Shazaaam! Public Relations Named One of Metropolitan Detroit’s “101 Best and Brightest Companies To Work For” Third Year in a Row

The Michigan Business and Professional Association (MBPA) has named Shazaaam! LLC Public Relations as one of Metropolitan Detroit’s “101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For.” Shazaaam! and 100 other companies will be honored at a symposium and awards luncheon on Thursday, October 29, 2009, at the Dearborn Inn, a Marriott Hotel.

“We are extremely pleased to be named one of the ‘101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For,’” said Adrienne Lenhoff, Shazaaam! founder and president. “This is the third year in a row we have been honored. In 2007 Crain’s Detroit Business named us a ‘Cool Place to Work.’”

The selection of Shazaaam! and the other winning companies is the result of independent research that evaluated each entry in the following categories: communication, community initiatives, compensation and benefits, diversity and multiculturalism, employee education and development, employee engagement and commitment, recognition and retention, small business, recruitment and selection, and work-life balance.

“Because the companies selected have created impressive organizational value and business results through their policies and Best Practices in human resource management, we believe it is important to recognize their accomplishments, especially at a time when all businesses are being challenged in ways never before seen,” said Jennifer Kluge, MBPA Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

The awards symposium leads off at 7 a.m. with registration and a networking continental breakfast. The morning continues with a series of interactive educational sessions on human resource practices starting at 8:05 a.m. This year’s educational sessions include: “Sustainable Business Practices,” “Identifying and Measuring Good Employee Engagement,” “Managing Emotions in the Workplace,” and “Unique and Innovative HR Practices.” The awards luncheon and announcement of the honorees and 11 elite winners follows at 11:00 a.m.

Metro Detroit’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For is sponsored by: AT&T Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Corp!, Davenport University, DTE Energy, Pepsi Bottling Group, Douglas Marketing, The Designate, Strategic Staffing Solutions, WJBK Fox 2, HRAGD, Detroit Athletic Club and McGraw Wentworth.

Admission for the awards luncheon and symposium for individuals is $165 for MBPA members and $195 for non-members. If you are interested in attending the conference, contact the Michigan Business and Professional Association at 888-277-6464 or visit www.101bestandbrightest.com.

Founded in 2001, Shazaaam! is an independently owned, privately held marketing and public relations service and strategy agency headquartered in Southfield, Mich. Shazaaam! Is the Detroit member of the Pinnacle Worldwide network of PR agencies. The Shazaaam family of companies includes Shazaaam! Convergence Public Relations, an award winning agency; Buzzphoria, the social media marketing agency; and Promo Marketing Team, brand ambassadors, experiential events, and sampling. For more information, go to www.shazaaam.com.

Based in Warren, Mich., the MBPA is the largest business organization of small to medium-sized businesses in Michigan, representing more than 20,000 members who employ more than 200,0000 persons. Members include attorneys, physicians, architects, accountants, construction companies, banks, retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers and the like. Member businesses receive numerous benefits including free legal and financial consultations; discounted technology, automotive and office products; employee training and recruitment assistance; and competitive insurance rates. The MBPA is a sister association to the Michigan Food & Beverage Association (MFBA).

Contact:
Adrienne Lenhoff
248-366-0388

“What’s the point of being anonymous on the internet if a lawyer can get your name because someone doesn’t like what you have to say.”

In the uncharted frontier that is the internet, we’ve long hidden behind our “cloaking devices” — pseudonyms and screennames designed to mask our true identities from the world at large. These Noms du Net give us a certain freedom online, allowing us to say things on public forums without fear of reprisal. We can post our comments to the online contents of news articles that run in major publications, making those off-hand remarks an eternal part of the digital record. According to Reuters, 77 percent of bloggers post to express themselves creatively rather than to get noticed or paid.

And really, who hasn’t had a reaction of some sort after reading an article in the newspaper? The difference being our watercooler chats over current events don’t stay in the public eye forever. Case in point: This summer, news organizations in Texas are carriying articles about the alleged murder of a 4-year-old by her stepfather, Lucas Coe. The online versions of these articles drew a lot of attention, and hundreds of people posted their feelings on the matter. The responses, somewhat predictably tended to range from sympathy for the deceased to anger that Coe was still walking the streets. (Update as of today: he’s been put back in jail.)

Coe’s attorneys are currently demanding the identifying information on approximately 300 commenters from Houston papers, under the auspices that these posters have some personal knowledge of the case, or might otherwise have connections to the case. Outlets subpoenaed include The Houston Chronicle, the Conroe Courier, KHOU (Channel 11) and KTRK (Channel 13).

And you know what? It seems they do. (You might have to scroll down to see that there indeed are people who seem to know Coe personally, or mention information that could be case specific here) For the defense, this information could be very useful in weeding out potential jury problems or even say in a motion seeking a change of venue. The media outlets in question have already begun their motions to fight this request for information. (In a recent Houston Chronicle article editor Jeff Cohen notes “In our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, we alert chron.com users that their names may be disclosed in response to litigation, however, in this case we are notifying the users in question so they can make objections if they so choose.”)

This brings us to an interesting question- one echoed by poster on justicequest.net who asked “I mean what’s the point of being anonymous on the internet if a lawyer can get your name because someone doesn’t like what you have to say.” In a social media world everyone with a computer and internet access is a publishing magnate. With great power comes great responsibility: Transparency and Authenticity are key to any successful messaging strategy- but where do we draw the line?  In a world without borders, do things like American First Amendment rights have any bearing?  It’s a multi faceted issue, and maybe no side is totally right. Where does responsibility lie here, in the arena of personal opinion?

That said, the rights of people in casual conversation are different from the responsibilities of those blogging or communicating on a clients behalf. On a professional level, it’s vital at all times that we be seen as Authentic at all time when communicating about our clients. You don’t have the luxury of hiding behind  screennames. Keep in mind that you’re better off being authentic and transparent with customers and the media -  they’re smarter than you think, with access to the same internet you do, and they will call you out if the smell something fishy. Don’t get your hand caught in the cookie jar- be upfront- your public will respect you for it. We all make mistakes. It happens.

Facebook Reaches 200 Million Users

According to Facebook, on April 8, the company added its 200 millionth user.  According to multiple reports and studies, Facebook’s fastest growing segment is users aged 26 to 44.

An article by eMarketer provides additional background and a table that outlines age and gender growth from January to March 2009.  (see http://tinyurl.com/d8rjxm)  

For many brands looking to create visibility within a pre-existing social media platform, Facebook offers the greatest flexibility within their TOS (terms of service) for marketing and advertising messages.  However, many brands make a critical error when embarking on a social media campaign; talking at the audiences they’re trying to reach, rather than engaging and speaking with…

The Changing Face of PR

With all the changes taking place with print media — the shrinking of newspapers, cut down and/or disappearance of home delivery, and many ceasing print publication completely — it’s more imperative than ever for savvy companies and brands to develop additional channels to tell their stories.  The convergence of print media into digital delivery actually creates multitudes of opportunity.  With the transition of print to digital, content actually becomes multi-media leading to enhanced opportunities for video and audio integration into stories that in a traditional print setting would have only consisted of words and perhaps a photo or two.  We’re finding that most of the media we work with allow longer articles for electronic stories they’re publishing about our clients, have more opportunities for our clients to be positioned as guest bloggers or subject matter experts in bylined articles and are incorporating video we’ve provided or the report has shot – along with audio and photo spreads.

 

The stats say it all:

 

Source emarketer January 13, 2009

Source emarketer January 13, 2009

2009 Marketing Budget

How’s the present economic climate impacting your 2009 marketing budget? We’ve got a poll set up through my LinkedIn account at http://polls.linkedin.com/p/14736/mqfpk

Happy Holidays and New Year!!!

Happy New Year and Holidays from Adrienne Lenhoff and everyone at Shazaaam, Buzzphoria and Promo Marketing Team!!!  The first 25 companies to email Adrienne at socialmedia@shazaaam.com will receive a complementary social media reality check as our holiday gift.  The social media reality check will benchmark your company or brand against your top 2-3 competitors.  www.shazaaam.com and www.buzzphoria.com

 

10 Days to 2009 – Will Your Business Marketing Plans Integrate Online and Offline Marketing Tactics?

Are you integrating your online and offline campaigns? If you’re dealing with online and offline marketing communications tactics, you should be looking to integrate your programs as much as possible.

Are your offline initiatives driving and pushing online traffic? Are your online activities driving offline results? When we develop campaigns, we look for ways that integrate online and offline activities to complete the marketing circle for our clients. This strategy allows for measurement on multiple levels and ensures that your messages are being heard and are resonating with your target markets.

What are your online and offline initiatives doing for consumer engagement?

Engage the customer. Social media is one of the easiest and most cost efficient means to engage your customers and prospective customers in a one-on-one dialogue. — Remember, this medium is an excellent way for you to work to generate conversations and discussions with customers and prospective customers. If you are using a pre-existing social media platform such as Facebook or MySpace, be sure to review their Terms of Service prior to engaging in conversations. Also remember, one of the biggest mistakes we see companies and brands make is to talk at the consumer (ie., if you’re going to blast out special offers and what’s on sale for the week, you’re in violation of most terms of service). This medium is good for getting people to talk about your product or service, not for you to blast advertisements.
An example is a beverage company client of ours:

We use social media to get consumers talking about our client’s products. What’s their favorite holiday memory? Favorite holiday recipe that uses our client’s products? What flavor do you wish they had? What’s your favorite flavor? Where can you find our street teams and brand ambassadors? Tours of the plant (using video). Frequently asked questions. Fun facts, etc.

13 Days To 2009 – What’s Your Business Resolution?

Now is a great time to timeline out your marketing and communications goals for 2009.  As the New Year approaches, take this time to evaluate your marketing initiatives and key marketing messages from 2008 and years past.  What’s worked for you?  What hasn’t?  How did you track results?  How do you plan on tracking results moving forward?  In looking at what has not worked, remember to take stock of not only the marketing communications mediums you used (ie., press releases, direct mail, advertisements, electronic newsletters, social media, web sites, micro sites, podcasts, product sampling, premium offers, etc), also look at the messaging.  In challenging economic times, what key messages and unique selling points are going to resonate most with both your existing and target customers?  In reviewing my last post, if you do circle back and speak with your customers, they’ll be a great resource in helping you redefine or reinforce the key messages of why someone can’t afford to be or do without your product or service.

15 Day Countdown to 2009 – What’s Your Business Resolution?

With 15 days to the New Year, it’s time to tune up your business and make sure plans are in place to to keep your business and brand top of mind in 2009. With industry statistics showing that acquiring new customers costs 5 to 10 times more than retaining one, what are your plans in 2009 to retain your current customers and/or market share? When was the last time you initiated a conversation with your existing customers to find out how you’re doing and to determine what you can be doing better? A 5 percent increase in customer retention can yield profit increases of 25 percent to 100 percent. And, according to industry stats, repeat customers spend, on average, 67 percent more. Do you know what your customers are saying about you, your brand or your business? If they’re saying great things, what’s your plan to turn that into new business in 2009? And, if they’re saying negative things, what’s your plan to communicate with them to turn things around? If you’ve lost market share or customers, do you know the real reasons why? Chances are if you’ve lost them, someone else has gained them… What’s your 2009 plan to connect with existing customers and reconnect with past customers?

When Named 101 Best and Brightest Company To Work For, Shazaaam Employees Celebrate With A Scare

In my last post, I talked about excellence and also about measurement.  For those who know us, excellence is something for which we continually strive.  As an employer, excellence has profound significance as it translates to work environment and also to the level of talent we attract and retain within our company. Recently, we received the honor of being named, for the second year in a row, one of Metro Detroit’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For.  When we received the award in 2007, along with being named one of Crain’s Detroit Business Cool Places to Work, I asked everyone what they wanted to do to celebrate.  They said they wanted to go to Erebus — the world’s largest walk-through haunted house.  They weren’t interested in walking through, they wanted to have the Erebus make-up artists paint our faces, costume us and have us work in the haunt for the night scaring people.  This year, when asked what they wanted to do to celebrate, Erebus was chosen again.  We had a great time.

 

Awards such as the 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For are great honors.  Especially since they are judged partially on employee nomination and feedback.  I’ve been very lucky as we’ve grown the agency to have talented and hardworking individuals help me grow the agency and do amazing work for our clients.

 

Here’s a pic from the Erebus trip.