By Katie Earley, Copywriter

…I love these Preakness ads.

See more here at Get Your Preak On.

Via AdFreak

by Susan Gosselin

Vest Director of PR

I think the disaster in MontCoal, WV, with more than 20 miners dead, speaks for itself. Whether or not you believe Massey energy was negligent in the management of this mine, you have to admit, things look pretty bad for the company right now. So in light of the events, don’t you think they should reconsider this logo?

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By Katie Earley, Copywriter

I read this article on Mashable by Craig Newmark of Craigslist (The Craig.) about social networks effecting*  real social and political change because I do think that is one of the more amazing things of this social media revolution.

But the thing that struck me most about this post was the first paragraph. There Newmark points out that social media affecting politics has been going on for millennia. At the heart of it, social media is creating and sharing content by and for a community, and that has been going on since…smoke signals? The specific examples Newmark points out are St. Paul’s letters to encourage early Christian communities, Martin Luther’s 95 theses to kick-start the Reformation, and Thomas Paine’s pamphlets to stir up the colonists against England’s tyranny.

Social media is older than we thought. I am daily convinced that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

*Nerd Alert: The affect/effect exception!

By Katie Earley, Copywriter

We seem to be talking about incontinence a lot lately. Or more than usual. Which I guess just means we’re actually talking about it, because we normally don’t.

Susan recently questioned some of Poise’s tactics, like hosting Poise House Parties, so today let’s look at Depend’s new campaign.

The concept addresses the fear of being known for having a “condition”, while emphasizing the truly important qualities you’re known for, like being able to start a fire with a wet sponge. They’re funny and charming. The ads make you feel warm and fuzzy inside while letting you know Depend now comes in new prints and colors. That’s some talent.

For more, visit AdFreak.

Yet another rant by Susan Gosselin,

Vest Director of PR

First came the outcry over Spirit Airlines’ exorbitant new fees for passengers who carry on their own luggage.  Now, Spirit Airlines releases a statement crowing over their “pre-reclined” seats.  This is their corporate speak for their newest initiative– ripping out their reclining seats and putting in stationery ones.  It’s their bold, forward-looking attempt “save our passengers money,” they say.  Maybe it’s time their marketing team got sued for malpractice…

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By Katie Earley, Copywriter

Ning recently announced that they will soon be phasing out their free service and upping their premium services.

While I understand that businesses have to make money, I’m a little disappointed. I’m a big fan of offering mediocre services for free and offering more, better services for a premium, which is how Ning was operating. Oh well, there are other free services out there to fill the void.

Read more about it and the Ning alternatives at Mashable.

By Katie Earley, Copywriter

I was working on a very nice post for today, but sadly I just deleted the whole thing. On purpose.

The more I wrote, the more I talked myself out of my argument. Which is a bummer because it was a good argument before I talked myself out of it. The more I tried to prove I was right, I realized I was wrong. I tell you this because in today’s exercise in deleting I learned something worth hitting “Publish” for:

It’s good to delete things sometimes. It’s not easy, but it’s important to realize when what you thought was the right path is the wrong path. Be willing to start all over to create something better.

image: m i x y

by Susan Gosselin, Vest Director of PR

As an ex-pat West Virginian, a foodie, and a mom of two elementary age children, I have more than a passing interest in “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution”, now taking place in Huntington, WV.  For those of you out there that have ever been sickened by the quality of school lunch, I thought you might be interested in some of my halting experiences trying to advance the issue here in Louisville.

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by Susan Gosselin, Vest Director of PR

It certainly has been a busy day in the online advertising world, with the announcement that Twitter and iPad will both be offering new advertising platforms.  The result could be some great opportunities for marketers, and a chance that Twitter may actually be able to operate in the black.

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By Katie Earley, Copywriter

I recently discovered Giveo (via The Denver Egotist), a company that works to connect brands, foundations and charities and bring democracy to donating.

Giveo offers two products:

• GiveoCharity helps nonprofits integrate their campaigns with the social web, and provides several tracking, recruiting and sharing options.
• CrowdGiver works with brands and foundations to run extensive loyalty campaigns.

I love that Giveo is working to offer both an affordable way for nonprofits to step up their fundraising game and a way for corporations to easily and visibly (Good PR for them!) help nonprofits. It’s a win-win for everyone.