It's Ladies' Night...

While I was driving home to visit my parents a few days ago, I heard a really interesting advertisement on the radio. A Philadelphia jewelry store is holding ‘Ladies’ Night’ where women and their friends can come and make a holiday wish list for their husband or boyfriend. While browsing the store’s selection, ladies can enjoy wine and refreshments to create a party atmosphere. One week later, the store will be holding Guys’ Night, where gentlemen can come and check out the holiday wish list chosen by their wives and girlfriends who attended the first event. Again, to create a great atmosphere beer and refreshments will be served. I thought this was a really creative idea for attracting customers who might be on a tight budget and think twice about buying jewelry this Christmas.

A few days later I came across this NY Times article that talks about the same concept used by that jewelry store. Because budgets are tight this holiday season, many smaller companies are sponsoring special events instead of spending large amounts of money on advertising. It talks of a comic book store holding art shows and a futon store holding a comedy show. Personally, I would enjoy attending a special event like those mentioned instead of seeing tons of ads thrown at me, often times I just ignore ads on television or in a magazine anyway.

Although this is a great way to raise customer awareness and get that sale, events need to be done in a certain way to be successful. These tips were offered in the article:

-If you are having a performer at your event, like a comedian, provide incentive to get them there.

-Make sure the event doesn’t overshadow the brand of your company. You want the event to help

consumers identify your brand, not create a new one.

-The tone of the event needs to be genuine. Customers will know if you are only focused on getting a

sale out of them.

-Use social media to promote the event, as well as your brand.

As many companies have to cut back their marketing budgets this season, it could be very beneficial to them to use my favorite PR tool, a well-planned event!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations firm staff member, Laura Macenka.

PRowl’s 100% Guilt-Free Blog Entry

Although I keep up with the daily news—well, for the most part—I have to admit that I love keeping up with the month-to-month features and columns of women’s magazines, especially Glamour. In particular, my favorite features section is Life & Happiness, where there is always a “100% guilt-free page,” that lets us all know we’re not alone in whatever we are thinking, or doing. So, as the end-of-the-year stress piles up, I think it’s important to let our readers know…

Hey, it’s okay!

…to wake up debating whether it’s more important to wash your face, or hit the snooze button for ten more minutes.

…to put lyrics to songs like “Manic Monday” on your Facebook status, because that’s the only song you can relate to right now.

…to settle for fast food on-the-go just to save the time and stress of cleaning up.

…to have at least one half hour of “me” time every day to de-stress. Even if it’s just to take a power nap, or catch up on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

…to stay in on a Saturday night because it’s the only time you can relax.

…to inwardly groan, and then say “no,” when someone at work asks if you can cover their shift…on December 26.

…to not do it all in one day. I mean, you’re only human!

…..I hope that helps everyone during this busy time of year!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations firm staff member, Ashley Kraynak.

Starbucks Love?

As read in the WSJ today, Starbucks is just another company who is losing steam during this economic crisis. The hip coffee chain closed hundreds of locations within the past few months, but instead of closing even more in the near future, Starbucks will be placing a new emphasis on retaining customers, cutting costs and promoting the value of its products.

I must give Starbucks props on their new tactic of retaining customers though. Their new loyalty card. Customers who get this card, a free purchase but with an annual fee, get a 10% discount on every purchase (beneficial for those who visit Starbucks approximately 16 times a month, our 4 times a week). As a student who must get by on little amounts of sleep, Starbucks is an almost daily destination for me (Did I mention I can’t resist their fat-free blueberry cake?).

The projected ways of cutting costs were a little outlandish though. One example: Cut down their recipes of banana bread, from 11 to one. They also plan on saving labor- which probably means longer waits for consumers as the cashier moves from the register to the espresso machine. Starbucks will also be partnering with the Subway chain, selling its Seattle’s Best Coffee brand at 1,900 locations.

Starbucks believes these presented tactics, among others, will save $400 million in costs by next fall. What do you think? Are consumers still in love with their $4.35 specialty drinks or has Folgers become increasingly more appealing to many of the once-avid Starbucks fans?

Bad Pitch, Bad News!

I first found out about "The Bad Pitch Blog" from my professor, Ashlee Goodman earlier this semester. (Sorry, I forgot to share sooner!) The blog features the best and worst of pitches, submitted by journalists and editors. The entries are really entertaining and can be educational in teaching us, PR folks, what not to do.

You really must check the blog out!

End of the Semester Stress

At Temple, there is exactly one week until the end of classes for the fall semester. Although it isn't technically "finals week" yet, I know a lot of people who already have loads of stress bubbling inside of them. I personally would rather listen to Christmas music and bake cookies, but that isn't happening any time before the end of the semester. Here are a few tips to beat the end-of-semester heat!

• Make lists of what you need to do. The list may be overwhelming at first, but once you begin crossing items off, it feels much better.
• Keep organized. You don't want to be scrambling at the last minute looking for your notes to start writing a paper or studying for that exam. Try to get everything together (if it isn't already) and keep it neat so you'll be ready to go when you start.
• Take a deep breath. It may seem like the end of the world right now, but you can get through this!
• Take a break! Nobody can study for days (or even hours!) straight. Walk away from your desk. Put on a few Christmas songs (or any other song - but it is the holiday season!) and rock out. Go for a walk in the city. Watch your favorite TV show. Visit your favorite blog. Call a friend. Do anything you can to get your mind clear and off of things.

Good luck with this last week of classes!

More Black Friday!

After reading Jade's post about her working and shopping experiences on Black Friday, I started really thinking about my own. I too worked and shopped on November 28, and it was quite the day, as always.

After doing a little shopping, I headed to the GAP at my local mall where I work. As I approached the store, I saw something that I didn't expect to see. I was greeted by HUGE red signs advertising Buy 1 Get 1 Free Holiday Sweaters. This surprised me because GAP never has promotions like that! As I entered the store, I saw many people taking advantage of the rare opportunity.

By closing time, we were out of many colors, styles and sizes of the holiday sweaters and the store was a mess, but the promotion was worth it. The store's sales were comparable to last years sales, even with the economy in disarray. This left me to wonder how other retail stores did on Black Friday, and what promotions they used to get people to come in and spend some money!

So now I'm very curious. What did you encounter on Black Friday? Did you notice any really good deals? Do you think they had anything to do with the economy? Let us know!

Good Pitch, Bad Pitch

In the last few weeks, members of PRowl Public Relations have sent out many pitch letters on behalf of our clients.

For instance, just last week we sent out a pitch letter to Philadelphia community news writers about the Dutch Umbrella brand.

When sending out a pitch, we always make sure to:
-Target the correct person. What good is sending a community related pitch letter to a local news reporter? No good at all. We do our research to ensure that we are sending the pitches to the correct writers or editors.
- Personalize the pitch. We make sure to personalize the pitch by including that writer's name and targeting the content to what that person writes about it.
-Follow-up. After sending a pitch letter, we make sure to follow up with the writer or editor by phone the next day. Instead of just asking them if they received the pitch letter, we make sure to ask them if they have any questions that we could answer. Also, we ask them if they are on deadline before we bother them any further. If a reporter is on deadline, they will be less willing to talk!

Shannon Cherry from Common Sense PR gives other examples of how to create a pitch that will get the attention of the media.

What are your pitching tips? Do you have any suggestions for PR students on how to effectively send a pitch letter to the media?