Posted by Paul Holman of AHA Creative Strategies on May 06th, 2012
We were delayed in uploading the AHA Fast Take Friday as we were cruising Doubtful Sound in New Zealand, and the ocean apparently doesn’t have an Internet connection… In this AHA Fast Take Friday, Ruth talks about the social media trail you leave behind as an organization.
Read morePosted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on April 30th, 2012
Paul and I are in New Zealand for two weeks producing our annual TRENZ social media campaign for Tourism New Zealand. Please check out the case study here. (Click on Tourism New Zealand.)
Please click here to come on a little tour of New Zealand with us. We promise – there are lots of communications tips, hints and “how to” tucked into our adventures.
Click here to check out our TRENZblog Twitter updates.
Read morePosted by Paul Holman of AHA Creative Strategies on April 27th, 2012
In today’s AHA Fast Take Friday, Ruth talks about how preparation is key for a communications initiative.
Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on April 23rd, 2012
I have seen a couple of incidents of criticism that were wrapped in the concept of “feedback” that are still wrinkling me. Given that as communicators, most of what we do is put out for review and input, I think that there might be some value in my little rant about what is and isn’t constructive criticism.
I have a friend that is currently working on a volunteer project. She is putting in many, many hours as a volunteer to help our former high school celebrate its 100-year anniversary. The small group of volunteers producing this event have done a…
Read morePosted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on April 20th, 2012
We’ve been having some interesting discussions in the AHA office. It’s time to review our case studies and do an update. We have had several projects recently that just cry out to be highlighted in a case study and I am looking forward to writing them. We have been chatting about whether or not to revise the format we use for case studies and discussing what the objective of a case study is, and several points have come up.
The objective of a case study is (or can be):
An example of the skill set and abilities of the agency…
Read morePosted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on April 16th, 2012
For many of us in Vancouver’s Lower Mainland, yesterday was an important day. It was the annual Sun Run, a 10K run through the beautiful streets of Vancouver. It was my first Sun Run and it was a very good personal experience. Interestingly enough, as I sat down with a cup of tea (and two extra-strength Advil) last night and reflected on it, I realized that there were some solid communications lessons in it as well.
Preparation is key
I was fortunate enough to join a Sun Run Training Group in my hometown of Gibsons, B.C. We started in January…
Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on March 30th, 2012
I have been travelling across the country this week for client meetings. Contrary to what some believe, this doesn’t mean that I saunter into meetings at 10 a.m., that we break for lunch at noon and then in the evening, drink good wine and eat fabulous meals. It does mean I get up early (earlier than usual… which is already pretty early!) and that I watch a lot of television news shows and read even more newspapers than usual. (Hey – if they are going to make the effort to deliver it to my hotel room door, I am going…
Read morePosted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on March 22nd, 2012
I read an article recently about a computer company in Germany that undertook what they thought was a smart promotion. They began gluing hard drives to alarm clocks and sending them to companies with a note reading, “Your time is running out.” Well, many of the people who received them were terrified and called the police, thinking the package held a bomb. You can read more about it here.
It reminded me of an old episode of WKRP in Cincinnati in the late 70s/early 80s, where they did a Thanksgiving promotion by dropping turkeys out of a helicopter……
Read morePosted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on March 19th, 2012
There is an unflattering news clip making the rounds right now of B.C. Premier Christy Clarke’s new communications director. I am sure it is going to be included in every media training session for the next decade – it is a perfect example of what not to do. If you haven’t seen it, you can view it here.
I have an entire rant about how valuable journalists are to a free and just society and how I believe communicators and journalists actually work in partnership (we don’t always have to agree or even like each other, but we…
Read morePosted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on March 15th, 2012
I am sitting in a ferry lineup as I write this blog post. I commute from Gibsons, BC – a pretty little seaside town on the Sunshine Coast that is only a 40-minute ferry ride from West Vancouver. We have our AHA office in Gibsons and we have a business development office in Vancouver. (I am rarely in the Vancouver office because I go to the offices of our clients.)
We have an Internet stick that I use when I commute, when I travel, and even if we are out and about on the Sunshine Coast and I might need…
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