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The CSC TEAM

The Quirky Characters of Car Insurance

The condescendingly adorable Geico Gecko, the Geico Cavemen and Flo, the highly rouged Progressive gal have competition for the title of quirkiest Insurance pitchman.

The arrival of All State's "Mayhem" brings another colorful character to the car insurance wars.

I thought Flo was GREAT...but Dean Winter's dead pan cynicism as he portrays everything from a teenaged girl to a tree branch is simple perfection. I love actor Dennis Haysbert as the spokesman, but alone his commercials missed the mark. The combination with Winters as Jerry and Haysbert's voice as the straight man Dean makes an entertaining combination...The question of course is will it give All State a win in the car insurance wars?

The King James Marketing Calculation

First I must confess that I probably watch 1.5 basketball games every two years. Usually it's because I'm in a sports bar and that's all the TV offers. Or I'm cheering on a friend's kid at a community game. So I offer these comments not as a basketball expert, rather as a student and practitioner of public relations and branding.

The phenomena surrounding the Lebron James decision is marketing genius or a marketing miscalculation that will leave King James dethroned and one of the most over hyped athletic figures in recent history.

Marketing Genius: Building hype in the world of professional athletics isn't new. From trash talk to bold and bravado claims, it makes us want to tune in. The fact that I am even aware that a big decision was to be made is testament to the genius and reach of the King James decision campaign. More buzz, more viewers, more ticket sales, mo money, mo money, mo money - for James, the Heat and the Cavaliers. People are going to be tuned in. Glued in to watch and see if King James is able to keep his crown. Even I plan on watching the first time he suits up against his old hometown team.

Marketing Miscalculation: There is going to be money made whether King James gets the coveted ring or not. So the marketing miscalculation only comes in the form of James' reputation. If he doesn't deliver, he will forever rest on the throne of those once crowned King of their field who fell miserably short.

I still remember the amazing Reebok campaign in 1992 Dan vs. Dave. The two super athletes were hyped for weeks before the Barcelona Olympics. But Dan O'Brien shocked us all when he bombed out in the Olympic trials. He is a world champion but his reputation still hasn't recovered from the hype that he didn't live up to.

SPEAK IT CLEARLY

Almost 10 years ago, I was living in Wilmington, NC and working on my very first film. It was called Freedom Song and starred Danny Glover, Loretta Devine, Vonde Curtis Hall and a bunch of other really cool actors. The best part of working on that film was meeting Denise Woods and her son Terry Leigh. Denise and Terry have become like family to me. When I got the itch to "go west young woman," Denise gave me free shelter in her home in Southern California.

Denise's role on that film and many others was dialect coach. She has a God given talent for voice and speech. Don't take my word for it. I've already in full disclosure admitted that Denise is a very good friend. Proof of her skills is in her list of high profile clients (among them - Mike Myers, Soledad O'Brien, Will Smith, Maggie Gyllenhaal).. You can read more about her clients in the bio below.

All these years later, Dee Dee and I are just beyond excited to partner with Denise as she tours the country offering THE ULTIMATE PUBLIC SPEAKING SEMINAR. On June 5, 2010, she'll be in Washington, DC and on August 5, 2010, she'll be at her alma mater The Juilliard School where she later taught.

OK...So here's the thing. Most people don't realize what a wonderful tool their voice is in creating a positive personal and professional image. I have seen Denise completely transform a person's confidence, by teaching them to use their voice. If you are interested in having her do the same for you, visit http://www.denisewoodsstudios.com and learn more about THE ULTIMATE PUBLIC SPEAKING SEMINAR.

best,

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Denise Woods, a faculty member at the Juilliard School for nearly a decade, currently teaches voice and speech at California Institute of the Arts. Denise has worked as a vocal coach with NBC Nightly News, CNBC, Bloomberg News, Today Show, CNN, Inside Edition, KTLA News, KNBC Today in LA and the TV Guide Channel. Some of her clients include Soledad O’Brien, Chris Hansen, Maria Bartiromo, Norah O’Donnell, Kim Rouggie, Rachel Boesing and Zorrianna Kit. As a dialect coach for actors in the film industry, her work includes Academy-Award nominated actors Ken Watanabe in The Last Samurai directed by Ed Zwick and Will Smith in Ali directed by Michael Mann. Other films include Shaft starring Jeffrey Wright, Only in America: the Don King Story starring Ving Rhames, Last Holiday starring Queen Latifah, How Stella Got Her Groove Back starring Taye Diggs and Once in the Life written, starring and directed by Laurence Fishburne. She is currently the dialect coach for Tony Sinclair, the Tanqueray Gin spokesperson. Denise has had the honor of working with numerous actors in various venues, however, some of the most rewarding experiences have been those with Phylicia Rashad, Ellen Burstyn, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morris Chestnut, Gloria Reuben, Paul Rodriguez, Victoria Rowell, Eve, Ray Liotta, Porscia DeRossi, Rachel Weisz, Mekhi Phifer, Jeanne Trupplehorn and Mike Myers. In addition to her work with some of theater and film’s most respected actors, Denise is using her expertise to help professional athletes improve their communication and media skills. She has worked with some of sports most popular athletes including players from the New York Knicks and the New York Giants as well as several retired athletes looking to further their careers in broadcasting and business. As a graduate of The Juilliard School, in 1992, she became the first African-American female to join the Drama Division faculty. To date, Denise’s most rewarding achievement has been the creation of “Express Yourself,” a program she founded in 1996 teaching voice, speech and acting to teenagers from the Harlem community.

Outsourcing to Public Relations Firms

A growing trend within American companies and organizations is to outsource a variety of services from accounting to public relations. According to a study done by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communications and the Council of Public Relations Firms, Fortune 500 companies now spend 25 percent of their public relations budgets on outside firms. PRWeek did a similar study and found that companies of all sizes spend an average of 40 percent of their public relations budget on the services of outside firms.

Companies turn to outsourcing for different reasons. The most common reasons are to bring resources and expertise into the company that cannot be found internally and to supplement internal staffs during peak periods of activity. Not only do companies hire outside public relations firms, but they hire more than one so that they can pick and choose the best agency for a particular situation.

If this trend continues, there may not be a need for internal public relations staff. Why would companies spend insufficient budget money on a staff when they can just hire pr when they need it? If internal pr becomes obsolete, more public relations entrepreneurs will have a chance to create and grow a business. What’s wrong with a little competition? We claim to be a capitalist country anyway.

Candace N. Johnson

Communications Assistant

CS Corporate

Social Media: Are We Ego-Tripping or Connecting?

It’s no secret that we are living in the age of social media. Some critics may argue that social media is merely a developing trend that will soon grow exhausted, loose popularity, and die down. To these critics, I argue that the naysayers questioned the enduring importance of the personal computer when it was introduced, and skeptics believed the Internet was only a fad that would be short lived. They were clearly mistaken. They underestimated the intricacy and addictiveness of such innovations.

Computers and the Internet have lasted because, in general, people are lazy and are addicted to speed, ease, and access; and, social media has become as popular as it is because at the root of human nature is arrogance. This arrogance that makes us believe our opinions and lives matter to the world. The computer and Internet provide the preferred ease of access, and social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube give us the arena to display our “oh-so-important” opinions on everything. (Yes, as I am doing now.)

Let’s take a step back and really analyze why we enjoy social media. “Tweeting” and having people “follow” us makes us feel important. We feel like little celebrities when our tweets are acknowledged or “Retweeted” by a public. Americans have been conditioned to believe that what we have to say is important (thanks to the First Amendment), so why wouldn’t our peers want to know how we feel about issues such as unemployment, the latest fashion trend gone wrong, an upcoming party, or a friend’s stupid comment or action? And let’s admit, we feel accomplished when we have thousands of “followers” on Twitter and hundreds of friends on Facebook.

If we really used these outlets to reach out and build tangible relationships, I would be inclined to think that we were not ego-tripping. But we mostly use them for clever barbs about how fabulous our world is in 140 characters or less. Honestly, when was the last time you had face-to-face coffee with at least one of your friends on Facebook?

My business is public relations. So I will forever have a love hate relationship with this ego-centric yet, admittedly, often effective way of reaching the masses.

The challenge is to use social media as a PR tool to build real relationships and side step all of the ego-tripping.

Candace N. Johnson

Communications Assistant

CS Corporate

Trust, but Verify

Small Business owners can take a lesson from "The Gipper".  When doing business with new clients our best advice in getting paid on time (or at all) is to trust the promises made by the client in the contract.  But verify that the new client has the ability to pay by verifying EVERYTHING that he says with reference checks.

Of course the better business bureau is a wonderful source, but an even better source would be people who have actually done business with new client.  

And most important of all - don't be afraid to get partial payments up front.  This guarantees that if you get stiffed, at least it won't be for the full contract.

In the two years, that we've been in business, we've only run into one client who dinned on our services and dashed without fulfilling the obligation of his contract.  We signed the contract based on the fancy talk of a big talker who pretended to be a well heeled financier. 

What a lesson!  After the contract went unpaid for almost six months, we did some investigating.  Friends who knew him personally and professionally said that he made a practice of skipping out on bills.  If we had done the due diligence before hand, we wouldn't have been left holding the bag.

TRUSTing is good VERIFYing is GREAT!

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Cyber Monday

Today is Cyber Monday and while 99.999% of our customers/clients would never pay for our services by landing on our website and typing in their credit card info, I do feel kinda left out of the fun by not having the PayPal link on the CS Corporate website.

HOWEVER, if you would like to purchase personal assistant and concierge services from our sister company Chaos Solutions visit HTTP://WWW.YOURCHAOSSOLUTIONS.COM and shop away...

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The Big Screen - Is "Where the Wild Things Are"

"Let the Wild Rumpus Start!!!"

Movie goers found Maurice Sendak's classic character Max and his Wild Things on the Big Screen this Weekend!

I'm eager to see the movie because I love the book which happens to be only 338 words.  But as commentaries have said all weekend, in those few words Sendak created two vivid worlds - Max's real life where a raucous, rambunctious kid gets sent to his room without dinner and Max's other real life where he is King of the Wild Things and wild rumpuses are perfectly acceptable.

Early returns say that director Spike Jonze nails it...If you've seen the film and know the book what do you think?

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Remember the Pink Pig at Rich's In Atlanta?

Do any of you remember the Pink Pig at Rich's in Atlanta?  People (like my mom) still get nostalgic when you talk about the pink pig.  I'm not sure if it's still there.  I don't think the pig was the official logo or brand of Rich's, but it certainly became synonymous with chain.  

In my hometown Columbus, Georgia, "Kady the Cow," can stir up as much emotion as the Rich's Pink Pig.  As a child growing up Kady stood like a mystical guardian in front of the Kinnett Dairy building.  When Kinnett moved away, she remained a fixture in front of the newly built Best Buy store.  I don't know what the Best Buy owners thought of the gigantic Dairy Godmother standing quite literally in their front yard.  But their only choice was to keep her there.

Removing Kady from her spot overlooking the city would have caused outrage and protest and certainly would have lost the retail chain favor among Columbus residents. 

Shortly after the Best Buy store opened a calf mysteriously appeared next to Kady.  The calf was given the name Bebe (short for Best Buy). 

Now that's managing the brand and perfecting relations with your public at its best!

The Significance of a Symbol

i love studying logos...WOLDA.org has a great crop of logos from the 2008 competition.  cs corporate's logo is a simple dragonfly encompassed in a circle.  our branding and logo is so important that we NEVER leave home without wearing a dragonfly necklace or broach.  (notice even at my nephew's pee wee football game, i'm wearing my dragonfly.)

we chose it because like the dragonfly, we are "butterflies with attitude..."  to learn more about the significance of our symbol check out our website and read the logo story.  

below are some of the wolda logos that i love for their complex SIMPLICITY.

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"les films de la-bas" - a swiss film company - there current project focuses on african immigrants in france...

"the dream catchers"  - a company that shoots wedding videos

"Neo Tokyo" -  an exhibition of contemporary Japanese electronic art. The logo represents a fusion between technology, nature and the artists.

God Bless Him for His Love of Country -The Passing of an American Brand

Today we mourn the passing of Ted Kennedy an unabashed liberal. Regardless of how you felt about his politics (which I admittedly often disagreed), you could never deny his great love of country and family. His goal and desire was always a better America.

In the video below, he eulogizes his slain brother Robert.

God Bless Ted Kennedy and May Flights of Angels Sing Him to His Rest.

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branding "lightly coagulated eggs..."

Happy Birthday Julia...And what exactly is a lightly coagulated egg?

A Study in Crisis Communications

Alexandria, Virginia's Police Chief David P. Baker was arrested by Arlington, Virginia police officers for Driving Under the Influence on Saturday.  Today Baker announced that he would resign.  At a press conference, Alexandria city officials, expressed their sorrow over this extremely uncharacteristic behavior.  Baker's blood alcohol was more than twice the legal limit.

Baker has apparently served for almost twenty years with distinction and respect.  Unfortunately, it takes just one mistake to derail a career.  In Baker's case this is an admittedly HUGE mistake that could've cost lives.  

When asked if this was the end to Baker's career, Alexandria City Manager Jim Hartmann responded, "I'm not prepared to say that right now. We're looking at all the facts of the case. This is a very serious situation.”

While this may be the end of Baker's time as Alexandria's Top Cop, I believe that because of the way he handled this crisis, it's certainly not the end END for him.  

He admitted that he was wrong and violated the public trust.  He did the only honorable thing. by stepping down.  In my view, the worst way to communicate in the midst of a crisis is to lie and pretend that 1) the bad deed did not happen or 2) you had nothing to do with the bad deed.

Despite Hartman's uncertainty, Baker will survive this tragedy and will very likely rebuild his career.  

Paying Tribute to Two of America's Most Profound Brands

We offer this tribute to Farrah Fawcett...

What an absolute beauty she was.  

How many of you have taken a photo in the Charlie's Angel pose?

And of course...the King of Pop will not be forgotten.  

We remember the good years.  

When the Thriller video came on television, we watched it with our Mom and Dad like we were watching Neil Armstrong land on the moon....It was really just Michael moon walking on earth...which was of course out of this world!

The thriller album quite literally became the sound track of our childhood.

Happy Father's Day Old Man

Please pardon the personal nature of this blog.  It has absolutely nothing to do with PR or Branding.  Just a note to say Happy Father's Day to our Daddy, Jerry Bass.  He passed on February 14, 2009.  So this is our first Father's Day without him.

Our Daddy was without a doubt the coolest, hippest cat in town.  At 60 when he passed, he thought he was 19.  

Our Daddy was a God-fearing Hell Raiser!  He loved GOOD MOVIES like Papillon, The Outlaw Josie Wales, Alfie (the original) and Cool Hand Luke.  He loved a cold bear on a hot Georgia Day.  He loved schooling his young nieces and nephews in backyard games of golf.  He loved cooking Heaven knows what greasy fried dish for his identical twin brother "Uncle James." He loved his grandchildren Dorian and Daylynn.  He loved our Mama his ex-wife and faithful friend.  And we have it on good authority that he adored his two girls.  

This is a picture of Daddy and Mama on Easter Sunday circa 1978 in Talbotton, Georgia.  This is Deana's favorite picture in the whole wide world.

We love you Old Man.

TV DAD’s – Branding Gone Negative

Over the last 50 years, the Dad Brand has taken a licking.  We’ve quite literally gone from Father Knows Best to Raising Dad. If you think I’m being a bit over the top, just analyze the family structure of your top five favorite situation comedies or dramas.  I’m sure that four out of five have a less than positive image of Dad.  Dad is a clueless, inept, and bumbling idiot at best and cheating, beating, boozer at worst. 

Gone are the days when TV Dad’s provided for the needs of their family, coached the little league team and dispensed sound advice.  I know that Dads in real life were never the perfect models of our TV Dad’s, but it at least it gave them something for which to strive.  

As we celebrate Father's Day Weekend, I'd like to salute the brands of some perfect and perfectly imperfect dads.

Branded by the Community

PR Tips to Keep Your Small Business Recession Free

How does a place like Ben's Chili Bowl become a hunger haven for tourists and townies.  Winning the admiration of Bill Cosby certainly helps.  And occasional drop ins by entertainers, sports figures and "The One" President Barack Obama can only add to your business' celebrity.  But even before this local hot spot became a star Mecca, it won the hearts of regular plain folks in its neighborhood.

CS Corporate believes that in the current economic climate, local Mom and Pop establishments must re-turn to doing the thing that they do best.

• Brand yourself in the community. Sponsor or coach a youth sports team. Find a local church or YMCA to volunteer at in exchange for ad or billboard space.
• Have promotional days. Make one small item free, especially with food. People gravitate toward free things and then end up spending money on a meal anyway.
• Set up a presence on the Web! We can’t stress this enough. Have printable coupons on your Web site. Give the consumer a reason to visit the site. Make ordering over the Web easier (and cheaper!).

These few tips will drive traffic to your in-store and online avenues.  Each of these bullets are critical and will be covered in detail in upcoming blogs.

In the meantime, tell us how you are keeping the doors open with positive inexpensive PR.

Brett Hertel

CS Corporate

Communications Manag

The way to a customer's heart is through her stomach

This week, I joined the tens of thousands of Americans downloading a KFC coupon offering a free meal courtesy of Media Maven Oprah Winfrey. The line in my Northern Virginia KFC was long, but nothing like the long riot producing lines reported in major cities like NYC.

Oprah is the queen of the media give-away. From her Big Car Give-away to her lasted KFC lunch, Oprah knows that we love free stuff. And boy do we love free lunch - free dinner and breakfast for that matter.

The PR Sidebar is to take a tip from the Queen of the Media. If you are peddling a product or service, we recommend you wrap it in a free meal. Here are some suggestions of events around free food that we have used in the last year, to win loyal customers for our clients.

1. Host a tea and product display. Put a unique twist on the traditional tea by serving something other than the standard tea fare. Serve cupcakes!
2. Bake a tray of toll house cookies and deliver them with business cards and a handwritten note to potential clients.
3. For those of you whose business is still a side hustle and not yet your main source of income, host a snack break. Invite co-workers to the conference room to share your product or service over chips and coke.

Of course presentation is everything...So be mindful of invitations, display and follow-up.

Remember, one of the best ways to a customer's heart is through her stomach

Monk....16 Episodes Remaining

OK...We know it's been awhile since, we blogged and this blog doesn't have to do with PR per se.  It actually has everything to do with how we completely escape when we have overloaded in a week and want to do nothing more than veg out with an interesting character...WE WATCH MONK.

Both Dee Dee and I have tried to analyze why we attempt to carve out a space for Monk in our Friday (Or the reprise on Saturday if Friday was impossible).  We have come to the conclusion that Monk takes us back to shows from our childhood - like Murder She Wrote, Simon and Simon,  Scarecrow and Mrs. Kane.  Granted the show usually starts with a weird and gruesome murder, but after the introductory murder, it's all a clever and rather wholesome who done it.  It's such a refreshing break from the onslaught of decapitated babies found floating in the river that seem to be such common fare for the Law and Order and CSI franchises which we admittedly watch. 

In June, Monk prepares to launch its last season.  If you've missed the last 7 or 8 seasons, we recommend you spend the next month renting the DVDs to catch up.  Our bet (HOPE) is that during this season, Monk the OCD Super Detective will finally get his man.  You see, he has been able to solve every crime except the most important one - the murder of his wife Trudy.

We are wringing our wrists that this is the last season!!!

Next Blog will be back to PR Sidebars...thanks for putting up with the mini tribute to what amounts to our weekly break from the world of PR.

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