The Emmy Award-winning, critically acclaimed and nationally syndicated "The Dr. Oz Show" announced the world wide release of "House Calls," (www.DoctorOz.com/HouseCalls) an innovative online experience that allows users to send personalized videos to friends and family from Dr. Oz himself!

Users can select from a list of common health and wellness topics, messages of encouragement or well wishes. From the common cold, to weight loss support and even birthdays, Dr. Oz's personalized video message will be sent to the recipient's email or Facebook inbox. Users can also select from more than 1,000 names and over 25 topics to customize each video, which Dr. Oz delivers in a seamless fashion, for each recipient. Users are then given a checklist, unique to their topic, from Dr. Oz as a handy takeaway.

Additionally, television affiliates that carry "The Dr. Oz Show" will be able to embed the "House Calls" experience into their station's website to offer to local viewers.

"The connection between people is one of the most important things to maintain for our health – I often tell people to set aside time to call friends and loved ones as part of their overall well being," said Dr. Oz.  "Now, not only can you send them a nice note, but each 'House Call' contains some useful tips presented in a fun and engaging way."

Highlighting its French roots and esteem for international cinema, Sofitel Luxury Hotels is proud to present "BB Forever - Brigitte Bardot, The Legend," a traveling photo exhibit venerating the legendary French actress, singer, and model, Brigitte Bardot.  Showcasing 30 exclusive photographs of Brigitte Bardot's rise to fame, the exhibit will launch February 21, 2012 during Oscar Week at the Sofitel Los Angeles and continue to Sofitel properties in Chicago, Washington DC, and New York throughout 2012. 

This will mark the first time an exhibit featuring the international icon will appear in North America. The exhibit, which was designed in collaboration with Henry-Jean Servat, a famed French journalist and author, retraces the life of French icon Brigitte Bardot with an exclusive selection of photos, following her extraordinary cinematographic experience from teenage dreamer to modern day star. Through never-before-seen snapshots, visitors can admire the different facets of the actress, who throughout her career distinguished herself through her beauty, spontaneity and carefree spirit and whose personality led her to be regarded not only as a legend and sex symbol, but also as the embodiment of women's liberation.  In 2012, the French actress will also be honored at an event at the legendary Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles.  

Pierce Mattie PR Client Alfaparf Milano Hair Care was credited in the cover of Vogue Magazine. If you’re working on a hair care story be sure to give our Pierce Mattie beauty PR team a call at 212-243-1431 or follow us on Twitter @PierceMattiePR and FaceBook.

What is beautiful? What does beauty mean? Is beauty timeless?  Is it defined by history or has it changed over the decades?  Has it been redefined with plastic surgery?  If we choose to create our own faces by way of altercation through cosmetic practices, what is it we are attempting to achieve? 

Toledano presents a few fascinating inquiries himself: “When we re-make ourselves, are we revealing our true character, or are we stripping away our very identity? Perhaps we are creating a new kind of beauty. An amalgam of surgery, art, and popular culture?”

Truthfully, these particular propositions have never risen in my own mind.  Yet, it is exceedingly worthy of note.  I cannot even fathom and interpret my own analysis on such a topic considering its many dimensions and multifaceted existence. However, I can say that the image of what is classically beautiful has evolved into something more revolutionary and modernized…just as architecture has.  From naturally curvy pin-up girl to stick-thin Victoria’s Secret model with breast enhancement surgery.

What are your thoughts?  Has beauty been redefined to this day with surgeries and pop culture?  Or is beauty timeless?  Let us know @PierceMattiePR.

Although things like this should never happen, when they do they provide a valuable lesson from a public relations standpoint. Papa John's promptly issued an apology on their website and several social media outlets. They said that they were “extremely concerned” about the incident and the matter went against company values. The public was then informed that they had taken care of the problem by firing the employee that issued the receipt. Papa John's recognized the problem, said it was against policy, said how they were going to fix the problem and apologized. That should be enough right? The answer is maybe.

Pierce Mattie PR Client John Masters Organics was featured in Whole Living Magazine. If you’re working on a beauty story be sure to give our Pierce Mattie beauty PR team a call at 212-243-1431 or follow us on Twitter @PierceMattiePR and FaceBook.

Meredith Corporation has completed its acquisition of FamilyFun from Disney Publishing Worldwide. The acquisition includes the highly popular magazine – with an audience of 6 million and rate base of 2.1 million – and its related assets, including its special interest publications, as well as the Toy Hopper and other digital magazine applications.

"We are delighted to bring the FamilyFun brand to market as part of our expanding media portfolio," says Meredith National Media Group President Tom Harty. "This acquisition significantly enhances our leadership and reach among women in both the parenthood and food spaces."

FamilyFun targets moms with a special focus on family activities such as cooking, crafts, celebrations and travel.  FamilyFun will report to Carey Witmer, President of the Meredith Parents Network.  The March 2012 issue of FamilyFun will be the first issue published by Meredith.

“So what were you thinking about doing today?” These are the dreaded words you hear every time we sit down in the chair at the salon. You scoured images of hair colors, hair trends, and hairstyles for hours online only to sit down in the chair without the faintest idea of what you want to do. You often walk in with the intention of leaving with a new look, but because you have no idea what that new look looks like you end up leaving with your roots touched up, a trim, and a nice treatment to give you that soft and shiny look. Sounding familiar?

Well Aveda has come out with a new (and free!) iPhone app to help solve this problem: My Aveda Style. Download their app and you’re taken to the menu that consists of find styles, hair advisor, find Aveda near you, see our style in action, upload a style, and live chat.

1. Find Styles: Now you can show your stylist exactly what you want from your phone and you only have to go to one place to find your new look. You can search by hair cut (short/mid-length, long, waves/curls, and men’s) or by hair color (black, brown, blonde, and red) to find the perfect style. There are some great pictures and ideas posted by Aveda stylists and by other Aveda app users.

Commemorating the Lunar New Year, the United States Postal Service issued a new Forever Stamp featuring a dragon, the fifth of 12 animals associated with the Chinese lunar calendar.

This colorful stamp is the latest collectible in the Postal Service's Celebrating Lunar New Year series, which began in 2008 with the Year of the Rat. The Year of the Dragon begins today and ends Feb. 9, 2013. The stamp goes on sale today at Post Offices nationwide, online at usps.com and by phone at 800-782-6724.

"The Postal Service is proud to celebrate the Lunar New Year with the issuance of this magnificent Forever Stamp," said USPS Vice President of Sales Cliff Rucker, who dedicated the stamp. "Dragons are regarded as magical or divine, welcome symbols of renewed hope for the future. With this new stamp, we hope that the year will bring the best to all of us, no matter what sign we were born under."

As one of the most diverse employers in America, "the Postal Service is extremely proud of our inclusive environment, an environment that respects the uniqueness of every individual and encourages the contributions of people from different cultures, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives," said Rucker. Nearly 40 percent of the Postal Service's employees are minorities, and of those, nearly 9 percent are Asian American or Pacific Islander.

"Diversity is one of our greatest strengths as an employer, and that diversity embraces a wide range of traditions, including celebrations like Lunar New Year," said Rucker.

Among the distinguished guest speakers joining Rucker to dedicate the stamp were San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee; Organization of Chinese Americans President Clifford Yee; Board of Supervisors President David Chiu; and Organization of Chinese Americans Past President Claudine Cheng. Other key participants were Tony Fong, president, Chinese Chamber of Commerce; Thomas Ng, presiding president, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association; and Geoffrey Palermo, managing director, Hilton Financial District.

 

Job Description

• Plan and execute client activities in a timely, efficient and high quality manner under the direction of an Account Director
• Keep client programs on track and ensure all deadlines are met
• Develop and edit written materials including press releases, online materials and general client correspondence
• Execute media relations efforts including media list development, pitching and developing strong ongoing relationships with the media

• Minimum four years of professional experience required, agency experience preferred.
• Strong written and verbal skills, confident style in communicating with clients, and a proven ability to effectively organize and manage multiple tasks
• Solid client relationship and critical thinking skills
• Strong understanding of public relations concepts, tactics and media relations.
• Independence and autonomy with respect to their responsibilities and exhibit a deep understanding of the clients, accounts and industry
• Strong editorial relationships in the beauty arena
• Ability to work well with others in both team and independent environments, as well as motivate junior staff
• Positive, professional, and flexible attitude that lends itself to quality client service

When you think of dresses, flowers, cake, dancing, friends and family all together what comes to mind? Need a hint? It is custom that two people say the words “I do” before puckering up. A wedding of course! And with wedding season quickly approaching it is only appropriate that new helpful tips and advice are being put on the market to ensure a flawless day.

Weddings are full of beautiful flowers, delicious food, and a night full of the best music and dance moves. Thankfully a photographer is there to capture all the best memories from the day. The photographer’s main focus is to capture the guests having a great time and to catch those beautiful newlywed moments between the new couple. With all these photographs being snapped everyone wants to look their best from heir head to their toes, especially the bridal party and the bride.

To help the bridal party and bride attain their gorgeous look for the day, and avoid one more expense at the salon, Gorgeous Wedding Hairstyles by Eric Mayost has recently been published. This book is full of beautiful pictures with step-by-step instructions for hairstyles that are easy for anyone to duplicate. From classic and elegant styles to more modern looks, Gorgeous Wedding Hairstyles has a look for every member of the bridal party to look their best on the special day.

What do you think will be the wedding hair trends this wedding season? Let us know @PierceMattiePR

Pierce Mattie PR Client John Masters Organics was featured in Prevention Magazine. If you’re working on a beauty story be sure to give our Pierce Mattie beauty PR team a call at 212-243-1431 or follow us on Twitter @PierceMattiePR and FaceBook.

Recent reports have illustrated how Koreans leaving the country to travel abroad are attempting to avoid the customs taxes on purchases over $1000 won by either coming back into the country doing one of three things: 1. Taking their chances that they won't be screened and not reporting the purchase; 2. Under-reporting the price paid; or 3. Completing custom forms in advance stating they already had the item purchased abroad when they left Korea.

For clarity and illustration, the infamous 2.55 quilted Channel bag we all have seen and salivated over sells for 6.07 million won ($6,700) in Korea, while correspondingly in the US and France its price sits at 4.85 million won and 4.71 million won (quite a substantial price difference.)

An increasing number of tourists would like to enjoy the immunity of tax exemption (wouldn’t we all?) Yet countless travelers attempt to evade paying taxes, resulting in numerous dishonest tricks, such as exchanging the item online to receive a higher refund or re-selling the item and making a profit.

Has this been an ongoing issue only coming to light now or is this trend new because of the economy?  Let us know @PierceMattiePR.

 

Happy Winter Everyone!
 
Recharging yourself and understanding where your brand fits into your overall communications in 2012 will help you clearly envision your goals for the coming year.
 
Here are 5 tips to work towards making this year a success.

1. LEARN from your consumer. By using your social media vehicles to gather information about your consumer, you can fast track the evolution of your brand, keeping it current and top-of-mind.
 
2. PARTICIPATE in the conversation.  The communications mix has shifted from static to participatory.  By engaging with your consumers on all levels in an authentic and transparent manner, you seamlessly integrate your brand into their lifestyle.
 
3.  RETURN to your roots.  Take a look at your original mission and vision statements and see if you are on track.  Sometimes reinventing yourself is less important than taking your brand essence and framing it in a modern fresh way that resonates with consumers today.

 
4.  SHOWCASE your brand where your consumer can see it.  While traditional advertising previously was the mainstay of reaching your consumer, brands now need to be innovative to drive their message.  Using creative delivery systems such as product integration and viral guerrilla marketing can breathe new life into your brand and engage the consumer in new ways.
 
5.  REVIEW current chatter.  Instead of being a silo, stay aware of trends and inflection points so that your brand can adapt to the changing landscape.  By identifying emerging shifts, competitor positioning  and consumer variations, you can have your brand fluidly respond the market, while remaining true to its core. 

Be sure to stay updated with us at all times via our social media profiles:

You can follow us on Twitter: 

Become a fan on Facebook: 

Pierce Mattie PR Client Revision Skin Care was featured in NewBeauty Magazine. If you’re working on a beauty story be sure to give our Pierce Mattie PR team a call at 212-243-1431 or follow us on Twitter @PierceMattiePR and FaceBook.