The Boston Chapter’s first event for the new calendar year got the season off to a great start.

The New PR – How to use Rich Media to create winning campaigns

The program was moderated by Jonathan Kranz of Kranz Communications. Our featured panellists included Nick Barber, a Video Producer for IDG News Services and host of World Tech Update ; Rob Ciampa, the Vice President of Marketing for Pixability; and Lisa Kilborn, the Director of Corporate Communications for Zmags.

Each of the panelists provided their personal perspective and case study experience on the definition of rich media and how it can be used to raise awareness of a brand or drive lead generation.

Nick Barber both hosts and co-produces World Tech Update, a recap of the week’s technology news and events, as part of the IDG News Services.  Nick showed us two video clips of his weekly program and explained how, with relatively minimal equipment, he is able to achieve a highly professional product.  The two excerpts shown were shot using different qualities of camera equipment but with some post-production editing he was able to overcome any short comings in the footage.  The key thing to any video is finding the image which shows a product working; this is critical to delivering the message.

Rob Ciampa is an award-winning marketing executive with Pixability a company which creates online hand-crafted video.  Rob showed us three Pixability videos ranging from a high production quality advertisement, starring John Cleese from Monty Python, to a very basic video of a hardware developer explaining where other developers can find information.  The videos demonstrated how important it is to get the right person to present information in a way that is appealing to your target audience.  Put yourself in your audience’s shoes and try to deliver your message in the most appropriate manner possible.

Lisa Kilborn is the Director of Corporate Communications for Zmags.  Zmags is a start-up company that has developed an online multi-platform, media-rich, interactive catalog which helps consumers achieve shopping inspiration faster.  Lisa conducted a survey of consumer’s habits shortly before Christmas 2011.  Lisa showed how Zmags used info graphics as the hook of a powerful PR campaign that resulted in 85 million media impressions for her company.  The survey yielded some surprising information which was picked up by all the major US television networks and several overseas networks as well.  Although the survey did not promote Zmags’ product directly it did position the company as a credible source of consumer information.  The overall result of the project was unexpectedly successful; from doing something simple as a survey you can get great results.

The take home summary of the evening is that all companies have a community of customers and other supporting companies.  Once that community is created it is important to strengthen the bonds that keep it together.  Using video and social media (Facebook, Twitter etc.) is one way to communicate with that community and for them to communicate back.  You don’t have to spend a fortune on media-rich communication to achieve good results.  Get to know your community, learn how they like to communicate and communicate in a manner that is authentic to them. See Jonathan’s blog for more on this event.

Links:

http://www.idg.com/www/home.nsf/home?readform

http://www.pixability.com/

http://www.zmags.com/

Author: Richard J Lafferty

ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 17, 2011) — Steve Quigley, APR, was awarded the Public Relations Society of America <http://www.prsa.org/>  (PRSA) 2011 Outstanding Educator of the Year Award during the Monday luncheon at the PRSA 2011 International Conference <http://www.prsa.org/conferences/internationalconference/index.html?utm_source=general&utm_medium=general&utm_campaign=pr_ic> . This award honors a PRSA member who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of public relations education through college or university teaching.
 
“I'm honored every day by the privilege of teaching,” said Quigley. “This award is unimagined and deeply appreciated frosting on the cake. I am beyond proud to follow the footsteps of my Boston University colleagues and previous Outstanding Educator Award recipients, Otto Lerbinger and Don Wright.”
 
Quigley has been a member of the Boston University public relations faculty for 12 years, and served as coordinator of the program for four years. Prior to accepting a teaching position with Boston University, he was a partner in the public relations firm, Schneider & Associates.
 
“PRSA is proud to recognize Quigley’s contributions to education by honoring him with the 2011 Outstanding Educator of the Year Award,” said Rosanna M. Fiske, APR, PRSA chair and CEO. “The considerable impact Quigley has had on the next generation of public relations professionals has helped advance the profession in profound ways. This honor highlights his achievements and dedication to helping to prepare the future leaders of our profession.”
 
Quigley is co-director of Boston University’s Master of Science Health Communication program, and serves on the editorial board of The Journal of Communication in Healthcare. He is co-authoring “Managing Corporate Communication: A Cross-Cultural Approach,” scheduled to be published in January. The text includes contributions from scholars and professionals from Europe and the United States.
 
“PRSA is proud to recognize Quigley’s contributions to higher education,” said James J. Roop, APR, Fellow PRSA, chair of the PRSA Awards & Honors Committee and president of Roop & Co. “His diverse academic and professional background make him an asset to the public relations field. This award speaks volumes about his achievements and dedication to the Society.”
 
The Publicity Club of New England awarded Quigley the John J. Malloy Crystal Bell Award for lifetime achievement and contribution to the field of public relations in 2006. In 2010, he was awarded the Diane Davis Beacon Award for lifetime achievement by PRSA Boston. Quigley is also the recipient of the Boston University Lyndon Baines Johnson Student Advisor of the Year Award, the Boston University College of Communication Advisor of the Year Award and the Boston University Student Activities Advisor of the Year Award.

December 1, 2011

Suzanne Bates

“Tell me a story” is one of the first phrases that we learn to speak, and for communications professionals it is one that has lifelong significance. This point was emphasized in a presentation given by Suzanne Bates, CEO of Bates Communication, who was the featured speaker at the PRSA Boston Annual Meeting, December 1. Bates, a former award-winning news anchor at Channel 4 in Boston, has helmed her firm since 2000 and specializes in coaching CEOs.

Bates’ focus was on helping attendees to “Discover Your Leadership Brand,” the topic of her recently published book, Discover Your CEO Brand.  She addressed Chapter members as if each were one of her CEO clients, emphasizing the need to “tell your individual story.” According to Bates, PR people are natural born storytellers but telling one’s own story is a different challenge than helping others communicate their stories.

Diane Davis Beacon Award

Larry Weber is the 2011 recipient of the Diane Davis Beacon Award, which honors a Boston-area public relations practitioner for his or her achievements in the profession – an individual who, by act, word and deed, represents the “best of the best” in the field of public relations.  Known for both his strategic vision and entrepreneurship, Larry is the chairman and CEO of W2 Group, a group of digitally-driven marketing companies that includes Racepoint Group, a global public relations firm, and Digital Influence Group, a digital marketing agency.  In 1987, Larry founded The Weber Group, one of the first public relations agencies to focus on high technology.  After selling The Weber Group to the Interpublic Group of Companies in the late 1990s, he became chairman and CEO of Interpublic’s Advanced Marketing Services group, which included public relations, research, branding and entertainment holdings.  Larry is the co-founder and chairman of the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange and a member of the Executive Committee of the U.S. Council of Competitiveness.  He is a frequent speaker and four-time author, including the business bestseller Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business. Larry Weber and scholarship winner, Jessica Brandi pictured below.

Student Scholarship

Jessica Brandi of Dalton, Mass., is the winner of this year’s PRSA Boston Student Scholarship award.  A junior at Curry College in Milton, Mass., Jessica is working toward a Bachelor’s degree with a major in communication and a dual concentration in public relations and corporate communications.  Besides being an honors student, Jessica is passionate about using her communications skills in support of nonprofit causes to which she feels a deep personal connection.  She has devoted a significant amount of her time and energies to work on fundraising and public awareness campaigns for the American Cancer Society and ALS Association (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Election of 2012 Officers

The meeting signified the election of new Chapter officers 2012:

• Jackie Lustig, APR, President
• Diane Pardes, President-Elect
• Darlene Hollywood, Immediate Past President, VP Programs, Delegate
• John Hebert, Treasurer
• Teleia Farrell, Secretary
• Carol McGarry, VP Membership
• Nancy Sterling, APR, Delegate
• Meghan Gross, Delegate
• Loring Barnes, APR, Accreditation
• Jack Jackson, Ethics Officer