Jon's 1.5 is dead. It was time. It's not like I was running out of things to say but the original reason for the blog and the number of voices needed to tell that continuing story has evolved. A lot has happened in the world of PR, social and digital in the three years of Jon's 1.5 and a lot has happened at Hodges during that time. The initial journal that the blog was started to chronicle is over. Think of the difference as the…
Read MoreWe at The Hodges Partnership have been developing a luxury practice over the last couple years. As with most things, the perception of luxury depends on the lens used. I wanted to take a moment and discuss what luxury means to us and why we are so passionate for this sector. If you turn to the dictionary, you will find definitions of abundance, extravagance and the enjoyment of pleasures or comforts that are not absolutely necessary. Some equate luxury with items bearing exorbitant price tags. Others…
Read MoreAs a public service (as promised) and also because we're really swell, here's the official Hodges Digital "cheatsheet" for Facebook Timeline for Brands. This six-page PDF gives you more than enough information to be "dangerous" as you navigate next week's official change to Timeline. It includes advice, shortcuts and key points that everyone should know. Click here to download the HDS Timeline Cheatsheet Please feel free to download, share, spread the gospel, etc.
Read MoreDon't be nervous. Change is good. That should be the Facebook brand statement. Just when you get used to things, the mother of all social media platforms changes things up. No change in recent history has given more marketing folks heartburn as the coming change of Facebook Brands Pages to the Facebook Timeline format. The change is official in just a few days (March 30) and Jim Belosic does a great job of helping marketing folks face this reality in this blog post on PR…
Read MoreI have a confession to make. I picked Wichita State to beat VCU in the first round on my brackets. I didn't want to tell anyone before the tournament here in roundball-crazy #RVA for fear they would equate me with Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale. Richmond and to a greater extent the VCU fan base has reached a critical stage in its current run of basketball success. You see you can't make the Final Four every year or the Sweet Sixteen either. The long-term question…
Read MoreI’m not exaggerating when I say the most horrible thing that happens around the office is when there’s no coffee left in the coffee pot. Actually, scratch that, I’m definitely exaggerating. But still, none of the coffee drinkers like it very much. One morning recently the topic came up, and Emily had a suggestion: if you take the last cup, brew another pot—a policy I thought could truly get behind. It was also suggested that perhaps a sign should be created enunciating this policy,…
Read MoreIf you are a Facebook marketer like me, today is like Christmas (or for me Chanukah) in February. Because Facebook Timeline for Brands is here and we have a month before it kicks in for good, whether we're ready or not. At first blush (here's the THP page) it is pretty much what we expected with: The new cover photo offering great promotional opportunities The ability to highlight stories for greater impact The ability to minimize or totally edit past posts to tell your story…
Read MoreNBA Commissioner David Stern should give Jeremy Lin a kiss. Not the peck on the cheek variety but a big old sloppy one that leaves the recipient in a flabbergasted haze for five minutes. Consider that a week ago the NBA was its usual boring self with games not decided till the last two minutes. This was complicated by the fact that the lockout created a crammed schedule of games leading to crippled play on the court as teams were forced to play three nights…
Read MoreEditor's Note: The following is a guest post from Tony Scida, also known by his friends at The Hodges Partnership as the "Ombudsman of Life." Nuff said. We have a new crop of interns starting at THP this week, and I’m reminded of advice we often give new interns: go get yourself some business cards. It may seem old-fashioned (especially to college students who’ve lived their entire life on computers), but business cards are still an essential part of networking—at least for now. Whether they…
Read MoreJust a quick reminder about the first #PRRVACHAT on Twitter this Wednesday night at 8pm on Twitter. Some of the discussion topics will include: Komen and the long-term PR damage. What is the true PR value of Super Bowl advertising? Are we seeing a shift away from Facebook to Twitter and other social platforms especially by younger users? The chat will last an hour and is a great way to discuss these topics and network online. Each topic will be discussed for about ten minutes…
Read MoreOne of the most underrated ways to take advantage of all Twitter has to offer is through one of its many regular chat sessions. These are regularly scheduled sessions related to specific topics that are facilitated by using one of Twitter's famous hashtags. One of my favorite chats is the regular #PR20CHAT which has PR pros around the country responding to specific questions or trends that are posed by facilitators. So it got me thinking why not try this on a local #RVA level. We…
Read MoreSome quick hitters for a Tuesday: We (Britt Farrah @saidlikefarrah) and I started our second semester teaching social media at VCU yesterday some interesting observations from questions we asked our predominantly PR majors… Most of them preferred Twitter over Facebook and other social media platforms. In the couple of years that I've been asking college students this question, this is the first time ever that they selected Twitter. In fact, this is the first time that most of the class even was "on" Twitter. Maybe…
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