INK PUBLIC RELATIONS

Well, close, but not exactly – this is a play-by-play of a day in the life of this President (of INK PR) and about 15 minutes in the life of THE President (of the United States). Still, it’s amazing how much the latter can impact the former (in the form of work, tension, excitement). For prosperity’s sake:

Wednesday, January 26, Broadwind Towers facility, Manitowoc, WI

6:00 a.m. I’m in Wisconsin. At the Manitowoc Best Western. And I’m getting up at the crack of dawn not because my babies have woken me, but because today is the day my client has the honor of hosting the President of the United States. And while that is an amazing thing in and of itself, there is also the SLIGHTEST chance that I might get a glimpse, a nod or a (gasp) handshake. So what’s a girl to do? Get up as early as possible of course to try out a new eyeshadow strategy, get dressed up more than I ever do at home (still, my mother is mortified I’m not wearing a dress), and check last minute email.

Manitowoc, WI, from the plane. We don't get snow like this where I'm from.

7:15 a.m. Must be downstairs to defrost the ice off the black Expedition (Kari and I traveled Secret Service style) in 15 minutes. I’m thinking pony tail is the only way to go…my mother sits on my shoulder and screams “No way Jose!” in my ear. Flat iron it is.

7:45 a.m. In the car, ready to go. Pleased with my ability to deal with 17 degree weather and remain on time. Where’s Kari? Oh that’s her, coming around the corner from the back of the building now. Apparently, she got stuck inside a maze of hallways and elevators and had to exit the service entrance (mind you, this is a three-story Best Western in Manitowoc, WI). [NOTE: I'll be reminded later that I just sat there in the (running) car and watched her walk all the way across the parking lot. Apparently, I could have moved the car to pick her up - blame it on the day.]

8:00 a.m. Starbucks, sweet sweet Starbucks. Our black SUV is getting some looks – feels like the whole town is on edge. Light snow is coming down – pretty, but if we get stuck here tonight there will be hell to pay.

We traveled Secret Service style (special deal - same price as full-size).

8:15 a.m. Picking up printing at the local Office Depot. That was the SMOOTHEST print job I have ever been involved with. Again, the SUV at work for us or just a town with good customer service? You tell me.

8:30 a.m. It’s time – must get to the facility before “lock down.” Nervously walking on ice and snow – not my cup of tea, but I manage not to fall.

10:45 a.m. Can’t believe it’s already been two hours of running around, calling the media to get set up for post-visit, emailing, getting the press release finished, etc. You can feel the tension in the air and every minute it seems to get a little thicker.

11:15 a.m. Plans have changed, he’ll be here soon to beat weather headed to DC. It’s like there’s a buzz in the air. They want us to eat now (lunch was brought in), but who has the stomach for that? Media all lined up for later so we’re feeling good about our work, able to enjoy the moment. Picture time!

11:30 a.m. Pat down (again). Secret Service (men and 1 woman – I think she’s wearing the same “pant suit” as me ) everywhere. I must say, I think NFL quarterbacks and Secret Service men have that symmetrical face thing in common.

Secret Service (yes, I took a picture) keeping the crowd in line.

12:00 p.m. This side or that side? We’re three deep behind Broadwind Towers employees (rightly so!), but Kari is scouting for a better position. We’re going to the other end, fingers crossed!

Prepping for POTUS.

12:10 p.m. POTUS IS IN THE BUILDING!!!

12:15 p.m. SO QUIET. Weird. He’s coming, he’s coming. Okay, now there is clapping and cheering. Guy in front of me hands me his phone to get a picture of him and the President. Unfortunately for him, when the President comes by I lose all ability to multi-task and can only reach out my hand. Lucky for me, a handshake and a smile! Crazy. Oh, here’s your phone – sorry!

President Obama reaching for my hand (photo taken by woman behind me).

12:20 p.m. That was FAST. And weirdly emotional. I’m giddy and laughing over a handshake. Granted, it was a handshake with the leader of the free world, but still. And now it’s over and we’re headed to the phones to talk to the media – a few have arrived already.

3:00 p.m. Interviews done, execs feeling good, everyone is ready to put their feet up (an AMAZING amount of work was completed in just five days – including a brochure piece we wrote last night in 30 minutes, with design assist from the marketing director). We are OUTTA HERE! (Good thing since we have an all-day media training tomorrow – no rest for the weary. )

GOODNIGHT WISCONSIN! You were lovely, hope to see you again soon. Oh and you Mr. President – would be happy to see you again soon as well.

Las Vegas is surreal.  From the lights and sounds of the Strip to the sheer grandness of the casinos, Las Vegas can be overwhelming and fun, exhausting and invigorating – all at the same time.

CES takes the surrealism of Las Vegas and multiplies it by five.

The show is huge and those who work it are not exaggerating when they talk about how much you walk!  I was worried I would have only bloody stumps left for feet by the end of the week. (Okay, maybe a little exaggerating.)

The week itself was one of the most hectic and stressful weeks in recent memory, but also one of the most memorable.  As geeky as this sounds, I got to meet some of my favorite tech bloggers. These are guys that I follow on twitter and read religiously.  Meeting them was surreal.  I know so much about them – hobbies, tech preferences, even favorite foods and yet, to them, I am practically a stranger.

The show itself was larger than I could have imagined. The Central Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where all the big guys are, was a spectacle – two story booths, blaring music, booth babes handing out swag, all vying for the attention of the 140,000 attendees.  I even got fleeting glimpses of “the other show” that coincides with CES in the form of very high heels and very short skirts – or maybe that is normal for Vegas.

I may be biased, but I am proud of the work INK did for our clients at CES.  Using creativity and good ol’ fashioned PR, we secured some high quality coverage for our clients.  Not a small feat when competing against the big budgets and publicity stunts of some of the world’s largest companies.

With six days of rest and a normal eating schedule between me and CES 2011, I can honestly say I am looking forward to next year’s event.  I know what to expect now and I’ll be ready to take on CES 2012 with caffeinated drinks and a comfortable pair of shoes to lend support.

Here at CES, in order to showcase the use of Bluetooth in fitness devices (currently just using classic Bluetooth, but in short order – this year! – will be using Bluetooth v4.0 with low energy) we set up a fitness challenge to crown the most active blogger/reporter (or client, or PR person, as the case may be) at the show. Using the BodyMedia armband that tracks steps and sends the count to your mobile phone via Bluetooth, we’re finding out just how many steps it takes to get to around this town during this annual orgy of consumer electronics devices, whims and wishes.

Here are the participants – check them out on Twitter to find out how they’re doing. So far, Kevin Tofel with GigaOm seems to be kicking butt…

Eric Zeman, Phone Scoop, @phonescooper

John Biggs, CrunchGear, @johnbiggs

Mari Silbey, Zatz Not Funny, @msilbey

Matt Hamblen, Computerworld, @matthamblen

Lucy Hedges, Stuff.tv, @lucyhedges

Ross Rubin, NPD Group, @rossrubin

Enid Burns, KinectShift.com, @enidburns

Michael Reyes, Hardware Geeks, @HWGeeks

Radiris Diaz, Cute Geek, @cutegeek

Lance Ulanoff, PC Magazine, @lanceulanoff

Brian Westbrook, Newsradio 750 KXL, @BMW

Rob Pegoraro, Washington Post, @robpegoraro

Kevin Tofel, GigaOm, @kevinctofel

Mike Foley, Bluetooth SIG, @wirelessmike

Blair Poloskey, INK PR, @poloskey

Jennifer Lopez, INK PR, @jen_lopez

Helen Rodriguez, INK PR, @helenrod

It’s Vegas so place your bets!

One of our favorite bloggers, Dave Zatz, wrote a blog post today re tips for CES 2011 – he said it was in rebuttal to Jeremy Toeman’s similar list, though as Toeman pointed out, he agreed with 9 out of 12 points. Without going line by line, I will say that between the two of them they got the big stuff – try to avoid the “CES flu” (I have not – my life is such that I get sick the day before I come here and spend the entire time fighting it), wear comfortable shoes because you should depend on your feet for the most reliable – and quick – transportation around (see pic here of girls who are going to want to amputate at the end of the day – no, this is no one at INK), and think of other ways to communicate because your cell phone is likely not going to work.

They left out – ENJOY IT. It’s crazy, it’s tiring, it’s just overall ridiculous, but it’s also amazing, for exactly all of those reasons. I didn’t make the trip last year (due date being the same as the first day of the show will do that to you) and I sorely missed it. Apparently Zatz felt the itch to get out here as well since his original plan was not to come, but now he’s hopping on a plane for a quick day trip to the crazy land.

Client Mike Foley being interviewed at Bluetooth CES booth.

If you are lucky enough to work in tech, come on in – the water’s fine.

Last week, Joe Baker, the CEO of ACCIONA Windpower, was invited to speak at the Windpower Manufacturing & Supply Chain Summit as the keynote speaker. This summit was a chance for leaders to convene and discuss in a 2-day conference the wind industry forecast for the next few years. As 2010 closes, everyone involved in the wind industry knows that it was not a year for bragging.

At the close of 2009, there was a record-breaking 10MW of wind energy installed in the United States. While that only accumulates for less than three percent of the nation’s total energy capacity, it was a huge step for wind, unprecedented to say the least. New projects were coming on the grid, investors were not holding back and large energy utilities were taking advantage of numerous tax credits and incentives. So why was 2010 so different?

To be brief, the lack of national energy policy and an extension of Recovery Act incentives were the deadweight for 2010. However, in the words of Joe Baker, “this fight is not over.”  Our CEO was calm, cool and collected when he insisted that wind energy is on the upward slant of a bathtub curve. Yes, we had a slow year, but we are slowly moving back up. The only way to do this, he stated, is to adapt to the current market.  As a producer of both 1.5MW and 3MW turbines, ACCIONA Windpower is focusing its efforts on customizing its product directly for its customers. Listen to what they want, and adapt. It’s that simple.

What the wind market holds in store for 2011 is still unknown, but it’s refreshing to hear a positive approach for next year towards an industry that has taken quite the beating recently. We may not be able to create a booming wind market, but we can surely adapt.

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Long-time INK client Mike Foley of Bluetooth fame was a guest on Larry King Live last night.

I’m not sure who was more nervous of the two of us, but if it was him, he sure didn’t show it. In the last Fresh INK post, Kari mentioned Wilson Rothman as an excellent interviewee, doing all of the things we recommend to our clients re sound bites, staying on message, etc. Well this time, the shining example is our client – and we are so impressed and proud (though we certainly don’t claim his success, minus all of the practice he’s had over the years through the interviews we’ve set up for him ).

What did he do right? He smiled (engaging), he spoke in real language (sometimes hard for a tech guy – again, engaging), he spoke to what he knows and deferred topics on which he’s not an expert to someone else (staying on message), he shared information that was of interest to the audience, of interest to the reporter, and in his best interest (staying on message), and lastly he had a pretty memorable sound bite (Bluetooth headsets transmit 1/1000th of the power of a cell phone – go figure!). He was also extremely quick on his feet on this live show, which is hard for even the most seasoned spokespeople to do and he did it well.

Kudos to you Mike! You know me, I don’t mind giving the critiques when needed, but this time – not a critique to be had in the house. Check it out:

MICHAEL FOLEY, BLUETOOTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP: Sure, these are two examples of wireless headsets that you wear in your ear to take phone calls. So then your phone can remain in your pocket, in your purse, in your briefcase, and then you don’t have to hold it to your head. Many new cars now have Bluetooth built in as well, where it uses your speakers for basically a hands-free kit in the car. Of course, everyone is not going to go out and buy a new car, so you can get aftermarket Bluetooth speaker phones as well to use in the car. These you can clip these on the dash right above your head. You can make the call and not, again, have to hold the mobile phone to your head while you’re driving. Of course, while you’re driving, that’s the law in many states and many countries around the world as well.

KING: What are your thoughts on the study released tomorrow?

FOLEY: I found it very interesting listening to the experts, and thought it was very confusing. I don’t think they really know right now. And the other thing I didn’t hear any of them talk about all of these were phones from 15 years ago, 10 years ago because they’re 10- year studies. Think of what your phone was like 10 years ago, Larry.

KING: I think I still have the same one.

FOLEY: You’re the exception. Most people in America in a ten-year period would go through four to ten cell phones. And they transmitted with a lot more power back then than they do now. Like everything, the technology changes over time. And how you fit that into the study is very interesting.

KING: What’s the difference in the power transmission between a cell phone and Bluetooth?

FOLEY: A bluetooth headset or speaker phone uses approximately one one thousandth of the power.

KING: One one thousandth?

FOLEY: Exactly. It does depends on your mobile phone and Bluetooth headset. But, give or take, that’s roughly the amount.

KING: I believe Dr. Ottis Brawley is still there. Are you there, Dr. Brawley?

BRAWLEY: Yes, I am.

KING: What do you think of the Bluetooth?

BRAWLEY: I think that for people who are concerned about cell phones concerning brain tumors, using a Bluetooth or a wired device is a very reasonable thing to do. I don’t want people to be panicked and not use their cell phones over all of this, or be confused. If you’re concerned, use a wireless device or a Bluetooth.

KING: Isn’t you safer? Wouldn’t you be safer using a Bluetooth?

FOLEY: It sounds like it. I’ll leave that up to the medical experts. But if you can use something that uses one one thousandth of the power, and it really doesn’t change your use patterns — just put this on and take the call like you normally do — why not do that. It seems prudent to me.

KING: Quickie, where did it get its name?

FOLEY: Bluetooth was a Danish king around the 900s. And he united the Scandinavian countries. The original concept with Bluetooth was it was a technology that would unite the mobile phone and personal computer. And Bluetooth was originally created by people in those countries at Eriksson and Nokia. So that was the code name and it stuck. It’s been the name for over a decade now.

KING: You can buy these anywhere?

FOLEY: Sure. Any electronic store, you mobile phone provider store, they all have headsets, car kits. Of course, as I mentioned, most new cars come with it now.

KING: One one thousandth?

FOLEY: Yes.

KING: Thanks, Mike. Thanks, Dr. Brawley. Thanks to all of our panel. We’re going to do a lot more on this.

A common issue arose from the topic covered in yesterday’s post (re Nuventix in Scientific American) – what is the value of print vs. online coverage? Many of our long-standing tech clients still strongly believe that print is where it’s at and while I too have caught myself being a bit “old school” on certain topics, this is not one of them. While print stories make for good wall-mounted displays, online coverage is out there working for you, connecting the dots between PR and its impact on your business. Four reasons why online is king:

1) Online usually gets more eyeballs. In the case of SciAm, over 3x’s as many (2M unique monthly website visitors compared to 607K monthly print subscribers)

2) Online supports a company’s SEO objectives. Yesterday, when the Nuventix SciAm story hit, the company realized its 5th highest website traffic day ever.

3) Online can be “pushed” to more eyeballs than just the base website’s visitors via social media tools. The initial Tweet that went out from @sciam on this story reached 42,229 people, according to TweetReach – and that’s just one tool, one avenue.

4) Online has longevity. Last month’s print issue will be recycled when the new one arrives – online stories live on in databases much longer.

You tell me – still jonesin’ for that framed art for your office wall or are you more interested in marketing that contributes to the bottom line?

Very thorough, and interesting, story out today on our client Nuventix in Scientific American. Nuventix takes a unique approach to cooling down hot LEDs – a required part of the process if we all want to go green and be more efficient in our home (and commercial) lighting schemes. SynJets are essentially synthetic jets, using the same air moving process that jet airliners do to keep us in the air, only these move the air to cool hot LEDs.

From a PR perspective, this story represents the full process of what we as PR folk go through to secure coverage of our clients. Here’s how it worked:

Initially, I was reading up on Scientific American as a good fit for such a story and noticed that writer David Biello had written a story on LEDs with one line referencing the heat problem (but not a solution). I shot David a note re the missing piece of his story being Nuventix’ approach – the SynJet, and further checked him out on Twitter (interesting guy, covering quite a few topics close to my heart including clean energy (or our lack thereof!)). David and I maintained a conversation via email from April until August when he returned from paternity leave (congrats again David!). When he was back in the office, he passed on the Nuventix information to Larry Greenemeier who just so happened to be working on a synthetic jet story. Larry and I had recently worked together on a story for a different client and I must say it was a joy to work with him again – he knows his stuff. Interview happened, customer reference was secured, demo and images sent out, facts verified and ta-dah! Here we are today with a story that’s interesting to Larry’s readers and shines a light on the very cool, and unique, technology of our client.

These are the days that we do see the fruits of our labor – my favorite days for sure.

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

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

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

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