INK PUBLIC RELATIONS

With just a little over a week until the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, the INK Public Relations running team is laying out the race day wardrobe, making a shopping list for their pre-race dinner and deciding where to have the post-race pint. OK…so maybe that applies to just me. Baby news, injuries and life’s other priorities have dwindled the “running” portion of our team to yours truly. Arguably, everyone ultimately pounds the pavement alone on race day, but it always takes a team of supporters, goals and inspiration to ensure every runner finishes strong. And that will certainly be the case with our running team, come February 14. Even though I may be the only INKer spotted on the marathon course, keep your eyes peeled for my “team mates” at the Blue Dog water stop and along the course cheering everyone on, especially those running for Blue Dog Rescue . And where will I look for inspiration? Of course, to of all the homeless dogs that will find forever homes because of the money raised in the marathon. To that end, INK has committed to match every dollar I secure up to $2,500. So help me out. I want to not only cross the finish line with a smile, but $2,500 richer for the wards of Blue Dog Rescue (you can donate under my name here: http://www.bluedogrescue.com/marathon.htm).

And I would be remiss to not give a special shout out to my original running buddy, the one who got me to lace up my sneakers in the first place and developed my soft spot for the canine kind…the only and only Luckstepper.

In April of 2006, I started looking for a rescue puppy.  My husband and I wanted a dog and we knew we would get a rescue dog – there are just too many puppies out there that need love to go buy a dog.  I looked through several rescue organizations looking for that puppy that spoke to me – this is tough, because they ALL speak to me.  I want them all.  But one fateful day I was looking on Blue Dog Rescue’s website and I stumbled across this face:

Shamrock, Blue Dog Rescue

I mean, are you kidding?  Clearly this little magical one-eyed-wonder needed to be spoiled for the rest of his life. Seriously, just looking at this picture brings tears to my eyes.  I called BDR, filled out the application, passed an interview, scheduled an in-home visit…and Jenny with BDR brought the love of my life to my house.  Shamrock, who had been thrown out on the street with a severe eye infection, became Jack, my one-eyed pirate puppy.

When the opportunity presented itself to run the marathon for BDR in 2008 and raise money, I was all over it. Even though I can’t run this year, I will still raise money for this fabulous cause. And when I come knocking on your door asking for money, I might just bring Jack along – because you might be able to say no to me, but trust me, no one can resist Jack’s adorable wink and infectious attitude. And if you ever wonder if your money is going to actually save these dogs – just look at my little man. He is living proof that BDR is changing the lives of these dogs and the lives of those people lucky enough to adopt their new best friend.

Three years ago I laced up a pair of running shoes, connected to a Nike+ and decided to become a healthier version of myself.  In April of 2007, I could not complete a mile without collapsing, out of breath.  By July 1st, I could comfortably complete a 10k (6.2 miles) and on July 16th I ran my first 5k under 30 minutes. I signed up for the Austin marathon and a little less than a year after I started running, I completed my first marathon in the slow, but completely average and acceptable time of 4:43.

I was giddy after crossing the finish line.  I cannot explain the high.  I called my older sister, who has always been a runner, but had not completed a marathon, to tell her how fabulous it went, how great I felt, how I could run another five miles and I would be fine.

And her delightful (and predictable) response was, “Well, did you really run the whole thing?  Or did you walk some?”

“Well, I walked through some water stops – it is hard to drink water and run at the same time.  And there was this one hill that beat me, I had to walk a few steps there too, but…”

“So, yeah, you didn’t really run the marathon then, huh?”

Sibling rivalry at its best.

Earlier this year my sister completed her first marathon (and she did beat my time by about 20 minutes).  First thing I asked her when she crossed the finish line (I flew to Maryland to run the Frederick half while she was running the full) was, of course, “Did you run the whole thing?  Or did you walk some?”

“I walked – I was an ass.  And this was the dumbest thing I have EVER done in my life.”

She didn’t have the same positive experience I did with my first marathon – she could not have run five more miles – no way. But I had flown all the way to Maryland to run with her, so clearly, someone owes me a favor.  This year, for the Austin marathon, which I will have to sit out due to some family expansion (my little boy is due 3 weeks prior to the gun and I hear I won’t bounce back quickly enough to bust out 13.1 or 26.2), I have recruited a ghost runner.  Blake will be running for the INK team in my place, so I can help raise money for Blue Dog – I called in her debt.

What she doesn’t know is the Austin elevation is a beast – I guarantee you the same hill that bested me will annihilate her.

Blake and I prior to the gun at the Frederick Marathon.

I am pleased to officially introduce the INK running team. At INK, we continually strive to maximize efficiency. To that end, the idea for our running team was born at a company offsite many months ago and combines our love of the following:

Running: The love for running has spread virally among our group. I credit Blair Poloskey for introducing the bug. On her own will, she trained for the 2008 Austin Marathon. A self proclaimed “non-athlete,” she kicked that marathon’s booty and inspired yours truly to check out the pastime of putting one foot down in front of the other in a rapid fashion. The following year, I followed in Blair’s footsteps (pun intended) and bagged my first marathon medal in Austin. INK co-founder Kari Hernandez acquired a taste for the race with her first half at the same event. We continue to bring others into the fold.

Dogs: Blue Dog Rescue (BDR) is an Austin-based volunteer organization whose purpose is to end the needless killing of homeless dogs. To date, BDR has rescued 1,500 dogs including our own beloved Jack, who belongs to Blair. BDR dogs are fostered in private homes where they receive basic obedience lessons, house training and socialization skills until their permanent homes are found. Fosters receive full health exams, vaccinations and are spayed and neutered if necessary. Sadly, many dogs arrive with horrible and heartbreaking problems (heartworm positive, mange, burned or hit by cars). BDR covers the cost of needed medication, treatment and surgery. Funds are generated only through donations, fundraisers and adoption fees. Because of our love for dogs, the INK running team will pound the pavement to raise money for BDR. The team makes its debut at the 2010 Austin Marathon, but we plan on running in other races (like BDR’s own Run for the Rovers 5K) and supporting BDR in a variety of ways to generate much needed funds for the organization.

INK: To be honest, the running bug has not bitten quite EVERYBODY at INK but that does not mean we can’t throw our whole company’s support behind the BDR cause. Come February 14, 2010, expect to see Julie, Kari and myself on the Austin course. Who knows? We may recruit a few more colleagues yet. But those not lacing up their running shoes that day will be on hand volunteering at Blue Dog’s water stop and we will ALL be encouraging people to donate on our running team’s behalf. If you are interested in supporting our efforts in the 2010 Austin Marathon, please visit http://www.bluedogrescue.com/marathon.htm. There you will see our INK runners’ names and you can donate to any one of us. And certainly stay tuned to this blog to hear more from each of our runners about our training. We will have different perspectives as the experience will have unique meaning to each of us (more to come on that).

During INK’s mid-year off-site last week, all of us INKers took a personality test that determined our “true colors”. And they were just that, colors! From the aggressive orange to the sensitive blue and the analytical green to the “boring” gold (just kidding, Starr!), we all found out what made us tick and how to react towards one another in a professional environment. Through a little soul searching and a lot brutal honesty, we exposed our true colors to ourselves and our colleagues.

I have taken many personality tests before in college, but I must say that none truly resonated with me the way this one did. In all of the other scenarios, the tests were only about me and how I think/feel/act/react/reply/etc. But in this test, I was able to learn about others as well – and I truly believe it was an extremely valuable team-building exercise. We are fortunate at INK because we have a wonderful team dynamic and mutually respect each other, but with others, it is not always as easy. As professionals in public relations, we are charged with the task of not only handling communication on behalf of our firm, but communicating on behalf of our clients. Though this test only represented 4 main colors, sometimes we encounter rainbow personalities that are not so easily detectable. I guess there is not always a cut-and-dry solution on how to treat colleagues, reporters, clients and constituents based on their individual personalities, but “the golden rule” might come close. I  believe that the golden rule is infused in INK culture and it is something we practice every day and with everyone we encounter. No matter what color you are, golden works.

It would be nice if everyone wore their colors on their sleeves, but as professional communicators, it is our job to observe, interpret and understand those around us. But, we are lucky in the fact that we have such a close relationship with each other and our clients, so we can truly understand their personalities, needs and wants. Maybe it is because there are only 7 of us, or maybe it is because we are good at what we do, but at INK, these colors definitely do not run.

Our more diligent readers may have noticed some new faces at Fresh INK that have yet to be formally introduced. Many apologies for my tardiness and no, your eyes do not deceive you – INK is growing! And they said it couldn’t be done, not in “this” economy. Well folks, apparently if you have the right stuff – the stuff your clients want, the stuff that keeps them coming back for more – then yes, you can.

The Power of Five is now the Power of Seven – Adrienne Huebner, Julie Zellman and Jennifer Lopez (yes, we call her JLo on occasion – no, you cannot) – have added to the INK team in innumerable ways:

Adrienne is fast becoming the glue that holds us all together – or is it the glue that holds Kari and my heads in place? Either one, it’s important and we love her for it. While she’s not pictured here, her handiwork is – it’s super cool and convenient to have a part-time office manager whose real job is photographer. To see more of her very cool style, check out her website and blog (and say hi to Georgia while you’re there!).

Julie Zellman joined us fresh out of the University of Texas’ PR Honors program, but not without tons of prior and relevant internship experience. Julie is the real deal, a PR go-getter with the know-how and enthusiasm to get the job done. She’s brought a fresh perspective to how we do things around here (and since we haven’t hired in 4 years, that’s a good thing!) by reaffirming our belief that there’s always a better way; and also confirmed, through one internship experience at a large PR agency – that many of the things we do at INK are absolutely the best way to do them (I’m talking to you LARGE PR AGENCY and your ridiculous practice of having interns cold call reporters!).

Jennifer Lopez could not be more different from that “other” JLo. Sure, she’s cute and a (ballet) dancer, but a diva – no. Joining us from the Environmental Defense Fund where she helped shape public opinion about the pressing environmental issues of the day, Jennifer’s bubbly personality and clean energy know-how have been a perfect fit with the INK team. Her leadership in this area will be counted on greatly as we move towards expanding our clean energy practice.

So please say a warm welcome to our new INKers the next time you have the opportunity. We’re excited to have them here and see where INK goes next!

I recently plunged into the waters of social media with the launch of a Facebook page for long time client, magicJack. A few weeks in and all is going well. We are rapidly growing our fan base and have a heavy amount of interaction on the page week over week. Looking back, I can’t believe I ever questioned the value such a tactic would provide for magicJack. We are reaching a key audience of the company’s, the young professional and college student demographic, in the most powerful and direct way to date and having a lot of fun (from an internal perspective) in the process. It just goes to show that you never know what you will find when you start testing these resources out for yourself. This reflection reminded me of how reticent I was to use Facebook for personal use, initially.

I am from a very small town. I became convinced that I would not want to revisit my past for the world to see on Facebook. Afterall, I would surely receive requests from old flames (can they use Facebook in prison?), old friends (armed with evidence of why I should be in prison) and tagged photos (I didn’t know they made ropers and Wranglers for clowns). Of course, the requests did come and I accepted and ohhhhh…how the hunted became the hunter. My old friends’ status updates are so much better than those of my newer peers. Instead of “I am at Starbuck’s …YUM GUYS!” I get updates that read, “I am sitting out in the yard waiting to SHOOT THAT SQUIRELL!…%*^&^**!” Instead of vacation pictures from Cancun, my old school Facebook friends post pictures of their family vacation at Walt Disney World posing with Mickey whom they have holding the hometown paper with headline reading “Another Meth Bust!” I gotta say…that kind of originality has me coming back for more and just reaffirms that originality and transparency spell success in the social media world.

And just to show you don’t have to be from a small town to be original (or haunted by your past), here is  a picture of my husband in his youth. This proves you can be from London, listen to the coolest most underground music and still wind up regretting fashion sense and haircut choices many years later. But one thing remains true – people appreciate originality and a little something different.  When you are out there competing for attention in the social media world, don’t be afraid to let your freak flag fly.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:

After working with ACCIONA Energy over the last year, I was thrilled to be able to visit my first wind farm.  Of course, I’ve seen turbines spinning in the distance in Texas and I’ve written descriptions of how they work and sent pictures of other ACCIONA wind farms like Tatanka to trade and local media.  But I’d never walked right up underneath one and I’d certainly never been inside a turbine.  I’d also never been to Oklahoma, even after living my whole life in a neighboring state and talking a lot of smack about OU.

INKer Blair Poloskey (Oklahoma-born I might add) and I flew up to Oklahoma City and drove the nearly two hours out to Elk City in the Western part of the state where the wind blows strong and the oil and gas culture is welcoming this new and plentiful energy resource with open arms. ACCIONA’s Red Hills Wind Farm – which would be formally dedicated the next day — is located in Roger Mills and Custer Counties on nearly 5,000 acres.  The 82 turbines that make up the farm create enough clean energy to power 40,000 homes and offset 294K tons of C02 emissions annually.  ACCIONA’s VP of Development in the Central Region Tom Hiester, who spoke later in the week at Oklahoma’s Wind Commerce conference (note: we are doing a series of excerpts from this speech on the new ACCIONA NA – Take Action! Facebook fan page, called Oklahoma the “mother lode” of wind energy.  If DOE estimates are correct, Oklahoma has the potential to produce 725 billion kWh/year from wind which would surpass the oil and natural gas production of Oklahoma (oil is 60 million barrels per year; natural gas is 275 million barrels of oil equivalent per year).  This is more energy than Oklahoma can consume, creating a new export product for the state and one that may be in high demand by the Southeast US if a national RES (renewable energy standard) is passed.  How do they reach that potential? Tom says supporting national legislation to enforce an RES and significant investment in transmission lines are critical.

The Red Hills dedication festivities included an address from speakers like ACCIONA CEO Peter Duprey and  Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism Natalie Shirley, an annual scholarship award of $5000 to the local school district, a great BBQ lunch and an open house for the public that involved bus tours of the wind farm and games and crafts for kids on wind energy from a great organization called KidWind.  After local media had completed interviews and left the event, Blair and I hopped one of the first buses and explored the truly beautiful wind farm. We went inside the turbine which includes control equipment and a lift to take employees (unfortunately not us) to the top of the turbine. As you can see from this picture, the turbines are truly magnificent, especially when you look straight up at them.  I felt the same kind of awe that I experienced when visiting the Redwoods in California.  These are beautiful, but huge structures.

The weather certainly could have been better but all in all it was a great day.  In the midst of snatching chairs out of the rain and stomping around in puddles, the Red Hills dedication event did just what it needed to do: thank the landowners, state and local government and overall community for their support and enthusiasm, and motivate the people of Oklahoma to continue to embrace wind energy in the state.  The dedication ceremony was followed by an impromptu duet of “Oklahoma,” the state song from the well-known musical, performed by none other than the local state representative Purcy Walker.  Go Oklahoma!  I never thought I’d say that.

This morning, the ladies of INK PR and I were fortunate enough to speak with a group of high school students in a program called Upward Bound. This program provides fundamental support to participants in preparation for college entrance. In addition to counseling, academic instruction and cultural enrichment, these students travel to different companies to discuss possible career paths. This morning, while eating delicious breakfast tacos (thanks, Beth!), we were able to speak with them about not only what we do as PR professionals at INK, but how we got to where we are today.

It is kind of fun for me to talk about my college experience. As a recent alumna of The University of Texas at Austin (the BEST college in the nation), I love speaking to people about the invaluable resources that college can provide, inside and outside of the classroom. It is so encouraging to know that these high school students have already started thinking about their futures and are taking steps to prepare themselves. I am definitely inspired by their determination to succeed.

I guess it reminds me to always plan ahead. Life is a journey, not a destination. It is easy to focus on the here and now, but I must remind myself about the bigger picture. With every media list I construct, or every coverage report I compile, it is helping me build my knowledge of INK, our clients and public relations in general. Only a few years ago, I was preparing for college, registering for classes, and picking out a colorful rug to spruce up my Jester dorm room. Though I have since graduated, my education has not concluded. INK (and any job, for that matter) is its own kind of classroom. The lessons we learn here and elsewhere help shape us every day. Self-improvement is a never-ending journey and one that I will definitely enjoy traveling.

We received a RFP for a very cool Austin company this week. As with most prospective (and current, for that matter) clients these days, the company would like recommendations on social media campaigns (as it should). The more I explore and work within this area, the more I’m convinced that when you get down to it, social media is a set of tools that helps companies 1) communicate (something they may not be doing at all or not much) with their key audiences, 2) BETTER. Hmm, sounds an awful lot like public relations to me – communicating with key audiences. For that second part – the better – that’s why they hire INK.

My favorite thing about social media? The ability to have conversations that you never would have before, at least not in this lifetime. That’s really what we’re talking about here – communication has come full circle, from talking one-on-one in the cave, to one-to-few at the church, to one-to-many in the town square, to many-to-many via newspaper, TV and the Internet (yes, I skipped a few iterations in there – you get the picture), and now, we have the ability to go one-to-one again, but – here’s the cool part – WITH PEOPLE WE’VE NEVER MET, BUT WITH WHOM WE SHARE AN INTEREST. How cool is that?