Maroon Blog

SWOOSH!

2012-02-16T13:09:00.001-05:00

By Mitchell Schmale

Sometimes in life things don’t work out the way you planned. That’s a fact. And everyone will learn this tough lesson at some point. Cory Weissman learned it firsthand while pursuing his lifelong dream of playing basketball at the college level.

Cory is a student-athlete at Gettysburg College who reminded us all of that life lesson when he stepped back on the basketball court this season for this first time in three years after suffering a life-threatening stroke as a college freshman. Cory was an ordinary kid pursuing his passion of playing basketball when he was sidelined with a sudden debilitating stroke. His dreams of basketball took a backseat as he fought to make a full recovery, but his love of the game still fueled his determination to work hard every day during his years of rehabilitation.

Cory’s inspiring story helps remind us that it’s never too late or too tough to keep working hard to chase your dream. He was already a winner before he ever took those amazing steps back on the court after his stroke. It’s not always important that things work out the way you planned, but it’s all about how you respond when presented with those sometimes painful life lessons. Don’t give up, keep trying to move forward every day and know deep down that you gave it everything you had. You may end up someplace great that you never even expected. Cory proves it.

Mitchell Schmale is Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him at Mitchell@MaroonPR.com.

A Convenient Mistake

2012-02-15T11:00:00.003-05:00

By Pete DeLuca

It was a terrible ending to a tragic story as singer Whitney Houston was found dead in the Beverly Hilton hotel on Saturday. As the world received the news and the mourning began for millions of fans, Houston’s music set the charts alight again.

Houston’s music sales skyrocketed after news of her death. CNNMoney reported that three songs, “I Will Always Love You”, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”, and “Greatest Love of All” ranked first, second, and third, respectively on the iTunes chart. Houston also dominated the top 10 albums on Amazon.com with “The Greatest Hits” and “The Ultimate Collection” in the first and second slots.

While fans all over the world found comfort in her music, Sony raised the UK iTunes store prices of “The Ultimate Collection” album up 60%, from $7.85 to $12.50, and “The Greatest Hits” up 25% from $12.50 to $15.67 – when people realized this and became outraged over the egregious price hike, you would assume that Sony would snap into action with a full crisis management plan explaining their reasoning for exploiting a singer’s death – right?

Wrong. Instead, Sony released this statement: “Whitney Houston product was mistakenly mispriced on the UK iTunes store on Sunday. When discovered, the mistake was immediately corrected. We apologize for any offense caused”

A mistake – simply an unintentional price hike that coincidentally took place on Whitney Houston’s most desired albums and singles hours after she died. Even worse, the increased prices were not lowered until the next day and their apology statement took two days to release! And through it all Sony has made no mention of refunds or even iTunes credit.

I will be the first person to tell you that I have no idea how the principles of supply and demand work with iTunes. But when reading these stories as a consumer, I am shocked – not because of a price increase (I can almost understand that). I am shocked over the way Sony handled the fans' outrage - pretty much dismissing their customers with a three-sentence explanation. It almost makes the situation worse.

Sony needs to realize that customers are the reason that a company is successful. Customers are the empowered ones and they are the ones you need to keep happy. Somewhere in the last five days, someone at Sony must have forgotten that.

Pete DeLuca is Manager of Creative Services at Maroon PR. Contact him at Pete@MaroonPR.com.

Lin Lucky to be in New York

2012-02-14T08:24:00.002-05:00

By John Maroon

Any sports fan out there now knows about Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks. He is the Chinese-American basketball player who graduated from Harvard and in his last five games, his first starts in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he averages 26.8 points per game along with 8.0 assists. On February 10, he poured in a career best 38 points in a terrific win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

This is a great story and one that the executives at the NBA should be thrilled with. Good kid, underdog, smart, unassuming…everything you want for a league that is often times, fairly or unfairly, categorized as being filled with not so great guys.

All that said … if Jeremy Lin played for the Portland Trailblazers or the Indiana Pacers, unless you are a diehard NBA fan, you would have never heard of him. But he plays for the Knicks in the city that never sleeps where all things, good and bad, are prone to hyperbole…big time.

As a result Jeremy, has over 415,000 “Likes” on Facebook, is a trending topic on Twitter, and in the last two days he was on the cover of the Wall Street Journal and features on him have appeared on ESPN, ESPN.com, the New York Times, the New York Post, Reuters, Forbes and every other influential news-gathering agency you can think of. Oh yeah, his 8th grade yearbook is on eBay!

Don’t get me wrong, I am trapped in Lin-sanity as well. It is great for the league and sports in general. I hope that he capitalizes on his fame quickly. Sports fans these days (myself included) tend to move onto the next flavor of the month pretty quickly and a few bad games can change everything.

John Maroon is President and Owner of Maroon PR. Contact him at John@MaroonPR.com.

Trapped in a Cell (Phone)

2012-02-02T13:25:00.002-05:00

By Jen Schiller

A lot happened yesterday in the world and I know almost about all of it from my two cell phones and my laptop. I learned about the tragic soccer riots in Egypt through my Twitter feed, Susan G. Koman for the Cure’s decision to stop supporting Planned Parenthood from a blog, Facebook going public was all over social media, and I got my sports scores from a Droid app.

I called my parents on their cell phones, and my aunt, texted with my best friend, even my boyfriend usually calls before he knocks on the door thinking there’s a better chance he’ll reach me via technology than just by rapping on the piece of wood that separates us.

It’s a point that’s been expounded upon hundreds, if not thousands, of times: the role of technology in social interaction, learning and most facets of our everyday lives. But as our lives become more and more intertwined with communicative technology it’s likely to continue to be asked frequently and without a clear-cut answer, chicken and egg style.

So what did one mid-20s Chicago grad student do to help answer the question for himself, he decided to check himself out of the technology world for three months. Jake Reilly, son of author and sports journalist Rick Reilly, relinquished technology for 90 days to see what would happen. Judging by comments on articles about “The Amish Project” and various commentary, the experiment seems to have brought about a great cultural divide. For nearly half the world’s population, instant anywhere, anytime communication is not a lifelong dependency. But it is now. I used to occasionally forget my cell phone at home…now I’m more likely to forget my wallet, it often seems less necessary.

I’m not advocating dropping your electronic devices in a safe, deactivating all of your online accounts and living the free life. Being 700 miles from my family I rely on e-mail, text and social media to keep in touch and often to receive and relay news. I love Twitter to get information, if only partial information. Reilly’s response seems pretty dramatic to me.

But I do find myself sometimes feeling less informed. I don’t have to go searching for news, the people I subscribe to hand it to me. I don’t read a newspaper; I rarely read actually, I skim: headlines, ledes, photos. My parents often joke they talk to me less when I’m at home and I know I have been guilty of being on my phone, along with my friends, when sitting in a room together supposedly hanging out. I’m so used to being able to contact people instantaneously it makes me nervous when I can’t for some reason.

I know I could never drop everything for 90 days, nor would I want to in all honesty, but maybe someday I’ll at least take a tech-free vacation. Maybe. After all, without my Open Table and TripAdvisor apps, how would I know where to eat?

Jen Schiller is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Jennifer@MaroonPR.com.

OCNN: Ochocinco News Network

2012-01-27T10:57:00.001-05:00

By Katy Fincham

Whether you’re a sports fan or not, chances are you have heard of Chad Ochocinco. The NFL veteran is best known for his flashy end zone dances and over-the-top comments. Despite your feelings about the man, I think he deserves some respect for taking advantage of his over-exposure and turning it into a clever marketing and business scheme.

In 2009, the then Bengal’s receiver, launched OCNN (OchoCinco News Network) in Miami at Super Bowl XLIV. In partnership with Motorola, Ochocinco enlisted the help of his friends and current NFL players Chis Cooley, Ray Rice and Darnell Dockett – all three of which are some of the most active and popular NFL athletes on Twitter, much like Ochocinco himself (currently 3,179,555 followers).

The off-the-wall news network seemed to be a joke at first, until many realized that it leaned more towards serious sports reporting than expected. Since then, OCNN has been a staple amongst the outlets cover the Super Bowl and present on “media row.”

This year, Ochocinco decided to reach out to his fans and give them a chance to be a part of a once in a lifetime experience. The OCNN by Motorola Super Bowl Reporter contest gave fans the chance to submit a 30-second video explaining why they should be the official correspondent for the network during Super Bowl XLVI.

In a recent interview with CBSports.com, Ochocinco said: “This year I'm flipping it around and the folks who send in videos -- who will probably be journalism majors and other people who love journalism and sports and football itself. And so it'll help springboard whatever else they have going on.”

For those who think Chad Ochocinco only cares about himself, he seems to be doing an excellent job of taking his public love/hate relationship and turning it into something positive for fans, but also beneficial to his future career after he hangs up his cleats.

I will be tuning in – Will you?!

Katy Fincham is an Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Katy@MaroonPR.com.

Puppies, Babies, and Old People…How they can make you a Millionaire

2012-01-24T13:03:00.000-05:00

By Sarah Gubara

Got a mediocre product? Got a small budget for your commercial? No worries! For everyone who can’t afford to hire Kim Kardashian to endorse your products, you too can sell!

In light of the biggest showdown of commercials this year (the Super Bowl), it’s important to realize you don’t have to spend bazillions of dollars to have a great commercial that people will talk about for days. While jam-packing celebrities in a commercial (cue Kobe) can be entertaining, below you will find three categories that will help give your commercial “The X Factor” at a reasonable cost:

Babies:

Many commercials have seen success with cute babies and kids like Dairy Queen, Ally Financial, Wendy’s, Nike, Pepsi, and more. But the award for the best baby commercial campaign goes to the E*Trade baby! Do you know what the E*Trade app does? Do you even need to use E*Trade? Probably not. But I did not change the channel—I wanted to see what this baby had to say!

It’s a very simple model: cute baby, deep voice-over, and boom! I’m sold. Today’s media and popular culture are saturated by images of women’s bodies selling unrelated products, so when a little person in a diaper starts talking to me—I listen.

Puppies:

Like babies, the advantages of using puppies (and other cute fuzzy creatures) are a no-brainer. While some furry spokesmen have disappeared (we haven’t seen the Taco Bell Dog or Target’s Bullseye in a while), Target and others have continued to employ a number of dogs for use in their commercials.

Others have followed suit and made a splash in the cutesy scene such as the Travelers’ Insurance dog. We’ve seen him lose his bone, find love, and have pups of his own. But no one has come to match the Geico Gecko, normally an unwelcomed creature, his animated persona has won over many—because who wouldn’t trust their car to a British lizard, right?

Old People:

This is by far my favorite category. While many criticize these commercials for portraying the older generation in a negative, stereotypical light, old people generally make for great, entertaining commercials. They’ve cracked us up and shocked us numerous times, from the “Where’s the beef?” lady to the Chevy Cruze commercial (which uses the stereotype of loss of hearing to make its messages stick).

But my favorite commercial character of all time, the same person who inspired me to write this blog, is Ethel. An incredible cook, whose secret ingredient is Franks RedHot Sauce…”she puts it on everything.”

So before you go out and book Tim Tebow for your commercial, do a cost-benefit analysis….you might find out that Ethel is a way better option.

Sarah Gubara is Manager of Social Media for Maroon PR. Contact her at Sarah@MaroonPR.com

Meet M&M’s Chief Chocolate Officer, Ms. Brown

2012-01-19T12:55:00.003-05:00

By Kate Korson

With the NFL Playoffs coming to a close, Super Bowl Hype is in full swing. We’re only two weeks away, and the sports world is gearing up for the biggest week of the year. Second to the football, beer and wings; fans especially anticipate one aspect of the whole shebang —Super Bowl Television Ads.

In the past few weeks we’ve heard Super Bowl advertising announcements and sneak peaks from Doritos, Lexus, and H&M, among others. One announcement that personally excites me is the unveiling of a new M&M’s character, Ms. Brown. Despite the fact that she shares a name with my high school disciplinary vice principal, the character seems intriguing. After serving 70 years behind the scenes as Chief Chocolate Officer, Ms. Brown will step into the spotlight during the Super Bowl on February 5th. Firstly, I would like to note that the title Chief Chocolate Officer is something that every company should create (ehemm John Maroon).

According to a press release from Mars Chocolate North America (M&M’s parent company), Ms. Brown is witty, extremely intelligent and wise. She decided to emerge from behind the scenes after witnessing the success of Pretzel M&M’s, and believes she can show the world that M&M’s are not your average milk chocolate.

Ms. Brown launched a Twitter feed on January 16th with the inaugural tweet:

I think M&M’s has a promising social media opportunity with Ms. Brown. Currently her tweets sort of lack originality and variation but if M&M’s take advantage of her potential to be witty, funny and informative, she could be a social media hit. Given the sports world’s obsession with Twitter, I would hope that her Super Bowl ad includes some type of hash tag or her Twitter handle. Ms. Brown should live up to her title and give the Twitter world an inside look at her duties as Chief Chocolate Officer. I’d love to see some photos or interesting facts about M&M’s milk chocolate, who wouldn’t?

Kate Korson is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kate@MaroonPR.com

Happy Birthday to Betty!

2012-01-17T10:36:00.003-05:00

By Eve Hemsley

Most actresses in Hollywood are afraid to look like they’ve turned 40, but today marks the 90th birthday of a woman who embraces her age proudly, the beloved Betty White. To celebrate the occasion, NBC threw Ms. White a star studded birthday bash (which aired last night, Jan. 16) featuring guests like Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett and William Shatner. Many stars that couldn’t be there in person sent pre-taped birthday wished including our very own President Obama.

White’s careers spans seven decades and covers a variety of accomplishments including game shows, television series and feature films. She is best known for her comedic performances in shows like The Golden Girls, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Hot in Cleveland. White is also a successful author and a life-long animal advocate, receiving the American Veterinary Medical Association's Humane Award in 1987 for her charitable work. In 2012 White will start a new venture hosting ‘Off Their Rockers,’ a new senior citizen hidden camera show.

Among White’s many accomplishments is one perhaps a younger generation will be most familiar – the grassroots Facebook campaign to get White to host Saturday Night Live. Created after White appeared in the very popular Super Bowl ad for Snickers candy, the Facebook page “Betty White to Host SNL (please?!)” garnered much attention in only a few months. Several hundred thousand Facebookers signed the petition urging SNL producers to ask White on the show and on May 8th their wish came true. Betty White hosted SNL’s Mother’s Day episode featuring former cast members such as Tina Fey and Molly Shannon.

Although the Facebook campaign was responsible for motivating producers to have her on the show, an act which truly flattered her, White is still not convinced of the sites necessity. In the opening monologue of her appearance White admitted, "I didn't know what Facebook was. Now that I do know what it is, I have to say, it seems like a huge waste of time."

Even Hemsley is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Eve@MaroonPR.com.

Wake-Up (Really Early) To Success

2012-01-11T11:48:00.002-05:00

By Mitchell Schmale

The next time your alarm rings in the early morning hours to welcome you to a brand new day and you are tempted to hit the snooze button (maybe more than once) and roll over for a few more minutes of sleep, remember this… that extra slumber is not a practice associated with successful people throughout history.

The Business Insider recently featured an interesting look at 23 successful CEO’s in different industries and business who all share a common trait… waking up REALLY early to get a jump on life, work, family and any other challenges facing them during the day.

From Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz to Benjamin Franklin, these successful business leaders have found an early start to their day allows them more time to run their business and also accomplish the things that are important to them, such as having time to reflect, strategize and look at the big picture, be responsive to emails, read to stay informed on topics and trends, mentor younger professionals, or have more time for their families.

So the next time you think about hitting the snooze bar, consider the alternatives and lessons learned from these business leaders. It worked for them, it can work for you.

Mitchell Schmale is Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him at Mitchell@MaroonPR.com.

Tebow Time Takes Over Twitter

2012-01-10T12:10:00.000-05:00

By Kristen Seabolt

I had to do it. As a Baltimore Ravens fan, I am not only ecstatic that the Broncos defeated Pittsburgh in the fastest overtime victory in NFL history, but I am also excited that all of the hype makes for a great social media blog this week.

On Sunday night, Denver Broncos Quarterback, Tim Tebow, broke all kinds of records in an unforeseeable win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Most of these records were related to the game of course, however, one of his most impressive achievements came from social media. Tebow rocked the Twitter world when his touchdown pass generated 9,420 tweets per second, the highest number of sports-related tweets per second in the history of Twitter (2nd overall behind the opening of a Japanese movie).

According to ESPN, Tebow’s victorious pass beat out some of the top moments in Twitter sports history, including Team USA’s loss in the Women’s World Cup to Japan (7,196), Barcelona’s victory over Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League final (6,303) and the Miami Heat’s embarrassing loss to the Mavericks in the NBA Championship (5,531). On Sunday night, almost 7 percent of tweets posted were about Tebow and the Broncos.

Tweets ranged from “In Tebow We Trust” to “Tebow for President” to “316 passing yards, 31.6 yards per completion, John 3:16.” Tweeters recited religious passages, questioned Tebow’s immortality and even picked up on the fact that Demaryius Thomas’ birthday is on Christmas. Of course, there were haters too. But even they joined in on the chaos.

For those of you who may not be sports fans or are not that impressed with this historical feat, allow me to put it in perspective …even the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death didn’t generate as much Twitter reaction as Tebow’s win. Bin Laden’s death only received 5,106 tweets per second.

That’s the power of social media for you. While 45 million viewers watched the game on TV, making it the highest rated AFC wild-card game in 24 years, more than 17 million Lady Gaga followers received her tweet, “Giants fan but wow. #Tebow That’s what the **** a champion looks like.”

Oh, and while the rest of the world was obsessing over the Broncos remarkable win, Demaryius Thomas, wide receiver who caught the game winning pass, admitted he didn’t even know the game was over...

Kristen Seabolt is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kristen@MaroonPR.com.

Tapping into an Audience

2012-01-03T11:23:00.002-05:00

By Pete DeLuca

Fifty years from now, when my grandchildren ask me what television shows I watched when I was their age – what will I say? I’ve had this conversation with my parents and grandparents and each time I am amazed at the nostalgic look on their face as they recall their favorite episodes of “I Love Lucy”, “The Honeymooners” and “The Andy Griffith Show”.

The sad truth is, in the 21st century the majority of the hit shows involve some form of reality television. It can be as entertaining as Flavor Flav trying to find true love, or as dramatic a group of Staten Island Mob Wives.

But amidst all of the housewives and rose ceremonies there is one form of reality television that is way over done – the talent show. American Idol, the X-Factor, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef – at their base, they are all talent shows. It’s the same formula, recycled and transformed on a new network with a frying pan instead of a microphone. It’s over played and boring.

With all of the monotony among these types of shows – NBC’s America’s Got Talent made a move to break from the pack by signing radio personality Howard Stern as a judge last month.

Why Stern? The answer is simple: numbers. In over 30 years of broadcasting, Stern accumulated an audience of millions of extremely loyal fans. With his followers, Stern’s nationally syndicated radio show became the number one draw in nearly 60 major markets in the 1990’s. His two books, Private Parts and Miss America, both appeared on The New York Times Best Sellers List. In 1997, a movie of his life generated $41.2 million and the soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 chart.

Recently, Stern broke ties with terrestrial radio and signed a contract with Sirius Satellite Radio – that day; the stock price tripled. During the last five years, subscribers to the service increased from 1.4 million to over 15 million. With the merger of XM and Sirius in 2009, Stern’s audience is estimated between 15-20 million paying listeners daily.

Is Howard Stern a qualified judge – who cares? Will he bring a new dynamic to the show – probably not. But Stern will bring millions of new viewers. America’s Got Talent, which is already the most viewed show of the summer, may have pulled off a publicity stunt that could make it the highest rated show of the year – or (gasp) of all time… It makes me cringe when I think about what I’ll tell my grandchildren.

Pete DeLuca is the Manager of Creative Services at Maroon PR. Contact him at Pete@MaroonPR.com

NBC Sports Network Could Be Healthy for Everyone

2012-01-02T16:24:00.001-05:00

By John Maroon

This afternoon the little known sports network, Versus, was re-branded as the NBC Sports Network. This is shaping up to be exciting and could, ultimately, cut into ESPN’s dominance as the driving force behind all sports coverage.

Initially, the primary programming on NBCSN will be the NHL, Major League Soccer and the Tour de France as well as a few hours of NBC’s 2012 Olympics coverage. Don’t snicker at those non-major sports. Any of us old enough to remember ESPN’s early days recall a lot of billiards and rodeo before they started cracking into the big time…and the difference is that NBCSN has the power of NBC and Comcast behind them and it doesn’t get much bigger than that.

I hope that they make great strides and provide more options for our sports news. As much as I love ESPN (and I LOVE ESPN!) it is a good thing for them to not necessarily dictate all of the sports news and decide what is and what isn’t newsworthy. It will be good for ESPN too…competition is always positive…it keeps us sharp and creative.

ESPN will always be ESPN and we will tune in and love them, but NBCSN has a chance to make a difference and be a player in a one horse town when it comes to sports reporting. Other networks like Fox and Turner have brilliant sports coverage but they don’t have their own all sports network to tout.

No one news-gathering agency should ever be the lone voice determining news and that is what has happened with ESPN. They are great at it but it just isn’t how it should work.

Back in the 1970’s when newspapers were all powerful one stood above the rest, the New York Times. When they reported on something significant, the following day all the other news gathering agencies would do follow up reports on the Times’ story.

It came to be known as the New York Times effect. Today we have the ESPN effect. If they report on a potential coaching change, off field incident or trade rumor, almost immediately other outlets will report and build upon their story.

Here’s hoping that NBC Sports Network makes some noise and captures our attention and that ESPN continues to work hard and maintain their status as the worldwide leader in sports… if they compete the way the people they cover do, we, the fans, end up winning.

John Maroon is President of Maroon PR. Contact him at John@MaroonPR.com.

Facebook and Google attempt to throw out a lifeline

2011-12-15T12:25:00.001-05:00

By Jen Schiller

In 2011 bullying and social media took center stage yet again, often converging, for good and bad. The rise of social media allows cyber-bullying to hide its ugly face, but it also facilitates campaigns dedicated at ending all different types of bullying, many of which have gained celebrity notoriety.

Facebook and Google have introduced different methods to try and not only end cyber-bullying but to offer those who may be suffering the necessary tools to seek help.

While both companies have been engaging in anti-bullying policies for a number of years, they recently teamed up with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to offer new services and information for at-risk users. Facebook will now offer the option of reporting concerning statuses and posts to crisis counselors. Google meanwhile will provide the contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at the top of the page when certain red-flagged phrases are keyed in to the engine.

Facebook’s use of the buddy system raises many questions and does not have unanimous support from the online community, but if nothing else the social media giant is taking a stance. It’s a slippery slope, but so is everything on the internet.

Social media is an all-encompassing beast we now know is capable of effecting change. Earlier this year it was Facebook that was credited for the revolt in Egypt, and Twitter campaigns have been crucial in ideas such as the Occupy protests. As social media platforms continue to surge it is inevitable that they creep closer and closer into our daily lives, blurring the pre-existing realms of public and private information.

But it’s also important to note we’ve let them. No one forced a Facebook or Twitter account on us when they first started; we sought out the type of global contact they generate, allowing them to gain such a precipitous position in our daily lives.

So while it may be startling for some to see the intrusion of Facebook in the very personal matters of suicide, it is not surprising. Google and Facebook are not calling the police themselves; they are simply providing increased information to those in need and those who are concerned.

It remains to be seen what effect, if any, these new partnerships will have, but this is the first campaign for Facebook which does not just try to stop bullying but to help those in need.

It’s an important issue and whether I agree with the new policies or not, I am glad to see the social media powers attempting to help rather than just covering themselves from potential lawsuits. It may prove disastrous, it may prove ineffective, it may save lives but at least it’s something and often times a little bit goes a long way for people in need, especially this time of year.

Jen Schiller is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Jennifer@MaroonPR.com.

Albert Pujols' Lessened Legacy

2011-12-08T12:30:00.001-05:00

By John Maroon

Today Albert Pujols, the great slugger who was a staple for the St. Louis Cardinals for the last eleven seasons, agreed to terms on a ten-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels are an outstanding organization in a major media market and this move may just put them over the top and send them to the World Series in 2012…Pujols is that good.

The thing that bothers me is that, by accepting the contract from the Angels, Albert may have lessened his legacy a bit. Regardless of the decision he will go down as one of the game’s all-time great players but in the world we live in today, how many great athletes spend their entire career with one team, especially in baseball where the career length is much longer than the other sports?

Albert is beloved in St. Louis and led them to two World Series titles. He has established a terrific charitable foundation there and he was the face of that storied franchise. Had he elected to take a little less money he would go down as one of the greatest Cardinals in history right alongside the legendary Stan Musial.

When you think of Derek Jeter you think of the Yankees, when you think of Cal Ripken you think of the Orioles, when you think of Chipper Jones you think of the Braves and when you think of Kirby Puckett you think of the Twins. Now when you think of Albert you will think of a great player but his ties to a city will be fleeting and he will split his illustrious career between at least two teams.

Let me stress that I don’t think less of his for leaving the Cards and I don’t begrudge his right to go wherever he wants and make all the money he can. I just wonder if he would have stood for so much more in the history of the game if he stayed in St. Louis.

The days of our athletes coming to an agreement with one team over the course of their career is very rare and it isn’t anyone’s fault, just the way the system works these days. No one is to blame for his departure. The Cardinals could have locked up Albert a few years ago and not waited for him to become a free agent and Albert could have chosen to accept a little less time and a little less money but neither happened.

I wish him the best…good guy, great player…but I believe his legacy could have been so much greater had he stayed in St. Louis.

John Maroon is President of Maroon PR. Contact him at John@MaroonPR.com.

Facebook: The Virtual High School Reunion

2011-12-07T14:55:00.001-05:00

By Katy Fincham

As we close in on the end of another year, I’ve recently taken some time to reflect on the last twelve months – the highs, the lows and what lies ahead for 2012. And then it hit me…My 10-year high school reunion is right around the corner!

During my senior year, I was an Editor for our school newspaper and the thing I most looked forward to was working on our final issue, which featured the popular Senior Issue insert. This section included the much anticipated announcement of the Senior Superlative winners (“Most Athletic”, “Most Likely to Succeed”, and my personal favorite, “Most Likely to Water a Plastic Plant.”) and Senior Goodbyes, where we each had an opportunity to leave behind messages to our fellow classmates, teachers and coaches.

The section of the Senior Issue that I personally worked on was “Where Do I See Myself 10 Years from Now.” At the time, it was fun to see my classmate’s hopes for the future and wonder how accurate they would be in 2012. Little did we know, we wouldn’t have to wonder much longer.

The popularity of Facebook completely eliminated the excitement of high school reunions. For the last seven years, each of us has had almost instant access into our classmates’ everyday lives. Whether I want to or not, I’m aware of who’s married, who’s engaged, who has kids, where people work, where they’ve traveled to, etc. Who needs to have a high school reunion, when every day is virtual reunion?

While I’ve had a Class of 2002 information overload throughout the years, I still hold out for a reunion where everyone can catch up in-person, instead of on our Facebook walls.

By the way, in 2002, my answer to “Where Do I See Myself 10 Years from Now” was as an editor for Sports Illustrated. Heading into 2012, I may not be an editor for Sports Illustrated, but I’ve at least pitched stories to them! Not too far off, right?

Katy Fincham is an Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Katy@MaroonPR.com.

Tiger Woods Gets His Groove Back…and it only took 749 days!

2011-12-05T13:25:00.001-05:00

By Sarah Gubara

Tiger Woods finally got a chance to celebrate again on December 4th, 2011 after his birdie putt on the 18th hole led him to win the Chevron World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in California. He finished 10 under par to beat Zach Johnson by only ONE stroke. Sorry Zach…

Tiger Woods won his last title in 2009 at the Australian Masters. Since then he’s struggled to repair both his public image and athletic skills.

It took Tiger 749 days to return to victory…here’s what’s happened since then:

The Texas Rangers lost in the World Series...Twice
The Saints and Packers both won the Super Bowl
Lebron James took his talents to South Beach
South Africa hosted the World Cup
Michael Vick was forgiven
Prince William got married
Osama Bin Laden was found and killed
Gaddaffi was toppled
The NFL lockout began
The NFL lockout ended
The NBA lockout began
The NBA lockout ended
The Boston Bruins get a long-awaited Stanley Cup
Brett Favre has retired, and unretired, and retired, and...
Tiger changed his swing, then his coach, then his caddie.

In the midst of all of this, we had forgotten all about Tiger Woods. In fact, even my Xbox’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour ‘12 forgot about his success on the green, because the gaming version of Tiger has been missing a lot of shots lately, in addition to hitting people in the crowd. At the end of the day there’s only one way to know if Tiger Woods really got his groove back…endorsements—once those start rolling in again we’ll know that he’s back for sure.

Sarah Gubara is the Manager of Social Media at Maroon PR. Contact her at Sarah@MaroonPR.com.

Frank the Walmart Holiday Fruitcake

2011-12-01T12:45:00.001-05:00

By Kate Korson

The countdown begins today. December 1st means 25 days until Christmas. The “holiday season” is officially in full swing and so are online holiday advertising campaigns. One of the most successful online holiday campaigns is Office Max’s Elf Yourself. If you are not familiar with Elf Yourself, it is a website where anyone can upload photos of loved ones to create an interactive music video of family/friends dancing in the form of elves. Within the past six years, Elf Yourself has become an online holiday staple. Each year, I know at least one Elf Yourself is coming from friends or family. Here is an example from YouTube:

This year, Walmart is attempting to compete with Elf Yourself in the form of a fruitcake, named Frank. He lives on a website and encourages visitors to share him on Facebook. Frank symbolizes the typical unwanted gift and occasionally cites Walmart as a place where you can purchase a variety of gifts everyone will enjoy.

For the most part, Frank just annoyingly rambles about obscure holiday topics. Viewers can’t customize Frank, he just talks…and talks. It will be interesting to see if he actually gains popularity among social media users this holiday season. The fact that Frank can’t be altered decreases his chance of success. Elf Yourself broke boundaries in the viral world and opened doors to other customizable campaigns, not limited to the holidays.

So far, it seems that Frank is off to a slow start. After conducting a little research, I discovered that Frank only has about 260 fans and 30 active monthly users on Facebook (which means only 30 people actually use the “Frank the Fruitcake” application). Users are also complaining on Frank’s Facebook wall, claiming that he does not function properly. Clearly Walmart has a few bugs to work out but we all know that viral campaigns can travel fast, especially around the holidays. So Walmart, 25 days and counting.

Kate Korson is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kate@MaroonPR.com

Sales Soar on Cyber Monday

2011-11-29T12:03:00.001-05:00

By Eve Hemsley

After the turkey is carved on Thanksgiving, the mashed potato bowl is emptied and all the pie tins have been licked clean, the last thing I want to do is fight big crowds and go shopping – but for some people it’s a sport, and the Olympics of shopping occurs on Black Friday. Black Friday has reigned as the ultimate shopping day of the year until recently when a new contender stepped up: Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday has become the popular alternative to shoppers who like to relax after their turkey and get a good night’s sleep.

Over the past few years, the popularity of Cyber Monday has grown into record breaking numbers and 2011 tops the charts. In 2010, Cyber Monday was the biggest day of online shopping with sales exceeding $1 billion. According to IBM’s Coremetrics report, 2011 sales were up 33% over 2010 and up 29.3% over Black Friday.

Among those shopping online, 10.8% of people used their mobile devices to visit retailer’s sites; Apple’s iPhone and iPad topped the list for mobile device retail traffic. To capitalize on this trend, stores implemented incentives like hourly deals and free shipping, making online shopping more convenient and easy on your bank account. Retailers are realizing the impact of Cyber Monday and creating promotions to take advantage of it.

And what would a big online event be without the influence of social media sites? Facebook led the charge by dominating 86% of all social media traffic. Discussions on the popular networking site included tips about price comparison websites, online scams and in-store shopping experiences. IBM’s Coremetrics report also noted that discussions on social media sites leading up to Cyber Monday increased 115% from 2010 and referrals from social networks increased slightly from Black Friday to Cyber Monday.

Personally, I can see the draw of getting your Christmas shopping done while sitting comfortably on your couch (or where ever you may be with your mobile device), but there is a certain charm to feeling the weight of shopping bags on your arms and seeing the mall Santa lift kids onto his lap. My suggested solution – get the best of both worlds and do both (just maybe not at midnight on Black Friday)!

Eve Hemsley is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Eve@MaroonPR.com.

Making a Difference Overseas

2011-11-23T14:26:00.001-05:00

By John Maroon

In 2007 Cal Ripken was named a Public Diplomacy Envoy to the U.S. State Department. Essentially that makes him a goodwill ambassador representing our nation and in that role he uses baseball as a way to connect with kids and parents in other parts of the world.

In 2007 he traveled to China and in 2008 he visited Nicaragua. This year we were working with the State Department on our next trip and after the devastating tsunami and earthquake rocked Japan it was a no brainer. Japan is a baseball-crazed nation and they definitely needed a boost and a small gesture to remind them that the American people care for them and are here for them.

From November 7-16 Cal, and his former teammate Brady Anderson, visited Japan and put on baseball clinics for girls and boys throughout the country…most notably visiting the areas that were heavily impacted on March 11 by the tsunami and quake.

During that time Cal did a lot of interviews about his visit…in fact more than 65 Million people in Japan and 7 Million people here learned about Cal’s visit through the media. This strong PR push, coupled with a daily video blog, helped raise awareness about the fact that eight months after the earthquake and tsunami, things are not back to normal and more help is needed. Included in that effort is an initiative called Tomodachi, which means “friend” in Japanese. It is a public-private initiative that is helping restore some normalcy to the kids in Japan through sports.

Cal will continue in his role as a Public Diplomacy Envoy and we don’t know where we will be headed next but it is good to know that in this day and age filled with controversy and scandal there is still plenty of good being done through sports.

John Maroon is President of Maroon PR. Contact him at John@MaroonPR.com.

Our Need for Information in the Internet Age

2011-11-16T14:36:00.001-05:00

By Tim Richardson

It’s all about content…and getting it instantly.

It’s no secret to anyone that the media landscape has changed dramatically over the past several years. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and items like cell phone cameras and flip cams have aided in changing that scope. Additionally, a large number of print publications have resorted to charging visitors for their content on the websites…Sporting News Today, American City Business Journals and, most recently, BaltimoreSun.com are good examples.

But the high-paced Internet world has also fostered opportunities to be creative to utilize a website as a main business, not just a complementary piece to a company. Great examples include Zappos.com and SchooloftheLegends.com.

In the simplest of terms, Zappos.com was born because its founder, Nick Swinmurn, couldn’t find the right pair of shoes… either in the mall or online. After searching the Internet, Swinmurn was amazed that there wasn’t one major retailer that specialized in shoes. So, he became that retailer by launching a business selling shoes through a website…a website that in November 2009 was acquired by Amazon.com in a deal valued at $1.2 billion. Although an online business, Zappos.com understood that reputation was important and was dedicated to being the elite online service leader while also offering customers the best selection….i.e. valued content. Getting customers to associate the Zappos.com brand with premium service was part of the ultimate PR strategy.

About a year ago, a group from Brentwood, Tenn. had a “Swinmurn moment” and launched a website, as a business, dedicated to providing football fans with the opportunity to become even more engaged with their favorite NFL players, past and present. SchoolOfTheLegends.com (SOTL.com) set out to be the number one online social community for football fans and athletes. Capitalizing on the fact that the NFL is America’s most popular sport and that fans can’t get enough of their teams and players, SOTL.com’s goal was to provide those fans with something that they didn’t have before…a unique, content-driven hub for connecting with NFL players. Imagine Facebook, Twitter and YouTube combined…but ALL about football.

Today, SOTL.com has tens of thousands of fan-members, along with more than 2,000 current and former NFL players, and offers a social community that is free to join. It has also evolved to provide content that includes reporters from player correspondents and each team page enables fans to follow games with real-time stats and interact online with fellow fans and former players.

Our desire for information, and in a quick manner at our fingertips, will never end. That is why it is even more important for web-based businesses to provide unique content in a user-friendly manner.

It’s all about the delivery of unique content…without that, you are just another bump on the “Information Super Highway.”
Tim Richardson is Executive Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him at Tim@MaroonPR.com

A Lasting Symbol: A Woman & A Ribbon

2011-11-14T12:33:00.001-05:00

By Mitchell Schmale

On November 12, 2011, breast cancer activist Evelyn Lauder died at her home in New York City. She passed away after losing a five year battle with ovarian cancer, but will forever be remembered for her contribution to the battle against breast cancer and for helping to create a simple, yet powerful symbol for the fight against the disease.

The now internationally known campaign was created in 1992 when Lauder and her friend, Alexandra Penney, the former editor-in-chief of Self magazine, created a simple pink ribbon to help raise awareness for the fight against breast cancer. It started small – so small in fact that during the early days of the campaign, many people confused the pink ribbon as a symbol for AIDS awareness. Evelyn Lauder and her husband, Leonard, with the Estee Lauder cosmetics company, created the first of the tiny bows to hand out to women at department store cosmetic counters.

From those simple first steps, the campaign grew to symbolize an entire movement and countless fundraising projects from numerous organizations. Ultimately, the campaign helped raise more than $330 million in donations (and counting) to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation that Lauder founded, as well as elevating overall awareness about the disease.

Lauder was born in 1936 in Vienna, Austria and came to the U.S. after fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe with her family. She met her husband in college, the son of Estee Lauder, who owned a small, but growing cosmetics company. Evelyn Lauder was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, but continued to take part in numerous cancer-related events around the world.

Breast cancer will strike roughly one in eight women in the U.S. But, thanks to greater awareness which has led to earlier detection from screenings, death rates have been falling since 1990. It’s amazing how much of a difference one person and a simple idea can make in the lives of so many others around the world. Thanks to Evelyn Lauder for being one of those people and for making a difference.

Mitchell Schmale is Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him at Mitchell@MaroonPR.com.

Seasonal Treats: The Pumpkin Spice Latte

2011-11-10T11:55:00.000-05:00

By Kristen Seabolt

With so many saddening stories in the media this week, from the tragic death of legendary boxer Joe Frazier, to the abduction of baseball player Wilson Ramos, to the horrifying scandal at Penn State, I wanted to take my blog this week in a lighter direction…the direction of fall and Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

Every fall, millions around the country (and maybe even the world) anticipate the return of the seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte to their nearest coffee shop. In recent years especially, the Pumpkin Spice Latte has risen to fame among coffee and latte drinkers across the map. Starbucks for example has seen a dramatic increase of 44 percent in sales of the Pumpkin Spice Latte this year alone, according to CEO Howard Schultz. Speaking personally, I have not had a normal coffee since the Pumpkin Spice Latte returned…I even have Pumpkins Spice coffee creamer (courteously of International Delight).

Pumpkin Spice Lattes are not only a delicious warm beverage, but are also synonymous with the end of summer and the start of the holiday season. When you drink a Pumpkins Spice Latte, you think of fall, pumpkin pie, football, Thanksgiving, leaves changing, holiday music and other sweet treats.

For years, Starbucks has seen so much success and anticipation of their Pumpkin Spice Latte, that other companies felt the urgency to begin concocting their own versions of this seasonal sensation. With that being said, I thought it only necessary to provide you with my consumer feedback of Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and Panera Bread.

Starbucks

Pros – Quality coffee, Well known brand that specializes in coffee, Not too sweet but great pumpkin flavor, Option of whipped cream, Several options of milk (whole, skim, soy), Option for iced, Recyclable cups, Cozy atmosphere, Drive Thru’s at some!
Cons – Price (roughly $4.00 for a grande/large), Cup sizes (16 oz. in a grande/large), Strong coffee, Long lines in the morning/lunch time

Dunkin’ Donuts

Pros – Less expensive (roughly $2.00 for a large), Not too sweet but can still taste the pumpkin, Good cup sizes (20 oz. in a large), Quick service, Drive Thru’s at some!
Cons – No whip cream option, Styrofoam cup (non recyclable), In-and-out rushed atmosphere, Known for donuts & munchkins more so than their coffee

Panera Bread

Pros – Option for whipped cream, Nice atmosphere
Cons – Too sweet and masks the pumpkin taste, Not as well known for their coffee (known for their bagels), Semi expensive (roughly $3.50 for a large), Cup size (16 oz. in a large), Only 10% recyclable

My vote: To be honest, I am torn between Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks. If I am in a rush and need a quick and inexpensive tasty Pumpkin Spice, my vote is for Dunkin’, but if I am looking for a cozy atmosphere and quality coffee, I vote for Starbucks. Good thing both are within a mile or two of the office. :)

So, enough about my obsession with Pumpkin Spice Lattes, what’s your favorite holiday beverage?

Kristen Seabolt is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kristen@MaroonPR.com.

#ThingsLongerThanKimsMarriage

2011-11-02T12:55:00.003-04:00

By Pete DeLuca

I am not much of a follower of celebrity gossip. I could care less about which star is dating who, or which celebrity looked better on the red carpet. Still, I – like millions of people worldwide – know who Kim Kardashian is. I am not exactly sure why I know her; she’s not really a singer or an actor, and she doesn’t appear on anything I would ever watch – but still, I know she is popular for being popular (if that makes sense).

But it wasn’t until this week that I realized how popular she is.

For those of you unfamiliar with the story – let me quickly catch you up to speed. Kardashian married NBA player Kris Humphries on August 20, 2011 – after receiving a 20.5 carat engagement ring. After only 72 days, Kardashian filed for divorce on Monday. This is a ridiculous set of circumstances in itself - but that’s not even the most fascinating part.

What I found the most interesting was the astonishing amount of attention this news generated. According to an article from The Hollywood Reporter, news of the couple’s split peaked on Twitter at 12 PM on Monday, with over 1.75% of all tweets dedicated to Kardashian. Among the popular search terms were “72 Days”, “filing for divorce”, “Wedding”, “Marriage”, and my personal favorite “#ThingsLongerThanKimsMarriage”. At one point, Kardashian-related topics represented nine of the top 10 trending topics on Twitter.

On Google, “Kim Kardashian” and “Kris Humphries” ranked third and fifth respectively as the most searched terms on Monday. On Tuesday, Yahoo reported that the Kardashian craze was still in full effect – with Kim, Kris, Kris Jenner (Kim’s mother), and Khloe Kardashian (Kim’s sister) all among the most searched topics… nearly 24-hours after the story broke!

I’m checking out at this point – three days of Kardashian news is more than I ever want to experience in my life again. Back to my normal routine of following the NBA lockout – which hopefully will not appear on #ThingsLongerThanKimsMarriage.

Pete DeLuca is Manager of Creative Services at Maroon PR. Contact him at Pete@MaroonPR.com.

Devil Town

2011-10-31T14:49:00.003-04:00

Halloween is not just another day in my house; it’s aspoocktacle.

For starters my younger sister was born on Halloween with aneerily costume-like head of spiky black hair on a dreary Edgar Allen Poe-esqueday (Happy Birthday Cath!). Additionally, and more pronounced, I live in the“Halloween House” (see picture). So I found it rather fitting that I randomlybe assigned a blog entry on Halloween.

One year I coached at a basketball camp and one of mycampers happened to live down the block from me. I told him, “I bet you can’tguess which house is mine?” And when he found out I lived in the quote,“Halloween House” he told me my house was awesome. But it wasn’t my camper’sresponse which really resonated—after all what elementary school kid doesn’tlove a decked out house which gives out goody bags full of candy—it was hismom’s. She came to pick him up the next day and shot right over to me. I willnever forget her exclaiming, “I love your mom! Her decorations just make me sohappy. I want to send her flowers every year.”

When I was in high school living in the most recognizablehouse on the block embarrassed me. I certainly didn’t love it, and didn’treally embrace it either. But as time has passed, and probably because I’veremoved myself from it by moving 700 miles to the East Coast, I’ve come toappreciate the house and all its over-the-top glory.

As I’m reminded by strangers yearly, the decorations arelike a smile in their own way, small in the grand scheme, but contagiousspreading happiness to the hundreds of cars and neighbors who pass by and stopto wander around. People now drive from different cities around the North Shoreof Chicago to see my house each year. My mom, inadvertently, created her ownpre-social media viral campaign attracting 600+ families to our house eachyear.

So tonight, while I pass out candy to the fewtrick-or-treaters in my apartment complex, my parents will be back in Chicagopassing out 600 goody bags to kids, 280 water bottles to parents and generallyentertaining an entire neighborhood and beyond.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Jennifer Schiller is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Jennifer@MaroonPR.com.

Bridging Distance: Virtual Bridal Showers

2011-10-24T12:28:00.000-04:00

By Sarah Gubara

This time last week, I was in California for a gorgeous wedding. The bride and groom had a beautiful, traditional wedding, which incorporated the bride’s Jewish tradition. It was everything you would expect from a great wedding.

Yet, there was one very unexpected guest during their wedding process. The internet.

The bride-to-be has a wonderful group of family and friends. The only problem is--they live in different parts of the country.

Refusing to forgo the tradition of the bridal shower, the bride’s Sister-In-Law surprised her with a VIRTUAL Bridal Shower. In a couple of simple steps, she was able to keep the tradition alive:

She used webinar.com to create the event page.
She had the bride’s loved one’s send her the gifts, which she mailed to her brother to hide until then.
She created a slide show which had a picture of everyone’s gifts, recipes, and a message to the bride.
Finally, she sent an E-vite to everyone with the time and login information.

Everyone tuned in with their digital cams and was able to watch live as the bride opened each present, and cried with joy. They also included pictures of the recipes they sent the bride for her future home, as they all chatted about which one tasted better. Needless to say, the event was a huge success and the bride was so moved by how everyone made the time to “attend” her virtual show.

As a Manager of Social & Digital Media, I spend a good portion of my day on the internet and I’ve seen a lot of creative social media tactics. Yet, I was still shocked to hear about this new way of keeping traditions alive. It’s incredible how social media can help people transcend physical barriers and allows so many opportunities for families to stay connected. Nowadays, “the family that Skypes together, stays together.”

Sarah Gubara is Manager of Social & Digital Media at Maroon PR. Contact her at Sarah@MaroonPR.com.

It’s Ok…You’re Allowed to Love Where You Work!

2011-10-20T15:42:00.000-04:00

By Katy Fincham

During our annual company retreat in January, we as a company unanimously agreed that one of our top priorities in 2011 is to have fun! What’s that you say? You’re not allowed to have fun at work? I beg to differ!

As a member of the Maroon PR Happy Committee, it is our job to find creative ways to keep company morale up, remind our co-workers that life does exist outside of the office and that it is OK to have fun…in fact, it’s a MUST!

Yesterday, we closed the office an hour early and channeled our inner child, spending the evening playing Monster mini-golf, followed by a delicious meal at On the Border. Other Happy Committee activities have included a trip to the movies, numerous corn hole happy hour and pot luck lunches!

As cheesy as it sounds, the team that plays together stays together. If you ever find yourself or your company in a rut, don’t be afraid to get up, get out and have fun. Step away from your computer, turn off your Blackberry and turn on a good attitude!

Katy Fincham is an Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Katy@MaroonPR.com.

Gabe Maroon - Entrepreneur

2011-10-18T18:39:00.003-04:00

By John Maroon

I wanted to take a minute this afternoon as I wind down my day at work to pay tribute to my dad, Gabe Maroon. Dad was a true entrepreneur. He had to stop going to school after the 6th grade when his dad passed. Up in North Jersey he quickly started selling cars on the gas station that his father left behind to support his mom, sister and three brothers.

That quickly morphed into a car dealership that he gave to his younger brothers and they turned around and made it one of the most successful dealerships on the east coast that is still going strong today.

He then went on to start a number of businesses (too many to mention and almost all were very successful). One of the most notable ones is a legendary New Jersey eatery called The Hot Grill. Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Hot Grill opening its doors. It looks pretty much the same today as it did when he owned it and I can still taste those “hot dogs all the way”. A few years after opening The Hot Grill dad sold it to the guys who still own it today. I remember when they sought me, my brother and sister out at dad’s funeral in 2001 and told us how much they respected and appreciated him and what he did for them. It meant the world to us.

When I opened Maroon PR in 2006 I was scared and my brother insured me that we all had dad’s “entrepreneurial gene” and it would be fine… he was right. And today my brother, my sister and I all have successful businesses.

Thanks mom and dad for all that you did for us. We miss you both everyday but we know that you loved us and cared for us deeply…and you gave us the ability and the nerve, to go out on our own and be successful.

John Maroon is President of Maroon PR. Contact him at John@MaroonPR.com.

Sun Shines Brightly Today in the Black Hole

2011-10-18T15:38:00.001-04:00

Tim Richardson is Executive Vice President at Maroon PR. Contact him at Tim@MaroonPR.com

Reebok: EasyTone, Schmeasy Tone

2011-10-17T15:10:00.000-04:00

By Kate Korson

As a public relations and marketing undergraduate, we study examples of advertisers making faulty claims. I came across this story about the Reebok EasyTone sneakers and thought it would an interesting case to study.

It all started in 2009, when Sketchers first released the “Shape Ups” sneakers, which promised to tone leg muscles. Since then, other athletic brands such as Reebok and New Balance, have been competing to create a similar product. Reebok went above and beyond, producing clothing that promised effortless toning of the arms, back and legs.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently investigated Reebok’s advertising claims, which indeed turned out to be false. The ads in question say EasyTone shoes result in 28 percent increased tone and strength in the buttock, and an 11 percent increase in the strength of calf and hamstring muscles. Rather than engaging in a drawn-out legal battle, Reebok agreed to settle by refunding $25 million to customers.

Reebok refuses to admit to the FTC’s allegations, claiming they have received “overwhelmingly enthusiastic feedback” from EasyTone customers and sales numbers support their statement. Customers have always been skeptical of EasyTone and other toning shoe brands, but it did not prevent them from making the purchase. In any other industry, an event to this caliber would discontinue a product and diminish the credibility of the brand. Research analysts do not believe these FTC allegations will ruin the product line because of its nature as a beauty-enhancing product, and the sense of hope that goes along with the purchase.

Despite the questionable legitimacy of advertising promises, customers purchase EasyTone shoes envisioning a healthy lifestyle with the ultimate multitask: working out while you go through your daily schedule. Even if the product is not proven, it gives customers a boost of confidence and the resistance feels like your legs are being toned. So unfortunately those goofy-looking toning shoes are not going away anytime soon—toning or not.

Kate Korson is an Associate Account Executive for Maroon PR. Contact her at Kate@MaroonPR.com.

Measuring Your Social Media Influence

2011-10-12T13:48:00.000-04:00

By Eve Hemsley

For those of us working in the PR world, measuring the reach and impact of the messages we send out is a big part of the job. Finding values for traditional media outlets can be a challenge, but when you add social media marketing into the mix, measuring our effectiveness becomes even harder. But it’s not just public relations firms that have to deal with such a quandary, every company from Ford to Joe’s Backyard BBQ is on Facebook these days trying to promote their services and spread the word about their products. Companies are creating entire departments dedicated to the strategic upkeep of their social media networks, and, when managed correctly, can use social media as an effective tool to increase their company’ visibility and influence. But how does anyone really know that they are making an impact and achieving their desired results? What percentage of posts, pics and tweets are actually reaching your audience in a productive way?

While an exact science for figuring out these questions has yet to be discovered, a few sites have popped up that are a good first step in measuring how effective your social media accounts are. Social Media Examiner put together a list of the top five tools that offer easy ways to keep track of your influence. Among the more well-known is Klout, a resource that uses data from your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Foursquare accounts to evaluate user’s behavior and analyze content to measure a user’s influence. Klout’s influence score is based on a user’s ability to drive action through tweets, mentions, etc. Similar to Klout is TwentyFeet. TwentyFeet analyzes much of the same information while also giving a quick overview of your activity and influence over a period of time as well as in-depth information about your followers.

My Web Career gathers information from your various social networking accounts as well as web search results to determine the size of your network, your overall social media presence, and the strength of your connections. It also provides insight into exploring your connections and taking advantage of your network.

Number four and five on the list are focused on a user’s Twitter account. Crowdbooster, which I find extremely interesting and potentially quite useful, determines when your posts will receive the most interaction and have the most influence. It can recommend the best times for you to tweet and shows stats for your account like your number of replies, retweets, likes, comments and the number of people that have been reached.

Last but not least is TweetStats. TweetStats provides a general overview of how you use Twitter and can even compare your account to others. Generally focused on your Twitter activity, TweetStats creates graphs, timelines and ‘clouds’ detailing which days you are most active, whom you interact with the most, which interfaces you use most regularly, friend and follower growth and finally what user names and hashtags you use on a regular basis.

Eve Hemsley is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her Eve@MaroonPR.com.

All Apples Are Amazing

2011-10-06T11:42:00.000-04:00

By John Maroon

Yesterday the visionary leader of Apple, Steve Jobs, lost his battle with cancer. The business wars that Jobs endured are legendary and in the end he persevered and his company completely changed the way that we live as a society…what a legacy. iPod, iPhone, iPad…incredible.

It got me to thinking about apples overall. What’s the old saying? “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” and it has become our country’s most popular fruit with countless health benefits (I’m eating one now!).

Then there is Apple Records, the legendary recording label of The Beatles. They only changed the way the world understood and appreciated music. Their first album came out in 1963 and their last in 1970. During that time they turned out 12 albums and dozens of legendary hits.

I guess my point is that today we should take a minute to celebrate The Apple as a whole…the visionary company, the legendary music label and, well, the terrific fruit.

John Maroon is President of Maroon PR. Contact him at John@MaroonPR.com.

The Armadillos Are Coming!

2011-10-05T13:14:00.001-04:00

By Mitchell Schmale

Climate change is being credited with some interesting and unusual side effects across parts of the United States. Armadillos are on the march and heading north into areas never expected by biologists. Scientists attribute the climate-related migration to a warming atmosphere across much of the country.

Armadillos have been synonymous with images of Texas and parts of the South for many years, often as road kill on the side of desert highways. But, the unusual looking mammals are packing up their armored shells and heading north to try their luck in some new territory and crossing some different highways. They have already made it as far as parts of Illinois, Indiana, Kansas and Missouri – one tiny step at a time. Scientists say that if the northern migration continues, armadillos may end up making it as far north as Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and parts of New Jersey.

I wish them luck on the journey. The more the merrier. I think it would be cool to have armadillos hanging out as the newest addition to area wildlife on the east coast, despite stories of them digging up backyards and gardens looking for food. So, the next time you are sitting in traffic on your commute to work in Washington, D.C. and an armadillo crosses your path… you aren’t seeing things. The armadillos have arrived.

Mitchell Schmale is Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him at Mitchell@MaroonPR.com.

: ) Happy Birthday Smiley Face ; )

2011-10-03T10:52:00.000-04:00

By Kristen Seabolt

A colon, a hyphen and a bracket...who would have thought : - ) could start an emotive phenomenon?

Twenty-nine years ago in 1982, Scott Fahlman, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University, first proposed these three characters as a way to convey emotion using text. His logic behind it was simple – Typing lacks body language and tone of voice, so if someone types a sarcastic remark or joke, people fail to understand its meaning.

However, even though Fahlman is credited with proposing the first emoticon, it is no secret that using symbols to convey emotion were used long before the 80's. In 1862, more than 100 years earlier, a speech by President Abraham Lincoln appeared in The New York Times, and within the transcript was the symbol ; ) (coincidental typo or not?). Furthermore, the bright yellow smiley face we have grown to love came about in 1963, when a freelance artist Harvey Ball designed it for a button to boost company morale.

Since then, much like computers, emoticons have grown to become more than a simple : - ) and : - ( . Hundreds of characters and codes have been created to express emotions and objects, ranging from love, shock and greed, to pigs, cows and monkeys. Back in 2007, Yahoo! Messenger released a survey which showed that 82 percent of users at the time used emoticons on a daily basis, and 61 percent said they felt they best expressed themselves in instant messaging using these symbols.

However, in our fast-paced and ever-growing digital age, are elaborate and detailed emoticons losing steam and popularity? Today, the iPhone text message does not automatically support emoticon graphics, and Gmail’s Gchat default emoticon settings are text-based with simple animation. Are the days of ô¿ô behind us (yes, I remember that code from my days of AOL IM)?

But, if you are one of those who can’t get enough smiles and smiley faces, this Friday is World Smile Day, which is celebrated every year on the first Friday of October. Be sure to show off your smiley pride in your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Gchat and blog worlds : )

Kristen Seabolt is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kristen@MaroonPR.com.

Grantland

2011-09-27T12:57:00.001-04:00

By Pete DeLuca

With football season in full swing and baseball’s postseason rapidly approaching; I - like millions of fans worldwide – remain glued to ESPN for constant highlights, news, and updates. And whether it is the Coors Light Cold Hard Facts or the Chevrolet Clubhouse, I find myself willing to sit through any poorly named segment in order to get information about my favorite team – regardless of SportsCenter relentless product placement.

But just when I thought I was wise to all the Gatorade Ultimate Highlights and Bud Light Top Ten Plays segments – ESPN throws a curve ball and begins airing this commercial:

Wait… What is Grantland? I saw a Subway logo in there, and Dove soap one too… but what is Grantland?! Thirty seconds and I was hooked. I caved. I ran to my computer, opened up Explorer, and typed in “grantland.com” so fast that I misspelled it twice.

Turns out, Grantland.com is a new website launched by ESPN columnist Bill Simmons. The site provides a new take on sports journalism – articles written in a narrative format aimed at connecting sports to broader cultural trends. Simmons, as well as a collection of other talented writers, cover everything from Fantasy Football to Brad Pitt’s Moneyball Oscar Odds. I spent a few minutes on the site before closing my lap top and moving on.

ESPN launched Grantland.com as a new, innovative way to present sports news. But, the marketing of the site breaks from their norm. For a channel whose lineup includes such shows as “College GameDay Built by The Home Depot” and the “GMC Post Game Show”, it was intriguing to see such a subtle advertising. And it worked. It’s a lesson that thousands of advertisers can learn from.

Pete DeLuca is the Manager of Creative Services at Maroon PR. Contact him at Pete@MaroonPR.com.

Too Big a Target?

2011-09-22T12:15:00.000-04:00

By Jennifer Schiller

Want to cause a massive crash of your online shopping system? Offer one of the most high-end fashion labels at bargain prices. That’s what happened to mega-everything-retailer Target last week when it offered a line designed by uber-chic Italian brand Missoni.

Just minutes after launch the site crashed due to high volume and many of those who waited anxiously were left without the pieces they had coveted since the collaboration was announced. Stores too were left dismantled only hours after opening.

Now, the Associated Press is reporting that many of the customers who thought they had purchased one of the line’s many items - from clothing to house wares - are experiencing delays with shipping or having orders canceled. Many of those dissatisfied shunned brand loyalty and taken to social media outlets to protest and encourage others to no longer shop at Target or Target.com.

This was not Target’s first major label collaboration, having worked with industry giants like Jean Paul Gauliter and popular Liberty of London in the past. But this time Target’s PR folks did such a phenomenal job drumming up unparalleled levels of anticipation the tech world could not keep up, leading to the problems facing the giant now.

All of which begs a question: can a brand get too big? Is it really possible as the article suggests that Target was too good for its own good in this case?

In the popularity contest that is retail is losing some disgruntled shoppers worth the risk of gaining celebrity attention with tweets from stars like Jessica Alba and lines around the corner? And as social media grows can the average person outweigh celebrities and brands in terms of clout?

Only a week removed from Missoni-mania it remains to be seen how much of a hit Target’s image will take from the ordering and site issues. Analysts disagree on the long-term effects for the chain-retailer with some saying the disappointment is fleeting and others forecasting larger worries. However, in the immediacy it brings to the forefront whether an idea and campaign can be so good, it’s bad.

Personally I will enjoy my Missoni for Target heels I picked up worry-free at a nearby, nearly empty Target, but as I do I will wonder did Target create too big a bull’s-eye, one it simply couldn’t escape?

Jennifer Schiller is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Jennifer@MaroonPR.com.

Social Media, First on the Scene

2011-09-19T11:57:00.001-04:00

By Sarah Gubara

Long gone are the mornings where you’d see a man in his pajamas, sipping coffee, and reading the newspaper. Instead the likely image is that of a young woman with a Starbucks to-go cup in her hand and a smart phone in the other, browsing her social feed.

A survey conducted by the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism found that 65% of people cast the internet as their main source of news. While, the Canadian Media Research Consortium found that 43% of social media users get their daily news via recommendations from friends and family on sites like Facebook.

Social media sites, especially Twitter, have proven to be the fastest and most effective way to monitor events and stories as they’re happening. The no commitment 140 character limit on Twitter allows you to quickly browse multiple perspectives and opinions of people around the world on any given topic.

You’ll find that more and more stories break on Twitter first, such as the revolutions in Egypt and India or the crash of Continental Airlines Flight 737, where passenger Mike Wilson was the first to tweet. Another vivid example was the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death as Keith Urbahn, Former Chief of Staff for Donald Rumsfeld tweeted “I’m told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden. Hot Damn.” Within 2 minutes, Keith Urbahn’s tweet had been shared over 300 times, stealing thunder away from the Presidential Address that was to come later that night.

The advantage is clear, Social Media has what traditional news sources don’t always have: personality. On Twitter, people contribute their own reactions while sharing news, which makes it not only faster but way more entertaining than traditional outlets.

While news spreads quickly via social media, so do rumors. It’s unbelievable to seen the chain of events and speculations that can ensue from a single tweet. I’m sure you’ve heard of many celebrities who were declared prematurely dead on Twitter including Johnny Depp, Justin Bieber, and Tom Hanks. Although, it can become a challenge to balance social commentary against socially useful news, the novelty of communicating news over social networks is still ingenious. As for the useless chatter that comes along with it, my advice is to follow credible sources and verify content before you start writing your eulogy for Justin Bieber.

Sarah Gubara is the Manager of Social and Digital Media at Maroon PR. Contact her at Sarah@MaroonPR.com.

The Media & 9/11…Ten Years Later

2011-09-15T16:35:00.003-04:00

By Tim Richardson

When planning my blog for this month, I had an idea in place for many weeks. But as I sat in my living room on the morning of September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of the horrific day that forever changed our way of life, I was moved to change my topic.

The morning of September 11, 2001 began as any other day. People got up to go to work; pilots and passengers boarded airplanes for what they expected to be normal business trips, social travels, etc.; and America went about its business as normal…until 8:46 a.m. when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower. At first, many, including the networks reporting the story, speculated about what happened…was it just an unbelievable accident? That conjecture ended just 17 minutes later when United Airlines Flight 175 slammed into the South Tower. Add in the strike at the Pentagon and the crash in Shanksville, Pa., and we knew that our nation was under attack.

Whether it was a national network or a local radio station, every media outlet in the country had to decide how they were going to cover the unfolding stories of that day as chaos and confusion swept the country. Decisions were made in newsrooms across the nation that would have critical and lasting impacts on how the media would cover stories in the future,

This was new territory for the media and they had to evaluate whether exercising sensitivity outweighed the choice to often exploit sensationalism. In the days after the attacks, David Westin, the president of ABC News, ordered that video of the jets hitting the World Trade Center was not to run repeated on the air so as not to disturb viewers, especially children.

Westin’s decision was unique and admirable. In the introduction to “September 11, 2001,” a book that compiles the front pages marking the attacks, former Executive Editor of the New York Times, Max Frankel, describes the media’s role in the hours and days after the terrorist attacks: “honest and reliable news media could instruct the world in its vulnerability, summon Americans to heroic acts of rescue, and ignite the global search for meaning and response. Only trusted news teams could discern the nation’s anxiety, spread words of hope and therapy, and help to move us from numbing fear toward.”

Ten years later, we live in a world with a completely new media landscape. Those “trusted news teams” are much smaller or no longer in existence. The majority of Americans get their news from the Internet. Plus, neither Twitter nor Facebook existed in 2001…can you imagine how that day would have unfolded in the social media universe?

According to Vice-President Biden’s speech from the Pentagon last Sunday, more than 2.8 million people of the “9/11 Generation” joined our Armed Forces following the attacks that September day in 2001 “to fight for the people who died that day” and to protect those of us who live under the blanket of freedom that is America.

My father is part of what is known as “America’s Greatest Generation” and that is a label that he and so many others richly deserve. He was alive on “a day that will live in infamy” when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and killed over 2,400 Americans. I remember my dad telling me 10 years ago that he never thought he would live to see another day where our country was attacked in such a catastrophic way. He also talked about how incredibly different it was in terms of how Americans learned of that attack in Hawaii, compared to the media coverage of 9/11.Close to 3,000 people died on September 11, 2001 and I believe that the “9/11 Generation” will go down in history as our nation’s most resilient and united in a time of great sorrow.

Finally, then NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue chose to cancel the NFL games scheduled for the Sunday following the attacks in 2001…a decision that has been applauded and criticized. So it was ironic that the 10th anniversary fell on the opening weekend of the NFL season. Sports are something that tend to unite people, and the NFL should be commended for the role they played on Sunday in uniting a nation:

Tim Richardson is Executive Vice President at Maroon PR. Contact him at Tim@MaroonPR.com

Nike Brings the “Future” to the Present

2011-09-12T13:08:00.003-04:00

By Katy Fincham

“The greatest shoe never made” is finally here….and it’s four years ahead of schedule!

In the 1989 cult classic film “Back to the Future II,” Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) have once again been sent through time and finds themselves in the year 2015. Clearly dressed for the 1980’s, McFly is given a pair of NIKE’s in efforts to blend in with the youth of the future. Since their pictorial debut, fans and sneaker collectors have begged for NIKE to release a model of the shoe for purchase.

On Thursday, September 8th, NIKE announced that 1,500 pairs of the mythical 2011 NIKE MAG shoes will be auctioned on eBay and all of the net proceeds will go to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's disease research. The ten-day auction has already created a buzz and awoken their cult following. As of today, the highest winning bid reached $37,500.00 for one pair!

According to NIKE, “the 2011 NIKE MAG was designed to be a precise replica of the original from Back to the Future II. The aesthetic is an exact match, down to the contours of the upper, the glowing LED panel and the electroluminescent NIKE in the strap. The 2011 NIKE MAG illuminates with the pinch of the “ear” of the high top, glowing for five hours per charge.”

The promotion and marketing behind the NIKE MAG is just as clever and fun as the shoe itself. Commercials are already out, featuring Christopher Lloyd playing his memorable role as Doc Brown; and Michael J. Fox officially debut the shoe during a guest appearance on David Letterman last Thursday. With funds going directly to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, fans and collectors get a sense of helping those in need, while also satisfying a childhood fantasy.

The only thing NIKE MAG is missing? Power laces….guess we’ll have to wait until 2015!

Katy Fincham is an Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Katy@MaroonPR.com.

The Marketing of a Female Sports Fan

2011-09-08T12:00:00.001-04:00

By Kristen Seabolt

With the official kick-off of the NFL season tonight at 8 p.m. EST when the Saints and Packers face off, I thought it fitting to discuss the growing popularity of football (and sports in general) among a growing market…women.

I consider myself to be a knowledgeable female sports fan. I have played soccer since I was five, watched the Orioles since back when they were a decent team, and have supported the Ravens since they came to Baltimore. However, until recently, I was one of the few people in my group of personal friends who knew the difference between a cornerback and a running back. Now, I know many female fans who know more than most men do.

Over the past decade, women have broken into the billion dollar sports industry that has long been dominated by men, and they are here to stay. Professional sports teams and league organizations alike have picked up on this growing trend, and have altered their marketing tactics to include this new audience. In the NFL for example, more than 40% of fans are female, so why wouldn’t teams and league offices want to draw their attention…and their wallets?

Of the 32 teams in the NFL, several offer exclusive clubs or promotions to their female fan base. The Washington Redskins recently launched “WOW,” the Women of Washington Redskins club. The Baltimore Ravens offer the “Purple Club,” and every year host a “Purple Evening” meet & greet with the Ravens players and coaches for women only. Last season, the Green Bay Packers offered a “Football 101 NFL Workshop for Women” for females to come out to the field and learn the rules and plays of the game.

The NFL as a league also boasts a growing female merchandise section of their online NFL Shop, featuring everything from pink jerseys and earrings to bras and underwear. Actress Alyssa Milano’s Touch collection, hosted on NFLShop.com, has seen a 40% increase in sales over the past five years.

And no one can forget that month of the season when, across the league, players sport pink cleats and arm bands in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. In addition, women’s clothing stores such as Victoria’s Secret, Motherhood Maternity, Kohl’s and Macy’s all sell licensed female merchandise. And it isn’t just the NFL that has geared their marketing toward women. Both the MLB and NHL offer female clubs and promotions. Earlier this season, the Philadelphia Phillies hosted a “Baseball 101” for female fans who want to learn the game, and the Washington Capitals have a very active “Washington Scarlets” club that frequently meets and attends games together. Lastly, and very recently, ESPN launched ESPN W, a website geared specifically for female fans talking both male and female sports.

The need to market to the female fan is clear, whether it be to make them happy or just to make money - and overall, I think they have done a good job so far. As we welcome football back tonight, notice the number of females in the stands with painted faces and ridiculous costumes chanting with the rest of them for their favorite team.

Kristen Seabolt is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kristen@MaroonPR.com.

Meet Jen Schiller

2011-09-07T10:41:00.001-04:00

Jen Schiller is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Jen@MaroonPR.com

Online Privacy Settings: Putting Up the Virtual Fences

2011-09-06T12:20:00.003-04:00

By Eve Hemsley

Controlling who sees what and where you post is the new hot topic of social networking sites like Facebook and Google +. Battling over privacy settings have companies creating new features to immediately control who will see your post as you write it – and photo sharing sites like Flickr will not be left behind in the fight.

Flickr’s latest defense to keep up with the new genre of privacy settings is geofences, a new precautionary feature that allows users to map out zones and set distinct location sharing settings for those areas. With location services now being standard in online interactions, Flickr front-end engineer Trevor Hartsell felt that geofences was essential for adapting to the new standard.

In the words of Mashable’s Associate Editor Jennifer Van Grove, here’s why geofences matters: “Fluffy the cat is being extra cute today. You snap a photo of Fluffy with your smartphone and share it on the web. The photo of Fluffy, depending on your default settings, could carry with it metadata that exposes your home address. Now you have a potential privacy kerfuffle on your hands.”

Jennifer poses an interesting problem that people do not often consider while they are constantly updating their every move and location. Geofences is in place to ensure that only those in your safe and familiar circle will be able to see Fluffy and her exact location.

When setting up a geofence, users can create a 250-meter radius surrounding their home and then specify a group of people (family, friends, etc.) who would be able to see the more specific origins of posted photos within that radius. Users will also be able to go back and create privacy settings for pictures posted in the past.

The endearing aspect of Flickr’s geofences is that it does seem to have everyone’s safety in mind. As the virtual boundaries of the world get smaller and smaller, Flickr is working to at least keep your address a mystery.

Eve Hemsley is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Eve@MaroonPR.com.

Roy Halladay: An Exception to the Rule

2011-08-31T11:04:00.003-04:00

By Kate Korson

It is not a secret that Roy Halladay is arguably one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB). It is also not a secret that he worked hard to get there. Yes, as a life-long Phillies fan I will admit that I am partial to this story. But as a public relations professional, I could not resist sharing it.

Sports Illustrated awards Sportman of the Year annually each November. For the past few years Roy Halladay’s name was thrown into the mix for a variety of reasons. Not only is he a future Hall of Fame pitcher, but his work ethic is that of a rookie. Though unbeknownst to most is Halladay’s selfless and humble attitude, which was put on display last October when he was invited to make an appearance on Late Show with David Letterman.

As a PR professional, it is a dream that your client makes an appearance on a show of the caliber of Late Show. Also, as a PR professional it is a nightmare for your client to turn down such an opportunity. Late Show with David Letterman was not the only show Halladay turned down; add CNN and CBS Morning News to that list.

Halladay did not decline the appearances because he was too busy or nervous; Halladay declined because he did not want to overshadow his teammates.

That is the real essence of sportsmanship, the humble and selfless act of putting your team first. Halladay is a true role model. Not just for young children but for other professional athletes. Should all professional athletes start declining major media interviews? Absolutely not. But a small act of selflessness can go a long way. Generally it is frustrating for PR professionals to have a client who is unwilling to participate in interviews. However, Halladay proves an exception to the rule and I respect and admire his decision.

Kate Korson is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kate@MaroonPR.com.

Facebook Places Checks Out

2011-08-29T13:20:00.006-04:00

By Pete DeLuca

A little over a year ago, I wrote a blog about Facebook’s latest innovation, “Places” – an online application that allows users to “check in” to various locations to show their online friends where they are. The plan, as President and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, was to take the virtual relationships created through Facebook and bring them into the physical world.

Well, the plan failed. With only 6% of Facebook users actively using the application, the company decided that it was time to pull the plug on Places last week.

Keep in mind, even though only 6% of Facebook’s audience used Places that still represents over 30 million people.

Take that number, as well as the amount of people using Foursquare, Gowalla, and other similar services, and you have an enormous amount of people interested in location-based apps. Removing the technology completely would be foolish; instead the geniuses at Facebook are making “checking in” even easier.

In a blog post on August 23, Facebook described the new process:
“Before: You could only "check in" to locations using the Places feature on a smart phone. Going Forward: Now you can add location to anything. Lots of people use Facebook to talk about where they are, have been or want to go. Now you can add location from anywhere, regardless of what device you are using, or whether it is a status update, photo or Wall post. Of course, you can always choose not to add location at all.”

It’s that simple. Instead of using your Smart Phone and the Places app to “check in”, now you can do it through a status update from anywhere. You can check in to where you were, where you are, or where you are going. When a waiter places down your delicious-looking dinner and you want to upload a picture of it, it comes with a “check in” of the restaurant you’re sitting at. And all you have to do… is the same thing you were doing in the first place. You’ll be “checking in” and you won’t even know it. Genius.

Do not misinterpret Facebook’s elimination of Places. They are not moving away from “checking in”, they are embracing it. It is ideas and innovations like this that make Facebook the most visited site in the world.

Pete DeLuca is Manager of Creative Services at Maroon PR. Contact him at Pete@MaroonPR.com.

Changing the World through Social Media

2011-08-24T12:42:00.004-04:00

By Mitchell Schmale

The power of social media to change the world continues to amaze and inspire others to use the medium to make a difference in their own corner of the world.

From local community projects to global issues, creative thinkers and activists are finding ways to harness the power of social media to help find solutions and change the lives of others.

To showcase this month’s World Humanitarian Day, which celebrates those people worldwide who work to improve the lives of people in underserved communities, Mashable.com profiled 12 amazing Internet activists and how their work is changing the world. Their work inspires us all to think more creatively and develop philanthropic ways through social media to make a positive impact on our own part of the world. Congrats to these leaders and anyone daring enough to follow in their footsteps to make their own dreams a reality to help others in need.

Mitchell Schmale is Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him Mitchell@MaroonPR.com.

Meet Sarah Gubara

2011-08-18T13:26:00.003-04:00

Sarah Gubara is Manager of Social and Digital Media at Maroon PR. Contact her at Sarah@MaroonPR.com

Friends with Business Etiquette

2011-08-11T17:13:00.003-04:00

By Katy Fincham

In a recent national study, The Creative Group found that nearly half of all advertising and marketing executives use Facebook for business purposes; and one out of five Facebook friends are work related.

While social media continues to evolve, I find myself wondering how to best use my own personal networking sites, i.e. Facebook and Twitter. When I first joined Facebook, I used it as a way to simply keep in touch with former classmates and family members. While I still use Facebook to socialize and Twitter to keep up on the latest sporting news and celebrity gossip, I’ve found that I have increasingly started to add “friends” and follow more work related, industry professionals to my list.

The Creative Group offers five simple tips for Facebook business etiquette:

1. Divide and conquer. Not everyone in your social network needs to know about your Friday dinner plans or musings on the latest blockbuster movie. Segment your friend lists so professional contacts aren't inundated with updates they wouldn't want to -- or shouldn't -- see. Also check your privacy settings to control who has access to what information.

2. Be a guru. Share nuggets of useful information with your business contacts, and offer advice when they ask for recommendations or ideas.

3. Give and you shall receive. Be generous with your contacts by offering to make introductions or sharing useful information they post with your own network.

4. Use photo features. Even if you maintain a personal website or digital portfolio, you can provide your online contacts with a snapshot of your latest professional project or even your entire body of work. Creating albums on Flickr or Facebook, or using Twitpic or similar photo-sharing tools, is an easy way to visually show potential clients or employers your career accomplishments and showcase new skills.

5. Resist the urge to rant. Never say anything disparaging about your current or former company, coworkers, clients or other business contacts. You never know who might see your comments and forward them on.

It still amazes me how much a site like Facebook evolved over the past five years, from being an exclusive network for college students, to becoming a world-wide leader in business networking and industry advancement. How many of your friends are work-related?? The answer might surprise you…

Katy Fincham is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Katy@MaroonPR.com.

Fruit Ninja—Karate Chopping New Media Barriers

2011-08-09T13:18:00.003-04:00

By Kate Korson

The iPhone application sensation, Fruit Ninja will soon move to the “big screen” as an interactive video game on X-Box Kinect. If you’re not familiar with Fruit Ninja, the concept is simple — slice as much flying fruit as possible in a given amount of time. It seems trivial, but from personal experience I can tell that something about karate chopping fruit leaves you wanting more.

What happened to the days when hit movies and comics were the inspiration for video games? Within the last decade, the flow of new media often moved from television and movies to video games, and then potentially to phones. For example, in 2006 after the release of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" fans could text ‘Hermoine’ to 9983 to receive a graphic on their phones of their favorite character.

Today, Fruit Ninja is moving in the opposite direction. The game was originally created as an app for the iPhone, but after the unbelievable increase in demand creators are developing new ways to play Fruit Ninja on popular home video game consoles.

Could this 'reverse trend' go even further? In the future, is it possible that iPhone games could be the inspiration for movies? Could we see Brad Pitt cast as the Fruit Ninja Warrior?! It seems silly, but as the popularity of iPhone apps continue - it could become a very realistic scenario. Until then, I'll stick to slicing watermelons and grape fruits.

Kate Korson is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kate@MaroonPR.com.

Snapshot of a New Social Media App

2011-08-01T12:08:00.003-04:00

By Eve Hemsley

Most popular social media sites focus on either words or pictures. There are obviously crossovers, such as posting pictures to Facebook and posting Twitpic links via Twitter, but the creators of the newly popular app Instagram took the combination one step further. Instagram is essentially a mobile-based blend of photo-sharing sites such as Flickr and the ever-popular Twitter.

Founded in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, their company of 4 employees aimed to create a product reminiscent of the days of Polaroids, which marketed themselves as ‘instant.’ The group wanted to make sharing your life as instant and magical as those first Polaroid pictures – thus creating Instagram.

Currently restricted to iPhone owners, Instagram users can take pictures with their iPhones and automatically add effects and share it through the app or across other platforms. Users can then enjoy familiar features, such as following others and being followed, liking and commenting on others’ photos, and browsing popular photo tags/users. There are also select website that will allow you to view your Instagram pictures on the web.

In May of 2011 Instagram boasted over 4.25 million users with the goal of continuing to grow. Added search features such as username autocomplete and a news tab which alerts users to new Twitter friends that have joined the app are predicted to boost user numbers and the connections between them.

The formula seems simple, integrate popular traits from already popular social media tools - such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, FourSquare and Tumblr - but Instagram has seemed to do it a way people are getting excited about. Used for fun or professional purposes this visually based social media platform seems to be the up and coming app.

Eve Hemsley is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Eve@MaroonPR.com.

Information Overload

2011-07-25T11:18:00.003-04:00

By John Maroon

Let me start out by saying that I love social media and the 24 hour news cycle... it is a great part of what I do for a living and provides so many opportunities to tell your story, but...

Sometimes it is downright exhausting and information overload kicks in. This has been the case recently in the world of sports. One of the game’s greats, Derek Jeter, was marching towards his 3,000th career hit, an exclusive club with only 28 members in all of baseball history.

As he approached the elusive mark, Jeter injured his calf running out a groundball. What seemed like three minutes after he left the game, people were offering their opinions on the extent of the injury, how long he would be out, the impact to the Yankees and more. Obviously there is no need to know any of this... the Yankees and Jeter didn’t know anything at this point, but in the world we live in everyone had to get out in front of this story and offer an opinion... no matter how ludicrous it was. Turns out he had a strained calf, missed a little time, came back and went 5-for-5 and his 3,000th career hit was a home run. Looking back, all of that wild speculation seems a little silly now.

This is nobody’s fault... there is time that needs to be filled and there are hundreds of sports talk radio shows, the 800-pound gorilla that is ESPN and of course Twitter and Facebook among others. This is the trend now and we all have to get used to it. In many ways, it is wonderful for the PR industry as there are so many places and ways in which to tell your client’s story. It is a terrific resource for all of us and a great way to get our news.

The downsides are the need to fill all of this time, and that leads to rampant speculation and blather, as well as the rush to beat everyone else to the story and that often times leads to errors.

I was thinking back to 1993 recently when I was working for the Cleveland Indians and, tragically, two of our players, Steve Olin and Tim Crew, died in a boating accident during spring training and another, Bobby Ojeda, pulled through after a real fight.

It happened at dusk when their boat ran into an unmarked dock. It was the only off day of spring training and after the accident happened, I was driving back to Winterhaven with my wife and we were flagged down in our car by a couple of players who said that they think something happened with a player. They weren’t sure what it was but they were heading to the team hotel. We didn’t have cell phones and we drove to the hotel where many players were outside. I was rushed by our second baseman, a young guy named Carlos Baerga, who said there was an accident and Olie (Steve Olin’s nickname) was dead.

Frantically, I rushed to a pay phone (you can see one in a phone museum or something) and I called our General Manager, John Hart, who said I needed to get to his condo immediately. Once there, we found out what happened, set up HQ there and then calls started to trickle in. We set up a press conference for the next morning at the complex. As the players arrived (a few still hadn’t heard),they met with Manager Mike Hargrove and there was an emotional team meeting followed by a press conference.

This was 18 years ago... not that long! Can you imagine if this happened today? People would have tweeted it from the shores of the lake... there would have been a rush on the hospital... sports talk radio would be off the charts... inaccurate statements about the players conditions, the way in which the accident happened, etc., would be made... players would have heard via Twitter, Facebook, ESPN Breaking News and CNN scrolls... there would have been no chance to get with the families of the victims, prepare an appropriate press announcement or anything like that. We would have to fly by the seat of our pants and do the best we could.

There is no “better” or “easier” way when it comes to something like this... just different. And for PR pros the challenges to control a message becomes nearly impossible, and as proactively as we all try to be, you better be prepared to react as well.

John Maroon is President of Maroon PR. Contact him at John@MaroonPR.com.

What’s In a Name?

2011-07-19T10:48:00.002-04:00

By Mitchell Schmale

What’s in a name? Sometimes it’s more than you think, including hidden meanings, historical connections, analogies to mythological creatures and links to universal truths.

Other times, a name can be just that… only a name. Perhaps it’s just a title meant to signify nothing symbolic and allowed to develop its own special meaning or brand in the years ahead.

It’s always interesting learning how new businesses and company founders choose a name. It’s a tough decision and if all goes well, hopefully one that the company founder and future employees will live with for a long time. Some companies choose the more traditional route that may not need a lot of explanation to the general public or customers… names like Ford Motor Company, Coca-Cola and General Electric. However, a younger generation of companies that have also become household names took a more creative route to becoming part of the lexicon of corporate names that we now all recognize… names like Google, Yahoo, Apple and GoDaddy.

Ever wonder where some of these names came from? Or which of these companies was almost named Back Rub? Check out what’s in a name for the origins of some of the most unusual company names in the business.

Mitchell Schmale is Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him at Mitchell@MaroonPR.com.

Is Google Ruining Your Memory?

2011-07-18T11:37:00.003-04:00

By Kristen Seabolt

Albert Einstein once said, “Never memorize something that you can look up.” Well, according to a study released last week by Betsy Sparrow, an assistant professor of Psychology at Columbia University, people have truly taken that advice to heart.

In the recent study, Dr. Sparrow and other scientists performed memory experiments on participants to examine the effects of the internet on a human’s memory. In one of the experiments, they wanted to see if people were more or less likely to remember information that could easily be retrieved from a computer. In the study, participants were asked to type 40 pieces of trivia into a computer. Scientists told half of the group that the bits of trivia would be saved on the computer, and the other half that the information would be erased. Long story short, the subjects were significantly more likely to remember information if they thought they would not be able to find it later. Likewise, those who thought they could find the information later made no effort to memorize the trivia statements.

Another experiment examined whether having access to a computer affects what a person remembers. In this study, participants were asked to remember both a trivia statement AND which of five folders the statement was saved in on the computer. The unexpected conclusion: participants were more likely to remember the folder the statement was saved in than the statement itself.

So, is the internet making us dumber? Or is it simply changing how our minds store information? How many times in your day-to-day life do you use spell-check, an online calculator, dictionary.com, Wikipedia or Google? Instead of taking a second to think about an answer, we automatically type. For example, my home screen when I get on the internet is Google.

The scientists in the study think that humans are relying on “transactive memory,” (we rely on other people and reference materials around us to store information for us rather than storing it ourselves). It is a scary thought, but could also just be that our minds are adapting to the new types of technology around us, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I would like to think that we are intelligent beings and that if technology ever failed us that our minds would store information the old fashioned way.

See if Google has rewired the way your brain thinks by taking this Washington Post quiz.

Kristen Seabolt is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kristen@MaroonPR.com.

If You Vote … They Will Come

2011-07-13T11:34:00.009-04:00

By Pete DeLuca

Yesterday, while dozens of baseball’s elite prepared for the 82nd annual Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game in Phoenix, a team of former All-Stars and Hall of Famers joined at FanFest to unveil an unbelievable new promotion; the Pepsi MAX Field of Dreams Team contest.

Imagine this – next spring, you and 10 of your closest friends assemble a team to play a baseball game on your home field. The visiting teams’ lineup; Carlton Fisk, Frank Thomas, Rod Carew, Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, Ken Griffey Jr., Ricky Henderson, Randy Johnson, and Greg Maddux.

This has got to be too good to be true, right? It is all a part of Pepsi MAX’s latest creative promotion. From now through August 31, people are encouraged to visit MLB.com/PepsiMAX and “build” their opponent’s roster by voting for their favorite players at each position (you can vote up to 25 times per day). Each vote submitted counts an as entry. From there, four regional finalists are selected and will begin campaigning for a chance to take on this assembled team of legends. The winner and All-Star team will be announced during the 2011 MLB postseason.

"Pepsi MAX is all about creating unique, one-of-a-kind opportunities for MLB fans to help amplify their baseball experience," said Mark Rooks, senior director for Pepsi sports marketing. "With this promotion, we are looking to engage MLB fans by allowing them to tell us who they think some of the greatest living legends of the game are, and to top it all off, we are giving them the chance of a lifetime to play against some of their all-time heroes."

The MLB and Pepsi MAX are also ramping up their online presence; providing interactive statistics, high-definition videos, and background stories of the legends involved. Fans can also enlist the help of active Major Leaguers, opinion polls, and Twitter and Facebook debates to aid their selections.

This is another brilliant promotion from the creative minds at MLB and Pepsi Max. My hat is off to the two companies for continuing to find innovative ways to increase awareness, grow their social media platforms, and reward fans.

Pete DeLuca is Manager of Creative Services at Maroon PR. Contact him at Pete@MaroonPR.com.

The Decision – A Year Later

2011-07-12T14:51:00.006-04:00

By Chris Daley

A year ago I wrote a blog that many of you have probably forgotten by now, or didn’t even read, called, King of Public Relations. The blog was written the day LeBron James held the sports world hostage and decided to stage a publicity stunt based around what team he was going to play for after his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers expired.

I took a look back at my blog because even I had forgotten what I wrote about that day. I was curious to see how much my perspective on LeBron James has changed in a year.

Last year on July 8 when I Googled “LeBron James,” the main headline that popped up was from FoxNews.com which said, “LeBron James – Public Relations Genius.” Today, I Googled “LeBron James” and the main headline that popped up was by SportingNews.com which says, “Poll results show big decline in LeBron James' marketability.” What a difference a year makes!

I can say this - my overall opinion about LeBron James has not changed at all. He is one of the best athletes on the planet, a dominating player in the NBA and great for the game. Although I’ve never met the guy, he seems like a genuinely nice person on and off the court.

LeBron took a lot of heat this year as a player and a person all stemming from the television program he staged known as The Decision. It’s easy to say now, but the only way his announcement could have ended well is if he had decided to stay in Cleveland. That didn’t happen and now he is left with scrutiny both as a player and person.

From an athletics standpoint, I find it funny when the media is so quick to call a professional athlete a disappointment. Most members of the media don’t have the athletic credentials to know what it even takes to make it to a professional level or even the college level. But, they are very quick to cast an opinion if a person or team doesn’t live up to their hype. I guess that’s the media’s job in some capacity, but I don’t like the sensationalism.

I would not call LeBron a failure or disappointment at all. The guy is amazing and a destined Hall of Famer. His team - albeit the team with arguably the most talent - didn’t win a championship this season. That said it is my non-expert opinion that they will be in the NBA Finals again and will win a championship at some point. Not an easy thing to do at the professional level.

From a public relations stand point, I think it’s safe to say now that LeBron James is not the King of Public Relations. I’m sure he’s learned a lesson in how not to make an announcement. James was also taking hits by the way he reacted to losing in the NBA Finals. Well, maybe it wasn’t the best way to react to a championship loss. I don’t think that’s grounds to blast the guy. I imagine it sucks pretty bad to lose on a large stage like that and some emotions are uncontrollable. In the overall grand scheme of things, these are very minor faults and the 26 year-old star is still learning whether people like to hear that or not.

Now I hear the media talking about what LeBron James needs to do to repair his image which is where my supposed public relations expertise should come in handy. I think it’s simple. Here is my three step advice for LeBron:

First, get over the fact that Cleveland hates you. No matter what you do now, people with nothing better to do will be burning your jersey. Chances are they are taking out frustrations based on other aspects of their lives that have nothing to do with being a sports fan.

Secondly, talk about it. Target the right media outlets and tell your story. It’s as simple as saying you are learning from these experiences, that you are going to continue to work hard to win an NBA Championship, and you realize that with being such a high-profile athlete there are consequences with every decision you make. The NBA lock-out is a great excuse to get some well positioned media interviews done. People and media want to see your human side, and this will give the public a sense that you are some what in touch with reality.

Third, use this experience as fuel to work harder this off-season and win the Championship next season. In sports, winning cures everything. Just take a look at Michael Vick.

Chris Daley is a Senior Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact him at Chris@MaroonPR.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisDaley43.

Erasing Boundaries One Free Throw at a Time

2011-07-07T10:50:00.004-04:00

By Kate Korson

The city of Compton, California is synonymous with gangs, guns and crime. Various boundaries define the city by race, ethnicity and socio-economic class. In an attempt to encourage community spirit and unity, screen writer Court Crandall created a basketball free throw competition at Compton High School with a $40,000 college scholarship as the prize. The only requirement for entry was a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Free Throw update from Court Crandall on Vimeo.

Crandall wanted to teach the students that hard work and practice can make the seemingly impossible happen. Little did he know that the community and nation would learn a greater lesson.

Students from a variety of groups were chosen to participate in the competition. Male, female, black, white, latino; there was not a boundary that Crandall did not cross. It was not a surprise that local star basketball player Allan Guei won the competition. With a full-ride athletic scholarship to Cal-State Northridge, Guei could have easily opted to used the prize money for graduate school. Instead he did the seemingly impossible and split the money between the other seven finalists.

Many of us would have taken the money and never looked back. At the end of my high school lacrosse career, I received a community scholarship and a small scholarship from American University to play at the collegiate level. It never once crossed my mind to split my community scholarship between other players on my team or with girls who were not already receiving scholarship money.

Guei taught us more than just the idea of charity. It was the ultimate act of sportsmanship, respect and community spirit. Guei took pride in his classmates and their efforts in the competition. Yes, he was selfless in giving away his prize but he was blind to the racial and ethnic boundaries. In a place like Compton, this little act makes a big statement.

Court Crandall filmed a documentary following the competition from its beginning stages, to be released next year. He has also created a scholarship fund for students in Compton. Visit Free Throw’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Kate Korson is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kate@MaroonPR.com.

Google Takes on the Heavy Hitters of Social Media

2011-07-05T12:43:00.002-04:00

By Eve Hemsley

The New York Times recently published an article about Google’s latest attempt in its fight to keep afloat in the social media world. After failed programs, such as Google Buzz and Google Wave, the Google+ project is the company’s solution. In hopes of rivaling Facebook and mastering social networking, Google+ is designed similarly to Facebook’s platform – sharing status updates, links, and photos - with key changes in privacy and sharing.

Google+ is meant for sharing with groups. Users will start by selecting people they know from their Gmail contacts and then dragging and dropping those names into designated groups or circles such as “book club” or “soccer team.” They can then choose to share information with select groups or all of their friends.

Unlike Facebook, Google+ users do not have to agree to be friends with one another. They can receive updates from others without sharing their own information. Other features differentiating the two includes Google+’s group video chats and text messaging, a section called Sparks where users can see/post articles and videos from across the web, and their mobile application which automatically uploads pictures and videos to a private album, making them available to post immediately.

After learning from the mistakes of their previous attempts, Google+ creators realized how much people care about the information they share; they tried to eliminate the social awkwardness of things like friend requests of oversharing. “In real life, we have walls and windows and I can speak to you knowing who’s in the room, but in the online world, you get to a ‘Share’ box and you share with the whole world,” said Bradley Horowitz, a Vice President for Product Management at Google. “We have a different model.”

Google’s interest in garnering a spot in the social media world goes beyond creating a program to benefit the users. Sites like Facebook are generally off-limits to most search engines, so when people post Google loses valuable information that they could use to shape their Web search. Google is currently the most popular entry point to the web, a status which they are in danger of losing if users continue the trend of seeking answers to their questions via Facebook and Twitter.

Google has often been criticized for falling behind the times and not comprehending the importance of social media sites until others, like Facebook and Twitter, had already jumped ahead. Whether or not Google+ will cause Facebook users to stray, or even catch the attention of those still weary of Facebook, is debatable but Google is trying its best to make up for lost time.

Eve Hemsley is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Eve@MaroonPR.com.

Kobayashi, Joey Chestnut, and My Favorite Holiday of the Year

2011-06-29T01:11:00.015-04:00

By Pete DeLuca

My favorite holiday of the year is rapidly approaching… the Fourth of July! Before you call me crazy, think about it. Barbecues, 3-day weekends, and fireworks – what’s not to love? No gifts to give, no holiday shopping, and no fruit cake.

But it’s not just the pool parties and miniature American flags that have me confessing my love for America’s Birthday. I love the Fourth of July because each year marks another chapter in the rich history that is the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island.

I attended the event in 2009 – not something I am particularly proud of, but as a graduate student spending my first summer living in New York City, I saw the event as opportunity to cross another line off my sports “bucket list”.

If you ever wanted to follow competitive eating, it’s easy. There are really only two names worth knowing; Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut. Kobayashi became a household name after downing 50 hot dogs in 2001, doubling the previous record set the year before. Because of him, ESPN began airing the contest annually – turning competitive eating into a multimillion dollar business overnight. Kobayashi went on to win the event six times before losing to Chestnut in 2007. Chestnut won each of the last four contests, including 2009 when he ate 68 hot dogs – a feat that I, embarrassingly, was front row-center for.

But 2010 was different. For the first time in nearly a decade, Kobayashi opted out of the contest citing a labor dispute with Major League Eating (MLE) – he wants to have negotiating rights with sponsors for event he attends. Chestnut, who openly admits to not liking Kobayashi, cruised to victory that year and later hinted to reporters that Kobayashi was scared to compete against him. “… He was asking for weird [demands],” said Chestnut. “It seems like he didn’t really want to come.” It was enough to make Kobayashi, who was standing in the crowd, rush the stage and get arrested by security.

Now to 2011 – Kobayashi’s dispute with MLE is still ongoing, and Chestnut looks like a lock for his fifth straight title. But there could be an asterisk next to Chestnut’s name this year. Just a few miles away, at a rooftop restaurant in Manhattan, Kobayashi will be having his own one-man contest – running simultaneously with Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. He will be held to the same rules and standards as the participants in Coney Island and plans to broadcast his performance to increase awareness about the unfair treatment he’s received on behalf of MLE.

Publicity stunt or not - it makes for great television. Sure, it’s not Brady versus Manning or Magic versus Bird - but it’s controversy and it’s entertaining. The contest will air on ESPN this Monday at noon. Over 2 million viewers are expected to watch the event live, and nearly 50,000 plus fans will be in attendance. I won’t be in Coney Island this year, but I certainly will be glued to my television!

Pete DeLuca is Manager of Creative Services at Maroon PR. Contact him at Pete@MaroonPR.com.

A SUDDEN DEPARTURE?

2011-06-27T12:15:00.003-04:00

By Chartese Burnett

Last week, Jim Riggleman, manager of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club, shocked “the world” (certainly rocked the baseball universe) with his “abrupt” parting of ways with the baseball franchise. (By the way, these kinds of actions and decisions by rational people are rarely abrupt but usually a culmination of circumstances). His team had managed to put together an 11-game winning streak, surpassed the .500 mark in wins, and had just notched a win at home. I don’t know the back story of circumstances (we never do unless we are a principal in it); I only know what we’ve all heard during all of the news broadcasts that bombarded the air waves last week. The story inundated every local (and national) sports television broadcast, along with taking over much of the inventory on sports and news talk radio.

What really prompted Riggleman to leave, why he decided to leave, how he chose his manner of departure, for me, is personally not relevant. That decision is one that only intimately impacts Jim, his family and the Washington Nationals players and the club. What struck me as poignant, however, was Jim’s “press conference” that was held in the tunnel of Nationals Park after the fact. I listened intently, especially since I was stuck in horrific traffic on 395 South, and I reflected on his dialogue with reporters.

Oftentimes, we assume that key players (coaches, managers, players, front office staff) should look at their careers through a “different” lens than anyone else in the workforce. Certainly, sports professionals and those that work in that arena are afforded above "average” salaries and perks (their workplace is a game field or court and they get paid to entertain us); however, their jobs define their livelihood, lifestyle, and family dynamics, just as the work of anyone else who considers him/herself an employee.

I could appreciate and respect what I considered the “core” of Jim’s statement to the media, i.e. that he had to look himself in the mirror each day and live with himself. He went on to say (I am summarizing my interpretation) that, because his repeated requests to discuss with management his contract (extension, etc.) was not met, he felt that it was in HIS best interest to walk away. Riggleman alluded to not being able to “think outside the box in making coaching decisions” and that he ultimately felt that because there was a failure to have meetings regarding his compensation, he took from that he was not the manager that the club was convinced would be there next year, for the long haul, into the future.

Again, I am not offering any opinion on IF Jim’s leaving was right or wrong, IF the club was right or wrong; my only opinion is this: if someone strongly feels that his or her work is somehow not appreciated, valued, integral to the current and future success of their organization, and that is clearly and repeatedly demonstrated by their employer (by whichever barometers are used to make that determination), I respect and admire the courage it takes for an individual to stand up for what he or she believes in, to risk admonition by a world that’s watching, and to even walk away when the organization is thriving.

The most important resource a company possesses is its HUMAN resources; it’s personnel, staff, workers. And if THEY aren’t thriving and deemed important to the success that the organization is enjoying, then it’s not a good recipe for sustained success. Jim Riggleman made a decision with which he could live and one that, I assume, will allow him to sleep better at night. His decision will be debated for a long time, I am sure. And, at the end of the day, the opinions of others doesn’t matter when they aren’t walking in those shoes. I wish Jim Riggleman the best as he embarks upon another chapter of his life.

Chartese Burnett is Director of Non-Profit PR at Maroon PR. Contact her at Chartese@MaroonPR.com.

You’ve Got Klout!

2011-06-22T13:57:00.003-04:00

By Courtney Carey

Facebook has taken on yet another addition to its capabilities and marketing potential. Today, the social media start-up company, Involver, announced that they were launching an app that allows brands to customize their Facebook pages depending on the Klout scores of their fans.

What is a Klout score? Klout, a San Francisco based company, provides social media analytics that measures the effectiveness and influence that a social network has. The company gathers data from social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter and takes into account the size of someone’s network, the quality of their content and how other people interact with that content. Klout then scores the social network based on the influence that it has.

Senior VP of Involver, Jascha Kaykas-Wolff, describes the newly launched app: “The first application is a simple coupon-esque experience. A brand will be able to bring an application out of their Page, configure to deliver content to people above and below certain Klout scores, and then input whatever that content is.” The aforementioned content can be anything that the brand wants to offer – coupons, movie trailers, ringtones, unreleased products, etc.

Audi USA is the first to take this new Facebook app on a test drive. Based on the user’s Klout score, Audi USA is offering fans a custom desktop, ringtone or both.

This is an interesting step in the customization of brand pages on Facebook. This level of personalization is going to be what makes certain brands stand out among consumers and the over 500 million users on Facebook. I am very interested to see the other apps that Involver is planning to launch in the near future!

Courtney Carey is Manager of Social Media at Maroon PR. Contact her at Courtney@MaroonPR.com.

Luck of the Irish DOES Exist

2011-06-21T10:33:00.004-04:00

By Tim Richardson

In November, 2009, the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the game itself were struck a major blow. Its top golfer, spokesman, face, draw on the tour and overall icon began his fall from grace. Golf’s golden boy and cash cow, was exposed for not being the squeaky-clean, guy next door that he had been built up to be his “camp,” the media and us, “Joe Public.”

As Tiger the golfer became Tiger the punch line, the game took its lumps as well... both from a PR perspective as well as in its popularity as its marquee player took time away from the game to focus on his personal issues (as he should have done).

Over the course of that time, the USGA and fans searched for that new player who would carry the flag…was it now Phil Mickelson’s turn to completely take over? Would Sergio Garcia finally live up to his potential? But while Woods’ personal life unraveled, so did the game of golf’s image and relevance. Without the dominant player who seemed like superman, golf’s attractiveness dipped. No longer was there that dominant player on the tour who struck fear in his opponents, drew immense galleries on the tour and was barreling down on breaking Jack Nicklaus’ record for most wins at a major. The signature black slacks and red shirt that Woods wore on final rounds were no longer symbolic of the world’s best player coming out to take yet another tournament.

The tide was turning. The last four majors have been won by players in their 20s who certainly are not household names: 27-year-old South African, Louis Oosthuizen, won the 2010 British Open; at 26-years of age, German Martin Kaymer won the 2010 PGA Championship. And then, there was the 2011 Masters, when 21-year old Irishman Rory McIlroy took a four-stroke lead into the final day of golf’s most heralded tournament, only to implode as the world watched him match the greatest collapse in Masters’ history. As a result, 26-year old South African Charl Schwartzel went on to win coveted green jacket.

Then came the U.S. Open. Woods, who had just fallen out of the top 10 in the world for the first time in 14 years, pulled out of the tournament at Congressional Country Club in D.C. because his left knee and Achilles were not fully healed. Not exactly great news for tournament organizers as Woods’s presence on the tour had again begun to help sell tickets. But who knew last Thursday morning (June 16) that the young lad from Northern Ireland was about to turn in one of the biggest rebound (and redemption) performances in sports. A showing that was vintage Tiger and great for golf’s popularity and ratings. Some say that his “wire to wire dominance” was bad for the game…I argue that it was great for the game, especially considering the events in April when McIlroy had a complete meltdown at Augusta

Now 22-years old, McIlroy shredded the field to become the 111th U.S. Open Champion. His total of 268 strokes, 16-under par, set a US Open record. While he put on a one-man show over the four days of the event, his margin of victory (eight strokes) was still less than Woods’ domination at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach when he recorded the largest margin of victory in history (15 strokes). So let’s not give the fresh-faced kid from Ireland the torch just yet as this was only his second tournament victory while Woods has won more than 70 PGA events.

But let’s do enjoy the performance, and the person. Even my wife (who could care less about golf) was interested in Sunday’s final round because of the many things it represented. Cheers of “Rory, Rory, Rory” could be heard as McIlroy walked the course to hit his next shot on that final day. When asked by Bob Costas if he’d play more in the U.S. now, the “kid” in McIlroy showed through as he uttered modestly, “I think I’m going to have to” – leading to a roar from the crowd. But not lost in this magical moment (which brought great PR for the USGA) was the fact that McIlRoy was about to make history in front of his dad on Father’s Day… hmm, remind you of anyone?

There’s an Irish toast that says “May you never forget what is worth remembering, or remember what is best forgotten.” At the U. S. Open, Rory McIlroy created a memory that he, fans and the USGA will never forget, while also showing wisdom beyond his years by not allowing his Masters implosion to rattle him.

Slainte Rory!

Tim Richardson is Executive Vice President at Maroon PR. Contact him at Tim@MaroonPR.com.

Social Media Users Name LinkedIn as Most Useful Social Network

2011-06-13T15:16:00.004-04:00

By Mitchell Schmale

A recent survey of nearly 3,000 active social media users found that LinkedIn was named as the most important social networking site over Facebook and Twitter. The survey by Performics polled 2,997 active social media networkers with 59% of the respondents saying it was more important to have a LinkedIn account than any other social network.

Despite tapping the business-oriented network as the most valuable to users over Facebook and Twitter, only 50% of users with active LinkedIn accounts said they visited the site at least weekly with 20% visiting daily. Experts attribute LinkedIn’s growing popularity with the continued dragging economy and sluggish job market. LinkedIn provides business professionals with the platform to raise their public professional profile by sharing their accomplishments and experience to help grow awareness among other industry professionals.

In 2010, a similar survey found that 41% of respondents believed that LinkedIn was the most important social networking site in relation to its competitors. As the economy continues to slow, LinkedIn continues to grow as an important tool for its users. In the future as the economy and job market (hopefully) recovers, it will be interesting to see if LinkedIn remains an important resource for business professionals. Or perhaps Facebook, Twitter or the next soon-to-be-launched social media tool around the corner will be able to offer effective one-stop shopping to connect users to their friends, family and their next job.

Mitchell Schmale is Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him at Mitchell@MaroonPR.com.

Themed Courts and Flashy Fields – The Latest Marketing Tool in College Recruiting

2011-06-09T11:43:00.006-04:00

By Katy Fincham

Following in the popular footsteps of University of Oregon, Towson University has thrown themselves full-force into the world of outlandish athletic surfaces, announcing that they are redesigning their basketball court, with the focus on their mascot – the Tiger. According to Rivals.com, the “orange watermark tiger stripes on the floor will provide the signature element in addition to new baseline logos and a new ‘Tiger Paw’ mark at the scorer's table.”

While the basketball court design is a unique way to give the facility a facelift and will certainly be a great addition to their new arena, set to open in 2013, the intriguing part of the court’s redesign is that the University coaching staff believes that it will give their program an edge in recruiting.

"Just like Oregon did last year at the Matthew Knight Arena with their new look, we feel that our new court is a plus for recruiting because kids like things that are unique and cutting edge in design, “said newly appointed Towson men’s basketball coach, Pat Skerry.

And Towson University isn’t the only program that feels this way…

It’s safe to say that the college recruiting process is much more competitive that than the actual sport itself. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), 3.1% senior high school basketball players (less than 1 in 35) end up on teams in college and 6% of high school seniors (1 in 16) will play football in college.

College athletic programs have been trying to find new and creative ways to convince young talent that their school is the school to play for. The usual “powerhouse” programs will always have their name and prestige as an easy sell, but over the past few years, we’ve seen more mid-major schools step up to the plate and use flash and pizzazz to convince young athletes that their program is the one to choose.

Boise State’s football program led the way in the movement of using athletic playing surfaces as an attention generator and recruiting marketing tool. The Broncos’ “Smurf Turf” has been around since 1986, and with the recent success of the small Division I program, recruits have taken notice of both the success of the program, as well as the obsessive national attention over the unique field… National attention = recruiting jackpot.

According to Skerry, Towson’s new-look playing surface “has been a discussion item with the new recruits that the program has signed since his arrival in April.” What has yet to be seen is if this investment turns into Stripes of Success or just another marketing gimmick. Stay tuned…

Katy Fincham is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Katy@MaroonPR.com.

Olympics Remain Must-See TV

2011-06-08T14:32:00.003-04:00

By Kristen Seabolt

Yesterday, NBC Universal beat out both FOX and ESPN to secure the U.S. broadcasting rights to the next four Olympic Games from 2014 until 2020… a deal reportedly worth $4.38 billion.

This is no surprise really, as NBC has broadcast every summer Olympics since 1988 and every winter Games since 2002. They also have the rights until the 2012 summer Games in London.

The breakdown per Games will be $755 million for 2014, $1.226 billion for 2016, $963 million for 2018 and $1.418 billion for 2020, making the United States TV rights deal the biggest single source of income for the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Also, as part of the deal, NBC acquired the rights for all media platforms, including free-to-air television, subscription television, internet and mobile TV. In the past however, NBC was criticized for using a tape-delay in order to show some of the Olympic events on primetime rather than airing them live, including the famous U.S. hockey win over Russia in 1980. The most recent tape delays occurred during both the 2008 Beijing summer Olympics and the 2010 Vancouver winter Olympics.

However, in this media and technology day and age, every minute of every day is primetime. With instant news made possible with the internet and the million of forms of social media, it will be impossible for NBC to air events on primetime TV after the fact, because everyone in America and throughout the world will have already watched it and/or know the outcome.

Kristen Seabolt is an Associate Account Executive for Maroon PR. Contact her at Kristen@MaroonPR.com.

Unlikely Millionaire

2011-05-31T12:18:00.005-04:00

By Pete DeLuca

“The first thing I'm going to do is buy a new fridge.” Those are the words of Louisiana high school teacher Brian Kingrey – winner of the second annual Major League Baseball 2K11 Million Dollar "Perfect Game" Challenge.

The rules seemed simple enough to Kingrey; be the first person to pitch a “Perfect Game” and win one million dollars. It was enough motivation for the 25-year old avid gamer to stop by his local GameStop, trade in his favorite video game (Marvel vs. Capcom 3), and pick up MLB 2K11 – a sport that Kingrey admittedly did not even know the rules to.

After reviewing the matchups, studying the teams, and learning the controls, Kingrey was ready. He determined his best chance of winning the competition was to pitch as the Philadelphia Phillies’ ace Roy Halladay against the Houston Astros. Nine-innings later, Kingrey was a millionaire.

Congratulations are in order for Kingrey – but also for the marketing minds at 2K Sports. Over the years, their sales figures consistently finished second to rival Sony’s MLB: The Show. Last year, 2K Sports introduced the “Perfect Game” Challenge and sold 1.09 million copies, while Sony saw sales drop to just over a million units according to Forbes.com. It is still too early to gauge the effectiveness of this year’s promotion, but with a great story like Kingrey’s receiving national attention it’s hard to believe that 2K Sports will be any less successful this season.

Pete DeLuca is Manager of Creative Services at Maroon PR. Contact him at Pete@MaroonPR.com

My Five Guidelines for Life!

2011-05-26T12:23:00.003-04:00

By John Maroon

Everyone likes to talk about how complicated the world is today. I would go the other way and say that the world and life is quite simple. For me it comes down to these five things that I try to adhere to (and sadly often fail at) ...

Be Nice … When the words were uttered by Patrick Swayze in “Roadhouse” I didn’t realize how powerful they were. Seriously though, this is the key to success and happiness. I am not suggesting being a patsy. But being nice has so many positive results… other people tend to be nice back, it creates a feeling of trust and sharing and, well, life is too damn short to be miserable and unfriendly. Sometimes people who are in a position of some power tend to be curt, short or unfriendly with people. I believe it is because they think it makes them sound decisive and authoritative… it doesn’t, it just makes you sound like an asshole.
Do What You Say You Will Do … Sounds simple enough but we all know people who just can’t do this. Maybe they are just forgetful or disorganized or maybe they are disingenuous. Whatever the reason, don’t we always love being around people who keep their word? It is all about your creditability and who you are as a person.
The Golden Rule … This actually comes from the Book of Matthew in the New Testament, the words of Jesus: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” It is always something to keep in mind, especially when we are having a crappy day or things are tough. Essentially this means, be honorable… share everything and be there for others.
The World is Small… And the older you get the smaller it gets. Follow the above three “rules” and when the world continues to shrink you won’t have to worry about who you treated like crap in a past life.
Let me stress again that I blogged about this because I struggle with it non-stop. But if we can adhere to this I believe that the rewards come back to us tenfold. The universe rewards you for being positive and kind. Plus it makes you feel better and when you do it, life is better. The end.

John Maroon is President of Maroon PR. Contact him at John@MaroonPR.com

Sticks and Stones

2011-05-24T10:48:00.002-04:00

By Chartese Burnett

We have all heard the old and familiar saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”, or some semblance thereof. However, the truth of the matter is that words are often times more powerful than actions. Physical bruises and injuries heal in time; but hateful, ugly and derogatory comments cut deeply – and the words sometimes forever stay in the minds of those insulted.

On Monday night during Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, the Chicago Bulls Joakim Noah responded to a fan’s alleged nasty remarks about Noah’s mother with an ugly anti-gay slur. Noah’s remarks were caught on tape. The fan’s words were not (hence the “alleged” adjective). Weeks ago, Kobe Bryant was fined for a similar transgression, after apologizing publicly and went on to demonstrate his real sentiments (not those verbalized) with various efforts to try and prove that he is not intolerant.

I am not sure how I feel about the NBA’s policy towards players hurling slurs on the basketball court, i.e. how much a player is fined or whether or not he is suspended, because there are too many factors involved in weighing in those decisions. David Stern is a brilliant and fair man, so I trust that the NBA Commissioner will make the proper decisions regarding the League, its players and its fans.

What I do know is that verbal abuse should not be tolerated in any setting – workplace, school, or home. Apologies and actions after the fact are acceptable demonstrations of remorse; however, perhaps, exercising control over our emotions, and our tongues, although not always easy, would eliminate so much hurt and the subsequent costly fallout.

Having spent a lot of time in NBA arenas, NFL stadiums and MLB ballparks, I have been privy to a lot of language – both from the players who are pros because they throw their hearts in the game and from the stands by fans who are equally as passionate. At the end of the day – it’s sports, recreation, entertainment, a GAME. It’s not about life or death. I have spent over two decades working in sports, so, there is no doubt about my love of sports, the players who play the games and the fans who support the leagues, teams and entities for whom I have worked.

But let’s not tarnish the game with unfair play. Let’s play fair and shout and even “boo” during exciting games, but let’s keep profanity, racial slurs and anti-gay remarks off the courts, fields and out of the stands. When there are SO many tragic and devastating things happening in this world (tornados, disease and terrorism, to name a few that are plaguing our country), let’s embrace and uphold sports – one of the few things that should unify us, make us laugh and give us something to cheer about.

Chartese Burnett is Director of Non-Profit PR at Maroon PR. Contact her at Chartese@MaroonPR.com

Meet Eve Hemsley and Kate Korson

2011-05-19T11:54:00.003-04:00

Eve Hemsley is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Eve@MaroonPR.com

Kate Korson is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kate@MaroonPR.com

Give a Little, Help a Lot

2011-05-18T15:19:00.004-04:00

By Courtney Carey

In hopes of bringing out the altruistic side of people, the online e-commerce business, PayPal, has recently partnered with a site similar to Groupon called Philanthroper. Like Groupon, Philanthroper sends out daily emails to their database notifying the public, not about a discount or sale, but instead about a new or relevant non-profit organization.

Every day, a new non-profit is highlighted and Philanthroper users are asked to donate exactly $1 – no more and no less. The theory behind the act of giving only a dollar is that when a large group of people do a small act of goodness, there is potential for a huge impact. More than just collecting money for charity, the site hopes to inspire people to take on an attitude of giving and make charity a habit instead of a random occasion. If the site can inspire even a portion of the 98 million PayPal users, it would be a huge success.

Philanthroper does not collect any fees, nor does it charge the non-profit organizations to be featured. Due to having to process international credit card fees, PayPal gets 10% of every transaction. Even though 10% seems to be a lot, they make the donating process extremely simple and also heavily assist in matching a large portion of donations.

In my opinion, micro-donations can be extremely effective. While websites such as Philanthroper might not change the mindset of people right away, it serves as a constant reminder to make charitable acts a part of everyday life. Just think – one dollar today will buy you about 1/3 of a tall Starbucks Latte. If people made it a regular habit to give up that sip of coffee and donate that dollar to charity instead, the impact could be huge.

Courtney Carey is Manager of Social Media at Maroon PR. Contact her at Courtney@MaroonPR.com.

The Better Racing Phrase: "And down the stretch they come..." or "Gentlemen start your engines"

2011-05-17T13:51:00.002-04:00

By Tim Richardson

Tim Richardson is Executive Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him at Tim@MaroonPR.com

Worlds Are Colliding Less in Social Media

2011-05-13T13:53:00.002-04:00

By Mitchell Schmale

A recent article in The New York Times shed some light on a growing trend in social media networks and the ways that people connect with one another, not with the largest network of contacts possible, but instead with smaller groups of close friends, colleagues and family members.

Path, GroupMe, Frenzy, Rally Up, Shizzlr, Huddl and Bubbla are all the latest in social media platforms that allow people to connect with friends and contacts in private groups ranging in sizes of 50 people or less. The more intimate groups allow information, links or photos to be shared that may not be of interest (or for that matter appropriate) for someone’s entire list of contacts on Facebook or LinkedIn.

As the need to connect more closely with private groups of contacts in the larger world of social media grows, Facebook recently acquired Beluga, to allow the private sharing of photos and messages with small groups of users. As the trend grows, Facebook reported that as of last month, users had already created more than 50 million private groups with an average of just eight members each.

As Facebook continues to encompass contacts from all parts of someone’s life – personal, professional and otherwise – the trend to create social media boundaries among groups will grow. The applications are popular because they allow users to better categorize contacts to help keep worlds from colliding. The applications allow family members, friends, co-workers, clients, and others to be safely separated in appropriate groups where they only see content that they are interested in receiving, as well as avoid the stuff they are better off not knowing about. It sounds like a good thing for everyone involved, even if you end up missing some of the good stuff.

Mitchell Schmale is Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him at Mitchell@MaroonPR.com

Off to Online in Seven Seconds

2011-05-13T13:47:00.005-04:00

By Kristen Seabolt

Watch out Apple and Microsoft…the Google Chromebook is here…

Yesterday, Google unveiled the first “Chromebook” notebook at the Google I/O conference, and as Google VPs Linus Upson and Sundar Pichai said, “These are not your typical notebooks.”

In the new Chromebook, which goes on sale in June for a whopping $349, users completely skip the traditional computer desktop and are instantly connected to the internet browser within 7 seconds of pressing the power button. To put it in perspective, even the fastest computers on the market take at least 45 seconds just to start up.

Google’s logic behind the Chromebook– the web browser is the most important program on a computer and the average user spends 90% of their time on the internet, so why not take them straight to where they want to go to begin with?

There are several ways that the Chromebook is able to work so fast. First, when a Chromebook is turned on, it does not have to go through the steps of loading settings, managing programs and checking files because nothing saves to the Chromebook, everything is stored online. Also, the Chromebook automatically updates, so it will never be bogged down or get slower the older it gets.

In the world today, everything is expected to be instant, whether it is the news we are reading, the instant messages we are sending, or the movie we are downloading, and the Google Chromebook is no exception. From the moment you turn on your computer, the first thought you often have is “how long will it take before I am online?” In all honesty, most people are never even on their computers without being constantly connected to the internet. The Chromebook just makes it faster.

Even though I think the engineers who come up with these devices are genius, I don’t know that I will spend close to $350 to buy a Chromebook just yet. However, I am definitely anxious to see what these technology giants have in store for us next.

Kristen Seabolt is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kristen@MaroonPR.com

Washington Wizards Return to Their Roots

2011-05-10T15:17:00.003-04:00

By Katy Fincham

Today the Washington Wizards officially returned to their roots, unveiling their new look for the 2011 NBA season. After Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis took over the team last June, rumors had been swirling of Washington’s NBA franchise returning to the old Bullets name and patriotic colors. Avoiding the still controversial “Bullets” team name, the Wizards did indeed return to the nostalgic “stars and bars” uniforms.

During today’s press conference, the Washington Wizards announced that they would not only be returning to the iconic “stars and bars” uniforms, but they also unveiled two new secondary logos, which resemble to “old” look from the Bullets era and a modified version of their current Wizard logo.

“Our new look pays homage to the past while pointing to an exciting future,” said Wizards Executive Vice President of Business Operations Greg Bibb.

The Wizards did not change their look just for fun nostalgia reasons, but instead, their overall transformation is the final step in the unification of Washington sports at the Verizon Center, which includes the Washington Capitals (NHL) and Washington Mystic (WNBA). While the change is clearly the influence of owner Ted Leonsis, who now owns all three teams that call the Verizon Center home, I think it is the best overall move for the rebranding and marketing efforts of the Wizards. It brings all three teams together, while creating a fan base that spreads across three professional sports realms. The patriotic color scheme also helps in their marketing efforts, reminding fans of each team’s home in the nation’s capital.

All three teams are officially a complete package, which seems to be a refreshing and much needed boost to the Wizards franchise. As a DC-area native, I personally think this is an exciting move made by ownership, as well as a simple and smart rebranding effort made by Monumental Sports & Entertainment ownership group.

Katy Fincham is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Katy@MaroonPR.com

9 years, 7 months & 20 days

2011-05-02T14:06:00.004-04:00

By Chris Daley

Today is my turn to contribute to the Maroon PR blog and I feel it’s impossible and irrelevant to write about anything else besides the significant news dominating the world at the moment. The confirmed death of al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden.

On 9/11/01, I was still a college student finishing up my credit requirements at Towson University. That morning – a Tuesday if I recall - I happened to have an 8 a.m. Geography class. I returned home afterward with one of my roommates who was also in that class and we turned on the TV at about 9:30 a.m. to find that the world was changing before our very eyes. With everything that happened and all of the stories we’ve heard, in the simplest terms I describe that day as very strange.

CNBC Sports Biz reporter Darren Rovell (@DarrenRovell) tweeted this last night as the news of bin Laden’s death broke, “Reports of Bin Laden killed comes 9 years, 7 months & 20 days after 9/11.” This had me thinking of the changes that have taken place during the past decade, so I “Googled” a few interesting notables:

The average cost of a gallon of gas was $1.46 in 2001
Unemployment rate was 4.8% in 2001
Arizona D-Backs defeated the NY Yankees in the World Series
Most popular movie of 2001 was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Most popular song of 2001 was Lady Marmalade, Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya & Pink
MSN.com was the most popular website (Google was number 12)
Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook) was 17 years old; Justin Beiber was 7 years old

In 2001 we communicated with people differently, and still relied heavily on television and newspapers as our main news sources. I had a cell phone, but didn’t really text message people. I had a PC – a very large Hewlett Packard - but used it mostly for class assignments and downloading illegal music. I rarely even checked my email back then. When the attacks on 9/11 occurred we were all glued to the television for days, and newspapers were what we read to learn about local people affected by the attacks, as well as to gain their reactions/comments.

Today, the platforms in which we communicate have changed dramatically from just ten years ago. I have a Blackberry. I text people more than I call them and exchange messages and post reactions through Facebook. I have three email accounts I check periodically throughout the day. The list goes on and then of course there’s Twitter.

Brad Adgate (@badgate), Research Director at Horizon Media, tweeted today, “Death of bin Laden resulted in 4,000+ tweets per second on Twitter rivaling the amount for February's Super Bowl.” An amazing stat to think about.

The news about bin Laden’s death is another example of how our world is more connected than ever, and how the social media world will continue to break and influence stories before other mediums can catch up. I can’t even imagine where we’ll be ten years from today. I hope that during the next ten years one of the major topics dominating the social media universe is the end of the war on terror.

There really isn’t any point being made in my blog that isn’t already known. I more or less felt like sharing some thoughts on the news. I’m interested to see the news surrounding the death of bin Laden continue to unfold. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface on this story and sure enough I’ll be paying close attention to the details on Twitter and uniting with fellow Americans on Facebook.

Chris Daley is a Senior Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact him at Chris@MaroonPR.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDaley43

Are you Simply A Leader or Do you LEAD?

2011-04-26T12:24:00.006-04:00

By Chartese Burnett

Today after our staff meeting at Maroon PR, we watched a brief poignant motivational video. I had an “aha” moment while listening to Simon Sinek share WHAT people do vs. WHY they do it and how businesses want to do business with people who believe what they believe. The point was that people make “emotional” decisions or purchases and create relationships based upon, not WHAT businesses do, but on WHY they do what they do. He cited various examples of successful entities, including Apple computer, which has enjoyed tremendous success because their “marketing” message is not based on product capabilities alone, but on the company’s endeavor to make the end user or consumer happy, satisfied, and/or fulfilled on a much deeper emotional level.

Nonprofit organizations that successfully communicate their message to demonstrate what they have done and what they are doing to positively impact society will create a loyal donor base – those who will fund and further the work of the organization. For-profit entities that operate according to their core values will garner business from and develop successful/profitable partnerships with those that share similar beliefs.

As insightful as this was, my second epiphany came when he explored this concept further, with a different “twist: using Reverend Martin Luther King, the great civil rights leader and orator, as an example of someone who LED people, black and white, to follow his movement. According to Sinek, the titles of “DR.” or “Reverend” were not the motivating factor in this demonstration of unity among masses. In 1968, hundreds of thousands of people came out to listen to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream speech”, not because of WHO he was, but because of WHAT he believed. In Sinek’s opinion, it wasn’t that Dr. King was the only person who yearned for equal rights and freedom from oppression, slavery, racism; nor was he the only great orator (although I’d argue that few could compete with Dr. King’s oratory gift back then or even ever), but the fact that the March on Washington was historical was because Dr. King INSPIRED others to act, to take a stand, to FOLLOW him.

The point was simply this: Being a leader is simply a matter of possessing a title, either one of privilege, position, or stature. However, leading involves movement. It involves moving others to action. Those who have led innovations, inventions, discovery, research, progress - -have been those whom we remember, not based on what came before or after their proper names, but based on what they believed and WHY they fought, pursued, pressed on. We remember the cures they have discovered for life threatening illnesses, the laws that have been passed in the name of equality, the advances made in science and technology, the trails blazed, and the difference it has all made in humanity.

Those who lead inspire us, motivate us, and nurture our loyalty in them. Those who lead have been very privileged to have recognized their “higher” calling; some would call it their “purpose”. When we understand what our purpose is, WHY we do what we do, and then communicate that to our constituents, clients and the world – we will attract and create a loyal following of those who believe as we do. Only when we relate on a “higher” and “deeper” level and commit ourselves to positive and meaningful core values, will we enjoy fruitful partnerships and successful endeavors.

Chartese Burnett is Director of Non-Profit PR at Maroon PR. Contact her at Chartese@MaroonPR.com

Go Green for FREE Coffee

2011-04-21T12:17:00.004-04:00

By Kristen Seabolt

Being a good neighbor is what Starbucks is all about. Ever since they opened their doors 40 years ago, Starbucks has done their part to create thriving neighborhoods and make positive change happen in the communities they do business in. This includes helping to reduce our collective carbon footprint.

In honor of Earth Day 2011, Starbucks has decided to thank their neighbors who do their part, and encourage others to do the same. All day tomorrow, Friday April 22, customers can stop by their local Starbucks with a travel mug and receive a FREE freshly brewed coffee or tea.

Last year, Starbucks saved more than one million plastic cups on Earth Day, and in order to minimize their carbon footprint, they have set a goal this year to make 100% of their iconic white cups recyclable and to serve 25% of beverages made in stores in reusable cups by 2015.

Using social media to promote the event, Starbucks is encouraging all 21 million Facebook fans and 1.5 million Twitter followers to RSVP to their “Get a Free cup of Coffee on Earth Day” event and to change their profile photos to pictures of their travel mugs to share the word with friends. So far, close to 185,000 customers will be attending. Including me!

In addition to free coffee tomorrow, all of Starbucks’ travel mugs will be 20 percent off, and throughout the year, any customer who brings in a travel mug will receive 10 cents off their order.

What a great way to get your free caffeine fix AND do your part to reduce your carbon footprint! Stop by Starbucks tomorrow and don’t forget your mug!

“One person can save trees, together we can save forests.”

Kristen Seabolt is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kristen@MaroonPR.com.

Check-Ins for Charity

2011-04-20T14:53:00.003-04:00

By Courtney Carey

Checking-in online is not a foreign concept these days due to popular social media sites such as Foursquare, Gowalla and of course, Facebook. As of March, Foursquare reported that it had seven million active users. A recent social media site, DailyFeats, is taking the popular concept of “check-ins”and making it philanthropic.

This social media site describes its purpose as, “DailyFeats guides you in doing small actions -- or "feats" -- that reflect your values and your life's goals. Along the way, you'll earn points, meet a helpful community, and save money on real-life expenses, motivating you to go do good -- every day.” Each time a user reports an act on DailyFeats, they earn reward points depending on the size of the task. The acts range in size from choosing to eat healthier foods to volunteering your time at a non-profit organization. Once enough reward points are earned, they can be redeemed for coupons or discounts with certain participating organizations.

The popular social media website, Mashable.com, describes the benefits that DailyFeats offers for sponsors or corporate partners, “DailyFeats has managed to integrate its social layer with targeted coupons and sponsors. Certain actions unlock specific discounts. For example, Monster.com sponsors “!newskills” and “!makeconnections” sections whereas 1-800-Flowers.com sponsors “!sympathy” sections. It’s a smart way to target consumers and encourage good deeds at the same time.”

The catch with this social media site is that all of the actions are self-reported, meaning that people can say they completed an action even if they really did not. What is to stop people from lying on the site simply so they can reap the benefits of the rewards and coupons? While DailyFeats has some checks in place, they rely heavily on trust. Mashable describes the site’s philosophy, “The site was formed as a way to promote good deeds of any nature and ultimately to make America a better place. People may start by making themselves better, but they’ll eventually graduate to projects with more impact. The hope is that this next step won’t just be to get more rewards, but to actually embrace DailyFeats’ positive ethos.”

Is choosing to trust online users a gamble? My thought is that while there will always be those who choose to abuse the system, DailyFeats is a cool and interesting way to keep track of the good deeds, big or small, that one does on a daily basis. I look forward to seeing how this concept evolves and encourages people to make philanthropy a part of their daily lives.

Courtney Carey is Manager of Social Media at Maroon PR. Contact her at Courtney@MaroonPR.com

Even the Greatest Brands Need to Stay True

2011-04-18T10:25:00.002-04:00

By John Maroon

I was in Seattle last week for an event with the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. While I was there, I decided to track down the first ever Starbucks store because it is a brand that I admire greatly and is the starting point for its CEO, Howard Schultz’ new book, Onward. (Sorry for my amateur photos!)

Today, Schultz still carries his key from that store where he first began working on September 7, 1982, and he doesn’t just carry that key for nostalgia reasons. He carries it, as he writes, “as a constant reminder of the responsibility I have to honor the heritage of the company and all of the people who had come before me.”

Starbucks’ is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2011. But the brand wasn’t really built until Schultz took over and fulfilled the vision he had after visiting small espresso bars in Italy and realizing that drinking coffee and gathering is an experience there…and can be in the United States as well.

The coolest thing about Schultz is that this latest book isn’t about how great Starbucks is (which it is), but about how, just a few years ago, he admits that he and the company lost its vision and needed to be righted. It started in 2000 when he stepped down as CEO and became Chairman of the company. The focus quickly became growth and they took their eye off of operations and “that experience.”

That, coupled with new competition and a failing economy, had Starbucks in a place they didn’t want to be. In 2008, Schultz was back as CEO of the company and the process of righting the ship began.

I am only in the beginning of Onward, but it seems to be a great lesson to companies and organizations of any size. Never forget what you stand for and what you want to be and how you want to be viewed. If a brand as strong as Starbucks can lose its way for a time, we all can.

John Maroon is President of Maroon PR. Contact him at John@MaroonPR.com

New Era Hits it Out of the Park with Viral Spot on Sports Rivalries

2011-04-12T14:14:00.005-04:00

By Tim Richardson

When I started thinking about what to write about in my blog, there were a lot of topics to choose from so honing in on just one was tough. But, given the time of year and the fact that I wanted this to be light-hearted, I chose to focus on a viral advertising campaign timed with baseball season.

The beauty of sports is that it brings people together. People with nothing in common but a baseball team become united. You need to look no further than the punk-rocker & tough guy hugging when the Indians won in the movie “Major League.” But sports also create great rivalries and the New Era Cap Company, the largest and fastest growing headwear manufacturer in the United States, launched a viral campaign on April 8 that capitalizes on arguably the biggest rivalry in baseball over the past several decades, Red Sox versus Yankees. Below is the video entitled “The Trash Talking Begins.”

In my opinion, the ad is brilliant in a number of ways. First, it unites people by showing that no matter what walk of life you are from, celebrity or average Joe, being passionate about your favorite sports teams is a common thread. Second, it features popular celebrities battling over the storied rivalry as Yankees’ fan Alec Baldwin of NBC’s 30 Rock trades barbs with Red Sox lover John Krasinski of The Office (no disrespect to Krasinski, but Baldwin’s delivery, mannerisms and digs steal the show). The spot is engaging and fun… no matter how many times you watch it (I’m in double-digits). This line from Baldwin about the rivalry is a great example of the cleverness and creativity of the spot:

“John, John, John, for the last time, this is not a rivalry. Just like fire doesn’t have a RIVALRY with kindling; lawnmowers don’t have a RIVALRY with grass; America doesn’t have a RIVALRY with Costa Rica.”

Finally, and most importantly, New Era understands what fuels their consumers and goes right at that target audience in a spot that is timely, direct and, quite simply, hilarious. Since its debut, the video is approaching half a million views on YouTube and has popped up on numerous individual Facebook and Twitter accounts.

When an advertising spot or PR placement stands out to consumers and leaves them wanting more, it’s a success. And New Era is delivering by showcasing the rivalry on its website and social media outlets. On the homepage of the company’s site, fans can cast their vote for either Team Baldwin or Team Krasinksi by clicking on a graphic entitled “Rivalries Are Forever”. They can also vote on New Era’s Facebook page by clicking on the “New Era Rivalry” tab.

Based on how this viral spot is being received, I’m sure we’ve not seen the last of the Baldwin versus Krasinski rivalry. Of course, I’m sure New Era never thought the Red Sox would start the season 2-8 and 4.5 games behind the first place Baltimore Orioles. Okay, that was a homer line, but after the past 13 years I’m going to enjoy the Orioles’ first-place standing for as long as possible (And yes, I know, it’s only April).

Tim Richardson is Executive Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him at Tim@MaroonPR.com.

Facebook Answers Prayers for Kidney Patient

2011-04-06T13:51:00.003-04:00

By Mitchell Schmale

A recent story in the news shows that Facebook can be more than a social networking site... For one Michigan man, Facebook proved to be a lifeline that gave him a second chance at life.

Jeff Kurze was battling kidney disease and struggling as a dialysis patient. After the 35-year-old suffered a mini-stroke, Jeff was told by his doctors that he would need to add his name to the kidney donor waiting list in the hopes of finding a kidney donor match. Jeff’s wife, Roxy, understood that this process could take up to five years to find a donor match – if they were lucky. She was afraid that this was time that Jeff may not have to spare.

Roxy took matters into her own hands and reached out through Facebook asking for any interested kidney donors with the necessary blood match to help save her husband. Her prayers – and her Facebook wall post – were answered when she received a message back from Ricky Cisco, a Facebook friend she had met only once through work.

Ricky and Roxy, total strangers other than the Facebook connection, met for coffee and felt a connection in real life as well. Ricky agreed to be a live kidney donor and give Jeff and Roxy a new life together and help them pursue their dreams of starting a family. Ricky proved to be a perfect donor match and just more than four months later, the procedure was a success.

All three credit Facebook for changing their lives forever and for proving the power of connecting with people.

Mitchell Schmale is Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him at Mitchell@MaroonPR.com

Twitter Adds Interest Based Search to Capabilities

2011-04-05T12:34:00.008-04:00

By Andrea Kunicky

With millions of people using Twitter, there's no shortage of people and organizations to follow, but unless you examine peoples' lists or feeds followed by their friends, it's a bit complicated to find people based on their interest level. Well, that all changed on Monday as Twitter announced a new updated search tool, which will now help users find new people to follow based on the subjects that interest them, such as movies and sports. Previously when users typed in a search query, they were presented with just a small selection of "People" results, all of which contained the search term (or some derivative of it) in the account username, and didn’t necessarily reflect if they had interest in that term or not. Now, when people search for a certain topic and click on the "People" section of the search results page, Twitter will return a list of the top microbloggers in that field. "This new approach helps you find the Twitter users that will best help you follow your interests," Twitter spokeswoman Carolyn Penner wrote in a blog post on Twitter.com. "For example, if you're interested in hip hop, chances are that you'd like to follow hip hop artists. Searching for 'hip hop' now surfaces accounts like @common and @questlove. (Previously, we typically showed accounts that have 'hip hop' in the name.)" Personally, I think this is a great way for all followers on Twitter to proactively use their time more wisely in regards to their interests and what they choose to read and follow. I think it will also dramatically help organizations that might not have been noticed by other audiences help them increase their visibility and grow in the long run. Twitter has done it again… growing and expanding their services to better improve our time on the site... great job! Andrea Kunicky is an Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Andrea@MaroonPR.com

Introducing... the MLB Fan Cave

2011-03-31T12:09:00.004-04:00

By Pete DeLuca

It is Opening Day for Major League Baseball (MLB), and this season the league is looking to redefine their social media efforts. In the past, MLB attempted to keep fans connected through iphone apps, like MLB.com At Bat, and nationwide broadcasts on MLB Extra Innings and SiriusXM – but that’s old news. Introducing... the MLB Fan Cave!

The MLB Fan Cave is a 15,000 square-foot location in New York City. After a nationwide search of nearly 10,000 applicants, two “Cave Men” were selected; Mike O’Hara and Ryan Wagner. Starting today, these two will inhabit the Fan Cave for the entire 2011 MLB season and watch all 2,430 regular season games and Postseason games on a unique set up of 15 Sony BRAVIA LCD HDTV televisions. MLB will pay them to Tweet, Facebook, and blog about their experience.

Tim Brosnan, MLB Vice President of Business hopes the new initiative will serve as an “electronic water cooler” - a place where every day fans, already engaged in social media, can come together. In a recent article on Mashable.com, Bronson said “MLB has dipped its toe in the water of social media in the last couple of years, but this is our first full platform.”

To follow the MLB Fan Cave on Twitter visit @MLBFanCave. To connect to their Facebook page click here.

It is exciting to see MLB push the boundaries of social media with a new and innovative idea. As a baseball fan and member of Facebook and Twitter, I am excited to follow their accounts and share my views and opinions with thousands of “ordinary Joe’s” across the country. As a Red Sox fan, I can only hope O’Hara (a Yankees fan) and Wagner (an Orioles fan) enjoy the experience as much as I will!

Pete DeLuca is Manager of Creative Services of Maroon PR. Contact him at Pete@MaroonPR.com

NFL Lockout – Always Have a Backup Plan

2011-03-29T15:27:00.003-04:00

By Katy Fincham

As the NFL Lockout drags on, both sides remain at a standstill and little to no progress has been made. While players, such as Tom Brady and Drew Brees continue to battle it out in the courtrooms, other NFL players are finding ways to take advantage of their “time off” and coming up with creative backup plans.

Notorious for his on and off the field antics, Cincinnati Bengal receiver, Chad Ochocinco spent a week trying out with Major League Soccer team, Sporting Kansas City. The Kansas City Star reported today that the team has named Ochocinco as an honorary member, as he “showed enough potential” to continue working with the team’s reserve squad. Ochocinco said he used the opportunity as a chance to stay in shape during the lockout, but Sporting KC benefited most by the player’s decision to revisit his childhood passion for the game. ESPN has been running a six-minute special highlighting his stay, while his tryout attracted a number of local and national media outlets, never before seen at the team’s Swope Park training facility.

Baltimore Raven Tom Zbikowsi, found that the lockout was the perfect timing to dive back into his boxing career. Now known in the boxing world as “Tommy Z,” he is currently 3-0 with two decisions by way of knockout and gaining a lot of serious attention from boxing professionals. According to The Baltimore Sun, Zibikowski has recently “teamed up with legendary trainer Emanuel Steward and acknowledged he is working toward becoming the cruiserweight champion.” After winning bouts in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, he has even mentioned his desire to bring one of his matches to the City of Baltimore.

Pittsburgh Steeler receiver, Hines Ward, is the newest contestant on Dancing with the Stars and has already proven that he has a legitimate shot at winning the entire competition. The Mirror Ball trophy will never live up to the prestige of the Lombardi Trophy, but Ward’s presence on the show is allowing him a chance to explore a unique opportunity, while remaining relevant with fans.

Going from Gridiron to Glamour, Tim Tebow has recently taken on his new role as an underwear model. The Denver Bronco quarterback will be featured in commercials beginning this week for Jockey’s Staycool products.

At the end of the day, all of the players will presumably stick with their “day jobs,” and our Sunday’s will go back to normal. But the lockout is proving to be the perfect time for players to peruse outside interests, while finding the value in marketing themselves and building beneficial business relationships. Everyone’s professional career eventually comes to an end and having a backup plan is now proving to be more vital than ever.

Katy Fincham is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Katy@MaroonPR.com

Running for Charity Goes the Distance

2011-03-25T11:55:00.002-04:00

By Kristen Seabolt

When you think of fighting cancer or poverty, you don't necessarily think of lacing up your running shoes to do so. But millions of people across the country have been putting in the miles to raise money and awareness for the causes they hold dear.

Besides being good for you, running, walking, swimming, and biking can now make a difference in the lives of others. With the growing popularity of running over the past decade, hundreds of charities have taken to the streets, sponsoring and holding thousands of walk/run events... and have significantly benefited from them.

Every year, charities and non-profits raise millions of dollars through these events for their respective causes. Every year, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure raises at least two million dollars in each location. In January, the Houston Marathon’s Run for a Reason charity program raised more than two million dollars to benefit 52 different charities.

In addition, these events attract participants in significant numbers. Last year, the Right Side Foundation held its 2nd Annual 5K, and more than 500 runners participated in the run. Every year, close to four million take part in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. The National MS Society holds 600 MS Walks throughout the year, and more than 8,000 people in Maryland alone participate.

Although walks/runs are a great way help to raise funds, they also help to raise awareness. Last year for example, I ran the Lemon Run in Philadelphia for Alex’s Lemonade Stand. I had never heard of this organization before the race, but I learned through the event that this amazing foundation is in honor of a girl from Pennsylvania who held a lemonade stand in her yard to raise funds for the hospital that was treating her for neuroblastoma. Tragically, Alex passed away when she was eight years old, and her family began the foundation to raise money for childhood cancer. Also, Dean Karnazes, the famous ultra-marathon man, took it upon himself to run 50 Marathons in 50 days to combat childhood obesity and awareness for his “Karno Kids” charity.

Whether it’s a walk, 5K, 10K, triathlon, half-marathon, marathon or an unusual race (such as the Mud Run, Warrior Dash, or Pump & Run), walk/run charity events are an easy and fun way to make a difference in someone’s life. The funds raised in these events are used for research, supplies and for sponsoring various events throughout the year. As a fairly avid runner, I am registered for numerous races throughout 2011, and each one is for a charity organization, such as the Children’s Miracle Network, the Got Your Back Network, the Wounded Warrior Project and Autism Speaks.

So, if you’re looking for a great way to get active this spring, are passionate about a cause, or are simply interested in signing up for a race, why not do it for one of the million amazing organizations out there? Visit the Runner’s World Race Finder to search local events!

Kristen Seabolt is Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kristen@MaroonPR.com

“The Comeback Kid”

2011-03-21T10:56:00.002-04:00

By Chartese Burnett

In the world of sports, we often hear of great comebacks, including come-from-behind wins after a team has trailed its opponent in a matchup, a team that makes it to the playoffs after a dismal regular season, or a franchise that has been a perennial loser and then turns its fate around and claims victories season after season. Comebacks almost always tickle our fancy, and it makes us realize that, against all odds, great things can happen. Baseball fans may remember the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who were down 0-3 games to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, and then in game 4 launched a comeback, and went on to claim the remaining three games, clinching arguably the single biggest comeback in baseball playoff history. They went on the win the World Series when they swept the St. Louis Cardinals to end an 86-year championship drought.

A few years earlier in 1993, on the gridiron, in the 1993 AFC wild card playoff game, the Buffalo Bills were down 35-3 to the Houston Oilers in the second half. Frank Reich, a backup quarterback for the Bills, subbing for the injured starter in Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, and with their star running back out with a hip injury, threw for four touchdowns and led his team to a win in overtime.

I only mention here a couple of great comebacks. However, avid sports fans can certainly re-count dozens more. Today, I’d like to focus our attention on a “different” kind of comeback. I am talking about those circumstances that had nothing to do with on-the-court or on-the field feats; but everything to do the amazing tenacity demonstrated by some of the world’s finest athletes – in overcoming adversity and demonstrating why they are true champions and real heroes and heroines.

The late great civil rights leader, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, once said, “The ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” So many courageous, committed and amazing things were born out of adversity, challenge and even defeat.

Having attended Georgetown University and subsequently returned to serve as Sports Information in the late 80’s, I have followed for many years the career of NBA All-Star Alonzo Mourning. Aside from being a “class act”, a dedicated and committed community activist and philanthropist, “Zo” has defeated the odds and has not only beaten, but has STOMPED adversity. If you’re not familiar with his story, here it is in brief: Prior to the start of the 2000-2001 NBA season, Mourning was diagnosed with a kidney disease which initially caused him to miss five months of that basketball season. However, he continued to defy the odds as his professional basketball career endured. Alonzo eventually underwent a kidney transplant, but later went on to win his first NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006. In 2009, Mourning was the first player in Heat history to have his number “33” retired.

That brings us to recent history. On Saturday night, many of us in the Washington, DC region, and the world (by virtue of the 24-hour news cycle, social media, and the good ‘ole traditional media) became of aware of an amazing comeback by one DC United soccer player in Charlie Davies. I immediately called him “THE Comeback Kid” after watching the replays (via traditional means of watching SportsCenter on television) of his exploits on the field in leading the DC United to a 3-1 debut win over the Columbus Crew. In front of a crowd of 18,132 at RFK Stadium, Davies scored twice, once on a penalty kick and another with his speed.

But here’s why this kid’s performance is awe-inspiring and truly ranks, in my mind, as one of the most thrilling comebacks in sports. In his rookie season with MLS, almost a year and a half ago, Davies was in a fatal car crash that almost took his life – when his car was struck by a drunken driver (the driver’s best friend tragically died in the accident). His body was broken and he suffered life-threatening injuries – the doctors thought Davies might never step onto a soccer field again. However, the first time he did – on Saturday night – he came back in a remarkable fashion. When the final whistle sounded at RFK Stadium Saturday night, Charlie Davies’ prayers had been answered. He gazed into the stands and cried. I am sure some fans cried; some viewers cried, and I admit, I cried as I watched replays of someone who achieved what seemed almost impossible.

That’s what comebacks are all about.

Chartese Burnett is Director of Non-Profit PR at Maroon PR. Contact her at Chartese@MaroonPR.com

Q&A with Arizona State Athletic Media Relations Director, Doug Tammaro

2011-03-17T15:01:00.006-04:00

By Chris Daley

For this blog I thought it was fitting to speak to someone who is a media relations veteran in the world of high-profile college athletics, and who has been behind the scenes of several Division I NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournaments.

Doug Tammaro is a native of Ellwood City, Pa., and graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, in 1991. He has worked at the University of Cincinnati (1991-92), Notre Dame (1992-93) and Arizona State (1993 to present). Doug is currently Athletic Media Relations Director at Arizona State University (ASU). He and his wife Stephanie, an Arizona State graduate who also thinks she is an offensive coordinator, have two girls, Arianna (7) and Miquela (3).

CD: As a media relations manager for a Division I men's basketball team, what becomes your top priority when the team makes it to the Big Dance? Do you discuss a media strategy with the coaches/players/staff prior to the tournament? If so, what guidelines do you stick by?

DT: I think it varies from school to school and year to year. A team like UCONN, which has a ton of media following them daily and has been to the tournament numerous times recently, would have a different agenda than Arizona State or Washington State. The main point you want to get across in this day and age it to look, sound and show you are excited to be there because so many people are watching your every move. It sounds simple, but there are some many things going through a coach’s mind at the time that they might forget that every move and sound bite gets legs in this day and age.

For the players, I always tell them to remember Mom and Grandma will be looking at them, so make them proud. And then or course we give them a couple of things to know about the opponent and prep them with what questions are coming. At that point it is important to remember that you are a “new” story at the site. Your local media get the up-to-date stuff during the week, but in 2009, for example, it was important for James Harden to not be bored with the question of why did you pick Arizona State for or for Herb Sendek to understand that someone might ask him why he left N.C. State for Arizona State in the spring of 2006. Those people at the press conferences don’t cover you every day. They cover you once a year at most.

CD: You've been on the NCAA Basketball Final Four Communications Committee since 2005. What specifically is the committee in charge of and what duties have you performed over the years?

DT: Basically, a crew of about six SIDs from across the country do whatever David Worlock of the NCAA says. That includes the seating chart, credentials, helping CBS, escorting coaches and players, etc. The media demands for the team and players are amazing for such a two-day span (Thursday and Friday before the games) as there is CBS, NCAA Productions, ESPN, big press-conferences, smaller press conferences, Westwood One Radio, and of course the everyday media. What is amazing is up until two years ago we got all this done on Friday. Can't see how we did it. The CBS time slot (an hour for each team) has turned into a mini-movie set. It is great stuff and projects well on someone's HD-TV but the time spent behind it is amazing. The folks at CBS take a lot of pride in making it bigger and better each year.

CD: You had an internship at the University of Cincinnati in 1992 when the basketball team faced the University of Michigan and their "Fab Five." What was that experience like as someone new in collegiate athletic media relations on such a big stage? What did you learn that season during your internship?

DT: That year was amazing. Personally, I was very lucky in that with a small media relations office I had a lot of duties with the basketball team during the year so being a main contact at the Final Four was not overwhelming. The Fab Five was amazing, but in this day and age of social media, Twitter and Facebook, I am not sure how it could have been handled back then. That season personally allowed me to see what college basketball on the big stage was like and all that goes into it. Almost 20 years later I am thankful for the opportunities that Bob Huggins, Tom Hathaway (Cincinnati SID) and John Bianco (Cincinnati SID and current Assistant AD at Texas) allowed me to have, with a nod to Nick Van Exel for making a bunch of key buckets that year.

CD: What's it like to be working with a team that's "On the Bubble" prior to the NCAA Tournament? Does increased positive media attention help your team's chances of getting in?

DT: To be honest, it is draining, time consuming and believe it or not...very fun. You go to sleep hoping your team's RPI doesn't turn out to be the reason you RIP. More media attention cannot hurt your case, but in a way there is so much information out there it is overwhelming. Case in point this year was Colorado. The second they beat Kansas State for the third time, everyone assumed they were in. Folks started talking about the holes in their "resume" and basically questioning scheduling. That part is tough. For us in 2007-08, we had a great season by all standards, but had to listen to the selection chair defend the NCAA Committee not taking Arizona State because of a bad non-conference schedule. But behind the scenes, Illinois and Princeton had their worst seasons and we played both of them. So did ASU just pick a bunch of bad teams to play? No. But it is hard to project all of that.

The numbers such as RPI, SOS, record vs. top-100...it can blow you away. What you don't want to happen is to have your kids enter a game thinking about being a bubble team. But kids watch TV. They read the internet. You can't stop them. So I think all you can do is try to make it a positive that your team is fighting for a chance to play in March Madness. When you win, you brag about all those numbers. When you lose, you look at the scores of other bubble teams and hope they had a bad night as well. Sounds terrible, but that is the world of bubble teams. Only way to avoid it is to win more games.

CD: With social media tools such as Twitter growing in popularity, how do you think Athletic Departments are adjusting to this trend? What people/outlets do you think might be the best sources to follow for updates throughout this year's NCAA tournament?

DT: Jeff Goodman of foxsports.com is very, very, very good. He is the most underrated one out there. Folks know about Andy Katz, Seth Davis and a few others because of who they work for and they are top-notch, but Jeff is very good from an outlet that doesn't cover college hoops as much as the others. Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News has been doing this for a long time and always is ahead of the curve.

Twitter is amazing for the Tournament. I have found out that when a TV is not possible, Twitter is better than a play-by-play from an official stats feed. Athletic Departments, and mainly personnel in the department, are learning Twitter is an amazing tool. I don't think it is going away anytime soon. We all have to embrace it. The interesting thing is now media relations people are figuring out we can be newsmakers and have an opinion as well. I think SIDs in a professional manner need to have more of an opinion for athletics if they have the experience and knowledge.

CD: Who do you have in the Final Four this year and which team from the Pac-10 do you think will go the furthest in the tournament?

DT: My Sun Devil fans will hate me, but I think Arizona is a Sweet 16 team. Derrick Williams is very good and I am not breaking any news on that. But Arizona shoots free throws very well and shoots a lot of them. Not playing in front of 14,000 red and blue fans won't slow them down in my eyes. I despise when people pick a bracket and pick all four No. 1 seeds, so I am going with Ohio State, UCONN, Louisville and my hometown Pitt Panthers. Pitt over Ohio State in the title game because Pittsburgh always beats Ohio teams (that is my black and gold Steeler blood coming out in a college hoops forum). By the way, if UCONN goes to title game it breaks modern-day NCAA record with 41 games played on the year. Figured I would give you a typical media relations note to end your Q&A.

Chris Daley is Senior Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact him at Chris@MaroonPR.com or on Twitter at @ChrisDaley43

FAN IS SHORT FOR “FANATIC”

2011-03-16T09:30:00.004-04:00

By Tim Richardson

In today’s 24-hour news cycle and vast social media universe, athletes, entertainers and anyone with a public persona operates in a fishbowl. Living in the public eye is not easy and you must be conscience of how your words or actions can be construed, or misconstrued, by those watching/listening/reading you.

The world of sports reporting is not exempt from this notion as fans tend to hang on every word from writers, broadcasters, etc. This scrutiny is even greater for former players who trade in their cleats for a microphone or recorder. Forget the seven-second delay or dump button, the filter between their brain and mouth needs to work harder than the Energizer Bunny to avoid the backlash that can be sparked by their words.

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit is the latest example of how fans can go too far with their criticism. Love him or hate him, Herbstreit is one of the best in the business today. That said, he’s also not shy about his love for his alma mater, Ohio State University, where he played football from 1989 to 1993 and was the starting quarterback as a senior. He’s been caught on camera on the sidelines celebrating when the Buckeye’s make an interception or cheering after a great play by the team, and some say his actions make him a “homer” for Ohio State.

But it’s his efforts to be objective when discussing his former school that have caused Herbstreit to make a life-changing move... literally. Earlier this week, after walking the tight-rope for more than a dozen years between national sports broadcaster and hometown kid, Herbstreit had enough and moved his family from Ohio to Tennessee.

The relentless criticism he received from what he referred to as “the vocal minority” of Ohio State fans finally got to the proud Buckeye as he was tired of defending himself to those fanatics (see, remember when I said FAN was short for FANatic) who couldn’t grasp that his job at the largest sports network in the world requires him to be objective and fair... or he will be an ex-college football analyst.

In an article in The Columbus Dispatch, Herbstreit, said “Nobody loves Ohio State more than me. I still have a picture of Woody Hayes and my dad (Jim, a former OSU player) in my office, and nobody will do more than I do for the university behind the scenes. But I've got a job to do, and I'm going to continue to be fair and objective. To continue to have to defend myself and my family in regards to my love and devotion to Ohio State is unfair."

Those in sports know that cheering is forbidden in the press box. Here’s the thing, those pictures of Herbstreit were of him as a fan or a father with his kids, not on the set of ESPN’s College GameDay in his professional role. Herbstreit shouldn’t be criticized for rooting for his alma mater on his “own time,” and he certainly does not warrant being run out of his boyhood home because a small group of fanatics are clueless to how the job is done.

Frankly, people need to get a grip on reality verses a game... which is all college football is when you strip away all of the pomp and circumstance. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE college football and my Saturdays in the fall surround Notre Dame games. But being a fan doesn’t give you the right to be a “fanatic” whose actions cause a man to uproot his family, leave the town he loves and alter the lives of his children when all he was trying to do was his job.

Ironically, Herbstreit announced his move via Twitter... but the criticism found him there too.

Tim Richardson is Executive Vice President at Maroon PR. Contact him at Tim@MaroonPR.com

7 Ways to Make a Difference

2011-03-14T12:57:00.003-04:00

By Courtney Carey

We have all been watching the news in horror as Friday’s unimaginable tragedy in Japan unfolds. As of this morning, the official death toll had reached just over 1,500, but many are expecting that number to rise above 10,000 people. While the initial earthquake and tsunami have passed, the aftershock, mourning and recovery efforts have just begun.

If you’re like me, you feel a sense of helplessness when watching the news about this devastating tragedy. I find myself wondering what I can do to help and make a difference. Technology has made it possible for anyone to make a difference, no matter how big or small the contribution. Every little bit counts.

An article from Mashable details seven simple ways that anyone can make a difference and contribute in the relief efforts:

Text to Donate: The American Red Cross has launched another Text Campaign to aid in the relief efforts in Japan. All you have to do is text REDCROSS to 90999 and $10 will be contributed to their efforts.
Donate Through Facebook: By logging in to your personal Facebook page you can donate $10-$500 through the American Red Cross’ Causes page: http://www.causes.com/campaigns/154523/
Play Virtual Games: Through playing the popular online games FarmVille, CityVille and FrontierVille you can help make a difference in the Japan relief efforts.
Embed a Code: By embedding a simple code on your website or blog, you can encourage others to get involved and help spread the word about relief efforts.
“Like” a Facebook Page: $1 of every “like” on the Dog Bless You Facebook Page (up to $100,000) will be donated to relief efforts. This page has reached the $100,000 goal.
Support through Twitter: There are several hashtags on Twitter that allow you to help with relief efforts and stay up-to-date with the latest news.
Donate on iTunes: Apple has created a donation page on iTunes on which you can choose to donate $5 to $200 towards the cause.

These seven ways to help are just a few of many options out there. For more detailed information on the relief efforts mentioned above, visit the Mashable article, “Japan Earthquake & Tsunami: 7 Simple Ways to Help.”

Courtney Carey is Manager of Social Media at Maroon PR. Contact her at Courtney@Maroon PR.com

Maryland Non-Profits Show Promising Numbers

2011-03-09T16:52:00.003-05:00

By Mitchell Schmale

A study released this week unveiled some promising numbers for Maryland-based nonprofits. A report by Maryland Nonprofits showed that the state added more than 22,200 nonprofit jobs from 2004 – 2009. Even more promising, numbers revealed that Maryland nonprofits grew employment by 2% in 2009, which was just slightly lower than the year before.

The study was good news for not only the State of Maryland, but for the nonprofit sector, which was able to show growth during a very difficult economic time – even if it was modest growth. Our team at Maroon PR is proud to work with a wide variety of recognized and well respected local and national nonprofits serving various constituents. We do our best on a daily basis to help share their message through the media, showcase their ongoing efforts to serve and help others, and ultimately help in their fundraising efforts by growing awareness around each nonprofit’s work and mission.

It’s good to see that nonprofits of all sizes continue be an important part of our economy, both nationally and right here in our backyard in Maryland. The report showed that nonprofits in Maryland employ more than 255,400 people. Hopefully, that number will continue to rise as the entire sector rebounds from the economic downturn and works harder than ever for corporate and public financial support. In the meantime, our team at Maroon PR looks forward to working harder than ever to help drive growth for our nonprofit clients.

Mitchell Schmale is Vice President at Maroon PR. Contact him at Mitchell@MaroonPR.com.

Dining Out with Your Dog?

2011-03-07T12:24:00.003-05:00

By Andrea Kunicky

How would you feel about having your furry little friend accompany you to lunch or dinner outside on a restaurant’s patio?

Well, many in the area now are attempting for a bill to go before the General Assembly that would free Maryland to join in with Florida, California and Minnesota in allowing dining outside with your dog.

Delegate Dan K. Morhaim of Baltimore County is sponsoring the “Dining Out Growth Act of 2011.” He told the Baltimore Sun that the law would give a much-needed boost to the state’s restaurant industry, which has had a tough go of it in the recent economic downturn.

“Frankly, anything that develops economic activity right now is good,” Morhaim told the Sun. “Now when people are outside and walking their dogs, they’ll walk by a place where they’d like to stop and eat. But they won’t because they can’t.”

Many of the local restaurants in the area already welcome dogs, but hundreds more do not because of the state health code violations.

Tomorrow, the dining bill will be discussed at a hearing before the House of Delegates and the Government Operations Committee. According to the Sun, the proposal has the support of many Maryland restaurants, the Humane Society of the United States and the Maryland Health Department. If passed, the law would take effect in October.

So, what does everyone think about this hot button topic in the area? Personally, I am an avid dog lover and would be all for having our four legged friends out for a meal with their owner. But, in the end, the owner should know if the dog is well behaved enough to sit for an hour or two to eat, and to be cognizant of the others around them. I couldn’t see myself enjoying dinner on a patio to only be disrupted by a barking dog throughout my meal.

This will be interesting to see where this bill goes and if we can get more restaurants in the area to approve of this act, because ultimately, it could help their establishments grow more and increase their awareness and exposure to others in the community.

Andrea Kunicky is an Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Andrea@MaroonPR.com

The Charlie Sheen Phenomenon Hits Social Media

2011-03-03T13:19:00.008-05:00

By Pete DeLuca

With recent rants of drug-fueled parties and public tirades on national television, Charlie Sheen has collected a fair amount unflattering nicknames over the past week. Well, it’s time to add one more title to the list: Guinness World Record Holder.

That’s right. Guinness World Records, the ultimate authority on every record-breaking achievement, crowned Sheen the “Fastest to Reach 1 Million Followers on Twitter”. The Guinness website states that @CharlieSheen achieved this record in just 25 hours and 17 minutes.

According to a report in Advertising Age, Internet startup group Ad.ly, which represents high-profile account such as Snopp Dogg and Paris Hilton, brokered the account and was able to get Sheen’s Twitter verified immediately. From there, his account took off. Sheen joined Twitter on March 1 and, within a matter of minutes, he had more than 60,000 followers without even posting a tweet.

What’s Sheen’s motivation for joining the social networking site? It’s a “cash-cow” he told reporters in a recent TMZ article, citing that Kim Kardashian reportedly earns $10,000 per tweet as a part of her contract with Ad.ly. It also serves as his own, personal soap-box – an unfiltered feed to his wild rants.

As one of the highest paid actors in television on CBS’s #1 sit-com Two and a Half Men, there is no doubting Sheen’s popularity. He had it all – which makes watching him self-destruct on a public stage even more fascinating.

One of Sheen’s first tweets read: “In all sincerity... Thank you Twitter community for the warm reception & the followers that helped get me to 1M in 24 hours!!!”

Twitter “Followers” are not always supporters and this “warm reception” may be misconstrued. Although a Guinness World Record may sound like a great accomplishment, I’d argue that the majority of them just want a front row seat to the next bizarre chapter in Sheen’s life.

Pete DeLuca is Manager of Creative Services at Maroon PR. Contact him at Pete@MaroonPR.com

Food for Thought

2011-03-01T12:29:00.003-05:00

By Katy Fincham

Today, for many, is just another Tuesday. For others, today is one of the biggest American holidays of the year – IHOP’s National Pancake Day. What does that mean? FREE pancakes for everyone!

From 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., IHOP restaurants nationwide are offering customers a free short stack of IHOP's buttermilk pancakes. In return for receiving the free delicious meal, IHOP asks costumers to consider leaving a donation as part as their effort to raise awareness and funds for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities.

“IHOP’s National Pancake Day has become a highly anticipated annual event in communities throughout the United States, and provides our guests a fun opportunity to support the efforts of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities,” said Jean Birch, IHOP’s president.

Last year IHOP raised $2.1 million and this year their goal is to raise $2.3 million. Since 2006, IHOP has raised over $5.35 million to support the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities.

What I like best about IHOP’s National Pancake Day is that it gives everyone a chance to make a donation they feel comfortable with. Some charity events are formal functions that include high-priced tickets and expensive auction items that many Americans cannot afford to be a part of. IHOP’s promotion caters to every audience and allows people to get together in a casual environment, enjoy a FREE meal and the chance to donate the amount of money YOU feel most comfortable with. No donation is too small to make a difference.

Katy Fincham is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Katy@MaroonPR.com

NFL Lockout Could Sack Cities

2011-02-25T11:06:00.002-05:00

By Kristen Seabolt

With the looming possibility of a NFL lockout, fans all over the country are left in limbo, waiting and wondering, “What the heck will I do on Sundays come September?”

Well, fans are not the only ones crossing their fingers as the deadline quickly approaches. Mega-million dollar stadiums, team employees, retail and apparel stores, restaurants, bars, hotels, charities, media outlets, advertising agencies, and overall tourism in cities all will be significantly as affected as average fans will be forced to actually be productive on Sunday afternoons.

In an article in the Baltimore Business Journal last week, writer Steve Dance reported on the negative impact the lockout could have on the economic state of cities across the country. According to Dance, a recent 2010 Forbes list of the most valuable NFL teams ranked the Baltimore Ravens 8th overall, worth almost $1.1 billion. Each year, the Ravens bring in $255 million in revenue. With a lockout, that number becomes close to a big fat $0. Furthermore, the NFLPA estimates that each city would, on average, lose about $160 million, or $20 million per game not played should the lockout become a reality. Even for the most stable cities, this is not pocket change.

Overall, a lockout could cause a classic domino effect for the city. With no games, M&T Bank will lose money, stadium employees will lose their jobs, Camden Yards will lose funding for repairs, bars and restaurants will lose patrons, retail and apparel stores will lose sales, hotels will lose guests, charities will lose funding and athlete appearances, and Baltimore will be even more hopeful that the Orioles have an amazing year.

Lastly, what will the media do without football? If there are no games, will anyone be tuned in to their local sports talk radio or TV stations? According to CBS Radio, a one point drop in ratings equals about $1 million lost in radio advertising revenue. Although I am sure the media will find plenty to talk about as they always do, a lack of programming could be a significant problem for outlets or sports writers who are solely dedicated to reporting on the NFL or pre/post game coverage.

Thankfully, although Roger Goodell said a few weeks ago that little progress had been made, recent reports claim that both sides are inching toward a compromise. And hopefully come September, stadiums will be full, bars will be packed, and fans such as myself and cities alike can breathe easy. But they better work it out soon because the clock on the 2011 NFL season is ticking.

Kristen Seabolt is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kristen@MaroonPR.com

Google Steps up During Times of Disaster

2011-02-23T12:05:00.003-05:00

By Courtney Carey

Yesterday, a devastating earthquake hit the historic town of Christchurch in New Zealand. As of this morning, officials stated that 75 people were killed and 300 are reported missing. Among all of the tragedy, there is some positive news. At least 120 survivors were pulled from the wreckage and many people are stepping up to help. One household name that is making a huge impact is Google.

Google helps individuals sort through billions of bits of information for its users every day. Now, the company is expanding and using their immense database for an incredible cause. Google launched a Person Finder web page that will attempt to reunite missing friends and families. The Person Finder site was created along with the U.S. Department of State after a devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in January, 2010. Google’s person Finder sites were also used in response to earthquakes in Chile and China.

The website allows users to search for a missing person by entering an individual’s name into a user-created database. If a match is not found, the user can leave information and a message about the person. Users can also leave information about themselves in case others are trying to locate them. As of late last night, more than 6,500 records were created on the site.

Google is also working on crisis response pages that would include lists of helpful resources, emergency contact numbers and real-time updates from popular social media sites, such as Twitter and YouTube.

Google is setting an incredible example of how modern technology can be used to truly impact the world and make a real difference in peoples’ lives. Thanks to Google, people have a chance to be reconnected with their family and friends after going through an unimaginable disaster. I really admire what they are doing and I hope that the People Finder web page continues to successfully reconnect loved ones.

Courtney Carey is Manager of Social Media at Maroon PR. Contact her at Courtney@MaroonPR.com

Everyone Has a Story to Tell

2011-02-21T11:04:00.003-05:00

By Chartese Burnett

We are bombarded everyday with news accounts of tragedy, violence in Egypt, the war in Afghanistan, child abuse, homicides, the contentious political landscape, budget cuts that threaten to eliminate vital programs that benefit society, and on and on and on. Everywhere you turn, there are sad stories with which we are deluged on TV, on the radio, on the Internet; and of course, these days, via all the social media outlets.

However, just as there are stories of destruction and death, there are also stories of hope that abound. For those of us play a part in these stories, let’s start telling those. Let’s begin to utilize all of these effective outlets – TV, radio, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Wordpress, etc. to share with the world the stories of survival, triumph and miracles.

Let’s inundate the public with those stories. Let’s share with the media and their captive audiences the good news: that victims are surviving, that patients are overcoming disease, that endangered species and the environment are being protected, that underserved children are being embraced and educated, that we are making strides and reaching new heights in America and in the world and attacking the many ills that affect society, health and the environment.

As my friend Joe Schreiber shared with my Sports Media Today class at the University of Maryland: “Storytelling is key in the world of publicity and journalism.” Schreiber helped launch and produce NBC’s George Michael’s Sports Machine, which aired for 23 years, making it the longest running locally produced, nationally syndicated sports show in television history. The show earned 11 Emmy awards. He is an accomplished producer, journalist and now working with many organizations to help them with their messages through various multimedia platforms.

In the world of public relations and journalism, those professionals who are most successful in spreading their message (getting their news covered and/or getting their work published) are most often those who are the best storytellers.

It is no different in the world of philanthropy. Organizations whose mission is to connect with constituents -- who include board members, donors, and the research community, among others -- MUST tell their story. They must recognize the value of the communications, media and public relations function. Many nonprofits have yet to embrace the importance of telling their story through the many tremendous opportunities to do so; including a comprehensive and extensive communications plan, along with passionate and experienced personnel to execute it.

Creating awareness for events, initiatives, programs, newsworthy research funded, significant findings from studies – should be at the core of the outreach, pr and media efforts for any nonprofit entity. A strategic approach to communicating the organization’s mission, with the ultimate goal to fund and further the mission, i.e. a call to action, is the key to garnering the support of existing donors, potential major gift givers, and alliances with corporate partners and sponsors.

Especially in challenging economic times, it is even more important to position yourself positively – when there are numerous organizations, entities, and individuals vying for the same pot of money in the world of giving.

As a PR professional, one of the rules of thumb is that you have to be able to answer the “so what?” question when pitching a story or news item to the media. You have to be able to explain why a particular media outlet’s readers, viewers and/or listeners should care. What’s in it for them? Why is it important – to them or to their community or to the world at large?

Talented, skilled and compassionate communications professionals know how to craft that message, engage the audience and to answer that question.

Just like any other business entity, nonprofits must have key messages that serve as the definition of WHO they are, WHAT they have done and WHAT their brand represents.

Positive and strategic PR for a nonprofit should not only motivate and retain existing audiences, but should also serve to expand opportunities for new audiences to engage in a meaningful way.

At Maroon, we are very privileged to work with or serve as the public relations teams of several nonprofit clients, and we are blessed to be able to share THEIR stories of funding research to cure diseases, supporting patients and families living with life-threatening illnesses, protecting the environment and endangered species, cultivating a generation which values volunteerism, and educating and empowering our underserved youth through the gift and joy of reading.

However, these stories belong to ALL of us. It is not only THEIR story… it is YOUR story… it is OUR story. For isn’t the onus on each and everyone one of us not be silent, but to speak up for those who are not able to do so for themselves and to make a difference?

We will continue to work hard at telling stories in a meaningful and impactful way – stories about heroes, miracles, and about people who are changing the world.

Chartese Burnett is Director of Non-Profit PR at Maroon PR. Contact her at Chartese@MaroonPR.com

Life is Good

2011-02-17T13:14:00.003-05:00

By Chris Daley

I’m curious to know how many people clicked-through to this blog simply because of the title. It’s simple, catchy and makes you feel pretty good right?

Being in the public relations profession, I’m a fan of brands. The other night I stumbled across a TV show on CNBC called How I Made My Millions. The story I began watching was about the guys who started Life is Good.

I’m quite sure everyone who is reading this has heard of this brand, and I doubt anyone has anything bad to say about them. That’s a powerful brand. It has a simple message, happy logo, quality product and great story. I personally do not own a Life is Good product, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t buy one of their products as a gift for someone, or maybe a hat for myself down the road. There’s something about buying one of their products that makes people feel special.

If you are like me and didn’t know the story behind Life is Good, here’s a brief history. Two nice guys from a humble background sent out on a mission to sell t-shirts. With some creativity, and a naive never say “can’t” attitude their idea, and a little luck, led them to making millions. Sound familiar?

What I also never knew about Life is Good is the detailed story and how much their brand impacted people in need. Not only is their brand strong, but they’re utilizing their platform to help thousands of children.

The defining moment in the company's fundraising initiatives occurred following the tragedy of September 11, 2001. The public's overwhelming response to a specially-designed American flag t-shirt enabled the company to make a $207,000 donation to the United Way on behalf of families whose loved ones were victims of the terrorist attacks. That experience enabled Life is Good to see more clearly the opportunity to have a sustained, positive impact through charitable giving.

The Life is Good Festival last year was attended by 30,000 people and raised over $500,000 for the Life is Good Kids Foundation and its mission of helping kids overcome life-threatening challenges including violence, illness and extreme poverty. Since being founded, the foundation has raised over $4 million to help kids facing life-threatening challenges.

The Life is Good brand is a great story and the way they tell it gives them credibility, brand power and consumer loyalty. Add that to the work they do to help children who need it is a model that I feel all established brands should follow. To learn more about the Life is Good story, visit LifeisGood.com.

Chris Daley is a Senior Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact him at Chris@MaroonPR.com and follow him on Twitter @ChrisDaley43.

"Nevermore" on the Horizon

2011-02-11T16:19:00.004-05:00

By Mitchell Schmale

It looks as if the Edgar Allan Poe House in Baltimore is in danger of being Nevermore.

The current museum and former house where the famous author lived in Baltimore in the 1830’s is being threatened with closure due to lack of funding. Baltimore City officials have asked the museum to become self-sufficient and implement a plan to operate without using public funds by July 2012.

The museum operates on an annual budget of $85,000 and now must quickly create a compelling plan to help find the necessary funding from donors, corporate partners and others to stay alive in a very tough economy.

Baltimore takes great pride in its connection to one of history’s most legendary authors. The mystique of Edgar Allan Poe runs deep in Baltimore, where Poe died in 1849 and is also buried. The Poe theme is even reflected in the city’s modern day culture, including the name of Baltimore’s NFL team and mascot.

It’s understandable that Baltimore City officials are limited in how much financial aid they can provide in the current economy while facing their own budget shortfalls. It is situation that calls for tough and sometimes unpopular decisions.

Hopefully, this little piece of Baltimore’s history can be saved for future generations to enjoy and the museum can create a campaign to create a long-term survival plan. It would be nice if at least one Edgar Allan Poe story had a happy ending.

Mitchell Schmale is Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him at Mitchell@MaroonPR.com

Appreciating the Warmth of a Cold Nose

2011-02-09T15:38:00.003-05:00

By Tim Richardson

It’s impossible for me to be objective when it comes to the subject of animal cruelty. I love animals... in particular my black lab, Rocko, and cat, Meeko. When my wife and I lost our dog Murphy one year ago this week, it was a devastating experience. Some people said I was overreacting because it was “just a dog.” My aggravation at those people turned into feelings of sadness for them as they obviously never experienced the joy of having an animal be such a major piece of their lives. Regrettably, that belief about animals not having significant value seems too commonplace in today’s society.

Whether you have pets or not, animal cruelty is a serious issue that deserves the proper attention. This hot-button topic resurfaced in Baltimore this week when a mistrial was called in a ground-breaking case of abuse against a dog. Travers and Tremayne Johnson were on trial for dousing a young pit bull with gasoline and setting her on fire in broad daylight in West Baltimore. Later named Phoenix by the caregivers who tended to her injuries, the pit bull succumbed to her horrific wounds just five days following the attack. Just three days ago, 11 of the 12 jurors were prepared to return a guilty verdict in this case, while one juror was not convinced by the evidence – hence, the mistrial.

The decision to retrial the case now rests in the hands of Baltimore State's Attorney's Office. This tragedy takes on a new level if our judicial system does not demonstrate the fervor to see this through and deliver a message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated. Phoenix's brutal death brought about widespread outrage in 2009 that needs to be summoned in light of this recent development.

In response to this case in 2009, the Mayor’s Anti-Animal Abuse Task Force was established in July of that year and charged with helping the City of Baltimore prevent and prosecute animal cruelty, including dog fighting. Unfortunately, that level of attention was not in place for such cases of animal abuse prior to the tragedy involving Phoenix. Court testimony during the Johnson brothers’ trial detailed how authorities did not have any real procedures in place to handle crimes against animals and police were unclear on how to go about their investigation. Led by Caroline Griffin, the task force however has made great strides in educating the public about the severity of animal cruelty and police agencies have trained officers to handle such incidents.

Additionally, animal welfare organizations, such as the Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter (BARCS) should be commended for the work they do on behalf of these defenseless animals. BARCS is a nonprofit that cares for more than 12,000 animals per year, including the majority of animal neglect and abuse cases in the City.

Thankfully, it appears that we are moving in the right direction in some aspects. But it’s the responsibility of parents, law enforcement, animal welfare groups and citizens in general to make a declaration that cruelty against animals will not be tolerated. That first step begins with retrying Travers and Tremayne Johnson and holding them accountable for their actions.

Tim Richardson is Executive Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him at Tim@MaroonPR.com

Fans Denied Seats to Big Game Now Receive Free Tickets for Next Year

2011-02-08T12:30:00.003-05:00

By Andrea Kunicky

Imagine spending hundreds or ever thousands of dollars on Super Bowl tickets to watch your favorite team play plus add in all of the travel expenses just to be turned away from your seats?! That's what happened to more than 1,200 ticket holders at Cowboys Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday. 850 people were relocated to other seats and about 400 others were denied seats altogether because sections of temporary bleachers were declared unsafe and unusable.

The 400 affected ticket holders were brought inside the stadium and allowed to watch the game on monitors in a field-level club area or from standing-room locations at each corner of the stadium and were promised refunds by the NFL worth three times the face value of their tickets, which were mostly around $800 or $900 a piece.
Another item added to the list… the NFL will also provide free tickets to the 2012 Super Bowl to those affected fans.

And…why did this all happen? The NFL and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones were trying to break the Super Bowl attendance mark of 103,985, set at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA in 1980, by putting in temporary stands above the end zones, along the sidelines and selling standing-room only tickets on stairwells. The work was not fully completed and some of the seats remained vacant because of safety concerns.

“We apologize to those fans that were impacted by this,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at a press briefing. “We will certainly do a thorough review and get to the bottom of why it all occurred, but we take full responsibility for that.”

I am a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan and if I had the chance to get a ticket to the most important game of the year knowing this could be a once in a lifetime experience, to then arrive and be denied my seat… I can certainly understand why many fans could be in an uproar. The NFL did a smart thing by addressing the situation in a prompt and efficient way and giving away some high priced items in return, but that will never take away the experience these fans could have had, especially watching their favorite team in the big game. You can’t refund an experience like that.

I’m sure the NFL will address this situation thoroughly and will take all the precautions to not make this mistake in a future event.

Andrea Kunicky is an Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Andrea@MaroonPR.com