PR Camp Atlanta is less than 3 weeks away. I am grateful for the support from members of the Atlanta’s PR and marketing community.   To register click here: 

We have a terrific lineup of moderators called counselors from some of the leading brands and top agencies in Atlanta. The discussion counselors are:

- Katie Mingo, Senior Marketing Associate, Delta Airlines

- Marilynn Mobley, Senior Vice President, Strategic Counsel, Edelman PR

- James Andrews, Managing Partner, Everywhere

- Carol Flammer, Managing Partner, mRELEVANCE, LLC 

- Christopher Jones, Digital Strategist, Ketchum PR 

- Melanie Babcock, Senior Vice President, Digital Strategy & Services, Manning Selvage & Lee

- Peter Fasano, Principal/Lead Catalyst, mass+logic

- Bert Dumars, Vice President E-Business & Interactive Marketing, Newell Rubbermaid

- Irfan Kamal, Vice President, Digital Strategy, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide

- Jenny Schmitt, President and Director of Client Strategy, CloudSpark

- Shirley Powell, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Turner Broadcasting System

- Debbie Curtis-Magley, Public Relations Manager, UPS

These counselors will be leading PR, marketing and communications professionals in discussions on issues facing the PR field.  The event is attracting professionals at all levels from business, non-profits, government agencies, associations and educational institutions.  The “unconference” format avoids many of the conventions of a typical conference. There are no powerpoints, panels or keynotes.

 Topics for the three group sessions will be:

- Get clients and bosses to extend their interest in new media.

- Help senior professionals tap the social media experience of junior colleagues.

- With the blurring of PR and marketing, determine the best ways to measure success.

Sponsors

 I also want to thank those that have committed early to sponsor the event:

 - Georgia Tech Research Institute

- PR Newswire

- Atlanta Day Book

- CBS Atlanta Channel 46

- I Send Your Email

- Social Media Club Atlanta

- AiMA

Let me get back to you.

I recently launched my website and to my relief, I have gotten some positive reactions on my approach to PR.  It’s based on a blend of Authenticity, Relationships and Technology.  Together they form the three pillars of successful state of the A.R.T. communication.

I confess a little self promotion here, but I welcome your feedback — good and bad.

State of the A.R.T. Communication

Authenticity. Whether it’s a formal press release or an informal blog posting, customers want “authenticity” when engaging with you. Finding your authentic voice requires an assessment of your company’s underlying culture, values and comfort level with genuine, decentralized conversations across multiple communications channels.

Relationships. PR is no longer just media relations. It’s building relationships with bloggers, existing and potential customers, vendors, partners, investors and employees who, in turn, can carry your message for you. It’s critical to do an inventory of their online “conversations” to measure their attitudes, level of influence and capacity for engagement.

Technology. The universe of tools and technologies keeps expanding. The difference between success and failure in reaching your targeted audience often depends on whether and when to use the tools of new or traditional media or both. Sometimes your outreach may require a simple press release and other times a blog or social network. Either way, it is essential to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the tools at your disposal.

With the aid of technology, we are better able to discover our authentic voice to build relationships and engage various stakeholders.  Pull that off and you have state of the A.R.T. communication.  I believe it is the job of PR professionals to help paint that picture.

Let me get back to you.