t AHA, we take pitching seriously and go through the AHA Pitch Process to develop a pitch. That means that the pitch has to be short, catch the attention of the journalist quickly and keep it, and provide relevant facts, stats and other information that showcases the news value. We pitch it to each other on paper, in person and on the telephone before any pitch leaves the office. We role-play as PR media relations and reporter, asking the tough questions that a reporter would ask.
Integrating social media into your communication efforts doesn’t stop when you write a strategic plan. It is an ongoing and evolving effort. We have recently had some interesting conversations with a client that we work with on a project basis. This client is someone that we have a huge amount of respect for and we want to see him succeed. His company is young and growing and he has a strong philanthropic focus. He came to us to help him build a strategic plan that included social media.
Often when we speak with clients, we see that they have fallen into the trap of thinking that they need to use a blog in the most traditional way—external, writing everyday without fail. Depending on the objectives, you might want to set up a time-limited blog that deals with a specific topic or topics. You could also develop an ongoing blog with a range of guest bloggers that augment the lead blogger. Or you could have an internal facing blog that connects your leadership team with staff.
Richmond, B.C. – Richmond Centre is giving visitors to the mall the chance to show their stuff in a free, one-of-a-kind, 3-D winter sports illusion photo opportunity. Armchair athletes and those who want to show off their (pretend) athletic ability can get their photo taken in four different settings, including: ski jumping, downhill skiing, snowboarding, and figure skating. They can then take their fun photos and upload them to Facebook or other social networking sites and share them with friends around the world.
The four winter sports settings were created exclusively for Richmond Centre by world famous street painting artist Tracy Lee Stum. The three-dimensional scenes will amaze and delight mall customers with the incredible depth, perspective, creativity and visual impact. This interactive winter sports experience runs from February 9 – 28with extended mall hours Monday to Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
To fully understand the participatory art illusions Stum creates, visit her website at www.tracyleestum.com
Stum has also been commissioned to create an evolving 3-D mural using chalk pastels on asphalt paper for the USA House during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The mural will be installed on the vertical walls of the lobby of the USA House and will commemorate U.S. Olympic Hall of Famers. On a regular basis throughout the games, a new U.S. Olympic Hall of Famer will be drawn on the mural and revealed the following day.
The interactive pieces created for Richmond Centre visitors are defined as images that allow for viewer participation as an integral part of the 3-D illusion. Richmond Centre customers can step into the painting and have their photos taken showing them as they fly down a ski jump, powerfully manage a halfpipe on a snowboard, hit a downhill ski run or gracefully navigate the figure skating rink. All visitors have to do is bring a camera to the mall (or their cell phones equipped with a camera) and put themselves in the picture!
“We wanted to bring a little bit of extra spirit to Richmond Centre,” said Marketing Director Leslie Matheson. “We discovered Tracy Lee Stum and her incredible talent with interactive 3-D masterpieces and just knew our customers would love this. Visitors to Richmond Centre can get a fun, no cost, photo souvenir and can share it with their friends locally and around the world. We’re excited about this and are looking forward to seeing lots of photos online showcasing people looking like they are braving the winter weather and competing in high profile sporting events, when really, they’re safe and warm in the middle of Richmond Centre.”
Richmond Centre is one of the Lower Mainland’s largest shopping complexes with 240 stores and services. Located in the centre of Richmond, on the corner of Westminster Hwy and Minoru Boulevard, and at the Southern Terminus of the Canada Line, 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 Leslie Matheson or media access for special photo opportunities, please contact: Paul Holman of AHA Creative Strategies at 604-303-1052 or paul@ahacreative.com.
In my role at AHA, I attend conferences, I take online courses, I read blogs and online media, and follow social media and PR visionaries on Twitter and on other social networking sites. I am always learning.
A few years ago, I went through a stage where I felt I had to know all of the social media, social networking, and online tools and technologies to do my job. It became overwhelming and I realized that I started to view each new things as “it.” The old adage that if your only tool is a hammer, you treat everything as if it were a nail is accurate. I think it is important to first understand what the objectives and goals of a plan, initiative, project or campaign are before you decide what tools or tactics you will use.
For Immediate Release – January 27, 2010