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The Update
6/2006
Welcome to the official newsletter of the Greater Spokane PRSA Chapter. Past issues can be found by going to www.prsaspokane.org and clicking on the "Newsletters" link.
By GARRY MATLOW
Chapter President
 There's an article in the May 29 issue of BusinessWeek entitled, "I sold it through the grapevine." The article is one more example of the viral marketing phenomenon that Malcolm Gladwell described in "The Tipping Point" a few years back.
Gladwell told us about people called Connectors, who are those folks at the top of the social pyramid who seem to know everybody. Procter & Gamble Co. has enlisted 600,000 of these Connectors in a program called Vocalpoint, a word-of-mouth marketing program. One woman described in the article works in a call center and knows 300 coworkers by name. P&G keeps her stocked with professionally crafted product messages, free samples and coupons to share. "We know that the most powerful form of marketing is an advocacy message from a trusted friend," says the Vocalpoint CEO.
As is often the case, it can take some time for ethics to catch up to practice. In this case, the question is should the person spreading the product message disclose her affiliation to P&G? The company says it's up to each Connector to make that decision on her own. On the other side is a new group called the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, or WOMMA, which mandates full disclosure.
The PRSA Code of Ethics is also clear on what standards we should follow as we craft and disseminate our messages. Under the "Honesty" heading, it says "We adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in
advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public." Details are further spelled out in the "Disclosure of Information" subsection. If you haven't read the complete Code of Ethics lately, you can download it from http://prsa.org/_About/ethics/pdf/codeofethics.pdf?indent=eth10
As public relations practitioners and PRSA members, it is incumbent on us to always take the high road. There's always someone else out there who is more than willing to take the low road and chalk it up as "PR."
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Breakfast Meeting: Friday, June 2
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Join us Friday at 7:30 a.m. for the next joint breakfast meeting of the Greater Spokane PRSA Chapter and the Spokane Public Relations Council! The meeting will be held in the Spokane Room of the COG on the campus of Gonzaga University from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and is open to any interested public relations professionals or students. The meeting fee, which covers breakfast, is $9 for members, $11 for non-members and $7 for students. Our speaker is Jeanna Hofmeister from the Spokane Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau. She will be discussing the CVB's approach to intergrated marketing. More about the presentation:
Integrated marketing can be interpreted many ways. For some it's simply a cohesive approach to marketing, advertising and public relations. For others it may be about consistent implementation of a company brand. For the CVB it's about all of the above, bur more importantly it's about getting results... generating increased demand, driving sales, enhancing the value of our products and services, increasing our visibility, creating customer loyalty and most importantly, actually delivering our brand promise. Our approach has forced us to step outside the conservative, quasi-governmental box into which organizations like ours often get locked. It's about beating down traditional thinking to create customer-centric, culture-centric marketing pieces that people outside our company want to use as their own, thus delivering our brand message to a far wider audience than we thought possible. Find out how integrated marketing works in our world and what results we're generating from our approach. More about our speaker:
 | Jeanna Hofmeister is vice president and director of destination marketing for the Spokane Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau. Prior to joining the Spokane Regional CVB in October 2000, Hofmeister was general manager of The Kempis Hotel Suites and The Winged Lion, a luxury boutique hotel and restaurant in Spokane. She previously served as Director of Membership Development for the Spokane Regional CVB, Director of Creative Services and Sales Marketing for the NBC | | affiliate, KGW-TV in Portland, Oregon, Director of Public Affairs for the Independent KPDX-TV in Portland, Oregon, and Director of Marketing and Community Relations for the ABC affiliate, KIVI-TV in Boise, Idaho. |
Hofmeister also oversees the Inland Northwest Film Commission as the official liaison to the Washington State Film office, is a member of the Spokane Valley Chamber’s Tourism Committee, the West Plains Chamber’s Tourism Committee, the Washington State Tourism Marketing Advisory Committee, and serves on the Product Development Committee for the Washington State Tourism Office. Hofmeister has worked as a communications and marketing consultant to governmental organizations and private businesses around the world. She studied communications at the University of Washington and the University of Idaho.
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EWU Senior Capstone Presentation: Friday, June 2
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The 2006 EWU Senior Capstone class will be presenting about how multiple generations can work together effectively. For the first time in our history, there are four generations in the workforce. As many people might think, each of those generations have their own boundaries that define them, surrounded by of confusion and miscommunication between them. The class will talk about the different generations and how we as professionals can learn to communicate among them. These skills are extremely important for any manager who has had a young intern or to any young director having to give directions to a person who is 15 years older than him/her. You will leave this presentation informed and ready to take on any generational situation that may come your way. The presentation will be on Friday, June 2 from 9-10 a.m., directly after the regular breakfast meeting. There is no cost, but the knowledge that you take from this meeting will be invaluabe.
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PRSA is offering professional development classes that will lead to PRSA's accreditation (APR). Greater Spokane PRSA is offering ten classes which review the following areas: History of and current issues in public relations
Management skills & issues
Business literacy
Crisis communication management
Ethics & Law
Using information technology
Communication models & theories
Media relations
Research, planning, implementing & evaluating communication programs
Advanced communication skills The small group study meets Wednesdays at Shriners Hospitals for Children from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. As PRSA members you are invited to attend any or all of the free classes for this series. The completion of the series provides the review for taking the readiness review through PRSA. For more information please contact Maggie Crabtree at 623-0471 or at mcrabtree@shrinenet.org.
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Local APRs Transition into New Roles
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Chris Eriksen, APR, once the Corporate Communications Director at Rockwood Clinic, is moving to Salt Lake City, Utah. We wish Chris the best luck with her future endeavors! Susan Nielsen, APR, has been selected as the new Corporate Communications Director for Rockwood Clinic. More about Susan Nielsen:
 | Susan Nielsen, M.S., APR, has been named as the corporate communications director at Rockwood Clinic. In this new role, Nielsen will oversee branding, strategic positioning and integrated marketing and communication strategies. Prior to joining Rockwood Clinic, Nielsen was the director of marketing and communications and public information officer at the Washington State University Intercollegiate College of Nursing and an adjunct | instructor of public relations courses at Gonzaga University. Since 1999 she has also been a principal in Strategic Niche, LLC, a private consulting firm specializing in corporate reputation management, crisis response, media relations, branding strategies, and naming architecture. Nielsen brings more than 20 years of strategic and diverse professional experiences to her position at Rockwood Clinic including television news, advertising, corporate communications, branding, strategic positioning and integrated marketing and communications. Walla Walla native, Nielsen graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor of arts degree in communications and holds a master of science in interdisciplinary studies degree from Eastern Washington University. Nielsen and her family have made their home for 22 years. Nielsen is Accredited in Public Relations (APR) through the Public Relations Society of America. She is on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of the Inland Northwest and is a member of the Spokane Public Schools Public Affairs Advisory Committee, the Public Relations Society of America, the Spokane Public Relations Council, and is the professional liaison with the Gonzaga University collegiate chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. |
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Have a story idea for the Spokane PRSA newsletter? Send your article, announcement or shameless plug to Lance Kissler by the last Wednesday of each month. Contact:
Lance Kissler
lkissler@cdc.gov
(509) 354-8085
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