AHA Creative Strategies Launches New Services

Vancouver, B.C. – AHA Creative Strategies now offers clients the opportunity to work with a small Brand Journalism team focused on creating compelling, credible and  relevant stories about their organizations, AHA CEO Ruth Atherley announced recently. The AHA Brand Journalism Team is made up of a cross-section of broadcast and print journalists and strategic communicators with experience in social media. These new services focus on creating engaging and well-produced content that effectively shares the organization’s story with target stakeholders  and provides the opportunity for interactivity and ongoing connection.

“Social media has completely rearranged how we communicate,” says Atherley. “People don’t want to be ‘sold’ to – they want to authentically connect and engage with a brand. Many organizations have great stories to tell; but, unfortunately, they get lost or ignored if they are communicated in a manner that feels like a sales pitch. We help clients to tell their stories in an authentic way, using news values and an approach that is built on journalistic integrity. Telling a truthful, interesting story earns credibility, respect and loyalty. It can be a huge asset in building and maintaining a positive reputation for an organization.”

AHA’s Brand Journalism services provide clients with a range of content creation, distribution and engagement options. The team is made up of respected print and broadcast journalists based in Vancouver and Toronto. AHA’s Brand Journalism services are delivered through a range of mediums including online video segments, podcast or vodcast interviews, video news releases, articles, blog posts, e-books, white papers, online Q&As, social media and social networking interaction and more. The content is created to deliver value to internal and external stakeholder groups. For more information, check out Atherley discussing Brand Journalism.

For case studies on the value of AHA’s Brand Journalism services, please visit the AHA website.

AHA Creative Strategies Inc. is a boutique communications company with offices in Vancouver and Gibsons, B.C. and a strong presence in Toronto, Ont. and Calgary, Alta. With clients throughout North America, AHA provides strategic public relations consulting services to a wide range of clients in diverse industry sectors. AHA clients include Tourism New Zealand, Vancouver Community College, Capital Regional District, Richmond Centre, Happy Planet, Red Dog Deli Raw Food Company Inc. and Korle-Bu Neuroscience Foundation.

AHA clients have been covered by CNN, NBC’s The Today Show, FOX News, Canada AM, Maclean’s magazine, The New York Times, New York Post, The Globe and Mail, National Post and many other local, national and international media.

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For more information on AHA Creative Strategies, please contact Paul Holman at 604.303.1052 or via email at paul@ahacreative.com.

Burnaby, B.C. – Happy Planet, Canada’s pioneer in everything drinkable, is at it again. The hot weather-loving team has come up with delicious, organic and natural, 0% from concentrate Lemonade and Raspberry Lemonade. The two new thirst-quenchers are available in stores now (just in time for summer fun) until October 1, 2011.

Both the Lemonade and Raspberry Lemonade are 100% natural with no preservatives or artificial ingredients. They are also both 100% certified organic. The Seasonable Squeezables, as they are affectionately called around the Happy Planet office, come in 1.89 litre bottles and the suggested retail price is $4.49.

Just in time for the lively days of summer, Happy Planet’s Lemonade and Raspberry Lemonade are the perfect accompaniment for a picnic, a barbecue, a day at the beach or when the hot sun gives you a thirst that needs quenching. Remember to take full advantage of the good weather – and of Happy Planet’s refreshing Seasonal Squeezables – because like the summer sun, come October, they will just be a fond memory.

Happy Planet’s Lemonade and Raspberry Lemonade are now available in Vancouver, on Vancouver Island, in Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton in the refrigerated juice section of many community grocery stores (Whole Foods Market, Capers Community Market, Choices Market, Planet Organic Markets and more) and are coming soon to major grocery retailers such as Thirfty Foods, Fairways Market, Real Canadian Superstore, Highland Farms, T&T Supermarkets, etc.

Happy Planet Foods, Inc. (www.happyplanet.com) is Canada’s leading natural and organic food and beverage company. Since squeezing the first apples in 1994 in Vancouver, B.C., today the company sells premium organic and all natural juices, smoothies, soups and sauces, as well as health shots across Canada. All Happy Planet products come from 100% natural ingredients from the best sources on the planet and are made without preservatives, artificial ingredients or colourings.

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For more information, please contact Paul Holman of AHA Creative Strategies at paul@ahacreative.com or 604-303-1052.

For Immediate Release
Vancouver, B.C. – The creative juices are mixing it up again at Happy Planet, Canada’s pioneer in everything drinkable. They have come up with a new, delicious, healthy, and protein-packed chocolate and banana shake that is the source of eight essential nutrients. Happy Planet’s new Protein Shake can aid muscle growth and recovery after a workout and is a healthy between-meal boost for people on the go.

The Protein Shake comes in a 946 ml fully recyclable bottle combining the antioxidant power of cocoa and the health benefits of organic bananas. With an irresistibly smooth chocolate banana taste, Happy Planet’s Protein Shake is supercharged with 37 grams of non-GMO soy protein from organic whole beans. High in iron, it is a source of energy, vitamin D, potassium and is vegetarian and vegan friendly.

The fresh ingredients in the delicious protein shake were chosen for their exceptional nutritional value. Soybeans are an exceptionally rich source of nutrients that are essential to the human diet. Cacao has been found to be higher in antioxidant power than red wine, green tea and most fruits and berries. Bananas are rich in vitamin B6 and are a good source of fibre, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium. (Potassium helps muscles contract and reduces cramping during exercise.)

Like all Happy Planet products, the Happy Planet Protein Shake contains no preservatives, artificial ingredients, colourings or artificial flavours. The suggested retail price for the 946 ml beverage is $4.99.

The Happy Planet Protein Shake is now available in Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary in the refrigerated juice section of many community grocery stores (Whole Foods Market, Capers Community Market, Choices Market, Planet Organic Markets and more) and is coming soon to major grocery retailers such as Canada Safeway, Thirfty Foods, Overwaitea Foods, etc.

Happy Planet Foods, Inc. (www.happyplanet.com) is Canada’s leading natural and organic food and beverage company. Since squeezing the first apples in 1994 in Vancouver, B.C., today the company sells premium organic and all natural juices, smoothies, soups and sauces, as well as health shots across Canada. All Happy Planet products come from 100% natural ingredients from the best sources on the planet and are made without preservatives, artificial ingredients or colourings.

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For more information please contact Paul Holman of AHA Creative Strategies at paul@ahacreative.com or 604-303-1052.

Richmond, B.C. – For the winter-weary residents of British Columbia’s Lower Mainland dreaming of an early spring, it has arrived and in a big way. Inside Richmond Centre, located in the heart of the city of Richmond (just outside of Vancouver), spring is in full bloom. “Blossom at Richmond Centre” gives visitors to the mall the opportunity to leave the cold, rainy, winter weather behind for an incredible sea of living flowers, a bamboo forest, a full-scale wooden boardwalk and even a special wish tree. This incredible event is on until April 24 and showcases more than 8,000 plants, 1,500 flower blossoms at any one time and covers 2,300 square feet of the mall.

Central to Blossom at Richmond Centre is the Flowering Wishing Tree – based on the traditional wish tree, a custom embraced by many cultures around the world. Mall patrons can write down their wishes on special pieces of paper. Then, using the instructions provided, the paper will be transformed into beautiful origami flowers, which will be attached to the tree branches, creating the illusion of a flowering tree. It is believed that the concentration of many positive wishes, each one building on the next, increases the likelihood of them coming true. And, in fact, each wish brings the dreams of a child suffering with a high-risk, life-threatening illness that much closer to being realized. For every wish attached to the Flowering Wishing Tree, Richmond Centre will donate $1 to the Children’s Wish Foundation (to a maximum of $10,000, the average cost of granting one child their wish).

Richmond Centre is one of the Lower Mainland’s largest shopping complexes, with 240 stores and services. Recently renovated, new stores include XXI Forever, Bath & Body Works, Sephora and Apple. Located in the centre of Richmond, on the corner of Westminster Hwy and Minoru Boulevard, Richmond Centre is owned and managed by two of the largest developers in Canada, Cadillac Fairview Corporation Ltd. and Ivanhoe Cambridge II Inc.

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For further information, interviews with or media access for photos or taping of Blossom at Richmond Centre, please contact Paul Holman of AHA Creative Strategies at paul@ahacreative.com or by phone at 604.303.1052.