, Philips wrote. And now Woods’ castigation of the media for prying into his private life reeks of hypocrisy.

4. Refusing to provide details of what happened that night- Tiger maintains that whatever happened was a private matter, but if he doesn’t address it, people will keep assuming the worst.

5. March 21 interviews with Golf Channel and ESPN- A month after his public apology on Feb. 19, Tiger gave two five-minute interviews to the Golf Channel and ESPN. Either the questions were restricted or those two reporters chose to ask the softest questions ever, Philips wrote. For Tiger’s scandal to reach any closure, he will have to be interviewed by a big-name reporter.

6. He should have played in a tournament before the Masters- In Monday’s press conference, Tiger said he wasn’t ready to play before the Masters, but choosing the world’s most famous golf tournament for his return smacks of hubris, Philips wrote. This year’s Masters will be a media circus, and it’s unlikely that any of the other players are looking forward to the distraction.

I personally was one of those people lingering around the water cooler yapping about "this Tiger Wood's situation." Now I know that crisis communications is a tough area of public relations, no one really hopes for it, and we all try to be prepared for it, but I tend to agree with all of Phillips points. These are all questions that I've asked myself as a PR professional. I guess all we can do is hope for the best, learn from the situation, and if we find ourselves handling a crisis in the future, ask ourselves, what's the opposite of what Tiger would do?

-Ashley for AMP3 Public Relations

AMP3 PR adds West 3rd Common to Their Roster!

2010-02-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

This week, AMP3 PR adds the newly opened West 3rd Common gastro pub to their roster!

Combining the physical comfort of a trendy lounge with the atmospheric comfort of a casual neighborhood pub, West 3rd Common stands out as a unique destination in the NoHo section of Greenwich Village.

Delicious takes on American comfort foods ranging from burgers and crawfish to seared duck is not all you can expect, West 3rd Common has the best happy hour in the area: Monday thru Sunday, 4 - 8PM. $3 drafts, $4 well drinks, and $5 Cosmos and Apple Martinis.

And if that's not enough, when you visit you can catch the game on one of the eight HD TV's or entertain yourself with one of the many board games on hand. More than a sports bar, Metromix New York calls it, "a neighborhood bar with unbelievable food."

For media inquiries, email Termeh Mazhari at Termeh@AMP3pr.com

An Unfair Advantage?

2010-02-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

With the blogosphere becoming increasingly influential and a lot of the big blogs a major media source, its easy to see why publicists are starting to reach out to more and more bloggers (especially since bloggers are more likely to respond to pitches).

But ladies and gents of the PR world, you know better than to pay off bloggers for coverage of you or your client's brand. Let me grab my megahorn and say this loud and clear: IT'S UNETHICAL.

Apparently Ann Taylor and their PR crew didn't get the message. Last week, Ann Taylor's LOFT line held a preview exclusively for bloggers and basically bribed them with gift cards in exchange for coverage of their line and the event. Their invite read:

Come take a sneak peak at LOFT's summer 2010 collection before anyone else! Bloggers who attend will receive a special gift, and those who post coverage from the event will be entered in a mystery gift card drawing where you can win up to $500 at LOFT!

But wait, it doesn't stop there. It gets better:

Please note all bloggers must post coverage from our event to their blog within 24 hours in order to be eligible. Links to post must be sent to [address], along with the code on the back of your gift card distributed to you at the event. You will be notified of your gift card amount by February 2. Gift card amounts will vary from $10 to $500.

Apparently, the promotion worked, but of course, bloggers failed to mention the fact that they had the chance to win a gift card for their "coverage."

It's hard to come up with PR tactics to draw people in to recognizing your brand, let alone get it exposure. Product PR is a tricky area to manage, but it is important to remember that PR people shouldn't sacrifice ethics (and neither should reporters) in order to reap benefits - in the end, that could surface as false promotion.

Nestle's Marketing Mishap

2009-12-22T10:54:00.001-08:00

It’s no mystery – children are probably the pickiest eaters on the face of the earth. If the food is not dripping with chocolate or sugar, chances are that they wouldn’t event look at it. I speak from experience, as my childhood was filled with chocolate chip cookies and Reese’s Butter Cups to my mother’s dismay, and I ran away whenever I saw anything that was or resembled a vegetable. I think its safe to say that children can be the toughest audience to please when it comes to food. In recent times, many food companies have developed product marketing strategies where for food products targeting children and their taste buds, yet still offer a good amount of nutrients and vitamins that would be sufficient to a growing child.

Take food company giant, Nestle, who decided to revamp some of its promotion for one of its products, Juicy Juice. Nestle marketed the juice to have brain development benefits, low-sugar content, and finally, is 100% pure juice. Nestle also marketed their orange tangerine and grape juices as 100% juice. No problem here, right? False. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was not happy with this marketing ploy, as apparently the claims that Nestle made on its products was “misleading” and “misbranded” after conducting their own research. With that, thew FDA posted a warning letter to Nestle. In addition, the FDA called out Nestle on another one of their products, Nestle’s Boost Kid Essentials Nutritionally Complete Drink, which they believe is falsely promoted as “medical food,” which can only be certified by the FDA themselves.

While I commend Nestle on trying to devise a product to satisfy not only children but parents who are concerned about their child's nutrition, it is important to remember that while you are reaching out to your target audience, that you are not over-exaggerating to the point that you could be making false claims. The consumer may buy your words, but you can’t fool professionals – especially when it is regulators from a government agency. So do your research, make sure any way that you market your product can be proven valid, and make sure whatever you say, you can ensure that your customer can trust you.

The brief, yet informative, guide to a successful product launch

2009-11-25T12:55:00.000-08:00

Launching a product seems to be an intimidating ordeal. There are several things you have to think of – everything from making sure the production of the product goes right to the promotion and generating buzz around it. It seems stressful, complicated, and terrifying, but it doesn’t have to be.

When it comes to launching a product, you have to make sure that your it is unique, appealing, innovative, and most of all, marketable. The launch is just the cherry on top to the final push for your product.

Here are some things to keep in mind, which will vastly help the process of a product launch (and ease the headache):

Have an appealing design: Potential customers are quick to judge when they look at a product, so it is important to have a design that is appealing and will draw in people’s eyes. This will generate curiosity for them to learn more about your product.

Timing: Timing is essential for products, especially if it’s seasonal. Or even if your product isn’t seasonal but could be in some aspects, you may be able to push for more interest in your product if it was released during a certain season.

Have a target: Products can appeal to a universal audience, but you also have to keep in mind who would have the most interest in your product and target them. For example, if your product appeals to the young-adult/college crowd, you might want to advertise on Facebook. If your product appeals to teens, maybe try Myspace.

Hire a PR agency that handles consumer product PR: A PR agency will help generate the buzz you need in order to make your product visible in the market. Besides getting traditional media exposure, PR agencies can also plan launch parties, giveaway and promotions, and use social media to interact with potential consumers.

If you want more information on AMP3 PR’s product PR campaigns, email us at info@amp3pr.com or call us at 646.827.9594.

The 5 Mistakes to Avoid when Pitching (from Mediabistro.com)

2009-10-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

Mediabistro.com put up a great post by freelance writer and book publicist Marian Schembari on its blog about the 5 mistakes to avoid when pitching - everything from blindly emailing press releases to sending irrevelant pitches. The key to the perfect pitch? Personalize it. Marian writes these 5 tips below:

"Hello New York Journalist” is not a greeting. New York Journalist will stop reading there. Even if the pitch is perfect and 100% relevant – if it hasn't been addressed an actual person, it's is going in the bin. Take five minutes and find a name.
Acknowledge something by said journalist. Reference an article or award. No need to be gimmicky or go overboard on the praise, just stick to why the product is worth their time. Ex: if pitching a book on automobiles to the auto blogger for the Times, say something like, “I read your piece on the new Mercedes. Our author, Bob Jones, loved that car and spends a whole chapter in his new book discussing the features.”
But don’t suck up. Chris Brogan [of New Marketing Labs] just posted on his blog, “Skip the flattery. PR types: starting with ‘I love your blog’ and then pitching me something I could care less about is a bit of a mismatch.” Agreed.
Avoid words like “awesome” (yes, people actually use this word in professional letters).
Stick to the point. If it's necessary to include a press release, do so after the signature. That gives the reader the option to ignore it. Being faced with a bunch of text right from the get-go is nothing but a deterrent. So give a brief summary, hook them, and then give the option to read further.

- Marian Schembari

You can read the original post here.

Raunchiness in the Meatpacking District

2009-08-25T10:50:00.001-07:00

If you’ve been walking around the Meatpacking District lately or took a stroll to the High Line, you may have witnessed some raunchy exhibitionist behavior in the window of The Standard Hotel.

As part of their PR tactic, the luxury hotel is encouraging their guests to engage in various sex acts - much to the distaste of the tourists who are walking to the new High Line park, which is the direction that the hotel faces.

On their Facebook page, they suggest that their guests “exercise your inner exhibitionist. Please share your intimate, and explicit photos with us -- those floor to ceiling windows aren't just for the views.”

In a puritan, conservative country, the PR gimmicks of The Standard Hotel are less than amusing for passer-byers witnessing the romping going-ons in the ceiling-to-floor window display. Still, this luxury hotel is generating a hell of a ton of buzz around New York City and on the web. Frankly, I'm surprised that city council hasn't done anything to stop this right away - aren't there some sort of decency and exposure laws in NYC?

- Sabina for AMP3 Public Relations

Corporate Renaming: Rebranding or abandoning ship?

2009-08-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

The Chicago Tribune had an interesting article today about corporate renaming as a rebranding strategy. With the global market changing rapidly every year, many companies find themselves struggling to stay relevant. Some companies figure that a name change into something that would fit more into the times – perhaps a hipper name – would help keep the company’s image fresh and intact. A company to soon hop on the renaming bandwagon is RadioShack, who wants to shorten their name to simply, The Shack.

There are many reasons behind a company’s decision in conducting a name change – much of it comes from a company’s attempt to rebrand itself in a fast-changing market in order to still make itself relevant and to have a chance to compete in the expanding market. For example, losing the “Radio” in RadioShack poses little loss for them, as purchasing radios are a thing of the past. Also, in an abbreviated driven culture like today thanks to texting and Twittering, The Shack seems to be a more appealing name and keeps things short and sweet.

Still, some argue that a name change signals a change in company motives and direction, therefore consider it almost an insult to the legacy of the company - young or old. Yet this argument is a bit weak as it would be may not be smart for a company to associate with an old name should they completely revamp the overall outlook of the company. Sometimes, it's just better to start fresh and with a clean slate.

Other companies that also went through or are considering corporate renaming are:

Kentucky Fried Chicken (Now KFC)
Pizza Hut (planning to change their name to The Hut)
Cingular (became AT&T after Cingular acquired the old AT&T wireless and decided to rebrand under AT&T)
Datsun (acquired by Nissan in 1986 and was rebranded under it)
BackRub (changed to Google in 1998 – today's #1 most visited site on the web)

-Sabina for AMP3 Public Relations

Bing Now Getting More Traffic Than Twitter, Digg, and CNN

2009-07-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

According to Compete.com Bing ranks as the 13th most visited website on the internet. While Google and Yahoo still hold the reigns as the top visited sites, Bing is catching up as its traffic surpasses than that of Twitter, Digg, and CNN.

From analyzing Compete.com, Mashable has calculated that "ng was able to amass 49.57 million unique visitors in its first month as Microsoft’s official search engine. Bing’s traffic trumps that of Digg(38.96 million) Twitter(23 million), and CNN (28.54 million). We want to stress that this focuses on U.S. visitors, since Compete does not track international visits."

The official Bing site states, "Bing is a search engine that finds and organizes the answers you need so you can make faster, more informed decisions." The site was unveiled at the All Things Digital conference in San Diego, California by Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO on May 28th 2009 as a replacement for its predecessor; Live Search.

Below is a Unique vistors chart (United States only) from Compete.com courtesy of Mashable:

PR Tip Sheet

2009-07-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a tip sheet from groupynetwork.com to refresh your PR practices:

1. Know what "news" is.
2. Let the media know about your news in a timely and concise fashion.
-Who, What, When, Where and Why really comes in handy here
3. The editors' job is to report on what readers want to read, so let them do what they do best.
4. For product stuff it's sometimes best to send the gear out first and ask questions later.
5. Build relationships.
6. Plan, plan, plan.
7. Editors are always busy and sometimes lazy.
8. Email is the best way to communicate.
9. If you are pitching a mainstream publication, there are some story lines that are always popular.
10. Even big newspaper these days are desperate to build page views online.

Just a quick read to refine your focus and remember what pr is really about.

Then, head on over to prweekly.com to check out their 2009 Power List:
Power List

Are you working toward your name being on this list in the future?

NYC Summer Streets Program Returns

2009-07-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

(from NYT.com)

Mayor Bloomberg recently announced the return of the city's Summer Streets Program. On three Saturdays this summer, nearly 7 miles of Manhattan roads will be kept free of cars, so that pedestrians can have them exclusively to walk, run, bike or skate. Mark your calendars, as the dates for the program this year will be August 8, 15, and 22, from 7am-1pm.

I happened upon this project last summer. It was a weird experience walking north on Park Avenue South in the middle of the street, a street which is normally packed with vehicles. Summer Streets definitely brought out the families and the cyclers. This is a nice program in that in makes the city more pedestrian friendly and encourages outdoor exercise. It would be really cool to bike from Grand Central to the Brooklyn Bridge and back....Are you going to participate in Summer Streets this August?

I like where Mayor Bloomberg is going with this program, and the determination shown by the city's transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan (she was the brains behind making Times Square car-free). If only they could figure out the MTA budget!!!

Steve Jobs' Job

2009-06-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

Outlets from the New York Times to Gawker have anxiously been reporting on Steve Jobs' return to Apple since it was revealed he underwent liver transplant at a Kentucky hospital earlier this year. The state of his health has been under much speculation since dropping a noticeably significant amount of weight and taking a medical leave of absence. His return to the public eye has spurred much debate on how much personal health information a CEO, CIO, President, etc. should reveal to their shareholders. Why should they tell their shareholders if they are sick? Because it may affect stock pricing!! TechCrunch breaks it down nicely with a simple graph that shows how important Steve Jobs is to Apple. People feel reassured with Steve at the helm. When he took his medical leave, stock dropped. Now that Apple is promoting his return, stock prices have jumped. If Steve is back, then good for Apple. I only hope he's not doing too much, too soon.

Here's the most recent piece on Steve from the Times:
Apple Says Jobs Has Returned To Work

Pepsi Seeks Out New PR

2009-06-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

PepsiCo is meeting with PR agencies worldwide for a "global, multimillion-dollar corporate reputation campaign," according to PRWeek's Aarti Shah.

The PepsiCo website currently does not list PR contacts for media relations requests. Firms such as Porter Novelli, Edelman, and Hill & Knowlton are in the running.

Earlier this year PepsiCo unveiled their 5th new logo in the brand's two decades of business.

Additionally, public relations firm Porter Novelli recently assisted the company with their PepsiCo Internet Week NY event.

When the Clock Strikes Midnight, Get Your Facebook Vanity URL

2009-06-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

At 12:01AM Saturday, Facebook users can claim a "vanity" URL to replace the randomized numbers at the end of the Facebook profile URL. (ie: instead of http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=44444433&ref=nf
the URL could look like http://www.facebook.com/YourName

To do this, visit Facebook.com/username at 12:01AM, follow the instructions, and start typing! Once you choose your vanity URL it cannot be changed, so brainstorm now, and choose wisely. The URLs can only include letters, numbers and periods.

For business or fanpages, you must have had over 1,000 fans before May 31st 2009 to claim your URL. You can read more info on that here

This is an especially great tool for public relations firms to increase their client's visibility on the web. An important note, the vanity URLs are on a first come, first serve basis! You'll be in a Facebook war against millions of other users so brew your tea/coffee, do some typing exercises, and prepare for an all-nighter.

Reservation for the POTUS + 1

2009-06-04T07:18:00.000-07:00

Looking for something to do this weekend? Why not take a cue from President Obama and do dinner and a show?

Last weekend, the POTUS and Michelle flew to NYC for dinner at Blue Hill and a performance of "Joe Turner's Come and Gone". The NY papers buzzed with coverage. Reports even indicate that the famous first couple were given an impromptu round of applause when they finished their meal at Blue Hill. Accidents were barely avoided as theater patrons leaned over balconies to catch a glimpse of the twosome.

Here's a funny little clip that shows the helicopter, the motorcade, and the excitement:

Now the President caught a lot of flack for making such an extravagant gesture during these tough economic times. Do you care? Doesn't bother me! In fact, I hope he and Michelle can bring the girls next time for a little family outing!

Conan Moves to LA, the Tonight Show

2009-06-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

Did anyone watch Conan's debut on the Tonight Show last night?

The opening clip last night showed Conan in his Park Avenue apartment, brushing his teeth, crossing off his checklist of things to do before his debut. Until he realizes...he has to move to Los Angeles! Continuing the visual gag of the angular comedian running in his suit, Conan took off running across America.

Check it out:

Sad for New York, but happy for Conan.

Family Hires PR Firm in Legal Battle Against Hammer Attacker

2009-05-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

After Pittsburgh teenager Sarah Deluliis was allegedly attacked by her ex-boyfriend, 17 year-old Robertino DeAngelis, the girl's family hoped that DeAngelis would receive the appropriate punishment for his crime. Instead, he would be tried in juvenile court and charged with attempted homicide after beating Deluliis over the head with a hammer.

The family made several appeals to the office of the district attorney but were repeatedly denied. Desperate, the family turned to Forge Communications in order to have their voice heard. The family explained,

" We're desperate. The juvenile system is not equipped to deal with such a violent act... I'm just a mom of a young daughter that we're trying to protect. If this alleged violent predator is released into our community once more, we believe we are all at risk."

The PR firm has since set up a Facebook group, a Twitter page, and a Website callled "Adult time for Adult Crime" in order to gain supporters of the appeal.

This is definitely an unusual public relations tactic for legal justice, but perhaps the start of a new role for public relations.

Pets Officially Take Over Twitter!

2009-05-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

User @sockington (Jason's cat) is taking the twitterverse by storm with 514,199 followers while only following 381 himself (how pretentious!)

Here's recent tweet by the friendly feline turned social-networking guru:
"GAHH DISAPPOINTMENT thought I caught a rat TURNED OUT TO BE A SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT not tasty at all SORRY LITTLE GUY easy confu"

@Sockington has made the huge jump in followers in just 3 short months according to Twitter counter:
So what does this mean for us dedicated Tweeps? Are we being left in the dust to people's pets!?

There's even a site dedicated to pets on twitter: http://thepetfeed.com/

Forget #followfriday tags that made you feel like your thoughtful 140 character tweets really meant something special, #meowmonday is the new thing!

I guess I should head to the local animal shelter and pick out a social media savvy cat or dog to help me boost my social networking skills.

Apple Fires Back at Microsoft's "Laptop Hunter" Ads with Megan

2009-05-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

For awhile Microsoft's "Laptop Hunter" ads were taking the cake against Apple, showing people who choose PCs over Macs. Finally, Apple has made a comeback directly responding to the Microsoft "Laptop Hunter" ads with their latest ad "Elimination" featuring Megan, a girl looking for her dream computer.

In the latest ad, Megan describes her specifications to the Microsoft and Apple guys. One by one, the Microsoft team leaves as they fail to meet her requirements.

As if we didn't see it coming, Megan is left with a Mac as the perfect computer for her.

While some of the claims made against Microsoft are not entirely accurate, one claim that defintiely shines is that PCs with Windows are not protected from malware as well as Apple Macs are. Checkout the ad after the jump.

applead from Gizmodo on Vimeo.

If FDA Says Cheerios is a Drug then I must be an Addict

2009-05-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

The FDA is going after General Mills for claiming that Cheerios is "clinically proven to lower cholesterol" without getting approved as a new drug.

In a letter to General Mills, the FDA says that the labeling on the Cheerios boxes is "in serious violation" of federal rules and that Cheerios, " may not be legally marketed with the above claims in the United States without an approved new drug application." The letter further states,

"Based on claims made on your product’s label, we have determined that your Cheerios® Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease."

The Cheerios box states the following :

"Did you know that in just 6 weeks Cheerios can reduce bad cholesterol by an average of 4 percent? Cheerios is the only leading cold cereal clinically proven to lower cholesterol. A clinical study showed that eating two 1-1/2 cup servings daily of Cheerios cereal reduced bad cholesterol when eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

W. Charles Becoat, Minneaplis district director for the FDA says that the wording on the box implies that Cheerios is intended for use in "preventing, mitigating, and treating the disease hypercholesterolemia" Becoat goes on to say that the claims suggests that Cheerios can be used to treat and prevent heart disease by lowering total and "bad" cholesterol.

Becoat explains that because Cheerios was not FDA approved as a new drug, "it may not be legally marketed with the above claims."

Even though food producers can prove that soluble fiber from whole grain oats can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, the Cheerios box label does not follow the FDA's rules for making such a claim.

General Mills sent a statement to the Dow Jones newswires this morning:
"The science is not in question … the clinical study supporting Cheerios’ cholesterol-lowering benefit is very strong. The FDA is interested in how the Cheerios cholesterol-lowering information is presented on the Cheerios package and website. We look forward to discussing this with FDA and to reaching a resolution.”

Though people are saying this is a silly argument over semantics, it's one that should definitely be addressed due to the seriousness of such medical claims.

KFC and Oprah's Coupon Offer Ignites Outrage!

2009-05-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

Oprah teamed up with KFC to give out "free KFC meal" coupons to everyone in the U.S good now until May 19th but excluding Mother's Day available here. The free meal includes two pieces of newest menu item, Kentucky Grilled Chicken, two sides and a biscuit. KFC is already extremely popular in the U.S., and Oprah has millions of viewers, so why didn't KFC forecast what would happen next?...

Kentucky Fried Chicken has endured quite a lot of negative press over the years, especially by animal rights organizations such as PETA who are always protesting in front of KFC restaurants. KFC has also been hit hard by the latest attacks on the fast food industry.

To improve their image and attract new customers, KFC has started to offer healthier menu items. The Kentucky Grilled Chicken was definitely a smart move, as its lower in all things unhealthy (sodium, fat, calories, sugar, etc) . The company says,

“Kentucky Grilled Chicken has fewer calories, fewer fat grams and less sodium than our Original Recipe chicken, all without sacrificing the great taste of KFC.”

The coupons for the FREE Kentucky Grilled Chicken meal were made available on Oprah's official website this morning.Once you click on the coupon KFC's newest slogan will pop up saying, “UNTHINK WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT KFC”. Customers are only able to redeem one coupon.

Since the offer began fights have erupted all over the city people wait in line with hundreds of other customers and some managers decline the coupon. Here in New York City, one report states:

"I went over to our nearest KFC a few minutes ago (this was around 42nd and Park)and chaos ensued. Despite the very visible grilled chicken behind the register, the manager told everyone with coupons to leave and that the promotion was over for the day. The people there are currently holding a sit-in and refusing to leave until they get their free chicken...or the cops are called. Racial epithets were being spewed, people who actually wanted to pay for chicken were facing a potential beatdown, and the manager ran from the screaming horde. Oprah, what have ye wrought?"

Oprah, you better get on Twitter and YouTube to calm these people down! You should "RETHINK WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT FREE CHICKEN"

McDonald's Video Tour of Lopez Foods Causes Mixed Feelings

2009-05-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

Recent debate has brewed over whether or not McDonald's video tour of one of their meat processing factories is strong PR tactic or just further hurting their image.

McDonald's posted a video on their official website which gives viewers a tour of one of their meat processing factories, Lopez Farms.

The video is aimed at showing the quality, and safety of McDonald's meat. Richard Lane, V.P. of Operations at Lopez Foods leads the tour of the factory, assuring viewers of their sanitation and safety procedures.

Surprisingly, I am initially impressed by the tour, as I see how thorough they are with their sanitation and quality assurance procedures. Lane explains that the Mc Donald's beef is 100% USDA inspected beef with no fillers or extenders. I appreciated seeing the step by step process of producing McDonald's beef patties. However, there are a few shots that are giving me mixed feelings about the video/the franchise:

-In one shot where the beef is put through a grinder and spewed out: This makes me feel like airborne germs, and any other random particles could be latching onto the beef
-Where the beef goes through a metal detector!
-When the beef patties are thrown into cardboard boxes

I think Domino's Pizza should create a video like this (but perhaps with less food spewing) to be accessible through their website in order to clean up their damaged reputation from the unfortunate incident last month.

Checkout the McDonald's video tour here

"Swine Flu" Causes Public Relations Crisis for Pork Industry

2009-05-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

The Swine Flu has given pork a bad wrap and consequently hurt the U.S. pork industry. The United States pork industry produces over $21 billion in personal income while adding $34.5 billion to the U.S. gross national product.

The National Producers Council noted that the pork industry supplies nearly 35,000 direct full-time jobs which producers 500,000 additional jobs.

Clearly, the pork industry not only produces a LOT of pork, it also creates a substantial amount of jobs. So why isn't the industry backing themselves up enough when they are accused for being the cause for the swine flu? The truth, (which most people are unaware of right now) is that the U.S. Center for Disease Control has reported that pork products are safe to consume. To get straight to the point, consuming pork products is not going to give you the swine flu! The CDC has reported the following on its official website:

"Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe."

So why doesn't anyone know this? Moreover, why hasn't this CDC report been vigorously publicized in the news, radio, etc ? The National Pig Association (NPA) has refused to release a public statement announcing that pork products are safe. The general manager of NPA, Barney Kay, believes that the NPA does not feel that it is necessarily to make the announcement saying, "Releasing a statement will only make the story run longer."

We are constantly getting updates on the latest death count and case locations but are not accurately informed of the origin of the flu. Consequently, the pork industry is getting hit hard with the crisis. The industry needs to respond more aggressively, by investing in public relations to assist in crisis management to control long-term losses (both monetary and reputation-wise).

Here are some PR crisis management tactics the pork industry should consider:
- The Government must be openly (and constantly) communicating the fact that pork products are safe to eat and that they are monitoring the situation around the clock. This will become a new focal point and bury some of the false reports and speculation.
- Create advertisements, pamphlets, fact sheets, press releases, and other documents by qualified individuals (doctors, experts, the Government) communicating to the public that pork products are safe to consume
- Have opinion leaders, media outlets, politicians, supermarkets, and celebrities further spread the message that pork products are safe and eating them will not cause swine flu.
- Use Public Service Announcements, commercials, etc to release the facts about pork and the swine flu.

According to PR Week:
20% of articles mentioned the word ‘pandemic’
13% of articles mentioned the word ‘deadly’
3% of articles mentioned the word ‘panic’
53% of articles were negative in tone
0.02% of articles were positive in tone

One positive step in the right direction has been renaming the swine flu the H1N1 Influenza as to cut the connection between the pandemic and the pork industry. Until they find out the cause for H1N1 Influenza I will be stocking up on hand sanitizer and staying away from anyone with cold or flu like symptoms.

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

2009-04-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

The Film Society at Lincoln Center recently honored Tom Hanks with their Lifetime Achievement Award. It's really nice to see all these big names come out to celebrate with Tom:

What's not to love about Mr. Hanks though? Charming, funny, lovable, handsome, tall, talented - the list goes on. He seems like a normal guy (if he wasn't an A-list movie star). He's been in soo many good movies: Philadelphia, Apollo 13, Forrest Gump, Toy Story, Catch Me If You Can, BIG, The Green Mile, Sleepless in Seattle, A League of Their Own....these are American classics! We will certainly be seeing a bit more of him this summer. Maybe you've caught the trailer for a little movie he's in, called Angels & Demons???

Here's a clip of Julia Roberts' tribute:

What do you think? Offensive, self-indulgent, funny? I like it that Julia doesn't censor herself. Though I'm sure her publicists aren't jumping for joy.

The Susan Boyle Conundrum

2009-04-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard of Susan Boyle by now. She's a 47-year-old Brit competing on Britain's Got Talent. Here's a pic of her singing her heart out on the show:

Her voice amazes, her style does not. Now, after a little cut and color:

She's rocking a leather coat and a Burberry scarf. Her eyebrows have been shaped and her hair colored. What effect will this makeover have on the formerly frizzy haired, frumpy nightingale? Her new look has certainly engaged the public across both sides of the pond. Her fans love her for who she is and don't want her to change. Susan Boyle inspires them as someone with everyday looks who is extraordinarily talented. Plus, people love an underdog. Cinematic evidence: Frodo from the Lord of the Rings, Rudy, Babe the sheep-herding pig, Rocky, Miracle (the young US Hockey team that beat the Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics), the Jamaican Bobsled team in Cool Runnings, Kevin McCallister in Home Alone, Elle Woods in Legally Blond...you get the point. If Susan's pr-makeover continues, will she lose what people fell in love with her for in the first place? The thing about these singing competitions is that we are seeing people pretty much as who they are. Think about Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. They had the whole girl-next-store thing going for them. They wore clothes they probably bought at the mall, just like any other American girl. Now, they wear extensions, get spray tanned, work out with a trainer and use a stylist. I am not as familiar with the guys who have won A.I., but I'm sure they've experienced a image evolution in the process as well. I just wondering how Susan Boyle will end up after all this. I don't think I want her to change!

Prince Charles Is Our Captain Planet

2009-04-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

Prince Charles has joined the club of politicians and celebrities aggressively attacking environmental and economical concerns by publishing a book and documentary film called "Harmony" which is set to be published sometime in 2010. The book "Harmony" seems follow on the same path as Al Gore's eco documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" and Leonardo DiCaprio's film "The 11th Hour." The documentary will be produced by Balcony Films while the book is being published by HarperCOllins in collaboration wtih co-others Ian Skelly and Tony Juniper

To go even further, the author's fee will be waived and all royalties will be donated to his charity, The Prince's Trust which
In a statement the Prince said,
"I believe that true 'sustainability' depends fundamentally upon us shifting our perception and widening our focus, so that we understand, again, that we have a sacred duty of stewardship of the natural order of things," said the prince in a statement yesterday. "In some of our actions we now behave as if we were 'masters of nature' and, in others, as mere bystanders. If we could rediscover that sense of harmony; that sense of being a part of, rather than apart from nature, we would perhaps be less likely to see the world as some sort of gigantic production system, capable of ever-increasing outputs for our benefit – at no cost."

The Prince is determined to inform the world of the impact big businesses are having on our environment and the urgent changes that must be made in order to save the Earth from total destruction. Prince Charles is an organic farmer who believes humans have become severely disconnected from nature as a result of our obsession with technological advancement and economic growth. Hopefully he's got a great celebrity PR team so that this documentary will get as much attention if not more than other made for TV "green films" and books.

Tribeca Film Festival

2009-04-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Tribeca Film Festival began yesterday, and runs through May 3rd. This festival seems to bring out the best of lower Manhattan, plus there are a number of free community events related to the festival happening this week. I accidently happened about the Family Festival Street Fair last year. It was packed, there were kids everywhere, music was playing and the food smelled delicious. This event brings visitors, press and movie buzz into the city. At the Kick-Off event, Robert De Niro said, "It’s great to see how much the Film Festival has grown since we began in 2002 and how it has impacted the neighborhood. We invite everyone to come to Tribeca to enjoy all that our Festival has to offer – from great films to industry gatherings to free community events.” If anyone can help New York during a recession-gloomed hour, it's Robert De Niro! Whether it's restaurants, hotels or festivals, De Niro knows how to bring the buzz. Plus, who can't resist escaping in the magic of movie, especially during a difficult time?

Below, a clip with people discussing which films they are excited to see:

Will you be attending the Tribeca Film Festival? What films are you planning to see?

Small Children Crying

2009-04-22T08:11:00.001-07:00

I Don't Advocate Making Little Children Cry, But...

At the bottom of this post is an anti-smoking commercial that has been airing in Australia for a bit of time, but finally made it to the states and caused a major hullabaloo. It is a moving, jarring, and effective piece of advertising, so if small children crying isn't your thing, don't watch it.

I am not someone that thinks small children should be put in situations where they're tricked into crying for the cameras. Look at myriad child stars whose lives have spiraled because of apparently irreparable harm their childhood has done them. And I think that's where genuine concern for the child in this video comes into play. However, most people are outraged without knowing much, and they're bringing a lot of media attention and negative PR to something that, otherwise, has life-saving value.

1. The child on the set was a 4-year-old actor
2. His mother, who was also on the set, but not filmed, is an actor
3. Child protective services were on location to ensure the safety of the child came above any other need
4. Five cameras were set up to ensure that only one take would be needed
5. The kid's mom walked away for a minute, came back, and hugged her child.

Anti-smoking campaigns are meant to shock people into quitting smoking. A provocative ad, where not a single cigarette was even shown, that has drawn up more passion than other attempts (like those "Truth" ads, or the ones with extreme circumstances like being too stoned to notice your younger sister is drowning in a pool, and beyond that, once you see it, you don't do anything).

The director of the commercial was recently interviewed by Matt Lauer, and it was clear that he hadn't done his researching into the filming of the commercial either, because it seems like this kid got treated better than the millions US workers that have been laid off.

From a Public Relations standpoint, the outrage and chatter is only helping to propagate the message of the commercial.

Do I support making small children cry? As I have not found an instance where I would support making small children cry, I'd have to say no. But if a minute of discomfort for this well-protected and loved child could possibly save another child a lifetime without a parent, then I say make him cry twice.

Mayor Bloomberg to the Rescue?

2009-04-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

This site has previously addressed negative NYC publicity. Here's Mayor Mike Bloomberg attempting to do something to change that:

I saw this commercial this morning on NY1. It definitely caught my attention, and it is reassuring that the Mayor is addressing the current economic climate. It shows he knows and recognizes how crappy things are, and that he is actively working to make things better for his constituents. Somehow, it doesn't seem so contrived that the Mayor would be out, listening to the people, as this clips shows. The commercial is promoting his Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan, which calls to create/save 400,000 jobs, provide loans to small businesses, secure infrastructure investments and add new high value jobs in bio-tech and green tech industries. However, this strikes me as too little too late. But maybe I'm wrong. What do you guys think?

Amazon Glitch Causes Controversy

2009-04-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

Amazon has been criticized for its "de-ranking" policy. The company was under attack after de-ranking adult titles which were mostly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender books.

The company had recently implemented a new policy of removing adult-material from search rankings, which would result in their exclusion from best-sellers lists. Amazon came under fire on Twitter after it was reported that the sales rankings of two newly released high-profile gay romance novels had suddenly disappeared from the sales rankings. The twitter community responded immediately and angerly, as tweets flew around and a top-ranked hash-tag ( a hot topic) appeared: #amazonfail. To make matters worse, the next day hundreds of gay-friendly books disappeared from the sales rankings and best-sellers lists! The GLBT community doubted it was a website-glitch and were outraged. Publisher Mark R. Probst, a member of Amazon Advantage sent an email to Amazon about the incident to clarify to followers what was going on. Probst received the following response:

In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature.

Hence, if you have further questions, kindly write back to us.

Best regards,

Ashlyn D
Member Services
Amazon.com Advantage

Followers fired back noting that several other adult titles such as a Playboy book were still in the search rankers and bestsellers list while it seemed all gay-lesbian titles were banned. Many questioned whether Amazon was targeting the GLBT community or if it was mistake?

Finally Amazon responded explaining that it was a "cataloguing error" that banned close to 60,000 titles in various genres, not only gay-lesbian. Corporate communications director Patty Smith responded saying, "This is an embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloguing error," going on to say..."It has been misreported that the issue was limited to gay and lesbian themed titles. In fact, it impacted 57,310 books in broad categories such as health, mind and body, reproductive and sexual medicine and erotica.This problem impacted books not just in the United States but globally. It affected not just sales rank but also had the effect of removing the books from Amazon's main product search." Amazon has reported that the glitches have been fixed and ensure that this will not happen again.

Though Amazon's reputation was temporarily damaged, it appears that all has been forgiven.

Bernie Madoff Mets Fan

2009-04-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

Who knew Bernie Madoff was a New York Mets Fan? Well, I'm sure some people knew it. Madoff’s firm had two Delta Club Platinum season tickets, with seats costing as much as $695 per game. Madoff's seats were directly behind home plate.

Now that Bernie is awaiting sentencing in prison for all his dirty deeds, all of his Citi Field season tickets are being sold on E- Bay. The two tickets that were for today's first home game of the season and first ever home game of the New York Mets new Citi Field went for $7500 on E Bay.

New York Taking Public Relations Blows

2009-04-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

New York has been taking Public Relations blows over the past few months/year. From the NY Governor Spitzer prostitution scandal to Bernie Madoff to the current investment banking debacle and slumping economy that many are blaming Wall Street and the rest of new York for.

The New York housing market has taken huge hits and the general feeling of rich New yorkers is that they may need to move because of the new taxes.

Mayor Bloomberg Runs for 3rd Term

2009-04-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

After fighting and winning that fight to be able to run for a 3rd term as New York Mayor, Bloomberg is focusing on top tier public relations strategies to get him elected for a 3rd term. People are already whispering that he, (Bloomberg) might spend his own money to help save our jobs. Maybe he said it, I don't know. But there is no doubt that Bloomberg profits from helping the city. But that's not a bad thing. Bloomberg knows what he's doing and I think that he's ultimately, a good dude.
Mayor Bloomberg has basically given all the duties of managing NYC to his Deputy Mayor, Edward Skyler. This guy is a firecracker. His similarities to the fallen steamroller, Elliot Spitzer, are amazing. Skyler has made some douche-bag moves like getting furious over a guy in the Bronx, illegally cleaning someone's windshield. He actually had somewhat of a crusade against illegal windshield wipers for a little while. But, he has also done some stand up things like speaking his mind to the big boss, Bloomberg whenever he feels it necessary. If the Mayor decides not to heed Skyler's advice, Skyler will aggressively pursue the agenda he argued against. I believe New York will see a lot more of this guy, Skyler. He's headed for big things... as long as he stays away from the high priced escorts.

Segway Electric Vehicle New York PR

2009-04-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

Segway's Electric Vehicle was in New York for a little PR. Segway and GM have teamed up to produce this prototype in the above picture. The vehicle is called the PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility & Accessibility) and is capable of 35 miles an hour and a 35-mile range for urban driving.

Public Relations Batman Needed

2009-04-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

Bats are already looked at with a largely negative bias. This bias could stem from Hollywood images of blood sucking and hair tangling. East coast scientists feel that this negative perception many people have of bats could be thwarting an effort to analyze and stop a mysterious illness that is sweeping the bat populations from Vermont to Virginia.

The scientists are seeking a Public Relations Bat Man of sorts to deal with the negative PR the bats inspire. They feel that if people understood that most fears of bats are unsubstantiated, then they would feel better about helping scientists fund and solve the deadly situation East Coast bats find themselves in today.

Citi Field Nice Yankee Stadium Nicer

2009-04-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

It's an unfortunate public relations problem that the New York Mets, Citi Field is opening at the same time the new Yankee Stadium is opening. Visitors say they like the new field, but they liked both new fields. The problem was with how the two New York City Baseball stadiums made people feel. General consensus was that the new Yankee Stadium located in the Bronx, felt more like the city. People felt that Citi Field didn't have the New York feel to it.

I'm sure NY Mets fans will eventually love their stadium, but if you are in the NY Mets Marketing or Public Relations department, you cant be happy with your task of getting new Mets fans.

Leaked Movies: Video Vigilanteism or Planned PR

2009-04-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

The other day, X-Men Origins: Wolverine (which yes, I absolutely intend on seeing in the theater) was leaked online sans watermark or any of the other typical "Not for general viewing" markers that traditionally grace movies that haven't been released yet.

According to Fox, "[they forensically mark [their] content so [they] can identify the source..." To me, that means that it must have been an inside job, someone with access to the movie and with motive to release it to the public (perhaps a recession casualty taking his aggression to the Web?). It would seem that this is a bit of entertainment PR damage control...

Now, what makes the release suspect, as far as some rogue (ex?) Fox employee leaking the movie is that Fox further went on to state, "It was without many effects, had missing and unedited scenes, and temporary sound and music." What the leak effectively did was give people a good sense of what the movie would be about, but since it was incomplete, they'll still feel compelled to see it in theaters.

And since the film was quickly taken down off the website on which it was posted, news of the nefarious leak generated more buzz and was known by more people than the number of people that actually watched the full version of the leaked video.

If this were a Public Relations stunt (which you can never discount), then it seems to have worked out in Fox's favor. Despite the unfinished nature of the leak, people are giving it solid reviews and are looking forward to legally watching it when it comes out on May 1st.

To read more about the leak, check out TechCrunch's take on the leaked X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/04/02/how-did-the-world-get-a-workprint-of-x-men-origins-yesterday-blame-terrorists/

America So Hot Right Now America

2009-04-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

Most will know the title of this post is Reminiscent of our beloved Mugatu's immortal words, "Hansel... So Hot right now... Hansel." Barack and Michelle Obama have been welcomed everywhere they've been so far in this European tour. The Public Relations face lift for America that most expected to get when they elected Obama is happening right before our eyes. America's allie's citizens seem relieved that it looks like the US wants to cooperate with the rest of the world, after 8 long years of destructive and stupid Cowboy talk.
Technological advances in telecommunications and travel have made the world a much smaller place. It is essential, now more than ever that the world figures out how to work together proper. That is what Barack Obama seems to be reflecting to us at home and the rest of the world. How much easier will it be to have Russia and China as actual allies instead of Frenemies. They might handle North Korea instead of us and the Russians might help us with Afghanistan and Iran.
I think the most interesting story so far of Barack Obama's PR mission is when he broke up an argument between Sarkozy and China President Hu Jintao. All the world leaders are trying to get next to Obama for a PR boost in their own countries, especially The UK's Prime Minister Brown. Nicolas Sarkozy was doing a bit of posturing before the G-20 summit, but once everyone was there, Sarkozy had nothing bad to say about the US or its new President.

Obama on USA Public Relations Mission

2009-04-01T17:09:00.000-07:00

Obama is on USA Public Relations Mission. While some rowdy soccer fans were knocking windows out of the Royal Bank of Scotland today, our President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were also in London making the United States look better than we have looked in about 8 years. Barack Obama even gave the UK's Prime Minister, Gordon Brown some good PR, just by standing next to him. Apparently, Barack Obama is much more popular in the UK than the PM right now. Many speculate that PM Brown is on his way out. We'll see if the Public Relations image boost he gets from Obama helps on that front.

Sunkist Salmonella Pistachios Nationwide Recall

2009-03-31T06:47:00.000-07:00

Sunkist will be needing some good old fashioned Public Relations solutions after the nationwide, voluntary Pistachios Recall. The recall was issued because of possible Salmonella contamination. Sunkist's public relations problem is most definitely only going to get bigger and worse as those same pistachios are in other packaged products. Some news sources are only pointing the finger at Sunkist and some are saying that it's a smart idea to not eat any pistachios until authorities get a better handle on the problem.

Microsoft Public Relations Firm

2009-03-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

A month ago Microsoft filed a case against the company TomTom regarding their GPS car system and the software it uses. Microsoft said with an e-mail from its public relations firm Monday that TomTom has settled, agreeing to pay Microsoft for technologies in their navigation and file management system. Read the whole story on PCWorld.

Public Relations Cost Effective Promotion

2009-03-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

Public Relations is proving to be Cost Effective Promotion during the latest economic downturn. Some companies have decided to cut back on public relations efforts, but according to Stefanie Guzikowski, you cant afford to not spend a good amount on your public relations budget. Public Relations Firms offer non-traditional and cutting edge marketing ideas. And we have found that a lot of the time, non-traditional and cutting edge methods mean they are cost effective... until everyone else has figured it out.

Executive Compensation Is PR Nightmare

2009-03-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Executive Compensation has already become a PR Nightmare for anyone involved in trying to make the economic mess get smaller. It doesn't matter that the public doesn't understand that the executives at AIG could have sued the government if they hadn't been paid those large compensation packages. It doesn't matter that it could have cost 2 times as much as it did to just pay them off. The public are drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon and clipping coupons, and the guys that helped put us in the whole are getting massive pay outs.

AIG has already taken some PR advice and decided to change its name to AIU Securities or something like that. They also took their location down from the internet so people will stop chanting death threats outside the downtown New York office building. The Public Relations strategies have been narrowed down to changing the name of the company and hiding the bulding from public. That's about as bad a PR assignment you can get.
There may be no mercy and no turning back for AIG, but President Obama is not taking any hits with his public relations. Timothy Geithner is taking some heavy shots, but was actually able to explain himself a little better than he had in the first couple weeks we saw him in front of a camera.

Eco-Friendly Public Relations Tips

2009-03-25T21:39:00.000-07:00

Eco-Friendly Public Relations Tips provided by a Jackson Hole PR Team. The Jackson Hole PR team performs green audits where they check for green industry best practices. They explain that yesterday's state of the art green expectations can be today's public relations faux pas. They have clients that will receive negative coverage if they are found in a less than a Top of the Line Green standard location.
For more tips on offering Eco-Friendly PR - Click Here to read the whole article.

PR Assessment of Punch Drunk Obama

2009-03-24T20:05:00.000-07:00

PR Assessment of Punch Drunk Obama - Barack Obama did seem a little "punch drunk" in his interview with 60 Minutes reporter, Steve Kroft. And Steve Kroft deserves a lot of credit for calling Obama on it. He definitely sized up the situation quick. To some, Obama seemed to be laughing a little nervously when discussing the economy.

A few PR Gurus discuss their takes on the interview which has come to be called, "The Punch Drunk Obama Interview". Click Here to Read the article.

PR People Perplexed by Digital Media

2009-03-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

The writing is on the wall, and it's been there for awhile. Digital Media is quickly and most certainly taking over Print Media. Advertising in the Print Media has dropped by 23% in the last 2 years. Almost 1 out of every 5 journalists that were working for newspapers in 2001 are now not working for newspapers. Public Relations people are trying to monetize online media and divorcing themselves from the dying print media at the same time. Read the whole story here.

Bloomberg Says NY Will Rebound First

2009-03-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on a PR Newswire press release that he expects New York to bounce back from the recession before other cities. Read all about it here.

Do More With Less

2009-03-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

Statistics are showing that magazine marketing and other print material advertising efforts have drastically decreased because of the struggling economy. Social Media PR is a cheap but very effective way of getting your message out. Read more about it here.

PR Firm Burston-Marstellar

2009-03-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

Rachael Maddow reported last night that the now 80% publicly owned AIG is using bailout money to pay for a Burston-Marstellar PR Firm. Basically using American's money to fool Americans in to liking them again. Video is below:

Social Media PR

2009-03-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

Social Media PR - Skittles, the 35-yr old candy company changed their homepage into an online portal that opens up into all the social networks they currently have a presence on. With ever decreasing marketing budgets, big and small companies alike are doing their creative best to make their presence known on Twitter, Face Book, etc... To read the whole story Click Here.

Social Media Marketing Event

2009-03-04T09:36:00.000-08:00

Gravity Event at Stanford. Gravity announces a Social Media Marketing for Business seminar. Read about the details here:

Social Media Marketing

2009-03-02T11:32:00.001-08:00

Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing is the snowball rolling down the hill. Currently the snowball has reached the point of massive. To prove the point, New Zealand is holding it's first conference on Social Media Marketing. Click Here to read all about it. Now that New Zealand businesses are using and profiting from social media marketing, it's probably time to get your business involved. Start with Twitter and Face Book. Try and be creative. The more creative the strategy, the more likely it will hit big. There will be trial and error, just like anything else, but because of how new the medium is you have a good chance of cashing in, so to speak. Social Media Marketing is most certainly here to stay, at least for a couple years.

Public Relations Strategies

2009-02-27T13:24:00.000-08:00

Public Relations Strategies

Below is a video with some useful Public Relations Tips.

Roland Burris Needs Old PR Consultant

2009-02-27T12:41:00.000-08:00

A former Public Relations consultant hired by Illinois Sen. Roland Burris in the run-up to his being successfully seated in the U.S. Senate offered a few unsolicited words of advice on Monday to the new lawmaker -- stop taking bad advice from your new public relations team.

Read the Whole Story Here

Below is a video of Burris and a bit of his Public Relations Strategy: