Do you really need a reason to have a party?

Of course you do; we’re still fighting this recession and you’re a savvy, budget-conscious operator. 

Still, your PR team has likely been behind some pretty significant events that have launched companies, built reputations, garnered press and/or rewarded loyal customers and employees.  Event management is a tool that most PR professionals have down, but they can also work with an event marketing firm, so that they can focus on important event attendees, media attendees and your needs, as a client. 

No event is too small.  Your company can announce a new hire with a press conference.  You can show media or others around your new facility.  You can reward frequent online shoppers with a live shopping event announcing a new product.  You can host an investors’ dinner.  We haven’t even hit the tip of the iceberg.  This also gives your company a chance to connect directly and live with members of the media.  After meeting you through us, they’re more likely to care about you and make their readers or viewers care about you through their writing or speaking about you.

Your PR firm can also ensure you stand apart at a larger event such as media and industry-driven trade shows or larger events that you can be a part of, from The Super Bowl to smaller-scale events, such as your local Small Business Awards.

There are great happy hour specials on Monday, recessionistas and recessionisters.  Enjoy and ideate your next big media-blowout event!

As more Blackberry, iPhones, and other smartphones are sold around the world, more apps are being created for those phones and the user.  Phone applications are meant for convenience, and who doesn’t enjoy something as convenient as pressing a button for instant satisfaction? Even better, winning a prize for developing that application?

Opportunities for software developers this fall will be a competition called the NYC Big Apps, which will invite software developers and others to develop applications to help users navigate the Internet more efficiently in areas such as citywide  events and the nyc.gov website.  In a NY Times blog, City officials are particularly interested in receiving suggestions about how the information could be used and how it could be presented electronically.  The winner of the Big Apps competition will recieve a cash prize, dinner with the mayor, and marketing opportunities.

People are attracted to the notion of “prize economics” which help to motivate new innovations to benefit the company and the team or inidividual.  After the $1 million dollar prize competition for NetFlix, other companies are catching on.

  The mayor also announced a type of search engine called, 311 Online, which will be available on the nyc.gov website.  What is really cool is that users can use their Skype or Twitter accounts for the 311 city hotline, how personal and convenient is that?!

Soon, your company and ours will have a software app conveniently available to the public and on every smartphone sold around the world.  Let the opportunities keep coming!

Who was the greatest #8 of all time?  That’s debatable, but the most interesting is likely Yankee catcher Yogi Berra.  In 1984, when asked about the poor record of his New York Yankees, Yogi said, “I wish I had an answer to that because I’m getting tired of answering that question.”

We can’t get in our DeLorean and go back in time to help him, but we can give you a quick pointer:

8.) Respond to negative press about your competitors or your industry.

• It can be controversial and it may make you an enemy or two within your industry, but consumers and the press are looking for strong voices - and will listen when one speaks up.

Newspapers trying to stay alive recently have begun introducing a platform whereby visitors are have to pay a fee to access online content. National Public Radio’s (NPR) president and chief executive Vivian Schiller shared her concerns regarding this model in a pointed manner, favoring the Financial Times way over others.

When offering opinions on a competitor, position your company as the solution, without boldly bashing your competitor.  Tact is more than important in these instances; it’s imperative.

As Yogi said about Baltimore Orioles’ Outfielder Frank Robinson in 1969, “If you can’t imitate him, don’t copy him.”

It’s the end of the month… paycheck’s coming! 

In many cases, it’s the people that make a brand.  Sometimes it’s enough to have the backing of your CEO and Founder, such as with Virgin Co.’s Richard Branson.  That said, Branson’s companies gained a lot of fans before he himself did.  PR teams can advise on who is brand-appropriate to speak for you or with you and negotiate partnerships - whether on long-term spokespeople platforms or simply as a one-time guest appearance. 

As a man whose arsenal includes Virgin Records, Branson values celebrity endorsements, which land his companies some serious entertainment press.  Some of the highest circulations and viewerships belong to entertainment media, including People Magazine, Entertainment Tonight and “celeb blogger” Perez Hilton.  Virgin brands appeal to a broad audience, which is why - strategically - it makes sense for them to align with casts from television shows like The Hills and Entourage.  

Endorsements of other flavors are equally important, though.  For example, a luxury company of any capacity would value the endorsement of Milton Pedraza, the Chief Executive of the Luxury Institute.  A financial service likely would want to have the backing of Moody’s or another reputable financial review firm.  As a PR company, we see extreme worth in the support of the Council of PR Firms.  In these cases, your audiences are more targeted. 

Speaking of endorsements, endorse that paycheck, so you can catch up on all of those bills before the 4th!

I am a sucker for the in-depth, emotional stories peppered into live sports coverage. Tell me more about the Olympic triathlete who is energized by his handicapped daughter because I am hooked on this tear-jerking piece narrated by Bob Costas.

As a sports fan and natural storyteller, I was excited about all the great storylines that made the cut at this weekend’s U.S Open.

It seems like Phil Mickelson is destined to be the bridesmaid and never the bride. I really thought it was his year. It was like the coming together of two perfect emotional stories: his wife has been diagnosed with breast cancer and he considered this his final tournament before a family hiatus and the New York public’s love affair with his SoCal demeanor and determination.

David Duval’s was a tale of retribution. Ranked No.1 in 2001, Duval had virtually fallen off the planet since. But he was first this weekend to tell the again-endearing media that he had been calling this for a long time.

Tiger (simply Tiger) is always the center of attention, even when he is a handful of strokes out of striking distance. There was no way he was going to out-Tiger his Open performance from last year. But he is still the top-ranked player in the world, and the media wants to make sure it is front and center when he ultimately claims his 15th major championship.

You be the judge. Was it anticlimactic that Mickelson, Duval or Woods did not walk away with the trophy, on a Monday nonetheless?

While Lucas Glover deserves his time in the sun and the corresponding endorsements, if he cannot maintain this level of performance, the media will certainly forget him like…um, that other guy, what was his name and you know, the chap in the visor.  Still, everyone has a story to tell and some are just beginning.

All in all, the 2009 Open at Bethpage Black will be remembered from the weather and the New Yorkers. And trust me, the media took full advantage of those stories.

Today’s Tip is brought to you by the number 9 and 9 Feelings from The Count from Sesame Street.

Whether or not it’s a “Sunny Day,” number nine is “a creative way to get… to get your company into the news” (and to expand your company’s profile within the media).

9.) Tell customer stories or publicize customer feedback.

Using a person’s story to tell a brand story translates to human interest and helps people relate to a message. Has someone famous used your product or service? Have you received tremendous customer feedback? Are people using your product or service in an interesting, unforeseen way? Customers are your best resources, so tell these stories!

One example is with a product used all around Sesame Street!  While Johnson and Johnson developed Baby Powder to satisfy the bottoms of little tykes, customers started using it to make their hair look less greasy and to add volume. This was just another way for J&J to gain press and customers!

If your week hasn’t started off exactly as “smooth as a baby’s bottom,” The Count seemingly has turned into quite a life coach!  We genuinely suggest watching…

Almost by definition, PR teams should be charming and have friends in high places, right? 

Often times, through their “relations” with the “public,” they are and they do.  Your PR team can advise you on who you should be aligning with and help both parties join forces.

Strategic partnerships can be two or more companies coming together for the benefit of both groups’ customer bases and overall businesses.  For example, PR Flex client SpotCrime is a web site service that maps criminal activity in neighborhoods throughout the U.S..  They worked with Apple to build an iPhone application and make it available via the App Store.  

Looking for an example of a smaller scale?  Media partnerships can be executed through your PR team’s contacts, as well.  SpotCrime’s site is also featured on web sites including the Austin American-Statesman’s and WCNC-TV’s (NBC affiliate Charlotte, NC).

Sponsorships and advertising are sometimes appropriate for your company, in which case, we’ll tell you and introduce appropriate contacts, where necessary.

It might be Monday, but you’re cooler than the other side of the pillow.

Yesterday, consulting firm Stevens Gould Pincus released their “2009 Best Practices Benchmarking Report,” which surveyed 106 PR agencies in the U.S. and Canada and found that profitability at PR agencies dropped more than 20% in 2008.

We all know that the economy is bad. No big news there. But we can’t use that excuse for everything. We Americans love to make excuses and place blame on everyone else, right? Don’t make excuses for your business - just make smarter business decisions.

As the country fell deeper into a recession in 2008, agencies expected big brands to drastically cut their PR/marketing budgets and for smaller companies to drop PR activities altogether, and many PR firms made changes accordingly to make sure that they weren’t left in the dust.

For some, that meant dropping smaller clients and picking up more big accounts. For others, that meant cutting back on staffing. For us, that meant re-creating the whole agency model, hence the birth of PR Flex (you can read more about why we started the company on our website)  So where does that leave the little guy in the scheme of things?

Instead of smaller organizations being forced to get rid of their entire PR and marketing activities, why not make it easier for them to continue getting their name out there in an on-demand way, not their retainer PR agency’s way?

In his blog, Harvard Business professor John Quelch writes, “This is not the time to cut advertising. It is well documented that brands that increase advertising during a recession, when competitors are cutting back, can improve market share and return on investment at lower cost than during good economic times.”

How would cutting back on PR/marketing affect a company’s brand? Customers want to do business with the companies that look like they are doing well, not the ones holding on for dear life.

So think before you drop PR, just drop the retainer method if it’s not working for you.  The Stevens Gould Pincus study found that the average minimum monthly fee that PR agencies charge clients also fell, by 26%, to $10,332. That’s still a lot of money. We don’t think that you need to pay this amount to get meaningful results.

• When Everyone Wins in PR: Client Wins, Media Outlet Wins, Agency Wins - Great success story happened this week http://bit.ly/zfhhp #