Ruth Atherley, Author at AHA Creative Strategies

What A Communicator Hears ….

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Kristen Ridley, a communicator who is a regular contributor on Ragan.com, has an excellent (and amusing) blog post entitled: “How to make a communicator violent in one easy step!” If you are a communicator, you will find yourself nodding your head and grinning. You will recognize several scenarios here. If you work with a communicator – in-house, at an agency like AHA or with a freelancer, see if you recognize yourself in this post. And if you do, have a respectful and open conversation with your communicator. It will make the relationship better and it will make the work you do together better.

Balance Is Important

Balance Is Important from AHA Creative on Vimeo.

In today’s video, Ruth talks about the importance of having balance in your communications initiatives. (And TRIES to balance a large bowl of water on her head…)

We are speaking to Flip about the editing glitches we’re experiencing with their software.

Lonely Planet Acclaim for ‘Coolest Little Capital In The World’

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Santa Monica, CA – Wellington, New Zealand is the highest ranked capital city to be featured in Lonely Planet’s ‘Top 10 Cities 2011’ list in the new Best in Travel 2011 guidebook. This is the first time a New Zealand city has been included on the list.

Lonely Planet’s Asia-Pacific Travel Editor Shawn Low said Best in Travel 2011 draws on the knowledge, passion and miles travelled by Lonely Planet’s staff, authors and online community. Previously, the top 10 countries, regions and cities have been listed alphabetically, but Lonely Planet has revealed them in ranked order for the first time in its sixth edition.

Best in Travel 2011 writer Catherine Le Nevez describes Wellington in the book as “Cool-with-a-capital-C, crammed with more bars, cafes and restaurants per capita than New York.”

“With its quaint wooden houses tumbling down a ring of hills to the city center, clustered on reclaimed land around the glittering harbour, in ‘100% Pure New Zealand’, the country’s most innovative and inspiring city might just be the ‘Best Little Capital in the World’.”

The abundance of arts and cultural events, the culinary and film scene, and the city’s attitude to sport are among the things that make the Wellington stand out. Wellingtonians also get a well-deserved mention.

“Wellingtonians are modest-as; they just figure if you’re going to do something, why not do it well?,” Le Nevez writes. “Its compact size energizes its sense of community. Locals love their city…and get a kick out of helping visitors fall in love with it too.”

-END-

For information about New Zealand’s extensive vacation options, log onto the 100% Pure New Zealand website at http://www.newzealand.com/.

For other media information, log on to http://www.media.newzealand.com.

For high-resolution images, visit http://www.images.newzealand.com/.

For year-round travel deals to New Zealand, visit:
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/getting-to-around-nz/getting-to-nz/travel-deals/canada/.

For more information, please contact Paul Holman at paul@ahacreative.com or 604.303.1052.

Dog Food Can Taste Great!

Dog Food Can Taste Great! from AHA Creative on Vimeo.

In today’s video, Ruth talks about the importance of looking at your communications efforts from a different angle. She attends a dog food dinner – for people – and shows just how important it is to look at things from a different angle.

Coffee Shop Newsroom

There is a very interesting article on Poynter Online that talks about the trend for journalists to set up in coffee shops throughout the communities that they cover. It is worth a read.

As anyone who knows me or reads this blog, knows we believe in the value of the online communication. It’s a reality in the world of communications and the public has embraced it. It is a big part of how your story gets told these days. However, we also believe strongly in connecting in “real life” too. It’s easy to hide behind your computer screen and pull information and facts and have what feels like full conversations online. The fact is, face-to-face is equally – and in many cases – more important. In my opinion, human connection will never be replaced by technology, now matter how quick, how interactive, and how three-dimensional.

Our Vancouver PR agency recently came onboard with a new client that has a big community spread over two large physical locations. While we have done extensive research online in our planning for this client, we have also taken the time and gone to both locations to spend time and get a feel for the culture and community. I have sat in the coffee shops and chatted with people, walked through the halls, and sat in on meetings and sessions to learn what makes the people that support this organization tick, what inspires them, frustrates them, and engages them. For our work with AHA clients, it’s always a blend of online and “real world.”

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