Wii Did It! Bowled Over by Striking Success

The TexanPlus Wii Bowling Championships
by The Vollmer Public Relations Wii Bowling Team

Harris County senior citizens put their game faces on and trekked out to Reliant Center on October 1 for the world’s largest Wii Bowling Sports Tournament.

With “Wiimotes” in hand and an eye for friendly competition, more than 600 competitors bowled toward a Guinness World Record and captured the essence of healthy living.

In all, about 1200 attendees joined TexanPlus, Nifty after Fifty and more than 20 sponsors and exhibitors for the first citywide TexanPlus Wii Bowling Championship. Seniors received elite access to free health screenings, flu shots, healthy living lectures and door prizes, all of which focused their attention on the importance of living and aging well. A second tournament, in the Golden Triangle, attracted nearly 100 senior competitors and 400 other attendees, who bowled and Bingo’ed at Ford Park in Beaumont on October 8.

The record-setting events emphasized the importance of activity and aging and provided access to exciting and innovative ways to get and keep seniors moving, from swinging a Wiimote to testing out Nifty after Fifty equipment specially modified for seniors’ use.

With the help of exceptional clients and vendors, Vollmer staff kick-started the flow of some creative juices to develop this ground-breaking concept, generate awareness of current healthcare issues, and invest in relationship-building in order to garner support from local and national media. The group absolutely raised the bar on event-planning protocol to produce the two tournament successes in the span of just 45 days.

The reviews are in, and an annual affair is in high demand! Universal American anticipates doing this again next year and potentially expanding the program.

Some of the most exciting event coverage came from Headline News and Fit Nation on CNN with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Additional coverage included the front page of Yahoo! News, NPR, USA Today, and live shots and reports from a number of local broadcast stations and newspapers. The stories reached an estimated 13 million people and generated more than one million dollars worth of publicity.

Wherever You Roam, Take the Keys to Great Client Relationships

Joel Frey, Public Relations Manager, Travelocity
Vollmer Public Relations Client and Guest Blogger

Dallas. Houston. El Paso. San Francisco. Indianapolis. New York. No, this isn’t the latest wayward itinerary of our beloved Roaming Gnome. Rather, this is a list of cities where any given member of the Travelocity/Vollmer PR team will be working on a typical business day.

“So how does that work?” you might be thinking. “Surely, they can’t get much accomplished with their team so spread out.”

As someone who has worked on both sides of this equation – three years as a VPR account exec and six as PR manager at Travelocity – I can say, confidently, that it has worked and continues to work well. In fact, the Travelocity/VPR relationship has been going strong now for 14 years, dating back to a time when our brand was little more than a half-baked idea being thrown around the marketing department of our parent company, Sabre Holdings.

So how has our relationship with VPR weathered all of the peaks and valleys of the last 14 years? Undoubtedly, executing award-winning campaigns revolving solely around a lawn ornament and having the flexibility to schedule conference calls with team members spread across all four time zones are major factors. But, from my perspective, there are four bigger reasons why we have kept our relationship intact with VPR since 1995.

Candor -- Several years ago at one of our annual “eyeball” meetings, it was late in the day and we were all getting tired of each other. The conversation was lacking direction, the ideas were falling flat and after a while Helen made her feelings known. “This is bull****, guys!” she blurted out. We were stunned and not sure what to make of her outburst, but looking back on it today, I realize that there probably aren’t too many agency heads who would have the guts to say this to their largest client.

Patience -- This one works both ways. There are times when VPR has had to explain to us that a pitch might not quite be ready for primetime or that it wasn’t that good to begin with and we need to go back to the drawing board. Conversely, we’ve required patience from VPR when a hot product launch that has been in the works for months gets delayed or an executive we had lined up for a series of interviews had to back out at the last minute.

Fun -- As our team has become more spread out, the eyeball meetings have become part business meeting/part family reunion. We recently converged upon Dallas for a day of planning, brainstorming and, well, drinking. The dress code was Hawaiian. I was timekeeper and scheduled the meeting to end promptly at 4:00 to give everyone enough time to visit and catch up over a couple of cocktails before parting ways.

Trust -- I’ll close with what, in my humble opinion, is the most important element of building a long term relationship. For us it means that every day, regardless of the circumstances, when any one of us needs an extra hand, we all know that someone will be there to back us up.

It’s hard to place a value on such peace of mind.

Visit www.joelfrey.com for more information on Joel and his book "Two Sides of a Cypress Wall: The True Story of a Reluctant College Graduate."

Everybody Tweetup!

by Mary Kate Smither
Vollmer Public Relations Dallas

So you’ve built your following, and find yourself tweeting and retweeting more than you ever believed possible. Now you’re wondering: What’s next? How do I take the great following I’ve built and leverage it to create even more brand awareness?

The answer’s simple: a Tweetup. It can offer the same benefits as a more traditional event, yet it specifically targets audiences who participate in and follow you on Twitter. It allows you to create an event around a product, brand launch, non-profit cause, public awareness campaign or virtually any other piece of your business you’d like to promote by gathering people together and allowing them to interact with each other, both in person and virtually.

Recently, Vollmer helped develop the first-ever, progressive Tweetup for leading Scotch whisky, The Macallan, with our partners M. Booth & Associates. The event, held during a designated time at three different venues in Dallas, allowed invited Twitter influencers to tweet their experiences throughout the evening about the brand and each venue’s specialty, The Macallan cocktail. In addition, it allowed followers both nationally and internationally to participate virtually via Twitter. A select group of traditional media, as well as social media influencers, all of whom are active in participating on Twitter, were invited to attend, along with their guests.

Whether you want to invite a select number of Twitter users, such as key media you’re trying to engage, or want to open the event to all of your Twitter followers and their followers, too, creating a successful Tweetup can be easy. Just build the right buzz and make sure everyone is coordinated in the Twitter efforts. Following are a few tips and tricks for pulling off a winning Tweetup:

• Select the Venue(s) – Be sure to choose a venue that fits with the theme of your Tweetup. You may want to have your event at a public park, college campus, local restaurant or shopping area. Make sure to check on any necessary permits for holding the Tweetup in your chosen location.
• Choose Your Attendees – When selecting your attendees, think about the kinds of people you’d like to invite. Are they particularly interested in what you’re trying to promote? Are they traditional media or just considered great influencers on Twitter? Do they have a great following locally? These are just some of the things to consider; you may actually want a combination of various types of people.
• Prepping Your Tweeters – As part of the Tweetup experience, be sure to develop information cards about whatever you’re promoting. The goal of the event is to get participants tweeting about their experience as it relates to your brand, so you want to make sure they can easily access key facts about your brand, product, cause or whatever else you’d like them to tweet about. Additionally, it’s a good idea to provide some basic guidelines on how you’d like them to tweet (no profanity, tweet throughout the event, etc.) The goal is not to stifle people in their tweeting but instead to help give a little direction.

These are just some starting points. For more information on how to choose your attendees, get virtual participants or leverage your Tweetup for traditional media exposure, email me at mailto:marykate@vollmerpr.com,call, call me at 972.488.4790 or follow me on Twitter @mksmither. Let me know your thoughts and what you’d like to read more about in an upcoming Vollocity!

How to Ask for Money Nicely

by Mark Latour
Vollmer Public Relations Houston

The scene is a workhouse in 19th century Britain. The camera focuses in on a group of poor, hungry boys drawing lots. Oliver is the loser. He picks up his bowl, anxiously approaches Mr. Bumble, the parish beadle, and says: “Please sir, I want some more.”

Some people have no trouble asking for what is rightfully theirs, and others are timid to the point of their own detriment. You might believe that talking to your clients about money will cause a mild case of angina, but my goal is to help you overcome your fears so you can ask for what is rightfully yours.

In this article, we are going to discuss how to ask for money nicely.

You come to work every day to earn a paycheck, and you work hard for that money. If your employer failed to issue your paycheck, you probably wouldn’t have any trouble saying: “Excuse me, but I think you forgot something.” Asking your clients to pay their past-due invoices is exactly the same.

Fortunately, I work for a great company that provides an extraordinarily high-quality product to its clients. When an invoice isn’t paid on time, I don’t have any hesitation in asking that our company be paid for its efforts. I’m sure you feel the same way. If you are the person at your firm who has that personal relationship with the client, then it may be your job to help make sure your firm’s invoices are paid in a timely manner.

Because most of our clients enjoy excellent reputations and have the highest level of integrity, the people I generally talk to are respectful and professional. They want to honor their contracts, and I try to make these conversations as painless as possible. In most situations, it can be distilled down to a few quick questions:

1. “Have you received our invoice for the month of (fill in the blank)?” It seems so simple, but clients cannot pay invoices they have never received. In my experience, most past-due accounts are the result of an invoice that went missing, so don’t be afraid to ask. After all, some invoices really do get lost in the mail, some wind up on the wrong person’s desk, and a few get buried under a stack of other things in a person’s inbox. If your clients don’t have a copy of the invoice, fax or email them another copy. Then call back and confirm they have received it.

2. “Do you have any questions or concerns regarding your invoice?” Maybe your client needs more information in order to feel comfortable approving the payment. Now is the time to uncover any obstacle. Address their concerns immediately and get their agreement that they will approve your invoice for payment. (Remember that only “approvals” equal payments.)

3. “Will you do me a favor?” Because your client contact is your friend on the inside, he or she may be in a position to help expedite a past-due invoice. Don’t hesitate to ask. Let your contact know that the folks in your finance department are pressuring you because the invoice is more than 30 days old. Explain that you’d like to tell them when the payment should arrive, and you need your contact’s help in getting an answer. It’s a reasonable question – the same sort of question you’d ask if your paycheck were unexpectedly late.

This three-step process is quick, non-confrontational and professional. The questions are very specific, and they generally achieve excellent results. When it is time to ask for money on behalf of your company, don’t hesitate to say: “More, please.”

What I Learned from College Admissions

by Julia Weede
Vollmer Public Relations New York City

Recently Sue Schellenbarger, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, retook the SAT on a dare from her high-school aged son. She wrote about the eye-opening experience , and how it gave her a new appreciation for him and for the rigors that kids endure as they prepare for their next step in life (“I Took the SAT Again After 41 Years,” May 27, 2009). She said the stress instantly sent her “back into a tailspin of adolescent regression and procrastination.”

My first reaction? Not for a million bucks. Funny how the whole college application experience follows you for the rest of your life.

But it got me thinking. There is probably not an adult alive who would willingly relive that first college search. But there are some pretty great life and career lessons you can take from it even if you have left the halls of your alma mater.

I live in an education household. My husband is the “enrollment guy” at Butler University, and I spent years in college admissions. So I posed the question during a long car ride. If selecting the right college is such a big deal, what are some lasting truths you can learn from the whole process?

Here’s what we came up with:

• You can do this. Whether it is finding a college, getting a first mortgage, or launching a brand, you’re rarely the first to face an overwhelming process. Find someone who knows the path. Jump in and ask questions.
• Hard work matters. It shows.
• So does following your passion. Choosing a major, career or business opportunity based solely on money, or someone else’s expectations, usually backfires.
• Grammar matters. Texting friends is fun, but important decisions are made based on how well you communicate big ideas. Pay attention to the craft of communicating.
• Be open to opportunities. Focus is good, but don't walk past the road less traveled. You don’t have to go where everyone else is going. If you are open to unexpected options, you'll be surprised by life.
• Be nice. It matters and people notice.
• Fit is important. If you are facing a difficult choice and quality is comparable, go with the people you like.
• Don't let cost be the only deciding factor. You usually get what you pay for. Go for the best you can afford to give you what you need most.
• Give back. If you went to school on a scholarship, it’s probably because someone donated the money. When you can, throw the rope back to the next generation.
• Breathe. Even if you are afraid of making a decision, remember your future includes great things you can’t imagine and options that haven’t been invented yet.

So just do the very best you can today. It’ll all work out. Really!

Smelling Memories

By Helen Vollmer
CEO, Vollmer Public Relations

Over appetizers accompanied by a really good Manhattan with my husband a few days ago, we started talking about what brought us around to who we are at our core beings.  Strangely enough, we came around to how incredibly important the smells and their associated memories are in taking us back to a place that is forever etched in time.

For me, it’s the smells of incense, disinfectant and leftover No. 2 pencil shavings that every Catholic school in America still smells like.  Likewise, the smell of summer is that of melting asphalt on a hot Texas August day.  To this day, I can walk into any lighting shop and once again the perfume of burnt out filaments tells me that I am safe in my family’s electrical contracting shop.

On the other hand, my husband Allen immediately said it’s the smell of a first class cabin on an airplane where coffee is getting freshly brewed that reminds him of who he is and from where he’s come.  No surprise, as his father was one of the guys who negotiated TWA’s worldwide routes in its heydays— he’s the only 50 something I know who actually traveled around the world on an airplane in the ‘60s ( that’s another story).

A few years ago, we were representing a national Assisted Living chain and I commented on how wonderful it smelled inside the front door.  “We either bake chocolate chip cookies or pop corn every day on purpose,” my client said, “to invoke familiar, comforting smells of home.”  He went on to say that research shows that our sense of smell is the last sense to leave us.

Take a moment to conjure the smells that are intrinsically a big part of who you are. The trip down memory lane is worth the time.  You may surprise yourself at what surfaces as you get a better grip on what made an indelible impact along the way.

Gotta run—have to go bake some pineapple cookies . . . we always knew when mom had a good day if the bits of fruit combined with nutmeg were wafting through the house after school was out!

How to Introduce a Speaker

by Tony Shelton, Shelton & Caudle Communication Training &Crisis Counsel, a division of Vollmer Public Relations

Too many introductions run too long.

They recount faithfully the speaker's degrees, job history and seemingly every award she has won since second grade.  Rather than get the audience's attention and convince them that something good is coming their way, such introductions cause the audience to tune out.  That can give even the best speaker a handicap from the start.

An effective intro, on the other hand, gets our attention and whets our appetite for the speaker's words.  The best intro:

• Is less than two minutes long
• Gives just enough examples of credentials (2-3, no more) so audience members can decide the speaker probably knows what she or he is talking about
• Connects the speaker to the "introducer," to the occasion, the location and the audience members and organization in some meaningful way
• Includes a lighthearted reference to the speaker's humanity and passion for the subject matter.
• Say the person's name, initiate the applause and sit down.

Dayna Steele, a motivational business speaker (and occasional media trainer for Shelton & Caudle), has a good example of an intro she provides to meeting planners:

Our speaker is the author of Rock to The Top:  What I Learned About Success From The World’s Greatest Rock Stars.  She reigned for years as Houston’s First Lady of Radio, creating an army of fans known as Steeleworkers and her radio broadcasts have taken her to concerts and interviews with countless bands and rock stars around the world. She is also the creator of Smart Girls Rock and was named one of the “35 People Who Inspire Us” by Reader’s Digest.  Ladies and gentleman, please welcome Dayna Steele.

At that point, all the introducer should do is sit down and enjoy the show!

Capitalizing on a Brand

by Helen Vollmer, CEO Vollmer Public Relations

In Tuesday’s New York Times, writer Stuart Elliott notes that many of the big mealtime packaged foods companies that we all knew in the Mad Men days have made a branding comeback. Seems that the Kellogg’s, Kraft’s and Jif’s of the world are sustaining, and in some cases, increasing their advertising buys. All I can say is hooray!

As someone who cut their teeth working on brands like Coca-Cola, Kinney Shoes, Pentel Pens and Borden’s, the fact that Americans are going back to basics and actually spending time at home and cooking in their own kitchens is really pretty wonderful. Of course, the foodie in me felt gut punched on learning of Gourmet’s demise, so clearly all is not well in the land of Madison Avenue media spends.

With that said, as these brands come back to life and into the mainstream, who wants to bet that we’ll be seeing more of them via mobile phone promotions, YouTube, and at tailgate sampling events? Oh yes, and on blogs like this one that celebrate how PR initiatives have always been and continue to be a cornerstone of brand building. Anyone want a Swanson TV dinner topped with a Betty Crocker cupcake for dinner?