http://s69481.gridserver.com/index.php en dsonnenburg@cooperkatz.com Copyright 2012 2012-01-30T11:30:47+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/From-New-Kid-to-Corporate-Kat/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/From-New-Kid-to-Corporate-Kat/#When:January 30, 2012, 11:30am posted by admin   I admit – I still feel like the new kid at work. But I can’t say I expected to feel quite different with just a few months of experience in the public relations industry. I am relatively new to the PR world. And I still have a lot to learn.   When I graduated last May, I viewed my public relations degree as an impressive accomplishment, the culmination of four years of hard work paying off. Finally, I reached the finish line!   Now, after a few months in the workplace, I realize that my education isn’t over; it’s really just beginning.  My degree has proven to be my ticket to learn even more.  Here are the three significant lessons I’ve learned since joining the CK team in September.   Every form of communication can be strategic. Strategy can play a role in everything you produce.  Even a quick phone call or one line email can be purposefully worded. Strategy is the foundation of every opportunity you pursue on behalf of your client or the agency. No press release, pitch, byline, tagline, tweet or post should be created arbitrarily if they are intended to pique the interest of the media and public. Each PR tool is creatively and tactically drafted to achieve a specific goal.  Media relations requires patience and persistence. Even more so, it requires you to hit the phones. After you strategically (remember point No.1!) build your media list, which will require patience in researching and organizing, pick up the phone and call the reporter. Don’t rely on email. Very few people read all the emails they receive in a day, especially reporters who get inundated with press releases. Get them live. You will hear “no” a lot. For someone who spent four years in sales, I still have a hard time not taking rejection personally. But it’s a numbers game. Figure out why the angle didn’t hit the mark that time, learn for the next experience and move on to the next reporter who may find you information relevant and interesting. It’s important to find the balance between perfectionism and productivity. Professional services firms like ours require a very high standard of client services AND the tenacity to meet them under intense, competing deadlines – which can be a pretty intimidating combination. So face it. You my never devise a flawless phone pitch or draft the perfect press release. You will learn with experience, so be brave enough to make mistakes and grow from them. Most importantly, don’t allow your need to be perfect prevent you from being productive. Be thoughtful and diligent when working on projects understanding that your work will be critiqued (because it certainly will!). Ask for feedback and apply it to your next project. The first job you get out of college is equally as exciting as it is challenging. It’s your earned opportunity to learn. Take advantage of it and absorb as much knowledge as you can from your colleagues and clients. And don’t worry so much about being the new kid. Before you know it, you won’t quite remember when you made the transition from new kid to corporate “kat.”   AC Perspective, The Media Landscape, Media Outreach, Kelsey Thompson 2012-01-30T11:30:47+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/CK-Hiring-for-Manager-Level-Position_/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/CK-Hiring-for-Manager-Level-Position_/#When:January 25, 2012, 8:39am posted by admin CooperKatz is looking for a new Manager, Client Services - a high level position here at CK which includes a spot on our Management Team. The full job ad cab be viewed here on LinkedIn. But below are some of the highlights of what we're looking for. And for anyone who'd like to apply, just send a thoughtful email along with your resume to recruiting@cooperkatz.com.  Award-winning independent New York public relations agency, CooperKatz & Company, seeks a high-energy individual with approximately 10 or more years of experience in public relations for the position of Manager, Client Services.  You will lead a range of engaging business-to-business and consumer accounts, as well as serve on our Management Team.  We offer competitive compensation, a collaborative culture and work environment, and tremendous opportunity for growth.  (Ranked #11 on The Holmes Report 2011 list of “Best North American Agencies to Work For") The ideal candidate has these types of skills and experiences: Proven account leadership skills, with “big picture” understanding of each client’s industry, issues and operating environment Confident and effective speaker and presenter, as well as an active listener open to feedback Sophisticated writing skills with experience developing high-level strategic documents (e.g., proposals, programs, strategy documents) Demonstrated experience in leading digital / social media strategy; clear investment in staying hands-on with key technologies and platforms Experience in working across multiple industry sectors Proven ability to retain and build client relationships, including managing through challenges High levels of accountability relative to financial stewardship of client accounts and agency as a whole Proven ability to managing teams that generate results, and treat one another with caring and respect Thoughtful and effective coach for junior staff; invested in the development and retention of high-potential staff members Innovative and creative thinker Agency News & Updates, Recruiting and Hiring, Anne Green 2012-01-25T08:39:59+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/Lessons-Learned-on-Email-Over-Reliance_/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/Lessons-Learned-on-Email-Over-Reliance_/#When:January 24, 2012, 11:00am posted by admin For the most part, Public Relations plays a ‘behind-the-scenes’ role — promoting, driving visibility and managing the reputation of companies and brands. It is rare that we, the PR folks, are in the media spotlight. Sometimes, when we are it is not for good reason.  This was the case for Ocean Marketing’s Paul Christoforo, the former representative for N-Control's Avenger controller attachment who also doubled as their customer service agent. He was recently entangled in a hostile email exchange with an N-Control customer, Dave, which went viral after it was posted on the Penny Arcade blog. Mr. Christoforo’s ‘poor communication’ with first Dave and then Mike Krahulik, head of Penny Arcade, ultimately led to the demise of his relationship with N-Control and the media crucifixion that followed First, let me say that the lessons learned from this incident have wider implications beyond PR, because communication is the lifeblood of every organization. It is a fundamental necessity in order to exist and thrive. Without it projects / plans cannot be accomplished. So, it is ironic when communications disciplines within an organization are overlooked and misused. Secondly, those who specialize in communications (i.e., PR, marketing, customer service, etc.) are the ‘face’ of an organization, as such should know better than to engage in a war of words.   That said, cases like Mr. Christoforo’s are extremely rare. I will vouch that most PR and marketing professionals are well behaved and are excellent communicators.  Even then, it is sad to see someone in our line of work (or someone who presumes to be) go down in flames — not that he didn’t deserve it, from what we can read. But, for the rest of us it’s a good reminder of what not to do, especially if we’re involved in launching a new product or service. Here are a couple morals to this story — Have a contingency plan Product delays are as common as traffic in Los Angeles.  In the gaming industry, this is especially true. As part of the PR plan for the Avenger, Mr. Christoforo should have worked with N-Control to create a series of prepared Q & A’s to deal with scenarios such as shipment delays, and use their Web platforms (Website, Twitter page, Facebook page) to provide regular updates to customers. It is pretty evident from reading Mr. Christoforo’s vague answers and the customer’s increasingly frustrated responses that there was no Q & A responses prepared. Know your audiences The email exchanges with Dave and then with Mike Krahulik show that Christoforo did not know N-Control’s key audience base. Penny Arcade is a popular gaming Website (which also runs a major gaming expo). As N-Control’s representative, he should have done his due diligence before responding to Mr. Krahulik. At the very least, he could have Googled Krahulik’s name before sending such a flippant response. When initiating a communications plan for a new service or product, it’s vital that you know your audiences, identify the thought leaders in these groups (i.e., Mike Krahulik) and how they communicate.  Further to that, PR professionals should know that unhappy customers often go to the media when they experience poor customer service, and gamers often go to the Internet. Choose the communications platform by the situation One of the best lessons I learned in graduate school was that every time you attempt to communicate, there is a 50 percent chance you will miscommunicate. While there is no foolproof method, PR pros know how to engage effectively across multiple communications platforms (i.e., in-person, telephone, Internet, etc.) and are mindful in how we use them. Getting entangled in a nasty email exchange is certainly NOT being mindful, especially if you are trying to resolve an issue.   For all the benefits of email, it has its shortfalls and it is often so overused to the point it is misused. This month, new reports on Internet addiction surfaced citing it as a worldwide issue, leading to ‘new forms of rudeness.’ Email, social media and texting lack a lot of vital non-verbal cues (i.e., tone of voice) and immediacy that you get from a face-to-face or telephone conversation (or in today’s tech age, video conferencing) and that are often necessary when people are looking for an urgent response or hoping to resolve an issue. This may be why the teleservices industry is booming.  And, yes, social media is also widely used in customer service (and just about everywhere else), but again is not always appropriate for every situation.   When you are mindful, you will find that sometimes it pays to take a break from your tablet, smart phone or your laptop and simply pick of the old-school telephone. If face-to-face is not an option, let’s concede that video chat comes close.   Put your ego aside Take it like a pro! Those in our field of work understand that it’s not about us; it’s first and foremost about the brands we represent – and the people who buy and use those brands. As an extension of our clients, it’s likely the negative feedback is not directed at us, personally. But, there is a flip side. PR is like a marriage and your client is like your spouse. What you put out there is a direct reflection on them. If what you are writing is not something you would want your client to see later, don’t write it. Further to that, if it is going to get you in any sort of trouble, chances are you shouldn’t say it at all regardless of the communications medium you are using. While the media hype around Mr. Christoforo has died down since the story first broke, there are lessons (or good reminders) from this email incident that can be applied for the longer term. Everyone makes mistakes or has a ‘bad day’ from time-to-time. But, for those in professional communications this is what we know (and should be able to do best). If we can’t get that right, we – like Mr. Christoforo - are a fish out of water.   The Media Landscape, Media Outreach, The Industry, Antonia Caamano 2012-01-24T11:00:23+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/A-word-about-cover-letters/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/A-word-about-cover-letters/#When:January 06, 2012, 3:38pm posted by admin I made time today for an informational interview with a student who will be graduating in the Spring of 2012, and is eager to break into the PR field. She has already experienced the fierce competition that currently characterizes the entry level when trying to obtain an agency internship for Summer 2011. We had a good conversation about the various avenues to consider to strengthen both her experience base and her impact on prospective employers. And then she asked this question: What about her cover letters? Ah, the cover letter.  I thought for a moment, and then came clean with my first and most honest reaction: I don’t read them. Or, if I do read them, the letter gets maybe 3 to 5 seconds max of my attention. Then I’m immediately off to focus on the resume.  After this somewhat guilty admission, I launched into a whole series of semi-connected perspectives on the subject. Having gone on for a minute or so on the subject, I had a little internal dialogue with myself. The dialogue went something like this: ‘Wow, Anne, apparently you have a lot of heated opinions on this topic, don’t you?’   ‘Yes, well, I guess I really hate cover letters. Or at the very least, I find them impossible to read.’   ‘And then you feel bad about it, right? Like: “Gee this person wrote a cover letter and I hardly read it.”’   ‘Yep, that sounds about right!’   The next logical question came from the prospective candidate. Which is, so what should she do? How could she write a cover letter than would help her break through? It’s a valid question, since a “disembodied” resume is not necessary the answer.    In response, I shared these tips that would work for me:   ♦          Lose the big blocks of prose. When confronted with a full-page letter of four dense paragraphs, I tend to shut down. Yes, I will scan the page with my eyes. But what am I actually reading and / or comprehending? When I am in hiring mode, I am moving fast – usually because I am  dealing in volume.     ♦         Bullet points can be your friend. Yes, the business community has been PowerPoint-ed to death. But bulleted information works for a reason. It parses info into bite-sized pieces that are easier to scan. And since that’s all I am doing with most cover letters anyway, isn’t that a more ideal way to topline your most vital info for me?   ♦         Pick out the four things (or three, or five) that really connect YOUR experience to date with what the PR industry needs right now. That is your core narrative. It’s why you would be an asset to a firm that has so many entry level candidates to choose among. And if you can’t articulate a few of the ways your background really connects to what’s needed in our field today, then do some crash-course industry reading to spur your thinking. Check out industry organizations and news sources like the Council of Public Relations Firms, PRWeek, The Holmes Report and O’Dwyers. Dig into the many great PR blogs and bloggers out there for commentary and insights (The Bad Pitch Blog is a good place, for example, to learn what NOT to do). And see what kinds of connections you can make between what you can offer, and what’s being talked about right now in the industry.   ♦        Help your most relevant points pop through both language and design. A simple example, using bullets, is below:   o         Measurement & Monitoring: I have hands-on experience monitoring, capturing and helping to measure the impact of PR campaigns. I did this for two of my internships using tools like Cision and… (etc., etc.)   o        Social Media: Not only am I personally immersed in several social tools and platforms, I’ve also supported a variety client work in the social space – helping me understand the connection between the tools, the audience and the strategy. I’m hands-on with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and others, and have used Google Analytics… (etc., etc.).   ♦        Let the text breath – get some space in there! See how one line space between the bullets above makes them SO much easier to read than lots of dense copy. And see also how those brief “headlines” in bold and color pop off the page (or email).   ♦        Use your email as your “cover” (e.g., no separate cover letter may be needed). I often get one line in the email, and then attachments for both a resume and cover letter. Drop the separate document when you can, and grab me with the email intro. That’s one less attachment to open.   This all adds up to the kind of piece I’d be more likely to review. Am I typical of all resume readers in the PR industry right now? Who knows. But getting a piece of anyone’s mindshare these days is tough, particularly when you’re competing in a difficult job market. So if any of these approaches helps to grab just a bit more of that hiring manager’s attention…all the better.       Recruiting and Hiring, The Industry, Anne Green 2012-01-06T15:38:52+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/two-reasons-ck-is-celebrating-this-holiday/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/two-reasons-ck-is-celebrating-this-holiday/#When:December 21, 2011, 1:44pm posted by admin   The holiday season is upon us and CooperKatz has a lot to celebrate this year – including our 15th Anniversary! We hope you’ll enjoy this year’s holiday video, a stop-motion montage tribute to CooperKatz featuring some of the words and phrases that we feel best describe our company and our culture. Happy holidays from the CooperKatz family, and happy 15th anniversary to CooperKatz! http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profile&v=quTn8A7Rgkw Agency News & Updates, Just for Fun, Jamie Bezozo 2011-12-21T13:44:59+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/Missoni-launch-misses-the-Target/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/Missoni-launch-misses-the-Target/#When:December 16, 2011, 3:45pm posted by admin In an op-ed recently featured on PRWeekUS, CK manager, Kathleen Reynolds, shared her perspective on the positives and negatives of Target’s PR strategy surrounding the Missoni brand launch.   You know you're doing something right when advertising, PR, and social media are activated to get customers buzzing ahead of a major launch. And buzzing they were when illustrious Italian designer Missoni announced its collaboration with “the big bull's eye” – Target.   Reading women's magazines or style blogs, you couldn't miss ads or editorial spreads featuring the famed chevron styles. But anticipation quickly turned to anger for many customers since the line launched. It certainly did for me. As a woman who invested my time and money in this launch, here's my personal experience, and thoughts on the good and the bad, and what it means for savvy PR pros.   The good Cha-ching! With items flying off shelves at a higher price than other comparable Target goods, I'm guessing this will have a huge positive impact on third-quarter and fourth-quarter sales.   Target continues to trail blaze by bringing “exclusive” offerings to its mass-market base. Combining exclusivity and everyman appeal is no longer new, but Target was one of the first brands to try it, and remains among a select group, Apple included, that attracts pre-dawn lines hours ahead of store openings. There wouldn't be the supply, site stability, or customer service issues if the products didn't start such a frenzy.   Though they weren't without hiccups, the PR and communications team gets an A for effort. Images were seeded and information was trickled out to fuel excitement pre-launch. Magazines like In Style offered giveaways on some of the most lusted-after items. And throughout the frustrating experiences that followed, social media channels continued to be responsive. In my case, @TargetStyle started to follow me on Twitter and respond to questions and concerns via direct message and @ replies, and their FB page replied to comments. So even when I was incredibly unsatisfied, I had the feeling that someone cared enough to acknowledge my issues and that the PR team wasn't asleep at the switch. In fact, their Klout score rose during the launch month.   The bad In spite of their efforts, the communications team's coy, veiled responses regarding the exact launch time missed the mark. They may have been an effort to stagger site visitors and prevent crashes, which proved ineffective, but the vagueness forced some enthusiastic fans to stay up all night waiting for updates – or exchange sleep for a shot at grabbing the goods. In the midst of confusion, maybe the PR team didn't have all the answers, but keeping the communications team siloed from information is like an army leaving its first line of defense unarmed – unadvisable and inexcusable.   Target was ill-prepared – another head-scratcher given their proactive media pre-blitz and challenges associated with their previous designer collaborations with Isaac Mizrahi, Liberty of London, Zac Posen, etc. It's one thing to sell out in record time. I suspect fans might've taken it easier on “Tar-jay” if supply was the only issue. Unfortunately, poor preparation and execution not only resulted in miscommunicated launch times and countless site crashes. Many speculate this had something to do with the company's e-commerce switch off Amazon.com. Helpless shoppers had to fend with lost orders, “disappearing” items from online carts, orders that were confirmed and mysteriously cancelled, hotline malfunctions, shipping delays, clueless customer care attendants and retail workers, and ultimately – a really annoying, confusing brand experience.   Imagine being advised to approve a delayed order online or face imminent cancellation, only to have the site crash and the hotline instruct you to hang up if your call is re: Missoni. As a normally highly-functional PR professional, I, along with my good friend, a super-smart attorney, were reduced to “As the Missoni World Turns”-type emails sharing speculations and venting frustrations.   The PR takeaways First, some perspective. The thought of never receiving my beautiful Missoni bowl is a sad one, but at aside from bruised shoppers who may have collided in “bumper cart-style,” it's just stuff, and everyone's okay.   It's up to PR to anticipate problems and encourage our counterparts to assess and address them. Paranoid as some may accuse us of being, even the boldest ideas can benefit from careful, conservative planning. It's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback, but here are a few basic, crucial PR tactics to keep in mind for anyone planning a major launch: Initiative-specific training for the client's employees, a strong, steady flow of interdepartmental communications so the left hand knows what the right hand is doing, and tough, realistic sample Q&As. Some versions can be internally-circulated, with others ready for media distribution, along with several mock-interview scenarios to prep spokespeople.   These also include pre-drafted, scheduled social media communications, as well as a nimble team ready to respond to issues or changes on the fly. It should also include quality assurance and lots of testing to make sure products function and that Web components are up, running, and ready for an influx of visitors and an ongoing commitment to listen to issues raised by employees, media, and consumers and respond quickly and truthfully.   Brands must also have an eye on the competition. Learn from their mistakes and jump on opportunities when they drop the ball. If I were on the Kohl's PR team, I'd have been brainstorming in-store mini-massages, tea, and treats on Missoni launch day, and shared the news via social and traditional media. In the same shopping centers as many Targets, customers might've wandered over and been impressed with the superior experience – all while eyeing their new celebrity-inspired collections.   Following the launch debacle, Target offered $25 to some of its customers whose Missoni orders were canceled. It remains to be seen whether this will satisfy the deeply disappointed customers, or whether Target will sustain lasting damage to its brand as a result of these challenges. By studying its hits and misses, we can do our best to ensure that we and our clients are launch-day ready.   Read Kathleen’s byline on PRWeek US here: http://www.prweekus.com/pages/login.aspx?returl=/missoni-launch-misses-the target/article/218673/&pagetypeid=28&articleid=218673&accesslevel=2&expireddays=0&accessAndPrice=0     Agency News & Updates, The Industry, Kathleen Reynolds 2011-12-16T15:45:04+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/Coldwell-Banker-Releases-2011-College-Home-Listing-Report/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/Coldwell-Banker-Releases-2011-College-Home-Listing-Report/#When:December 09, 2011, 1:45pm posted by admin For many of us (myself included), it wasn’t that long ago that we were college town aficionados, taking it the smell of fall leaves on our walks throughout campus and the unmatchable sounds and spirit of football game days. I still vividly remember grilling hotdogs and playing a round of bean bag toss in the hours before Saturday’s big game. In celebration of all the college football festivities, Coldwell Banker Real Estate recently released its College Home Listing Report (College HLR), which ranks college towns across the country in home affordability. Now in its 6th year, the idea first struck Coldwell Banker CEO Jim Gillespie and Vice President, North American Communications David Siroty while stuck on a train. As told to Reuters, these two sports fans had five hours to kill and a lot of housing statistics to study, and they began to notice just how many college towns across the U.S. offered homeowners both stability and value. This year, the College HLR ranks the average home listing price of three-bedroom, two-bathroom properties in more than 115 college towns home to schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision. (This is slightly different from previous studies which looked at a four-bedroom, two-bathroom sample sized home.) The findings give an impressive nod to college towns; three-bedroom homes cost less than $200,000 on average in nearly two-thirds of the towns included in the College HLR and less than $150,000 in nearly one-quarter. If that isn’t a selling reason to buy, college towns also are often great places to purchase homes because of vibrant cultures, stable job markets and strong healthcare systems. For example a three-bedroom home in Champaign-Urbana, which is home to Gillespie’s alma mater, the University of Illinois, averages $178,310. Gillespie, who visits often for cultural and sporting events, himself took advantage of the affordability and purchased a town home a few years ago (read more about his take here, on the Coldwell Banker Blue Matter blog). To launch the study on November 15, CooperKatz accompanied Jim throughout New York City for interviews with ABC News Now, Fox Business and CBS Radio, among others. Through the collaborative efforts of CooperKatz and Coldwell Banker, more than 70 placements were secured in just two weeks, including CNBC SportsBiz, Reuters, TIME, Curbed and CBS Moneywatch. As a result, College HLR has generated an additional 4,622 visits to the Coldwell Banker HLR website, creating a 66 percent lift over the usual HLR traffic. While the good old days of college may be a thing of the past, purchasing a home in a college town can help re-kindle both great memories and that ever-lasting school spirit. Real Estate, Client News, Coldwell Banker, Jessica Chen 2011-12-09T13:45:09+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/Social-Media-Revolution-or-Evolution/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/Social-Media-Revolution-or-Evolution/#When:November 11, 2011, 5:15pm posted by admin When I was invited to attend the Council of PR Firm’s annual Critical Issues Forum this past month for a program centered on “Social Revolution,” I’ll admit I was excited and, more importantly, intrigued. As a recent college graduate – I’ve been working for a year and a half here at CooperKatz – social media has been omnipresent both in my education and my post-college work life. I was interested to hear what the various industry speakers and panelists would have to say about something I’ve considered a permanent fixture on my personal landscape for almost six years.   The day kicked off with a keynote speech by former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, who shared his thoughts on how people are using social media to organize movements, what it was like launching the first presidential Twitter account and how he used the platform to get inside the minds of journalists.   Gibbs is often lauded for driving the social media political campaign that helped to win the election for Obama. For me this in itself wasn’t groundbreaking; at least not in the way some people see it. Obama ran during the first presidential election in which I and my peers could vote. Using social media to reach young voters immersed in online and social tools seemed obvious to me. But clearly they were the first to successfully execute such a comprehensive and seamless effort.   Next was a panel of CMOs whose companies are committed to implementing social media strategies for better interactions with their constituencies. Panelists from EPSN, SAP, Target, Gannet and Petfinder.com (a CooperKatz client) discussed ideas ranging from the openings social media provides for constant, global communication to the very personal, passionate opportunities it creates for people to share their brand-specific experience and knowledge.   The most interesting part of this portion of the program for me, was that these very senior people find it challenging to keep up with all of these emerging forms of social communication. They also made the point that life pre-social media, and even pre-internet, had also been a “social” experience – but one key difference is that the flow of information could be more easily managed and maintained. Now consumers instead of executive boards, they noted, hold more power because their voices are heard and amplified at all hours of the day, day in and day out.   Twenty-somethings (meaning me!) are now go-to team members for top executives who realize they should be utilizing social media, but don’t know how. It was refreshing for me to hear that in the midst of complaints about rising tuition costs, lower return on investment from education than expected and the lack of jobs available for recent grads, people like me are indeed in demand. Who knew that while those of us in our early twenties were fretting about spending too much time on Facebook as opposed to studying, we were actually learning life skills applicable to big people in even bigger companies?   Lastly, Pete Cashmore, the founder of Mashable, took to the stage for an interview discussing his company, his passions and his thoughts on how social media is continuously evolving. Cashmore, like the panelists before him, admitted that being “social” isn’t a new concept. At Mashable, he said it’s innately a part of the work they’re doing, a part of the “plumbing that exists everywhere.” That, to me, made the most sense out of all the takeaways of the day. Social media isn’t really “hot” or “new” any more; it has become another thread (or, more aptly, threads) woven into the fabric of how we communicate with each other.   Based on everything that was discussed during the forum, I think the title “Social Evolution” as opposed to “Social Revolution” would have been more appropriate. Regardless of the title, though, what I learned at the event is that not even the leaders or the experts know exactly what’s in store for our industry. We all need to continue working with what we have while looking forward to what will be available in the future, and we must continue to come together as dynamic and diverse teams. Everyone has the opportunity to speak up about anything to essentially everyone, and nowadays it’s as simple as clicking “tweet.”     The Media Landscape, Council of PR Firms, Social Media, Leslie Stahl 2011-11-11T17:15:12+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/pet_adoption_in_russia/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/pet_adoption_in_russia/#When:November 02, 2011, 1:19pm posted by admin (Note: We are pleased to share this guest blog post from Viktoriya Evlikova, a media relations manager at our PRGN partner agency in Moscow, CROS) When I began my exchange work program at CooperKatz, I joined the team for Petfinder.com, which is the largest online, searchable database of adoptable pets. Celebrating its 15th birthday, Petfinder.com has facilitated more than 17 million adoptions. And from what I have seen, CooperKatz has certainly played a role in helping to save many animals’ lives. In the short time I have been here, I can tell that part of this amazing success is due to an effective strategy, creative approach and collaboration among all parties; the CooperKatz PR team, the internal Petfinder.com team, and the media. I wonder – how could an adoption database like Petfinder.com be created in Russia? What kind of tools would we use? What principles would our strategy be based upon? I’ve started searching for similar websites across the globe, of course spending a lot of time researching Russian resources. I have found some good examples of organizations that support pet adoption and donations; for example enthusiasts who have built special shelters and provide pets with food and medical support. In Russia, we also have large discussion-based forums where people share information about different topics and promote their pets for adoption. But they are dominated by protests and messages that look like a cry for help. The issue of homeless pets is a really problematic one in Russia. We have many terrible situations when pets are left abandoned on the streets. The resources that I find today are not action-oriented, but rather provide a voice for people trying to raise awareness about the issue. It is a good start, of course, but it would be better if they provided new information about pets, adoption and even some heartwarming stories like Petfinder.com does. Another method that could be effective is the use of the social networks. For example, Facebook and YouTube could be used to touch people's hearts while showing real examples of pets suffering, and how people can help. I truly believe that Petfinder.com has been able to address an issue in the United States that is present in most countries, and that we need to do something about it Russia. Perhaps we need exchange experiences for people in the animal welfare industry, like I am doing now? I would love to see Russia “adopt” a lifestyle that promotes animal adoption, care and pets as a part of the family. Katy Layton 2011-11-02T13:19:44+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/the_smile_in_pr/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/the_smile_in_pr/#When:October 18, 2011, 4:30pm posted by admin (Note: We are pleased to share this guest blog post from Viktoriya Evlikova, a media relations manager at our PRGN partner agency in Moscow, CROS) Just a few days ago, I traveled to NYC to CooperKatz & Company where I will be working for three weeks as a trainee. I am a media relations manager at the Russian PR company named CROS, which, along with CooperKatz, is a member agency of PRGN (Public Relations Global Network). So I’m going to study how PR works in the US and the differences between PR in Russia and PR in America. Before I came here, I read some books about trends in PR. Of course I want to follow the trends because it is helpful for me in my job – both here visiting the U.S. as well as back home. I thought it would help me speak the same language as everyone at CooperKatz – I mean a professional language. And I understood that one of the main trends for U.S. public relations is personal communication online, particularly in terms of social media. This idea is a new one for Russian audiences. We use social networks very actively, but maybe not so actively as Americans. And I don’t know why. When I recently attended the biggest professional conference in Russia named Baltic PR-Week, I was shown a presentation where the press-attaché of The Russian Ministry of Education and Science announced a meeting between bloggers and the Minister. For press-attaché it was a great event – but for American PR professionals, this would be something quite ordinary. Russian co-workers told me that this should not surprise me, because we have just started moving in this direction. We’re only now studying and trying to follow the global PR trends in the social media area. But I don’t write here only about PR tools. I’m also writing about communication more broadly, as a principle for understanding each other. And given this, I have to mention a very simple but important thing: in Russia we don’t tend to smile. Everybody is always smiling in the US. While meeting you at the office, trying to help you or seeing you first time, people always smile. When they do it, they really don’t mind who you are. They are more open, more friendly. And I wonder, why aren’t we in Russia the same? I have heard several times about “non-smiling Russians.” We had many different barriers between people and it seems sometimes that open communication is not for us. We’re living in difficult Northern conditions, which could be one of the reasons. But the fact is, we are very serious all the time. So why do I think that a smile influences everything? First of all, it creates a good atmosphere all around. Maybe in business, smiling is a key part of success! Secondly, I believe that when you are smiling you became more confident and more open – helping you in every type of communication. We in Russia should remember that we are working in the PR industry, and the smile for us can be a main tool. PRGN, The Industry, Anne Green 2011-10-18T16:30:33+00:00