Vancouver PR Agency

The value of an audit

Posted by Paul Holman of AHA Creative Strategies on October 28th, 2011

In today’s AHA Fast Take Friday, Ruth looks at the importance and value of a communications audit.

Social media – how far is too far?

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on October 27th, 2011

I saw something on Facebook this morning that really made me sit back and think. I have quite a few “friendly acquaintances” on Facebook. For the purpose of this blog, I will call them “pals.” These are people I have met and like, but that I don’t connect with very much in the real world. Some I met through work, others from my personal life. Many of them I met while travelling.

I don’t hold the same political views as some of them. I have to admit, I have found some of the discussions and ideas put forward by a…

It’s not ALL about the numbers

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on October 25th, 2011

We recently spent time working with a client about social media and how it fits into their overall communications strategy. This organization had “dabbled” in social media (their words) but had never fully committed to it and they wanted to know a) if they should commit and b) if they should, then how.

The CEO is a smart person. He is connected within his industry, he is well-liked and well respected, and there are interesting things going on at this organization. The CEO has his own Twitter account, which has been silent for several months now. There are a few…

What’s your strategy?

Posted by Paul Holman of AHA Creative Strategies on October 21st, 2011

In today’s AHA Fast Take Friday, Ruth talks about needing strategies for your communications initiatives.

Engage or they will engage without you

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on October 20th, 2011

There have been good articles written recently (The Globe and Mail and BC Business) that talk about Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) labour negotiations and how Facebook played a strong role. Both articles are worth a read, whether you work in a union environment or not. They are proof that social media is a key tool in your organization’s communication. It’s here to stay. Even if you are engaging and facilitating open and relevant discussion, groups will still form (and are forming at this very moment) without your input. At the very least, you need…

Are you a storyteller?

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on October 18th, 2011

At a recent client brainstorming meeting about brand journalism and how we could better tell the story of the organization, there was a senior staff member that was clearly not engaged in the process. For the purpose of this blog post, we’ll call her VP Skeptical. She sat back with her arms folded, checked her BlackBerry every minute or so, and in pure Survivor Tribal Council fashion – rolled her eyes when someone else said something that she didn’t agree with. Yet VP Skeptical didn’t speak up. So I asked her what she felt was the best story they could…

Technical difficulties and the importance of planning

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on October 14th, 2011

We had one final Fast Take Friday from Paris to show you. It was at the Arc de Triomphe where it is incredibly busy with traffic (so much traffic), people (so many tourists) and that particular day wind! So much wind that it overpowered our little Flip Cam’s microphone and made the video unusable.

This technical issue brings up a key point in what we do as communicators. Our Fast Take Fridays are important to us. We plan them out carefully, deciding what topics are relevant, why they matter to you and what tips and hints to share. The ones…

Are you ready for social media?

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on October 13th, 2011

There is a great article in today’s Globe & Mail: Time to adapt to social media or face the consequences.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

AHA loves media relations

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on October 11th, 2011

At AHA, we love media relations. That’s not necessarily a common thing among communicators. I know many PR people who don’t like the media relations aspect of their job at all. In fact, I have had several senior communicators laughingly say they are so glad that they don’t have to do that anymore (since they got the manager, director, or VP title).

That comment always surprises me. Pitching journalists, producers, bloggers – everyone that has a role in sharing a good story – is one of the most challenging, rewarding and FUN things we do here at AHA. We have…

HSBC uses brand journalism to tell their story

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on October 04th, 2011

HSBC has developed an online editorial style website that uses brand journalism. There are differing opinions on the value and benefit of the site. I have to say we lean towards the side that says this is a great site. I think it can be easy to criticize without taking into context that it is brand journalism – not journalism. While the stories should be credible, balanced, multi-faceted and provide value, it is still a brand that is responsible for creating this content.

Step by step, we are moving into a more credible approach to sharing the stories…