As traditional media struggles to remain relevant, and adjust to compete with new media by implementing social networking, video, etc., even the mighty Playboy brand is vulnerable.

The company is currently in a bidding war over its future.  Shares of Playboy increased by about 35% on Monday morning as Hugh Heffner bided to take the company private while competitor Penthouse simultaneously made a play to gain a share of the company.

The adult entertainment company is going through a “transitional year” according to CEO Scott Flanders.  Playboy is currently restructuring from a company that relies on traditional media, including magazines and movies, to one that largely licenses its famous brand, as reported by CNN Money. Even as the company has started to bring more of its content online, Flanders says he expects overall sales to continue to decline but that its licensing business, the most profitable segment, will grow.

Hefner is concerned about the company’s brand and the editorial direction of the magazine and is not interested in selling Playboy, according to a statement issued by Playboy.

The first Playboy magazine was issued in 1953, and the company has grown to be a household name.  But, as its current situation implies, even a behemoth like Playboy needs to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to online communications, offerings and strategy.  Was its move online too little, too late?

At Zenzi, we view online communications and marketing as a critical component.  We strive to help businesses plan ahead and strategize to compete in today’s rapidly changing marketplace.  Now more than ever, companies need to leverage all opportunities possible to maximize their campaigns and also grow a successful business overall…

I was intrigued by this blog article recently from Altitude about a pitch that the writer received that really hit the mark.  It was a good reminder of some of the basics and those magical qualities that we are always seeking in clients and their stories when it comes to pitching the media on a newsworthy story.  Some key pitch qualities that are absolutely necessary that I agreed with are:

-Concise

-Personal

-Focused

-Relevant

The writer also touched on what she called “The Sticky Part” — an interesting project.  It is our job to find the interesting element of a client’s business or event and make it appealing to the media, but sometimes that special element to make a story take off just isn’t there, and at Zenzi we have very high standards about what kind of stories we will present to the media.  When that special story is clearly there and really has those magical qualities that capture attention and make journalists come knocking down our door, wow, that is so exhilarating, and quite possibly my favorite part of the PR profession.  I also always love the challenge of finding a story that isn’t obvious and crafting a pitch to highlight the newsworthy qualities that our team has identified, and when that comes together and captures a journalist’s attention, that’s a pretty darn good feeling too!  Pitching has its ups and downs overall, but the successes and the journey that eventually leads to that great satisfying feeling and happy media contacts and happy clients is what it’s all about!  Following the basics such as some of those outlined in this article is definitely crucial to getting to that point.

10 March, 2010 | Written by Amber Naslund 47 Comments

I tweeted the other day that I got a really great pitch via email, and dozens of folks immediately wanted me to share it. But I won’t, partly because I don’t have permission, but mostly because it shouldn’t matter.  Read the article here.

During a 36-hour trip to Palm Springs, Erica Cerulo from the New York Times visits Chef Andrew Copley of Palm Springs restaurant Copley’s on Palm Canyon.

To better articulate our strategic positioning in the evolving public relations and marketing industry, SZPR has announced its new name and branding as Zenzi Communications.  Zenzi means crescendo, the culmination of carefully crafted notes, harmonies and dynamic sounds. The agency’s mission is to create a similar phenomenon for its clients.

“We believe the name Zenzi more accurately reflects our ability to articulate key messages so they resonate throughout the media marketplace,” said founder and CEO Sarah Znerold Hardwick. “We picked our new tagline, ‘Be Known,’ because one of our greatest strengths is helping clients continually stay in front of target audiences through multiple PR and marketing touch points.”

Established in 2002, Zenzi has grown from a leap of faith by a young entrepreneur to one of San Diego’s Top 10 agencies with clients from across the U.S. ranging in size from national consumer brands such as Dreyer’s/Edy’s Grand Ice Cream and Emergen-C to local leaders Keep A Breast Foundation, Torrey Pines Bank, Aptera Motors and the highly-successful San Diego Restaurant Week.

The new Zenzi logo is vibrant, bold and symbolic of constant progression and expansive motion. It highlights the agency’s key brand attributes—energetic, innovative, connected and results-driven.

According to Julian Duval, CEO of Quail Botanical Gardens, “Zenzi has been very important to the many successes we have enjoyed at the Gardens, with five record years of attendance in a row. Clearly this would not be the case if we had anything less than the expert and very attentive service Zenzi has consistently provided.”

Zenzi has been recognized by leading PR, marketing and business organizations for creative, distinctive and results-oriented campaigns, including PRSA Bernays Awards (Consumer Product Launch, B2B and Special Events), Best Communications Campaign in Stevie Women in Business Awards, Most Admired CEO Finalist by San Diego Business Journal, Marcom Communicators Awards and many more.

About Zenzi:
Zenzi is an award-winning national communications agency that helps companies of all sizes “Be Known” through local and national media outreach, grassroots events, community relations and online exposure. Our specialty is getting the word out in a hurry by leveraging multiple touch points. If you would like to increase market share, break into new industries, find investors or generate qualified leads, Zenzi can help. Visit www.zenzi.com for more information.

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In Denver, when bad driving habits hit the wallet…

3 Minute Interview by Leslie Katz posted 3/5/09
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/The-3-minute-interview-with-Armen-Berjikly-40832807.html

More and more, citizen reporters are shaping the news and the information we receive. Time Magazine named “YOU” as person of the year as a result of the citizen reporting trend. We now find information and make purchasing decisions based on a variety of different sources that include blogs, vlogs, social networking sites, viral emails, and e-commerce rating systems. Each one of us is a journalists if we want to be and can be published in a number of locations in a number of ways on the web. Our tendency to trust each other more that we trust institutions, media outlets or even the government prompts us to turn to feedback from one another about what is truly going on in the world. Wikipedia is a citizen generated information library and one of the most frequently visited sites on the web and “google” is officially a verb. Zenzi offers a few tips on how to get your feet wet in the citizen-generated media world.

Here are some ways to increase your exposure that your current marketing campaign may not incorporate:

1. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes and brainstorm a key word list that a customer would use to find you.
2. Incorporate your top 10 search engine key words into your press releases and post them on your website.
3. Set up profiles on social networking sites based on your target audience i.e. facebook, myspace, linked in etc…have an intern build the network
4. Establish relationships with key bloggers that cover your subject matter, they love new information and have unlimited space in most cases!
5. Post entries on Wikipedia to position yourself as a subject matter authority.
6. Pitch web articles to sites where your target audience goes for information to position yourself as an expert.
7. Develop a value-add podcast which can be downloaded for free on your website or on others: I.e. if you are a tax specialist offer a tax seminar on the SBA’s website or a hyperlink to your site where they can download.
8. Partner with like sites that compliment your services and post each other’s links.
9. Constant contact through regular email pitches that serve a purpose and provide valuable information! Don’t just sell them
10. Do not make people dig to find your information! 3 clicks or less to get to information!

Zenzi’s role in securing celebrity participation and media opportunities for Keep A Breast, most recently a live breast casting on the hit TV show “The Bachelor,” have resulted in unprecedented awareness and exposure for our favorite Oceanside nonprofit. Keep A Breast is expanding its list of celebrity and corporate partners, which include Warped Tour, Emergen-C, Spencer’s, Roxy, pro surfer Lisa Anderson, musician Tom Delonge, artist Shephard Fairey and many others. We encourage you to support Keep A Breast’s important message and mission by visiting their website at www.keep-a-breast.org.

To mark the official start of the Girl Scouts cookie season, the ‘Girls in Green’ recently attended Cookie College at the University of San Diego to perfect the art of selling cookies. Zenzi CEO Sarah Znerold attended the event to coach the girls on successful strategies for PR and marketing. KPBS Education Reporter Ana Tintocalis reports.

Click to Listen to Girl Scouts Learn PR at Cookie College