Tools of the Trade: How Nashville’s Best PR Pros Keep All Those Balls in the Air

Leigh Lindsey Blog, Insights

Either you run the day or the day runs you.   If I didn’t know those were the words of the late entrepreneur Jim Rohn, I’d put money on their being the musings of a busy PR pro.   After all, if anyone knows how to juggle, it’s PR agency professionals. The MP&F team manages the PR, marketing, advertising, branding and graphic design needs of more than 100 clients while also serving a roster of Nashville nonprofits through our pro bono program. And that’s just in the office. Our staff members also balance important family and volunteer commitments, yet somehow always go above and beyond for our clients.  We asked our MP&F colleagues to share their tips, tricks and tools for staying organized. Here are a few of our favorites.   Write it down …

Talking to Strangers

Javier Solano Blog, Inspiration

As we reclaim our social lives and return to some version of pre-pandemic normal, the loners are freaking out. Believe it or not, this is a thing.  I believe it. I’m a loner. Big pile of awkward. I hate talking to strangers. (No offense if you don’t know me. It’s not you.)  So while others were baking sourdough, making art and doing other sequestered things, I decided to do something about my biggest fear. No, not actually talk to strangers. Too much, too soon. Instead, I talked to someone about talking to someone. Meet Lily Clayton Hansen, Nashville author, actor …

Virtual Focus Groups and Why You Should Consider Them

Eric Tieles Blog, Insights

Focus groups are one of the most effective and popular market research methods to collect information about a particular topic, product or area of interest to help companies, brands and organizations make informed business decisions.  But what happens when a global pandemic, plus an influx of advancements in technology, creates major changes in each of our behaviors, habits, and even the way we consume content, products and services? Insert the virtual focus group. For businesses that still want to carry out market research, virtual focus groups are a game-changing step in the evolution of research, building on the strengths of …

Communicating With Civility During Polarizing Times: A Conversation With David Plazas

MP&F Staff Blog, Inspiration

The free press has been a staple of our democracy since our nation was founded, and journalists have long been respected as a vessel for bringing crucial information to the people. In our modern digital age, saturated with resources and information, it can be hard to discern reality from speculation, fact from fiction.  We need journalists now more than ever to make those distinctions. I sat down — virtually, of course — with David Plazas, director of Opinion and Engagement at USA Today Network Tennessee, to discuss the unique challenges journalists face in today’s world, and how we can all …

Planning and Marketing a Virtual Event

Angela Argiro Blog, Insights

Event planning is tough in ordinary times. Event planning during a pandemic? Definitely not for the faint of heart. To help, we’ve compiled a punch list to set you up for success regardless of whether you’re planning a virtual event or in-person event, or are in the process of shifting gears from one direction to another. Ask your invitees (or key stakeholders) to share their opinionsField a short survey (no more than five questions) in advance of the event to better understand preferences around when the event should be held, what would motivate event attendance and more. Incentivize responding to …

Testimonials: The tried and true non-celebrity endorsement

Leigh Lindsey Blog, Insights

Who would you trust to give you advice about your family-friendly vacation, a great new bourbon or a doctor to replace your knee? If you’re like most Americans, you are a bit more likely to trust the recommendations of people you know than those of strangers on the internet. But, perhaps surprisingly, you are exceedingly more likely to trust strangers on the internet than you are celebrities on TV, athletes on the ballfield or influencers on your social media channels. In fact, if you are a millennial, you are inclined to actively distrust celebrity or influencer endorsements of products or …

Navigating Digital Advertising With Limited Consumer Data: Lessons From the GDPR and California Consumer Protection Act

Lisa Swinson Blog, Insights

For years, consumers have shared their personal data with digital marketers as they browse the internet and enjoy social media sites. It’s what has made digital advertising a no-brainer and now 47% of all national brand ad dollars. Every time you hit “accept” on terms and conditions you never read, every time you connect a new app to your Facebook account, and every time you submit your email address to get results on a trending quiz, you are giving away valuable information allowing advertisers to target you in the most personalized way (for you) and most profitable way (for them). …

Celebrating Black History Month

Sellars Huy Blog, Inspiration

Wondering how you can celebrate and honor Black History Month in our socially distant, virtual world? There are just as many opportunities as ever to celebrate this month and every month. While we of course encourage you to partake in some of these activities, hold on to this list and use it all year long. If you are looking to get out of the house and do some in-person sightseeing, spend your Saturday or Sunday with our client the National Museum of African American Music. Here you can learn about African American music from its conception all the way to …

2020 Wrapped: Our Work

Mary Ruth Raphael Blog, Inspiration

Whew. 2020 was quite a year. While we won’t deny it was challenging in many ways, it also was a great year full of hard work, creative energy and winning results. We helped clients across all industries navigate changes and crises brought on by COVID-19. We are so thankful to our clients for sticking with us through a year filled with so much uncertainty. We can’t wait to see what 2021 brings!  Here’s a recap of some of our work we’re most proud of from 2020 (and this hardly scratches the surface!). Launched a new marketing and advertising strategy for …

Talking About Data: How To Drive Understanding and Action

Landry Butler Blog, Insights

Sharing complex business data with your stakeholders and other audiences, and communicating it in a way that provides insight and drives action, can be a daunting task. What are they looking for? Should you give high-level analysis or a deep dive into the details? What is their level of understanding the data? Goal No. 1 is clear communication. Effective data analysis enables you to communicate findings accurately in language that audiences can understand. Differing expectations and overuse of specialized language can result in misunderstandings and other barriers to addressing your business needs.  Tell the story.When developing your analysis, it is …