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They don’t stand a chance. There is no way they can beat the Celtics. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett, and who do the Bulls have? These are all jabs taken at the Bulls before the opening round series had begun. I admit, I was one of those haters.

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When asked, “What does public relations success look like to you?” many clients respond, “I want to be on Oprah.”  And, we understand why — she is the driving force behind almost every product that she backs.  And, if that product ends up on her “favorite things” episode — you can pretty much guarantee your sales will soar.

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I must give credit to Quiznos.  On March 2, 2009 I shared my frustration when I tried to redeem a coupon I printed from the Quiznos Web site for a free sub offered in the Quiznos Million Sub Giveaway.  My frustration was that I couldn’t find a Quiznos that was participating in the promotion.  I received an e-mail apology from Quiznos that asked for my name and home address.  A couple of weeks later I received six (6) coupons from the Quiznos located closest to my home but none of the coupons were for the “free” sub.  I was disappointed and said I wouldn’t eat at Quiznos anytime soon. Continue Reading »

 Yelp! exploded into the Chicago social scene a few years ago and became quite popular with reviewers and viewers alike, claiming, ”Real People.  Real Reviews.”  Similar to the other social review sites, Metromix.com and City Search.com, consumers and patrons review and possibly reccommend restaurants, nightlife, shops, and entertainment.

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Are you a Lovie Smith fan?  I am. 

Maybe not for the reasons one might think, considering he is an NFL coach of a very popular team in one of the largest cities in the good ole’ US of A.  Sure, there is that important fact that he coached the Bears to a Super Bowl, and he won the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year Award and there are some pretty decent stats attached to his tenure thus far with the Bears.  But no, that’s not what impresses me.

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Bank of America Chicago Marathon held last weekend on the streets of Chicago had 45,000 people registered to run.  Only 33,000 of those showed up, and not being a runner myself but an interested viewer, I heard very little about the race at all. Continue Reading »

Wait until next year

Another year is wasted. T-shirts with beer stains and tears permanently on them are now tucked away in dressers; hats are place neatly on bedroom racks, and bank accounts of many Wrigleyville residents are showing signs of normalcy — well, at least mine is. Yes, the Chicago Cubs 2008 season is over with…and man did I fight the keyboard to type that sentence.

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As a mother, I have always tried to persuade my children to make healthy, nutritious food choices.  When my son was young his cereal of choice was sugar based and almost always had some toy inside that he just couldn’t live without.  I read with interest the 9/16/08 article in PR Week by Kimberly Maul read more and was reminded of a day in 1992 (I think)…

when Michael Jordan changed my son’s cereal of choice.  I asked him what cereal he wanted and to my delight his response was “Wheaties”!  The reason for his cereal choice change was due to the wise decision General Mills made in their choice of Michael Jordan as their celebrity spokesperson.  That same son – now in his 20′s – still eats Wheaties!  He may never have tried the cereal if it weren’t for MJ!  Ms. Maul reported on the recent PRWeek’s Entertainment and Media Roundtable panel discussion of the changing celebrity culture, with celebrities touting themselves as brands, and how celebrities can work with products and companies in the PR world.  The right celebrity spokesperson choice can boost the sales of a product for years to come!

Patti Knight

Our Chicago mayor is up in arms over 100 college presidents who are trying to push for a younger legal drinking age.  Presidents from colleges such as Ohio State and Dartmouth joined a nationwide campaign to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. 

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