HM&P Honored at NCPRSA InSpire Awards
Howard, Merrell & Partners brought home two recognitions from last week’s NCPRSA InSpire Awards banquet. We received an honorable mention (awarded to entries who scored in the top percentile) in Social Media for the NutriDense Silage Web Moo.0 Contest. We also received an honorable mention in Marketing (Consumer Products or Services, Business-to-Business) for the Precise Holistic Complete Launch.
There was some great work represented, so we were in good company!
And while this event was PR specific, you can see from the case studies that these campaigns certainly weren’t! Congrats to all involved.
A PR Lesson Learned
We pride ourselves on trying to always do the right thing for our clients and for the agency. That means being smart, strategic and ethical. And, I am proud to say, we have nothing to be ashamed about.
With that said, it has been very interesting to read about how one of the largest and respected public relations agency’s in the world, Burson-Marsteller, made some very poor choices in an effort to meet its client’s goals and objectives of fighting Google. According to USA Today, Burson consultants “approached top-tier media companies and high-profile technologists, on behalf of an unnamed client, to seed largely unfounded allegations about privacy shortcomings in Google’s Social Circle service.”
But the word got out, and one blogger posted his email exchanges with Burson asking him to put his byline on an op-ed that the agency had ghost written.
And, most recently, Burson’s unnamed client was revealed — Facebook. Now spokespeople from Google, Facebook and Burson are in the news along with any one else connected to this PR effort gone bad.
There will be many discussions about this incident and what can be learned…as there should be. We will certainly talk about it here at our agency. What do you think?
Parting Words from the Social Media Intern
This is my last post as a social media intern! I have really enjoyed my time here and I would highly recommend this internship to anyone looking to learn more about social media.
I learned so much more about how social media works for different clients and this internship really fine-tuned my knowledge.
I thought in my last post I would share five tips for how to make your internship a success:
1. Make every day count – Don’t expect to be doing all of the big and glamorous jobs but make sure everything you do is great, no matter how unimportant you may think it is.
2. Ask questions! - I asked a lot of questions about the work I was doing and in the long term, what the results of a project would be. This helped me understand the overall goals and objectives of the assignments I was tasked with.
3. Get to know your supervisor – I made sure I got to know the people that I was working with. It was really great to go to some networking events with my supervisor and see how she incorporates professional development into her job.
4. Have an open mind - Even if you are working on clients that you personally might not have an interest in, they are an important step in learning where your passion lies. If you come in with an open mind you will learn things that you never thought you would become and expert in – like the ingredients in a pet food!
5. Have fun! - This should be an experience that you look back on with enjoyment! Get excited about what you are doing and your supervisor will love to have you around.
I cannot believe that my time at Howard, Merrell & Partners is over. This has been one of my favorite internships and one that I will always look back on. I am excited to say that after graduation I will be working at Coalmarch Productions as a marketing coordinator. I am so excited about it and feel blessed to have a job already lined up as I am graduating in a few short weeks!
I hope you all stay tuned this summer for the next social media intern’s blog posts, I know I will be reading!
New Client: Southwest Windpower
We have been named the agency of record for Southwest Windpower, the world’s leading supplier of distributed wind systems. Southwest Windpower’s CEO Dixon Thayer “handpicked” us because we are “more than a typical ad agency”. Our full-service capabilities are exactly what Southwest Windpower needs.
We have been tasked with providing Southwest Windpower with strategic, integrated brand support and tactical execution in advertising, tradeshow coordination, collateral development, media planning and buying, website development, public relations, event planning, social media marketing and market research.
We have started by helping Southwest Windpower understand buyer emotions, and helped establish the importance of wind energy to a growing homeowner segment that wants both clean energy and independence from rising utility rates.
Check out the release for more information Southwest Windpower Announcement
New Account Supervisor — Mariana Pinner
Welcome to Mariana Pinner — a new Account Supervisor in the PR department.
Mariana comes to us with both corporate and agency experience. She has worked in-house at SAS, as well as at a number of agencies in Massachusetts including PERKETTPR and PAN Communications. Mariana has conducted marketing and PR activities with clients and companies in the pharma, tech, and biotech industries.
In addition to having deep knowledge and experience managing and implementing core public relations tactics, she has also conducted crisis management efforts, worked with investor relations teams, executed community relations and guerilla marketing work, devised channel marketing and business development strategies, and touched social media.
A UNC-Chapel Hill graduate, Mariana is glad to be back home in North Carolina.
RPRS Luncheon: Carolina Hurricanes Talks Media Relations
A few days ago I had the opportunity to attend the March Raleigh Public Relations Society (RPRS) Luncheon featuring a presentation from Mike Sundheim, director of media relations for the Carolina Hurricanes. He is responsible for the promotion of the team and its players in the local and nation media, and serves as the Hurricanes’ primary media contact and spokesperson.
Mike discussed what it was like working to make the NHL All-star Weekend held in Raleigh this past January, a success, and his experiences dealing with the media before, during and after the event.
He mentioned both the good and the bad of dealing with such a huge event. More »
Congratulations to Elizabeth
Congrats to Elizabeth Romero — she has been promoted to Management Supervisor.
Elizabeth has been an instrumental part of the PR team since day one. She currently manages several accounts including: Butterball, CORDURA® fabric, Bank Independent, and the National Humanities Center. Elizabeth also provides Hispanic marketing, crisis support and strategic counsel other businesses as needed. Not only is Elizabeth a hard worker, but she is cool under pressure during crisis situations, knowledgeable about PR and her clients’ industries, great at juggling multiple projects and accounts, and determined to never let her clients or teams down. She is a great asset to the agency.
Here’s the announcement Romero Promotion.
Welcome – Anna Agnew, Account Executive
Anna has joined us as an Account Executive in the PR department. She has a deep background in grassroots marketing as well as solid PR experience.
Before joining us, Anna worked at Burson-Marsteller Brands in DC, the US Department of State – Office of the Deputy Secretary of State, and twice for the Republican National Committee (DC and NH).
What a great addition to the team — Welcome Anna!
Kaylor Joins the PR Team
We are excited to welcome Rachel Kaylor as an account coordinator for the Public Relations department. In her position, Kaylor is responsible for implementing strategic public relations and social media plans, and conducting media relations, as well as developing and distributing press releases, company announcements, blog posts and new product launches. Specifically, she will provide support for several accounts including INVISTA’s CORDURA® brand, Component Hardware Group, Precise Pet Products and Bank Independent.
“Rachel is full of drive and enthusiasm. We are excited to welcome her into the Howard, Merrell & Partners family,” explains Stephanie Styons, senior vice president of public relations and social media marketing at Howard, Merrell & Partners. “Rachel has a solid knowledge of public relations and social media, and we look forward to seeing her grow within our organization.”
For more information, click here.
Searching for Account Supervisor
We are looking for an Account Supervisor to lead PR and social media efforts on high-profile accounts. Prefer candidates who have worked in the agriculture, technology and/or biotechnology markets and have previous agency experience.
Candidate should have experience developing, managing and executing multifaceted B2B campaigns which include national media and blogger outreach, newsletter development, product launches, executive visibility efforts, corporate communications and event management. Should be a creative thinker, independent worker and team player with strong organizational skills.
Knowledge and experience with crisis management and media training is preferred. Experience with personnel management and growth required. Strong writing, communications and presentation skills necessary.
Will be responsible for managing day-to-day traditional public relations and social media activities, and collaborating with the agency’s other internal departments to execute fully integrated communications campaigns. Should be able to lead by example, effectively multi-task, work in team environment, and communicate with clients, partners and vendors.
Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree, at least six years relevant experience (post graduation)
Send resumes to: sstyons@merrellgroup.com
