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04/25/12 Verdin Qualifies as National ADDY® Award Finalist

 

04/11/12 SLO Revealed is Back!

 

04/04/12 LeftLane Sports acquires Seshday.com

 

03/27/12 Antique Show to Raise Funds for Local Nonprofit

 

03/22/12 SLO Symphony to release new CD at French Hospital Medical Center

 

03/19/12 SLO Cyclists to Take Nation’s Capitol by Storm

 

02/10/12 Publicity is not public relations

 

12/14/11 Easyjet Twitter fail teaches valuable lesson

 

11/21/11 Verdin wins five global marketing, design awards

 

11/15/11 French Hospital ranks among nation’s Top 50 hospitals for heart care

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  • 04/25/12 Verdin Qualifies as National ADDY® A...

    We’re happy to announce that Verdin is now a 2012 National ADDY® Award finalist. As a 2012 winner of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) District ADDY® Awards for its rebrand campaign, Verdin is eligible to move on to the National …View More

    Verdin Qualifies as National ADDY® Award Finalist

    April 25th, 2012 - by Whitney Diaz

    Verdin Rebrand (collateral)

    We’re happy to announce that Verdin is now a 2012 National ADDY® Award finalist. As a 2012 winner of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) District ADDY® Awards for its rebrand campaign, Verdin is eligible to move on to the National ADDY® Awards competition, the largest of its kind in the country.

    The Verdin Rebrand Campaign won a gold ADDY® Award at the regional level in March, which qualified the local company to move forward in the competition to the district level, where it won a Silver ADDY® Award. Any entry that wins gold or silver at the district level is eligible to advance and compete in the national competition along with over 1,500 other finalists.

    Verdin, formerly Verdin Marketing Ink, rebranded itself in fall 2011 to convey an evolution that has taken place over the past eight years. Complete with a new logo, tagline, blog, social media presence and more, the rebrand showcased Verdin’s sophistication and personality using a friendly, creative design with a surprising color palette.

    Verdin Rebrand Up Close

    “We have worked with many clients on their branding and rebranding, so our own rebrand was an opportunity to refine our process. We feel the final product really represents who we are as a company, and look forward to applying this same evolved process in branding for our clients,” said Mary Verdin, the agency’s president. “Everything goes back to our clients, including this rebrand and this award. It’s all about them and what we can do for them.”

    The National ADDY® Awards will be chosen from entries from across the country May 4 through 5 in Washington, D.C., by an illustrious panel of judges. National winners will be presented at the National ADDY® Awards Show in Austin, TX on June 5 at the Hilton Austin, as part of the AAF National Conference.

    For more information, or to see samples of other marketing campaigns and materials created by Verdin, peruse our website or “like” the Verdin Facebook page at www.facebook.com/verdinvision.

    Verdin Rebrand (Mailer Set)

    About the American Advertising Federation
    The American Advertising Federation (AAF) is the nation’s oldest national advertising trade association, and the only association representing all facets of the advertising industry. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., it acts as the “Unifying Voice for Advertising.” The AAF also has 15 district operations, each located in and representing a different region of the nation. The AAF’s mission is to protect and promote the well being of advertising by coordinating a unique, national grassroots network of advertisers, agencies, media companies, local advertising clubs and college chapters. For more information, visit www.aaf.org.

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  • 04/11/12 SLO Revealed is Back!

    The San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Luis Obispo will host the second annual “SLO Revealed” adventure race May 5. Registration for this wildly successful event is now open. SLO Revealed is a fun, …View More

    SLO Revealed is Back!

    April 11th, 2012 - by Whitney Diaz

    The San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Luis Obispo will host the second annual “SLO Revealed” adventure race May 5. Registration for this wildly successful event is now open.

    SLO Revealed is a fun, challenging event in downtown San Luis Obispo for adults and older children. Participating teams will race against the clock and other teams throughout downtown using challenging clues to solve riddles. Teams begin and end at The Creeky Tiki and celebrate afterward with dinner, dancing and a “wacky” awards party.

    Joan G Sargen and CauseMedia Group sponsor SLO Revealed. Adult participant tickets are $40, students $25 and children 12 and under are $15. Ticket prices include dinner, a drink and a free hint.  Event check-in begins at the Creeky Tiki at 2 p.m, the adventure race runs between 3 and 5 p.m. Dinner, raffles, dancing and awards will be held from 5 to 7 p.m.

    The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of SLO County is a diverse religious community providing a nurturing environment where individuals are encouraged in their search for truth and supported in acting on their beliefs. All are welcome to share in our open, challenging journey.  Visit them at 2201 Lawton Street in San Luis Obispo and on the web at www.sanluisobispounitarianuniversalists.org.

    The San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum inspires learning through play for children ages 2-10, and is located at 1010 Nipomo St. in downtown San Luis Obispo. Program and activity information can be found at www.slocm.org or by calling (805) 545-5874.

    Visit www.slorevealed.com for event information and to register online.

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  • 04/04/12 LeftLane Sports acquires Seshday.com

    San Luis Obispo’s own LeftLaneSports.com has acquired Seshday.com, the largest flash sale site catering to action sports enthusiasts. This is the second acquisition for LeftLane Sports in seven months. “LeftLane Sports is excited to welcome the Seshday crew into our …View More

    LeftLane Sports acquires Seshday.com

    April 4th, 2012 - by Whitney Diaz

    LeftLaneSports.com

    LeftLaneSports.com

    San Luis Obispo’s own LeftLaneSports.com has acquired Seshday.com, the largest flash sale site catering to action sports enthusiasts. This is the second acquisition for LeftLane Sports in seven months.

    “LeftLane Sports is excited to welcome the Seshday crew into our team. They’ve built an incredible core audience, and LeftLane Sports is poised to take Seshday to the next level,” said Helio Fialho, Chief Executive Officer of LeftLane Sports.

    LeftLane Sports also acquired and absorbed 118Boardshop.com in September 2011. Seshday will continue to operate as an independent site focused on delivering core brands and products for skate, surf, snow, motocross, BMX, and wake. The acquisition solidifies LeftLane Sports’ position as the top flash sale site in the outdoor and action sports industry. It has achieved unprecedented success in such a short time, and grew by 850 percent in 2011.

    “Now that we have consolidated the space, our members will have exclusive access to every major brand in the industry,” continued Fialho.

    LeftLane Sports declines to reveal the financial terms of the acquisition, but did state that they acquired 100 percent of Seshday assets and equity; and that Seshday founder Marcelo Bengoechea will remain as a member of LeftLane Sports executive team focused on the Seshday operations and the action sports category.

    “LeftLane Sports is the perfect partner because of their expertise in the space. Their team brings tremendous knowledge and experience to the table. That, combined with their superior technology, infrastructure, and incredible back-end operations will be invaluable as we aggressively focus on growing the business,” said Bengoechea.

    Seshday will continue to operate its Northern San Diego, Calif. office that will focus on buying and marketing, but much of the site’s operations will be consolidated to the LeftLane Sports headquarters in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Seshday will also migrate onto the Auspient technology and infrastructure platform.

    Auspient is also based in San Luis Obispo, California and is the leading e-commerce service provider whose expertise in the flash sale space has been instrumental in developing and launching scores of clients, including One Kings Lane, The Mini Social, Tightlinz, PlanetGear.com, and others. Auspient delivers highly scalable e-commerce solutions and traditional direct-to-consumer, business-to-business, and flash sale e-commerce. The Auspient proprietary ACE-BackOffice platform coupled with Auspient’s end-to-end services such as distribution, fulfillment, call center, and site design and production, will allow Seshday to scale quickly and efficiently as it has for LeftLane Sports.

    About LeftLane Sports
    LeftLane Sports is an exclusive private sale site offering premium outdoor, fitness, and action sports products at up to 70 percent off retail price. Website membership is free and requires only a name and e-mail address. LeftLane Sports was founded in 2009 by industry veterans and friends, Helio Fialho, Maggie Bartels, and Erik Fialho. LeftLane Sports was initially self-funded by its founders and ongoing operations. In October 2011, LeftLane Sports raised its first round of capital led by San Luis Obispo investors.

    To become a member, visit www.leftlanesports.com.

    LeftLane Sports, LeftLaneSports.com, Seshday, Seshday.com, the LeftLane Sports logo and the Seshday logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of LeftLane Sports, Inc. All other sponsored products, company names, brand names, trademarks, and logos are the property of their respective owners.

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  • 03/27/12 Antique Show to Raise Funds for Local...

    The Three Speckled Hens Antique Show will once again raise funds for charity on the Central Coast. This year’s show on April 14 and 15 will donate a portion of the gate sales to local nonprofit organization Jack’s Helping Hand. …View More

    Antique Show to Raise Funds for Local Nonprofit

    March 27th, 2012 - by Whitney Diaz

    three speckled hens donation

    The Three Speckled Hens founders, (from left to right) Susi Fuller, Kathy Marquart, and Carrie Millan, presented a check for $1,000 to Bridget Ready of Jack’s Helping Hand. The funds were raised by the Three Speckled Hens Antique Show in October 2011.

    The Three Speckled Hens Antique Show will once again raise funds for charity on the Central Coast. This year’s show on April 14 and 15 will donate a portion of the gate sales to local nonprofit organization Jack’s Helping Hand.

    In the past year, Three Speckled Hens donated a total of $2,300 to Jack’s Helping Hand from last year’s shows. Event organizers Carrie Millan, Kathy Marquart and Susi Fuller (the “Three Speckled Hens”) were so inspired by the mission of Jack’s Helping Hand, they have chosen to support it again for the upcoming show in April in Frontier Town at the Paso Robles Event Center.

    This year’s show brings with it special guest Ki Nassauer, founder and owner of Junk Revolution and Junk Bonanza and former contributing editor to Country Home Magazine. Nassauer will be there on April 14 at 12 and 2 p.m. for a special meet and greet, and to autograph copies of the newest Flea Market Style Magazine. The two-day show hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The show’s entry fee is $7 per person and the early bird entry fee on Saturday (from 9 to 10 a.m.) is $10 per person.

    Now in its sixth year of service, Jack’s Helping Hand assists children with illnesses and disabilities, providing special treatments, services, equipment and transportation not provided by other sources, or that exceed family financial capabilities.

    For a schedule of shows and more information, visit www.threespeckledhens.com. For more information about Jack’s Helping Hand, please call (805) 547-1914 or visit www.jackshelpinghand.org.

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  • 03/22/12 SLO Symphony to release new CD at Fre...

    The San Luis Obispo Symphony (SLO Symphony) has partnered with French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) to produce a new CD featuring Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” that will be released on March 25. The CD will be given to all …View More

    SLO Symphony to release new CD at French Hospital Medical Center

    March 22nd, 2012 - by Whitney Diaz

    The San Luis Obispo Symphony (SLO Symphony) has partnered with French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) to produce a new CD featuring Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” that will be released on March 25.

    Music For a New Life

    The San Luis Obispo Symphony and French Hospital have partnered to provide Vivalid's "The Four Seasons" to new mothers who give birth at the hospital.

    The CD will be given to all new mothers who give birth in the FHMC Family Birthing Center, as part of a take-home package that will help in the newborn child’s development.

    “Parent appreciation for music – playing music in the home and making music with a child – is key to a child’s musical future and a proven asset for mastering math and language. Studies show that music stimulates the brain, aiding in the development of mathematic skills, logic, perception and memory,” said SLO Symphony Music Director Mike Nowak. “So this CD is an ideal gift for new parents. We’re so happy to partner with French Hospital to provide this delightful work for new parents to share with their children.”

    The CD was recorded live at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts in Arroyo Grande, Calif. and features violinist Kathleen Lenski and the SLO Symphony Chamber Players, Michael Nowak conducting. “The Four Seasons” is Vivaldi’s best known work and one of the most popular pieces in the entire Baroque music repertoire. Composed in 1723, the work is a set of four violin concertos, each resembling its respective season (Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter).

    “From promoting excellent prenatal care to providing breastfeeding support and family focused birthing care, we believe in giving our newborns the best start possible at our Family Birthing Center.  Sending each newborn home with music to stimulate development is a wonderful extension of our program. And, we greatly appreciate this special collaboration between the SLO Symphony and French Hospital,” says FHMC President and CEO Alan Iftiniuk.

    The CD will be available for a small donation of $15 at the SLO Symphony’s Family Concert on March 25, and five lucky families who attend the concert will get to take one home as a door prize. The CD will also be available for a similar donation in the FHMC gift shop.

    For more information or for a full list of upcoming SLO Symphony concerts, visit www.slosymphony.com or call (805) 543-3533.

    About the SLO Symphony
    The San Luis Obispo Symphony is a nonprofit organization based in San Luis Obispo, Calif. that strives to support an outstanding community orchestra, to foster symphonic and chamber music education, and to contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of the Central Coast. More information can be found at www.slosymphony.com.

    About the Family Birthing Center at French Hospital Medical Center
    The Family Birthing Center at French Hospital Medical Center focuses as much on proper preparation for the birth of your child, as the birth itself and your roles as parents. Our intimate and private rooms make you feel comfortable and at ease during your birthing process. Newborns are cared for at the mother’s bedside by the same nurse who provides care for the mother. The Family Birthing Center also provides Childbirth and Parenting Education Programs as well as Breastfeeding Education and Support.

    About French Hospital Medical Center
    Located in San Luis Obispo, California, French Hospital Medical Center is ranked among the top 50 Cardiac hospitals in the country by Thomson Reuters. The Family Birthing Center and Emergency Department are also nationally recognized for patient satisfaction in quality and excellence. The one-of-a-kind Hearst Cancer Resource Center offers support and guidance free of charge to all cancer patients and their families. Established in 1946, ongoing modernization efforts to this 112-bed acute care hospital will help meet the growing needs of the community with innovative, lifesaving state-of-the-art technology coupled with excellent, compassionate care.  French is a Dignity Health member of the Central Coast which also includes Arroyo Grande Community Hospital in Arroyo Grande, CA and Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria, CA.

    For interviews and other information, please contact Communications Director Patty Thayer at (805) 543-3533, ext. 15.

     

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  • 03/19/12 SLO Cyclists to Take Nation’s C...

    Representatives of the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition will brave the weather and head to Washington D.C. next week for the 2012 National Bike Summit, a gathering of bicycle organizations from all over the country. From March 20 to …View More

    SLO Cyclists to Take Nation’s Capitol by Storm

    March 19th, 2012 - by Whitney Diaz

    Dan Rivoire (2nd from left) with other advocates at the 2011 National Bike Summit.

    Representatives of the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition will brave the weather and head to Washington D.C. next week for the 2012 National Bike Summit, a gathering of bicycle organizations from all over the country.

    From March 20 to 23, Coalition staff members will advocate for federal funding for biking and walking in the next Federal Transportation Bill, and share the unified voice of the Central Coast on Capitol Hill.

    The Coalition’s Executive Director Dan Rivoire and Marketing and Outreach Director Leslie Bloom will represent the Central Coast and the Coalition at the summit. Throughout the week, they will meet with local and state elected representatives to ensure future funding for transportation projects that include bicycle and pedestrian facilities. They will also share the Central Coast’s accomplishments with more than 900 bicycle advocates from across the country.

    “The National Bike Summit is an unbelievable opportunity for us to learn lessons from our nationwide allies and remind our representatives how important biking and walking is to our region,” Rivoire said. “We are proud to be the voice of biking and walking on the Central Coast and are excited to have the opportunity to amplify that voice all the way to our nation’s capital.”

    Continued federal funding for biking and walking is essential for future bicycle projects in San Luis Obispo County, including completion of the Bob Jones Trail in Avila Beach and the De Anza Trail in Paso Robles. Advocating for these funds and projects is just a portion of what the Coalition does to improve bicycling in all parts of the county. Most recently they helped get the Morro Bay Bike Plan approved and helped facilitate an update to the Arroyo Grande Bike Plan.

    You can follow Rivoire and Bloom’s progress on the Coalition’s blog at www.slobikelane.wordpress.com throughout the week, as they share the most up to date information, photos, videos and stories with everyone here in California.

    About the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition
    The San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition is the voice for bicycles in San Luis Obispo County. The Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides bike education, maintenance, advocacy and loads of other bike-related support for the public through numerous community-based programs including the Bicycle Valet at the SLO Farmers’ Market, Kidical Mass, and more. For more information, visit www.slobikelane.org.

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  • 02/10/12 Publicity is not public relations

    I’m a trained journalist who learned how to do a job from a reporter’s perspective: Be thorough. Report accurate information. Be fair. Remain objective. Be transparent. So when I transitioned to public relations three years ago, I thought I would …View More

    Publicity is not public relations

    February 10th, 2012 - by Whitney Diaz

    I’m a trained journalist who learned how to do a job from a reporter’s perspective: Be thorough. Report accurate information. Be fair. Remain objective. Be transparent.

    So when I transitioned to public relations three years ago, I thought I would have to do everything differently. To a certain extent, that’s true. But I still have that journalism frame of mind and approach to everything I do. The benefit of having a background in journalism is that I know how reporters think. And when you think like a reporter, you can get your news out there.

    Public relations is a form of journalism, but while reporting is more reactive, public relations is proactive. I recently attended a Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) seminar, and learned a lot.

    One of the greatest takeaways from the seminar, and something I will continue to tell myself daily, is that publicity is not public relations. Let’s break it down by definition.

    Publicity is defined as “the deliberate attempt to manage the public’s perception of a subject.” (Wikipedia)

    Public relations is defined as “the practice of managing the flow of information between an organization and its publics (audiences).” (Wikipedia)

    Like good journalists, good public relations professionals must have a strategy, be transparent, and maintain credibility by providing accurate information from expert sources.

    Public Relations Strategy
    So you wrote that press release, sent it to the media, and the local news covered it. While that may be great exposure, did that local news coverage do what you wanted it to do? If all you wanted was news coverage, you’re missing the point of public relations.

    The greatest thing I learned at the seminar I attended this week was that an organization or company must have an overall public relations strategy, with goals that tie back to the organization’s mission and methods of evaluating your efforts. The idea is to use objectives and a plan that clearly detail how you will reach your goal(s).

    Luckily, there are standards in our industry. Some follow RPIE (the process of research, planning, implementation and evaluation), some follow the four-step approach to marketing (awareness, agreement, acceptance, action).

    Either way, you must have a strategy and plan. Otherwise, you’re just doing stuff. You’re just writing press releases, you’re just making that brochure, you’re just writing that blog. To what end? Figure out what your goals are, then figure out what you need to do to get there. Whether you work in San Luis Obispo or Los Angeles or New York, this applies to your business.

    For help building a customized public relations strategy for your business, or for more information, contact us at verdin@verdinvision.com or call (805) 541-9005.

    • Like you, I am a former newspaper journalist who has stepped into public relations. I have read blogs that state journalists do not make good PR people because, for one, we don't have people skills. That is wrong. Or, we will not take the customer's standpoint seriously because as journalists we are concerned with informing the public. That is wrong too. You are correct when you said publicity is different from public relations. You are right also when you said former journalists know the reporter's mind. For 13 years, I had to decide what is newsworthy on my beat. How many PR people can say they know without a shadow of doubt what is newsworthy? Most of them have never worked in the field. I wish you much success in PR. www.mediaspencer.org

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  • 12/14/11 Easyjet Twitter fail teaches valuable...

    Businesses, listen up. Pay attention to what your customers are saying about you on social media. In an instant, one negative experience can turn into mass outrage. Take the recent Easyjet mishap with blind passenger Joanna Jones. After the UK …View More

    Easyjet Twitter fail teaches valuable lesson

    December 14th, 2011 - by Whitney Diaz

    Crisis Decision Tree. Click to enlarge. Source: Social Media Influence

    Businesses, listen up. Pay attention to what your customers are saying about you on social media. In an instant, one negative experience can turn into mass outrage.

    Take the recent Easyjet mishap with blind passenger Joanna Jones. After the UK airline refused to allow her to board a flight from Gatwick to Belfast with her guide dog, she did what many people in this modern world would do. She tweeted about it, asking for assistance. Her tweet: “They won’t let me on this Easyjet flight with my guide dog! Please help us find numbers and emails for papers and tv! #guidedogs.” This generated mass outrage by hoards of Twitterers.

    Hundreds of messages and re-tweets flooded Twitter in a matter of hours. What was Easyjet’s response? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Eventually, Easyjet’s PR team responded hours later with “Pleased to report @joannajones1 is rebooked unfortunately she did not have correct paperwork earlier.” But by then, the damage had been done.

    “Although Easyjet is required to follow procedure, a simple tweet response apologising for the inconvenience and distress caused to Joanna, would have quickly assured those following the situation that Easyjet were in fact, concerned about the welfare of the passenger in question and seeking further clarification,” wrote Steve Richards, MD of social media agency Yomego.

    The lesson: A swift response and sincere apology is the best response, while no response is the worst possible response.

    A similar event happened here in San Luis Obispo earlier this year when Cielo Cantina was boycotted as a result of a social media frenzy sparked by an incident at the Mexican restaurant. In June, two gay men at the restaurant/nightclub were forcibly separated from each other while dancing and were kicked out of the club. Alleged homophobic slurs by the manager on duty were reported on social networks and the initial response by all on social media was unforgiving, even without all the details.

    The owners of Cielo Cantina only heard about it days later after the boycott was already in motion. Soon after, owner Sean Faries organized a quick open public forum to discuss what happened the night in question, but he said later that he would advise any business owner not to let a communications crisis like that continue social media without a quick response.

    Here are a few tips for social media crisis communications:
    •    Admit fault and apologize (don’t be afraid to say “I’m sorry.”)
    •    Be proactive. Have a crisis communications plan in place before you need it. Consult with a PR firm or business strategy firm to help you create this plan. This plan should include specifics on how, when, where and who would communicate around potential issues (making sure to include a wide variety of possible situations).
    •    Respond quickly and sincerely (a timely response is better than a response HOURS later).
    •    Get Google Alerts or other auto alerts to monitor what is being said about your company.

    Sources:
    “Sorry seems to be the hardest word for @easyjet,” by Steve Richards

    “16 Best Practices for Social Media Crisis Communications from BlogWorld,” by David B. Thomas

    “Infographic: The social media crisis communications tree” by Bernhard Warner

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  • 11/21/11 Verdin wins five global marketing, de...

    Two of the world’s largest competitions for marketing and communications professionals have recognized San Luis Obispo-based Verdin for work on several recent advertising, marketing and branding projects. Graphic Design USA’s American Graphic Design Awards and MarCom Awards recognized Verdin for …View More

    Verdin wins five global marketing, design awards

    November 21st, 2011 - by Whitney Diaz

    Two of the world’s largest competitions for marketing and communications professionals have recognized San Luis Obispo-based Verdin for work on several recent advertising, marketing and branding projects.

    Graphic Design USA’s American Graphic Design Awards and MarCom Awards recognized Verdin for excellence in creativity, design and marketing with awards for several client projects.

    Verdin, a full-service marketing and branding agency based in San Luis Obispo, received awards for excellence in advertising concepts, writing and design of print, visual, audio and web materials.

    Boy Scouts EcoAdventures Logo

    Boy Scouts EcoAdventures Logo

    Awards were received for the following works:

    • Old Juan’s Cantina Advertising Campaign (2011 American Graphic Design Award in Advertising category; 2011 MarCom Gold Award in Ads/Advertising category)
    • French Hospital Medical Center ER Ad (2011 MarCom Gold Award in the Ads/Newspaper category)
    • French Hospital Medical Center Foundation Capital Campaign Folder (2011 American Graphic Design Award in Brochures and Collateral Category)
    • Boy Scouts EcoAdventure logo (2011 American Graphic Design Award in Logos, Trademarks & Symbols category)

    The graphic design team on the projects included Senior Designer Kelly McCay. She also helped design the local marketing firm’s new brand including a new website, blog and social media pages.

    To view these award-winning advertising or marketing materials by Verdin, browse the rest of our website.

    More information on the awards can be found at www.marcomawards.com and www.gdusa.com.

    • Whitney: Thank you, Suzanne!

      Reply
    • Congratulations!!!!

      Reply

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  • 11/15/11 French Hospital ranks among nation’...

    When a heart attack happens, every minute counts. Luckily for San Luis Obispo County residents, one of the nation’s top cardiac care hospitals is right in their backyard. French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) was identified yesterday as one of the …View More

    French Hospital ranks among nation’s Top 50 hospitals for heart care

    November 15th, 2011 - by Whitney Diaz

    When a heart attack happens, every minute counts. Luckily for San Luis Obispo County residents, one of the nation’s top cardiac care hospitals is right in their backyard.

    French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) was identified yesterday as one of the Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals in the country, according to an annual study released by Thomson Reuters, an independent, nonbiased source of information for the world’s businesses and professionals.

    Of the last four years, FHMC has been on the list three years since it began emphasizing cardiac care. Selection for the award reflects the reliable cardiovascular excellence that benefits the hospital’s cardiovascular patients, their families and the entire community.

    The study, in its thirteenth year, singled out 50 hospitals that achieved superior clinical outcomes, and each hospital was classified into three comparison groups. FHMC was one of only two California hospitals identified on the list and was one of only 15 Community Hospitals nationwide on the list.

    “Cardiac care is the core of the hospital’s mission. This is a tremendous honor to be named among the nation’s best hospitals for cardiac care,” said FHMC President Alan Iftiniuk. “Through ongoing education and analysis of the systems that shorten times to treatment, we have continually improved the delivery of heart care and will continue to do so in the future.”

    The study evaluated general and applicable specialty, short-term, acute care, non-federal US hospitals treating a broad spectrum of cardiology patients. The top 50 hospitals have 23 percent fewer deaths than non-winning hospitals for bypass surgery patients, 40 percent lower rate of heart failure complications, shorter hospital visits and lower costs, and increased use of internal mammary artery (IMA) for coronary artery bypass surgeries. For more information visit www.100tophospitals.com.

    French Hospital Medical Center is a not-for-profit hospital established in 1946 and is located in San Luis Obispo, California. This 112-bed hospital with its team of over 500 employees and more than 300 physicians extend the mission of providing compassionate, high quality health care services to San Luis Obispo and its surrounding communities.

    French Hospital Medical Center is part of the CHW Hospitals of the Central Coast with sister hospitals at Arroyo Grande Community Hospital in Arroyo Grande, CA and Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria, CA. As part of Catholic Healthcare West, we help to create the largest Catholic Health Care System in the western United States.

    To learn more go to www.frenchmedicalcenter.org.

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