Minnesota Public Relations Blog: March 2015Minnesota Public Relations Blog

Hausman made the move to Spong from Target Corp., where he worked for eight years. Most recently he held the title of senior group manager of public relations. At Target he led the company’s Corporate PR team where he was responsible for developing and executing PR plans, and managing media relations, for numerous areas including finance, Target.com, new store growth, Target Canada and corporate social responsibility. During his time at Target, Hausman informed communication strategies around complex challenges including the company’s transformation into a leading digital retailer, and the recent decision to exit Canada.

Prior to beginning his career at Target in 2006, Hausman was a manager in the Strategy and Operations Practice at Deloitte Consulting in New York. At Deloitte he helped lead the financial transformation of one of the major agency holding companies, offering a unique perspective of the industry.

Hausman established his foundation in PR in the journalism field. The first nine years of his career were spent as a reporter, business editor and managing editor at a leading technology trade publisher in New York. Hausman is an Ivy League graduate, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in 1993. He also earned a Master of Business Administration in 2004 from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

“Eric’s diverse background makes him a valuable asset and a smart addition to Spong. We look forward to continuing to support our clients with his profound understanding of communication in conjunction with his judicious business savvy,” said Doug Spong, president and founder of Spong.

Spong Names Sheldon Clay Group Creative Director and Partner

has joined Spong as the agency’s first group creative director and partner. He will be based in the agency’s Minneapolis headquarters.

Clay joins Spong following more than 25 years with its sister advertising agency, Carmichael Lynch, where he most recently served as a group creative director. At Carmichael Lynch, Clay produced award-winning work for some of the agency’s most notable clients including Subaru, Harley-Davidson and Trane, and is known for his expertise in highly emotive creative.

At Spong, Clay will oversee the agency’s team of creative professionals and freelancers on writing, design, content development, PR strategy and messaging. Clay will also serve as an important bridge between Spong and Carmichael Lynch as the agencies continue to increase their collaboration to provide clients with a full suite of advertising and public relations services.

Clay is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, earning both his bachelor’s degree in advertising and master’s degree in mass communication and media studies during his time at the university.

“While having design, writing and other creative resources is nothing new to Spong, having the creative leadership of Sheldon’s caliber is a first,” said Doug Spong, president and founder of Spong. “Sheldon is a great writer by background and a leader of great work. Clients gravitate to his sincere style, innate sense of strategy and his storytelling ability to bring an idea to life in both traditional and nontraditional ways.”

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Job - General Mills - Marketing Communications Planner

Monday, March 09, 2015

Job - Sleep Number - Director PR & Corporate Communications

Friday, March 06, 2015

Job - Uptown Association - Events and Programming Paid Internship

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

Risdall Expands Creative Team with New Content and Design Experts

To enhance clients’ online content and design, Risdall added two digital experts to its creative department. Jon Gordon joined Risdall as a digital content manager/writer and Jon Hanson as web designer.

“We are always looking to improve our expertise and capabilities to benefit our clients, especially in the digital space. These two talented creatives bring a wealth of experience building user-focused and mobile-friendly websites at top Minnesota companies,” said CEO Ted Risdall.

“In partnership with our clients and other in-house marketing and PR specialists, their skills will help build smart, engaging online experiences to help fuel business growth.”

As digital content manager/writer, Gordon will use his B2B and B2C copywriting ingenuity and his passion for storytelling to provide businesses with goal-oriented digital content. He brings more than 10 years of experience honing his talent as a copywriter for Target, where he was part of the team that created Target’s Webby Award-winning mobile website and iPhone app and Target’s Android app, which placed as a Webby honoree. He expanded his writing expertise at Target by entering the content marketing world and crafting social media posts for the most popular platforms.

“Risdall is an innovative agency in the digital space – and has the awards to show for it,” Gordon said. “I’m excited for the chance to contribute to that rich history and help clients grow and succeed in a marketing environment where change is fast and ongoing.”

Gordon studied political science at the University of Minnesota and is looking forward to growing Risdall’s digital expertise in his new role.

As a web designer, Hanson will work closely with Risdall’s creative and interactive teams to complete design and front-end development for mobile, responsive and traditional websites. He brings more than four years of design experience, working as a freelance designer and most recently as an in-house web designer for Capella University. Hanson looks forward to transitioning to an agency setting where he will focus on creating intuitive and user-friendly website designs for a variety of clients.

“At my first agency job, I’m looking forward to building relationships with a variety of clients and really understanding what their idea of success is for the different projects we work on,” Hanson said. “Risdall has longstanding partnerships with many of its clients, and I’m eager to enhance those partnerships by providing excellent web design.”

Hanson received an associate’s degree in graphic design and web design from Minneapolis Community and Technical College.