July 2011 Update

My formal training in PR began when I worked as a bartender

Roxana Janka - PR Specialist

I learned the essentials to being a good PR pro when I slung drinks at a seafood dive.

Be persuasive, clear and enthusiastic

Whether it's greeting a guest who sits at the bar or securing approval on a PR proposal, both are best done with energy and sincere enthusiasm. Be clear about what you have to offer. Explain the drink specials or components of a strategy and believe in what you are recommending. If you know it's not in the client's best interest, charm won't help.

Anticipate needs and consolidate your trips

By the time the raw oysters arrive, make sure lemons to squeeze are already at the table. Similarly, don't make the client ask for something you should have handled. Be efficient. Don't send dozens of emails with one-off questions. Respect your client's time and consolidate communications. On your trip to the kitchen for another side of butter, grab that margarita refill. You'll work smarter, and the client will feel well-fed and tended to.

The bar is your domain, you lead the strategy

Sometimes bar patrons can be a bit unruly. It is up to you to maintain decorum or adherence to the strategy. When clients ask to throw in ad hoc initiatives or pull the plug on a program prematurely, you must diffuse the situation. Decisively, yet gently, remind them of stated goals and aligning to meet objectives. Be confident in your authority to maintain order and be more than an order-taker. You are there to provide counsel and guide them through the experience — whether dining or PR.

Technology goes retro

Farhan Mohammad - Team Manager

The general perception people have about the tech industry is that it is always looking forward for innovation and breakthroughs. Unlike the fashion industry, there isn't much "retro" in tech.

In the late 1990s/early 2000s Microsoft, HP, IBM and others heavily promoted tablet computing, but the market/consumer did not respond because the price was too high ($1,200+), and the technology was not robust. Similarly, Sun Microsystem (now Oracle) was promoting its cloud computing system, Solaris, priced around $5,000. Suffice to say they failed! Then came Apple, Google and Amazon.

iPad and Android have revolutionized the tablet-computing market. With the right mix of marketing and robust technology, they are redefining how we consume media and data and interact with the web. This ability was transcended with availability of the "cloud" environment led by Amazon and Google. Technology is moving forward so fast that sometimes we forget to see what we've passed by. I suppose a little bit of retro in tech is not a bad thing.

Will interactive Web 3-D ever die?

Armand Kerechuk - Art Director

It can be amazing, allowing you to view and interact with an object or scene in all perspectives.

So why isn't it used by more brands? Well, there are a few reasons: It has a bad history, some don't believe it's necessary on the web and others consider it to be nothing more than eye candy. Yes, it's certainly not new, as it's been around for more than 20 years but, early on, it was just too dense and too soon to be practical. Adobe tried it with Atmosphere, Macromedia tried it with Shockwave, Microsoft tried it with Chromeffects. The great news is that Web 3-D is improving quickly. Good programs now exist, like Unity, a new game building product that can handle huge numbers of polygons and rich textures. It allows programmers to work in JavaScript, a language they already understand. Bottom line is that it will always exist, as there are simply too many industries that need it — gaming, healthcare and science, to name a few. And there are too many uses, including augmented reality, CAD data engine building and virtual reality. It's a safe bet we'll be seeing more of it to come.

Create loyalty that's rewarding

Harvey Kaner - Team Manager

Affinity programs are designed to promote a long-term relationship and affect shoppers' buying habits. Three out of four Americans participate in some kind of rewards program — but the trick is winning them over.

Choose an appropriate strategy. Referrals to new customers are good for one-time services; amount of money spent is better for multiple transactions or regularly used products.

Target the right people. Half of sales can come from the top 10% most frequent shoppers. Gather as much information as you can about this group. When do they shop? What are they buying? What rewards would they value? It can take as many as 20 new customers to make up for the loss of a loyal customer, so keep the ones you have!

Offer tangible goals that are within reach. Customers should be able to reap benefits within the first few months of participation, and rewards shouldn't be too difficult to redeem.

Find out what your competitors are doing. What works in your sector or at least what's been tried already. Look for things you like and what you could improve.

Promote it. Through employees, email, advertising and PR. A combination of efforts is most effective.

Good news about some of our great clients

		zpizza recently opened new locations in Brea and La Habra, CA, with additional new locations scheduled to open within the month in California and Texas, including its milestone 100th restaurant in Austin! The rapidly growing, fast-casual chain now has more than 400 locations in development worldwide. Delicious, organic and natural ingredients, as well as unique topping combinations and vegan and gluten-free options, set zpizza apart from its competition.
		Tahiti Tourisme North America has recently announced its latest arrival statistics for January-April 2011. Arrivals from North America were up 57% over 2010, with land arrivals for the same period up 41%. In addition, North Americans accounted for 40% of all Tahiti visitors in the first four months of the year.
		Panasonic Solutions Company has introduced CAD Connection, a new program developed to support the growing needs of the Consultants, Architects and Designers who design for and specify professional AV and mobile computing solutions. Poised to be the go-to resource for this audience, it features a special designer reference website; on-site product and technology briefings; a dedicated support hotline staffed by technical experts; and e-news with Panasonic products, services, tools and events.
		Monrovia, the leading grower of premium garden plants, announced that CEO Miles Rosedale was recently inducted into the Green Industry Hall of Fame. Organized, in part, by the California Landscape Contractors Association, the Hall of Fame was established to honor industry leaders in the green industry.
		La Quinta Resort & Club has opened a new confectionary shop in its retail arcade. Lollipops offers hundreds of vintage-style candies and fresh fudge prepared onsite by Pastry Chef Patrick Nettle. The new store is already a big hit with guests - children and adults, alike.
		Dunn-Edwards, the Southwest's leading manufacturer of premium paints, recently opened the world's first LEED-certified paint manufacturing facility. Located in Phoenix, the 336,000-square-foot facility was custom designed to be the greenest and most efficient in the coatings industry. Energy calculations on the new plant show a 50 percent reduction over its two existing operations.
		An anonymous donor has pledged $3 million each to City of Hope and Caltech to support collaboration for promising projects in cancer, AIDS and diabetes research. The goal of the partnership is to speed scientific discoveries from the laboratory to patient care. City of Hope is a leading research, treatment and education center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.
		Congratulations to Tad Lowrey, president and CEO of CapitalSource Bank, who was selected as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Semi-Finalist in Greater Los Angeles. CapitalSource Bank has 21 branches throughout the Southern and Central Valley regions of California.

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Creative Strategies is written to deliver marketing philosophies and tips for our clients and agency friends. Email us and tell us how we can improve it.

The Phelps Group is a marketing communications company organized in client-based teams of advertising, PR, promotion, direct and interactive specialists, delivering integrated programs from a full-feedback environment. Our mission is to create great work for deserving clients, in a healthy working environment, to realize our clients' goals and our potential.

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