Mickey Nall Presents to FPRA's Northwest Florida Coast Chapter

The Northwest Florida Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association held its monthly Professional Development Luncheon yesterday at Tops’l Resort, hosting esteemed speaker Mickey Nall, APR, CPRC. Nall is currently Managing Director of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Atlanta. He was the FPRA president in 1989 and is the 2013 Chairman & CEO of the Public Relations Society of America. Nall has developed communications programs for United Way, Coca-Cola and General Electric, among others.

Nall presented Storytelling, Media Relations, and Reputation: Putting it All Together For Your Brand, sharing valuable first-hand knowledge, industry trends and case studies.

“We have to become better storytellers,” Nall advised.

However, when he said “storytellers” he didn’t mean that he would advise public relations professionals to fabricate things or lie. Nall defined “storytelling” as being able to tell your company’s story and to be able to tell it well.

He also touched on the importance of building a great reputation through your brand.

“You can’t have a great reputation if you don’t have a great brand,” said Nall. The product or service has to back up the hype.

Finally, he talked about how essential it is to “keep it simple” and to use visuals as an aid. “Don’t make it so complicated,” said Nall. “A picture really is worth a thousand words.”

Chapter President Jami Ray of Outright Social addresses the group.

Approximately 45 were in attendance at the chapter's monthly luncheon.

Current FPRA State President Jeff Nall, APR, CPRC and 1989 State President Mickey Nall, APR, CPRC

Jeanne Daily of Newman-Daily Properties and Jami Ray of Outright Social

Jeff Nall, APR, CPRC help welcome new chapter member Christy Scally of the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center

FPRA State President Jeff Nall, APR, CPRC; chapter President Jami Ray; speakerMickey Nall, APR, CPRC

Justin Gaffrey and Christy Milliken of Justin Gaffrey Studio and speaker Mickey Nall, APR, CPRC

Whitney Ladwig and Jessica Proffitt with interns of Proffitt PR

All photos by Kay Phelan of Phelan & Lowry, Ltd.

Meet the Intern - Hi, Megan!

This summer we are happier than kids in a candy store! Not only do we have one amazing intern, but TWO! It's been a busy spring and with new clients, exciting projects and major events like Digital Graffiti on the horizon, we need all the good help we can get! Say hi to our newest addition and resident writer, Megan.

Name:
Megan Brunson

School:
Troy University

Major:
Broadcast Journalism Major/ Public Relations Minor

What are you most interested in within the world of marketing/PR?
I am most interested in Public Relations and Social Media. I like the networking opportunities in public relations and getting to know people in a friendly, professional way. I am also fascinated with the blogging world and writing in general. I would thoroughly enjoy a career that marries public relations work through active communication with both opinion writing and journalism.

What campus activities are you involved in? 
I am involved in the National Communication Associations official communication studies honor society, Lambda Pi Eta.

What is your favorite social network and why? 
I am completely in love with Instagram. It allows me to share whats going on in my life without writing a paragraph to explain. It also allows me to keep in touch with what is going on in my friends' lives. I am very interested in fashion at an affordable level and in many different styles, so Instagram gives me the opportunity to share what I like with my friends.

What is your current obsession? (maybe a song, a blog, a fashion trend?) 
My current obsession would have to be nude fabrics and sheer fabrics. I thoroughly enjoy combining different styles together and putting an edgy twist on something feminine.

Another random fact?
I love music, and am a musician myself. I've played flute for 9 years, but find my true passion in singing. I love finding new artists to draw inspiration from and discover new sounds. Currently, I'm interested in Mumford and Sons, Florence and the Machine and Lana Del Ray, mostly. I love the combination of vintage inspiration and modern, edgy sounds.

Welcome to the team, Megan!

Wet n Wild on the Water Giveaway

If you haven't spend a relaxing day on the water, it's time you did! Our clients at Wet n Wild Watersports are giving away a pontoon boat rental to beautiful Crab Island along with lunch, dinner, stand-up paddleboard rentals and more! You can check out the full details of the "Wet n Wild on the Water" Giveaway over at the Wet n Wild website. Enter soon! The contest ends May 22.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Looking forward to a Drop Dead Gorgeous Weekend!

Erica Courtney Inc. is coming to Destin, FL! We couldn’t be more excited to meet Erica and work with McCaskill and Company Fine Jewelry. Don’t miss out on your chance to meet her at the Drop Dead Gorgeoud Weekend May 16-18 10:00am – 5:30pm. But first, here’s a little background!

While living in Dallas, Erica Courtney began designing in 1984 without even realizing it. She started embellishing accessories such as watches and sunglasses with Swarovski crystals, creating fun and casual costume jewelry.

Courtney received a lot of compliments and praise on her unintentional jewelry pieces by people as she walked down the streets. Many stopped her to ask wear she got her jewelry. This is when she started the production line for the public. In 1989 Courtney moved to Los Angeles where she focused on sterling silver jewelry with engraved love notes. People couldn’t get enough of Courtney’s jewelry and that is how her first sterling silver line came about. Courtney’s collection has grown a tremendous amount over time. She has now expanded to fine gold and platinum gemstone jewelry.

Courtney has also launched a Gorgeous and Engaged® bridal collection. This collection was inspired by her son’s engagement and consists of exquisite engagement rings and custom wedding bands in 18k gold and platinum. Many of the designs featuring the couple’s initials engraved or paved into the setting. The Gorgeous and Engaged® collection also includes hand-crafted sterling flatware and giftware, intricately embellished with 18k gold and diamond charms and initials.

Erica Courtney’s pieces have always been a hit on the Red Carpet. She has loyal celebrity fans such as Madonna, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Alba, Queen Latifah, Hayden Panettiere, Jane Lynch, Lisa Edelstein, and Johnny Depp. The collection has also appeared in several films and television series.

Courtney’s jewelry has generated great press and has been features in the most popular magazines, such as: Vogue, In Style, People, Marie Claire, and The New York Times, and etc.

Courtney worked her way from not even knowing she was designing jewelry, to being one of the top ten jewelry designers in the world. With two collection lines, Drop Dead Gorgeous® and Gorgeous and Engaged®, collectors from a wide range of ages fifteen to ninety-five love her versatile jewelry that looks best paired with anything from a casual day outfit to a lovely evening gown. Erica designs from her heart, and strives to “create jewelry that is treasured and remembered.”

 Don't miss it! The Drop Dead Gorgeous Weekend takes place May 16-18 10:00am – 5:30 pm at McCaskill and Company.

Foursquare 101

For those of you new to Foursquare, it's time to “check-in”.

Want to document all the places you go, and connect with your friends at the same time?! Foursquare sounds like the app you need! We often get questions from friends and clients wondering what the perks are for various social channels.

Today, we'll focus on Foursquare. Foursquare is a social networking app for mobile devices that allows the user to "check in" at venues using a mobile website, text messaging or a device-specific application by selecting from a list of venues it locates nearby. The app uses GPS to determine the user's location.

The perks of using Foursquare? Each check-in the user makes comes with awarded points or even “badges.” Users can check into a certain floor/area of a building, or indicate a specific activity while at a venue. Check-ins can be linked to Twitter and/or Facebook. Badges can be earned by checking in at locations with certain tags, for check-in frequency, or for other patterns (i.e. the time of a check-in).

Users can create a "To Do" list to help steer new visitors to try food or activities Tips can be added to venues so that other users can see suggestions for things to do, see or eat at the location.

Not only can Foursquare be used on a personal basis, but it can also serve as good way for businesses to get their name out to the public. For example, if a user is looking for a restaurant or attraction in a location they are unfamiliar with, they can look at other’s tips/suggestions of what exactly to do. The more users check-in at a certain location, may show the new potential user the popularity of that certain location, which then leads them to go to that location. Businesses can even offer discounts that can help draw in guests simply from a quick browse on Foursquare.

Check out Foursquare and make the most of where you are by saving and sharing your locations along with your experiences!

Want to read a little more about Foursquare? Check out these articles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foursquare_(service)

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/software/foursquare.aspx

6 Second Sharing

vine.co/v/brrM1mYntFh

Vine has become one of the newest forms of social media.

More and more people are discovering Vine every day. It is an application from Twitter that
allows its users to capture quick 6 second looping videos. All it takes is holding the
thumb down on the capture frame. It is great for people that want to share stories
in a shortened video form. No editing experience required! People can also explore different user’s Vine videos by certain hash tags. So whether it is sports, food, pets, nature, travel, how to, or even
magic, there are plenty of different videos to view.

Vine allows people to capture moments and share them with family, friends, etc. The
videos made and posted onto Vine can also be shared via Twitter and Facebook for
any users that do not have Vine yet. Although Vine is only available to iPhone users
at the moment, the growing popularity of it is definitely something to look out for.

Vine can be used for businesses in promotions and public relations. For example,
restaurants can promote their food to the public by showing a customer eating
a certain dish. It can give the outsiders a good look at how the dish is originally
presented, how the food looks as it is being eaten, all the way down to the empty
plate. This helps future customers see the qualities in food that the certain
restaurant has to offer.

Besides the business side, Vine can be used for personal sharing too. Share special and exciting moments of a family vacation to give viewers little snippets of all the activities/attractions involved in the trip. Share outfits of the day or the food you eat. Capture precious moments with little ones or pets. The possibilities are endless!

For more information on Vine, check out these articles:

http://socialmediatoday.com/fionuh/1253886/vine-open-business

http://blog.twitter.com/2013/01/vine-new-way-to-share-video.html

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/twitters-vine-app-will-make-social-seo-
campaigns-more-awesome/60570/

Or even download Vine to experience it first hand! Some of our favorite hash tags to
view videos are:

• #Food 
• #Travel
• #HowTo
• #Sports

Alys Beach Dream Vacation Giveaway

We're so excited to be handling the social media for Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach again this year, but even more excited to share this totally awesome dream vacation at Alys Beach! You can win a $7,100 dream vacation to gorgeous Alys Beach AND tickets for six to Digital Graffiti. If you've never visited, this is your chance to vacation in style and luxury. Enter now and cross your fingers!

You can also become a fan on Facebook,  Twitter and Instagram.