R+K DNA

R+K Celebrates Another Round of Regional NAMA Wins

R+K DNA — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:53:06 GMT

Last month, Rhea + Kaiser competed once again in the annual National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) Region/Chapter Best of NAMA events. And once again, R+K held its own, hauling home seven first place and five merit awards.

“We strive to do Great Work for our Great Clients,” said CEO Diane Martin. “Performing well at Best of NAMA is one way we can evaluate and validate our ongoing efforts to accomplish that.”

The wins are as follows:

First places

Bayer CropScience, Belt Insecticide Crop Registration “Trophy” Insert (Unique print advertising)
Bayer CropScience, Stoneville :30 TV (Television – Single or Series)
FS GROWMARK, FS Brand TV – Kelsey “Trust” (Television – Single or Series)
FS GROWMARK, FS Brand :90 Videos – Kelsey “Trust” (Audio visual presentations)
Rhea + Kaiser, R+K Holiday Card (All elements)
Rhea + Kaiser, R+K Pancake Breakfast (All elements)
The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Nutrient Management Is All About Being “Right” (Persuasive writing)

Merits

Bayer CropScience, Capreno “Man vs. Weed” Campaign (Multi-Media Campaigns)
Bayer CropScience, Stratego YLD Fungicide Personalized T-Shirt (Premiums/Specialties directed to growers)
Bayer CropScience, Driver Weeds Crash Yield Potential In Soybeans (Persuasive Writing)
Bayer CropScience, GlyTol TechTour Takes Texas (Events – Customer)
Bayer CropScience, Capreno Commodity Text Update Program (Interactive Marketing Tools)

All regional first place and merit finishers are eligible to compete in the national Best of NAMA awards, which are announced in April. Too see more of R+K’s Great Work, visit www.rkconnect.com/The-Work.aspx.

The Golden Rule Of Business Manners

R+K DNA — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:45:03 GMT

By now, we’ve all made (and hopefully are still keeping) our New Year’s resolutions for 2012. Year after year, the most popular resolutions are losing weight, eating healthier, managing stress and so on. These are to be applauded, but for your consideration, allow me to suggest one more belated resolution – improving our workplace manners.

We’ve all been on the receiving end of some else’s bad manners and have, in turn, had to go into crisis mode, shakeup our schedules or re-prioritize tasks. And the kicker is: most of the offenders don’t realize (or don’t care) that their bad behavior is disruptive – not to mention unacceptable.

A few examples of bad manners that really drag down team morale and productivity include:

Habitually showing up late to work or meetings. For those offenders, here’s why this is a problem. Late arrivals – especially repeatedly – telegraph disrespect for others’ time. Late arrivals delay the start of work. Late arrivals disrupt the flow of meetings in progress. Ultimately, even if you delude yourself with your importance or busy-ness, late arrivals erode others’ confidence in you. And by the way, there’s no reason anyone should ever show up unexpectedly late – virtually everyone has a mobile phone with texting capabilities and can call/text the expected arrival time.
Last-minute requests. These should be the exception, not the norm. Regardless of the root cause, frequent last-minute requests create undue chaos for others, suggest you don’t respect their time or responsibilities and eventually drain the confidence and forgiveness accounts. A couple tips for those repeat offenders: Be brave enough to ask for help before it’s a crisis, and consider seeking time-management training.
Entitlement. Neither tenure, nor title, nor role, nor educational pedigree ensures others will respect, follow or trust you. When you play the entitlement card, you’re effectively alienating those upon whom you depend, are trying to influence or want to impress. My advice: Get over yourself and learn to work with others toward a common goal, whether you’re the boss, a colleague, a customer or a vendor.

I realize that these few examples of bad manners also touch on compromised ethics (check out Patrick Khuse’s list of 8 Critical Thinking Errors Common in all Unethical Behavior) and a general lack of professionalism. The core of the problem is that in business we’ve lost sight of the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated (thanks Ben Franklin!). And I believe that when you embrace the Golden Rule, good manners, professionalism, ethics, productivity and profitability will follow.

When you abide by the Golden Rule, you’ll find that achieving individual and common goals is more feasible, more rewarding and much more enjoyable. My challenge to you: the next time you are on the receiving end of bad manners, don’t suffer in silence. Tell the offender how their rude behavior affects you and the work. And if you’re feeling especially bold, let them know it’s unacceptable.

Diane Martin is President/CEO at Rhea + Kaiser and won’t tolerate rude behavior.

For consumers, it’s a jungle out there.

R+K DNA — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:52:02 GMT

We’ve kissed the sun goodbye after returning to Chicago from Orlando and the North American Veterinary Conference.

It's a great event to attend if you’re associated with any aspect of the animal health industry. The schedule is chock-full of excellent sessions on a variety of trending industry topics, and exhibitors’ booths are generally overflowing with experts, white papers and video demonstrations. Attendees are primarily veterinarians, veterinary technicians and practice managers, and most of the IP is centered on helping pet-owning consumers keep their beloved, four-legged friends happy and healthy.

What’s amazing is how many more influencers pet owners have access to today. Joe Smith’s local veterinarian is hardly his first or last stop for pet health information.

“Why not ask my local pet food retailer what will keep Skippy’s tummy feeling good? They know what they’re talking about.”

“I’m sure the groomer will let me know if anything looks weird.”

“Since I started taking Skippy to my chiropractor, he’s in the best shape of his life.”

Yep – chiropractors. And doggy day cares. And big box stores hoping to open countless doc-in-a-box centers for animals. It’s truly a jungle out there for pet owners looking for the most appropriate, most informed information about pet care, and often it’s everyone BUT the reputable veterinarian channel making the most noise and getting the most attention.

Does this crowded, loud, and often convoluted marketplace sound familiar? Where do consumers find out about your brand? What shapes their opinion about your product? Who do they trust to recommend your product? Do they even know and understand what your product does and why it’s important?

If you need to uncover insights into how your consumer thinks, learns and chooses, and if you need to do it now to grow – or defend – share-of-voice and share-of-mind, give us a ring. We’d love to chat about how our Think Customer First approach could help you build your business.

Learnings from a conference (before hospitality hour)

R+K DNA — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:04:27 GMT

After a day of hi-how-are-yous, nice-to-see-you-agains and lets-catch-up-at-the-booth-laters at the North American Veterinarian Conference (NAVC) in Orlando, there’s much to ponder. As evidenced through the vast curriculum offered during the four-day show, the conference’s mission is “to provide world-class continuing education for all members of the veterinary healthcare team.”

We’re at NAVC to make new friends and to ensure we offer the best thinking to our current clients in this category. I.e., we don’t just promise an informed, cut-through-the-clutter point of view, we deliver it.

But we’re also here because we truly appreciate and seek out opportunities to learn. At R+K, we steward a culture of learning through programs like R+K IQ, Donuts + Dialogue and every day learning moments (that we even have a job number for). For example, we challenge R+Kers to not just know how many veterinary clinics are on Facebook, but to understand how our clients can help these clinics drive business results through improved compliance through social media channels.

Well, off to our the-rest-of-the-story dinner.

Diane Martin and Laura Schmidt reporting from Orlando

To Van Kaiser: Black Licorice and Big Boy Boscoes

R+K DNA — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:16:53 GMT

This week we lost a friend, a leader and a great storyteller when Van Kaiser, co-founder of Rhea + Kaiser, passed away. Yesterday, we toasted Van with some of his favorites including black licorice, Big Boy Boscoes and a lot of funny and poignant stories.

As the R+K family shares their memories of Van – and others share theirs on our Facebook page, and through emails and phone calls, I’m hearing similar themes about how Van touched their lives. And looking back on my own 25-year relationship with Van, a lot of great memories rush forward. All of them held a common thread: After a conversation with Van, I left with a chuckle and new inspiration. I learned about leadership and mentoring from Van. Specifically, I learned about the importance of leading by example and of being consistent, honest and, well, human.

All of us in the Rhea + Kaiser family say thanks for the humor, compassion and the opportunity to do great work at Rhea + Kaiser. Cheers to you, Van! You are missed, but your legacy will live on.

Diane Martin is President/CEO and a 25-year fan of Rhea + Kaiser.

Christmastime in the Age of Social Media

R+K DNA — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 15:13:06 GMT

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He tweeted me just the other day.

Children have been hanging their stockings with care, hoping for a glimpse of the jolly fat man, since the 17^th century. Over the years, Santa has moved with the times, appearing on radio, television and the Internet. Now, with the recent proliferation of social media vehicles, there are more ways to interact with Santa than ever before.

Parents used to debate the authenticity of the local mall Santa; now, they also have to worry about which Twitter Santa is the real Santa. A UK wireless provider probably went to the greatest lengths to spread Christmas cheer on Twitter – anyone who used the hashtag #o2santa between December 12 and 15 received a custom YouTube video from Santa.

Discovering new ways to interact with Santa is just one example of how people are connecting digitally during the holidays. Need help counting down the days until Christmas? Download one of several holiday-themed apps to do the job. In fact, search “Christmas” at the iPhone App Store and you’ll get more than 600 results, including everything from movies and music to widgets and wallpaper. Or how about a clever reimagining of the Nativity Story envisioned as a series of Facebook posts, tweets and foursquare check-ins?

It’s not a holly, jolly Christmas for everyone. There’s talk of Facebook greetings supplanting holiday greeting card sales. And for every St. Nick on Twitter, there’s an Ebenezer Scrooge lurking (sample tweet: “I just saw my own grave. #whoa”).

Still, the social media Christmas vibe is definitely a net positive, especially after reading stories like the one where the Case Foundation is encouraging people to commend random acts of kindness they witness through a #GoodSpotting hashtag. And after Christmas is over, Mashable will show you how social media resources can help you keep your New Year’s resolutions.

Of course, nothing beats an in-person smile, handshake or hug at the holidays. But if we don’t see you, we still want to wish you a very happy digital holidays.

Ben Potter is Manager of Technical Writing for R+K and mayor of the North Pole on foursquare.

We’re “AMP”ed about our new name!

R+K DNA — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:57:42 GMT

In a fanfare-filled announcement last week, R+K announced it is changing the name of its Account Services department to the Account Management + Planning Department, or AMP.

The idea behind the name change is to better reflect the team’s role as account leaders who provide smart, strategic counsel and cultivate big ideas for clients and internal teams.

The 12-member AMP team was super pumped about the “namectomy” and the resulting new department moniker because it underscores that they do much more than tend to the day-to-day account details.

“We’re forward thinkers who bring unparalleled knowledge of our clients’ industries and customers, nurture our relationships with clients and internal teams, and generally are awesome and indispensable,” said Cheryl Muzinic, director of the AMP department at R+K. “We think AMP says that loud and clear.”

Oh…and we’ll let you caption the pictures.*

*Please note that AMP team member Laura Boynton is NOT pregnant, nor is AMP team member Neil Johnson the reigning Iowa Beef Queen. They were simply paying homage to AMP team member Kim Berns…who is.

Why I Think We Are Moving To The Cloud

R+K DNA — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:02:08 GMT

We are fans of “the cloud.” Here’s why.

Traditionally when you are working on a computer, you have your hardware (laptop/desktop), operating system, applications and data. When you buy a new computer from the store, you typically install your programs that you would be using and create/add/edit data, i.e. word, excel, etc., add music to your iTunes and download your child’s precious first birthday pictures from your digital camera.

And of course you have it all backed up right? Ideally a backup would be done daily or at least weekly, but who has the time? We all still need to get work done and don’t have time to worry about the small details…until a hard drive crashes, or your computer gets stolen, lost at the airport, etc. It’s a scary thought but it is an unfortunate reality.

But what if when you used your computer, your files were automatically backed up without you having to lift a finger? What if when you saved a word document it was saved in a place that didn’t have the same risk of just leaving it on your hard drive? How about the cloud?

The cloud, in my generic definition, is a place out on the Internet that can serve as a repository for almost anything; office documents, pictures and music. If you save your critical files to the cloud, you automatically have your data backed up on highly available, reliable, redundant storage in a location that is available 24/7/365 days of the year.

At Rhea + Kaiser, we are putting the cloud to work for us. Five years ago, we virtualized our servers (think of it as a “private cloud”). Within the next six to twelve months, all company laptops and personal computers will be virtualized as well. We’ll be able to log onto a website that will allows users to see and run applications and their desktops loaded on a custom interface.

What this means is that we are no longer tied to a particular piece of hardware. Don’t feel like lugging home your laptop every night? No big deal – just access your data via the cloud on your home computer or mobile device like the iPad or even your phone. We’ll never fear the “blue screen of death” again.

The cloud has improved efficiency in other ways, too. For example, we only house three physical servers (we had 24 five years ago) at our main facility and two more at our disaster recovery site. These three servers are actually running 25 virtual servers that let us access company data, email, proprietary application and more. Cooling, electricity and space requirements have gone down dramatically.

As technology continues to progress and head more to the cloud, I think the traditional laptops and desktops that we are used to today will slowly disappear and move more towards devices that are instant on and don’t hold any critical data on the device – only in the cloud.

Faisal Farooqui is the manager of business technology at Rhea + Kaiser.

Twelve Tidbits From The Digital PR Next Practices Summit

R+K DNA — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:26:47 GMT

Last week’s “Digital PR Next Practices Summit” yielded hundreds of helpful insights. Here are 12 such tidbits we thought were particularly worth sharing.

1. Online shoppers are 144% more likely to put an item in their shopping cart after viewing a product video.

2. Your microsite is 53x more likely to get on the first page of Google search results if it has video content.

3. By 2014, mobile Internet use will surpass desktop Internet use.

4. A good Google+ profile has the following: (1) fresh content, (2) a defined voice, (3) no clutter, (4) transparency.

5. Your headline is probably too long – Google only analyzes the first 65 characters of headlines in its search algorithm.

6. RSS feeds are nearly always a top five traffic driver.

7. 46% of journalists use Twitter to find sources, and 98% of journalists start a story by doing a Google search.

8. Journalists are increasingly expected to provide not just headline and body copy, but also links, keywords, alt text, etc. They consider it a tremendous value add if PR would start supplying these.

9. LinkedIn has two severely underused professional development tools: Advanced Search and Answers.

10. Crisis communication made simple: (1) Have a plan before it happens, (2) Don’t deny, (3) Humanize, (4) Don’t overreact, (5) Monitor.

11. Some good books that can help you learn more: “Social Media ROI” and “Sam’s Teach Yourself Google Analytics in 10 Minutes.”

12. The word that was spoken the most times during the conference: LISTEN.

You can find more event information here. The digital world moves at a breakneck speed, but with so many new communications tools at our disposal, we consider that a good thing.

Ben Potter is manager of technical writing at R+K. He is 53x more likely to help out a co-worker who bribes him with candy first.

It Takes a Great Leader to be Truly Accountable

R+K DNA — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:13:27 GMT

At Rhea + Kaiser, we’ve been spending a lot of time discussing accountability. Being accountable to our clients, for the work we create and the results it generates. We’re also talking about accountability to each other – which has been driven by the fact that we’ve begun using a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (also known as RACI Matrix) approach with the implementation of our new Project Management discipline.

As I’ve listened to group discussions using RACI or about the metrics and measurement we’re using to be accountable to clients, there’s been a theme that has been rustling around in my brain: It takes a Great leader to be truly accountable.

Being accountable requires bravery, integrity and initiative – things Great leaders embody. Accountable people must be brave to take ownership of the work (good or bad), to take criticism, to share praise, and to allow others to shine. Accountable people must have integrity in the decisions they make and how they champion others. And they must take initiative to inspire others, anticipate problems and keep the work moving forward.

We define Accountable at R+K as “taking ownership of your ideas, decisions and responsibilities with clients and your colleagues.” With RACI, Accountables approve the work. And they are the people in the spotlight – the first ones called if something goes wrong and the first ones showered with praise for the successes. They are the Great leaders who know when to step up, step aside or step back, but always with end-goal in mind.

Accountable is one of six critical assets that R+K seeks in our team. Other assets include collaborative, innovative, critical thinker, leader and maverick spirit. We challenge every employee to embrace and live these assets – we believe that these assets make the difference between being good and being great.

Three Takeaways From The 2011 Farm Progress Show

R+K DNA — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:21:37 GMT

As the largest outdoor agriculture show in the U.S., the Farm Progress Show (FPS) is an annual “must attend” for us at Rhea + Kaiser. Each year, we journey to Decatur, Ill., or Boone, Iowa, (the show rotates between the two permanent sites) in search of key insights that may benefit our agribusiness clients. It remains one of the best trend-spotting events of the year.

So what caught our eye this year? We came back with three interesting observations that we would like to share with you.

1. Farmers are people, too.

We don’t always think of farmers as “regular” citizens. They don’t work 9 to 5, not by a long shot. Their office is outdoors. They drive a $500,000 combine with a fuel tank that costs thousands more to fill.

But job quirks aside, it’s important to remember that farmers are people, too. They consume media and embrace technology much like the rest of us. Guys in dusty boots and blue jeans talking on a smart phone were a common sight at the show. Many show vendors conducted their presentations and demonstrations on iPads or touch-screen monitors. Anyone could follow along at home via a very active #FPS11 hashtag on Twitter. QR codes ran rampant – which brings us to our next point.

2. Make sure the medium makes sense.

QR codes are an easy way to deliver additional content to your audience. We saw them everywhere … on booth signage, sales collateral – even t-shirts. One of our favorites was a six-foot mammoth canvas QR code roped to the side of a booth.

But did they deliver? Only if the additional content on the back end was worthwhile. We liked the QR codes that connected users with on-site information or interesting video content. We were less enthusiastic about ones that simply led the user to a website.

Consider also the medium. If you put a QR code on a T-shirt, you literally have created a moving target that may be difficult to scan! And if you use iPads at a trade show, make sure your content is large enough to display properly, or sync content onto a larger screen so others can follow along.

3. Word of mouth is still the king of social media.

We have more ways than ever to connect with each other, and social media vehicles such as Facebook and Twitter make it easier than ever. But despite all of the tech and flash at our fingertips, FPS was a good case in point that there’s no better social media vehicle than word of mouth.

Everywhere we went, people were having conversations. Watching product demonstrations. Climbing into combines. Asking questions. Learning.

Facebook, Twitter and the like are great tools and can be a lot of fun, but at the end of the day, they can never replace face-to-face interaction. We learn so much just by talking with others. It’s critical for us as communicators to remember that – in fact, it’s a major reason we spend time developing Personas to unearth customer insights. Only after we have those insights do we focus on delivery. It’s a “message before medium” philosophy.

Not that we don’t love technology. After all, advertising professionals are people, too.

Ben Potter is the Manager of Technical Writing at Rhea + Kaiser.

Inside The Millennial Mindset

R+K DNA — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:21:06 GMT

I belong to a generation that is known by several names. Generation Y. Generation Next. The Millenial Generation (often shortened to simply “millenials”). Now that my peers and I are entering adulthood, journalists and advertisers alike are more eager than ever to dissect our styles, interests and patterns of thinking.

“Millenials are tech savvy,” your morning newspaper might inform you. “Millenials know interactive marketing. They know advertising.” But don’t let our “newness” scare you – we’re only here to help your brand by spreading the good word.

Who exactly is the millennial generation? There are about 80 million of us, born between the years of 1980 and 1995, and we are heavily influenced by the antics of MTV in addition to a constant stream of social media contact among our peers and ourselves. Because we are inundated by multiple forms of communication from products, professors, text messages and blog notifications, it is becoming increasingly difficult for advertisers to grab our attention as potential brand enthusiasts. Our generation has the potential to achieve greatness and the education to do so. All we need now are the connecting factors, products and services to strengthen our (Inter)net yield to share with the rest of the eager ears across the globe.

We don’t just consume media – we share it with our friends. Our generation scours through news, facts and information daily to pass along to fellow millennials around the world through our smart phones and blog posts. Not only do we want to share information, but we’re also on a constant adventure to learn about new opportunities and challenges that are just waiting to push our buttons. To reach our generation, marketers need to adopt different approaches than what they use for baby boomers, emphasizing personalization and conversation.

Dialogue among millennials occurs 24/7 thanks to continual advances of technology, and this gives marketers the chance to be involved with their targets at any point during the day, in any time zone. Impulse purchases are becoming less of a factor due to recent issues with the economy, so we millenials now look to trust in brands for investments, whether for short-term product use or long-term services.

What we want is simple: to be connected to a brand while feeling a sense of confidence that the company is listening to us and willing to become involved with our fast-paced lifestyles. Marketers need to interact with those who love their products and services , as it becomes the end-user who will proclaim the good news to everyone and anyone willing to listen.

Brand enthusiasts (not the brands) do the talking across social media platforms, creating buzz that increases and strengthens a solid fan base. Over time, peer reviews have transformed from a “barely there” purchasing factor to the primary influence for making an ultimate decision. Therefore, if your business gives us the tools for business-to-consumer interaction and constructs a place for us to do the speaking, we will tell the story of your fantastic products/services to the best of our ability.

Our fingers are just waiting to type out passionate reviews, in addition to creating sound bites with our influential voices for your company’s benefit. So come on in, the digital water’s great! And we’re ready to make some splashes in the vast ocean of targeted marketing through our millennial generation’s voices.

Monica Arcaro is a senior marketing/photography student at the University of Dayton. She counts herself as one of the 80 million U.S. millenials.

A Candy-Coated Welcome To R+K

R+K DNA — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:48:47 GMT

Glass jars of M&Ms were everywhere. It was the first thing I noticed when I entered the Rhea + Kaiser office on the first day of my internship. I was overjoyed. Working with chocoholics – what could be better?

Before I accepted the internship, I became familiar with R+K’s work and decided it would be a great location to learn. However, I hadn’t yet developed an opinion about the agency’s people. A few bowls of candy and about 50 handshakes did the trick.

Then my co-workers let me know why they had chosen M&Ms. We are Monica Arcaro & Michelle Ward, a/k/a M&M, the new interns. I couldn’t help but smile. It was a warm (and tasty) welcome.

And what fantastic PR. If R+K can come up with a creative way to make its interns feel at ease on their first day, it’s no wonder they are able to do Great Work for clients. I’m happy to be part of that work.

I didn’t know what to expect coming into this internship. It isn’t my first internship, but it is my first time working in an advertising agency. I wasn’t sure if I’d solely be editing media lists, researching, writing press releases or working on random projects. As it turns out, I do a little of everything. I’m learning about what it means to work in an integrated agency, the nuances of public relations and the challenges of working with clients in regulated industries like agriculture and health care.

During the past four weeks, I’ve gotten the opportunity to see how R+K uses creativity, industry knowledge and marketing expertise to create Great Work. I’ve seen how the personas for DePaul’s graduate schools shape campaign strategies. I’ve listened to status calls with Bayer CropScience and learned how influential themes for seed company meetings can be. I’ve even created media lists for the AKC Canine Health Foundation and discovered the importance of correctly targeting an audience.

The best part of this internship is that I am constantly learning, and I know the people in this agency are, too. R+K facilitates a learning environment. No question is a dumb one, and we all strive to learn new things about advertising, public relations and the industries we service.

Before I started on May 31, I knew very little about the agricultural world. This week, I drafted my first ag-related press release. It required me to think a little differently, but good writing and media communication are important, no matter what the industry.

In my first month here, I’ve learned a lot. I can safely say I know where my food comes from and the role various crop inputs play in helping farmers produce the most food possible.

It’s true that life teaches you more than school ever could. I’m halfway done with my time at R+K and hope I’ve made some valuable contributions. But ultimately, I’m here to learn. After all, a great agency is about Great People producing Great Work, and I’m thankful to R+K for letting me watch and be a part of that process.

Michelle Ward is a senior journalism student at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She really does like M&Ms (especially the peanut butter ones).

Oprah: The Show Has Ended, But The Brand Plays On

R+K DNA — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 19:37:31 GMT

With 13,000 excited fans, local and national media littering the perimeter and the Queen of Daytime Talk waving from a passing yellow cab, Oprah’s Surprise Farewell Spectacular was a PR professional’s delight.

And, that was only the beginning…literally. From the moment droves of fans arrived to line up outside of the United Center, a certain “Oprah-like” vibe filled the air. Fans waiting in line an hour or two (or three) prior to doors opening were patient, friendly and had high expectations for what was to come — similar qualities the guest of honor demonstrated daily on her show.

I’ve never stood in any line for that long without coming across at least one cranky patron. Even those like me who felt neutral about the Oprah Brand were excited to engage with it the night of the taping.

Perhaps anticipation overshadowed impatience and impartiality. Perhaps no one wanted to bring negative energy to such an exciting moment in Chicago’s history. Whatever the case, it got me thinking…what can we marketers learn from this event? How can we keep consumers engaged in our brand and dare not speak a negative word about it, even if they’re waiting in line for hours?

What if more marketers could engage audiences to the point that consumers will want to develop a relationship with the brand? This question came to mind after hearing what Jada Pinkett-Smith said to Oprah during the second half of the star-studded taping: “You were our girlfriend.” Maybe that’s the answer to the age-old question of why so many women and men watched The Oprah Winfrey Show over the last 25 years.

The Oprah Brand talked about issues important to viewers. It was there for them when they were struggling through relationships and family issues. It taught them to take better care of their health. It encouraged them to appreciate the good in their lives and pay it forward. It even introduced them to new friends: a psychologist, a cardiothoracic surgeon, an interior designer and a comedienne who will now take the show’s timeslot.

What if our brands spoke to our target audience’s needs like The Oprah Winfrey Show did to its viewers? As marketers, we often hear that our brand messages must connect with consumers on an emotional level. I think that’s the success of the Oprah Brand phenomenon. Its marketing team has tapped into the heart of viewers worldwide and etched into it a brand loyalty that will last long after the show’s final airing.

Call me idealistic, but I believe our brands can accomplish similar lasting effects with proper brand strategy, emotive messaging and the right marketing mix. It will take a lot of work and client convincing, but it’s something we must strive to achieve. It took the Oprah Brand 25 years to get to this point. Maybe we can do it for our clients’ brands in the next five.

Paris Ivory is a PR Account Executive at R+K, where she uses media relations savvy to keep her clients’ brands in the news and top-of-mind for consumers. She also changes her hair every other week. Email Paris at pivory@rkconnect.com.

Don’t miss (the after) after-party at NAMA 2011!

R+K DNA — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:45:05 GMT

You know how it goes. Thursday night at the annual NAMA Agri-Marketing Conference in Kansas City starts with leisurely drinks with friends and clients, followed by a great dinner, then the Brownfield party, and then…umm…stumbling back to the hotel parched and famished?

What? No? Yes? Don’t want to admit it?

Well, if you (or someone you know) are looking for something to do – or to eat – after the Brownfield Party at NAMA, join R+K for our Last Call Pancake Breakfast. All the sweet pancakes and savory sausages you can handle after a night of “networking.”

Here’s the scoop, but don’t worry if you forget. Ask an R+Ker for details when you get there! See you at NAMA – and bring your appetite!

The Last Call Pancake Breakfast

Thursday, April 14

Midnight to 2 a.m.

Hyatt lobby