Quarantine-Cocktails

MP&F StaffBlog, Inspiration

When times get tough, we turn to our in-house bartender, Dave Goetz for liquid courage. Here, he shares a few of his most requested cocktails.  Manhattan Fill mixing glass with ice. Add 2 oz. Rye, 1 oz. Sweet Red Vermouth, 2 drops Angostura bitters, 2 drops Orange bitters. Stir vigorously for at least one minute. Strain into coupe glass, add orange peel and 1 to 2 Luxardo cherries. Turn your Manhattan into a “Nashattan” Into a 3-liter charred oak barrel, pour two fifths 100 or higher proof Rye, one fifth Doulin Sweet Red Vermouth, one bottle Fee Brothers or Regan’s …

How to communicate with employees during a crisis

Leigh LindseyBlog, Insights

For the last few weeks, our inboxes have been filled with messages from every business we ever visited about their approach to COVID-19. Those consumer-facing messaging are often needed, and brands can’t be silent indefinitely. It’s equally important, if not more so, to invest time and resources in communicating with your employees. Here are a few tried-and-true tactics for ensuring your internal communications efforts are successful during a time that feels uncertain at best. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.It’s tempting to limit what you share with employees when things are uncertain, and in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s impossible to …

MP&F Celebrates Black History Month

MP&F StaffBlog, Inspiration

Reflecting on HistoryBrittany IrbyMP&F Account Supervisor, Diversity Committee Member It’s February, which means that it is Black History Month (BHM)! This year marks 50 years since the first BHM celebration took place at Kent State University. This is a month to honor and acknowledge the contributions that black people have made in America. In honor of BHM, I challenge you all to reflect on that one “aha” moment that you might have had over these few weeks. You might ask yourself, what is an “aha” moment? Merriam-Webster describes it as a moment of sudden realization, inspiration, insight, recognition or comprehension. …

David Fox Celebrates 30 Years at MP&F

Mary Elizabeth DavisBlog, Inspiration

Some call him the Fox, but we call him our fearless leader. Today we celebrate his 30th anniversary at MP&F by sitting down—in his corner office—with the man himself and reflecting on the last few decades. Is it true that you left a well-paying gig with a corner office at a reputable agency for an optimistic (yet not profitable) startup with a card table and folding chair for a desk?  DF: That’s true. I had a great job, but McNeely, Pigott and I had talked about going into business together for a long time, so I went with my gut, and so glad I …

All Eyes On The National Museum of African American Music

MP&F StaffBlog, Insights

The long-awaited National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) is slated to open in summer of 2020. It will be the only museum dedicated solely to preserving African American music traditions and celebrating the influence black Americans have had on music. Based in Nashville, Tenn., as part of the Fifth + Broadway development, the museum will share the story of the American soundtrack by integrating history and interactive technology to bring musical heroes of the past into the present. African Americans are responsible for the musical legacy of our country, having created more than 50 genres and sub-genres comprising most …

MPFCreates-branding

What is a brand?

Mary Elizabeth DavisBlog, Insights

Regardless of whether you’re a small business operating out of your basement or a multimillion-dollar franchise, your brand is the core of your business. It’s how your business is perceived by consumers – meaning, it’s what they think of when they think of you. I’ll explain.  Let’s play a game. I’ll give you a clue, and you tell me what first comes to mind: “Just Do It” Innovation that excites Always low prices. Always. “YOU get a car, and YOU get a car, and YOU get a car!” It comes in a little robin’s egg blue box with a white …

‘It’s a Privilege To Be a Professional Writer’

Roger ShirleyBlog, Insights, Inspiration

Like a lot of great writers, The Tennessean’s David Plazas developed a love for writing as a child. “I was a very introverted, shy kid. At the time, writing was an outlet for me, and I loved creative writing.” Still, Plazas – the Opinion and Engagement director for the USA TODAY NETWORK Tennessee and The Tennessean, where he serves as editorial writer, opinion columnist, Op-Ed editor and an editorial board member – never considered journalism for a career when he was younger. The U.S.-born son of Colombian and Cuban immigrants was being guided by his parents to pick one of …

David Fox: “Everything Works Better When Your Focus Is on Serving Others”

MP&F StaffBlog

A Q&A With One of Nashville’s Most Admired CEOs By Tom Hayden As the son of a World War II fighter pilot, MP&F’s David Fox has been on a mission of service throughout his professional career and personal life. His devotion to service has led him to explore how he could best undertake his calling. After graduating from Vanderbilt University in 1972 amid the backdrop of the Vietnam War, the national political conventions and Watergate, he became a journalist working at The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal, Nashville Banner and United Press International. He also wrote three published, nonfiction books and numerous …

Put Your Best Photograph Forward

Keith MilesBlog, Insights

We live in a visual information world. If you doubt it, just take a look at Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. What does that mean for the communications professional? What does it mean for the business person? In both cases, telling a story will mean more than words. You will need to think about graphics, photography or video to make your content stickier. And that visual component needs to advance or illustrate the written word. Generally speaking, graphics are great for making numbers and statistics more approachable, video is perfect for showing how to do something or creating a mood …

Best News ‘Lede’ Ever?

Roger ShirleyBlog, Insights

July 21, 1969, was a big day for me. It was my 14th birthday, and 14 seemed so much cooler, so much older than 13. I was ready to leave the teen-age apprenticeship year behind and get on with it. I was also heading to Huntsville to play with the Fort Payne, Ala., Little League All-Star team in a regional baseball tournament. I was pumped about making the team, but even more so for the chance to go on a road trip with my buddies that would include a couple of nights in a motel. (It had a pool!) As …