Cercone Brown Blog

Public relations programs have long been in vogue when money is tight. A PR agency typically can fill multiple holes in a company’s marketing team for a lot less money when compared to advertising.  So it should come as no surprise that PR is one of the first areas to make a comeback when economic conditions approve.

And improvement seems to finally be here.  In the past two weeks, Cercone Brown has received more new business inquiries than any period in recent memory.  Granted, we’ve been very fortunate during this downturn.  In fact, through hard work and creativity, CBC had one of its best years in 2009.  But that’s a subject for a different post.

If RFPs, requests for meetings and general tire kicking is any indication, client-side spending is making a comeback.  And though CBC is does not specialize in Boston PR (our clients are mostly national brands that are scattered across the USA), a many of these requests cite the Boston area as key to success.  Also interesting is the make up of the inquiries: only one is replacing an existing agency.  Several are overseas companies launching in the U.S. (China, New Zealand), and all target consumers (not B2B).

Social media is the other common theme, as expected.  But what may be surprising is that each and every company puts a premium on traditional media relations.  They want magazines, national TV, local press…the whole gamut. Seems the rumors of the death of traditional media are overstated (at least for now.)

We’ll keep you updated on how we do with these proposals.  In fact, we’ve quietly added a good number of new clients in 2010 that we’ve yet to announce (Orvis, Dr. Kracker, Green Mountain Coffee to name a few). But for now, the good news is that the spending seems to be on the uptick, and that’s great news for everyone.

Bing Vs. Google isn’t Ali-Frazier just yet. I know Google is still Google, but marketers need to pay more attention to Bing. The Microsoft search engine just completed a deal to make Tweets and Facebook status updated part of its results.

We’re not saying that Bing is replacing Google, just that the upstart (if we can actually call anything from Microsoft “upstart”) is gaining momentum.  If you want to compare the two, visit Bing Vs. Google for side-by-side comparisons.  In a cursory search, I liked the first SERP from Bing.  But… Google found newer, more relevant stuff overall.

If you want to geek out on the Bing Vs. Google comparison, check out the Search Engine Smack Down by PC World.  But no matter what you choose, keep an eye on Bing for now.

Beginning today you can follow all the happenings of the Outdoor Industry Rendezvous through the keyboard of CBC Partner Len Cercone.  Len will provide updates and insights from the frontline of the industry’s premier business and networking summit from San Diego.  In addition, he’ll be posting daily on this blog.

Follow Len at twitter.com/lcercone24.

As readers know, CBC has been the architect of online, PR and social media marketing programs for such outdoor industry brands as adidas, Orvis, Nalgene, Karhu, K2, Quiksilver, Timberland, Royal Robins, HIND, Sperry Top-Sider and others.  The firm has also handled many non-outdoor brands on the vanguard of online and social media marketing, including Hasbro, GMAC Insurance, Castrol GTX, Nantucket Nectars and Beneficial Financial Group.

In fact, the firm has been named a Finalist for the Best Online Campaign 2009 by the Prestigious Platinum Awards. (A case study will be posted soon!)  Check out the campaign at www.leastwastefulcities.com.

“Twitter is perfect for real-time updates from events, giving folks a quick idea of what’s happening, and what they may want to get more information on,” said Cercone.  “This is also a way to demonstrate how social media can work for outdoor companies still putting together a comprehensive strategy.”

According to our humble opinion, social media marketing should include more than Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.  It starts with a comprehensive targeting and prioritization process, is sustained with strong content, and maintained with a complete monitoring, tracking and reporting system such as Radian6.

To get your social media strategy rolling, request Cercone Brown’s latest whitepaper on social media marketing (to be published next week), send an email to info@cerconebrown.com.  The paper will cover the 7 Most Common Pitfalls of Social Media Marketing and, more importantly, how to avoid them.

So far, 2009 has been quite a year. I think we are all feeling a bit challenged in our various areas of business. It is times like these that is seems quite a privilege to enjoy your chosen profession. No role or responsibility at Cercone Brown & Company brings me more joy than Winter and Summer House.

This year marked the completion of the third annual Cercone Brown & Company Winter House. This is the second year the program was hosted in the Penthouse of The Canyons in Park City (www.thecanyons.com). Dare I say, it went off without a hitch. Despite the constantly changing economic landscape, we had a profitable program and what’s more, we had a great turn-out of enthusiastic media. More often than not, you hear horror stories about the diva shenanigans of the media. I have had the joy of experiencing the opposite. Winter House is a media relations program that encourages editors to get down and dirty and try product in the most natural way. The media has become more like friends than collegues and we are constantly hearing that Summer and Winter House feel more like a vacation with your nearest and dearest than a work trip.

From snowshoeing in Kahtoolas (www.kahtoola.com) to test-driving Subarus (www.subaru.com) the media was psyched to be immersed in a comprehensive but, let’s face it, fun program. This year, everyone needs a brief escape to do their job in a fun way.

Thank goodness Summer House is only two months away.

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…)

These days, media relations pros are finding the universe of press opportunities dwindling.  True, there’s a whole host of things your PR agency can do with online and social media marketing, including bolstering search results through smart SEO copywriting, promotional campaigns, Facebook and Twitter.  But the truth is that a huge amount of sway in public opinion is still held by the traditional media.  

Public relations pros still need to reach the national news outlets and magazines that are reporting on trends and products with great depth and authority.

But with advertising support at an all time low, these outlets have less time and space for editorial. So PR agencies need to work smarter for their clients than ever before.  Here’s Three Rules to Getting Ink that should help get bolster your media relations efforts in these times of scarcity: (more…)

Boston PR firm becomes agency of record for organic produce company, Olivia’s Organics

BOSTON, MA. (Sept. 17, 2008)- After several successful collaborations, the dynamic duo of Olivia’s Organics and Cercone Brown & Co. is making their partnership official. The Boston-based public relations and advertising firm will become Olivia’s Organics’ agency of record, handling the company’s charitable outreach promotions and brand development.

“We have had great success with Cercone Brown & Co. over the years, from their promotional work on numerous Olivia’s Organics charity events to the introduction of our new Crunch Bunch line,” said Mark DeMichaelis, president, Olivia’s Organics. “We’re confident that our new partnership will only translate into more future successes.”

And Cercone Brown & Co. is not about to waste any time. This year, they will help Olivia’s Organics implement an ongoing charitable outreach project called Gardens of Goodness. The program will be launched in Roxbury, Massachusetts, where Olivia’s will work with local children to turn vacant inner-city greenhouses into flourishing, edible gardens.

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.

About State Garden, Inc. & Olivia’s Organicstm
Founded in 1938, State Garden is a vested member of the New England Produce Industry. Family owned and operated since its inception, State Garden has become one of the leading independent regional processors of celery hearts and tender leaf items. In 2006, the company enhanced its service offerings by expanding into the organic market with a new salad line known as OLIVIA’S ORGANICSTM. The mission of OLIVIA’S ORGANICSTM is three-fold: to encourage healthy eating by offering all-natural, organic salads; to aide the local community through the work of the OLIVIA’S ORGANICSTM CHARITABLE FOUNDATION; and to protect the environment by endorsing earth-friendly farming techniques. For more information, please visit http://www.oliviasorganics.org.

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