Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles

Pierce Mattie PR New York has been selected as the agency of record for Angara, and its new online jewelry retail site, Angara.com, boasting a wealth of fine jewelry, diamonds and accessories ranging from simple to opulent and all reasonably priced. With the philosophy and mission of affordable luxury, Angara provides customers with an easy and convenient shopping experience for superior quality jewelry at sensible prices.

“We are very particular in the pieces we choose to sell on the site,” says Chief Executive Officer, Ankur Daga, “Whether the items are bridal, engagement or in our exclusive Strong Box Collection, each piece is selected with the utmost care.”

Questions asked by Media Orchard:

Q: How do you think the the emergence of blogs has affected PR Week in terms of readership and revenues?

Q: PR Week is New York-centric in its coverage. Is this a valid complaint? If so, what are you doing to address it, and if not, where do you think this misperception comes from?

Q: How has PR Week changed over the past couple of years -- both in its print and online editions -- and what if any of these changes can be attributed to blogs and Web 2.0?

Q: Some blog commentators have suggested that blogs will ultimately make the traditional trade media -- across virtually all industries -- obsolete. What do you think of this point of view?

Q: How does PR Week set itself apart from other trades such as O'Dwyer's, the Holmes Report, the Bulldog Reporter, and the rest? Have your points of differentiation evolved at all over time?

"Esquire's Big Black Book: An Advertising Party With a Velvet Rope Around It" Esquire magazine, which has struggled for a few years to find a comfortable market niche to call home, is scheduled to launch a new elite coffee-table-book, magazine hybrid, called Esquire's Big Black Book--designed as a luxury style manual for men."

In an interesting twist, Nobody can just advertise. To advertise in the book, marketers had to receive an invitation from Hearst, and each advertiser could purchase only one of the 74 ad pages. Advertising Age reports that all 74 have been sold to advertisers which include Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Bombardier, IWC Watches, Hugo Boss and Louis Vuitton.

Our Current Top Luxury Publications
(1). Luxury Spa Finder
(2). Harper's Bazaar
(3). Robb Report
(4). Vanity Fair
(5). Visionaire
(6). Genlux

BL Ochman's WhatsNextBlog is a daily read for me. Unfortunatly she has been dealing with a detached retna (ouch) and not posting as frequently as usual. I've been seeing the same Bazooka viral post since the 25th of September.

In agreement with her post headline Doing a Viral Campaign Right Ain't Cheap, or Easy but confused about the details of her post I decided to comment. Here is her post. I'm curios if anyone on the Bazooka campaign cares to respond.

If there is one thing that America loves as a culture it is scandal. Celebrity culture is such a pervasive force that it substitutes for small talk just as well as the weather nowadays. High minded individuals may take offense to these subjects, but in truth we are all attracted to the destructive flames of perversion and excess. Many disdain the hoi polloi for their distractions, but I would contend that we all benefit from whiffs of scandal now and again.

Cathartic acts can heal , and now we can all engage in these sorts of behaviors without any of the consequences. The popularity of shows like Desperate Housewives takes all of us inside these dens of inequity that bubble away hidden in suburban utopia, confirming and arousing suspicions that we all secretly harbor. Of course no one really wants crazy murderous neighbors or philandering husbands in their actual lives, but some of us wouldn't mind a little "fake" drama now and again. Actually, we would all be better off because of it.

Thus, even if you are a New Yorker reading, Economist quoting, graduate degreed snob you could still use a little Wisteria Lane in your life. Isn't that why we all love Bree so much? Deep down below the perfect surface we are all a complete mess. That is why even when I find myself experiencing some revulsion at the mere notion of Desperate Housewives I still see a little value in immersing myself once in awhile. That is why I predict that the Desperate Housewives game will be a huge success - all of the scandal and perversion with none of the consequences. So when can I log on?

Many savvy shoppers rely on magazines to help guide their purchases. We often assume that editors know best when it comes finding dazzling new products in beauty, fashion, and perfume. Thus it isn't surprising that one of the newest trends to show up on the frenzied Manhattan shopping scene is the curated magazine sponsored shopping event.

Yesterday New York Magazine hosted a Best Bets Shopping Event. Women lined up to shop discounts from vendors who had been labeled "best bets" by New York Magazine.

It was a hodge podge of potential shopping targets with high end hand bags next to Method soap.

Admittedly it felt like an event where advertisers were given a chance to hawk their wares to unsuspecting women who had actually paid for the privilege rather than a truly editorial driven event. The event surely generated its fair share of controversy as New York Magazine is not the only one to host a shopping event.

Next month shopping bible Lucky Magazine will host its own Lucky Shops event which is going to be quite a bit bigger and hopefully better. After all it is easier to trust a magazine with one proven vertical, fashion, than a magazine like New York Magazine that plays host to many sections.

The "Dos and Don'ts" page isn't just about looking at horrible outfits and good ones, she said — it's also about giving great fashion and style tips. "We're trying to be very positive," Schwartz told co-anchor Rene Syler. "We've all been 'don'ts' in our lives, and the moral of the story is, it doesn't matter whether you're a size 2, or a size 28: You can be a Glamour 'do.' Even very wealthy people can dress very tacky, and we show you that," too.

When I first saw these Ads I thought they were exploratory portfolio comps. Some of the most edgy stuff never makes it out into the public sector.

Hindu clothing chain High-Style The Fashion World creates relevant "shock-and-awe" advertising campaign that will definitely appeal to the younger audience. If you think about trends, this is nothing new, we've been incorporating more and more gore in our entertainment for years. Cobranding big name brands in goreiffic video games is old news. From my experience the more edgy and subtle the integration into the game the better it is received. Clients never like o hear this of course, they want blatant obvious placement which is not accepted as well as modest "easter-egg" style placement. Has anyone seen Michael C. Hall in Showtime’s new drama DEXTER? I'm not advocating that this is appropriate advertising for everyone. I do think you can take things too far, remember the Sandra Burnhard Mac cosmetics spot?

The gore is not from physical violence, just fashion descriptions supported by graphic images. It gets my attention, seems appropriate for the target market and the ads are "executed" well. Although I no longer fit the 18-34 demographic, I actually love first person shooters! I have several girlfriends who love them and UFC fights as well-go figure. Most of us worked in advertising or marketing which taints the demographics a little. So I understand that it takes "more" edge or shock-and-awe to reach an over stimulated generation of shoppers. Trends to keep in mind: Shock-&-Shop, Multicultural-Must-Haves and Gore-iffic.

It's been a few weeks since Good magazine launched. For those who are not in the know, Good magazine encourages and inspires conscious global citizens to band together and "give a damn." I was following up on the LA and NY launch parties via posts on GOOD magazines own blog (the site is integrated into a blog) and ran head first into a truckload of published spam comments.

I'm not talking about Astroturfing, or shameless plugs that help the cause. The really offensive stuff! It's like nobody has been on watch at Good for the last 15 days, and that isn't so Good after all. On September 25th Good's blog spambot sold out to the bankers, sex industry and drug companies! They all should make a large contibution todoy.

The Goods on Good Magazine: Clean website design, nice magazine layout. Both are easy to navigate/read –stimulating mix of content that will reach several demographics. Good Magazine Departments:

Cover, an arresting visual and verbal statement that presents insight and/or commentary on a current focal point of our culture.

Graphic Statement, a visual interpretation of the issue theme

Look, A bold visual tour of creative ideas around the world

jane iredale-The Skin Care Makeup is pleased to launch GLOBAL BEAUTY, an extension of their global palette to accommodate woman of all ethnicity's. From rich olive to golden brown and deep mahogany, GLOBAL BEAUTY is for women; all women. This is the first time that mineral cosmetics will be available in such a wide palette with true tones. With the help of three influential celebrity makeup artists, GLOBAL BEAUTY is the culmination of years of testing. CEO and Founder, Jane Iredale noted "This is seriously lacking from the cosmetics industry. Every woman deserves a healthy skin." Like all of jane iredale's cosmetics, GLOBAL BEAUTY will be free of preservatives, dyes and harmful fillers such as talc. It is so beneficial to the skin that plastic surgeons and dermatologists worldwide recommend it!

In honor of the launch, Pierce Mattie Public Relations is hosting a cocktail party in her honor. In a true celebration of beauty, grace and style, jane iredale's GLOBAL BEAUTY event will highlight style influences from Cleopatra to Beyonce in the event of the year! We invite you to share in this iconic celebration. To RSVP, please contact Lauren Branche or Ivy Cartagena at 212/243.1431 by October 13th.

Last week I was out for cocktails with a few other business owners in the service industry. One was a skin care manufacturer, the second was a clothing line designer and the third was the owner of a large fitness chain of health clubs.

We got into an in depth discussion about managing client relationships

We were discussing how to repair a client relationship where things have gone wrong, for example clients whose expectations are unrealistic, clients who are abusive towards the staff and those clients who for whatever reason have become dissatisfied with their service.

The Wall Street Journal had run an article on entrepreneurs a few years back where I was quoted by saying “My New Year’s resolution as a business owner is to only work with people, places and things I really care about and that respect my team, work and over-all business ethics.”

1. Choose clients carefully

4. Live Up To Your Own Standards. Give What You Expect, Set The Example.

If you have done all your work working with your clients and have defined what you can achieve and there are still insurmountable problems, then it is time to re-evaluate whether that client is appropriate to have.

About a month ago we had a client call the office and demand that I get on a conference call. The brand was new to the market, had very little distribution (only one salon in New York) and the consumer awareness was simply not there (she refused to do salon events with us). The owner had worked with two other PR firms before us (our biggest competitors) for about two years who both did not secure the regional and national glossy press that the client was looking for. We were given about 3 months to change her entire media platform and correct the damage that the other PR firms had done during the course of two years. Naturally I slipped off my dress shoes, undid my tie, sat back in my chair practiced my breathing exercises and then took her call.

London Fashion Week will no longer receive crucial funding from Mayor Ken Livingstone unless it bans "stick thin" models, his officials said today.

Increasingly the fashion industry is starting to acknowledge their complicity in a host of ecological ills. And while any industry has a responsibility for making the world a better place while adding to the bottom line, fashion has the potential to steer us towards not only a more beautiful future but a more sustainable one.

Excitingly there are many people already steering us in that direction. Fashion Blog Fiftyrx3 points fashion consumers towards some of the most exciting trends and designers in eco-fashion land.

Increasingly this blog will focus on trends in eco-fashion as we wish to show our commitment to a better and more beautiful future. We will explore innovative brands like prAna who use reusable energy powered by wind mills and and work to incorporate organic cotton, PET and hemp fabrics. Trendy denim line Bread Denim contributes with its environmentally conscious non toxic dyes at the wash house.

There are so many facets to living a more sustainable and conscious life. Little changes add up even while there are trade offs from one fabric choice to another. There are no clear cut answers on how to live consciously but exploring the many possibilities for a brighter future is a responsibility shared by us all.

It seems these days that celebs across all industries are teaming up for a good cause. Whether they’re simply donating massive amounts of excess income or using their celebrity status to draw attention to a cause, a large number of celebrities are reaching out to the public in hopes of making a difference. Recently, some have even gone so far as to adopt children in incredibly impoverished countries (Madonna in Malawi, Angelina in Cambodia and Ethiopia).

In recent news, two of the biggest household names have teamed up to raise money to fight AIDS in Africa. Bono, the U2 frontman and ultimate philanthropist (it seems like his name is somehow connected to every charity in this country), and Oprah, the talk show host we all know and love, have combined forces to promote the Product Red campaign. As part of the effort, proceeds from products sold at various retailers, including The Gap, Apple, Converse, Armani, and Motorola, will go to The Global Fund, an organization that fights AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The Gap will be debuting their Red Line of clothing this week, where half of the profits will go to The Global Fund. Apple has created a new red-colored iPod nano, and will donate $10 from the sale of each item to the cause. The effort has attracted the attention of many other celebrities (several of them posing in Gap ads) hoping to make a difference, including Kanye West and Penelope Cruz.

In explaining the idea of getting consumers involved, Bono posted on his blog: “‘Product Red’ is the consumer battalion gathering in the shopping malls. You buy the jeans, phones, iPods, shoes, sunglasses, and someone - somebody's mother, father, daughter or son - will live instead of dying in the poorest part of the world. It's a different kind of fashion statement.” Good job, Bono- the Product Red Campaign began last spring in the UK and has already raised more than $12 million for African AIDS programs.

David Dean, a former account executive for a breast implant manufacturer, witnessed his mother suffer at the hands of two unqualified plastic surgeons, including one who painfully misplaced an implant after her breast cancer reconstruction and another who severed a major facial nerve. After his mother’s tragic experience, David became inspired to create a web-based destination that would hold plastic surgeons to a higher standard, as well as act as an unbiased educational resource for women considering breast augmentation and reconstruction.

This is when he began www.Breastimplants411.com. Breastimplants411.com was designed to help consumers make informed decisions about plastic surgery as well as find and research only those plastic surgeons who have achieved the highest level of certification – Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

I have received fully six invitations to the Maja Ferme "Nymph" Fashion Show.

Normally I am pleased to have a publicist follow up on a subject. As a blogger and online fashion editor it helps to be reminded of new and interesting subjects as we new media types are often inundated with information making it quite possible that things slip through the cracks. In fact, more often than not publicists ignore the new media altogether.

But I admit I reached a certain point where I felt I had too much information on the Slovenian designer. I received email invitations, personal invitations, and invitations in the mail. Everyday it felt like I was being subtly reminded that I simply must RSVP to the "Nymph" showing. I have actually gotten to the point where I feel slightly guilty that I haven't followed up. Disregarding the fact that it said opportunity to buy clothing after the show in small type at the bottom of the invite as opposed to cocktail reception afterwards which is a sure way to turn off any editor, is it wise to so constantly assert your client to the press? When does it become too much?

I am sure there are many schools of thought on the issue and few publicists would argue that gaining maximum visibility for a client is a bad thing, but is there an ideal level of communication? In this particular case, Maja Ferme may have gotten her wish. I feel I simply must attend the event if her publicist made such an extreme effort to gain my attention. I only hope that there are cocktails afterward.

Beauty Bloggers are welcome, space is limited! Bloggers outside of of the NYC area can register for advanced media kit to be sent day after the event.

In honor of the launch, Pierce Mattie Public Relations is hosting a cocktail party in her honor. In a true celebration of beauty, grace and style, Jane Iredale's GLOBAL BEAUTY event will highlight style influences from Cleopatra to Beyonce in the event of the year! We invite you to share in this iconic celebration. To RSVP, please contact Lauren Branche or Ivy Cartagena at 212/243.1431

I'm a geek who daily works on a PC and a Mac. While I'm very comfortable on a PC I'm a Mac lover and ashamed I didn't immediately recognize the model in the new Apple ad. Perhaps had I viewed the ad on TV I would have noticed, unless your watching HD quicktime clips you always miss a little detail in the compression. Thanks to Meg Wilson for the link to the model's career "mash-up" video.

View all the Apple ads here

Don't like the life you have now? Get a second one! Perhaps you always wanted to be a Supermodel, beauty editor, the next Oprah with a twist. We've all been playing simulation games around the office lately with the recent October launch of Desperate Housewives: The game. A company called Second Life, has created something different, it's social networking in that familiar 3D simulated environment that is fun, but can be profitable as well. Users can create, design, own virtual land, meet people, engage in real business opportunities, convert virtual cash into real currency, own IP rights and much more.

More than 900,000 users have signed up to build homes, form neighborhoods and live out alternative versions of their lives in the 3-D, computer-generated world. This is not just for Generation L (liquid generation) audience/demographic, Second Life is sure to attract anyone who was labled a Generation Xer (1961-1981) to todays new Silent Generation (S 2001-). Players spend around $350,000 a day on average or a rate of $13 million a year. I'm sure we'll be hearing more about Second Life in the real world as advertisers and marketers are sure jump at ways to reach out to those who choose to build a second life for themselves online.

Strike Two for Edelman PR as Their Second Fake Wal-mart Blog is Revealed, via B.L. Ochman's What's Next blog

WallStrip, via Repliqa is a RocketBoom format web-show that profiles a different public company on the stock exchange every day .

Sofia Speaks The face (errrr cartoon illustration) of the Holy Mud Company rants about beauty, fashion, art, pop culture and...Politics!

Next Generation Insights (Young Adult Panel) The panel itself is informative, the technology (video tag) is cool too.

Girls, sex, sports, games, technology, hotties, and now steak?? Maxim magazine is expanding its brand into the restaurant world with the opening of a steak restaurant chain called Maxim Prime, with the first opening up Spring 2007.

Now, if I'm imagining this whole idea - the Maxim magazine covers of scantily clad Hollywood starlets mixed with "guy" food - steak (although I enjoy steak just as much as the next guy) - I'm seeing a restaurant that reminds me of Hooters. But I'm jumping to conclusions. Stephen Colvin, CEO of Maxim's parent company, Dennis Publishing, told Reuters that the restaurant will not have scantily clad waitresses and that the atmosphere will cater to both women and men.

With newsstand sales and advertising revenues falling this year for magazines across the board, there's a growing trend of magazines seeking out new ways to generate more revenue. Real Simple has already done it with Real Simple cleaning and organization products sold in Target. Maxim is following that by putting the brand name on everything from bedding to furniture and now the aforementioned Maxim Prime restaurants, and in the future - a Maxim brand casino in Las Vegas.

I cannot believe that it is almost Halloween. Fall seems to be flying by. My children announced to me today what characters they are going to be to go out trick or treating. My 2 year old wants to be Superman, my 4 year old is going to be Buzz Lightyear and my 7 year old is going to be a Power Ranger.

Power Ranger? Are they even still around? I thought that was ancient history, so I inquired further why he would want to be a Power Ranger this year. I was surprised at his answer. You see, the Blue Power Ranger has “built in” muscles in the costume. My son, fully aware that there are a few girls at school that have a crush on him, wants to have muscles.

Ever since the new initiative in schools to keep kids healthy and fit across the US, I’ve noticed my two older sons wanting to exercise more and eat, “Sports Candy.” For those of you who are not familiar with the fitness superhero on Nickelodeon keenly named “Sportacus,” Sports Candy is fruits and vegetables. The school no longer allows parents to send any type of junk food in with their child for snack, the lunch menu is a healthy one and all children are required to run 26 miles before the end of the school year.

With all of these new programs in place to get kids back on the right track of being healthy and fit and carrying that over into the teens years and through adulthood, one would begin to wonder why beauty and fashion magazines still continue to create flawless superficial images of fit bodies and beautiful faces in their pages. Why continue to create this image of beauty that is unattainable (and sometimes the reason behind many eating disorders)? Some companies are catching on and understanding the issue.

The new commercial being seen in Canada by Dove is a real eye opener. I surely hope that it will be seen here for all teen and pre-teens to see. I've been noticing more and more commercials by Dove with their Campaign for Real Beauty to show not just underweight beauty queens, but real normal average women. Have you noticed this, as well?

While I fully support the new school initiative in my school district to get kids healthy and fit, I hope that beauty and fashion magazines can put Photoshop to rest, showing us that a true healthy and fit person of beauty needs no airbrushing. I realize that this may never go away, but certainly it would be nice to tone it down a bit. In fact, in their October and November issue, Marie Claire has an article called Beauty Road Show. It's where they photograph women of all ages and races, cross-country, and ask them what they love about themself. The photo's are fabulous, representing real women everywhere.

What are your thoughts on body image and the media and the new healthy schools initiative?

In the past twenty years there has been a change occurring when it comes to Halloween. Back when I was growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, Halloween was a specific children’s holiday. Then in the mid-eighties things began to change and Haunted Houses and adult costume parties began to take off.

Adult costume parties and Haunted Houses continue to increase in popularity every year. What has gone from a one night event, now becomes an entire weekend of parties solely reserved for the young at heart and a month-long event for Haunted Houses and Haunted Hayrides. Even farmers have cashed in by offering haunted labyrinths through a corn maze.

Ralph Falon Builders: At first glance, Fallonbuilders.com looks like a typical offering of Who We Are and What We Do. But instead of a copy-intensive approach it, like many architectural sites, relies on photography to tell the story of this builder’s work. The focus of the site is a 172-image gallery of notable projects. It’s an easy to update, XML-driven and -tagged compilation of photos with a related hierarchical format that connects project attributes. Because the result is the creation of unique, on-the-fly galleries (similar to Flikr and del.icio.us) it offers an interesting and engaging way for visitors to browse. And, because the content is easily updatable, it consistently offers an accurate representation of the company and its craft.

With its gallery-like presence, it’s neither superfluous nor trendy. It’s a great example of how to use simple and contemporary technology to create a unique experience for a small, niche business.

Dan Coe, creative director
Dave Snowball, interface designer
Mark Potnick, Flash developer
Coexist, site design and development

We all hear about the richest and most powerful people in the country, but one of them always seems to stand out. Not only is Oprah Winfrey one of the most powerful people in the entertainment industry, but she’s also one of the most generous. Always finding a way to share her wealth with others, she has just given away over $300,000 to her audience in what she calls her “favorite giveaway ever.”

Every year around Christmas, Oprah does a “favorite things” show in which she gives her lucky audience members hundreds of dollars worth of items that she’s fond of at the moment- goodies from last year’s show included Burberry coats and purses, iPods, UGG boots, Ralph Lauren sweaters, watches, and blackberries, as well as her favorite croissants, popcorn and cookie dough. In other shows, Oprah has given away cars, homes, vacations, eliminated debt, and paid medical bills for those who are less fortunate.

However, this most recent giveaway is unlike anything she’s done before. On Monday’s show, Oprah gave more than 300 audience members $1,000 debit cards sponsored by Bank of America for them to donate to a charitable cause of their choice. The surprised recipients have the choice of either giving the entire sum to one person (relatives not included) or splitting the money amongst several charitable causes.

On the show, Oprah said “You're going to open your hearts, you're going to be really creative, and you're going to spend it all at once on one stranger or spend a dollar on every person. Imagine the love and kindness you can spread with $1,000”. What a great message to spread, Oprah- using your wealth and influence to help others in need is one of the kindest things you can do.

Opulent, sophisticated, romantic, glitzy, glamorous – Art Deco style epitomizes a sense of youthful and lavish aspirations. The style was bold and beautiful with a sense of sophistcated geometric order; it pushed the limits in it's day as ultra modern and today the hot style being very popular with celebrities and jewelry collectors.

It has always been, in terms of design, architecture, fashion, etc., among my favorite periods. That said, I am ecstatic this season’s jewelry and accessory trends seem to be taking cue from the art deco, Jazz Age with daring geometric lines and angular shapes, brilliant opaque stones, and plenty of crystal and black lustery detail.

Even the November cover of W Jewelry features a model with a bold 1920s-esque bob. While platinum blond, she could certainly be the striking, edgier 2006 version of Louise Brooks. The November issue of Elle Accessories featured more razzle dazzle deco details than I’ve seen in quite some time. It made me dizzy. I loved it.

How many of you have purchased something that was a knock off? I admit it, I purchased knock off Chanel sunglasses this past summer from a vendor next to me at a local fair. Imagine my surprise when I came across this blog and the video it shows.

The buying and selling of counterfeit products is costing American businesses $200-$250 Billion dollars a year and the loss of 750,000 jobs according to The U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This is not only the knock off of sunglasses, purses and watches you can find on any New York City street corner, but it also carries over into cosmetics, movies, music and even clothing and footwear like Air Jordans.

I have been in the beauty industry for about 12 years and doing beauty pr for about 7 years. And in all of my years of experience with press releases especially those that that go out on the wire I have never ever seen one as damaging as the one that Russ Fons PR in Las Vegas ran today about their client; National Toxic Encephalopathy Foundation (NTEF) and their opinion on Clarins Cosmetics. You can view the horrific release here.

In this release the NTEF states in great detail on the extensive damage and misleading labels of the Clarins brand, so they claim.

What’s odd though is that John Sheppard the director of the foundation states that you are putting your health at risk if you use these products. I don’t know about you but I see a huge lawsuit taking place from Clarins. I am sure executives at Clairns are beyond miffed about this release. What’s even odder is that all of the ingredients used by Clarins are found in most other top selling brands. One would assume that NTEF is crucifying Clarins based on a personal agenda and not on logic.

However was John Sheppard not aware that Clarins recently acquired Kibio an organic skin care manufacture who has gone into negotiations on creating new products together? I posted about this on my other blog a few weeks back. You can view that post here.

No, you don't have a case of DEJAVU. Busy day yesterday. Google acquired Jotspot (we love Jotspot and use it) & Conde Nast acquired Reddit because Digg wanted too much from Condé Nast. Whats on sale next month? Will it be Lipstick.com or Coutorture? What are the next hot Web 2.0 venture capital opportunities?

Life Clever (tips fro design & life) by Chanpory Rith: 5 Writing Tips That Don't Suck (via) Copyblogger

A PR Guru's Musings: Q&A on innovations in public relations

John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing "Longs for a good publicity stunt"

BusinessWeek.com: Wal-Mart: A "Reputation Crises" The giant retailer has been trying hard to improve its image and reignite sales

Idea Grove: Introducing Spin Thicket: Media Orchard "Easier way to keep up with the news"

Eric Eggertson:
Mutually Inclusive PR and Strumpette: Backlash Against Crayon's Second Life Launch

For a long while celebrities have been pretty vocal about their political beliefs. They are not strangers to being used by both political parties to taunt their positions or to help in raising money for their party through their celebrity clout.

Some say that celebrities and politics don’t mix. After reading a recent article by Jeff Davidson on TMZ.com, 90% of me agrees. Many celebrities put their faces in commercials or join a campaign to tell people to vote. Yet, one celebrity in the 2004 Vote or Die campaign turned out to be all lip service. Or there are those who threaten leaving the country if a political figure is re-elected; remember Alec Baldwin? That is what bothers me the most. Celebrities who talk and talk and won’t shut up (and then make money off of their chattering) or those who take a punch during a concert, but quite honestly don’t do a darn thing to help foster change. Am I alone in this annoyance?

In a previous post, I mentioned being all for the healthy kids initiatives being launched into schools. However, I also think that sometimes good intentions can turn into scaring parents.

Take this new ad from Birdseye, for example, that I found on Adrants. The ad documents a child growing in waist size each year instead of height. Their point is taken and in the fine print they let you know what they have been doing to make their microwavable dinners more “healthy.”

Instead of more positive ads, like showing healthy kids exercising or eating healthy as a model for children to mimic, it seems to becoming more the trend to scare parents into getting their kids “healthy.”

Still warming up to Second Life? I am asked about it almost daily and wanted to get some basic info posted for those friends who read our blog consistently. Backstory is here. Follow the links.

New World Notes

From April 2003 to February 2006, I was a contract writer for Linden Lab, creators of Second Life, primarily hired by the company to cover SL as an embedded journalist in an emerging society-- its controversies, its personalities, its innovations and ambitions, along with larger themes of identity, social norms and organization, and cultural expression important to online worlds in general.

That contractual relationship has ended, but the story continues here. -Wagner James Au

Second Thoughts Do's and Dont's for Big Business.

"Every human being is interested in two kinds of worlds: the Primary, everyday world which he knows through his senses, and a Secondary world or worlds which he not only can create in his imagination, but which he cannot stop himself creating." W.H. Auden

Second Life Herald The Second Life Herald was founded on October 23, 2003, by philosophy professor Peter Ludlow. Its mission, as described the next day, was to observe, record and study "the legal, social, and economic implications" of life in the virtual world. Originally established as the Alphaville Herald and reporting for the most part on life on the Alphaville server of The Sims Online, the Herald soon branched out into coverage of other massively multiplayer online games and virtual worlds -- helped along by the murder of Herald publisher Urizenus (Ludlow's avatar) after Electronic Arts got wind of the stories the newspaper was printing about the scams and cyber-prostitution that were taking place within its game, and the company's indifference to reports of real-world violence.

For all those who care, just two months after Tom Cruise was notoriously dumped by Paramount Pictures after a 14-year production deal, it was announced on Thursday that his luck has finally changed. Cruise and his longtime business partner, Paula Wagner, have formed a partnership with MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc) to revive the legendary United Artists studio. UA was founded in 1919 by four of the biggest box-office names at the time-Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith- with the goal of giving artists more creative freedom without big studios pulling all the strings.

Bloggers are the new media; there is no way around it. Companies are beginning to see that there is a goldmine waiting to be dug up in the blogosphere. Most Bloggers are everyday people, not corporate big wigs or media outlets with advertisers in their pocket. Bloggers will tell you how it is, from their eyes, with complete honesty.

Or do they? As blogging has become a way of life and is now etched into our society, marketers are finding that they can reach so many more people through a blog than through a billboard. We all know it's not just about exposure to the masses, but appropriate exposure to your target audience and influencers. Awesome traction means nothing if your not seeing the intended results!

For those reading this at the 2006 ISPA Conference & Expo, be sure to stop in the Professional Development Sessions at 2PM.

INDUSTRY TRENDS - Press Tactics & Topics for 2007 - Magazine Editors & PR Professionals Unite – Rona Berg & Pierce Mattie

I'm currently reading The Ten Faces Of Innovation (Tom Kelly) and thought Trekinetic’s K-2 All Terrain Wheelchair must have come from the cross-pollinator (a face of innovation identified in Kelly's book). It's part dirt bike and wheelchair, Makes me want to take it for a spin. It offers a design and beauty inspired departure from conventional manual wheelchairs.

• Front wheel driven with a singular rear trailing castor for stability
• The seat is of carbon fiber,
• A dynamic braking system for slowing down and steering
• Weather equipment is in the form of an attachable automatic umbrella

Professional trendwatchers are saying this falls under the Beauvalanche trend or could have easily been filed under Innovation Overload as well. Regardless, it does prove that everything can be beautified and reinvented! FYI, Trendwatching.com just released the Transumers briefing which is free to everyone.

Yup, we have a new "dealer" of premium coffee, and they want you to sample the goods. If you are lucky enough to live in the Northeast, then you are well aware of the freebie McDonald’s is offering coffee lovers. If you are not aware of this fabulous promotion, then wake up and smell the free coffee!

McDonald’s has struck up a deal with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. to create a special blend under the Newman's Own Organic Blend brand. This free deal is only available until November 11th and only available in 7 states in the Northeast.

Artwork by Ashley, The Painting Journalist

McDonald’s is trying to get an edge on the coffee competition such as Dunkin Donuts (which is HUGE in the Northeast) and Starbucks. I can completely attest to the celebrity status of Dunkin Donuts in New England as a native Rhode Islander. There is a Dunkin Donuts on practically every block in the state. So how can McDonald’s compete?

I am a Mac advocate. However I use a PC daily and enjoy the duality of having both systems and the separation of both. I don't think I ever want to run windows on my mac, I feel better not exposing my computer to any issues. The next time your Mac friend says "Macs don't get virus's" you can now say "yes they do... The Macarena", which is annoying in itself.

Two years ago, by chance, I came across Elke von Freudenberg on a group that we both happened to be apart of. Without knowing too much about her, beyond her love for cosmetics, we began a friendship. One that I cherish deeply.

So when Elke told me she was asked to be the Makeup Artist for Harper's Bazaar China, I knew that when the November edition came out, I wanted to be the first to proudly boast about it to the world.

Today I had the chance to briefly interview Elke:

"Because there are things women need to know about breast implants and augmentation." For more information, please visit www.Breastimplants411.com

Cast Your Vote
(1). Size: 32 A
(2). Size: 32 B
(3). Size: 34 B
(4). Size: 34 C
(5). Size: 36 C
(6). Size: 36 D

• Communication Arts: This year’s interactive design winners were selected by our distinguished jury from a group of entries including Web sites, Kiosks, CD-ROM projects and PDA's.

• Strategic Public Relations: PR Industry: Improve Your Writing -Kevin Dugan

• Salon.com: Fake News, Fake Reporter: Why was a partisan hack, using an alias and with no journalism background, given repeated access to daily White House press briefings? -By Eric Boehlert

• Online Media Daily: Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Puts Edelman Public Relations on probation for creating fake Blogs (flogs) for client Walmart

• Customer Listening Blog: WOMMA Ethical Blogger Contact Guidelines: 10 Principles

The Copyblogger, a resource for guys like me who always need to refine and develop writing skills. I come from the advertising world, most art directors work in tandem with a professional "wordsmith" (copywriter), so I never had to worry too much about my writing skills, that is until now.

What I'm Reading Right Now: The Ten Faces of Innovation, IDEO's strategies for beating the devils advocate and driving creativity throughout your organization. I fell in love with the IDEO method cards a few years back and decided to pick up the book. What Sticks, Why most advertising fails and how to guarantee yours succeeds. I'm always looking to make the most out of our clients marketing budget. Sisomo, creating emotional connections in the market with sight, sound and motion. The follow up book to Lovemarks. What are you reading? Write it down in the comments and I'll check it out.

You may have noticed more companies that cater to lifestyle industry are listening to customers by repackaging and redesigning ingredients in products as they watch consumer trends change, and I say it’s about time! Grocery store shoppers should be aware that you don’t need to pay higher prices for premium national brand names when they may be identical to the less expensive (generic) store-brand. 20 years ago generic store brands screamed for attention as they were all yellow, void of any branding and made you feel like a loser at the check out counter.

KNOW THE FACTS: If you're considering changing your packaging to make it "prettier" on the store shelf, then get ready for a marketing disaster. Packaging redesign is not a beautification project. It's about:

* Meeting the ever-changing needs of your target consumer group. For example, your target group may be aging. Also, younger and more affluent shoppers are entering the marketplace.

* Reviewing competitive products, new product launches and your category.

* Monitoring shifts in distribution channels, retailer formats and economic conditions.

* Optimizing both the graphic and structural elements of your packaging.

* Revitalizing a brand and product sales, maintaining or growing market reach.

Yesterday Microsoft labs announce the first public release of Photosynth Technology Preview. Photosynth takes a large collection of photos of a place or object, analyzes them for similarities, and displays them in a reconstructed 3-Dimensional space. With Photosynth you can:

* walk or fly through a scene to see photos from any angle;
* seamlessly zoom in or out of a photograph even if it's gigapixels in size;
* see where pictures were taken in relation to one another;
* find similar photos to the one you’re currently viewing;
* explore a custom tour or see where you’ve been; or
* send a collection to a friend.

Some bad publicity for Vanity Fair. In Hollywood image is everything, and being able to control your image is key, at least in the world of celebrity. The new Vanity Fair featuring Mr. Jolie AKA Brad Pitt on the cover is causing a stir in Pitt land. Pitt, according to his publicist, might be taking legal action against the magazine for using his image on the cover without his authorization.

The first ever Art Issue from Vanity Fair featuring a soaked Brad Pitt wearing only boxers and socks is a still shot taken from a video portrait he made with artist avant-garde director and designer Robert Wilson last year. Pitt claims that he never gave the okay for any portion of it to appear in print. The magazine on the other hand says that Pitt knew about it. Click here to see the video.

According to E! News, Pitt’s publicist said, "We are very disappointed that Vanity Fair has chosen to put an unauthorized cover on their magazine. It seriously makes me question their integrity and motives."

Could Pitt be alluding that Vanity Fair is trying to boost their sales with his picture on the cover? Or is Pitt just trying to control his image of Mr. Humanitarian of the universe and not just muscles and a pretty face?

Funny when I was in Las Vegas this week for the ISPA show the taxi driver that picked me up was complaining on how the town was blowing things up. Little did I realize that it was the famous Stardust. The home of my favorite cheesy movie; Showgirls! As most hotels turn into resorts and expand their spas like Caesars Palace did this month with their new spa tower, the old players cannot keep up.

The Stardust, the neon-wrapped casino with a mobbed-up past whose 1,065 rooms once set the standard for size on the Las Vegas Strip, witnessed its last roll of the dice Wednesday.

Wistful longtime employees and loyal gamblers gathered for a last farewell to the iconic 48-year-old institution, which is to be razed early next year to make way for Boyd Gaming Corp.'s planned $4 billion Echelon Place resort.

The Stardust opened July 2, 1958, as the world's largest hotel and catered to middle America with $6-a-night rooms and low-minimum stakes gambling.

But as bigger, classier casinos sprung up around it in the late 1980s and '90s and patrons began shelling out more for rooms, food and drinks, its luster began to fade.

"I'm really going to miss this place," said Jimmy Kunihiro, a 60-year-old Honolulu resident, as he took a last pass at the craps table. "It's a home away from home."

Three summers ago, the New York City Ballet returned to St. Petersburg, Russia, 20 years after the death of the troupe's visionary co-founder, George Balanchine, who was born there.

Director Richard Blanshard's film of the trip, the company's first to St. Petersburg since 1972, airs Sunday (Nov. 12) on 131 PBS stations across the United States.

On one level, the title "Bringing Balanchine Back" is a straightforward description of NYCB's return to Russia, which is captured in the film through a mix of interviews, performance excerpts and always-entertaining backstage footage. On another, not-so-subtle level, the title echoes the subtext driven home throughout the documentary: how well NYCB is thriving two decades after Balanchine died, leaving his company with an incredible wealth of ballets and an enormous pair of shoes to fill.

Wal-Mart has gotten itself embroiled in yet another Nazi-connected scandal, selling T-shirts depicting a skull that had been used, according to this Bent Corner post, by the Nazi 3rd SS Division Totenkopf during World War II. (You may remember other incidents such as the book-burning (sub req'd) incident last year.)

What's interesting about this story is the pace that it gathered, and the speed of Wal-Mart's (via Edelman) response. It's clear that Consumerist, the Gawker-family consumer affairs blog that helped the Bent Corner story gain visibility, is a site that Edelman is checking every minute, and while there have been previous spats between the two (summarized in part here) one does see the necessity of keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer. Get the whole scoop on PRWeek or the Consumerist

A well planned exit without the use of a publicist? Atoosa Rubenstein, Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen magazine announced last week that she’ll be leaving the publication. Her next move is to launch several teen-centered projects including a web business, a book and a consulting firm.

She told the New York Post, “I’m a risk taker. I don’t play the game in a safe way. I’ve never been driven by power or money. I’ve always had a very strong relationship with our audience, and I hope to develop that in a more immediate and visceral way.”

Before her announcement to leave Seventeen, Rubenstein already started branching out of her Editor-in-Chief post positioning herself as an advocate for teens by appearing on MTV’s Miss Seventeen reality show and also as a guest judge on America’s Next Top Model, a favorite show among Seventeen readers.

Is Rubenstein leaving Seventeen another sign in the decline of teen publications? In the last two years, YM, Teen People, and Elle Girl have been shut down. Teen People and Elle Girl are still online – a good move since most teens are tech-savvy. At least we’ve still got COSMOgirl! and Teen Vogue! We’ll have to wait and see who will take over the EIC post at Seventeen.

Read more about her decision to leave Seventeen on her MySpace page and some speculations from Jossip.

• Beyond VC, By Ed Sim: Consumers want instant gratification, Google ran a user test where users wanted more search results. Surprisingly, traffic and revenue dropped by 20% and what Marissa discovered was that load times for less searches was .4 seconds and load times with more searches was .9 seconds. Despite the fact that users really wanted more results, in the end, according to Marissa and Greg, speed matters.

• Cool Hunting, a well known Trend site has had it's 4th site redesign: Here are a few new features we hope you’ll find useful:

* Added lots of date-based navigation, including an all thumbnail month view
* Improved the display of related stories
* Added a keyword navigator on the left side of the screen where you can view common, recent and random keywords
* Added individual author pages
* Brought back weekly Cool Hunting emails in addition to daily emails

• Media 2.0: Media+Marketing Business Trend Links. He has a nice collection of posts and a freaky "fleshtalker" Sitepal that I'm sure Scott over at Media Orchard would approve of. It blinks it's eyes! Creepy... but the links are a must read!

• Brand Autopsy, by John Moor. Bad Profits Dissected

MenEssentials President, James Whittall has some helpful advice for hairy men who want to be smooth all over and shave like a man: This may surprise you, but at least one-sixth of the search engine referrals we receive each month are for men — ordinary guys, like you and me — who want information on how to shave their privates.

Squirm all you like. There's an immense subculture of eroticists who claim a bald bag makes for better sex. Indeed, when I went online to research this subject, I counted no less than a dozen serious human sexuality web sites with entire sections devoted to the art of sensual shaving.

Unfortunately, few of these resources offers tips on how to safely and hygienically perform this most delicate of procedures. Never one to shrink (pun intended) from the outrageous, I hereby offer my thoughts on the subject.

A Disclaimer
Personally, I think genital shaving is ill advised. A botched job can lead to intense irritation or, worse, permanent falsetto. Don't say I didn't warn you.

And a Warning
If you have sensitive skin that ordinarily reacts to shave creams or gels, then do not ever shave your pubic area or testicles. This region is much more sensitive than your face. Your allergic reaction could be spectacular.

As you can tell from my previous post about blogs becoming the new media, I absolutely believe that this is only the beginning. While companies are finding that sending products to a Blogger to review may increase revenue, they have also found that advertising on them can be just as good.

Any given company may not know how to advertise on a blog, be it not for all the companies popping up to support ads on blogs, and they sure are cashing in. One of the giants would be Google AdWords, which is not only website friendly, but blog friendly as well. Many niche blogs have found there is a great deal of money that can be made when placing Google Adsense (AdWords in action) on their blog, not only because of the advertisements, but because Google Adsense conforms to the content of your blog. The more focused your blog is on a particular subject, the greater likelihood that the ads displayed will fit in with your content and increase your chances of readers clicking. This obviously benefits the businesses placing ads through AdWords, as its target market sees their product or service.

Time Magazine has teamed up with the Geek Squad to list its "Best Of" inventions list for 2006. We will see many more of these lists as the end of the year approaches. Time lists best inventions for transportation, the home, meals and cooking, clothing, toys, medicine, safty, the military, and as well as using light category. Readers can then vote for what they think is this year's best of TIME magazine's best.

Other "Best Of" List for 2006: Best Books Of 2006 from Amazon.com. Best Colleges For 2007 from U.S. News & World Report. Best of New York City by The Village Voice.

• Edelman Public Relations Disclosure Follies (Raving Lunacy) Edelman to Fund a Second Life Business screams the headline over at Micro Persuasion.

• $6 Billion For MySpace? (The Blog Herald) Rupert Murdock, CEO of News Corp., told Australian investors that MySpace would sell for $6 billion.

• Users Respond To The Dove Evolution Viral I find the user created responses to Dove fascinating, it is as if through retouching themselves, and manipulating their own digital representation, users can reaffirm their feeling in their true body, and experience an apparent sense of liberation through mutating themselves, looking at it and being able to recognise how ridiculous and distorted standards have become.(Marketing Babylon)

• Pepsi goes organic with new product lines at Whole Foods Market (SpinThicket)

• B.L. Ochman Yawns At Big PR Firms Getting Into "Social Media" (B.L. Ochman)

Pervert place ... Jennings hid in a cavity under girl's bed

A paedophile seduced a girl of 12 — then lived in her bedroom for three months without her mother finding out. Scott Jennings, 22, cut a giant hole in the bottom of the youngster’s divan bed, then used it as a secret den to evade detection if somebody came into the room. This stuff actually happens! It's time to think Design=safety! I've listed one of my favorite sites below that is sure to help keep pervs, or the idea of the boogie man out of mind and out of reach.

Designer Abad Diseño Design Group From Design Within Reach
Most conventional leather beds, like their sofa counterparts, suffer from overstyling and excessive padding in order to denote luxury or comfort. Taking a more restrained approach is the Loja Leather Bed (2004), distinctive in its pared-down, sleigh bed form. Skillfully produced in Spain, the bed features light padding over the entire frame to create a soft, cushioned surface that surrounds the user. Large panels of silky, oil-tanned leather the warmest and most supple of cowhide leathers are used to upholster the frame and are neatly stitched with welted perimeter seams. The headrest features a slight pitch to accommodate comfortable reading or TV viewing. An inset wood-slat platform enables the mattress to nestle snugly in the frame and sit just slightly below the footboard. Inset metal legs prevent toe stubbing. Platform is delivered in pieces for easy maneuvering through doors and hallways. Compatible with the Sonno Mattress. Made in Spain.

Today's PRO-file is with Lianne Farbes, a former Model, current Makeup Artist and blog owner of The Makeup Girl.

Your bio says you got your start as a model. What made you decide you wanted to be a model and how long did you model for?

Actually I didn’t decide! My mother sent my photos around everywhere. I grew up in St. Louis and I don’t really remember how it happened, but before I knew it I was modeling for Stix Baer and Fuller (now Dillard’s) and Venture (like Target) everyday after school. When I moved to New York for college, someone saw me at a club and I started doing runway shows, and later moved on to catalog work. In all total, I think I modeled for about 12 years.

What was the first job that you finally felt like you were a makeup artist?

Oh that one is easy, when I started working as a custom blender for Prescriptives. I was able to really get the colors perfect and build looks around that.

Who are some of the makeup companies you are worked for?

Clarins, Prescriptives, Princess Marcella Borghese and Lancome.

Like most girls err.... women (nothing but grownup sentiment here) I value my bathroom time. I am lucky if I make it out of the shower in thirty minutes between scrubbing, shaving, buffing, exfoliating, and other tub activities and that doesn't even include the time I am willing to commit to an actual bath.

Thus when I say that bathroom time is sacred you can see that I spend a lot of time "in prayer" on a given day. Thus when fellow blogger Sophia turned me on to her Holy Mud I had a real chuckle at just how appropro the name is for those of us that consider the bathroom a sacred space

Fresh from the Holy Land, this concentration of carefully sifted Dead Sea Mud is rich in highly absorbent minerals that draw impurities out of your skin's tissue like a magnet. Despite all of the incredible scientific advancements and the millions of dollars the cosmetic industry spends on research and development, few products have been able to cleanse the skin, remove excess oils and help people achieve a divine complexion the way an all-natural Dead Sea Mud Mask is able to do. There are roughly 6-8 professional quality facial mask treatments per jar.

Let me tell you this mud really does sucks all the nasty out and the feeling it leaves behind is nothing short of "divine." And yes I realize I am extending this metaphor a little far but come on this mud is like a little piece of heaven.

THIS JUST IN FROM THE MEDIA OASIS: Which Pore-Yanker Ad Campaign Came First?

Check out this "unholy" plagiarism of a "pore-yank-er" brand campaign. Who came up with the idea first? Oasis annalist dont know. If you do, please comment here or send us your comment via email at info @ Piercemattie com.

Joining rock star, Playboy photographer and Zamboni driver on the list of dream jobs will be chief beer officer, courtesy of Four Points by Sheraton.

The Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide brand will launch an executive search starting today for someone with brew eloquence and a rich knowledge of beer as part of its Best Brew program. The job posting appears in a full page in the Wall Street Journal and on HotJobs.com and Monster.com. The new hire—who actually would be brought on as an independent part time consultant—will be showered with Starwood Preferred Guest points and a generous travel and expense account for fulfilling duties like attending beer fests, sampling more than 300 brews, touring breweries, hosting Oktoberfest and choosing beer menus for new hotels. The CBO will assume the post by mid-January and begin documenting beer-related activities while imparting knowledge to others through a Web blog. [Brandweek] -By Mike Beirne

I've been a Rocketboom viewer since the beginning (and persecuted for my advocacy of the lighthearted daily news by friends and colleages): I think I tuned in on her 3rd podcast on iTunes. Not a iTunes subscriber? Check your Tivo; Rocketboom is now available to most Tivo subscribers. Like many loyal followers of "citizen journalism," it was sad to see her leave Rocketboom. The good news is now everyone can see her on the boob-tube; watch for Amanda on ABC, maybe even prime time! Again, congratulations. Yesterday's headline read:

Amanda Congdon, the former host of the Rocketboom video blog, has been hired by US TV network ABC.

Congdon is also in the process of developing a show with US cable channel Home Box Office (HBO).

The Back-story: Congdon left Rocketboom in June this year claiming that she was fired, but Baron alleges that she quit to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles.

Baron apparently gave Congdon a 49 per cent share of Rocketboom. The two are currently in a dispute as to whether the agreement still stands.

In true Congdon spirit, here is an interpretation of perky quirky "news babe" memorable highlights. You may get a kick out of it if you watched Rocketboom since the beginning.

"I am going to be video blogging for Disney ABC, specifically ABC News," Congdon said in a video message on her Amanda Across America blog.

"I'll be the first person to fulfill that role for the network. Because ABC is continually pushing ahead and innovating, I'm super excited to be a part of their team.

"I'll also be appearing on ABC's News Now from time to time and occasionally I'll pop up on Good Morning America, Nightline and 20/20 to serve as an Internet correspondent."

What is Beauty? Many great visionaries, writers, poets, philosophers, and artists have tried to express in words or in images the meaning of beauty. These thoughts are rich in the wisdom they express and they resonate with each of us differently.

Man makes holy what he believes, as he makes beautiful what he loves. -Ernest Renan

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched ... but are felt in the heart. -Helen Keller

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. -John Keats

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart. -Khalil Gibran

Beauty is not real. Beauty only exists in perception. -Unknown

Working in the beauty industry, our attention can be so focused on making the external beautiful - skin creams, lotions, lipsticks, mascara, hair extensions, serums, masks, gels, and the list can go on and on. These are products that help us feel beautiful, improve our looks, accentuate the positive, and give us confidence.

Women frequently struggle with how to integrate their external and internal beauty, and with all of the mass market imaging and airbrushed celebrity role models, it hasn’t been easy. But the times they are a changin’ and one of the foremost trends today is beauty integration. What does this mean? It means that women are more comfortable than ever with themselves and their looks. It means that when they purchase beauty products, they want them to look, taste, sound, and smell good - and the products must feel great on both the outside and the inside. External beauty has become experiential, it has become customized, it has become inclusive, and it has become multi-dimensional.

Being that as a nation we are about to celebrate Thanksgiving, a truly national holiday, meant for everyone, also integrative and inclusive, I suggest that we be thankful for how the meaning of beauty is growing to include what makes us feel good on the inside. Internal and authentic beauty will always remain rooted in our hearts, in our spirits, and in our ability to share ourselves with others unselfishly. Happy Holidays!

I often get asked where my phone skills come from -- as a publicist, I can pitch over the phone like no one's business (toot-toot, goes my horn). Little do some know that I spent my senior year of high school as a telemarketer selling timeshares on the beach over the phone. Yes, in less than two minutes, I would talk, pitch, book and invite you to come to a new condo complex on the Gulf of Mexico to meet with a realtor. Today those phone skills are used daily and I encourage our team to "get on the phone." Email over the years has replaced the pitch calls.

However, trends come and go and this season, the phone will re-establish itself to become "the new email." This holiday season, the next marketing call consumers receive may not be from a credit card company or a politician. A growing number of apparel chains are making personal-sounding phone calls to tout sales events or the arrival of new merchandise, according to Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group Inc., a market research firm.

Automated calling services or store clerks who might otherwise be folding sweaters are dialing past customers - using phone numbers gleaned at the cash register - in an attempt to woo them back, he said. Some might even address the former customers by their first names to establish a kind of pseudo-familiarity. Cohen noted that the number of retailers vying for customers by phone has risen from about six to more than two dozen in the past year and a half. Chain stores such as Victoria's Secret, Limited Too and Lane Bryant started adopting the approach during the back-to-school period last year, he said.

Cohen said he expects a flurry of retailer calls after the holidays, when they will be trying to draw consumers into their stores to use gift certificates. "The bad news is the more stores that do this, the less effective this becomes" because customers may stop answering the phone or simply run out of money, Cohen said.

I often get asked where my phone skills come from -- as a publicist, I can pitch over the phone like no one's business (toot-toot, goes my horn). Little do some know that I spent my senior year of high school as a telemarketer selling timeshares on the beach over the phone. Yes, in less than two minutes, I would talk, pitch, book and invite you to come to a new condo complex on the Gulf of Mexico to meet with a realtor. Today those phone skills are used daily and I encourage our team to "get on the phone." Email over the years has replaced the pitch calls.

However, trends come and go and this season, the phone will re-establish itself to become "the new email." This holiday season, the next marketing call consumers receive may not be from a credit card company or a politician. A growing number of apparel chains are making personal-sounding phone calls to tout sales events or the arrival of new merchandise, according to Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group Inc., a market research firm.

Automated calling services or store clerks who might otherwise be folding sweaters are dialing past customers - using phone numbers gleaned at the cash register - in an attempt to woo them back, he said. Some might even address the former customers by their first names to establish a kind of pseudo-familiarity. Cohen noted that the number of retailers vying for customers by phone has risen from about six to more than two dozen in the past year and a half. Chain stores such as Victoria's Secret, Limited Too and Lane Bryant started adopting the approach during the back-to-school period last year, he said.

Cohen said he expects a flurry of retailer calls after the holidays, when they will be trying to draw consumers into their stores to use gift certificates. "The bad news is the more stores that do this, the less effective this becomes" because customers may stop answering the phone or simply run out of money, Cohen said.

• Personal Care Appliances - Global Strategic Business Report : This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Personal Care Appliances in Thousands of Units.

• Spinduggery, The Flack: Peter Himler posts about Jeff Jarvis' snarky comment insinuating PR professionals have dishonesty in their DNA. Jeff Jarvis, being the 'spin'-ster he is, should love the quote "you can’t polish a turd."

• KFC Logo Relaunch - From Space, Near Area 51: I know all of you are saying "I thought of that months ago." Ever since Google launched satellite imagery on its maps, I've wanted to pitch this idea to a client. While not the first, KFC is doing it on a grand scale; a nice publicity stunt. For those of you who know my New York address, you can see me on the roof of my apartment building with my dogs, frozen in time from space.

• Loyalty VS. Advocacy CRM Lowdown: Most companies think that their job is done when they manage to convert a regular customer into a loyal customer. They tend to forget the guy because now ‘he can take care of himself.' Wrong! Once you’ve converted a customer, your job becomes even more difficult.

• Link Karma From The Copyblogger: 21 Surefire tips for a successful blog launch, 10 things to consider when choosing a site meter, and the five W's of great content.

• Hotels offer lots of freebies during winter (just not in New York City), The Mercury News: Winter travelers can take advantage of a number of hotel deals. Properties are offering free nights, free gift cards, special rates and other perks.

• How To Stop Comment Spam Without Lifting a Finger, Tubetorial: If you're a wordpress user, you have to visit tubetorial. Quick, easy-to-understand flash video - enjoy.

• The European Newspaper Design & Concept Awards Europe‘s most innovative newspaper 2006: Look and learn. This year, Europe’s best designed newspapers come from Belgium, Norway, Finland, Portugal and Spain. 287 newspapers from 26 countries participated in the eighth European Newspaper Award.

Like many women, I am a huge fan of shoes. For reasons almost inexplicable to your average man, shoes have a kind of emotional resonance that speaks to us deeply. One shoe that has just this power is the Bernardo "Miami" sandal.

Beloved by the jet set and regular women alike, this revolutionary shoe took the world by storm in the forties and fifties and has remained a style icon through several generations. But, in the seventies and eighties, the brand was nearly destroyed. Thankfully, the license was purchased by Dennis and Lynne Comeau and the line has been restored to its former glory.

I thought my client was very relaxed, until after the treatment I realized she died on the table during our session, and I thought to myself...were those moans of joy or pain!

Sometime blackheads aren't the only thing extracted at spas. A few souls have been extracted as well. While some of us have had wonderful experiences at a day spa, there are some out there that snap us back to reality that you really do need to heed warnings and pay attention to the reputation of spa's.

Some stories lingering around the internet:

Gut Feelings: A Kuwaiti woman tells of her awful experience at Al-Corniche Club Spa in Kuwait. Always go with your gut, if customer service is bad just from a telephone call, you must know it is going to be just as bad at the spa itself.

The Roach Treatment: What would your reaction be if you signed in at Eo Inn Spa with a roach crawling across the clipboard?

Sawful! Edges Salon and Spa get a pretty bad review from this spa patron. No shower available after an oily massage and waiting in the parking lot while the spa opened 30 minutes late are just some of the complaints.

About.com reminds you how important it is to tell a spa your medical history before having any spa treatments done, a story not for the faint of heart, but a message worth heeding.

If you've never experienced a spa before, but would like to, be sure to check out Spa Finder. You can really break down your search for the type of spa you are looking for to provide you with as much detail as you need to make an informed decision.

Have you had a bad experience at a spa? Let us know in the comments.

Here is our first public service announcement. Car owners be advised, static charge or a "shock" can set off an explosion at the gas pump! I thought Mythbusters busted this myth a long time ago? However the Los Angele's Fire Department asks you to be aware of the danger. They posted this gas station footage on it's blog. Poor girl gets the shock, then slight explosion of her life at the filling station. Perhaps someone should design grounded gas pumps or at least a metal poll shoved in the cement (grounded) next to each pump that's says "touch me, I might save your life." Perhaps a car company could pay for it and capitalize on the issue, in exchange for a little positive press?

As if you need another excuse to book that long-overdue Hawaiian vacation, SELF Magazine, the premier well-being lifestyle magazine for women, has named Honolulu, HI the nation's healthiest city for women in its "7th Annual America's Healthiest Places" survey. This is the most comprehensive examination of its kind, distinguished for its broad scope and profound revelations about life-improving health secrets specifically for women in the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.

Whether your hometown is riding Honolulu's wave of good health or stuck in nutritional-neutral like the Motor City (Detroit brings up the rear as number 100 on the list), SELF will help all American women embark on a journey of health, happiness, and fitness.

I can think of many difficult inconvenient grocery shopping scenarios. If you live in the New York metro area and are a parent, it can easily become an three hour event. Most moms are amazingly efficient at these basic, but difficult tasks. However some days, and you know we all have them, something goes wrong in our system and when that happens it's choas. Trudging down from your apartment, taking the kids on the subway or in a cab... will it be snowing out?...yuck! You do know there is an easier way don’t you? It's celebrity endorsed and used by Spike Lee, Chef Bobby Flay, Chef Tom Collocchio, Paullna Porizokova and Cynthia Nixon to name a few.

Meet FreshDirect, I have got to say, they have saved the sanity of many families in NYC for the last few years. FreshDirect lets you shop online all from the convenience of your computer…so who cares if your rugrats are running around screaming? This is something you can do without worrying about entertaining your kids while you shop so that they behave and not cause chaos in the aisles. It can save you from episodes of knocking over soda cans or grabbing boatloads of candy yelling, “Mommy can we buy this?” (Not that this has ever happened to me of course.)

Ideas on how to take advantage of Fresh Direct:

(1). Order a weeks worth of fresh ready to eat meals for convenience. Just heat and eat- nothing fresher or with higher quality ingredients.

(2). Fast organic food. Sick and tired of the long lines at WHOLE FOODS? Have almost all of the same local organic products & brands delivered to you at the specific time when you get home from work.

(3). Zoned Out? Want a change from the food trucked around from a Zone Diet delivery service? Order from FreshDirect low calorie ready to eat meals.

(4). Party Pooper? Have Fresh direct deliver wine, soda, water, party platters and finger foods to the event location the day of the event, save time & $$ for the main course.

(5). Mans best friend. Order treats and dog food for your pets when your in a pinch

Challenge: Gas prices are super high, how do you build brand loyalty when oil prices are ridiculous?

Advice:Take advantage of the high gas prices, bring more value to the customer then your competitor with cravable experiences.

Heightened customer experience is where it at. By now oil hungry customers know the service station is not making a huge profit off the gas. But the consumer still feels the hit to the wallet. A smart business owner will try to offset that "emotional hit" by providing more perceived value. Lowering the price temporarily doesn't build loyalty or lasting value to a car owner it just causes him to bounce all over the place looking for cheap gas. You need to create "Cravable experiences," cravable experiences and convenience will create lasting emotional traction that will help win consumer loyalty.

• Get better premium coffee beans and take beverage service seriously
• Buy nicer, thicker, insulated coffee cups with better more secure lids
• Order Krispy Kreme donuts and but a display up near the cash register.
• Offer organic "fast food" options
• Boast about having the best restrooms in town with the softest tolet paper
• Start a policy that if they have to wait in line for gas more then 3 min, a free beverage is on the house.
• Provide "old-fashioned" white glove (celebrity) service. Checking under the hood, looking at the oil level and tier pressure can all be done in 2-3 min, the time taken to fill a tank of gas. Customers are more likely to re visit your station and trust you if your looking over the car frequently.

If you can apply this concept of cravable experiences to a filling station and see dramatic results, you can most certainly can apply it to your next business promotion and see success. Good luck!

As a woman I can certainly tell you what I think about men’s underwear. I like a man in a fresh pair of clean, crisp white underwear. I prefer boxer briefs over anything else and my man better not be wearing silly underwear or outrageously colored, or else I will have to ask him to put his pants back on. I like to be the one wearing all the colors! I often wondered if guy’s thought of their underwear as an important piece of fashion. I know my very first boyfriend did not, as evidenced by some animal print silk bikini number he used to wear..."eww!" Laughing when you see someone's underwear is a sure fire way to ruin the mood…just FYI.

So in order to find out what men really think, I asked a few fashionable men at Pierce Mattie their thoughts. I was surprised at some of their answers. I've included 3 of the 8 full interviews for your review. Here is a summary of my findings:

• Pierce Mattie men prefer briefs over boxers.

• They wont spend more then $35 for a pair of underwear

• Sex played a role in purchasing first pair of fashionable underwear

• They say marketing and packaging doesn't play a big role in what underwear they choose, however the industry data all says marketing & packaging plays a huge role and influences what girlfriends / boyfriends say they like on a man.

• The office leading brands: Old Navy, 2Xist & Calvin Klein

The December 2006 Trend Briefing is now online, and highlights GENERATION CASH, smart and creative consumers expecting to get paid (by you?) for their output. More on GENERATION CASH's context, examples, impact and opportunities at trendwatching.com

Eco-Fashion is an idea that has always been around, but really begun to take steam in February of 2005 at New York’s Fashion Week when Earth Pledge teamed up with 28 designers to create a special runway event called FutureFashion. This past Spring Oscar de la Renta, Halston and Elisa Jimenez showed off their echo-fashion designs at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) 2006 Conference. The response was overwhelming and the designs were again shown over the summer at the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing, where Stephen Burrows and Heatherette also added dresses to the collection of designs to be shown. With such great designers coming to understand that fashion can be earth friendly and design friendly, it is sure to increase in popularity among the world of fashion designers.

Eco-Fashion is clothing that takes into account the environment, the health of consumers and the working conditions of people in the fashion industry. You may not have know the exact term for this industry, but we have all heard and been up in arms over, the stories of big name celebrities having their clothing made in sweat shops only to sell them for top dollar. Taking into account the working conditions of the people who actually put the products together to get you what you purchase at the store is a part of Eco-Fashion.

In our continued effort to support bloggers and citizen journalists we are opening up our vote for Publicist of the Year to you. In the past we have only asked the media and producers to participate. If you've worked with any of our publicists, please vote today.

It’s been a bumpy year in the magazine world with titles like Cargo, Shop Etc., Budget Living, Shape en Espanol, For Me, Teen People and ELLEgirl closing up shop. Just when there was a lull in magazines closing, British publishers, Emap announced this week that it will be shutting down FHM’s U.S. edition after its March issue because of the difficult advertising market.

FHM, a men’s magazine that began publishing in the United States in 1999, had been guaranteeing advertisers an average monthly circulation of about 1.25 million, but it lost money in the first half of the year after revenue fell 20 percent.

With FHM published in about 30 different editions around the world, including ones in Britain, France and Russia, I’m sure the company won’t be hurting too much. Here in the U.S., readers can still log on to FHM’s website for content. Sound familiar? Teen publications Teen People and ELLEgirl went only online this year too! Though, he FHM site might face some tough competition online with sites such as AskMen.com.

According to Media Bistro’s blog, FHM is still going ahead with plans for its party at Pacha on Saturday — hosted by Sopranos stars and velvet rope regulars Jamie Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler. What a way to go!

PR professionals are laid off, change careers, rotate agencies and some individuals even start up their own shop around this time of year. The years end is a natural time for corporations to evaluate their talent pool and make appropriate changes. We've had a fantastic year of tremendous growth which has required constant tweaking of our staff to better serve our clients and provide our team with the best tools and resources available.

Of course, good people are in high demand. It’s always been my manner that if an employee doesn't love working with us, then I always feel like it's my responsibility to find out why and fix it! This was a year of change and growth for our firm; we've said goodbye to a senior staffer, switched up players on our different teams, beefed up our training and mentoring program, restructured reporting relationships in all three offices, promoted two directors to vice presidents and we added two new senior vice presidents to help lead the charge in 2007. It's been exciting to see the positive results in the last few months!

I hear stories all the time of an employee jumping ship and starting their own agency and stealing a few clients as they pick up the last paycheck. While it may be a common practice in our industry, this type of behavior does not display the level of professional ethics that are so vital in business. In fact, we're proud to help employees transition out of PR when they realize it's not for them any longer.

Here are some guidelines that every PR professional should understand:

1. PR firms own relationships both on behalf of the clients they represent and for the staff that they train and mentor.

2. PR firms should be compensated if those relationships are jeopardized or challenged.

3. Employees are accountable to their PR firm first and foremost rather than clients or the media.

4. It is always better to take the high road; business relationships are recycled everyday and you never know whose path you will cross again, so never burn bridges.

My golden rules for maintaining integrity as a PR professional are:

If you are going to a party or out on the town this weekend, of course you want to shine. To show how to add that sizzle to your outfit like the stars do, Dawn Yanek, editor-at-large at Life & Style Weekly magazine shared these tip with us.

Glittery drops:

• 14K white gold diamond earrings (2.02 carats), Endless Diamond Collection, $2,544 at Macy's, Zales and several independent jewelers nationwide.
• Bakers, $14, Bakers stores nationwide
• Express, $22.50, Express stores nationwide. For help finding an Express store, click here.
• Aqua, $28, Bloomingdales stores nationwide, or try Bloomingdales.com

MyBlogLog was sold last night to Yahoo for a rumored $10 million dollars. For a company that was only launched in 2005 and without venture capital or any money for that matter, this is not a bad profit at all. MyBlogLog is operated by 5 savvy guys spread across the country; Eric Marcoullier, Scott Rafer, John Sampson, Todd Sampson and Steve Ho.

MyBlogLog is a blog tracking and social networking site that we (Pierce Mattie PR) and I use on our blogs to track traffic, note specific trends in searches and to interact with other Bloggers across the world. MyBlogLog has widgets that I am very fond of, and you can see it our sidebar, which tell you the latest readers, but can also be a means for people to find you and your blogs when you read other blogs and have your avatar appear on their widget. By moving your mouse over linked words on our site, you can also see which are the most popular with our readers.

For my personal blogs, I joined MyBlogLog when they first started and it is amazing to see the transformation they have taken on. One thing I think is key is their ability to listen to what their users wanted and their personal approach interacting with their users. Most of my interaction was with Eric Marcoullier through a few private posts in my profile on MyBlogLog and also through email. He was always timely in his responses and I never felt like I was intruding by contacting him. He was always super friendly and never sounded like some corporate-type.

The sale of MyBlogLog means that the team will now be part of the Yahoo Developer Network, which can only mean positive things if you have watched MyBlogLog’s growth from the beginning.

Glam Media, as you know, is a top 10 women’s property network and recently announced its $18.5 Million Venture Capital acquisition and a partnership with Marie Claire. b5media, also recently announced securing $2 Million in Venture Capital and when I interviewed b5media CEO Jeremy Wright back in November, he mentioned vertical networks being the only way to gain traction in today’s market. Glam Media just happens to be a vertical network, so the announcement of a partnership is not surprising.

The b5media partnership with Glam consists of Glam selling b5’s ads, something they are good at doing and in return Glam reaches a wider readership through b5media’s blog readership with Glam’s ads prominently displayed on each blog in the network. The partnership means increased visibility and revenue sharing for both Glam and b5media.

Prior to partnering with Glam, b5media also secured a partnership with Feedburner back in November. You can read Feedburner’s press release and Aaron Brazell’s post on the Pro’s & Con’s of Feedburner fore more details. Aaron is the Technology Channel Editor and Technology Manager for b5media.

So what’s next for b5media? Jeremy Wright gave a great interview to 901am that posted today and stated that they were aggressively pursuing a few partnerships. I guess we’ll be hearing about more b5 partnerships throughout the year.

I love good design and wanted to share this with other design-loving readers who had not seen the oh-so fashionable PRADA phone. Now let me recommend the Apple iPhone as the Prada phone wont be available in the States anyhow, so it's just a big technology tease!

The PRADA Phone by LG introduces the world’s first advanced touch interface which eliminates the conventional keypad making the overall usage experience a highly tactile one. An extra wide LCD screen maximizes visual impact, allowing the user to benefit from several key features of the phone, including the 2 megapixel camera featuring Schneider-Kreuznach lens, video player and document viewer capacity. Above all, these features contribute to the phone’s beautifully sleek and simplistic appearance.

Glowing icons on the face of the phone disappear when not in use to reveal a pure, un-adulterated black exterior. The phone is ultra thin (just 12 mm), nonetheless it hosts an array of additional multimedia functions, including an MP3 player and a music multitasking function for messaging. It also boasts an external memory slot, allowing the user to increase memory capacity for images, music and film clips.

The PRADA Phone by LG will be available with prices starting from 600 Euros in mobile dealerships as well as selected PRADA stores in the UK, France, Germany and Italy as of late February, 2007, followed by countries in Asia such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore from late March, 2007. The Korean version of the phone is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2007.

NicoDerm has launched a new anti-wrinkle campaign for smokers looking to quit called “The Beauty of Quitting.” This new campaign is targeted at the other effects smoking has on you that many do not take into account. Of course cancer is serious and absolutely life threatening, however smoking has a long list of side effects that also include wreaking havoc on your skin. Pierce Mattie is very much against smoking and encourages all of his employees not smoke. In fact, he pays for those that do to go on the patch.

As an ex-smoker myself, I can tell you that there were definite things I noticed while smoking. My “smoking hand,” most especially the fingernails nearest my cigarette, were always yellow; my skin was always dry no matter how much lotion I slapped on; and my teeth looked grayish in color. I was only a smoker for 5 years, but still began to see the effects take shape in that small period of time. When switching to a new health insurance 3 years after quitting, a blood test told them that I was still a smoker. I contested it and they revealed to me that nicotine stays in your bloodstream for up to 10 years after you quit.

Blood Diamond, the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio with several Academy Award nominations, is based on the violent civil war in the 1990’s in Sierra Leone in which the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels attempted to overthrow the government, and an illicit diamond trade was used to fund the war effort. The movie has brought attention to the diamond trade and many times what is involved in mining diamonds that are the most sought-after gem in the world.

So it’s no surprise that there are laboratories out there, such as Apollo Diamonds and Gemesis, that are perfecting on creating real diamonds in a lab setting. Not your typical chemically produced Cubic Zirconia, but diamonds created through a process involving real diamond seeds that come together under pressure to create a diamond that matches or exceeds a mined diamond in quality and brilliance. Same natural diamond, only it takes 2 weeks to produce one in a lab setting versus billions of years in the earth. Obviously it is also much safer to create than the risks involved in mining and what it does to our environment.

Creating and mimicking what is real is nothing new. It’s in how man-made products are taking its toll on the industries that produce the real deal. Cultured Pearls are almost indistinguishable to the naked eye compared to its natural counterpart. Fake fur, really well produced pieces, can often be mistaken for the real thing. While the industry that brings you the real products is beginning to feel its effects, it tries to counteract the new demand for man made quality copies by stressing the importance and value on their non-synthetic product.

Karen A. Newman is Editor in Chief of Global Cosmetic Industry magazine. Global Cosmetic Industry magazine is the business and marketing magazine read by cosmetic, fragrance and personal care product manufacturers and brand owners who look to the publication for the strategies behind the industry success stories. Karen also writes GCI's blog called Beauty Union.

Where do you see cosmetic packaging trends in color cosmetics going in 2007?
One interesting trend we see is in making it easier to apply makeup. Applicators are being refined to meet a very specific purpose for everything from foundation to eyeliner. The new lipstick packaging from Cargo is a hint of what’s to come in recyclable packaging.

What popular scents are being used in fragrances for 2007?
Among recent releases, a broad range of floral and citrus scents are represented, as are musk, sandalwood and patchouli.

Which brands do you seem to get the most press releases about?
We get a lot of press releases from professional beauty brands – and mostly hair care. We hear regularly from Pureology and Thermafuse as well as Graham Webb International, ISO and Joico, but we hear from a wonderfully broad selection of marketers in every category – and we never get tired of hearing about the new things companies are doing. There’s a lot of passion in the beauty industry.

What do you think was the best product launch of 2006?
There were a few that I especially liked. The Yves Saint Laurent Perfect Touch Radiant Brush Foundation offers a built in brush, which speaks to the packaging trend question. Freeze 24/7’s Ice Shield Facial Cleanser with SPF 15 is interesting because it is the first product to commercialize a new delivery system that helps ingredients such as sunscreens bond with the skin so they can be left behind after cleansing. John Frieda’s Luminous Color Glaze puts a salon treatment into at-home use at a mass price.

Any changes taking place for GCI in 2007, editorial content, advisory board, etc.?
We introduced a new editorial advisory board at the end of 2006. This is exciting for us as it is a great group of industry professionals who are going to help us create content that is smart and spot on for our readers. The group includes: Roger Caracappa, The Estee Lauder Companies; Beth Ann Catalano, twist.new.brand.venture; Peter Gallagher, Unilever; Liz Grubow, LPK; Tina Hedges, twist.new.brand.venture; Camille McDonald, Bath & Body Works; Debbie Murtha, Macy’s Merchandising Group; Art Rich, A. Rich Development; Marc Rosen, Marc Rosen Associates; and Laura Setzfand, The Hain Celectial Group Personal Care Division. We’re really excited to be working with this stellar group!

Do you see the faux botox craze stopping?
I don’t see it stopping as long as consumers can find products that give them the temporary smoothing they are looking for.

MTV and The Body Shop have collaborated to help in the fight against HIV and AIDS. The Spray to Change Attitudes will launch on January 29th with a new fragrance by The Body Shop called Rougeberry Eau de Toilette. The Body Shop will sell this limited edition fragrance until March 30th.

Both MTV and The Body Shop will host ad campaigns to try to reach their young demographic, the most vulnerable of all the ages for HIV and AIDS. Nearly half of the 5 million people infected with HIV last year were 15-24 year olds according to The Body Shop founder, Anita Roddick. Since MTV and The Body Shop have world-wide appeal, they are hoping that through reaching this demographic and educating them through the Spray to Change Attitudes campaign, that they can make a difference in the lives of young people and hope that they will in turn educate their friends.

Proceeds from the sale of Rougeberry Eau de Toilette will be given to the Staying Alive Foundation; in the US that should be about $8.70 per bottle. The Staying Alive Foundation, as described on their website, is a multimedia global HIV and AIDS prevention campaign that challenges stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS as well as empowers young people to protect themselves from infection.

What do you think? Will the campaign be effective in educating and changing the attitudes of their targeted demographic?

Last year we really began to see big name brands participate with creditable, professional blogs. These blogs generate valuable supportive word of mouth advertising for brands. Still in its infancy, many did it wrong, such as the Wal-Mart and Sony PS3 flogs. While many did it right through advertising their products on blogs and social networks through BlogAds and Text Link Ads, as well as, viral marketing with You Tube and Revver and speaking directly to blog owners to review their products.

Moving forward and seeing the success that dual exposure in print publications as well as digital media can bring, Ogilvy & Mather has forged a partnership with Technorati to aggregate blog content relevant to Ogilvy clients, then will work with Ogilvy's senior creative directors to integrate existing word-of-mouth into campaigns, according to MediaPost. I have to agree with this statement in their article: “The benefit of social media is that it allows brands to build a more authentic, participatory relationship with its audience than was possible in the mass media era," said Peter Hirshberg, chairman and chief marketing officer at Technorati. Where print media can still be successful, I think the future success of brands lies within the relationship it can form with its consumers through online media such as blogs and social networks. It is, after all, the connection your consumer feels with your brand, that gives you brand loyalty, continued referrals and strong sales.

Make sure to subscribe to PROBE for our February issue and read tips direct from Pierce Mattie himself on how to get your beauty brand the exposure it deserves.

Not everyone can subscribe to the information services that large PR firms can. We have clipping services, television monitoring services, directory services, the list goes on. Subscription rates for these services usually start at about two grand a year. We have about five we subscribe to that help us stay on top of our industry and our clients informed.

Some of the sources have a paid option and a non paid option / newsletter to keep you interested in the full subscription rate services. Here is where citizen journalists can glean some valuable free information like that of BIG Research. Recently they moved free content to YouTube- a smart move.

Organic Spa Magazine launched this January, published by Oceans Publishing Company, and is available year-round in a complete digital version found online at www.organicspamagazine.com . Co-founder and Editor in Chief, Mary Bemis, is the visionary behind the editorial mandate to integrate personal well-being with environmental sustainability. Her partner, Bev Maloney-Fischback, was responsible for bringing in 27 charter advertisers including Aveda, Jane Iredale, Laboratories Luzern, and Willow Stream the Spas at Fairmont.

Among the first magazines to debut in both print and digital formats, Organic Spa Magazine has a circulation of 40,800 and will be available by subscription for $12.95 for a year of the printed version; $9.95 for digital edition; and $16.95 for the combination.

The Queen of Green: Mary Bemis

You'll be also able to find Organic Spa at Whole Foods Markets.

I recently had the chance to ask Mary a few questions about OS and hear her thoughts on launching a magazine and the current focus on organics in general.

JR: What was your motivation to start Organic Spa?

MB: I really wanted to give something to the consumer. The consumer is so confused about the definition of SPA. The word has become a marketing gimmick pasted on everything from bubble baths to candles. The magazine is intended to communicate that SPA can be a lifestyle and show the consumer how to live that lifestyle at home. I was able to parlay my contacts and expertise into creating a magazine designed to teach the consumer how to incorporate spa into all aspects of their lives – home, rest, work, and play.

JR: What is your definition of Organic?

MB: To me, organic means “from nature”. The magazine is printed on recycled paper and with linseed oil ink. The digital version supports our philosophy of saving trees and paper. Organic is also the name of this growing “movement” that I am seeing, not just a trend identified by the media, but something that will be impactful and long-lasting.

JR: What’s the best / your favorite part of Organic Spa?

MB: Having created it – taking my vision to fruition, making it user friendly, developing meaningful content, and knowing it came from the heart.

JR: What do you see as the future for Organic Spa?

MB: I see the magazine becoming an important source of information for living the spa lifestyle, and I plan to aggressively grow the brand wherever it takes me.

JR: What do you see as important influences in 2007?

MB: Certainly there is attention to a growing organic / natural trend in beauty that needs to be fleshed out. Because there are no standard regulatory principles, it is exacerbating the level of confusion on the part of the consumer. I also see the developing trend as a backlash to the aggressive growth of the medi-spa category. Consumers are buying more natural and organic products across the board – whether it is food or the emerging clothing alternatives.

JR: What’s your greatest hope?

MB: That people take responsibility for their actions – and develop more awareness of the impact on our planet and our supply of water, food, and electricity.

JR: What is your greatest fear?

MB: Apathy and Laziness.

L'Oreal is looking to add ayurvedic beauty products to its current skin care line up through acquisition of an Indian ayurvedic brand. Although L'Oreal hasn't identified a brand that it wishes to acquire just yet, it has been aggressively pursuing the ayurvedic market in India to tap into consumer's growing desire to use exotic beauty products. It was also reported last November that L'Oreal expressed interest in acquiring Ayusoft, ayurvedic software that they approached the CDAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) for customization and further product development of.

As I mentioned yesterday another French company, L'Artisan Parfumeur, will be launching Jatamansi next month. Jatamansi is their first venture into the skin care market and is one that is based on the Himalayan plant used in Ayurveda, an alternative medicine practiced in India. Beauty and personal care products that are ayurvedic are organic and promote healing and health without the use of synthetics or chemicals.

There really are so many weight loss “pills” on the market today. You can find them, unregulated by the FDA, on shelves at places such as your local CVS and GNC. Then there are weight loss “drugs,” which are regulated by the FDA and can only be prescribed by your doctor. Now there is a weight loss drug made by Glaxo-Smith Kline called Alli (said Al-eye) that is FDA approved, but will be sold as an OTC drug.

How the Alli program works:

* You take a capsule with every meal.
* You register online to gain access to an individualized action plan.
* You check in weekly through the Alli site.
* Through the action plan you learn lessons about meal planning, managing hunger, dealing with setbacks, and making the food and lifestyle changes to help you succeed.
* Access to menu’s and how to shop for low-fat meals.
* Connect with other Alli users.

Alli is not only the first FDA approved weight loss drug OTC, it is the only FDA OTC that is both a weight loss drug and a weight loss treatment plan with support. Alli is Orlistat 60mg. Xenical is a good comparison, as it is also Orlistat, except it is sold in 120mg capsules and can only be prescribed by a doctor. Orlistat works by blocking fat absorption into the body. Alli blocks 25% fat absorption when you take the pill with each meal. Blocking fat results in “treatment effects,” otherwise known as frequent trips to the restroom. Alli’s capsule and program appears to be the perfect form of Classical Conditioning. If you eat meals high in fat when taking Alli, it results in frequent treatment affects, in order to avoid this you need to lower your fat intake to 15 grams or less per meal. Of course, no one wants to experience treatment effects, so they will lower their fat intake, which in combination with Alli provides a successful weight loss. This type of conditioning can be an excellent way to rethink the way you eat and create a new behavioral eating pattern. As you take Alli and recondition the way you eat, it becomes second nature by the time you have met your weight loss goal and no longer need to take Alli. In the end, this will result in long-term weight loss maintenance because you retaught yourself how to eat the correct way.

Congratulations to the many stylists, designers and publicists involved.

* Best Picture - The Departed
* Best Director - Martin Scorsese - The Departed
* Best Actor - Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland
* Best Actress - Helen Mirren - The Queen
* Best Supporting Actor - Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine
* Best Supporting Actress – Jennifer Hudson - Dream Girls
* Best Foreign Film - The Lives of Others

Bank of America has been known for a long while now as a leader in the banking industry. Until recently, they had a stellar reputation, however when the news hit that they would allowing the extention of a line of credit to those without social security numbers or a credit history (aka illegal immigrants and possibly potential terrorists), it left many with a bad taste in its mouth. Now Bank of America has shifted the focus off of this controversy to something more positive and an issue that has most of the world buzzing about right now: going green.

I’m not talking green as in the almighty dollar, although that is obviously what is fueling this initiative, but green as in participating in a way to contribute to diminishing the effects of global warming. This is a great endeavor for a bank as large as Bank of America to embark on. They will be investing $20 billion dollars into this initiative, making them the leader among financial institutions. This initiative will include support for trading in carbon units, which is a means to enable its clients to achieve carbon emission neutrality through existing and emerging market mechanisms. One way they plan to enable this is through an eco-friendly credit card. Each time this particular credit card is used, the bank will make a contribution to an environmental organization to invest in greenhouse-gas reduction projects. Those who plan to obtain a mortgage through Bank of America will also benefit if they purchase a home that meets Energy Star specifications, as it will result in an a reduced interest rate or $1000 cash back.

According to Technorati, 175,000 new blogs are created each day by estimate of the 71 million blogs that they track. Everyone blogs for different reasons, but lately the idea of Bloggers being paid to write a review of a product by its brand has come under the microscope and leaves many wondering the ethics involved in performing such reviews. With blogs becoming a new form of media and in the beginning stages of being looked at as a form of journalism, there is so much gray area involved anyone is bound to wonder what is right and what is wrong when it comes to blogging for dollars.

The controversy stems from the ethics involved in giving a true unbiased review when you are accepting money by the brand that, one would think, does not want to have a bad review written about. Many feel that the review is tainted when a monetary payment is involved and others feel it is just another form of compensation when it comes to writing reviews. As one Bull Dog Reporter reader commented,

“How is this any different than a music reviewer accepting concert tickets, a fashion writer accepting clothes, or a golf writer accepting free greens fees? Influencers get paid, and they always will.”

We are all familiar with all the various bidding sites that are out there that bring consumer and seller together such as the highly popular website Priceline.com and of course its now defunct name your price grocery website WebHouse (which I sadly miss). Of course there are other variations of sites that look to capture an audience by allowing various businesses to compete for your business such as with Lending Tree and RentalCars.com (owned by Priceline). As more and more consumers are always looking for the best deals, a new trend has been emerging that Doc Searls dubbed last year as the Intention Economy.

The Intention Economy grows around buyers, not sellers. It leverages the simple fact that buyers are the first source of money, and that they come ready-made. You don't need advertising to make them. The Intention Economy is about markets, not marketing. You don't need marketing to make Intention Markets.---Doc Searls”

With this idea in mind, it opens another market and another way for brands to think outside of the box when it comes to getting exposure for their product. This is a market that is virtually untapped and one that many are beginning to see as a golden opportunity to connect in another way with their target market. One such example is in a specific part of the travel industry: cruises. Cruise Compete is a website that is similar in notion to Lending Tree in that Travel Cruise Agents compete to offer you the best deal on a cruise package. Although sites like Lending Tree, Priceline and Cruise Compete work with a limited amount of businesses to offer you the best deal, these sites still remain popular in this niche of price competition and continue to have a small amount of rival sites.

New York — When ABC News brought Amanda Congdon aboard in December to do video blogs for its website and digital channel, the network was hoping to capitalize on the former Rocketboom anchor's popularity among a younger, Web-savvier set. But the alliance between the network news division and the irreverent Web personality has forced ABC to confront a murky issue: When bloggers engage in journalism, do they have to hew to the same rules? That tension was underscored this week with the news that Congdon is currently featured in a series of commercials for DuPont on the chemical company's website. In the short-form videos, dubbed "Science Stories," the 25-year-old dons a white lab coat and cheerfully touts the value of DuPont products such as Kevlar and Nomex.

ABC, like other news organizations, prohibits its freelancers and staffers from participating in commercials and other outside activities that could erode their journalistic independence. But Jeffrey Schneider, a spokesman for the news division, said Congdon is a contributing commentator, not a journalist. "This was a unique arrangement," Schneider said. "She's not reading the headlines, she's not reporting the news of the day. She's offering her own style of opinion." Still, Congdon's role has raised qualms inside the news division, where some are uncomfortable that the outspoken blogger and actress is affiliated with the ABC News brand. While executives knew that she had done commercials in the past, an ABC source said they were not aware of the DuPont ads, which were produced around the same time Congdon joined the network. The full story on the LATimes.

Putting aside the Bloggers out there that are soley Splogs or write just for fun, when you think of blogs such as Micropersuasion, Genetics & Health or CopyBlogger, do you see them as people simply writing posts or along the same lines as journalists and editors? As digital media continues to increase in popularity, more individuals are choosing to share their knowledge online through blogging and many more consider themselves journalists and editors. The lines are continuing to blur between the two, as we saw this past year with Blogger Josh Wolf who was jailed in federal prison for 7 months and recently released.

Wolf had filmed video of a protest and published it to his blog. He had been served with a grand jury subpoena regarding identifying the protesters and turning over the video of the protest, which he defied and was then put in federal prison for it. Wolf considers himself a journalist and feels he and all other Bloggers should be protected under a shield law to protect them in the same way traditional journalists are protected to not reveal their confidential sources and unpublished materials. The Assistant US Attorney prosecuting the case feels that a Blogger is in no way a journalist.

Dr. Hsein Hsein Lei, Blogger behind Genetics & Health, also recently encountered this same train of thought when she applied for embargoed press releases from EurekAlert. She was denied because she was a Blogger and not considered a journalist, even though she is a Doctor. She simply chooses to share her knowledge of genetics and health related issues through the blogging medium.

What establishes a Blogger as a true journalist or editor? The lines between the two continue to be gray, only making for more controversy as Blogging continues to become more engrained in our culture. Is there a set of criteria that need to be established that can deem a worthy Blogger the title of journalist? I think there are many more questions than answers when it comes to Blogger as journalist. I would love to hear your thoughts on what the boundaries should be and how we can establish true and binding criteria for the determination of a Blogger journalist.

Meet Jim Davis, one of the first people to recognize the potential for marketing on the Internet. As the founding executive creative director of Modem Media, he led his team to develop the first consumer Internet site and ad banner in history for Coor’s Zima brand in 1994. Now, as co founder and partner of the boutique agency Life Ventures, Jim still believes the future of advertising is in harnessing emerging media. At Life, Jim and his partners advise global marketers on how to use social networks, viral media, mobile, and virtual worlds to reach consumers and build brand equity in the new conversation economy.

Suzanne: So I understand you've had over twenty years of experience working in the advertising world, where did this passion come from?

Jim: My dad was in advertising and we used to develop zany campaigns for fun at the kitchen table before anyone else got up...and I used to watch Bewitched...I wanted to be Darin...he had a fun job and a hot wife.

Suzanne: What would you say has been your biggest accomplishment in the industry thus far?

Jim: I think the work we did for Zima, ok it’s really old, but it was groundbreaking and revolutionary...it was the first internet advertising period, it was the first blog, like ever, it was the first time people could download stuff from a brand to decorate their desktops. It was the first time a brand had a direct relationship with its consumers.

I think the work we are doing now for one client in particular – a brand launch in consumer electronics, a non-niche product launch using strictly social media, viral, events and Second Life – no TV, no print, is also breaking some new ground.

Suzanne: So since those early days of Zima.com, how has online advertising changed?

Jim: Well, when we launched those first pioneer efforts for AT&T and Coors it was the "dancing bear" stage of the Internet and click through was a big deal. Now click through on banner ads is very low and we are advising some marketers not to expand from their sites and inject themselves into the social fabric of the web, which is growing at an amazing rate.

Suzanne: Why is that social side of the Internet so important?

Jim: Because more than ever before people are creating their own content - 75% of online adults and about 90% of online youth use one or ore forms of user-generated content on a regular basis...so the next ten years is going to be about consumers creating their own content and sharing it -- like the new site that asks consumers to shoot their own TV spots and send them in, winners get aired. Crazy.

Suzanne: What would you tell companies that want to get into social media advertising but don't know where to start?

Jim: I would say....Look at the two areas of activity in your company -- PR and Traditional advertising and commit to do a test to invest and try out something new. Start small, get expert outside help and measure the heck out of your early efforts. On the PR side, try replacing just one release a month with a social media release containing a meta layer, embedded media, URL track backs and a button array for Digg, Sphere, Reddit etc. And start a blog or get someone else, if you’re a too-busy CEO, to start one for you. Just those three things will get you thinking differently. But be prepared to fail your way to success the first little while. And remember social media belongs to the people so don’t just take your 30 second TVC and flog onto Vimeo or Revver. Give people the tools and a reason to love you and they will create better stuff than you ever imagined.

Suzanne: So, what do you foresee in the future of the Internet?

Jim: Well I think there are three trends that are intersecting....One, high speed. Broadband is everywhere and Wifi is mostly free in urban centers and new machines like Nokia's Internet tablets make usage possible anywhere without PC and richer than WAP or smart phone browsing. Two, high definition. People are used to big-pixel experiences now. TV, console games, even mobile games all look really great and now people are creating their own high def content with cameras that cost under 5 grand, which was unheard of a few years ago. People are building vast RPG experiences like WOW and Second Life. And lastly, high expression. People are seeking more and more immersive social networking....so Facebook, then Second Life, then who knows what...and that's what we are watching and trying to navigate for our clients.

Suzanne: Well, Jim, you’ve given us a lot to think about. You'd probably give Darin a run for his money.

Jim: Thanks. Now if only my wife could wiggle her nose and…

Suzanne: And what?

Jim: Keep the Yankees winning.

Suzanne: So you're a Yankees fan then?

Jim: Yeah, it’s my worst vice. We shut the office during playoffs last year and worked off of blackberries at the stadium, but you won’t print that right?

Suzanne: I can’t make any promises.

Please be sure to visit the NEW Pierce Mattie Public Relations blog on its new URL, just add the word "public relations" after Pierce Mattie and omit the word blogs: www.piercemattiepublicrelations.com

Other Pierce Mattie PR Division Blog Locations:
Beauty Pro A professional beauty and cosmetics industry blog.
The Fashion Rag Fashion, design and style blog co-written by Jason Jobson and Shannon Nelson.
The Jewelry PR Division Jewelry, precious metal and accessory industry blog.
The Fitness PR Division Our sports fitness, health and club industry blog.
The Industry Dirt Blog Media Industry Blog.

See you there!