I have the pleasure of working from our San Francisco office for the next two weeks with the BLASToutdoors team. The warm temps and the fantastic downtown sites are enough for me, but I experienced what could be a trip highlight on Tuesday night. Jessica, Katie and I went out for a few drinks after work and "happened upon" some of San Francisco's finest firefighters. Like any polite firemen, they asked us if we would like a ride in their firetruck....of course we did! We hopped in and received a great trip down The Embarcadero, complete with taking turns wearing firemen hats! I hope this random experience is indicative of things to come next week!
Every morning at about 10:30, I get really excited. No, not because my coffee jitters are kicking in - because it's when my favorite guy, Bo the mailman, stops by our office! Most days I receive magazines or newspapers which feature my clients' products, which I love receiving, but yesterday Bo brought me a special treat--an envelope straight from Tinseltown!
I work with kickTrak, which is a great tool for moms-to-be. We recently sent one to Angela Kinsey from NBC's The Office. Lo and behold, she's already using kickTrak during her pregnancy and wanted to let us know about it! Check out the thank you note she sent. We are circulating it amongst the celebrity media as proof that kickTrack is a celeb mommy-to-be must have. I just love mail!
I often take for granted how technology has made my life so much easier. How often do you think about it? This morning I have already checked my email on my iPhone when I woke up, made a hands-free call via my car's built-in bluetooth and, of course, am writing a blog post on my laptop to the thousands of people that read our blog :)
It's hard to imagine the world of PR before there was email and the World Wide Web. How was news ever reported in a timely manner? Clients today expect to see immediate coverage within the first HOUR of a major announcement - waiting a week for coverage in the local newspaper would never pass as satisfactory. That being said, the personal interaction and relationship building of old PR I'm sure has lost its way in the email age. PR people today can get results without really working for it - send a quick press release to the right contacts and BAM! You have yourself some coverage.
Despite this truth, one thing that we do exceptionally well here at BLAST is continue to build personal relationships with both our clients and the members of the press. While we begin many relationships over the phone or via email, I am always impressed with how wide our network of BLASTmedia "friends" grows every day. We still send hand-written thank you notes in the mail to editors when we get great coverage, and we also know all about our clients families and vacations - not just their product.
It easy to get sucked into the instant-gratification world of today, but it's important to remember that strong relationships and personal communication are still the basis of any great business. We don't need all the flashy tech tools to build a relationship - just genuine excitement for your work and a willingness to extend yourself beyond the internet and cable lines. This little dude isn't impressed with our technology - check out the YouTube video below for proof that we don't need "flashy toys..."
Two of the most exciting things that we get to do at BLAST are A) represent our clients at trade shows and B) launch new products. This week, I'm lucky enough to be involved in both at once! On Saturday, Lindsey and I are headed to Chicago to represent Tanita at this year's International Home & Housewares Show. As a manufacturer of consumer and professional scales and body composition monitors, Tanita is well-known as an innovator in health and wellness. At last year's Housewares show, we helped Tanita launch the first segmental body composition monitor on the consumer market which analyzes the make-up of your body parts individually (left leg, left arm, right leg, right arm and trunk). This year, we'll be giving members of the press a sneak peek at the latest innovations from Tanita--we're launching more products than ever before! Want to know more about them? You'll just have to stop by McCormick Place and visit us at booth #L11126--we'll be more than happy to show you!
