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Visualize your Facebook friendship

Have you ever thought about your friendship with someone and said to yourself “I wonder what our friendship would look like visually?” Neither did I until I stumbled upon a somewhat buried feature on Facebook called “See Friendship.”

screenshot

To access this feature:
1. Go to any friend’s timeline page in Facebook.
2. Select the gear box in the upper right corner of the page, next to the message button.
3. Select “See Friendship.”

Once you select this feature, Facebook creates a page titled “You and _____” (the blank being your friend). On this page you will find: all of the photos that you and your friend are tagged in, wall posts on each other’s pages, events you have both attended, a mutual friends list, and what likes you both share.

Whether or not this is useful feature is up for argument, but if nothing else it can be entertaining. Have fun.

example page screenshot

An example page with my cousin and I.

 

zombie hoard

Zombiepocalypse

by Jake Ten Pas

If the world as you knew it was about to end with the dead rising from their graves, what would you bring along on your survival trek during this Zombiepocalypse? Fans of “Walking Dead” and other recent zombie fiction may have pondered this important question, but most of the folks at AM:PM PR have not. Watch as our resident paranoid Jake tries to keep his coworkers alive in our latest spine-tingling video that will leave you groaning for “Braaaaiiiinnnssss.”

bundling PR services

Rethinking how we sell our PR services

marketing agency blueprint

As AM:PM PR approaches its second birthday, we’re changing how we sell our services. We’ve packaged services for clients – creating a prix fixe menu of options rather than the usual ala carte list.

PR services
We think bundling PR services and pricing them clearly will make it easier for clients to understand what they’re buying. It also recognizes how different the practice of public relations has become in the 24/7, constantly connected world we live in today.

Historically agencies based their pricing on billable hourly rates, much like lawyers and other professionals. Clients that have little experience using public relations agencies struggle to understand why services are billed hourly. Those with more experience may understand billable hours, but many don’t connect hours billed with results achieved.

The truth is that not every hour we work produces the same benefit for clients.

Over the Holidays, I read a book (The Marketing Agency Blueprint) and shared it with my colleagues. It triggered our effort to rethink how we price what we do so it makes more sense to our clients – and to us.

 

service bundling

Much like Progressive, we think bundling our services together might help us better serve our clients’ needs.

“The traditional billable-hour system is tied exclusively to outputs, not outcomes, and assumes that all agency activities … are of equal value,” declared Paul Roetzer, the book’s author and founder/CEO of PR 20/20 in Cleveland.

Today’s communications landscape has radically changed the contents of our PR toolkit. It requires us to be full-time listeners, even for our smallest clients. In the digital world, opportunities and risks don’t wait patiently for open times in our schedules.

Our ability to help a client requires a high level of trust in us, as communicators and strategists. Trust takes time to build. Our service packages anticipate that we will work with the client for a minimum of six months. It’s a step away from casual dating. It signals our priority is on building long-term, mutually beneficial relationships.

We’re eager to talk about these packages with prospective clients, and learn from them whether this new format helps them better understand what they will get in working with us. Like everything in our business, the packages are subject to change. Our hope is that they will form the foundation for some great relationships.

Spreading the news

New website causes media sensation, freshens breath while you read

The word is out. Thanks to Gawker blogging about it, Perez Hilton tweeting a catty remark in regards to it, and Lady Gaga wearing an outfit made entirely from computer screens displaying it, you’ve by now heard that AM:PM PR has a new website.

First of all, we want to make it clear that this isn’t how we wanted to roll out the new site. We wanted you to find out by us telling you about it right here. But, as the recent media circus has made undeniable, the cat’s out of the bag. We might as well address a number of questions/misconceptions that have already popped up in our conversations with the media.

Claim: The website is based on complex numerology decoded from a previously unpublished section of “The Wu-Tang Manual.”

Reality: This is true.

Claim: Using AM:PM PR’s website can help cure depression, freshen breath while you read.

Reality: Again, this is true. Perhaps we’ll move on to some misconceptions.

Claim: Staring directly into Alexis’ eyes in the group shot on the homepage can make you go cross-eyed.

Reality: OK, also true, but only in extreme cases. This isn’t going well. Let’s give it one more shot.

Claim: This website revamping is a shameless promotional ploy for Pat’s upcoming, last-minute presidential run.

Reality: While Pat does have designs on world domination, and his common-sense perspective would certainly make for a refreshing alternative to some other candidates we might name, he won’t be running for president. At least not in 2012.

Speaking of Pat, stay tuned to this site for his upcoming blog post, which will offer an in-depth look at our new package-pricing system, and how we think that it will help us help you to reach what science has coined “maximum awesometude.”

In the meantime, know this:

– Yes, our new site will better emphasize the strategic relationship we have with ace app developers 7/Apps.

– No, you won’t be able to control our new website with your mind, a la Clint Eastwood’s jet in the film “Firefox.”

– Yes, site design and navigation have both been improved, creating an experience that one critic has called, “THE feel-good action-packed romantic rollercoaster thrillride of this year or any other.”

– No, no McCormicks were harmed during the making of the new site. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.

– Yes, you will still have access to all the same great videos, hyperlocal storytelling, and dangerously sharp snark as before, but now it will have 30% less MSG.

Stay tuned, friends, family and cabal mates. The future is now, but we’re only leaking it one day at a time.

birthday cake image

Birthday Boy

What goes better with birthday cupcakes than oblivion? Seriously, we’re asking you. At AM:PM PR, oblivion is the ice cream to our cake. Rather than candles, we like to blow out each others’ birthday wishes. Just in case you’re wondering, that isn’t a laugh track. This “We’re Better At PR” video was filmed in front of a live studio audience.

spies

Buzzmaker – One Tweet is Never Enough

Nobody does it better than our buzzmaker. Well, mostly nobody. OK, so there are quite a few people who do it better. Octavius Wrathchilde might not be the greatest spy in the world, but fortunately for him, he’s well matched to his adversaries. Oh, and he mixes up a mean Facebook status update. Sit back, buckle the seatbelt on your ejector seat, and prepare for the most hair-raising fake spy film trailer in the history of YouTube. Or at least the last 15 minutes.

10 Tips for a Perfect Party

We’ve all been to particularly fun events that leave us wishing they lasted a few hours longer. We’ve also been to some that can’t get over quick enough. Here are some fundamentals to keep in mind when planning an important event. They’ll help make sure that your party falls into the former category.

1. Location, location location!

AM:PM PR party

Choosing the right location for an event is key. You want the venue to impart the vibe you’re aiming for. Is it going to have a street fair vibe? Is it a swanky cocktail soiree? Or is it a barn dance? If so, you need a barn. Find the location that’s right for the feeling you want to create for your guests.

2. Party time

What time, day and week make the most sense for your guests? We have found in the past that Thursday early evenings tend to work well for a lot of people. However, some Thursdays are “First Thursdays,” “Last Thursdays,” or some other themed Thursday that might conflict with another big event. Also, if you hold your event while people are at work, only those who can get time off will attend. Choosing the best day and time will vary based on types of guests, but there is no sense in putting on an event if most invitees can’t make it.

3. Lock down the fixtures

This isn’t the sexiest part of party planning, but it is essential. Depending on the scope of your event, you might need tables, chairs, tents, table coverings, bottled water, ice, storage containers, plates and utensils, serving apparatuses, etc. Start thinking about this early, and the day of your event will be a whole lot less stressful. While your DJ, vendors, caterers and other party participants aren’t exactly fixtures, organization will similarly pay off when dealing with them. Keep them apprised of what’s expected of them, and check back as often as is necessary to make sure everybody’s on the same page.

4. Serve tasty beverages

Clearly, this is the most important component. Okay, maybe not the most important, but it’s right up there at the top. Drinks, even if they’re not of the alcoholic variety, make people feel comfortable and more apt to loosen up a bit and chat. There is a reason booze is often called a social lubricant – it makes conversation slip off the tongue more easily and makes interaction feel more natural. Be sure to take care of this important detail.

5. Feed the people

AM:PM PR partyThis one seems obvious, but it’s necessary. People will stick around longer if tasty treats are available. At our recent anniversary party, we served finger foods from a local caterer that were all but demolished within a few hours. People congregate around food tables, so sometimes a couple food stations will keep people moving through your venue with fewer traffic jams.

6. Play good tunes

Many events, though not all, are even more awesome with good music in the background. If budgets allow, a live DJ – or band – is better than an iPod, but a custom playlist in iTunes will work just fine. And remember to keep the volume at a level that keeps the conversation the star of the evening.

7. Put thought into your guest list

It’s too easy to forget to invite guests if you rush and wait until the last minute to compile your guest list. Make an initial list, wait a couple days, then go back and make sure you included everyone.

8. Promotion

When you go through the trouble of planning an event, you want people to show up. I recommend covering your bases on the invite front. The ubiquitous Facebook invite is never a bad idea — you’re reaching people where they already are. For those invitees without a Facebook account, or those who tend to ignore invites, EventBrite is a great option. You can create custom invites and send them out via email – or snail mail for your more traditionalist guests. Using these platforms in conjunction makes it more likely that you’ll reach everyone on your list. Plus, you can easily track your RSVPs.

9. Be a good host

Though exhausting, being a good host is vital to making sure the vibe of your event remains social and fun. Be sure to introduce guests to one another when convenient, especially if they have common interests. If you’re doing your job of keeping the food, drinks and people moving, you’ll only have 10 minutes or so to spend with each guest, so make sure they have plenty to talk about “amongst themselves.”

10. Main Attraction

Whether your event revolves around a guest speaker, like our extra special, month-end editions of PR 3.0, a live band, an anniversary or simply a theme – tiki beach party, zombie prom, what have you – it’s important to identify that main attraction early on and use it as an integral part of your promotion and conversations about the event. This will create excitement and guide some of the other tough choices you’ll have to make along the way to the perfect party. Finally, remember that there’s actually no such thing as a perfect party. Into every social gathering, a little awkwardness must fall. But if you grin and keep your wits, and a modicum of grace, about you, your guests will barely notice the difference. At least we hope so.

* This blog post was made possible through a generous grant from the Jake Ten Pas Brain Trust. No, seriously, we recently planned the AM:PM PR Birthday Bash together, and wisdom contained herein flowed naturally from that process.

Distillers at AM:PM PR's first anniversary party

First Anniversary Party Video

 
 

Scenes from AM:PM PR’s first anniversary party mingle with fire chief Pat McCormick’s speech to the friends, clients and family that showed up to support us and the community that is our home. Included among the participants were members of Distillery Row, Cascade Brewing, Zanzibar Cellars, Eat Your Heart Out Catering, Phoogoo, and the creative minds associated with PoBoy Art and Chris Haberman Art.

yogapose

We’re Better at PR than… “Yoga”

In the latest installment of AM:PM PR’s “We’re Better at PR” series of videos, the gang tackles yoga, with typically inept results. AM:PM PR is a public relations firm based in Portland that believes humor is one very important tool of good communication. If this video makes you chuckle, drop us a line on Facebook or Twitter.

AM:PM PR original crew

AM:PM PR rings in a year of doing public relations their way

Media Advisory
July 12, 2011
503-232-1015

PORTLAND, OR – (July 12. 2011) Portland-based communications team AM:PM PR celebrates a year of doing things differently during the month of July. This time last year, public relations veterans Allison and Pat McCormick left a more traditional, established firm in a downtown high rise in favor of Portland’s Central Eastside.

Choosing a renovated historic firehouse in Buckman has given AM:PM PR the chance to be a real part of a neighborhood – a seeming impossibility downtown. Making friends in Distillery Row and with People’s Art of Portland has shaped the celebration of AM:PM PR’s first year in business.

That diversity of character also defines AM:PM PR’s work with clients including Motorola, Unified Grocers, Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, and 7 Apps.

“Rather than picking clients based on their size, we have looked for companies with stories worth telling,” says AM:PM PR’s Allison McCormick.

“Part of doing things differently involves being generous with our knowledge and experience,” Pat McCormick adds.

For every nationally recognized name AM:PM PR takes on, it’s central to its mission as a company to help out businesses from the neighborhood. As the term hyperlocal helps to redefine journalism, it’s also helped to chart AM:PM PR’s trajectory. Working with Alder Pastry & Dessert, Oregon Distillers Guild and Bremik Construction have strengthened the firm’s relationships in the neighborhood and helped the organizations maximize their reach outside the neighborhood.

In honor of the company’s first birthday, AM:PM PR launched a new website, which Allison and Pat hope will exemplify many of the characteristics they recommend to their clients. It’s social, visually engaging yet clean, and is constantly updated with new content – sharing industry insights with personality.

AM:PM PR’s Birthday Bash on July 14 will serve not just as a celebration of prospering during a time of economic uncertainty, but also as a celebration of the community it calls home. Local businesses ranging from its Distillery Row neighbors to Cascade Brewing, Eat Your Heart Out Catering, Flux Salon, Portlandia International Language School and more all have pledged their time and services to make it an affair to remember.

AM:PM PR is a Portland-based public relations firm established in July 2010, and specializing in marketing, integrating social networking into strategic communications, qualitative research and corporate communications. The firm represents the consumer product, healthcare, telecommunications, technology, construction, non-profit, business-to-business and waste industries. For more information about AM:PM PR, see its website, www.ampmpr.com, follow it on Twitter @AMPMPR, or like it on Facebook. Or, just stop by Fire House No. 7 and introduce yourself.

Files:
Press Release PDF
AM:PM PR Logo
AM:PM PR Logo Vertical
AM:PM PR Team Photo

Shortlink: http://wp.me/p1FjMB-pD