Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles

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.

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.

• Communication Arts: This year’s interactive design winners were selected by our distinguished jury from a group of entries including Web sites, Kiosks, CD-ROM projects and PDA's.

• Strategic Public Relations: PR Industry: Improve Your Writing -Kevin Dugan

• Salon.com: Fake News, Fake Reporter: Why was a partisan hack, using an alias and with no journalism background, given repeated access to daily White House press briefings? -By Eric Boehlert

• Online Media Daily: Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Puts Edelman Public Relations on probation for creating fake Blogs (flogs) for client Walmart

• Customer Listening Blog: WOMMA Ethical Blogger Contact Guidelines: 10 Principles

I decided to share what the topic was at "show and tell" time in our weekly management meetings in the New York Office. This weeks discussion was a review of Liz Wilson's Telling It Straight article. I will post the article here, then invite Pierce Mattie members to comment along with any comments you may have.

What quality do employees most want from business leaders?

A clear vision of the way ahead, perhaps? A charismatic leadership style? Political or business acumen?

Of course, we demand all those qualities in leaders. But a recent piece of research points to a different quality as being the top priority for many employees.

A survey of over 1,000 employees found that what they most want from their leaders is authenticity, honesty and clear communication. In other words, straight talk.

Many professional communicators already sense this and are counselling business leaders to adopt more open communication measures. But this message isn't always getting through. "Too much value is placed on charismatic leadership: Boards select leaders for their dazzle and the biggest plaudits are saved for those whose profile is often bigger than that of their organization," notes CHA, the consultancy that commissioned the research.

The straight talking survey identified four communication styles among business leaders:

Controlling
Understated
Charismatic
Considerate

Controlling Communicators don't really communicate at all. They are perceived as arrogant, cold and insincere. In the workplace environment, they are seen as strong on business acumen but failing to provide staff with enough information. Rupert Murdoch, boss of News Corporation, is cited as an example.

There really are so many weight loss “pills” on the market today. You can find them, unregulated by the FDA, on shelves at places such as your local CVS and GNC. Then there are weight loss “drugs,” which are regulated by the FDA and can only be prescribed by your doctor. Now there is a weight loss drug made by Glaxo-Smith Kline called Alli (said Al-eye) that is FDA approved, but will be sold as an OTC drug.

How the Alli program works:

* You take a capsule with every meal.
* You register online to gain access to an individualized action plan.
* You check in weekly through the Alli site.
* Through the action plan you learn lessons about meal planning, managing hunger, dealing with setbacks, and making the food and lifestyle changes to help you succeed.
* Access to menu’s and how to shop for low-fat meals.
* Connect with other Alli users.

Alli is not only the first FDA approved weight loss drug OTC, it is the only FDA OTC that is both a weight loss drug and a weight loss treatment plan with support. Alli is Orlistat 60mg. Xenical is a good comparison, as it is also Orlistat, except it is sold in 120mg capsules and can only be prescribed by a doctor. Orlistat works by blocking fat absorption into the body. Alli blocks 25% fat absorption when you take the pill with each meal. Blocking fat results in “treatment effects,” otherwise known as frequent trips to the restroom. Alli’s capsule and program appears to be the perfect form of Classical Conditioning. If you eat meals high in fat when taking Alli, it results in frequent treatment affects, in order to avoid this you need to lower your fat intake to 15 grams or less per meal. Of course, no one wants to experience treatment effects, so they will lower their fat intake, which in combination with Alli provides a successful weight loss. This type of conditioning can be an excellent way to rethink the way you eat and create a new behavioral eating pattern. As you take Alli and recondition the way you eat, it becomes second nature by the time you have met your weight loss goal and no longer need to take Alli. In the end, this will result in long-term weight loss maintenance because you retaught yourself how to eat the correct way.

I came across this really fascinating article today by Nellie Lide on the blog “Small Business Trends.” While her article may have been geared towards small business, I definitely see how these same trends she writes about can be applied to large businesses, as well. Consumer trends are something that doesn’t necessarily fit into one piece of the puzzle for business, but can be easily applied across the board regardless if you own a large department store like Sak’s or a fashion focused store like Scoop.

The five top shopping trends for 2007 that Lide lists are:

* Shopping as a Societal Force for a Better World

* Shopping for Temporary Ownership: The Shopper as Buyer AND Seller

As I read through each one of these trend forecasts, I couldn’t help but nod my head in agreement.

Shopping as a Societal Force for a Better World: This is one trend I have been speaking much upon lately here on our beauty, fashion and main blog. Lide mentions the RED program, a program launched by Bono to fight poverty, which you really are seeing everywhere (Gap, Apple, etc.), but there is now also an extension of this program called (Product) RED, whose purpose is to raise funds to eliminate AIDS in Africa. Businesses involved in this are Emporio Armani, Converse and Motorolla. We’re seeing businesses collaborate with charities to fight Global Warming such as Diesel and Lancome, and those going green to lessen the stress on our environment. Business cannot grow in a vacuum and many are foreseeing their growth by getting involved in projects that matter most to their consumers.

In my personal Blogging, I’ve come across many brands without a publicist or PR firm representing them. Many cosmetic brands that contact me are well aware that I am a Blogger for Pierce Mattie PR and will sometimes ask me, “What does a public relations firm do?” The key thing I have found is that these brands do not fully understand what public relations can accomplish for them and more so, how to effectively communicate to the media and public about their brand from within their own company.

When you think about your brand, have you thought about all aspects of it? From the customer service representative to the sales persons, everyone employed by your company should all consider themselves on the same team. Not only because everyone’s paychecks are written by the same company, but also because together, your employees are the force behind your brand. No job title within the company is too small or nondescript to be left out. They are the eyes and ears (and heartbeat) of your brand, and how they view and feel about your products affects how others—your consumers—see it as well.

If you think of a luxury car, do you automatically think of Audi? Others tend to come to mind like Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but Audi? When I think of durability and reliability I definitely think Volkswagen, who is the automaker of Audi. Audi is ambitious and hoping to change the way we think about their brand and are quickly closing the gap on well-known luxury automakers.

Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG, has made the ambitious prediction that by 2015, Audi will be the leading luxury car-maker in the world, not simply by sales figures but through setting the industry pace in technological innovation, brand image, and customer satisfaction. In the US, Lexus is known as the quintessential luxury brand with a flawless record for customer service and brand reliability.

While Audi may be gaining ground in Europe, there may be obstacles here in the US, such as overcoming the brand’s image from 20 years ago when Audi owners accused the car of falsely accelerating. Although it was proven by a government investigation that this was not the case, the damage had been done to the brand’s image and other luxury brands continued to move ahead while Audi’s sales halted.

Bank of America has been known for a long while now as a leader in the banking industry. Until recently, they had a stellar reputation, however when the news hit that they would allowing the extention of a line of credit to those without social security numbers or a credit history (aka illegal immigrants and possibly potential terrorists), it left many with a bad taste in its mouth. Now Bank of America has shifted the focus off of this controversy to something more positive and an issue that has most of the world buzzing about right now: going green.

I’m not talking green as in the almighty dollar, although that is obviously what is fueling this initiative, but green as in participating in a way to contribute to diminishing the effects of global warming. This is a great endeavor for a bank as large as Bank of America to embark on. They will be investing $20 billion dollars into this initiative, making them the leader among financial institutions. This initiative will include support for trading in carbon units, which is a means to enable its clients to achieve carbon emission neutrality through existing and emerging market mechanisms. One way they plan to enable this is through an eco-friendly credit card. Each time this particular credit card is used, the bank will make a contribution to an environmental organization to invest in greenhouse-gas reduction projects. Those who plan to obtain a mortgage through Bank of America will also benefit if they purchase a home that meets Energy Star specifications, as it will result in an a reduced interest rate or $1000 cash back.

Portovert is the first and only magazine targeted at eco friendly weddings, helping brides-to-be take into account the environment when planning their big day. Portovert only launched just last month, which is amazing to me with the length of time people have been going green. It is founded by Meghan Myers, who previously had been the Editor for Family Circle.

Portovert (said porto-vair) offers wedding ideas that support an environmentally and socially conscious lifestyle, offering tips on how to make favors yourself, choosing organic menu options, and how to calculate the carbon footprint of all of the activities involved with your guests (hotel, travel, etc). The site also suggests brides and grooms use a gift registry that will give back a percentage of their profits to a non-profit of their choice. In addition to all of the above, they also have everything broken down into categories so you can choose green brands for you makeup and skin care on your big day such as Korres and Aveda, green fashion brands to find your perfect eco friendly wedding gown and accessories, as well as, food, flowers, the honeymoon and an environmentally friendly location to hold your wedding and reception.

The bridal industry is massive and Ms. Myers should fare very well tapping into a niche that was just waiting to be found. Currently the magazine can only be found online, as they of course follow their own recommendations by minimizing their carbon footprint by being paperless. Regardless that this magazine cannot be found in print, I can only see success for Ms. Myers and Portovert.

Fashion:

+ Chic Inspector inspects the color trend pop that was witnessed at many of the Fall 2007 fashion week shows.

+ Lady Licorice discusses and shows you the perfect layering pieces that you can wear now throughout Spring.

+ Cuffington discusses how that Audrey Hepburn dress that sold at auction for $807,000 has turned into more than “just a dress,” but a chance for 3000 children to receive the benefit of an education in India.

Beauty:

+ Legerdenez reviews Michael Kors Island.

+ Canadian Beauty reviews MD Skincare’s All in One Tinted Moisturizer.

+ Nail Tech Secrets reviews the Dashing Diva’s Extra Virgin Collection of nail polish.

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.

1. Always remove your makeup prior to going to bed. It’s best to use a makeup remover that is oil-free and alcohol-free. My favorite would be Korres Jasmine Eye Makeup Remover.

2. Follow a daily routine of cleansing, toning and moisturizing your face. Cleansing should be done twice a day (morning and night) and with the use of a gentle cleanser. Toning will help tighten your skin and restore your skin’s optimal Ph level, thus balancing it, prior to applying moisturizer. Maximize hydrating your skin by using a day moisturizer and a night cream. A daytime moisturizer is one that is lighter and works well under your makeup and the night cream is thicker and works hard through the night hydrating the areas you tend to see more dryness in. For this routine I switch between Korres and Epionce products.

3. Exfoliate at least once per week. Exfoliating is so important for your skin to remain vibrant and healthy. While our skin naturally sheds the dead cells, they can clog up pores and create those dry patches you find often on your skin. Exfoliating will slough off that layer of dead skin promoting optimal benefits when moisturizing. I use various exfoliators including Korres Olive Stones, Jordan Essentials Spa Polish and recently, Cosmedicine’s Medi-Morphosis.

4. Use a mask 1-2 times per week. Using a good mask will correct and detoxify your skin hydrating it and absorbing excess oil. It is especially beneficial to those who have oily and combination skin. I love cream masks and mud masks. I interchangeably use Korres Wild Rose Mask and Darshan Beauty’s Multani Facial Mud Mask.

5. Protect your face with daily sunscreen or a moisturizer that contains sunscreen. The damage that UVA and UVB rays do to your skin from repeated unprotected sun exposure may not be evident right now, but in years to come it will be something you can no longer hide. KaplanMD offers the best of both worlds with a Day Cream SPF 15. If you have a Five Things topic you think would make for an interesting post, please be sure to tell us in the comments! Find more posts like this on the Beauty Pro Division Blog.

Fashion:

+ Turlie reviews Valentino’s Fall/Winter Collection from Milan Fashion Week.

+ Fashion.Verbatim talks to Duckie Brown's Steven Cox and Daniel Silver.

+ All About Style shows you how shoes really do make the outfit.

Beauty:

+ Spa Blah Blah reviews LUSH’s Fresh Face Mask’s.

+ GirlPaint review’s Dove’s Skin Vitalizer.

+ Beauty Hobby gives you ten reasons to drink aloe vera gel.

This weeks "President's Pick" (where I "get" to post about one of Steve's "cravable" products or services each week) is something within reach of anyone with a eye for design. Want to instantly and inexpensively change the look and feel of your space for your next event? Need a quick, swanky backdrop for a last minute photo shoot? Maybe you just want to make your space your own, yet are a little phobic when it comes to committing to a particular design? Don’t let your space go barren simply because of design anxiety, there is a cool concept out there by Blik to create a look made by you, yet can be easily rid of should you grow bored and want something new without the fuss (or mess) involved in redesign.

Blik’s concept is self-adhesive graphics that can be applied to walls, floors, ceilings, windows, glass and tabletops that give an aesthetic quality to a room, yet can still be easily removed if and when you want to change the look of your space. Think “stick on” graphics is merely for the kids? Take a look at Max Azria’s boutique (Via Bilk's Blog) on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles touting Blik’s Fly Wall graphics.

For those of us who don’t like to stick to the same ole same ole for years on end, Blik’s graphics make change easy, yet affordable. Most of Blik’s packages of graphics are only $40, which I find amazing considering that most room designs cost considerably more. Blik offers wall decals, decals for your car and glassware, decals for the kids, Prose for those feeling a little poetic and Re-Stik, which are Blik’s top selling patterns made with adhesive that will allow you to reposition your design.

Blik’s products aren’t soley for the average consumer, as Blik has created custom designs for many companies and places such as Sensa, NBC’s The Apprentice, The Gap, the Sundance Film Festival and so on, check out the impressive list of clients Blik has designed custom patterns for.

With such a diverse offering in pattern design and the unique feel it gives to a space allowing you to be the interior designer, I can see why Blik is Pierce Mattie’s President’s Pick of the Week.

Spring is finally here and while there is still snow on the ground, I am looking forward to spending many gloriously sunny days out on my deck and in my yard. Outdoor furniture with fashionable, contemporary design has been more in demand so now we no longer have to relinquish our sense of style for when we take to the outdoors. Outdoor living is now a lifestyle and with it comes furniture and decor that stand up to the quality and craftsmanship expected ion luxury furniture and put that rickety wicker chair to shame.

In the past being outdoors meant a bug zapper, plastic garden chairs and pitched tent-like screened gazebos. There was no glamour, no aesthetics, simply functional accessories so that you could enjoy the day or evening without having to apply too much After Bite. If you are one who enjoys outdoor entertaining, the grills and outdoor living spaces of yore were lack luster at best.

STEP ONE: "THE MAN STATION" The Stainless Steel Jenn-Air Four Burner Grill is not your grandaddy’s grill. My husband is the chef of the house and he is master of his domain at the grill. Want to attract more men to your patio, give them something great to cook on. This Jenn-Air grill is like bringing the functionality of your kitchen outside while giving the neighbors something to talk about. It has storage drawers, an ice chest, a rotisserie and the style that make you or your neighbor look forward to another day of cooking, whether it be your typical burger for the family or gourmet fare to entertain your guests.

STEP TWO: "FURNITURE THAT FITS" Functional, comfortable, patio furniture makes or breaks the ambiance. You can give an outdoor space the look and feel of an interior room with carpeting, lighting, furniture such as sofas and coffee tables, outdoor fireplaces and much more. All decor still serves the same functionality, however they now are all water and weatherproof and durable enough to withstand the elements of the outdoors while giving you the illusion of relaxing in your living room. Colors and design no longer come in a one-type fits all and can cater to your need for an ultra-luxurious space with bold colors or something comfortable yet classic such as with the outdoor collections from Restoration Hardware.

STEP THREE: "PLAN TO PROTECT YOUR TURF"
Of course, with being outdoors we still have the heat and the mosquitoes. In keeping your outdoor space an oasis the EcoMist High Pressure Insect Repellent Patio Misting System has dual functionality to keep you cool while keeping the insects away. With a 60,000 sqft range and 20 gallon tank, this misting system in a 46 inch long plastic deck box will lessen scorching temperatures by 25 degrees while the fog mist organic Pyrethrum insecticide will repel and kill pesky mosquitoes. The Pyrethrum is safe to be around food, humans and pets as it is crushed Chrysanthemum seeds.

Stay cool in the shade under a portable Gazebo. You no longer have to settle for the usual flimsy metal with white canopy, but you also don't have to pay a large sum of money to get that luxury oasis look. Target sells a variety of gazebo styles with my favorite being the Sean Conway Tiverton Gazebo. Hang a chandelier from the center and you have transformed your space into something luxurious.

I cannot wait for the warmer weather to arrive to watch my outdoor space transform into a place of serenity and comfort with all of the creature comforts of the indoors.

Pssst! Here is the scoop. Women’s Entertainment (WE) has a new show coming out on April 15th regarding destination weddings that will be like no other. Get Married will be a program set up like a Bridal magazine showcasing top designers and experts who know the ins and outs of the bridal industry.

The first episode of Get Married will profile Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun, an Unlimited-Luxury property located amidst 71 acres of lush tropical gardens on a palm studded beach in Riviera Maya, Mexico. The second episode of Get Married will be filmed at Sunscape The Beach Punta Cana, an Unlimited-Fun resort wrapped around an expansive free-form swimming pool that meanders throughout the property, complete with waterfalls and a beautiful view to the ocean. Additional episodes airing this spring will feature four other Dreams properties.

A few of my colleagues from Pierce Mattie PR recently visited these resorts and I’ll fill you in on the details of just how fabulous, not to mention luxurious, these resorts are when I interview them about their experience there.

Fashion:

+ GlamSpree shows that fashion can be found at the (Helios House) gas station.

+ She’s a Betty rounds up 12 DIY ways to “pimp” your shoes.

+ The Budget Fashionista talks about UNIQLO bringing premium Japanese denim to the US for under $60.

Beauty:

+ The It List finds “hair powder” that’s good enough to eat.

+ Meg’s Makeup reviews Beauty Blender Season of Love.

+ The Beauty Newsletter reviews the soon to be launched Too Faced Status Gloss.

Recently my colleagues Hannah and Erin were able to visit AMResorts Secrets, Dreams and Sunscape Resorts. To give you a more personalized insider’s view of each of these resorts, I asked Hannah and Erin to give me the scoop on what it was really like at these destination hot spots without all the PR-ing that you would get from a press release.

In this post you find reviews of Secrets Capri, Dreams Tulum, Dreams Cancun and Sunscape Puerto Adventuras.

Secrets Capri Resort:

Erin: The decor at Secrets Capri is designed to match the Riviera atmosphere. The floors are marble and there are large white columns throughout the property. The space is compact and all amenities are close together. All details are very new, as the resort only opened three years ago.

Hannah: The rooms were beautiful and mine had a small patio where one could sit and relax or sunbathe. The view overlooking the ocean was beautiful—65% of the rooms at Secrets Capri have an ocean view and the rest have a garden view. The bathroom was marble with a separate shower and Jacuzzi.

Erin: All of the staff I spoke to were very friendly, they always said hello when walking by ( I think thats so important) and went out of their way to accommodate guests with the smallest of needs. There’s a concierge on every floor from 9am-5pm and at bedtime a rose is delivered to the room with the schedule for the next day’s activities with a plate of chocolates for dessert.

Hannah: There were 5 restaurants at this location and I ate dinner at Oceana. The Beef tenderloin and jumbo shrimp were amazing. The resort offers theme nights so that the guests have a different dinner option every night of the week.

Erin: The atmosphere at this resort is romance. The entire space is very romantic and intimate. The rooms, dining tables, chairs, etc. all have a very special appeal for couples.

Hannah: Every part of the property that I saw was extremely clean and elegant looking. Also, guests are given their own private concierge table for check in/out, which makes the experience very personalized.

Erin: The Riviera Maya was gorgeous. The water is sky blue and the sand was pure white. The neighboring properties are currently being developed, but there were no construction taking place too close to the resort property.

Hannah: The resorts location on the Mayan Riviera is naturally stunning. Most guests venture off the property once or twice during their stay to see the local attractions. Most of the couples staying at the resort were between the ages of 30-60. There were many couples that came there on their own, as well as couples who came with other friends or with both sets of parents.

Erin: The Spa was clean and luxurious. It is located next to the fitness center downstairs in the main section of the building. It’s not a huge selling point for the resort, but they are building a new spa where the tennis courts currently are.

Hannah: I wasn’t able to witness a wedding at Secrets Capri, but the area where they hold weddings is beautiful.

Erin: I witnessed an evening wedding on the beach that was beautiful. The wedding services they offer are very impressive. The resort hosts an average of 3 weddings per week and during their busy wedding season, they often host 2 weddings a day.

As a coffee addict myself (I prefer mine iced) it’s been interesting to watch the coffee wars brewing (pun intended). Fast food restaurants have geared up to compete with the likes of Starbucks and everyone seems to “Run on Dunkin.” There are even coffee connoisseur websites, such as Coffee Geek, and National Geographic is even getting in on this highly popular niche. We have become so obsessed with the brew that there are even people willing to pay $1000 a kilo for Luwak Coffee, which is the eccentric yet deemed ultra luxe brand of coffee that is obtained through the excrement of the luwak (a cousin of the mongoose).

National Geographic’s section of its website dedicated to java breaks down the origin and timeline of coffee, maps of where it is grown, definition of the various roasts and even offers a coffee forum where coffee lovers across the globe can discuss their favorite coffee topics. Their roast section mentions that most American mass-market roasters tend to offer more Light roasts over any other blend. However, as we’ve been seeing in the coffee wars, most places like Starbucks and even Burger King are making the stronger blends more popular with consumers, which of course results in more health issues such as heartburn and upset stomachs than coffee consumption of the past.

This has prompted Folgers to try taking coffee in a completely different direction and capitalizing on a niche no one else is going after: stomach-friendly coffee. This new public relations driven endeavor tends to be leaning towards the baby boomers, still the largest demographic of consumers, who love to drink their coffee, but can no longer stomach the aches and pains that go with it. Folger’s new product called Simply Smooth is the result of a roasting process that can reduce the level of irritants and bitterness in the coffee, but still maintain the taste and caffeine.

Most industry professionals know that ad placement for publication in September beauty magazines, is the most crucial time for your brand to be seen. As online media continues to strengthen, now is a good time to come to understand how you can maximize your brand’s exposure through Blogging, viral marketing and digital magazines dually with ad campaigns in the leading print magazines. Print magazines and online media sell a relationship with its readers, as well as, an opportunity to reach them in a time of intense focus and receptivity.

Here are some Beauty PR tips that may help your brand stand out:

Understand your competition:
How you can understand your competition begins in their ad campaigns. What you can learn:

+ What magazines/blogs they are pitching their products to.
+ Which demographic they are going after and if it changes depending on the magazine/blog they advertise in.
+ Are they focusing on color, scent, packaging or trendiness?
+ What is their approach? Which key words are they using to get the readers attention?

Learning these key points helps you to decide how to better your current/future campaign with a product that may be along the same lines as your competitor or how to present the same type of product effectively in a different way.

Know The Trends:
Follow the editorial calendars of the books that you want your product or service to appear. The editorial calendars are often featured on magazine Web sites. These give advertisers, readers and writers a heads up regarding planned issue themes.

Even if your product wasn’t originally intended for a particular season or holiday, figure out how you can spin it to make it fit. Study your chosen publications, and determine the types of stories each of them seems to favor—then use them as starting points for your own ideas. Look for patterns, trends, and points of discussion. Pinpoint the best editor for your idea. If need be, call the magazine and ask which editor is best to contact, and how he or she prefers submissions (via e-mail or conventional mail).

Creating a relationship with beauty editors is also key and helps in knowing what beauty editors are looking for months ahead of time. It helps you to prepare your story line and potentially get your product before the eyes of your target audience.

Green Is Good:
One way a non-green brand can become part of the green trend is to donate to a green charity. Brands can do this by becoming a sponsor for a green event, such as Earth Day, or hold a promotion with a percentage of the proceeds going to a particular green charity. Don’t count yourself out simply because you are not organic.

Some campaigns to learn from:
+ Lancome & Carbonfund.org
+ Diesel & StopGlobalWarming.org
+ Bank of America & it's green initiative

Pro-age vs. Antiwrinkle:
If you have anti-wrinkle products, give them a makeover with new wording or new packaging. Breathe new life into them so that they lose the negative connotation that “anti” brings about. Use creativity in the words used on the products and in ad campaigns to promote a more positive feeling about aging when using your product.

Embrace The Concept of Blogging:
Stand out and begin a blog surrounding your brand. When Blogging remember to:

+ Come across as a source of information.
+ Be a problem solver.
+ Remember that Blogging is more about your customers needs than your own.
+ Build relationships with your readers.
+ Allow for interaction between your readers and your brand—keep your comments section open, but moderated to weed through the spam.
+ Be patient. Building readership and trust takes time. The average time for a blog to build a consistent loyal readership is 6 months.
+ Show your brand’s personality. No one wants to read a cold lifeless blog. They want warmth and a personal connection to the brand.

Fashion:

+ The Bargain Queen gives a list of 10 things you must have to be stylish. (It’s pretty clever.)

+ The Jewelry Weblog discusses Black Chandelier’s Hissing Roach Brooch. My 2 cents—I’ve killed enough roaches in my time to know that I don’t want to wear a live one as jewelry.

+ Style Dash asks, “Are we slaves to fashion?”

Beauty:

+ Bois de Jasmin reviews the fragrance Annick Goutal Le Chevrefeuille.

+ Beauty Snob review’s Fresh’s Sugar Face Polish.

+ Lipstick Powder n’ Paint reviews Palm Sugar Spa products.

By the end of May we'll be hitting the beginning of the travel season. Many of us will be traveling around the US and others will be traveling abroad. For those who travel abroad, there are so many more things that one needs to consider to make sure that their vacation is carefree and provides a little "comfort luxury" along the way. Below are the top five best travel gadgets to consider when packing for your next trip.

1. Gorillapod
The Gorillapod is a flexible mounting device that can hold a digital camera securely, eliminating the need to ask complete strangers to take pictures of you and your family/friends while traveling. The Gorillapod SLR and SLR-Zoom can hold larger cameras and even zooming video cameras for those expert photographers.

2. Ectaco iTRAVL TL-6 Multilingual Talking Electronic Translator
If you love to travel abroad, but don’t have all the languages mastered, then this dictionary translator is a must-have in your travels. It can understand and speak (in a human voice) Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai. Besides helping you understand the language being spoken around you it is also a MP3 Player, world time clock, daily alarm, calculator and has currency and metric conversion.

3. MFUEL Universal Power Bank
This power bank works in over 120 countries and increases the operating time of your portable electronic devices such as notebook computers, cell phones, PDA, MP3 players, Portable DVD players, portable video games, etc. It has a patented “World Jack” eliminating the need for any other recharging devices.

4. HEADPLAY Personal Cinema System
This personal cinema system is ideal for that long plane, train or car ride (as long as you are not the one doing the driving). It offers stereo audio and media in 2D and 3D. With this system you can watch movies, use it for gaming both on and offline or for privately cruising the internet from the comfort of your seat. It’s capable of producing a picture of 360 color fields per second and has reflective micro-LCD technology that offers a stunning resolution. What’s even more incredible is that even those who wear prescription glasses can use this device as it has optical settings to accommodate their prescriptions allowing them to view everything on the screen with clear vision.

5. National Geographic Talk Abroad Travel Phone
You’ve seen the commercial. The one where the guy is on vacation in another country and two people on a moped steal his cell phone and he snarkily tells his friend, “The jokes on them,” because his cell phone doesn’t get a signal abroad. National Geographic has a Talk Abroad Travel Phone that allows you to make and receive cell phone calls in 100 countries around the world. It’s a prepay phone, so you don’t have a contract or monthly fees to contend with when you aren’t using it. It also has 60 countries where incoming calls are free.

Do you have a favorite gadget you consider a must-have when traveling? Let us know in the comments!

Putting aside the Bloggers out there that are soley Splogs or write just for fun, when you think of blogs such as Micropersuasion, Genetics & Health or CopyBlogger, do you see them as people simply writing posts or along the same lines as journalists and editors? As digital media continues to increase in popularity, more individuals are choosing to share their knowledge online through blogging and many more consider themselves journalists and editors. The lines are continuing to blur between the two, as we saw this past year with Blogger Josh Wolf who was jailed in federal prison for 7 months and recently released.

Wolf had filmed video of a protest and published it to his blog. He had been served with a grand jury subpoena regarding identifying the protesters and turning over the video of the protest, which he defied and was then put in federal prison for it. Wolf considers himself a journalist and feels he and all other Bloggers should be protected under a shield law to protect them in the same way traditional journalists are protected to not reveal their confidential sources and unpublished materials. The Assistant US Attorney prosecuting the case feels that a Blogger is in no way a journalist.

Dr. Hsein Hsein Lei, Blogger behind Genetics & Health, also recently encountered this same train of thought when she applied for embargoed press releases from EurekAlert. She was denied because she was a Blogger and not considered a journalist, even though she is a Doctor. She simply chooses to share her knowledge of genetics and health related issues through the blogging medium.

What establishes a Blogger as a true journalist or editor? The lines between the two continue to be gray, only making for more controversy as Blogging continues to become more engrained in our culture. Is there a set of criteria that need to be established that can deem a worthy Blogger the title of journalist? I think there are many more questions than answers when it comes to Blogger as journalist. I would love to hear your thoughts on what the boundaries should be and how we can establish true and binding criteria for the determination of a Blogger journalist.