As we head into a Holiday weekend, I would like to take a moment to say thanks to all of the BLAST employees....yes, I know it is the 4th of July and not Thanksgiving, but our employees ROCK!

-Thanks for making this such a fun place to work!
-Thanks for challenging each other to be better day after day!
-Thanks for producing great media coverage on a daily basis!
-Thanks for all of your hard work and dedication to BLAST and our clients!

To everyone at BLASTmedia / BLASToutdoors and readers of our blog, we would like to wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July weekend!

Posted by mendy at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As a PR specialist, it's always exciting to meet new people and hear interesting stories from within our client's industries. This past week was no exception, when I attended LT Pact '08 in Las Vegas. One of our clients, Layered Tech, was hosting their third annual conference to provide attendees with the most current information in the hosting industry. Besides Layered Tech, we also work with two other companies that are involved with the hosting space, 3Tera and Woopra. That's why it was great to hear first-hand from industry analysts, key industry players and a slew of other companies and individuals who are leaders in the hosting environment. But the best part of the week for me was meeting three of our clients, numerous members of media and a handful of company executives in person.

In today's connected world, we are so accustomed to corresponding through email, instant messenger, Facebook and now Twitter - the phone call and face-to-face contact are limited when you have clients all over the world, as we do. Here at BLAST, we utilize them all. We are in constant contact with our clients, to not only keep them updated with everything that is going on from the media outreach front (interest, feedback, coverage, etc.), but also to hear about everything that is going on with their company. That's why we jump at opportunities like this past week to get to meet and hang out with three of our awesome, and unbelievably fun clients. Not only did we get to soak up more knowledge about their industries and products, but we also got to know our clients on a more personal basis, which is always vital to maintaining good relationships.

Also at LT Pact, I was able to meet a couple of my media and analyst friends from GRIDtoday, Web Host Industry Review, Forrester Research and Tier 1 Research, to name a few. Introducing them to our clients to see and hear what our clients really have to offer is priceless. All the phone calls and emails in the world cannot match putting your client in face-to-face conversation with members of the media. Besides conferences, trade shows, and press tours, do you have any interesting places you have put you clients in contact with the media?

Posted by Ryan G. at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week, news broke in TIME Magazine about the extreme rise in the number of pregnancies at Gloucester High School in Gloucester, MA. For a school of 1,200, the 17 pregnancies this year - more than four times the number from last year - definitely came as a shock. Who or what was to blame? Naturally, people blamed movies like Juno and Knocked Up, but others claimed these girls were in admiration of a school-mate who had a baby as a freshman.

However, the real shock came when the high school principal, Joseph Sullivan, commented to the TIME reporter that several of the girls had done this on purpose as part of a "pact." According to a related Associated Press article, Sullivan was quoted by TIME as saying, "That bump [in the number of pregnancies] was because of seven or eight sophomore girls. They made a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together."

What's more disturbing than the possibility of these girls actually making such a pact? The possibility that no such pact existed, and that Mr. Sullivan may have spoken incorrectly to a national media outlet.

The city's mayor, Carolyn Kirk, is now publicly denouncing the rumors, telling the Associated Press, "any planned blood-oath bond to become pregnant -- there is absolutely no evidence of." Apparently, when asked by the Superintendent about how he came to believe a pact existed, Sullivan was "foggy in his memory."

This story is tragic for the pregnant teens, the unborn children, the parents and Mr. Sullivan's career. There is also a great PR lesson to be learned. Whatever you say to the media is fair game, so if you don't want it published and you don't have all the facts, it's best to keep it to yourself.

We are constantly working to get our clients positive media exposure and this includes securing interviews with radio, television and print outlets all over the world. Before an interview, we're sure to let our clients know not to divulge any information they are not comfortable sharing with the world, or that is not completely fact-based... a lesson that has been clearly demonstrated in Gloucester.

We can assume that Mr. Sullivan clearly did not get any media coaching - or did he? One has to look at the district superintendent and school board in this situation - did they really not offer any advice or direction on what message he should convey, or was this a planned cop-out to take the focus off the school? What do you think?

Posted by Ashley at 01:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We understand that it's important to see a return on the investment of a campaign and prospective clients often ask us about how a PR campaign's effectiveness can be measured. We're always working with our clients to help them connect the dots - correlating media placements to web traffic and, ultimately, sales.

Today, we proved the power of PR to ourselves. Our friend Wayne with Gear Diary, who recently posted about Tanita's KD-400, brought another cool product to our attention today. When my colleague Katie at BLASToutdoors in San Francisco passed on a recent post of Wayne's about a "unique" desk organizer, I knew it would be the perfect complement to her San Fran desk. As soon as I completed my order to have one shipped to her, Katie let me know that she just ordered two! Ah, the power of PR! Who says you can't link media coverage to sales?

If you'd like one of these desk organizers for yourself, head on over to Stupid.com.

Posted by Carey Hart at 01:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

BLASTmedia and BLAST Outdoors' clients run the gamut when it comes to the latest and greatest tech products. It seems like every time I turn around, we're bringing on a new and exciting client. One of the best perks of working at Blast is getting to try out the cool stuff around the office! So when word spread that I would be leaving this week to be a camp counselor down in Bedford, IN, the girls in the San Fran office hooked me up with some great camping gear! Now I'm ready to head to camp with my Coghlan's Headlight, Cliplight and Micro Lantern and SmartShield eco-friendly combo sunscreen and insect repellent. Check me out with all my cool gear in the great outdoors!

Posted by Chantal at 05:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's no secret that PR practitioners have a love/hate relationship with the media and vice versa. Right now, CBS is at the top of my favorites. CBS purchased a full page ad in the New York Times today honoring longtime NBC News Washington bureau chief Tim Russert. CBS - nice job of putting network rivalries aside and doing the right thing. Our thoughts are with Tim's family, friends and colleagues as they lay him to rest today.

Posted by Carey Hart at 01:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

At BLAST, we pride ourselves on helping our clients sell products. Nothing makes us happier than to have a client tell us that their sales are through the roof because of the national media coverage we secured. This month, one of our clients had a big win and was featured in the top four national consumer publications in their industry. kickTrak was highlighted in the current issues of Fit Pregnancy, Pregnancy, American Baby and Pregnancy & Newborn. For us, PR is all about results starting week one - rather than spending months simply strategizing. From Day One of client campaigns, we're on the phones with our editorial contacts making top-tier media coverage happen! What's the point of PR without media results, and ultimately, sales?

A full page about kickTrak and the importance of kick counting in Pregnancy & Newborn:

Posted by Carey Hart at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)