Each year the chapters of the Public Relations Society of America call for submissions in their annual awards programs, locally called the Silver Spike Awards. It’s an opportunity for PR pros to submit their top work over the past year to be judged by their peers and, hopefully, rewarded for their hard work.

This is my second year of judging entries and my first as the Sierra Nevada chapter’s judging chair. Our chapter has agreed to judge dozens of entries from the Oklahoma City chapter and it’s been a lot of work, from coordinating judging times and securing judges to organizing entries and collecting the completed judging forms. But at the same time I’ve found it to be truly interesting. Often we get so entrenched in our own projects and clients that we don’t see what’s going on elsewhere. And in my case, we don’t necessarily recognize the skills we have until we compare them to others’.

This year’s judging has turned out to be an opportunity to learn about some new tactical tools and ideas for client service and also recognize that what we do for our clients is truly above and beyond.

When you live and breathe a client’s work every day in the office leading up to an event sometimes it’s hard to head to the actual event after hours. Fortunately we work with some really great events and attending their events is an opportunity to relax, catch up with friends and in rare instances witness a community step up to a challenge.

This July Artown, Reno’s 31-day arts festival, asked the community to “Give $3, Keep Artown Free.” It’s the first time the nonprofit organization actually asked for donations at its free events. Through several amazing partnerships we marketed the program city-wide and hoped to cover our costs and bring in a few thousand dollars for the festival.

I headed to Wingfield Park and several of Artown’s free events to take photos during the Give $3 donation call and was so impressed with the generous nature of Artown attendees. Kids were stuffing bills in collection boxes, the elderly were dropping in spare change and some families gave much more than $3. 

In the end Artown raised more than $32,000, much more than what was anticipated.

Check out this photo gallery of some of the wonderful “Give $3” moments Artown captured in 2010.

As an early 30’s Gen X, I grew up despising the creation of the minivan and its clunky appearance. I swore, along with my friends, that I’d never drive a minivan, and I still don’t.

But along the way people my age started having kids and turned to the newer, sleeker minivans for their utility and ease when transporting kids and their accoutrements.

And along came the Toyota Sienna with their “Swagger Wagon” ads. Recognizing the need of this generation for utility along with hipness Toyota created a marketing campaign that’s not only increased the cool factor of this once despised vehicle but also engaged potential customers with a series of comical and utterly relatable videos. And based on a recent tweet about a friend’s Swagger Wagon, it’s worked well.

Check out the Swagger Wagon channel on YouTube.

I don’t think I get out much, at least not compared to some of my friends. But you may think I do if you’re watching me on Foursquare, the latest social networking/game/time suck to hit computers and mobile devices. Ever since I added the geo-targeting app to my phone last month I’ve been checking in at locations around Reno and beyond to earn 5 “Mayorships” and 7 badges. I’ve even earned the Swarm badge for checking in at the same location as at least 50 other users, which was pretty cool. I have my account linked to Twitter, which is linked to Facebook, so I can selectively share my check-ins with followers and friends as well. This may not have been the best plan as I’ve now convinced my mom, who tracks my activity on Facebook, that I eat out too much.

The question is do I share too much? I wondered that when I first saw Foursquare being used. Frankly, do you care if I’m at Home Depot?  You might if they’re having a huge unpublished sale storewide. That’s useful information and makes check-ins meaningful. Users can also post tips for specific locations which allow you to learn more from the people who know…the regulars. Last month I was in Oakland for a concert and looking for a place to eat before the show. We used Foursquare to see what was nearby, then followed a tip about a great spot with Caribbean-style small plates at killer happy hour prices. Indeed, they did.

The tool has its detractors who say Foursquare is annoying and creepy. Take for instance the creator of NoSquare, an application that helps you avoid Foursquare hangouts.  If you’re not a user, it can be annoying to have your Twitter or Facebook feed filled up with “I’m at Taco Bell” nonsense. And yes, it can be creepy when others know your whereabouts at all times. But that’s where users need think before they post. Some quick tips:

• Limit direct to Twitter/Facebook check-ins. If you want to share on those networks, consider adding informative updates to your check-in.
• You don’t have to post every stop you make every day. Aside from over-sharing, it can open you up to danger.
• Checking in at home means you’re letting everyone know where you live, and by default, letting them know when you’re not there.
• Have fun. Earn badges. Oust someone as mayor. After all, it’s just a social game.

What do you get when you invite the entire RKPR team to dinner at a gourmet steakhouse? Five raucous diners willing to try anything on the menu, before and after photos of plates of food, tweets and Facebook posts throughout the meal and more than three hours of good conversation and fun. That’s what went down when we all headed to the new Atlantis Steakhouse to try out the new menu and tour the completely renovated restaurant.

We learned a lot about the Steakhouse, like the fact that it took more than 100 hours to create the menu, from sampling dishes and fine-tuning recipes to designing and proofreading the final version. We also learned that the giant octopus, which was a light fixture on the ceiling of our dining room during its nightclub days, was auctioned off on Ebay to a nightclub in the Midwest.

But perhaps the most important thing we learned was that Atlantis Steakhouse fits perfectly within Reno-Tahoe’s new marketing identity. It’s a “far from expected” dining experience and one that’s sure to alter people’s perception of the casino resort property. As a longtime resident I recall the Purple Parrot days of Atlantis with its traditional coffee shop fare. And that’s what stuck. But our lavish meal has completely changed that perception. So cheers to Atlantis for creating a fantastic dining experience!

Now to the nitty gritty: what did we eat? Here’s a quick list and a few comments about each.

·         Crispy Calamari – Perfectly crisp, just the right amount of salty and a tasty caper dipping sauce

·         Ahi Tuna Tartare – Refreshingly light and very fresh tasting

·         Escargot – If you’ve never had it, try it here first

·         Maine Lobster and Blue Crab Cakes – Red peppers in these give them a bit of a southwestern flair

·         Oysters on the Half Shelf – We downed a dozen and Liz invented Lizsabi sauce, a mixture of wasabi and horseradish, to dress the oysters

·         French Onion Soup – hearty and a good portion size, and the bread and cheese on top were just right

·         Prime Rib and Barley Soup – also hearty and delicious

·         Spinach Salad – prepared tableside with a warm dressing that smelled fantastic

·         Wedge Salad – served in a slight bowl so it’s easier to eat

·         Filet Mignon, 12 oz. – a huge steak, perfectly cooked

·         Colorado Lamb Chops – the best I’ve had in town

·         Prime Rib and Diver Scallops Duet – a serious meal with a giant juicy portion of prime rib and golden seared scallops

·         Trio of Filet – a mountain of tasty with three petite filets, three toppings and mashed potatoes

·         12 oz. Kobe Chopped Steak Burger – probably the size of Emily’s head, juicy, and perhaps the best burger she’ll ever eat

·         Sides including creamed corn with a kick, truffled mac and cheese, sautéed spinach, asparagus and broccolini

·         Almost every dessert on the menu, all of which were phenomenal, including Chocolate Mousse, Cheesecake, Warm Cinnamon Apple Crisp, Bananas Foster, Crème Brulee and Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Torte

We highly recommend the Atlantis Steakhouse and when you go, let us know what you had.

Several days ago I chuckled at a Tweet from @GrammarGirl that linked to a column outlining a plan to institute a sarcasm mark. “I can get on board with that,” I thought. After all, I use sarcasm regularly in verbal communications and have to hold back on social sites and in e-mails for fear I’ll be misunderstood.

But this column in the USA Today drove home what I was feeling.

We’re becoming overly nice in our online communications, which are increasingly becoming our main form of communication. Exclamation marks and emoticons are becoming ubiquitous, a boon for ridiculously happy people. But that’s not who I am, or many others, and it means that I don’t get a chance to share my full personality with friends. So I say yes, let’s amend our punctuation repertoire to add in a sarcasm mark because our authenticity depends on it.

At a recent American Marketing Association luncheon Michael Thomas, marketing director at the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority, spoke about his organization’s rebranding campaign. I’ve attended several presentations on their process and new brand, including a controversy-stirring RSCVA board meeting, so the bulk of the information wasn’t new to me. However, Thomas geared this talk towards how other companies could go about the rebranding process and provided five tips that anyone can use. They were honest and to-the-point so I’m sharing them here.

·         Research. This seems pretty obvious, but if you don’t know how you’re currently perceived, who your customers are, where you can expand, etc., how will you know where to start?

·         Face uncomfortable truths. No one likes to hear that their pizza tastes bad (ask Dominos), but sometimes you have to own up to the reality of your product before you can move forward with a successful brand.

·         Listen and answers usually follow. People love to share their opinions, and more often than not you can glean some pretty great ideas just by asking questions and listening to what people have to say. Or, don’t even ask questions. Just go to where your customers are and listen to what they’re saying about you or your competitors.

·         Be a first rate version of yourself. If you try to bill yourself as a Lexus when you’re really more of a Toyota Corolla your customer will call you on it. If you’re a Corolla, be the best darn Corolla you can be.

·         Last, emotion trumps logic. Customers may know that it costs less to use a store brand, but they’re emotionally tied to the name brand they’ve grown loyal and emotionally connected to. Appeal to an audience’s emotions and they’ll take note.

Thanks, Michael, for the great tips!