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MakeSpace Expands On-Demand Storage Service to Chicago

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Chicagoans now have a new high-tech way to store their stuff—MakeSpace, “Your Closet in the Cloud,” is thrilled to announce the beloved five-star rated on-demand storage solution is now available in Chicago.

MakeSpace transforms the way we think of storage, whether we have seasonal items, live in a small apartment, or simply need to store items we won’t need for a while. Here’s how it works—with just a few clicks, MakeSpace delivers bins to users’ doors ($25/month to store four large (three cubic feet) bins). Once users pack their belongings into the bins, MakeSpace has them picked up from their door and then creates a photo catalog of each bin; so stored items are viewable and retrievable at any time.

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Through a partnership with Goodwill, MakeSpace will also bring users a laundry-sized Goodwill x MakeSpace bag, collect donations and drop off at a local Goodwill facility, free of charge.

For those residing outside of New York City, Chicago and D.C., MakeSpace partners with UPS to bring the same hassle-free experience with its MakeSpace Air service. With MakeSpace Air, users can request durable boxes be shipped to their door and picked up whenever they want. More information on the MakeSpace Air service can be found here.

MakeSpace has received total funding of $10.1 million from investors including Upfront Ventures, Founders Fund, entertainer turned business mogul Ashton Kutcher, and New York Knicks superstar and digital athlete Carmelo Anthony, among others.

 Check out their website for more information!

“Puppy Mill” Humor Not So Funny: How GoDaddy Avoided a PR Nightmare

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Almost immediately after releasing its 2015 Super Bowl ad online, GoDaddy was criticized for its poor taste in a heartless commercial about selling a puppy online. The 30-second ad focused on a golden retriever puppy finding its way home after falling out of a truck. After making it back home, the puppy discovers that its owner had used GoDaddy to set up a website that let her sell the dog to a new owner. The commercial had dog advocates from all over the world gathering together to bring awareness to the inhumane practice of “puppy mills.”

What easily could have been a looming crisis for GoDaddy was quickly suppressed by the company. Fast reaction to the overwhelmingly negative comments, GoDaddy’s CEO, Blake Irving addressed critics on Twitter apologizing for their insensitivity and promised to not air the commercial on Super Bowl Sunday. Subsequently, the company removed the YouTube video of the ad. GoDaddy has confirmed that they will be airing a different humorous commercial during the telecast. After being heavily condemned for their encouragement of buying puppies online, GoDaddy tweeted in support of animal adoption. In a statement released directly to Adweek, PETA Director, Colleen O’Brien said, “GoDaddy did the right thing by swiftly promoting adoption.”

What does GoDaddy’s mishap mean for PR? It proves the importance of crisis communications. GoDaddy correctly identified the steps they needed to take in order to not further damage its company’s reputation. This can be seen in their responsiveness and honest dialogue with the public. Furthermore, GoDaddy demonstrated tremendous leadership by admitting their mistake and committing themselves to being more socially sensitive.

To view GoDaddy’s ad, check out: http://bcove.me/evbeesgz

Super Bowl viewers can only hope that the rest of game day’s commercials will be touchdowns.

Twitter Hashtag #JeSuisCharlie Demonstrates Global Solidarity over Paris Shootings

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Last Wednesday, Paris and the world were both shocked and devastated after the recent attack at the headquarters of satirical French magazine, Charlie Hebdo. While this is not France’s first threat on its national security, the shooting is currently the worst to date. Like so many others, this tragic event has sparked vast media attention and people around the world expressed their support within hours of the massacre. This article written by The Huffington Post explains how the #JeSuisCharlie Hashtag is “a message of solidarity” and the powerful effects of Twitter after the shooting at Charlie Hebdo.

Hashtag activism allows a simple phrase to turn into a powerful utterance that embodies sympathies of goodwill. The phrase #JeSuisCharlie or “I am Charlie” which emerged in the after math of the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo office is proof alone to cite the ever-growing presence of current events being integrated into social media. Twitter has become an online forum where people have the ability to connect to vast networks with updates of breaking news as well as free expression of their emotions and according to the Huffington Post, “thousands of Twitter users posted the hashtag in support of those killed and freedom of the press.”

In the past week, #JeSuisCharlie has become the trending hashtag bringing together journalists and citizens alike in support for the victims. Looking back to other past political movements in the last few years, such as the Arab Spring uprisings (#arabspring) or more recently, the Occupy Wall Street (#occupywallstreet) protests, hashtags are becoming increasingly powerful as they become a symbol for a global voice.

Read the full article written by The Huffington Post here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/07/jesuischarlie-charlie-hebdo-shooting_n_6429712.html

 

Consumer Electronics Show 2015

CES-LogoThe international Consumer Electronics Show (International CES) 2015 conference was held this past week from January 6-9 in Las Vegas, NV. Each year, the international CES features a wide range of products and companies from consumer technology markets that attracts more than 3,600 exhibitors and hundreds of thousands of attendees from more than 140 countries. At the heart of attention, the exhibit floor, which was spread out across more than 2 million square feet of hotel and convention center space, was packed with on-lookers. The conferences allow innovators to showcase their latest prototypes, preview products and announce new releases. The diversity of the product categories is vast and includes electronic gaming, 3D printing and robotics to name a few. Some of this year’s most anticipated products on display include 4K Televisions, Smartwatches, 3D printing and self-driving cars.

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3D printer manufacturer Ultimaker announced at CES 2015 the launch of the Ultimaker² Go and Ultimaker² Extended, two cutting-edge desktop 3D printers. Both models are pre-order from March 2015 and available from April 2015. Built with premium parts and materials, these 3D printers bring imagination to life with high definition printing technology. The new Ultimaker² Go and Ultimaker² Extended follow the success of the top-rated Ultimaker², which was awarded best in shootout 2015 from Make Magazine and best consumer product at the 3D Printshow global awards 2014. The Ultimaker 2 Extended has the capability to print objects up to 10 inches tall, while the Ultimaker 2 Go is smaller, more compact and portable printer for on-the-go. The two new desktop models were created to help with the needs of businesses and consumers and provide an affordable alternative for at 3D printers. The purposeful sizing of the printers complements Ultimaker’s previously released 3D printer, the Ultimaker 2.

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You can check the machines out in action on USA Today here: http://www.usatoday.com/videos/tech/personal/2015/01/07/21407523/

Paramount Public Relation’s Client Highlights of 2014

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It has been a busy year here at PPR, our clients have been doing some exciting things. From launching a new care booking site to partnering with the Marriott Hotels, here are a few highlights from 2014:

  1. Chicago Travelers Eat Well: Farmer’s Fridge, a new vending kiosk concept that dispenses gourmet salads and snacks made fresh daily with over 15 locations in the Chicagoland area, added a new location at the Chicago Marriot O’Hare hotel. Chicago Marriott O’Hare reached out to Farmer’s Fridge this year to be a part of their Travel Brilliantly campaign, offering Marriott travelers healthy on-the-go meal options made with local, fresh ingredients.
  2. Big Success in a Short Time: SuiteHop, the online marketplace for fans to book full suites as well as individual seats in suites across the country, announced the completeion of $1 million in equity funding this year. SuiteHop creates access to luxury suites with amenities to concerts and sports games around the country by allowing fans to purchase extra tickets to suites that would have otherwise gone unused. Even though SuiteHop was only launched this year, they recently announced they have over $5 million of inventory for booking luxury suites at more than 550 events nationwide.
  3. Celebrity “It” Drink at the Emmys: HYDRIVE Energy Water jetted to Los Angeles to hang out with some of their favorite TV stars for a little pre-Emmy fun this August. Emmy red carpet host Ross Mathews and actors from Emmy-nominated shows such as Veep actor Matt Walsh, Michael Gill from House of Cards, Game of Thrones actress Sibel Kekilli, RJ Mitte from Breaking Bad and more enjoyed a low-calorie and refreshing boost from HYDRIVE Energy Water before the event.
  4. Give Back to Charity While Talking on a Cell Phone: GIV Mobile continues to appeal to customers nationwide with their new all-time low $20 Unlimited talk and text plan with 150g of data. This consumer conscious no-contract service plan donates 8% of each customer’s monthly plan amount to up to three charities of the customer’s choice.
  5. A Unique Thanksgiving: This year, MealSharing.com, a website that connects travelers and locals over home cooked meals, connected over 1,000 on Thanksgiving through their ThanksSharing initiative. Whether a person was traveling, alone for the holiday or simply wanted a different experience—ThanksSharing helped connect people over home cooked meals for the special occasion.
  6. Company LaunchCareBooker.com, the only FREE “Open Table” of family and pet care services, launched this year.  CareBooker.com’s streamlined platform allows users to directly book interviews, single or repeated appointments and communicate with providers through real-time availability—plus online payment is available, eliminating any in-person transactions.
  7. Grand Opening Event: Our team had a blast attending Granite City’s Grand Opening Event this October in Naperville, IL. The polished casual Modern American restaurant features a wide variety of dishes prepared from made-from-scratch recipes as well as an on-site microbrewery. The new Naperville location is the 31st restaurant that celebrates gourmet food and drink in a family-friendly atmosphere.

 

Women in PR: Deirdre Breakenridge

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To continue Paramount PR’s women in PR blog posts, today we are featuring a veteran in PR and Marketing, CEO at Pure Performance Communications Deirdre Breakenridge.

Throughout her many years in public relations, Deirdre has counseled senior level executives at organizations such as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Hershey’s, JVC, Kraft, PRSA, Empire Today and the World Bank successfully through the theory of PR 2.0. As defined on her personal blog, “PR 2.0 uses a combination of social media tools that are available to communications professionals to reach and better communicate with influencers and consumer audiences directly. Social media is a direct-to-consumer approach that allows audiences to drive the communication in their communities. PR professionals are beginning to incorporate PR 2.0 into their strategy and planning as an effective way to communicate directly to Web 2.0 audiences, to raise awareness and increase overall brand exposure.”

In 2010, Deirdre was named one of the top 25 women who rock social media by Top Rank named Traacker recognized her as one of their top engagers in 2013. She is also the author of five Financial Times books including “Social Media and Public Relations: Eight New Practices for the PR Professional,” “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations,” “PR 2.0, New Media, New Tools, New Audiences,” “The New PR Toolkit” and “Cyberbranding: Brand Building in the Digital Economy.”

In addition to her public relations work, Deirdre is an adjunct professor at New York University, an online instructor for UMASS at Amherst Journalism Department and speaks nationally and internationally on the topics of PR, marketing and social media communications. Deirdre continues to give back by sharing her expertise on twitter by answering questions from PR students, educators and professionals. Learn more about the PR world by following Deirdre on Twitter @dbreakenridge and getting involved with her conversations using the hashtag #PRStudChat.

Giving Tuesday Kicked Off the Celebration of Generosity this Holiday Season

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The third annual Giving Tuesday, a movement that takes place after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, took place this past Tuesday on December 2, 2014. The day was designated to remind Americans that generosity of the holiday season should extend beyond friends and family and give back to the community. Last year, Giving Tuesday raised $19.2 million and had over 10,000 nonprofits worldwide participating in this global day dedicated to giving back.

This year, 68 countries and over 15,000 nonprofits participated in Giving Tuesday, increasing donations by nearly 63% since last year. An estimated $45.68 million was donated to charities across the globe. Part of the success of spreading the word on Giving Tuesday was due to the help of social media. Charities, families, businesses, community centers and students around the world were encouraged to share their stories of how they celebrate generosity and give back to their communities with the hashtag #GivingTuesday, inspiring others to do the same. This Giving Tuesday alone, #GivingTuesday had 698,600 hashtag mentions and 32.7 million Twitter impressions.

Beyond Giving Tuesday, there are companies who provide an easy way for consumers to give back year-round. GIV Mobile, the first no-contract consumer conscious wireless service, was proud to participate on this day and every other day of the year by donating 8% of every customer’s monthly bill amount to up to three nonprofit charities of his or her choice. Some of these charities include Scholarship America, Kids In Need Foundation, The Conservation Fund, Alzheimer’s Association and many more.

Although Giving Tuesday has past, don’t forget there is still plenty of time to help out your favorite cause this year! J

Find out more information on Giving Tuesday on their website: http://www.givingtuesday.org/

Move Over Facebook And Twitter – Meet Pinterest

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Social media has become a useful tool and medium that is transforming the way PR professionals can generate awareness and engagement for clients. While Facebook and Twitter remain popular, there are upcoming sites to not overlook, particularly Pinterest. According to an Ahalogy survey cited by Forbes, Pinterest has passed Twitter in terms of popularity and is expected to grow in the U.S. The social media site can vary from products, recipes, reviews and how-to’s which makes this tool useful for a variety of clients. One of the most important parts about Pinterest is that all content posted is linked back to its original source, so users can receive more in-depth information of where to find and buy the products that grab their attention.

An article recently posted on PR Daily reveals the top reasons PR professionals shouldn’t let Pinterest fall off their radar – here are some of our favorites:

  • Social media users admire Pinterest.

In the most recent American Consumer Satisfaction Index, Pinterest outranked every other social media site, including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Overall, social media websites are among the worst-performing companies tracked by the index.

Pinterest “has made steady gains with pinners over the past three years, but improved features and search functions now push Pinterest to the top of the social media category for the first time,” the index says.

  • It’s fertile turf.

According to Growth Devil, a consulting agency that helps startups grow, Pinterest boasts a 50 percent higher conversion rate than any other social media site that directs people to products. Furthermore, Growth Devil says, Pinterest users regularly spend more money, more often than users of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Google+.

  • There’s room for growth.

Ahalogy’s survey showed that men were 36 percent more likely than women to have tried Pinterest for the first time in the previous six months. And, as Forbes noted, “there are a lot fewer women who’ve never tried Pinterest to begin with.”

Check out PR Daily’s article for more reasons why you shouldn’t overlook Pinterest here: http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/17668.aspx

Paramount Public Relations is Hiring a Paid Intern

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Paramount Public Relations is looking to hire a recent college graduate for a paid internship from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., 15-20 hours a week, or 2-3 days a week. This opportunity has the potential to turn into a full time position. Tasks include writing press releases, calendar listings and media alerts, participating in creative brainstorms, creating and updating media lists, pitching media, performing client research and attending client events. The candidate must have a college degree and/or experience in the communications/public relations field. Cision expertise is an added bonus.  Strong research, communication, writing and organizational skills are necessary. If interested, please send your resume to Jessica Prah at jessica@paramountpr.com.

The PR Mystery of #AlexFromTarget

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It all started with a photo taken of an attractive young man appearing to work at Target. That photo found itself on twitter with the hashtag #AlexfromTarget and shortly after a media frenzy ensued. USA Today reports how the craze started and who was behind the genius ploy.

Little did anyone know, the website Breakr.com  had set up a social media experiment using this photo. USA Today reports, “Dil-Domine Jacobe Leonares, the CEO of Breakr, announced in a LinkedIn message that the company had conducted what it called one of the most amazing social media experiments ever.” While some initially thought it may have been a marketing ploy, Target confirmed that it was not in on this social media hoax.

The photo quickly grew in popularity, even Target wasn’t exempt from this viral frenzy, sending out a tweet of their own—“We heart Alex, too! #AlexFromTarget”. The dubbed “most amazing social media experiment” quickly began to take off. “In the past two days, #Alexfromtarget has been tweeted 1.5 million times, according to social media analytics site Topsy.com.

While some faithful fans of Alex were saddened by the news, there is a bigger picture to this ploy and why it was done. “We wanted to see how powerful the fangirl demographic was by taking an unknown good-looking kid and Target employee from Texas to overnight viral internet sensation, Leonares wrote in the LinkedIn post.’”

I think it’s safe to say that they achieved their goal in seeing how big the “fangirl” demographic was as well as showing the rest of the country the true power of social media.

Check out the full scoop here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/11/04/alex-from-target-marketing-ploy-twitter/18494947/