Tierney vs. Tierney

Most of you who read this blog are aware that Temple University is located right in the city of Philadelphia. Among many PR agencies that are also situated in the City of Brotherly Love is Tierney Communications. Originally, Tierney was started by its namesake, Brian Tierney. In 2003, Tierney (the person) left Tierney Communications, which was then taken over by current owner Interpublic Group of Companies.

Since then, Brian Tierney has moved on to several ventures, most recently, in 2010, he created Brian Communications Group. BCG is a PR and digital marketing firm located in the Philly suburb of Bryn Mawr. The "problem" with this is that under the BCG logo, the sub-head A Brian Tierney Company is featured. Tierney Communications has a big problem with this. According to an article by Philly.com, the company "claims that Tierney and his new firm 'consistently misuse the 'Brian Tierney' name in order to unfairly compete against the Plaintiffs.'"

Tierney Communications claims that they own the domain name briantierney.com, but when users (myself included) type the web address into the web address bar, they are immediately connected to BCG's website. Interesting.

Tierney Communications is suing Brian Tierney for intentionally trying to confuse prospective clients in his favor. The company did send Tierney a cease-and-desist letter this past May, but received no response.

What do you think about this? Do you think Tierney Communications is right to file a suit against its namesake? Let us know!

Craig Kaplan

Today, my Intro to PR class was lucky enough to hear Craig Kaplan of All Star Promotion speak.

All Star Promotion is described as, "We are a marketing, branding, and management agency based in the Philadelphia region. Whether you're a small business, a national or regional account, or a multi-million- dollar-a-year professional athlete, All Star Promotion has an action plan for you."

Craig Kaplan got his start in the advertising industry which he believes has given him a different perspective on public relations. He worked for Comcast, which helped lead him into his current job in sports marketing.

Kaplan works with several Philadelphia athletes, one of his most notable clients being Jon Runyan of the Philadelphia Eagles. He works with his clients to help them gain exposure through working with different charities.

When he spoke to our class he stressed the importance of creating relationships, and following up with contacts.

"When I say I'm going to call someone at 2:00, I call them at 2:00," Kaplan said. "I also return every phone call or message I receive. Not many people do that."

Kaplan's best piece of advice to us as PR students is to truly be passionate about what we are doing. He said that loving your job is so important, and that if you really love your job, the money will come. He said that it isn't worth being miserable in a job for a little bit more money.

This got me thinking about all the different avenues PR has to offer. There are so many aspects of public relations, and sports marketing is just another avenue to consider!

Philly PR Celebrities....Nicole Cashman

Today marks the second Philadelphia PR celebrity in our Philly PR Celebrity Series. The first celebrity featured was Melanie Johnson. Today, we will be featuring Nicole Cashman, a successful woman dominating the Philadelphia PR world with her lifestyle PR firm Cashman & Associates.

Cashman got her start in PR when she attended Drexel University and did a co-op in NYC at Saks Fifth Avenue in PR and events. After she graduated, Nicole Cashman worked as the PR Director for Bloomingdales. Later, she got a job working for the May Company in Philadelphia. In 2001, Cashman opened her boutique PR firm, mostly doing freelance work with a few different clients. Seven years later, she has more than 12 employees and works with such clients as the Starr Restaurant Organization, Smith Brothers, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Philadelphia Magazine and many more.

Nicole Cashman has dominated in a world where mainly men succeed. Cashman proves to women that they can be successful if they set their mind to it, and never give up.

In April, Temple University's PRSSA chapter had the opportunity to meet and speak with Nicole Cashman as she came to talk to us about dressing professionally.

Philly's PR Celebrities....Melanie Johnson

Today begins the first day of a series of posts entitled Philly's PR Celebrities. Each post we will feature a prominent person in Philadelphia PR. Today's celebrity is Melanie Johnson.

Melanie Johnson has more than 20 years of experience in Public Relations and currently is the City Representative for Philadelphia.

A graduate of Temple University, Melanie spent much of her time working at Temple's radio station WRTI. She worked for BBC as a news production assistant in London and later worked in New York City with National Public Radio.

Melanie returned to Philadelphia and became Deputy Press Secretary for then Mayor Ed Rendell. She then successfully helped Mayor Nutter to victory as his Communications Director.

After the election, Mayor Nutter appointed Melanie as the City Representative.