Building a sandcastle utilizing these criteria is no different than developing a marketing plan. These four pillars can provide the foundation for your marketing and public relations campaigns.

Creativity – a great campaign starts off with a creative idea that clearly articulates your message. Consider this the blueprint of your “creation.”

Originality – developing your message can only take you so far. You need to make it unique. What can you do to give your company, product or service a “signature” to differentiate it from the alternatives in the market? What makes your sandcastle better than the one a few feet away?

Resourcefulness – combining the traditional promotional mix (PR, advertising, word of mouth, and point of sale) with technology tools (Web site, email, blogs, social networks, RSS, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.) allows you to target and personalize your message and create buzz.

Accessories – dressing up your marketing campaign with items such as email signatures, voice mail greetings, awards, etc. can help tie-in and reinforce key messages. At the event, sand sculptors were utilizing shells, reeds and other elements to “accessorize” their creations.

Now that you know the keys to success in winning a sandcastle contest, use it as a framework for your next marketing and public relations campaign. You just might win the best award a company can achieve – customer attention.

His reasoning for the explosion of online video choices is simple. Compared to traditional television programming, it is inexpensive to produce video and costs even less to distribute it (a few pennies) over the Internet to reach what Hudack and Blip.tv views as your “total potential audience.”

Blip.tv is an enabler of this new shift to online video programming. Its platform provides the capability to distribute all types of video content, allowing producers to focus on producing and consumers on consuming interesting programs.

His reasoning for the explosion of online video choices is simple. Compared to traditional television programming, it is inexpensive to produce video and costs even less to distribute it (a few pennies) over the Internet to reach what Hudack and Blip.tv views as your “total potential audience.”

Blip.tv is an enabler of this new shift to online video programming. Its platform provides the capability to distribute all types of video content, allowing producers to focus on producing and consumers on consuming interesting programs.

Blip.tv’s business model provides the technology infrastructure to narrowcast and broadcast video through a marketing and distribution network with built-in syndication that reaches hundreds of millions, such as AOL Video, Yahoo! Video, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, MSN Video, and Google Video (to name a few). Most importantly, it provides the capability to monetize programming with a 50-50 advertising revenue split.

Online programming such as Alive in Baghdad, Beet.TV, Wallstrip, and WineLibraryTV and MobLogic are a few of the many different types of programs that are offered on Blip.tv.

The emergence of online video is changing how people get their news, information and entertainment. This is certainly impacting traditional television as we know it today, and has a trickle-down effect to other mediums.

Marketers should take notice, as the opportunity to target specific audiences – albeit on a global scale – has never been greater.

As part of the launch plan, Springboard arranged a series of interviews prior to and during the show. This resulted in a bevy of outstanding media coverage in addition to WYDE Voice receiving the inaugural VON Innovator Award "Best in Show" at Spring 2008 VON.x.

The awareness that resulted from this campaign allowed WYDE Voice to connect with many prospective partners and opened up some exciting sales opportunities. We look forward to working with them and building on this momentum.

Situated near the back of the room, I was able to take in all of the presentations just fine. But when this PowerPoint presentation was displayed, I knew the audience was in trouble, let alone the speaker. His slides were riddled with long sentences and at least ten bullets. This simply does not compute in the fast-paced, A.D.D. world we live in.

This got me thinking about the construction of a good presentation, and my reference to Guy Kawasaki’s “10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint.” The premise is very simple: a PowerPoint presentation should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points.

Situated near the back of the room, I was able to take in all of the presentations just fine. But when this PowerPoint presentation was displayed, I knew the audience was in trouble, let alone the speaker. His slides were riddled with long sentences and at least ten bullets. This simply does not compute in the fast-paced, A.D.D. world we live in.

This got me thinking about the construction of a good presentation, and my reference to Guy Kawasaki’s “10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint.” The premise is very simple: a PowerPoint presentation should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points.

I have used Guy’s rule for my own presentations and counseled many clients on it too. One thing I have done to take this further is to use graphics and even video clips to further enhance the experience. This allows you to verbalize more and rely less on text to deliver your message.

Topic aside, integrating the 10/20/30 Rule will significantly improve your chances of keeping your audience interested. More importantly, it forces you to create a more compelling presentation and put the focus back on you to articulate and communicate, instead of killing the audience with PowerPoint bullets.

http://www.techiecrossing.com/article/index.php?id=370097

Given the ubiquity of broadband access, it was intriguing to see people setting up “work environments” in the halls of the convention center near standard electric outlets in order to power their laptops and mobile phones.

While the Internet is everywhere and wireless services afford us the flexibility and mobility of access, this capability is only as good as battery capacity of the devices. Otherwise you will find yourself tethered to a power cord in the strangest of places.

Given these dynamics, organizations must rethink their marketing and PR strategy, and identify how to harness the power of the geographically dispersed “specialist.” Why? Because they can influence the way your products and services can be promoted (or demoted).

Given these dynamics, organizations must rethink their marketing and PR strategy, and identify how to harness the power of the geographically dispersed “specialist.” Why? Because they can influence the way your products and services can be promoted (or demoted).

Case in point: yesterday on Digg, a reader pointed to an unsatisfactory rating of 1-800-FLOWERS because the retailer did not deliver roses on Valentines Day, and their customer service department could not be reached to resolve the issue, let alone offer a refund. Situations like this happen all the time, but now the “average Joe” has the power through the Web to communicate these instances and influence opinions on a brand. Conversely, an exceptional customer experience can be easily documented, hence the power of these new tools.

New media channels, all part of Web 2.0, represent a wave of convergence that not only encompasses how content is created, but also how it is delivered through the Internet, television, and other mobile devices. This opens up a myriad of opportunities to create excitement and buzz, and connect on an individual basis to your target audience(s).

PR 2.0 must target bloggers; but you must also consider utilizing a blog to communicate your core messages. Podcasts and interactive videos also provide powerful tools to demonstrate a product or service to a global audience. These practices must complement existing approaches in order to implement a multi-model communications platform to touch target audiences across a range of media and mediums.

This conference started out as a typical user conference in 2002 and has emerged as one of the premier thought leadership events for business process management (BPM). In parallel with the growth of the event and concept of BPM, so too have our PR efforts scaled accordingly. In 2003, we had one reporter -- Jim Ericson who was with Line56.com at the time and now at BI Review. Jim holds the distinction of attending every ProcessWorld to date.

The theme for the conference was “Accelerating Innovation and Growth with Open BPM.” I will not attempt to dive into the topic in this blog. However, the theme can be easily applied to the coordination of public relations activities at a trade show or conference. The concept of adaptability, agility and really “thinking on your feet” is paramount.

We basically divided up the press list among our team, and like casino hosts, were responsible for ensuring all reporters/analysts optimized their ProcessWorld experience, were able to connect with IDS Scheer executives, attend the invitation-only roundtable, meet with customers and partners, and have fun during the process.

To survive the rigors of a conference, you need to really keep yourself sharp in order to be able to quickly respond to the inevitable last minute changes. As an example, we were in an interview at the conference and a reporter asked one of our executives about a new partnership. In the middle of the interview, I sprinted to the Partner Pavilion and pulled the partner in question into the interview and he performed brilliantly leading to a glowing article in eWeek.

There were more instances like this one including an editor request for the ProcessWorld presentations on a USB stick drive. To stay agile at a conference, the key takeaway for PR pros to thrive in this atmosphere is respond quickly, assess your resources, leverage the strengthts of your team, accommodate the press and provide the best client service possible.

In the end, you will serve the needs of your client (“Thanks SPR – our press and analyst activities were outstanding this year. Congrats…..” Markit Klein-Smith, Head of Corporate Marketing, IDS Scheer) and may get nice kudos from the press. And a personal thank you to my Springboard colleagues Mark, Dom and Kelly for really hitting it out of the park – you made IDS Scheer and the press/analysts proud.

Aside from subscribing to the latest PR tools like BurrellesLuce’s clipping services, PRNewswire’s Profnet and Bacon’s MediaSource, we frequently test and use many of our clients’ products and services.

We accomplish two objectives. First, we benefit from the functionality offered by the product or service, which helps our business run more efficiently. Second, and more importantly, using our clients’ product or service allows us the opportunity to be more hands-on and gain a better perspective on the benefits they offer to their target customer. The latter is what sets us apart from other agencies.

Here is a snapshot of some products/services offered by our clients that are utilized at Springboard Public Relations:

• FootPrints from UniPress Software (now Numara Software)
As a Springboard client since 1999, the former UniPress Software has enjoyed much success with our PR services. And we have done the same in using their Web-based service desk product FootPrints, which provides a central platform to track and manage all client activities and projects. The software also provides us with automatic reporting, time tracking and billing management functionalities. By optimizing the software’s breadth of features, it has played a pivotal role in the success of our firm’s business operations. Plus, as a user, we have hands-on experience with the product, and when an editor fires a question at us, we are able to respond with a fast, accurate answer.

• FaxCore’s Namesake Fax Server Platform
Like many others, we have not brushed aside fax, nor do we loathe the long-lived technology (as Initech employees do in the 1999 comedy Office Space). FaxCore’s product eliminates what we all dislike most about traditional standalone fax machines: costly paper and toner, maintenance contracts and frustrating error messages (see below).

Since the FaxCore software integrates with Microsoft Exchange, we are provided with a streamlined approach to faxing that’s as simple as email. It was a no-brainer to deploy FaxCore soon after having the company sign on as a client, and ROI was realized in no time, as expected. With FaxCore, we are able to quickly send faxes the same way we email, and view all incoming and outgoing communications anytime, anywhere via email or through a web browser.

• FreeConferenceCall.com Service from Free Conferencing Corporation
Teleconference services need not cost a fortune, and the FreeConferenceCall.com service is proof. To open a free account, users are simply asked to provide their name and an email address. The service can accommodate up to 96 callers per session and administrators can record calls, as well. The recording feature of this service is widely used by our team for planning discussions, case study interviews, press briefings, etc. After the call, we can download the audio file, stream it off the web, or add to our podcast.

• ATEN Technology’s CL1758 Slideaway LCD KVM Switch
To effectively manage four servers (BlackBerry, file, email, etc), we needed a solution that could eliminate the monitors and keyboards required for each. Real estate in a rack is very important to organizations, and we are no exception. Our client ATEN Technology offers a broad range of KVM and other network solutions.

KVM stands for keyboard/video/mouse and helps companies, small and large, access and monitor multiple computers, servers and peripherals easily and conveniently from a single keyboard, monitor and mouse. We have a rackmount integrated LCD KVM switch that is helping us manage all servers and optimize rack space.

In contrast, In-N-Out Burger is small when measured by its number of locations, but huge with respect to the bond it shares with customers. I recently visited Irvine, CA on business and enjoyed my first In-N-Out Burger experience.

During my three-day trip I nonchalantly mentioned the burger establishment to clients and the name “In-N-Out Burger” was consistently met with euphoric smiles, followed by the person’s favorite menu item, such as “Double-Double.”

Maybe it’s because the burgers are made-to-order and with only the freshest ingredients and the employees are extremely friendly and energetic -- from the time they greet you until your order is delivered. One thing is abundantly clear: In-N-Out Burger is extremely focused on doing what they do best -- delivering great burgers. This is reinforced by their menu which is very simple and has only a handful of items to choose from.

Both McDonald’s and In-N-Out Burger offer contrasting, yet equally successful approaches to the fast food business, both of which can be applied to any industry or vocation. Bigger can sometimes be better, but staying true to yourself may offer the competitive edge and formula to building a loyal customer base that truly takes pride in consuming your goods or services.

Given my recent experience at a Circuit City retailer, Mr. Nelson’s message could not be any more explicit.

After zeroing in on a television I was ready to purchase, a sales clerk processed my order in the store which included a “10% off” promotion that needed to be scanned. When he rang up the order, the total price actually added 10% to the total cost because the promotion was not properly coded in their system. This required a visit to the courtesy desk where an adjustment was made.

I then went to the loading area to pickup the television, only to discover that the box was somewhat banged up. In questioning this, the clerk who assisted indicated that if the unit was damaged the store would honor a return, which is what I had to do because when I got home, all the packaging in the box was crumpled, and the television was scratched.

I took the television back only to find out that the store did not have any others in stock. I left the store without a television and wasted several hours going back and forth to the store twice.

In visiting the retailer’s Web site to log a complaint, I used their “contact us” form to record my experience. After spending a few minutes detailing the situation, I hit the submit button only to get an error. I hit the back key on the browser to re-submit, and I found my entire dissertation was erased. At that point I did not want to spend any more time on the situation as a black cloud was clearly hanging over my head.

As stated by Mr. Nelson, organizations must approach CRM as a business strategy, supported by competent personnel, processes and technology. Those that do will enjoy the “R” in CRM and have long-standing relationships with their customers.

At the end of the day, customers should be able to have a frictionless experience during the purchasing process.

Having been on both sides of the agency/client relationship, I always tried to impress upon the importance of trusting the PR function, especially with respect to expectations and results. Early in my career, I was a sponge absorbing as much information on technology, and the marketing of that technology, on behalf of my clients. Building up my expertise and knowledge base contributed to gaining the trust of both my internal and external clients.

When I stepped out from the agency side of public relations and became manager of corporate communications at Franklin Electronic Publishers in the early 90s, I engaged a public relations agency headed by a former colleague with whom I worked at Golin/Harris. When I engaged that agency at Franklin, it brought me back to my short stint at GCI where I replaced a guy who ultimately became my client. As a client, he became a total tyrant and had much glee with abusing his position of power. I made a commitment to myself never to go down that path at Franklin. The lesson learned: defining and demanding results is very important, but managing PR resources in a tyrannical way does not make people work harder for you – it is actually counterproductive!

My agency smarts helped me to truly value the importance of public relations from strategizing, planning and executing in tandem with a strong PR partner that I viewed as an extension of my internal communications department. It was a formula that led to much success for both my agency and internal marketing department during my tenure at Franklin.

As I celebrate my third year at Springboard, I am instilling that same philosophy and truly solidifying our role as marketing partners for our clients -- that is evident with many of our clients whom entrust in us their marketing and PR strategy, some who have done so for more than 10 years. In fact, we have built such good trust with our clients that those who leave us typically move onto other companies that have brought us in as their trusted PR partner. When you are viewed in this light, it can only mean trust well earned for a job well done.

Here are some ideas on how to make the most of the summer months. To avoid slow-downs and productivity dips, I like to execute what I call my “RPM” strategy...

Plan: In early June, I dive head first into Q3 and Q4 campaign planning, including creative and thematic brainstorm sessions, competitive analysis, editorial calendar scans, and event-based schedules. For instance, all those holiday gift guides that we all love…well the editorial deadlines on these close in August and September, so I start creating my gift-guide pitches in July. I make sure I have the right contacts, know the submission requirements, and have products, including artwork, ready to ship.

Mingle: By the Memorial Day break, it’s been a tough haul, and I - like my colleagues and clients - need to be re-energized. I like to get out of the office and meet with my favorite members of the press over lunch, golf, or other non-office environments. I like to do the same with my colleagues, boss, and partners. PR is (and always will be) a people-centric, relationship building business driven by social interaction, and the warm weather offers the ideal excuse to hold conversations in less formal and more comfortable environments. Often, the fruits of these social interactions deliver far greater dividends than the formal meetings I held with the same people only a few months earlier.

Following my personal RPM strategy, I go into the second half of the year more enlightened, with a solid and well thought-out game plan for my clients in place. I also have enhanced relationships to help optimize those plans. So, while some refer to the Memorial Day kick-off as the summer PR doldrums, we have a different take, and go into the warm months excited and motivated to do better in the second half.

Enjoy the Summer!