Week 5 - Event Communications

When launching an event, prospective attendees want to know what the event is about, who will be there, and how important is it to attend. Therefore, a website solely developed for the event is critical to increasing attendance and marketing of the event. Rathe & Co., a legal technology consulting agency, recently developed a website to support and market event held regularly for current and prospective clients (Biba, 2007). Since their new website, Rafte & Co. has seen an increase in registration and new business. Richard Giulani, VP of business development at Meeting Consultants, believes event websites can serve as a point of entry for potential business partners, as well as prospective attendees. To properly promote an event, websites should include an event registration tool, a calendar or agenda, a list of topics, venue info, nearby hotels, and event added audio or video to increase web traffic (Biba, 2007). An event website is a piece of the integrated marketing strategy and is critical to further reaching potential buyers, current users, deciders, and influencers of a company’s brand (Kotler, & Keller, 2006).

Biba, Erin (2007). Building Web site a vital event marketing tool. Business to Business. 92(4).

Kotler, Philip, & Keller, Lane Kevin (2006). Marketing Management (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey; Prentice Hall.

Week 4 - External Communications

Proctor & Gamble will spend $86 million to launch a new line of Ultra Soft and Ultra Strong Charmin toilet paper. The strategy includes TV, print, web, packaging, and experiential marketing. In the past, we have focused marketing support on one segment of the lineup: Charmin Ultra," said Dennis Le-gault, brand manager for Charmin at P&G, Cincinnati. "With the launch of Ultra Strong and Ultra Soft, we are focused on communicating what her bath tissue needs are (Facenda, 2007). The Charmin Ultra line is a great example of how companies are identifying consumer needs, creating innovative product extensions, and developing new integrated marketing strategies to expand their market footprint (Kotler, & Keller, 2006).

Facenda, L. Vanessa (2007). Strategy: P&G Sees Valuable Assets In $86M Charmin Relaunch. BrandWeek, October 15, online reprint. Retrieved October 15, 2007, from http://www.brandweek.com/bw/magazine/current/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003658172

Kotler, Philip, & Keller, Lane Kevin (2006). Marketing Management (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey; Prentice Hall.

New to wine?

Are you new to wine and not sure where to start? Let me help you out.

First, if you have never, ever tasted wine, or know for a fact that you do not like dry red wine then may I suggest a few delightful starters. Start off with a semi-sweet/semi-dry German Riesling, a Washington or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (I like Chateau St. Michelle from Washington), a Vouvray (French wine made from Chenin Blanc grape), or my wife's favorite Moscato di Asti (sweet, lightly bubbly Italian wine).

If you have started with whites and are ready to move on, may I suggest the following. Try an Oregon (Williamette region) or California (Sonoma or Russian River Valley regions) Pinot Noir, Spanish Rioja (made from Tempranillo grape), or a Washington Merlot. Besides the Rioja, I have suggested new world style wines that emphasize fruit. These wines are easier to drink because they are "jammy" and actually very trendy right now. As well, you can easily drink these wines by themselves, whereas old world wines are meant to pair with food.

Again, this is merely for those looking to expand their palates and start experiencing wine. To all traditionalists, I feel you! I wish every wine could be a Grand Cru, Barolo, Brunello, or Opus One!! But wine is a business, people's tastes change, and I do not have the time to make homemade pasta or duck every night! I just hope to inspire others to drink wine, enjoy family and friends, and eat good food!

For those of you starting out, below is a list of quality-value wines, enjoy!

2005 Chateau St. Michelle Savignon Blanc $9-$12
2004-2005 Columbia Crest Merlot $12
2005-2006 B&G Vouvray $8-$10 (ask a wine shop owner for best Vouvray under $15)
2005-2006 Hogue Late Harvest Riesling $8-$10
2001 Campo Viejo Rioja Crianza $10-$13
Moscatoo di Asti $11-$16 (have not had a bad Moscato, taste it and you'll see why)

Great red wine from Ohio? I found one!!!

I know Ohio can produce great reds because our climate and soil types are great for Rhone and Bordeaux varieties. However, because our climate is very inconsistent, it is difficult to grow vinifera varieties (European grape varieties, ie. pinot noir, cabernet, riesling) in Ohio. And to be quite honest, I have yet to find one that I would actually sit down and drink with a meal. Furthermore, good quality Ohio wines are perceived as sweet and coming from Northern Ohio. Well, as the title suggested, I found a GREAT Ohio red! And it is from the Ohio River Valley.

The 2005 Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Franc is outstanding! I actually did a blind tasting and had no idea what I was about to discover. The nose was brimming with juicy black berry/cherry and floral accents, finishing with a sweet touch of smoky oak. Then I tasted it... WOW! Top quality! I love the rich smokiness, delicious fruit, and the right amount of spice.

I would like this Cab Franc with rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes, lamb, or any grilled red meat (pork or chicken okay depending on sauce). As well, grilled portobello, grilled onions, grilled red peppers, and radicchio would pair well.

This wine retails for around $15-$17. Check out www.kinkeadridge.com for more info.

Happy tastings!

Week 3 Blog - Assignment 3-2

How many CEO’s answer their own phone, schedule their own appointments, and make a $350,000 annual salary? There is only one; Jim Sinegal of Costco. Sinegal is a hands-on leader and attributes his success to putting employees and customers first, creating an open-door policy, and setting an example for others to follow (Goldberg, & Ritter, 2006). Sinegal incorporates a leadership style that is a mix between transformational and transactional leadership in that he sets performance goals and inspires everyone through constant communication to achieve their goals (Dainton, & Zelley, 2006). Furthermore, Sinegal’s leadership strategy also integrates the theory of leader-member exchange relationship as he is determined to be on a first name basis with all employees (Dainton, & Zelley, 2006). Jim Sinegal is a great example of how simple values, communicated consistently, clearly and effectively, lead to satisfied customers, employees, and investors.

Dainton, M., & Zelley, E. D. (2005). Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life: A Practical Introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc..

Goldberg, Alan, & Ritter, Bill (2006, August 2). Costco CEO finds pro-worker means profitability. ABC News, 20/20. Retrieved October 5, 2007, from http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Business/story?id=1362779

Week 2 blog - Assignment 2-2

A highly controversial television road safety ad campaign in Ireland uses deep psychological communications to persuade the public to drive safe. The ads use gruesome crash pictures from real car wrecks to get communicate its message (Labanyi, 2007). This campaign is unique in that it uses a combination of communication concepts. The ads employ a peripheral route to persuasion by using horrific pictures to emotionally involve an unmotivated audience (Dainton, & Zelley, 2005). As well, the ads create intrapersonal tension between a person’s current attitudes or beliefs, thereby resolving the tension by altering one’s beliefs to coincide with the ad message of driving safe (Dainton, & Zelley, 2005). Finally, the ads use the narrative paradigm concept because the message is told in a story-like manner that convinces the audience of good reasons to drive safe (Dainton, & Zelley, 2005). Those who formulate public ad campaign strategies or those who need to communicate a culturally difficult statement, can learn from the Irish road safety campaign how to implement communication theory to create effective communication campaigns.

Dainton, M., & Zelley, E. D. (2005). Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life: A Practical Introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc..

Labanyi, David (2007, January 24). Shock-style ads drive home message. The Irish Times, 5. Retrieved September 27, 2007, from http://0-www.lexisnexis.com.olinkserver.franklin.edu/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?risb=21_T2158758762&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T2158758765&cisb=22_T2158758764&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=142626&docNo=4

Hello All

Welcome to blogyption-artifacts!

I have always thought that a person's blog is sort of like an ancient artifact. To some, a blog can be a chisel, a piece of pottery, a product, or even a drawing. No matter what your blog is to you, it is part of your individual culture.

We all have our own perspectives, ideas, traditions, and language. And, we all symbolically communicate these perspectives, ideas and experiences through our blog.

So there you go! My anthropological perspective on blogs.

Enjoy!