As everyone pretty much knows, thanks to the millions of radio and TV commercials currently being aired, this Sunday is Mother's Day. I'm really excited for a number of reasons. One of them is because a robin recently built a nest on a window sill in our office and laid 4 eggs. Well, the eggs hatched this week, so this will be the momma's first Mother's Day. YAY! Also, my mom is truly an amazing woman and deserves to be celebrated.

I'm not a big fan or supporter of most "Hallmark" holidays, but I think Mother's Day is different. Following that comment, the last big reason I am excited for Mother's Day is because Hallmark came out with greeting cards that allow consumers to record their own message. I LOVE IT! My mom is going to love the message I record for her. I thought the cards Hallmark came out with that played music were amazing, but the fact that I can record a personal 10 second message for my mom is even better. What's even cooler is that Hallmark is focusing on mothers who are in the military and are deployed overseas. According to the Associated Press (who Dittoe PR works with on a regular basis), "The company plans to travel to five U.S. military bases — the first visit was held Tuesday at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas — and allow the children of military personnel to record greeting cards, which Hallmark will then mail overseas in time for Mother's Day and Father's Day."

Not only is this plan incredibly touching, but it is a really smart idea from the creative minds at Hallmark. IBISWorld, a publisher of business research, reported that Americans will spend $68 million on greeting cards this Mother's Day. I'd have to imagine that more than half of that will go into the pockets of Hallmark.

Happy Mother's Day to moms everywhere!

 Why do the fish at the Indiana State Fair ALWAYS die?

This week I went to the Indiana State Fair with my family and it was a blast. I honestly don’t think I have gone to the fair since I was six years old or younger. It was such a great way to spend time with my parents, grandpa and brother, and I recommend everyone in Indiana go for at least one night. Attendance records were actually set at this year’s fair.

One of the highlights of the trip for me was riding a train to and from the fair. Train rides were provided from the station near my house in Fishers, Ind. to the fair and back. I’ve never been on a train before, so it was a pretty cool experience. One of the conductors even came into the railroad car we were riding in and played railroad songs on his guitar for us. I wanted him to play Casey Jones by the Grateful Dead, but I settled for some more historic tunes I’m not familiar with.

Once we arrived, my first stop was at the corn dog stand, naturally. I am a huge corn dog fan and it was delicious. Then, we made our way through petting some of the animals, riding the carnival rides (I just watched everyone else) and playing games. That brings me to the purpose of my blog post…

My grandparents used to take me to the fair when I was very young and every time I would have to play the game where you can win a goldfish. You know the game- there are a ton of small fish bowls on a table and you have to throw a ping pong ball into one. Well, since I hadn’t attended the fair in so many years, I decided I had to play this game until I won a fish. And, I did! I was ecstatic! Seriously, I was so happy. But, that feeling was very short lived.

I remember many years back when I won a fish, by the morning following the fair it was dead. I was determined not to let that happen this year. So, as soon as I arrived home, I went to the store and bought fish food. I fed the little guy, who I named Phelps the Fish after the Olympic record setting Michael Phelps, before going to bed. Then, I woke up this morning, got ready for work and went to his bowl. I was going to make him the mascot of Dittoe Public Relations, but he was dead. Our time together was cut far too short.

Seriously, can someone please tell me what the deal is? I have NEVER won a fish from the Indiana State Fair and had it live longer than 12 hours. I have had goldfish as pets in the past that I did not win at the fair, and they lived for a very long time. Any insight you have is much appreciated. I need to know ASAP, so I can go win another one before the fair ends.

In public relations, there is no better feeling than landing a great piece of coverage for a client. At times, I am convinced that I’m even happier about securing a story or interview than my client is. Not to say that the client isn’t thrilled, but it’s just an unbelievable feeling that never seems to get old. Regardless of the size of the media outlet, from a large national newspaper to a small trade publication, the feeling of accomplishment is exactly the same. The fact of the matter (and this is widely under recognized) is that a story in a small trade publication may bring a client even more business than a story in the Wall Street Journal or New York Times. It’s all about the audience and the message.

This week, one of my favorite things in PR happened. Actually, it happened twice. I was contacted by two media outlets that I last corresponded with three months ago about doing stories (one television and one print) on one of my former clients, Sonicu. It all goes back to the age old saying, “Timing is everything.” The bottom line is a great story will get picked up, but not necessarily when you expect it to.

As put best by the president of Sonicu, it is “Interesting how seed planted a while back can still grow.” Throughout this weekend, he will be appearing on Indiana's most watched weekly business television program, Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick.  The first airing of the week’s show is on Friday nights at 10:00 p.m. CHECK IT OUT!

Getting started with a new client always provokes a feeling of excitement, but it can also lead to some stress and anxiety. Familiarizing yourself with a client in an entirely different industry than what you’ve been exposed to in the past is always fun, interesting and a huge challenge. Nailing down a new client’s key messaging, target audience, correct verbiage, competitors, angles to pitch, etc., are all things that are developed and perfected over time.

While all of the steps to get to know a new client may seem overwhelming and incredibly time consuming, to everyone here at Dittoe, it’s just another day on the job. Spending the time to get quickly and thoroughly acquainted with a new client and their industry is just one of the great things we do at Dittoe Public Relations that sets us apart from the rest.

This week I had the pleasure of getting a new client in the field of geriatric care management—Indianapolis-based, My Health Care Manager. Dittoe PR is honored to be working with a company that is providing such a positive service for aging seniors and their families. I know from personal experience how difficult it can be as family members get older and face serious health and independence issues. I think we’ve all been there at one time or another.

With the number of Americans over age 65 expected to skyrocket from 35 million to 72 million by the year 2030, there is a HUGE need for geriatric care management services. My Health Care Manager helps adult caregivers sort through all the complexities of eldercare. Their recommendations and resources are tailored to the senior and their families’ particular situation and meant to achieve the best possible solution. 

Dittoe PR is proud to say that we’ve already lined up an interview for MHCM with one of the biggest news sources out there- the Wall Street Journal. It’s an exciting feeling to know that others can see the need and importance for this service, and the truth is, that need is only going to get bigger as time goes on. 

If you’re looking for unbiased professional guidance related to the health and independence of an aging loved one, please visit  www.myhealthcaremanager.com to find out how they can help.

We’re a small company here at Dittoe, but that’s how we want to keep it. With only ten public relations professionals, we’re able to give our clients the personal attention they need, and more importantly, deserve.

 

I see numerous benefits to keeping a company small for both its employees and for the clients, but what I’d like to touch upon in my blog post today is- Why a small company needs a “personality.”

 

As a young, hip and dynamic company, Dittoe makes sure that our image portrays the ‘real’ us. Here’s why I think showing a company’s ‘true’ personality is important:

 

• A company’s personality is what makes it unique and stand out from the competition  
   
• Showing your company’s personality and character helps build loyalty, establish long term relationships with customers and grow brands 
   
• While customers might come to your company based on your product or service offering, what keeps them coming back is an emotional bond 
   
• Bonding helps generate repeat sales and a long term business relationship 
   
• Land big customers.  It’s hard enough for small business to land big name customers. But show a celebrity you’ve got a ‘personality’ too, and they’ll be more apt to give you a shot. 
   
• The personality of your business actually reflects how your organization works and performs the service you are offering.

Our amazing personalities are what have helped Dittoe become the best Indianapolis PR firm- bottom line.

We knew it from the start... Not everyone completely understands the value of public relations.

Whether it's a client or someone on the outside looking in, some people don't entirely appreciate the value that having a public relations team adds to their company or organization. It's not clear to some how to measure the value, but there are a few ways we could try to go about it.

If we measured the coverage generated by the monetary value of equivalent-sized advertisements, it would be much easier to quantify. For example, when we land a full-page story in a magazine, this coverage could be compared to a full-page ad taken out - which would be paid for by the client, not free publicity as is the result of a PR effort.

Not only is a full page story earned by a PR professional more cost-effective, but any reader, listener or viewer will tell you that a story is a highly trustworthy source when compared to a paid advertisement.

Every day at Dittoe PR we are earning pages of editorial content for our clients... adding up to thousands of dollars and in most cases, priceless amounts of coverage. If any company can tell me that it's more satisfying to see their commercial air during Good Morning America, than to speak to millions of people and be a guest on the show, I would have to call them crazy!  No way, no how!

Dealing day in and day out with our clients, we develop relationships with them: a sense of pride for their names, their products and the people who work there. We believe in them and are behind them 100%.  

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Personally, I don't understand why everyone makes such a big deal out of it. Rather than spending a bunch of money, I recommend doing something more thoughtful and creative for your friends or the one you love. Try thinking outside of the box, like a true public relations professional. Here’s my suggestion. It’s great for the last minute shopper too!

There’s a new web site that lets you send personal phone messages to your loved one in a way that’s cheaper than chocolates and more imaginative than flowers.
 
This year all you have to do is go online to SnappyGreetings.com, select a greeting and register to send out a personal Valentine’s message to your sweetie’s cell phone.  At the site, you can record a personal phone message for your significant other that’s coupled with a voice recording from your choice of celebrity voices, including Borat, Elvis and Bill Clinton.  There are a number of celebrity recordings to choose from, some are silly, some are sweet….and others are downright naughty! I like the naughty ones.

Hehehehehehehehehehe.

What’s cool about the technology behind Snappy Greetings is that it’s another cool way that a business is enlisting the help of Indianapolis-based Vontoo.

Go to SnappyGreetings.com today to send your lover a Valentine they’ll never forget.

I say HOT!

This week has been quite exciting for my Indianapolis-based client, Vontoo! For those of you who aren’t familiar with the company, Vontoo is the world’s first provider of on-demand, permission-based, instant voice messaging.

As I am writing this blog post, the number one heiress herself, Paris Hilton, is sending her fans personal phone calls to promote her upcoming movie (all powered by Vontoo), The Hottie and the Nottie, which is scheduled to hit theatres on February 8! This marks a HUGE shift in the way movie marketers are promoting their movies – moving beyond the traditional online & TV advertisements – and into permission-based voice messaging.

Fans of Hilton, like you and me, can simply go to the movie’s Web site (www.thehottieandthenottie.com), insert their phone number (home or cell) and then begin receiving personal calls from the heiress and updates about The Hottie and the Nottie!

I’ve made sure that all of my Paris Hilton-loving friends have received the phone calls. They can thank me later.

ClickZ, a leading site dedicated to helping interactive marketers do their jobs better, has already reported on the personal phone calls from Hilton in a write-up yesterday titled “A Call from Paris: Hot or Not?” You can check it out at http://blog.clickz.com/080115-142945.html.

Go to The Hottie and the Nottie’s Web site NOW to start receiving the calls!

GO BLOGGING!