Strategic Public Relations

Thoughts on the Bowl

We'll be seeing quite a few ads tonight. These million-dollar tactics get more build up than the game itself. To be honest, I think they're my favorite part. I blame part of this attention shift on my profession and part of it on my hometown team—the Bengals. But that is a topic for another blog.

One recommendation the ad/design community should make to the Super Bowl? LOSE THE ROMAN NUMERALS.

It has to be a designer's worst nightmare...cramming the roman numerals into a design that looks great on everything from t-shirts to inflatable couches. Some events are only as good as their marketing tchotchkies. The Super Bowl paraphernalia could stand a redux.

Speaking of which, I actually had a client that picked their new logo based on its resolution holding up when it was shrunken and placed onto a golf ball. At least they had some criteria in mind.

Below is a link to a news story on the accident:
http://enquirer.com/editions/2003/01/17/loc_snow17.html

SPR Update

SPR was on hold due to a large workload. Now it is on hold as I recover from a tragic car accident that claimed the lives of three of my coworkers.

It's a miracle I'm writing to you. But this is far from my last post.

More to come.

Brand. New.

The end of one year brought the holidays and some welcome down time. The new year brings lots of work. The end result?

Plenty to say here with little time to say it.

USA Today TV? According to this story, Gannett plans on aggregating top local news stories and packaging them for a national television audience. If it works, it will reinforce the concept of starting local to garner national attention.

More Martha Magazines. Starting the year off right, a story on Martha Stewart's next magazine landed in my inbox. I do not stalk her, honest. Everyday Food proves out my theories on her silence strategy. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is letting the publication stand on its own without her name. Interesting approach for a brand extension.

American Brands Abroad. Two interesting reports on US-based brands and their impact abroad as international tensions increase. The first one notes American brands are faring well outside of Middle East Islamic countries. The second story features Mecca Cola and a brand strategy evolving that creates new competition for Coke. It will be interesting to see how Coke and other American brands respond on a global level.