Mission Recognition

‘Tis the Season for a Good Smile

2009-12-28T09:13:00.000-05:00

Here are some sobering statistics: Americans consume billions of candy canes each holiday season and each person puts away an estimated 12 pounds of premium chocolates. In addition to that, Americans drank enough last year for every person to have had 7 bottles of liquor, 12 bottles of wine, and 230 cans of beer.

As we all recover from the holidays I want to share a few health tips with you that have been keeping me smiling this holiday season.

Here are some Healthy Teeth Tips that one of our clients -- DentaQuest -- recently posted:

1. If you drink wine, choose red over white. This may seem counterintuitive because of the staining power of red wine, but, turns out, white wine is more acidic and contains more sugar, making it more harmful for your teeth in the long run. If you choose to hard liquor, the opposite is true. Opt for lighter or clear liquids to avoid higher sugar content.

2. Regardless of the color of the wine or spirit, rinse your mouth with water before brushing your teeth. Brushing immediately after consuming wine or spirits, which are very acidic beverages, may actually damage your teeth.

3. Eat some cheese. (Here’s your excuse!) Cheese keeps the mouth less acidic and therefore healthier for teeth. Cheese also coats the teeth with calcium and prevents demineralization.

4. If you are choosing between a candy cane and a piece of chocolate, go with the chocolate. Sticky candies are less likely to wash out from between your teeth and therefore get more time in contact with your teeth. (This is also true for fruit cake.)

For more you can visit the Oral Health Matters blog. Hopefully with the myriad of holiday feasts that may not be friendly to your waistline, at least these tips will help you keep a nice smile.

Happy Holidays to you and yours from the team at Solomon McCown & Co.

-- Hanah Smith is an Account Executive at Solomon McCown and she can be reached at hsmith@solomonmccown.com

e-Reading vs. Paperback chic

2009-12-23T17:08:00.000-05:00

No question: One of the hottest gifts this holiday season is the electronic reading device. Amazon.com’s Kindle, the Sony Reader and the Barnes & Noble Nook, top wish lists because of their paper-like displays and online access to e-books, newspapers and other electronic documents (such as PDFs). Whether these new must-have e-readers can compete with the printing press, or are destined to join the list of neat-but-unnecessary gadgets (to writ—the Segway), could be determined in an unlikely way—the sociability of reading.

The Columbia Journalism Review, which is incidentally now available to Kindle users, is asking its readership just that: How are e-readers changing your reading habits? With linkages to news updates, online commentary, Google searches, and social media—and the sum of human knowledge—at your finger tips, surely, tech-savvy readers, with their insatiable thirst for breaking news (and celebrity gossip, so we’ve been told), will throw out their paperbacks in droves.

But, not so fast: e-Readers have at least one major hurdle before usurping reading 1.0, according to Steve Portigal, founder of Portigal Consulting and the Reading Ahead project, which studies consumer reading habits. “There is a huge psychological chasm to cross before people buy them,” said Portigal, because, in part, e-readers do not yet replicate the social elements of reading. Whether it’s the joy of book collecting or impressing strangers with lofty literary works; printed books speak to an identity. While a well worn copy of Camus sends a message to your coffee-shop colleagues, the blank stare of the Kindle’s backside says, well, you’re busy.

As Amazon’s Kindle sells out and with Apple and Google waiting on deck with their own e-readers, only time will tell if this season’s hit is next year’s paperweight.

-- John Blair is an Account Supervisor at Solomon McCown and can be reached at jsblair@solomonmccown.com

Just Tweeting Is Not Enough

2009-12-23T09:31:00.003-05:00

Okay, so you got your clients to recognize they should be tweeting. And now they are. That’s an important first step but only a first step. Do you and they know who is following them and why and whether their tweets are having the desired effect—like driving traffic to their website or engaging new customers or clients? It turns out there is an explosion of analytic tools associated with Twitter that can help dissect the Tweet Universe to better serve your clients. Here are just a few of them…and there are many more: There’s Twerpscan, Twittalyzer, Twazzup, and Tweetmeme. According to “Social Media Today,” these sights measure things like: a tweeter’s influence, their speed and volume of tweets, their frequency of retweeting others, and their clout – or how often their tweets are cited by others. Knowing this can help you develop an effective strategy to achieve a client’s social media goals.

-- Michal Regunberg is a Vice President at Solomon McCown. She can be reached at mregunberg@solomonmccown.com

The people who build America, they don’t really read. They read manuals!

2009-12-22T08:53:00.002-05:00

You hate manuals – like the hundred-page pamphlet that tells you how to put your IKEA coffee table together – but read the Smart Growth Manual, a new book by the authors of Suburban Nation, and you might just change your tune.

“Smart growth” addresses the “how” of growth management: how a municipality should plan for the future, how residential, commercial and retail can be combined to best suit the needs of modern planning, how communities can create functional neighborhoods that allow a range of housing options and a mix of land uses. Unfortunately, most of this “how” conversation is lost in the clunky and lengthy community permitting processes that exist today. The Smart Growth Manual provides a road-map of sorts to streamline the planning process and, say the authors, “explicitly aligns the urbanist movement with the green movement, [bringing] planning to a level of relevancy and urgency because of climate and financial crises.”

Development projects – such as the 340-unit Charlesview Residences plan recently approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority – can take years to permit and approve. The authors of the Smart Growth Manual note that “American planning is exceedingly procedural, and it’s not unusual to take years to get a project done. Obama has added urgency to government.” And now we can add urgency to the smart growth movement.

-- Marika Beaton is an Account Supervisor at Solomon McCown. She can be reached at mbeaton@solomonmccown.com

Pepsi's Refresh

2009-12-21T13:27:00.004-05:00

Last week, Pepsi announced that it will sit out this year’s Super Bowl ad extravaganza, foregoing the event for the first time in 23 years. Ditching the high-impact, single-strike tactic, the company is instead pouring marketing dollars into its soon-to-be-fully-unveiled Refresh Everything campaign, which combines social networking, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and advertising. Though details are few, ESPN reports the “site will go live Jan. 13 where people can list their projects, which could range from helping to feed people to teaching children to read.” Pepsi will put some of its marketing budget towards making the most popular projects a reality. This seems like a huge step forward for CSR – with a big brand leading the way. Not to mention, ditching the big budget ads might help Pepsi avoid the perils of celebrity endorsements.

Pepsi’s notable commercial from 2009’s Super Bowl was iconic American film footage put to the tune of a mash-up of “Forever Young” by Bob Dylan and Will.I.Am.

-- Chris Amenta is a Marketing Assistant at Solomon McCown and can be reached at camenta@solomonmccown.com

Is There Hope in Copenhagen?

2009-12-18T09:07:00.003-05:00

Just as all signs of hope that a deal could be struck in Copenhagen were beginning to fade, Secretary of State Clinton announced that the United States proposed to help raise $100 billion a year by 2020 to aid poor nations in combating climate change. Of course, this is contingent on agreement from China to be more transparent regarding emissions reporting, as well as on other nations giving the nod that $100 billion is enough funding. But, at least there is some new-found sense of optimism.

The media has generally reported on the negativity surrounding the Copenhagen talks – from unproductive meetings to riots outside the conference center. While it may not amount to anything of substance, it’s nice to see that something positive is happening. The New York Times reported that Yvo de Boer, the United Nations official managing the talks, framed the shift in the environment this way: “Hold tight. Mind the doors. The cable car is moving again.”

We’ll have to wait and see what happens when President Obama and other heads of state close out the talks, but in a time of nothing but negative news on climate change, I’ll take a dose of hope

-- Jane Munkelwitz is a Senior Account Executive at Solomon McCown and can be reached at jmunkelwitz@solomonmccown.com

SM& President Ashley McCown Talks Tiger on WBZ'S "NightSide" with Dan Rea

2009-12-07T10:45:00.002-05:00

While our regular readers will have been keeping up with SM& President Ashley McCown’s commentary on the Tiger Woods story (see below and further below), last week, Ashley had the opportunity to offer her expertise to a broader audience. On December 3rd, Ashley was interviewed on the WBZ’s NightSide with Dan Rea. She fielded listener questions, discussed how Woods should have managed the situation and offered some ideas as to how he might best put this story behind him and get his life back on course.

You can listen to Ashley’s hour of the program at our website. Click here and give it a moment to load. Ashley's interview begins around the eight minute mark, after a short news update.

Tiger is in the sand trap, but he can still save par by focusing on his family

2009-12-02T14:38:00.002-05:00

Not quite 48 hours ago I blogged that the clock was ticking for Tiger Woods to come clean. More like a bombshell waiting to go off. So today we learn there was an affair (s). A trail of text messages and damning voicemail. In his statement today Tiger said this is a family matter and there is “a right to some simple, human measure of privacy.” He and his family deserve that.

He is often unbeatable on the golf course. The same can’t be said for how he has handled the most public and personal crisis of his life. Take out your scorecard and let’s look at some key principles of good crisis communications and how Tiger fared.

Get out in front of the story and tell it before others do. Tiger waited nearly two days before releasing his first statement. The media and blogosphere went wild and there was no balance with a statement from him. He was slow to warm up, but whenever it became clear that US Weekly was outing him by releasing his voicemail and running a story, he went on the offensive (better late then never) and put out a thoughtful statement that admitted transgressions without addressing specifics. That’s appropriate.

Tell the truth. Tiger did tell the truth in his first statement, just not the whole truth. The carefully worded statement said “the situation is my fault.” He didn’t say car accident; he said situation. Was that foreshadowing there was more to this than a car accident (as so many expected)? He also said “the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible.” Not entirely true. Some of the rumors were that his injuries were sustained when his wife swung at him with a golf club (not true). But other rumors were swirling that he was having an affair (s). Looks like those were spot on. That’s just a lesson in how every word in a statement counts and can come back to bite you.

Take responsibility and apologize. Tiger did that in his first statement and again today. His statement was genuine and remorseful.

On Monday I talked about collateral damage especially for Tiger’s sponsors. Corporations and organizations associate themselves with Tiger not just because he is a phenomenal athlete but because he is a stand-up guy. Right or wrong, athletes’ brands are not just about their performance on the field, but in life. The lines are blurry between personal failures and professional ones. Nike, Gatorade and Gillette already said today they are sticking with Tiger and their partnerships remain unchanged. That’s good news for Tiger and good coordination before the news went public. It also speaks to the power of the Tiger Brand.

Where does he go from here? Today’s statement reads like this will be his last public comment for a while. I think that’s the right way to go. He talked about transgression in the plural. There may be other affairs. Rather than responding to each one, he has apologized for them all now.

Tiger’s still stuck in the sand trap, but he will definitely be back on the fairway. For now he should stay in the bunker and focus on his family. There is a long line of athletes, politicians and celebrities who have committed “sins,” redeemed themselves in the eyes of their fans and their public and made a comeback. He will too. And when he does I hope he does so with a renewed commitment to the causes and organizations he has supported in the past so he makes a difference on the course and off. I hope we see the same Tiger of an athlete, just a little more humble.

--Ashley McCown is President of Solomon McCown and Co, She can be reached at amccown@solomonmccown.com

Tiger Woods Stuck in a Sand Trap

2009-11-30T15:17:00.006-05:00

Tiger Woods is the most pristine brand in professional sports. Adults revere him. Kids idolize him. He has managed his professional and personal lives with discipline and decorum. But a chink in the armor appeared early Friday morning when he drove his car into a fire hydrant.

A media maelstrom ensued, the blogosphere is buzzing and Tiger went radio silent for almost two days. Google Tiger Woods now and the first line that comes up is “Tiger Woods Mistress.” When he issued a statement yesterday, he understandably asked for privacy. While he and his family deserve that, it won’t happen. While rumors are flying and Tiger denied them in his statement, one absolute in a crisis is that the truth will eventually come out. Tiger may not feel he has too many good options right now, but he does have some choices as to how the facts are revealed. He can decide to be the one to frame the news (a la David Letterman) and try to gain some control of the story or let it continue to drip out… death by a thousand cuts. I am not making the analogy to Letterman to suggest there is actually an affair going on. Merely that Letterman chose to step up to the microphone and tell his story before someone else told it for him. That’s another tenet of sound crisis communications planning: go on the offense and tell the truth. Tiger said in his statement this situation is his fault and his responsibility alone (one point for taking responsibility). He also said the rumors about his wife are false and she came to his rescue. Since he isn’t talking to them, Florida police are trying to subpoena his hospital medical records to determine how he sustained his injuries. Neighbors are talking to the press about things they heard. If the facts end up contradicting what he said in his statement on Sunday, he’s got real problems. Never lie or cover up; it always come back to bite you.

The clock is ticking. Tiger’s Chevron World Challenge Golf Tournament starts tomorrow. His agent just announced that he will not be able to play due to his injuries. What will he say to his fans, fellow players, those who benefit from his foundation and Chevron? There is always collateral damage in messy situations like these. He and his family will not be the only ones hurt.

Tiger is used to being in control. He isn’t right now, but he can choose to start calling the shots. His next move is critical. As he steps up to the tee, what he does in the next few days will determine whether he birdies or bogies.

Ashley McCown is President of Solomon McCown and Co, She can be reached at amccown@solomonmccown.com

Rising in a Down Economy wrap-up

2009-11-20T17:11:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday we held our 12^th Panel in the SM& Presents Series. Co-hosted by Goulston & Storrs, the event, called Rising in a Down Economy, explored how smart organizations are innovating in this economy.

If you made it to the event, you would have gotten (along with fresh coffee and breakfast) keen insights from leading experts in the real estate, communications, media and non-profit sectors. Bennie DiNardo of boston.com; Ralph Fuccillo of the DentaQuest Foundation; Ken Hubbard of Hines; and Ashley McCown of Solomon McCown & Co, all spoke about what innovations they’re seeing in their respective spaces, what works and what doesn’t, and how organizations can use this recession to develop a sustainable business plan.

If you missed it, don’t fret. Today, we published a whitepaper summarizing the key points from each speaker. And as always, you can keep up with us in real time by following our various twitter accounts

--Chris Amenta is a marketing coordinator at Solomon McCown & Company. He can be reached by email at camenta@solomonmccown.com

Internet Anonymity

2009-11-19T14:19:00.000-05:00

If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all. We’ve all heard it before, but what if there were no consequences for uttering something that isn’t all that nice? With the rise of the Internet and social media outlets, we suddenly find ourselves living in a world of anonymity, abandoning tactfulness and opting for frankness and thoughtlessness.

In an article on CNN.com, Manav Tanneeru describes a scenario in which a Canadian-born cover girl was assailed via an internet blog featuring photos of the model captioned with derogatory terms. In an effort to catch her anonymous assailant, she sued Google to learn his name. Google was forced to comply, and ultimately, the anonymous blogger suffered some serious consequences.

“You have a robust debate on a million different subjects every day on the Internet,” said CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin. “But on the other hand, is that a license to damage people’s reputation with knowing falsehood?”

So while you may be “brave” enough to share your thoughts and opinions behind an internet façade, next time you have something not so nice to say, ask yourself if you would be willing to suffer the consequences of being exposed.

---Kristina Coppola is an account coordinator at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached by email at kcoppola@solomonmccown.com

Social media invades the dictionary

2009-11-16T16:33:00.003-05:00

The New Oxford American Dictionary’s 2009 Word of the Year was announced today and to anyone familiar with Facebook it won’t come as a surprise. “Unfriend,” a verb, which means to remove someone as a “friend” on a social networking site is the winner and Christine Lindberg, the Senior Lexicographer for Oxford’s US dictionary program said that the word won because it “has both currency and potential longevity." "Unfriend" beat out words like "hashtag," "sexting" and "intexticated," which indicates a distracted state of mind that results from texting while driving.

Not a huge social media fan? Many other words from the technology, economy and political affairs were considered. Click here to see the full list.

---Alison Thompson is an account supervisor at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached by email at athompson@solomonmccown.com

Rising in a Down Economy

2009-11-12T14:22:00.003-05:00

Panelists left to right: Matthew Kiefer, director, Goulston & Storrs; Bennie DiNardo, deputy managing editor for Multimedia, The Boston Globe; Kenneth Hubbard, executive vice president, Hines; Helene Solomon, CEO, Solomon McCown & Co.; Ralph Fuccillo, president, DentaQuest Foundation; Ashley McCown, president, Solomon McCown & Co.

More than 150 people gathered at the Boston Harbor Hotel on November 12 for “Rising in a Down Economy,” a panel discussion hosted by Solomon McCown & Co. and Goulston & Storrs. It was the 12th SM& Presents panel and it attracted executives from real estate, architecture and construction, health care, mission-focused organizations and higher education.

The discussion focused on innovations that are helping corporations and non-profits navigate these challenging economic times. The panelists included: Bennie DiNardo, deputy managing editor for Multimedia, The Boston Globe; Ralph Fuccillo, president, DentaQuest Foundation; Ken Hubbard, executive vice president, Hines; and our very own Ashley McCown, president of SM&. The panelists agreed that innovation is essential to create a sustainable organization and a business model that will survive long past the current downturn. Each shared examples of how innovation has changed their organizations and their industries—whether it’s delivering content, a new building or a new mission. Matthew Kiefer, director, Goulston & Storrs kept the dialogue moving as moderator.

Ralph Fuccillo noted that the DentaQuest Foundation has adapted a new strategy for attacking our nation’s oral health problems. The Foundation went from funding individual community health centers for oral health programs to providing funding for more systemic and sustainable solutions that address the causes of, and provide solutions to, our country’s oral health problems.

At Boston.com, a new approach to sharing the news by focusing on what the Boston Globe does well (rather than trying to be “everything to everyone”) has increased web traffic significantly, making it the 6th largest newspaper website in the country. The introduction of other mediums, including video and twitter has also helped the Globe have greater relevance in the 24/7 news marketplace.

For Hines, an international real estate firm, a commitment to sustainability has helped the company better integrate green ideas and best practices into their development approach. Starting internally by asking employees to help “green the office” with the Hines Go! Program, the firm immediately began seeing returns in energy savings. As an added bonus, tenants in Hines’ buildings wanted in on the action – and now the Hines Go! Award graces the offices of individuals from many different companies.

Ashley McCown talked about how Solomon McCown’s clients are involving the agency early in the decision making process about how and when to communicate news about change—whether positive or difficult— because how organizations involve and inform employees and engage shareholders and stakeholders is essential to whether or not their evolution is successful.

If you missed the panel, follow us on Twitter or log on to Twitter and type #innovation in the search box. Keep checking Mission Recognition for updates. Shortly, a whitepaper capturing more highlights from the discussion will be posted on our website.

Corporate Innovation

2009-11-11T09:37:00.000-05:00

A subject SM& is exploring at our panel on Thursday, corporate innovation is most effective when it can be translated into best practices and replicated by others. So I was intrigued by a recent NYT article about large corporations pooling their “green ideas.” Taking a page from the free-ware movement in technology, larger corporations are sharing ideas that reduce greenhouse emissions, create greater efficiencies of scale, and remove toxins from the environment.

For instance, I.B.M. has created a recyclable cardboard packaging insert that requires less fossil fuel to create than traditional foam inserts. DuPont has developed a method for better detecting pollution in soil, air or water by using a microorganism that produces light when exposed to a pollutant.

---Marika Beaton is an account supervisor at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached by email at mbeaton@solomonmccown.com

Innovation: Spreading the Word in Unconventional Ways

2009-11-10T11:01:00.001-05:00

Talk about thinking outside the box. New York Daily News reporter Elizabeth Lazarowitz recently wrote a piece, “Art to dry for: Artists install exhibition at laundermat dealing with NYC housing struggles,” about two Brooklyn-based artists who are raising awareness of the state of housing in New York City through art. Their photographs, part of The Laundromat Project, show scenes of poor living conditions in NY, and how people are affected by the rising cost of housing in the city. The photos are accompanied by audio clips from interviews with 11 subjects who are fighting to “find a spot to call home.”

The Laundromat Project, which will put on three laundromat-based shows this year, is “hoping to make art more accessible, especially to people of color in low-income neighborhoods.” What a great way to spread the word and help people learn about their neighbors while doing laundry.

Come see how other organizations are adapting and innovating their way through a struggling economy at the SM& Presents panel event, “Rising in a Down Economy” on Thursday!

---Jane Munkelwitz is a senior account executive at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached by email at jmunkelwitz@solomonmccown.com

We take our job seriously, even if we look silly doing it!

2009-11-09T12:28:00.006-05:00

This is a picture of Tina Cassidy, vice president at Solomon McCown who heads up the real estate practice. It was taken Friday on the site of a $341 million, 237-bed replacement hospital for Capital Health that our client Skanska is building in Hopewell Township, NJ. The project will include a facility for a Cyberknife®, a robotic radiosurgery system that can reduce or eliminate certain lesions and tumors that are often considered inoperable.

One of Skanska's core values is zero accidents with the end goal of fostering an injury free environment (IFE). Hence the full safety regalia required just to step foot on the dirt near the job, PR team not excluded!

--- Christine Comey is an account executive at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached at ccomey@solomonmccown.com

What we can learn from HBO

2009-11-04T11:55:00.001-05:00

In today’s Boston Globe, Peter Funt, a writer and TV host, says cable television has been successfully charging for content and argues that internet news sites can and should do the same. He predicts that online content will be sold in pieces, just as cable does it for sports, entertainment, weather, and hard news; for those of us who love all of it, we will be offered some sort of value pack or pricing.

Funt maintains that what helped cable succeed will also help the digital age. “Content is key,” he writes. “And consumers will support it. Quantity is appealing, but quality sells.”

---Alison Thompson is an account supervisor at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached by email at athompson@solomonmccown.com

Trick or Treat: Did the media make your costume?

2009-10-30T13:37:00.000-04:00

Last year Sarah Palin was the popular Halloween disguise. How could it not be with all the attention that was being paid to the election and the uncanny resemblance Tina Fey had to Palin when playing her on Saturday Night Live?

This year, Michael Jackson has dominated the headlines so it comes as no surprise that, according to a recent CNN poll, he will top the charts for Halloween costumes.

It should be a thrilling night.

CNN.com link: http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/02/news/economy/halloween_costumes/index.htm

---Hanah Smith is an account executive at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached by email at hsmith@solomonmccown.com

H1N1 Outbreak Declared National Emergency

2009-10-26T17:10:00.001-04:00

By now it is near impossible that you have not heard of H1N1 or swine flu. It has invaded the media and pandemic planning has even been parodied in the Dilbert cartoon.

It was announced Saturday that President Obama has declared the H1N1 outbreak a national emergency. The declaration, made shortly after it was announced that only 28 million doses of the vaccine will be available by the end of October instead of the 40 million originally predicted, will give his health chief Kathleen Sebelius the ability to bypass federal rules by allowing hospitals to relocate emergency rooms offsite in order to speed treatment and protect non-infected patients from exposure.

As the nation prepares for the impact of H1N1 on hospitals, now more than ever, businesses need a plan in preparation for the flu’s impact- including how an outbreak in the office will be communicated. This is something that SM& is well versed in and we frequently work with clients to build a crisis communications program to ensure effective communications in any situation (including an H1N1 outbreak). Those that take the time to plan ahead and encourage employees to keep other team members informed of daily workload and status will be more sustainable through flu season and will operate more seamlessly when staffing shortages hit this season.

--- Christine Comey is an account executive at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached at ccomey@solomonmccown.com

The Strength of CHAPA’s Brand

2009-10-23T12:27:00.003-04:00

When you can state your organizations mission in one sentence and have 1,300 people back it up, you know you have a strong brand. The Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) http://www.chapa.org/ can do just that.

CHAPA’s mission is to encourage the production and preservation of housing which is affordable to low-income families and individuals. Last night CHAPA held its 42^nd Annual Dinner at the Boston Convention Center and it was packed with more than a thousand people who support that mission.

Shaun Donovan, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was the keynote speaker at the event. He complimented CHAPA and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for fighting for affordable housing. He also outlined President Obama’s commitment to the issue. But I really think Secretary Donovan put it best when he said, "The futures of our children should not be determined by the zip code they grow up in.”

I was lucky enough to grow up in Quincy, a city that has affordable housing options for its residents. But not all communities are there yet. Some elderly people can’t stay in the communities where they have lived for decades and raised their families because rents are just too high. CHAPA is constantly trying to make that reality a thing of the past and they do so without fanfare. Last night it was an honor to take a moment and applaud CHAPA and its mission.

--- Francy Ronayne is an account supervisor at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached at fronayne@solomonmccown.com

Breaking News

2009-10-16T14:55:00.003-04:00

If you are signed up for any news alerts on your blackberry or cell phone, your mobile device probably experienced a lot of activity yesterday with the play-by-play account of a helium balloon that accidentally took flight. A 6-year-old boy was believed to be traveling with it.

Even though the incident took place in Colorado, news outlets across the country were sending the information to their news alert subscribers. From CNN to the Pawtucket Times. If you were near a television you might have been lucky enough to catch the live footage of the balloon chase instead of your regularly scheduled program.

Fortunately, the boy was found to be safe, hiding in his attic like any regular kid that made a mistake and was afraid to fess up to their parents. Yet by this time, some news outlets had sent out no less than four “Breaking News” alerts about the incident.

Does this kind of over communication lead to ignoring a message? Diminishing future messages? This morning’s CNN Breaking News alert: A magnitude 6.5 earthquake shook Jakarta, Indonesia.

---Hanah Smith is an account executive at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached by email at hsmith@solomonmccown.com

Welcome Hometta in Boston

2009-10-16T14:55:00.001-04:00

Resident Bostonians… if you’re currently in the market for a new home or just interested in the latest trends of contemporary home design, be sure to head down to the pinkcomma gallery in the South End district and check out Welcome Hometta.

The event, in town through November 6, will showcase the many small modern home plans designed and crafted by the Houston, Texas based Hometta. The group is the result of a collaborative effort between forward thinking designers, architects, builders, writers and editors who are looking to improve the way residential architecture is currently designed.

Hometta actually sells their modern home plans (under 2,500 square feet) that are crafted by many renowned architecture studios around the country, including Boston-based M O E, over,under and Project. Attendees of Welcome Hometta will be able to view over two dozen separate home designs that are showcased as three-dimensional models in an attempt to get you thinking about new concepts you can implement on your own living space.

---Nick Fasulo is an account coordinator at Solomon McCown & Company. He can be reached by email at nfasulo@solomonmccown.com

So Rush Limbaugh wants to own an NFL franchise

2009-10-14T11:47:00.003-04:00

In Boston yesterday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suggested to NFL owners that there’s no place for Limbaugh in

America

’s most lucrative sports league, and he doesn’t appear to be alone. Some players have been quick to denounce the idea too, proving that it can be difficult for people to forget about his on-air racial remarks made about African-American quarterback Donovan McNabb - one of the more well-liked players in the league.

But while juicy quotes and speculation are fun to read in the media, current owners would ultimately have to approve his purchase (if it ever gets that far) with a vote. For someone who is good at talking, what could he possibly say to gain entry to the club?

---Nick Fasulo is an account coordinator at Solomon McCown & Company. He can be reached by email at nfasulo@solomonmccown.com

Rising in a Down Economy

2009-10-09T11:16:00.001-04:00

This week, we sent out the invitation for our 12th SM& Presents panel: Rising in a Down Economy, which we’re hosting alongside Goulston & Storrs. If you didn’t get an invite, it doesn’t mean we don’t love you, it just means you’re not on our mailing list (or that pesky spam filter of yours has us confused with someone else). Shoot us an email and we’ll take care of it straightaway.

This time around, our panel is looking at what some smart organizations are doing to adapt to this weak economy and what some really smart organizations are doing to make the most of it.

We have a great group of expert panelists who are packing useful anecdotes, tips, ideas, innovations and best practices. All the event information is on our website, or you can take a look at our official invitation to find out more.

We hope to see you there.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

2009-10-08T15:11:00.003-04:00

In the world of social media, we often forget to choose our words carefully, failing to realize just how powerful one “tweet” or post could be. Now those who have have opted to challenge the narrowly defined rules of social media etiquette are finding themselves in the midst of hefty lawsuits.

Laura Holson’s article “Short Outbursts on Twitter? #Big Problem” which appeared today in The New York Times, describes social media as “a service where insults are lobbed in brief outbursts, too short to include the social niceties.”

Celebrity Courtney Love, Blogger Perez Hilton, and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban have already felt the effects of relieving their frustrations via Twitter. They have each been slapped with lawsuits upwards of $25,000. And in Cuban’s case, a new rule was issued banning players, coaches, and team personnel from “tweeting” or posting to other social media sites 45 minutes before a game, right through to the end of post-game interviews.

But, has it gone too far? Should one’s “Tweets” be taken as seriously as other modes of communication? Well, according to free speech experts, “laws of libel and defamation that apply to traditional media and the Internet also apply to Twitter.” So next time, you may want to think before you “tweet.”

---Kristina Coppola is an account coordinator at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached by email at kcoppola@solomonmccown.com