AHA

Delivering several blog posts a week can be a challenge. Here at AHA, our goal is to always do two blog posts and a Fast Take Friday. Unfortunately, we haven’t met those goals in the past few weeks due to a New Zealand business trip.

One of the challenges in writing a regular post is that every once in a while, you can hit a period where you are either a) too busy or b) struggle with what to write about or c) have things to write about, but can’t seem to actually put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). And sometimes, it feels like a combination of all three.

We’ve been busy here at AHA and I have been a little challenged in finding some interesting things to write about. Part of that is because when we are busy, it is much harder to find the time to check out all of the interesting information online. That’s where I find information and inspiration for these blog posts. It helps me put what we are experiencing at our PR agency into context and it gives me food for thought.

We always advise our clients to be transparent with their communities, and I believe we have to do that as well – so here you have it. As the main blog writer here at AHA, I have had challenges balancing everything that needs to be done for clients with my commitment to this blog and to Fast Take Fridays. After a good long weekend here in Canada, where I got to refresh, re-energize and re-organize myself in both my work and personal life, I am feeling back in control and have some solid ideas for new posts. One of the things I did to break through my block was to make a list of all the key points of communication I have experienced recently with client work, to look at what is exciting in the world of social media and traditional PR, and to look at areas where I want to learn more.

I am committed to getting back into our regular schedule and returning to the conversation with our blog readers and Fast Take Friday viewers. And – taking a page from the advice we give to clients, we’re also focused on creating an opportunity for some guest bloggers here and in getting a few blog posts in the can, ready to go when life gets in the way.

I hope you have a great week!

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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 spectacular job and should be applauded.



In a short time frame, they have reached out and found many grads and engaged us in the celebrations. They are producing a video that showcases some grads doing interesting things in the world. They somehow got funding from a former student, now a successful businessperson, to pay for ads in a large daily newspaper to promote the anniversary celebrations. There are active Facebook events, which include a pub night, a gala and many other activities.



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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 (showcasing the approach and results) – used for business development.
  • An example of approach and results – used as a component of building a “business case” for other projects.
  • An opportunity to review the success/challenges of a project with some distance, clarity and context.
  • An opportunity to put a project into context – used for the client/agency relationship and for AHA crew members to see the big picture of what, why, when and how.
  • A part of the AHA legacy – used for internal purposes in the long term to review our professional path and agency evolution. Could also be used for an anniversary celebration for AHA.



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