Fresh Produce Sportswear, LLC, a leading apparel brand for women, has named Minneapolis-based Lola Red PR as its national PR agency of record. Lola Red PR will handle national business, trade, and regional consumer PR and communication for the brand and its 27 retail boutiques.

Get started on networking in 2013 - join MWMC for an exciting evening of networking with inspiring women in the marcomm industry.

Let's start the New Year with our traditional networking event, free of cost for members as well as non-members.

Bring along your friends and co-workers - it's all about becoming acquainted with MWMC and our members.

Meet business associates, industry leaders and board members; it's easy to make meaningful business connections (and new friends) in this welcoming atmosphere!
Learn more about our 2013 events, such as Women@Work Workshops, Women Launching Women Panels, Learning Lunches and free Brown Bags.

Enjoy complimentary appetizers and lots of great discussion.
Chiang Mai Thai is located on the far East side of Calhoun Square (first floor).
Parking is available directly across from the restaurant in the Calhoun Square Parking Garage.
We are looking forward to meeting you in person!

• Chiang Mai Thai
  Calhoun Square
  3001 Hennepin Ave S
  
  
• Event Website »
• Capacity: 60
• Available spaces: 15

is building on nearly four decades of experience in public relations, public affairs, journalism and politics to create a new communications consulting firm, Horner Strategies, LLC. The company is a new approach to delivering senior-level public relations and public affairs counsel.

The Minneapolis-based firm is designed to help clients succeed in today’s contentious and cluttered marketplace. Horner Strategies is a boutique firm, which partners with its clients to deliver an experienced, thoughtful strategy. The firm will keep a small, focused list of clients.

“We’re not trying to be all things to all clients,” Horner said. “Horner Strategies is designed to create the team and level of service each client needs. Some clients will take more resources, and that’s when we can tap into our network of experts to build a team with skills tailored to our clients’ needs and opportunities. Clients who don’t need a full range of communications services, aren’t paying for the overhead. If clients need senior-level consulting and day-to-day implementation, that’s all they will pay for.”

Horner started his career in the 1970s as managing editor of the Suburban Sun newspapers. He then served as chief of staff to former U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger. After moving back to his hometown of Minneapolis, Horner ran the regional operations of the international public relations firm, Hill and Knowlton. In 1989, he co-founded the public affairs firm, Himle Horner, Inc. (now Himle Rapp & Co.) In 2010, Horner was a candidate for governor of Minnesota.

Joining Horner as account executive is his daughter, . She has managed publicity, events and communications for diverse clients and organizations. Amanda Horner worked for a Minnesota-based public relations firm where her duties ranged from publicity for the Basilica Block Party to public affairs outreach for a major legislative initiative. In addition, she has worked in communications for a non-profit social services organization and for a Minnesota university. She brings insightful thinking and expertise in communicating in mainstream and new media.

Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt continues to gain momentum in the self-serve frozen yogurt marketplace with upcoming openings in three new states. This expansion will bring the company’s total franchised presence to over 200 stores spanning 39 states in two countries.

is the president of the Public Relations Student Society of America chapter at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D.

1. Tell us a bit about your public relations experience so far.

I was introduced to public relations when I joined my sophomore year, the same year I took my first PR course. I became interested in the field through trips that Augustana PRSSA takes to the Twin Cities each spring. As the Augustana PRSSA president, I now have the opportunity to share my enthusiasm for PR with others, while trying to learn as much as I can. In October, I was lucky enough to attend the PRSSA National Conference in San Francisco where I was able to interact with PR students and professionals from across the country.

2. You won a PRSA Student Classics Award in 2012. Tell us more about the publication you created for Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues.

As a Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues (SFJB) intern, I helped promote and execute the locally acclaimed event, JazzFest. JazzFest of Sioux Falls is a three-day outdoor music festival. As the second most-attended event in South Dakota, it brings a large crowd to Sioux Falls every summer. Because of the influx of people, the local neighborhoods are affected.

Hannah Kuelbs

The special purpose publication I created was in response to the growing concern about the safety and comfort of the citizens of the surrounding neighborhood. In the past, there had been complaints about parking issues, alcohol offenses, litter, and general rowdiness caused by the crowds that seem from the event into the neighborhoods. I used the information I received talking with local citizens, the Sioux Falls Police Department, and a local eco-organization to create a mailer that would instill ease in the neighborhood during JazzFest.

The first idea I wanted to convey was that SFJB recognizes the inconveniences the community might face during JazzFest and that we are taking steps to ensure their lives can go on as normal. Secondly, I wanted the community to perceive JazzFest as not just a party, but a party with a purpose. This event is free to the public, while the proceeds from beverages go towards local jazz education. By informing the public of the reason for JazzFest and its contribution to the community, I worked to change the community’s perception of JazzFest.

3. In addition to communications, you're also majoring in music. What similarities and differences do you see in the two disciplines?

Communications and music both require a special attention to detail in order for the end product to be effective. Almost anyone can go up to a piano and learn to play a tune, but that doesn’t necessarily make for a convincing performance. The refined musician puts hours upon hours into the details: phrasing, technique, voicing, tempo, etc. By perfecting the details, the musician is able to better convey the mood and emotion of the message, the music. The same is true in the communications field. It is obvious that we all communicate, but those who do so effectively have refined ideas and methods of sharing a well-tailored message.

Music pushes the imaginative side of my brain to new levels every day. I think PR has a basis in creativity as well. There are so many messages, brands, and ways to share information in our world, so the PR pro has to think and communicate differently. Being a music major has provided me with a diversity of thought that I probably wouldn’t have obtained without my background in music and my passion for the arts.

4. What suggestions do you have for other PRSSA chapters on having a successful chapter?

I think that listening is extremely important for leaders of PRSSA chapters. Each year, PRSSA members have different interests, and it is important to tailor the group’s activities in order for committed students to benefit from being in PRSSA. This means getting to know the members on a more personal level and encouraging input and participation. For our chapter, that means connecting with professionals and frequently venturing outside of Sioux Falls, because that’s where more PR opportunities lie.

5. What is your perspective on social media's role in public relations?

I believe that social media is redefining the function of PR. Public relations now has heightened responsibility not just to get media coverage, but to shape and share the content that is created by others because of the conversational nature of social media. While social media has proven its potential to increase personal connection and fan building by piggybacking on the success of other traditional tactics, I think that social media can be falsely regarded as a strategy that can fix all problems. A brand needs to be built and maintained outside of social media in order to be most effectively strengthened in online communities.

6. What is your desired career path?

I hope to combine my two passions and work for a music organization doing PR or strategic communications. However, I love the agency pace and environment and I am keeping my options open for my first job after graduation.

Connect with Hannah on . Follow Hannah on or read her blog.

-- / Skogrand PR Solutions, LLC

Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield just launched its new “Promises Matter” campaign, via agency partner , in a move to proclaim its confidence as a health insurance company that knows who it is, what it stands for and what it believes. The work directly communicates the trust and integrity that’s both central to Wellmark’s identity and increasingly valued by consumers navigating the shifting healthcare landscape.

On August 1, 2007 the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapsed during rush hour, killing 13 and injuring 145. The bridge was one of Minnesota’s busiest, carrying 140,000 vehicles daily. The National Transportation Safety Board cited a design flaw as the likely cause of the collapse. While working as a graphics artist, Jane Friedmann, an investigative reporter at the Star Tribune, was asked to help identify the victims. There was no official information because the collapse was considered a potential crime scene and there were concerns among law enforcement about privacy rights.

For weeks Jane studied photographs and searched the internet for clues. When she found a license plate in a photograph, she would look up the owner in a state database. Sometimes there was only a partial license plate or the picture was blurry, so Jane had to narrow down the possibilities with make, model and color of the vehicle. Some clues were found in posts on social media pages like Myspace and Facebook.

Jane’s colleagues created a web page for the victims and their stories. A team of reporters and online professionals spent countless hours interviewing the survivors and their families. Five years later, the newspaper conducted follow up interviews. The web page has an interactive map of an aerial view of the bridge collapse. Users can click on the numbers next to the vehicles to read their story, and for some, watch a short video clip. View the website here: http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/12166286.html

Jane recounts, “What struck me as the project developed was how the victims really formed an accidental community. After all, who else could truly understand what they went through?”

Jane, with assists from her colleagues, was able to identify the victims in 78 of 84 non-construction vehicles that were on the bridge at the time of the collapse. For that the project was given a regional Emmy award, a national Headliners award, an Eppy award, a Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists award and awards from the Society of News Design.  

Courtney Wolf
University of Minnesota
Jour 3279
Blog Assignment

There are many reasons professionals engage in strategic communications in both their careers and private lives. Many users are looking to social media to develop a strong personal brand and put themselves out there, while others are just interested in connecting with loved ones across state boundaries. While I use social media for a number of reasons, I do know my use of strategic communications has developed me into a more socially aware individual through my exposure to various things.

has joined Beehive PR as account director, and has joined the agency as account coordinator.

Israel has more than 16 years of experience in brand and project management, as well as design, digital and print communications. As account director, Israel will serve as the day-to-day strategic account lead for clients, including Deluxe Corporation and 3M Infection Prevention.

Prior to joining Beehive, Israel was an account supervisor with Weber Shandwick and represented national brands, including the U.S. Census, State Farm, the U.S. Army, Coca-Cola and Computer Associates. He also has worked in marketing for the Minnesota Wild and Boston Celtics. Israel has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Jackson was previously marketing manager for Cynthia Rae Boutique and a retail marketing intern for Mall of America. Jackson received a bachelor’s degree in retailing from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She supports the agency’s traditional and social media research, monitoring and analysis, media and blogger relations and strategic account planning for clients, including 6PM.COM and Coloplast Corp.

has been named chief executive officer/managing director at Minneapolis agency Spyglass Brand Marketing. Landing at Spyglass last June, Busch will focus on developing new business for Spyglass as it continues on its successful growth track.

Busch brings nearly 30 years of advertising, branding and creative experience to Spyglass. Prior to joining Spyglass, Busch spent 16 years as president/creative director at award-winning Seattle-based ad agency Busch & Company, serving a variety of industries including health care, software/web applications, retail/chain stores, hospitality, packaged foods and manufacturing. While running that agency, Busch received numerous industry honors for marketing excellence.

Throughout his career, Busch has held an equal balance of client side positions as well, including CMO for a global retail software firm in San Diego, and VP Marketing for a Minneapolis-based software developer. His first agency job was at Seattle-based John Brown & Partners, originators of the NIKE global brand and early award-winning advertising.

“The creative product at Spyglass is phenomenal,” says Busch. “It’s a distinct and refreshing contrast to much of what is in the marketplace. I think Spyglass is poised for even further greatness because the value we bring to our customers is connecting the strategic thinking to the creative solution. That is very difficult to do and it’s the hardest part about our business. But the payoffs are huge. Those are the things that drew me here, and those are the things I hope to continue as we move forward.”

Busch, who has a degree in advertising communications from Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communications, joins founding partners Molly Rice (president) and Andy Slothower (strategic lead) in leading the 12-year-old brand marketing agency, which has served more than 150 companies in the retail, commercial, technology, health care, medical and financial services markets. Since its founding, Spyglass has continued on a rapid growth track, hitting a record year in 2011.

“We're thrilled to have Jeff's vast experience and creativity to further fuel our clients' success,” says Rice. “With his leadership, we'll continue growing and competing at an even higher level.”
Busch is also the national president of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. His leadership extends to mentoring and cultivating the next generation of business leaders at the collegiate level. Positioned as America’s Leadership Development Fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega’s members raised more than $8 million in 2011 to help non-profit and community organizations. Busch has served on Alpha Tau Omega’s board of directors since 2000 and became national president in August of this year.

Pineapple RM, Inc., is pleased to announce the promotion of to account executive. Wilber joined the agency in December 2011 and has been integral to generating results that matter for clients as well as contributing to the agency’s first-year profits.

“Holli successfully provides attentive account service and implements programs on behalf of our clients,” says Rose McKinney, APR, founder and CEO of PineappleRM. “Client accolades include her role with reputation-management, brand refresh, and ongoing marketing-communication and PR initiatives.”

Wilber is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in journalism (professional strategic communication) and a minor in management. She is a member of the Minnesota PRSA programming committee.

During college, Wilber worked for Gopher Sports Marketing as the promotions director, where she planned and implemented the promotions and game-day activities for football wrestling and women’s softball. Prior to that, she was a communications intern for University Parking and Transportation Services where she promoted the department’s services to students, parents, and staff at a multitude of University of Minnesota orientation programs.

Tempur-Pedic International Inc. (NYSE: TPX), manufacturer and marketer of the most highly recommended bed in America, has selected Carmichael Lynch as its creative agency of record following a competitive review. Tempur-Pedic also named Carmichael Lynch Spong as its public relations agency of record.

“Carmichael Lynch has tremendous success in working with its clients to inspire remarkable business results,” said Rick Anderson, president of Tempur-Pedic North America. “The agency’s work for iconic brands such as Subaru and Harley-Davidson struck a personal chord as they built upon each brands’ loyal and fervent owner base to attract new users to each business. We’re confident that they’ll be able to further harness the power of Tempur-Pedic owners to drive our business results.”

“Tempur-Pedic is an iconic brand led by a very aggressive, forward-thinking senior management team,” said Mike Lescarbeau, chief executive officer at Carmichael Lynch. “We look forward to redefining the conversation around sleep through work that forges an emotional bond between Tempur-Pedic and its avid, loyal owners.”

Tempur-Pedic believes strongly in investing to build consumer connections. Kantar reported $100+ million in measured media spend for Tempur-Pedic, making this one of the largest new business wins among Twin Cities-based agencies in the past two years.

Sad to say, but I probably spend at least an hour on per day. Whether I’m wasting time online, on my phone in between classes, or simply in need of some inspiration, Pinterest serves its purpose. The social media site launched in 2010, but in 2011 they reported such a dramatic traffic increase that not even YouTube could compete. Within a matter of a few short months, Pinterest became a dominant social media tool. While I initially looked to Pinterest for style or cooking inspiration, the social media site has proved to be not only a place for inspiration but also a Public Relations tool.

Pinterest is a very different type of social media because the focus is not on verbal communication, but rather on connecting with a target audience via use of visuals. Scrolling through a Pinterest page to me is basically like flipping through a magazine. Pins can offer anything from workout advice, recipes, clothes, an infographic, home/garden décor, etc. Each Pin is linked to an outside website, many of which are businesses and blogs. If a picture receives multiple repins, Pinners are likely to further explore that site or business.

Take Glitter Guide, for example. Glitter Guide is a fashion and lifestyle blog that has promoted itself and its partner sites by using pins with article captions to drive their Pinterest followers to their site. Glitter Guide is one of Pinterest’s most popular Pinners because they balance promotion and inspiration on their boards. For example, one of Glitter Guide’s recent popular pins photographs a woman with cat-eye makeup, captioned “how to: cat-eye.” Click on the pin and you’re directed to a step-by-step blog post from one of Glitter Guide’s partner sites. By posting that pin with that caption, Pinterest users have been directed from Pinterest to the source and are bound to further explore.

Unfortunately for a student on a college budget such as myself, I have used Pinterest to purchase products like I never have before with Twitter and Facebook. Promoting brands and a product is one strength that Pinterest reigns over both Twitter and Facebook (check out these statistics!). That said, Pinterest may not enable the PR professional to directly communicate one-on-one with their market, but it is the ideal tool for promoting site traffic and visual branding.

Claire Hassel
University of Minnesota
Jour 3279
Blog Assignment 

• HTML: Understanding the basics of coding and designing online content will push your: resume to the top of the list. Everything is digital now, and having the skills to translate your ideas to actual pixels will not go unnoticed.

• Graphic Design: Much like HTML, being able to alter photos and create vectors to accompany your already capable writing skills will make you a rock star. Having these skills yourself allows you to skip the middle man. Graphic designers are great at what they do, but it will speed up process time if you have a mockup they can work from, or understand the limitations they are working under. Some programs to consider investing time in are Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Lynda.com (link www.lynda.com) has excellent tutorials on all of the aforementioned.

• Social Media: This should go without saying, but take the time to understand how social media really works. Learn the tricks through personal use while building up your online portfolio. Also understanding things like SEO, analytics and other quantifiable web measurements that could go along with your messages will put you one step ahead of the competition.

• Branding: This may seem like more of a marketing tool, but several communication job descriptions are dressed in marketing’s garments. Understanding, and showing that you understand, how to incorporate a consistent brand persona through all of your messages is a huge turn on for employers, especially those with established brand attitudes.