Top 10 Tips to Integrate Traditional PR & Digital Marketing

As marketing and PR are changing rapidly with the constant evolution and expansion of the digital ecosystem, success requires integrated efforts that combine the smartest tactics in traditional PR combined with online marketing and SEO practices. The Internet has changed how we receive information, how we interact and engage with each other, with brands and with media. PR is a critical aspect of the marketing mix and there are fundamental shifts in strategy and approach that Zenzi Communications, an integrated marketing and PR agency, works with daily.

First and foremost, it is critical for PR professionals to be knowledgeable in all digital tools, including social media, blogs, mobile apps, SEO and email marketing. PR and online marketing are two areas of expertise that should go hand-in-hand.

Click here to read the rest of Sarah’s article

CHIQUITA HIRES ZENZI COMMUNICATIONS TO HANDLE PUBLICITY FOR STICKER DESIGN CONTEST

San Diego, CA, July 22, 2010—Zenzi Communications, an award-winning integrated marketing and PR agency dedicated to helping clients to ‘Be Known’™ and ‘Be Found,’ has been retained by Chiquita Brands to launch and manage media relations efforts for the Chiquita Banana Sticker Design Contest.

“We are having so much fun working on this project for Chiquita and have been getting a great response from the media since launching the campaign,” said Sarah Hardwick, CEO of Zenzi Communications.  “Our consumer product goods experience has uniquely positioned us to handle this campaign for Chiquita and we are excited to continue expanding the line-up of national consumer brands that we represent.”

Chiquita Brands is inviting consumers to visit www.EatAChiquita.com^TM and put their own spin on the company’s iconic brand image as part of the Chiquita Banana Sticker Design Contest.  Eighteen participants will be awarded the ultimate satisfaction and recognition of personalizing an old classic, and having their winning design featured on millions of Chiquita® bananas nationwide.

Chiquita has taken a rather unique approach when it comes to their beloved logo – one that is collaborative and more accessible to fans than ever. “We created the Chiquita Banana Sticker Design Contest to encourage consumers to interact with the Chiquita brand and make the brand their own,” said Judy Chen, Corporate Marketing Group Leader at Chiquita.  For the first time ever, Chiquita is giving consumers the opportunity to create their own sticker design based on the iconic blue Chiquita sticker or vote for their favorite design by visiting the Silver Addy Award-winning www.EatAChiquita.com website. “It’s a fun way for consumers to engage with the brand through self-expression.”

Entries were submitted at www.EatAChiquita.com/sticker-contest between June 21, 2010 and July 18, 2010.  The top fifty finalists will be announced on August 23, 2010, and the site will open to the general public for voting on the 18 grand prizewinners through September 12, 2010. No purchase is necessary and official contest rules are available online. The top 50 finalists will receive a prize package of an EatAChiquita.com t-shirt and merchandise from Chiquita’s Shop A Peel Zazzle store (www.zazzle.com/ShopAPeel) customized with their very own sticker design.

Finalists and winners will be notified by email and mail during the length of the promotion.  All 18 winners will be announced on www.EatAChiquita.com on September 13, 2010.

Headquartered in San Diego, Zenzi is one of the city’s fastest growing companies and specializes in working with consumer product goods, hospitality, technology and B2B clients. In addition to Chiquita, Zenzi’s consumer industry clients have included Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, including Nestlé Drumstick®, Lil’ Drums, Dibs and Fruit Bars, plus Fresh Express Artisanal Salads, Olay and Emergen-C.

About Zenzi:

Zenzi means crescendo: the culmination of carefully crafted notes, harmonies and dynamic sounds. As a full service integrated creative marketing and PR agency, Zenzi’s mission is to create a similar phenomenon for our clients. Zenzi helps clients BE KNOWN and BE FOUND by developing creative integrated solutions that work in harmony for maximum effectiveness.  Zenzi specializes in getting the word out in a hurry using multiple touch points. Founded in 2002, Zenzi is one of San Diego’s Fastest Growing Companies and has been recognized by many of the nation’s leading PR, marketing and business organizations for creative and results-oriented campaigns. If your goal is to increase market share, break into new industries, find investors or generate qualified leads, Zenzi can help.  For more information: www.zenzi.com.

About Chiquita Brands International, Inc.

Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (NYSE: CQB) is a leading international marketer and distributor of high-quality fresh and value-added food products – from energy-rich bananas and other fruits to nutritious blends of convenient green salads.  The company markets its healthy, fresh products under the Chiquita® and Fresh Express® premium brands and other related trademarks.  With annual revenues of $3.5 billion, Chiquita employs approximately 21,000 people and has operations in nearly 80 countries worldwide.

About EatAChiquita.com

Chiquita created the fun and interactive website www.EatAChiquita.com as a platform for consumer engagement and entertainment. Since it launched in October 2009, over 500,000 people have visited the website and over 25,000 customized sticker faces have been created by fans using the site’s Sticker Studio application. The site also features a Photo Customizer, which allows fans to add their custom stickers to photos, a Banana Boogie Battle video game, hilarious viral videos and more. The company has also launched Shop A Peel by Chiquita, an online merchandise store on Zazzle.com where diehard Chiquita fans can go to customize a wide range of items with their personalized sticker faces.

For more information, please visit the following websites: www.EatAChiquita.com and www.Chiquita.com.

# # #

On Friday, June 18, at Digital Capital Week (#dcweek), Zenzi Communications will share the top tips and best practices for “PR in a Digital World.”  As marketing and PR are changing rapidly with the constant evolution and expansion of the digital ecosystem, success requires integrated efforts that combine the smartest tactics in traditional PR combined with online marketing and SEO practices. The Internet has changed how we receive information, how we interact and engage with each other, with brands and with media. PR is a critical aspect of the marketing mix and there are fundamental shifts in strategy and approach that Zenzi, an integrated marketing & PR agency, will share at this workshop.

With smaller staffs in traditional media newsrooms, many more ways to communicate, and consumers taking control of their incoming information flow, it is imperative to maintain a two-way dialogue with your target audience.  Keep in mind that everyone is a journalist now and each individual should be treated that way.

Below are the top 10 tips (some old, some new) that should be utilized in a cohesive manner together to achieve your communications goals in today’s marketplace:

1. Know your audience

2. Develop and communicate a clear and consistent message

3. Create and maintain relationships

4. Be authentic & credible

5. Engage & entertain your audience with big ideas and valuable insight

6. Learn how to use digital tools

7. Communicate using multiple touch-points

8. Manage your reputation proactively through online word of mouth

9. Create a crisis PR plan

10. Combine and strategically merge SEO and PR efforts

If you are attending Digital Capital Week, be sure to register for this session to learn more about the new PR landscape and digital ecosystem.  For more information or to register visit http://schedule.digitalcapitalweek.org/event/e2204cd37a3fe0bf055d0d649b4cbba0.

You are invited to attend Zenzi’s Be Known Be Found Fridays- Series #1 event. Join us for beers and some thoughtful discussion on how to integrate traditional media and the digital ecosystem.  The event is FREE and open to business leaders throughout the Boulder and Denver area.

RSVP Register Here (the event has limited space available and may book up):

http://zenzi.eventbrite.com/ <http://zenzi.eventbrite.com/>
Date: Friday,  June 4th from 3-5 PM.


Be Known Be Found Fridays- Series #1

Topic:
The New Marketing-

Integrating Traditional Media With The Digital Ecosystem


All of us as business leaders know that we need to think more strategically about how technology is changing our every day reality, we need to understand and take advantage of the opportunities, develop and hire the people with skills to succeed, and to have a broader perspective for how to integrate traditional marketing (PR, print, TV, radio, direct) and the digital ecosystem (website, apps, mobile, social media, SEO, email). Zenzi is bringing together a group of thought leaders to share their vision, provide examples & case studies of how other businesses are succeeding with a variety of budget levels. Join us to share some beers and thoughtful discussion.

Advertising Agency & Technology Experts: Joe Corr, Associate Technical Director- Crispin Porter + Bogusky

Strategy & Learning: David Slayden, Executive Director- Boulder Digital Works

Web Technology Expert: Thomas Dahl, Founder- Akavit Group (web, app developer)

Mobile Technology Expert: Joe Pezillo, Co-Founder- Push.io (mobile marketing)

PR/Digital Marketing Agency: Anke Corbin, Partner- Zenzi Integrated Marketing

Hosted at Bonnier Mountain Group’s Rocky Mountain headquarters in Boulder.

Before diving into this gold-mine of digital marketing tips and tricks, and depending on how brave you are, click here to take our quiz and we will send you personalized results to find out if your efforts and knowledge add up to classify you as a Digital Daredevil! Then, continue on below for an overview of our recommendations to make you a digital marketing superstar.

DIGITAL MARKETING ESSENTIALS

Don’t attempt to tame the brave world of digital PR and marketing without mastering the basics first. Get your campaigns up to speed with these helpful tips from Zenzi:

Start with a Strategy

Digital marketing offers a multitude of opportunities for businesses to establish immediate and real-time relationships with customers, deepen connection and engagement, drive feedback and positive word of mouth and strengthen your brand.  And just like any other important business initiative, it takes advance planning to define your target audience and business objectives. Study your customers and see how they are behaving and interacting using various social media channels. What are their habits? How can you participate in their conversations in a way that adds value? Before you dive in, you should document your approach, objectives and success metrics for each different medium.