Year: 2010

A word from our newest!

Posted on | by Ketner Group | 1 Comment on A word from our newest!

Brittany graduateI’m Ketner Group’s resident rookie. I graduated with my bachelor’s of public relations way, way back in May 2009, and promptly joined the Ketner Group family.

I’ve known from the beginning that I liked my job. We have awesome clients. I have a super cute desk (let’s be honest, what PR girl does not like cute office furniture from IKEA?) and post-it notes that bear my initials (again, PR ladies, do not act like you aren’t jealous). I even have my own extension and business cards (I know you are impressed!). Our team really is like a family, which I proudly admit even though I fall squarely in the “cliché” camp with that admission.

I knew I liked my job, but when friends, family and really anyone else asked me how I liked it, I would quickly give a thoughtless answer, something like, “It’s OK,” and change the subject.
Really? It’s just OK?

I blame my wishy-washy feelings on the transition from full-time student to full-time employee. Let’s examine.

Maybe it was my deep-seated fear that I chose the wrong major. I mean, there was that existential meltdown of 2007 when I applied for and was accepted to become an advertising major, only to jump right back into the PR camp after deciding my professors were biased and made advertising appear overly sexy and glamorous. For shame, professors! But I never did feel confident in my decision again.

Maybe it was how I didn’t know how I truly felt about the cold, hard fact that I will never again have a summer vacation or a whole month off for winter break. Truthfully, it was a little difficult to pick and choose which family holiday obligations I was actually obliged to attend, and then to carefully ration my vacation days so as to make the most people happy while saving enough days for the rest of the year. Continue reading →

The Heart of the Proactive Volunteer: We need YOU!

Posted on | by Catherine Seeds

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands . You need to be able to throw something back. ~ Maya Angelou

While thinking about the topic for this blog entry, I was inspired, in a strange way, by the recent tragic events in Haiti. More than 150,000 people were killed, and hundreds of thousands more injured, during the violent 7.0 earthquake that rocked Port-au-Prince to its core. The global response, however, to the plight of the people of Haiti has been a beautiful sight to behold. Millions of dollars have been pledged and given by citizens, rich and poor, from all over the world. Donated food, water and medical supplies are now flown in on a daily basis. Thousands of doctors, nurses and rescue workers have put their daily lives on hold to travel to Haiti to help feed and care for the millions of Haitians struggling to put their country back together.

The earthquake in Haiti reminded me of another horrible tragedy that happened in recent years on our own soil: Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath that devastated the Gulf Coast. We were all in shock to see the images of angry citizens in need of water and dead bodies outside the New Orleans Superdome. In response, citizens of the world rallied around those in need, and welcomed with open arms those who were forced to leave their homes. And again, many volunteered their services to help put our Gulf Coast cities back on the map again.

While these are wonderful examples of people of all types and skill sets stepping up to the plate in response to a cry for help, I have been thinking about the notion of proactive volunteering. Now, I am the first to admit that I am one of those who really only thinks about “giving back” when natural disasters occur, or during the holidays when my family and I participate in the Salvation Army Angel Tree program, or if a friend or family member is in need of a little financial help. This is all good and well, but couldn’t I do better than being “reactive” or “seasonal” when it comes to helping out those in need in my city, country and world? Is this the example that I want to set for my two children? Continue reading →

The Power of the Press (Release)

Posted on | by Jeff Ketner

For better or worse, press releases are a staple of every public relations toolkit. Used incorrectly, they can be the bane of an editor’s inbox: when the “news” isn’t really newsworthy, when companies take a shotgun approach to the media list, and when media outlets are bombarded with irrelevant information (does the New York Times really care about your software company’s latest technology partnership?).

Used properly, however, a press release is a powerful communications tool that can help create sales opportunities, drive revenues and much more – all of which is underscored by several client examples from the past few months.

Just before this month’s NRF (National Retail Federation) show, for example, one of our retail technology clients, an NRF exhibitor, received a call from a midsized apparel retailer, requesting a meeting at the show. The impetus? The retailer had just seen a press release announcing that another retailer (one of our client’s customers) had received a major industry award for successfully implementing our client’s software. If our client’s software could provide a competitive advantage, this retailer didn’t want to be left out in the cold. The press release opened a door, the meeting went well, and sales discussions are continuing.

In a similar vein, this fall we announced that a well-known consumer electronics brand had tapped another of our clients for a major technology initiative – and within a few days, our client received an inquiry from another brand looking for a similar solution. That inquiry has led to ongoing sales meetings, and at this point, a deal looks probable. If so, the revenue from that one customer will likely cover the cost of our PR services for many years to come.

Continue reading →