Airfoil Public Relations

An Internship Worth Writing Home About

My time at Airfoil seems to have flown by with the speed of a 747 jet. The message alerting me it was time to write this piece seemed as though it came too soon. Three months had gone by and I didn’t even notice. Suffice to say I was having a great deal of fun and learning way more than I anticipated.

After the first on-boarding meeting concluded (word to future interns, these folks are serious about their on-boarding) I was thrown into account work. Not “just an intern” responsible for the bagels, I was pitching major outlets for technology powerhouse Microsoft my first week.

The first week of my internship really set the tone for how the remainder of my experience would be – fast. You always hear people within this industry say that working at an agency is, in many ways, the boot camp of PR. If this is true, please excuse my bulging muscles. 

What resonates the most is the amount of work the account teams have entrusted me with. The majority of my time has been spent with the various Microsoft accounts doing a number of things from pitching consumer products to blogger relations (something totally new for me).

 I got some great tips on that here .

Saying I learned and experienced a lot during my internship at Airfoil would be a huge understatement. Thus for future interns, or those simply interested in knowing some of the great takeaways from my internship, I would like to share a few things I learned along the way.

• There are unofficial ‘foiler historians running rampant. Talk to them! Many of the account teams have at least one person that started as an intern. I am a firm believer that people make the company culture what it is, so learning the history helps you establish if this is a company where you see yourself fitting in and excelling as an employee. This leads me to my next point.
• Transparency may not seem too important to a young pro hungry to get in the field of PR. But it makes a world of difference. Company transparency makes concentrating on work that much easier. I had weekly meetings with my supervisor and she always shared with me feedback on areas that needed improvement and recommended things I could do to grow professionally.  
•  The internship program is incredibly structured. The on boarding process may seem a bit excessive when all the meetings show up on your calendar, however they make a world of difference. Confusion isn’t billable and the on boarding helps dissipate many questions of where things are and who does what early on.

The staff and leadership take great care and time in developing not just the Airfoil brand but the people that work here. Everyone is a heavy lifter in terms of workload, but they still have a ton of fun, which made this experience ten times better. 

-- Tracey Shavers is an intern at Airfoil Public Relations, a high tech PR agency with offices in Detroit and Silicon Valley.

Previously unemployed provide inspiration this holiday season

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Tristen O’Brien. This wonderful man from Indiana, along with his beautiful wife and adorable son, serves as an inspiration for the 14 million Americans currently unemployed.

Tristen O’Brien was in the delivery room about to become a brand new father when he received a text that he would lose his job.

When Tristen lost his job, he started selling a few unneeded items around the house on eBay (his 55” TV and a couple of his wife’s designer purses). Soon, this simple way to pay the bills turned into a full-time job.

He encourages others to help supplement their income on his blog - theebayentrepreneur.com. His story has also been turned into a web series designed to help other parents.

Tristen has since been hired back as a consultant and still continues to sell on eBay. He and his wife, Amy, are using the eBay money to fund all of their holiday shopping and a family trip to Disney.

Tristen provides inspiration to those who may be out of work this holiday.

(Disclosure: eBay is an Airfoil client and this video project is part of our work. However, personal opinions of Tristen and his story are all mine.)

-- Leah Haran is a vice president at Airfoil Public Relations, a high tech PR agency with offices in Detroit and Silicon Valley.

Pitching tips for blogger-to-brand relationships

The BlogHer conference is the largest female blogging conference, this year drawing more than 3,600 attendees and more than 100 sponsors. This year was no different than others, with several private parties, unofficial events and functions surrounding the conference where brands, bloggers and PR meet and connect for future work together.

The panel that made the biggest impression on me was Bad Blogger Pitches (The Other Side of the PR-Blogger Relationship), which reminded me of pitches we’ve received at Airfoil:

“I just started a YouTube page and want to start reviewing products. I think your $800 gadget is awesome. Can you send me one, non-returnable, and I’ll get started reviewing? Any other products you can send?”

That was paraphrased a bit, but not much, from an actual pitch we’ve received. No, they’re not all that bad and many are actually quite good, which may be a similar experience to what bloggers receive on the other side of the coin.

 

Clowing around at BlogHer

However, many in the audience had questions about how and whom to pitch, so here are my recommendations:

1. Do your homework. Know how to spell the company name, product name and person you are pitching. Just like “Dear Mommy Blogger” can be a negative, so can “Dear Company Name Spelled Wrong.”

2. Choose someone to pitch. Many times, the business we work with will forward pitches they receive. Many times, we’ve also received the same pitch. Try a single route first and if you don’t receive a response, explore other options. Also know that the business will often forward your request to the PR agency.

3. Tell us why. Just like you want a pitch to tell you the reasons why “we think your readers will be interested in this,” tell us why you think the business should work with you. Have your readers asked you about something similar? Have you experienced a health issue that the product would aid? Are you a fan of the brand or product and regular promote it already?

4. Have patience. Many times, the PR agency will need to discuss your request and provide a recommendation to the company. Then the company will need to discuss and decide and send the news back through the line. If you don’t hear anything right away, know that it’s probably being discussed.

5. Start slowly. Although it seems like social media has been around forever, the World Wide Web just turned 20 years old. Comparatively speaking, this communication medium is very new, and evolving, and not every company is on board yet. PR agencies likely are your biggest cheerleaders and are telling these decision makers why working with you matters.

And yes, also send us your stats. That doesn’t mean just your blog, but tell us how you have reach on social networks, subscribers and in your community. Location and local are growing themes and companies want those who can perform real brand building and recommendations.

-- Tonja Deegan is the social media director at Airfoil Public Relations, a high tech PR agency with offices in Detroit and Silicon Valley.

 

Social and digital engagement: Feel the beat.

Ever get the sense that you’re being talked “to” and not “with”? Most of us gravitate toward people and organizations that make it clear our opinions and ideas matter to them – it’s human nature. What businesses must remember above all else when utilizing social and digital channels is that customers are people. And people want to be heard.

Particularly because we operate in a business environment more competitive and customer-driven than at any previous time, strategic social and digital engagement is not something businesses should “do,” but rather a relationship management function that thrives on constant validation and maintenance. Take the “pulse” of any company’s social media profile and you should be able to hear a distinct and steady heartbeat. Airfoil expands on this online-engagement imperative in our latest POV, “Through the Higher Thinking® Lens: Social Channels Are Alive, Are You?”

In this POV, we make the case for social and digital media as dynamic channels where reciprocal communication isn’t an option; it’s the very nature of the beast. “Through the Higher Thinking® Lens: Social Channels Are Alive, Are You?” walks the reader through our firm’s successful approach to maximizing social and digital media for our clients’ benefit.

It details Airfoil’s signature Higher Thinking approach to researching, strategizing, engaging and measuring to not simply form, but also sustain those vital online interactions between enterprise and customer. We also share recommendations for how to effectively use social and digital media as public relations platforms and rationale for social and digital media being treated – and managed – as functions of a broader, strategic public relations program.

We feel passionately that it’s in a company’s best interest to truly listen, respond and react to customers because those same customers will gravitate toward a brand and reward it with their business. Social and digital media are “alive” because its consumers are people who, at the end of the day, crave validation. Our most recent POV offers a framework for how business can strategically – dynamically – give and receive that critical validation.

The real glitz and glamour of industry awards

What is the first thing that comes to mind when considering awards? Red carpets and shiny trophies? A heartfelt acceptance speech? Adding to your trophy case? Sure, the glamour of awards come to mind, but it is not the whole picture. Investment in award programs is essential to continued company growth and awareness. The impact of receiving recognition from a third party (i.e. industry peers, analysts or media) accelerates your communications program far beyond what you could say about yourself.

Award programs are an essential element of your communication strategy that should align with your company identity and business goals.  Furthermore, the content development and processes that are an integral part of each award are a specialized knowledge and skill set unto itself. Looking for an increased presence in your local market? Consider a pursuing a growth award with a local business newspaper. Interested in highlighting the strength of your executive team? Consider submitting your CEO for an award that recognizes his/her contributions to the industry.

Last week Airfoil clients, MobiTV, Inc. and Parrot were recognized at the 2011 Edison Awards for their achievement in product innovation. Inspired by Thomas Edison himself (inventor of a little thing called the light bulb), The Edison Awards look to identify innovation from visionaries in the United States. MobiTV, Inc. was the silver award winner within the Media & Communications category for its industry best mobile media technology platform. The platform, MobiTV AMP, is a culmination of a decade of work that began with a vision to literally place television at peoples’ fingertips. Parrot earned the bronze award within Electronics & Computers in the Location Technologies segment for the AR.Drone, a flying quadricopter. Consumers can fly the AR.Drone using an iPhone, iPod Touch, or an iPad and through augmented reality technology can bring the world around them into the gaming world.

Want another reason to pursue awards? Adding “award-winning” before your company or product name has a nice ring to it, but from a strategic standpoint, awards are big part of establishing and maintaining category leadership.  The marketplace uses awards and other accolades as indicators of company/product quality, performance and/or stability and companies that lead their respective categories often have built that position, at least in part, through pursuit of awards. 

— Kali Fry is an account coordinator at Airfoil Public Relations, a high tech PR agency with offices in Detroit and Silicon Valley.

Creativity, meet Process.

When these two are in the same room, sparks fly.  What happens next is a process New York Timesbest-selling author, ePrize Founder and Chairman and business visionary Josh Linkner calls “Disciplined Dreaming.”  Here, strategic and organic thinking fuel one another, becoming a business’ greatest competitive differentiator.

Check out Airfoil Founder and President, Janet Tyler’s recent interview with Josh and ask yourself whether your organization has dared to dream in a disciplined way.

 

Getting fired up for creativity

This Tuesday, Airfoil is hosting Josh Linkner, founder and chairman of ePrize and author of  The New York Times Best Seller Disciplined Dreaming, A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity.

(Disclosure: ePrize is an Airfoil client and Linkner is a longtime friend of the agency.)

Airfoil values employee education and professional development. As such, the agency purchased a copy of the book for each employee and asked Linkner to present his creative insights for the team to fuel our personal professional development and drive our creative thinking. 

Disciplined Dreaming is a process created by Linkner to sustain innovation and growth via creativity. Consisting of five parts, the process makes creativity easier for any organization.

We’re looking forward to hearing more and will share with you what we learn, plus a Q&A interview after the presentation. Stay tuned!

-- Janet Tyler is co-founder and president of Airfoil Public Relations, a high tech PR agency with offices in Detroit and Silicon Valley.

Airfoil Wins PRSA Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for Parrot AR.Drone Launch

Airfoil has been award a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) at its annual event in New York. Our integrated campaign with Parrot for the launch of the company’s AR.Drone, a quadricopter controlled by an iPod touch or an iPhone, at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was recognized in the marketing consumer products/technology category.

It’s a cliché in the press release world but yes, we are truly thrilled, excited and honored! Being a finalist and then winning from a field of 823 entries across all categories reinforces our team’s talent for strategically planned and remarkably executed media relations campaigns.

Appropriately titled “Out of Nowhere,” our submission showcased the disruptive and buzz-building impact the campaign had at CES. The Airfoil team created a strategic marketing communications program to build mystery and drive consumer demand for the AR.Drone. The launch drove more than 100 media briefings, 600 media mentions, more than 3,000 new Twitter followers, and was the most-viewed video on YouTube during the opening day of CES. The Parrot website also received a nine-fold increase of website visitors and received five Best of CES Awards from publications and industry groups such as WIRED and Popular Science.

In addition, Airfoil was awarded the 2010 Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation for the same campaign. The Bronze Anvil competition drew 697 entries. Of those, only 78 organizations were selected as Award of Commendation winners. Airfoil also recently received the platinum Hermes Creative Award for the same campaign.

-- Janet Tyler

New staff positions focus on services, growth industries

A growing number of companies across the country are taking a look at what they do and who they do it for to ensure that their operations are in alignment with the next economy, and Airfoil has been planning for new opportunities, as well.

As you can see from a profile about us in The Detroit News today, we are fortunate that this planning has led us to reinvigorate our agency with a focus on services and growth industries. We’ve also developed new leadership opportunities for key agency members. With these new positions, we’ve added a layer of additional infrastructure and support to broadly offer a more formalized group of services that we’ve been offering to existing clients.

First off is Tracey Parry, an agency co-founder, partner and senior vice president, now has responsibility overseeing the new Client Solutions Group. The group, which encompasses marketing communications, digital and social media and research and brand strategy, also includes Tonja Deegan, former social media specialist, who has been promoted to director of digital and social media.

Focusing on growth industries, Rich Donley, former account director, has been promoted to vice president with oversight of the new Industrial/Green Technology Leadership Group.

As I’ve mentioned previously, Airfoil recently was recognized as a finalist in the 2009 PR Week Awards in the category of Small PR Agency of the Year.  While 2009 will be challenging for businesses across the country, we at Airfoil are looking forward to taking opportunities to the next level and are positioning our services to lead us towards a bright future.

-- Janet Tyler

Airfoil Public Relations Nominated for PRWeek Award

In a nutshell, 2008 was not an easy year. It wasn’t easy for the media, for advertising, for marketing or for public relations.

No, it wasn’t easy for any business, which is why I’m so proud of our team for not only making the best of 2008 but for making it a year to remember.

Airfoil has been named as a finalist in the 2009 PRWeek Awards in the category of Small PR Agency of the Year. The judging took place Dec. 8 by a panel of 72 judges. In addition, Airfoil was recognized as the Technology Agency of the Year by the Holmes Report in 2008.

We have been fortunate to work with exciting and collaborative clients and our own internal team of PR leaders. The combination of these assets made for a very rewarding year for our business.

According to PRWeek, a PRWeek Award is the highest accolade in the PR industry, given each year to the best corporate, nonprofit, and agency teams, as well as to the campaigns that they produce. The Awards highlight the important work done by PR professionals every day.

The PRWeek awards dinner is March 5 at Tavern on the Green in New York City. We are excited to attend and be included among such recognized colleagues. Congratulations to everyone nominated and let’s make 2009 another year to celebrate!

-- Janet Tyler