Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

Few know this but early childhood for me was spent in the steel city of Pittsburgh. Going to catholic school it was common for me and the gang to head to a Steelers, Pirates or Penguin's game on the weekends. I personally have not followed the Steelers in years. That is until this past weekend.

What a PR spin this has become... The Pittsburgh Steelers have made it to the Superbowl. Why hadn't anyone expected it? Why were we looking at the Colts. Is it because the town of Pittsburgh is so small? Or the coach; Bill Cowher is not PR worthy? And Colt's Peyton Manning is? A few of us in athletic PR would say yes. Peyton is handsome charming and a PR machine. Does the media and PR generated have more to do with the players and characters playing the game then how they game is played? You bet!

Their PR saving grace a quarterback named; Ben Roethlisberger. This is something Burt Lauten , Public Relations/Media Manager of the team has found as a new glory.

This video is a saving grace for them! Take a peek and as one person put it who sent it to me, you will get the chills. NFL veterans are banking that in months to come Ben will be signing several new consumer goods contracts to come. Right Guard deodorant would be a good fit!

If you’re like me, Super Bowl Sunday stirs little excitement in me, aside from the big laughs I get from the commercials. But I don’t want to waste the last day of the weekend watching million dollar ads when I can catch them later in the week during my normal TV programming. Thanks to MSN.com’s City Guide, there is a list of activities to keep me active while Americans everywhere are gorging themselves with chicken wings, beer and football.

Get the complete list of anti-super bowl activities at MSN.com now.

So, I’ve been exploring options for weight loss lately and a few things have jumped out at me; full body liposuction, the Lap Band, wiring my jaw shut…just kidding! I realized after much denial that the only way to get the pounds to melt is through serious diet and exercise. A lifestyle change…it’s so easy to visualize, isn’t it? The reality is that it is hard and that reality is so clear cut that I have decided to audition for Reality TV!

The Biggest Looser is the greatest show since, well ever. Talk about inspiring. But, of course being inspired isn’t always enough to get you out of the bed at 5AM for a morning run. I need a chef and a personal trainer. If I had one, I’d be unbelievably gorgeous too! Just the thought of having the opportunity to participate in that American phenomenon makes me giggle.

My supportive team at Pierce Mattie Public Relations has even gone so far as to show me just what I could look like should I make it on and emerge victorious. I love it! It’s going on my refrigerator to prevent me from overeating…maybe I won’t eat at all if I keep looking at Janet’s abs staring back at me.

Anyway, ladies and gents- keep hope alive, send the good vibes my way and hopefully my on-camera interview was impressive enough to reserve me a space on that fabulous ranch where weightless is inevitable.

Ciao, bellas!

Usually the key to losing weight is healthy diet and exercise. But involving God? What does religion have to do with losing weight? Now I like to think I’m a pretty spiritual person, but I don’t think that my religious beliefs have anything to do with how healthy I eat.

I was watching the TODAY show yesterday and guest Gwen Shamblin, author of “The Weigh Down” seems to think that spiritual nourishment is the way to go if you want to lose weight. Shamblin claims that changing your focus off of food and onto God will help change your life and eating habits.What?!?

There are even other organizations like First Place, which incorporates Bible study, Scripture memorization, prayer and balanced eating and exercise plans to help people lose weight and live a “better” lifestyle. Or Thin Within, which teaches that food may provide some level of comfort for a little while but can’t provide a spiritual life.

All three programs focus on lifestyle changes physically, spiritually, and emotionally to lose weight. They all also seem to have the mantra, "eat only when truly hungry and stop eating before you’re full." Anyone could’ve thought of that one!

These places sound eerily like a brainwashing cult to me. Did I also mention that for these programs you have to pay to participate? Whether it’s buying the book, taking classes like Shamblin’s Weigh Down Workshops or buying Thin Within Support Group Kits, you’re putting out a lot of money for “eat only when hungry and stop eating when you’re full.”

Men’s Fitness Magazine has just named “The 5 Best Supplements for Men” in their August issue.

Living in New York now going on six years, I have really struggled with eating balanced meals every day and making sure I’m taking the right vitamins and supplements to help my muscles grow and get a better looking physic. I’m proud to say I take 4 out of 5 of these supplements consistently now and I have been seeing great results.

1. A MULTIVITAMIN- I prefer taking a green multivitamin every morning with breakfast and every night with dinner. Not only are getting all the recommended vitamins but also what you’re missing when you don’t eat your green vegetables. It’s like killing two birds with a stone. Be careful though, these vitamins can be as large as “horse” pills. Make sure you find the smallest ones.
2. PROTEIN POWDER- This is my favorite part of my workout. The End. As soon as I get home I like to either MYOPLEX or MUSCLE MILK with sugar free soy milk. Both taste great and you’ll really see a difference in a couple months after consistently drinking it every day.
3. CREATINE- This synthetic energy supplement has been around for a long time. There have been many myths about this but researchers are finding out that it’s ok to take everyday and also mix it with your protein drink. I recommend taking an energy supplement called NO-EXPLODE. I drink this right before my workout and it really keeps me focused while opening my veins to let the blood run faster and also keeps water weight off which CREATINE can tend to add.
4. GREEN TEA- I have to say it’s taken me a couple years to get in the habit of drinking this but I try to have a cup before I go to bed every night. I have to say as hot as it is now in New York, I really enjoy it over ice. Green Tea fights fat. Plain and simple. Drink it!
5. FISH OIL- I haven’t been able to bring myself yet to taking this, but I hear it’s great some good stuff. Fish Oil has been proven to fight against diseases but I myself think it smells to “fishy” and way overpriced.

All five of these are the keys to getting a better looking healthier body and piece of mind and I intend to stick to it.

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ISPA Knowledge Networks are a venue for spa professionals to openly discuss current circumstances and to create practical solutions for business. Expert speakers; Mary Bemis, Rona Berg & Pierce Mattie will address pertinent industry-related topics, while also providing time for in-depth group discussion. Regardless of your level of experience, the education offered at the ISPA Knowledge Networks will be invaluable. Each Knowledge Network includes a Marketplace on the first evening providing an opportunity to network and learn about the latest products.

The ultimate goal of the Knowledge Networks is to provide spa industry professionals with the opportunity to build relationships in a one-on-one environment with their peers. View Invite">We encourage you to join us for the final 2006 ISPA Knowledge Network & Marketplace.

We already use bacteria to inject under the skin to get rid of laff-lines. Why do we love these wrinkel creating viral videos so much? "Ugly" men get "hot chicks" when they have a good sense of humor. The message, subliminal or viral, does seem to go down easyer with humor as a chaser. Viral videos are everywhere. It’s hard to escape the swarm of links I get from friends, family and colleges. These free, interesting and sometimes amusing videos spread over the Internet in almost pandemic speed. I have to admit, I've been guilty of forwarding them on to others when the clip makes me giggle (like a school girl) or those I find clever enough. Not all videos are truly viral marketing. In fact, most clips are just creative expressions, which entertain. Obviosly where ever you have an audience and peer-to-peer networks your going to find marketers trying to relate and persuade and advertise.

Here are a few videos, can you spot which one is viral and which are just entertaining?

Treadmill Fitness Equiptment Viral Or Music Video?

Last week I was out for cocktails with a few other business owners in the service industry. One was a skin care manufacturer, the second was a clothing line designer and the third was the owner of a large fitness chain of health clubs.

We got into an in depth discussion about managing client relationships

We were discussing how to repair a client relationship where things have gone wrong, for example clients whose expectations are unrealistic, clients who are abusive towards the staff and those clients who for whatever reason have become dissatisfied with their service.

The Wall Street Journal had run an article on entrepreneurs a few years back where I was quoted by saying “My New Year’s resolution as a business owner is to only work with people, places and things I really care about and that respect my team, work and over-all business ethics.”

1. Choose clients carefully

4. Live Up To Your Own Standards. Give What You Expect, Set The Example.

If you have done all your work working with your clients and have defined what you can achieve and there are still insurmountable problems, then it is time to re-evaluate whether that client is appropriate to have.

About a month ago we had a client call the office and demand that I get on a conference call. The brand was new to the market, had very little distribution (only one salon in New York) and the consumer awareness was simply not there (she refused to do salon events with us). The owner had worked with two other PR firms before us (our biggest competitors) for about two years who both did not secure the regional and national glossy press that the client was looking for. We were given about 3 months to change her entire media platform and correct the damage that the other PR firms had done during the course of two years. Naturally I slipped off my dress shoes, undid my tie, sat back in my chair practiced my breathing exercises and then took her call.

There is a "growing" trend happening in fashion right now and no it has nothing to do with hem lengths, lip color or fabric style. According to Women's Wear Daily the infamous size zero demographic is no longer limited to the silver screen or the catwalk; in fact these women walk among us every day. And their numbers are swelling (pun intended)!

But how many of us know anyone with a waist smaller than 23 inches or a bust that is no larger than 31 inches? Apparently, anyone who shops at Marc Jacobs is a likely candidate.

Yet Robert Duffy, president and vice chairman of Marc Jacobs International, recently said Marc Jacobs sells more zeros than any other size in its collection and, truth be told, he has never seen a cutting order for a size 14.

But before we jump onto the cat attack bandwagon and rail about the growing anorexia problem, consider the other sizing issues at work; vanity sizing and the disappearance of the petite section in many larger department stores may also be to blame. Designer Nicole Miller says she finds sizing to be more of a challenge everyday for herself personally and she is not a teeny tiny woman.

"I've noticed that other companies are sizing up. I used to go buy pants and would wear a 6, but they started to be too big. Now a 4 is too big," Miller said.

But even with vanity sizing and the movement of the petite set towards the size zero side, it still feels odd that the high end of the fashion spectrum should be so geared towards the minuscule. What forces are at work here? Is it perhaps just the economic bracket that these consumers find themselves in?

"Antonio was seen as more of an alpha male. The brand was more keen to have a personality which meant more to US audiences."

I cannot believe that it is almost Halloween. Fall seems to be flying by. My children announced to me today what characters they are going to be to go out trick or treating. My 2 year old wants to be Superman, my 4 year old is going to be Buzz Lightyear and my 7 year old is going to be a Power Ranger.

Power Ranger? Are they even still around? I thought that was ancient history, so I inquired further why he would want to be a Power Ranger this year. I was surprised at his answer. You see, the Blue Power Ranger has “built in” muscles in the costume. My son, fully aware that there are a few girls at school that have a crush on him, wants to have muscles.

Ever since the new initiative in schools to keep kids healthy and fit across the US, I’ve noticed my two older sons wanting to exercise more and eat, “Sports Candy.” For those of you who are not familiar with the fitness superhero on Nickelodeon keenly named “Sportacus,” Sports Candy is fruits and vegetables. The school no longer allows parents to send any type of junk food in with their child for snack, the lunch menu is a healthy one and all children are required to run 26 miles before the end of the school year.

With all of these new programs in place to get kids back on the right track of being healthy and fit and carrying that over into the teens years and through adulthood, one would begin to wonder why beauty and fashion magazines still continue to create flawless superficial images of fit bodies and beautiful faces in their pages. Why continue to create this image of beauty that is unattainable (and sometimes the reason behind many eating disorders)? Some companies are catching on and understanding the issue.

The new commercial being seen in Canada by Dove is a real eye opener. I surely hope that it will be seen here for all teen and pre-teens to see. I've been noticing more and more commercials by Dove with their Campaign for Real Beauty to show not just underweight beauty queens, but real normal average women. Have you noticed this, as well?

While I fully support the new school initiative in my school district to get kids healthy and fit, I hope that beauty and fashion magazines can put Photoshop to rest, showing us that a true healthy and fit person of beauty needs no airbrushing. I realize that this may never go away, but certainly it would be nice to tone it down a bit. In fact, in their October and November issue, Marie Claire has an article called Beauty Road Show. It's where they photograph women of all ages and races, cross-country, and ask them what they love about themself. The photo's are fabulous, representing real women everywhere.

What are your thoughts on body image and the media and the new healthy schools initiative?

Here are some of the issues I have that I continually have to work on everyday:

* My hair—It can dry out easily or become overly moisturized, it is always a fine line of balancing. When the balance is out of wack, it contributes to its frizziness, and frizz is always an issue with me.

* My face—During the winter my forehead and between my eyebrows tend to get dry and need extra attention, otherwise all year round I have a t-zone that won’t let up. Ever since I can remember, I have always only gotten acne on my chin and being pregnant just makes it worse.

* My skin—I have Keratosis Pilaris on my arms and legs. It is a skin problem that was passed down to me through genetics and which seems to worsen being pregnant, but also if my skin gets dry. Winter is obviously the worst months for my skin, summer is not so bad since I am always slapping on my sunscreen.

* My body—My chest is a big issue with me, both size and their appearance. Now being pregnant with baby #4, stretchmarks are another issue I have to contend with.

It sounds very cliche, but while all of these are truly issues that I have to work on everyday, I don’t let it get me down. I absolutely believe 100% that my beauty is not only on the outside, but that once people get to know me, they will see it radiates from the inside out.

On a weekly basis, I will share my reviews with you of products I have been using or have tried out to resolve some of the above issues. Hopefully you may find a solution to your problem too.

In a previous post, I mentioned being all for the healthy kids initiatives being launched into schools. However, I also think that sometimes good intentions can turn into scaring parents.

Take this new ad from Birdseye, for example, that I found on Adrants. The ad documents a child growing in waist size each year instead of height. Their point is taken and in the fine print they let you know what they have been doing to make their microwavable dinners more “healthy.”

Instead of more positive ads, like showing healthy kids exercising or eating healthy as a model for children to mimic, it seems to becoming more the trend to scare parents into getting their kids “healthy.”

Still warming up to Second Life? I am asked about it almost daily and wanted to get some basic info posted for those friends who read our blog consistently. Backstory is here. Follow the links.

New World Notes

From April 2003 to February 2006, I was a contract writer for Linden Lab, creators of Second Life, primarily hired by the company to cover SL as an embedded journalist in an emerging society-- its controversies, its personalities, its innovations and ambitions, along with larger themes of identity, social norms and organization, and cultural expression important to online worlds in general.

That contractual relationship has ended, but the story continues here. -Wagner James Au

Second Thoughts Do's and Dont's for Big Business.

"Every human being is interested in two kinds of worlds: the Primary, everyday world which he knows through his senses, and a Secondary world or worlds which he not only can create in his imagination, but which he cannot stop himself creating." W.H. Auden

Second Life Herald The Second Life Herald was founded on October 23, 2003, by philosophy professor Peter Ludlow. Its mission, as described the next day, was to observe, record and study "the legal, social, and economic implications" of life in the virtual world. Originally established as the Alphaville Herald and reporting for the most part on life on the Alphaville server of The Sims Online, the Herald soon branched out into coverage of other massively multiplayer online games and virtual worlds -- helped along by the murder of Herald publisher Urizenus (Ludlow's avatar) after Electronic Arts got wind of the stories the newspaper was printing about the scams and cyber-prostitution that were taking place within its game, and the company's indifference to reports of real-world violence.

I know this isn't exactly breaking news for everyone. However, for those who have lives and don't live and shop online exclusively, this may be news to you, it was to me. Many "recommendation" sites are popping up all over the Internet, yesterday a Fashion blogger referred me to one that is getting kudos in the New York Times; ThisNext.com. I was impressed just how organized this site was and even more impressed to find fashion and beauty bloggers I know doing Shopcasts there, such as Kristopher Dukes, The Jewelry Weblog, and Lola is Beauty.

What's a Shopcast? It's basically shopping and broadcasting combined. It's a playlist of products you recommend and you run them on a badge on your site and they also run on the ThisNext site, as well. You can create wishlists and also make recommendations by downloading a few buttons for your browser.

There are some really great recommendations just waiting for you to discover them, or if you feel so inclined, for you to make them at ThisNext.com

Do you seem to be losing customers lately? Is your customer base and sales simply not increasing? Consumers are telling you all of the time what they want, but are you paying attention? Do you genuinely listen to what they want? Or do you feel comfortable with the way things are?

Here are five things that consumers want from a business both online and offline:

Any woman can tell you the color and scent of a Victoria’s Secret store. Branding a business by color has been around forever, branding a business by scent deliberately is a rather new practice.

We have become inundated with never ending commercials, advertisements, pop-ups and infomercials, smart, progressive businesses realize that the use of scent is another way to make their business or brand not only stand out, but be remembered and associated with a certain positive experience or product.

While color may be an easy branding tool and will surely distinguish you from your competitors, such as that yummy, chocolate brown trademarked as "UPS Brown", scent can be a little touchier. Scent can either turn someone away or reel them in. It's a scientific fact that women are attracted to an ever so slight smell of skunk. Too much, and they are repulsed. Repulsion can be a good thing if your an international airport and you need to clear a building fast. Scents of danger need no interpretation. The scent of coffee can calm people, the new car smell increases sales of vehicles, Victoria’s Secret puts you in the mood the minute you walk into their store with the scent of a woman (or a man in drag) that remind you of romance and desire. Pierce Mattie's Media Oasis has a branded scent, complete with a high tech scent delivery system. Scents that relax you and put you in the mood to shop can increase a businesses bottom line.

Three summers ago, the New York City Ballet returned to St. Petersburg, Russia, 20 years after the death of the troupe's visionary co-founder, George Balanchine, who was born there.

Director Richard Blanshard's film of the trip, the company's first to St. Petersburg since 1972, airs Sunday (Nov. 12) on 131 PBS stations across the United States.

On one level, the title "Bringing Balanchine Back" is a straightforward description of NYCB's return to Russia, which is captured in the film through a mix of interviews, performance excerpts and always-entertaining backstage footage. On another, not-so-subtle level, the title echoes the subtext driven home throughout the documentary: how well NYCB is thriving two decades after Balanchine died, leaving his company with an incredible wealth of ballets and an enormous pair of shoes to fill.

A well planned exit without the use of a publicist? Atoosa Rubenstein, Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen magazine announced last week that she’ll be leaving the publication. Her next move is to launch several teen-centered projects including a web business, a book and a consulting firm.

She told the New York Post, “I’m a risk taker. I don’t play the game in a safe way. I’ve never been driven by power or money. I’ve always had a very strong relationship with our audience, and I hope to develop that in a more immediate and visceral way.”

Before her announcement to leave Seventeen, Rubenstein already started branching out of her Editor-in-Chief post positioning herself as an advocate for teens by appearing on MTV’s Miss Seventeen reality show and also as a guest judge on America’s Next Top Model, a favorite show among Seventeen readers.

Is Rubenstein leaving Seventeen another sign in the decline of teen publications? In the last two years, YM, Teen People, and Elle Girl have been shut down. Teen People and Elle Girl are still online – a good move since most teens are tech-savvy. At least we’ve still got COSMOgirl! and Teen Vogue! We’ll have to wait and see who will take over the EIC post at Seventeen.

Read more about her decision to leave Seventeen on her MySpace page and some speculations from Jossip.

Most Americans think Europeans, especially the Italians "dress up." The way Italians dress is getting more and more relaxed as the years progress, but they definitely look better dressed than most of us stateside. If you've traveled abroad you have noticed how business casual is not in vogue, in fact it's been said that westerners dress like cowboys. Do fashion labels in Italy know how to fit their people better then Americans? Is there a worse feeling in the world than slipping into a new garment in a fitting room and finding it just slightly off? Nothing kills the buzz of finding a fantastic item of clothing that you are just dying to own more than realizing that you are not just any "body" but have unique bumps, curves, and "fiddly" bits!

You see as much as we live in a world of "ready to wear" clothing, few of us have ready to wear bodies. Thus, I have to ask, why is it that we are so reticent to simply have clothing tailored?

We have no problem acknowledging that our personalities are unique, but when it comes to admitting that our bodies don't fit one given standard we get a little upset.

"Why it must be a fault in me that I can't fit into this blouse I picked up off the rack" we tell ourselves. But in truth few of us are ever going to have bodies that fit exactly into a given garment. I faced just that reality today when I realized it was better to spend a little bit more on a few quality pieces of clothing and have them refitted to my own body than to hopelessly buy tons of disposable fashion that only just "kinda" fits.

With the help of the Superfuture forums I found myself an incredible tailor on Mott Street named Ramone who not only helped me fit two dresses and a coat but he helped me refit my attitude as well. And you know what? Those clothes are going to fit me to a "T," making them actually "ready to wear."

Joanna Roche is the Senior Managing VP of Pierce Mattie Public Relations. She has a proven track record of success and corporate experience. She is high energy and passionate about her work, which makes her direct, up front, realistic approach with Pierce Mattie PR clients what makes her a true asset.

Joanna is a married mother of a 2-year-old son, who loves to run, cook and travel. The best way to describe her is balanced. She loves to dive into her work, yet still maintain the proper balance of her hobbies and family life. Joanna is goal oriented and believes that nothing is impossible.

Tell readers about a typical day as VP of Pierce Mattie.

There is nothing typical about being a VP at Pierce Mattie PR! Every day is different and it is one of the things I love about my job. Most days include working on new business, coming up with creative ideas to promote our brands, meeting with clients, nurturing the staff and helping them develop pitches and reach editors, and keeping abreast of trends and happenings in the PR world.

I’ve honestly never paid much attention to products that were celebrity endorsed, in high school, maybe a little, however there have been plenty of my friends who live by what products “Celebrity A List” says are the best. There was a time, back when I was very young, that I did follow what my favorite celebrities endorsed. One such product was Pepsi, simply because I was a very big Michael Jackson fan. Luckily, I wised up.

So when I saw one of my favorite fashion designers, Isaac Mizrahi, pitching StriVectin-SD in a commercial the other day I felt such utter disappointment. Strivectin-SD, which claims to be an anti-stretchmark cream turned anti-wrinkle cream, is trying to pitch their product to men through Mizrahi's popularity. Isaac is a talk show host and thus a "lifestyle advocate" however, as a person who admires Mr. Mizrahi for his outstanding fashion, I wonder why he had to go this route. Seeing him in a commercial promoting an anti-wrinkle cream made me lose a little bit of respect for him and I didn't want too. I'm sure I am not alone.

I believe there was a time when celebrity endorsements held clout, but the times have been changing, most especially as blogs have become more and more popular. There are so many blogs out there that review products and I am more apt to listen to the average Joe tell me their likes and dislikes over a product than to run out to buy a product because Mischa Barton has been using it. According to a survey done by Allure and Essence, the same holds true for many of their readers.

Although Blogging has been around for years, approaching Bloggers to review or pitch your products is fairly new and growing in momentum. If you are thinking of approaching a Blogger to review your products, there is a protocol that sometimes many companies do not invest their time to understand and follow.

As a beauty Blogger, I receive many emails on a weekly basis from companies and PR firms big and small to find out if I am interested in reviewing their products on my two beauty blogs. There are some that exude professionalism both in the way they approach me through their emails, through the way the package is sent and in their follow up. Then there are the mass emails, lack of PR materials with the product, presentation of the product and lack of follow up. The difference between the two potentially means your emails go in my trash folder.

Things you should not do when you approach a Blogger:

Send out a mass email, most notably saying “Dear Bloggers” or having no greeting at all. While some newer Bloggers may respond to this, many seasoned Bloggers won’t. It is the sign of a company simply harvesting your contact information and not taking the time to personally contact you, as they want you to personally review their product. It is a two way street.

Have the expectation that the Blogger will want to review your product simply because you offered it for free. Bloggers know their readers and most will only review products that are 1. Related to their blog and 2. Something that would be of interest to their readers.

Insincerely attempt to flatter them. So many companies do it and many times I receive the same email to each of my accounts for my blogs when the company doesn’t even realize they are sending it to the same person. Bloggers can read between the lines.

"I'm talking about good vibrations," an emerging trend in the fitness industry is whole body vibration. Many trying to launch this trend have said that whole body vibrations can improve muscle strength, increase bone density, burn fat, increase metabolism and improve circulation.

Most Whole Body Vibration Machines on the market state that for only 10 minutes a day, 3-7 times a week, it can make a huge difference in your body’s health and fitness. If this is true, then that means all those excuses of not having time to go to the gym will no longer be valid. The verdict is still out on whether this type of fitness is beneficial or harmful.

How whole body vibration machines work:

* Scientifically calibrated machines deliver vibrations through oscillating plates from the feet up distributing vibral energy to your entire body.

* Vibrations can be delivered two ways, left to right or up and down.

Many athletes and fitness and rehabilitation centers are using vibration in their exercise programs and now whole body vibration machines are available to the public. Soloflex has their own and there are many out that can vary from reasonably priced, such as Soloflex, to very expensive.

What do you think of whole body vibration as fitness? Is it harmful or helpful?

This month, Pierce Mattie PR presented the highly anticipated and coveted Annual Media Awards. Arriving in New York, our Los Angeles and Atlanta teams joined forces with our New York Team all with baited breath, awaiting the results. After a sumptuous holiday feast, (it was sumtuous!) we announced our winner and runner-up of Pierce Mattie PR's top honor: the 2006 Publicist of the Year Award. The winner is awarded a six day and five night all inclusive trip to Paris for two, while the runner-up receives a 5 day session package for Pilates.

Drum roll please...

Congratulations to Lance Buckley (NY office), our 2006 Publicist of the Year who also got his three year anniversary Louis Vuitton briefcase. We had over 3,000 editors and segment producers write in to tell us who they thought should win. It's not just a popularity contest but a testament to which publicist created the best rapport with the press.

Having worked at Pierce Mattie PR for three years, Lance brings creative insight and encyclopedic knowledge of his market all packaged together in a calm and thoughtful demeanor. He has led such successful campaigns as Desperate Housewives, Lotus Sports Cars, Hommage Razors, NoNami Clothing, and Lock Stock & Barrel to name a few.

Maryam Zarkesh (LA office) came in with the next number of votes. With Pierce Mattie PR for just over a year, Maryam has risen quickly by displaying a tireless work ethic, a strong grasp of the brands on which she works and a charming manner that has made everyone adore her.

Also awarded were:

2006 Best Print Media Placement of the Year
Nafi Saboor (NY)
Xtreme Lashes in Teen Vogue

2006 Best Broadcast Placement of the Year
Nikki Walker (Atlanta)
Black Opal on the Today Show

2006 Platinum Service Award
Ivy Cartagena (NY)

2006 Best Media Event of the Year
Lauren Branche (NY)
Jane Iredale Global Beauty Launch Event

Of course our holiday event wouldn't be complete without our Blooper Awards but that's for our eyes only. Even our CEO received the biggest blooper!

We are proud of each and every one of our team members. While we honor the few whose work shone brightly, we are a family and recognize that each person's work is a reflection of the larger whole.

Onward to 2007!

I started seeing commercials for the new Nike+iPod Sports Kit in my area a few weeks ago. It looked to be a great motivator for getting back or keeping in shape and seemed quite logical to be hyping it prior to the big fitness blast that comes every January 1st. I began to think about it as a gift to myself post-baby this May when I begin my normal “get my body back” routine.

The Nike+iPod Sports Kit is basically a wireless sensor that fits into your Nike+ sneakers with a receiver that you attach to your iPod Nano. The sensor relays information to your iPod regarding time, distance, pace and how many calories you burned. Something that is very helpful when you are trying to lose weight or maintain/break a fitness goal.

Some privacy advocates may be a little concerned to know that the info isn't "secure," that workouts CAN BE SNOOPED ON; what is Nike up too? I'm kidding, we all know the bad rap bloggers have for being reactionary, not having all the facts and trying to scoop news from out of nowhere. I did, however, come across a few blog reviews of this Nike product and the concern over privacy. According to CNET’s blog post, the radio frequency identification transmitter broadcasts a unique identifier, which can track a person through their Nike+ sneakers from up to 60 feet away. The University of Washington recently did some testing where they built a surveillance device and integrated it with Google Maps therefore creating a way to keep tabs on someone. Not so good if you are being stalked, are a fugitive that happens to have this kit or in the MOB.

What do you think? Will your potential invasion of privacy prevent you from buying the Nike+iPod Sports Kit?

Lifestyle resolutions are always a huge hurdle for the New Year. So yesterday when I received an email from Pierce regarding his new find in Suzanne Somers SomerSweet line, I was intrigued. While I certainly cannot diet now, you can bet I am getting my ducks in a row for my weight loss goal post-baby. I wanted to take all of this information in and I feel it is worth sharing with you.

If any of you have either seen pictures, You Tube videos or met Pierce in person, you know that he is fabulously fit. Pierce let me in on a secret on how he continues to look so good. He keeps his calorie intake under the 2000-calorie mark with pre-calculated meals. He uses various diet plan systems such as Jenny Craig, NutriSystem and now Somersize. Each system he uses has its advantages and is able to be integrated into his busy life. He decided to give SomerSweet products a try after watching them on HSN one night.

Jenny Craig’s meals are frozen and provide more a “real meal,” NutriSystem meals are dry or canned which are perfect for when he is traveling, and Somersize now has desserts that are made with SomerSweet that are perfect for his sweet tooth, tasting like the real deal, but making it completely guilt free.

The first week of 2007 is almost over, and by now thousands, if not millions of people across the country are probably already falling off the fitness bandwagon. For me personally, I’ve decided that this year will be the turning point on my long road to becoming physically fit. And already my body is in pain, my head aches, and I’d love to sit back on the couch with a big bag of Doritos.

What I’ve learned from reading countless articles and books, my favorite being The Men’s Health Gym Bible, is that the journey isn’t one you can take in a week, or even a month. It’s a lifelong commitment that will throw you many curve balls. And if you have to cheat sometime by eating a brownie or that bag of Doritos, that’s okay; it keeps your body guessing.

With that said, I’m starting a transformation. I’ve spent the past several years not happy with the way my body has turned out post-college, and I’m ready to make the big change. My plan of attack involves no fad diets, just simple cardio, weight training and a sensible meal plan that will of course include some junk food; I’m only human. Occasionally, I will throw in some yoga and dancing, all combined with the training tips I’ve learned from my friends at Men’s Health. So, keep checking in because once I start seeing results, I may build up enough courage to post a before and after. Maybe someday I’ll even end up on the cover of Men’s Health. After all, stranger things have happened (i.e. me winning Publicist of the Year).

After weeks of listening to the soundtrack I finally saw Dreamgirls, and I was not disappointed. Beyonc頷as surprisingly great in the film, but the true star was Jennifer Hudson who had the audience on their feet cheering before she could finish her breakout song, And I Am Telling You. Forget about the Golden Globes, I’d be surprised if this American Idol turned overnight movie star doesn’t take home an Oscar for her portrayal of songbird Effie White.

Back to the subject of my blog entry, I was shocked by how thin Beyonc頧ot for her role. She has always had a beautiful body with curves that any woman would kill for, but she went the extra mile to get into character. At first I assumed that she probably hired a celebrity trainer to help shed the extra pounds, but while doing my own workout at New York Sports Club, I saw a segment on Geraldo at Large that revealed the true secret of how she got so thin so quickly.

The Lemon Diet, also known as the Master Cleanser, Lemon Detox and Maple Syrup Diet is supposedly the star secret for dropping weight in a hurry. I immediately thought that this was another fad diet that some farmer in Florida must have come up with to make a quick buck. Apparently, it was first developed by naturopath Stanley Burroughs more than 30 years ago, and has just had a resurgence as a result of celebrities like Beyonc鮠

Eager to learn more, I did a Google search and found hundreds of sites. At the top of the list was www.lemondetox.com. It doesn’t list studies, but it gives some good background on the diet and goes into some details about the drink – a combination of pure water, fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper or ground ginger and Madal Bal Natural Tree Syrup – and the different versions. The real question is, “Does it work?” The testimonials seem to give an unbiased cross section of feedback from customers. Many stated to have some dizziness and mild headaches, and a guy from London claimed to have lost 16 pounds in just ten days. At that rate, I think I could live with a mild headache for two weeks. Anything for a “dreambody.”

The area in which I live is known to have character. Each house is different, or has historic presence, and stands out among other places nearby. There really is no “big business” in our area overcrowding every street corner and making their over domineering corporate-America presence known. This is a place that embraces entrepreneurs.

So when driving down a road I haven’t traveled in a while, I noticed something out of the ordinary; cookie cutter houses. A new development was being built and each house looked exactly the same. Their yards were the same, with the same tree in the same spot, and the grass all the same length. Nothing about these houses or this development had anything exceptional to them. They lacked character.

For a few months now, I have been talking about childhood obesity and some of the initiatives being launched to reverse the damage that has been done on this generation of children with expanding waistlines. If you don’t have children, it doesn’t take much to look around and see what is happening. If you are a parent, then you may very well know yourself either through your own children or their friend’s/classmates that this is a serious issue.

The Bush Administration recently held a meeting with the private sector to encourage a collaborative effort to get involved with the government to create awareness, encourage fitness and prevent obesity in children. Some of the attendees were Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon Television; Don Thompson, President, McDonalds USA; Lance Friedmann, Senior Vice President, Global Health and Wellness and Sustainability, Kraft Foods, Inc. and Roger Enrico, Chairman of the Board, DreamWorks Animation SKG. These companies are directly involved in products that are geared towards children and can offer valuable solutions and help put childhood obesity at the forefront in American society.

While their initiative also touches on adult obesity, some of the programs and campaigns they hope to put in place are:

+ School wellness policies (I am already seeing this in my school district).
+ Generating greater access to public lands and National Parks to promote physical fitness.
+ Public messaging partnerships, which will include working with the advertising, entertainment, arts, food, and beverage industries to recognize achievements and increase support for obesity prevention initiatives.
+ Dietary and physical activity guidelines for Americans.

We are all familiar with all the various bidding sites that are out there that bring consumer and seller together such as the highly popular website Priceline.com and of course its now defunct name your price grocery website WebHouse (which I sadly miss). Of course there are other variations of sites that look to capture an audience by allowing various businesses to compete for your business such as with Lending Tree and RentalCars.com (owned by Priceline). As more and more consumers are always looking for the best deals, a new trend has been emerging that Doc Searls dubbed last year as the Intention Economy.

The Intention Economy grows around buyers, not sellers. It leverages the simple fact that buyers are the first source of money, and that they come ready-made. You don't need advertising to make them. The Intention Economy is about markets, not marketing. You don't need marketing to make Intention Markets.---Doc Searls”

With this idea in mind, it opens another market and another way for brands to think outside of the box when it comes to getting exposure for their product. This is a market that is virtually untapped and one that many are beginning to see as a golden opportunity to connect in another way with their target market. One such example is in a specific part of the travel industry: cruises. Cruise Compete is a website that is similar in notion to Lending Tree in that Travel Cruise Agents compete to offer you the best deal on a cruise package. Although sites like Lending Tree, Priceline and Cruise Compete work with a limited amount of businesses to offer you the best deal, these sites still remain popular in this niche of price competition and continue to have a small amount of rival sites.

Mother’s Day is only a few short weeks away and happens to be, in my opinion, a day that all mothers look forward to for the pampering, the gifts and demonstrations of love by her family. With consumer spending for Mother’s Day gifts expected to be $15.73 billion, these last few weeks before the big day are a fantastic opportunity to get your brand noticed, especially online.

According to the National Retail Federation’s 2007 Mother’s Day Consumer Actions and Intentions survey, 20% of consumers are expected to do their Mother’s Day gift shopping online, which is a 3.1% increase from last year. Although the other 80% do their gift buying offline, many still use the internet to research and look for gift ideas. While Mother’s Day shopping and gift research typically begins at the beginning of April, far more consumers make their purchase much closer to the holiday, which occurs on May 13th this year.

By utilizing the internet to spread the word about your product(s) as great gift ideas for mom, your advertising costs will be much less versus commercial and print ads and more likely to spread the word faster due to viral marketing. A few ways to utilize the web to get your products before Mother’s Day gift searchers are:

Press Releases
Advertisements on targeted websites
Advertisements on targeted blogs
Promoting them to blog owners

Online press releases are great for search engine optimization and will quickly get you picked up by the likes of Google and Yahoo when consumers do an online search. Using keywords in the title of your press release is a key factor. Key phrases to use are “Mother’s Day gifts” and “Mother’s Day gift ideas.” Some online press release services are PR NewsWire, Send2Press and PRWeb Direct. You can also use these same press releases to email to blog owners, but make sure to include links to your products (if you have an online site) and pictures as well.

For many of us, the mere thought of running a marathon makes us want to sit down. And for the more motivated, Olympic gold medalist Frank Shorter advises, “You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can’t know what’s coming.”

Well, for Ultramarathon Man, Dean Karnazes, the memory of his last race is still fresh in his mind because Karnazes has run 50 marathons, in 50 states, in 50 consecutive days.

If that’s not shocking enough, starting tonight, in Times Square, Karnazes plans to break a world record by running for 24 solid hours on a treadmill on a billboard as part of the launch of the new energy drink, Accelerade.

Need to see it to believe it? Dean starts his mission at midnight, but get there early.

And be careful where you stand, because at that height, he literally will be sweating bullets.

Pierce Mattie Public Relations' innovative "Media Oasis" in Times Square has been tagged by Beauty and Fashion editors as an environment that promotes a unique learning experience, crossing and connecting the media and client in one versatile location of beauty and serenity. The Media Oasis' tranquil atmosphere sets a new standard in the industry by allowing brands to showcase their products and services to the media in an intimate setting fostering more in-depth communication between the two.

The origin of the Media Oasis stemmed from our clients asking us to provide services in a controlled environment where the brand's integrity would not be compromised with the media present," said Joanna Roche, Executive Vice President of Pierce Mattie PR.

"My vision of the Media Oasis was to have the feel of a very modern day resort, while still maintaining the function of a large corporate office. Pierce Mattie and I transformed what would normally be a nicely decorated corporate office into a retreat, not only for the many magazine editors that visit the New York office, but also for the employees of Pierce Mattie Public Relations. The results of which we are very proud of; part work, part relaxation, less stress, better living and going home with a peace of mind," said Edward Thornton, chief designer from Thornton & Associates; the architectural firm responsible for creating the revolutionary Media Oasis.

The Media Oasis is a 4,000 square foot custom built retreat designed to harmoniously blend the media and our luxury lifestyle clients. "The majority of our brands do not have corporate facilities in Manhattan. This often presented a missed experience when our team would go to pitch a brand to the press. We found ourselves renting hotel suites and taking over spas and hair salons to do events with beauty editors and shoot TV shows with segment producers. We wanted to bring this experience in-house. We are confident that Media Oasis is the right tool to maximize their media exposure," said Lance Buckley, Account Director at Pierce Mattie. Guests of the Oasis can receive exclusive facial treatments, body massages, manicures and pedicures, aromatherapy sessions, chemical peels and body treatments based on what brand is being pitched at that time. The clandestine milieu is also outfitted with a shampoo room fit for scalp treatments and hair processing.

Each year, people from around the world make the same New Year's resolution; to get into better shape. The only problem is that after the first few weeks they've already started to stray from their program, and by March, most have dropped off altogether. I sat down with Kristi Molinaro, one of the resident fitness advisors for FitFiend.com, a social networking site for the fitness enthusiast, to get some tips on why people have such a hard time making fitness a part of their everyday lifestyle.

Read the complete post and Kristi's tips on our Fitness PR blog.

While many people wait until the last minute to file their taxes, others do the same when it comes to getting their bodies ready for swimsuit season. This year, invest part of your return towards something that will give back to you long-term; your health. We’ve searched for some of the hottest workout programs on the market today that will help motivate and whip you into shape. Who knows, you may even be able to use some of these as a tax write off at the end of the year.

Motivation is Key The most important part to any exercise program is motivation. Whether youworkout alone or have a gym partner, having positive feedback is key to continued success. FitFiend.com, one of many social networking communities geared towards fitness and health, recently launched with a number of interactive tools to help guide you on your path to a better body and overall health. Similar to Facebook, FitFiend.com allows users to connect with fitness and health experts, search for workout partners and trainers in their area, get fitness and nutritional tips, watch original fitness programming, read about the latest in workout trends, and interact with other fitness enthusiasts for positive feedback. The best part is that this service is free, but the benefits keep on giving. Log on today at www.FitFiend.com.

Read the full post on our Fitness PR blog.

PR has long misused and misunderstood pitching to Bloggers, most specifically, mommy bloggers. Yesterday I caught the segment of the Today Show featuring mom bloggers Mir, Kristen, Jill and a live interview with Heather B. Armstrong. After watching Hota Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford totally miss the boat with "air quotes," backhanded compliments and asking Heather, "Is it all moms who are on your blogosphere," it basically solidified for me, if the media doesn't "get" mommy bloggers, how can PR expect to understand how to reach out to them either? Well, being a mom myself, I decided to do something no one else has seemed to do before--I asked them.

Erin Kotecki Vest who writes Queen of Spain, Elizabeth Thielke writer of Busy Mom and Jenn Satterwhite who writes Mommy Needs Coffee all graciously took the time to answer my questions when it came to pitching mommy blogs. If you are thinking of pitching your products to mommy blogs, it's definitely best to hear the right and wrong way to do it and avoid your pitch hitting the spam folder.

Shannon: How do mom blogs differ from a tech blog, beauty blog, foodie blog (besides the obvious niche differences)? Is there a difference in who the audience is?

Erin: We're not selling anything and odds are we don't review products or services. Normally we are discussing our lives. It's much easier to connect with a site that is in the business of discussing an 'industry' or category.

Jenn: I think every blog is going to have an audience that finds interest in the main topic of the posts. I think with mom blogs there is more of an interest in community and stories. However, there is a lot of cross over. Not all of my readers are parents. And not all the blogs I read are mom blogs. I just think people gravitate to what interests them most. Whether it be a narrow group or a large array or interests. Mom blogs are not the big influencers when it comes to products because many are now talking about them. Similar to the playground of our day when our moms would share opinions. We just share them online.

Elizabeth: A "mom blog" can be defined many different ways, the common factor is that they are written by a female who is a parent, but the content can vary widely. Many are exclusively about parenting, while others a more of a reflection of life in general, comedy, tech stuff or other topics mixed in the conversation. The audience is the same in that they are people who are interested in the writer and the topic. But, they are perhaps different in that a mom blog's audience is often people who are having or have had the same types of life experiences as the writer, where that's not usually a factor in other niche blogs.

Shannon: Why do you feel that PR firms and various brands are pitching mommy blogs and placing more value on them than the average niche blog?

Erin: There are many reasons-most of which have to do with stats. Women control .83cents on every household dollar. Women are now the heaviest web users. Women are turning off the TV and putting down the magazine in favor of being online. Women are the best word of mouth advertisers in the world.

Jenn: Two reasons: First: Moms do the majority of the household spending and are the ones who are going to go out and purchase most of the things that we are being pitched. We are the ones who are making most of the house hold purchases. Secondly, many women/moms look to each other for advice and recommendations on products before they buy. I will definitely take the word of a mom blogger I trust over any pitch, advertisement or branding tactic that comes my way.

Elizabeth: Moms often make everyday purchasing decisions for wide variety of items and aren't limited to a niche. With growing children, they will be making kid related and household purchases consistently over a long period of time. Additionally, moms are perceived as people who will talk to their friends about products and the reach is extended.

Pierce Mattie PR recently submitted an article to the Bulldog Reporter, which has been published in their Barks & Bites column, below is a preview:

PR has long misused and misunderstood pitching to bloggers. While it has long been the status quo of PR to send blanket impersonal press release type pitches to media outlets, blogs and social media are reshaping the way we pitch. Unlike print publications, blogs do not have advertisers to answer to and their blog is, in essence, their brand. PR has to invest the time to peel back the layers and research who they are, what they talk about and who their audience is before sending a pitch—or take the chance of their pitch hitting the spam folder (or worse, appearing as a slam on their blog).

There is no doubt that the social media scene is not going away. In fact, it continues to grow and become more influential. While print publications still lead the way as a client's preferred method of securing coverage, blogs and social media outlets tend to offer instant results with measurable ROI. While the initial results of a blog writing about your client may be fleeting, eventually that write up gets indexed and lives online in the search engines. In print, once you've had your moment in the spotlight, the next month it turns to someone else and that mention is long forgotten by the consumer.

As advocates for our clients, it is in our best interest to come to understand and navigate this often slippery slope of the blogosphere where one minute you may hit a homerun and in the next, strike out. In the new world of Communication 2.0, if PR hopes to find any success in securing publicity for their client on the web, then they need to devote themselves to reshaping the way they cast their net.

To read the complete article please check out the Bulldog Reporter. To see the original post that the article was summarized from please check out PR Tips: How to Pitch Mommy Bloggers.

Getting motivated to lose weight is the easy part but remaining inspired to stay the course is tough. We're inundated with opportunities to go on a diet vs. a lifestyle change, try this fad weight loss plan or this fad workout and it's no wonder most of us fail. Two and half weeks ago I began working out everyday, something I've never done before. I know that in order to keep myself mentally motivated I needed to find a source of inspiration when that little voice fills me with doubt that I can't meet my weight loss goal. Then, out of the blue, Mark Salinas began following me on Twitter and I became inspired.

Read the complete post and interview on our Fitness PR blog.

So You Think You Can Have a Dancer's Body?

Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer of the hot dance show So You Think You Can Dance (“SYTYCD”), said it best this week, "The guys on this show all look like they are out of the movie 300,” pointing out that the dance moves aren’t the only sexy thing on the show. Between SYTYCD, Dancing with the Stars, America’s Best Dance Crew, Dancelife (and not to mention the new Chris Brown dance competition series announced this week) there has never been a time where dance has been more widely popular.

Luckily you don't have to dance the countless hours the contestants of these shows do to start to see some dancer-like features. There are plenty of fitness options you can take advantage of in order to achieve the leaner and longer physique most dancers have.

Read more on our Fitness PR blog.

Pierce Mattie PR is now hiring for our New York and Los Angeles offices. Please feel free to forward this post to anyone that may be interested. 

Open Divisions:
• Beauty
• Jewelry
• Women's Fashion
• Men's Fashion
• Food & Beverage
• Home Furnishings
• Resort & Travel
• Fitness
• Men's Lifestyle
• Women's Lifestyle

Open Positions:
• Account Supervisors
• Account Directors
• Account Manager
• Sr. Account Executives

Read more on how you can join our award winning team! 

A Master Class in PR Partnerships at 24 Hour Fitness 

California based chain, 24 Hour Fitness, has choosen celebrity endorsed centers as part of their Fitness Public Relations strategy to combat forecasted consumer frugality. Celebrity endorsements might not be a new form of PR, but the cross-promotional tactic has been enjoying frequent use across many industries recently. High-profile personalities have been linking themselves with clothing collections, perfumes, restaurants, television shows, record labels--it seems no single product/service/idea cannot avoid being branded with a well-known person including fitness centers.

Read the complete post on our Fitness PR blog.

Numbered are the weekends of barbeques and pool parties with summer quickly coming to an end. Even though hot dogs and hamburgers will be put to bed until next summer, partying certainly doesn’t end with the warm weather. It’s called football season—and people gather to watch the games on their HD Plasmas nearly every weekend. Our football favorites have been hard at work on the off-season to make sure you get your Direct TV NFL Ticket’s worth.

I had the opportunity to sit down with James Ihedigbo, safety of the New York Jets, to talk about just what kind of work he's been doing to get ready for this season and what we as non-athletes can take from his regiment to be more physically fit. Obviously none of us are aspiring to have biceps the size of Ihedigo, but we can learn a thing or two from someone whose job it is to exercise and play a sport demanding the greatest in agility and strength. And if you are after the physique of an NFL player, good luck. His mammoth muscles are from some extremely hard work.

The super talented football player comes out of UMass and is in his second year playing in the NFL. James lives by the motto, "To whom much is given, much is expected.” He has never let natural talent stop him from working as hard as humanly possible. He was injured in training camp last summer and was out the remainder of the season so this year is big.

Watch James' video and hear his fitness tips on our Fitness PR blog.

Here we are again, last week we critiqued Biden and Palin and this week it’s Obama and McCain. Remember this is Pierce Mattie after all. We don’t talk politics; we talk fashion, grooming and lifestyle choices. Though they reference Reagan, JFK and Roosevelt, let’s remember – they are none of the above. Are you ready to examine?

Some of us might be taking the recent headlines as an order to re-evaluate your budget.  I can bet a lot of us might be looking at gym memberships as a cost you can do without.  In a stressful time in your life, a gym membership could be the most important investment you make.   Here are my top three reasons why it’s a no risk-high return investment that we shouldn’t ignore (and what sounds better than a no risk high return investment right now?)

Read the complete post on our Fitness PR blog!

Typically I would've been putting out this forecast on PR trends last month, but I think it's safe to say that the economy is turbulent and therefore what may be a great business and PR strategy one day may not necessarily work months down the line. While everyone may be all doom and gloom about the current state of public relations, I remain an eternal optimist and think that success lies in being educated, creative and having a willingness to let the diversified background of your team make you collectively stronger to meet your clients needs.

1. The spotlight can no longer shine on just one star, 2009 is about teamwork. Sure, we all have that one employee who is so amazing that everyone wants to emulate them, but look close enough, and you will find that each one of your staff has incredible talents, that collectively, make your firm a powerhouse. Find ways to help your staff let those talents emerge and yes this may take some investment of time by upper management to really identify each of your team members strengths (and weaknesses), but in this economy our best weapon is from within our own resources.

2.  Education equals vitality. No one can be ignorant any longer to the shift in the way the public consumes news and researches/purchases products. Everyone everywhere is looking to make cuts in their budgets, but educating your team should be considered a priority and not something that can be put on the backburner until the economy pinks up. Our industry will need to keep up to speed on how to work with and remain flexible during this time of transition.

With the current state of the economy, companies may be questioning the value of PR and how publicity can directly translate into increased sales. I understand this and all too often our industry sees clients cutting PR from their budgets when it is the one thing that is most important in an economic downturn. The economy has caused the priorities of public relations to begin a seismic shift and our main focus is no longer solely about consumer awareness, but now includes the added challenge of positively impacting the bottom line. For the industry to remain afloat here are some public relations strategies we implement here at Pierce Mattie PR that we've found to be successful:

Spring is getting near and you know what that means: love is in the air...for college basketball that is! As the college teams battle it out for spots in the Final Four, shoemakers are battling it out for shoe sales. Adidas has created a new basketball sneaker, Mad Clima, to be released in conjunction with March Madness.

In order to promote the new shoes, Adidas has launched an ad campaign called "March is a Brotherhood." One aspect of the campaign is a series of web videos featuring four of the NBA's top players including Tracy McGrady, Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, and Josh Smith. Each player chose a team to represent and is featured in their own short video clip about how their team will win. After watching the clips, I'm unsure about their potential effectiveness. So I wonder, will the video clips help make the campaign a success or will they get lost in the madness?

With the success of Nintendo's Wii Fit program, more and more interactive fitness games are coming to market. We've seen it with EA Sports Active, The Biggest Loser Fitness Game and Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum. With the success of being the brand spokesperson for Mari Windsor's Pilates series of DVD's, Daisy Fuentes recently launched her own interactive Pilates game for Wii. The branding alone seems like a natural fit for Fuentes, but is it enough to drive its target audience (women) online and to the stores to purchase

The results are in! The team at Pierce Mattie Public Relations has compiled their annual "What’s Hot, What’s Not" list for 2010 pertaining to all things beauty, fashion, lifestyle and media. What’s in? The stiletto heel, Jeggings, Minx Nails, diesel fuel and the use of condoms have made a major come back over the pill. And what’s out? Skinny jeans, Starbucks, Hybrid Technology and Zoloft just to name a few.

What’s IN:

Fashion –

Annabel Tollman
UNIQLO
Velcro
Navaho Prints
Stiletto Heels
Tie Clips
The Boyfriend Jacket
Jeggings

Beauty –

Blushing Nails
Bouncy hair that is air dried
neuLash & Latisse
Fresh Cut Cedarwood
Injectables
Goth inspired makeup
Violet/Carnation Scents
Minx Nails
Invisalign
Push-up Bra

Accessories –

House of Harlow
Metal Statement Necklaces
Bib necklaces
Alexander Wang handbags

Lifestyle -

How To and DIY stories
Blog stories
Brewing your own coffee
Berlin
Diesel Fuel
Condoms
Farm Weddings
Vampires
Pilates
Your real figure
Wine
Life Coach

Media -

Oxygen
Open source
Helpareporter.com
Real Housewives Washington DC
iRex
Wendy Williams
Glee
Megan Fox
Alexandra Wentworth (comedian)
David Baldacci (novelist)
Roberta Gellis (romance)
Taylor Lautner
Katie Cassidy

What’s OUT:

Most Manhattanites and those that circulate out to the Hamptons in the summer have heard of Louis Coraggio and his work at Body Architect. He is known in the health industry for providing a highly focused fitness and wellness experience that insures comfort, trust and overwhelming customer satisfaction. We had the opportunity to pick his brain as we gear up for the biggest battle of the bulge challenges, the holidays. This is what he shared with us… 

Tell us about Body Architect, what types of services do you provide for your

clients?

www.Bodyarch.com is my web site. It is abbreviated for Body Architect. I trade marked this name in 2005 because I loved the name and what it stands for. Each client I work with I focus on adding symmetry and balance, not only to their body but to their life. My services include; fitness training, nutrition planning and coactive coaching which supports clients to achieve great things and push them out of their comfort zone.

How did you get started in the fitness industry?

The New Year is fast upon us, what advice do you have for people looking to not gain a pound during the holidays?

Goal setting is an important factor. Ask yourself some powerful questions about your commitment level, attitude and desire to be fit. I suggest refraining from alcohol during most holiday parties, adding some extra cardio in during the week. Drinking carbonated water helps one feel satiated. Try snacking on healthy treats before holiday parties, to prevent filling up on empty calories at the party.

What do you predict will be a big fitness craze for 2010?

When gearing up to enter the, to some - namely me, unchartered territory of exercise, it’s useful to have a list of do’s and don’ts on hand. Far from being a checklist of gym (park and sidewalk…) etiquette, I stumbled across an article that claimed to ‘bust’ fitness myths. A starting point. Or, the starting block if you will.

We all know that working out regularly “helps the heart and lungs work more efficiently and improves strength, endurance and flexibility,” but there are still a number of tall tales circulating about exercise.

A rumor doing the rounds is that muscle turns into fat when you stop exercising. The good news is that this is biologically impossible. As muscle and fat are different types of tissue, the two are not interchangeable. True, working out will make you gain muscle, burn calories and in turn, reduce fat. So naturally, when you cease exercising muscles fade away. The reassuring thing is, any new bulges that you notice are not the result of muscle transformation, but the increase in fatty deposits. Nice.

When gearing up to enter the, to some - namely me, unchartered territory of exercise, it’s useful to have a list of do’s and don’ts on hand. Far from being a checklist of gym (park and sidewalk…) etiquette, I stumbled across an article that claimed to ‘bust’ fitness myths. A starting point. Or, the starting block if you will.

We all know that working out regularly “helps the heart and lungs work more efficiently and improves strength, endurance and flexibility,” but there are still a number of tall tales circulating about exercise.

A rumor doing the rounds is that muscle turns into fat when you stop exercising. The good news is that this is biologically impossible. As muscle and fat are different types of tissue, the two are not interchangeable. True, working out will make you gain muscle, burn calories and in turn, reduce fat. So naturally, when you cease exercising muscles fade away. The reassuring thing is, any new bulges that you notice are not the result of muscle transformation, but the increase in fatty deposits. Nice.

It’s as easy as riding a bike. Or that’s what Selene Yeager, author of the upcoming book “Ride Your Way Lean: The Ultimate Plan for Burning Fat and Getting on a Bike” is banking on. The fitness book brings readers a weight-loss plan that centers around biking.

Yeager, nicknamed the Fit Chick, is no stranger to bikes. She’s the author of “Every Woman's Guide to Cycling: Everything You Need to Know, From Buying Your First Bike to Winning Your First Race,” as well as a columnist for “Bicycle” magazine. The fitness program, which includes eating reasonably (good-bye mini cupcakes), could help readers lose up to 100 pounds just by pedaling.

It’s as easy as riding a bike. Or that’s what Selene Yeager, author of the upcoming book “Ride Your Way Lean: The Ultimate Plan for Burning Fat and Getting on a Bike” is banking on. The fitness book brings readers a weight-loss plan that centers around biking.

Yeager, nicknamed the Fit Chick, is no stranger to bikes. She’s the author of “Every Woman's Guide to Cycling: Everything You Need to Know, From Buying Your First Bike to Winning Your First Race,” as well as a columnist for “Bicycle” magazine. The fitness program, which includes eating reasonably (good-bye mini cupcakes), could help readers lose up to 100 pounds just by pedaling.

Fitness PR: It’s warming up in the big apple, a time when we start to see those that have gained a few pounds over the winter looking to increase their cardio and drop the weight. Some turn to indoor exercise while others elect to run through our cities parks, alongside our highways and up and down our mega city blocks. Pierce Mattie PR caught up with Dr. Jason Karp aka Coach Jason and The Running Coach. This is what he had to share with us if you are thinking of taking up running this season… 

Tell us a little bit about your background, services to your clients provided and how you got started running. 

It all started with a race once around the track in sixth grade. There was something exciting about running faster than the guy in the lane next to you, something intriguing about how to do it.  Since then, I have been fascinated with the science of athletic performance.

While I didn't know at the time exactly what form my career would take, I knew that one of the things I wanted to do was coach, so I took the steps necessary to become as educated as I could in the field of exercise science.  I wanted to be the best, so I searched for schools where I could rub elbows with the best.  After completing my master's degree, I took a job as a head college cross country coach, being one of the youngest in the country.  I also coached high school cross country and track.  When I went back to school for my Ph.D., I started coaching privately, with one runner whom I met through a running group.  While coaching this runner, who qualified for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, I decided that this was the route I wanted to go.  So I created a website, drafted a contract, and started a coaching business.  Now I coach runners all over the country and train other clients in the San Diego area who want to lose weight and get fit.  My service can be best described as passionate and science-driven.

What should new runners be aware of when taking up this sport? 

If they keep at it until it becomes natural, they will get to experience many great things. The human body is great at adapting to stress when that stress is applied in small doses.  Most new runners get injured because they increase the stress too much too quickly. Focus on improving endurance first, speed later.

Here at Pierce Mattie PR, we happen to think Jennifer Aniston has the perfect body and I know that I for one could only hope to look that insanely gorgeous when I am in my 40's. However, the beautiful Ms. Aniston is probably feeling the heat with younger actresses on board her latest role in Going With It that is currently being filmed in Hawaii, so much so that she is calling in yoga and fitness guru, Mandy Ingber. (Well, maybe we can exclude Heidi Montag from that list who will also be starring in the film.)

So you want a job at Volkswagon's TN manufacturing plant? Then be ready for a workout! The Chattanooga location has its newly hired employees hitting the gym before settling into their position at VW. Is it fair for the automaker to require its employees to get in shape in order to work for the brand...or are they onto something that other employers should be paying attention to during a time when health care costs are sky rocketing?

There's no denying that health care is all the buzz these days. If our politicians aren't fighting over health care reform, there are those battling higher deductibles while others are wondering how to meet their health care needs without any insurance at all. While many may schoff at the idea of their employer mandating a fitness regimen into their job requirements, it may also be the best thing to ever happen to them health-wise.

What VW is doing is beneficial to both the auto giant and it's employees. Healthier employees drives down insurance costs which eventually mean lower health care premiums. And following the mob mentality, a healthier workplace could potentially carry over into the lifestyle of each employee affecting their families in a positive way as well. There's that encouragement, support and better self esteem.

And in the end, happier employees means a more productive workplace. So should more employers follow suit? Weigh in with your comments!

Good customer service has always been the sure fire way to land the best publicity on earth. When economic times were good, many companies bypassed emphasis on this principle and strictly built value based on which publications featured their products. Certainly if they had a showcase of magazine hits here and broadcast hits there, that certainly was enough to make people buy (and repeat buy), enough to make people trust and enough to get people talking about their brand...right?

Maybe this was the way before, but in a want-it-now generation coupled with a troubled economy, there is a shift back to the "old school" principles of listening to what your customers want, then delivering. Or in other words, putting the customer first again. And honestly, I for one, love retro business standards. We could argue that the fervor around social media + business along with the demise of our economic stability created the perfect storm. 

We've heard that age-old saying time and again, "No pain, no gain." Pain is the number one reason most people don't stick with a fitness regimen or don't even start one in the first place. While the benefits of water fitness are widely known, HydroWorx takes their swim spas into the 21st century with state of the art technology to not only make getting back in shape fun, but also pain-free.

Antonio Pio Saracino, the young designer who has been the protagonist of a number of artistic installations and performaces around the world (see our CHANEL Mobile Art post), has conceived and created the new eni trophy that will be presented to the winners of the races of the Moto GP in Sachsenring (Germany) and Formula 1 in Budapest (Hungary).

A front line protagonist in the racing world and committed to valorizing technological research, eni, with TBWA\Italia, in line with its communication strategy, which is focused on using the talents of artists of under 30 from around the world by offering them new forms of cooperation, has asked the Italian artist, who currently lives and works in New York, to give a dynamic and contemporary twist to its traditional logo with the six-legged dog. Works of art and other projects by Saracino have been shown in galleries and museums in different parts of the world, including Rome, New York, Brussels, Moscow, Cordoba and Sydney.

When it comes to being fit, we know going to the gym is a must, but are we getting the most out of our workout routine once we get there? Here are some common exercise myths we might be guilty of believing in taken from AOL Body's Fitness Myths Demystified with personal trainer Jan Wyche. 

1. Only Eat Protein "The body uses protein, carbs and fat to build muscle," Wyche notes. Additionally, any extra protein that the body doesn’t need could be stored as fat. It’s best that we eat a balanced diet with lots of vitamins and minerals.

2. Stretch Actually, we should never stretch before we run. Studies prove that stretching before exercise can increase our risk for injury, especially when we’re older, and decrease our overall workout performance. Instead, do a 3-5 minute warm up like walking.

New York is known for being unconventional. In a time when a unique angel gets you the publicity, it's no surprise to hear of a vodka brand and fitness center teaming up to expand their reach into lifestyle public relations. David Barton Gym and Svedka have partnered to create a fitness "cocktail hour" after its boot camp fitness classes.

While health conscious + alcohol doesn't sound like a true mix, it's working for the gym which looks to not only brand itself as the fitness location of choice, but as a place that people with a common lifestyle can come together and unwind from their daily stresses.Not only Fitness PR, but Lifestyle PR of sorts.

While the partnership (also at David Barton's Miami and Chicago locations) is only for the month of August, it will be interesting to see if memberships went up during this time...and if so, if serving alcohol at the gym will become a regular feature. What are your thoughts on this type of partnership?

*Photo Source: David Barton Gym