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My Thanks…

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", Advertising, advertising agency, blog, Des Moines, Inspiration, Iowa, marketing, Mission Assist, motivation, non-profit, West Des Moines
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments 11/26/2010

In honor of the holiday, this post will simply be one of thanks. While we give employees the Friday after Thanksgiving off, I like to take advantage of the quiet office to get things done…like write a blog post. When I was brainstorming what to write, I just kept reflecting back to a comment made by a member of the staff last week about being thankful for working with truly good people. It shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did, and I’ve thought a lot about it since. I’m not shy about proclaiming how much I love my job, but I don’t often say why. So here are the reasons I’m thankful for where I’ve landed:

1) I’m thankful for truly talented staff. There is not one person in here that I don’t trust to do their job, and do it well. I’ve experienced the opposite before, and it’s not fun. It’s incredibly comforting to know that I can do my job without worrying about what everyone else is doing.

2) I’m thankful for the good people working around me. Not only do I trust everyone in here to do their work…I trust everyone in here. Period. We’ve surrounded ourselves with great people. Honest. Genuine. Caring. Committed. I’m proud of our team, not for who they claim to be, but for who they really are (and trust me…we’re small enough to have seen the good, bad and ugly from all!)

3) I’m thankful for a shared vision. With the addition of Mission Assist to our service offerings, which took a year to develop and required an incredible amount of patience, I feel blessed that everyone understands the purpose and feels the passion. I believe it was divinely inspired and could only have happened with the support and conviction of the whole team. It was literally a leap of faith…and each time someone from an organization actually gives me a heartfelt thanks for what we’re offering, I am grateful for a team that believes in a mission bigger than ourselves.

4) I am thankful to be working in Des Moines, Iowa. This town is a great place to live and work. I’ve worked in Phoenix and St. Louis, and there’s no comparison. The connections, the loyalty and the enthusiasm of Des Moines businesses and their employees cannot be matched. It creates such a sense of community and goodwill. I’m willing to overlook the blustery winters for this fact. And coming from someone who hates cold…that says a lot.

It’s a short list of thanks, but these are at the very core of why I love my job and the people with whom I spend 50% of my life. What are some things about your job you’re thankful for? Hopefully there’s a list…or you better be moving on

Media Relations Rules in an Online World

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", advice, blog, communication, Crisis Management, Media, Public Relations, social media
Posted in Interactive, Media, Public Relations | No Comments 10/05/2010

Like most public relations pros, my Google reader is filled with blogs about my clients’ industries, the daily news feeds for several national media outlets and various other job-related queries I need to look at on a daily basis. While that is part of my daily work, I also have blogs related to my personal interests like cooking, crafting and everything home that I follow. It certainly came as a surprise to me when I found some of my personal interest blogs were dealing with a media relations crisis.

Several of my favorite bloggers who write about their healthy living lifestyles and offer recipes, exercise suggestions and support were cited by a large fashion magazine for promoting unhealthy living in a magazine article titled The Hunger Diaries. The magazine paints an apparent unflattering picture of these bloggers, using their online diaries to showcase their “bad, obsessive habits.”

The bloggers, already a vocal group, came together en masse to write rebuttals to the article. Not only did the main bloggers cited in the article respond, but their readers and support system rallied around them in just a few hours to share their frustration with the magazine and reporter. Be sure to check out the Magazine’s Facebook page to see the hundreds of comments rallying around the bloggers.

The public relations implications of this incident are very representative of what clients fear every day when dealing with the news media. Clients are cautious of media interviews because they might not trust a reporter’s reputation. Some are afraid to grant interviews because something they say or do can be taken out of context or misrepresented. Add in the element of social media and word-of-mouth and clients are worried their comments can spin out of control before they even have a chance to clarify anything.

While the healthy living bloggers situation is less than 24-hours old, there are already public relations lessons to take away.

Always ask the intent of the story. Make sure the reporter tells you what they are trying to prove with their article. That being said, these bloggers asked the reporter her intent and claim they were lied to so…

Trust your gut. Some of the bloggers didn’t feel right during the interviews and felt there were some strange questions being asked by the reporter. If something doesn’t feel right, end the interview. But just in case, keep copies of all correspondence and don’t be afraid to take notes during your interview on the questions you are being asked and the way you respond.

Make corrections quickly. Within a few hours yesterday morning, the article was live on the magazine’s website. Most of the bloggers mentioned had their responses posted by lunchtime. Some even had point-by-point rebuttals to the author’s claims. If they had waited another day, another week, the story is old news.

Use social media to rally the troops. In this case, all it took was the bloggers to post the magazine editors name, e-mail and Facebook page link to get people to respond with their distaste for the article. By mid-afternoon, hundreds of comments were on the Facebook page against the magazine article. This passionate response was because these bloggers have a large base of followers who are interested and engaged in that community. If your customers aren’t engaged in your social media community, find a way to get them active before something like this happens.

Keep it in context. One lesson learned by these bloggers is that in today’s world, what you post on your blog can be taken for face value – and that’s it. One blogger’s 22-mile-run can sound obsessive, but when framed in context of marathon training, it doesn’t sound so unreasonable. Making sure you tell your whole story is incredibly important.

I’ve managed to keep the magazine’s name out of the entire entry, but since I haven’t seen it yet, Marie Claire, what is your response to all of this?

At The Heart Of Giving

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", Advertising, advertising agency, Andrea James, branding, communication, Des Moines, Inspiration, Iowa, marketing, Meals from the Heartland, Mission Assist, motivation, non-profit, Public Relations, strategy
Posted in Advertising, Interactive, Media, Public Relations | 4 Comments 9/15/2010

Phew! Another successful Meals from the Heartland event under our belts, and it never fails to inspire and energize us all over again. It’s our second year of helping to promote Meals from the Heartland (MftH), a mass food-packaging effort that brings together more than 14,000 Iowans to package and transport more than 4 million meals around the world. When we took on MftH two years ago as our pro bono client, we never imagined the impact working with this group of people would make on our own business. The kindness, the genuine hearts, the “don’t expect ‘no’ as an answer” attitude, and the fearlessness…I am consistently blown away by what this group of volunteers produces. Every year I think they’ve topped the last, but I’m now convinced more than ever, this is still just the beginning

Don’t get me wrong – it’s a lot of work. I’m fairly certain our agency has never put this amount of time toward any other non-paying client. But when we made the commitment, we all agreed we were making a commitment. And trust me, we’ve reminded ourselves and each other many times that we are fulfilling a commitment that we made. Inevitably, it all comes around to remembering the end goal…a starving person receiving a nutritional meal. That’s what it’s all about.

My favorite moment of the last two years working with MftH is standing in the middle of Hy-Vee Hall during the event with literally hundreds of cheerful Iowans buzzing around me – young, old, every race and religion, working together to feed people they will likely never see or hear a “thanks” from, and I get chills as my throat tightens and eyes fill. I get teary just writing about it. It is SO WORTH the time and effort. It restores my faith in humanity, and even in myself.

This year made me especially proud of everyone involved. The special vignettes constructed by MftH volunteers who visited Haiti served as a life-size visual of how people are living there. “Tent City”, as we called it, brought reality closer to home for most of us who have only seen the images on TV. I watched as adults cried their way through the maze of tents, and children asked their parents “but where are the bathrooms? What about bedrooms?” and their eyes grow wide as they were told the truth. When the idea of building the vignettes was first discussed in a committee meeting, I remember thinking it’d be a miracle if it really came together…so much effort, so much work. But it did. And it was my favorite place to be while volunteering that weekend.

I’ve taken lessons from the Meals group on how to make things happen, even if the rest of the world (literally) deems it impossible. It is this experience that has led our agency to a new venture in our business. While we can’t offer this same free service to all non-profits and still keep our doors open, we can offer our expertise and hearts to these organizations through an affordable and practical program that provides fundraising and marketing expertise. We’ve spent a good portion of the last year brainstorming, developing, refining and polishing our Mission Assist program, and I’m proud to say my heart is wrapped up in the offer.

As I ushered people into Tent City last week, a little girl who couldn’t have been more than 6-years old, walked by me and said in a shy, sweet voice, “Thank you for helping people who need it.” THAT, my friends, was my payment in full.

Defining Your Area of Suckage

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", ad agency, Advertising, advertising agency, brand, branding, communication, creative, expectations, funny, good marketing, Inspiration, motivation, strategy
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments 7/15/2010

I am a big Dave Barry fan. Not so big that I follow everything he writes – in fact, I just finished my first, and his latest, book entitled “I’ll Mature When I’m Dead”. It was funny. Like, sitting in bed laughing OUTLOUD hoping not to wake the kids kind of funny.

But tucked among the sarcasm, humor and self-deprecation, Dave actually incorporates little nuggets of wisdom, whether he means to or not. Last night I came across one passage that really got me thinking (one reason I liked this book so much right now was that, for the most part, it didn’t require ANY thinking).

Dave was talking about kids’ sports these days and how parents are so involved, sometimes a little too much. He cites examples like screaming on the sidelines and convincing kids of being really great at something they actually show little ability to grasp. Of his own athletic abilities as a child he said,

“I learned, for example, that even though I was not as big, or fast, or strong, or coordinated as the other kids, if I worked really hard—if I gave 100 percent and never quit—I would still be smaller, slower, weaker and less coordinated than the other kids. In other words, I learned that even though I enjoyed playing sports, I sucked at them. And understanding that you suck at some things is useful information in life. The world would be a better place if people were fully cognizant of their areas of suckage.”

Amen. I’m known for being fairly straight-forward, and will readily admit when I’m really not very good at something – math, computers, miniature golf, and swimming for any purpose other than not drowning. And it’s funny, and sometimes incredibly frustrating, when someone tries to convince me otherwise. “Oh, I bet you’d really like mini-golf, and are probably really good at it, if you’d just try.” Ummmm, no. I’ve tried many, many times, and I a) don’t like it at all, and b) really suck at it. TRUST ME.

I started thinking about this in professional terms. How many times have I come across someone who thinks they can do everything for their business? They know what their customers like, they know how to reach and sell to them most effectively, they know how to write copy for things ranging from newsletters to ads. There’s little they don’t know, and by golly, they sure don’t suck at any of this! That’s their business!

No it’s not. Their business is to make a profit (or, in the case of non-profits, to keep the organization going and growing). They are where they are in the business because they know how to do certain things really well. There are areas where they excel, and areas where they really aren’t very good. We all have these. The best thing to do is to admit what you’re NOT good at, and find someone who is good to help you! There is nothing wrong with admitting that. In fact, I admire people who do it.

I’m not going to get specific because everyone is good at different things. I just thought I’d start the reflection process for others as Dave started it for me. What are you good at? What are your areas of suckage? Are you trying to convince others that you’re really good at something you’re not? Why?

Andrea James
President

Keeping the Faith

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", ad agency, Adam Jensen, Advertising, advertising agency, Andrea James, brand, branding, client, communication, faith, good marketing, marketing, Mission Assist, research
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments 6/09/2010

Last week I found myself reflecting a lot about the paths we take in life – both personally and professionally – and what outside influences affect and change them. I interviewed with the Des Moines Business Record for a story on branding/rebranding last week which had me thinking a lot about why businesses do, or don’t, make decisions that can affect their futures (ours, obviously, being the decision to rebrand) .

Additionally, and totally unrelated, our creative director, Adam Jensen, signed himself up for a 10-week intense group fitness challenge that one year ago, he wouldn’t have dreamed of taking on. In a sense, he’s been pursuing some personal rebranding, focusing on his health and fitness for the last year. After watching how hard he’s worked to lose 75 pounds and get into better shape, it was inspiring to see him take on something he’d once thought impossible. Both Love Scott’s rebranding efforts, and Adam’s new undertaking, had me thinking about the one thing they have in common. Making the decision to act on fear or faith.

Decisions aren’t always simple. For some companies, decision-making processes, like whether and how to brand/ rebrand, are daunting. Spending the time and inviting internal and possibly external criticism are not always pleasant thoughts. Likewise, personal decisions such as Adam’s, which require self reflection, motivation and determination, are filled with unknowns around every corner. Think about every decision you’ve ever made in your life. Each and every one was driven by the stronger influence of those two things: fear or faith.

Fear of failure. Fear of change. Fear of the unknown. Everything (non-life-threatening) I’ve ever not tried, I can attribute to overwhelming fear. Now, fear can also be a blessing, and it’s actually required for faith to even exist. But for many (and too many companies I care to mention), focusing on fear can be tragically prohibitive when it comes to making effective marketing decisions. What if a campaign doesn’t work? What if it’s too radical for their public? There’s no proof an effort WILL work, so why take the chance?

And then there’s my favorite word – faith. Faith in what’s possible. Faith in doing things right. Faith in discovery through effort. Every time I’ve succeeded at anything, I’ve counted on faith. Faith in myself, faith in God, faith in others. And there have definitely been times when I’ve leaned on faith only to fail. But those are also the times I learned the most about what was needed to later succeed. What if I’d listened to the fear and never tried? I wouldn’t have learned how to do it right, better, the next time.

Faith doesn’t mean entering blindly into a situation, counting on a miracle for something great to happen. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary offers this as a definition:

Main Entry: ¹faith

Pronunciation: \ˈfāth\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English feith, from Anglo-French feid, fei, from Latin fides; akin to Latin fidere to trust — more at bide

Date: 13th century

1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty b (1) : fidelity to one’s promises (2) : sincerity of intentions
2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs <the Protestant faith>

Sincerity of intentions. Firm belief in something for which there is no proof. Complete trust. With a strong belief in any of these, good things will eventually happen. If your intentions are to market your company right, have faith in yourself and your convictions that it will happen. If you hire a company to do it for you, have faith in yourself to choose the right company, then have faith in them to do what needs to be done…right!

With our rebranding effort, it took faith in the time we’d spend and the system itself that got us through the process. We could have feared what we’d discover from surveying our past and current clients, or that extra time we had to invest might be wasted, but we didn’t. We kept the faith that it would all lead to something great. And it did.

Likewise, Adam let fear rule his decision a year ago and didn’t step up to the challenge he now has faith he can complete. He took some convincing, and had to dabble a little here and there to find his faith-footing, but he found it and is now charging forward.

What drives you and makes your decisions – both personally and professionally? Fear or faith? Which do you want to drive your decisions?

Don’t Let Your Story Get Away From You

Tags: "No Comment", brand control, branding, broadcast media, Brooke Bouma, Crisis Management, Des Moines, Des Moines Business Record, Des Moines Marketing, Des Moines Register, DSMCVB, Eric Hanson, Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau, interview, Jim Pollock, KCCI, Kendra Williams, KIOA 93.3, Lynn Hicks, marketing plan, Maxwell Schaeffer, metro Des Moines, Midwest Living, Pioneer Communications, Polly Clark, PR, print media, promotion, Public Relations, research, spokesperson training, story, Van Hardin, WHO AM 1040, WHO TV
Posted in Public Relations | 3 Comments 5/12/2010

Love Scott was proud to sponsor the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau (DSMCVB) “Marketing Panel” a couple weeks ago. Our third time sponsoring one of their events, we’ve come to recognize it as a valuable service they provide to their metro partners as a source of marketing/PR education, updating and networking.

After I gave a brief introduction on the importance of research in a solid marketing plan, participants listened as three speaker panels answered questions. I took particular interest in two panels made up of a few of our local media representatives and personalities.

On a broadcast media panel sat:

• Eric Hanson, TV reporter for KCCI

• Van Hardin, radio show host at WHO-AM 1040

• Maxwell Schaeffer, host at KIOA 93.3

• Brooke Bouma, morning co-host at WHO-TV

On a print media panel sat:

• Lynn Hicks, business editor of the Des Moines Register

• Jim Pollock, editor of the Des Moines Business Record

• Polly Clark with Pioneer Communications

• Kendra Williams with Midwest Living.

I listened closely to these panels because, as a PR person, I’m intrigued to hear their takes on how the industry has changed, their pet peeves when receiving information or interviewing, and what helps them report most accurately.

One comment repeated in both panels was on the topic of granting media interviews. A few years back, I did a short stint reporting for a business publication in St. Louis and will never forget times I’d call a business for information or a quote, and nobody would call me back. I wasn’t digging anything up – simply needing accurate information to complete a story…that most often would help promote that company! It astounded me that they would blatantly ignore me, I assume out of some sort of fear. Maybe they’d been burned before by the media – inaccurate information, misquotes, negative story angle, who knows? But every time I was left to think “well, you’re not doing yourselves any favors this way!” Either the story would get scrapped (no free publicity for them) for lack of information, or we’d have to say something ridiculous like “representatives from ‘Company X’ were unavailable for comment.” That is more damaging than no story at all, in my opinion.

Both media panels at the DSMCVB’s event mentioned that companies are doing a disservice to themselves when ignoring opportunities for interviews. Especially when they are associated with a controversial event, an interview is an opportunity to tell their story. Both times the subject came up in the panels, both the TV media reps and the print reps said even if you don’t grant the interview, “the story is going to run anyway”. So basically you have the opportunity to say what YOU want to say, or take a chance that somebody else will say what you wouldn’t want them saying FOR you.

If the idea of speaking to the media scares you, take the time for spokesperson training. Most times, if you’re prepared, it’s actually a positive PR opportunity, not a burden.

What do you think when a company has “no comment”? What are some of the best TV/print interviews you’ve seen or read, even in times of crisis?

Andrea James, President / Director of Public Relations

Love Scott / Meals from the Heartland Win Awards

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", Andrea James, Award, Centeral Iowa Public Relations Society of America, charity, honor, Meals from the Heartland, Merit Award, Mission Assist, news, non-profit, Prime Awards, pro bono, PRSA, PSA, Public Relations, Public Service Announcement, Video
Posted in Public Relations | 4 Comments 5/06/2010

Meals from the Heartland Collateral We are proud to share the news that Love Scott was awarded two prestigious honors at the Central Iowa Public Relations Society of America Prime Awards last week. We were recognized with a Merit Award for copy used in brochures for the Meals from the Heartland fundraising packet. The packets included a large general brochure and four targeted brochures (for schools, individuals, businesses and churches.) All brochures were produced to encourage donations and volunteerism to help package food for 4 million of the world’s hungry.

We were also presented with a Prime Award, the highest honor in the audiovisual category, for the Meals from the Heartland Public Service Announcement.

Both of these projects were completed by Love Scott on a pro-bono basis. We offered our services to the Meals from the Heartland team based on the outstanding work they do to feed the world’s hungry. We have been so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to work with this group of people who volunteer their time (LOTS of it), their hearts and their genuine love for people all over the world who need help. We submitted our work to be considered because we are proud of it. But had we not won the PRSA awards, the experience would still have ranked as the highest reward we could ever receive.

How Do You Create Value – Invite To Invoice

Tags: account management, ad agency, add value, advertising agency, Andrea James, communication, customer servive, Des Moines, Iowa, marketing, Pitney Bowes, Public Relations, response, Service, social media, Successful branding, Twitter, Value, value added, West Des Moines
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments 4/23/2010

We had a discussion among the Love Scott staff the other day about how businesses create value. When it comes time to pay a bill, you automatically measure the perceived value of that item against the price before handing over your money. If the value is considered less than the price tag, there are bound to be complications. But creating value is so much more than a product or service – it’s really about the entire experience.

When was the last time you walked away from a business transaction thinking, “WOW! That was worth every penny AND my time!” What was it that made you feel that way? Was it a unique product? Was it outstanding service? Most likely, you were “wowed” through the entire experience – from invitation to invoice. Or in this digital age, from log-on to log-off, because your website is certainly an extension of your brand’s perceived value.

Customer service/relations has changed a lot in the last decade with the emersion of social media in business. I still see ambiguity from business leaders to the idea of getting involved in social media marketing. While there’s definitely been a shift from the idea of social media being a “phase” to a general acceptance of it as a tool that will be around for awhile, many businesses are still not completely understanding the magnitude it can have in terms of hearing the customer, communicating with the customer, and improving customer service.

I faced it head-on a couple weeks ago when I innocently tweeted about trouble I was having with our postage machine. This is what I said:

I didn’t expect anyone to really care or even pay attention. Not five minutes later, I got this response from @PBCares:

It was, in fact, a Pitney Bowes machine, and long story short, there was a repairman in our office within 24 hours. Voila! Without even a phone call, Pitney Bowes made it clear that they noticed, appreciated our business, and valued us as customers. They created very real value. And my response was – WOW. Their Twitter handle is “@PBCares”, and they proved to me that they do.

As a necessary brand-building exercise, we are focusing on how we create value for our customers. From invite to invoice, do we go the extra step to help them understand the way we do things? Can we help them to feel more comfortable, even if it takes us a little out of our own comfort zones? When they get our invoice, do they scratch their heads or do they accept it knowing we created real value equal to the price on the paper?

So, how do you define value? How do you make sure your clients/customers are feeling valued? Put some thought into it and let us know what perceived value your customers should expect. Because at the end of the day, without value, what are you providing to your customers?

Andrea James, President / Public Relations Director

Connecting Two Worlds Together With Social Media

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", Advertising, Lindsey McKelvey, Media, moving, networking, Public Relations, social media, south dakota, Twitter
Posted in Public Relations | 2 Comments 3/31/2010

Some may think I’m crazy for thinking I’ve already found my dream job, but what else do you call something you love to do with people you love to be around?

Sadly, just seven short months after waltzing my pre-graduated self into the hall (yes, singular ) of Love Scott, I am already leaving. My husband and I are relocating to South Dakota for his job and for reasons that I have not yet discovered, it’s for the best.

I have mixed emotions about the situation. I’m sad because I’ll be leaving a job I love, but I’m proud and honored to have known and learned from everyone here. I’m excited to live in a new place having lived in Iowa my entire life, but scared because it will be the first time since I was 15 that I won’t have a job. But, as I spelled out in my last post, I am determined to make it work.

I realized early last week that being out of a job means I can do anything I want. Anything. However, working at Love Scott has made me realize what I love to do and that’s what I keep coming back to. So, not knowing a single soul in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, I turned to my always-trusty Des Moines network on Twitter.

I posted this simple tweet asking for any suggestions for my move.

The response was overwhelming and I could hardly keep up with the suggestions and references people were throwing at me. Keep in mind, most of these people I have never actually met face-to-face with, but have grown to know through Twitter. It is rewarding to have such a strong social media network in Des Moines and it makes me proud to be from somewhere where people don’t hesitate to help a neighbor out.

I made a list of people that my Des Moines tweeps referred me to and started connecting. I emailed them, followed them on Twitter and connected with them on LinkedIn. Through these mediums alone, I now have three lunches and/or coffee meetings and an interview planned and I haven’t even moved yet! It’s not to say that any of these meetings will spur a job offer, but networking with these people will definitely start the process.

It’s crazy to me to think that just seven months ago, I didn’t “get” Twitter. I thought, like many people, it was a place where people shouted to the world what they had for breakfast. And now I’m using it to connect two worlds.

So, thank you Des Moines tweeps (shout out to @YvonneBeasley, @Cavan, @Schippers & @AngelaTenClay) for teaching me and believing in me. I may be more than 300 miles away come Friday, but I’ll still be tweeting from the same handle (@lindseymckelvey). I look forward to continue learning from all of you and hopefully I’ll be able to teach you a thing or two about what South Dakota has to offer.

Good Corporate Citizens Wanted

Tags: Community, Community Relations, Love Scott, Meals from the Heartland, Public Relations, special events, sponsor, Volunteer
Posted in Public Relations | Comments Off 3/18/2010

After graduating from the University of Iowa way back when, with all of my “recent-grad” confidence and 22 years of Iowa residency, I decided I wanted to go somewhere. Anywhere but Iowa. I looked at various places, all with the common theme of “warmer than Iowa” and in the southwest direction, with no real plan or strategy except TO GO. My landing place was Phoenix, Arizona. It took living in Phoenix five years, then St. Louis for three, for me to realize that Iowa really had something to offer. After starting a family, I moved back, and I haven’t regretted a thing. Des Moines has grown so much in recent years into a town I’m incredibly proud to live in and call home.

Hands Raised to Volunteer But one thing that hasn’t changed over the years is the sense of community Iowa offers that I never felt in the any of the other cities I lived. People are really passionate about this town, what it offers, and the endless opportunities. That enthusiasm is contagious and breeds the kind of pride people want to feel in their hometown, their schools, their children and their neighbors.

Coincidentally, today I came across this post on Twitter: “I should have come to DSM years ago. This city simply can make things happen.” (via @ben_milne) Well said!

So it surprises me when I come across the few companies or clients who don’t make a special effort to get involved in the community in one way or another. And do it with good intentions, not just to pay their dues or get noticed.

You can’t buy the title “Good Corporate Citizen,” though we see many companies and individuals try. Efforts to do so are usually transparent and do nothing for credibility or integrity. A business’s commitment to the well-being of the community must be genuine to be valued. And when it is valued, it can do great things for building customer and employee loyalty while positively impacting society.

Meals from the Heartland Logo A year ago, Love Scott volunteered our marketing services to a local organization called Meals from the Heartland (MftH). We had volunteered to package food as a company at the organization’s inaugural event and came back to the office blown away by the experience. Having met some of the volunteer organizers, and knowing their genuine hearts and intentions, we felt a calling to get more involved and do our part in helping to feed the world’s hungry.

The experience has been absolutely amazing. We helped rebrand MftH complete with logo design, Web site, PR and collateral. It was time intensive, absolutely, but there is no more gratifying work than when you know a word you’ve written, or a design you’ve created, will help put food on someone’s plate. Powerful. You can feel the pride radiate from staff each time we hear of people fed or lives saved by the food packaged that our work helped make possible.

The added benefits are the hundreds of people we’ve met and connected with through the experience, from community leaders to college athletes. We’ve associated with them not only on a business level, but through a common passion for doing good.

Ways to show your dedication to the community are boundless, including sponsoring special events; becoming active in community programs, boards or clubs; providing talks or speeches for local special interest clubs or chambers; assisting local or national charity efforts; and hosting events, meetings, or educational seminars.

But how do you choose which efforts you get involved in? Consider more than the aesthetics. Worthwhile involvement will take time, commitment and, depending on the scope of the project, money. Choose something you or your co-workers are really interested in or you risk turning it into a forced commitment that breeds negativity and resentment.

If your company doesn’t have a current community relations program, take the time to research your options. Talk with employees and find out their interests, discuss opportunities with business partners, and stay current on local news and politics. You don’t have to invest big money to make an impression – just being involved and donating your time and talents shows the community you are a part of the bigger team.

If your company donates time or resources to help the community, tell us about it. How did you get involved and what does it do for office morale?

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Archive for the ‘Public Relations’ Category

My Thanks…

At The Heart Of Giving

Defining Your Area of Suckage

Keeping the Faith

Don’t Let Your Story Get Away From You

Love Scott / Meals from the Heartland Win Awards

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