The Flipside by Alternative Strategies

Check it out! Alternative Strategies

Lauren Kennedy, Media Relations Manager


Daniel Lara, Marketing Coordinator

Brewing for success

We are very proud to show you the successful relationship we have created and maintained with West Coast Tavern. 

Located in the heart of North Park, West Coast Tavern shares location with the Birch Theater, creating an absolutely unique ambiance spiced-up with good beers, good food, and a great staff: basically a recipe for success to say the least.

In a very short period, we successfully were able to help West Coast Tavern secure the attention it truly deserved whether it was print, online, special events or even on social networks like Facebook.

Maybe we can do the same for your business...

contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

Case Study with the Chula Vista Police Association

I am sure you have all heard the troubles that the civil servants have had to face in the past year. The current situation in Wisonsin is a national inflated version of what has happened. 

Incidentally, this crisis has not only hit teachers, but has hit dearly the people who protect us: Firefighters, and police officers everywhere.

Fortunately, The Chula Vista Police Association (CVPOA) hired Alternative Strategies to tackle the situation and try to save the city from the mistake of laying off 33 police officers.

We are very proud of the work accomplished with them. We were able to communicate the CVPOA's story effectively to the media and reduce the layoffs from 33 down to 11 and to allow other officers to retire early with very advantageous conditions.

Fantastic coverage for Dlush

Should You Consider an International Franchise?

Jeffery Adler, founder of Dlush, was running a funky chain of Southern California beverage joints when he got an interesting offer from a wealthy Kuwaiti family.

...

We are very excited to tell you that we were able to secure a page and a half of coverage for our client Dlush in no less than the February edition of Inc. Magazine.

Jeffrey Adler, the founder of this San Diego company has been able to take his company from local to global. There are now more than seven Dlush locations in the Middle East, and it is showing no signs of stopping. 

Read about his success story in the link provided. 

We hope you enjoy it. 

 

Your Resume Is Your First PR Campaign

By Alex Pridgen

So let me get this straight, I can have a better chance at getting hired for a job if I make a statement such as one particular candidate who claimed to be “Pig Wrestling Champion?”

 When Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of FlexJobs.com, was hiring for a entry level position, this particular candidate obviously stood out from the rest because of her pig wrestling background.

However, the pig wrestler stood out for the wrong reasons.

Fact is, people do want to stand out and be different from the rest in order to get hired. But never forget to highlight the qualities that will benefit the job description.

Consider your resume to be your first, most important, PR campaign.

Job seekers just want to make a statement and stand out from their competition; unfortunately they are often memorable for all the wrong reasons.

 I am just outraged at some of the things people include in their resumes thinking that they genuinely will stand out because of some stupid one-liner.

Some “don’ts” not to do when writing a resume:

A. Don’t apply for a corporate position as a part time model highlighting on the resume some pictures of yourself in various poses, like the gal who included lots of bikini shots. She probably got a lot of offers, just not for jobs.

B. Don’t list your abilities at Playstation 3 or XBOX under “special skills.”

C. Please don’t provide an email address that was made when you were in the 7th grade such as hotsexygirl@yahoo.com or pinkpoodlegirl@gmail.com. (It is time to change that). These are fictional examples (hopefully), but you get the point, right?

D. And please don’t tell people that your personal accomplishments include “getting back together with my boyfriend upon release from prison.”

E. Last but not least, please please refrain from actually acting out the scene from “Step Brothers” in which both brothers had a joint interview for a janitor position wearing tuxedos. You will not stand out by doing this.

Tiger Woods’ Horrific PR

By Cassandra Validum

Oh my gosh. How ridiculous is this whole Tiger Woods mess? I understand that getting caught in as a cheater is the worst thing that could happen to a picture perfect golfer, but he could not have dealt with this in a worst way. Whoever is doing his PR should really think about switching careers.

If Tiger was thinking that he could wait it out and have this whole mess blow over, that was his first mistake. In a crisis, it is typically known that you need to make a statement at least within 24 hours. He should’ve come clean right away and admitted everything. Maybe by now the world would have already forgiven him.

At this point in time, however, forgiveness is a very far reach. All that time he wasted staying silent just made it easier for the world to hate him.

Didn’t it seem like every week a new mistress would come out of nowhere? With a new reason to become a Tiger-hater stemming every week, there is no time for forgiveness.

All his silence did was leave plenty of time for the media to come up with a million different Tiger bashing stories. It just got worse and worse for him.

The speech that he finally made – which was a ridiculous press conference that didn’t even allow any questions – was the most anti-climactic speech I’ve ever heard. It was obvious that he had rehearsed that thing a million times over, and on top of that, it sucked. We all know how “sorry” you are Tiger, you’ve said it so many times. We don’t believe you. Give us something else.

Maybe if he just was straight and said, “Hey, I’m a man. I’m weak and I can’t control myself around beautiful women,” perhaps 50 percent of the population (the guys!) would have supported him and maybe a few women as well.

Next time Tiger, take a lesson from Kobe Bryant. When Kobe’s cheating scandal came out back in 2003, he made his apologetic speech to his wife right away (which is critical) and admitted to his infidelities.

He immediately got back to playing some great basketball, and everyone directed their attention to someone else.

It’s too late for Tiger, who now has only one opportunity to get this behind him: Focus on his golfing. But he better win every golf tournament for the next decade if he wants this to be forgotten

Meanwhile, Jesse James seems to have learned from Tiger – sort of. Hours after Michelle “Bombshell” McGee revealed that her alleged intimate affair with Mr. Sandra Bullock, he released a vague apology on Twitter.

Hey, it’s better than nothing.

The Quick Pitch

By Michelle Lew

With social media like Twitter limiting how many characters are allowed in a single post, are you able to get your pitch clear and concise enough?

Some see using Twitter as a barrier or a pain in the rear end, but I see it as a challenge. That little bird is asking me to clean up my message and if I fit the 140-character limit, it will deliver the message to my public.

The idea of a 21st century carrier pigeon is exciting to me, plus the "fail whale" pushes my patience with the internet. But how do you make your pitch successful?

Stick To Your Core Message

With the lack of space in a tweet, there is only room for one main message. Remember to pick your most important point and stick with it.

Abbreviate

When space is of the essence, some grammar and slang rules need to be broken with Twitter. I have seen many professors with doctorates abbreviate in tweets. Also using “&” instead of “and” will save 2 characters (remember how precious space is).

Keep it simple!

Only include important details -- you don’t have very much space to fluff up your message. Stick to the 5 W’s: who, what, where, when and why (leave the “how” for follow ups). Make sure you answer the important questions your followers might have, but leave them wondering and wanting more.

With Twitter, less is more. But there is strength in brevity and, when used properly, Twitter is very effective and beneficial for your company.

My Pledge To My Clients

By David Moye

I take my job as a PR pro very seriously. It is my job to get massive amounts of media for my clients.

I consider this to be my sacred duty and, in fact, the reason why I am here (not "here" on this planet, but here at this desk typing out a blog even though it is a beautiful sunny day outside).

When you hire me as your publicist, I take a sacred oath to serve you to the best of my ability.

To that end, here is what I promise to do for you, my beloved client.

1. I promise to have or develop cordial relationships with members of the media who you are interested in having promote your product or service.

I will do this in any way possible (preferably methods that involve food, alcohol or lively conversation). In fact, the reason I got that great placement for you last week was because I did a palm reading to a TV producer and predicted a new relationship was going to come into her life. I didn't tell her that relationship was with you. She can find that out on her own.

2. I promise to defend your honor in the case of inaccuracies or unfair accusations. I might even scream and yell at a journalist over the phone (especially if you are in the room).

3. I will make sure that the media is prepared before they talk with you and make sure you are prepared as well.

4. I will support your goals, but that doesn't mean unwavering allegiance. If I think your concept is lame or asinine or counter-productive to your goals, I will gently suggest you in towards a better path.

5. I will spend every waking billable hour striving on your behalf and ensuring the best possible PR for you.

6. I will be happy to hear from you when you call. Even if your last call was five minutes ago.

Choosing The Right PR Agency

By William Lopez

If there is one industry that has become overly saturated these days it is the field of Public Relations. It seems that PR Firms are cropping up faster than weeds, and the process of sorting through the slush to choose a public relations company of quality can be a daunting and overwhelming process, to say the least.

This article offers you 5 helpful tips that can hopefully make the journey of choosing a PR Firm or a publicist a little bit easier and more streamlined, so that you can get the most bang for your public relations buck, and actually see a return on your investment.

Five Tips For Choosing The Right PR Firm For You

1. Size - Are you seeking a large corporate PR Firm, a mid-size firm or a small or boutique firm?

The question I pose is not a black and white one. The answer to this question must be determined by several things. Your budget, how much hand holding and personal attention you require, how far you want your public relations outreach to be, and your desire for a team working on your account or for just one or two ambitious publicists working on your account.

Large corporate public relations firms generally charge between $10,000 and $20,000 per month for their basic retainer services, so budget is a huge factor here. To a company like Microsoft or Johnson & Johnson this is a drop in the bucket. But to a small- or medium-sized company, that type of fee is far out of reach.

The benefits of a large national and sometimes international firm is the wide reach your brand can achieve, a large team working on your account, a large pool of other clients who are with that firm from that your company can possibly network with and benefit from.
These large firms generally have a ton of experience on their side. Many of these large PR Firms are 20, 30 or 50-plus years old.

The downside of these large firms aside from the hefty monthly fee is the amount of bureaucracy and red tape involved in the day to day functions of the company, and unfortunately this can often lead to smaller clients falling through the cracks.

Another minus to working with large PR Firms is the lack of personal touch and attention, which is fine for established companies but not as good for start ups, small and medium sized companies who require more nurturing, more brand development and other complimentary services like writing and basic marketing assistance.

Smaller public relations firms tend to offer monthly retainers that can range anywhere from $7000 all the way down to about $2,000 depending on how much overhead that firm has, their level of experience and expertise, their particular public relations niche, their contacts and how much time they plan to devote to your account.

Most PR Firms out there tend to fall into the mid-size, boutique or small category and are also very effective at doing their job.

2. Ignore the Hype and Look at a Public Relations Firm's Portfolio of Work!

I cannot stress this enough. In perusing some colleagues' Web sites recently I was shocked to observe that some of these websites have flashy graphics, catchy promotional copy about their services, and glossy images but NO examples of their media placements, marketing case studies, writing samples... nada!

Where is their work? Don't fall for public relations firms that are all flash and no substance. Always, and I mean always look to see if their website is packed with examples of past projects, past examples of media placements and other examples of work created by the firm. Look over the work that is displayed on their website and when speaking with a representative from that public relations firms ask them to elaborate on their body of work. Some great questions:

What media placements are you most proud of?

How was that media placement achieved by your firm?

What is your firms biggest strength?

Can you tell me some of your contacts in the media?

Can you give me some marketing case studies?

Some public relations case studies?

What sets your firm apart?

3. Make Sure You Are A Match: Assessing Values, Vision And Creativity

The above sentence is pretty self-explanatory but I will elaborate.

This publicist or PR team will be your brand ambassador. You want someone whose values reflect your own values. You also want to be sure that your publicist understands, appreciates and shares your vision for your company or organization.

If a PR Firm wants to pitch your beauty brand as an elite, untouchable, prestige brand and you want your beauty product to speak to the every-woman, showing her how beauty can be accessible to all women, then that publicist may have a vision that is not in line with yours and things will likely go from perplexing to downright tense.

A good trick when speaking to a potential publicist is to ask him or her how they see your product, who they think your audience/demo is and how they envision positioning the product to the media and to potential consumers.

Don't expect them to go into too much detail before really delving into the product line, but they should give you a basic pitch that falls in line with your own vision. If not, move on.

4. Are you in it for Website traffic, magazine placements, TV appearances? What is it you want? Be specific!

Don't be shy about what it is you want. Why are you searching for public relations services in the first place?

Really sit down and think about it. And don't be shy about your needs. Is your main objective to build a strong targeted online following to drive quality traffic to your website and convert visitors into sales? Is your main objective someone who can write outstanding copy for your business like press releases, articles, pitch copy to send to media outlets, etc.? Is your main objective to become something of a personality and expert in your field and to build a resume as someone who makes appearances on television news programs giving advice to promote yourself as a brand and an expert?

Figure out what your goals are and choose a PR Firm that is strong in your area of interest.

5. Location, Location, Location

In the age of email, fax machines, long distance phone plans and inexpensive air travel the location of your public relations firm may not matter to you... or it might.

Do you want lots of face time with your publicist or do you not care if your publicist is in Timbuktu as long as they can get the job done, and get your company press coverage?

Everyone's comfort level with location is different and there is no right or wrong. If you are looking for entertainment public relations you may set your sights on a PR Firm that is in Los Angeles or in New York.

If you are an up-and-coming Internet company you may find value in a San Francisco based PR Firm. Fashion? New York may be the way to go for you. Or you may simply look for a public relations firm with a rolodex of contacts in a particular city or industry, regardless of their brick-and-mortar location.

The Value of Rebranding

By Jane Wong

Ever since Coca-Cola became a global phenomenon more than a century ago, the business community has acknowledged the value of brands.

That's why many businesses request up-to-date appearances and mission statements that better reflect how they serve people.

These days, many well-established companies are hoping to reignite their initial buzz and appeal by rebranding. In addition, many trendy boutique are welcome the idea of rebranding to keep fresh and exciting new look to attract more consumers.

Rebranding gives you the opportunity to reposition your brand but the first thing to consider is a strong vision.

Whether you are are selling products or services, everything comes down to what you can offer to consumers that other company can't or won't offer.

Taking the best methods of your previous branding, business owners can take advantage of their established images in ways that are  beneficial to their new branding direction.

Strategic planning is necessary as well as careful analysis. Specializing your services will help you become an expert and increase your market value.

Part of rebranding means attracting a new target group. This is a natural process of rebranding, but during the period of rebranding, no one will actually how the mass consumer will react.

Therefore, planning is very important and business owners also need to pay attention to consumer feedback. At any moment, business owners need to take action and respond to the requests of their valued customers request.

A good back up plan is also part of the rebranding process. Sometimes, the old customer might not adjust to the new changes and leave.

Although this might only be a short term effect, a good businessman always consider the long-term financial security.

A strong branding image can put you on top of the map. After all, there is no sure way of rebranding, it takes careful planning, stunning images and personal interaction.

Your products or services must speak for itself in order to build trust and provide value to customer to invest on you.