PRSA Colorado Newsline

PRSA Colorado Recognizes Excellence in Public Relations with 2013 Gold and Silver Pick Awards

Kisa Fiero — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:30:10 +0000

36 awards presented in addition to Swede Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award, Chapter Service, Joe Fuentes Rookie of the Year, Public Relations Person of the Year, Mentor of the Year and Public Relations Team of the Year

The Colorado Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) proudly announced the 2013 winners of the Gold and Silver Pick Awards on May 9, 2013, an annual competition honoring the achievements of individuals and organizations for best practices and high ethical standards among leaders and peers in the public relations field. The process provides a chance for practitioners to evaluate successful campaigns, highlight team performance and submit work that, in effect, raises the bar for the profession.

Awards were presented to more than 200 professionals by PRSA Colorado President Kim Sporrer, APR and featuring emcee and host Dom Testa, co-host of Denver’s top-rated morning radio program, The Dom and Jane Show on Mix 100 and founder of The Big Brain Club. Below are the organizations awarded, the category placed and the organization represented:

Grand Gold Pick Winners

· Linhart Public Relations – Internal Communications – Business: Building Collaboration and Culture from the Inside-Out; Events and Observances (seven days or fewer) – Business Products: Bringing Chipotle’s Cultivate Festival to Denver

Gold Pick Winners

Public Relations/Communications Firms

· Communications Strategy Group (CSG) – Events and Observances: Take Back Your Banking

· JKD! & Company – Pro Bono Projects/Programs – Special Event: Casa Magical Mile Gala; Media Relations – Consumer Services: Career Innovation 2012

· Linhart Public Relations – Pro Bono Projects/Programs – Electronic: Bringing Wish of a Lifetime’s Mission to Life (Mission Video); Media Relations – Consumer Services, Health Care Services: UnitedHealthcare HEROES Grants Raise Awareness for Childhood Obesity; Pro Bono Projects/Programs (Special Events): Bringing The Boulder International Film Festival Center Stage; Marketing – Consumer Products: A Consumer-Centric Approach to Celebrating Brand Milestones; Newsletters: Verlasso Harmoniously Raised Salmon e-Newsletter: Currents; Marketing Consumer Products – Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages: “Let’s Doodle Lunch” Integrated Campaign Drives Engagement and Sales

· MGA Communications and Vaisala – Media Relations – Business to Business: Vaisala Across America – A Road Weather Technology Tour

· Philosophy Communications – Integrated Communications: Apply the Knowledge; Marketing Consumer Products: Give the Gift of Colorado; Reputation Brand Management: Give the Gift of Colorado; Media Relations – Government: Give the Gift of Colorado; Media Relations – Consumer Products: Give the Gift of Colorado

· Pure Brand Communications – Websites – External: NCM Fathom: Classic Cinema Timeline; Smartphone/Tablet application: Sagwag – An Application For Cyclists to Raise Money Whilst Racing in a Charity Event; Media Relations – Consumer Services: First Western Trust Media Relations

Corporate/Education/Government/Nonprofit

· Air Force Space Command – Social Media – Associations/Government/Nonprofit Organizations: Air Force Space Talk

· City of Commerce City – Publication: Be the Adventure: Summer 2012 Park and Recreation Activities Guide; Press Conference: Missing Child Landfill Recovery Operation; Digital Brochure: Redefining Commerce: Interactive Digital Brochure

· Colorado State University – Brochures – Print: “InFact 2012-2013″

· Denver Art Museum – Integrated Communications – Associations/Government/Nonprofit Organizations: Only in Denver: Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective at the Denver Art Museum; Website – External: New DenverArtMuseum.org; Social Media – Associations/Government/Nonprofit Organizations: Beyond Links to Event Listings: Social Media at the Denver Art Museum

· Denver International Airport – Creative Tactics – Associations/Government/Nonprofit Organizations: “Road-eo” Stimulation Eases Fears Over Changes to Passenger Drop-Off Procedures at DIA

· Farm Credit – Publications-Books: Producing Excellence Commemorative Book; Social Media – Consumer Services: Farm Credit Goes Social

· Kaiser Permanente – Public Service-Association/Nonprofit: “The Weight of the Nation” Community Engagement Campaign; Workshops/Seminars/Training Programs: Preventing Falls; Workshops/Seminars/Training Programs: Hearing Services; Internal/Intranet Videos Programs: Value Compass Award Videos

· Kaiser Permanente Colorado – Feature Stories – Nonprofit Organizations: “Employee Hero Stories”

· Morris Animal Foundation – Social Media – Associations/Government/Nonprofit Organizations: Getting Sociable with Science

· Portico – Online Videos: Component Award Category

· U.S. General Services Administration – Media Relations – Government: GSA Transforms Historic Building To Innovative Sustainable Building Model

Silver Pick Winners

Public Relations/Communications Firms & Other Organizations

· Communications Strategy Group – Events and Observances (seven days or fewer): Investing and Politics; Integrated Communications: Investing and Politics

· Linhart Public Relations – Blogger Campaign: Those are Crocs? Changing Brand Perceptions with Blogger Ambassador Program

· MGA Communications and Vaisala – Advertorials: Condition Patrol – New Mobile Technology for the Road Weather Industry

· Philosophy Communication – Marketing Consumer Services: Frisco, Colorado – Eat, Stay, Play in Frisco

· Pure Communications – Internal Communications-Consumer Products: LA Phil LIVE Season 2 – An Integrated Campaign to Promote Arts Awareness; Smartphone/Tablet application: Western Union Payments Legend – A Game to Drive Potential Customers to Tradeshow Booths

· Weber Shandwick – Events and Observances (seven days or fewer) – Business, Services: Elevating the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center as a Leader and Innovator in Health and Wellness

Corporate/Government/Nonprofit

· City of Commerce City – Community Relations: Quality Community Initiative Stakeholder Group

· Colorado State University – Events and Observances (more than seven days) – Government: Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act 150th Anniversary; Social Media – Government: Introducing the Candidate for Top Mascot: CAM the Ram; Magazines – External Audiences Primarily: Food For Thought

· Farm Credit – Blogs: The AGgregator; Media Relations – Financial Services: Farm Credit Producing Excellence

· Pinnacol Assurance – Annual Report – Business: “We Are Pinnacol”

· Regis University – Social Media: #thisisregis | Regis University’s Brand Marketing Department

· The Iliff School of Theology – Online Communications – Social Media: Social Media: The Iliff School of Theology

Special Award Winners

· Swede Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award: Sharon Linhart, APR, managing partner and founder of Linhart Public Relations

· Chapter Service Award: Meredith Bagnulo, APR, founder of Bagnulo Communications

· Joe Fuentes Rookie of the Year: Matthew Rodriguez, account executive, MGA Communications

· Public Relations Person of the Year: Chris Arnold, communications director, Chipotle

· Mentor of the Year Award: Jane Dvorak, APR, Fellow PRSA, founder of JKD! & Company, Inc.

· Public Relations Team of the Year: Lisa Cutter, Chair, 2012 PRSA Western District 2012 Conference Planning Committee

Mother’s Day

Andrew Mullins — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:43:17 +0000

It’s said that it can take 20 years to build a solid brand and only five minutes to ruin it. While the relationship with your mom may be more difficult to ruin, it’s a connection that requires consistent work, regular communication and an overall loving strategy; concepts that each of us are familiar with as PR professionals.

In so many ways, each of us is the “brand” of our mothers. They brought us into this world, conceptualized our futures (for better or for worse) and instilled their faith, trust and hope into us so that we might go out and impact others for the good of mankind.

Endless devotion, time and effort were poured into our being in hopes that we’d always be proud to call them our mother. And this Mother’s Day, it’s our turn to look back at our “brand,” and thank them for all that they do.

In the interest of tying our professional paths to the ways in which we grew up, here are some comparisons of the PR world to the efforts of moms of today:

PR: Public Relations is a 24/7 challenge.
Moms: YOU were a 24/7 challenge for years.

PR: Public Relations is aimed at defining and representing an organization, concept or brand.
Moms: Your mother bathed, dressed and presented you to everyone she encountered for some time.

PR: Public Relations often include the art of public persuasion.
Moms: You were persuaded to eat things you didn’t like, sleep when you weren’t tired and wear clothes that weren’t “cool.” Mom is the ultimate persuader.

And lastly,

“Public relations help an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.”
Moms are a key component of helping us adapt to the world in which we live each and every day.

Our profession teaches that we cannot choose to have public relations, but rather must choose the degree to which those relations are managed. The same goes for mom. This year, do something special for your mother. After all, she’s one of the reasons your personal “brand” exists.

2013 PRSA Colorado Media Roundtable

Julie Wagoner — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 02:53:39 +0000

Discover what’s on the minds of some of today’s most influential journalists and learn how you can maximize your media relations efforts!

Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Registration and Networking | 11:30 a.m.
Luncheon | Noon-1:30 p.m.

NEW LOCATION: Comedy Works South | 5345 Landmark Pl. | Greenwood Village, CO 80111
APRIL BONUS: there is plenty of FREE PARKING at Landmark!

Join us on Wednesday, April 17 at the Comedy Works’ Landmark location (in the Denver Tech Center) to meet with journalists from some of Denver’s premier media outlets, as well as select regional and national outlets. Don’t miss this chance to get precious face time with newsmakers, learn more about what they’re interested in covering and how you can best work with them.

REGISTER NOW

PRSA Colorado is excited to present you with this annual opportunity to participate in small group discussions with editors, producers and reporters from a variety of news outlets, including 9News, FOX 31, the Denver Post, 850 KOA News Radio, Colorado Public Radio, 5280 Magazine, MileHighMamas.com and many more.

During this luncheon you will:

Discover what’s on the minds of some of today’s most influential journalists
Take the first step in building a lasting relationship with media members
Maximize your media relations efforts and expand your media lists

Hear from:

Julie Dugdale, senior editor, 5280 Magazine
Kelley Griffin, executive producer, Colorado Public Radio
Jim Hooley, reporter, FOX 31 and 850 KOA News Radio
Curtis Hubbard, editorial page editor, The Denver Post
Amber Johnson, “Mama Blogger”/editor, MileHighMamas.com
Jace Larson, investigative reporter, 9News
Kirk Montgomery, entertainment reporter, 9News
Chris Parente, entertainment reporter/co-host of “Everyday,” FOX 31 and CW-2
Kathy Walker, news director, 850 KOA News Radio
and more

If you register by Friday, April 12, prices are reduced to $35 for PRSA Colorado members | $49 for Non-members | $30 for Students. Luncheon prices after April 12, $45 for PRSA Colorado members | $59 for Non-members | $40 for Students. No refunds will be issued after April 12th.

Shadow Day: A Day in the Field of Farm Credit

Harrison Hill — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:08:30 +0000

Harrison Hill, Metro State University Student

Today is National Agriculture Day, and I was fortunate to be able to gain a first-hand experience in the wonderful world of agriculture thanks to Farm Credit and the Colorado Chapter Public Relations Society of America (PRSA Colorado). I was honored to have an amazing opportunity to participate in Shadow Day with Jennifer Armbruster, Farm Credit’s National Communications Manager, and her team to celebrate this important day. National Agriculture Day provided a perfect platform for me to learn what happens when public relations and agriculture meet – I was able to gain a feel for the world of public relations, and reflect on the importance of agriculture in our everyday lives.

We started off the day at the Colorado State Capitol where our state’s agricultural leaders and lawmakers held an Ag Day press conference in which several individuals shared the importance of agriculture. Colorado Department of Agriculture Commissioner, John Salazar, Lieutenant Governor Joseph Garcia, and Senator Gail Schwartz were just a few of the speakers at this event. Salazar highlighted his philosophy on American agriculture, “I have always said there is only one thing that can bring our nation down: our dependence on foreign countries for food and energy. Agriculture is the backbone of our economy.”

Hearing those words really opened my eyes to the importance of agriculture of the local and national economy. Lt. Gov. Garcia mentioned that agriculture helped strengthen the economy in our state, across our nation and internationally. Agriculture is the reason we have breakfast to eat, the chairs to sit in, and clothes to wear. Overall, the press conference offered great insight into how agriculture affects everyone from farmers to politicians, and even you and me.

That however, was just the beginning of this amazing day! The PRSA luncheon was our next stop, and the featured speaker was PR industry veteran Tom Hoog. He highlighted that in business, “what is said externally must be matched by performance internally”. He touched on the importance of truth telling for those in public relations, as we have become a society that seems to “spin” things in order to get the desired reaction from others. This resonated with me after seeing how Jennifer and the Farm Credit team work – they stick to the truth, not spin.

Today’s experience was beneficial in understanding the importance of agriculture on the economy, and the importance of public relations in the business world. One may ask why agriculture is important, and after today, I’d say that it is the foundation of all civilization, while business helps us run the civilization. When people have better understanding of the world of agriculture, they can better understand the major impact that it has on our society. Experiences like this will definitely benefit others interested in the fields of agriculture and public relations.

As stated by Pauline Phillips, better known as Abigail Van Buren, “If we could all sell our experiences, we’d all be millionaires.” The experiences and knowledge I was exposed to today, I feel that I have received a fortune. Thank you to the Farm Credit team for allowing me to shadow on such an event-filled day!

Nominate that Special Person – Business, PR, Rookie, Mentor Team

Julie Wagoner — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:46:07 +0000

Now that the rush of preparing your Gold Pick and Silver Anvil entries is over, you can relax as you settle in to pull together a PRSA Colorado Special Award entry. It’s easy, and best of all, they’re free!

Award categories are:

Swede Johnson Lifetime Achievement
Joe Fuentes Rookie of the Year
Chapter Service
PR Person of the Year
Business Person of the Year
Mentor of the Year
PR Team of the Year

This is your chance to recognize the outstanding professionals in our field and those we work so closely with each day. It only takes two typed pages to nominate your PR superstar (and whatever supporting materials you deem necessary) and all entries can be emailed (info@prsacolorado.org). Did we mention, entries are free?

For category descriptions and entry form go to: Special Awards 2013.
Deadline for entries is 4:00 p.m., March 29.

Make someone extra special this year with a PRSA Special Award!

For questions, information, contact Jane Dvorak, APR, Fellow PRSA – jane@jkdjane.com

Thank you to this year’s Gold Pick sponsor

The Oscars: What’s Your Story

Julie Fouque — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 02:34:07 +0000

One of the award winners at last night’s Oscar ceremony made the observation that so much rides on your fundamental story. This observation prompted me to think about parallels in corporate communications and marketing. As I listened to the nominations and then the winners for the various categories, I found that each had a unique story to tell. In fact, isn’t that why we go to the movies, to experience a story — about someone’s life, a relationship, someone who changed the world, a turning point in history, a fantasy?

The same goes for the organizations and clients for which we work. Each organization or client has a story to tell, of how it applies technology, resources, ideas, etc., to solve a particular problem, make someone’s job easier, or impact someone’s life, even the world.

As communicators, a cornerstone of our profession is identifying and relating our story. Without a meaningful story, what would the reason be for our organizations to exist? How successful could we be achieving our goals?

And yet, just like making an award-winning movie is much more than simply having a good story, so is being a communicator.

We take that story and collaborate with writers who help articulate it.

We draw on the talents of visual artists.

We tap the talents of videographers and video editors, sound technicians, and also interactive designers who create experiences for digital apps to invite our audiences to experience our stories.

Communications for PR professionals is the essence of relaying a story using many of the similar skills, talents, and partnerships we see recognized at the Oscars. What’s your story, and how do you bring it to life?

Last Chance to Enter Your Best Work in Public Relations

Ashley Frost — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:39:47 +0000

If you love what you do, let us know how you do what you love!

We know you worked hard in 2012, so now is the time to show it off and be rewarded. This Friday marks the last chance to enter your best work in public relations for the 2013 Gold Pick Awards.

To enter your public relations work for an award, visit the Gold Pick page of the PRSA Colorado website. There you will find the 2013 Call for Entries information, entry form, master payment form, judging criteria and awards checklist available for download.

Make sure your entries reach the PRSA Colorado office before 4 p.m. Friday, March 1—no late entries accepted. Fees are $150 for members, $185 for non-members. Ship or deliver entries to PRSA Colorado, 3030 West 81^st Avenue, Westminster, CO 80031.

Then on Thursday, May 9, walk the red carpet for the 2013 Gold Pick Awards ceremony at the EXDO Event Center where Gold and Silver Pick winners will be announced. Join your colleagues for a night of networking, fun and recognition of the top public relations work in Colorado.

Special Awards: The Special Awards Call for Entries is now available! To view this year’s special award categories download the 2013 Call for Entries from the Gold Pick page of the PRSA Colorado website. Special award nominations are free to enter and are due by 4 p.m. on March 29.

Questions: Contact Gold Pick Chair, Amy Johnson at amyjohnson05@comcast.net.

Platinum Sponsor: Linhart PR

PRSA Colorado Launches Accreditation Program

Julie Wagoner — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 18:56:14 +0000

March 2 through April 6, 2013
PRSA Colorado Launches Accreditation Program

The Colorado PRSA Chapter is offering an Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) course March 2 – April 6 to help prepare chapter candidates for the APR Readiness Review and computerized accreditation exam. The course runs from 9 a.m. to noon each Saturday for six weeks at the Denver Press Club and will be led by current Colorado APRs. Cost for Colorado PRSA members is $60 for all six sessions.

Join more than 200+ members of the PRSA Colorado Chapter who have earned their APR. Learn more by e-mailing Christie Denniston, APR, Accreditation Chair at (cdenniston@catapultpr-ir.com). For more information on the accreditation program go to www.praccreditation.org.

Accreditation Resources:

Participants earn 1.0 APR Maintenance Credits for a luncheon or webinar. For more information on Accreditation maintenance, visit http://www.prsa.org/Learning/Accreditation

REGISTER NOW

Join the PRSA Colorado Young Pros Book Club

Ashley Pritchard — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:25:08 +0000

Let’s say we checked out your current list of book recommendations on Amazon. Would it include The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter? Or maybe Spark’s latest gusher-soon-to-be-hallmark-movie? We’re not here to judge. Instead, we will simply encourage you to join our book club. A book club unlike any other. A club built around books that only us PR pros will understand, enjoy and want to discuss until the wee hours of the night (or over happy hour). When the boss asks, ‘What are you reading these days?’, she’ll be darn proud. You’ll both thank us.

Join us at 6 p.m. at Forest Room 5 (at 15th near Umatilla in the Highlands) for a lively conversation and happy hour specials. Don’t fret if you didn’t have time to read the entire book or blog, all are welcome!

Put the club on your calendar now:

Feb. 21: Muckrack.com
April 18: I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This by Kate White
June 20: Lindseymccaffrey.com/blog
Aug. 15: Mean Girls at Work: How to Stay Professional When Things Get Personal by Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster.
Oct. 17: The Power of Unpopular: A Guide to Building Your Brand for the Audience Who Will Love You (and why no one else matters) By Erika Napoletano
Dec. 19: Movie Night!

For more information, e-mail Ashley Pritchard at apritchard@denverartmuseum.org.

A Change of the Wind in Health Care

Andrew Mullins — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:25:26 +0000

As the business practices of our world continually shift, so does our health care model, influenced heavily by the economic pressures of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). While many changes brought forward by passing of the ACA will be beneficial, many will be painful for health care institutions and all will impact the role of the public relations professional in years to come. This includes the development and implementation of the Accountable Care Organization.

What is an Accountable Care Organization?

The Accountable Care Organization, or ACO, is a pioneer program developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to improve patient care while lowering the costs aimed at health care institutions; a challenge undaunted in a nation whose national health costs neared $2.6 trillion in 2010; over ten times the $256 billion spent in 1980.

The Pioneer ACO, a term formulated to describe the 32 organizations chosen to test this model, will devise tools to identify patients who need earlier, better, preventative care.

Why are we seeing ACOs now?

ACOs have entered into the national health care arena based on the implementation of the ACA and more largely the PPACA (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act). Under the Accountable Care Organization, providers are paid to keep their patients out of the hospital and healthy.

Through these efforts the Department of Health and Human Services places some of the fiscal responsibility on health care providers in hopes of cutting back rising Medicare costs. By incentivizing health care providers to control costs through improved health outcomes for patients, they’ve set the stage for a better health care formula in the United States.

About Colorado’s Health Care Expenditures

Increasing pressure is placed on Colorado’s health care costs, which rank seventh in the nation according to a Metro Denver Economic Development Council Report. What’s more? According to findings from the American Community survey, as many as 834,000 Coloradans are uninsured.

Consider this impact on our state evidenced from health spending data: from 1998 to 2009, Colorado’s personal health care spending per capita increased 78 percent, while our average annual growth decreased 1.9 percent.

While our health care institutions are faced with the issue of managing care affordably, our PR practitioners must be on the cusp of these efforts to communicate change, spread knowledge and influence the future health of our nation.

The Role of the PR Professional

The PR pros of health care institutions which oversee the dissemination of this information will be crucial to ensuring that patients understand the purpose and scope of the ACO implementation.

Media: Media plays a key role in the development of public opinion along with the dissemination of important information. Media influencers will be a vital part of the ACO rollout by furthering public education while communicating results of the program.

Advertising: The role of both public relations and marketing will require significant adjustments to both inform and persuade the public of the efficacy of ACOs. Advertisements will require a concentrated effort toward public education as opposed to competition.

Social Media: Social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest will become a core focus of PR practitioners in the development of ACOs. The ACO model will require consistent penetration through the information clutter that exists today and social media will play a key part in that breakthrough. By keeping those in the program involved and interested, goals can be met to keep hospital and Medicare costs down.

Events: Many health care consumers take control of their well being through the utilization of events outside their home. This includes health screenings, fitness classes and more. By developing programs that draw individuals outside of their home, ACOs will break barriers in the stagnant lifestyle that many recipients of Medicare currently lead.