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.

How better to represent an attainable brand and show off the talents of Charles Penzone professionals than to feature real woman getting makeovers? Charles Penzone selected three real guests and gave them a total transformation: hair, makeup, manicure and clothing. Then we took these real guests who were glowing with beauty and confidence and put them in front of a great fashion photographer to let the magic happen. These everyday women (a grad student, a marketing professional and a working mom) who walked into the salon hours earlier were transformed into models that would be used in the brand campaign materials.

When you think of fashion you think of fashion magazines. So we put together a media plan that included regional print ads in national fashion magazines including Cosmo, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle and Marie Claire. And then we took our creative online to the top fashion and entertainment sites; Eonline, InStyle.com and MyStyle.com. We created a unique URL www.cpmakeover.com so we could track our campaign and report measurable results.

Our unique URL drove people to a custom section of www.charlespenzone.com that featured our three real guests and the transformations they received. Visitors were able to see before and after photos, descriptions of the services each real guest received during her transformation, and a behind-the-scenes video featuring their makeovers and the photo shoot. The site launched March 1, and already we have seen a great number of visitors and are excited to see the final results of this campaign.

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:

Arkansas Children’s Hospital has a feature on their Facebook page where visitors can make an online donation. They also make it easy to access their RSS feed for current news and information. Another great feature is a link to a blog, Change of Face, that features updates about their medical team that has developed an international reputation for repairing clept lips and palates as well as vascular malformations.

Scripps Health uses a sunflower photo as an icon - not a building - which is a nice change from the facility images that many hospitals and health systems use. On their Facebook page, Scripps uses YouTube and Twitter tabs, along with a really helpful Jobs tab. Another nice feature is photos of their medical team that provided aid to victims of the Haiti earthquake.

Another way to use photos is to connect them with copy. The LaJolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre uses patient stories as a way to build credibility for the practice.

Facebook also offers a Reviews tab. Macarthur OB/GYN, based in Irving, Texas, does a great job with posting reviews on their page. What better endorsement is there than satisfied patients? They also have great photos of moms and their babies.

The City of Hope in Los Angeles uses Facebook to tell their fans about the urgent need for blood platelet donors. They also use real estate on their page to promote their ranking on the U.S. News & World Report list of America’s Best Hospitals.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital recently used their Facebook page to promote their relationship with ResearchMatch, a secure and convenient online Web portal where people can be matched with research studies.

M.D. Anderson has a news page that features a Boxes tab which is home to del.icio.us bookmarks and dozens of interesting links.

Lastly, more brands are using Facebook in interesting ways to let people know what they can expect from becoming a fan. Reese’s is a great example, as is Martha Stewart. Our agency recently developed a similar tactic for Dublin Methodist Hospital’s Facebook page. We created an engaging graphic similar to a Web tile that quickly lets the viewer know the benefits of becoming a fan.

Facebook and other tools in our Web 2.0 world enable regular people - not just the tehnologically savvy - to create online content. Social media on the Internet are empowering, engaging and educating consumers and providers in healthcare. This evolution seems to be taking health reform much farther than anyone in Washington, DC.

 ”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.

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.

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.

We know that we are not optimizing online ad dollars when we serve ads that aren’t relevant; cost per click, engagement and ultimately conversion numbers all improve the more targeted we make the message.

This may seem a little “big brother,” but don’t get too paranoid, the data collected is not linked to you personally-only to the IP address on your computer. They are not tracking your name, address or credit card number. They are simply tracking your behaviors: what sites you visit, what content you read, how much time you spend on a site. Allowing this information to be collected and tracked often makes for a much richer online experience.

Consumers will now be aware and educated on online monitoring and will have the option to “opt-out” from being tracked. Currently, consumers have this option but it’s buried at the bottom of a web page. The FTC is working to bring it up as a focal point on a web page. And guess who the FTC thinks should be responsible for making sure this information is shared with the consumer? The advertiser-and in turn, the advertising agency creating the messaging.

What does this mean for the advertiser and agency? Consumers could now be more aware that their online behaviors are being tracked, and if they are uncomfortable with this, they can put a block on it. In doing so, this could change the way marketers find information about our consumers. It could also change the way consumers use online tools. If they “opt-out” of being monitored they may be missing out on content that they might enjoy getting. 

How do you feel about this new FTC rule? Do you think it will help or hurt the consumer?

photo credit: Funky Tee

(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. 

One of the really cool things is that we have more actionable information than ever at our fingertips.

We have more information about who our best prospects are. 

We have more information about what really constitutes real insight.

We have more information about where we can connect a consumer to the right message and the best time for them. 

Today’s best advertising is often built on trust building content. Advertising has real power to start a discussion, but it’s the opinions, friendships, tweets and connections of people that will ultimately help complete a marketing journey.

It is these changes that are driving the uncertainty throughout our media economy today. Now, it is no secret that many, many, many of our media partners are hurting deeply. And to a degree, it is natural and somewhat expected that clients’ will ask “How low will media costs go?” and “Am I maximizing our marketing and media investments?”

The changes we have seen in media are unprecedented in many ways. The speed with which the markets changed is nothing short of astonishing. What is most important to remember, however, is that the consumers we continue to try to connect with have changed forever.

They have changed how they spend as well as how they save.

They’ve changed what they watch/read/listen (yes they still do ALL of these things) and how they watch/read/ listen.

They’ve changed what they share and what they create.

Our working philosophy is simple and straightforward: know your consumer. Our goal is to infuse each and every media deliverable with a little piece of understanding attached. One of the most overused statements bantered around our industry today is related to the “changing media landscape”. While there is no denying the truth and reality in this statement, it is imperative to remember that this change relates to choice. 

Consumers are choosing not only “what” and “when,” but also ”where” and “how” when it comes to their media consumption. Understanding the nuances that drive consumers is critical to deliver content in a way, time and platform that will be welcomed. It is not enough now to rely on reach. We need to engage and hopefully become part of the consumer’s conversation and experience.

What hasn’t changed is the importance of having the talent and relationships to turn this information into knowledge that truly makes a difference to our clients and their business.

photo credit: The Lebers

We’ve all heard the impressive statistics about women and the online world.

•  Women are the majority of internet usage now – 53%
• The fastest growing group on Facebook is women.
• Women who are on the internet trust the internet information more than other sources

I attended BlogHer ‘09 in Chicago and the focus of this conference was specifically on women and blogs. More than 1,400 bloggers, marketers, media reps, and PR practitioners were in attendance. This is the fifth year for the BlogHer Conference and the largest to date.  BlogHer was created in 2005 with a mission “To create opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community, and economic empowerment” according to their website.

During the course of three days, I learned so much and it helped put many of the stats we all hear into context.  I attended Blogher ‘09  not as a blogger but as a marketer trying to better understand the incredibly powerful world of women bloggers. The conference is set up in two parts;  Blogher Business and BlogHer ‘09. BlogHer Business is directed to marketers,  blog writers, and other social media practitioners who are interested in reaching women online. BlogHer Business highlights best practices and case studies for connecting with women online, specifically in the social media space.  Following BlogHer Business is BlogHer, which offers blog writers many tools such as technical labs (called Geek Labs–what a great name!) education workshops, intense breakout sessions focused on hot blogging topics and lots of opportunities for networking, connecting and just plain socializing.

I attended both and was overwhelemed by the experience. From a business perspective, I learned a ton and have many great case studies and best practices to share (the top takeaways follow).  As a woman and mother, I was encouraged by the sense of community, support and camaraderie these women share. You may have seen some less than flattering articles or posts about bad behavior (especially as it relates to “swag”) by the women in attendance. But overall, the women I met were smart, ambitious, considerate and they were in attendance to learn, share and become better at their craft.

At the Business conference, five case studies were shared and each used social media to build successful marketing programs. These case studies were presented by the actual marketers who developed and ran the campaigns–having a first person perspective made the cases more real especially when the marketers spoke of the challenges they faced–internally and externally.  

Key takeaways:

• The scale of social media continues to grow. We are experiencing  mainstream adoption of social media and blogs. Forty-two million U.S. women participate each week in some form of social media activity; status updating (Twitter), message boards/forums, blog activity and social networks (Facebook, MySpace). 
• Women bloggers are the most engaged users of social media.
• Before starting any social media program,  listen to what is happening in the social media space. And once you start your program, continue listening and make adjustments based on what you hear.  Take small steps as you begin.
• Get all key stakeholders on board before launching, especially those in legal. And provide ongoing communications to all, not just marketing.
• Just because you do business in a highly regulated industry (like insurance or pharma) doesn’t mean social media programs are off the table.  Allstate Insurance presented a very successful program that has lead the way for a number of additional social media efforts within the company.
•  Measure and quantify success. This could mean number of online engagements, conversion to leads, new customer acquisition, viral impact, etc.
• A lot of attention is placed on offering incentives for bloggers (and consumers) to participate in marketing  or product review programs. If the topic/product is relevant to the blogger, the incentive to participate is not that important. Be authentic and transparent in your communications, let conversations develop naturally. Which leads to my last take away;
• The proliferation of  product reviews and “swag” has attracted the attention of the Federal Trade Commission.  Watch this fall for  proposed guidelines   that specifically mention “blogs, discussion boards and street teams,” forms of media that were not considered the last time the guidelines were updated (in 1980).  These guidelines will call for  disclosure of paid relationships: “material connections between the endorser and the advertiser should be disclosed.”

I have already marked my calendar for BlogHer Business and  BlogHer ‘10  which will be August 5,6 and 7,  2010 in  New York City. Maybe you should check it out too?

News From The Top

Neil Mortine, president of Fahlgren Mortine Public Relations, has been named chairman of Fahlgren, Inc. The move is in conjunction with the announcement that current chairman and CEO Steve Drongowski will step down at the end of the year and remain a consultant to the business. Mortine will be named CEO at that time.

For more details, click through to the news release.

Each year HOW, a publication specializing in design, holds a design conference featuring a wide range of sessions including creativity, design principles, business, career, technology and production, in an effort to inspire and inform designers of all levels. This year, the conference was held in Austin, Texas and Fahlgren was kind enough to send Wendy Jenkins, Kyle Younkman and Nathan Shipp to experience everything that HOW and Austin had to offer.

Austin: The Experience
While we were lucky enough to visit Austin during a record heat wave, the average day being about 105 degrees, that didn’t stop us from getting out and exploring. Plus, due to Kyle’s uncanny ability to strike up conversations with absolute strangers, we were able to learn a lot about what to see, what to eat and where NOT to go. According to our cab driver who picked us up at the airport, Austin has “everything,” well except for line dancing. He may have been onto something. We experienced everything from cupcakes out of an airstream trailer to a mass exodus of bats from under a bridge.  And then there was HOW…

Austin: The Conference
The official conference began with a networking event. Everyone received a belt buckle with 10 descriptions written on it and you had to find people who fit each of those descriptions to sign your card. This is where Nathan became VERY popular as he was the guy “getting married this summer.”

The opening keynote, Progress vs. Novelty, touched on some interesting points regarding consumer behavior and the intersections between culture and commerce. Robert Walker, a columnist from the New York Times Magazine discussed how good design can elevate the value for the consumer, partner and client.  People want to display and share things that are well designed. At the same time, we need to stop targeting the same market of consumers, because they are running out of space to display these things. We need to consider the groups we haven’t spoken to, different age groups, income levels, regions, etc. We also need to listen to the consumer - consumers have more vehicles to express their opinions on products, facebook, twitter, etc -  and not just simply react.

Out of the sessions, we each picked our favorite that were both the most memorable and beneficial to share:

Wendy: Among the many great sessions I attended, one seemed to really stand out - it was quirky, different and inspiring - Living a Creatively Curious Life with Von Glitschka. It explored simple methods to recognize and foster moments that inspire. Everyone is inherently creative, as a child you see everything with fresh eyes, you aren’t afraid to share your art and creativity, you’re not scared of rejection.  But this childlike exploration which brings out some of the best ideas is something that some people think of as immature as you get older, so a lot of people lose it. He shared a lot of great ideas for exercising your brain to keep this child-like curiosity - as well as life experiences of his own demonstrating this. Blogging, documenting ideas, getting your ideas out there in some way, was something he strongly encouraged, because if you don’t put it out there, no one is ever going to see it. The speech was inspiring and really made me want to start archiving more of my experiences and things that I see, looking at everyday objects and places in a new way and taking pictures of textures everywhere I go - a favorite past time of his. You never know when it may come in handy for an idea.

Kyle: One session that really stood out for me was What’s Going On With Design Today with Alex Isley.  Alex had a lot of insight, posing a lot of good questions that we should ask ourselves as designers. He probed the idea that we need to be more aware of what we do, who we affect and speak to. We’re more than a service to a business, taking on their strategies and practices, specializing in a higher craft. Design plays a much greater role in how things are precieved. We’re communicating, telling a story, creating. Graphic design as a whole, is becoming more popularized among colleges and universities, too. One thing he stressed was how can we combine the idea of a lone artistic genius with a  team-based collaborator. It’s an important connection between craft and caring, which today, I think we all could use a little bit more of.

Nathan: I gained the most insight from Art of Magazine Design, a class given by DJ Stout, a well-known magazine designer from Texas. Having designed covers for HOW Magazine, Guitar World, Texas Tourism and Realtor Monthly, DJ thoroughly explained the steps he took to complete each project, the importance of pleasing the client, although he stated that this is not always possible, and the obstacles he faced with each project. The amount of concepts he had for each piece, often times exceeding five, before reaching the final layout was amazing.  As he explained the reasoning and meaning behind each cover, his excitement and passion for designing was uplifting.

DJ is also known for his creative work in the editorial world, as he has designed covers that have captured history and gained interest. Explaining how to effectively use photography and illustrations in layouts, DJ also discussed how to truly think conceptually and create memorable work. After attending DJ’s class, he encouraged me to always push the limit and remain patient with client requests.

Austin: The Summary
Overall, the conference was a great learning experience, we got to meet a lot of people, see a lot of things and eat a lot of things. It really gave us a whole new perspective on design, creativity and working as a professional in the field. We also got to explore  and see a lot of a really cool city. We’d like to thank HOW for the design knowledge, Austin for the good time and most importantly Fahlgren for the opportunity to experience it all.

A few weeks ago, my colleague Alison Momot and I had the chance to attend OMMA’s first ever Metrics & Measurement Conference at The Yale Club of New York.  Despite the torrential downpour we had to wade through to get there, we were beyond thrilled for the opportunity to sit in a room full of like-minded data and analytics geeks. We were not disappointed by the lively discussion and debate we witnessed. 

In a recent study released by Econsultancy and Lynchpin, they find that currently analytics is a picture of two worlds.  The technology continues to get more sophisticated, but the challenges in interpreting and actioning the data are only getting bigger. These findings fall right in line with the thoughts of the OMMA panelists as well.

The morning keynote, Jeffrey Eisenberg, the CEO of FutureNow, started the day with a report card saying that “Measurement gets an A-, but acting on the data gets a D.”  There are so many tools and there is so much data available to marketers, but few are doing a good job of turning that data into actionable insights and plans for improvement.  

The afternoon keynote, Rishad Tobaccowala, CEO of Denuo, built on that by focusing on the need for marketers and agencies to identify decision-making data in an age of what he referred to as “data diarrhea.”  There’s so much data at our fingertips, but none of it is meaningful if it doesn’t help you make decisions.  “Pick your three or four metrics that define success and tie those to your business decisions,” he said. 

As the role of metrics and measurement becomes more and more critical for every marketing program, I find these observations to be particularly important. We know that there is data available for anything and everything - getting that data is the easy part. The exciting and challenging part, and where we agencies can really add value, is in the interpretation and analysis.

So, where do you begin? 

The first and most important step to data activation is to treat measurement as part of the strategy - recognizing how your data can help make strategic decisions for campaigns. Data can help you determine effective messaging and creative as well as vehicles for reaching your audience. By establishing metrics upfront, we can watch those measurements throughout the campaign and ensure the program is delivering what we want. 

But it doesn’t end there.  Data shouldn’t be used just to determine how a campaign performs.  The great opportunity for this data lies in determining what’s next. The technology and vehicles for reaching consumers are changing every day - the data and insights we are able to glean from a program are critical in helping determine how we can reach them best in the future.  Because consumers are more and more in control of creating their own experiences, the insights we have can help us understand the best ways we can fit into that experience. 

We will be continuing this conversation as it relates to other key areas, including as social media, web stats measurement, attribution and more.

What would you like to hear more about as we continue our new data and analytics series on this blog?

photo credit: Search Engine People Blog

Finding reasons to celebrate

We recently launched a new campaign for Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kits. We started the project by laying out our communication objectives, and then talked about strategies that will help us reach these goals. Sounds pretty traditional so far, right?  But connecting with moms and reaching moms during the party decoration purchasing cycle has led us to develop some very fun social media applications to integrate with our traditional programs.

Why this investment in social media now?

Is 2009 the year to risk our limited marketing funds and test the waters of social media? Our Balloon Time client has enjoyed tremendous success with their online marketing program since its inception just four short years ago. Of course over that time we’ve evolved the program and changed some of the media partners and tactics we started with. But our objective has remained consistent - connect with influencer moms. The research we’ve seen points to social media as a key connection point.

We set up a Twitter account a while ago as a defensive move; to keep anyone else from taking the name and to respond quickly if we should encounter a major public relations crisis. I am so excited that we are now proactively using Twitter (@BalloonTime) to reach out to people looking for party ideas, balloon decorations and the like.

I just read the “Women in Social Media Study” by BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners that found the majority of women (75%) use social media for social purposes. And 45% of women surveyed said they decided to buy an item after reading about it on a blog. For the more digitally savvy women, like the community of BlogHer, that number rises to 85%. Sounds like an ideal community for our client.

Have you heard about BlogHer?

BlogHer is an online community that reaches more than 14 million women each month through a network of more than 2,500 blogs. BlogHer offers brands the opportunity to reach these influential, tech-savvy women through a variety of marketing opportunities and messaging platforms. Balloon Time is using the BlogHer network to connect with mommy bloggers and their readers by sposoring a conetst to give away Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kits. Using dipaly ads with a live feed from our Twitter page, we are able to share conversations about party planning, decorations and Balloon Time. 

We have had lots of positive interactions and have gained a steady stream of followers. “Listen and respond” was our mantra to get started. Now that we’ve found our footing and have some friends to talk with, we hope to switch gears and start to lead party planning conversations. It’s time to have some fun with contests and giveaways, polls and providing something of value to our followers beyond just good party advice.

Right now value is all about saving money

According to a new study from Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) and Platform-A, AOL’s digital advertising unit, even if you never clipped (or downloaded) a coupon in the past, you’re doing it now. In fact, younger couples - those without children, followed by those with younger children - are among the most likely of all to use online coupons. 

In response to this we are offering an exclusive Balloon Time coupon to share with our Twitter friends who are planning a party or celebration soon. And, since we all like to share a good deal when we find one (especially moms!), we included a widget for sharing the Balloon Time coupon on Facebook with your friends.

The conversation will evolve as the rest of our 2009 plan rolls out which includes an exciting search for the next child to be featured on the BalloonTime packaging. 

In the coming months I’ll let you know how the program’s doing. In the meantime, download the coupon, get a Balloon Time kit and follow us on Twitter!

This was the case with Riverside Methodist Hospital and the Innovation Campaign. The campaign features three real-life people who’ve benefited from a relationship with the hospital and its physicians. From these stories, we were able to build an attention-getting campaign that not only increased brand awareness for our client, but allowed us to stretch our creative legs in this niche, highly competitive market space.

The results went well beyond a move of the brand-awareness needle and rewarded us with a few feathers in our healthcare marketing cap. From thousands of award entries from across the country, the Innovation Campaign was recognized as the cream of the crop from renowned publications such as Marketing Healthcare Today and Healthcare Marketing Report.

We’re proud of getting awards like these, but even more proud of the results we help get for our clients.