MINDING OUR ELDERS

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LevLane has a finely honed understanding of and respect for seniors. How could we not? We’ve been talking with them one-on-one for over 20 years in order to build brands that move them…literally. From Connecticut to Chicago, we’ve picked the brains of retirees, to understand what compels them to abandon an established lifestyle and start afresh in a senior living community. Such insights have never been more precious, now that a precarious economy provides a ready-made excuse to stay put on familiar ground. So we dig – for pearls that when strewn through the creative will help turn the heads and hearts of our prospects toward a wonderful new beginning. It’s gratifying work – to elicit the stories, soak in the wisdom, learn what really matters when you’re 70, 80, 90 years old. And, we get a glimpse of what we would hope to have when we get there ourselves: something of value to share, if someone happened to ask.

-Lori Miller, VP Creative Strategist

We All Win When the Media and the Government Collaborate

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On Friday, August 12, The Philadelphia Daily News introduced “Pick It Up,” the paper’s new campaign for a cleaner city. The front page story and two page spread not only made a call for action to Philadelphians to clean up their act. It did so without dissing the City’s—specifically The Street Department’s—focused efforts to fix the problem. Too many times when it comes to news reporting, it’s a gotcha mentality that drives the story. The government is wrong. The news guys are heroes for exposing the wrongs. Gotcha! Well, at least in this case, the DN joined with the Streets Department in a much needed initiative, even lauding the City’s UnLitter Us movement as “promising” and including the Deputy Mayor, the Streets Commissioner and the Deputy Streets Commissioner in the dialogue. The City’s effort and the paper’s effort are both strengthened by the collaboration. In the end, it’s us—the citizens of Philadelphia– that win. Kudos to all parties for avoiding the finger pointing and for putting the need to solve the litter problem at the center of the discussion.

-Scott Tattar

*Featured photo is from the latest Daily News editorial entitled “We’ve become the Cradle of Littery” by Sandy Shea

New York Times Online: Accounts and People of Note in the Ad Industry

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Emily Verna joined LevLane, Philadelphia, as an account coordinator. She is a recent graduate of St. Joseph’s University who majored in marketing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/business/media/accounts-and-people-of-note-in-the-ad-industry.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&nl=business&emc=atb1

Business News: Advertising/PR agency LevLane Hires Account Manager

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Advertising agency and public relations agency LevLane, Phila., has hired Emily Verna as account coordinator on the agency’s Taco Bell, Reliance Standard Life Insurance, Philadelphia Financial and Senior Care Development public relations accounts.

Verna is a recent graduate of St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, having majored in Marketing.

“Entry level professionals are probably the most challenging hiring proposition for PR and ad agencies,” said Scott D. Tattar, Senior Vice President and PR Director at LevLane. “The number and quality of candidates coming out of college each year is most impressive—especially from Philadelphia-area schools like Temple, Villanova, LaSalle, St. Joe’s and Rowan. Finding the very best of the crop is something we take very, very seriously. Literally, dozens of recent graduates were in the running for this position. In Emily, we found a positive energy and a work ethic that just fit our client-centric culture to a T.”

LevLane is a full-service marketing communications agency with offices in Philadelphia, West Palm, Fla., and Atlanta. Clients include regional KFC/Taco Bell, Beneficial Bank, Jomar, ALI-ABA, Saul Ewing, Phila. Recycling Office, Fairmount Park Conservancy, WXPN, Phila. Corporation for Aging, Reliance Standard Life Insurance, Senior Care Development, Wesley Enhanced Living, Kennedy Health System, Kennedy Health Network and The Phila. Center City District, among others. www.levlane.com

http://advertising-pr.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?articletitle=Advertising/PR%20agency%20LevLane%20hires%20account%20manager.&newsid=239580&type_news=latest&s=sbcn

The Ref, The Tweet & The Lawsuit

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You may have heard that NBA official Bill Spooner is suing Associated Press reporter Jon Krawczynski. You may also have heard that pretty much nobody beside Spooner seems to think he has a case.

The lawsuit, which was filed against official NBA advice, is a mistake from a PR standpoint. A single tweet is quickly lost and forgotten in the churning flow of messages we read from social media every day. By filing a frivolous and frankly ridiculous lawsuit Spooner is calling attention to his ability as a referee and ensuring that his legacy will forever be “remember that guy who sued over a tweet?”

Spooner’s case illustrates an all too common phenomenon in social media – when the twitterverse turns against you, the worst thing you can do is overreact. Brands are learning this lesson, too – Aflac and Chrysler’s recent social media flubs dominated the press coverage, distracting the consumer away from the brand. So how does a company restore its good name?

Here are some ways to brave a Social Media Disaster:

An ounce of prevention: Give your employees and social media representatives some clear and simple guidelines for engaging in social media and be upfront about the consequences. Make sure they know what you consider “on the record” and what their responsibilities are.

Don’t overreact: The last thing you need when your brand has made the news for a social media misstep is to prolong the story by creating controversy with your reaction. Assess the situation, react appropriately, and be transparent. Don’t let a kneejerk reaction create more negative news.

React with something positive: The worst news for a brand is no news. You may have made the news with negative press, but now you have the public’s attention. Use it to gain exposure for the things you’re doing well.

Social media is still in its infancy and the legal and ethical implications are still in flux. Despite that, social media is ultimately a benefit to brands. It allows your brand to engage more personally with consumers and to form a lasting affinity.

 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/basketball/nba/03/15/nba.referee.twitter.lawsuit.ap/index.html#ixzz1Gm8OwPo9

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/business/media/16adco.html?src=bus

LevLane Names Account Manager to Open Atlanta Office

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Advertising agency LevLane has hired Laura Reese as account manager at the agency’s newly established Atlanta satellite office, where she will be responsible for the coordination of all programs and promotions, and for developing sales concepts, for the seventeen-member Atlanta KFC Advertising Co-op. Previously, Reese was regional broadcast manager for Rubin Postaer & Associates, Atlanta, working primarily on Honda and Acura.

LevLane president David Lane states, “Laura knows the Atlanta DMA inside and out, and that’s critical for us. QSR [the quick service restaurant category] is all about having brains in the market: shopping the competition, watching the local TV, being in the thick of it. We’re excited about what this office will be able to accomplish for Atlanta’s KFCs.”

LevLane is a full-service marketing communications agency with offices in Philadelphia, West Palm, Fla., and Atlanta. Clients include regional KFC/Taco Bell, Beneficial Bank, ALI-ABA, Phila. Recycling Office, Fairmount Park Conservancy, WXPN, Phila. Corporation for Aging, Reliance Standard Life Insurance, Wesley Enhanced Living, Kennedy Health System and The Phila. Center City District, among others. www.levlane.com

Philly Spring Cleanup: Let the Countdown Begin!

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The Philadelphia Streets Department is joining forces with Mayor Michael Nutter in celebration of the one month countdown to the 4th Annual Philly Spring Cleanup, an event designed to raise awareness and put an end to illegal dumping and litter.

Some of Philadelphia’s top officials and community members will also be speaking at the event along with Nutter to encourage residents and organizations to “Keep Up the Sweep Up.”

“This is something that we’ve traditionally done every year,” says Holly Mantle of LevLane PR, the event’s publicist. “We want residents to know what is coming up and remind them about the cleanup in April.”

Generally, the actual spring cleanup takes place the first Saturday in April, except for last year when it conflicted with holidays.

According to Mantle, last year’s cleanup hosted over 230 project sites, disposed of 1.3 million pounds of trash, 139,540 pounds of recycling and cleaned up 50 parks and recreation centers as well as 763 neighborhood blocks.

“We also hope to see more and more people come out each year,” says Mantle. “Seeing people come out to these [events] and get energized for them is awesome.”

The countdown event takes place today, Wed., March 2, 11:30a.m.-1p.m. at the Village of Arts and Humanities on Germantown Ave. The actual Philly Spring Cleanup will take place one month from today on April 2. Visit phillyspringcleanup.com for information, locations and registration.