Cercone Brown Blog

As we gear up for CerconeBrownCompany’s fifth annual Winter House program, feelings of excitement and anxiousness all mix into one as we prepare to head on out and set up in our temporary home of The Canyons Resort in Park City for the next few weeks.

Similar to years past, the weeks leading up to it can be maddening, often leaving you to wonder how everything will come together, with the only reassurance being that you know somehow it will all work out (it always does, right?).

Heading into its fifth year, the experiential marketing program is designed to gather top media from around the country to escape the daily chaos of their lives in New York City, Los Angeles, or wherever they may be, letting them step away from their computers, Blackberries and iPads and live amongst, experience and review brands and products without distractions in their natural and intended settings - hence the “Winter House” theme and experience.

Similar to CBC’s Summer House and Green House, the two-week Winter House program is broken down into four different three-day sessions where we play host to groups of four to six media members at a time. Daily schedules for this year’s program are packed - filled with activities ranging from testing out Lolë’s latest apparel out on the ski slopes to putting together a fashion show competition incorporating the newest trends and designs from fashion footwear company, NAYA.

Other activities include experiencing New Balance’s newest running technology in action during a session at the gym, snowshoeing Park City’s back country in EarthTec’s 2011 outdoor apparel line, trekking through the village for a winter hike to feel BOGS’ comfort, insulation and functionality first hand, and a wine-pairing dinner with some of Wente’s most memorable wines.  Pepperidge Farm, adidas eyewear, ICON, Tribe Hummus, and Veggie Patch are some of the other brands that will be featured at this year’s Winter House.

Our group of attending media this year is one of the strongest groups the program has ever seen.  In fact, the program became so popular among press members that we had to setup a “wait-list” for media members, as the program reached capacity just two days after invitations were sent out.  Our 2011 media attendees include: O, the Oprah Magazine, People, Real Simple, Outside Magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Men’s Health, Prevention, The Food Network, American Spa, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, Delta Sky, Snow, Marie Claire, Fitness, Esquire, SELF, The New York Times, ESPN, Women’s Health, SHAPE, Good Morning America, The Huffington Post, and more!

One of the things I personally love about our experiential marketing programs, and Winter House in particular, is seeing the media become fully immersed in a brand and getting to that “aha” moment.  For example, it’s one thing to sit on a media tour in NYC and show a member of the press a ski jacket, talking them through the technology and design, but it’s another thing to watch that same editor wearing that exact jacket during a run in fresh tracks down the mountain in Park City and seeing them truly understand why the seams were made that way and the pockets were constructed with that layout, and how breathable and functional the jacket is, because they are experiencing it first hand and in the conditions that it’s meant to be experienced in.  This type of experience is invaluable for a brand and key to making their product stick out amongst competitors to the media.

With less than two weeks until the program’s official kickoff, we’ll be working at our Boston PR agency to wrap up all of our available sponsorship categories, finalize logistics for each participating brands’ activity and role at the program, confirm editor travel schedules, and, of course, deal with any type of last minute fire drills that we may encounter before we head out West to set up shop and begin preparations in time for the first session’s arrival on January 16.

For those of you who’d like to tune in to see how this year’s program turns out, we’ll be tweeting and Facebooking live from the program with updates, photos and more, so be sure to follow @CerconeBrown on Twitter and “like” the CerconeBrownCompany Facebook page.  In the meantime, we’re looking forward to another successful Winter House program!

Please contact NGuerin@cerconebrown.com or MJackson@cerconebrown.com if you represent a company that is interested in getting involved in one of CBC’s experiential marketing programs.  Limited sponsorship space is still available for the 2011 Winter House.

It’s that time of year again for holiday air travel, and Boston ad agency CerconeBrownCompany (CBC) knows that it can be both a joyful and harrowing experience. But regardless of the mileage logged or the destination itself, air travel is really all about connecting people: loved ones, friends, family.

In the spirit of celebrating that connection, this week, CBC is launching a series of ads on behalf of Logan Airport, which is owned and operated by Massport, the Massachusetts Port Authority. The campaign, called “Destinations,” will appear in print, out-of-home and online.

Some of the media outlets where you’ll see the airport ads, include:

• Boston.com
• Weather.com
• CBS Radio and TV
• Greater Media radio/online
• Entercom Radio/online
• Boston Magazine
• Commuter Rail Posters and the Storrow Drive Billboard

In addition to the external “Destinations” campaign, the Boston ad agency also developed an internal ad campaign called “Straight Talk,” designed specifically for placement in Logan Airport terminals. The goal of these ads? To help travelers understand that construction in and around Logan Airport - which may seem inconvenient - is just one of the ways Massport is improving its services for all passengers and the surrounding community.

After all, a better airport means a better travel experience — one item that is on everyone’s holiday wish list. Happy travels!

The CerconeBrown & Co. Green House is now underway in one of the nation’s only mutli-family net-zero homes out in Boulder, Colo.

In this one-of-a-kind experiential marketing program, the nation’s top editors are immersed into the most eco-friendly services, products and technology around to gain deep insight on Smart Living, a sensible lifestyle that helps save money and decrease a person’s negative impact on the environment. Some of the most planet-friendly and eco-conscious brands — from Ford to 3M to LG to Tupperware — are combining forces at this distinctive media relations event to revamp press members’ views on sustainability and how they will report to their millions of readers and viewers.

As you might expect, this feat doesn’t come without its fair share of good old-fashioned hard work. The Boston PR Agency crew has been working nearly 20-hour days (wow!) behind the scenes to transform a house surpassing LEED-Platinum certification into a platform for sustainable living. And through undying effort and lots of sweat (but thankfully no blood or tears), the CBC team has hit the ground running — and pretty fast to say the least.

To give you an idea of the kind of energy needed to pull off such an exhilarating event, here’s an inside look at the personal work journal of the CBC crew on site in Boulder:

6:30 a.m. - The day starts bright and early with the team opening the 300th (that’s an understatement) box of Tupperware product to stock the pantry.

7:30 - It’s time to change over the 25th load of laundry (talk about a workout!) in an amazing LG energy-efficient washer and dryer with the new Sweet Sleep organic bedding.

Not too sure how this happened, but cardboard somehow manages to get into the washer machine, and explodes everywhere.  It looks like the Terminator got a little too carried away in a paper factory. Luckily CBC had an LG energy efficient vacuum to save the day and clean up the Terminator’s mess.

Finally, the sheets come out of the wash looking more wrinkled than a shar pei puppy.  Just their luck, there’s no iron in sight.

8:30 - The ever-resourceful CBC team puts their heads together, and calls in a cleaning crew that comes through and goes to town!

8:30 - 10:30 -The architect, realtors, developers, owner, sponsors, mattress delivery crew, contractor, Ford team, 3M sponsors and CBC Green House team are all in and out of the house preparing for the open house to kick off at 11 a.m. (panic mode handled with grace and poise).

11:00 - CBS channel 4 arrives. An interview with the developer and architect commences.

Noon - Super interns Max and Chase head out on a Target run. CBC then meets with the Boulder film crew to do some creative collaborating and document the next three weeks.

1:00 p.m. - No time to rest!  The CBC crew begins drafting the sponsor and editor materials.

3:00 - A Tupperware representative arrives, and more merchandising continues.

4:30 - midnight - CBC continues to set up the house and merch, merch, merch (this stands for merchandising).

This is just a morsel of the effort that goes into creating such an amazing event…stay tuned for more of the CBC Green House frenzy!

Boston Advertising & PR Firm One as Six “Honorable Mentions from 800 Submissions for “America’s Least Wasteful Cities” Campaign for Bottle-Maker Nalgene

Blending social media marketing, interactive design, and press relations has become a hallmark of Boston advertising and PR firm Cercone Brown & Co., helping brands such as GMAC Insurance, adidas, Quiksilver and others build campaigns that drive awareness, sales leads and ROI.

On October 21st, the firm was honored for Best Online Campaign for 2009 for the prestigious Platinum PR Awards for its “America’s Least Wasteful Cities” work for reusable bottle icon Nalgene. Cercone Brown & Co. was among the top eight companies with the Best Online Campaign out of a total pool of 800 submissions.

With thrift and conservation on the minds of many Americans, the campaign put the spotlight on wasteful behavior in our nation’s top cities. “The Nalgene Least Wasteful City Study” ranked 23 waste-focused habits of urban Americans, from recycling, to using public transportation, to shutting off lights. When the results were tallied, San Francisco earned the title of America’s Least Wasteful City, while Atlanta ranked last.

Launched just prior to Earth Day, the program leveraged social media networks including Twitter and Facebook as primary channels.

“From a simple strategy of creating usable, compelling content, the effort quickly caught fire and extended beyond our hopes,” said Caroline Budney, director, social responsibility, Cercone Brown & Co.  “Almost immediately the ‘Net reacted with Twitter the clear epicenter of activity, as our frequent tweets were fueled by the tweets of columnists and bloggers.”

In total, the campaign reached more than 1 million on Twitter alone, and was extended by numerous television and print new stories. The campaign allowed Nalgene to strengthen its online community, adding fans to Facebook and followers to Twitter, making direct conversations with important alpha consumers easier and stronger.

The Platinum PR Awards

Del Monte Foods, GE, Time Warner Cable and American Express are among the organizations competing for honors in the 2009 Platinum PR Awards. Presented by PR News, the leading information resource among communicators, this highly competitive program honors the best PR campaigns and initiatives of the year.

The finalists in this year’s awards program included corporations, nonprofits and agencies large and small. The award winners were announced at an October 21, 2009 awards luncheon at the Grand Hyatt in New York City and in PR News’ Platinum PR Awards special issue in October.

The awards were judged by a blue-chip panel that includes PR executives from corporations, agencies, nonprofits and associations, and leading educators and industry consultants.

“It is remarkable how far the PR discipline has come in the past few years in terms of impacting an organization’s bottom line and reputation,” says Diane Schwartz, vice president and group publisher of PR News. “This year’s finalists in the Platinum PR Awards reinforce how powerful public relations is in moving the needle.”

PR News’ Oct. 26 Platinum PR Issue profiles the top PR campaigns of the year and will serve as a users guide to PR departments of all sizes and missions. Coverage will include profiles of the top innovative campaigns, the smartest communications initiatives and the people behind them.

Boston Advertising & PR Firm’s Own Site Takes Silver in Interactive Category

June 15, 2009 — When it comes to online public relations and interactive marketing, Boston social media marketing and PR agency Cercone Brown & Co. is practicing what they preach.

The firm’s own website has won a 2009 Silver NEDMA interactive award for best B-to-B website. Co-developed with partner agency, Overdrive Interactive, the site is designed to be an in-depth look at the online and interactive capabilities Cercone Brown can provide to its clients ranging from social media to online PR and marketing to website development.

“We live in an age where businesses must constantly evolve their online identity to align with their brand and messaging in innovative and well-crafted ways. To be recognized for our website efforts thus far by NEDMA is truly flattering,” said Cercone Brown Partner Len Cercone.

The site is designed to be more than a showcase for the firms work, and is meant to help prospects quickly answer their most important questions when researching an online PR and marketing agency. The site is also used as a new business tool and thus reflects the Cercone Brown brand, messaging and culture, in addition to its advertising, media relations and online marketing campaigns.

“What’s funny about winning this award is that we’re always lamenting that we’re too busy to do our own marketing.  The site is really just a fraction of what we hope it will become,” said Cercone.

Future plans for the website include adding more interactive features and feedback, as well as truly displaying the agency’s full creative and media relations capabilities both in the social mediasphere and beyond through case studies, blogs, white papers, and inventive campaigns perfectly executed.

About Cercone Brown & Co.
Located in Boston, Massachusetts, Cercone Brown & Co. (CBC) provides branding, advertising, public relations and promotions services to companies in a range of industries. Founded in 2001, the company has worked with leading brands that include adidas, GMAC Insurance, Hasbro, Castrol GTX, Nantucket Nectars, Orvis, Cognos, Sperry Top-Sider, K2, The Timberland Company, Vibram and ZOOTS. For more information, visit www.cerconebrown.com.

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Cercone Brown & Co. Launches the First Annual Green House Marketing Program To Bring Awareness to Sustainable Living

When it comes to constructing or converting a home for “green living”, the common perception is that it’s expensive, inconvenient, and only for those who can afford the luxury of being eco-friendly.

However, one Boston PR agency, Cercone Brown & Co., aims to debunk these green stereotypes through a new program, the Green House. This May, just outside Burlington, Vt., Cercone Brown & Co. will immerse a Who’s Who of traditional and interactive press into a completely green-living environment.

The Green House is entirely eco-friendly, from energy efficiency and independence to the smallest details in its furnishings, fabrics and food. However, guests living this completely sustainable lifestyle will find the experience — from accommodations to travel to entertainment — not only affordable, but unexpectedly comfortable and convenient.

“The purpose of the Green House isn’t to try to convert folks to completely green living, but rather demonstrate that there are many often ingenious products and approaches that can make a big difference in the health of the planet and your finances,” said Emily McCavanagh, new business director, Cercone Brown & Co.

The House is expected to host 20 top consumer, green and business editors.  While there, editors won’t just look, they’ll be encouraged to touch, taste and test brands in a living laboratory of the latest ecologically inspired products.  Activities will include test-driving the new Honda Insight hybrid, taste-testing Green Mountain Coffee, and jogging in New Balance’s latest Earth-friendly shoes. Editors will also give back to their home-away-from-home by participating in a community service garden project to aid local families in need.

While PR teams from each company are encouraged to attend, the Green House honors a strict “no pitch” zone, instead endorsing genuine interactions with editors. This system ensures that Green House attendees have the best products of 2009/2010 at their disposal; no boundaries, no time constraints, no distractions.

The Green House: Vermont Living for the 21st Century
The Cercone Brown & Co. Green House is a “net zero” home, meaning it is intended to produce as much energy as it uses over the course of the year. Environmental features include geo-thermal heating, radiant concrete floors, triple pane windows, super insulated walls and roofs, active PV solar panels and significant south facing glass, which provides solar gain and great views down the valley.

Owned by the Vermont Building Resources and the Russell Family Farm, the Green House is certified by the Vermont Builds Green (VBS) program. The house is located on a 24-acre farm parcel with 14 acres set aside for continued farming.

The Green House concept is an outgrowth of Cercone Brown’s successful Summer House/Winter House programs (now in the fourth year) hosted in Nantucket, Mass. and Park City, Utah, respectively. Participating companies have included such leading brands as Subaru, Oakley, Vineyard Vines, Wente Vineyards, Baskin-Robbins, Zone Perfect, Seventh Generation, Nordic Track and many more.  For information on attending or exhibiting in any of Cercone Brown & Co’s Houses, contact Noelle Guerin at 617-248-0680 x21 or nguerin@cerconebrown.com.

About Cercone Brown & Co.
Located in Boston, Massachusetts, Cercone Brown & Co. (CBC) provides branding, advertising, public relations and promotions services to companies in a range of industries. Founded in 2001, the company has worked with leading brands that include adidas, GMAC Insurance, Hasbro, Nantucket Nectars, Orvis, Cognos, Sperry Top-Sider, K2, The Timberland Company, Vibram and ZOOTS. For more information, visit www.cerconebrown.com.

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Search engine optimization: as soon as you say it, it evokes the need to call some IT guy who can arcane programming like meta tags. Anything to do with this online marketing voodoo is not for you, right?  Think again.

The web has long been the first stop for information for most Americans, and for that matter, folks worldwide.  Google outpaces any network for reach and influence, and if handled correctly, connects you directly with someone looking for just what you have to offer.  You say you’ve got it covered with Google Adwords? Think again…again.

These days, if marketers and PR pros don’t fully understand natural language search engine optimization, you are dangerously out of touch (though in the vast majority, so don’t panic yet).  In short, this is the the emerging communications practice of offsite search optimization. It’s also know as SEO PR, Ambient Content, and other home-made names.  In short, it’s using RSS press releases and content to capture attention at the critical moment of search, while also boosting search rankings by securing incoming links from authoritative sites. (more…)

This is the second of three entries on Word of Mouth techniques for PR agencies and professionals. In the last entry, I talked about the first word of mouth tool, guerilla marketing. Today, it’s the publicity stunt. Granted, one could argue that they are very similar, but in my book there is one basic, but important difference: the stunt is about media coverage, including consumer generated media.

A stunt is an unabashed and often brazen play for publicity. Again, Red Bull has a great example: the Flutag. Otherwise normal, semi-emotionally balanced folk leaping from great heights in a hilarious, self-effacing attempt to fly on contraptions of their own design. You can’t help but look, and it makes great TV.

Stunts are easy to spot: skydivers, streakers, even the ol’DJ-on-the-billboard are stunt stereotypes. But to be successful, stunts have to do more than just grab attention. They must create compelling images, a can’t miss photo op. TV and print photo editors think of what looks good on the screen or a page, and it doesn’t always need to be outrageous.

Before baseball player Johnny Damon defected from the Red Sox to the Yankees, Gillette had extensive coverage for the launch of its new razor thank to him. Johnny agreed to shave his Grizzly Adams beard in public for a local charity. Complete with attractive female barbers (it’s a man’s razor, after all), they captured the city’s attention. Johnny’s clean-shaven face looked great on the evening news, leading all to believe that the M3Power must be one helluva razor.

But the best part of stunts these days? You don’t need the traditional media to be successful. We have YouTube. Still, it’s a crowded viral world out there. To be successful, you should the same press-savvy thinking to your viral videos as (good) PR pros have for years with the Stunt.

And in a shameless plug, check out a video of a stunt my firm, CBC, did for Nantucket Nectars back in 2004 when the Red Sox won the World Series. The World’s Largest Thank You Card brought thousands together from around New England, and made it all the way to the network news. Enjoy!

Next Up: Grassroots marketing.

PR agencies spend so much time talking about PR 2.0, bloggers, online media, social media and the like, as marketers we forget that we live in the real world, too.  And often, what we do in the real world is the very fire that fuels success in online marketing and spurs word-of-mouth across it all.  

To this end, I overheard a conversation at lunch where two marketing execs were talking about what they could do to drive Word of Mouth.  Aside from the fact that they shouldn’t talk about plans in an Au Bon Pain, it was clear that these guys were confused on some of the basic tools, such as guerilla marketing, publicity stunts and grassroots programs.  The terms were jumbled together in a mashup of craziness and swag, seemingly with very little direction.  Never mind they seemed to be clueless how to translate their ideas to online or social media marketing.

For what it’s worth, I thought I’d take a shot at providing some context to the conversation.   Hey, I may be completely full of s**t; talk to 50 marketers and you may get 50 different definitions for these same words. But defining these tactical kissing cousins is the key to having a good reference point to begin a plan.

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