Erwin-Penland has gone to the dogs.
August 18th, 2008 - posted by jennifer.bickerstaff
No need to check the calendar – the heat index alone reminds us that we are in the “dog days” of August. It’s time again for steamy weather and Erwin-Penland’s 11th annual Dog Days of Summer event, benefiting the Greenville Humane Society.
EPers don’t just have a passion for creativity – we also have a dogged devotion to our four-legged companions. In their honor, and to help the many Upstate animals without a home, our 11th Dog Days fundraiser is a whirl of activities designed to combine good times with a great cause.
From Aug. 14-28, the Humane Society is sponsoring an action-packed two weeks of exciting events. For those of us who have been counting down the days since last year’s festivities, Dog Days is a long-awaited treat during the hottest month of the year.
In a new twist, some of this year’s events will be open to the public in addition to EP employees. We are also fortunate to have other organizations, like Greenville County Recreation, participate in the Dog Days events and support the Greenville Humane Society’s efforts.
A highlight of the upcoming activities is the Dining for Dogs fundraiser, which lets us reward our furry friends by visiting our favorite Greenville restaurants – no doggie bag required. Many generous businesses will be donating a portion of their proceeds during Dog Days. As a result, great meals at Saffron’s Sidewalk Café, Rick Erwin’s West End Grille, Vino 100, Liberty Taproom, Soby’s, NY Butcher Shop, The Glazing Pot and more come with the satisfaction of knowing you’re benefiting the GHS.
Another Dog Days favorite is Yappy Hour at Connolly’s Irish Pub – it’s sure to offer a fun time for all. Starting at 6 p.m. on Aug. 20, Yappy Hour will be open to the public for a silent auction, appetizers, live music and special drink prices. Tickets are for sale at the door for $10.
You have so many options – Dog Days is the ideal time to treat yourself and benefit the Greenville Humane Society while you’re at it. So get out there, loosen your collar and remember it’s all for our furry friends!
Careful What You Ask For
August 14th, 2008 - posted by Barry
Just a few years ago, I recall lamenting with a fellow PR professional how abstract our efforts appeared to be. Sure, successes were evident in the form of a great story in a desirable media outlet, or a strong turnout at a grassroots event. But what impact did we really have in shaping consumer impressions and behavior?
For decades PR pros have lacked this vital feedback, as most companies lacked the resources — and the courage — to undertake comprehensive attitudinal research. But the Internet, specifically social media applications like MySpace and Facebook, has changed all that . . . and there’s no putting this genie back in the bottle.
True dialog has long been the holy grail of public relations, and today, for better or worse, we’ve got it in spades. It’s no longer good enough for PR pros to disseminate information . . . now we must actively monitor conversations among various stakeholder groups, and be prepared to step in to clarify when that information is misinterpreted.
As part of the “Who Is There For You?” campaign EP recently launched for client Advance America, for example, our PR team is regularly monitoring conversations in such places as Frogpond, an online word-of-mouth portal. The goal is to quickly respond to any misleading information posted by consumers to ensure an accurate portrayal of the company, its services and the campaign’s intentions.
The days of one-way PR are over. Smart companies will work hard to take advantage of these new, technologically driven opportunities to build true relationships with their target audiences. Sadly, others will bury their heads in the sand, afraid of what they otherwise might hear.
Unintended Consequences - A Lesson in SEO
July 29th, 2008 - posted by Kevin
About a month ago we wrote a post about a new campaign for the Greenville Humane Society. The post was entitled “Safe Sex For Pets,” and was a nod to the idea behind the campaign that no matter how many times you have “the talk” with your dog or cat, the only way to prevent overpopulation of animals is to have them spayed or neutered. Innocent enough, right?
Here is where the story gets interesting. Every so often I find myself doing some late night digging through web analytics data just for fun. (Yes, I am a geek.) One night I was taking a look at the data for erwinpenland.com and noticed that we had a new keyword phrase break into the top 10 referring search terms. As you can see in the graphic below, we had managed to climb the ranks of Google for the phrase “sex with pets.” Unnerving, I know. I was even further disturbed to see that the bounce rate was 100% meaning that people were coming to find content we thankfully could not deliver.
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