http://s69481.gridserver.com/index.php en dsonnenburg@cooperkatz.com Copyright 2011 2011-07-15T10:45:43+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/DialAmerica-Jobs-Make-Headlines/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/DialAmerica-Jobs-Make-Headlines/#When:July 15, 2011, 10:45am posted by admin Given the continued economic challenges faced across many parts of the United States, it is not surprising that local job creation is considered headline news.   The CooperKatz team worked with DialAmerica, one of the nation’s largest privately held teleservices companies, to announce the re-opening of its Greenville, S.C. contact center on July 5th and help drive recruiting efforts. Over the next several months, DialAmerica plans to hire more than 120 call center agents at varying experience levels, as well as experienced professionals to join its growing team of more than 3,800 employees nationwide.   CK conducted proactive media outreach to a targeted list of regional media and local business journals.  Focusing primarily on the job-growth angle, news coverage of the re-opening spread like wildfire with pick-up across all key print, online and even broadcast outlets in the Greenville area including Associated Press, The Greenville News, GSA Business Journal  and The State, as well as ABC News Channel 7. Client News, DialAmerica, Antonia Caamano 2011-07-15T10:45:43+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/Supporting-the-Bottomless-Closet/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/Supporting-the-Bottomless-Closet/#When:June 16, 2011, 3:15pm posted by admin This spring, the women of CK started a new seasonal charitable tradition. As many of us dug into the annual chore of springtime closet cleaning, we made a point to set aside gently-worn, professional clothing that no longer makes it into our work wardrobes. We then donated these items to The Bottomless Closet NYC. Our agency's principals, Ralph Katz and Andy Cooper, have long been financial supporters of this organization. So we felt it was time that the "& Co." of CooperKatz & Co. helped out as well! This amazing organization supports disadvantaged NYC women become self-sufficient through a comprehensive program that begins with business attire, interview preparation and professional development. To find out more about The Bottomless Closet NYC, please visit: bottomlessclosetnyc.org. And we'll be back with our donation box this fall! Agency News & Updates, Melanie Scherenzel 2011-06-16T15:15:21+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/CKs-15th-Anniversary-A-Home-Run/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/CKs-15th-Anniversary-A-Home-Run/#When:May 27, 2011, 12:15pm posted by admin This week, CooperKatz hit it out of the park with a company trip to Yankee Stadium in honor of the firm’s 15th anniversary. Riding the subway to the Bronx in true New York fashion, the company met in front of the stadium to pose for a picture before heading inside to an all-you-can-eat buffet of hot dogs, sliders, fajitas, ice cream and watermelon.  With epic-sized margaritas in hand, we cheered and jeered as the Yankees battled against the Toronto Blue Jays.  The game was in full swing by the time “Y.M.C.A.” came in through the speakers, and unsurprisingly, CKer’s could be seen dancing and celebrating on the jumbotron! As another CKer walked away with a souvenir baseball tossed over by one of the players, it became official: The anniversary celebration was a home run from start to finish.   Here’s to the next 15 years! Agency News & Updates, Just for Fun, Luna Newton 2011-05-27T12:15:06+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/ck_named_one_of_best_agencies_to_work_for/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/ck_named_one_of_best_agencies_to_work_for/#When:May 18, 2011, 1:39pm posted by admin All of us at CooperKatz are thrilled (but not surprised!) by the news that we were named one of the 30 Best Agencies to Work For in North America by The Holmes Report. According to The Homes Report, agencies were ranked based on approximately 6,000 employee responses to the publication’s annual survey.  CooperKatz came in at #11, ahead of many other well-known and highly-respected firms. This ranking is particularly meaningful to us, given that it is based directly on employee surveys.  A great place to work is the sum of every person’s energy and commitment.  So a big “CKudos” to our whole team! Agency News & Updates, The Industry, Anne Green 2011-05-18T13:39:35+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/home_alone_house_hits_the_market/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/home_alone_house_hits_the_market/#When:May 17, 2011, 4:20pm posted by admin Coldwell Banker Real Estate, the oldest national real estate brand in the United States with a network of nearly 90,000 sales agents working in approximately 3,300 global offices, is known for some of its spectacular home listings. Recently, CooperKatz partnered with the Chicago office,  its marketing team and the national brand team to publicize a truly iconic property – the home which played a “starring role” in beloved holiday movie, “Home Alone.” The three-storied 1920s Georgian mansion, located in the Winnetka suburb of Chicago, is a major player in the John Hughes 1990 hit comedy. The film centers on a boy stranded alone over the holidays (played by breakout star Macaulay Culkin), who must protect his home from two would-be criminals. Throughout the film, the “Home Alone” house is more than a backdrop; it essentially becomes an additional character. The main goal for the initiative was to raise awareness around the listing through word of mouth and media coverage, all while driving traffic to the “Home Alone" house microsite. CooperKatz seeded this hugely buzz-worthy story to many top-tier outlets and blogs. With the combined efforts of CooperKatz and Coldwell Banker, more than 200 print and online placements were secured including The Wall Street Journal, TMZ, CNN, Reuters, E! Online and Entertainment Weekly. The home was also featured on “The TODAY Show,” “The View” and “FOX & Friends,” among over 350 other broadcast segments. To top it off, the story ran on the homepages of AOL, MSNBC and Yahoo! The YouTube video showcasing the home has received more than 65,000 views to date. Additionally, the initiative has sent 300,000-plus visitors to coldwellbanker.com, with numbers continuing to rise as more people click over to get a closer look at this world-famous residence. So if you’ve ever dreamed of setting up paint can booby traps to deter burglars, take out your check book – because this legendary home could be yours for $2.4 million.   Real Estate, Client News, Coldwell Banker, Jessica Chen 2011-05-17T16:20:00+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/a_century_later_still_defining_pr/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/a_century_later_still_defining_pr/#When:May 17, 2011, 10:30am posted by admin Recently, Paul Holmes penned a blog post discussing the ambiguity surrounding the definition of public relations. The post examined the need for a 21st century definition of PR. He argued, in my view, correctly, that PR “is the process of building, nurturing and leveraging relationships with a wide range of publics.” But it also struck me as odd that he had to write this post at all. For a field approaching the century mark (if you count forward from World War I and the rise of Edward Bernays), many professionals - even those somewhat familiar with our field - still seem to mistake the purposes, advantages and functions of PR as compared to advertising and, more broadly, marketing. Having the chance to start my career working in both advertising and PR, I personally felt the distinctions, both in terms of strategic objectives and tactical approaches. While advertising necessitates both compelling messaging and the ability to targeting the right audience through the right medium, on the campaigns in which I participated it was clear the sole purpose was to “sell” - that is, drive sales growth. This is often the case with marketing functions, including advertising and promotions, that are based on paid media. PR certainly aims to aid businesses in driving their bottom line, but it is not solely - or even, often, primarily - focused on selling. In PR, I’ve seen more emphasis on aiding individuals, companies and organizations in establishing a rapport with key stakeholders through trusted news sources or other channels. Whether organizations are looking to bring awareness to a critical social issue, or public officials are delivering crucial national security or health information, audiences rely on media organizations and other influencers to vet, scrutinize and analyze the information to make certain it is CREDIBLE. This is also the case when companies leverage public relations techniques to share news or insights on new product or service offerings. This process of assessing credibility is not always perfect in a digital world where fact checking is more and more a relic of the past. But the spread of relevant information, as well as the credibility of both that information and its source, is still at the heart of everything we do in public relations. While critics sometimes detract from our profession saying we are simply “spin doctors,” I would argue that we play a vital role in helping to deliver credible information to various publics - information that ultimately helps the development of important relationships between key constituencies. Even all these years down the road, it’s useful to revisit what makes PR distinct among marketing functions. To conflate these different disciplines is a mistake. AC Perspective, The Industry, Matthew Panichas 2011-05-17T10:30:52+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/CK-Skips-Lunch-to-Help-Feed-NYC-Families/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/CK-Skips-Lunch-to-Help-Feed-NYC-Families/#When:May 13, 2011, 1:15am posted by admin This week CooperKatz participated in City Harvest’s Skip Lunch Fight Hunger, a one-day citywide initiative that asks New Yorkers to donate what they normally spend on lunch to help feed hungry children and their families. Did you know that with just $10, City Harvest can feed over 43 children? In 2010, Skip Lunch Fight Hunger teams across the city raised more than $500,000 in a single day!  City Harvest, the world's oldest and New York's only food rescue program, organizes Skip Lunch Fight Hunger each year. And this is the seventh consecutive year that CooperKatz has participated as an agency. If you’d like to also participate and make a donation, it’s not too late. Just visit http://www.cityharvest.org/skip-lunch/ for more details. CSR, Just for Fun, Jo Temah Gabrielski 2011-05-13T01:15:14+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/and-the-award-goes-to/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/and-the-award-goes-to/#When:May 12, 2011, 3:30pm posted by admin The term “award shows” is often associated with star-studded events like the Academy Awards or the Grammys. “Blinged out” celebrities arrive in black tie, red carpet-ready attire. They receive recognition for their multi-million or multi-platinum fame, all televised for the adoring fans at home. That wasn’t quite the scene as Andy Cooper and I left the office Monday around 5:45 p.m.  We walked north on Park Avenue to the Sabre Awards, presented by The Holmes Report at Cipriani restaurant. Somehow, we managed to slip past NYC’s paparazzi, apparently incognito in our “smart business” attire. While we didn’t enter on a red carpet, and weren’t met with thousands of roaring, rabid fans, we were excited to celebrate the accomplishments of our peers across the public relations industry.   We had a wonderful evening, and were honored to accept a Bronze Sabre award in the category of “best newspaper placement,” as a result of our work with the Philadelphia Eagles, who announced  their plans to make Lincoln Financial Field the world’s first major sports stadium to convert to self-generated renewable energy. The award recognized our “dual-exclusive” placements in The New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer – just part of the campaign’s multifaceted media strategy.   Sometimes, it’s fun to daydream that success in the public relations sphere might be celebrated in the same manner as entertainment award shows – I can just imagine die-hard CooperKatz fans gushing over the details of our well-planned media strategy, or our relentless attention to client needs! But in reality, we take great satisfaction each time one of our clients gets a moment in the spotlight – and enjoy the chance to occasionally bask in the golden (or in this case, Bronze) recognition of the PR world. Agency News & Updates, Just for Fun, Client News, Philadelphia Eagles, Solar Blue, Kathleen Reynolds 2011-05-12T15:30:13+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/ck_supports_skating_with_the_stars/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/ck_supports_skating_with_the_stars/#When:April 12, 2011, 8:50am posted by admin Last week, a team of 10 CooperKatz employees had the pleasure of assisting Figure Skating in Harlem (FSH) host its annual fundraising event, Skating with the Stars 2011. The organization provides girls ages 6 to 18 with vital educational and skating opportunities that build self-worth and promote physical well being and academic achievement. For the second year in a row, the CK team worked on a pro bono basis with FSH to help members of the press, event attendees and VIP guests enjoy the event at the Trump Wollman Rink in Central Park. Despite forecasted rain, the weather held out – and the event was a huge success!  Some of the skating stars in attendance included Olympic Medalists Sarah Hughes and Evan Lysacek, as well as celebrity guests including Donald and Melania Trump, Vera Wang and FSH board member and Law & Order SVU actress, Tamara Tunie. The gala raised half a million dollars for FSH’s new academic center. And the girls who benefit from the program gave a skating performance to thank those who attended for their generosity. The team is already looking forward to Skating with the Stars 2012. And in the meantime we’ll be brushing up on our triple axels! Agency News & Updates, Leslie Stahl 2011-04-12T08:50:10+00:00 http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/ck_wins_sabre/ http://www.cooperkatz.com/comments/ck_wins_sabre/#When:April 04, 2011, 3:09pm posted by admin Today we learned that CooperKatz, along with our clients the Philadelphia Eagles and SolarBlue, won the SABRE Award for best newspaper placement of 2010!  To recap, our program announced the Eagles’ plan to power Lincoln Financial Field with a combination of onsite wind, solar and dual-fuel generated electricity, making it the world’s first major sports stadium to convert to self-generated renewable energy. To accomplish this feat, the Eagles contracted with Orlando FL-based SolarBlue, a renewable energy and energy conservation company, to install approximately 80 20-foot spiral-shaped wind turbines on the top rim of the stadium, affix 2,500 solar panels on the stadium’s façade, build a 7.6 megawatt onsite dual-fuel cogeneration plant and implement sophisticated monitoring and switching technology to operate the system. Our winning newspaper placements – two major exclusive stories in The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer – were actually just part of a much broader media strategy.  It included a news segment on “Good Morning America” and an on-field press event that featured the Eagles owners, Jeffrey and Christina Lurie; Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter; NFL Commissioner Roger Godell; and SolarBlue CEO Lee Maher.  Our total campaign resulted in more than 68 million television media impressions, well over 150 print / online placements and social media outreach that generated more than 1,400 “likes” and 300 comments on the Eagles’ Facebook page.  The campaign’s success culminated in a personal phone call from President Obama to the Eagles’ owners commending them on their environmental leadership! Agency News & Updates, Client News, Philadelphia Eagles, Solar Blue, Andy Cooper 2011-04-04T15:09:01+00:00