I’m proud of the great job we’ve done. I just voted FOR transit, and here’s why: It’s an investment in infrastructure, like water pipes, electric lines, sidewalks and fiber, we have to make for the good of the city. It’ll cost each of us about 17 cents per day over the 25-year life of the investment. That is not unreasonable, and tourists will help us pay for it. It will start by helping those who need it most. The first thing that will happen if we vote yes will be major improvements in our bus system. New buses, more frequency, …

This May will mark 25 years since I was an eager college student embarking on an internship at MP&F Public Relations. Little did I know then that it would be the start of a rewarding career in communications. After a few years of client work under my belt, I began to manage our intern program and did that for seven years. For the better part of the last decade, I’ve been screening and interviewing all of our firm’s job candidates. Needless to say, I’ve seen a lot of changes over the years regarding skills that make a successful PR practitioner. …

You often hear the phrase “the customer is always right” in industries ranging from fast food to public relations. This comes from the understanding that, without a strong base of consumers, a business will die. So the importance of knowing what a consumer wants and values is paramount to building a brand. Studies by Cohn and Wolfe and the Boston Consulting Group  have identified brand authenticity as one of the top factors in attracting customers. While it looks different for everyone, brand authenticity is the proximity between the image a brand projects and the reality of what that brand represents. …

Last week Mark Zuckerberg announced that major changes are in the works at Facebook. The social network is shifting its algorithms again — this time to make sure you are seeing more content from family and friends. It’s likely that changes to Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, are on the way, too. According to Zuckerberg, the shift will take time, but you should see some changes in your news feed quickly. More content in your news feed from people that matter to you means less visibility for content from brands, businesses and news publishers. If your business relies on …

Earlier this month, MP&F coordinated a Holiday Home Tour with 15 social influencers from across the country on behalf of our client Kirkland’s. It was a huge success, and we loved the Christmas décor inspiration our blogger partners provided us! As part of the home tour, each social influencer was given a Kirkland’s gift card to shop for seasonal, on-trend products to style and photograph in their homes. Throughout the week, they linked to the other influencers’ posts to invite readers to hop from one blog to the next. To gain excitement and engagement, Kirkland’s gave away a $1,500 gift …

We’re very deliberate about our office culture and place a high value on the health and well-being of our staff. After all, our motto is “Do Great Work, Have Fun, Make Money.” Whether it’s our just-held annual Halloween party, which many MP&F alumni attend, or the golden-toed Hackin’ Flacks showering glory on the office by winning the Mid-State Sports League’s Kickball Championship, we know how to have fun. Here is a blog in photos. MP&F Halloween Party                   The Hackin’ Flacks The Hackin’ Flacks in their championship glory celebrating a late-night 7–2 …

As my colleague Taylor Smith mentioned last week on Engage, MP&F regularly works with bloggers to reach our clients’ audiences. One such client is Kirkland’s, a national specialty retailer of home décor with whom we’ve worked with for years on award-winning projects and campaigns. Last week we coordinated a Fall Home Tour with 33 bloggers from across the country. It was a huge success for our client, and it also reminded us what a great group of people bloggers are! MP&F worked with Kirkland’s to provide each blogger a gift card to shop at Kirkland’s and decorate their homes with …