InBusiness Magazine just named its 25 Most Influential People in Greater Madison. We’re happy to see our client, Ellen Barnard of FEED Kitchens, was listed.
We saw firsthand her tireless efforts to develop FEED from concept to reality. As the article put, “Barnard can be confident that her contributions to society are only growing.”
We wholeheartedly agree. Well done, Ellen!
If you’ve worked in the agency world long enough, you’ve invariably landed a client that had a bad split with its previous agency.
In some cases, the agency wasn’t the right fit. In other cases, the client wasn’t the right fit.
The latter appears to be the situation in Cramer-Krasselt’s public split with Panera Bread. A leaked memo mentioned Panera’s “constant last-minute shifts in direction, the behind-the-scenes politics, the enormous level of subjectivity that disregards proof of performance — all churn people at a rate that becomes much too much even in this crazy business. The previous agency found that out as well. There is a pattern. And in the end, no amount of money makes it worthwhile.”
I applaud Cramer-Krasselt for not letting money prevent them from exiting what seemed like a difficult and frustrating relationship.
Last night I attended the annual PRSA Silver Anvil awards, which honor the best PR campaigns. The auditorium was full of talented professionals who obviously deserved recognition.
I loved the band, which played a song for every award winner based on the name of their entry. For example, an Alzheimer’s campaign elicited “Who are You” (though that does seem a little wrong).
But my big takeaway was that some of these PR campaigns really are about improving our lives, not just making a profit or strengthening a brand. The top award went to AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign to end texting while driving.
The elements were so powerful that AT&T’s competitors–Verizon, Spring and T-Mobile–joined in. And data showed that several states were projected to have fewer accidents and deaths as a result of texting while driving.
Now that’s some good PR.