INK PUBLIC RELATIONS

Hope everyone had a good time at CES 2012 and that you’re recovering from your week there.

Not only was this my first INK business trip, it was also my first tech trade show and it was my first CES (Consumer Electronics Show, as I had to explain to many of my friends not in tech or PR).

Talk about doing it big for a lot of “firsts”. I’ve heard about CES since my agency interning days in college.

The things I had heard people say about CES:

- Your feet will hurt.

- You don’t get much sleep.

- It’s massive. It’s crazy. It’s hectic. It’s a lot of cool, new gadgets and technology. It’s a spectacle. It’s a lot to see in just a couple of days.

And yes, it was all of the above.

First things first, the CES checklist:

*Personal note that I must share because I am so proud of myself: Usually it takes me hours to pack, because my method is to take everything I own and throw it on my bed and then slowly weed out things I don’t like. Packing for CES took me just ONE hour!

- Learn everything you can about CES and what your clients are doing there: read those web sites, memorize the briefing book and if you need help, I hope you are as lucky as I was to have colleagues and PROS like Helen Rodriguez, Allison Glass, Blair Poloskey, Starr Baker and Kari Hernandez to show you the way!

I was truly amazed and impressed at how these ladies handled themselves, kept it together, carried themselves with confidence and knocked everything out of the park – using the INK spirit, creativity and hard work to secure top-tier meetings and make some happy clients.

What does SUPER mean to you? INK PR, of course. Artwork thanks to Allison Glass.

 

What I learned from my first CES:

1. You will do as much talking as you do walking.

2. Take those CES maps everywhere – Though even with them, I still managed to end up at the opposite end of the show floor from where we needed to be.

3. You tip the valet when you pick up the car, not when you drop it off. (I’m such a newbie to this elite lifestyle.)

4. Always have water – Vegas is in the desert and the water supply could run out at any time.

Stepping onto the CES show floor.

5. Lots of moving parts and coordination – schedule of what INKers and clients are doing each day, who will have the vehicles, who will be where, when and at what time… wait say that again!?!

6. Prepare, smile and have confidence – It’s all about presentation and after repeating the same spiel a couple times, you’ll get it.

7. Learn from the best – Listening to your clients and colleagues do their thing is a great way to soak up some knowledge.

8. Bond with your clients and co-workers – Meals and trips are great opportunities to get to know your clients (and even your colleagues) outside of meetings and work environments.

The best thing I saw at CES that I need to have. I am accepting birthday gifts early.

9. What you’ll see at the show: lots of iphone, ipad and computer cases, smart phones, tablets and laptops, cameras, headphones in various shapes and colors and countless huge, 3-D TVs!

10. Technology innovation galore: remoteless TVs controlled by motion or voice, interactive shopping, headphones for mobile gaming to talk with fellow players, smart appliances, connected cars and ultrabooks.

11. Oh and no one told me that CES is the hot place that celebrities hang out! Justin Bieber, Ryan Seacrest, Justin Timberlake, Will Smith, 50 Cent, Dennis Rodman, LL Cool J and Snooki!

Who’s ready for CES 2013?

We’re hiring! Do you have what it takes?

INK PR Job Opening: PR Account Supervisor/Director

Years of Experience: 7 – 10

We are looking for a PR account supervisor or director with seven to ten years of experience in PR and/or marketing in the high tech and clean energy industries. This person lives and breathes their clients’ industries, thrives on providing sound counsel and creative solutions, understands the dynamic media markets in which our clients play and how to tell a fresh, newsworthy story, demands excellence from a team and, at the same time, can have a beer with them at the end of the day.  If you are our candidate, you love what you do and you could never see yourself doing anything else. You play well with others.  You possibly have a war story that involves CES or Walt Mossberg; bonus points for both. You know what CSP stands for and have a hankering to visit a wind farm; added bonus points if you own steel-toed boots. Your friends know as much about your clients’ technology as you do, and they are still your friends. You are bored of social media talk and interested in social media results. You are respected by your team, your clients and the media, all at the same time.  Are we asking too much? We don’t think so.

There is a lot of love at INK PR – for what we do, for the clients we work with and for each other. We’re still a relatively young (in our 8th year) and small (you make 10) company with a growing reputation for personalized client service, top-notch media relations (800 journalists voted INK best small tech agency for PRSourceCode Top Communicators 2010 award) and PR programs that exhibit the perfect blend of strategic counsel, creativity and common sense (finalist for PR News’ 2011 Small Agency of the Year). We work hard – very hard – but we also value work/life balance and enjoy ourselves along the way. We’re looking for someone who can bring new insights, experience and relationships to the table. You will make an impact on INK and we will make an impact on you.

Job responsibilities include:

Management of multiple accounts and teams consisting of 2 – 5 people

Day-to-day client relations as the main point of contact to provide strategic counsel, convey status, set expectations, manage budget, anticipate needs and adjust plans accordingly, and find solutions to problems

Team management, utilizing team strengths and available time in a way that motivates and ensures excellence and results

Media relations including setting media strategy, leveraging key media relationships and continuing to build new and top-tier ones

Educates clients on social media tools and strategy; utilizes social media channels for effective campaigns

Writing and editing of plans, messaging documents, pitches, press releases, blogs and bylines

Maintains and demonstrates a deep understanding of clients and their industries; teaches others

Manages account budgets and makes staffing recommendations

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree or higher with 7 – 10 years of experience in PR and/or marketing in the high-tech and/or clean energy fields. Please send cover letter, resume, references and salary requirements to Adrienne Huebner at work@ink-pr.com.

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.

I was chatting with the CTO of the Bluetooth SIG at the TweetHouse party during CES last week and he said something that has really stuck in my craw. In discussing his role in a previous lifetime when he worked at Mozy, and prior to that Microsoft, he said he came to the realization that social media was not his cup of tea because it was really made to serve the ‘all about me’ folks.

I cried foul immediately. The social media lover in me quickly defended that these tools are about connecting people and community. They are the opposite of ‘all about me’ – they are about everyone. They include everyone. They give a voice to those who would not normally be heard. Egotists? Never.

Once I stopped taking shots of the kool-aid, it occurred to me just how right Andy was.  Avid social media users like to talk about themselves –  what they had for breakfast, what they thought of the Apple press conference, what their favorite gadget is, what their least favorite airline is – a whole lot of me, me, me. And this isn’t a bad thing. Promoting ones thoughts, feelings, concerns and joys is what authentic social media use is all about. Those who truly excel at social media also like to listen and respond to others who are out their talking about themselves – and in the end, relationships are formed, conversations are had, and opinions are validated.

But that initial self-promotion and personal involvement is something that I think a lot of people, and certainly companies, have a hard time with – myself included. I am in PR. My career revolves around telling someone else’s story. And I like it that way. I love watching my clients excel. I am happy to be behind the scenes. So when an opportunity arises for me to take center stage (uh, TweetHouse session with Scoble), I definitely balk.  Same goes for all the social media channels. I lurked in the blogosphere FOREVER before starting my own blog. I followed (and still follow) people on twitter without commenting on anything they say, but yet I read every tweet. I peruse my Facebook friends pages ad nauseum, but rarely do I post a status update.

When I was sitting on the above-mentioned session, someone in the audience asked how to encourage and sway social media doubters into use. At the time, I recommending highlighting to these folks successful campaigns (the session was focusing on businesses using social media). And I think that is still a good first step. But immediately after that, get them to start lurking. Listen to the conversation at hand, find the self-promoters that you want to follow, tip-toe ever so slowly into the water. Because one of those people will say something about themselves that will spur you to act. And then you will authentically tweet YOUR reaction (or blog it or update your status, whatever). And when you do, social media heavens will open and the angels will sing. And you will realize it is okay to be ‘all about me’ every once in a while. And that authentic participation, be it every hour or once a week is what it is all about.

We’re 7! Hard to believe. Good things come in 7s:

I have 7 amazingly smart and dedicated colleagues. And we’re looking for someone else to join our team – if you’re smart and dedicated too, send a note to info@ink-pr.com, attention Adrienne.

We have 7 wicked cool clients who are doing exciting things in the areas of clean and high tech. Looking forward to a strong year with ACCIONA, the Bluetooth SIG, Broadwind Energy, Create with Context, Gemalto, and Nuventix. Already in Q1 we’ve done media and event work at CES, we’re working on a customer relations program, a media training, a messaging matrix project, a product launch, a dedication event, a messaging rollout in conjunction with an employee communications program and of course media and analyst relations.

And we’re looking forward to multiples of 7 more years. Go INK – HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

INK founders, the day we moved into first office.

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.

As someone who lives on the client services side of the world, I really appreciate good customer service. I feel like INK offers exceptional customer service (and, it turns out, our clients agree – based on feedback in our recent client survey) and I expect equal service from anyone I work with.

It is rare, honestly, that I can say I experience great customer service. But I do have a vendor I have been working with lately that deserves serious credit. Linda Nessim-Rubin with Design Concept and Living in Digital Times is the BOMB. Seriously, if any of my PR peeps out there want to feel safe and secure with their tradeshow presence – and who doesn’t want that, right? – call Linda. Find a way to work with Robin Raskin and the Living in Digital Times folks.

Time and time again Linda has taken late night calls from me (so sorry!), has gotten me information on the fly, has dealt with last minute changes and ridiculous requests (remember how I said we DID NOT want to participate in that one thing and the deadline was three weeks ago, maybe now we do) – and has done so with a positive attitude and without being a yes man. She has pushed back when she was right – and I honestly believe her advice has been dead-on perfect for my client.

Sometimes you have to give credit where credit is due. These folks know what is what and they are doing awesome work. Go check ‘em out. And come check us all out at CES.

I’m reading a book right now called The Next 100 Years by an Austinite and global strategy expert named George Friedman.  It’s fascinating. Friedman boils down economic, cultural and military motivations and trends like a declining birth rate to make bold, unexpected predictions (like forget China and the Middle East, it’s Turkey, Mexico and Russia to watch out for). To sell his readers on expecting the unexpected, he walks through the last 100 years demonstrating how quickly power changes hands.  After all, just over 20 years ago, the US and Soviet Union were at odds, Japan’s economy was soaring, China was an after-thought, and most Americans had never heard of Afghanistan. It’s a natural tendency to forget that the way things are today is not how they have always been and certainly not how they will be in the future.

Now I realize unexpected things happen all the time.  I mean Kelly Osbourne is on the cover of Shape this month (and looks fantastic I might add). But I find it incredible that power can shift so quickly and decisively with huge countries, and companies.

After my two days at D: DIVE INTO MOBILE listening to the top executives from Google, AT&T, Sprint Nextel, Palm/HP, RIM and new entrants like Spotify, Flipboard, Foursquare and OnLive (see videos and coverage of all interviews here), I’m reminded that the leaders of mobile today were not the leaders a few years ago. Apple was not even in the mobile phone business until 2007. Today, they don’t even have to show up to DIVE to be the center of every conversation and presentation.  Google’s Android is nipping at Apple’s heels (Andy Rubin introduced Gingerbread which integrates NFC for mobile commerce and VoIP support) while MSFT tries to play catch-up with Windows Phone 7. Who would’ve thunk it?

RIM was the king of mobile computing and now the Blackberry seems antiquated. The resolution and interface is almost unbearable to me after getting accustomed to an iPhone. Kara Swisher, whose quick wit and humor was a highlight of the event, joked that she used the very first Blackberry model to send updates to Walt while she was in labor and ended up with it gripped in her hand during an emergency c-section (“my doctor said, Kara, you have problems”).  She later told RIM Co–CEO Mike Lazaridis that she ditched her beloved Blackberry because it didn’t offer the same experience and features that the iPhone and Android phones offer. Lazaridis struggled to defend his position that RIM is not slipping.

Palm, now HP, top exec Jon Rubinstein discussed how the “market just moved too fast” and that Palm was forced to sell to the larger entity in order to scale and compete with Apple, Google, etc. The success of that decision remains to be seen but he said at this time next year there would be a WebOS tablet and several smartphones out from the new division of HP.

Driving this point home,  Gadget Guy Greg Harper entertained the audience along with Walt and Kara with a display of phones and gadgets over the last 20 years (including the first Bluetooth headset). It’s no surprise, all those gadgets that thrilled and excited us look ugly and huge today. Even the Motorola RAZR that attracted so many customers for its style looks clunky and dated.  I can’t wait to see what the perspective will be in the mobile industry a few years from now. Look at that iPad! Can you believe we had to actually touch the screen?

Check back – I plan to post more on perspective from AT&T and Sprint on 4G networks, selling the iPhone, usage patterns, net neutrality, tiered billing and other related topics. . .

So the first night of D: Dive Into Mobile is complete. The evening consisted of a cocktail hour, an on-stage interview by Walt and Kara of Andy Rubin, VP, Mobile Platforms, Google, a very late dinner and then shortly-attended “nightcap reception.” I sat down at a table for the main show and was joined by folks from Jawbone and a gentleman from Austin with a very interesting company (who needs assigned seating? .  Andy Rubin may be my new “what TO do” example for media training as Walt and Kara did not disappoint. I wonder how tired he gets of comparing Android to Apple? Rubin introduced some firsts: Gingerbread running on the Nexus S, an NFC demo with a Google print tag (ex. for couponing, ticketing, mobile payments) and a prototype Android-enabled Motorola tablet with a new 3D version of Google Maps due out in days (VERY cool).  He also said Gingerbread would have added VoIP so you could add a SIP provider (how does that work with Google Voice?). No video calling in this version although he alluded to work in that direction. When asked about mobile payments, Rubin said he is “looking at this from an infrastructure perspective” and that Android does carrier billing integration already and operators have an efficient billing system that could create those scenarios.  Not quite the mobile payments scenario consumers have been hoping for but baby steps. There was lots of RIM and MSFT bashing; I feel for Joe Belifiore and Mike Lazaridis that speak tomorrow. . .

The line up tomorrow is amazing which is why I should get to bed and rest up! Follow updates on Twitter at #dmobile and @karihernandez.