Join us on Tuesday, April 30th as we have an open discussion with representatives from 5 area media outlets about how we as PR and marketing professionals can get the best news coverage for our organizations. Bring your questions! Tuesday, April 30th Radisson Hotel – Utica Centre 5:00 PM – Cocktail Hour 6:00 PM – Program: Media Panel Cost: FREE for member, $30 for Guests Includes: One free drink, heavy hor d’oeuvres, coffee and fabulous Chef’s Special desserts. Media Representatives:...

Thanks to everyone who came to enjoy Sandra Beckwith’s excellent talk. Audience engagement was very high, and the presentation portion of the evening went quite long thanks to the many discussions she sparked. If you’d like a copy of the presentation slides, you can download them as a Power Point file here: Click this text to download Power Point Slides

Using default passwords – Default passwords are a huge risk simply because they allow devices to be easily compromised. This is especially true for network access points, but also applies to firewall appliances, intrusion-detection appliances and just about any other type of hardware appliance. Setting up weak passwords – A weak password provides attackers with very easy access to your computer system. Strong passwords are considerably harder to crack – and that’s even with the powerful password-cracking software that is...

This post will be extremely brief and to the point. Something to consider: if you’re a software vendor and you also maintain an online forum related to your product, the professionalism of the people you select to moderate it is crucial. A recent incident on a forum I frequent has shaken my confidence in the company itself, even though the product is excellent. Perception is reality.

I recently wrote about opposites and gave an example of how you can use them in ad copy. Here’s another example from my days in radio. If you work in radio (or any advertising medium) long enough, you’ll be asked to do spots for every type of business imaginable. This commercial is one I wrote and produced a few years ago for a portable toilet supply company. It was one of those occasions when the account rep came in with...

Our January program is one you won’t want to miss – featuring Dr. Brent Ridge AND Josh Kilmer-Purcell, the Fabulous Beekman Boys and a recent winners of CBS’s “The Amazing Race”. Josh and Brent will discuss Beekman 1802 and the effectiveness of building a brand around a philosophy instead of a personality with a focus on the importance of storytelling and social media in helping define a brand’s identity. So, who are these fabulous boys anyway and why is this program a MUST...

You’re hearing the term everywhere, but what does it really mean? And how is it going to revolutionize business?  Everybody is sure that cloud computing is key to the future of IT, but people often are unsure what it is. In fact, it’s an umbrella term for a number of different trends, all involving the internet and it’s potential to simplify the way we use computers and extend their capabilities. Instead of installing a suite of software for on each...

As computer generated animation becomes ever more common in the media, the question of its effectiveness in advertising is a natural one. Given my involvement in the field my perspective is biased, but I assert that animation is a strong candidate for your advertising dollars. Here’s why: Impact As shown by various cognitive studies, animation in ads—such as banner ads on web pages—improves viewer engagement, recall, and click-through rates (the all-important metric). Creators of children’s cartoons have long understood that...

I recently attended the Indie Garage Sale featuring local artists, crafters, and foodies alike. I’ve attended this show for the past three years and have continued to see it grow and grow. Each year the quality of vendors and turnout of attendees improves. The momentum this event has carried would make for an interesting local marketing case study, but a few of my observations would include: 1. Quality – When a product, service, or event speaks for itself, the marketing...

Holding an FCC license and owning a TV transmitter and antenna used to guarantee more profit year after year. Now a smartphone has more entertainment choice than a TV station — and even more than a cable box. Dave Armon will be visiting to talk about how consumers are cord cutting and how that’s impacting the way news is consumed. Marketers relying on earned and owned media should attend this program with Critical Mention President and Utica College graduate David...