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John and I attended the 8th Boston Social Media Breakfast (SMB8), which was held this morning at Ryles Jazz Club in Inman Square. Five speakers shared their views and case studies pertaining to online video, including Larry Lawfer from YourStorys, who spoke about his work with CVS Pharmacy and New York Life, and Rob Lane of Overlay.TV, who spoke about Smirnoff, among other case studies.

In addition, the first to present were Emily Belyea and Ben Grossman of Emerson College (my alma mater). They presented their “Talk to Running Man” campaign, which was a great example of how a company might utilize online video to build a community and garner attention for a brand online. The campaign actually placed 1st at the American Advertising Federation’s New England District advertising competition and 5th at the National level!

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Filed under: Digital PR, Events and Conferences, Internet by EliciaBasoli - No Comments →

Before last night, 22 years had passed since the Boston Celtics last won the NBA Championship. In a town that thrives on sports as much as it does water, that is enough to make any Bostonian anxious, wondering when the title would return to this once-famed franchise.

Today, the anxiety is gone; there is only anticipation of next season.

I was lucky enough to be at Game 6 last evening as the C’s put a hurting on the Los Angeles Lakers to close out the NBA Finals, 131-92. The dominating performance marked a thrilling end to a remarkable season, and it got me to thinking about what this year meant beyond ultimate fan and player satisfaction.

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Filed under: Boston, Events and Conferences by JohnLeRoy - No Comments →

360 hosted a professional development session of digital media leaders last week for our Converge agency network. The two-day summit kicked off with three phenomenal speakers on what’s hot (and what’s not) online. Here are a few key nuggets from each speaker:

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Filed under: Blogger Relations, Digital PR, Events and Conferences, Industry Organizations by EliciaBasoli - No Comments →

It was 360’s turn to host the bi-monthly meeting of our Converge agency network this month.  The regular meeting of the Converge member firm partners coincided with a Converge Digital professional development session, which we also hosted.  The meetings brought partners and digital staff from the Converge member firms from across the US to Boston, including:  Carmichael Lynch Spong, Duffey Communications, M Booth, rbb Public Relations, The Rogers Group and Vollmer Public Relations.

Our new DC member firm, Harbour Group, was also represented by partner Richard Mintz, who served as press secretary for Sen. Clinton when she was in the White House during her husband’s presidency.  Harbour Group is a great addition to Converge, giving us a strong, plugged-in public affairs presence in Washington for clients who need it. [Read more →]

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Digital PR, Events and Conferences, PR Industry by LauraTomasetti - 3 Comments →

Yesterday marked the opening day of the first ever Digital Downtown event at the World Financial Center in New York City. I was in attendance on behalf of our client, Jabra - a primary sponsor - and was lucky enough to spend the day mingling with members of the press and fellow consumer electronics industry representatives (it truly was a pleasure to meet and speak with you!)

The Financial District location was central to Digital Downtown. The overall concept was to design an event that would “serve the one-on-one information needs of high-income consumers who need a convenient way to learn about the latest new products without leaving the Financial District.”

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Filed under: Events and Conferences, Mobile Industry by JohnLeRoy - No Comments →

The New England Publicity Club held their annual Bell Ringers Awards event Monday. There were a record 321 entries this year, and 360 took home 7 awards on behalf of clients.

Courtney, Carrie, Elicia and Jackie did their best red carpet strut up to the stage and Master of Ceremonies Billy Costa of KISS 108 and New England Cable News’ “TV Diner” (who bantered about being a Crock-Pot fan when our campaign was recognized!). One of the best things that comes from an event like this is the opportunity to spotlight the account teams, who are in the trenches on a daily basis pulling out results for their clients. Trust me, PR is not as glamorous as it’s made out to be (unless you’re in L.A.).

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Filed under: Events and Conferences, PR Industry by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

I had the pleasure of joining a team of mompreneurs, editors and bloggers at last week’s Detours & OnRamps Conference, created by Meghan McCartan to help moms in career transition. It was the second such forum, following a successful launch event in New Jersey last fall. According to the US Bureau of Labor, more than 70 percent of women with children under 18 work outside of the home. That’s approximately 24 million moms trying to balance family needs with the responsibility of working part- or full-time.

HybridMom Publisher Meryl Otis Kessler moderated the “entrepreneur” panel I participated in, and I got to meet Christine Koh, founder of Boston Mamas and Posh Peacock, a gorgeous new line of stationery and invitations. Christine has more degrees than anyone I’ve met in Boston and in this university town, that’s saying something. She’s an accomplished musician and, of course, a proud mother. Amid all this, she finds time to post twice daily about resources and events for families living in and around Boston. She talked about the importance of finding a niche when starting a business - in her case focusing on Boston happenings rather than trying to be all things to all families everywhere. She said the strategy has helped her attract advertisers.

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Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Blogger Relations, Events and Conferences, Parenting by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

It was one of the finest spring days yet in Boston and I was taking in the beautiful Beacon Hill scenery - including window boxes overflowing with flowers - with my daughter on our way to the Public Garden when a friend shared the news that Senator Kennedy had just been flown to the hospital from his Cape Cod home for seizures. Boston.com confirmed the report.

I had just had the honor of meeting the Senator one week prior. He was the keynote speaker at the Associated Industries of Massachusetts’ annual meeting. In his introduction of the Senator, Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare’s CEO Charlie Baker commented that Senator Kennedy had done more than any other person in history for families living in Massachusetts. Given the Senator’s impressive longevity in the US Senate (he’s the second-most senior-ranking US senator) and his passionate advocacy for decades for issues affecting so many families at every income level, such as education and health care, the bold statement was indisputable.

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Filed under: Boston, Events and Conferences, Politics by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

If we’re in a recession, it sure wasn’t apparent at last night’s SABRE awards event in New York. Held at the glamorous Cipriani across from Grand Central Station, the event had PR’s finest lining up behind red velvet ropes to get in. 360 was there, with programs nominated in three categories (one of which we won for best Media/Magazine Placement).

Our Converge™ network partners were out in force – with Carmichael Lynch Spong, rbb Public Relations and M. Booth & Associates all nominated. rbb won a Gold SABRE in the Corporate Image category for Florida Power & Light’s Storm Secure Program, and Carmichael grabbed two awards, a Gold in the Trade Show category for Sherwin-Williams Paint Stores Group and a Silver for the cleverly named “On Your Bark, Get Set, PETCO!” campaign.

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Filed under: Events and Conferences, PR Industry by LauraTomasetti - 1 Comment →

As you may remember from earlier posts, 360 attended the BlogHer Business Conference at the beginning of April. A handful of the women bloggers in attendance made a pit stop at The Today Show for interviews while they were in NYC. A month later, the segment, which comments on the growing number of mom bloggers and why businesses find this audience attractive, just aired on NBC.

The video also gives viewers a better understanding of why this group of women blog in the first place. I love Mir Kamin’s comment that “blogging is cheaper than therapy.” Click on the image below to watch the segment (and if you look closely at the image, you’ll see the heads of Carrie, Laura and myself):

Filed under: Digital PR, Events and Conferences by EliciaBasoli - No Comments →

It’s a wonder with all today’s mothers do that they’re not planning their own Mother’s Day celebration - in fact many probably are. It’s not that mothers of past generations didn’t work as hard. They worked differently, and they didn’t have Web 2.0 in their corner. But sometimes the best networking happens the good, old-fashioned way - face to face. At next week’s Detours & OnRamps conference in Boston, 200 moms will gather to discuss how to balance work and family life, many looking to make their next career move.

The list of speakers includes some amazing women who have found a way to balance work and family life - entrepreneurs like Jo McChesney, who helped found Isis Maternity, Meryl Otis Kessler, publisher of Hybrid Mom, Christine Koh, founder of Boston Mamas, and Sheila Marcelo, founder and CEO of sitter service Care.com. It’s hard not to notice, and perhaps no coincidence, that each of these women launched a business to help women in their everyday, busy, family lives.

I also recently had a fun lunch with Erin Kane, who created Manic Mommies. “Manic” seems to be the operative word for today’s moms trying to do it all.

My guess is, if you asked these women leaders - and the moms you meet at the grocery store, playground and school - what they really want for Mother’s Day, the answer would be “more time.” More time for their families, for their businesses, and for themselves. That, and maybe getting to sleep in on Sunday. You don’t need a credit card for either, but they’re both priceless.

Filed under: Boston, Events and Conferences, Parenting by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

Today some 25,000 runners will travel 26.2 miles from Hopkinton, MA to Boston in the 112th running of the Boston Marathon. Our office in Copley Square happens to be just a couple of blocks from the finish line, so I always try to swing by to check it out (although with 50,000 fans expected along the race route with many in Boston, its hard to get a great view at the finish line unless you show up hours before to park your lawn chair and cooler).

At any sporting event you’ll find BIG brand sponsors and advertisers aplenty. For the first time in 112 years, corporate ads have been permitted on the marathon starting and finishing lines. According to the Boston Athletic Association in a recent AP article, these changes illustrate distance running’s dependence on sponsors - for prize money, publicity, operating expenses, donations to cities and towns along the route to provide public safety and other services, etc.

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Filed under: Boston, Events and Conferences by EliciaBasoli - 1 Comment →

One of our main practice areas at 360 is video games and virtual worlds. I’m a bit of a gamer myself and happen to be in very good company. According to NPD, US video game sales hit $17.9 billion in 2007 (which is up 43% year-over-year). With such growth, it makes sense that there is a video game conference dedicated solely to the marketing of games. In its third year, the MI6 Conference was held last week in San Francisco. We’ve been following the game marketing and conference coverage over the past week and one headline in particular caught my attention yesterday - Blake Snow of Next-Gen.biz posted a list of the Top 10 Game Industry Taglines.

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Filed under: Events and Conferences, Video Games by EliciaBasoli - No Comments →

Laura, Carrie and I hopped on the Acela last week and headed for NYC. We joined a mix of PR pros, brand managers, bloggers, and social media execs at the 2008 BlogHer Business Conference.

Over the course of two days, we took part in a number of panels and sessions all about blogs (and other social media) and the opportunities for brands today. For those who couldn’t attend, here are some take-aways:

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Filed under: Blogger Relations, Digital PR, Events and Conferences by EliciaBasoli - No Comments →

When the taxi pulled up to the Las Vegas Convention Center, the first thing I noticed was a sign that said “International Pizza Pavilion” right out side of the convention center food court. Score! After a longer than usual flight to Vegas, I was so hungry I had nearly forgotten why I was back at this convention center only two short months since I was last there - oh right, CTIA, the annual wireless convention (and, proving that there is a convention for absolutely everything, apparently the annual pizza makers convention! READ: no actual “pizza pavilion” - apparently just booths upon booths of cheesy slices for those registered for the event. I had to settle for turkey on white).

Our newest client, GN US and its Jabra brand, was showing off their full product line in a great looking booth that really stood out. With their bright yellow Jabra logo raised high above all of the other signage, it popped against the sea of black, white and gray booths. I was schooled on the latest headsets and added some fun new acronyms to my PR toolbox ($5 to anyone reading this that knows what A2DP and DSP stand for). GN unveiled the new Jabra BT4010 Bluetooth Headset that has a “smart display” LCD screen that shows you the battery level, connection status and call status. Very cool!

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Filed under: Events and Conferences, Mobile Industry by StaceyClement - No Comments →