I am not a mother myself, so I usually do not pay much attention to media stories about baby toys, bottles or diapers. But this month, one story about Procter & Gamble’s Pampers brand caught my attention. Using the power of social media to communicate their frustrations, angry mothers were using a Facebook [...]

The shift in corporate management and spending over the last 18 months has created a domino effect that has impacted advertising and marketing departments, shrinking their budgets and shifting the way they approach projects.
Last month companies dropped millions of dollars on Super Bowl ads with fingers crossed their creation would be one buzzed about [...]

“Change is the only constant in life.” –Benjamin Franklin
Change in how we communicate is certainly a constant in our life today. How are you and your organization adapting to that change? Are you taking advantage of the ways to more efficiently communicate with your employees or with your customers?
The Vandiver Group has [...]

What does social media mean for employees? Paul Van Klaveren, Director of Branding and Social Media at TVG, addressed this topic in his recent presentation at Webster University titled: Engaging Your Employees: Web 2.0. Below is a quick summary of the presentation.
Even if your organization isn’t formally using social media to communicate, you [...]

Last month I attended the World-of-Mouth Marketing Association’s conference, WOMM-U. I joined other marketing and communications enthusiasts to collaborate on social media and hear about some great campaigns from Disney, Texas Instruments, WalMart and many more. We also heard from YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and other key social media platforms. Overall, it was [...]

An excellent example of the power of PR to follow advertising and marketing efforts can be found in the February 9, 2009 issue of the Wall Street Journal. Yes. I said it. The Wall Street Journal. And it is a crystal clear demonstration of the power of staying on YOUR message [...]

One of the events most affecting the people of St. Louis in 2008 was the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by InBev. It’s too early to know exactly what the impact on the region will be, but we can expect it to be somewhere between significant and profound.*
I was a video producer/project manager in a creative subsidiary [...]

In the communications world technologies, mediums and norms are constantly in flux, therefore it is essential for PR professionals to continuously be learning about their industry. Recently, staff members stepped away from their normal morning activities to attend TVG-U (University), a continuing professional development session that was led by Executive Vice President Kelly Ferrara and [...]

It’s a given – we all communicate visually. We’ve moved from a text-based society to one where we take direction, find meaning and get information from pictures. The visual part of a brand is the key element in presenting the personality and value of your organization.
It all starts with your logo – a simple shape [...]

A strong brand is a priceless commodity for any organization, but it can be a difficult asset to fully understand and develop.
It is vital to first understand your company and its goals in order to build a successful brand which achieves authenticity and consistency in message—a look and tone for every interaction with your audience, [...]