International Women's Day

by Meredith

March 8 of every year is International Women's Day.  In different regions of the world celebrations range from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements.

{Poster for Women's Day, March 8 1914}

Domino's Posts Customer Reviews on Times Square Billboard

Domino's Pizza is taking transparency to a new level. The nation's largest pizza chain started letting customers post reviews on a Times Square billboard last week, perhaps the most public venue imaginable. Customers who order food using Domino's online Pizza Tracker app can broadcast their opinions on the glowing sign at 44th and Broadway in New York. Unless they're profane or irrelevant. The most interesting part about this campaign is that no comments will be excluded, no matter how negative.

The Times Square ad will run for two hours and 54 minutes per day and show comments at a rate of four per minute. The risky gambit is the latest step in a public reinvention campaign that started at the end of 2009, when Domino's acknowledged its bad reviews and set about changing its pizza recipe.

This move shows tremendous confidence. Domino's learned the hard way how social media can influence public opinion of a brand, when video of its employees abusing customers' food went viral. It will be an interesting case study to see how this goes!

Negative Doesn't Always Mean Negative

PR buzz is not always perfect. As a PR pro, you know that you can do a lot of work, but still need a little bit of luck.

When you work with reporters, you do not have full control of what gets shared; even if YOUR prep work is spotless. You may have created great keywords and statements that can get misdirected, or your product may be poorly reviewed. It's really out of your hands. However, bad news is not ALWAYS bad. It's still news, right?

Currently, I work with a client that is very unique and has gained success with a niche market. They are trying public relations for the first time ever and getting a lot of buzz. However, the mainstream market does not particularly love the product and are willing to say it. My client knows and even says they are not a brand for everyone, but he still gets nervous after reading a negative review or hearing a negative comment. Nonetheless - they are getting ALOT of publicity. One review did come back negative, but they still placed a large photo in the review and said where someone could buy the item. This is what counts.

Again, in a situation when a reporter does give you negative feedback - don't be surprised. This can happen! I was reading about a similar situation where a brand received negative PR after reporters tried the product and didn't enjoy it. The company came out making a statement that said too many went way too far with reviews and said they wouldn't release any more items to be tried until further notice. This is a poor move and never do this. PR works symbolically with media - they need each other. So, if you think something, don't way something. You don't want the reporters on your bad side even more.

Lady Gaga's Marketing Mania

Lady Gaga is all over the place - from her music to signing million dollar marketing campaigns. This month she signed deals with some very successful companies - both Google and Starbucks. That makes her a must see where she'll be next kind of gal.

Maybe it's just that Google and Gaga run of the tongue easily. She just signed a 10 million dollar partnership with Google Chrome to be the "face" of the new laptop line coming out this summer starting June 15. Gaga is already the star of the Google Chrome web browser commercial. Watch the video here.

Also, starting this month, the world's largest coffee shop chain will partner with the megastar for a large-scale online promotional campaign. The plan is to have Lady Gaga will engage with fans in a scavenger hunt across Starbucks' numerous digital proprieties, such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. The campaign will run through June 3, and coincides with the release of Gaga's new album, "Born This Way." Scavenger hunt participants can collect prizes, stream the new album, download new songs and watch exclusive videos from the in-store digital networks. Another brilliant PR campaign both both businesses.

So, what's with everyone wanting to be tied to her? The fact is Lady Gaga is possibly the most in-demand artist currently worldwide. This is for several reasons: She's got an army of fans, she knows how to attract attention, She's reportedly engaged in the deals that carry her name, and she's not shy about working with anyone. Another reason, her label-Interscope-shares in the revenue gained from such partnerships through a 360 deal with Lady Gaga. This makes perfect sense as to why everyone wants a piece of her. Don't be surprised to see her popping up a lot more throughout 2011.

10 Items Well Known Just Because of their Brand Name

It's the pinnacle of branding. Your brand's name replaces the actual name of the product. It's crazy cool if you can get your brand to this level.

Dumptster: The actual name is front loader waste container or mobile garbage bin. The name dumpster was first used in 1936, by the Dempster Brothers, who patented this style of trash container one year later.

ChapStick: It's called lip balm. You probably knew that, but did you know it was invented in the 1880s by a doctor and pharmacologist in Virginia? Dr. Charles Browne Fleet sold the rights to the lip balm for $5. Today, Pfizer owns the brand.

Hula Hoop: Humans have probably been using some form of the toy hoop-as it's known generically-for centuries, maybe millennia. But, the Hula Hoop came about in the 1950s, when Wham-O toy company introduced the plastic hoop we known today and trademarked the term Hula Hoop. You know, for kids.

Band Aid: The adhesive bandage was invented in 1920 by Earle Dickinson, an employee of Johnson and Johnson. He created it because his wife frequently cut and burned herself while cooking. What a progressive guy.

Kleenex: Facial tissue is the generic name, and legend has it that the product was created by Kimberly-Clarke Corp. for use in gas masks during World War I. Kimberly-Clarke invented the facial tissue as it's known today in 1924. Gesundheit.

Onesies: It's called an infant body suit-sounds so '80s - but the brand Onesies, owner by Gerber Childrenswear, has become the common name for it. Aww...

Post-It: The corporation 3M invented the Post-It note in 1968, but the product's generic name is sticky note, repositional note. How's that for jargon?

Wite-Out: The generic name is correction fluid, and it was invented in the 1960s by insurance company clerk George Kloosterhouse, who enlisted the help of his friend Edwin Johanknecht. They trademarked the term Wite-Out in 1974

Styrofoam: This might have the most convoluted generic name - extruded polystyrene foam. In 1941, researchers at Dow Chemical "rediscovered" a method used by Swedish inventor to create foam polystyrene. Dow Chemical owns the trademark today.

Frisbee: That flying object that you're dodging at the beach is actually called flying disc. Frisbee is a registered trademark of the Wham-O toy company - which you may remember from such popular toys as the Hula Hoop. Until 1958, Frisbie Baking Co. of Bridgeport, Conn., made pies, among other products. The pie tins - once relieved of crust and filling - proved aerodynamic, and New England college students began tossing and catching them. Many colleges have claimed to be home of "he who was first to fling."

Want to see more products known by their brand names? BuzzFeed has named 32.

What Good Public Relations Cannot Do

Often I've heard about some one's bad experience with a PR firm that has spiraled into a strong dislike for PR people. It's painful to hear criticisms and generalizations about my business, but I can't resist jumping in to diagnose the problem myself. My feeling is that 95% of client-agency problems comes down to one thing: expectations. On both sides. Expectations for publicity outcomes, service levels and overall return-on-investment are not always articulated during the courtship, or even the negotiation phase of the relationship. However, many times clients have circled back later usually causing misunderstanding and disappointment. This has caused me to think about a few things that event the best PR programs cannot accomplish:

Replace a sales and marketing campaign. PR is actually a very unreliable tool when it comes to driving sales of a product or service. Yes, a strong publicity placement can make the phone ring, but a PR campaign more typically works to drive brand visibility and favorability over time. It's just not a demand generation tool.

Serve as as cheap or "free" advertising. A good way to look at the difference is like this, use advertising for frequency, but PR for depth. Altogether a good, social PR campaign usually has increased visibility as a long-term goal, it's very difficult to achieve an ad-like level of control and frequency with earned coverage.

Overcome a bad product or customer service. PR can help repair customer relations after a service interruption or problem, but unhappy consumers will always share their feelings, and social media is a powerful megaphone. What's more typical PR tactics like implied endorsement from third-party expert or celebrity can actually make matters worse if there's too great a contrast between the PR and the reality.

Make you famous. PR can help you build a brand or personal reputation, and raise your profile in professional circles, but it won't make you an overnight celebrity.

Cure a crisis. Most situations we term "PR crises" result from poor business practices, not faulty communications. Yes, a good crisis program will help you prepare for a problem or issue, and sound communications handling can mitigate its effects, but PR can do little in the face of unethical or shortsighted actions.

In Public Relations, Looks Aren't Everything (But They Sure Can Help)

Many movies hing on a simple wardrobe change as a transformation experience for a character. From My Fair Lady to The Devil Wears Prada, pop culture points to the impact of appearance. Public relations is an image business and how you look is as much your calling card as the one in your wallet.

Everything about how you look, your haircut to your shoe choice, speaks volumes about who you are and where you're going, whether you are consciously trying to communicate that or not. Usually, the safest way to dress is to stick with simple, understated clothing. Men should invest in a gray or black, light wool, two-button suit. For women, keep color, accessories and skin to a minimum. Basic shapes such as a wrap dress or a tie-neck blouse paired with a pencil skirt are sure to impress. Otherwise, a black suit is safe and professional way to dress for your business meeting. It doesn't have to be an exact match- there is no reason why you can't buy a nice blazer and wear it with a pair of chic pants that you already have in your closet. When in doubt, guys (if not on a job interview or uber-formal setting) should wear dressy khaki pants, a blue, crisp, button-down shirt and a good-looking tie. Bring a navy blazer. You can always ditch it at the last minute if no one else is sporting one.

Start by shopping your closet. Buy the basics and then add affordable, amazing pieces to mix in match with. There are tons of affordable choices ranging from online flash sale sites to designed collaborations with big box retailers including pick up some basic wardrobe building blocks. Consignment stops are great for accessories too. A good handbag can make a powerful punch in the style department.

In PR, looking the part is key to being able to communicate effectively to your audience. Consider your client, their expectations, the setting of the meeting and the purpose. This even matters when you're looking for a job. During an interview, you're evaluated not only for what you have to say, but what you're wearing.

Whether you are trying to land a job somewhere full time or freelancing, remember that companies will hire and promote people who help put their best foot forward in every scenario. No matter what you're doing, you are, in essence, the face of the company, so it's vital to pay attention to your style.

Earn Like a CEO

With only a handful of women in top corporate jobs, and even fewer among the highest earners, what is it that these women leaders are doing that the rest of us can do, too? The road to the top is never simple, but all the women who have made it share one common characteristic: drive. So, what's the leadership style that got them there?

Sixteen women CEOs earned $14.2 million - 42 percent more than their male counterparts' average in 2009.

"You just have to keep asking questions," said Carol Bartz, chief executive of Yahoo! in a recent interview. "Why do I have to be the know-it-all? I'm not that smart. But, I'm smart enough to just keep asking questions and say, is that the best you can do? Does that excite you? Will that excite the customer? Does this really have to work this way?

Here, other female directors share their success secrets:

Know your product, but more importantly, know your market. Kraft CEO Irene Rosenfeld reconstructed the iconic Oreo cookie into a wafer that Chinese consumers love.

Build a strong support base of employees who keep you motivated, advises Indra Nooyi, president of Pepsi Co. Nooyi says she considers those at work members of her extended family

Finally, to reach your highest earning potential, communicate with those at all levels of the company. Establishing relationships is crucial to mobility, notes Patricia Woertz, head of Archer Daniels Midland Company.

Lastly, when planning your financial future, experts say you should expected the unexpected.

"The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity." Ayn Rand

Human Billboard Show Signs of Success for Some

Imagine this: you're driving down the street by a strip mall, look over at the corner while waiting for the stop light and find a person dressed up in a statue of liberty costume for the tax service business or holding a sign for a deal to a pizza place, car shop or hair salon. Think for a moment about this work ad: "Employee needed to work outside. Smiling and waving required. Dancing encouraged. Bring your headset." I've been seeing more of this type of advertising happening and it's got me to thinking about whether or not this advertising actually works?

Companies seem to be pulling out all bells and whistles to attract business. Many are trying new marketing such as doing social networking on Facebook and Twitter and coupon sites such as Groupon, but some have gone back to their roots and are bringing back old-fashioned methods.

The human billboards are a variation on an old marketing strategy, the sandwich board. What you're truly looking at though is an inexpensive outdoor ad. Businesses that sell luxury items such as jewelry have had a hard time these past two years. Some have moved to smaller locations where city ordinances wouldn't allow them to put a sign in the window. Instead, some of them have taken to the streets, dressing someone up in 'loud' clothing and holding a sign on a busy street. Other small businesses such as hair salons have reported that when they hire someone to dress up as a large pair of scissors and hold a sign on a busy street their business more than doubles.

But, then if this advertising works, why isn't everyone doing it? It really depends on who they hire. The person standing still, looking at the ground doesn't attract the attention someone jumping, smiling and laughing does. The second type of person pulls outsiders in. However, the 'waver' needs to be brand appropriate.

Research says that generally the concept works best for a spontaneous purchase, such as an oil change or a pizza. Some pizza places have someone stand outside from 4 to 7 holding a sign. It's perfect because those people tired, hungry and heading home from work see it. Most of the human signgs must try to have fun on the job, so it works best for a business with a sense of humor. Tax services don't usually elicit a lot of yuks, but Liberty Tax Service is trying to change that. Every tax season, from mid-January to mid-April, at least one employee from its 39 Minnesota locations is dancing near a busy intersection, drumming up business dressed as the Statue of Liberty.

The company employs wavers, an official title, in the coldest season of the year. Fortunately the costumes are baggy and can hide a coat underneath. It also helps that Liberty employees are encouraged to bring headphones. The wavers are a big part of Liberty's business model and auditions are held after applications watch videos of the company's favorite wavers. Prospects get suggestions such as saluting police officers who drive past and arm-pumping to get truck drivers to honk. But, does this actually make people choose a tax preparer because someone was in fun costume and waved at them? Liberty says that it helps potential customers who are nervous about filling out their tax forms feel more relaxed about the process.

So, what your probably wondering is who is the right person for this type of job? Old class clowns maybe? Turnover is high in these jobs, the pay is usually minimum-wage, and most wavers don't get commissions, despite the uptick in sales. Doesn't sound very good does it? On the other side, breaks are frequent and shifts rarely last more than four hours.

Social Media Use at the Workplace

Local companies are shutting down Facebook access for employees because it's believed they are spending too much time connecting with friends than doing work. The ban of Facebook, along with other social networking sites, is taking affect at TCF Bank and law firm Fredrikson & Byron. No more will employees be able to share news, information or pictures online while a work.

As Facebook reaches 500 million uses, the website has become a conundrum for employers. The behemoth of social media offers and intriguing way to make business connections, but it can also be a major distraction. On recent survey by Network Box found that employees click on Facebook at work more than any other website, including Google.

Google "Facebook at work" and you'll turn up more than 1.2 billion hits. This just shows what a hot-button issue this is. Further, as other social networking sites come about, such as Twitter and LinkedIn, employers are re-evaluating how to manage social media at the workplace.

Some employers are completely open to the likes of Facebook and Twitter and even encourage their use. Others are using the social network strategically to recruit employees, market their brand and serve customers. A third group is trying to figure out what are appropriate interactions on Facebook in the workplace.

Some employers debate whether or not to create guidelines to using social networking sites at work rather than ban it all together. However, debaters on the topic agree it needs to be all or nothing.

Other companies actually greet the use of social media at work, such as Campbell Mithun. There, Facebook and social media networking are greatly encouraged. The idea is that it helps employees understand the engagement on brands they represent, gain firsthand knowledge of the dynamics of these markets and overall understand consumer needs better.

Some workplace development experts believe that the decision comes right down to what kind of environment you want to create, and that the social media debate is the exact same debate businesses had over email at work a decade ago and personal telephone calls at work two decades ago. The question that needs to be asked is, do you want to create a climate of trust and empowerment or do you want to create a climate of distrust, monitoring and control?

I believe that just because companies have the authority to block social media doesn't mean they should.

More Women Bring in the Big Bucks

It was recently reported that nationwide the number of women with six-figure incomes is rising at a much faster pace than for men.

About one in 18 women who work full-time earned $100,000 or more in 2009. This is a jump of 14 percent over two years ago according to the recent census results. In contrast, one in seven men made that much, up just four percent.

The swelling ranks of well-paid women workers are largely attributable to almost three decades of growth in the umber of women with the academic credentials to land good jobs. Women now outnumber men at almost every level of higher education, which three women attending college and graduate school for every two men. They get more master's degrees and more PhDs. Most law school students are women, as are almost half of all medical students.

However, women's advocates and groups representing professional women cautioned that a wage gap between the sexes remains stubbornly persistent and women are sparsely represented at the upper echelons of business. Just three percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.

The gains that women continue to make in the workplace have come amid the worst recession in decades - a downturn that has been particularly harsh for men. Median pay and hours worked fell twice as much for men as for women. The share of workers earning $50,000 and up was flat for men but rose by five percent for women.

Those figures represent an economy in which manufacturing and construction, with more male workers than women, id declining while jobs requiring the higher education at which women excel have increased

The full-time workforce remains predominantly male, with 56 million men and 42 million women. Only a relatively small segment of either sex has passed the $100,000 benchmark - about 2.4 million working women and 7. million men earn that much. But, some analysts believe that the gap between men and women who are earning more than $100.000 will narrow further, at least for one group.

A report earlier this year from a consumer marketing firm found that unmarried women in their 20s who are childless and work in cities have caught up with or are ahead of young men living in all but a handful of the nation's largest metropolitan regions.

Blockbuster Files for Bankruptcy Protection

The movie rental business has changed drastically in the past few years. Before, if you wanted to rent a movie Friday night all you had to turn to was your neighborhood movie rental shop. Now the business has expanded with Red Box, where you can rent new releases and old classics for just a buck a day, and Netflix, where you don't even need to leave your home to get a new movie. These players have strongly increased the competition making it hard for mom and pop shops, little alone big movie rental stores like Blockbuster to compete in the market. Recently, the previous movie-rental powerhouse, filed for bankruptcy protection and said it plans to keep stores and kiosks open as it reorganizes.

To compete with the new companies gaining popularity, Blockbuster did make some changes. The company ended late fees and started online and kiosk services of its own. However, it was still unable to keep its debt in check.

Blockbuster's future plans include closing hundreds of stores and continuing it's DVD vending kiosks, by-mail and digital business. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn will help steer the latest efforts to save Blockbuster, reviving a role he played long ago in trying to shape up the company. He has trusted himself into positioning the power of the company and this by time snapping up about one-third of Blockbuster's highest-priority debt. In it's filing it had about $1 billion in assets and $1.46 billion in debt.

Three Reasons to Hire a PR Firm

I've had experience from both the client and agency side of business, and I know what a good public relations firm can do. Here are the reasons I believe companies, especially small companies, should hire an outside public relations firm to do the dirty work.

You don't have time to do PR. You can't just turn off your public relations for a period of time. Just like other functions of the business, it's something you need to keep up. PR is something you need to plan and execute. Just like SEO, the more effort you put into your public relations plan, the more you'll get out off it.
To maximize a launch. Public relations is much more than just writing a press release and putting it over a wire service. If you hire a firm, you'll have a partner to help maximize your media relations, social media, events, award opportunities, etc. However, again PR is not something you can just turn off. One of the worst PR incidents is when a company does a huge launch and a lot of PR for a short time and then stops completely. Again, your public relations efforts need to stay consistent.
To revitalize a product or service. Good PR agencies know how to look at a product, service or company and see something new, something buzzworthy. PR firms can take something you think may be losing it's jive in the market and give it new legs. One thing to note though is even the best PR firm can't save a dieing product. Remember to be honest with your agency and tell them of the product or services successes and failures.

Bonus Tip:

You are in a crowded market. Small businesses trying to complete in a busy, hectic market may find a PR firm more useful. A good PR firm will create a strategy that focuses on your company's strengths and differentiators that make you stand out. Often agencies can break through all of the noise in the market and reach those you want to hear about your offerings.

How Much Does Freelance Writing Pay?

If you're thinking about becoming a freelance writer, I think you'll find this information interesting.

I'm thinking about offering up my services as a freelance writer for websites and social media sites. This got me to thinking about how much I should charge. I have a creative communications and journalism background and have experience working in public relations and marketing. I believe I can be considered to have been a writer about two years, although I think I've been a writer most of my life.

After doing some research, I found that the answer to this question varies.

• You can charge by the hour, just a flat rate. A nice starting rate for this is $12 an hour. This is actually a really good rate.
• You can charge a paragraph rate. This can become somewhat lucrative, unless there's a limit to how many times you can write/post. A good starting rate for this is about $5 a paragraph.
• You can charge per word. If you want to charge this way, an average pay is about .01 per word, sometimes a bit better. However, some places only pay .005 per word. If you're a fast writer you can make a decent amount this way. This rate can go up as you work longer.

If you're or have been a freelance writer, please offer up your advice or how you've been compensated in the past. Let us know how it has worked for you.

Can You Use a Trademarked Logo Without Permission? State Fair Asks for Logo to be Removed from Bachmann TV Ad

During Minnesota State Fair time, if you were watching TV, you may have seen the Michelle Bachmann ad criticizing Tarryl Clark for 'raising taxes on a variety of State Fair goodies.' The ad was criticized for not only slander, but for showing the Minnesota State Fair logo twice during the chimerical.

"I know, I know, it's State Fair time and you don't want to hear about politics," says Jim "The Election Guy," a character in Bachmann's TV ads. "But while you're at the fair, you should know Tarryl Clark here voted to raise taxes on your corn dog. And your deep fried bacon. And your beer."

While Clark did vote 'yes' on a bill that would increase taxes on liquor sales, Bachmann's claims about corn dog and bacon taxes are a bit misleading. Her campaign says Clark favored a transportation bill that included a metro sales tax hike, which affects corn dogs and bacon but does not specifically target those things.

The State Fair was upset because their logo appeared twice in the TV ad and Fair officials asked the image to be removed. "The State Fair does not endorse any candidate running for political office," said a State Fair official.

Bachmann's campaign said that although they believed they have legal right to keep the image in the ad, they would switch it out for a generic one "out of good faith."

This got me to thinking, what is the proper usage for logos? I think of this issue as almost like a product placement the State Fair did not ask for. The American Advertising Federation (AAF) believes product placement is a good way to advertise, but says it is when everyone benefits from it: the placement source, the company being promoted and the consumer. Also, it is alright if the placement is disclosed in some way. Also, product placement is always agreed upon by both parties involved. That is the issue here. It may not be illegal, but if you're not going to ask for usage permission, don't complain when the party in question doesn't like it and asks to be removed from the situation. I think the Bachmann campaign should be lucky they didn't get into more trouble.

For more questions and answers regarding ad usage, look to the AAF's website here.

Better Work Environment = Better Employee Satisfaction

An employee's work environment plays a LARGE role in employee satisfaction. If going to work included casual dress, flexible hours, bringing your pet and playing video games while gathering for drinks and snacks on Friday afternoons, would you mind coming to work five days a week? I don't think so.

Of course there is a difference between professional time and playtime, but I think a company should provide perks when possible. The more you consider your employees feelings and wants, the better work they'll do for you and your cause. Makes sense, but the word 'fun' is often forgotten by management.

When a company creates an environment where employees want to hang out, they will work longer hours and will produce better results. A happy, engaged employee = better work turnaround.

If you're in management, think about how you can implement fun into your workplace. Start by considering your company's mission and see if your mission to customers also considers your employees. If it doesn't you have a problem. If you start to stream your mission throughout the workplace, the more your employees will 'live' your brand and mission. Further, the more they will 'enjoy' being at work and doing their work.

Check out the places that have gotten it right by looking the Best Places to Work for 2010 released by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

Use Facebook Ads to Make Employers Hunt You Down

If you pay attention to the news, you may think that anyone looking for a job should immediately cancel his or her Facebook account and never sign up again. Headlines read: Bank Intern Busted by Facebook, Employers Look to Facebook Too and Employers Snoop on Facebook. There's rarely anything new in the stories, but somehow they continue to pop up. More and more companies are using Facebook as a recruiting tool, but for the most part any press that has included the words "employer" and "Facebook" has been negative. Not anymore.

When you sign on your Facebook account, you may notice an ad on the right side of the screen. Facebook allows you to target your ads very specifically. More than ever, employers are trying to leverage Facebook to find great entry-level talent, but not many are doing a good job.

An organization called One Day, One Job came up with an idea, what if you reverse the role and have the employee target the company her or she wants to work for with Facebook ads? Basically, they wanted college grads to create an ad for themselves. The goal was to sell yourself with a picture and a few short sentences which would convince any recruiter seeing their ad to click through to their resume, web page, contact information, etc. Most importantly they needed a target. This target would be based keywords, location or company. Targeting by the company is the most likely to succeed, because they could guarantee that they would actually reach people who work at companies that might consider hiring them. How they target would depend on what kinds of jobs they were looking for. Yes, this process does cost some money, but overall when looking at its success rate, it's pretty cheap.

To learn more about this idea and how to set up your own Facebook ad click here.

Would you Brand Yourself with your Company Logo?

Most companies prefer staffers to not have any tattoos visible, but at some work places tattoos are being used for branding purposes.

At Anytime Fitness, one employee got the health club chain's purple running man logo tattooed on her upper left arm. She is just one of the more than 200 other employees among the company's nearly 1,300 clubs worldwide who have undergone the needle in the name of Anytime enthusiasm over the past several years. At least 20 of them work at the headquarters in Hastings, Minnesota.

"We bleed purple here at corporate," said CEO Chuck Runyon.

Many times at annual conferences, a tattoo artist is on hand to oblige employees who are feeling particularly dedicated.

While it's common for businesses to hand out temporary tattoos of their logos, this is taking products branding to a very personal, and some may extreme, level.

Starbucks Expands its Seattle's Best Brand to Compete

Starbucks is revamping its Seattle's Best brand by expanding its availability through franchises and a big expansion at other retailers.

The coffee giant is facing increased competition as lower-priced rivals such as: some gas stations like Holiday or Super America and restaurant McDonald's, have copied fancy coffee shop coffees Starbucks made popular, and have priced them significantly lower.

Starbucks just announced that it will increase its availability of Seattle's Best Coffee in 300 AMC Theaters nationwide beginning in July. Seattle's Best will also be offered in Burger Kings across the country by September.

You may have already seen other companies serving Seattle's Best, including Alaska Airlines, Borders bookstores and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

Starbucks and Seattle's Best have been a pair since in 2003.

I think this is a good idea for Starbucks. It would be hard for the Starbucks brand to compete against a company McDonald's, since it would require them to completely change their brand identity to meet those consumers who are buying coffee based on cheaper price. Actually, it would probably hurt Starbucks more if they did do this. However, I believe the Seattle's Best brand can be taken anywhere and can compete against the cheaper priced rivals in the coffee market.

Public Relations vs. Publicity

There are two words that surround the industry of public relations that do not do it justice, spin and publicity. Public relations is neither of these things.

Many times consumers think that public relations reps will 'spin' information in order to make their client's information newsworthy or interesting. However, if you are a good PR person you will never tell something that is untrue.

Publicity does not always mean positive media exposure, it just means media exposure. True public relations professionals will create a positive and honest reputation for their client in their market. However, if a company receives one-time positive media exposure the benefits will not last forever.

So, what you should remember about good public relations professionals? They should always be looking for proactive ways to reach out and keep ongoing PR. They should make sure to always build long lasting mutually beneficial relationships between their clients and its target public. They will know their public and understand how to meet their needs and lastly create a dialogue that best reaches them.