By Katherine Zuehlke, Account Supervisor

Like what you see. Love how you feel.

That’s the tagline we want every woman in central Ohio to remember and live by. Fahlgren recently launched our first brand campaign with The Charles Penzone Salons, and we’re excited to see our creative hit the market.

Charles Penzone Salons came to us a few months ago with a challenge — drive guests into The Charles Penzone Grand Salons and make the brand high-fashion but attainable. After working closely with the Charles Penzone team, including Mr. Charles Penzone himself, we came up with a plan to target young professionals who were going through changes in their lives: getting married, having babies, and taking their life and career to the next level. These women were focused on beauty and confidence, and we saw them as the perfect audience for the brand.

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By Amy Dawson, Senior Vice President/Healthcare Account Director

8 in 10 Internet Users Go Online for Health Information

More physician practices and hospitals are starting to embrace Facebook as an important tool in their arsenal of marketing tactics. As marketing dollars shrink, competition intensifies, and more people look to social media as a way to become informed, empowered healthcare consumers, any hospital or practice would be wise to consider how social media can enhance their existing marketing plans. We’re now in the era of Health 2.0 - using social software and its ability to promote collaboration between patients, their caregivers, medical professionals, and other stakeholders in health. It’s really pretty cool when you think about it.

Consider this: eight in 10 Internet users go online for health information. Sure, there are things to consider like staffing, HIPAA, content and more, but can you really afford to be absent from this space and let your competitors be the only voice in the discussion?

I’ve spent the last week looking at a variety of healthcare brands - both hospitals and physician practices - and how they’re using Facebook as a marketing and commnications tool. Some are early adopters and recognize that as their younger patients age, more of them will seek information online rather than schedule an appointment with their doctor. After all, it’s faster and easier than ever to get information online. One caveat here - accessing information online doesn’t replace the value of seeing your physician face-to-face but can certainly help you ask the right questions.

Here are a few examples of Facebook tactics used by healthcare providers that I think are pretty interesting:

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By Jenny Fuerst, Director, Corporate Communications

“This Best of Show award reminds us that TV continues to be a powerful medium for connecting with target audiences. Traditional advertising is not dead; it’s not an either/or. It’s about the art and science of selecting the right mix of channels to run great, engaging creative that connects and engages your target audience,” said Pete McGinty, President, Fahlgren Advertising.

 ”As a leader in the central Ohio advertising community, we’re reinventing ourselves everyday while staying dedicated to developing unique and insightful campaigns that not only gain recognition from our peers, but most importantly, move the needle for our clients.”

Get more details on the campaign and the other ADDYs we won in the full news release.

By Jenny Fuerst, Director, Corporate Communications

Fahlgren, Edward Howard to Join Public Relations Businesses

Neil Mortine and Kathy Cupper Obert

Alignment Forms Independent Powerhouse:

Largest Firm in Ohio and Top 30 Nationally

The acquisition, which joins the capabilities of Fahlgren Mortine Public Relations and Edward Howard, is expected to close during the first quarter of 2010 although integration and coordinated new business and marketing efforts will begin immediately.

Check out more details of today’s exciting announcement in the news release.

By Katherine Zuehlke, Account Supervisor

The Rules are About to Change

Last week I got invited to a lunch and learn titled The Obama Factor & FTC Update. Three associates from the law firm Frost Brown Todd came into our offices to speak about this very interesting subject.

One of the topics they addressed was collecting behavioral data online, which to me, as an advertiser is key information to my clients’ businesses. Today, consumers have control over where and how they receive messages. The purpose of behavioral targeting is to send our client’s message to the right person when they are ready to receive it.

 The FTC defines behavioral advertising by tracking a consumer’s online activities over time (e.g. searches, websites visited, content viewed) to deliver advertising catered to that consumer’s interests. Why is this information important? It helps tailor content to each unique individual. I frequently visit www.target.com or www.gap.com for shopping. So when I’m doing a Google search it’s no coincidence that a Gap, Target or even Macy’s web banner is served up on my screen.

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By Kathleen Ramirez, Fahlgren EVP and Corporate Media Director

(You fill in your own blanks.)

There is no denying that what was once called the traditional media landscape is fast becoming an antiquated term. Most discussions surrounding the changes with media inevitably make their way back to something related to digital applications and technology.  

Our view is that technology has morphed from an additional vehicle to a great enabler and equalizer. We know Americans are more and more adept at multi-tasking. A recent Experian Simmons report revealed that approximately 90% of us watch TV in a typical day and upwards of 70% use some other media while doing so. Surfing the web, using cell phones and emailing were cited as activities most often done while watching TV. 

What does a traditional landscape really mean to today’s overly connected and overscheduled consumer anyway?

Ask a different person….you’ll get a different answer.

So here’s the point of the title of this article….it’s not necessarily the technology or explosion of choices people have today.  It’s understanding where it all fits in the hearts and minds of consumers. 

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