Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles

I just returned from the MAGIC show in Vegas, where I was publicizing my amazing new clients from Aaron Barak, a new line of luxury leather bags and accessories for men. We had a great time meeting with all the editors, and even a few film crews, but I must say that my feet and back are killing me. I think I’m going to need a bit of magic to recover. I have nothing but respect for the ladies who were working the pumps all week.

Among the highlights at the show were the amazing booths by Perry Ellis, Sean John and Levi. The amount of money that these companies have spent is more than obvious. Their booths, along with dozens of others, were more elaborate than most houses. Some even had two levels with roofs, running water, phone lines and more. The excitement wasn’t limited to the show though.

The L.A. office for Pierce Mattie PR threw an amazing party at the Palms for one of our new clients, STAGR. This is a really cool line of custom graphic T-shirts, which customers create themselves on their home computers. Once they finalize their design, they submit it on the company’s website and in a few days they have their new shirt. The party was packed, and the D.J. was a former cast member from MTV’s Road Rules. Alyssa Milano was also in the same section of the private suites as us, as was Russell Simmons, who was there for the Phat Farm party.

With the foot and back pain aside, I had a great time and can’t wait to go back next year.

The Simulated Lifestyle Game Is Almoste Here! Desperate Housewives, hitting stores October 5th (Nationwide), players can take on the role of the newest housewife and cheat, spy, sneak, and flirt their way through Wisteria Lane's seemingly perfect neighborhood.

"Unlike other "Sims Style" games -this game is compleatly different"

The Sims meets every woman's "guilty pleasure" in what looks to be a promising title.

For more on screen action view our Desperate Housewives Playlist with clips about how it is different from other SIMulation games and get a sneak peak about the new games shocking ending!

The game will give players control over their in-game persona and early reports suggest the title will resemble the hugely popular Sims series of games.

As another desperate housewife, players will be able to expose or engage in the domestic scandals that are the show's signature.

"You can be as nice or as mean as you'd like to be," said Mary Schuyler, lead producer for the game.

Buena Vista Games, which will distribute the title, said it was negotiating with other members over their appearance in the game.

The company said it hoped the game would prove popular with fans of the TV show and convert some of them into regular players.

The game is being made by Liquid Entertainment which is better known for its real-time fantasy strategy titles.

If there is one thing that America loves as a culture it is scandal. Celebrity culture is such a pervasive force that it substitutes for small talk just as well as the weather nowadays. High minded individuals may take offense to these subjects, but in truth we are all attracted to the destructive flames of perversion and excess. Many disdain the hoi polloi for their distractions, but I would contend that we all benefit from whiffs of scandal now and again.

Cathartic acts can heal , and now we can all engage in these sorts of behaviors without any of the consequences. The popularity of shows like Desperate Housewives takes all of us inside these dens of inequity that bubble away hidden in suburban utopia, confirming and arousing suspicions that we all secretly harbor. Of course no one really wants crazy murderous neighbors or philandering husbands in their actual lives, but some of us wouldn't mind a little "fake" drama now and again. Actually, we would all be better off because of it.

Thus, even if you are a New Yorker reading, Economist quoting, graduate degreed snob you could still use a little Wisteria Lane in your life. Isn't that why we all love Bree so much? Deep down below the perfect surface we are all a complete mess. That is why even when I find myself experiencing some revulsion at the mere notion of Desperate Housewives I still see a little value in immersing myself once in awhile. That is why I predict that the Desperate Housewives game will be a huge success - all of the scandal and perversion with none of the consequences. So when can I log on?

Many savvy shoppers rely on magazines to help guide their purchases. We often assume that editors know best when it comes finding dazzling new products in beauty, fashion, and perfume. Thus it isn't surprising that one of the newest trends to show up on the frenzied Manhattan shopping scene is the curated magazine sponsored shopping event.

Yesterday New York Magazine hosted a Best Bets Shopping Event. Women lined up to shop discounts from vendors who had been labeled "best bets" by New York Magazine.

It was a hodge podge of potential shopping targets with high end hand bags next to Method soap.

Admittedly it felt like an event where advertisers were given a chance to hawk their wares to unsuspecting women who had actually paid for the privilege rather than a truly editorial driven event. The event surely generated its fair share of controversy as New York Magazine is not the only one to host a shopping event.

Next month shopping bible Lucky Magazine will host its own Lucky Shops event which is going to be quite a bit bigger and hopefully better. After all it is easier to trust a magazine with one proven vertical, fashion, than a magazine like New York Magazine that plays host to many sections.

It's been a few weeks since Good magazine launched. For those who are not in the know, Good magazine encourages and inspires conscious global citizens to band together and "give a damn." I was following up on the LA and NY launch parties via posts on GOOD magazines own blog (the site is integrated into a blog) and ran head first into a truckload of published spam comments.

I'm not talking about Astroturfing, or shameless plugs that help the cause. The really offensive stuff! It's like nobody has been on watch at Good for the last 15 days, and that isn't so Good after all. On September 25th Good's blog spambot sold out to the bankers, sex industry and drug companies! They all should make a large contibution todoy.

The Goods on Good Magazine: Clean website design, nice magazine layout. Both are easy to navigate/read –stimulating mix of content that will reach several demographics. Good Magazine Departments:

Cover, an arresting visual and verbal statement that presents insight and/or commentary on a current focal point of our culture.

Graphic Statement, a visual interpretation of the issue theme

Look, A bold visual tour of creative ideas around the world

jane iredale-The Skin Care Makeup is pleased to launch GLOBAL BEAUTY, an extension of their global palette to accommodate woman of all ethnicity's. From rich olive to golden brown and deep mahogany, GLOBAL BEAUTY is for women; all women. This is the first time that mineral cosmetics will be available in such a wide palette with true tones. With the help of three influential celebrity makeup artists, GLOBAL BEAUTY is the culmination of years of testing. CEO and Founder, Jane Iredale noted "This is seriously lacking from the cosmetics industry. Every woman deserves a healthy skin." Like all of jane iredale's cosmetics, GLOBAL BEAUTY will be free of preservatives, dyes and harmful fillers such as talc. It is so beneficial to the skin that plastic surgeons and dermatologists worldwide recommend it!

In honor of the launch, Pierce Mattie Public Relations is hosting a cocktail party in her honor. In a true celebration of beauty, grace and style, jane iredale's GLOBAL BEAUTY event will highlight style influences from Cleopatra to Beyonce in the event of the year! We invite you to share in this iconic celebration. To RSVP, please contact Lauren Branche or Ivy Cartagena at 212/243.1431 by October 13th.

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.

Beauty Bloggers are welcome, space is limited! Bloggers outside of of the NYC area can register for advanced media kit to be sent day after the event.

In honor of the launch, Pierce Mattie Public Relations is hosting a cocktail party in her honor. In a true celebration of beauty, grace and style, Jane Iredale's GLOBAL BEAUTY event will highlight style influences from Cleopatra to Beyonce in the event of the year! We invite you to share in this iconic celebration. To RSVP, please contact Lauren Branche or Ivy Cartagena at 212/243.1431

Pop!Tech’s mission is to inspire people everywhere to change the world by fostering visionary conversations about science, technology and the future of ideas. Held annually since 1997 in the seaside village of Camden, Maine, the Pop!Tech conference unites the world's most prominent thought leaders to network, share ideas, and discuss the effects of technology on society. The conference's roster of speakers and its unique format have earned international acclaim. For more information, visit http://www.poptech.org.

No, you don't have a case of DEJAVU. Busy day yesterday. Google acquired Jotspot (we love Jotspot and use it) & Conde Nast acquired Reddit because Digg wanted too much from Condé Nast. Whats on sale next month? Will it be Lipstick.com or Coutorture? What are the next hot Web 2.0 venture capital opportunities?

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.

For those reading this at the 2006 ISPA Conference & Expo, be sure to stop in the Professional Development Sessions at 2PM.

INDUSTRY TRENDS - Press Tactics & Topics for 2007 - Magazine Editors & PR Professionals Unite – Rona Berg & Pierce Mattie

Funny when I was in Las Vegas this week for the ISPA show the taxi driver that picked me up was complaining on how the town was blowing things up. Little did I realize that it was the famous Stardust. The home of my favorite cheesy movie; Showgirls! As most hotels turn into resorts and expand their spas like Caesars Palace did this month with their new spa tower, the old players cannot keep up.

The Stardust, the neon-wrapped casino with a mobbed-up past whose 1,065 rooms once set the standard for size on the Las Vegas Strip, witnessed its last roll of the dice Wednesday.

Wistful longtime employees and loyal gamblers gathered for a last farewell to the iconic 48-year-old institution, which is to be razed early next year to make way for Boyd Gaming Corp.'s planned $4 billion Echelon Place resort.

The Stardust opened July 2, 1958, as the world's largest hotel and catered to middle America with $6-a-night rooms and low-minimum stakes gambling.

But as bigger, classier casinos sprung up around it in the late 1980s and '90s and patrons began shelling out more for rooms, food and drinks, its luster began to fade.

"I'm really going to miss this place," said Jimmy Kunihiro, a 60-year-old Honolulu resident, as he took a last pass at the craps table. "It's a home away from home."

According to The Blog Herald and the timeline on W3.org, the web turns sweet 16 today!The first web server was nxoc01.cern.ch, later called info.cern.ch, and the first world wide web page http://nxoc01.cern.ch/ hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html Unfortunately CERN no longer supports the historical site. Note from this era too, the least recently modified web page Blog Herald knew of, last changed Tue, 13 Nov 1990 15:17:00 GMT (though the URI changed.)

Bloggers have become a challenge and an opportunity for the advertising industry. Their spontaneous, unedited, sometimes emotional "first takes" on new products are substantially impacting business, according to Pete Blackshaw, chief marketing officer of Nielsen BuzzMetrics, a 100-person division which monitors the blogosphere. He calls bloggers "a kind of Fifth Estate or journalism."

Blackshaw says bloggers are everywhere, using laptops, video cameras, and digital recorders to publish their comments, reactions, and criticisms. Nowhere was this more evident than earlier this month when the Detroit Auto Show, the Consumer Electronics Show, and MacWorld were vying for attention.

Apple's iPhone was the clear winner, Blackshaw said. It was mentioned by more blogs than President Bush and McDonald's for 10 days. Wikipedia had an iPhone entry within minutes of Steve Jobs' announcement of the product, and YouTube had more iPhone-related clips than it did for Gucci or the Pope.

"Bloggers have become the ultimate news aggregators," Blackshaw said. Major media reporters monitor blogs for tips as well as informed perspective on product features. A swarm of bloggers posting about new products, often positively, ends up in search engines. "That comes back as search results when consumers do research; the bloggers enthusiasm turns into advertising," Blackshaw said.

Don't waste money on a Super Bowl ad unless you have these other pieces of the mix in place. You can't just buy media in a vacuum, Blackshaw said. "You have to think about how others pieces of the marketing mix reinforce, amplify and ultimately drive more return on that investment." MarketWatch

Pierce Mattie Public Relation has been blogging since late 2001. We've paid our "dues," made some mistakes, which is to be expected with any new "technology." Pioneers often pave the way forward without a clear road-map ahead, mapping as they go, we are excited to be partnered with such pioneers. What is exciting are the many success stories we've been apart of. It's been invigorating to work so closely with professional blogging networks and citizen journalists, even to the point where in 2006 we started to treat bloggers with the same respect as Tv producers and magazine editors. This year we are ramping up our education program to give citizen journalists a mini crash course in journalism to help bring the quality of blogging and the way bloggers report up to a higher standard.

We encourage you to keep blogging or contact us to see how we can help you integrate a blogging platform into your publicity (MARCOM) budget this year.

This week’s President’s Pick is the nuvi 680. This is the newest innovation of Personal Travel Assistants from Garmin. This handy little multi-tasking device is great for those on the go and traveling within North America. If you are looking for a “nu” way to travel, then the nuvi 680 is definitely something to look into.

The nuvi 680 is GPS enabled, giving you door-to-door directions through its City Navigator NT street maps. This includes a point of interest database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. You can also customize your POI’s by loading in school zones, your favorite restaurants, and supermarkets.

To avoid any mishaps while driving, the nuvi 680 announces the names of exits and streets, keeping your eyes where they should be: on the road. The nuvi 680 is a plug and play device and offers a plethora of information through MSN Direct. MSN Direct gives you the ability to check the weather, avoid traffic backups, compare local gas prices and more. The nuvi 680 comes with a 12-month trial of MSN Direct, but after the trial has ended it is a subscription-based service.

The color screen is readable in the sunlight and can be viewed in 2D and 3D. It is a diagonal widescreen display with a white light background. It allows you to customize your colors and vehicle icons to your own preference expressing your own individuality.

One of the other features is the integrated Bluetooth wireless technology with a built-in microphone and speaker so you can pair it with your compatible Bluetooth phone for hands free calling. To answer a call, you simply only need to touch the screen and talk directly into the microphone. The nuvi 680 has entertainment tools that include a MP3 Player, audio book player and JPEG picture viewer. If you are coming from abroad to travel within North America it has a currency converter and optional SD cards for language translation and a detailed travel guide.

The nuvi 680 definitely is one Personal Travel Assistant you will want coming along with you whether you are going on a roadtrip, traveling for business or simply traveling around the city. Be sure to check out our post on the Top Five Best Travel Gadgets if you’re planning on traveling abroad.

Pierce Mattie recently hosted Joico's Fall Fabulous event to promote the launch of 3 new products in the Joico Design collection that will be launching later this year. Editors from various publications came in for a wash and style with the new products. George Papanikolas, of the Chris McMillan Salon in Beverly Hills, was the main stylist.

The Media Oasis was transformed into a Joico inspired/branded salon complete with fall flowers, soft lighting and fall trend posters. It looked absolutely amazing in here and everyone had a great time.

Now we can't tell you the 3 products just yet, but we can tell you that they'll be launching in a salon near you around October of this year. Stay up to date on all Joico products through their website and MySpace page.